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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0; maximum-scale=1.0; user-scalable=0;"/><title>2 Kings 4 New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/2_kings/4.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmcc/2_kings/4-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com/catholic">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NRSVCE</a> > 2 Kings 4</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../2_kings/3.htm" title="2 Kings 3">◄</a> 2 Kings 4 <a href="../2_kings/5.htm" title="2 Kings 5">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition</td><td width="1%" valign="top"></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><div class="text-html"> <h3><span id="en" class="text">Elisha and the Widow’s Oil</span></h3><p class="chapter-1"><span class="text"><span class="versenum">1</span>Now the wife of a member of the company of prophets<span data-fn='#fen' class='footnote' data-link='[<a href="#fen-NRSVCE-9605a" title="See footnote a">a</a>]'>[<a href="#fen" xtitle="See footnote a">a</a>]</span> cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead; and you know that your servant feared the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span>, but a creditor has come to take my two children as slaves.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">2</span>Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house, except a jar of oil.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">3</span>He said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not just a few. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">4</span>Then go in, and shut the door behind you and your children, and start pouring into all these vessels; when each is full, set it aside.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">5</span>So she left him and shut the door behind her and her children; they kept bringing vessels to her, and she kept pouring. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">6</span>When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” But he said to her, “There are no more.” Then the oil stopped flowing. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">7</span>She came and told the man of God, and he said, “Go sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your children can live on the rest.”</span></p> <h3><span id="en" class="text">Elisha Raises the Shunammite’s Son</span></h3><p><span class="text"><span class="versenum">8</span>One day Elisha was passing through Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to have a meal. So whenever he passed that way, he would stop there for a meal. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">9</span>She said to her husband, “Look, I am sure that this man who regularly passes our way is a holy man of God. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">10</span>Let us make a small roof chamber with walls, and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that he can stay there whenever he comes to us.”</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">11</span>One day when he came there, he went up to the chamber and lay down there. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">12</span>He said to his servant Gehazi, “Call the Shunammite woman.” When he had called her, she stood before him. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">13</span>He said to him, “Say to her, Since you have taken all this trouble for us, what may be done for you? Would you have a word spoken on your behalf to the king or to the commander of the army?” She answered, “I live among my own people.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">14</span>He said, “What then may be done for her?” Gehazi answered, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is old.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">15</span>He said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood at the door. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">16</span>He said, “At this season, in due time, you shall embrace a son.” She replied, “No, my lord, O man of God; do not deceive your servant.”</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">17</span>The woman conceived and bore a son at that season, in due time, as Elisha had declared to her.</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">18</span>When the child was older, he went out one day to his father among the reapers. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">19</span>He complained to his father, “Oh, my head, my head!” The father said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">20</span>He carried him and brought him to his mother; the child sat on her lap until noon, and he died. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">21</span>She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, closed the door on him, and left. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">22</span>Then she called to her husband, and said, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so that I may quickly go to the man of God and come back again.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">23</span>He said, “Why go to him today? It is neither new moon nor sabbath.” She said, “It will be all right.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">24</span>Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Urge the animal on; do not hold back for me unless I tell you.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">25</span>So she set out, and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.</span></p><p><span class="text">When the man of God saw her coming, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Look, there is the Shunammite woman; </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">26</span>run at once to meet her, and say to her, Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is the child all right?” She answered, “It is all right.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">27</span>When she came to the man of God at the mountain, she caught hold of his feet. Gehazi approached to push her away. But the man of God said, “Let her alone, for she is in bitter distress; the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> has hidden it from me and has not told me.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">28</span>Then she said, “Did I ask my lord for a son? Did I not say, Do not mislead me?” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">29</span>He said to Gehazi, “Gird up your loins, and take my staff in your hand, and go. If you meet anyone, give no greeting, and if anyone greets you, do not answer; and lay my staff on the face of the child.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">30</span>Then the mother of the child said, “As the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span> lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave without you.” So he rose up and followed her. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">31</span>Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the face of the child, but there was no sound or sign of life. He came back to meet him and told him, “The child has not awakened.”</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">32</span>When Elisha came into the house, he saw the child lying dead on his bed. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">33</span>So he went in and closed the door on the two of them, and prayed to the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span>. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">34</span>Then he got up on the bed<span data-fn='#fen' class='footnote' data-link='[<a href="#fen-NRSVCE-9638b" title="See footnote b">b</a>]'>[<a href="#fen" xtitle="See footnote b">b</a>]</span> and lay upon the child, putting his mouth upon his mouth, his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands; and while he lay bent over him, the flesh of the child became warm. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">35</span>He got down, walked once to and fro in the room, then got up again and bent over him; the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">36</span>Elisha<span data-fn='#fen' class='footnote' data-link='[<a href="#fen-NRSVCE-9640c" title="See footnote c">c</a>]'>[<a href="#fen" xtitle="See footnote c">c</a>]</span> summoned Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite woman.” So he called her. When she came to him, he said, “Take your son.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">37</span>She came and fell at his feet, bowing to the ground; then she took her son and left.</span></p> <h3><span id="en" class="text">Elisha Purifies the Pot of Stew</span></h3><p><span class="text"><span class="versenum">38</span>When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a famine in the land. As the company of prophets was<span data-fn='#fen' class='footnote' data-link='[<a href="#fen-NRSVCE-9642d" title="See footnote d">d</a>]'>[<a href="#fen" xtitle="See footnote d">d</a>]</span> sitting before him, he said to his servant, “Put the large pot on, and make some stew for the company of prophets.”<span data-fn='#fen' class='footnote' data-link='[<a href="#fen-NRSVCE-9642e" title="See footnote e">e</a>]'>[<a href="#fen" xtitle="See footnote e">e</a>]</span> </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">39</span>One of them went out into the field to gather herbs; he found a wild vine and gathered from it a lapful of wild gourds, and came and cut them up into the pot of stew, not knowing what they were. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">40</span>They served some for the men to eat. But while they were eating the stew, they cried out, “O man of God, there is death in the pot!” They could not eat it. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">41</span>He said, “Then bring some flour.” He threw it into the pot, and said, “Serve the people and let them eat.” And there was nothing harmful in the pot.</span></p> <h3><span id="en" class="text">Elisha Feeds One Hundred Men</span></h3><p><span class="text"><span class="versenum">42</span>A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing food from the first fruits to the man of God: twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. Elisha said, “Give it to the people and let them eat.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">43</span>But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred people?” So he repeated, “Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span>, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">44</span>He set it before them, they ate, and had some left, according to the word of the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span>.</span></p> <A name="fen"></a><div class="footnotes"><h4>Footnotes</h4><ol><li id="fen"><a hlef="#en" xtitle="Go to 2 Kings 4:1">2 Kings 4:1</a> <span class='footnote-text'>Heb <i>the sons of the prophets</i></span></li><li id="fen"><a hlef="#en" xtitle="Go to 2 Kings 4:34">2 Kings 4:34</a> <span class='footnote-text'>Heb lacks <i>on the bed</i></span></li><li id="fen"><a hlef="#en" xtitle="Go to 2 Kings 4:36">2 Kings 4:36</a> <span class='footnote-text'>Heb <i>he</i></span></li><li id="fen"><a hlef="#en" xtitle="Go to 2 Kings 4:38">2 Kings 4:38</a> <span class='footnote-text'>Heb <i>sons of the prophets were</i></span></li><li id="fen"><a hlef="#en" xtitle="Go to 2 Kings 4:38">2 Kings 4:38</a> <span class='footnote-text'>Heb <i>sons of the prophets</i></span></li></ol></div> </div></div></div></div></div> </div> </div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. 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