Elisha Succeeds Elijah

15 Now when (A)the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him opposite them, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. 16 And they said to him, “Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men. Please let them go and seek your master. It may be that (B)the Spirit of the Lord has caught him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley.” And he said, “You shall not send.” 17 But when they urged him (C)till he was ashamed, he said, “Send.” They sent therefore fifty men. And for three days they sought him but did not find him. 18 And they came back to him while he was staying at Jericho, and he said to them, “Did I not say to you, ‘Do not go’?”

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15 When the members of the prophetic guild in Jericho, who were standing at a distance,[a] saw him do this, they said, “The spirit that energized Elijah[b] rests upon Elisha.” They went to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him. 16 They said to him, “Look, there are fifty capable men with your servants. Let them go and look for your master, for the wind sent from the Lord[c] may have carried him away and dropped him on one of the hills or in one of the valleys.” But Elisha[d] replied, “Don’t send them out.” 17 But they were so insistent that he became embarrassed. So he said, “Send them out.” They sent the fifty men out, and they looked for three days, but could not find Elijah.[e] 18 When they came back, Elisha[f] was staying in Jericho. He said to them, “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t go’?”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 2:15 tn Heb “and the sons of the prophets who were in Jericho, [who were standing] opposite, saw him and said.”
  2. 2 Kings 2:15 tn Heb “the spirit of Elijah.”
  3. 2 Kings 2:16 tn Or “the spirit of the Lord.”
  4. 2 Kings 2:16 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  5. 2 Kings 2:17 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  6. 2 Kings 2:18 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.