Elisha Helps a Poor Widow
1 One day the widow of one of the Lord's prophets said to Elisha, “You know that before my husband died, he was a follower of yours and a worshiper of the Lord. But he owed a man some money, and now that man is on his way to take my two sons as his slaves.”
2 “Maybe there's something I can do to help,” Elisha said. “What do you have in your house?”
“Sir, I have nothing but a small bottle of olive oil.”
3 Elisha told her, “Ask your neighbors for their empty jars. And after you've borrowed as many as you can, 4 go home and shut the door behind you and your sons. Then begin filling the jars with oil and set each one aside as you fill it.” 5 The woman left.
Later, when she and her sons were back inside their house, the two sons brought her the jars, and she began filling them.
6 At last, she said to one of her sons, “Bring me another jar.”
“We don't have any more,” he answered, and the oil stopped flowing from the small bottle.
7 After she told Elisha what had happened, he said, “Sell the oil and use part of the money to pay what you owe the man. You and your sons can live on what is left.”
Elisha Brings a Rich Woman's Son Back to Life
8 Once, while Elisha was in the town of Shunem, he met a rich woman who invited him to her home for dinner. After that, whenever he was in Shunem, he would have a meal there with her and her husband.
9 Some time later the woman said to her husband, “I'm sure the man who comes here so often is a prophet of God. 10 Why don't we build him a small room on the flat roof of our house? We can put a bed, a table and chair, and an oil lamp in it. Then whenever he comes, he can stay with us.”
11 The next time Elisha was in Shunem, he stopped at their house and went up to his room to rest. 12-13 He said to his servant Gehazi, “This woman has been very helpful. Have her come up here to the roof for a moment.” She came, and Elisha told Gehazi to say to her, “You've gone to a lot of trouble for us, and we want to help you. Is there something we can request the king or army commander to do?”
The woman answered, “With my relatives nearby, I have everything I need.”
14 “Then what can we do for her?” Elisha asked Gehazi.
Gehazi replied, “I do know that her husband is old, and that she doesn't have a son.”
15 “Ask her to come here again,” Elisha told his servant. He called for her, and she came and stood in the doorway of Elisha's room.
16 Elisha said to her, “Next year at this time, you'll be holding your own baby son in your arms.”
“You're a man of God,” the woman replied. “Please don't lie to me.”
17 But a few months later, the woman got pregnant. She gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had promised.
18 One day while the boy was still young, he was out in the fields with his father, where the workers were harvesting the crops. 19 Suddenly he shouted, “My head hurts. It hurts a lot!”
“Carry him back to his mother,” the father said to his servant. 20 The servant picked up the boy and carried him to his mother. The boy lay on her lap all morning, and by noon he was dead. 21 She carried him upstairs to Elisha's room and laid him across the bed. Then she walked out and shut the door behind her.
22 The woman called to her husband, “I need to see the prophet. Let me use one of the donkeys. Send a servant along with me, and let me leave now, so I can get back quickly.”
23 “Why do you need to see him today?” her husband asked. “It's not the Sabbath or time for the New Moon Festival.”
“That's all right,” she answered. 24 She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Let's go. And don't slow down unless I tell you to.” 25 She left at once for Mount Carmel to talk with Elisha.
When Elisha saw her coming, he said, “Gehazi, look! It's the woman from Shunem. 26 Run and meet her. And ask her if everything is all right with her and her family.”
“Everything is fine,” she answered Gehazi. 27 But as soon as she got to the top of the mountain, she went over and grabbed Elisha by the feet.
Gehazi started toward her to push her away, when Elisha said, “Leave her alone! Don't you see how sad she is? But the Lord hasn't told me why.”
28 The woman said, “Sir, I begged you not to get my hopes up, and I didn't even ask you for a son.”
29 “Gehazi, get ready and go to her house,” Elisha said. “Take along my walking stick, and when you get there, lay it on the boy's face. Don't stop to talk to anyone, even if they try to talk to you.”
30 But the boy's mother said to Elisha, “I swear by the living Lord and by your own life that I won't leave without you.” So Elisha got up and went with them.
