2 Kings 2

And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.

When the time came for God to lift Elijah to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha journeyed together from Gilgal, filled with anticipation and awe.

And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.

Elijah pleaded with Elisha, "Please stay here; God has called me to Bethel." But Elisha, with a determined look, replied, "As surely as God lives and as you yourself live, I won't abandon you." And so, they journeyed together to Bethel.

And the 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 from thy head to day? And he said, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace.

The company of prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, 'Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?' He answered, 'Yes, I know. Keep quiet.'

And Elijah said unto him, Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Jericho. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they came to Jericho.

Elijah pleaded with Elisha, "Please, stay here. God has called me to Jericho." But Elisha, with a firm resolve, replied, "As surely as God lives and as you yourself live, I won't abandon you." And so, they journeyed together to Jericho.

And the sons of the prophets that were at 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.

The company of prophets at Jericho approached Elisha and asked, 'Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?' He answered, 'Yes, I know. Keep quiet.'

And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the LORD hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on.

Elijah pleaded with him, "Please, stay here. God has called me to Jordan." But he replied with conviction, "As surely as God lives and as you yourself live, I won't abandon you." And so, they continued their journey together.

And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.

Fifty aspiring prophets journeyed, observing from a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan River.

And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

Elijah, filled with determination, gathered his cloak and struck the waters with all his might. Miraculously, the waters parted, creating a dry path for them to cross.

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 a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

As they crossed over, Elijah turned to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I leave?" Elisha replied, "Please, let me inherit twice as much of your spirit."

And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so.

He replied, "You've requested something difficult. But, if you witness my departure, your wish will be granted. If you don't, it won't happen."

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 into heaven.

As they journeyed and conversed, suddenly, a fiery chariot with flaming horses appeared, separating them. In a gust of wind, Elijah was swept up into heaven.

And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces.

Elisha watched in anguish, shouting, "My mentor, my guide, the protector of Israel, is gone!" He could see him no more. Overwhelmed with grief, he tore his clothes in two.

He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;

He picked up Elijah's fallen cloak and, filled with a sense of purpose, returned to stand by the Jordan River's edge.

And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.

Elijah's cloak fell to him, and he struck the waters with it, crying out, "Where is Elijah's God now?" As he hit the waters again, they split apart, allowing Elisha to cross.

And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

When the future prophets in Jericho saw him, they recognized Elijah's spirit within Elisha. Overwhelmed with respect, they approached him and humbly knelt before him.

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, Ye shall not send.

They pleaded with him, "We have fifty strong men ready. Please, let them search for your master. Maybe God's Spirit has swept him away to a mountain or valley." But he firmly replied, "No, don't send them."

And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not.

Feeling embarrassed by their constant persuasion, he finally gave in and said, "Go." So, they dispatched fifty men who tirelessly searched for three days, but they couldn't find him.

And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?

When they returned to him, lingering in Jericho, he asked them, "Didn't I warn you not to go?"

And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth: but the water is naught, and the ground barren.

The townsfolk pleaded with Elisha, "Please understand, our city is beautiful to behold, but our water is foul and our land, infertile."

And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him.

He requested, "Bring me a fresh jar and fill it with salt." And so, they did as he asked.

And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast 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.

He journeyed to the water's source, sprinkling salt, and declared, "The Lord proclaims, 'I've purified these waters. No longer will they bring death or infertility.'"

So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.

Elisha's words held true, and the waters remain pure and healed to this very day.

And he went up from thence unto Bethel: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him, Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head.

He left that place and headed towards Bethel. As he was on his way, some kids from the city came out and started making fun of him, teasing him about his baldness. They shouted, "Hey baldy, keep moving!"

And he turned back, and looked on them, and 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.

He turned back and looked at them, and in the name of the Lord, he cast a curse upon them. Suddenly, two she-bears came out of the forest and mauled forty-two of the boys.

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

He journeyed from that place to the majestic Mount Carmel, and from there he made his way back to Samaria.