1 N ow the wife of the son of one of the men who tell what will happen in the future cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, is dead. You know that your servant honored the Lord with fear. But the man to whom he owed money has come to take my two children to make them serve him.”

Now the wife of a son of the prophets cried to Elisha, Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. But the creditor has come to take my two sons to be his slaves.

2 E lisha said to her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your woman servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.”

Elisha said to her, What shall I do for you? Tell me, what have you in the house? She said, Your handmaid has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.

3 T hen he said, “Go around and get jars from all your neighbors. Get empty jars, many of them.

Then he said, Go around and borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels—and not a few.

4 T hen go in and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour the oil into all these jars, and set aside each one that is full.”

And when you come in, shut the door upon you and your sons. Then pour out into all those vessels, setting aside each one when it is full.

5 S o she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They took the jars to her, and she poured.

So she went from him and shut the door upon herself and her sons, who brought to her the vessels as she poured the oil.

6 W hen the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another jar.” And he said to her, “There is not one jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.

When the vessels were all full, she said to her son, Bring me another vessel. And he said to her, There is not a one left. Then the oil stopped multiplying.

7 S he came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go and sell the oil and pay what you owe. You and your sons can live on the rest.” Elisha and the Shunammite’s Son

Then she came and told the man of God. He said, Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons live on the rest.

8 O ne day Elisha went to Shunem. An important woman was there, who talked him into eating some food. So every time he passed by, he would turn in there to eat food.

One day Elisha went on to Shunem, where a rich and influential woman lived, who insisted on his eating a meal. Afterward, whenever he passed by, he stopped there for a meal.

9 S he said to her husband, “Now I see that this is a holy man of God who is always passing by.

And she said to her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God who passes by continually.

10 L et us make a little room on the second floor. And let us put a bed there for him, and a table and a chair and a lamp. Then when he comes to us, he can go in there.”

Let us make a small chamber on the and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. Then whenever he comes to us, he can go here.

11 O ne day Elisha came there and went into the room on the second floor, and rested.

One day he came and turned into the chamber and lay there.

12 H e said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite.” When he had called her, she came and stood in front of him.

And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. When he had called her, she stood before him.

13 E lisha said to Gehazi, “Now tell her, ‘See, you have done much for us. What can I do for you? Should I speak to the king or to the captain of the army for you?’” And she answered, “I live among my own people.”

And he said to Gehazi, Say now to her, You have been most painstakingly and reverently concerned for us; what is to be done for you? Would you like to be spoken for to the king or to the commander of the army? She answered, I dwell among my own people.

14 S o Elisha said, “What then is to be done for her?” Gehazi answered, “She has no son, and her husband is old.”

Later Elisha said, What then is to be done for her? Gehazi answered, She has no child and her husband is old.

15 E lisha said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood at the door.

He said, Call her. called her, and she stood in the doorway.

16 T hen he said, “At this time next year you will hold a son in your arms.” And she said, “No, my lord, O man of God. Do not lie to your woman servant.”

Elisha said, At this season when the time comes round, you shall embrace a son. She said, No, my lord, you man of God, do not lie to your handmaid.

17 L ater she was going to have a child and she gave birth to a son at that time the next year, as Elisha had told her.

But the woman conceived and bore a son at that season the following year, as Elisha had said to her.

18 W hen the child was grown, he went out one day to his father who was with those gathering grain.

When the child had grown, he went out one day to his father with the reapers.

19 H e said to his father, “O, my head, my head!” The father said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.”

But he said to his father, My head, my head! The man said to his servant, Carry him to his mother.

20 W hen he was brought to his mother, he sat on her knees until noon. Then he died.

And when he was brought to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.

21 S he went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God. She shut the door behind him, and went out.

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 T hen she called to her husband and said, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and return.”

And she called to her husband and said, Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may go quickly to the man of God and come back again.

23 H er husband said, “Why will you go to him today? It is not the time of the new moon or the Day of Rest.” She said, “It will be all right.”

And he said, Why go to him today? It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath. And she said, It will be all right.

24 T hen she put a seat on a donkey and said to her servant, “Drive on. Do not slow down for me unless I tell you.”

Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, Ride fast; do not slacken your pace for me unless I tell you.

25 S o she went and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel. When the man of God saw her far away, he said to Gehazi his servant, “See, there is the Shunammite.

So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel. When the man of God saw her afar off, he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite.

26 R un now to meet her. Say to her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?’” And she answered, “It is well.”

