4:1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of
the prophets to Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead;
and thou knowest that thy servant feared the LORD: and the
creditor hath come to take to him my two sons to be bond-men.
4:2 And Elisha said to her, What shall I do for thee? tell me,
what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thy handmaid hath
not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.
4:3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy
neighbors, [even] empty vessels; borrow not a few.
4:4 And when thou hast 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.
4:5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon
her sons, who brought [the vessels] to her; and she poured out.
4:6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she
said to her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said to her,
[There is] not a vessel more. And the oil stayed.
4:7 Then 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 on
the remainder.
4:8 And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where
[was] a distinguished 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.
4:9 And she said to her husband, Behold now, I perceive that
this [is] a holy man of God, who passeth by us continually.
4:10 Let 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.
4:11 And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned
into the chamber, and lay there.
4:12 And he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunamite. And
when he had called her, she stood before him.
4:13 And he said to him, Say now to her, Behold, thou hast been
careful for us with all this care; what [is] to be done for
thee? wouldst thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain
of the host? And she answered, I dwell among my own people.
4:14 And he said, What then [is] to be done for her? And Gehazi
answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old.
4:15 And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she
stood in the door.
4:16 And he said, About this season, according to the time of
life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, No, my lord,
[thou] man of God, do not lie to thy handmaid.
4:17 And the woman conceived, and bore a son at that season that
Elisha had said to her, according to the time of life.
4:18 And when the child was grown, it happened on a day, that he
went out to his father to the reapers.
4:19 And he said to his father, My head, my head. And he said to
a lad, Carry him to his mother.
4:20 And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother,
he sat on her knees till noon, and [then] died.
4:21 And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God,
and shut [the door] upon him, and went out.
4:22 And she called to 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.
4:23 And he said, Why wilt thou go to him to-day? [it is]
neither new-moon, nor sabbath. And she said, [It shall be]
well.
4:24 Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive,
and go forward; slack not [thy] riding for me, except I bid
thee.
4:25 So she went and came to 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 Shunamite:
4:26 Run now, I pray thee, to meet her, and say to her, [Is it]
well with thee? [Is it] well with thy husband? [Is it] well
with the child? and she answered, [It is] well.
4:27 And 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] sorrowful
within her: and the LORD hath hid [it] from me, and hath not
told me?
4:28 Then she said, Did I ask a son from my lord? did I not say,
Do not deceive me.
4:29 Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins and take my staff
in thy hand, and go thy way: and if thou shalt meet any man,
salute him not; and if any shall salute thee, answer him not
again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child.
4:30 And 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.
4:31 And 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.
4:32 And when Elisha had come into the house, behold, the child
was dead, [and] laid upon his bed.
4:33 He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them both, and
prayed to the LORD.
4:34 And 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 became warm.
4:35 Then 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.
4:36 And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunamite. So he
called her. And when she had come in to him, he said, Take up
thy son.
4:37 Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself
to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.
4:38 And 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 to his servant, Set on the great pot, and boil
pottage for the sons of the prophets.
4:39 And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found
a wild vine, and gathered from it wild gourds his lap full, and
came and shred [them] into the pot of pottage: for they knew
[them] not.
4:40 So 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 [of it].
4:41 But 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.
4:42 And there came a man from Baal-shalisha, and brought the
man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley,
and full ears of corn in its husk. And he said, Give to the
people, that they may eat.
4:43 And his servitor said, What, should I set this before a
hundred men? He said again, Give the people, that they may eat:
for thus saith the LORD, They shall eat, and shall leave [of
it].
4:44 So he set [it] before them, and they ate, and left [of it],
according to the word of the LORD.
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