The. holie. Bible. conteynyng the olde Testament and the newe.

The .iiij. Chapiter.

4 God increaseth the oyle to the poore wydowe by Elisa. 12 He obtayneth for the Sunamite a sonne at gods hand. 28 Who dying. 32 he raiseth him vp a∣gaine. 40 He maketh sweete the potage. 41 And multiplieth the loaues.

[illustration]

[unspec A] 1 AND there cryed a cer∣tayne woman of the wyues of the sonnes of the prophetes, vnto E∣lisa, saying: Thy ser∣uaunt my husband is dead, & thou knowest that thy seruaunt did feare the Lorde: And the creditor is come to fet my two sonnes to be his bondmen.

2 Elisa saide vnto her: Tell me what I shall do for thee? What hast thou in thyne house? She saide: Thyne hande∣mayde hath nothing at all in the house, saue a pitcher with oyle.

3 He saide vnto her: Go, and borow ves∣sels for thee [of them that are] without, [euen] of all thy neighbours, emptie ves∣sels, and that not a fewe:

4 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the doore after thee and after thy sonnes, and powre out into (a) 1.1 all those vessels: and set asyde that which is full.

5 And so she went from him, and shut the doore after her & after her sonnes: And they brought to her, & she powred out.

6 And it came to passe, that when the vessels were ful, she said vnto her sonne: Bryng me yet a vessel. And he said vnto her: I haue no mo. And y^e oyle ceassed.

7 Then she came and tolde the man of God: And he sayde, Go, and sell the [unspec B] oyle, and pay them that thou art in debt vnto: but lyue thou and thy children of the rest.

8 And it fell on a day, that Elisa came to Sunem, where was a great woman, that toke him in for to eate bread: And so it came to passe, that from that tyme foorth (as oft as he came that way) he turned in thyther to eate bread.

9 And she saide vnto her husband: Be∣holde, I perceaue that this is an holy man of God which passeth by vs conti∣nually.

10 Let vs make him a little chamber I pray thee, with walles, & let vs set him there a bed, and a table, and a stoole, and a candelsticke: that he may turne in thyther when he commeth to vs.

11 And it fortuned on a day that he came thither, and turned into the chamber, & lay therein,

12 And saide to Gehezi his seruaunt: Call this Sunamite. And when he called her, she presented her selfe before him.

13 And againe he said vnto him: Tel her, beholde thou hast ben carefull for vs

with all this care, (b) 1.2 What shal we now do for thee? Wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captayne of the hoast? She aunswered: I dwell among myne owne people.

14 And he said againe: What is to be done for her? Gehezi aunswered: Veryly she hath no childe, and her husband is olde.

15 And he said: Call her. And when he had called her, she stoode in the doore.

16 And he saide: * 1.3 At this tyme appoyn∣ted, according to the tyme of lyfe, thou shalt imbrace a sonne. And she said: Oh nay my lorde thou man of God, do not lye vnto thyne handmayde.

17 And the wyfe conceaued, and bare a sonne that same season that Elisa had sayde vnto her, acording to the tyme of lyfe.

18 And when the childe was growen, it [unspec C] fell on a day that he went out to his fa∣ther, and to the reapers,

19 And he said vnto his father: My head, my head. And he saide to a lad: Cary him to his mother.

20 And when he had taken him & brought him to his mother, he sate on her knees till noone, and then dyed.

21 And she went vp, and laide him on the bed of the man of God, & shut [the doore] vpon him, and went out,

22 And called vnto her husband, & sayde: Send with me I pray thee one of the young men, and one of the asses: for I will runne to the man of God, and come againe.

23 And he saide: Wherefore wylt thou go to him? seing that to day is neither newe moone nor sabbath day. And she aun∣swered: All shalbe well.

24 Then she sadled an asse, and saide to her seruaunt: Dryue and go forwarde, staye not for me to get vp, except I byd thee.