Run to meet her and say, Is it well with you? Well with your husband? Well with the child? And she answered, It is well.

27 W hen she came to the mountain to the man of God, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to push her away, but the man of God said, “Let her alone. For her soul is troubled within her. The Lord has hidden it from me. He has not told me.”

When she came to the mountain to the man of God, she clung to his feet. Gehazi came to thrust her away, but the man of God said, Let her alone, for her soul is bitter and vexed within her, and the Lord has hid it from me and has not told me.

28 T hen she said, “Did I ask you for a son? Did I not say, ‘Do not lie to me’?”

Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? Did I not say, Do not deceive me?

29 E lisha said to Gehazi, “Get ready to travel. Take my walking stick and go. If you meet any man, do not greet him. If anyone greets you, do not answer him. Then lay my stick on the boy’s face.”

Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up your loins and take my staff in your hand and go lay my staff on the face of the child. If you meet any man, do not salute him. If he salutes you, do not answer him.

30 T he mother of the boy said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So Elisha got up and followed her.

The mother of the child said, As the Lord lives and as my soul lives, I will not leave you. And he arose and followed her.

31 G ehazi went on before them and laid the stick on the boy’s face. But there was no sound or anything to show that the boy was alive. So Gehazi returned to meet Elisha, and told him, “The boy is not awake.”

Gehazi passed on before them and laid the staff on the child’s face, but the boy neither spoke nor heard. So he went back to meet Elisha and said to him, The child has not awakened.

32 W hen Elisha came into the house, he saw the boy lying dead on his bed.

When Elisha arrived in the house, the child was dead and laid upon his bed.

33 S o he went in and shut the door behind the two of them, and prayed to the Lord.

So he went in, shut the door on the two of them, and prayed to the Lord.

34 H e went up and lay on the child. He put his mouth on his mouth, and his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. He spread himself out on him, and the child’s flesh became warm.

He went up and lay on the child, put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. And as he stretched himself on him and embraced him, the child’s flesh became warm.

35 T hen Elisha got up again. He walked from one end of the house to the other. Then he went up and spread himself on the child again. The boy sneezed seven times, and opened his eyes.

Then he returned and walked in the house to and fro and went up again and stretched himself upon him. And the child sneezed seven times, and then opened his eyes.

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

Then called Gehazi and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she came, he said, Take up your son.

37 S he came and fell at his feet and put her face to the ground. Then she took up her son and went out. Elisha and the Pot of Food

She came and fell at his feet, bowing herself to the ground. Then she took up her son and went out.

38 W hen Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was no food in the land. The sons of the men who tell what will happen in the future were sitting in front of him. Elisha said to his servant, “Put the large pot over the fire and make food ready for the sons of the men who tell what will happen in the future.”

Elisha came back to Gilgal during a famine in the land. The sons of the prophets were sitting before him, and he said to his servant, Set on the big pot and cook pottage for the sons of the prophets.

39 O ne of them went out into the field to gather plants. He found a wild vine, and gathered wild gourds from it. He came and cut them up in the pot of food, not knowing what they were.

Then one went into the field to gather herbs and gathered from a wild vine his lap full of wild gourds, and returned and cut them up into the pot of pottage, for they were unknown to them.

40 T hen they poured it out for the men to eat. As they were eating the food, they cried out, “O man of God, there is death in the pot!” And they could not eat it.

So they poured it out for the men to eat. But as they ate of the pottage, they cried out, O man of God, there is death in the pot! And they could not eat it.

41 B ut he said, “Get some grain.” And he threw it into the pot, and said, “Pour it out for the people to eat.” Then there was no danger in the pot. Elisha Feeds One Hundred Men

But he said, Bring meal. And he cast it into the pot and said, Pour it out for the people that they may eat. Then there was no harm in the pot.

42 A man came from Baal-shalishah. He brought the man of God a gift of the first-fruits. There were twenty loaves of barley bread and new-grown grain in his bag. Elisha said, “Give them to the people, that they may eat.”

a man from Baal-shalisha came and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And Elisha said, Give to the men that they may eat.

43 B ut his servant said, “What? Should I put this in front of 100 men?” But Elisha said, “Give them to the people to eat. For the Lord says, ‘They will eat and have some left.’”

His servant said, How am I to set this before a hundred men? He said, Give to the men that they may eat. For thus says the Lord: They shall be fed and have some left.

44 S o he put it in front of them. And they ate and had some left, as the word of the Lord had said.

So he set it before them, and they ate and left some, as the Lord had said.