2 Just before 1 the Lord took Elijah up to heaven in a windstorm, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal. 2 Elijah told Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel.” 2 But Elisha said, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 Some members of the prophetic guild 3 in Bethel came out to Elisha and said, “Do you know that today the Lord is going to take your master from you?” 4 He answered, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”
4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” 5 But he replied, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho. 5 Some members of the prophetic guild in Jericho approached Elisha and said, “Do you know that today the Lord is going to take your master from you?” He answered, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”
6 Elijah said to him, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he replied, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they traveled on together. 7 The fifty members of the prophetic guild went and stood opposite them at a distance, while Elijah and Elisha 6 stood by the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, folded it up, and hit the water with it. The water divided, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
9 When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “What can I do for you, 7 before I am taken away from you?” Elisha answered, “May I receive a double portion of the prophetic spirit that energizes you.” 8 10 Elijah 9 replied, “That’s a difficult request! 10 If you see me taken from you, may it be so, but if you don’t, it will not happen.”
11 As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a fiery chariot 11 pulled by fiery horses appeared. 12 They went between Elijah and Elisha, 13 and Elijah went up to heaven in a windstorm. 12 While Elisha was watching, he was crying out, “My father, my father! The chariot and horsemen of Israel!” 14 Then he could no longer see him. He grabbed his clothes and tore them in two. 13 He picked up Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen off him, and went back and stood on the shore of the Jordan. 14 He took the cloak that had fallen off Elijah, 15 hit the water with it, and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” When he hit the water, it divided and Elisha crossed over.
15 When the members of the prophetic guild in Jericho, 16 who were standing at a distance, 17 saw him do this, they said, “The spirit that energized Elijah 18 rests upon Elisha.” They went to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him. 16 They said to him, “Look, there are fifty capable men with your servants. Let them go and look for your master, for the wind sent from the Lord 19 may have carried him away and dropped him on one of the hills or in one of the valleys.” But Elisha 20 replied, “Don’t send them out.” 17 But they were so insistent, he became embarrassed. So he said, “Send them out.” They sent the fifty men out and they looked for three days, but could not find Elijah. 21 18 When they came back, Elisha 22 was staying in Jericho. He said to them, “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t go’?”
19 The men of the city said to Elisha, “Look, the city has a good location, as our 23 master can see. But the water is bad and the land doesn’t produce crops.” 24 20 Elisha 25 said, “Get me a new jar and put some salt in it.” So they got it. 21 He went out to the spring and threw the salt in. Then he said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘I have purified 26 this water. It will no longer cause death or fail to produce crops.” 27 22 The water has been pure to this very day, just as Elisha prophesied. 28
23 He went up from there to Bethel. 29 As he was traveling up the road, some young boys 30 came out of the city and made fun of him, saying, “Go on up, baldy! Go on up, baldy!” 24 When he turned around and saw them, he called God’s judgment down on them. 31 Two female bears came out of the woods and ripped forty-two of the boys to pieces. 25 From there he traveled to Mount Carmel and then back to Samaria. 32
3 In the eighteenth year of King Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, Ahab’s son Jehoram became king over Israel in Samaria; 1 he ruled for twelve years. 2 He did evil in the sight of 2 the Lord, but not to the same degree as his father and mother. He did remove the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3 Yet he persisted in 3 the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who encouraged Israel to sin; he did not turn from them. 4
4 Now King Mesha of Moab was a sheep breeder. 5 He would send as tribute 6 to the king of Israel 100,000 male lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. 5 When Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 At that time King Jehoram left Samaria and assembled all Israel for war. 7 He sent 7 this message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you fight with me against Moab?” Jehoshaphat 8 replied, “I will join you in the campaign; my army and horses are at your disposal.” 9 8 He then asked, “Which invasion route are we going to take?” 10 Jehoram 11 answered, “By the road through the Desert of Edom.” 9 So the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom 12 set out together. They wandered around on the road for seven days and finally ran out of water for the men and animals they had with them. 10 The king of Israel said, “Oh no! 13 Certainly the Lord has summoned these three kings so that he can hand them over to the king of Moab!” 11 Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here that we might seek the Lord’s direction?” 14 One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shapat is here; he used to be Elijah’s servant.” 15 12 Jehoshaphat said, “The Lord speaks through him.” 16 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to visit him.
