2 Kings 4

The Widow’s Oil

1Now a certain woman of the wives of 1the sons of the prophets cried out to 2Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord; and 3the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” 2Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house except 4a jar of oil.” 3Then he said, “Go, borrow vessels at large for yourself from all your neighbors, even empty vessels; do not get a few. 4And you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour out into all these vessels, and you shall set aside what is full.” 5So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they were bringing the vessels to her and she poured. 6When 5the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not one vessel more.” And the oil stopped. 7Then she came and told 6the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”

The Shunammite Woman

8Now there came a day when Elisha passed over to 7Shunem, where there was a 8prominent woman, and she persuaded him to eat 9food. And so it was, as often as he passed by, he turned in there to eat 10food. 9She said to her husband, “Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy 11man of God passing by us continually. 10Please, let us 12make a little walled upper chamber and let us set a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; and it shall be, when he comes to us, that he can turn in there.”

1113One day he came there and turned in to the upper chamber and 14rested. 12Then he said to 15Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite.” And when he had called her, she stood before him. 13He said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Behold, you have been 16careful for us with all this 17care; what can I do for you? Would you be spoken for to the king or to the captain of the army?’” And she 18answered, “I live among my own people.” 14So he said, “What then is to be done for her?” And Gehazi 19answered, “Truly she has no son and her husband is old.” 15He said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the doorway. 16Then he said, “20At this season 21next year you will embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, O man of God, 22do not lie to your maidservant.”

17The woman conceived and bore a son at that season 23the next year, as Elisha had said to her.

The Shunammite’s Son

18When the child was grown, the day came that he went out to his father to the reapers. 19He said to his father, “My head, my head.” And he said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her 24lap until noon, and then died. 21She went up and 25laid him on the bed of 26the man of God, and shut the door behind him and went out. 22Then she called to her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and return.” 23He said, “Why will you go to him today? It is neither 27new moon nor sabbath.” And she said, “It will be well.” 24Then she saddled a donkey and said to her servant, “Drive and go forward; do not slow down 28the pace for me unless I tell you.” 25So she went and came to the man of God to 29Mount Carmel.

When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Behold, 30there is the Shunammite. 26Please run now to meet her and say to her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?’” And she 31answered, “It is well.” 27When she came to the man of God 32to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came near to push her away; but the man of God said, “Let her alone, for her soul is 33troubled within her; and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me.” 28Then she said, “Did I ask for a son from my lord? Did I not say, ‘34Do not deceive me’?”

29Then he said to Gehazi, “35Gird up your loins and 36take my staff in your hand, and go your way; if you meet any man, do not 37salute him, and if anyone salutes you, do not answer him; and 38lay my staff on the lad’s face.” 30The mother of the lad said, “39As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” And he arose and followed her. 31Then Gehazi passed on before them and laid the staff on the lad’s face, but there was no sound or 40response. So he returned to meet him and told 41him, “The lad 42has not awakened.”

32When Elisha came into the house, behold the lad was dead and laid on his bed. 33So he entered and 43shut the door behind them both and prayed to the Lord. 34And 44he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth and his eyes on his eyes and his hands on his hands, and he stretched himself on him; and the flesh of the child became warm. 35Then he returned and walked in the house once back and forth, and went up and 45stretched himself on him; and the lad sneezed seven times and the lad opened his eyes. 36He called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her. And when she came in to him, he said, “Take up your son.” 37Then she went in and fell at his feet and bowed herself to the ground, and 46she took up her son and went out.

The Poisonous Stew

38When Elisha returned to 47Gilgal, there was 48a famine in the land. 49As 50the sons of the prophets 51were sitting before him, he said to his servant, “52Put on the large pot and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.” 39Then one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine and gathered from it his lap full of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, for they did not know what they were. 40So they poured it out for the men to eat. And as they were eating of the stew, they cried out and said, “O man of God, there is 53death in the pot.” And they were unable to eat. 41But he said, “Now bring meal.” 54He threw it into the pot and said, “Pour it out for the people that they may eat.” Then there was no harm in the pot.

42Now a man came from Baal-shalishah, and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And he said, “55Give them to the people that they may eat.” 43His attendant said, “What, 56will I set this before a hundred men?” But he said, “Give them to the people that they may eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’” 44So he set it before them, and they ate and 57had some left over, according to the word of the Lord.