Beginning
A Widow Asks Elisha for Help
4 The wife of a man from the ·groups [company; brotherhood; L sons] of prophets said to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, is dead. You know he ·honored [revered; feared] the Lord. But now ·the man he owes money to [a creditor] is coming to take my two boys as his slaves!”
2 Elisha answered, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”
The woman said, “I don’t have anything there except a ·pot [jar; flask] of oil.”
3 Then Elisha said, “Go and get empty jars from all your neighbors. Don’t ask for just a few. 4 Then go into your house and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and set the full ones aside.”
5 So she left Elisha and shut the door behind her and her sons. As they brought the jars to her, she poured out the oil. 6 When the jars were all full, she said to her son, “Bring me another jar.”
But he said, “There are no more jars.” Then the oil stopped flowing.
7 She went and told Elisha. And the prophet said to her, “Go, sell the oil and pay ·what you owe [your debts]. You and your sons can live on what is left.”
The Shunammite Woman
8 One day Elisha went to Shunem, where an ·important [prominent; wealthy] woman lived. She ·begged [urged; pressed] Elisha to stay and eat. So every time Elisha passed by, he stopped there to eat. 9 The woman said to her husband, “I ·know that [am sure] this is a holy man of God who passes by our house ·all the time [often]. 10 Let’s make a small walled room on the roof [C roofs were flat and served as an extra room] and put a bed in the room for him. We can put a table, a chair, and a lampstand there. Then when he comes by, he can stay there.”
11 One day Elisha came to the woman’s house. After he went to ·his [the upper] room and rested, 12 he said to his servant Gehazi, “Call the Shunammite woman.”
When the servant had called her, she stood in front of him. 13 Elisha had told his servant, “Now say to her, ‘You have gone to all this trouble for us. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak to the king or the commander of the army for you?’”
She answered, “I live among my own people [C a way of saying she is content and has no pressing needs].”
14 Elisha said to Gehazi, “But what can we do for her?”
He answered, “She has no son, and her husband is old.”
15 Then Elisha said to Gehazi, “Call her.” When he called her, she stood in the doorway. 16 Then Elisha said, “This ·time [season] next year, you will hold a son in your arms.”
The woman said, “No, ·master [lord], man of God, don’t ·lie to [deceive; mislead] me, your servant!”
17 But the woman ·became pregnant [conceived] and gave birth to a son at that ·time [season] the next year, just as Elisha had told her.
18 The boy grew up and one day went out to his father, who was with the ·grain harvesters [reapers]. 19 The boy said to his father, “My head! My head!”
The father said to his servant, “·Take [Carry] him to his mother!” 20 The servant ·took [carried] him to his mother, and he lay on his mother’s lap until noon. Then he died. 21 So she took him up and laid him on ·Elisha’s bed [L the bed of the man of God]. Then she shut the door and left.
22 She called to her husband, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys. Then I can go quickly to the man of God and return.”
23 The husband said, “Why do you want to go to him today? It isn’t the New Moon or the Sabbath day.”
She said, “It will be all right.”
24 Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Lead on. Don’t slow down for me unless I tell you.” 25 So she went to Elisha, the man of God, at Mount Carmel.
When he saw her coming ·from far away [in the distance], he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, there’s the Shunammite woman! 26 Run to meet her and ask, ‘Are you ·all right [well]? Is your husband ·all right [well]? Is the boy ·all right [well]?’”
She answered, “Everything is ·all right [well].”
27 Then she came to Elisha at the hill and grabbed his feet. Gehazi came near to pull her away, but Elisha said to him, “Leave her alone. She’s ·very upset [L in bitter distress in her soul], and the Lord has not told me about it. He has hidden it from me.”
28 She said, “·Master [My lord], did I ask you for a son? Didn’t I tell you not to ·lie to [deceive; mislead] me?”
29 Then Elisha said to Gehazi, “·Get ready [Tuck in your cloak; L Gird up your loins; C pulling up the back of the cloak between the legs and tucking it in the belt allowed freer movement]. Take my ·walking stick [staff] in your hand and go quickly. If you meet anyone, don’t ·say hello [greet him]. If anyone greets you, don’t ·respond [answer]. Lay my ·walking stick [staff] on the boy’s face.”