13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Why are you here? 17 Go to your father’s prophets or your mother’s prophets!” The king of Israel replied to him, “No, for the Lord is the one who summoned these three kings so that he can hand them over to Moab.” 14 Elisha said, “As certainly as the Lord who rules over all 18 lives (whom I serve), 19 if I did not respect King Jehoshaphat of Judah, 20 I would not pay attention to you or acknowledge you. 21 15 But now, get me a musician.” 22 When the musician played, the Lord energized him, 23 16 and he said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Make many cisterns in this valley,’ 24 17 for this is what the Lord says, ‘You will not feel 25 any wind or see any rain, but this valley will be full of water and you and your cattle and animals will drink.’ 18 This is an easy task for the Lord; 26 he will also hand Moab over to you. 19 You will defeat every fortified city and every important 27 city. You must chop down 28 every productive 29 tree, stop up all the springs, and cover all the cultivated land with stones.” 30
20 Sure enough, the next morning, at the time of the morning sacrifice, water came flowing down from Edom and filled the land. 31 21 Now all Moab had heard that the kings were attacking, 32 so everyone old enough to fight was mustered and placed at the border. 33 22 When they got up early the next morning, the sun was shining on the water. To the Moabites, who were some distance away, the water looked red like blood. 23 The Moabites 34 said, “It’s blood! The kings are totally destroyed! 35 They have struck one another down! Now, Moab, seize the plunder!” 24 When they approached the Israelite camp, the Israelites rose up and struck down the Moabites, who then ran from them. The Israelites 36 thoroughly defeated 37 Moab. 25 They tore down the cities and each man threw a stone into every cultivated field until they were covered. 38 They stopped up every spring and chopped down every productive tree.
Only Kir Hareseth was left intact, 39 but the slingers surrounded it and attacked it. 26 When the king of Moab realized he was losing the battle, 40 he and 700 swordsmen tried to break through and attack 41 the king of Edom, but they failed. 27 So he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him up as a burnt sacrifice on the wall. There was an outburst of divine anger against Israel, 42 so they broke off the attack 43 and returned to their homeland.
4 Now a wife of one of the prophets 1 appealed 2 to Elisha for help, saying, “Your servant, my husband is dead. You know that your servant was a loyal follower of the Lord. 3 Now the creditor is coming to take away my two boys to be his servants.” 2 Elisha said to her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a small jar of olive oil.” 3 He said, “Go and ask all your neighbors for empty containers. 4 Get as many as you can. 5 4 Go and close the door behind you and your sons. Pour the olive oil into all the containers; 6 set aside each one when you have filled it.” 5 So she left him and closed the door behind her and her sons. As they were bringing the containers to her, she was pouring the olive oil. 6 When the containers were full, she said to one of her sons, 7 “Bring me another container.” But he answered her, “There are no more.” Then the olive oil stopped flowing. 7 She went and told the prophet. 8 He said, “Go, sell the olive oil. Repay your creditor, and then you and your sons can live off the rest of the profit.”
8 One day Elisha traveled to Shunem, where a prominent 9 woman lived. She insisted that he stop for a meal. 10 So whenever he was passing through, he would stop in there for a meal. 11 9 She said to her husband, “Look, I’m sure 12 that the man who regularly passes through here is a very special prophet. 13 10 Let’s make a small private upper room 14 and furnish it with 15 a bed, table, chair, and lamp. When he visits us, he can stay there.”
