Read the Modern Pastor’s Version

A woman of the wives of the prophets came to Elisha with a cry for help. Her husband was dead, and a creditor had come to take her two sons as bondmen because she owed him money. She explained that she feared the Lord and had nothing in the house except a pot of oil.

Elisha asked what he could do for her, and she replied that she had no resources to pay off her debt. He instructed her to borrow empty vessels from all her neighbors but not just a few, then shut the door behind her and her sons and pour out the oil into those vessels, setting aside what was full.

She went from him, shut the door on her and her sons, and brought the vessels to her. When she poured out the oil, the vessels were filled, and she said to her son, "Bring me another vessel," but he replied, "There are no more vessels left." The oil continued to flow, so she told Elisha that there was still more oil.

He told her to go, sell the oil, pay her debt, and live on the rest with her children. As Elisha traveled through Shunem, a prominent woman insisted that he stay and eat with her whenever he passed by. She prepared a small room for him on the wall of her house.

One day, as Elisha came to that place, he lay down in the chamber, and she stood before him. He asked her what he could do for her, and Gehazi told him that she had no child and her husband was old. Elisha said that at a certain time of year, according to the usual season, she would hold in her arms a son.

She replied, "No, my lord, man of God, do not deceive your servant," but she became pregnant and gave birth to a son at that time, just as Elisha had said. When the child was grown, he went out among the reapers with his father, saying, "My head, my head." His father told a lad to take him to his mother.

The boy sat on her knees until noon but then died. She laid him on the bed of the man of God and shut the door behind him before going out. She called to her husband and asked him to send one of their young men and an ass for her to go to the man of God and return.

He asked why she was going, since it was neither new moon nor Sabbath. She replied that it would be well, so she saddled an ass and told her servant to go ahead but not wait unless she told him to. When she came to Mount Carmel and saw Elisha from afar, he said to his servant Gehazi, "Behold, there is the Shunammite."

Gehazi was instructed to run and meet her, asking if all was well with her, her husband, and the child. She replied that it was well, so when she came closer, Elisha saw her catching him by the feet, but Gehazi tried to push her away.

The man of God said, "Leave her alone, for her soul is troubled within her, and the Lord has concealed it from me." She asked, "Did I ask my lord for a son? Did I not tell you not to deceive me?" Elisha instructed Gehazi to take his staff in hand and lay it on the child's face if he met anyone.

The mother of the child said she would not leave him behind, so Gehazi went ahead and laid the staff on the child's face. However, there was no response, either in voice or hearing, and he returned to meet Elisha. When Elisha arrived at the house, he found the child dead and lying on his bed.

He prayed to the Lord, lay on top of the child mouth-to-mouth, eyes-to-eyes, hands-to-hands, and stretched himself out over him. The boy's body began to warm up, and after walking back and forth in the house, Elisha lay down on top of him again, and the child sneezed seven times before opening his eyes.

Elisha instructed Gehazi to call the Shunammite woman to come in so she could take up her son. She fell at his feet, bowed herself to the ground, took up her son, and went out.

Later, Elisha came again to Gilgal, where there was a severe famine in the land. He instructed his servant to set on the large pot and prepare stew for the sons of the prophets. As they were eating, one man found a wild vine and added its gourds to the pot, but they were unaware of their identity.

When they ate the stew, they cried out and said that there was death in the pot. Elisha told them to bring meal and cast it into the pot. He instructed them to pour out for the people, saying that they should eat and have some left.

A man from Baalshalisha came with twenty loaves of barley bread and full ears of grain in their husks, saying, "Give the people something to eat." His servant asked if he should serve a hundred men with this, but Elisha replied that they should give the people to eat, for thus says the Lord, "They shall eat and have some left."

So they set it before the people, and they ate until they had enough, just as the Lord had said.