[1] Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a great
wind, Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. [2] And Elijah said to Elisha,
Come no farther for the Lord has sent me to Beth-el. But Elisha said, As
the Lord is living and as your soul is living, I will not be parted from
you. So they went down to Beth-el. [3] And at Beth-el the sons of the
prophets came out to Elisha and said, Has it been made clear to you that
the Lord is going to take away your master from over you today? And he
said, Yes, I have knowledge of it: say no more. [4] Then Elijah said to
him, Come no farther, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho. But he said, As
the Lord is living and as your soul is living, I will not be parted from
you. So they went on to Jericho. [5] And at Jericho the sons of the
prophets came up to Elisha and said to him, Has it been made clear to you
that the Lord is going to take away your master from over you today? And he
said in answer, Yes, I have knowledge of it: say no more. [6] Then Elijah
said to him, Come no farther, for the Lord has sent me to Jordan. But he
said, As the Lord is living and as your soul is living, I will not be
parted from you. So they went on together. [7] And fifty men of the sons of
the prophets went out and took their places facing them a long way off,
while the two of them were by the edge of Jordan. [8] Then Elijah took off
his robe, and, rolling it up, gave the water a blow with it, and the waters
were parted, flowing back this way and that, so that they went over on dry
land. [9] And when they had come to the other side, Elijah said to Elisha,
Say what you would have me do for you before I am taken from you. And
Elisha said, Be pleased to let a special measure of your spirit be on me.
[10] And he said, You have made a hard request: still, if you see me when I
am taken from you, you will get your desire; but if not, it will not be so.
[11] And while they went on their way, going on talking together, suddenly
there were carriages and horses of fire separating them from one another
and Elijah went up to heaven in a great wind. [12] And when Elisha saw it
he gave a cry, My father, my father, the carriages of Israel and its
horsemen! And he saw him no longer; and he was full of grief. [13] Then he
took up Elijah's robe, which had been dropped from him, and went back till
he came to the edge of Jordan. [14] And he took Elijah's robe, which had
been dropped from him, and giving the water a blow with it, said, Where is
the Lord, the God of Elijah? and at his blow the waters were parted this
way and that; and Elisha went over. [15] And when the sons of the prophets
who were facing him at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah is
resting on Elisha. And they came out to him, and went down on the earth
before him. [16] And they said, Your servants have with us here fifty
strong men; be pleased to let them go in search of Elijah; for it may be
that the spirit of the Lord has taken him up and put him down on some
mountain or in some valley. But he said, Do not send them. [17] But when
they kept on requesting him, he was shamed and said, Send, then. So they
sent fifty men; but after searching for three days, they came back without
having seen him. [18] And they came back to him, while he was still at
Jericho; and he said to them, Did I not say to you, Go not? [19] Now the
men of the town said to Elisha, You see that the position of this town is
good; but the water is bad, causing the young of the cattle to come to
birth dead. [20] So he said, Get me a new vessel, and put salt in it; and
they took it to him. [21] Then he went out to the spring from which the
water came, and put salt in it, and said, The Lord says, Now I have made
this water sweet; no longer will it be death-giving or unfertile. [22] And
the water was made sweet again to this day, as Elisha said. [23] Then from
there he went up to Beth-el; and on his way, some little boys came out from
the town and made sport of him, crying, Go up, old no-hair! go up, old
no-hair! [24] And turning back, he saw them, and put a curse on them in the
name of the Lord. And two she-bears came out of the wood and put forty-two
of the children to death. [25] From there he went to Mount Carmel, and came
back from there to Samaria.
