2 Kings 4

1One woman from the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant, my husband, has died, and you know that your servant feared Yahweh. And the creditor has come to take my two children for himself as servants.”

2And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your female servant has nothing at all in the house except a flask of oil.”

3Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels for yourself from outside, from all your neighbors—empty vessels. Do not gather only a few.”

4Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and behind your sons, and pour into all these containers; and set aside the full ones.

5So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and behind her sons; they were bringing the vessels to her, and she was pouring.

6And when the containers were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another container.” But he said to her, “There is not another container.” Then the oil stopped.

7Then she came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil, and pay your debts; and you and your sons can live on what is left.”

8And one day Elisha passed through Shunem, where there was a prominent woman, and she urged him to eat bread. So whenever he passed by, he would turn in there to eat bread.

9And she said to her husband, “Look now, I know that this is a holy man of God who regularly passes by us.”

10Please let us make a small upper room on the wall, and let us put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lampstand; and whenever he comes to us, he can turn in there.

11One day he came there, turned aside into the upper room, and lay down there.

12Then he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite woman.” So he called her, and she stood before him.

13And he said to him, “Please say to her, ‘Look, you have taken all this trouble for us. What is to be done for you? Is there anything to be spoken for you to the king or to the commander of the army?’” And she said, “I am living among my own people.”

14So he said, “What then is to be done for her?” And Gehazi said, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is old.”

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

16Then he said, "At this appointed time next year, you will be embracing a son." But she said, "No, my lord, man of God; do not deceive your servant."

17So the woman conceived and bore a son at that appointed time, about this time next year, just as Elisha had spoken to her.

18And the boy grew, and one day he went out to his father, to the reapers.

19And he said to his father, “My head, my head!” Then he said to the young man, “Carry him to his mother.”

20And he carried him and brought him to his mother, and he sat on her knees until noon; then he died.

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

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

23And he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither new moon nor Sabbath.” And she said, “Peace.”

24Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Drive on and go; do not slow down for me unless I tell you.”

25So she went and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel. And when the man of God saw her from a distance, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Look, that Shunammite woman.”

26Now please run to meet her and say to her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?’ And she said, ‘It is well.’

27When she came to the man of God at the mountain, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for her soul is bitter within her, and Yahweh has hidden it from me and has not told me.”

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

29Then he said to Gehazi, “Tuck up your garment, take my staff in your hand, and go. If you meet anyone, do not greet him; and if anyone greets you, do not answer him. Then place my staff on the boy’s face.”

30Then the boy’s mother said, “As Yahweh lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” So he arose and went after her.

31And Gehazi went on ahead of them and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound and no response. So he returned to meet him and told him, saying, “The boy has not awakened.”

32When Elisha came into the house, behold, the boy was dead, laid on his bed.

33He went in and shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to Yahweh.

34Then he went up and lay on the boy, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his palms on his palms; and he stretched himself over him, and the boy’s flesh became warm.

35Then he returned and walked in the house, once here and once there; then he went up and stretched himself over him, and the boy sneezed seven times, and the boy opened his eyes.

36Then he called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite woman.” So he called her, and she came to him. Then he said, “Take up your son.”

37Then she came and fell at his feet and bowed to the ground. Then she picked up her son and went out.

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

39Then one man went out into the field to gather herbs, and he found a wild vine and gathered from it wild gourds, filling his garment. Then he came and sliced them into the pot of stew, though they did not know what they were.

40So they poured it out for the men to eat. But as they were eating from the stew, they cried out and said, “There is death in the pot, man of God!” And they could not eat.

41Then he said, “Bring some flour.” And he threw it into the pot and said, “Pour it out for the people, so that they may eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot.

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

43But his servant said, “How am I to set this before a hundred men?” And he said, “Give it to the people, and let them eat, for thus says Yahweh: ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’”

44So he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of Yahweh.