2 Kings 4

1 And one woman from among the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your slave my husband is dead, and you know that your slave feared the Lord; and the creditor has come to take my two sons for himself as slaves.” [a] 2 And Elisha said, “What shall I do for you? Tell me what you have in the house.” And she said, “Your slave has nothing in the house except oil that I anoint myself with.”

3 And he said to her, “Go, ask for vessels for yourself outside, from all your neighbors — empty vessels. Do not ask for a few. 4 And you will go in and shut the door on yourself and on your sons, and you will pour into these vessels, and take away each one as it is filled.” 5 And she went away from him and did so, and shut the door on herself and on her sons. They kept bringing the vessels near to her, and she kept pouring, 6 until the vessels were filled. And she said to her sons, “Bring me another vessel.” And they said to her, “There is not another vessel.” And the oil stopped. 7 And she came and told the man of God, and Elisha said, “Go, sell the oil and pay off your interest, and you and your sons will live on what is left of the oil.” [b]

8 And a day came when Elisha crossed over to Shunem, and there was a woman of standing there, and she pressed him to eat bread. And so it was that as often as he came by, he turned aside to eat there. [c] 9 And the woman said to her husband, “See now, I know that this is a holy man of God who passes by us continually. 10 Let us make him a small upper room, and let us put a bed there for him, and a table, and a seat, and a lampstand; and when he comes to us, he will turn in there.”

11 And a day came, and he went in there and turned aside into the upper room and slept there. 12 And he said to Gehazi his servant, “Call me this Shunammite.” And he called her, and she stood before him. [d] 13 And he said to him, “Say to her now, ‘See, you have put yourself to all this trouble for us. What must be done for you? Is there a word to be spoken for you to the king, or to the commander of the army?’” And she said, “I live among my own people.” 14 And he said, “What must be done for her?” And Gehazi his servant said, “Truly she has no son, and her husband is old.”

15 And he called her, and she stood by the door. 16 And Elisha said to her, “At this time next year, in this season, you will be alive and holding a son.” And she said, “No, my lord. Do not lie to your slave.” 17 And the woman conceived and bore a son at that time, in that season — alive, just as Elisha had told her she would be.

18 And the boy grew. And one day, when he had gone out to his father to the reapers, 19 he said to his father, “My head, my head!” And his father said to the servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 And he carried him to his mother, and he lay on her knees until midday, and died. 21 And she carried him up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door on him, and went out.

22 And she called her husband and said, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, and I will run to the man of God and come back.” 23 And he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is not the new moon, and it is not the sabbath.” And she said, “Peace.” 24 And she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Drive on, and go. Do not hold me back from riding unless I tell you. 25 Come, and you will go on, and you will come to the man of God, to Mount Carmel.” And when Elisha saw her coming, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Look, there is that Shunammite. [e] 26 Now run to meet her and say, ‘Is it peace with you? Is it peace with your husband? Is it peace with the child?’” And she said, “Peace.”

27 And she came to Elisha at the mountain and took hold of his feet. And Gehazi came near to push her away, and Elisha said, “Let her alone, for her soul is in bitter pain within her, and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me.” 28 And she said, “Did I ask my lord for a son? Did I not say, ‘Do not mislead me’?” 29 And Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tie up your robe and take my staff in your hand and go. If you meet a man, do not bless him, and if a man blesses you, do not answer him. And lay my staff on the face of the boy.” [f] 30 And the mother of the boy said, “As the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” And Elisha got up and went after her. 31 And Gehazi went on ahead of her 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 told him, “The boy has not woken.”

32 And Elisha came to the house, and there was the boy, dead, laid on his bed. 33 And Elisha went into the house and shut the door on the two of them, and prayed to the Lord. 34 And he went up and lay on the boy, and put his mouth on his mouth, and his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; and he bent himself over him, and the flesh of the boy grew warm. 35 And he turned back and walked in the house, this way and that, and went up and bent over the boy seven times; and the boy opened his eyes.

36 And Elisha called out to Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite.” And he called her, and she came in to him. And Elisha said, “Take your son.” 37 And the woman came in and fell at his feet and bowed down to the ground; and she took her son and went out.

38 And Elisha returned to Gilgal, and the famine was in the land, and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him. And Elisha said to his servant, “Put on the big pot and boil a stew for the sons of the prophets.” 39 And one of them went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a vine in the field, and gathered wild gourds from it, his garment full, and threw them into the pot of stew; for they did not know what they were. [g] 40 And he poured it out for the men to eat. And as they were eating the stew, they cried out and said, “There is death in the pot, man of God!” And they could not eat. 41 And he said, “Bring meal, and throw it into the pot.” And Elisha said to Gehazi his servant, “Pour it out for the people, and let them eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot any longer.

42 And a man came over from Beth-sarisa and brought the man of God twenty barley loaves and cakes of pressed figs, from the firstfruits. And he said, “Give it to the people, and let them eat.” [h] 43 And his attendant said, “How am I to set this before a hundred men?” And he said, “Give it to the people, and let them eat, for this is what the Lord says: They will eat, and they will have some left over.” 44 And they ate, and they had some left over, according to the word of the Lord.