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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

2 Kings 4:14

Elisha asked Gehazi, "What can I do for her then?" He answered, "Well, she has no son, and her husband is an old man."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Shunammite;   Women;   Thompson Chain Reference - Childlessness;   Family;   Home;   Trouble;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Gehazi;   Shunem;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Elisha;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Miracle;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Hospitality;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Gehazi;   Shunem;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Elisha;   Furniture;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Marriage;   Medicine;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Gehazi ;   Shunammite ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elisha;   Gehazi;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Children;   Eli'sha;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Israel;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Gehazi;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So he asked, “Then what should be done for her?”
Hebrew Names Version
He said, What then is to be done for her? Gechazi answered, Most assuredly she has no son, and her husband is old.
King James Version
And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old.
English Standard Version
And he said, "What then is to be done for her?" Gehazi answered, "Well, she has no son, and her husband is old."
New Century Version
Elisha said to Gehazi, "But what can we do for her?" He answered, "She has no son, and her husband is old."
New English Translation
So he asked Gehazi, "What can I do for her?" Gehazi replied, "She has no son, and her husband is old."
Amplified Bible
Later Elisha said, "What then is to be done for her?" Gehazi answered, "Well, she has no son and her husband is old."
New American Standard Bible
So he said, "What then is to be done for her?" And Gehazi answered, "It is a fact that she has no son, and her husband is old."
Geneva Bible (1587)
Againe he sayde, What is then to be done for her? Then Gehazi answered, In deede she hath no sonne, and her husband is olde.
Legacy Standard Bible
So he said, "What then is to be done for her?" And Gehazi answered, "Truly she has no son, and her husband is old."
Contemporary English Version
"Then what can we do for her?" Elisha asked Gehazi. Gehazi replied, "I do know that her husband is old, and that she doesn't have a son."
Complete Jewish Bible
He said, "What, then, is to be done for her?" Geichazi answered, "There's one thing — she doesn't have a son; and her husband is old.
Darby Translation
And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi said, Verily, she has no son, and her husband is old.
Easy-to-Read Version
Elisha said to Gehazi, "What can we do for her?" He answered, "I know! She does not have a son, and her husband is old."
George Lamsa Translation
Then he said, What shall I do for her? And Gehazi said to him, Verily she has no son and her husband is old.
Lexham English Bible
Then he said, "What may be done for her?" Gehazi said, "Well, she has no son, and her husband is old."
Literal Translation
And he said, What then shall I do for her? And Gehazi said, Truly there is no son to her. And her husband is old.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
He sayde: What hast thou then to do? Gehasi sayde: Alas, she hath no sonne, and hir hu?bade is olde.
American Standard Version
And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no son, and her husband is old.
Bible in Basic English
So he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi made answer, Still there is this, she has no son and her husband is old.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he said againe: What is to be done for her? Gehezi aunswered: Ueryly she hath no childe, and her husband is olde.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he said: 'What then is to be done for her?' And Gehazi answered: 'Verily she hath no son, and her husband is old.'
King James Version (1611)
And he said, What then is to bee done for her? And Gehazi answered, Uerily she hath no child, and her husband is old.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he said to Giezi, What must we do for her? and Giezi his servant said, Indeed she has no son, and her husband is old.
English Revised Version
And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no son, and her husband is old.
Berean Standard Bible
So he asked, "Then what should be done for her?" "Well, she has no son," Gehazi replied, "and her husband is old."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he seide, What therfor wole sche that Y do to hir? Giezi seide to hym, Axe thou not, for she hath no sone, and hir hosebonde is eeld.
Young's Literal Translation
And he saith, `And what -- to do for her?' and Gehazi saith, `Verily she hath no son, and her husband [is] aged.'
Update Bible Version
And he said, What then is to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Truly she has no son, and her husband is old.
Webster's Bible Translation
And he said, What then [is] to be done for her? And Gehazi answered, Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old.
World English Bible
He said, What then is to be done for her? Gehazi answered, Most assuredly she has no son, and her husband is old.
New King James Version
So he said, "What then is to be done for her?" And Gehazi answered, "Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old."
New Living Translation
Later Elisha asked Gehazi, "What can we do for her?" Gehazi replied, "She doesn't have a son, and her husband is an old man."
New Life Bible
So Elisha said, "What then is to be done for her?" Gehazi answered, "She has no son, and her husband is old."
New Revised Standard
He said, "What then may be done for her?" Gehazi answered, "Well, she has no son, and her husband is old."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So he said, What then can be done for thee? And Gehazi said, Verily, she hath no, son, and, her husband, is, old.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he said: What will she then that I do for her? And Giezi said: Do not ask, for she hath no son, and her husband is old.
Revised Standard Version
And he said, "What then is to be done for her?" Geha'zi answered, "Well, she has no son, and her husband is old."
THE MESSAGE
Elisha conferred with Gehazi: "There's got to be something we can do for her. But what?" Gehazi said, "Well, she has no son, and her husband is an old man."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So he said, "What then is to be done for her?" And Gehazi answered, "Truly she has no son and her husband is old."

