⁴¹ Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward.

⁵ Dear friend, you are faithful in what you are doing for the brothers and sisters,^[a](A) even though they are strangers to you.^{(B) 6} They have told the church about your love. Please send them on their way^(C) in a manner that honors^(D) God. ⁷ It was for the sake of the Name^(E) that they went out, receiving no help from the pagans.^{(F) 8} We ought therefore to show hospitality to such people so that we may work together for the truth.

¹⁶ “About this time^(A) next year,” Elisha said, “you will hold a son in your arms.”

“No, my lord!” she objected. “Please, man of God, don’t mislead your servant!”

¹⁷ But the woman became pregnant, and the next year about that same time she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.

¹⁰ God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.^(A)

The Shunammite’s Son Restored to Life

⁸ One day Elisha went to Shunem.^(A) And a well-to-do woman was there, who urged him to stay for a meal. So whenever he came by, he stopped there to eat. ⁹ She said to her husband, “I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God. ¹⁰ Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay^(B) there whenever he comes to us.”

⁸ Watch out that you do not lose what we^[a] have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.^(A)

¹³ But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,^{(A) 14} and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”^(B)

³² When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch.^{(A) 33} He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed^(B) to the Lord. ³⁴ Then he got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched^(C) himself out on him, the boy’s body grew warm. ³⁵ Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out on him once more. The boy sneezed seven times^(D) and opened his eyes.^(E)

³⁶ Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite.” And he did. When she came, he said, “Take your son.”^{(F) 37} She came in, fell at his feet and bowed to the ground. Then she took her son and went out.

³ and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, his palace administrator.^(A) (Obadiah was a devout believer^(B) in the Lord. ⁴ While Jezebel^(C) was killing off the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden^(D) them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied^(E) them with food and water.)