4:1 Now a wife of one of the prophets 1 appealed 2 to Elisha for help, saying, “Your servant, my husband is dead. You know that your servant was a loyal follower of the Lord. 3 Now the creditor is coming to take away my two boys to be his servants.” 4:2 Elisha said to her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a small jar of olive oil.” 4:3 He said, “Go and ask all your neighbors for empty containers. 4 Get as many as you can. 5 4:4 Go and close the door behind you and your sons. Pour the olive oil into all the containers; 6 set aside each one when you have filled it.” 4:5 So she left him and closed the door behind her and her sons. As they were bringing the containers to her, she was pouring the olive oil. 4:6 When the containers were full, she said to one of her sons, 7 “Bring me another container.” But he answered her, “There are no more.” Then the olive oil stopped flowing. 4:7 She went and told the prophet. 8 He said, “Go, sell the olive oil. Repay your creditor, and then you and your sons can live off the rest of the profit.”
4:8 One day Elisha traveled to Shunem, where a prominent 9 woman lived. She insisted that he stop for a meal. 10 So whenever he was passing through, he would stop in there for a meal. 11 4:9 She said to her husband, “Look, I’m sure 12 that the man who regularly passes through here is a very special prophet. 13 4:10 Let’s make a small private upper room 14 and furnish it with 15 a bed, table, chair, and lamp. When he visits us, he can stay there.”
4:11 One day Elisha 16 came for a visit; he went 17 into the upper room and rested. 18 4:12 He told his servant Gehazi, “Ask the Shunammite woman to come here.” 19 So he did so and she came to him. 20 4:13 Elisha said to Gehazi, 21 “Tell her, ‘Look, you have treated us with such great respect. 22 What can I do for you? Can I put in a good word for you with the king or the commander of the army?’” She replied, “I’m quite secure.” 23 4:14 So he asked Gehazi, 24 “What can I do for her?” Gehazi replied, “She has no son, and her husband is old.” 4:15 Elisha told him, “Ask her to come here.” 25 So he did so 26 and she came and stood in the doorway. 27 4:16 He said, “About this time next year 28 you will be holding a son.” She said, “No, my master! O prophet, do not lie to your servant!” 4:17 The woman did conceive, and at the specified time the next year she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.
4:18 The boy grew and one day he went out to see his father who was with the harvest workers. 29