Elijah in the Whirlwind

2 The time had come for the Lord to take Elijah up to heaven^(A) in a whirlwind.^(B) Elijah and Elisha^(C) were traveling from Gilgal,^{(D) 2} and Elijah said to Elisha,^(E) “Stay here;^(F) the Lord is sending me on to Bethel.”^(G)

But Elisha replied, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.”^(H) So they went down to Bethel.

³ Then the sons of the prophets^(I) who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said, “Do you know that the Lord will take your master away from you today?”^(J)

He said, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”

⁴ Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here; the Lord is sending me to Jericho.”^(K)

But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho.

⁵ Then the sons of the prophets who were in Jericho came up to Elisha and said, “Do you know that the Lord will take your master away from you today?”

He said, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”

⁶ Elijah said to him, “Stay here; the Lord is sending me to the Jordan.”^(L)

But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on.

⁷ Fifty men from the sons of the prophets came and stood facing them from a distance while the two of them stood by the Jordan. ⁸ Elijah took his mantle,^(M) rolled it up, and struck the waters, which parted to the right and left. Then the two of them crossed over on dry ground.^{(N) 9} After they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken from you.”

So Elisha answered, “Please, let me inherit two shares^[a] of your spirit.”^(O)

¹⁰ Elijah replied, “You have asked for something difficult. If you see me being taken from you,^(P) you will have it. If not, you won’t.”

¹¹ As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire with horses of fire^(Q) suddenly appeared and separated the two of them. Then Elijah went up into heaven in the whirlwind.^{(R) 12} As Elisha watched, he kept crying out, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!”^(S) Then he never saw Elijah again. He took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces.^(T)

Elisha Succeeds Elijah

¹³ Elisha picked up the mantle^(U) that had fallen off Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. ¹⁴ Then he took the mantle Elijah had dropped and struck the waters. “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” he asked. He struck the waters himself, and they parted to the right and the left, and Elisha crossed over.

¹⁵ When the sons of the prophets from Jericho who were facing him saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” They came to meet him and bowed down to the ground in front of him.

¹⁶ Then the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Since there are 50 strong men here with your servants, please let them go and search for your master. Maybe the Spirit of the Lord has carried him away and put him on one of the mountains or into one of the valleys.”^(V)

He answered, “Don’t send them.”

¹⁷ However, they urged him to the point of embarrassment,^(W) so he said, “Send them.” They sent 50 men, who looked for three days but did not find him. ¹⁸ When they returned to him in Jericho^(X) where he was staying, he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?”

¹⁹ Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Even though our lord can see that the city’s location is good, the water is bad and the land unfruitful.”^(Y)

²⁰ He replied, “Bring me a new bowl and put salt in it.”^(Z)

After they had brought him one, ²¹ Elisha went out to the spring of water, threw salt in it,^(AA) and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have healed this water. No longer will death or unfruitfulness result from it.’” ²² Therefore, the water remains healthy to this very day according to the word that Elisha spoke.

²³ From there Elisha went up to Bethel.^(AB) As he was walking up the path, some small boys came out of the city and harassed him,^(AC) chanting, “Go up, baldy! Go up, baldy!” ²⁴ He turned around, looked at them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord.^(AD) Then two female bears came out of the woods and mauled 42 of the children. ²⁵ From there Elisha went to Mount Carmel,^(AE) and then he returned to Samaria.^(AF)

Israel’s King Joram

3 Joram son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria during the eighteenth year of Judah’s King Jehoshaphat and reigned 12 years.^{(AG) 2} He did what was evil in the Lord’s sight, but not like his father and mother,^(AH) for he removed the sacred pillar of Baal his father had made. ³ Nevertheless, Joram clung to the sins that Jeroboam son of Nebat had caused Israel to commit.^(AI) He did not turn away from them.

Moab’s Rebellion against Israel

⁴ King Mesha of Moab^(AJ) was a sheep breeder. He used to pay^(AK) the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams,^{(AL) 5} but when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.^{(AM) 6} So King Joram marched out from Samaria at that time and mobilized all Israel. ⁷ Then he sent a message to King Jehoshaphat^(AN) of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me.^(AO) Will you go with me to fight against Moab?”

Jehoshaphat said, “I will go. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”^{(AP) 8} Then he asked, “Which route should we take?”

Joram replied, “The route of the Wilderness of Edom.”

⁹ So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom^(AQ) set out. After they had traveled their indirect route for seven days, they had no water for the army or their animals.

¹⁰ Then the king of Israel said, “Oh no, the Lord has summoned three kings, only to hand them over to Moab.”

¹¹ But Jehoshaphat said, “Isn’t there a prophet of the Lord here? Let’s inquire of Yahweh through him.”^(AR)

One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat,^(AS) who used to pour water on Elijah’s hands, is here.”

¹² Jehoshaphat affirmed, “The Lord’s words are with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went to him.^(AT)

¹³ However, Elisha said to King Joram of Israel, “We have nothing in common. Go to the prophets of your father and your mother!”^(AU)

But the king of Israel replied, “No, because it is the Lord who has summoned these three kings to hand them over to Moab.”

¹⁴ Elisha responded, “As the Lord of Hosts lives,^(AV) I stand before Him. If I did not have respect for King Jehoshaphat of Judah,^(AW) I would not look at you; I wouldn’t take notice of you. ¹⁵ Now, bring me a musician.”^(AX)

While the musician played,^(AY) the Lord’s hand^(AZ) came on Elisha. ¹⁶ Then he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Dig ditch after ditch in this wadi.’ ¹⁷ For the Lord says, ‘You will not see wind or rain, but the wadi will be filled with water,^(BA) and you will drink—you and your cattle and your animals.’ ¹⁸ This is easy in the Lord’s sight.^(BB) He will also hand Moab over to you.^{(BC) 19} Then you must attack every fortified city and every choice city. You must cut down every good tree and stop up every spring of water. You must ruin every good piece of land with stones.”

