CHAPTER 2
1 Forsooth it was done, when the Lord would raise (up) Elijah by a whirlwind into heaven, Elijah and Elisha went from Gilgal.
2 And Elijah said to Elisha, Sit thou here, for the Lord [hath] sent me till into Bethel. To whom Elisha said, The Lord liveth, and thy soul liveth, for I shall not forsake thee, (or To whom Elisha said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I shall not desert thee). And when they had come down to Bethel,
3 the sons of (the) prophets, that were in Bethel, went out to Elisha, and said to him, Whether thou knowest, that the Lord shall take away thy lord today from thee? (or Knowest thou, that the Lord shall take away thy lord from thee today?) Which answered, And I know; be ye still.
4 Forsooth Elijah said to Elisha, Sit thou here, for the Lord [hath] sent me into Jericho. And he said, (As) The Lord liveth, and (as) thy soul liveth, for I shall not forsake thee. And when they had come to Jericho,
5 the sons of (the) prophets, that were in Jericho, nighed to Elisha, and said to him, Whether thou knowest, that the Lord shall take away thy lord today from thee? (or Knowest thou, that the Lord shall take away thy lord from thee today?) And he said, I know; be ye still.
6 Forsooth Elijah said to Elisha, Sit thou here, for the Lord [hath] sent me to (the) Jordan (River). Which said, (As) The Lord liveth, and (as) thy soul liveth, for I shall not forsake thee. Therefore (they) both went together;
7 and fifty men of the sons of (the) prophets followed, which also stood far even against; soothly they both stood over (the) Jordan. (and fifty men of the sons of the prophets followed, and stood looking from afar; and they both stood by the Jordan River.)
8 And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it, and smote the waters; which were parted into ever either part, and both went by the dry. (And Elijah took his mantle, or his cloak, and rolled it up, and struck the water; which was divided into two parts, and they went across on dry ground.)
9 And when they had passed [over], Elijah said to Elisha, Ask thou that, that thou wilt that I do to thee, before that I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I beseech, that thy double spirit be made in me/I beseech, that thy double spirit be with me*. (And when they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, Ask thou what thou wilt that I can do for thee, before that I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I beseech thee, that a double portion of thy spirit be given to me or be upon me.)
10 Which Elijah answered, Thou askest an hard thing; nevertheless if thou shalt see me, when I shall be taken away from thee, that that thou askest shall be (so); soothly if thou shalt not see (me), (then) it shall not be (so).
11 And when they went, and spake going, (or And as they went forth, speaking as they went), lo! a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, parted ever either; and Elijah ascended by a whirlwind into heaven†.
12 Forsooth Elisha saw, and cried, My father! my father! the chariot of Israel, and the charioteer thereof. And he saw no more Elijah. And he took his clothes, and rent those into two parts. (And Elisha saw it, and cried, My father! my father! the chariot of Israel, and its charioteer. And then he saw Elijah no more. And he took his own mantle, (or his own cloak), and tore it in two.)
13 And he raised the mantle of Elijah, that felled down to him; and he turned again, and stood over the river of Jordan. (And he picked up Elijah’s mantle, that fell down to him; and he returned, and stood by the
Jordan River.)
14 And with the mantle of Elijah, that felled down to him, he smote the waters, which were not parted. And he said, Where is [the] God of Elijah also now? And (so) he smote the waters, and those were parted hither and thither; and Elisha passed [over]. (And using Elijah’s mantle, that fell down to him, he struck the water, for it was not parted. And he said, Where is the God of Elijah? And after that he struck the water, it was again parted here and there; and Elisha crossed overagain.)
15 Soothly the sons of [the] prophets, that were in Jericho even against, saw, and said, The spirit of Elijah rested on Elisha. And they came into the meeting of him, and worshipped him lowly to [the] earth. (And the sons of the prophets from Jericho, were watching, and when they saw this, they said, The spirit of Elijah now resteth upon Elisha. And they came to meet him, and honoured him or and bowed low before him, down to the ground.)
16 And they said to him, Lo! with thy servants be fifty strong men, that may go, and seek thy lord, lest peradventure the Spirit of the Lord hath taken him, and hath cast forth him in one of the hills, either in one of the valleys. And Elisha said, Do not ye send. (And they said to him, Behold! among thy servants be fifty strong men, who can go, and search for thy lord, for perhaps the Spirit of the Lord hath taken him up, and hath thrown him forth onto one of the hills, or into one of the valleys. And Elisha said, Do not ye go.)
17 And they constrained him, till he assented to them, and said, Send ye (them out). And they sent (out the) fifty men; and when they had sought him by three days, they found him not, (or and after they had looked for him for three days, they still could not find him).
18 And they turned again to Elisha; and he dwelled in Jericho. And he said to them, Whether I said not to you, Do not ye send (them out)? (And they returned to Elisha, who had stayed in Jericho. And he said to them, Did I not say to you, Do not ye go? or Do not ye send them out?)
19 Therefore the men of the city said to Elisha, Lo! the dwelling of this city is full good, as thou thyself, lord, seest; but the waters be most evil, and the land is barren.
20 And he said, Bring ye to me a new vessel, and put ye salt into it. And when they had brought it to him,
21 he went out to the well of waters, and sent salt into it, and said, The Lord saith these things, I have healed these waters, and neither death, nor barrenness, shall be more in them. (he went to the well of water, or to the spring, and put the salt into it, and said, The Lord saith these things, I have healed this water, and no more shall there be death, or barrenness, in it.)
22 Therefore the waters were healed till into this day, by the word of Elisha, which he spake. (And so the waters were healed unto this day, by the word of Elisha, that he spoke.)
23 Forsooth Elisha went up from thence into Bethel; and when he went up by the way, little children went out of the city, and scorned him, and said, Go up, thou bald one! go up, thou bald one! (or Go away, O bald one! go away, Baldy!)
24 And when he had beheld, he saw them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And two bears went out of the forest, and rent (two and) forty children of them. (And when he had looked back, and beheld them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. And two bears went out of the forest, and tore forty-two of those children to death.)
25 Soothly Elisha went from thence into the hill of Carmel, and from thence he turned again to Samaria. (And Elisha went from there to Mount Carmel, and then returned to Samaria.)
* CHAPTER 2:9 As Elijah’s successor, Elisha asked for the share that the first-born son inherited by law from his father. (Good News Bible) † CHAPTER 2:11 Not into (the) heaven of stars, neither of brightness in bliss, but into (the) heaven of the air; and by the air Elijah was borne into (the) earthly paradise, whither Enoch was translated before.