Elisha_Heals_a_Dead_Boy_A_Story_from_the_Book

Elisha Heals a Dead Boy

This story is more of the story before, Elisha and the Family from Shunem. The child is the child Elisha promised to the Shunammite couple in 2 Kings 4:8-17

And when the child was grown, it fell on a day that he went out to his father to the reapers. And he said unto his father, “My head, my head.”

And he said to a lad, “Carry him to his mother.”

And when he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon and then died.

And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God and shut the door upon him and went out. And she called unto her husband and said, “Send me, I pray you, one of the young men and one of the asses that I may run to the man of God and come again.”

And he said, “Wherefore will you go to him today? It is neither new moon nor sabbath.”

And she said, “It shall be well.”

Then she saddled an ass and said to her servant, “Drive and go forward. Slack not your riding for me, except I bid you.” So she went and came unto the man of God to Mount Carmel.

And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, “Behold, yonder is that Shunammite. Run now, I pray you, to meet her and say unto her, 'Is it well with you? Is it well with your husband? Is it well with the child?'”

And she answered, “It is well.”

And when she came to the man of God to the hill, she caught him by the feet, but Gehazi came near to thrust her away.

And the man of God said, “Let her alone, for her soul is vexed within her; and the LORD has hid it from me and has not told me.”

Then she said, “Did I desire a son of my lord? Did I not say, 'Do not deceive me'?”

Then he said to Gehazi, “Gird up your loins and take my staff in your hand and go your way. If you meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute you, answer him not again. And lay my staff upon the face of the child.”

And the mother of the child said, “As the LORD lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.”

And he arose and followed her. And Gehazi passed on before them and laid the staff upon the face of the child, but there was neither voice nor hearing.

Wherefore he went again to meet him and told him, saying, “The child is not awaked.”

And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead and laid upon his bed. He went in, therefore, and shut the door upon them two and prayed unto the LORD. And he went up and lay upon the child and put his mouth upon his mouth and his eyes upon his eyes and his hands upon his hands, and he stretched himself upon the child; and the flesh of the child waxed warm. Then he returned and walked in the house to and fro and went up and stretched himself upon him. And the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

And he called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her. And when she was come in unto him, he said, “Take up your son.”

Then she went in and fell at his feet and bowed herself to the ground and took up her son and went out.

(2 Kings 4:18-37)

Words that May Be New
afar: far away
ass: a donkey.
behold: look or see.
bid: to tell or to instruct.
deceive: to lie to, to make someone believe something that is not true.
desire: to want. Here it means to ask someone for something.
gird: to put on a belt.
lad: a boy.
loins: one's waist. (This is a word that is almost never used in today's English.)
reaper: a person who cuts and saves grain, a harvester.
Sabbath: the seventh day of the week. The Sabbath is a holy day in the Jewish religion.
saddle: what a person riding a horse, donkey, etc. sits on. Here it is a verb, meaning to put the saddle on the ass or donkey.
salute: to greet, to say, "Hello."
slack: to slow down or rest. The word can also refer to a rope that is loose rather than tight.
staff: a stick or rod used for walking. A staff is similar to a cane but is longer and used by a healthy person.
thrust: to push
to and fro: an old way of saying "back and forth."
vex: to cause to feel troubled, disturbed, or angry
wax: to grow, to become. (This is an older English term. Today wax refers to a protective coating rubbed onto a hard surface.
yonder: far away, over there.

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