2 Kings 4

¹And a woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant was fearing YHWH, and the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves.”

²And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has not anything in the house except but a jar of oil.”

³And he said, “Go, ask for yourself vessels from outside, from all your neighbors—empty vessels. Do not let it be few.

⁴And you shall come in and shut the door behind you and behind your sons, and you shall pour it into all these vessels and set aside the full ones.”

⁵And she went from him and shut the door behind her and behind her sons. They brought them near to her, and she poured it out.

⁶And it came to pass when the vessels were full that she said to her son, “Bring to me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” And the oil stood.

⁷And she came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil, and pay your debt, and you and your sons live on the rest.”

⁸And one day it came to pass that Elisha went to Shunem, and there was a great woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. And it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn aside there to eat some food.

⁹And she said to her husband, “Behold now, I know that he is a holy man of God who passes by us continually.

¹⁰Let us make, please, a small upper room on the wall, and let us put for him there a bed, and a table, and a chair, and a lampstand. And it will be, in his coming to us, he can turn aside there.”

¹¹And the day came to pass that he came there, and he turned aside to the upper room and lay down there.

¹²And he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammitess.” And he called her, and she stood before his face.

¹³And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Behold, you have trembled concerning us with all this trouble. What am I to do for you? Am I indeed to speak for you to the king or to the commander of the army?’” And she answered, “In the midst of my people I am dwelling.”

¹⁴And he said, “And what is to be done for her?” And Gehazi answered, “Truly there is not unto her a son, and her husband is old.”

¹⁵And he said, “Call to her.” And he called to her, and she stood in the doorway.

¹⁶And he said, “This time next year of life, you shall embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, O man of God, do not lie to your maidservant.”

¹⁷And the woman conceived and bore a son at this appointed time of life that Elisha had spoken to her.

¹⁸And the child grew, and the day came to pass that he went out to his father to the harvesters.

¹⁹And he said to his father, “My head! My head!” And he said to a servant, “Carry him to his mother.”

²⁰And he lifted him and brought him to his mother, and he sat on her knees until the noon, and he died.

²¹And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and she shut the door behind him and went out.

²²And she called to her husband and said, “Please send me one of the young men, and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and return.”

²³And he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is not the New Moon nor the Sabbath.” And she said, “Peace.”

²⁴And she saddled a donkey and said to her servant, “Drive and go forward. Do not slacken for me the pace, for unless I speak to you.”

²⁵And she departed and went in to the man of God at Mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, “Behold, this Shunammitess.

²⁶Now run, please, to meet her, and say to her, ‘Is it all well for you? Is it well for your husband? Is it well for the child?’” And she answered, “It is well.”

²⁷And she came to the man of God at the hill, and she caught him by the feet. And Gehazi came near to push her away. And the man of God said, “Let her alone, for her soul is bitter to her, and YHWH has hidden it from me and has not told me.”

²⁸And she said, “Did I ask a son from my lord? Did I not say, ‘Do not deceive me’?”

²⁹And he said to Gehazi, “Gird up your loins, and take my staff in your hand, and be on your way. If you meet anyone, do not greet him. And if anyone greets you, do not answer him. And lay my staff on the face of the boy.”

³⁰And the mother of the child said, “As YHWH lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” And he arose and followed her.

³¹And Gehazi went on ahead of them and laid the staff on the face of the boy. And there was no voice and no hearing. And he turned back to meet him and declared to him, saying, “The child has not awakened.”

³²And Elisha came into the house, and behold, the boy was dead, lying on his bed.

³³And he went in and shut the door behind the two of them, and he prayed to YHWH.

³⁴And he went up and lay on the child, and he put his mouth on his mouth, and his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. And he stretched out himself on him, and the flesh of the child became warm.

³⁵And he returned and walked in the house once here and once here. And again he went up and stretched out himself on him. And the boy sneezed up to seven times, and the boy opened his eyes.

³⁶And he called to Gehazi and said, “Call to this Shunammitess.” And he called her, and she came in to him. And he said, “Lift up your son.”

³⁷And she went in and fell at his feet, and she bowed herself to the earth. And she lifted her son and went out.

³⁸And Elisha returned to Gilgal, and the famine was in the land. And the sons of the prophets were sitting before his face, and he said to his servant, “Put on the large pot and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.”

³⁹And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and he found a vine of the field, and he gathered from it gourds of the field—the fullness of his garment—and he came and sliced them into the pot of stew, though they knew not.

⁴⁰And they served it to the men to eat, and it came to pass as they were eating the stew, that they cried out and said, “Death is in the pot, O man of God.” And they could not eat it.

⁴¹And he said, “Bring flour.” And he put it into the pot and said, “Serve it to the people, that they may eat.” And there was not a harmful thing in the pot.

⁴²And a man came from Baal-shalishah, and he brought to the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and ripe grain in his sack. And he said, “Give it to the people, that they may eat.”

⁴³And his servant said, “How shall I set this before the face of a hundred men?” And He said again, “Give it to the people, that they may eat. For thus says YHWH, ‘They shall eat and have left over.’”

⁴⁴And he set it before them, and they ate and had left over, according to the word of YHWH.