[unspec D] 25 And so she went, and came vnto the man of God to mount Carmel: And it fortuned, that when the man of God sawe her farre of, he saide to Gehezi his seruaunt: Beholde, yonder is the Sunamite:

26 Runne therefore to meete her, & saye vnto her: Is all well with thee, & with thy husband, and with the lad? And she aunswered: All is well.

27 And when she came to the man of God vp to the hill, she caught him by the feete: But Gehezi went to her, to thrust her away. And the man of God sayde: Let her alone, for her soule is vexed within her, and the Lorde hath hid it from me, and hath not tolde it me.

28 Then she saide: Did I desire a sonne of my Lorde? did I not require thee that thou shouldest not deceaue me?

29 Then he saide to Gehezi: * 1.4 Girde vp thy loynes, and take my staffe in thyne hande, and go thy way: * 1.5 If thou meete any man (c) 1.6 salute him not: And if any sa∣lute thee, aunswere him not againe: And lay my staffe vpon the face of the childe.

30 And the mother of the childe said: * 1.7 As the Lorde lyueth, and as thy soule ly∣ueth, I wyll not leaue thee. And he a∣rose, and folowed her.

31 Gehezi went before them, and layed [unspec E] the staffe vpon the face of the childe, but ther was neither voyce nor any feeling: wherfore he went againe to meete him, and tolde him, saying: The childe is not awaked.

32 And when Elisa was come into the house, behold the childe was dead, and layde vpon his bed.

33 He went in therefore, & shut the doore vpon them twayne, & prayed vnto the Lorde,

34 * 1.8And went vp, and laye vpon the lad, and put his mouth on his mouth, & his eyes vpon his eyes, & his handes vpon his handes, & when he so laye vpon the childe, the fleshe of the childe waxed warme.

35 And he went againe, and walked once vp and downe in the house, & then went vp, & layde him selfe vpon him againe: And then the childe “ 1.9 gasped seuē times, and opened his eyes.

36 And he called Gehezi, and saide: Call for this Sunamite. So he called her: which when she was come in vnto him, he saide vnto her: * 1.10 Take thy sonne.

37 Therfore she went in, and fell at his feete, and bowed her selfe to the ground, [unspec F] and toke vp her sonne, and went out.

38 Elisa came againe to Gilgal, and there was a dearth in the lande, and the chil∣dren of the prophetes dwelt with him: And he saide vnto his seruaunt, Set a great pot on [the fyre] and make potage for the children of the prophetes.

39 And one went out into the fielde to ga∣ther hearbes, and found a wylde vine, and gathered therof wylde gourdes his lap ful, and came and shred them in∣to

the pot of pottage: for they knew it not.

40 So they powred out for the men to eate: And it fortuned, that when they tasted of the pottage, they cryed out and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot. And they could not eate ther∣of.

41 But he saide: bring meale. And he cast it into the pot, and he saide: Fill for the people, that they may eate. And there was no more harme in the pot.

42 There came a man from Baal Sali∣sa, and brought the man of God bread of the first fruites, euen twentie loaues of barlye, & full eares of corne in the huske: And he said, Geue vnto the people, that they may eate.

43 And his minister aunswered: Why shall I set this before an hundred men? He said againe, Geue it vnto the people, that they may eate: For thus saith the Lorde, * 1.11 They shall eate, and there shal be left ouer.

44 And so he set it before them, and they did eate, and left ouer, according to the word of the Lorde.

Notes

• (a) 1.1

  God euer prouideth for them that trust in him.
• (b) 1.2

  The ser¦uauntes of God are not vnthankfull for benefites receaued.
• * 1.3

  Ge. xviii. b.
• * 1.4

  iiii. Re. x a.
• * 1.5

  Luk. x a.
• (c) 1.6

  Make such speede, that nothing may let thee in the way.
• * 1.7

  Luk x. i. Reg. 28 ••.
• * 1.8

  ii. Reg ••
• “ 1.9

  Or, s••e••ed.
• * 1.10

  Luk. v. ••.
• * 1.11

  Iohn. vi. a.