1   The time came when the Lord would take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind. 2   Elijah and Elisha left Gilgal, and Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to Bethel.’ But Elisha said, ‘As the Lord lives, your life upon it, I will not leave you.’ So they went down country to Bethel. 3   There a company of prophets came out to Elisha and said to him, ‘Do you know that the Lord is going to take your lord and master from you today?’ ‘I do know,’ he replied; ‘say no more.’ 4   Then Elijah said to him, ‘Stay here, Elisha; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.’ But he replied, ‘As the Lord lives, your life upon it, I will not leave you.’ 5   So they went to Jericho. There a company of prophets came up to Elisha and said to him, ‘Do you know that the Lord is going to take your lord and master from you today?’ ‘I do know,’ he said; ‘say no more.’ 6   Then Elijah said to him, ‘Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.’ The other replied, ‘As the Lord lives, your life upon it, I will not leave you.’ So the two of them went on.

7   Fifty of the prophets followed them, and stood watching from a distance as the two of them stopped by the Jordan. 8   Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to right and left, and they both crossed over on dry ground. 9   While they were crossing, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken from you.’ Elisha said, ‘Let me inherit a double share of your spirit. 10   ‘You have asked a hard thing’, said Elijah. ‘If you see me taken from you, may your wish be granted; if you do not, it shall not be granted.’ 11   They went on, talking as they went, and suddenly there appeared chariots of fire and horses of fire, which separated them one from the other, and Elijah was carried up in the whirlwind to heaven. 12   When Elisha saw it, he cried, ‘My father, my father, the chariots and the horsemen of Israel!’, and he saw him no more. 13   Then he took hold of his mantle and rent it in two, and he picked up the cloak which had fallen from Elijah, and came back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14   There he too struck the water with Elijah's

Elisha and the end of the house of Ahab cloak and said, ‘Where is the Lord the God of Elijah?’ When he struck the water, it was again divided to right and left, and he crossed over. 15   The prophets from Jericho, who were watching, saw him and said, ‘The spirit of Elijah has settled on Elisha.’ So they came to meet him, and fell on their faces before him and said, 16   ‘Your servants have fifty stalwart men. Let them go and search for your master; perhaps the spirit of the Lord has lifted him up and cast him on some mountain or into some valley.’ 17   But he said, ‘No, you must not send them.’ They pressed him, however, until he had not the heart to refuse. So they sent out the fifty men but, though they searched for three days, they did not find him. 18   When they came back to Elisha, who had remained at Jericho, he said to them, ‘Did I not tell you not to go?’

19   The people of the city said to Elisha, ‘You can see how pleasantly our city is situated, but the water is polluted and the country is troubled with miscarriages.’ 20   He said, ‘Fetch me a new bowl and put some salt in it.’ 21   When they had fetched it, he went out to the spring and, throwing the salt into it, he said, ‘This is the word of the Lord: “I purify this water. 22   It shall cause no more death or miscarriage.”’ The water has remained pure till this day, in fulfilment of Elisha's word.

23   He went up from there to Bethel and, as he was on his way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, ‘Get along with you, bald head, get along.’ 24   He turned round and looked at them and he cursed them in the name of the Lord; and two she-bears came out of a wood and mauled forty-two of them. 25   From there he went on to Mount Carmel, and thence back to Samaria.

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