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4 4 God increaseth the oil to the poor widow by Elisha. 12 He obtaineth for the Shunammite a son at God’s hand. 18 Who dying, 32 he raiseth him up again. 40 He maketh sweet the pottage, 42 and multiplied the loaves.
1 And one of the wives of the sons [a]of the Prophets cried unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant mine husband is dead, and thou knowest, that thy servant did [b]fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to take my two sons to be his [c]bondmen.
2 Then Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou at home? And she said, Thine handmaid hath nothing at home, save a [d]pitcher of oil.
3 And he said, Go and borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbors, empty vessels, and spare not.
4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and pour out into [e]all those vessels, and set aside those that are full.
5 So she departed from him, and shut the door upon her, and upon her sons. And they brought to her, and she poured out.
6 And when the vessels were full, she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is no more vessels. And the oil [f]ceased.
7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go and sell the oil, and pay them that thou art in debt unto, and live thou and thy children of the [g]rest.
8 ¶ And on a time Elisha came to Shunem, and there a woman of great estimation constrained him to eat bread: and as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.
9 And she said unto her husband, Behold, I know now, that this is an holy man of God that passeth by us continually.
10 Let us make [h]him a little chamber, I pray thee, with walls, and let us set him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick, that he may turn in thither when he cometh to us.
11 ¶ And on a day, he came thither and turned into the chamber, and lay therein,
12 And said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunammite: and when he called her, she stood before him.
13 Then he said unto him, Say unto her now, Behold, thou hast had all this great care for us, [i]what shall we do for thee? Is there anything to be spoken for thee to the king or to the captain of the host? And she answered, I [j]dwell among mine own people.
14 Again he said, What is then to be done for her? Then Gehazi answered, Indeed she hath [k]no son, and her husband is old.
15 Then said he, Call her. And he called her, and she stood in the door.
16 And he said, (A)At this time appointed, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Oh my Lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid.
17 So the woman conceived, and bore a son at that same season, according to the time of life, that Elisha had said unto her.
18 ¶ And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father, and to the reapers.
19 And he said to his father, [l]Mine head, mine head. Who said to his servant, Bear him to his mother.
20 And he took him and brought him to his mother, and he sat on her knees till noon, and died.
21 Then she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him and went out.
22 ¶ Then she called to her husband, and said, Send with me, I pray thee, one of the young men and one of the asses: for I will haste to the man of God, and come again.
23 And he said, Wherefore wilt thou go to him today? it is neither [m]new moon nor Sabbath day. And she answered, [n]All shall be well.
24 Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward: stay not for me to get up, except I bid thee.
25 ¶ So she went, and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And when the man of God saw her [o]over against him, he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, the Shunammite.
26 Run now, I say, to meet her, and say unto her, Art thou in health? is thine husband in health? and is the child in health? And she answered, We are in health.
27 And when she came to the man of God unto the mountain, she [p]caught him by his feet: and Gehazi went to her, to thrust her away: but the man of God said, Let her alone: for her soul is [q]vexed within her, and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told it me.
28 Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, Deceive me not?
29 Then he said to Gehazi, Gird thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way: [r]if thou meet any, salute him not: and if any salute thee, answer him not: 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. Therefore he arose, and followed her.
31 But Gehazi was gone before them, and had laid the staff upon the face of the child, but he neither spake nor heard: wherefore he returned to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not waken.
32 ¶ Then came Elisha into the house, and 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 After he went up, and [s]lay upon the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands, and stretched himself upon him, and the flesh of the child waxed warm.
35 And he went from him, and walked up and down in the house, and went up and spread himself upon him: then the child sneezed [t]seven times, and opened his eyes.
36 Then he called Gehazi, and said, Call this Shunammite. So he called her, which came in unto him. And he said unto her, Take thy son.
37 And she came, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her son, and went out.
38 Afterward Elisha returned to Gilgal, and a famine was in the [u]land, and the children of the Prophets dwelt with him. And he said unto his servant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the children of the Prophets.
