Melachim II - Chapter 4

1. Now a woman, of the wives of the disciples of the prophets, cried out to Elisha, saying, "Your servant, my husband, has died, and you know that your servant did fear the Lord; and the creditor has come to take my two children for himself as slaves."

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

3. And he said, "Borrow vessels for yourself from outside, from all your neighbors; do not borrow only a few empty vessels.

4. And you shall come and close the door about yourself and about your sons, and you shall pour upon all these vessels; and the full one you shall carry away."

5. And she went away from him and closed the door about herself and about her sons; they were bringing [vessels] to her and she was pouring.

6. And it was when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, "Bring me another vessel," and he said to her, "There is no other vessel." And the oil stopped.

7. And she came and told the man of God: and he said, "Go sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons will live with the remainder."

8. And it was that day that Elisha went as far as Shumen, and there was a prominent woman who prevailed upon him to eat a meal; and it was, whenever he would pass, he would stop there to eat a meal.

9. And she said to her husband, "Behold now I know that he is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly.

10. Now let us make a small walled upper chamber, and place there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp; and it will be that when he comes to us, he will turn into there.

11. And it was one day that he went there, that he turned into the upper chamber and lay down there.

12. And he said to Gehazi his servant, "Call this Shunemitess;" and he called her, and she stood before him.

13. And he said to him, "Please say to her, 'Behold you have busied yourself on our account with all this trouble. What is there to do for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or to the general of the army?' " And she said, "I dwell in the midst of my people."

14. And he said, "Now what can we do for her? " And Gehazi said, "Indeed, she has no son, and her husband is old."

15. And he said, "Summon her," and he summoned her, and she stood at the doorway.

16. And he said, "At this time next year, when you will be alive like now, you will be embracing a son." And she said, "No, my lord, O man of God, do not fail your maidservant."

17. And the woman conceived and bore a son, at this time a year later, which Elisha had spoken to her.

18. And the child grew up; and it was one day that he went out to his father, to the reapers.

19. And he said to his father, "My head! My head!" And he said to the servant, "Carry him to his mother."

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

21. And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and she closed about him and left.

22. And she called her husband and said, "Please send me one of the servants and one of the she-asses; and I will run up to the man of God and return."

23. And he said, "Why are you going to him today; it is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath." And she said, "It's all right."

24. And she saddled the she-ass, and she said to her servant, "Drive and go forward. Don't keep back from riding because of me unless I tell you."

25. And she went and came to the man of God, to Mt. Carmel; and it was when the man of God saw her from afar, that he said to Gehazi his servant, "Here is that Shunemmitess.

26. "Now please run toward her, and say to her, 'Are you well? Is your husband well? Is the child well?' " And she said, "We are well."

27. And she came to the man of God to the mountain, and she took hold of his feet; and Gehazi approached to push her away. Now the man of God said, "Let her be, for her soul is bitter to her, and the Lord hid it from me and did not tell me."

28. And she said, "Did I ask for a son from my lord? Did I not say, 'Do not mislead me?' "

29. And he said to Gehazi, "Gird your loins and 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: and you shall place my staff on the lad's face."

30. And the lad's mother said, "As the Lord lives and by your life, I will not leave you." And he rose and went after her.

31. And Gehazi went ahead of them, and he placed the staff on the lad's face, and there was no sound nor any attention; and he returned toward him and told him saying, "The lad has not awakened."

32. And Elisha came into the house, and behold the lad was dead, laid out on his bed.

33. And he came and closed the door about both of them; and he prayed to the Lord.

34. And he went up and lay on the child, and placed his mouth on his mouth and his eyes on his eyes and his palms on his palms, and he prostrated himself upon him: and the child's flesh became warm.

35. And he returned and walked in the house once here and once there, and he went up and prostrated himself upon him: and the lad sneezed up to seven times, and the lad opened his eyes.

36. And he summoned Gehazi and said, "Call this Shunemmitess." And he called her, and she came to him, and he said, "Pick up your son."

37. And she came and fell at his feet and bowed to the ground; and she picked up her son and departed.

38. And Elisha returned to Gilgal; and the famine was in the land, and the disciples of the prophets were sitting before him. And he said to his servant, "Set the large pot on the fire and cook a stew for the disciples of the prophets."

39. And one went out to the field to gather herbs; and he found a vine in the field and gathered from it wild mushrooms his garment full; and he came and diced them into the pot of stew, for they did not know.

40. And they poured for the people to eat; and it was when they were eating of the stew, that they cried out and said, "Death is in the pot, O man of God!" and they could not eat.

41. And he said, "Fetch flour," and he threw [it] into the pot, and he said, "Pour it for the people and let them eat. " And there was no harmful substance in the pot.

42. And a man came from Baal-Shalishah, and he brought to the man of God bread of the first-fruits, twenty loaves of barley bread and sheaves of fresh grain in their shells; and he said, "Give to the people and let them eat.

43. And his servant said, "How will I give this before one hundred men? And he said, "Give the people and let them eat, for so has the Lord said, 'They shall eat and leave over.' "

44. And he placed it before them, and they ate and left over, according to the word of the Lord.