31 Gehazi ran on ahead and laid Elisha's walking stick on the boy's face, but the boy didn't move or make a sound. Gehazi ran back to Elisha and said, “The boy didn't wake up.”
32 Elisha arrived at the woman's house and went straight to his room, where he saw the boy's body on his bed. 33 He walked in, shut the door, and prayed to the Lord. 34 Then he got on the bed and stretched out over the dead body, with his mouth on the boy's mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hand on his hands. As he lay there, the boy's body became warm. 35 Elisha got up and walked back and forth in the room, then he went back and leaned over the boy's body. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.
36 Elisha called out to Gehazi, “Ask the boy's mother to come here.” Gehazi did, and when she was at the door, Elisha said, “You can take your son.”
37 She came in and bowed down at Elisha's feet. Then she picked up her son and left.
Elisha Makes Some Stew Taste Better
38 Later, Elisha went back to Gilgal, where there was almost nothing to eat, because the crops had failed.
One day while the prophets who lived there were meeting with Elisha, he said to his servant, “Prepare a big pot of stew for these prophets.”
39 One of them went out into the woods to gather some herbs. He found a wild vine and picked as much of its fruit as he could carry, but he didn't know that the fruit was very sour. When he got back, he cut up the fruit and put it in the stew.
40 The stew was served, and when the prophets started eating it, they shouted, “Elisha, this stew tastes terrible! We can't eat it.”
41 “Bring me some flour,” Elisha said. He sprinkled the flour in the stew and said, “Now serve it to them.” And the stew tasted fine.
Elisha Feeds One Hundred People
42 A man from the town of Baal-Shalishah brought Elisha some freshly cut grain and 20 loaves of bread made from the first barley that was harvested. Elisha said, “Give it to the people so they can eat.”
43 “There's not enough here for 100 people,” his servant said.
“Just give it to them,” Elisha replied. “The Lord has promised there will be more than enough.”
44 So the servant served the bread and grain to the people. They ate and still had some left over, just as the Lord had promised.
1 Un kāda sieva no praviešu mācekļu sievām kliegdama lūdza Elīsu, sacīdama: „Mans vīrs, tavs kalps, ir miris, un tu zini, ka tavs kalps bijās to Kungu. Bet nu nāk parādu piedzinējs un grib manus divus bērnus paņemt sev par vergiem!“
2 Un Elīsa viņai atbildēja: „Ko lai es tevis labad daru? Saki man, kas ir tavā namā?“ Un viņa atbildēja: „Tavai kalponei nav itin nekā namā kā tikai trauks eļļas.“
3 Tad viņš sacīja: „Ej un aizņemies sev traukus no citiem, no saviem kaimiņiem, bet tikai tukšus traukus un nelūdz to par maz.
4 Un tad ieej namā un aizslēdz durvis aiz sevis un aiz abiem saviem dēliem un sāc liet visos tajos traukos, un to, kas ir pilns, liec pie malas.“
5 Tad tā no viņa aizgāja un aizslēdza durvis aiz sevis un aiz saviem dēliem; un tie viņai pienesa traukus, bet viņa pati tikai pildīja.
6 Un kad nu trauki bija pilni pielieti, tad tā sacīja savam dēlam: „Pasniedz man vēl vienu trauku!“ Bet tas viņai atbildēja: „Vairāk neviena trauka nav.“ Tad eļļa apstājās plūst.
7 Un viņa aizgāja un to pateica Dieva vīram, un viņš sacīja: „Ej un pārdod eļļu un samaksā savu parādu; no atlikuma tad pārtiec pati ar saviem dēliem!“
8 Un kādu dienu notika, ka Elīsa gāja uz Sunemu, un tur bija kāda bagāta sieva, un tā viņu uzlūdza, lai ar to ēstu mielastu. Un tā notika: cikkārt viņš tur gāja garām, viņš tur iegriezās, lai ēstu maizi.
