4
1 Now there cried out a certain isha of the nashim of the Bnei HaNevi'im unto Elishah, saying, Thy eved my ish is dead; and thou knowest that thy eved did fear Hashem: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two yeladim to be avadim (slaves). 2 And Elishah said unto her, What shall I do for thee? Tell me, what hast thou in the bais? And she said, Thine shifchah hath not anything in the bais, except a flask of shemen. 3 Then he said, Go, borrow thee kelim from all around of all thy shchenim, even empty kelim; borrow not a few. 4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the delet behind thee and behind thy banim, shalt pour out into all those kelim, and thou shalt set aside that which is full.
5 So she went from him, and shut the delet behind her and behind her banim, who were bringing to her; and she poured. 6 And it came to pass, when the kelim were full, that she said unto her ben, Bring me another keli. And he said unto her, There is not any more keli. And the shemen stopped.
7 Then she came and told the Ish HaElohim. And he said, Go, sell the shemen, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy banim on the rest.
8 And then one day Elishah passed over to Shunem, where was an isha gedolah; and she constrained him to eat lechem. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in there to eat lechem. 9 And she said unto her ish, Hinei now, I perceive that this is an Ish Elohim Kadosh, which passeth by us tamid. 10 Please, let us make a small aliyyat kir (walled upper room); and let us set for him there a mittah (bed), and a shulchan (table), and a kisse (chair), and a menorah: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in there.
11 And then one day he came there, and he turned in the aliyyah (upper room), and lay there. 12 And he said to Geichazi his na'ar, Call this Shunammit. And when he had called her, she stood before him.
13 And he said unto him, Say now unto her, Hinei, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? Wouldest thou be spoken for to HaMelech, or to the Sar HaTzava? And she answered, I dwell among mine own people.
14 And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Geichazi answered, Verily she hath no ben, and her ish is zaken. 15 And he said, Call her. And when he had called her, she stood in the petach (doorway). 16 And he said, About this mo'ed, according to the et chayyah,* thou choveket ben (shalt embrace a son). And she said, No, adoni, thou Ish HaElohim, do not give false hope unto thine shifchah.
17 And the isha conceived, and bore ben at that mo'ed that Elishah had said unto her, according to the et chayyah.
18 The yeled grew, and it happened one day, that he went out to Aviv to the kotzerim (harvesters, reapers). 19 And he said unto Aviv, My rosh, my rosh. And he said to the na'ar, Carry him to immo. 20 And when he had lifted him, and brought him to immo, he sat on her birkayim (knees) till tzohorayim, and then died. 21 And she went up, and laid him on the mittat Ish HaElohim, and shut [the door] behind her and went out.
22 And she called unto her ish, and said, Send me now, please, one of the ne'arim, and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the Ish HaElohim, and return. 23 And he said, Madu'a (why) wilt thou go to him today? It is neither Rosh Chodesh, nor Shabbos. And she said, Shalom.
24 Then she saddled a donkey, and said to her na'ar, lead on, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee.
25 So she went and came unto the Ish HaElohim at Mt Carmel. And it came to pass, when the Ish HaElohim saw her afar off, that he said to Geichazi his na'ar, Hinei, over there is that Shunammit: 26 Run now, to meet her, and say unto her, Is it shalom with thee? Is it shalom with thy ish? Is it shalom with the yeled? And she answered, Shalom:
27 And when she came to the Ish HaElohim at the har, she took hold of him by the raglayim: but Geichazi came near to thrust her away. And the Ish HaElohim said, Let her alone; for her nefesh is marah within her: and Hashem hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.
28 Then she said, Did I make request of adoni for a ben? Did I not say, Do not deceive me?
29 Then he said to Geichazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my mishe'net (staff) in thine yad, and run: if thou meet any ish, salute him not; and if any ish salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my mishe'net (staff) upon the face of the na'ar.
30 And the em hana'ar said, As Hashem liveth, and as thy nefesh liveth, I will not leave thee. And he arose, and followed her.
31 And Geichazi passed on ahead of them, and laid the mishe'net (staff) upon the face of the na'ar; but there was neither kol (voice), nor keshet (attention). So he went back to meet him, and told him, saying, The na'ar is not awakened.
32 And when Elishah was come into the bais, hinei, the na'ar was dead, and lying upon his mittah. 33 So he went in, and shut the delet on the two of them, and davened unto Hashem. 34 And he went up, and lay upon the yeled, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his palms upon his palms: and stretched himself upon him; and the basar of the yeled grew warm. 35 Then he turned away, and paced in the bais to and fro; and went up, and stretched himself upon him; and the na'ar sneezed seven times, and the na'ar opened his eyes.
36 And he summoned Geichazi, and said, Call this Shunammit. So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, Take up thy ben.
37 Then she went in, and fell at his raglayim, and bowed herself to the ground, and took up her ben, and went out.
38 And Elishah returned to Gilgal; and there was a ra'av (famine) in the land; and the Bnei HaNevi'im were sitting before him; and he said unto his na'ar, Put on the siyr hagedolah, and cook stew for the Bnei HaNevi'im. 39 And one went out into the sadeh to gather orot (herbs), and found a gefen sadeh, and gathered thereof pakku'ot sadeh (wild gourds), the fold of his beged he filled, and came and cut them up into the siyr of stew; though no one knew what they were. 40 So they poured out for the anashim to eat. And it came to pass, as they were eating of the stew, that they cried out, and said, O thou Ish HaElohim, there is mavet in the siyr. And they could not eat thereof. 41 But he said, Then bring kemakh (meal, flour). And he cast it into the siyr; and he said, Serve to HaAm, that they may eat. And there was no rah in the siyr.
42 And there came an ish from Ba'al-Shalishah, and brought the Ish HaElohim lechem bikkurim, twenty loaves of se'orim (barley), and [roasted] ears of corn in his sack. And he† said, Give unto HaAm, that they may eat. 43 And the one serving him said, What, should I set this before a hundred ish? He said again, Give HaAm, that they may eat; for thus saith Hashem, They shall eat, and there shall be shirayim. 44 So he set it before them, and they did eat, and there was shirayim thereof, according to the Devar Hashem.
* 4:16 Gn 18:10 † 4:42 Elishah