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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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Footnotes

  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]).

Elisha and the Widow's Oil

Now the wife of one of the (A)sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, (B)but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” Then he said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few. Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.” So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. She came and told the (C)man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”

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