30 The boy’s mother said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I won’t leave you [C to return home]!” So Elisha got up and followed her.
31 Gehazi went on ahead and laid the ·walking stick [staff] on the boy’s face, but the boy did not talk or ·move [respond]. Then Gehazi went back to meet Elisha. “The boy has not awakened,” he said.
32 When Elisha came into the house, the boy was lying dead on ·his [Elisha’s] bed. 33 Elisha entered the room and shut the door on the two of them. Then he prayed to the Lord. 34 He went to the bed and lay on the boy, putting his mouth on the boy’s mouth, his eyes on the boy’s eyes, and his hands on the boy’s hands. He stretched himself out on top of the boy. Soon the boy’s ·skin [body; L flesh] became warm. 35 Elisha ·turned away [got up] and walked ·around [back and forth once across] the room. Then he went back and ·put himself [stretched out] on the boy again. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.
36 Elisha called Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite!” So he did. When she came, Elisha said, “·Pick up [Take] your son.” 37 She came in and fell at Elisha’s feet, bowing facedown to the floor. Then she ·picked up [took] her son and went out.
Elisha and the Stew
38 When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a ·shortage of food [famine] in the land. While the ·groups [company; brotherhood; L sons] of prophets were sitting in front of him, he said to his servant, “Put the large pot on the fire, and boil some stew for ·these men [this company/brotherhood/L sons of prophets].”
39 One of them went out into the field to gather ·plants [herbs]. Finding a wild vine, he ·picked fruit from the vine and filled his robe with it [gathered a lapful of wild gourds]. ·Then he came and cut up the fruit into the pot. But they didn’t know what kind of fruit it was. [He returned and sliced them into a pot of stew, not knowing what they were.] 40 They ·poured out [served] the stew for the others to eat. When they began to eat it, they shouted, “Man of God, there’s death [C poison] in the pot!” And they could not eat it.
41 Elisha told them to bring some ·flour [meal]. He threw it into the pot and said, “·Pour it out for [Serve it to] the people to eat.” Then there was nothing harmful in the pot.
Elisha Feeds the People
42 A man from Baal Shalishah came to Elisha, bringing him twenty loaves of barley bread from the first ·harvest [fruits]. He also brought fresh grain in his sack. Elisha said, “Give it to the people to eat.”
43 Elisha’s servant asked, “How can I ·feed a hundred people with so little [L set this before a hundred people]?”
“Give the bread to the people to eat,” Elisha ·said [repeated]. “·This is what the Lord says [T Thus says the Lord]: ‘They will eat and will have food left over.’” 44 After he gave it to them, the people ate and had food left over, ·as the Lord had said [L in accordance with the word of the Lord].
Naaman Is Healed
5 Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was ·honored [held in great favor] by his master and much respected, because the Lord used him to give victory to Aram. He was a ·mighty and brave man [valiant soldier], but he had ·a skin disease [T leprosy; C refers to a variety of skin diseases; Lev. 13:2].
2 The Arameans had gone out to raid the Israelites and had taken a little girl as a captive. This little girl served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “I wish my ·master [lord] would meet the prophet who lives in Samaria. He would cure him of his ·disease [T leprosy; 5:1].”
4 Naaman went to the king and told him ·what the girl from Israel had said [L according to this and according to that the girl said]. 5 The king of Aram said, “Go ahead, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left and took with him ·about seven hundred fifty pounds [L ten talents] of silver, as well as ·one hundred fifty pounds [L six thousand shekels] of gold and ten ·changes of clothes [sets of festal/formal robes]. 6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “I am sending my servant Naaman to you so you can heal him of his ·skin disease [T leprosy; 5:1].”
