Mar 21 - 2 Kings 4-5
2 Kings
1Now a certain woman, from the wives of the prophets, cried out to Elisha, saying: "My husband, your servant, is dead. And you know that your servant was one who fears the Lord. And behold, a creditor has arrived, so that he may take away my two sons to serve him.2And Elisha said to her: "What do you want me to do for you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?" And she responded, "I, your handmaid, do not have anything in my house, except a little oil, with which I may be anointed.3And he said to her: "Go, ask to borrow from all your neighbors empty vessels, more than a few4And enter and close your door. And when you are inside with your sons, pour from the oil into all those vessels. And when they are full, take them away.5And so, the woman went and closed the door upon herself and her sons. They were bringing her the vessels, and she was pouring into them6And when the vessels had been filled, she said to her son, "Bring me another a vessel." And he responded, "I have none." And there was oil remaining7Then she went and told the man of God. And he said: "Go, sell the oil, and repay your creditor. Then you and your sons may live on what remains.8Now it happened that, on a certain day, Elisha passed by Shunem. And there was a great woman there, who took him to eat bread. And since he frequently passed by there, he turned aside to her house, so that he might eat bread9And she said to her husband: "I have noticed that he is a holy man of God, who passes by us frequently10Therefore, let us prepare a small upper room for him, and place a bed in it for him, and a table, and a chair, and a lampstand, so that when he comes to us, he may stay there.11Then it happened that, on a certain day, arriving, he turned aside into the upper room, and he rested there12And he said to his servant Gehazi, "Call this Shunammite woman." And when he had called her, and she stood before him13he said to his servant: "Say to her: Behold, you have ministered to us attentively in all things. What do you want, that I might do for you? Do you have any business, or do you want me to speak to the king, or to the leader of the military?" And she responded, "I live in the midst of my own people.14And he said, "Then what does she want, that I might do for her?" And Gehazi said: "You need not ask. For she has no son, and her husband is elderly.15And so, he instructed him to call her. And when she had been called, and was standing before the door16he said to her, "At this time, and at this same hour, with life as a companion, you will have a son in your womb." But she responded, "Do not, I ask you, my lord, a man of God, do not be willing to lie to your handmaid.17And the woman conceived. And she bore a son, in the time and at the same hour as Elisha had said18And the boy grew. And on a certain day, when he had gone out to his father, to the harvesters19he said to his father: "I have a pain in my head. I have a pain in my head." But he said to his servant, "Take him, and lead him to his mother.20But when he had taken him, and he had led him to his mother, she placed him upon her knees, until midday, and then he died21Then she went up and laid him out on the bed of the man of God, and she closed the door. And departing22she called her husband, and she said: "Send with me, I beg you, one of your servants, and a donkey, so that I may hurry to the man of God, and then return.23And he said to her: "What is the reason that you would go to him? Today is not the new moon, and it is not the Sabbath." She responded, "I will go.24And she saddled a donkey, and she instructed her servant: "Drive, and hurry on. You shall cause no delay for me in departing. And do whatever I instruct you to do.25And so she set out. And she came to the man of God, on mount Carmel. And when the man of God had seen her at a distance, he said to his servant Gehazi: "Behold, it is that Shunammite woman26So then, go to meet her, and say to her, ‘Does all go well concerning you, and your husband, and your son?’ " And she answered, "It is well.27And when she had arrived at the man of God, on the mount, she took hold of his feet. And Gehazi drew near, so that he might remove her. But the man of God said: "Permit her. For her soul is in bitterness. And the Lord has concealed it from me, and has not revealed it to me.28And she said to him: "Did I ask a son from my lord? Did I not say to you, ‘You should not deceive me?’ 29And so he said to Gehazi: "Gird your waist, and take my staff in your hand, and go. If any man will meet you, you shall not greet him. And if anyone greets you, you shall not respond to him. And place my staff upon the face of the boy.30But the mother of the boy said, "As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not release you." Therefore, he rose up, and he followed her31But Gehazi had gone before them, and he had placed the staff upon the face of the boy. And there was no voice, nor any response. And so he returned to meet him. And he reported to him, saying, "The boy did not rise up.32Therefore, Elisha entered the house. And behold, the boy was lying dead upon his bed33And entering, he closed the door upon himself and the boy. And he prayed to the Lord34And he climbed up, and lay across the boy. And he put his mouth over his mouth, and his eyes over his eyes, and his hands over his hands. And he leaned himself over him, and the body of the boy grew warm35And returning, he walked around the house, first here and then there. And he went up, and lay across him. And the boy gasped seven times, and he opened his eyes36And he called Gehazi, and said to him, "Call this Shunammite woman." And having been called, she entered to him. And he said, "Take up your son.37She went and fell at his feet, and she reverenced upon the ground. And she took up her son, and departed38And Elisha returned to Gilgal. Now there was a famine in the land, and the sons of the prophets were living in his sight. And he said to one of his servants, "Set out a large cooking pot, and boil a soup for the sons of the prophets.39And one went out into the field, so that he might collect wild herbs. And he found something like a wild vine, and he gathered from it bitter fruits of the field, and he filled his cloak. And returning, he cut these up for the pot of soup. But he did not