1When the LORD was about to take Elijah up into heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah was walking with Elisha from Gilgal.
2Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel.
3The sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?" He said, "Yes, I know it. Be quiet."
4Elijah said to him, "Elisha, please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Jericho." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they came to Jericho.
5The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came to Elisha and said to him, "Do you know that today the LORD will take your master away from you?" He answered, "Yes, I know it. Be quiet."
6Then Elijah said to him, "Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on.
7Fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood watching from far away, while the two of them stood by the Jordan.
8Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the water. The water divided to one side and the other, so that the two of them went over on dry ground.
9When they had gone over, Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken away from you." Elisha said, "Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me."
10He said, "You have asked a hard thing. Still, if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be so for you. But if not, it will not be so."
11As they still went on and talked, look, a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and parted the two of them. And Elijah went up into heaven in a whirlwind.
12Elisha saw it, and he cried out, "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and its horsemen." And he saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
13He also picked up the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him, and he went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan.
14He took the cloak of Elijah that had fallen from him and struck the water, and said, "Where is the LORD God of Elijah?" When he too had struck the water, it parted to one side and the other, and Elisha went over.
15When the sons of the prophets who were watching at Jericho saw him, they said, "The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha." They came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him.
16They said to him, "Look, your servants have fifty strong men here. Please let them go and look for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has taken him up and thrown him down on some mountain or in some valley." He said, "Do not send them."
17But they kept urging him until he was ashamed to refuse, so he said, "Send them." So they sent fifty men, and they searched for three days, but did not find him.
18When they came back to him (for he was staying at Jericho), he said to them, "Did I not say to you, 'Do not go'?"
19The men of the city said to Elisha, "Please look: this city is in a pleasant place, as my lord sees. But the water is bad, and the ground is barren."
20He said, "Bring me a new jar, and put salt in it." So they brought it to him.
21He went out to the spring of the water and threw the salt in there, and said, "This is what the LORD says: I have healed this water. There will never again be death or barren land because of it."
22So the water has been healed to this day, just as Elisha had said.
23He went up from there to Bethel. As he was going up along the road, little children came out of the city and mocked him. They said to him, "Go up, you bald head. Go up, you bald head."
24He turned round and looked at them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two she-bears came out of the wood and tore forty-two of the children.
25He went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.