39 And one went out into the field, to gather herbs, and found as it were a wild vine, and gathered thereof [v]wild gourds his garment full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew it not.
40 So they poured out for the men to eat: and when they did eat of the pottage, they cried out, and said, O thou man of God, [w]death is in the pot: and they could not eat thereof.
41 Then he said, Bring meal. And he cast it into the pot, and said, Pour out for the people, that they may eat: and there was none evil in the pot.
42 ¶ Then came a man from Baal Shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, even twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat.
43 And his servant answered, How should I set this before an hundred men? He said again, Give it unto the people, that they may eat: for thus saith the Lord, They [x]shall eat, and there shall remain.
44 So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left over, according to the word of the Lord.
5 1 Naaman the Syrian is healed of his leprosy. 16 Elisha refuseth his gifts. 27 Gehazi is stricken with leprosy, because he took money and raiment of Naaman.
1 Now was there one Naaman captain of the host of the King of Aram, a great man, and honorable in the sight of his lord, because that by him the Lord had [y]delivered the Aramites. He also was a mighty man and valiant, but a leper.
2 And the Aramites had gone out by bands, and had taken a little maid of the land of Israel, and she [z]served Naaman’s wife.
3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the [aa]Prophet that is in Samaria, he would soon deliver him of his leprosy.
4 And [ab]he went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus saith the maid that is of the land of Israel.
5 And the king of Aram said, Go thy way thither, and I will send a letter unto the King of Israel. And he departed, and [ac]took [ad]with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiments,
6 And brought the letter to the king of Israel to this effect, Now when this letter is come unto thee, understand, that I have sent thee Naaman my servant, that thou mayest heal him of his leprosy.
7 And when the king of Israel had read the letter, he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God to kill and to give life that he doth send to me, that I should heal a man from his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.
8 But when Elisha the man of God had heard that the King of Israel had rent his clothes, he sent unto the King, saying, [ae]Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? Let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a Prophet in Israel.
9 ¶ Then Naaman came with his horses, and with his chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash thee in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be cleansed.
11 But Naaman was [af]wroth and went away, and said, Behold, I thought with myself, He will surely come out, and stand, and call on the Name of the Lord his God, and put his hand on the place, and heal the leprosy.
12 Are not Abanah and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash me in them, and be cleansed? so he turned, and departed in displeasure.
13 But his servants came, and spake unto him, and said, [ag]Father, if the Prophet had commanded thee a great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?
14 Then went he down, and (B)washed himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again, like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
15 ¶ And he turned again to the man of God, he, and all his company, and came and stood before him, and said, Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the world but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a [ah]reward of thy servant.
16 But he said, As the Lord liveth (before whom I stand) I will not receive it. And he would have constrained him to receive it, [ai]but he refused.
17 Moreover Naaman said, Shall there not be given to thy servant two mules’ load of this earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt sacrifice nor offering unto any other god, save unto the Lord.
18 Herein the Lord be [aj]merciful unto thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon, to worship there, and leaneth on mine hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I do bow down, I say, in the house of Rimmon, the Lord be merciful unto thy servant in this point.
19 Unto whom he said, [ak]Go in peace. So he departed from him about half a day’s journey of ground.
20 And Gehazi the servant of Elisha the man of God said, Behold, my master hath spared this Aramite Naaman, receiving not those things at his hand that he brought: As the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him.
21 So Gehazi followed speedily after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, [al]he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well?
22 And he answered, All is well: my master hath set me, saying, Behold, there be come to me, even now from mount Ephraim two young men of the children of the Prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.
23 And Naaman said, Yea, take two talents: and he compelled him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and gave them unto two of his servants, that they might bear them before him.
24 And when he came to the [am]tower, he took them out of their hands, and laid them in the house, and sent away the men: and [an]they departed.
25 ¶ Then he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.
26 But he said unto him, [ao]Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is this a time to take money, and to receive garments, [ap]and olives, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?
27 The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and to thy [aq]seed forever. And he went out from his presence a leper white as snow.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.