1 ARST When Yahweh was about to take the prophet Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and his fellow prophet Elisha were traveling south from Gilgal. BSB BSB: Shortly before the LORD took Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal,
2 ARST Elijah said to Elisha,“Stay here, because Yahweh has told only me to go to the city of Bethel.” But Elisha replied,“Just as certainly as Yahweh lives and you live, I will not leave you!” So they went down together to Bethel. BSB BSB: and Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to Bethel.” But Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
3 ARST An association of prophets at Bethel came to Elisha and Elijah; they asked Elisha,“Do you know that Yahweh is going to take your master Elijah away from you today?” Elisha answered,“Certainly I know that, but do not talk about it!” BSB BSB: Then the sons of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and said, “Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he replied. “Do not speak of it.”
4 ARST Then Elijah said to Elisha,“Stay here, because Yahweh has told only me to go to Jericho.” But Elisha replied again,“Just as certainly as Yahweh lives and you live, I will not leave you!” So they went together to the city of Jericho. BSB BSB: And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to Jericho.” But Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho.
5 ARST As they neared Jericho, another association of prophets who were from there came to Elisha and said to him,“Do you know that Yahweh is going to take your master Elijah away from you today?” He answered again,“Certainly I know that, but do not talk about it!” BSB BSB: Then the sons of the prophets at Jericho came up to Elisha and said, “Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he replied. “Do not speak of it.”
6 ARST Then Elijah said to Elisha,“Stay here, because Yahweh has told only me to go to the Jordan River.” But again Elisha replied,“As certainly as Yahweh lives and you live, I will not leave you!” So they continued walking together. BSB BSB: And Elijah said to Elisha, “Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to the Jordan.” But Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.
7 ARST Fifty men from the association of prophets who were from Jericho also went, but they watched from a distance as Elijah and Elisha stopped at the edge of the Jordan River. BSB BSB: Then a company of fifty of the sons of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing Elijah and Elisha as the two of them stood by the Jordan.
8 ARST Then Elijah rolled up his cloak and struck the water with it. A path opened up for them through the river, and they walked across as though they were on dry ground. BSB BSB: And Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the waters, which parted to the right and to the left, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
9 ARST When they came to the other side, Elijah said to Elisha,“What do you want me to do for you before I am taken away?” Elisha replied,“I want you to enable me to very powerfully continue your ministry.” BSB BSB: After they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken away from you?” “Please, let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied.
10 ARST Elijah replied,“You have asked for something which is difficult for me to make happen. But if you see me when I am taken from you, you will get what you are requesting. But if you do not see me, then you will not get it.” BSB BSB: “You have requested a difficult thing,” said Elijah. “Nevertheless, if you see me as I am taken from you, it will be yours. But if not, then it will not be so.”
12 ARST Elisha saw it. He cried out,“My father! My father! The Israelite chariots and their drivers have taken my master away!” They disappeared into the sky, and Elisha never saw Elijah again. Then Elisha tore his own robe into two pieces to show that he was deeply saddened. BSB BSB: As Elisha watched, he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And he saw Elijah no more. So taking hold of his own clothes, he tore them in two.
13 ARST Elijah’ s cloak had fallen off when he was taken away, so Elisha picked it up and returned to the bank of the Jordan River. BSB BSB: Elisha also picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah, and he went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.
14 ARST He rolled up the cloak and struck the water with it, and cried out,“Is Yahweh, the God of Elijah, here with me, too?” Then the water separated, and a path opened up for him, and Elisha went across. BSB BSB: Then he took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the waters. “Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” he asked. And when he had struck the waters, they parted to the right and to the left, and Elisha crossed over.
15 ARST When the association of prophets from Jericho saw what happened, they exclaimed,“The Spirit of God has now given the same ability to Elisha that Elijah had!” They walked over to Elisha and bowed down in front of him. BSB BSB: When the sons of the prophets who were watching him from Jericho saw what had happened, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him.
16 ARST One of them said,“Sir, if you permit us, fifty of our strongest men will go and search for your master on the other side of the river. Perhaps the Spirit of Yahweh has left him on some mountain or in some valley.” Elisha replied,“No, do not send them.” BSB BSB: “Look now,” they said to Elisha, “we your servants have fifty valiant men. Please let them go and search for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and put him on one of the mountains or in one of the valleys.” “Do not send them,” Elisha replied.
17 ARST But they continued to urge him. Finally he was tired of saying“No,” and he said,“Very well, send them.” So fifty men searched for three days, but they did not find Elijah. BSB BSB: But when they pressed him to the point of embarrassment, he said, “Send them.” And they sent fifty men, who searched for three days but did not find Elijah.
18 ARST They returned to Jericho, and Elisha was still there. He said to them,“I told you that you should not go, because you would not find him!” BSB BSB: When they returned to Elisha, who was staying in Jericho, he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?”
19 ARST Then the leaders of Jericho came to talk with Elisha. One of them said,“Our master, we have a problem. You can see that this is a very nice place to live in. But the water is bad, and as a result, crops will not grow on the land.” BSB BSB: Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Please note, our lord, that the city’s location is good, as you can see. But the water is bad and the land is unfruitful.”
20 ARST Elisha said to them,“Put some salt in a new bowl and bring the bowl to me.” So they brought it to him. BSB BSB: “Bring me a new bowl,” he replied, “and put some salt in it.” So they brought it to him,
21 ARST Then Elisha went out to the spring from which the people in the town got water. He threw the salt into the spring. Then he said,“This is what Yahweh says:‘I have made this water good. No one will die anymore because of bad water, and the land will grow fruitful crops.’” BSB BSB: and Elisha went out to the spring, cast the salt into it, and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘I have healed this water. No longer will it cause death or unfruitfulness.’”
22 ARST And the water became pure, just as Elisha said it would. Since that time it has always remained pure. BSB BSB: And the waters there have been healthy to this day, according to the word spoken by Elisha.
23 ARST Elisha left Jericho and went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, a group of young boys from Bethel saw him and started to make fun of him. They continued shouting,“Go away, you bald- headed man!” BSB BSB: From there, Elisha went up to Bethel, and as he was walking up the road, a group of boys came out of the city and jeered at him, chanting, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” 24 ARST Elisha turned around and reprimanded them in the name of Yahweh. Immediately two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty- two of them. BSB BSB: Then he turned around, looked at them, and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Suddenly two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.
25 ARST Elisha left Bethel and went to Mount Carmel, and after that he returned to the city of Samaria. BSB BSB: And Elisha went on to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.