Crossing the Read Sea

Luke 16:13-17 

No One Can Serve Two Masters

13 No slave can serve two masters, for a slave will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

The Law and the Kingdom of God

14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they ridiculed him. 15 So he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of others, but God knows your hearts, for what is prized by humans is an abomination in the sight of God.

16 “The Law and the Prophets were until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is being proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force. 17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter in the law to be dropped.

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 18

1 Now the Lord appeared to him in the plains of Mamre, and he was sitting at the entrance of the tent when the day was hot.

2 And he lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, three men were standing beside him, and he saw and he ran toward them from the entrance of the tent, and he prostrated himself to the ground.

3 And he said, "My lords, if only I have found favor in your eyes, please do not pass on from beside your servant.

4 Please let a little water be taken, and bathe your feet, and recline under the tree.

5 And I will take a morsel of bread, and sustain your hearts; after[wards] you shall pass on, because you have passed by your servant." And they said, "So shall you do, as you have spoken."

6 And Abraham hastened to the tent to Sarah, and he said, "Hasten three seah of meal [and] fine flour; knead and make cakes."

7 And to the cattle did Abraham run, and he took a calf, tender and good, and he gave it to the youth, and he hastened to prepare it.

8 And he took cream and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and he placed [them] before them, and he was standing over them under the tree, and they ate.

9 And they said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" And he said, "Behold in the tent."

10 And he said, "I will surely return to you at this time next year, and behold, your wife Sarah will have a son." And Sarah heard from the entrance of the tent, and it was behind him.

11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, coming on in years; Sarah had ceased to have the way of the women.

12 And Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have become worn out, will I have smooth flesh? And also, my master is old."

13 And the Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Is it really true that I will give birth, although I am old?'

14 Is anything hidden from the Lord? At the appointed time, I will return to you, at this time next year and Sarah will have a son."

Judges 17:1-6 

The People Cast Off Restraint (Micah and the Levite)

17 There was a man in the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Micah. 2 He said to his mother, “The eleven hundred pieces of silver that were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse and even spoke it in my hearing—that silver is in my possession; I took it, but now I will return it to you.” And his mother said, “May my son be blessed by the Lord!” 3 Then he returned the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said, “I consecrate the silver to the Lord from my hand for my son, to make an idol of cast metal.” 4 So when he returned the money to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver and gave it to the silversmith, who made it into an idol of cast metal, and it was in the house of Micah. 5 This man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and teraphim and installed one of his sons, who became his priest. 6 In those days there was no king in Israel; all the people did what was right in their own eyes.

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 18

15 And Sarah denied, saying, "I did not laugh," because she was afraid. And He said, "No, but you laughed."

16 And the men arose from there, and they looked upon Sodom, and Abraham went with them to escort them,

17 And the Lord said, "Shall I conceal from Abraham what I am doing?

18 And Abraham will become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations of the world will be blessed in him.

19 For I have known him because he commands his sons and his household after him, that they should keep the way of the Lord to perform righteousness and justice, in order that the Lord bring upon Abraham that which He spoke concerning him."

20 And the Lord said, "Since the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah has become great, and since their sin has become very grave,

21 I will descend now and see, whether according to her cry, which has come to Me, they have done; [I will wreak] destruction [upon them]; and if not, I will know."

22 And the men turned from there and went to Sodom, and Abraham was still standing before the Lord.

23 And Abraham approached and said, "Will You even destroy the righteous with the wicked?

24 Perhaps there are fifty righteous men in the midst of the city; will You even destroy and not forgive the place for the sake of the fifty righteous men who are in its midst?

25 Far be it from You to do a thing such as this, to put to death the righteous with the wicked so that the righteous should be like the wicked. Far be it from You! Will the Judge of the entire earth not perform justice?"

26 And the Lord said, "If I find in Sodom fifty righteous men within the city, I will forgive the entire place for their sake."

