1 And one of the wiues of the sonnes of the Prophets cryed vnto Elisha, saying, Thy seruant mine husband is dead, and thou knowest, that thy seruant did feare the Lord: and the creditour is come to take my two sonnes to bee his bondmen. 2 Then Elisha saide vnto her, What shall I do for thee? tell mee, what hast thou at home? And she sayd, Thine handmayd hath nothing at home, saue a pitcher of oyle. 3 And he sayde, Goe, and borowe thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, emptie vessels, and spare not. 4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the doore vpon thee and vpon thy sonnes, and powre out into all those vessels, and set aside those that are full. 5 So shee departed from him, and shut the doore vpon her, and vpon her sonnes. And they brought to her, and she powred out. 6 And when the vessels were full, shee sayde vnto her sonne, Bring mee yet a vessel. And hee said vnto her, There is no moe vessels. And the oyle ceased. 7 Then shee came and tolde the man of God. And he saide, Goe, and sell the oyle, and pay them that thou art in debt vnto, and liue thou and thy children of the rest. 8 And on a time Elisha came to Shunem, and there a woman of great estimation constrained him to eate bread: and as he passed by, he turned in thither to eate bread. 9 And she sayde vnto her husband, Beholde, I know now, that this is an holy man of God that passeth by vs continually. 10 Let vs make him a litle chamber, I pray thee, with walles, and let vs set him there a bed, and a table, and a stoole, and a candlesticke, that hee may turne in thither when hee commeth to vs. 11 And on a day, hee came thither and turned into the chamber, and lay therein, 12 And sayd to Gehazi his seruant, Call this Shunammite: and when hee called her, she stood before him. 13 Then he sayd vnto him, Say vnto her now, Beholde, thou hast had all this great care for vs, what shall we doe for thee? Is there any thing to bee spoken for thee to the King or to the captaine of the hoste? And shee answered, I dwell among mine owne people. 14 Againe he sayde, What is then to be done for her? Then Gehazi answered, In deede she hath no sonne, and her husband is olde. 15 Then said he, Cal her. And hee called her, and shee stoode in the doore. 16 And he said, At this time appointed, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a sonne. And she sayd, Oh my Lord, thou man of God, doe not lye vnto thine handmayd. 17 So the woman conceiued, and bare a sonne at that same season, according to the time of life, that Elisha had sayd vnto her. 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 sayde to his father, Mine head, mine head. Who sayd to his seruant, Beare him to his mother. 20 And hee tooke him and brought him to his mother, and hee sate on her knees till noone, and dyed. 21 Then shee went vp, and layed him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the doore vpon him, and went out. 22 Then she called to her husband, and sayd, Send with me, I pray thee, one of the yong men and one of the asses: for I will haste to the man of God, and come againe. 23 And he sayd, Wherefore wilt thou goe to him to day? it is neither newe moone nor Sabbath day. And she answered, All shalbe well. 24 Then she sadled an asse, and sayde to her seruant, Driue, and goe forward: staye not for me to get vp, except I bid thee. 25 So she went, and came vnto the man of God to mount Carmel. And when the man of God sawe her ouer against him, he sayd to Gehazi his seruant, Beholde, the Shunammite. 26 Runne nowe, I say, to meete her, and say vnto her, Art thou in health? is thine husband in health? and is the child in health? And she answered, We are in health. 27 And when shee came to the man of God vnto the moutaine, she caught him by his feete: and Gehazi went to her, to thrust her away: but the man of God said, Let her alone: for her soule is vexed within her, and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told it mee. 28 Then she said, Did I desire a sonne of my lord? did I not say, Deceiue me not? 29 Then he sayd to Gehazi, Gird thy loynes, and take my staffe in thine hand, and goe thy way: if thou meete any, salute him not: and if any salute thee, answere him not: and laye my staffe vpon the face of the childe. 30 And the mother of the childe sayde, As the Lord liueth, and as thy soule liueth, I will not leaue thee. Therefore he arose, and followed her. 31 But Gehazi was gone before them, and had layed the staffe vpon the face of the childe, but he neither spake nor heard: wherefore hee returned to meete him, and told him, saying, The childe is not waken. 32 Then came Elisha into the house, and beholde, the childe was dead, and layed vpon his bedde. 33 He went in therefore, and shut the doore vpon them twayne, and prayed vnto the Lord. 34 After he went vp, and lay vpon the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, and his eyes vpon his eies, and his hands vpon his handes, and stretched himselfe vpon him, and the flesh of the child waxed warme. 35 And hee went from him, and walked vp and downe in the house, and went vp and spred himselfe vpon him: then the childe neesed seuen times, and opened his eyes. 36 Then he called Gehazi, and sayd, Call this Shunammite. So he called her, which came in vnto him. And he said vnto her, Take thy sonne. 37 And she came, and fell at his feete, and bowed her selfe to the ground, and tooke vp her sonne, and went out. 38 Afterward Elisha returned to Gilgal, and a famine was in the land, and the children of the Prophets dwelt with him. And hee sayd vnto his seruant, Set on the great pot, and seethe pottage for the children of the Prophets. 39 And one went out into the fielde, to gather herbes, and founde, as it were, a wilde vine, and gathered thereof wilde gourdes his garment ful, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage: for they knew it not. 40 So they powred out for the men to eate: and when they did eate of the pottage, they cryed out, and sayde, O thou man of God, death is in the pot: and they could not eate thereof. 41 Then he said, Bring meale. And hee cast it into the potte, and sayd, Powre out for the people, that they may eate: and there was none euill in the pot. 42 Then came a man from Baal-shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, euen twenty loaues of barley, and full eares of corne in the huske. And hee saide, Giue vnto the people, that they may eate. 43 And his seruant answered, How shoulde I set this before an hundreth men? He sayd againe, Giue it vnto the people, that they may eate: for thus sayth the Lord, They shall eate, and there shall remaine. 44 So he set it before them, and they did eate, and left ouer, according to the word of the Lord.
