Elisha’s Appointment as Elijah’s Successor

¹⁹ Elijah left there and found Elisha^(A) son of Shaphat as he was plowing. Twelve teams of oxen were in front of him, and he was with the twelfth team. Elijah walked by him and threw his mantle over him.^{(B) 20} Elisha left the oxen, ran to follow Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and mother, and then I will follow you.”^(C)

“Go on back,” he replied, “for what have I done to you?”

²¹ So he turned back from following him, took the team of oxen, and slaughtered^[a] them. With the oxen’s wooden yoke and plow,^(D) he cooked the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he left, followed Elijah, and served him.^(E)

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 observing them at a distance while the two of them stood by the Jordan. ⁸ Elijah took his mantle,^(M) rolled it up, and struck the water, which parted to the right and left. Then the two of them crossed over on dry ground.^{(N) 9} When 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 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)

Elisha Succeeds Elijah

When he could see him no longer, he took hold of his own clothes, tore them in two,^{(T) 13} picked up the mantle^(U) that had fallen off Elijah, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. ¹⁴ He took the mantle Elijah had dropped, and he struck the water. “Where is the Lord God of Elijah?” he asked. He struck the water himself, and it parted to the right and the left, and Elisha crossed over.