2 Kings 4

NEW AMERICAN BIBLE	KING JAMES BIBLE
1 A certain woman, the widow of one of the guild prophets, complained to Elisha: "My husband, your servant, is dead. You know that he was a God-fearing man, yet now his creditor has come to take my two children as his slaves."	1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.
2 "How can I help you?" Elisha answered her. "Tell me what you have in the house." "This servant of yours has nothing in the house but a jug of oil," she replied.	2 And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
3 "Go out," he said, "borrow vessels from all your neighbors--as many empty vessels as you can.	3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.
4 Then come back and close the door on yourself and your children; pour the oil into all the vessels, and as each is filled, set it aside."	4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
5 She went and did so, closing the door on herself and her children. As they handed her the vessels, she would pour in oil.	5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.
6 When all the vessels were filled, she said to her son, "Bring me another vessel." "There is none left," he answered her. And then the oil stopped.	6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
7 She went and told the man of God, who said, "Go and sell the oil to pay off your creditor; with what remains, you and your children can live."	7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.
8 One day Elisha came to Shunem, where there was a woman of influence, who urged him to dine with her. Afterward, whenever he passed by, he used to stop there to dine.	8 And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.
9 So she said to her husband, "I know that he is a holy man of God. Since he visits us often,	9 And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.
10 let us arrange a little room on the roof and furnish it for him with a bed, table, chair, and lamp, so that when he comes to us he can stay there."	10 Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.
11 Sometime later Elisha arrived and stayed in the room overnight.	11 And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there.
12 Then he said to his servant Gehazi, "Call this Shunammite woman." He did so, and when she stood before Elisha,	12 And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him.
13 he told Gehazi, "Say to her, 'You have lavished all this care on us; what can we do for you? Can we say a good word for you to the king or to the commander of the army?'" She replied, "I am living among my own people."	13 And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people.
14 Later Elisha asked, "Can something be done for her?" "Yes!" Gehazi answered. "She has no son, and her husband is getting on in years."	14 And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old.
15 "Call her," said Elisha. When she had been called, and stood at the door,	15 And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door.
16 Elisha promised, "This time next year you will be fondling a baby son." "Please, my lord," she protested, "you are a man of God; do not deceive your servant."	16 And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.
17 Yet the woman conceived, and by the same time the following year she had given birth to a son, as Elisha had promised.	17 And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.
18 The day came when the child was old enough to go out to his father among the reapers.	18 And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.
19 "My head hurts!" he complained to his father. "Carry him to his mother," the father said to a servant.	19 And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother.
20 The servant picked him up and carried him to his mother; he stayed with her until noon, when he died in her lap.	20 And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.
21 The mother took him upstairs and laid him on the bed of the man of God. Closing the door on him, she went out	21 And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out.
22 and called to her husband, "Let me have a servant and a donkey. I must go quickly to the man of God, and I will be back."	22 And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again.
23 "Why are you going to him today?" he asked. "It is neither the new moon nor the sabbath." But she bade him good-bye,	23 And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well.
24 and when the donkey was saddled, said to her servant: "Lead on! Do not stop my donkey unless I tell you to."	24 Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee.
25 She kept going till she reached the man of God on Mount Carmel. When he spied her at a distance, the man of God said to his servant Gehazi: "There is the Shunammite!	25 So she went and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite:
26 Hurry to meet her, and ask if all is well with her, with her husband, and with the boy." "Greetings," she replied.	26 Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well.
27 But when she reached the man of God on the mountain, she clasped his feet. Gehazi came near to push her away, but the man of God said: "Let her alone, she is in bitter anguish; the LORD hid it from me and did not let me know."	27 And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the LORD hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.
28 "Did I ask my lord for a son?" she cried out. "Did I not beg you not to deceive me?"	28 Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me?
29 "Gird your loins," Elisha said to Gehazi, "take my staff with you and be off; if you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my staff upon the boy."	29 Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child.
30 But the boy's mother cried out: "As the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not release you." So he started to go back with her.	30 And the mother of the child said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her.
31 Meanwhile, Gehazi had gone on ahead and had laid the staff upon the boy, but there was no sound or sign of life. He returned to meet Elisha and informed him that the boy had not awakened.	31 And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he went again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.
32 When Elisha reached the house, he found the boy lying dead.	32 And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed.
33 He went in, closed the door on them both, and prayed to the LORD.	33 He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD.
34 Then he lay upon the child on the bed, placing his mouth upon the child's mouth, his eyes upon the eyes, and his hands upon the hands. As Elisha stretched himself over the child, the body became warm.	34 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 he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.
35 He arose, paced up and down the room, and then once more lay down upon the boy, who now sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.	35 Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.
36 Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, "Call the Shunammite." She came at his call, and Elisha said to her, "Take your son."	36 And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son.
37 She came in and fell at his feet in gratitude; then she took her son and left the room.	37 Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.
38 When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a famine in the land. Once, when the guild prophets were seated before him, he said to his servant, "Put the large pot on, and make some vegetable stew for the guild prophets."	38 And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets.
39 Someone went out into the field to gather herbs and found a wild vine, from which he picked a clothful of wild gourds. On his return he cut them up into the pot of vegetable stew without anybody's knowing it.	39 And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not.
40 The stew was poured out for the men to eat, but when they began to eat it, they exclaimed, "Man of God, there is poison in the pot!" And they could not eat it.	40 So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.
41 "Bring some meal," Elisha said. He threw it into the pot and said, "Serve it to the people to eat." And there was no longer anything harmful in the pot.	41 But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot.
42 A man came from Baal-shalishah bringing the man of God twenty barley loaves made from the first fruits, and fresh grain in the ear. "Give it to the people to eat," Elisha said.	42 And there came a man from Baal-shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.
43 But his servant objected, "How can I set this before a hundred men?" "Give it to the people to eat," Elisha insisted. "For thus says the LORD, 'They shall eat and there shall be some left over.'"	43 And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.
44 And when they had eaten, there was some left over, as the LORD had said.	44 So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the LORD.