2 Kings 2

¹ When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were going from Gilgal.

² Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel.

³ The sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD is going to take your master from over you?" He said, "Yes, I know. Be silent."

⁴ Elijah said to him, "Elisha, stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Jericho." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they came to Jericho.

⁵ The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD is going to take your master from over you?" He answered, "Yes, I know. Be silent."

⁶ Elijah said to him, "Stay here, for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on.

⁷ Fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood at a distance facing them, while the two of them stood by the Jordan.

⁸ Then Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the water. The water divided to one side and to the other, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

⁹ When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask what I should do for you before I am taken from you." Elisha said, "Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me."

¹⁰ He said, "You have asked a hard thing. If you see me being taken from you, it will be yours; but if not, it will not be so."

¹¹ As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.

¹² Elisha saw it and cried out, "My father! My father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

¹³ He picked up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.

¹⁴ He took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, saying, "Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" When he also struck the water, it divided to one side and to the other, and Elisha crossed over.

¹⁵ The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him from a distance and said, "The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha." They came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.

¹⁶ They said to him, "Look now, there are fifty strong men among your servants. Please let them go and search for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has lifted him up and thrown him on some mountain or into some valley." He said, "Do not send them."

¹⁷ But they pressed him until he was ashamed, and he said, "Send them." So they sent fifty men, and they searched for three days but did not find him.

¹⁸ They came back to him while he was staying in Jericho, and he said to them, "Did I not tell you, 'Do not go'?"

¹⁹ The men of the city said to Elisha, "Look, the location of this city is good, as my lord can see, but the water is bad and the land causes miscarriage."

²⁰ He said, "Bring me a new bowl and put salt in it." So they brought it to him.

²¹ He went out to the spring of water and threw salt into it, saying, "This is what the LORD says: 'I have healed this water. No longer will death or miscarriage come from it.'"

²² So the water has been wholesome to this day, according to the word that Elisha spoke.

²³ He went up from there to Bethel. As he was going up on the road, small boys came out of the city and mocked him, saying, "Go up, bald one! Go up, bald one!"

²⁴ He turned around, looked at them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two female bears came out of the forest and mauled forty-two of the boys.

²⁵ From there he went to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.