NET Bible

New American Standard Bible 1995

1Now a wife of one of the prophets appealed to Elisha for help, saying, "Your servant, my husband is dead. You know that your servant was a loyal follower of the LORD. Now the creditor is coming to take away my two boys to be his servants."

1Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD; and the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves."

2Elisha said to her, "What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" She answered, "Your servant has nothing in the house except a small jar of olive oil."

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 a jar of oil."

3He said, "Go and ask all your neighbors for empty containers. Get as many as you can.

3Then he said, "Go, borrow vessels at large for yourself from all your neighbors, even empty vessels; do not get a few.

4Go and close the door behind you and your sons. Pour the olive oil into all the containers; set aside each one when you have filled it."

4"And 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 left him and closed the door behind her and her sons. As they were bringing the containers to her, she was pouring the olive oil.

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 the containers were full, she said to one of her sons, "Bring me another container." But he answered her, "There are no more." Then the olive oil stopped flowing.

6When the 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.

7She went and told the prophet. He said, "Go, sell the olive oil. Repay your creditor, and then you and your sons can live off the rest of the profit."

7Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest."

8One day Elisha traveled to Shunem, where a prominent woman lived. She insisted that he stop for a meal. So whenever he was passing through, he would stop in there for a meal.

8Now there came a day when Elisha passed over to Shunem, where there was a prominent woman, and she persuaded him to eat food. And so it was, as often as he passed by, he turned in there to eat food.

9She said to her husband, "Look, I'm sure that the man who regularly passes through here is a very special prophet.

9She said to her husband, "Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of God passing by us continually.

10Let's make a small private upper room and furnish it with a bed, table, chair, and lamp. When he visits us, he can stay there."

10"Please, let us make 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."

11One day Elisha came for a visit; he went into the upper room and rested.

11One day he came there and turned in to the upper chamber and rested.

12He told his servant Gehazi, "Ask the Shunammite woman to come here." So he did so and she came to him.

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

13Elisha said to Gehazi, "Tell her, 'Look, you have treated us with such great respect. What can I do for you? Can I put in a good word for you with the king or the commander of the army?'" She replied, "I'm quite secure."

13He said to him, "Say now to her, 'Behold, you have been careful for us with all this care; what can I do for you? Would you be spoken for to the king or to the captain of the army?'" And she answered, "I live among my own people."

14So he asked Gehazi, "What can I do for her?" Gehazi replied, "She has no son, and her husband is old."

14So he said, "What then is to be done for her?" And Gehazi answered, "Truly she has no son and her husband is old."

15Elisha told him, "Ask her to come here." So he did so and she came and stood in the doorway.

15He said, "Call her." When he had called her, she stood in the doorway.

16He said, "About this time next year you will be holding a son." She said, "No, my master! O prophet, do not lie to your servant!"

16Then he said, "At this season next year you will embrace a son." And she said, "No, my lord, O man of God, do not lie to your maidservant."

17The woman did conceive, and at the specified time the next year she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.

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

18The boy grew and one day he went out to see his father who was with the harvest workers.

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!" His father told a servant, "Carry him to his mother."

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

20So he picked him up and took him to his mother. He sat on her lap until noon and then died.

20When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her lap until noon, and then died.

21She went up and laid him down on the prophet's bed. She shut the door behind her and left.

21She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door behind him and went out.

22She called to her husband, "Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so I can go see the prophet quickly and then return."

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 do you want to go see him today? It is not the new moon or the Sabbath." She said, "Everything's fine."

23He said, "Why will you go to him today? It is neither new moon nor sabbath." And she said, "It will be well."

24She saddled the donkey and told her servant, "Lead on. Do not stop unless I say so."

24Then she saddled a donkey and said to her servant, "Drive and go forward; do not slow down the pace for me unless I tell you."

25So she went to visit the prophet at Mount Carmel. When he saw her at a distance, he said to his servant Gehazi, "Look, it's the Shunammite woman.

25So she went and came to the man of God to Mount Carmel. When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to Gehazi his servant, "Behold, there is the Shunammite.

26Now, run to meet her and ask her, 'Are you well? Are your husband and the boy well?'" She told Gehazi, "Everything's fine."

26"Please 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 answered, "It is well."

27But when she reached the prophet on the mountain, she grabbed hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to push her away, but the prophet said, "Leave her alone, for she is very upset. The LORD has kept the matter hidden from me; he didn't tell me about it."

27When she came to the man of God to 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 troubled within her; and the LORD has hidden it from me and has not told me."

28She said, "Did I ask my master for a son? Didn't I say, 'Don't mislead me?'"

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

29Elisha told Gehazi, "Tuck your robes into your belt, take my staff, and go! Don't stop to exchange greetings with anyone! Place my staff on the child's face."

29Then he said to Gehazi, "Gird up your loins and take my staff in your hand, and go your way; if you meet any man, do not salute him, and if anyone salutes you, do not answer him; and lay my staff on the lad's face."

30The mother of the child said, "As certainly as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So Elisha got up and followed her back.

30The mother of the lad said, "As the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." And he arose and followed her.

31Now Gehazi went on ahead of them. He placed the staff on the child's face, but there was no sound or response. When he came back to Elisha he told him, "The child did not wake up."

31Then Gehazi passed on before them and laid the staff on the lad's face, but there was no sound or response. So he returned to meet him and told him, "The lad has not awakened."

32When Elisha arrived at the house, there was the child lying dead on his bed.

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

33He went in by himself and closed the door. Then he prayed to the LORD.

33So he entered and shut the door behind them both and prayed to the LORD.

34He got up on the bed and spread his body out over the boy; he put his mouth on the boy's mouth, his eyes over the boy's eyes, and the palms of his hands against the boy's palms. He bent down over him, and the boy's skin grew warm.

34And he 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.

35Elisha went back and walked around in the house. Then he got up on the bed again and bent down over him. The child sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.

35Then he returned and walked in the house once back and forth, and went up and stretched himself on him; and the lad sneezed seven times and the lad opened his eyes.

36Elisha called to Gehazi and said, "Get the Shunammite woman." So he did so and she came to him. He said to her, "Take your son."

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."

37She came in, fell at his feet, and bowed down. Then she picked up her son and left.

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

38Now Elisha went back to Gilgal, while there was famine in the land. Some of the prophets were visiting him and he told his servant, "Put the big pot on the fire and boil some stew for the prophets."

38When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a famine in the land. As the sons of the prophets were sitting before him, he said to his servant, "Put on the large pot and boil stew for the sons of the prophets."

39Someone went out to the field to gather some herbs and found a wild vine. He picked some of its fruit, enough to fill up the fold of his robe. He came back, cut it up, and threw the slices into the stew pot, not knowing they were harmful.

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.

40The stew was poured out for the men to eat. When they ate some of the stew, they cried out, "Death is in the pot, O prophet!" They could not eat it.

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 death in the pot." And they were unable to eat.

41He said, "Get some flour." Then he threw it into the pot and said, "Now pour some out for the men so they may eat." There was no longer anything harmful in the pot.

41But he said, "Now bring meal." He 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 from Baal Shalisha brought some food for the prophet--twenty loaves of bread made from the firstfruits of the barley harvest, as well as fresh ears of grain. Elisha said, "Set it before the people so they may eat."

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, "Give them to the people that they may eat."

43But his attendant said, "How can I feed a hundred men with this?" He replied, "Set it before the people so they may eat, for this is what the LORD says, 'They will eat and have some left over.'"

43His attendant said, "What, will 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; they ate and had some left over, just as the LORD predicted.

44So he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.

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