Elisha and the Widow’s Oil

1 Now the wife of one of the ^esons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, ^fbut the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves.” 2 And Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what have you in the house?” And she said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” 3 Then he said, “Go outside, borrow vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not too few. 4 Then go in and shut the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all these vessels. And when one is full, set it aside.” 5 So she went from him and shut the door behind herself and her sons. And as she poured they brought the vessels to her. 6 When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.” And he said to her, “There is not another.” Then the oil stopped flowing. 7 She came and told the ^gman of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”

Elisha and the Shunammite Woman

8 One day Elisha went on to ^hShunem, where a ⁱwealthy woman lived, who urged him to eat some food. So whenever he passed that way, he would turn in there to eat food. 9 And she said to her husband, “Behold now, I know that this is a holy ^gman of God who is continually passing our way. 10 Let us make a small room on the roof with walls and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that whenever he comes to us, he can go in there.”

11 One day he came there, and he turned into the chamber and rested there. 12 And he said to ^jGehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite.” When he had called her, she stood before him. 13 And he said to him, “Say now to her, ‘See, you have taken all this trouble for us; what is to be done for you? Would you have a word spoken on your behalf to the king or to ^kthe commander of the army?’” She answered, “I dwell among my own people.” 14 And he said, “What then is to be done for her?” Gehazi answered, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is old.” 15 He said, “Call her.” And when he had called her, she stood in the doorway. 16 And he said, “At this season, ^labout this time next year, you shall embrace a son.” And she said, “No, my lord, ^gO man of God; ^mdo not lie to your servant.” 17 But the woman conceived, and she bore a son about that time ^lthe following spring, as Elisha had said to her.

Elisha Raises the Shunammite’s Son

18 When the child had grown, he went out one day to his father among the reapers. 19 And he said to his father, “Oh, ⁿmy head, my head!” The father said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 And when he had lifted him and brought him to his mother, the child sat on her lap till noon, and then he died. 21 And she went up ^oand laid him on the bed of the ^gman of God and shut the door behind him and went out. 22 Then she called to her husband and said, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, that I may quickly go to ^gthe man of God and come back again.” 23 And he said, “Why will you go to him today? It is neither ^pnew moon nor Sabbath.” She said, “All is well.” 24 Then she saddled the donkey, and she said to her servant, “Urge the animal on; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you.” 25 So she set out and came to the man of God ^qat Mount Carmel.

When the man of God saw her coming, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Look, there is the Shunammite. 26 Run at once to meet her and say to her, ‘Is all well with you? Is all well with your husband? Is all well with the child?’” And she answered, “All is well.” 27 And when she came ^rto the mountain to the man of God, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came to push her away. But the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for she is in bitter distress, and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me.” 28 Then she said, “Did I ask my lord for a son? ^sDid I not say, ‘Do not deceive me?’” 29 He said to Gehazi, ^t“Tie up your garment and ^utake my staff in your hand and go. If you meet anyone, ^vdo not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not reply. And ^ulay my staff on the face of the child.” 30 Then the mother of the child said, ^w“As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So he arose and followed her. 31 Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the face of the child, but there was no sound or sign of life. Therefore he returned to meet him and told him, “The child ^xhas not awakened.”

32 When Elisha came into the house, he saw the child lying dead on his bed. 33 So he went in and ^yshut the door behind the two of them ^zand prayed to the Lord. 34 Then he went up and lay on the child, putting his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. And as ^ahe stretched himself upon him, the flesh of the child became warm. 35 Then he got up again and walked once back and forth in the house, and went up ^aand stretched himself upon him. The child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. 36 Then he summoned Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite.” So he called her. And when she came to him, he said, “Pick up your son.” 37 She came and fell at his feet, bowing to the ground. ^bThen she picked up her son and went out.

Elisha Purifies the Deadly Stew

38 And Elisha came again to ^cGilgal when ^dthere was a famine in the land. And as ^ethe sons of the prophets ^fwere sitting before him, he said to his servant, ^g“Set on the large pot, and boil stew for the sons of the prophets.” 39 One of them went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine and gathered from it his lap full of wild gourds, and came and cut them up into the pot of stew, not knowing what they were. 40 And they poured out some for the men to eat. But while they were eating of the stew, they cried out, “O man of God, there is death in the pot!” And they could not eat it. 41 He said, “Then bring flour.” ^hAnd he threw it into the pot and said, “Pour some out for the men, that they may eat.” And there was no harm in the pot.

42 A man came from ⁱBaal-shalishah, ^jbringing the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. And Elisha said, ^k“Give to the men, that they may eat.” 43 But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred men?” So he repeated, “Give them to the men, that they may eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’” 44 So he set it before them. And they ate and had some left, according to the word of the Lord.

