Elisha Helps a Poor Widow
1 The widow of a member of a group of prophets went to Elisha and said, “Sir, my husband has died! As you know, he was a God-fearing man, but now a man he owed money to has come to take away my two sons as slaves in payment for my husband's debt.”
2 “What shall I do for you?” he asked. “Tell me, what do you have at home?”
“Nothing at all, except a small jar of olive oil,” she answered.
3 “Go to your neighbors and borrow as many empty jars as you can,” Elisha told her. 4 “Then you and your sons go into the house, close the door, and start pouring oil into the jars. Set each one aside as soon as it is full.”
5 So the woman went into her house with her sons, closed the door, took the small jar of olive oil, and poured oil into the jars as her sons brought them to her. 6 When they had filled all the jars, she asked if there were any more. “That was the last one,” one of her sons answered. And the olive oil stopped flowing. 7 She went back to Elisha, the prophet, who said to her, “Sell the olive oil and pay all your debts, and there will be enough money left over for you and your sons to live on.”
Elisha and the Rich Woman from Shunem
8 One day Elisha went to Shunem, where a rich woman lived. She invited him to a meal, and from then on every time he went to Shunem he would have his meals at her house. 9 She said to her husband, “I am sure that this man who comes here so often is a holy man. 10 Let's build a small room on the roof, put a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp in it, and he can stay there whenever he visits us.”
11 One day Elisha returned to Shunem and went up to his room to rest. 12 He told his servant Gehazi to go and call the woman. When she came, 13 he said to Gehazi, “Ask her what I can do for her in return for all the trouble she has had in providing for our needs. Maybe she would like me to go to the king or the army commander and put in a good word for her.”
“I have all I need here among my own people,” she answered.
14 Elisha asked Gehazi, “What can I do for her then?”
He answered, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is an old man.”
15 “Tell her to come here,” Elisha ordered. She came and stood in the doorway, 16 and Elisha said to her, “By this time next year you will be holding a son in your arms.”
“Oh!” she exclaimed. “Please, sir, don't lie to me. You are a man of God!”
17 But, as Elisha had said, at about that time the following year she gave birth to a son.
18 Some years later, at harvest time, the boy went out one morning to join his father, who was in the field with the harvest workers. 19 Suddenly he cried out to his father, “My head hurts! My head hurts!”
“Carry the boy to his mother,” the father said to a servant. 20 The servant carried the boy back to his mother, who held him in her lap until noon, at which time he died. 21 She carried him up to Elisha's room, put him on the bed and left, closing the door behind her. 22 Then she called her husband and said to him, “Send a servant here with a donkey. I need to go to the prophet Elisha. I'll be back as soon as I can.”
23 “Why do you have to go today?” her husband asked. “It's neither a Sabbath nor a New Moon Festival.”
“Never mind,” she answered. 24 Then she had the donkey saddled, and ordered the servant, “Make the donkey go as fast as it can, and don't slow down unless I tell you to.” 25 So she set out and went to Mount Carmel, where Elisha was.
Elisha saw her coming while she was still some distance away, and he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, there comes the woman from Shunem! 26 Hurry to her and find out if everything is all right with her, her husband, and her son.”
She told Gehazi that everything was all right, 27 but when she came to Elisha, she bowed down before him and took hold of his feet. Gehazi was about to push her away, but Elisha said, “Leave her alone. Can't you see she's deeply distressed? And the Lord has not told me a thing about it.”
28 The woman said to him, “Sir, did I ask you for a son? Didn't I tell you not to get my hopes up?”
29 Elisha turned to Gehazi and said, “Hurry! Take my walking stick and go. Don't stop to greet anyone you meet, and if anyone greets you, don't take time to answer. Go straight to the house and hold my stick over the boy.”
30 The woman said to Elisha, “I swear by my loyalty to the living Lord and to you that I will not leave you!” So the two of them started back together. 31 Gehazi went on ahead and held Elisha's stick over the child, but there was no sound or any other sign of life. So he went back to meet Elisha and said, “The boy didn't wake up.”
32 When Elisha arrived, he went alone into the room and saw the boy lying dead on the bed. 33 He closed the door and prayed to the Lord. 34 Then he lay down on the boy, placing his mouth, eyes, and hands on the boy's mouth, eyes, and hands. As he lay stretched out over the boy, the boy's body started to get warm. 35 Elisha got up, walked around the room, and then went back and again stretched himself over the boy. The boy sneezed seven times and then opened his eyes. 36 Elisha called Gehazi and told him to call the boy's mother. When she came in, he said to her, “Here's your son.” 37 She fell at Elisha's feet, with her face touching the ground; then she took her son and left.
