Open English Translation 2 KI Chapter 2

2 One day as Eliyah and Elisha had left Gilgal, Yahweh took Eliyah up to heaven in a storm. 2 Eliyah had told Elisha, “Now, you stay here because Yahweh has told me to go to Beyt-El.”

“By the life of Yahweh,” Elisha had responded, “and by the life of your spirit, I won’t leave you.” So they’d headed to Beyt-El.

3 Also the prophets-in-training who were in Beyt-El had gone out to Elisha and told him, “Do you know that today Yahweh is going to take your master away from you?”

“I already know that,” he’d replied. “Don’t say anything.”

4 Then Eliyah had informed Elisha, “Yahweh has sent me to Yericho (Jericho). You stay here.”

He’d answered, “By the life of Yahweh and the life of your spirit, I won’t leave you.” So they’d gone to Yericho.

5 The prophets-in-training who were in Yericho had approached Elisha and briefed him, “Do you know that today Yahweh is taking your master away from you?”

“Yes, I realise that,” he’d responded. “Say no more.”

6 Again Eliyah had told him, “You stay here, because Yahweh has sent me to the Yordan.”

And he’d countered, “By the life of Yahweh and the life of your spirit, I won’t leave you.” So the two of them had gone there together. 7 Fifty of the prophets-in-training had also gone, but they’d stood back watching from a distance, so the two of them had stood there by the Yordan. 8 Then Eliyah had taken off his cloak and doubled it over and hit the river with it. The water divided leaving a dry path and the two of them had walked across to the other side. 9 As they’d crossed over, Eliyah had told Elisha, “Tell me what you’d like me to do for you before I get taken away.”

“Please,” Elisha had answered, “I’d like a double amount of the spirit that you have.”

10 “Oh, that’s a difficult request,” Eliyah had responded. “Well, if you see me being taken away from you, then you’ll get what you asked for, but if you miss seeing me go, you won’t.”

11 Then it had happened while they were walking and talking together. Wow, a chariot of fire and horses of fire drove between the two of them, separating them. Then Eliyah went up to the heavens in the gale. 12 Elisha was watching, and he cried out, “My father, my father, Yisrael’s chariot and its horsemen!”

But then Elisha could no longer see him, and he grabbed his own cloak, and tore it in half, 13 and he picked up Eliyah’s cloak that had fallen down to the ground. Then he went back and stood on the bank of the Yordan, 14 and he took Eliyah’s cloak and hit the river with it, saying, “Where is Eliyah’s god Yahweh?” Then as he hit the water, the river divided into two parts and Elisha crossed through the middle. 15 The prophets-in-training who were on the Yericho side, affirmed, “Elisha now has the spirit that Eliyah had.” Then they came forward to meet him and knelt down in front of him as a sign of respect, 16 and they requested, “Listen please, fifty of us here have military training. Please, let them go to search for your master, in case Yahweh’s spirit lifted him and dropped him on a hill somewhere or into one of the valleys.”

“Don’t waste your time,” he replied. 17 But they kept insisting so much that Elisha was embarrassed and he said, “Ok then.”

So they sent fifty men, and they searched for three days, but they didn’t find Eliyah. 18 When they returned to Elisha (he was staying in Yericho), he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to bother?”

19 Then the leaders of Yericho city said to Elisha, “Please, this city is a good place to live, just as my master can see, but the water supplies around here are bad so our crops don’t thrive.”

20 “Bring me a brand new bowl,” he said, “and put salt there.” So they brought one to him, 21 and he went out to the spring and threw the salt at it, and announced, “Yahweh says that he’s healed these water supplies and they’ll no longer cause death or barrenness.” 22 So now those water supplies have been healthy and beneficial until this day, just as Elisha had said.

23 From there Elisha went to Beyt-El, and as he was going up on the road, some young men came out from the city, and started mocking him, saying, “Keep moving, baldy. Keep moving, baldy.”

24 Then Elisha turned back around and looked at them, and he cursed them in Yahweh’s name. Just then, two female bears came out from the forest and mauled forty-two of them.

25 Elisha carried on from there to Mt. Karmel, and from there, he returned to Shomron (Samaria).