Elijah's Final Journey
Study note
Before Elijah was taken to heaven, he and Elisha traveled together from Gilgal to Bethel, then to Jericho, and finally to the Jordan River. At each stop, groups of prophets told Elisha that his master would be taken away that day. Elisha already knew but refused to leave Elijah's side. At the Jordan River, Elijah struck the water with his cloak and it parted, just as Moses had parted the Red Sea. Fifty prophets watched from a distance.
1 The day arrived when the Lord planned to carry Elijah up into heaven through a powerful windstorm. Elijah and Elisha had been walking together from Gilgal. And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.
2 Elijah told Elisha, "Stay here, please. The Lord wants me to go to Bethel." But Elisha answered, "I swear by the living Lord and by your own life, I am not going to leave your side." So the two of them traveled to Bethel together. And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Beth-el. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Beth-el.
3 A group of prophets in Bethel came out to meet Elisha. They asked him, "Are you aware that today the Lord will take your master away from you?" Elisha said, "I already know. Please stop talking about it." And the sons of the prophets that were at Beth-el 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.
4 Elijah said to him, "Elisha, stay here, please. The Lord is sending me to Jericho." Elisha said, "I swear by the living Lord and by your own life, I will not leave you." So they traveled on to Jericho. 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.
5 The group of prophets in Jericho approached Elisha and asked, "Are you aware that today the Lord will take your master away from you?" He replied, "I know. Please do not bring it up." 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.
6 Then Elijah said, "Stay here, please. The Lord is sending me to the Jordan River." Elisha replied, "I swear by the living Lord and by your own life, I will not leave you." So the two of them continued walking. 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.
7 A group of fifty prophets followed at a distance. They watched as Elijah and Elisha stood by the edge of the Jordan River. And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.
8 Elijah took off his coat, folded it up, and hit the water with it. The river split open to the right and to the left, and both of them walked across on dry land. 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 Taken Up to Heaven
Study note
After crossing the Jordan, Elijah asked Elisha what he wanted. Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah's spirit. In Israelite law, the firstborn son received a double portion of the inheritance, so Elisha was asking to be recognized as Elijah's true successor. Suddenly a chariot of fire with horses of fire appeared, and Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elisha picked up Elijah's fallen cloak and used it to part the Jordan, proving that God's power had passed to him.
9 Once they had crossed, Elijah asked Elisha, "What would you like me to do for you before I am taken away?" Elisha said, "I am asking for twice as much of your prophetic spirit." 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.
10 Elijah told him, "That is a hard thing to ask for. However, if you see me being taken from you, then you will receive it. If you do not see it, then it will not happen." 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.
11 They walked along talking. Then a chariot of fire with horses of fire appeared. A strong windstorm swept Elijah up into heaven. 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.
12 Elisha watched it happen and shouted, "My father! My father! You were worth more to Israel than all its chariots and soldiers!" When he could no longer see Elijah, he grabbed his own clothing and ripped it apart in grief. 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.
13 Elisha then picked up the coat that had fallen off Elijah and walked back to stand at the edge of the Jordan River. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan;
14 He took Elijah's coat and hit the water with it. He called out, "Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?" The moment he struck the water, it split apart to the right and to the left, and Elisha walked across. 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.
The Prophets Search for Elijah
Study note
The group of prophets at Jericho saw that Elisha had parted the Jordan and recognized that Elijah's spirit was now on him. However, they insisted on sending fifty men to search for Elijah, thinking maybe God's Spirit had set him down on a mountain somewhere. Elisha told them not to bother, but they kept insisting until he gave in. After three days of searching, they found nothing.
15 The prophets from Jericho had been watching from a distance. They said, "Elijah's spirit has come to rest on Elisha!" They went out to meet him and bowed down in front of him. 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.
16 They told him, "We have fifty strong men with us. Please let them go search for your master. Perhaps the Lord's Spirit lifted him up and dropped him on a mountain or in a valley somewhere." Elisha said, "No, do not send them." 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.
17 But they kept begging until he felt awkward saying no. Finally he said, "Fine, send them." Fifty men searched for three days but could not find Elijah anywhere. 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.
18 When they got back to Elisha in Jericho, he told them, "Did I not warn you not to go?" And when they came again to him, (for he tarried at Jericho,) he said unto them, Did I not say unto you, Go not?
Elisha's First Miracles
Study note
Elisha performed two acts that confirmed his role as God's prophet. First, at Jericho, he healed the city's water supply by throwing salt into the spring. The bad water had been causing sickness and making the land unfruitful. Second, on the road to Bethel, a group of young people mocked him, telling him to 'go up' like Elijah. The Hebrew word used can mean young men or youths, not small children. Their mocking of God's prophet brought serious consequences.
19 The people of Jericho came to Elisha and said, "Sir, this city is in a good location, as you can tell. But the water supply is bad and the land will not grow anything." 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.
20 Elisha told them, "Get me a new bowl with some salt in it." They brought it to him. And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him.
21 Elisha went to the spring where the water came from and threw the salt into it. He declared, "The Lord says: I have made this water clean and safe. It will no longer cause death or make the land unable to grow crops." 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.
22 From that day on, the water has been clean, just as Elisha said. So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.
23 Elisha left Jericho and headed toward Bethel. While walking along the road, a gang of young people came out of the city and started mocking him. They yelled, "Get out of here, baldy! Get out of here, baldy!" And he went up from thence unto Beth-el: 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.
24 Elisha turned around and looked right at them. He called down a curse on them in the Lord's name. Then two female bears charged out of the forest and tore apart forty-two of them. 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.
25 Elisha traveled from there to Mount Carmel, and later he went back to Samaria. And he went from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.