The Widow’s Oil Multiplied

4 One of the wives of the sons of the prophets m cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, has died. You know that your servant * feared the Lord. n Now the creditor is coming to take my two children as his slaves.” o

2 Elisha asked her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?”

She said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” p

3 Then he said, “Go and borrow empty containers from everyone—from all your neighbors. Do not get just a few. q 4 Then go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour oil into all these containers. Set the full ones to one side.” 5 So she left.

After she had shut the door behind her and her sons, they kept bringing her containers, and she kept pouring. r 6 When they were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another container.”

But he replied, “There aren’t any more.” Then the oil stopped.

7 She went and told the man of God, s and he said, “Go sell the oil and pay your debt; you and your sons can live on the rest.” t