7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes [C a sign of mourning or distress]. He said, “·I’m not God! I can’t kill and make alive again! [L Am I God, to give life or take it away?] Why does this man send someone with ·a skin disease [T leprosy; 5:1] for me to heal? You can see that the king of Aram is trying to ·start trouble [pick a fight/quarrel] with me.”
8 When Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent the king this message: “Why have you torn your clothes? Let Naaman come to me. Then he will ·know [learn] there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots to Elisha’s house and stood outside the door.
10 Elisha sent Naaman a messenger who said, “Go and wash in the Jordan River seven times. Then your ·skin will be healed [L flesh will be restored], and you will be ·clean [cleansed].”
11 Naaman ·became angry [was provoked/aroused to anger] and left. He said, “I thought Elisha would surely come out and stand before me and call on the name of the Lord his God. I thought he would wave his hand over the place and heal the ·disease [T leprosy; 5:1]. 12 ·The [Are not the…?] Abana and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, are better than all the waters of Israel. Why can’t I wash in them and ·become clean [be cleansed; C both physically healed and ritually clean]?” So Naaman went away ·very angry [in a rage].
13 Naaman’s servants came near and said to him, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some ·great [very difficult] thing, wouldn’t you have done it? All the more reason then when he simply says, ‘Wash, and you will be clean [v. 12].’” 14 So Naaman went down and dipped in the Jordan seven times, ·just as Elisha had said [L in accordance with the word of the man of God]. Then his skin ·became new again [was restored], like the skin of a child. And he was clean.
15 Naaman and all his ·group [company; brotherhood] returned to Elisha. He stood before Elisha and said, “Look, I now know there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. Now please accept a gift from me.”
16 But Elisha said, “As surely as the Lord lives ·whom I serve [L before whom I stand], I won’t accept anything.” Naaman urged him to take the gift, but he refused.
17 Then Naaman said, “If you won’t take the gift, then please give me some soil—as much as two of my mules can carry. From now on I’ll not offer any burnt offering [Lev. 1:1–17] or sacrifice to any other gods but the Lord. 18 But let the Lord pardon me for this: When my ·master [lord] goes into the ·temple [L house] of Rimmon [C a pagan deity] to worship, he leans on my arm. Then I must bow in that ·temple [L house]. May the Lord pardon me when I do that.”
19 Elisha said to him, “Go in peace.”
Naaman had left Elisha and gone a short way 20 when Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, thought, “My ·master [lord] has ·gone easy on [spared] this Naaman the Aramean by not taking what he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I’ll run after him and get something from him.” 21 So Gehazi ·went after [pursued; ran after] Naaman.
When Naaman saw someone running after him, he got off the chariot to meet Gehazi. He asked, “Is ·everything all right [all well]?”
22 Gehazi said, “Everything is ·all right [well]. My ·master [lord] has sent me. He said, ‘Two young men from the ·groups [company; brotherhood; L sons] of prophets in the ·mountains [hill country] of Ephraim just came to me. Please give them ·seventy-five pounds [L a talent] of silver and two changes of clothes.’”
23 Naaman said, “Please take ·one hundred fifty pounds [L two talents],” and he urged Gehazi to take it. He tied ·one hundred fifty pounds [L two talents] of silver in two bags with two changes of clothes. Then he gave them to two of his servants to carry for Gehazi. 24 When they came to the hill, Gehazi took these things from Naaman’s servants and ·put [hid; stored] them in the house. Then he let Naaman’s servants go, and they left.
25 When he came in and stood before his ·master [lord], Elisha said to him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?”
“I didn’t go anywhere,” he answered.
26 But Elisha said to him, “·My spirit was [L Did not my heart/spirit go…?] with you. I knew when the man ·turned [stepped down] from his chariot to meet you. ·This isn’t [Is this…?] a time to take money, clothes, ·olives, grapes [olive groves and vineyards], sheep, oxen, male servants, or female servants. 27 So Naaman’s ·skin disease [T leprosy; 5:1] will ·come on [cling to] you and your ·children [descendants] forever.” When Gehazi left Elisha, he ·had the disease [T was a leper; 5:1] and was as white as snow.
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