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Elijah Taken to Heaven

Now it happened when Yahweh was about to (A)take up Elijah by a [a]whirlwind to heaven, that Elijah went with (B)Elisha from (C)Gilgal. And Elijah said to Elisha, “(D)Stay here please, for Yahweh has sent me as far as (E)Bethel.” But Elisha said, “(F)As Yahweh lives and as your soul lives, I will not forsake you.” So they went down to Bethel. Then (G)the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that Yahweh will take away your master from over [b]you today?” And he said, “Yes, I know; be silent.”

And Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please (H)stay here, for Yahweh has sent me to (I)Jericho.” But he said, “(J)As Yahweh lives and as your soul lives, I will not forsake you.” So they came to Jericho. (K)Then the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, “(L)Do you know that Yahweh will take away your master from over [c]you today?” And he [d]answered, “Yes, I know; be silent.” Then Elijah said to him, “Please (M)stay here, for Yahweh has sent me to (N)the Jordan.” And he said, “As Yahweh lives and as your soul lives, I will not forsake you.” So the two of them went on.

Now (O)fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance, but the two of them stood by the Jordan. And Elijah (P)took his mantle and folded it together and (Q)struck the waters, and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

Now it happened when they crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you before I am taken from you.” And Elisha said, “Please, let a (R)double portion of your spirit be upon me.” 10 And he said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you (S)see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” 11 As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared (T)a chariot of fire and horses of fire, and it separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a [e]whirlwind to heaven. 12 And Elisha was seeing this and he was crying out, “(U)My father, my father, the [f]chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” And he saw [g]Elijah no more. Then (V)he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. 13 He also took up the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and returned and stood by the bank of the Jordan. 14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him and struck the waters and said, “Where is Yahweh, the God of Elijah?” Indeed, he himself also (W)struck the waters, and they were divided here and there! And Elisha crossed over.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 2:1 Or windstorm
  2. 2 Kings 2:3 Lit your head
  3. 2 Kings 2:5 Lit your head
  4. 2 Kings 2:5 Lit said
  5. 2 Kings 2:11 Or windstorm
  6. 2 Kings 2:12 Lit chariot
  7. 2 Kings 2:12 Lit him

Elijah Makes a Swift Departure

Just before[a] the Lord took Elijah up to heaven in a windstorm, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal. Elijah told Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. Some members of the prophetic guild[b] in Bethel came out to Elisha and said, “Do you know that today the Lord is going to take your master from you?”[c] He answered, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”

Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he replied, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho. Some members of the prophetic guild in Jericho approached Elisha and said, “Do you know that today the Lord is going to take your master from you?” He answered, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”

Elijah said to him, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he replied, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they traveled on together. The fifty members of the prophetic guild went and stood opposite them at a distance, while Elijah and Elisha[d] stood by the Jordan. Elijah took his cloak, folded it up, and hit the water with it. The water divided, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “What can I do for you,[e] before I am taken away from you?” Elisha answered, “May I receive a double portion of the prophetic spirit that energizes you?”[f] 10 Elijah[g] replied, “That’s a difficult request![h] If you see me taken from you, may it be so, but if you don’t, it will not happen.”

11 As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a fiery chariot[i] pulled by fiery horses appeared.[j] They went between Elijah and Elisha,[k] and Elijah went up to heaven in a windstorm. 12 While Elisha was watching, he was crying out, “My father, my father! The chariot and horsemen of Israel!”[l] Then he could no longer see him. He grabbed his clothes and tore them in two. 13 He picked up Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen off him, and went back and stood on the shore of the Jordan. 14 He took the cloak that had fallen off Elijah,[m] hit the water with it, and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” When he hit the water, it divided and Elisha crossed over.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 2:1 tn Or “when.”
  2. 2 Kings 2:3 tn Heb “the sons of the prophets.”
  3. 2 Kings 2:3 tn Heb “from your head.” The same expression occurs in v. 5.
  4. 2 Kings 2:7 tn Heb “the two of them.” The referents (Elijah and Elisha) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
  5. 2 Kings 2:9 tn Heb “Ask! What can I do for you….?”
  6. 2 Kings 2:9 tn Heb “May a double portion of your spirit come to me.”
  7. 2 Kings 2:10 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  8. 2 Kings 2:10 tn Heb “You have made difficult [your] request.”
  9. 2 Kings 2:11 tn Though the noun is singular here, it may be collective, in which case it could be translated “chariots.”
  10. 2 Kings 2:11 tn Heb “look, a chariot of fire and horses of fire.”
  11. 2 Kings 2:11 tn Heb “and they made a division between the two of them.”
  12. 2 Kings 2:12 sn Elisha may be referring to the fiery chariot(s) and horses as the Lord’s spiritual army that fights on behalf of Israel (see 2 Kgs 6:15-17; 7:6). However, the juxtaposition with “my father” (clearly a reference to Elijah as Elisha’s mentor), and the parallel in 2 Kgs 13:14 (where the king addresses Elisha with these words), suggest that Elisha is referring to Elijah. In this case Elijah is viewed as a one man army, as it were. When the Lord spoke through him, his prophetic word was as powerful as an army of chariots and horses. See M. A. Beek, “The Meaning of the Expression ‘The Chariots and Horsemen of Israel’ (II Kings ii 12),” The Witness of Tradition (OTS 17), 1-10.
  13. 2 Kings 2:14 tn Heb “Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen off him.” The wording is changed slightly in the translation for the sake of variety of expression (see v. 13).