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Now it happened on a day that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread; after which, as often as he passed by he turned in thither to eat bread.

And she said to her husband, Behold, now I perceive this is a holy man of God, who passeth by ns continually.

Let us make, I pray thee, a little chamber on the wall, and set for him there a bed and table, and a stool and a candlestick: and when he cometh to us, he shall turn in thither.

And at a certain time when Elisha came, and turned into the chamber and lodged there, he said to Gehazi his servant, Call this Shunamite, and say to her, Thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? Wouldst thou be spoken for to the king, or the captain of the host?

And she answered, I dwell among mine own people.— He then said, What shall be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old. Elisha said, Call her. And when she was called, she stood in the door, and he said, About this time according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son.

But she said, Nay my lord, do not tell thine handmaid an untruth.

After this the woman conceived, and bare a child at the time which Elisha had foretold her, according to the time of life.

But when the child was grown up, he went out on a day to his father to the reapers. And complained to him, and said, O my head, my head: upon which his father said to a lad, carry him to his mother.

And when he came 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 called to her husband, and said, Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may go to the man of God, and come again.

And he said, Why wilt thou go to him to-day? It is neither new moon nor sabbath. And she answered, It shall be well. Then she saddled the ass, and said to the servant, Go forward; slack not thy riding for me except I bid thee.

So she went on, and came unto the man of God at Mount Carmel; and when he saw her at a distance, he said to Gehazi his servant, Behold, yonder is that Shunamite. Run, I pray thee, to meet her, and say, Is it well with thee?

Is it well with thy husband? Is it well with the child? And she answered, It is well.

And when she came to Elisha, she took hold of his feet; but Gehazi came near to thrust her away: upon which he said, Let her alone, for her soul is vexed within her: and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me.

Then she said to the prophet, Did I ask a son of my lord? Did not I say, Do not deceive me? And he said to Gehazi, Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thy hand, go thy way if thou meet any man, do not salute him; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff on the face of the child.

And the mother of the child said, As the and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. and followed her.

Lord liveth,
So he arose

And Gehazi passed on before them, and laid the staff on the face of the child, but there was no voice, nor any attention, therefore he returned to meet him, and said, The child is not awaked.

And when Elisha came to the house, behold the child was dead, and laid upon his bed. And he went into the chamber, and having shut the door upon them twain, prayed unto the Lord. He also 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 opened his eyes. Upon this he commanded to call the Shunamite; and when she came to him, he said, Take up thy son. Then she fell at his feet, bowing herself to the ground, and took up her son,

forth.

and went

And Elisha came again to Gilgal, when there was a famine in the land, and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him: and he said to his servant, Set on the great pot and boil pottage for them.

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And one who went into the field to gather herbs found a wild vine, and gathered thereof wild gourds, a lapful, and came and shred them into the pot: for they did not know them.

So they poured out for the men to eat; and as they were eating of the pottage, they cried out, There is death in the pot, O man of God: and they could not eat of it. Then he said, Bring meal and he cast it into the pot, and he said,

Pour out for the people, that they may eat: and there was no harm in the pot.

And there came a man from Baal-shalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the first fruits, twenty loaves of barley, and new ears of corn in the husk: and he said, Give to the people that they may eat.

But he that served said, What, shall I set this before a hundred men? He replied again, Give the people, that they may eat; for thus saith the Lord, They shall eat, and shall leave thereof. So he set it before them, and they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the Lord.

LESSON CXI. 2 KINGS, V.

Now Naaman the captain of the hosts of the king of Syria was a great man with his master, and much esteemed, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.

And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid, and she waited on Naaman's wife. And she said to her mistress, I wish my master was with the prophet who is in Samaria: for he would recover him out of his leprosy.

And one went in, and told his lord what the maid that was of the land of Israel had said. Then the king of Syria said, Go, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel. And Naaman departed, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.

And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now, when this letter is come to thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman, my servant, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.

And when the king of Israel had read the letter, he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill, and make alive, that he sends to me to recover a man of his leprosy? Consider therefore, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.

And it was so, that when Elisha, the man of God, heard how the king of Israel had rent his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, Why didst thou rend thy clothes? Let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.

So Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and stood

at the door of the house of Elisha.

And Elisha sent a mes

senger to him, saying, Go, and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again unto thee, and thou shalt be clean.

But Naaman was displeased, and went away, saying, Behold, I thought he would surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.—Are not Abana and Pharpar rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.

Then his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldst thou not have done it? How much more then when he saith to thee, Wash and be clean.

Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

And he returned to the man of God, with all his company, and came and stood before him, saying, Behold now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.

But Elisha said, As the Lord liveth before whom I stand, 1 will receive none. And he urged him to take it, but he refused. And Naaman said, Shall there not then I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules' burthen of earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt-offerings, nor sacrifice unto other gods, but to the Lord.

In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon. When I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing. And he said unto him, Go in peace: so he departed from him a little

way.

But Gehazi the servant of Elisha, the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but as the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him.

So Gehazi followed after him: and when Naaman saw him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well? and he answered, All is well.

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My master hath sent me to say, Behold, there are come to me, even now, from Mount Ephraim, two young men of the sons of the prophets; give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.

And Naaman replied, Be content, take two talents: and he urged him, and bound up two talents in two bags, with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants, and they carried them before him.

And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hands, and laid them up in the house, and let the men go, and they departed.

But he went in and stood before his master: and Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? and he answered, Thy servant went no whither.

Then he said to him, Went not my heart with thee, when the man turned from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and men-servants, and maid-servants.

The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy offspring for ever. And Gehazi went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.

LESSON CXII. 2 KINGS.

Now Jehoram the son of Ahab wrought evil in the sight of the Lord, but not like his father, and like his mother; for he put away the image of Baal that his father had made.

Nevertheless, he cleaved unto the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin: he departed not therefrom. And the time that Jehoram reigned over Israel was twelve years.

JEHU the son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi, was anointed king over Israel, by the commandment of the Lord to Elijah. He also broke down the image of Baal and destroyed the house, and killed the worshippers of Baal.

Howbeit from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, Jehu departed not from after them, to wit, the golden calves that were in Beth-el, and that were in Dan.

JEHOAHAZ the son of Jehu, reigned in the stead of his father. And he did that which was evil in the eyes of the Lord, and followed the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin: he departed not therefrom.

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