THE CHILDREN'S BIBLE - Old Testament, God Makes Everything

The Bottomless Jar of Oil

Elisha travelled up and down the land. Everywhere he preached to the people. He tried to

make them stop worshipping false gods. He gave advice to kings and poor people. Elisha told everyone he met about God's love. Because The Holy Spirit was with Elisha, he worked miracles in God's name.

One such miracle helped save a mother and her two boys from being sold as slaves. This woman was the widow of a prophet of God. When the evil Queen Jezebel was still in power, many men of God had been killed. This woman was the wife of one such dead prophet. She had two little children to take care of, but no money.

In those days it was very hard for a widow to make any money. This women had no one to help her. "Please sir!" she cried out to Elisha. "My husband is dead. You know he obeyed and trusted in God. But I owe so much money. And I have nothing to pay with. The man I owe money to says he will come and take my children away if I don't pay him soon. My children and I will become slaves! Please help me!"

Elisha said, "How can I help?" Then he thought for a moment. "Tell me, what do you have in your house? Is there anything you can sell to make some money?"

The women shook her head sadly. Her hair fell in her face. She hugged her two boys. "I have nothing but a jar of oil."

Elisha said, "Go, and ask your neighbours for empty jars. Don't ask for a few. Bring every jar you can find. Then bring them back to your house. Take your sons with you and shut the door. Pour out all the oil of your one jar into all the jars you have collected. Then set them to one side."

She did as Elisha told her. She went around to all her neighbours. She collected as many jars as she could. Then she closed the door and started pouring oil.

She poured and poured and poured and poured. First one jar was full, then another and another and another. The little jar of oil from which she poured seemed bottomless. How could it contain so much oil? Finally, she said to her son, "Bring me anotger jar."

But he answered, "That was the last one."

The woman looked at the many, many jars of oil filling her house. She shook her head in wonder. She went to tell Elisha what had happened. He said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debt. Then you and your sons can live off the rest of the money."