2 Kings 4

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 The wife of a member of the prophetic brotherhood appealed to Elisha. 'Your servant my husband isdead,' she said, 'and you know how your servant revered Yahweh. A creditor has now come to take my twochildren and make them his slaves.'	1 Now a certain woman, from the wives of the prophets, cried out to Elisha, saying: “My husband, your servant, is dead. And you know that your servant was one who fears the Lord. And behold, a creditor has arrived, so that he may take away my two sons to serve him.”
2 Elisha said, 'What can I do for you? Tel me, what have you got in the house?' 'Your servant has nothingin the house,' she replied, 'except a flask of oil.'	2 And Elisha said to her: “What do you want me to do for you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” And she responded, “I, your handmaid, do not have anything in my house, except a little oil, with which I may be anointed.”
3 Then he said, 'Go outside and borrow jars from al your neighbours, empty jars and not too few.	3 And he said to her: “Go, ask to borrow from all your neighbors empty vessels, more than a few.
4 When you come back, shut the door on yourself and your sons, and pour the oil into all these jars,putting each aside when it is ful .'	4 And enter and close your door. And when you are inside with your sons, pour from the oil into all those vessels. And when they are full, take them away.”
5 So she left him; and she shut the door on herself and her sons; they passed her the jars and she wenton pouring.	5 And so, the woman went and closed the door upon herself and her sons. They were bringing her the vessels, and she was pouring into them.
6 When the jars were full, she said to her son, 'Pass me another jar.' 'There are no more,' he replied. Thenthe oil stopped flowing.	6 And when the vessels had been filled, she said to her son, “Bring me another a vessel.” And he responded, “I have none.” And there was oil remaining.
7 She went and told the man of God, who said, 'Go and sel the oil and redeem your pledge; you and yourchildren can live on the remainder.'	7 Then she went and told the man of God. And he said: “Go, sell the oil, and repay your creditor. Then you and your sons may live on what remains.”
8 One day as Elisha was on his way to Shunem, a woman of rank who lived there pressed him to stay andeat there. After this he always broke his journey for a meal when he passed that way.	8 Now it happened that, on a certain day, Elisha passed by Shunem. And there was a great woman there, who took him to eat bread. And since he frequently passed by there, he turned aside to her house, so that he might eat bread.
9 She said to her husband, 'Look, I am sure the man who is constantly passing our way must be a holyman of God.	9 And she said to her husband: “I have noticed that he is a holy man of God, who passes by us frequently.
10 Let us build him a smal wal ed room, and put him a bed in it, and a table and chair and lamp;whenever he comes to us he can rest there.'	10 Therefore, let us prepare a small upper room for him, and place a bed in it for him, and a table, and a chair, and a lampstand, so that when he comes to us, he may stay there.”
11 One day when he came, he retired to the upper room and lay down.	11 Then it happened that, on a certain day, arriving, he turned aside into the upper room, and he rested there.
12 He said to his servant Gehazi, 'Cal our Shunammite.' He cal ed her and when she appeared, Elishasaid,	12 And he said to his servant Gehazi, “Call this Shunammite woman.” And when he had called her, and she stood before him,
13 'Tell her this: "Look, you have gone to al this trouble for us, what can we do for you? Is there anythingyou would like said for you to the king or to the commander of the army?" ' But she replied, 'I live with my ownpeople about me.'	13 he said to his servant: “Say to her: Behold, you have ministered to us attentively in all things. What do you want, that I might do for you? Do you have any business, or do you want me to speak to the king, or to the leader of the military?” And she responded, “I live in the midst of my own people.”
14 'What can I do for you then?' he asked. Gehazi replied, 'Wel , she has no son and her husband is old.'	14 And he said, “Then what does she want, that I might do for her?” And Gehazi said: “You need not ask. For she has no son, and her husband is elderly.”
