Another day when Elisha the prophet passed by a place called Shunem, a prominent woman there invited him for a meal. After that every time he passed that way he used to stop there to eat. As time went on she suggested to her husband that they should make a room for him upstairs so that he could rest there whenever he wanted. After this was done Elisha asked his servant Gehazi what he could do for her in return for all this hospitality. He found out that this woman had no son. Elisha called her and told her that by the time the next year came around she would have a son. It happened just as Elisha said.

As this son was growing up one day he went to his father's field. There he started complaining about a pain in his head, and so he was taken back home to his mother. He sat on her lap for some time and then died! She quickly got up, laid her son on Elisha's bed, got on to a donkey and rode to meet Elisha. When he saw her coming from a distance he sent Gehazi to find out if everything was well. She replied it was, but she came and clung to Elisha's feet. Gehazi tried to push her away, but Elisha said there might be something that was causing her this distress which the Lord had not yet told him about.

She cried out to him reminding him that she had not asked him for a son! Elisha quickly asked Gehazi to take his staff and to go and lay it on this son. Gehazi returned saying that the son was still the same. Then Elisha went to his room, saw the dead body and started praying. He walked up and down, and lay on top of the body trying to make it warm. Soon the boy came alive. Elisha asked Gehazi to call the mother, and then he handed the boy over to his mother!