9 Un tā sacīja savam vīram: „Redzi, es atzīstu, ka tas ir svēts Dieva vīrs, kas pie mums še pastāvīgi iegriežas.
10 Mēs, es tā lūdzu, varētu viņam iekārtot mazu augštelpu ar sienām visapkārt, tur tad noliksim viņam gultu un galdu, kā ari krēslu un lukturi; lai, ja viņš pie mums nāk, viņš tur allaž varētu ieiet.“
11 Un kad kādu dienu viņš tur ieradās, tad viņš iegāja šai augšējā istabā un apgūlās.
12 Un viņš sacīja savam puisim Gehazim: „Paaicini šo sunamieti!“ Un viņš to pasauca, un tā ienāca pie viņa,
13 Un Elīsa sacīja kalpam: „Lūdzu, pasaki viņai: Redzi, mūsu labad tu esi ar visām šīm rūpēm apkrāvusies, ko lai mēs tevis labad darām? Vai būtu vēlams tevis labad iebilst kādu labu vārdu pie ķēniņa vai pie karaspēka virspavēlnieka?“ Bet viņa atbildēja: „Es dzīvoju droši savas tautas vidū!“
14 Kad nu viņš vēl reiz jautāja, kas tad būtu viņas labā darāms, tad Gehazis atbildēja: „Taču gan kas, jo viņai nav dēla, un viņas vīrs ir vecs.“
15 Tad Elīsa sacīja: „Atsauc viņu šurp!“ Kad viņš bija to pasaucis un viņa stāvēja durvīs,
16 Tad viņš sacīja: „Nākošu gadu ap šo laiku tu turēsi apkamptu dēlu!“ Bet tā atsacīja: „Ak nē, mans kungs, tu Dieva vīrs; nemaldini savu kalponi!“
17 Un šī sieva kļuva patiesi grūta un dzemdēja dēlu tanī pašā laikā nākamajā gadā, tieši kā Elīsa viņai bija sacījis.
18 Kad nu zēns bija paaudzies, tad tas kādu dienu gāja laukā pie sava tēva pie pļāvējiem.
19 Tad piepeši tas sāka vaimanāt un sacīja savam tēvam: „Mana galva, mana galva!“ Bet tas pavēlēja savam kalpam: „Aiznes to pie viņa mātes!“
20 Kad nu tas to paņēma uz rokām un nonesa pie viņa mātes, tad tas līdz pusdienai nosēdēja viņas klēpī un tad nomira.
21 Un tā uzgāja augšā un noguldīja viņu Dieva vīra gultā, un tad aizslēgusi aiz viņa durvis, viņa izgāja ārā.
22 Tad viņa pasauca savu vīru un tam sacīja „Lūdzu atsūti man kādu no puišiem un vienu ēzeļa māti; es steigšos pie Dieva vira, bet es atkal drīz pārnākšu.“
23 Un viņš sacīja: „Kāpēc taisni šodien tu gribi pie viņa iet? Nav taču nedz jauna mēness svētki, nedz ari sabats!“ Bet viņa tikai atbildēja: „Sveiks!“
24 Un viņa lika apseglot ēzeļa māti un sacīja savam puisim: „Dzen steigšus lopiņu un nekavē mani jājot kā vienīgi tad, kad es tev teikšu!“
25 Un tā viņa devās ceļā un nonāca pie Dieva vīra Karmela kalnā. Un notika, kad nu Dieva vīrs viņu ieraudzīja no tālienes, tad viņš sacīja savam puisim Gehazim: „Redzi, tur ir mūsu sunamiete!