15 Elisha said, 'Call her.' The servant cal ed her and she stood at the door.	15 And so, he instructed him to call her. And when she had been called, and was standing before the door,
16 'This time next year', he said, 'you wil hold a son in your arms.' But she said, 'No, my lord, do not deceive your servant.'	16 he said to her, “At this time, and at this same hour, with life as a companion, you will have a son in your womb.” But she responded, “Do not, I ask you, my lord, a man of God, do not be willing to lie to your handmaid.”
17 But the woman did conceive, and she gave birth to a son at the time that Elisha had said she would.	17 And the woman conceived. And she bore a son, in the time and at the same hour as Elisha had said.
18 The child grew up; one day he went to his father who was with the reapers,	18 And the boy grew. And on a certain day, when he had gone out to his father, to the harvesters,
19 and exclaimed to his father, 'Oh, my head! My head!' The father told a servant to carry him to hismother.	19 he said to his father: “I have a pain in my head. I have a pain in my head.” But he said to his servant, “Take him, and lead him to his mother.”
20 He lifted him up and took him to his mother, and the boy lay on her lap until midday, when he died.	20 But when he had taken him, and he had led him to his mother, she placed him upon her knees, until midday, and then he died.
21 She went upstairs, laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door on him and went out.	21 Then she went up and laid him out on the bed of the man of God, and she closed the door. And departing,
22 She cal ed her husband and said, 'Send me one of the servants with a donkey. I must hurry to the manof God and back.'	22 she called her husband, and she said: “Send with me, I beg you, one of your servants, and a donkey, so that I may hurry to the man of God, and then return.”
23 'Why go to him today?' he asked. 'It is not New Moon or Sabbath.' But she replied, 'Never mind.'	23 And he said to her: “What is the reason that you would go to him? Today is not the new moon, and it is not the Sabbath.” She responded, “I will go.”
24 She had the donkey saddled and said to her servant, 'Lead on, go! Do not draw rein until I give theorder.'	24 And she saddled a donkey, and she instructed her servant: “Drive, and hurry on. You shall cause no delay for me in departing. And do whatever I instruct you to do.”
25 She set off and made her way to the man of God at Mount Carmel. When the man of God saw her inthe distance, he said to his servant Gehazi, 'Look, here comes our Shunammite!	25 And so she set out. And she came to the man of God, on mount Carmel. And when the man of God had seen her at a distance, he said to his servant Gehazi: “Behold, it is that Shunammite woman.
26 Now run and meet her and ask her, "Are you wel ? Is your husband well? Your child well?" ' 'Yes,' shereplied.	26 So then, go to meet her, and say to her, ‘Does all go well concerning you, and your husband, and your son?’ ” And she answered, “It is well.”
27 When she came to the man of God there on the mountain, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi steppedforward to push her away, but the man of God said, 'Leave her; there is bitterness in her soul and Yahweh hashidden it from me, he has not told me.'	27 And when she had arrived at the man of God, on the mount, she took hold of his feet. And Gehazi drew near, so that he might remove her. But the man of God said: “Permit her. For her soul is in bitterness. And the Lord has concealed it from me, and has not revealed it to me.”
28 She said, 'Did I ask my lord for a son? Did I not say: Don't deceive me?'	28 And she said to him: “Did I ask a son from my lord? Did I not say to you, ‘You should not deceive me?’ ”
29 Elisha said to Gehazi, 'Hitch up your clothes, take my staff in your hand and go. If you meet anyone, donot greet him; if anyone greets you, do not answer him. You are to stretch out my staff over the child.'	29 And so he said to Gehazi: “Gird your waist, and take my staff in your hand, and go. If any man will meet you, you shall not greet him. And if anyone greets you, you shall not respond to him. And place my staff upon the face of the boy.”
30 But the child's mother said, 'As Yahweh lives and as you yourself live, I wil not leave you.' Then hestood up and followed her.	30 But the mother of the boy said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not release you.” Therefore, he rose up, and he followed her.
