2 Kings 3 - 4

Moab Rebels Against Israel

Now Jehoram the son of Ahab became king over Israel at Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. 2 And he did what was evil in the sight of Yahweh, though not like his father and his mother; and he took away the sacred pillar of Baal which his father had made. 3 Nevertheless, he clung to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel sin; he did not turn away from them. 4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep breeder and used to pay the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. 5 But it happened that when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 And King Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time and mustered all Israel. 7 Then he went and sent word to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” And he said, “I will go up; I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” 8 And he said, “Which way shall we go up?” And he answered, “The way of the wilderness of Edom.” 9 So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom; and they went around on a seven days’ journey, and there was no water for the camp or for the cattle that followed them. 10 Then the king of Israel said, “Alas! For Yahweh has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab.” 11 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not a prophet of Yahweh here, that we may inquire of Yahweh by him?” And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said, “Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.” 12 And Jehoshaphat said, “The word of Yahweh is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him. 13 Now Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What do I have to do with you? Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother.” And the king of Israel said to him, “No, for Yahweh has called these three kings together to give them into the hand of Moab.” 14 And Elisha said, “As Yahweh of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you. 15 So now bring me a musician.” And it came about, when the musician played, that the hand of Yahweh came upon him. 16 And he said, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Make this valley full of trenches.’ 17 For thus says Yahweh, ‘You shall not see wind nor shall you see rain; yet that valley shall be filled with water, so that you shall drink, both you and your livestock and your cattle. 18 And this is but a light thing in the sight of Yahweh; He will also give the Moabites into your hand. 19 Then you shall strike every fortified city and every choice city, and fell every good tree and stop all springs of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones.’” 20 Then it happened in the morning about the time of offering the sacrifice, that behold, water came by the way of Edom, and the country was filled with water. 21 Now all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them. And they summoned all who were able to put on armor and older, and they stood on the border. 22 Then they rose early in the morning, and the sun shone on the water, and the Moabites saw the water opposite them as red as blood. 23 Then they said, “This is blood; the kings have surely fought together, and they have struck down one another. So now, Moab, to the spoil!” 24 So they came to the camp of Israel. And the Israelites arose and struck the Moabites. So they fled before them; and they went forward into the land, striking down the Moabites. 25 Thus they tore down the cities; and each one threw a stone on every piece of good land and filled it. And they stopped all the springs of water and felled all the good trees, until in Kir-hareseth they let its stones remain; however, the slingers went about it and struck it. 26 Then the king of Moab saw that the battle was too strong for him, so he took with him 700 men who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom; but they could not. 27 So he took his oldest son, who was to reign in his place, and offered him as a burnt offering on the wall. And there came great wrath against Israel, and they set out from him and returned to their own land.

The Widow’s Oil

Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared Yahweh; and the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” 2 And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” And she said, “Your servant-woman has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” 3 Then he said, “Go, ask for vessels for yourself, from those outside, from all your neighbors, even empty vessels; do not get a few. 4 And you shall go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour out into all these vessels, and you shall set aside what is full.” 5 So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons; they were bringing the vessels to her and she poured. 6 Now it happened that when the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not one vessel more.” And the oil stopped. 7 Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debt, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”

The Shunammite Woman Will Bear a Son

8 Now there came a day when Elisha passed over to Shunem, where there was a prominent woman, and she prevailed upon him to eat food. Now it happened, as often as he passed by, that he turned in there to eat food. 9 And she said to her husband, “Behold now, I know that this is a holy man of God passing by us continually. 10 Please, let us make a little walled upper chamber and let us set a bed for him there, and a table and a chair and a lampstand; and it will be, when he comes to us, that he can turn in there.” 11 Now it happened that one day he came there and turned in to the upper chamber, and there he lay down. 12 Then he said to Gehazi his young man, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her, and she stood before him. 13 And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘Behold, you have been careful for us with all this care; what can I do for you? Would you be spoken for to the king or to the commander of the army?’” And she answered, “I live among my own people.” 14 So he said, “What then is to be done for her?” And Gehazi answered, “Truly she has no son, and her husband is old.” 15 And he said, “Call her.” So he called her, and she stood in the doorway. 16 Then he said, “At this season next year you will embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, O man of God, do not lie to your servant-woman.” 17 Then the woman conceived and bore a son at that season the next year, as Elisha had said to her.

A Dead Boy Opens His Eyes

18 Then the child was grown. And the day came that he went out to his father to the reapers. 19 And he said to his father, “My head, my head.” And he said to his young man, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 Then he carried him and brought him to his mother, and he sat on her knees until noon, and then died. 21 Then she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God and shut the door behind him and went out. 22 And she called to her husband and said, “Please send me one of the young men and one of the donkeys, that I may run to the man of God and return.” 23 And he said, “Why will you go to him today? It is neither new moon nor sabbath.” And she said, “It is well.” 24 Then she saddled a donkey and said to her young man, “Drive and go; do not hold back the pace of the ride for me unless I tell you.” 25 So she went and came to the man of God to Mount Carmel. Now it happened that when the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to Gehazi his young man, “Behold, there is the Shunammite. 26 Please run now to meet her and say to her, ‘Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?’” And she answered, “It is well.” 27 Then she came to the man of God to the hill and took hold of his feet. And Gehazi came near to push her away; but the man of God said, “Let her alone, for her soul is bitter within her; and Yahweh has hidden it from me and has not told me.” 28 Then she said, “Did I ask for a son from my lord? Did I not say, ‘Do not deceive me’?” 29 Then he said to Gehazi, “Gird up your loins and take my staff in your hand, and go; if you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer him; and lay my staff on the boy’s face.” 30 But the mother of the boy said, “As Yahweh lives and as your soul lives, I will not forsake you.” And he arose and followed her. 31 Now Gehazi passed on before them and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or response. So he returned to meet him and told him, saying, “The boy has not awakened.” 32 Then Elisha came into the house, and behold, the boy was dead and laid on his bed. 33 So he entered and shut the door behind them both and prayed to Yahweh. 34 And he went up and lay on the child and put his mouth on his mouth and his eyes on his eyes and his hands on his hands, and he stretched himself on him; and the flesh of the child became warm. 35 Then he returned and walked in the house once back and forth, and went up and stretched himself on him; and the boy sneezed seven times and the boy opened his eyes. 36 Then he called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her. Then she came in to him, and he said, “Take up your son.” 37 Then she came in and fell at his feet and bowed herself to the ground, and she took up her son and went out.

The Death in the Stew

38 Now Elisha returned to Gilgal, and there was a famine in the land. As the sons of the prophets were sitting before him, he said to his young man, “Put on the large pot and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.” 39 Then one went out into the field to gather herbs and found a wild vine and gathered from it wild gourds filling his cloak and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, for they did not know what they were. 40 So they poured it out for the men to eat. And it happened that as they were eating of the stew, they cried out and said, “O man of God, there is death in the pot.” And they were unable to eat. 41 But he said, “Now bring flour.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Pour it out for the people that they may eat.” Then there was no harm in the pot. 42 Now a man came from Baal-shalishah, and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And he said, “Give them to the people that they may eat.” 43 And his attendant said, “What, will I give this before one hundred men?” But he said, “Give them to the people that they may eat, for thus says Yahweh, ‘They shall eat and have some left over.’” 44 So he gave it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of Yahweh.