列王紀下4:1-7

 

4:1 有一個先知門徒的妻哀求以利沙說：「你僕人─我丈夫死了，他敬畏耶和華是你所知道的。現在有債主來，要取我兩個兒子作奴僕。」
4:2 以利沙問她說：「我可以為你做甚麼呢？你告訴我，你家裡有甚麼？」她說：「婢女家中除了一瓶油之外，沒有甚麼。」
4:3 以利沙說：「你去，向你眾鄰舍借空器皿，不要少借；
4:4 回到家裡，關上門，你和你兒子在裡面將油倒在所有的器皿裡，倒滿了的放在一邊。」
4:5 於是，婦人離開以利沙去了，關上門，自己和兒子在裡面；兒子把器皿拿來，她就倒油。
4:6 器皿都滿了，她對兒子說：「再給我拿器皿來。」兒子說：「再沒有器皿了。」油就止住了。
4:7 婦人去告訴神人，神人說：「你去賣油還債，所剩的你和你兒子可以靠著度日。」

 

 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”

² Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”

“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”

³ Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. ⁴ Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”

⁵ She left him and shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. ⁶ When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”

But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.

⁷ She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”

 

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    以利沙面對一位先知門徒的妻哀求，不是逃避，反而告訴她解決的辦法，就是透過準備容器，將油一直倒，直到沒有容器好裝的時候，以至於將油賣完之後不僅解決眼前欠債在的事，還供應到將來的需求！