Study Desk

He did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like his father and mother; for he put away the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made.

So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. They made a circuit of seven days' journey, but there was no water for the army or for the cattle that followed them.

Then the king of Israel said, "We are doomed, for the LORD has called these three kings to be handed over to Moab."

Now Elisha said to the king of Israel, "What business do you have with me? Go to the prophets of your [wicked] father [Ahab] and to the prophets of your [pagan] mother [Jezebel]." But the king of Israel said to him, "No, for the LORD has called these three kings together to be handed over to Moab."

Elisha said, "As the LORD of hosts (armies) lives, before whom I stand, were it not that I have regard for Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you [king of Israel].

"For thus says the LORD, 'You will not see wind or rain, yet that valley will be filled with water, so you and your cattle and your other animals may drink.

When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom; but they could not.

Now one of the wives of a man of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha [for help], saying "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant [reverently] feared the LORD; but the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves [in payment for a loan]."

Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have [of value] in the house?" She said, "Your maidservant has nothing in the house except a [small] jar of [olive] oil."

Now there came a day when Elisha went over to Shunem, where there was a prominent and influential woman, and she persuaded him to eat a meal. Afterward, whenever he passed by, he stopped there for a meal.

"Please, let us make a small, fully-walled upper room [on the housetop] and put a bed there for him, with a table, a chair, and a lampstand. Then whenever he comes to visit us, he can turn in there."

Now he said to Gehazi, "Say to her now, 'You have gone to all this trouble for us; what can I do for you? Would you like to be mentioned to the king or to the captain of the army?'" She answered, "I live among my own people [in peace and security and need no special favors]."

Later Elisha said, "What then is to be done for her?" Gehazi answered, "Well, she has no son and her husband is old."

Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, "Drive [the animal] fast; do not slow down the pace for me unless I tell you."

When she came to the mountain to the man of God, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi approached to push her away; but the man of God said, "Let her alone, for her soul is desperate and troubled within her; and the LORD has hidden the reason from me and has not told me."

Then she said, "Did I ask for a son from my lord? Did I not say, 'Do not give me false hope'?"

Elisha came back to Gilgal during a famine in the land. The sons of the prophets were sitting before him, and he said to his servant, "Put on the large pot and cook stew for the sons of the prophets."

So they served it for the men to eat. But as they ate the stew, they cried out, "O man of God, there is death in the pot." And they could not eat it.

But he said, "Bring flour." And he threw it into the pot and said, "Serve it for the people so that they may eat." Then there was nothing harmful in the pot.

His servant said, "How am I to set [only] this before a hundred [hungry] men?" He said, "Give it to the people so that they may eat, for thus says the LORD, 'They shall eat and have some left.'"