2 Kings 2
1 Shortly before the LORD took Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal,
And it came to pass, when the Lord was going to take Eliu with a whirlwind as it were into heaven, that Eliu and Elisaie went out of Galgala.
2 and Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to Bethel.” But Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
And Eliu said to Elisaie, Stay here, I pray you; for God has sent me to Baethel. And Elisaie said, [As] the Lord lives and your soul lives, I will not leave you; so they came to Baethel.
3 Then the sons of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and said, “Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he replied. “Do not speak of it.”
And the sons of the prophets who were in Baethel came to Elisaie, and said to him, Do you know, that the Lord this day is going to take your lord away from your head? And he said, Yes, I know [it]; be silent.
4 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to Jericho.” But Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho.
And Eliu said to Elisaie, Stay here, I pray you; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho. And he said, [As] the Lord lives and your soul lives, I will not leave you. And they came to Jericho.
5 Then the sons of the prophets at Jericho came up to Elisha and said, “Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he replied. “Do not speak of it.”
And the sons of the prophets who were in Jericho drew near to Elisaie, and said to him, Do you know that the Lord is about to take away your master today from your head? And he said, Yes, I know [it]; hold your peace.
6 And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to the Jordan.” But Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.
And Eliu said to him, Stay here, I pray you, for the Lord has sent me to Jordan. And Elisaie said, [As] the Lord lives and your soul lives, I will not leave you: and they both went on.
7 Then a company of fifty of the sons of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing Elijah and Elisha as the two of them stood by the Jordan.
And fifty men of the sons of the prophets [went also], and they stood opposite afar off: and both stood on [the bank] of Jordan.
8 And Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the waters, which parted to the right and to the left, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
And Eliu took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and struck the water: and the water was divided on this side and on that side, and they both went over on dry ground.
9 After they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken away from you?” “Please, let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.
And it came to pass while they were crossing over, that Eliu said to Elisaie, Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken up from you. And Elisaie said, Let there be, I pray you, a double [portion] of your spirit upon me.
10 “You have requested a difficult thing,” said Elijah. “Nevertheless, if you see me as I am taken from you, it will be yours. But if not, then it will not be so.”
And Eliu said, You have asked a hard thing: if you shall see me when I am taken up from you, then shall it be so to you; and if not, it shall not be [so].
11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire with horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up into heaven in a whirlwind.
And it came to pass as they were going, they went on talking; and, behold, a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and it separated between them both; and Eliu was taken up in a whirlwind as it were into heaven.
12 As Elisha watched, he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And he saw Elijah no more. So taking hold of his own clothes, he tore them in two.
And Elisaie saw, and cried, Father, father, the chariot of Israel, and the horseman thereof! And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his garments, and tore them into two pieces.
13 Elisha also picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah, and he went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.
And Elisaie took up the mantle of Eliu, which fell from off him upon Elisaie; and Elisaie returned, and stood upon the brink of Jordan;
14 Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the waters. “Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” he asked. And when he had struck the waters, they parted to the right and to the left, and Elisha crossed over.
and he took the mantle of Eliu, which fell from off him, and struck the water, and said, Where is the Lord God of Eliu? and he struck the waters, and they were divided hither and there; and Elisaie went over.
15 When the sons of the prophets who were facing him from Jericho saw what had happened, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him.
And the sons of the prophets who were in Jericho on the opposite side saw him, and said, The spirit of Eliu has rested upon Elisaie. And they came to meet him, and did obeisance to him to the ground.
16 “Look now,” they said to Elisha, “we your servants have fifty valiant men. Please let them go and search for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and put him on one of the mountains or in one of the valleys.” “Do not send them,” Elisha replied.
And they said to him, Behold now, [there are] with your servants fifty men of strength: let them go now, and seek your lord: perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up, and cast him into Jordan, or on one of the mountains, or on one of the hills. And Elisaie said, You shall not send.
17 But when they pressed him to the point of embarrassment, he said, “Send them.” And they sent fifty men, who searched for three days but did not find Elijah.
And they pressed him until he was ashamed; and he said, Send. And they sent fifty men, and sought three days, and found him not.
18 When they returned to Elisha, who was staying in Jericho, he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?”
And they returned to him, for he lived in Jericho: and Elisaie said, Did I not say to you, Go not?
19 Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Please note, our lord, that the city’s location is good, as you can see. But the water is bad and the land is unfruitful.”
And the men of the city said to Elisaie, Behold, the situation of the city [is] good, as [our] lord sees; but the waters [are] bad, and the ground barren.
20 “Bring me a new bowl,” he replied, “and put some salt in it.” So they brought it to him,
And Elisaie said, Bring me a new pitcher, and put salt in it. And they took [one], and brought [it] to him.
21 and Elisha went out to the spring, cast the salt into it, and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘I have healed this water. No longer will it cause death or unfruitfulness.’”
And Elisaie went out to the spring of the waters, and cast salt therein, and says, Thus says the Lord, I have healed these waters; there shall not be any longer death thence or barren [land].
22 And the waters there have been healthy to this day, according to the word spoken by Elisha.
And the waters were healed until this day, according to the word of Elisaie which he spoke.
23 From there, Elisha went up to Bethel, and as he was walking up the road, a group of boys came out of the city and jeered at him, chanting, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!”
And he went up thence to Baethel: and as he was going up by the way there came up also little children from the city, and mocked him, and said to him, Go up, bald-head, go up.
24 Then he turned around, looked at them, and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Suddenly two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.
And he turned after them, and saw them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And, behold, there came out two bears out of the wood, and they tore forty and two children of them.
25 And Elisha went on to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
And he went thence to mount Carmel, and returned thence to Samaria.