31 Gehazi had gone ahead of them and had stretched out the staff over the child, but there was no soundor response. He went back to meet Elisha and told him. 'The child has not woken up,' he said.	31 But Gehazi had gone before them, and he had placed the staff upon the face of the boy. And there was no voice, nor any response. And so he returned to meet him. And he reported to him, saying, “The boy did not rise up.”
32 Elisha then went to the house, and there on his bed lay the child, dead.	32 Therefore, Elisha entered the house. And behold, the boy was lying dead upon his bed.
33 He went in and shut the door on the two of them and prayed to Yahweh.	33 And entering, he closed the door upon himself and the boy. And he prayed to the Lord.
34 Then he climbed on to the bed and stretched himself on top of the child, putting his mouth on hismouth, his eyes to his eyes, and his hands on his hands, and as he lowered himself on to him, the child's fleshgrew warm.	34 And he climbed up, and lay across the boy. And he put his mouth over his mouth, and his eyes over his eyes, and his hands over his hands. And he leaned himself over him, and the body of the boy grew warm.
35 Then he got up and walked to and fro inside the house, and then climbed on to the bed again andlowered himself on to the child seven times in al ; then the child sneezed and opened his eyes.	35 And returning, he walked around the house, first here and then there. And he went up, and lay across him. And the boy gasped seven times, and he opened his eyes.
36 He then summoned Gehazi. 'Cal our Shunammite,' he said. He cal ed her. When she came to him, hesaid, 'Pick up your son.'	36 And he called Gehazi, and said to him, “Call this Shunammite woman.” And having been called, she entered to him. And he said, “Take up your son.”
37 She went in and, fal ing at his feet, prostrated herself on the floor and then picked up her son and wentout.	37 She went and fell at his feet, and she reverenced upon the ground. And she took up her son, and departed.
38 Elisha went back to Gilgal while there was famine in the country. As the brotherhood of prophets weresitting with him, he said to his servant, 'Put the large pot on the fire and cook some soup for the brotherhood.'	38 And Elisha returned to Gilgal. Now there was a famine in the land, and the sons of the prophets were living in his sight. And he said to one of his servants, “Set out a large cooking pot, and boil a soup for the sons of the prophets.”
39 One of them went into the fields to gather herbs and came on some wild vine, off which he gatheredenough gourds to fil his lap. On his return, he cut them up into the pot of soup; they did not know what theywere.	39 And one went out into the field, so that he might collect wild herbs. And he found something like a wild vine, and he gathered from it bitter fruits of the field, and he filled his cloak. And returning, he cut these up for the pot of soup. But he did not know what it was.
40 They then poured the soup out for the men to eat, but they had no sooner tasted the soup than theycried, 'Man of God, there is death in the pot!' And they could not eat it.	40 Then they poured it out for their companions to eat. And when they had tasted the mixture, they cried out, saying, “Death is in the cooking pot, O man of God!” And they were unable to eat.
41 'Bring some meal then,' Elisha said. This he threw into the pot, and said, 'Pour out, for the company toeat!' And there was nothing harmful in the pot.	41 But he said, “Bring some flour.” And when they had brought it, he cast it into the cooking pot, and he said, “Pour it out for the group, so that they may eat.” And there was no longer any bitterness in the cooking pot.
42 A man came from Baal-Shalishah, bringing the man of God bread from the first-fruits, twenty barleyloaves and fresh grain stil in the husk. 'Give it to the company to eat,' Elisha said.	42 Now a certain man arrived from Baal-Shalishah, carrying, for the man of God, bread from the first-fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and new grain in his satchel. But he said, “Give it to the people, so that they may eat.”
43 But his servant replied, 'How can I serve this to a hundred men?' 'Give it to the company to eat,' heinsisted, 'for Yahweh says this, "They wil eat and have some left over." '	43 And his servant responded to him, “What amount is this, that I should set it before a hundred men?” But he said again: “Give it to the people, so that they may eat. For thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat, and there shall be still more.’ ”
44 He served them; they ate and had some left over, as Yahweh had said.	44 And so, he set it before them. And they ate, and there was still more, in accord with the word of the Lord.