2 Kings 2

¹ This is what happened when Yahweh took Elijah up to heaven in the whirlwind: Elijah and Elisha set outfrom Gilgal,

² and Elijah said to Elisha, 'You stay here, for Yahweh is only sending me to Bethel.' But Elisha replied,'As Yahweh lives and as you yourself live, I wil not leave you!' and they went down to Bethel.

³ The brotherhood of prophets living at Bethel came out to meet Elisha and said, 'Do you know thatYahweh wil carry your lord and master away today?' 'Yes, I know,' he said, 'be quiet.'

⁴ Elijah said, 'Elisha, you stay here, Yahweh is only sending me to Jericho.' But he replied, 'As Yahwehlives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you!' and they went on to Jericho.

⁵ The brotherhood of prophets living at Jericho went up to Elisha and said, 'Do you know that Yahweh wil carry your lord and master away today?' 'Yes, I know,' he said, 'be quiet.'

⁶ Elijah said, 'Elisha, you stay here, Yahweh is only sending me to the Jordan.' But he replied, 'As Yahwehlives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you!' And they went on together.

⁷ Fifty of the brotherhood of prophets followed them, halting some distance away as the two of them stoodbeside the Jordan.

⁸ Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water; and the water divided to left and right, and the twoof them crossed over dry-shod.

⁹ When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, 'Make your request. What can I do for you before I amsnatched away from you?' Elisha answered, 'Let me inherit a double share of your spirit.'

¹⁰ 'Your request is difficult,' Elijah said. 'If you see me while I am being snatched away from you, it wil beas you ask; if not, it wil not be so.'

¹¹ Now as they walked on, talking as they went, a chariot of fire appeared and horses of fire comingbetween the two of them; and Elijah went up to heaven in the whirlwind.

¹² Elisha saw it, and shouted, 'My father! My father! Chariot of Israel and its chargers!' Then he lost sightof him, and taking hold of his own clothes he tore them in half.

¹³ He picked up Elijah's cloak which had fal en, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.

¹⁴ He took Elijah's cloak and struck the water. 'Where is Yahweh, the God of Elijah?' he cried. As hestruck the water it divided to right and left, and Elisha crossed over.

¹⁵ The brotherhood of prophets saw him in the distance, and said, 'The spirit of Elijah has come to rest onElisha'; they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.

¹⁶ 'Look,' they said, 'your servants have fifty strong men with them, let them go and look for your master;the Spirit of Yahweh may have taken him up and thrown him down on a mountain or into a val ey.' 'Send no one,'he replied.

¹⁷ But they so shamed him with their insistence that he consented. So they sent fifty men who searchedfor three days without finding him.

¹⁸ They then came back to Elisha who had stayed in Jericho; he said, 'Didn't I tell you not to go?'

¹⁹ The people of the city said to Elisha, 'The city is pleasant to live in, as my lord indeed can see, but thewater is foul and the country suffers from miscarriages.'

²⁰ 'Bring me a new bowl,' he said, 'and put some salt in it.' They brought it to him.

²¹ Then he went to the source of the water, threw salt into it and said, 'Yahweh says this, "I make thiswater wholesome: neither death nor miscarriage shal come from it any more." '

²² And the water became wholesome, as it is today, exactly as Elisha had said it would.

²³ From there he went up to Bethel, and while he was on the road, some smal boys came out of the townand jeered at him. 'Hurry up, baldy!' they shouted. 'Come on up, baldy!'

²⁴ He turned round and looked at them; and he cursed them in the name of Yahweh. And two bears cameout of the forest and savaged forty-two of the boys.

²⁵ From there he went on to Mount Carmel and then returned to Samaria.