²⁰ About the time for the grain offering^(BD) the next morning, water suddenly came from the direction of Edom and filled the land.

²¹ All Moab had heard that the kings^(BE) had come up to fight against them. So all who could bear arms, from the youngest to the oldest, were summoned and took their stand at the border. ²² When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water, and the Moabites saw that the water across from them was red like blood.^{(BF) 23} “This is blood!” they exclaimed. “The kings^(BG) have clashed swords and killed each other. So, to the spoil, Moab!”

²⁴ However, when the Moabites came to Israel’s camp, the Israelites attacked them, and they fled from them. So Israel went into the land and struck down the Moabites. ²⁵ They destroyed the cities, and each of them threw stones to cover every good piece of land. They stopped up every spring of water and cut down every good tree. In the end, only the buildings of Kir-hareseth^(BH) were left. Then men with slings surrounded the city and attacked it.

²⁶ When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too fierce for him, he took 700 swordsmen with him to try to break through to the king of Edom,^(BI) but they could not do it. ²⁷ So he took his firstborn son,^(BJ) who was to become king in his place, and offered him as a burnt offering on the city wall. Great wrath was on the Israelites, and they withdrew from him and returned to their land.

The Parable of the Sower

4 Again^(A) He began to teach^(B) by the sea, and a very large crowd gathered around Him. So He got into a boat on the sea and sat down, while the whole crowd was on the shore facing the sea. ² He taught them many things in parables,^(C) and in His teaching^(D) He said to them: ³ “Listen! Consider the sower who went out to sow.^{(E) 4} As he sowed, this occurred: Some seed fell along the path,^(F) and the birds came and ate^(G) it up. ⁵ Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it sprang up right away,^(H) since it didn’t have deep soil. ⁶ When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it didn’t have a root, it withered.^{(I) 7} Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it didn’t produce a crop. ⁸ Still others fell on good ground and produced a crop that increased^(J) 30, 60, and 100 times what was sown.”^{(K) 9} Then He said, “Anyone who has ears to hear should listen!”^(L)

Why Jesus Used Parables

¹⁰ When He was alone with the Twelve,^(M) those who were around Him asked Him about the parables.^{(N) 11} He answered them, “The secret^(O) of the kingdom of God^(P) has been given to you, but to those outside,^(Q) everything comes in parables ¹² so that

The Parable of the Sower Explained

¹³ Then^(T) He said to them: “Don’t you understand this parable?^(U) How then will you understand any of the parables? ¹⁴ The sower sows^(V) the word.^{(W) 15} These^[c] are the ones along the path^(X) where the word is sown: when they hear, immediately Satan^(Y) comes and takes away the word^(Z) sown in them.^{[d] 16} And these are^[e] the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy.^{(AA) 17} But they have no root in themselves; they are short-lived. When pressure^(AB) or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately stumble.^{(AC) 18} Others are sown among thorns; these are the ones who hear the word, ¹⁹ but the worries^(AD) of this age,^(AE) the seduction^[f](AF) of wealth,^(AG) and the desires^(AH) for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.^{(AI) 20} But the ones sown on good ground are those who hear the word,^(AJ) welcome it, and produce a crop:^(AK) 30, 60, and 100 times what was sown.”

Using Your Light

²¹ He^(AL) also said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed?^(AM) Isn’t it to be put on a lampstand?^{(AN) 22} For nothing is concealed except to be revealed,^(AO) and nothing hidden except to come to light. ²³ If anyone has ears to hear, he should listen!”^{(AP) 24} Then He said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear. By the measure^(AQ) you use,^[g](AR) it will be measured and added^(AS) to you. ²⁵ For to the one who has, it will be given, and from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.”^(AT)

The Parable of the Growing Seed

²⁶ “The kingdom of God^(AU) is like this,” He said. “A man scatters seed on the ground; ²⁷ he sleeps^(AV) and rises^(AW)—night^(AX) and day, and the seed sprouts and grows—he doesn’t know how. ²⁸ The soil produces a crop^(AY) by itself—first the blade, then the head, and then the ripe grain^(AZ) on the head. ²⁹ But as soon as the crop is ready, he sends for the sickle,^(BA) because the harvest^(BB) has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

³⁰ And^(BC) He said: “How can we illustrate the kingdom of God,^(BD) or what parable^(BE) can we use to describe it? ³¹ It’s like a mustard seed^(BF) that, when sown in the soil, is smaller than all the seeds on the ground. ³² And when sown,^(BG) it comes up and grows taller than all the vegetables,^(BH) and produces large branches, so that the birds of the sky^(BI) can nest in its shade.”

Using Parables

³³ He would speak the word^(BJ) to them with many parables^(BK) like these, as they were able to understand.^{(BL) 34} And He did not speak to them without a parable. Privately, however, He would explain everything to His own disciples.^(BM)

Wind and Wave Obey the Master

³⁵ On^(BN) that day, when evening had come, He told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.” ³⁶ So they left the crowd and took Him along since He was already in the boat. And other boats were with Him. ³⁷ A fierce windstorm^(BO) arose, and the waves^(BP) were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. ³⁸ But He was in the stern, sleeping^(BQ) on the cushion. So they woke Him up^(BR) and said to Him, “Teacher! Don’t You care that we’re going to die?”^(BS)

³⁹ He got up, rebuked^(BT) the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence!^(BU) Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰ Then He said to them, “Why are you fearful?^(BV) Do you still have no faith?”

⁴¹ And they were terrified^(BW) and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey^(BX) Him!”^(BY)