4 Kingdoms 4

1The wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know your servant feared the Lord, and the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his servants.”

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2Elisha said to her, 'What shall I do for you? Tell me what you have in the house.' She replied, 'Your maidservant has nothing in the house but the oil I use to anoint myself.'

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3Then he said, 'Go, borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors, empty vessels; do not gather just a few.

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4And you shall go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons. Then you shall pour out into these vessels, and take away what is being filled.'

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5So she went from him and did so. She shut the door behind herself and her sons. Then they brought the vessels to her, and she poured

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6until the vessels were filled. And she said to her son, 'Bring me an additional vessel.' And they said to her, 'There is not another vessel.' So the oil ceased.

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7Then she came and told the man of God. And Elisha said, 'Go, sell the oil and pay your debt. Thus you and your sons shall live by means of the rest of the oil.'

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8Now one day Elisha went to Shunem, where there was a persuasive woman, and she persuaded him to eat some food. So it was, as often as he passed by, he would turn in there to eat some food.

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9And the woman said to her husband, 'Look now, I know this is a holy man of God who comes to us regularly.

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10Let us make a small room upstairs; and let us put a bed for him there, with a table, a stool, a chair, and a lamp stand. And it shall be when he comes to us, he will turn aside into this place.'

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11Now it happened one day that he came and he went there, and turned aside into the upper room and lay down there.

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12Then he said to his servant, Gehazi, 'Call this Shunammite woman.' He called her, and she stood before him.

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13And he said to Gehazi, 'Say now to her, 'Hear me. You have shown us all this care. What can I do for you? Do you have any request for the king or the commander of the army?' ' But she answered, 'I dwell among my own people.'

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14So Elisha said, 'What then is to be done for her?' And his servant, Gehazi, replied, 'She certainly has no son, and her husband is old.'

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15Then Elisha called her, and she stood by the door.

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16And Elisha said, 'About this time next year, you shall embrace a son.' So she said, 'No, my lord, do not lie to your maidservant!'

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17Then as Elisha told her, the woman conceived, and she bore a son when the appointed time came.

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18And the child grew.

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19And it came to pass when he went out to his father to the reaping, that he said to his father, 'My head, my head!' His father said to a servant, 'Carry him to his mother.'

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20So he carried him to his mother, and he lay upon her knees till noon and died.

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21She took him up and laid him on the bed of the man of God. She went out and closed the door as she left.

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22She called to her husband and said, 'Please bring to me one of the young men and one of the donkeys. I will ride quickly to the man of God and come back.'

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23So he said, 'Why go to him today? It is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath.' And she replied, 'It is well.'

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24She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, 'Lead onward and do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.'

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25She rode and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel. And when the man of God saw her, he said to his servant Gehazi, 'Look, it is that Shunammite woman!

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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 answered, 'Peace.'

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27Now she came to the man of God on the hill and took hold of him by the feet, but Gehazi came near to push her away. But the man of God said, 'Leave her alone; for her soul is in deep distress, and the Lord hid it from me and did not tell me.'

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28So she said, 'Did I ask my lord for a son? Did I not tell you not to deceive me?'

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29Then Elisha said to Gehazi, 'Prepare yourself, take my staff in your hand and be on your way. If you meet anyone, you will not greet him. And if anyone greets you, you will not answer him. You shall lay my staff on the face of the child.'

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30Then the mother of the child said, 'As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.' So Elisha arose and followed her.

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31Now Gehazi went on ahead of them and laid the staff on the child's face; but there was neither voice nor hearing. So he went back to meet him, and told him, saying, 'The child is not awakened.'

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32Elisha went into the house, and there was the child, lying dead on his bed.

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33He went into the room and shut the door against the other two, and prayed to the Lord.

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34Then he went up and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands; and he bowed himself down upon him, and the flesh of the child warmed.

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35He returned and walked back and forth in the house, and he went up and bowed himself down upon the child seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

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36Then Elisha called Gehazi and said, 'Call this Shunammite woman.' So he called her. And she came to where he was and he said, 'Take your son.'

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

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38Then Elisha returned to Gilgal, and there was a famine in the land. Now the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and Elisha said to his servant, 'Put on the large pot and boil some pottage for the sons of the prophets.'

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39So one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine and gathered from it a lapful of wild gourds, and threw them into the pot of soup, though they did not know what they were.

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40Then they served it to the men to eat. Now, as they were eating the vegetables, they cried out and said, 'Man of God, there is death in the pot!' And they could not eat it.

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41So he said, 'Take wheat flour and throw it in the pot.' Then Elisha said to his servant Gehazi, 'Serve it to the people and let them eat.' Thus there was no longer anything harmful in the pot.

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42Then a man came from Baal-Shalisha and brought to the man of God the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley bread and fruit cake. And he said, 'Give it to the people and let them eat.'

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43But his servant said, 'Why shall I set this before one hundred men?' Elisha said, 'Give it to the people and let them eat, for Thus says the Lord: 'They shall eat and will leave some behind.' '

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44So they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the Lord.

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