2 Kings 4 Geneva Bible (1599)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- Original 16th-century spelling.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Gehazi
Elisha's servant, who carried messages to the Shunammite woman, took gifts from Naaman by deceit and was struck with Naaman's leprosy, and later told the king of Elisha's wonders.
Cited in the guide: 2 Kings 4:12; 2 Kings 4:31; 2 Kings 5:20
Cross references (41)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Matthew 18:25; 2 Kings 2:3; Nehemiah 5:2–5; Psalm 147:11; Leviticus 25:39–41
- 2 1 Kings 17:12; James 2:5; Matthew 15:34; 2 Kings 2:9; John 6:5–7
- 3 John 2:7; John 16:24; Psalm 81:10; 2 Kings 13:18–19; 2 Kings 3:16
- 4 Mark 8:5–9; Matthew 6:6; 2 Kings 4:32–33; John 2:7–9; Acts 9:40
- 5 2 Kings 5:11; Hebrews 11:7–8; 1 Kings 17:15–16; Luke 1:45
- 6 Matthew 14:20; 2 Kings 13:19; 2 Chronicles 6:12–13; Matthew 13:58; 1 Kings 17:14
- 7 2 Thessalonians 3:7–12; 1 Kings 12:22; Psalm 37:21; Philippians 4:8; Romans 12:17
- 8 Joshua 19:18; 2 Kings 4:11–12; Job 32:9; Job 1:3; Genesis 19:3
- 9 1 Kings 17:24; Proverbs 31:10–11; 2 Kings 4:7; 1 Thessalonians 2:10; Titus 1:8
- 10 Romans 12:13; Matthew 10:41–42; Matthew 25:40; Hebrews 10:24; Hebrews 13:2
- 12 2 Kings 8:4–5; 1 Kings 19:3; 2 Kings 4:29–31; 2 Kings 5:20–27; 2 Kings 3:11
- 13 2 Timothy 1:16–18; Philippians 4:18–19; Hebrews 6:10; 1 Timothy 6:6–8; 1 Thessalonians 5:12–13
- 14 Luke 1:7; 1 Samuel 1:8; Genesis 15:2–3; Genesis 18:10–14; Judges 13:2
- 16 Genesis 18:10; Luke 1:13; 2 Kings 4:28; Genesis 18:12–15; Genesis 17:21
- 17 Genesis 21:1; Luke 1:36; Psalm 113:9; Hebrews 11:11; 1 Samuel 1:19–20
- 18 Ruth 2:4
- 19 Job 14:1–2; Jeremiah 4:19
- 20 Luke 7:12; John 11:5; John 11:3; John 11:14; 1 Kings 17:17
- 21 2 Kings 4:32; 1 Kings 17:19; 2 Kings 4:7; 2 Kings 4:10
- 22 Acts 9:38; 2 Kings 4:26; John 11:3; 2 Kings 4:24
- 23 Numbers 10:10; 1 Chronicles 23:31; Numbers 28:11; Isaiah 1:13–15
- 24 1 Samuel 25:19–20; Exodus 4:20; 1 Kings 13:23; 1 Kings 13:13
- 25 2 Kings 2:25; Isaiah 35:2; 1 Kings 18:19; 1 Kings 18:42
- 26 Acts 15:36; 2 Kings 4:23; 1 Samuel 17:18; 1 Samuel 3:18; Job 1:21–22
- 27 2 Samuel 7:3; Genesis 18:17; Amos 3:7; 1 Samuel 1:10; 2 Kings 4:25
- 28 Genesis 30:1; 2 Kings 4:16
- 29 2 Kings 2:14; 1 Kings 18:46; Exodus 14:16; Luke 10:4; 2 Kings 9:1
- 30 2 Kings 2:2; Ruth 1:16–18; 2 Kings 2:4; Exodus 33:12–16
- 31 John 11:11; Mark 5:39; 1 Kings 18:29; Ephesians 5:14; Matthew 17:16–20
- 32 1 Kings 17:17; John 11:17; Luke 8:52–53
- 33 Matthew 6:6; 2 Kings 4:4; Acts 9:40; James 5:13–18; Luke 8:51
- 34 1 Kings 17:21; Acts 20:10
- 35 2 Kings 8:5; 2 Kings 13:21; 1 Kings 17:22; Acts 9:40; John 11:43–44
- 36 Hebrews 11:35; 1 Kings 17:23; Luke 7:15
- 37 Hebrews 11:35; 2 Kings 2:15; 1 Kings 17:24; 2 Kings 4:27
- 38 2 Kings 8:1; 2 Kings 2:3; 2 Kings 2:1; Luke 10:39; Acts 22:3
- 39 Isaiah 5:4; Jeremiah 2:21; Matthew 15:13; Hebrews 12:15
- 40 Mark 16:18; Exodus 15:23; Exodus 10:17; 2 Kings 1:11; 1 Kings 17:18
- 41 Exodus 15:25; 2 Kings 2:21; 1 Corinthians 1:25; Acts 28:5; 2 Kings 5:10
- 42 1 Samuel 9:7; Matthew 14:16–21; John 6:13; John 6:9; 1 Samuel 9:4
- 43 Luke 9:13; Matthew 14:20; John 6:9; Matthew 16:8–10; John 6:11–13
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences