2 Kings 4

1 Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets came crying to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared Yahweh. Now the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.”

And one of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisaie, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant feared the Lord: and the creditor is come to take my two sons to be his servants.

2 So Elisha said to her, “What can I do for you? Tell me what do you have in the house?” She said, “Your servant has nothing in the house, except a pot of oil.”

And Elisaie said, What shall I do for thee? tell me what thou hast in the house. And she said, Thy servant has nothing in the house, except oil wherewith I anoint myself.

3 Then Elisha said, “Go out to borrow jars from your neighbors, empty jars. Borrow as many as possible.

And he said to her, Go, borrow for thyself vessels without of all thy neighbours, [even] empty vessels; borrow not a few.

4 Then you must go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour oil into all those jars; set aside the jars that are full.”

And thou shalt go in and shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and thou shalt pour forth into these vessels, and remove that which is filled.

5 So she left Elisha and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her, and she filled them with oil.

And she departed from him, and shut the door upon herself and upon her sons: they brought the vessels near to her, and she poured in until the vessels were filled.

6 When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another jar.” But he said to her, “There are no more jars.” Then the oil stopped flowing.

And she said to her sons, Bring me yet a vessel. And they said to her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.

7 Then she came and told the man of God. He said, “Go, sell the oil; pay your debt, and live with your sons on the rest.”

And she came and told the man of God: and Elisaie said, Go, and sell the oil, and thou shalt pay thy debts, and thou and thy sons shall live of the remaining oil.

8 One day Elisha walked to Shunem where an important woman lived; she urged him to eat food with her. So as often as Elisha passed by, he would stop there to eat.

And a day came, when Elisaie passed over to Soman, and [there was] a great lady there, and she constrained him to eat bread: and it came to pass as often as he went into [the city, that] he turned aside to eat there.

9 The woman said to her husband, “See, now I realize that this is a holy man of God who is always passing by.

And the woman said to her husband, See now, I know that this [is] a holy man of God who comes over continually to us.

10 Let us make a little room on the roof for Elisha, and let us put in it a bed, a table, a seat, and a lamp. Then when he comes to us, he will stay there.”

Let us now make for him an upper chamber, a small place; and let us put there for him a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall come to pass that when he comes in to us, he shall turn in thither.

11 So when the day came again that Elisha stopped there, he stayed in the room and rested there.

And a day came, and he went in thither, and turned aside into the upper chamber, and lay there.

12 Elisha said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite.” When he had called her, she stood before him.

And he said to Giezi his servant, Call me this Somanite. and he called her, and she stood before him.

13 Elisha said to him, “Say to her, 'You have gone to all this trouble to care for us. What can be done for you? Can we speak for you to the king or to the army commander?'” She answered, “I live among my own people.”

And he said to him, Say now to her, Behold, thou hast taken all this trouble for us; what should I do for thee? Hast thou any request [to make] to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she said, I dwell in the midst of my people.

14 So Elisha said, “What can we do for her, then?” Gehazi answered, “Indeed, she has no son, and her husband is old.”

And he said to Giezi, What must we do for her? and Giezi his servant said, Indeed she has no son, and her husband [is] old.

15 So Elisha answered, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the door.

And he called her, and she stood by the door.

16 Elisha said, “At this time of year, in one year's time, you will be holding a son.” She said, “No, my master and man of God, do not lie to your servant.”

And Elisaie said to her, At this time [next year], as the season [is], thou [shalt be] alive, and embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, do not lie to thy servant.

17 But the woman conceived and gave birth to a son at the same time in the following year, as Elisha had said to her.

And the woman conceived, and bore a son at the very time, as the season was, being alive, as Elisaie said to her.

18 When the child had grown, he went out one day to his father, who was with harvesters.

And the child grew: and it came to pass when he went out to his father to the reapers,

19 He said to his father, “My head, my head.” His father said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.”

that he said to his father, My head, my head. and [his father] said to a servant, carry him to his mother.

20 When the servant had picked him up and brought the boy to his mother, the child sat on her knees until noon and then died.

And he carried him to his mother, and he lay upon her knees till noon, and died.

21 So the woman got up and laid the boy on the bed of the man of God, shut the door, and went out.

And she carried him up and laid him on the bed of the man of god; and she shut the door upon him, and went out.

22 She called to her husband, and said, “Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys so that I may hurry to the man of God and then come back.”

And she called her husband, and said, Send now for me one of the young men, and one of the asses, and I will ride quickly to the man of God, and return.

23 Her husband said, “Why do you want to go to him today? It is not a new moon nor a Sabbath.” She replied, “It will be all right.”

And he said, Why art thou going to him to-day? It is neither new moon, nor the Sabbath. And she said, [It is] well.

24 Then she saddled a donkey and said to her servant, “Drive on quickly; do not slow down for me unless I say so.”

And she saddled the ass, and said to her servant, Be quick, proceed: spare not on my account to ride, unless I shall tell thee. Go, and thou shalt proceed, and come to the man of God to mount Carmel.

25 So she went and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel. So when the man of God saw her in the distance, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Look, here comes the Shunammite woman.

