Chapter 2
1 When Yahweh was about to take Elijah up by a whirlwind into heaven , Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal .
2 Elijah said to Elisha , " Please wait here , for Yahweh has sent me as far as Bethel ." Elisha said, " As Yahweh lives , and as your soul lives , 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 Yahweh will take away your master from over you today ?" He said , " Yes , I know it . Hold your peace ."
4 Elijah said to him , " Elisha , please wait here , for Yahweh has sent me to Jericho ." He said, " As Yahweh lives , and as your soul lives , I will not leave you ." So they came to Jericho .
5 The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came near to Elisha, and said to him , " Do you know that Yahweh will take away your master from over you today ?" He answered, " Yes , I know it . Hold your peace ."
6 Elijah said to him , " Please wait here , for Yahweh has sent me to the Jordan ." He said, " As Yahweh lives , and as your soul lives , I will not leave you ." Then they both went on .
7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance ; and they both stood by the Jordan .
8 Elijah took his mantle, and rolled it up , and struck the waters ; and they were divided here and there , so that they both went over on dry ground .
9 When they had gone over , Elijah said to Elisha, " Ask what I shall do for you , before I am taken from you ." Elisha said , " Please let a double portion of your spirit be on me ."
10 He said , " You have asked a hard thing . If you see me when I am taken from you , it will be so for you ; but if not , it will not be so ."
11 As they continued on and talked , behold , a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated them ; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven .
12 Elisha saw it , and he cried , " My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen !" He saw him no more . Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces .
13 He also took up Elijah’s mantle that fell from him , and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan .
14 He took Elijah’s mantle that fell from him , and struck the waters , and said, " Where is Yahweh , the God of Elijah?" When he also had struck the waters , they were divided apart , and Elisha went over .
15 When the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho facing him saw him , they said, " The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha." They came to meet him , and bowed themselves to the ground before him .
16 They said to him , " See now , there are with your servants fifty strong men . Please let them go and seek your master. Perhaps Yahweh ’s Spirit has taken him up , and put him on some mountain or into some valley ." He said, "Don’t send them ."
17 When they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, " Send them ." Therefore they sent fifty men; and they searched for three days , but didn’t find him .
18 They came back to him while he stayed at Jericho ; and he said to them , "Didn’t I tell you , ‘Don’t go ’?"
19 The men of the city said to Elisha, " Behold , please , the situation of this city is pleasant , as my lord sees ; but the water is bad , and the land is barren ."
20 He said, " Bring me a new jar , and put salt in it ." Then they brought it to him .
21 He went out to the spring of the waters , and threw salt into it , and said , " Yahweh says , ‘ I have healed these waters . There shall not be from there any more death or barren wasteland.’"
22 So the waters were healed to this day , according to Elisha ’s word which he spoke .
23 He went up from there to Bethel . As he was going up by the way , some youths came out of the city and mocked him , and said to him , " Go up , you baldy ! Go up , you baldy !"
24 He looked behind him and saw them , and cursed them in Yahweh ’s name . Then two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of those youths .
25 He went from there to Mount Carmel , and from there he returned to Samaria .