2 Kings 2

CHAPTER 2

Elijah Taken to Heaven

¹Now it happened when Yahweh was about to ^atake up Elijah by a ¹whirlwind to heaven, that Elijah went with ^bElisha from ^cGilgal.

²And Elijah said to Elisha, “^aStay here please, for Yahweh has sent me as far as ^bBethel.” But Elisha said, “^cAs Yahweh lives and as your soul lives, I will not forsake you.” So they went down to Bethel.

³Then ^athe sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that Yahweh will take away your master from over ¹you today?” And he said, “Yes, I know; be silent.”

⁴And Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please ^astay here, for Yahweh has sent me to ^bJericho.” But he said, “^cAs Yahweh lives and as your soul lives, I will not forsake you.” So they came to Jericho.

^5aThen the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, “^bDo you know that Yahweh will take away your master from over ¹you today?” And he ²answered, “Yes, I know; be silent.”

⁶Then Elijah said to him, “Please ^astay here, for Yahweh has sent me to ^bthe Jordan.” And he said, “As Yahweh lives and as your soul lives, I will not forsake you.” So the two of them went on.

⁷Now ^afifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance, but the two of them stood by the Jordan.

⁸And Elijah ^atook his mantle and folded it together and ^bstruck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

⁹Now it happened when they crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please, let a ^adouble portion of your spirit be upon me.”

¹⁰And he said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you ^asee me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.”

¹¹As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared ^aa chariot of fire and horses of fire, and it separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a ¹whirlwind to heaven.

¹²And Elisha was seeing this and he was crying out, “^aMy father, my father, the ¹chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw ²Elijah no more. Then ^bhe took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

¹³He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan.

¹⁴And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, “Where is Yahweh, the God of Elijah?” Indeed, he himself also ^astruck the waters, and they were divided here and there! And Elisha crossed over.

Elisha Has the Spirit of Elijah

¹⁵Then ^athe sons of the prophets who were at Jericho opposite him saw him and said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

¹⁶Then they said to him, “Behold now, there are with your servants fifty excellent men, please let them go and search for your master, lest ^athe Spirit of Yahweh has taken him up and cast him on some mountain or into some valley.” And he said, “You shall not send.”

¹⁷But when ^athey urged him until he was ashamed, he said, “Send.” They sent therefore fifty men; and they searched three days but did not find him.

¹⁸So they returned to him while he was staying at Jericho; and he said to them, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not go’?”

¹⁹Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold now, the habitat of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad and the land ¹is unfruitful.”

²⁰And he said, “Bring me a new jar, and put salt ¹in it.” So they brought it to him.

²¹And he went out to the spring of water and ^athrew salt ¹in it and said, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘I have ²purified these waters; there shall not be from there death or barrenness any longer.’”

²²So the waters have been ¹purified to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.

²³Then he went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, young boys came out from the city and ^amocked him and said to him, “Go up, you baldhead; go up, you baldhead!”

²⁴Then he looked behind him and saw them. And he ^acursed them in the name of Yahweh. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of ¹their number.

²⁵And he went from there to ^aMount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.