2 Kings 4:1-28 ▼

1 And there cryed a certayne woman of the wyues of the sonnes of the prophetes, vnto Elisa, saying: Thy seruaunt my husband is dead, & thou knowest that thy seruaunt did feare the Lorde: And the creditor is come to fet my two sonnes to be his bondmen.

2 Elisa saide vnto her: Tell me what I shall do for thee? What hast thou in thyne house? She saide: Thyne handemayde hath nothing at all in the house, saue a pitcher with oyle.

3 He saide vnto her: Go, and borow vessels for thee of them that are without, euen of all thy neighbours, emptie vessels, and that not a fewe:

4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the doore after thee and after thy sonnes, and powre out into all those vessels: and set asyde that which is full.

5 And so she went from him, and shut the doore after her & after her sonnes: And they brought to her, & she powred out.

6 And it came to passe, that when the vessels were ful, she said vnto her sonne: Bryng me yet a vessel. And he said vnto her: I haue no mo. And ye oyle ceassed.

7 Then she came and tolde the man of God: And he sayde, Go, and sell the oyle, and pay them that thou art in debt vnto: but lyue thou and thy children of the rest.

8 And it fell on a day, that Elisa came to Sunem, where was a great woman, that toke him in for to eate bread: And so it came to passe, that from that tyme foorth (as oft as he came that way) he turned in thyther to eate bread.

9 And she saide vnto her husband: Beholde, I perceaue that this is an holy man of God which passeth by vs continually.

10 Let vs make him a litle chamber I pray thee, with walles, & let vs set him there a bed, and a table, and a stoole, and a candelsticke: that he may turne in thyther when he commeth to vs.

11 And it fortuned on a day that he came thither, and turned into the chamber, & lay therein,

12 And saide to Gehezi his seruaunt: Call this Sunamite. And when he called her, she presented her selfe before him.

13 And againe he said vnto him: Tel her, beholde thou hast ben carefull for vs with all this care, What shal we now do for thee? Wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captayne of the hoast? She aunswered: I dwell among myne owne people.

14 And he said againe: What is to be done for her? Gehezi aunswered: Ueryly she hath no childe, and her husband is olde.

15 And he said: Call her. And when he had called her, she stoode in the doore.

16 And he saide: At this tyme appoynted, according to the tyme of lyfe, thou shalt imbrace a sonne. And she said: Oh nay my lorde thou man of God, do not lye vnto thyne handmayde.

17 And the wyfe conceaued, and bare a sonne that same season that Elisa had sayde vnto her, acording to the tyme of lyfe.

18 And when the childe was growen, it fell on a day that he went out to his father, and to the reapers,

19 And he said vnto his father: My head, my head. And he saide to a lad: Cary him to his mother.

20 And when he had taken him & brought him to his mother, he sate on her knees till noone, and then dyed.

21 And she went vp, and laide him on the bed of the man of God, & shut the doore vpon him, and went out,

22 And called vnto her husband, & sayde: Send with me I pray thee one of the young men, and one of the asses: for I will runne to the man of God, and come againe.

23 And he saide: Wherefore wylt thou go to him? seing that to day is neither newe moone nor sabbath day. And she aunswered: All shalbe well.

24 Then she sadled an asse, and saide to her seruaunt: Dryue and go forwarde, staye not for me to get vp, except I hyd thee.

25 And so she went, and came vnto the man of God to mount Carmel: And it fortuned, that when the man of God sawe her farre of, he saide to Gehezi his seruaunt: Beholde, yonder is the Sunamite:

26 Runne therefore to meete her, & saye vnto her: Is all well with thee, & with thy husband, and with the lad? And she aunswered: All is well.

27 And when she came to the man of God vp to the hill, she caught him by the feete: But Gehezi went to her, to thrust her away. And the man of God sayde: Let her alone, for her soule is vexed within her, and the Lorde hath hid it from me, and hath not tolde it me.

28 Then she saide: Did I desire a sonne of my Lorde? did I not require thee that thou shouldest not deceaue me?