know what it was40Then they poured it out for their companions to eat. And when they had tasted the mixture, they cried out, saying, "Death is in the cooking pot, O man of God!" And they were unable to eat41But he said, "Bring some flour." And when they had brought it, he cast it into the cooking pot, and he said, "Pour it out for the group, so that they may eat." And there was no longer any bitterness in the cooking pot42Now a certain man arrived from Baal-Shalishah, carrying, for the man of God, bread from the first-fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and new grain in his satchel. But he said, "Give it to the people, so that they may eat.43And his servant responded to him, "What amount is this, that I should set it before a hundred men?" But he said again: "Give it to the people, so that they may eat. For thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat, and there shall be still more.’ 44And so, he set it before them. And they ate, and there was still more, in accord with the word of the Lord
1Naaman, the leader of the military of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man with his lord. For through him the Lord gave salvation to Syria. And he was a strong and rich man, but a leper2Now robbers had gone out from Syria, and they had led away captive, from the land of Israel, a little girl. And she was in the service of the wife of Naaman3And she said to her lady: "I wish that my lord had been with the prophet who is in Samaria. Certainly, he would have cured him of the leprosy that he has.4And so, Naaman entered to his lord, and he reported to him, saying: "The girl from the land of Israel spoke in such a manner.5And the king of Syria said to him, "Go, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel." And when he had set out, he had taken with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand gold coins, and ten changes of fine clothing6And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, in these words: "When you will receive this letter, know that I have sent to you my servant, Naaman, so that you may heal him of his leprosy.7And when the king of Israel had read the letter, he tore his garments, and he said: "Am I God, so that I could take or give life, or so that this man would send to me to cure a man from his leprosy? Take notice and see that he is seeking occasions against me.8And when Elisha, the man of God, had heard this, specifically, that the king of Israel had torn his garments, he sent to him, saying: "Why have you torn your garments? Let him come to me, and let him know that there is a prophet in Israel.9Therefore, Naaman arrived with his horses and chariots, and he stood at the door of the house of Elisha10And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go, and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will receive health, and you will be clean.11And becoming angry, Naaman went away, saying: "I thought that he would have come out to me, and, standing, would have invoked the name of the Lord, his God, and that he would have touched the place of the leprosy with his hand, and so have healed me12Are not the Abana and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel, so that I might wash in them and be cleansed?" But then, after he had turned himself away and was leaving with indignation13his servants approached him, and they said to him: "If the prophet had told you, father, to do something great, certainly you ought to have done it. How much more so, now that he has said to you: ‘Wash, and you will be clean?’ 14So he descended and washed in the Jordan seven times, in accord with the word of the man of God. And his flesh was restored, like the flesh of a little child. And he was made clean15And returning to the man of God, with his entire retinue, he arrived, and stood before him, and he said: "Truly, I know there is no other God, in all the earth, except in Israel. And so I beg you to accept a blessing from your servant.16But he responded, "As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will not accept it." And though he urged him strongly, he did not agree at all17And Naaman said: "As you wish. But I beg you to grant to me, your servant, that I may take from here the burden of two mules from the ground. For your servant will no longer offer holocaust or victim to other gods, except to the Lord18But there is still this matter, for which you will entreat the Lord on behalf of your servant: when my lord enters the temple of Rimmon, so that he may adore there, and he leans on my hand, if I will bow down in the temple of Rimmon, while he is adoring in the same place, that the Lord may ignore me, your servant, concerning this matter.19And he said to him, "Go in peace." Then he went away from him, in the elect time of the earth20And Gehazi, the servant of the man of God, said: "My lord has spared Naaman, this Syrian, by not receiving from him what he brought. As the Lord lives, I will run after him, and take something from him.21And so, Gehazi followed after the back of Naaman. And when he had seen him running toward him, he leaped down from his chariot to meet him, and he said, "Is all well?22And he said: "It is well. My lord has sent me to you, saying: ‘Just now two youths from the sons of the prophets have come to me from mount Ephraim. Give them a talent of silver, and two changes of clothing.’ 23And Naaman said, "It is better that you accept two talents." And he urged him, and he bound the two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of clothing. And he set them upon two of his servants, who carried them before him24And when now he had arrived in the evening, he took them from their hands, and he stored them in the house. And he dismissed the men, and they went away25Then, having entered, he stood before his lord. And Elisha said, "Where are you coming from, Gehazi?" He responded, "Your servant did not go anywhere.26But he said: "Was my heart not present, when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? And now you have received money, and you have received garments, so that you might buy olive groves, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and men and women servants27So then, the leprosy of Naaman shall adhere to you, and to your offspring forever." And he departed from him a leper, as white as snow