2 Kings

2 And when Jehovah was taking Elijah up to the sky in a tempest, Elijah and Elishaʽ went out from the Gilgal, 2 and Elijah said to Elishaʽ “Stay here, because Jehovah has sent me to Bethel”; and Elishaʽ said “By Jehovah and by your life, I will not leave you”; and they went down to Bethel. 3 And the members of the prophets’ fellowship at Bethel came out to Elishaʽ and said to him “Do you know that today Jehovah is taking away your master from over you?” and he said “I know it myself: don’t talk.” 4 And Elijah said to him “Elishaʽ, stay here, because Jehovah has sent me to Jericho”; and he said “By Jehovah and by your life, I will not leave you”; and they came to Jericho. 5 And the members of the prophets’ fellowship at Jericho approached Elishaʽ and said to him “Do you know that today Jehovah is taking away your master from over you?” and he said “I know it myself; don’t talk.” 6 And Elijah said to him “Stay here, because Jehovah has sent me to the Jordan”; and he said “By Jehovah and by your life, I will not leave you”; and the two went on. 7 And fifty men, members of the prophets’ fellowship, went and stood opposite at a distance.

And the two stopped by the Jordan; 8 and Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up and struck the water, and the water split apart and the two went across dry-shod. 9 And when they had gone across, Elijah said to Elishaʽ “Ask for what I shall do for you before I am taken from you”; and Elishaʽ said “Let a double portion of your spirit come to me.” 10 And he said “You have asked for a hard thing: if you see me taken from you, have it so; and if not, you shall not.” 11 And as they went on, talking as they went, in came chariots of fire and ponies of fire and separated the two, and Elijah went up to the sky in a tempest, 12 with Elishaʽ looking on and crying out “Father, father, Israel’s chariots and cavalry!”—and he saw no more of him. 13 And he took hold of his clothes and tore them in two.

14 And he took up Elijah’s mantle, which had fallen off him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. And he took Elijah’s mantle which had fallen off him and struck the water, and said “Where is Elijah’s God Jehovah, O where?” and he struck the water, and the water split apart and Elishaʽ went across. 15 And the members of the prophets’ fellowship at Jericho saw it, and said “Elijah’s spirit rests on Elishaʽ,” and came to meet him and put their heads to the ground in reverence to him; 16 and they said to him “Here, your servants have with them fifty stalwart men: let them go and look for your master, in case Jehovah’s spirit should have lifted him away and thrown him on one of the mountains or in one of the valleys.” And he said “You shall not send.” 17 But they urged him till it grew awkward, and he said “Send them”; and they sent fifty men, and they searched three days, but did not find him. 18 And they came back to him, while he was staying at Jericho; and he said to them “Did I not tell you ‘Do not go’?”

19 And the men of the city said to Elishaʽ “Here, the site of the city is good, as you see, but the water is bad and the country goes childless.” 20 And he said “Fetch me a new saucer, and put salt in it”; and they fetched it to him. 21** And he went out to where the water gushed out and threw in salt and said “Says Jehovah, I make this water wholesome: there shall no longer be disease and childlessness from it.” 22 And the water became wholesome and remains so to this day, in accordance with the promise given by Elishaʽ.

23 And he went up from there to Bethel. And as he was on the way up, small boys came out of a city and gibed at him, and said to him “Go up, baldhead; go up, baldhead”; 24* and he turned round and saw them, and cursed them in Jehovah’s name. And two she-bears came out of the Badlands and mangled forty-two children there. 25 And from Bethel he went to Mount Carmel, and from there back to Samaria.