Bible in Basic English
Then Elisha said to her, What am I to do for you? say now, what have you in the house? And she said, Your servant has nothing in the house but a pot of oil.
Then he said, Go out to all your neighbours and get vessels, a very great number of them.
Then go in, and, shutting the door on yourself and your sons, put oil into all these vessels, putting on one side the full ones.
So she went away, and when the door was shut on her and her sons, they took the vessels to her and she put oil into them.
And when all the vessels were full, she said to her son, Get me another vessel. And he said, There are no more. And the flow of oil was stopped.
So she came to the man of God and gave him word of what she had done. And he said, Go and get money for the oil and make payment of your debt, and let the rest be for the needs of yourself and your sons.
Now there came a day when Elisha went to Shunem, and there was a woman of high position living there, who made him come in and have a meal with her. And after that, every time he went by, he went into her house for a meal.
And she said to her husband, Now I see that this is a holy man of God, who comes by day after day.
So let us make a little room on the wall; and put a bed there for him, and a table and a seat and a light; so that when he comes to us, he will be able to go in there.
Now one day, when he had gone there, he went into the little room and took his rest there.
And he said to Gehazi, his servant, Send for this Shunammite. So in answer to his voice she came before him.
And he said to him, Now say to her, See, you have taken all this trouble for us; what is to be done for you? will you have any request made for you to the king or the captain of the army? But she said, I am living among my people.
So he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi made answer, Still there is this, she has no son and her husband is old.
Then he said, Send for her. And in answer to his voice she took her place at the door.
And Elisha said, At this time in the coming year you will have a son in your arms. And she said, No, my lord, O man of God, do not say what is false to your servant.
Then the woman became with child and gave birth to a son at the time named, in the year after, as Elisha had said to her.
Now one day, when the child was older, he went out to his father to where the grain was being cut.
And he said to his father, My head, my head! And the father said to a servant, Take him in to his mother.
And he took him in to his mother, and she took him on her knees and kept him there till the middle of the day, when his life went from him.
Then she went up and put him on the bed of the man of God, shutting the door on him, and went out.
And she said to her husband, Send me one of the servants and one of the asses so that I may go quickly to the man of God and come back again.
And he said, Why are you going to him today? it is not a new moon or a Sabbath. But she said, It is well.
Then she made the ass ready and said to her servant, Keep driving on; do not make a stop without orders from me.
So she went, and came to Mount Carmel, to the man of God. And when the man of God saw her coming in his direction, he said to Gehazi, his servant, See, there is the Shunammite;
Go quickly to her, and on meeting her say to her, Are you well? and your husband and the child, are they well? And she said in answer, All is well.
And when she came to where the man of God was on the hill, she put her hands round his feet; and Gehazi came near with the purpose of pushing her away; but the man of God said, Let her be, for her soul is bitter in her; and the Lord has kept it secret from me, and has not given me word of it.
Then she said, Did I make a request to my lord for a son? did I not say, Do not give me false words?
Then he said to Gehazi, Make yourself ready, and take my stick in your hand, and go: if you come across anyone on the way, give him no blessing, and if anyone gives you a blessing, give him no answer. And put my stick on the child's face.
But the mother of the child said, As the Lord is living and as your soul is living, I will not go back without you. So he got up and went with her.
And Gehazi went on before them and put the stick on the child's face; but there was no voice, and no one gave attention. So he went back, and meeting him gave him the news, saying, The child is not awake.
And when Elisha came into the house he saw the child dead, stretched on his bed.
So he went in, and shutting the door on the two of them, made prayer to the Lord.
Then he got up on the bed, stretching himself out on the child, and put his mouth on the child's mouth, his eyes on his eyes and his hands on his hands; and the child's body became warm.
Then he came back, and after walking once through the house and back, he went up, stretching himself out on the child seven times; and the child's eyes became open.
And he gave orders to Gehazi, and said, Send for the Shunammite. And she came in answer to his voice. And he said, Take up your son.
And she came in, and went down on her face to the earth at his feet; then she took her son in her arms and went out.
And Elisha went back to Gilgal, now there was very little food in the land; and the sons of the prophets were seated before him. And he said to his servant, Put the great pot on the fire, and make soup for the sons of the prophets.
And one went out into the field to get green plants and saw a vine of the field, and pulling off the fruit of it till the fold of his robe was full, he came back and put the fruit, cut up small, into the pot of soup, having no idea what it was.
Then they gave the men soup from the pot. And while they were drinking the soup, they gave a cry, and said, O man of God, there is death in the pot; and they were not able to take any more food.
But he said, Get some meal. And he put it into the pot, and said, Now give it to the people so that they may have food. And there was nothing bad in the pot.
Now a man came from Baal-shalishah with an offering of first-fruits for the man of God, twenty barley cakes and garden fruit in his bag. And he said, Give these to the people for food.
But his servant said, How am I to put this before a hundred men? But he said, Give it to the people for food; for the Lord says, There will be food for them and some over.
So he put it before them, and they had a meal and there was more than enough, as the Lord had said.