27 And Abraham answered and said, "Behold now I have commenced to speak to the Lord, although I am dust and ashes.

28 Perhaps the fifty righteous men will be missing five. Will You destroy the entire city because of five?" And He said, "I will not destroy if I find there forty-five."

29 And he continued further to speak to Him, and he said, "Perhaps forty will be found there." And He said, "I will not do it for the sake of the forty."

30 And he said, "Please, let the Lord's wrath not be kindled, and I will speak. Perhaps thirty will be found there." And He said, "I will not do it if I find thirty there."

31 And he said, "Behold now I have desired to speak to the Lord, perhaps twenty will be found there." And He said, "I will not destroy for the sake of the twenty."

32 And he said, "Please, let the Lord's wrath not be kindled, and I will speak yet this time, perhaps ten will be found there." And He said, "I will not destroy for the sake of the ten."

33 And the Lord departed when He finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.

Amos 3:1-7 

God Speaks through the Prophets

1 Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt:

2 

You only have I known
    of all the families of the earth;
therefore I will punish you
    for all your iniquities.

3 

Do two walk together
    unless they have made an appointment?

4 

Does a lion roar in the forest
    when it has no prey?
Does a young lion cry out from its den
    if it has caught nothing?

5 

Does a bird fall into a snare on the earth
    when there is no trap for it?
Does a snare spring up from the ground
    when it has taken nothing?

6 

Is a trumpet blown in a city,
    and the people are not afraid?
Does disaster befall a city
    unless the Lord has done it?

7 

Surely the Lord God does nothing
    without revealing his secret
    to his servants the prophets.

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 19

1 And the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom, and Lot saw and arose toward them, and he prostrated himself on his face to the ground.

2 And he said, "Behold now my lords, please turn to your servant's house and stay overnight and wash your feet, and you shall arise early and go on your way." And they said, "No, but we will stay overnight in the street."

3 And he urged them strongly, and they turned in to him, and came into his house, and he made them a feast, and he baked unleavened cakes, and they ate.

4 When they had not yet retired, and the people of the city, the people of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, the entire populace from every end [of the city].

5 And they called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, and let us be intimate with them."

6 And Lot came out to them to the entrance, and he shut the door behind him.

7 And he said, "My brethren, please do not do evil.

8Behold now I have two daughters who were not intimate with a man. I will bring them out to you, and do to them as you see fit; only to these men do nothing, because they have come under the shadow of my roof."

9 But they said, "Back away." And they said, "This one came to sojourn, and he is judging! Now, we will deal even worse with you than with them." And they pressed hard upon the man Lot, and they drew near to break the door.

10 And the men stretched forth their hands, and they brought Lot to them to the house, and they shut the door.

11 And the men who were at the entrance of the house they struck with blindness, both small and great, and they toiled in vain to find the entrance.

12 And the men said to Lot, "Whom else do you have here? A son-in-law, your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, take out of the place.

13 For we are destroying this place, because their cry has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it."

14 So Lot went forth and spoke to his sons-in-law, the suitors of his daughters, and he said, "Arise, go forth from this place, for the Lord is destroying the city," but he seemed like a comedian in the eyes of his sons-in-law.

15 And as the dawn rose, the angels pressed Lot, saying, "Get up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you perish because of the iniquity of the city."

16 But he tarried, and the men took hold of his hand and his wife's hand, and the hand of his two daughters, out of the Lord's pity for him, and they took him out and placed him outside the city.

17 And it came to pass, when they took them outside, that he said, "Flee for your life, do not look behind you, and do not stand in the entire plain. Flee to the mountain, lest you perish."

18 And Lot said to them, "Please, do not, O Lord.

19 Behold now, Your servant has found favor in Your eyes, and You have increased Your kindness, which You have done with me, to sustain my soul. But I cannot flee to the mountain, lest the evil overtake me, and I die.

20 Behold now, this city is near to flee there, and it is small. Let me please flee there. Is it not small? And my soul will survive."

Hosea 12:7-14 

The Prophets Warn and Guide

7 

A trader in whose hands are false balances,
    he loves to oppress.

