2 Kings 4:8–37

Elisha at Shunem

⁸It happened one day that Elisha passed through to Shunem where there was a wealthy woman, and she urged him to eat bread; so it happened each time he passed through, he would stop there to eat. ⁹She said to her husband, “Please now, I know that he is a holy man of God who is passing our way^b regularly; ¹⁰let us make a small enclosed room upstairs and put a bed, table, chair, and lampstand there for him, so that when he comes to us, he can turn and stay there. ¹¹One day it happened that he came there and went to the upper room and lay down there. ¹²He said to Gehazi his servant, “Call to this Shunammite,” so he called to her, and she stood before him. ¹³He said to him, “Please say to her, ‘Look, you took all this trouble, showing care for us; what is there for me to do for you? To speak for you to the king or to the commander of the army?’ ” She said, “I am living among my people.” ¹⁴Then he said, “What may be done for her?” Gehazi said, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is old.” ¹⁵And he said, “Call for her,” so he called for her and she stood in the doorway. ¹⁶And he said, “At this time next spring,^c you will be embracing a son.” She said, “No, my lord, O man of God! You must not tell a lie to your servant!” ¹⁷But the woman conceived, and she bore a son in the spring,^d which Elisha had promised to her.

Elisha Restores the Shunammite’s Son

¹⁸The child grew older, and it happened one day that he went out to his father and to the reapers. ¹⁹Then he said to his father, “My head, my head!” So he said to the servant, “Carry him to his mother.” ²⁰So they carried him and brought him to his mother; he sat on her lap until noon and then died. ²¹She went up, laid him on the bed of the man of God, closed the door, and went out behind it. ²²She called to her husband and said, “Please send one of the servants and one of the female donkeys for me, so that I can go quickly up to the man of God and return.” ²³And he said, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither the new moon nor the Sabbath!” And she said, “Peace.” ²⁴She saddled the female donkey, and she said to her servant, “Drive along and go; you must not hold me back from riding, unless I tell you.” ²⁵So she went and came to the man of God by Mount Carmel. It happened when the man of God saw her at a distance,^e he said to Gehazi his servant, “There is this Shunammite. ²⁶Now, please run to meet her and ask her, ‘Is it peace for you? Is it peace for your husband? Is it peace for the boy?’ ” She said, “Peace.” ²⁷So she came to the man of God at the mountain, and she caught hold of his feet. Then Gehazi came near to push her away, but the man of God said, “Let her alone, for her soul is bitter, and Yahweh has hidden it from me and has not told me.” ²⁸Then she said, “Did I ask for a son from my lord? Did I not say that you must not mislead me?”

²⁹Then he said to Gehazi, “Gird up your loins and take my staff in your hand and go. If you meet anyone, you must not greet them; if anyone greets you, you must not answer them. You must put my staff on the face of the boy.” ³⁰Then the mother of the boy said, “As Yahweh lives^f and as your soul lives,^g I will surely not leave you.” So he got up and went after her. ³¹Gehazi crossed over before them, and he put the staff on the face of the boy; but there was no sound, and there was no sign of life, so he returned to meet him. He told him, saying, “The boy did not wake up.”

³²When Elisha came to the house, here was the boy dead, lying on his bed. ³³He went and closed the door behind the two of them and prayed to Yahweh. ³⁴Then he went up and lay upon the child and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his palms on his palms. As he bent down over him, the flesh of the boy became warm. ³⁵He returned and went to and fro^h in the house one time, then he went up and bent over him. Then the boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. ³⁶Elisha called to Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her and she came to him; then he said, “Pick up your son.” ³⁷She came and fell at his feet and bowed down to the ground; then she picked up her son and went out.