¹⁵ When the sons of the prophets from Jericho who were facing him saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” They came to meet him and bowed down to the ground in front of him.

¹⁶ Then the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Since there are 50 strong men here with your servants, please let them go and search for your master. Maybe the Spirit of the Lord has carried him away and put him on one of the mountains or into one of the valleys.”^(A)

He answered, “Don’t send them.”

¹⁷ However, they urged him to the point of embarrassment,^(B) so he said, “Send them.” They sent 50 men, who looked for three days but did not find him. ¹⁸ When they returned to him in Jericho^(C) where he was staying, he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?”

¹⁹ Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Even though our lord can see that the city’s location is good, the water is bad and the land unfruitful.”^(D)

²⁰ He replied, “Bring me a new bowl and put salt in it.”^(E)

After they had brought him one, ²¹ Elisha went out to the spring of water, threw salt in it,^(F) and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘I have healed this water. No longer will death or unfruitfulness result from it.’” ²² Therefore, the water remains healthy to this very day according to the word that Elisha spoke.