Two More Miracles
38 Once, when there was a famine throughout the land, Elisha returned to Gilgal. While he was teaching a group of prophets, he told his servant to put a big pot on the fire and make some stew for them. 39 One of them went out in the fields to get some herbs. He found a wild vine and picked as many gourds as he could carry. He brought them back and sliced them up into the stew, not knowing what they were. 40 The stew was poured out for the men to eat, but as soon as they tasted it they exclaimed to Elisha, “It's poisoned!”—and wouldn't eat it. 41 Elisha asked for some meal, threw it into the pot, and said, “Pour out some more stew for them.” And then there was nothing wrong with it.
42 Another time, a man came from Baal Shalishah, bringing Elisha twenty loaves of bread made from the first barley harvested that year, and some freshly-cut heads of grain. Elisha told his servant to feed the group of prophets with this, 43 but he answered, “Do you think this is enough for a hundred men?”
Elisha replied, “Give it to them to eat, because the Lord says that they will eat and still have some left over.” 44 So the servant set the food before them, and as the Lord had said, they all ate, and there was still some left over.
أليشع والأرملة
1 وتضَرَّعَت أرملَةُ واحدٍ مِنْ جماعةِ الأنبـياءِ إلى أليشَعَ. قالَت: «زوجي ماتَ يا سيِّدي وهوَ مَديونٌ، وأنتَ تعلَمُ أنَّهُ كانَ يخافُ الرّبَّ، وجاءَ المُرابـي لِـيأخُذَ ابنَيَّ عَبدَينِ لَه بدَلا مِنْ دُيونِهِ». 2 فقالَ لها أليشعُ: «ماذا أعمَلُ لَكِ؟ أخبريني ما عِندَكِ في البَيتِ». فأجابَت: «ما عِندي في البـيتِ إلاَّ إبريقُ زيتٍ». 3 فقالَ لها: «روحي استَعيري مِنْ جميعِ جيرانِكِ الكثيرَ مِنَ الأوعيةِ الفارِغةِ. 4 ثُمَّ ادخُلي البَيتَ معَ ابنَيكِ وأَغلِقي البابَ، وصُبِّـي زيتا في جميعِ هذِهِ الأوعيةِ، وضَعي جانِبا ما امتَلأ مِنها». 5 فانصَرَفَت إلى بَيتِها وأغلَقَتِ البابَ علَيها وعلى ابنَيها، فكانا يُقَدِّمانِ الأوعيةَ وهيَ تصُبُّ الزَّيتَ. 6 فلمَّا امْتَلأت كُلُّها، قالَت لأحَدِهِما «هاتِ وِعاءً آخَرَ». فقالَ لها: «لم يـبقَ وِعاءٌ». فتَوَقَّفَ الزَّيتُ. 7 فرَجَعَت إلى رَجُلِ اللهِ أليشَعَ وأخبَرَتْهُ، فقالَ: «روحي بـيعي الزَّيتَ وأوفي دَينَكِ، وعيشي أنتِ وابناكِ بِما يَبقى».
أليشع والشونمية
8 وفي أحدِ الأيّامِ عبَرَ أليشَعُ إلى شُونَمَ. وكانَ هُناكَ امرَأةٌ غنيَّةٌ فدَعَتْهُ ليَأكُلَ وألَحَّت. وكُلَّما مرَّ بِشُونَمَ كانَ يَميلُ إلى بَيتِها ليَأكُلَ. 9 فقالَت لِزَوجِها: «عَلِمْتُ أنَّ هذا الّذي يمُرُّ بِنا هوَ رَجُلُ اللهِ القُدُّوسِ. 10 فلْنَبْنِ لهُ عُليَّةً صغيرةً ونضَعْ لَه فيها سريرا ومائِدةً وكُرْسيًّا وقِنديلا، حتّى يَرتاحَ فيها حينَ يَجيئُنا».