8 

Ephraim has said, “Ah, I am rich;
    I have gained wealth for myself;
in all of my gain
    no offense has been found in me
    that would be sin.”

9 

I am the Lord your God
    from the land of Egypt;
I will make you live in tents again,
    as in the days of the appointed festival.

10 

I spoke to the prophets;
    it was I who multiplied visions,
    and through the prophets I will bring destruction.

11 

In Gilead there is iniquity;
    they shall surely come to nothing.
In Gilgal they sacrifice bulls,
    so their altars shall be like stone heaps
    on the furrows of the field.

12 

Jacob fled to the land of Aram;
    there Israel served for a wife,
    and for a wife he guarded sheep.

13 

By a prophet the Lord brought Israel up from Egypt,
    and by a prophet he was guarded.

14 

Ephraim has given bitter offense,
    so his Lord will bring his crimes down on him
    and pay him back for his insults.

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 19

21 And he said to him, "Behold I have favored you also as regards this matter, that I will not overturn the city that you have mentioned.

22 Hasten, flee there, for I will not be able to do anything until you arrive there." Therefore, he named the city Zoar.

23 The sun came out upon the earth, and Lot came to Zoar.

24 And the Lord caused to rain down upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire, from the Lord, from heaven.

25 And He turned over these cities and the entire plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and the vegetation of the ground.

26 And his wife looked from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

27 And Abraham arose early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord.

28 And he looked over the face of Sodom and Gomorrah and over the entire face of the land of the plain, and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the earth had risen like the smoke of a furnace.

29 And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and He sent Lot out of the midst of the destruction when He overturned the cities in which Lot had dwelt.

30 And Lot went up from Zoar, and he dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters were with him, for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar; so he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.

31 And the elder said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is no man on earth to come upon us, as is the custom of all the earth.

32 Come, let us give our father wine to drink, and let us lie with him, and let us bring to life seed from our father."

33 And they gave their father wine to drink on that night, and the elder came and lay with her father, and he did not know of her lying down or of her rising up.

34 And it came to pass on the morrow, that the elder said to the younger, "Behold, last night I lay with my father. Let us give him wine to drink tonight too, and come, lie with him, and let us bring to life seed from our father."

35 So they gave their father to drink on that night also, and the younger arose and lay with him, and he did not know of her lying down or of her rising up.

36 And Lot's two daughters conceived from their father.

37 And the elder bore a son, and she named him Moab; he is the father of Moab until this day.

38 And the younger, she too bore a son, and she named him Ben-ami; he is the father of the children of Ammon until this day.

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 20

1 And Abraham traveled from there to the land of the south, and he dwelt between Kadesh and between Shur, and he sojourned in Gerar.

2 And Abraham said about Sarah his wife, "She is my sister," and Abimelech the king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.

3 And God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night, and He said to him, "Behold you are going to die because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a married woman."

4 And Abimelech had not come near to her, and he said, "O Lord, will You kill even a righteous nation?

5 Did he not say to me, 'She is my sister'? And she, even she said, 'He is my brother.' With the innocence of my heart and with the purity of my hands have I done this."

6 And God said to him in a dream, "I too know that you did this with the innocence of your heart, and I too have withheld you from sinning to Me; therefore, I did not let you touch her.

7 And now, return the man's wife, because he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and [you will] live; but if you do not return [her], know that you will surely die, you and all that is yours."

8 And Abimelech arose early in the morning, and he summoned all his servants, and he spoke all these words in their ears; and the men were very frightened.

9 And Abimelech summoned Abraham and said to him, "What have you done to us, and what have I sinned against you, that you have brought upon me and upon my kingdom a great sin? Deeds that are not done, you have done to me."

10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, "What did you see, that you did this thing?"

11 And Abraham said, "For I said, 'Surely, there is no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.

12 And also, indeed, she is my sister, the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife.

13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said to her: This is your kindness, which you shall do with me: whither we come, say about me, 'He is my brother.'"

