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Elisha (4 Kgd. 2-5)


One day the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, "Your servant, my husband, is dead. You know he feared the Lord. Now, the creditor came to take my two sons as bondsmen, for we are in debt."

Elisha said, "Tell me what you have in the house."

She answered, "I have none, save a pot of oil."

Elisha said, "Go, borrow vessels from your neighbors. Then shut the door and fill the vessels. When the vessels were full she called the man of God who said, "Go, sell the oil and pay the debt, and live with your children with the rest."

Elisha used to pass Shumona where there was  a great woman and she asked asked him to eat bread. Then she said to her husband, "I see that he is a holy man of God who passes by us often.  Let us set a bed for him and a table and a stool and a candle-stick where he may stay as he pleases. Elisha did stay on the chamber. He said to Gehazi, his servant, "Call the woman." When she stood before him Elisha told his servant, "Say to her, 'What can be done for you?'"

She answered, I dwell among my people."

Elisha said, "What then shall be done for her?"

Gehazi said, "Verily, she has no child and her husband is old."

He said, "Call her." When she stood at the door, he said, "About this season according to th time of life you shall embrace a son."

She said, "No, my lord, man of God." But she conceived and bore a son. When the child was grown he went out with his father and the reapers.

Later, he said to his father, "My head ached," and he was brought back to his mother. He sat on her kneed till noon but he died. She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut the door, and went out. She went to Elisha at Mount Carmel.

Elisha saw her and sent his servant to meet her. He asked, "Is it well with everyone?"

She said Yes but she went to the man of God and said, "My son died."

Elisha told his servant to take his staff to her house and place it on the face of the child. But the woman said, "I will not leave you." So he arose and followed her.

When Elisha reached the house he found the dead child on his bed. He went in, shut the door, and prayed to the Lord. He put his mouth on the child's mouth, his eyes on the child's eyes and his hands on the child's hands, and the child became warm. He sneezed seven times and he opened his eyes. Then he called Gehazi and said, "Call the mother."

When she came he said to her, "Take your son." She went in, fell on his feet, took up her son, and went out.










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