— 2 Kings 4:2-1964, Bible in Basic English
“Elisha said to her,“What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered,“Your servant has nothing in the house except a small jar of olive oil.” He said,“Go and ask all your neighbors for empty containers. Get as many as you can. Go and close the door behind you and your sons. Pour the olive oil into all the containers; set aside each one when you have filled it.” So she left him and closed the door behind her and her sons. As they were bringing the containers to her, she was pouring the olive oil. When the containers were full, she said to one of her sons,“Bring me another container.” But he answered her,“There are no more.” Then the olive oil stopped flowing. She went and told the prophet. He said,“Go, sell the olive oil. Repay your creditor, and then you and your sons can live off the rest of the profit.” Elisha Gives Life to a Boy One day Elisha traveled to Shunem, where a prominent woman lived. She insisted that he stop for a meal. So whenever he was passing through, he would stop in there for a meal. She said to her husband,“Look, I’m sure that the man who regularly passes through here is a very special prophet. Let’s make a small private upper room and furnish it with a bed, table, chair, and lamp. When he visits us, he can stay there.” One day Elisha came for a visit; he went into the upper room and rested. He told his servant Gehazi,“Ask the Shunammite woman to come here.” So he did so and she came to him. Elisha said to Gehazi,“Tell her,‘Look, you have treated us with such great respect. What can I do for you? Can I put in a good word for you with the king or the commander of the army?’” She replied,“I’m quite secure.” So he asked Gehazi,“What can I do for her?” Gehazi replied,“She has no son, and her husband is old.” Elisha told him,“Ask her to come here.” So he did so and she came and stood in the doorway. He said,“About this time next year you will be holding a son.” She said,“No, my master! O prophet, do not lie to your servant!” The woman did conceive, and at the specified time the next year she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her. The boy grew and one day he went out to see his father who was with the harvest workers. He said to his father,“My head! My head!” His father told a servant,“Carry him to his mother.” So he picked him up and took him to his mother. He sat on her lap until noon and then died. She went up and laid him down on the prophet’s bed. She shut the door behind her and left. She called to her husband,“Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so I can go see the prophet quickly and then return.” He said,“Why do you want to go see him today? It is not the new moon or the Sabbath.” She said,“Everything’s fine.” She saddled the donkey and told her servant,“Lead on. Do not stop unless I say so.” So she went to visit the prophet at Mount Carmel. When he saw her at a distance, he said to his servant Gehazi,“Look, it’s the Shunammite woman. Now, run to meet her and ask her,‘Are you well? Are your husband and the boy well?’” She told Gehazi,“Everything’s fine.” But when she reached the prophet on the mountain, she grabbed hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to push her away, but the prophet said,“Leave her alone, for she is very upset. The LORD has kept the matter hidden from me; he didn’t tell me about it.” She said,“Did I ask my master for a son? Didn’t I say,‘Don’t mislead me?’” Elisha told Gehazi,“Tuck your robes into your belt, take my staff, and go! Don’t stop to exchange greetings with anyone! Place my staff on the child’s face.” The mother of the child said,“As certainly as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So Elisha got up and followed her back. Now Gehazi went on ahead of them. He placed the staff on the child’s face, but there was no sound or response. When he came back to Elisha he told him,“The child did not wake up.” When Elisha arrived at the house, there was the child lying dead on his bed. He went in by himself and closed the door. Then he prayed to the LORD. He got up on the bed and spread his body out over the boy; he put his mouth on the boy’s mouth, his eyes over the boy’s eyes, and the palms of his hands against the boy’s palms. He bent down over him, and the boy’s skin grew warm. Elisha went back and walked around in the house. Then he got up on the bed again and bent down over him. The child sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. Elisha called to Gehazi and said,“Get the Shunammite woman.” So he did so and she came to him. He said to her,“Take your son.” She came in, fell at his feet, and bowed down. Then she picked up her son and left. Elisha Makes a Meal Edible Now Elisha went back to Gilgal, while there was famine in the land. Some of the prophets were visiting him and he told his servant,“Put the big pot on the fire and boil some stew for the prophets.” Someone went out to the field to gather some herbs and found a wild vine. He picked some of its fruit, enough to fill up the fold of his robe. He came back, cut it up, and threw the slices into the stew pot, not knowing they were harmful. The stew was poured out for the men to eat. When they ate some of the stew, they cried out,“Death is in the pot, O prophet!” They could not eat it. He said,“Get some flour.” Then he threw it into the pot and said,“Now pour some out for the men so they may eat.” There was no longer anything harmful in the pot. Elisha Miraculously Feeds a Hundred People Now a man from Baal Shalisha brought some food for the prophet– twenty loaves of bread made from the firstfruits of the barley harvest, as well as fresh ears of grain. Elisha said,“Set it before the people so they may eat.” But his attendant said,“How can I feed a hundred men with this?” He replied,“Set it before the people so they may eat, for this is what the LORD has said,‘They will eat and have some left over.’” So he set it before them; they ate and had some left over, just as in the LORD’S message.”
Now a certain woman, the wife of one of the sons of the prophets, came crying to Elisha and said, Your servant my husband is dead; and to your knowledge he was a worshipper of the Lord; but now, the creditor has come to take my two children as servants in payment of his debt.
