2 Kings Chapter 4
The Widow’s Oil Jar
1 The wife of a man from the company of prophets cried out to Elisha, “My husband’s dead. You know how he respected Yahveh. A creditor has come to take my two children as his slaves.”
2 “What can I do? What do you have in the house?”
“Nothing but a jug of oil.”
3 He said,
“Borrow containers from your neighbors—not just a few. 4 You and your sons go in and shut the door. Pour the oil into those containers and set the full ones aside.”
5 She went in and shut the door. They brought her the containers, and she poured out the oil. 6 When they were full, she told her son, “Bring me another one.”
He said, “There aren’t any more.” The oil stopped.
7 She went and told the man of God.
He said, “Sell the oil to pay your debt. You and your sons can use the rest.” 2 Kg 4:1-7
The Shunammite’s Son Resurrected
8 Elisha passed over to Shunem, where a well-to-do woman lived. She persuaded him to eat there. So, whenever he went by, he’d stop there to eat. 9 She told her husband,
“I sense that this is a holy man of God. 10 Let’s build a small upper room with walls, and put a bed, table and chair, and lampstand in there for him. When he comes, he can turn in there.”
11 One day he came and turned in to the upper room and rested. 12 He told Gehazi his servant to call the Shunammite.
When she came, 13 Elisha told him to tell her, “You’ve taken care of us so often. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak to the king or the commander of the army for you?”
She answered, “I live among my own people.”
14 He asked Gehazi, “What can we do for her?”
“She doesn’t have a son, and her husband is elderly.”
15 “Call her.”
She came to the doorway. 16 He said, “At this time next year, you’ll be holding a son.”
“Man of God, don’t give me false hope!” 17 She did get pregnant and had a son at that time the next year. 2 Kg 4:8-17
18 When the boy was growing up, he went out to his father and the harvest crew one day, 19 and told him, “My head hurts! my head hurts!” He told his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 When he got him to her, the boy sat on her lap till noon and died. 21 She went up and laid him on the man of God’s bed, shut the door, and went out. 22 She called her husband, “Send me a servant and a donkey so I can go quick to the man of God and back.”
23 “Why go to him today? It’s not a new moon or Sabbath.”
She said, “It’ll be good.” 24 She saddled the donkey and told her servant, “Drive the animal! Don’t slow down unless I tell you.” 25 She went to the man of God on Mount Carmel. When he saw her at a distance, he said to Gehazi, “That’s the Shunammite. 26 Run and ask her if she and her husband and boy are all right.”
She answered, “Yes.” 2 Kg 4:18-27
27 When she came to the man of God on the hill, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi came to pull her away, but he said, “Let her alone; she’s upset. Yahveh hasn’t revealed it to me.”
28 She said, “Did I ask you for a son? Didn’t I say not to give me false hope?”
29 He told Gehazi, “Gird up*, take my staff, and go. Don’t greet anybody. If anybody greets you, don’t answer. Lay my staff on the boy’s face.” 30 The mother swore, “As sure as Yahveh lives and you live, I won’t leave without you.” He went along. 31 Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but he didn’t make a sound or respond. Gehazi went back and told him, “The boy hasn’t woken up.” 32 When Elisha went into the house, the boy was dead on the bed. 33 He went in, shut the door, and prayed to Yahveh. 34 He went and lay down on the child, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands, and stretched out on him. The child’s body got warm. 35 He came back and paced back and forth in the house, and went up and stretched out on him again. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. 36 He called Gehazi, “Call her.” When she came in, he said, “Pick up your boy.” 37 She fell at his feet and bowed to the floor. She picked up the boy and went out. 2 Kg 4:28-37
The Toxic Gourds
38 When Elisha got back to Gilgal, there was a famine in the land. As men from the company of prophets were sitting with him, he told Gehazi, “Put on a large pot and heat stew for them.” 39 One of them went out into the field to gather plants, found a wild vine, and gathered his lap full of gourds from it. He came and sliced them into the pot of stew. They didn’t know what they were. 40 They poured it out for the people to eat. After they’d eaten a little, they cried out, “Man of God, there’s poison in this stew!” 41 He said, “Bring some meal.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Pour it out for the people to eat.” Then there wasn’t anything harmful in it.
Bread for a Hundred Men
42 A man came from Baal-shalishah and brought the man of God bread in a sack from the first fruit of his harvest: 20 barley loaves made from fresh grain. Elisha said, “Give them to the people to eat.” 43 His attendant said, “What? How can I feed 100 men with this?” But he said, “Give it to them; Yahveh says they’ll eat and have some left over.” 44 He set it in front of them, and they ate and had some left over. 2 Kg 4:38-44