14 And Abimelech took flocks and cattle and menservants and maidservants, and he gave [them] to Abraham, and he restored to him his wife Sarah.

15 And Abimelech said, "Here is my land before you; wherever it pleases you, you may dwell."

16 And to Sarah he said, "Behold I have given a thousand pieces of silver to your brother; behold it is to you a covering of the eyes for all who are with you, and with all you shall contend."

17 And Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his handmaids, and they gave birth.

18 For the Lord had shut every womb of Abimelech's household, because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 21

1 And the Lord remembered Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as He had spoken.

2 And Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him.

3 And Abraham named his son who had been born to him, whom Sarah had borne to him, Isaac.

4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.

1 Cor. 12:1-11 

Gifts for the Common Good

(Spiritual Gifts)

12 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be ignorant. 2 You know that when you were gentiles you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.

4 Now there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit, 5 and there are varieties of services but the same Lord, 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of powerful deeds, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 21

5 And Abraham was a hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born to him.

6 And Sarah said, "God has made joy for me; whoever hears will rejoice over me."

7 And she said, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children, for I have borne a son to his old age!"

8 And the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, making merry.

10 And Sarah said to Abraham, "Drive out this handmaid and her son, for the son of this handmaid shall not inherit with my son, with Isaac."

11 But the matter greatly displeased Abraham, concerning his son.

12 And God said to Abraham, "Be not displeased concerning the lad and concerning your handmaid; whatever Sarah tells you, hearken to her voice, for in Isaac will be called your seed.

13 But also the son of the handmaid I will make into a nation, because he is your seed."

14 And Abraham arose early in the morning, and he took bread and a leather pouch of water, and he gave [them] to Hagar, he placed [them] on her shoulder, and the child, and he sent her away; and she went and wandered in the desert of Beer sheba.

15 And the water was depleted from the leather pouch, and she cast the child under one of the bushes.

16 And she went and sat down from afar, at about the distance of two bowshots, for she said, "Let me not see the child's death." And she sat from afar, and she raised her voice and wept.

17 And God heard the lad's voice, and an angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, "What is troubling you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the lad's voice in the place where he is.

18 Rise, pick up the lad and grasp your hand upon him, for I shall make him into a great nation."

19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water, and she went and filled the pouch with water and gave the lad to drink.

20 And God was with the lad, and he grew, and he dwelt in the desert, and he became an archer.

21 And he dwelt in the desert of Paran, and his mother took for him a wife from the land of Egypt.

1 Cor. 14:1-5, 26-31 

Weigh the Words of the Prophets

(Gifts of Prophecy and Tongues)

14 Pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts and especially that you may prophesy. 2 For those who speak in a tongue do not speak to other people but to God, for no one understands them, since they are speaking mysteries in the Spirit. 3 But those who prophesy speak to other people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. 4 Those who speak in a tongue build up themselves, but those who prophesy build up the church. 5 Now I would like all of you to speak in tongues but even more to prophesy. One who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.

(Orderly Worship)

26 What should be done then, my brothers and sisters? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. 27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be only two or at most three and each in turn, and let one interpret. 28 But if there is no one to interpret, let them be silent in church and speak to themselves and to God. 29 Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said. 30 If someone sitting receives a revelation, let the first person be silent. 31 For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 21

22 Now it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol his general said to Abraham, saying, "God is with you in all that you do.

23 And now, swear to me here by God, that you will not lie to me or to my son or to my grandson; according to the kindness that I have done with you, you shall do with me, and with the land wherein you have sojourned."

24 And Abraham said, "I will swear."

25 And Abraham contended with Abimelech about the well of water that the servants of Abimelech had forcibly seized.

26 And Abimelech said, "I do not know who did this thing, neither did you tell me, nor did I hear [of it] until today. "

27 And Abraham took flocks and cattle, and gave them to Abimelech, and they both formed a covenant.

28 And Abraham placed seven ewe lambs by themselves.

29 And Abimelech said to Abraham, "What are these seven ewe lambs, which you have placed by themselves?"

30 And he said, "For these seven ewe lambs you shall take from my hand, in order that it be to me for a witness that I dug this well."

