2 Reis 2

¹ And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha fromWhich was the place where the children of Israel were circumcised after they came over Jordan and had been forty years in the wilderness, (Jos_5:9).Gilgal.

² Then Eliiah saide to Elisha, Tarie here, I pray thee: for the Lorde hath sent me to Bethel. But Elisha said, As the Lord liueth, and as thy soule liueth, I will not leaue thee. So they came downe to Beth-el.

³ And theSo called, because they are begotten anew as it were by the heavenly doctrine.sons of the prophets that [were] at Bethel came forth to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master fromThat is, from being your head any more: for to be as the head, is to be the master, as to be at the feet, is to be a scholar.thy head to day? And he said, Yea, IFor the Lord had revealed it to him.know [it]; hold ye your peace.

⁴ Againe Eliiah saide vnto him, Elisha, tarie here, I pray thee: for the Lorde hath sent me to Iericho: But he said, As the Lorde liueth, and as thy soule liueth, I will not leaue thee. So they came to Iericho.

⁵ And the sons of the prophets that [were] atNot only at Bethel, but at Jericho and other places were there prophets, who had scholars, whom they instructed and brought up in the true fear of God.Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the LORD will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know [it]; hold ye your peace.

⁶ Moreouer Eliiah saide vnto him, Tarie, I pray thee, here: for the Lorde hath sent me to Iorden. But he saide, As the Lorde liueth, and as thy soule liueth, I will not leaue thee. So they went both together.

⁷ And fiftie men of the sonnes of the Prophets went and stoode on the other side a farre off, and they two stoode by Iorden.

⁸ And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped [it] together, and smote theThat is, of Jordan.waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

⁹ And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee,Let your spirit have double force in me, because of these dangerous times: or let me have twice as much as the rest of the prophets: or if your spirit were to be divided into three parts, let me have two.let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

¹⁰ And he saide, Thou hast asked an hard thing: yet if thou see me when I am taken from thee, thou shalt haue it so: & if not, it shal not be.

¹¹ And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, [there appeared] a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind intoThus God has left a testimony in all ages (both before the law, in the law and in the gospel).heaven.

¹² And Elisha saw it, and he cryed, My father, my father, the charet of Israel, and the horsemen thereof: and he sawe him no more: and he tooke his owne clothes, and rent them in two pieces.

¹³ He tooke vp also the cloke of Eliiah that fell from him, and returned, and stoode by the banke of Iorden.

¹⁴ After, he tooke the cloke of Eliiah, that fell from him, and smote the waters, and sayde, Where is the Lord God of Eliiah? And so he also, after he had striken the waters, so that they were deuided this way and that way, went ouer, euen Elisha.

¹⁵ And when the sons of the prophets which [were] to view at Jericho saw him, they said, TheThe Spirit of prophecy was given to him as it was to Elijah.spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

¹⁶ And they said unto him, Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the LORD hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said,Because the fact was extraordinary, they doubted where he had gone, but Elisha was assured that he was taken up to God.Ye shall not send.

¹⁷ Yet they were instant vpon him, til he was ashamed: wherefore he saide, Sende. So they sent fiftie men, which sought three dayes, but founde him not.

¹⁸ Therefore they returned to him, (for he taryed at Iericho) and he said vnto them, Did not I say vnto you, Goe not?

¹⁹ And the men of the citie saide vnto Elisha, Beholde, we pray thee: the situation of this citie is pleasant, as thou, my lorde, seest, but the water is naught, and the ground baren.

²⁰ Then he saide, Bring me a newe cruse, and put salt therein; they brought it to him.

²¹ And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and castThus God gave him power, even contrary to nature, to make the water profitable for man's use, which before was hurtful.the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren [land].

²² So the waters were healed vntill this day, according to the worde of Elisha which hee had spoken.

²³ And he went vp from thence vnto Beth-el; as he was going vp the way, litle children came out of the citie, and mocked him, and saide vnto him, Come vp, thou balde head, come vp, thou balde head.

²⁴ And he turned back, and looked on them, andPerceiving their malicious heart against the Lord and his word, he asks God to avenge the injury done to him.cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.

²⁵ So he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.