11 فجاءَ أليشَعُ في أحدِ الأيّامِ إلى هُناكَ ومالَ إلى العُليَّةِ ليَرتاحَ فيها. 12 وقالَ لِخادِمِهِ جيحَزي: «أُدعُ لي هذِهِ الشُّونَميَّةَ». فدَعاها، فحَضَرَت أمامَهُ. 13 فقالَ لِخادِمِهِ: «قُلْ لها: أنتِ تكَلَّفْتِ مِنْ أجلِنا هذِهِ الكُلفَةَ كُلَّها، فماذا تُريدينَ أنْ أعمَلَ لكِ؟ هل مِنْ حاجةٍ أُكلِّمُ فيها المَلِكَ أو قائدَ الجيشِ؟» فأجابَت: «أنا بَينَ أهلي فلا أحتاجُ شيئا». 14 وحينَ سألَ خادِمَهُ ثانيةً ماذا يَعمَلُ لها، أجابَهُ: «لا ولَدَ لها وزَوجُها شيخٌ». 15 فقالَ: «أُدعُها». فدَعاها، فوَقَفَت بِالبابِ. 16 فقالَ لها أليشعُ: «في مِثلِ هذا اليومِ مِنَ السَّنةِ المُقبِلَةِ، يكونُ بَينَ ذِراعَيكِ إبنٌ لَكِ». فقالَت: «لا يا سيِّدي، يا رَجُلَ اللهِ، لا تكذِبْ عليَّ». 17 وبَعدَ ذلِكَ حَبِلَتِ المرأةُ ووَلَدَت ابنا في مِثلِ ذلِكَ الوقتِ مِنَ السَّنةِ المُقبِلَةِ، كما قالَ لها أليشعُ.
18 وبَعدَما كبُرَ الصَّبـيُّ، خرَجَ في أحدِ الأيّامِ إلى أبـيهِ في الحقلِ عِندَ الحصَّادينَ، 19 فقالَ لأبـيهِ: «آهِ. رأسي، رأسي». فقالَ أبوهُ لِلخادِمِ: «خُذْهُ إلى أُمِّهِ». 20 فحَملَهُ إلى أمِّهِ، فبَقيَ على رُكبَتِها إلى الظُّهرِ وماتَ. 21 فأصعَدَتْهُ إلى عُليَّةِ أليشعَ رَجُلِ اللهِ ومَدَّدَتْهُ على سريرِهِ. وأغلَقَت علَيهِ وخرَجَت. 22 ونادَت زَوجَها: «أرسِلْ لي خادِما ومعَهُ حمارٌ علَيهِ أمضي إلى رَجُلِ اللهِ وأرجِـعُ بِسُرعةٍ». 23 فقالَ لها: «لِماذا تذهَبـينَ إليهِ اليومَ، وما اليومُ رأسَ الشَّهرِ، ولا هوَ سَبْتٌ». فأجابَت: «لا يَهُمُّكَ». 24 وجَهَّزَتِ الحمارَ وقالَت لِخادِمِها: «تسوقُ ولا تـتَوَقَّفُ حتّى آمُرَكَ». 25 وسارَتْ فجاءَت إلى رَجُلِ اللهِ في جبَلِ الكرمَلِ. فلمَّا رَآها مِنْ بَعيدٍ قالَ لِخادِمِهِ جيحَزي: «أُنظُرْ. تِلكَ هيَ الشُّونَميَّةُ. 26 فاسرِعِ الآنَ إليها واسألْها: «أبِـخَيرٍ أنتِ؟ أبِـخَيرٍ زَوجُكِ؟ أبِـخَيرٍِ الصَّبـيُّ؟» فأجابَتْ: «بِـخَيرٍ». 27 ثُمَّ اقتَرَبَت مِنْ رَجُلِ اللهِ على الجبَلِ وارتَمَت على رِجلَيهِ. فتَقَدّمَ جيحَزي، فقالَ لَه رَجُلُ اللهِ: «دَعْها لأنَّ نَفسَها حزينَةٌ، والرّبُّ كتَمَ الأمرَ عنِّي ولم يُخبِرْني». 28 فقالَتِ المرأةُ: «هل طلَبْتُ مِنكَ إبنا يا سيِّدي؟ أما قُلتُ لكَ: لا تخدَعْني؟» 29 فقالَ أليشَعُ لِجيحَزي: «تهَيَّأ لِلذَّهابِ وخُذْ عصايَ في يَدِكَ. إنْ لَقيتَ أحدا في الطَّريقِ فلا تُسَلِّمْ علَيهِ، وإن سلَّمَ علَيكَ أحدٌ فلا تُجِبْهُ، وعِندَ وُصولِكَ ضَعْ عصايَ على وجهِ الصَّبـيِّ». 30 فقالَت أمُّ الصَّبـيِّ لأليشعَ: «حَيٌّ هوَ الرّبُّ وحَيٌّ أنتَ، لا أُفارِقُكَ». فقامَ وتَبِــعَها. 31 فسَبَقَها جيحَزي أمامَها وعِندَ وُصولِهِ وضَعَ العصا على وجهِ الصَّبـيِّ، فلم يكُنْ صوتٌ ولا حَراكٌ. فعادَ ولقيَ أليشَعَ وقالَ لَه: «ما استَفاقَ الصَّبـيُّ».