Contextual Overview

8 One day Elisha went to Shunem, where a rich woman lived. She invited him to a meal, and from then on every time he went to Shunem he would have his meals at her house. 9 She said to her husband, "I am sure that this man who comes here so often is a holy man. 10 Let's build a small room on the roof, put a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp in it, and he can stay there whenever he visits us." 11 One day Elisha returned to Shunem and went up to his room to rest. 12 He told his servant Gehazi to go and call the woman. When she came, 13 he said to Gehazi, "Ask her what I can do for her in return for all the trouble she has had in providing for our needs. Maybe she would like me to go to the king or the army commander and put in a good word for her." "I have all I need here among my own people," she answered. 14 Elisha asked Gehazi, "What can I do for her then?" He answered, "Well, she has no son, and her husband is an old man." 15 "Tell her to come here," Elisha ordered. She came and stood in the doorway, 16 and Elisha said to her, "By this time next year you will be holding a son in your arms." "Oh!" she exclaimed. "Please, sir, don't lie to me. You are a man of God!" 17 But, as Elisha had said, at about that time the following year she gave birth to a son.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

she hath no child: Genesis 15:2, Genesis 15:3, Genesis 17:17, Genesis 18:10-14, Genesis 25:21, Genesis 30:1, Judges 13:2, 1 Samuel 1:2, 1 Samuel 1:8, Luke 1:7

Cross-References

Genesis 4:5
but he rejected Cain and his offering. Cain became furious, and he scowled in anger.
Genesis 4:6
Then the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why that scowl on your face?
Genesis 4:11
You are placed under a curse and can no longer farm the soil. It has soaked up your brother's blood as if it had opened its mouth to receive it when you killed him.
Genesis 4:12
If you try to grow crops, the soil will not produce anything; you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth."
Genesis 4:13
And Cain said to the Lord , "This punishment is too hard for me to bear.
Genesis 4:14
You are driving me off the land and away from your presence. I will be a homeless wanderer on the earth, and anyone who finds me will kill me."
Genesis 4:15
But the Lord answered, "No. If anyone kills you, seven lives will be taken in revenge." So the Lord put a mark on Cain to warn anyone who met him not to kill him.
Genesis 4:16
And Cain went away from the Lord 's presence and lived in a land called "Wandering," which is east of Eden.
Genesis 4:20
Adah gave birth to Jabal, who was the ancestor of those who raise livestock and live in tents.
Genesis 4:24
If seven lives are taken to pay for killing Cain, Seventy-seven will be taken if anyone kills me."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he said,.... That is, Elisha to Gehazi, when he returned to him, and told him what the Shunammite said:

what then is to be done for her? something he thought should be done in gratitude, the favours they had received, and advises with his servant what could be thought of, he being one about the house:

and Gehazi answered, verily she hath no child, and her husband is old; and so not likely to have any by him; as children were always very desirable by women, and especially in those days, the servant suggests, that no doubt to have one would be very acceptable to her.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Kings 4:14. What then is to be done for her? — It seems that the woman retired as soon as she had delivered the answer mentioned in the preceding verse.


 
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