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== Melachim II (Book of 2 Kings), Chapter 4 ==

<named id="1"/>1 Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying: 'Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear HaShem; and the creditor is come to take unto him my two children to be bondmen.'

<named id="2"/>2 And Elisha said unto her: `What shall I do for thee? tell me; what hast thou in the house?' And she said: 'Thy handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil.'

<named id="3"/>3 Then he said: 'Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few.

<named id="4"/>4 And thou shalt go in, and shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and pour out into all those vessels; and thou shalt set aside that which is full.'

<named id="5"/>5 So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons; they brought the vessels to her, and she poured out.

<named id="6"/>6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son: 'Bring me yet a vessel.' And he said unto her: 'There is not a vessel more.' And the oil stayed.

<named id="7"/>7 Then she came and told the man of G-d. And he said: 'Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy sons of the rest.'

<named id="8"/>8 And it fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread.

<named id="9"/>9 And she said unto her husband: 'Behold now, I perceive that this is a holy man of G-d, that passeth by us continually.

<named id="10"/>10 Let us make, I pray thee, a little chamber on the roof; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick; and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither.'

<named id="11"/>11 And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the upper chamber and lay there.

<named id="12"/>12 And he said to Gehazi his servant: 'Call this Shunammite.' And when he had called her, she stood before him.

<named id="13"/>13 And he said unto him: `Say now unto her: Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host?' And she answered: 'I dwell among mine own people.'

<named id="14"/>14 And he said: 'What then is to be done for her?' And Gehazi answered: 'Verily she hath no son, and her husband is old.'

<named id="15"/>15 And he said: 'Call her.' And when he had called her, she stood in the door.

<named id="16"/>16 And he said: 'At this season, when the time cometh round, thou shalt embrace a son.' And she said: 'Nay, my lord, thou man of G-d, do not lie unto thy handmaid.'

<named id="17"/>17 And the woman conceived, and bore a son at that season, when the time came round, as Elisha had said unto her.

<named id="18"/>18 And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers.

<named id="19"/>19 And he said unto his father: 'My head, my head.' And he said to his servant: 'Carry him to his mother.'

<named id="20"/>20 And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died.

<named id="21"/>21 And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of G-d, and shut the door upon him, and went out.

<named id="22"/>22 And she called unto her husband, and said: 'Send me, I pray thee, one of the servants, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of G-d, and come back.'

<named id="23"/>23 And he said: Wherefore wilt thou go to him today? it is neither new moon nor sabbath.' And she said: 'It shall be well.'

<named id="24"/>24 Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant: 'Drive, and go forward; slacken me not the riding, except I bid thee.'

<named id="25"/>25 So she went, and came unto the man of G-d to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of G-d saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant: 'Behold, yonder is that Shunammite.

<named id="26"/>26 Run, I pray thee, now to meet her, and say unto her: Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child?' And she answered: 'It is well.'

<named id="27"/>27 And when she came to the man of G-d to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came near to thrust her away; but the man of G-d said: 'Let her alone; for her soul is bitter within her; and HaShem hath hid it from me, and hath not told Me.'

<named id="28"/>28 Then she said: 'Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say: Do not deceive me?'

<named id="29"/>29 Then he said to Gehazi: 'Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thy hand, and go thy way; if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not; and lay my staff upon the face of the child.'

<named id="30"/>30 And the mother of the child said: 'As HaShem liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.' And he arose, and followed her.

<named id="31"/>31 And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing. Wherefore he returned to meet him, and told him, saying: 'The child is not awaked.'

<named id="32"/>32 And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed.

<named id="33"/>33 He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto HaShem.

<named id="34"/>34 And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands; and he stretched himself upon him; and the flesh of the child waxed warm.

<named id="35"/>35 Then he returned, and walked in the house once to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him; and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

<named id="36"/>36 And he called Gehazi, and said: 'Call this Shunammite.' So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said: 'Take up thy son.'

<named id="37"/>37 Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed down to the ground; and she took up her son, and went out.

<named id="38"/>38 And Elisha came again to Gilgal; and there was a dearth in the land; and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him; and he said unto his servant: 'Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the sons of the prophets.'

<named id="39"/>39 And one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage; for they knew them not.

<named id="40"/>40 So they poured out for the men to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, that they cried out, and said: 'O man of G-d, there is death in the pot.' And they could not eat thereof.

<named id="41"/>41 But he said: 'Then bring meal.' And he cast it into the pot; and he said: 'Pour out for the people, that they may eat.' And there was no harm in the pot.

<named id="42"/>42 And there came a man from Baal-shalishah, and brought the man of G-d bread of the first-fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and fresh ears of corn in his sack. And he said: 'Give unto the people, that they may eat.'

<named id="43"/>43 And his servant said: 'How should I set this before a hundred men?' But he said: 'Give the people, that they may eat; for thus saith HaShem: They shall eat, and shall leave thereof.'

<named id="44"/>44 So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of HaShem.

== See also ==
* [[Melachim II 3|Previous Chapter]]
* [[Melachim II 4 Commentaries]]
* [[Melachim II 5|Next Chapter]]

== References ==
<references />

[[Category:Learning resources]]
[[Category:Bible]]
[[Category:Bible Contents]]

[[he:מלכים ב ד]]

[[1917 JPS Copyright|Portions © 1997 by Benyamin Pilant. Portions © 1998 by Larry Nelson.]]

Melachim II 4 - Revision history

WikiSysop at 13:17, 24 December 2008