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The sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “See now, the place where we live and meet with you is too small for us. Please let us go to the Jordan, and each man take a beam from there, and let’s make us a place there, where we may live.”

He answered, “Go!”

One said, “Please be pleased to go with your servants.”

He answered, “I will go.” So he went with them. When they came to the Jordan, they cut down wood. But as one was cutting down a tree, the ax head fell into the water. Then he cried, and said, “Alas, my master! For it was borrowed.”

The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” He showed him the place. He cut down a stick, threw it in there, and made the iron float. He said, “Take it.” So he put out his hand and took it.

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The Floating Ax Head

One day the group of prophets came to Elisha and told him, “As you can see, this place where we meet with you is too small. Let’s go down to the Jordan River, where there are plenty of logs. There we can build a new place for us to meet.”

“All right,” he told them, “go ahead.”

“Please come with us,” someone suggested.

“I will,” he said. So he went with them.

When they arrived at the Jordan, they began cutting down trees. But as one of them was cutting a tree, his ax head fell into the river. “Oh, sir!” he cried. “It was a borrowed ax!”

“Where did it fall?” the man of God asked. When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water at that spot. Then the ax head floated to the surface. “Grab it,” Elisha said. And the man reached out and grabbed it.

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