26 Lūdzu, tagad steidzies viņai pretī un jautā viņai, vai viņai pašai, viņas vīram un viņas dēlam klājas labi.“ Un viņa atbildēja: „Labi gan!“
27 Bet kad nu viņa bija nonākusi pie Dieva vīra kalna virsotnē, tad tā apkampa viņa kājas; tad pienāca Gehazis, lai viņu atstumtu, bet Dieva vīrs sacīja: „Liec to mierā, jo viņas dvēsele ir noskumusi, un Dievs to ir paturējis apslēptu no manis un nav man to darījis zināmu!“
28 Tad viņa sacīja: „Vai es biju tā, kura no sava kunga lūdza dēlu? Vai es neteicu: Nemodini mani aplamas cerības!“
29 Tad viņš pavēlēja Gehazim: „Apjoz savus gurnus un ņem manu zizli savā rokā un dodies ceļā! Ja tu kādu sastopi, tad nesveicini to, un ja tevi kāds sveicinās, tad neatbildi tam, un noliec manu zizli uz zēna sejas!“
30 Bet zēna māte sauca: „Tik tiešām, ka tas Kungs ir dzīvs un tava dvēsele ir dzīva, bet es tevi neatstāšu!“ Tad viņš cēlās un devās tai līdzi.
31 Bet pa to laiku Gehazis bija viņiem pa priekšu steidzies, un nogājis tas uzlika zizli uz zēna sejas, bet tur nebija nedz skaņas, nedz kādas dzīvības zīmes. Tad viņs griezās atpakaļ pretī savam kungam un tam paziņoja, ka zēns nav uzmodies.
32 Kad Elīsa ienāca namā, tad redzi, bērns gulēja miris viņa gultā.
33 Un viņš iegāja iekšā un aizslēdza durvis aiz abiem un pielūdza to Kungu.
34 Un viņš uzkāpa, un uzgūlās bērnam virsū, un lika savu muti uz viņa mutes un savas acis uz viņa acīm un savas rokas uz viņa rokām, un tā viņš nogūlās tam pāri un sasildīja bērna miesas.
35 Tad viņš atkal piecēlās un staigāja pa istabu šurp un turp, un atkal uzkāpa, un pārliecās pāri pār viņu. Tad zēns nošķaudījās septiņas reizes, un pēc tam tas atdarīja savas acis.
36 Nu viņš sauca Gehazi un tam pavēlēja: „Pasauc mūsu sunamieti!“ Un tas to atsauca, un tā iegāja pie viņa; tad viņš sacīja: „Saņem savu dēlu!“
37 Tad tā nāca un nokrita pie viņa kājām, un viņa ar seju noliecās pie zemes tā priekšā, tad tā pacēla savu zēnu uz rokām un izgāja ārā.
38 Un Elīsa atgriezās atpakaļ Gilgalā, un tanī zemē bija bads. Kad nu praviešu mācekļi bija apmetušies pie viņa, tad viņš sacīja savam puisim: „Uzliec lielo katlu uz uguns un vāri ēdienu praviešu mācekļiem!“
39 Tad viens no viņiem izgāja laukā, lai salasītu saknītes; tas atrada meža gurķu stīgas, un no tām viņš nolasīja pilnu klēpi meža gurķu; un viņš tos atnesa mājā un iegrieza ēdienu katlā, jo viņš tos nepazina.
40 Un kad nu tie ielēja tiem vīriem, lai tie ēstu, un tie to ēdienu baudīja, tad tie vīri sāka kliegt un sauca: „Nāve ir katlā, tu, Dieva vīrs!“ Un tie vairs nevarēja to ēst.
41 Bet viņš sacīja: „Atnesiet miltus!“ Un viņš tos iebēra katlā, un tad viņš sacīja: „Iesmel ļaudīm, lai tie ēd!“ Un tur vairs nekā nelaba nebija katlā.
42 Un kāds vīrs atnāca no Baāl-Šališas, un viņš atnesa Dieva vīram pirmās ražas maizi, divdesmit miežu maizes un saspiestu graudu plāceni savā maizes tarbā. Un tas sacīja: „Dod tiem ļaudīm, lai viņi ēd!“
43 Bet viņa apkalpotājs atbildēja: „Ko lai es ceļu priekšā simts tādiem vīriem?“ Tomēr viņš pavēlēja: „Dodi tiem ļaudīm, lai ēd! Jo tā saka tas Kungs: Tie ēdīs, un vēl atliks!“
44 Kad nu viņš tiem lika priekšā, tad tie paēda, un viņiem atlika vēl pāri, kā tā Kunga vārds bija apsolījis.
