2 Kings 4 - Introduction

1 Elisha multiplieth the widowes oyle.

8 Hee giueth a sonne to the good Shunammite.

18 Hee raiseth againe her dead sonne.

38 At Gilgal hee healeth the deadly pottage.

42 Hee satisfieth an hundred men with twentie loaues.

1 Now there cryed a certaine woman of the wiues of the sonnes of the Prophets vnto Elisha, saying, Thy seruant my husband is dead, and thou knowest that thy seruant did feare the Lord: and the creditour is come to take vnto him my two sonnes to be bondmen.

2 And Elisha said vnto her, What shall I doe for thee? Tell mee, what hast thou in the house? And shee sayd, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, saue a pot of oyle.

3 Then hee said, Goe, borrow thee vessels abroad, of all thy neighbours; euen emptie vessels, [Note: Or, scant not.] borrow not a few.

4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the doore vpon thee, and vpon thy sonnes, and shalt powre out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.

5 So shee went from him, and shut the doore vpon her, & vpon her sonnes: who brought the vessels to her, and shee powred out.

6 And it came to passe, when the vessels were full, that shee said vnto her sonne, Bring me yet a vessell. And hee said vnto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oyle stayed.

[Elisha, and the Shunammite.]

7 Then she came, and told the man of God: and he said, Goe, sell the oyle, and pay thy [Note: Or, creditour.] debt, and liue thou and thy children of the rest.

8 And [Note: Hebrew: there was a day.] it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and shee [Note: Hebrew: laid hold on him.] constrained him to eate bread: And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, hee turned in thither to eate bread.

9 And shee said vnto her husband, Behold now, I perceiue that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by vs continually.

10 Let vs make a litle chamber, I pray thee, on the wall, and let vs set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stoole, and a candlesticke: and it shall be when he commeth to vs, that hee shall turne in thither.

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

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

13 And he said vnto him, Say, now vnto her, Behold, thou hast beene carefull for vs with all this care; What is to be done for thee? Wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captaine of the hoste? And she answered, I dwell among mine owne people.

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

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

16 And he said, [Note: Genesis 18:10.] About this [Note: Hebrew: set time.] season, according to the time of life, thou shalt imbrace a sonne. And she said, Nay my lord, thou man of God, doe not lie vnto thine handmaid.

17 And the woman conceiued, and bare a sonne at that season, that Elisha had said vnto her, according to the time of life.

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

19 And he said vnto his father, My head, my head: and he said to a ladde, Carie him to his mother.

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

21 And she went vp, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the

[Elisha, and the Shunammite.]

doore vpon him, and went out.

22 And she called vnto her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the yong men, and one of the asses, that I may runne to the man of God, and come againe.

23 And he said, Wherefore wilt thou goe to him to day? it is neither newe moone nor Sabbath. And shee said, It shalbe [Note: Hebrew: peace.] well.

24 Then she sadled an asse, and said to her seruant, Driue, and goe forward: [Note: Hebrew: restraine not for me to ride.] slacke not thy riding for mee, except I bid thee.

25 So she went, and came vnto the man of God to mount Carmel: and it came to passe when the man of God saw her afarre off, that hee said to Gehazi his seruant, Behold, yonder is that Shunammite:

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

27 And when shee came to the man of God to the hill, shee caught [Note: Hebrew: by his feete.] him by the feet: but Gehazi came neere to thrust her away. And the man of God saide, Let her alone, for her soule is [Note: Hebrew: bitter.] vexed within her: and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.

28 Then shee said, Did I desire a sonne of my Lord ? did I not say, Doe not deceiue me?

29 Then he said to Gehazi, Gird vp thy loines, and take my staffe in thine hand, and goe thy way: if thou meete any man, salute him not: and if any salute thee, answere him not againe: and lay my staffe vpon the face of the childe.

30 And the mother of the childe said, As the Lord liueth, and as thy soule liueth, I will not leaue thee. And he arose, and followed her.

31 And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staffe vpon the face of the child, but there was neither voyce, nor [Note: Hebrew: attention.] hearing: wherefore he went againe to meete him, and tolde him, saying, The child is not awaked.

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

33 He went in therefore, and shut the doore vpon them twaine, and prayed vnto the Lord.

34 And he went vp, and lay vpon the child, and put his mouth vpon his mouth, and his eyes vpon his eyes, and

[The dead raised.]

his hands vpon his hands, and he stretched himselfe vpon the child, and the flesh of the child waxed warme.

35 Then he returned, and walked in the house [Note: Hebrew: once hither, and once thither.] to and fro, and went vp, and stretched himselfe vpon him: and the child neesed seuen times, and the child opened his eyes.

36 And hee called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So hee called her: and when shee was come in vnto him, he said, Take vp thy sonne.

37 Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed her selfe to the ground, and tooke vp her sonne, and went out.

38 And Elisha came againe to Gilgal, and there was a dearth in the land, and the sonnes of the Prophets were sitting before him: and hee said vnto his seruant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sonnes of the Prophets.

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

40 So they powred out for the men to eat: and it came to passe 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 eate thereof.

41 But he said, Then bring meale. And he cast it into the pot: And he said, Powre out for the people, that they may eat. And there was no [Note: Hebrew: euil thing.] harme in the pot.

42 And there came a man from Baal-Shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, twentie loaues of barley, and full eares of corne [Note: Or, in his scrip, or garment.] in the huske thereof: and he said, Giue vnto the people, that they may eate.

43 And his seruitour saide, What should I set this before an hundred men? He said againe, Giue the people, that they may eate: for thus saith the Lord, [Note: John 6:11.] They shall eate, and shall leaue thereof.

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