31 Therefore, he named that place Beer sheba, for there they both swore.

32 And they formed a covenant in Beer-sheba, and Abimelech and Phicol his general arose, and they returned to the land of the Philistines.

33 And he planted an eishel in Beer-Sheba, and he called there in the name of the Lord, the God of the world.

34 And Abraham dwelt in the land of the Philistines for many days.

Isaiah 6 

“Here am I; send me!”

(A Vision of God in the Temple)

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty, and the hem of his robe filled the temple. 2 Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. 3 And one called to another and said,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”

4 The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. 5 And I said, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”

6 Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. 7 The seraph touched my mouth with it and said, “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!” 9 And he said, 

“Go and say to this people:

‘Keep listening, but do not comprehend;
keep looking, but do not understand.’

10 

Make the mind of this people dull,
    and stop their ears,
    and shut their eyes,
so that they may not look with their eyes
    and listen with their ears
and comprehend with their minds
    and turn and be healed.”

11 

Then I said, “How long, O Lord?” And he said,
“Until cities lie waste
    without inhabitant,
and houses without people,
    and the land is utterly desolate;

12 

until the Lord sends everyone far away,
    and vast is the emptiness in the midst of the land.

13 

Even if a tenth part remain in it,
    it will be burned again,
like a terebinth or an oak
    whose stump remains standing
    when it is felled.”
(The holy seed is its stump.)

Bereshit (Genesis) Chapter 22

1 And it came to pass after these things, that God tested Abraham, and He said to him, "Abraham," and he said, "Here I am."

2 And He said, "Please take your son, your only one, whom you love, Isaac, and go away to the land of Moriah and bring him up there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains, of which I will tell you."

3 And Abraham arose early in the morning, and he saddled his donkey, and he took his two young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for a burnt offering, and he arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

4 On the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar.

5 And Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go yonder, and we will prostrate ourselves and return to you."

6 And Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering, and he placed [it] upon his son Isaac, and he took into his hand the fire and the knife, and they both went together.

7 And Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and he said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." And he said, "Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"

8 And Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And they both went together.

9 And they came to the place of which God had spoken to him, and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and he bound Isaac his son and placed him on the altar upon the wood.

10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand and took the knife, to slaughter his son.

11 And an angel of God called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham! Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."

12 And he said, "Do not stretch forth your hand to the lad, nor do the slightest thing to him, for now I know that you are a God fearing man, and you did not withhold your son, your only one, from Me."

13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and he saw, and lo! there was a ram, [and] after [that] it was caught in a tree by its horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.

14 And Abraham named that place, The Lord will see, as it is said to this day: On the mountain, the Lord will be seen.

15 And an angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven.

16 And he said, "By Myself have I sworn, says the Lord, that because you have done this thing and you did not withhold your son, your only one,

17 That I will surely bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand that is on the seashore, and your descendants will inherit the cities of their enemies.

18 And through your children shall be blessed all the nations of the world, because you hearkened to My voice."

19 And Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beer sheba; and Abraham remained in Beer sheba.

20 And it came to pass after these matters, that it was told to Abraham saying: "Behold Milcah, she also bore sons to Nahor your brother.

21 Uz, his first born, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel, the father of Aram.

22 And Kesed and Hazo and Pildash and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.

23 And Bethuel begot Rebecca." These eight did Milcah bear to Nahor, Abraham's brother.

24 And his concubine, whose name was Reumah, had also given birth to Tebah and Gaham and Tahash and Maacah.

Melachim II (II Kings) Chapter 4

1 Now a woman, of the wives of the disciples of the prophets, cried out to Elisha, saying, "Your servant, my husband, has died, and you know that your servant did fear the Lord; and the creditor has come to take my two children for himself as slaves."

2 And Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me what you have in the house." And she said, "Your maidservant has nothing at all in the house except a jug of oil."