32 ولمَّا وصَلَ أليشعُ إلى البـيتِ دخَلَ العُليَّةَ وحدَهُ، فوجَدَ الصَّبـيَّ مَيتا على سريرِهِ. 33 فأغلَقَ البابَ وصلَّى إلى الرّبِّ. 34 ثُمَّ صَعِدَ إلى السَّريرِ واستَلْقى على الصَّبـيِّ ووضَعَ فمَهُ وعينَيهِ وكَفَّيهِ على فَمِ الصَّبـيِّ وتمَدَّدَ علَيهِ، فسَخِنَ جسَدُ الصَّبـيِّ. 35 ثُمَّ قامَ وتمَشَّى في الغُرفَةِ، ذهابا وإيابا، وصَعِدَ السَّريرَ وتمَدَّدَ على الصَّبـيِّ فعَطَسَ الصَّبـيُّ سَبعَ مرَّاتٍ وفتَحَ عينَيهِ. 36 فنادى جيحَزي وقالَ لَه: «أُدعُ هذِهِ الشُّونميَّةَ». فدَعاها، فجاءَت. فقالَ لها: «خُذي ابنَكِ». 37 فتَقَدَّمَت وارْتَمَت على قدَمَيهِ إلى الأرضِ، وأخَذَتِ ابنَها وذهَبَت.
معجزتان لأليشع
38 ورَجَعَ أليشَعُ إلى الجِلجالِ، والجُوعُ يَعُمُّ الأرضَ. وبَينَما كانَ جماعةُ الأنبـياءِ جالسينَ أمامَهُ، قالَ لِخادِمِه: «هَيـِّئ الطَّنجَرةَ الكبـيرةَ، واطبُخْ لِجماعةِ الأنبـياءِ». 39 فخَرجَ واحدٌ مِنهُم إلى البرِّيَّةِ لِـيَقطِفَ بُقولا، فصادَفَ عِرْقَ يَقطينٍ بَرِيٍّ فقَطَفَ مِنهُ مِلْءَ ثوبِهِ، وجاءَ بهِ فقَطَّعَهُ وألقاهُ في الطَّنجَرةِ، ولم يكُنْ يَعلَمُ ما هوَ. 40 ثُمَّ سكَبَ الرِّجالُ ليَأكلوا مِنَ الطَّبـيخِ، فلمَّا أكلوا صاحوا: «هذا طَبـيخٌ مُمِـيتٌ يا رجُلَ اللهِ. ولم يَقدِروا أنْ يأكلوا». 41 فقالَ أليشَعُ: «هاتوا دقيقا»، فألقاهُ في الطَّنجَرةِ وقالَ لِخادِمِه: «أُسكُبْ لِلقَومِ ليأكلوا». فأكلوا وكانَ الطَّعامُ لذيذا.
42 وجاءَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ بَعلَ شَليشَةَ يَحمِلُ في جِرابِهِ لِرجُلِ اللهِ عِشرينَ رغيفا مِنْ خُبزِ بَواكيرِهِ مِنَ الشَّعيرِ وسُنبُلا طَريئا. فقالَ أليشَعُ لِخادِمِه: «أعطِ القَومَ لِـيَأكُلوا». 43 فأجابَهُ: «هذا قليلٌ، فكَيفَ أضَعُهُ أمامَ مئَةِ رَجُلٍ؟» فقالَ أليشَعُ: «أعطِ القَومَ ليَأكُلوا، لأنَّ الرّبَّ قالَ: يَأكلونَ ويَفضُلُ عَنهُم». 44 فقَدَّمَ الخادِمُ لهُمُ الطَّعامَ، فأكلوا وفَضَلَ عَنهُم كما قالَ الرّبُّ.