11 One day Elisha 16 came for a visit; he went 17 into the upper room and rested. 18 12 He told his servant Gehazi, “Ask the Shunammite woman to come here.” 19 So he did so and she came to him. 20 13 Elisha said to Gehazi, 21 “Tell her, ‘Look, you have treated us with such great respect. 22 What can I do for you? Can I put in a good word for you with the king or the commander of the army?’” She replied, “I’m quite secure.” 23 14 So he asked Gehazi, 24 “What can I do for her?” Gehazi replied, “She has no son, and her husband is old.” 15 Elisha told him, “Ask her to come here.” 25 So he did so 26 and she came and stood in the doorway. 27 16 He said, “About this time next year 28 you will be holding a son.” She said, “No, my master! O prophet, do not lie to your servant!” 17 The woman did conceive, and at the specified time the next year she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.
18 The boy grew and one day he went out to see his father who was with the harvest workers. 29 19 He said to his father, “My head! My head!” His father 30 told a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 So he picked him up and took him to his mother. He sat on her lap 31 until noon and then died. 21 She went up and laid him down on the prophet’s 32 bed. She shut the door behind her and left. 22 She called to her husband, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so I can go see the prophet quickly and then return.” 23 He said, “Why do you want to go see him today? It is not the new moon 33 or the Sabbath.” She said, “Everything’s fine.” 34 24 She saddled the donkey and told her servant, “Lead on. 35 Do not stop unless I say so.” 36
25 So she went to visit 37 the prophet at Mount Carmel. When he 38 saw her at a distance, he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, it’s the Shunammite woman. 26 Now, run to meet her and ask her, ‘Are you well? Are your husband and the boy well?’” She told Gehazi, 39 “Everything’s fine.” 27 But when she reached the prophet on the mountain, she grabbed hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to push her away, but the prophet said, “Leave her alone, for she is very upset. 40 The Lord has kept the matter hidden from me; he didn’t tell me about it.” 28 She said, “Did I ask my master for a son? Didn’t I say, ‘Don’t mislead me?’” 29 Elisha 41 told Gehazi, “Tuck your robes into your belt, take my staff, 42 and go! Don’t stop to exchange greetings with anyone! 43 Place my staff on the child’s face.” 30 The mother of the child said, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So Elisha 44 got up and followed her back.
31 Now Gehazi went on ahead of them. He placed the staff on the child’s face, but there was no sound or response. When he came back to Elisha 45 he told him, “The child did not wake up.” 32 When Elisha arrived at the house, there was 46 the child lying dead on his bed. 33 He went in by himself and closed the door. 47 Then he prayed to the Lord. 34 He got up on the bed and spread his body out over 48 the boy; he put his mouth on the boy’s 49 mouth, his eyes over the boy’s eyes, and the palms of his hands against the boy’s palms. He bent down over him, and the boy’s skin 50 grew warm. 35 Elisha 51 went back and walked around in the house. 52 Then he got up on the bed again 53 and bent down over him. The child sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. 36 Elisha 54 called to Gehazi and said, “Get the Shunammite woman.” So he did so 55 and she came to him. He said to her, “Take your son.” 37 She came in, fell at his feet, and bowed down. Then she picked up her son and left.
38 Now Elisha went back to Gilgal, while there was famine in the land. Some of the prophets were visiting him 56 and he told his servant, “Put the big pot on the fire 57 and boil some stew for the prophets.” 58 39 Someone went out to the field to gather some herbs and found a wild vine. 59 He picked some of its fruit, 60 enough to fill up the fold of his robe. He came back, cut it up, and threw the slices 61 into the stew pot, not knowing they were harmful. 62 40 The stew was poured out 63 for the men to eat. When they ate some of the stew, they cried out, “Death is in the pot, O prophet!” They could not eat it. 41 He said, “Get some flour.” Then he threw it into the pot and said, “Now pour some out for the men so they may eat.” 64 There was no longer anything harmful in the pot.
42 Now a man from Baal Shalisha brought some food for the prophet 65 – twenty loaves of bread made from the firstfruits of the barley harvest, as well as fresh ears of grain. 66 Elisha 67 said, “Set it before the people so they may eat.” 43 But his attendant said, “How can I feed a hundred men with this?” 68 He replied, “Set it before the people so they may eat, for this is what the Lord says, ‘They will eat and have some left over.’” 69 44 So he set it before them; they ate and had some left over, just as the Lord predicted. 70
