When he saw her coming at a distance, he told his servant Gehazi, “There is the woman from Shunem. ²⁶Run to meet her and ask her how she, her husband, and the boy are doing.”

“Everyone’s fine,” she answered.

²⁷When she came to the man of God at the mountain, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi went to push her away. But the man of God said, “Leave her alone. She is bitter. The Lord has hidden the reason from me. He hasn’t told me.”

²⁸The woman said, “I didn’t ask you for a son. I said, ‘Don’t raise my hopes.’ ”

²⁹The man of God told Gehazi, “Put on a belt, take my shepherd’s staff in your hand, and go. Whenever you meet anyone, don’t stop to greet him. If he greets you, don’t stop to answer him. Lay my staff on the boy’s face.”

³⁰The boy’s mother said, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord and you live, I will not leave without you.” So Elisha got up and followed her.

³¹Gehazi went ahead of them and put the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or sign of life. So Gehazi came back to meet the man of God. Gehazi told him, “The boy didn’t wake up.”

³²When Elisha came to the house, the dead boy was lying on Elisha’s bed. ³³He went into the room, closed the door, and prayed to the Lord. ³⁴Then he lay on the boy, putting his mouth on the boy’s mouth, his eyes on the boy’s eyes, his hands on the boy’s hands. He crouched over the boy’s body, and it became warm. ³⁵Elisha got up, walked across the room and came back, and then got back on the bed and crouched over him. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. ³⁶Elisha called Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunem woman.” Gehazi called her. When she came to him, he said, “Take your son.”

³⁷Then she immediately bowed at his feet. She took her son and left.

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