Then Elisha said to her, What am I to do for you? say now, what have you in the house? And she said, Your servant has nothing in the house but a pot of oil.
Then he said, Go out to all your neighbours and get vessels, a very great number of them.
Then go in, and, shutting the door on yourself and your sons, put oil into all these vessels, putting on one side the full ones.
So she went away, and when the door was shut on her and her sons, they took the vessels to her and she put oil into them.
And when all the vessels were full, she said to her son, Get me another vessel. And he said, There are no more. And the flow of oil was stopped.
So she came to the man of God and gave him word of what she had done. And he said, Go and get money for the oil and make payment of your debt, and let the rest be for the needs of yourself and your sons.
Now there came a day when Elisha went to Shunem, and there was a woman of high position living there, who made him come in and have a meal with her. And after that, every time he went by, he went into her house for a meal.
And she said to her husband, Now I see that this is a holy man of God, who comes by day after day.
So let us make a little room on the wall; and put a bed there for him, and a table and a seat and a light; so that when he comes to us, he will be able to go in there.
Now one day, when he had gone there, he went into the little room and took his rest there.
And he said to Gehazi, his servant, Send for this Shunammite. So in answer to his voice she came before him.
And he said to him, Now say to her, See, you have taken all this trouble for us; what is to be done for you? will you have any request made for you to the king or the captain of the army? But she said, I am living among my people.
So he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi made answer, Still there is this, she has no son and her husband is old.
Then he said, Send for her. And in answer to his voice she took her place at the door.
And Elisha said, At this time in the coming year you will have a son in your arms. And she said, No, my lord, O man of God, do not say what is false to your servant.
Then the woman became with child and gave birth to a son at the time named, in the year after, as Elisha had said to her.
Now one day, when the child was older, he went out to his father to where the grain was being cut.
And he said to his father, My head, my head! And the father said to a servant, Take him in to his mother.
And he took him in to his mother, and she took him on her knees and kept him there till the middle of the day, when his life went from him.
Then she went up and put him on the bed of the man of God, shutting the door on him, and went out.
And she said to her husband, Send me one of the servants and one of the asses so that I may go quickly to the man of God and come back again.
And he said, Why are you going to him today? it is not a new moon or a Sabbath. But she said, It is well.
Then she made the ass ready and said to her servant, Keep driving on; do not make a stop without orders from me.
So she went, and came to Mount Carmel, to the man of God. And when the man of God saw her coming in his direction, he said to Gehazi, his servant, See, there is the Shunammite;
Go quickly to her, and on meeting her say to her, Are you well? and your husband and the child, are they well? And she said in answer, All is well.
And when she came to where the man of God was on the hill, she put her hands round his feet; and Gehazi came near with the purpose of pushing her away; but the man of God said, Let her be, for her soul is bitter in her; and the Lord has kept it secret from me, and has not given me word of it.
Then she said, Did I make a request to my lord for a son? did I not say, Do not give me false words?
Then he said to Gehazi, Make yourself ready, and take my stick in your hand, and go: if you come across anyone on the way, give him no blessing, and if anyone gives you a blessing, give him no answer. And put my stick on the child's face.
But the mother of the child said, As the Lord is living and as your soul is living, I will not go back without you. So he got up and went with her.
And Gehazi went on before them and put the stick on the child's face; but there was no voice, and no one gave attention. So he went back, and meeting him gave him the news, saying, The child is not awake.
And when Elisha came into the house he saw the child dead, stretched on his bed.
So he went in, and shutting the door on the two of them, made prayer to the Lord.
Then he got up on the bed, stretching himself out on the child, and put his mouth on the child's mouth, his eyes on his eyes and his hands on his hands; and the child's body became warm.
Then he came back, and after walking once through the house and back, he went up, stretching himself out on the child seven times; and the child's eyes became open.
And he gave orders to Gehazi, and said, Send for the Shunammite. And she came in answer to his voice. And he said, Take up your son.
And she came in, and went down on her face to the earth at his feet; then she took her son in her arms and went out.
And Elisha went back to Gilgal, now there was very little food in the land; and the sons of the prophets were seated before him. And he said to his servant, Put the great pot on the fire, and make soup for the sons of the prophets.
And one went out into the field to get green plants and saw a vine of the field, and pulling off the fruit of it till the fold of his robe was full, he came back and put the fruit, cut up small, into the pot of soup, having no idea what it was.
Then they gave the men soup from the pot. And while they were drinking the soup, they gave a cry, and said, O man of God, there is death in the pot; and they were not able to take any more food.
But he said, Get some meal. And he put it into the pot, and said, Now give it to the people so that they may have food. And there was nothing bad in the pot.
Now a man came from Baal-shalishah with an offering of first-fruits for the man of God, twenty barley cakes and garden fruit in his bag. And he said, Give these to the people for food.
But his servant said, How am I to put this before a hundred men? But he said, Give it to the people for food; for the Lord says, There will be food for them and some over.
So he put it before them, and they had a meal and there was more than enough, as the Lord had said.