The Widow’s Oil

Now a woman of the wives of (A)the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord; and (B)the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” So Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except (C)a jar of oil.” Then he said, “Go, [a]borrow containers [b]elsewhere for yourself, empty containers from all your neighbors—do not get too few. Then you shall come in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour into all these containers; and you shall set aside what is full.” So she left him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they began bringing the containers to her, and she poured the oil. When (D)the containers were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another container.” But he said to her, “There [c]are no more containers.” Then the oil stopped. So she came and told (E)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.”

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Notas al pie

  1. 2 Kings 4:3 Lit request
  2. 2 Kings 4:3 Lit from outside
  3. 2 Kings 4:6 Lit is...container

Elisha Helps a Widow and Her Sons

Now a wife of one of the prophets[a] appealed[b] to Elisha for help, saying, “Your servant, my husband is dead. You know that your servant was a loyal follower of the Lord.[c] Now the creditor is coming to take away my two boys to be his servants.” Elisha 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.” He said, “Go and ask all your neighbors for empty containers.[d] Get as many as you can.[e] Go and close the door behind you and your sons. Pour the olive oil into all the containers;[f] set aside each one when you have filled it.” So 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. When the containers were full, she said to one of her sons,[g] “Bring me another container.” But he answered her, “There are no more.” Then the olive oil stopped flowing. She went and told the prophet.[h] He said, “Go, sell the olive oil. Repay your creditor, and then you and your sons can live off the rest of the profit.”

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Notas al pie

  1. 2 Kings 4:1 tn Heb “a wife from among the wives of the sons of the prophets.”
  2. 2 Kings 4:1 tn Or “cried out.”
  3. 2 Kings 4:1 tn Heb “your servant feared the Lord.” “Fear” refers here to obedience and allegiance, the products of healthy respect for the Lord’s authority.
  4. 2 Kings 4:3 tn Heb “Go, ask for containers from outside, from all your neighbors, empty containers.”
  5. 2 Kings 4:3 tn Heb “Do not borrow just a few.”
  6. 2 Kings 4:4 tn Heb “all these vessels.”
  7. 2 Kings 4:6 tn Heb “to her son.”
  8. 2 Kings 4:7 tn Heb “man of God” (also in vv. 16, 22, 25, 27 [twice]).