الإصحَاحُ
الرَّابعُ

 

Chapter
4

1
Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto
Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy
servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two
sons to be bondmen.

2
And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in
the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a
pot of oil.

3
Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty
vessels; borrow not a few.

4
And when thou art 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.

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.

6
And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son,
Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And
the oil stayed.

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 of the rest.

8
And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great 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.

9
And she said unto her husband, Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man
of God, which passeth by us continually.

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.

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

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

13
And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us
with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to
the king, or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I dwell among mine
own people.

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.

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

16
And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt
embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto
thine handmaid.

17
And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said
unto her, according to the time of life.

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

19
And he said unto his father, My head, my head. And he said to a lad, Carry him
to his mother.

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

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.

22
And she called unto 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.

23
And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him to day? it is neither new moon, nor
sabbath. And she said, It shall be well.

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.

25
So she went and came unto 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 Shunammite:

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

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 vexed within her: and the LORD hath hid it from me, and
hath not told me.

28
Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Do not deceive me?

29
Then he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and
go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee,
answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child.

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.

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.

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

33
He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the
LORD.

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 waxed warm.

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.

36
And he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her. And
when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy son.

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

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 unto his servant, Set
on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets.

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

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 thereof.

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.

42
And there came a man from Baal-shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of
the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk
thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.

43
And his servitor said, What, should I set this before an hundred men? He said
again, Give the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the LORD, They shall
eat, and shall leave thereof.

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