Worship in the Splendor of Holiness

Greeting

1 Paul and Timothy, servants¹ of Christ Jesus,

To all the ^asaints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the ^boverseers² and ^cdeacons:³

2 ^dGrace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

3 ^eI thank my God ^fin all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 ^gbecause of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began ^ha good work in you ⁱwill bring it to completion at ^jthe day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you ^kin my heart, for you are all ^lpartakers with me of grace,⁴ both ^min my imprisonment and in ⁿthe defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For ^oGod is my witness, ^phow I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that ^qyour love may abound more and more, ^rwith knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, ^sand so be pure and blameless ^tfor the day of Christ, 11 filled ^uwith the fruit of righteousness that comes ^vthrough Jesus Christ, ^wto the glory and praise of God.

The Advance of the Gospel

12 I want you to know, brothers,⁵ that what has happened to me has really ^xserved to advance the gospel, 13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard⁶ and ^yto all the rest that ^zmy imprisonment is for Christ. 14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold ^ato speak the word⁷ without fear.

15 ^bSome indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will. 16 The latter do it out of love, ^cknowing that I am put here for ^dthe defense of the gospel. 17 The former proclaim Christ ^eout of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment. 18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.

To Live Is Christ

Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that ^fthrough your prayers and ^gthe help of ^hthe Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, 20 as it is my eager expectation and hope ⁱthat I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full ^jcourage now as always Christ ^kwill be honored in my body, ^lwhether by life or by death. 21 For to me ^mto live is Christ, and to die is gain. 22 If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. 23 ⁿI am hard pressed between the two. My desire is ^oto depart and ^pbe with Christ, for that is far better. 24 But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. 25 ^qConvinced of this, ^rI know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your ^sprogress and ^tjoy in the faith, 26 so that in me ^uyou may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again.

27 Only ^vlet your manner of life be ^wworthy⁸ of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you ^xthat you are standing firm in one spirit, with ^yone mind ^zstriving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is ^aa clear sign to them of their destruction, but ^bof your salvation, and that from God. 29 For ^cit has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also ^bsuffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same ^dconflict that ^eyou saw I had and now hear that I still have.

Christ’s Example of Humility

1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from ^flove, any ^gparticipation in the Spirit, any ^haffection and sympathy, 2 ⁱcomplete my joy by being ^jof the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from ^kselfish ambition or ^lconceit, but in ^mhumility count others more significant than yourselves. 4 Let each of you ⁿlook not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 5 ^oHave this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,⁹ 6 ^pwho, though he was in ^qthe form of God, did not count equality with God ^ra thing to be grasped,¹⁰ 7 but ^semptied himself, by taking the form of a ^tservant,^{11 u}being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by ^vbecoming obedient to the point of death, ^weven death on a cross. 9 ^xTherefore ^yGod has ^zhighly exalted him and bestowed on him ^athe name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus ^bevery knee should bow, ^cin heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and ^devery tongue confess that Jesus Christ is ^eLord, to the glory of God the Father.

Lights in the World

12 Therefore, my beloved, ^fas you have always ^gobeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for ^hit is God who works in you, both to will and to work for ⁱhis good pleasure.

14 Do all things ^jwithout grumbling or ^kdisputing, 15 that you may be blameless and innocent, ^lchildren of God ^mwithout blemish ⁿin the midst of ^oa crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine ^pas lights in the world, 16 holding fast to ^qthe word of life, so that in ^rthe day of Christ ^sI may be proud that ^tI did not run in vain or labor in vain. 17 Even if I am to be ^upoured out as a drink offering upon ^vthe sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. 18 Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

Timothy and Epaphroditus

19 I hope in the Lord Jesus ^wto send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. 20 For I have no one ^xlike him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. 21 For they all ^yseek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know Timothy’s^{12 z}proven worth, how ^aas a son¹³ with a father ^bhe has served with me in the gospel. 23 I hope therefore to send him just as soon as I see how it will go with me, 24 and ^cI trust in the Lord that shortly I myself will come also.

25 I have thought it necessary to send to you ^dEpaphroditus my brother and fellow worker and ^efellow soldier, and your messenger and ^fminister to my need, 26 for he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard that he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, near to death. But God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow. 28 I am the more eager to send him, therefore, that you may rejoice at seeing him again, and that I may be less anxious. 29 So ^greceive him in the Lord with all joy, and ^hhonor such men, 30 for he nearly died^{14 i}for the work of Christ, risking his life ^jto complete what was lacking in your service to me.