Elijah Flees to Horeb

19 Now Ahab told Jezebel^(A) everything Elijah had done and how he had killed^(B) all the prophets with the sword. ² So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah to say, “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely,^(C) if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like that of one of them.”^(D)

³ Elijah was afraid^[a] and ran^(E) for his life.^(F) When he came to Beersheba^(G) in Judah, he left his servant there, ⁴ while he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness. He came to a broom bush,^(H) sat down under it and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life;^(I) I am no better than my ancestors.” ⁵ Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep.^(J)

All at once an angel^(K) touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” ⁶ He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

⁷ The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” ⁸ So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty^(L) days and forty nights until he reached Horeb,^(M) the mountain of God. ⁹ There he went into a cave^(N) and spent the night.

The Lord Appears to Elijah

And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”^(O)

¹⁰ He replied, “I have been very zealous^(P) for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant,^(Q) torn down your altars,^(R) and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left,^(S) and now they are trying to kill me too.”

¹¹ The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain^(T) in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.”^(U)

Then a great and powerful wind^(V) tore the mountains apart and shattered^(W) the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire,^(X) but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.^{(Y) 13} When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face^(Z) and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave.

Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”

¹⁴ He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left,^(AA) and now they are trying to kill me too.”

¹⁵ The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael^(AB) king over Aram. ¹⁶ Also, anoint^(AC) Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha^(AD) son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah^(AE) to succeed you as prophet. ¹⁷ Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael,^(AF) and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.^{(AG) 18} Yet I reserve^(AH) seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed^(AI) him.”

The Call of Elisha

¹⁹ So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak^(AJ) around him. ²⁰ Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,”^(AK) he said, “and then I will come with you.”

“Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?”

²¹ So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen^(AL) and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant.^(AM)

Elijah Taken Up to Heaven

2 When the Lord was about to take^(A) Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind,^(B) Elijah and Elisha^(C) were on their way from Gilgal.^{(D) 2} Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here;^(E) the Lord has sent me to Bethel.”

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

³ The company^(G) of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and asked, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?”

“Yes, I know,” Elisha replied, “so be quiet.”

⁴ Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, Elisha; the Lord has sent me to Jericho.^(H)”

And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho.

⁵ The company^(I) of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, “Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?”

“Yes, I know,” he replied, “so be quiet.”

⁶ Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here;^(J) the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.”^(K)

And he replied, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.”^(L) So the two of them walked on.

⁷ Fifty men from the company of the prophets went and stood at a distance, facing the place where Elijah and Elisha had stopped at the Jordan. ⁸ Elijah took his cloak,^(M) rolled it up and struck^(N) the water with it. The water divided^(O) to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry^(P) ground.

⁹ When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”

“Let me inherit a double^(Q) portion of your spirit,”^(R) Elisha replied.

¹⁰ “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”

¹¹ As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire^(S) and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven^(T) in a whirlwind.^{(U) 12} Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots^(V) and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Then he took hold of his garment and tore^(W) it in two.

¹³ Elisha then picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. ¹⁴ He took the cloak^(X) that had fallen from Elijah and struck^(Y) the water with it. “Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left, and he crossed over.

¹⁵ The company^(Z) of the prophets from Jericho, who were watching, said, “The spirit^(AA) of Elijah is resting on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. ¹⁶ “Look,” they said, “we your servants have fifty able men. Let them go and look for your master. Perhaps the Spirit^(AB) of the Lord has picked him up^(AC) and set him down on some mountain or in some valley.”

“No,” Elisha replied, “do not send them.”

¹⁷ But they persisted until he was too embarrassed^(AD) to refuse. So he said, “Send them.” And they sent fifty men, who searched for three days but did not find him. ¹⁸ When they returned to Elisha, who was staying in Jericho, he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?”

Healing of the Water

¹⁹ The people of the city said to Elisha, “Look, our lord, this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water is bad and the land is unproductive.”

²⁰ “Bring me a new bowl,” he said, “and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him.

²¹ Then he went out to the spring and threw^(AE) the salt into it, saying, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive.’” ²² And the water has remained pure^(AF) to this day, according to the word Elisha had spoken.

Elisha Is Jeered

²³ From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some boys came out of the town and jeered^(AG) at him. “Get out of here, baldy!” they said. “Get out of here, baldy!” ²⁴ He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse^(AH) on them in the name^(AI) of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys. ²⁵ And he went on to Mount Carmel^(AJ) and from there returned to Samaria.