2 Kings

Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen.

1A woman came to Elisha, crying. Elisha was a prophet, a man who told people what God said. She said, "My husband is dead. You know he served the LORD. Now a man we owe money to is coming. He wants to take my two sons as his slaves."

2And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.

2Elisha said, "How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have at home?" She said, "I have nothing at all. I only have one small jar of oil."

3Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.

3Elisha said, "Go ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Get a lot of them, not just a few."

4And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.

4"Then go inside. Shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour the oil into all the jars. Set each full jar aside."

5So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out.

5So she left him and went home. She shut the door behind her and her sons. They kept bringing her jars, and she kept pouring.

6And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.

6When all the jars were full, she asked her son for one more. He said, "There are no more jars." Then the oil stopped flowing.

7Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.

7She went and told Elisha, the man of God. He said, "Go sell the oil and pay what you owe. You and your sons can live on the rest."

8And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.

8One day Elisha went to a town called Shunem. An important woman there asked him to stay and eat. After that, he ate at her house every time he passed by.

9And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually.

9She said to her husband, "I am sure now. The man who keeps coming here is a holy man of God."

10Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.

10"Let us build him a little room on our roof. We can put in a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp. Then he can stay there when he visits."

11And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there.

11One day Elisha came to visit. He went up to his room and lay down.

12And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite. And when he had called her, she stood before him.

12He said to Gehazi, his helper, "Call the woman from Shunem." Gehazi called her, and she came and stood in front of Elisha.

13And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people.

13Elisha told Gehazi, "Say this to her. You have gone to a lot of trouble for us. What can we do for you? Shall we speak to the king for you? Or to the leader of the army?" She said, "I have a home here among my own people."

14And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old.

14Elisha asked, "Then what can we do for her?" Gehazi said, "She has no son, and her husband is old."

15And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the door.

15Elisha said, "Call her." So Gehazi called her, and she stood in the doorway.

16And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.

16Elisha said, "About this time next year, you will hold your own son." She said, "No, my lord. Please do not lie to me, man of God."

17And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.

17But the woman did have a baby. She gave birth to a son the next year, just as Elisha had said.

18And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.

18The child grew older. One day he went out to his father, who was working with the harvest workers.

19And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him to his mother.

19He said to his father, "My head! My head hurts!" His father told a servant, "Carry him to his mother."

20And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.

20The servant picked him up and brought him to his mother. The boy sat on her lap until noon. Then he died.

21And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out.

21She carried him up and laid him on the bed in the man of God's room. Then she shut the door and went out.

22And she called unto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again.

22She called her husband and said, "Please send me a servant and a donkey. I must go to the man of God and come right back."

23And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath. And she said, It shall be well.

23He said, "Why go today? It is not a New Moon day or a Sabbath." She said, "It will be all right."

NoteA New Moon day and a Sabbath were special days each month and each week. People rested and worshiped on them.

24Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee.

24She saddled the donkey and told her servant, "Go fast. Do not slow down unless I tell you to."

25So she went and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite:

25So she rode to Mount Carmel, where the man of God was. He saw her far away and said to Gehazi, "Look, there is the woman from Shunem."

26Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well.

26"Please run and meet her. Ask if she is all right. Ask about her husband and her child." She answered, "Everything is all right."

27And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet: but Gehazi came near to thrust her away. And the man of God said, Let her alone; for her soul is vexed within her: and the LORD hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.

27When she reached Elisha on the mountain, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi came to push her away. But Elisha said, "Leave her alone. She is hurting deep inside. The LORD has hidden this from me and has not told me why."

28Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me?

28Then she said, "My lord, did I ask you for a son? Didn't I say, 'Do not fool me'?"

29Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child.

29Elisha said to Gehazi, "Tuck your robe into your belt so you can run. Take my walking stick and go. Do not stop to greet anyone. If anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my stick on the boy's face."

30And the mother of the child said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her.

30The boy's mother said, "As surely as the LORD lives and you live, I will not leave you." So Elisha got up and went with her.

31And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he went again to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.

31Gehazi ran ahead and laid the stick on the boy's face. But there was no sound and no answer. So he went back to Elisha and said, "The boy has not woken up."

32And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed.

32Elisha came to the house. The boy was lying dead on his bed.

33He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD.

33Elisha went in alone with the boy and shut the door. Then he prayed to the LORD.

34And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.

34He got up on the bed and lay on the boy. He put his mouth on the boy's mouth. He put his eyes on the boy's eyes. He put his hands on the boy's hands. As he stretched out over him, the boy's body grew warm.

35Then he returned, and walked in the house to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

35Elisha got up and walked back and forth in the room. Then he lay on the boy again. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.

36And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son.

36Elisha called Gehazi and said, "Call the woman from Shunem." Gehazi called her, and she came in. Elisha said, "Pick up your son."

37Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.

37She came in and fell at his feet. She bowed down to the ground. Then she picked up her son and went out.

38And Elisha came again to Gilgal: and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets.

38Elisha went back to Gilgal. There was a famine, and food was hard to find. The sons of the prophets, men who learned from him, were sitting with him. He told his helper, "Put the big pot on. Cook stew for these men."

39And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew them not.

39One man went out to the field to gather plants. He found a wild vine and picked all the wild gourds he could carry. He cut them up into the pot of stew. No one knew what they were.

40So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eat thereof.

40They poured out the stew for the men to eat. But when they tasted it, they cried out, "Man of God, there is death in the pot!" They could not eat it.

41But he said, Then bring meal. And he cast it into the pot; and he said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no harm in the pot.

41Elisha said, "Bring me some flour." He threw it into the pot. Then he said, "Pour it out for the people to eat." Now nothing in the pot could hurt them.

NoteThe King James Bible says "meal" here. That old word means ground grain, which we call flour. It does not mean a meal you sit down and eat.

42And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.

42A man came from a town called Baal-shalishah. He brought the man of God twenty loaves of barley bread. The bread was made from the first grain of the harvest. He also brought fresh grain still in its husks. Elisha said, "Give it to the people to eat."

NoteThe King James Bible says "corn" here. In old English, "corn" meant grain of any kind, like wheat or barley.

43And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.

43His helper said, "How can this feed a hundred men?" Elisha said again, "Give it to the people to eat. The LORD says they will eat and still have food left over."

44So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the LORD.

44So the helper set the food in front of them. They ate, and there was food left over, just as the LORD had said.