3 And he said, "Borrow vessels for yourself from outside, from all your neighbors; do not borrow only a few empty vessels.

4 And you shall come and close the door about yourself and about your sons, and you shall pour upon all these vessels; and the full one you shall carry away."

5 And she went away from him and closed the door about herself and about her sons; they were bringing [vessels] to her and she was pouring.

6 And it was when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, "Bring me another vessel," and he said to her, "There is no other vessel." And the oil stopped.

7 And she came and told the man of God: and he said, "Go sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons will live with the remainder."

8 And it was that day that Elisha went as far as Shunem, and there was a prominent woman who prevailed upon him to eat a meal; and it was, whenever he would pass, he would stop there to eat a meal.

9 And she said to her husband, "Behold now I know that he is a holy man of God, who passes by us regularly.

10 Now let us make a small walled upper chamber, and place there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp; and it will be that when he comes to us, he will turn into there.

11 And it was one day that he went there, that he turned into the upper chamber and lay down there.

12 And he said to Gehazi his servant, "Call this Shunemitess;" and he called her, and she stood before him.

13 And he said to him, "Please say to her, 'Behold you have busied yourself on our account with all this trouble. What is there to do for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or to the general of the army?' " And she said, "I dwell in the midst of my people."

14 And he said, "Now what can we do for her? " And Gehazi said, "Indeed, she has no son, and her husband is old."

15 And he said, "Summon her," and he summoned her, and she stood at the doorway.

16 And he said, "At this time next year, when you will be alive like now, you will be embracing a son." And she said, "No, my lord, O man of God, do not fail your maidservant."

17 And the woman conceived and bore a son, at this time a year later, which Elisha had spoken to her.

18 And the child grew up; and it was one day that he went out to his father, to the reapers.

19 And he said to his father, "My head! My head!" And he said to the servant, "Carry him to his mother."

20 And he carried him and brought him to his mother, and he sat on her knees until noon, and he died.

21 And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and she closed about him and left.

22 And she called her husband and said, "Please send me one of the servants and one of the she-asses; and I will run up to the man of God and return."

23 And he said, "Why are you going to him today; it is neither the New Moon nor the Sabbath." And she said, "It's all right."

24 And she saddled the she-ass, and she said to her servant, "Drive and go forward. Don't keep back from riding because of me unless I tell you."

25 And she went and came to the man of God, to Mt. Carmel; and it was when the man of God saw her from afar, that he said to Gehazi his servant, "Here is that Shunemmitess.

26 Now please run toward her, and say to her, 'Are you well? Is your husband well? Is the child well?' " And she said, "We are well."

27 And she came to the man of God to the mountain, and she took hold of his feet; and Gehazi approached to push her away. Now the man of God said, "Let her be, for her soul is bitter to her, and the Lord hid it from me and did not tell me."

28 And she said, "Did I ask for a son from my lord? Did I not say, 'Do not mislead me?' "

29 And he said to Gehazi, "Gird your loins and take my staff in your hand and go. If you meet anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer him: and you shall place my staff on the lad's face."

30 And the lad's mother said, "As the Lord lives and by your life, I will not leave you." And he rose and went after her.

31 And Gehazi went ahead of them, and he placed the staff on the lad's face, and there was no sound nor any attention; and he returned toward him and told him saying, "The lad has not awakened."

32 And Elisha came into the house, and behold the lad was dead, laid out on his bed.

33 And he came and closed the door about both of them; and he prayed to the Lord.

34 And he went up and lay on the child, and placed his mouth on his mouth and his eyes on his eyes and his palms on his palms, and he prostrated himself upon him: and the child's flesh became warm.

35 And he returned and walked in the house once here and once there, and he went up and prostrated himself upon him: and the lad sneezed up to seven times, and the lad opened his eyes.

36 And he summoned Gehazi and said, "Call this Shunemmitess." And he called her, and she came to him, and he said, "Pick up your son."

37 And she came and fell at his feet and bowed to the ground; and she picked up her son and departed.