And she rode and came to the man of God to the mountain: and it came to pass when Elisaie saw her coming, that he said to Giezi his servant, See now, that Somanite comes.

26 Please run to meet her and say to her, 'Is everything alright with you and with your husband and child?'” She answered, “It is alright.”

Now run to meet her, and thou shalt say, [Is it] well with thee? [is it] well with thy husband? [is it] well with the child? and she said, [It is] well.

27 When she came to the man of God at the mountain, she caught hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to thrust her away but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for she is very upset, and Yahweh has hidden the problem from me, and has told me nothing.”

And she came to Elisaie to the mountain, and laid hold of his feet; and Giezi drew near to thrust her away. And Elisaie said, Let her alone, for her soul [is] much grieved in her, and the Lord has hidden [it] from me, and has not told [it] me.

28 Then she said, “Did I ask you for a son, my master? Did I not say, 'Do not deceive me'?”

And she said, Did I ask a son of my lord? For did I not say, Do not deal deceitfully with me?

29 Then Elisha said to Gehazi, “Dress for travel and take my staff in your hand. Go to her home. If you meet any man, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer him. Lay my staff on the child's face.”

And Elisaie said to Giezi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thy hand, and go: if thou meet any man, thou shalt not salute him, and if a man salute thee thou shalt not answer him: and thou shalt lay my staff on the child's face.

30 But the mother of the child said, “As Yahweh lives, and as you live, I will not leave you.” So Elisha arose and followed her.

And the mother of the child said, [As] the Lord lives and [as] thy soul lives, I will not leave thee. And Elisaie arose, and went after her.

31 Gehazi hurried on ahead of them and laid the staff on the child's face, but the child did not speak or hear. So then Gehazi returned to meet Elisha and told him saying, “The child has not awakened.”

And Giezi went on before her, and laid his staff on the child's face: but there was neither voice nor any hearing. So he returned to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.

32 When Elisha arrived at the house, the child was dead and was still on the bed.

And Elisaie went into the house, and, behold, the dead child was laid upon his bed.

33 So Elisha went in and shut the door on the child and himself and prayed to Yahweh.

And Elisaie went into the house, and shut the door upon themselves, the two, and prayed to the Lord.

34 He went up and lay on the child; he put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. He stretched himself out on the boy, and the boy's body grew warm.

And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands; and bowed himself upon him, and the flesh of the child grew warm.

35 Then Elisha got up and walked around the room and again went up and stretched himself out on the boy. The child sneezed seven times and then opened his eyes!

And he returned, and walked up and down in the house: and he went up, and bowed himself on the child seven times; and the child opened his eyes.

36 So Elisha called Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite!” So he called her, and when she came into the room, Elisha said, “Pick up your son.”

And Elisaie cried out to Giezi, and said, Call this Somanite. So he called her, and she came in to him: and Elisaie said, Take thy son.

37 Then she lay facedown on the ground at his feet and bowed to the ground, and then picked up her son and went out.

And the woman went in, and fell at his feet, and did obeisance [bowing] to the ground; and she took her son, and went out.

38 Then Elisha came again to Gilgal. There was famine in the land, and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him. He said to his servant, “Put the large pot on the fire and cook stew for the sons of the prophets.”

And Elisaie returned to Galgala: and a famine [was] in the land; and the sons of the prophets sat before him: and Elisaie said to his servant, Set on the great pot, and boil pottage for the sons of the prophets.

39 One of them went out into a field to gather vegetables. He found a wild vine and gathered enough wild gourds to fill the fold of his robe. They cut them up and put them into the stew, but did not know what kind they were.

And he went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a vine in the field, and gathered of it wild gourds, his garment full; and he cast it into the caldron of pottage, for they knew [them] not.

40 So they poured out the stew for the men to eat. Later, as they were eating, they cried out and said, “Man of God, there is death in the pot!” So they could not eat it anymore.

And he poured it out for the men to eat: and it came to pass, when they were eating of the pottage, that lo! they cried out, and said, [There is] death in the pot, O man of God. And they could not eat.

41 But Elisha said, “Bring some flour.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Pour it out for the people, so that they may eat.” Then there was no longer anything hurtful in the pot.

And he said, Take meal, and cast it into the pot. And Elisaie said to his servant Giezi, Pour out for the people, and let them eat. And there was no longer there any hurtful thing in the pot.

42 A man came from Baal Shalishah to the man of God and brought twenty loaves of barley bread in his sack from the new harvest, and fresh ears of grain. He said, “Give this to the people so they can eat.”

And there came a man over from Baetharisa, and brought to the man of God twenty barley loaves and cakes of figs, of the first-fruits. And he said, Give to the people, and let them eat.

43 His servant said, “What, should I set this before a hundred men?” But Elisha said, “Give this to the people, so they can eat, because Yahweh says, 'They will eat and will have some left.'”

And his servant said, Why should I set this before a hundred men? and he said, Give to the people, and let them eat; for thus saith the Lord, They shall eat and leave.

44 So his servant set it before them; they ate, and left some remaining, just as the word of Yahweh promised.

And they ate and left, according to the word of the Lord.