Chronological
God Judges Ahaziah
1 Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. 2 Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria and became ill. So he sent messengers and said to them, “Go, inquire of Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron whether I will recover from this illness.”
3 But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is not a God in Israel, that you go to inquire of Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron?’ 4 Therefore thus says the Lord, ‘You will not come down from the bed on which you have gone up but will surely die.’ ” Then Elijah departed.
5 When the messengers returned to the king, he said to them, “Why have you returned?”
6 And they said to him, “A man came up to meet us and said to us, ‘Go, return to the king that sent you and say to him: Thus says the Lord: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not come down from the bed on which you have gone up, but you will surely die.’ ”
7 He said to them, “What sort of man was he who came up to meet you and told you these things?”
8 They answered him, “He was a hairy man with a leather belt around his waist.”
He said, “It was Elijah the Tishbite.”
9 Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty men. He went up to Elijah, and there he was, sitting on the top of a hill, and he said to him, “Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’ ”
10 But Elijah answered the captain of fifty: “If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.
11 Again the king sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty men. He said, “Man of God, thus says the king: Come down quickly.”
12 Elijah answered them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.
13 Then again the king sent a third captain of fifty with his fifty men. The third captain of fifty went up, came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and pleaded with him, “Man of God, may my life and the life of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight. 14 See, fire came down from heaven and consumed the two captains of the former fifties with their fifty men. May my life now be precious in your sight.”
15 Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him. Do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king.
16 Then he said to him, “Thus says the Lord: Have you sent messengers to inquire of Baal-Zebub the god of Ekron, because there is no God in Israel to inquire of His word? Therefore you will not come down from the bed on which you have gone up, but you will surely die.” 17 So he died according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken.
Then Jehoram[a] reigned in his place in the second year of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, because he had no son. 18 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
Elijah Ascends to Heaven
2 Then when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, “Tarry here, I ask you, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel.”
But Elisha said to him, “As the Lord lives, and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.
3 The sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord is taking away your master from you?”
And he said, “Yes, I know. Keep silent.”
4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.”
And he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they entered Jericho.
5 The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho approached Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord is taking away your master from you?”
And he said, “Yes, I know. Keep silent.”
6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.”
And he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you live, I will not leave you.” And the two of them went on.
7 Fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood at a distance, and the two of them stood by the Jordan. 8 Then Elijah took his robe and rolled it up and struck the water, and it was divided from one side to the other. Then the two of them crossed on dry ground.
9 And as they were crossing, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask for something, and I will do it for you before I am taken away from you.”
And Elisha said, “Let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”
10 He said, “You have asked for a difficult thing, but if you see me when I am taken from you, it will happen to you. If not, it will not.”
11 As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 Elisha was watching and crying, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” And he did not see him again. Then he grabbed his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
13 He picked up the robe of Elijah that fell from him, and he returned and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 And he took the robe of Elijah that fell from him, and struck the water, and said, “Where is the Lord, God of Elijah?” When he had struck the water, it parted from one side to the other, and Elisha crossed over.
15 When the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him from far off, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him. 16 They said to him, “Look now, there are fifty strong men with your servants. Let them go and look for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has lifted him up and thrown him on some mountain or into some valley.”
He said, “Do not send them.”
17 When they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, “Send them.” So they sent fifty men, and they searched for three days but did not find him. 18 When they returned to him (for he had stayed at Jericho), he said to them, “Did I not say to you, do not go?”
Elisha Performs Miracles
19 Now the men of the city said to Elisha, “The location of this city is good, as my lord sees, but the water is bad, and the land is unfruitful.”
20 He said, “Bring me a new bowl and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him.
21 He went out to the spring of water and threw the salt into it and said, “Thus says the Lord: I have healed this water. No more death or unfruitfulness will come from it.” 22 So the waters have been healthy until this day, according to the word that Elisha spoke.
23 He went up from there to Bethel, and going up on the way, little boys came out of the city and made fun of him and said to him, “Go up, you bald head! Go up, you bald head!” 24 He turned around, saw them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two she-bears came out of the woods and ripped open forty-two of the boys. 25 He went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
Jehoram Reigns Over Israel
3 Now Jehoram son of Ahab reigned over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah and reigned twelve years. 2 He did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not like his father and mother, for he removed the pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3 Nevertheless he clung to the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. He did not depart from them.
4 Now Mesha king of Moab was a sheep-breeder and gave back to the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs and the wool of a hundred thousand rams. 5 But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 King Jehoram went out of Samaria at that time and mustered all Israel. 7 He went and sent to Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to Moab to battle?”
He said, “I will go up. I am as you are, my people as your people, and my horses as your horses.”
8 Then he said, “Which way should we go up?”
And he said, “The way through the Wilderness of Edom.”
9 So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom went, and they marched around seven days. But there was no water for the camp or for the livestock that followed them.
10 The king of Israel said, “Alas! The Lord has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab!”
11 But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there a prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire of the Lord?”
Then one of the king of Israel’s servants answered, “Elisha the son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah, is here.”
12 Jehoshaphat said, “The word of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to him.
13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I to do with you? Go to your father’s prophets, or to your mother’s prophets.”
Then the king of Israel said to him, “No. The Lord has called these three kings to deliver them into the hand of Moab.”
14 Elisha said, “As the Lord of Hosts lives, before whom I stand, surely, were it not for my regard for Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look at you nor see you. 15 Now bring me a musician.”
And when the musician played, the hand of the Lord came upon him. 16 He said, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Make this valley full of pools.’ 17 For thus says the Lord, ‘You will not see wind, nor will you see rain, yet that valley will be filled with water, that you may drink, both you and your livestock, and your cattle.’ 18 This is an easy thing in the sight of the Lord, and He will give the Moabites into your hand. 19 You will strike every fortified city and every choice city, and will cut down every good tree, and stop every spring of water, and you will ruin every good piece of land with stones.”
20 So in the morning as the offering was offered up, suddenly water flowed from the way of Edom, and the land was filled with water.
21 When all the Moabites heard that the kings had come up to fight against them, all who were able to bear arms and older were summoned and stood at the border. 22 They got up early in the morning, and the sun shone on the water, and the Moabites saw the water opposite them was as red as blood. 23 Then they said, “This is blood. The kings have surely fought together; and they have killed one another. Now therefore, Moab, to the spoil!”
24 When they came to the camp of Israel, the children of Israel arose and struck the Moabites, so that they ran from them. And they went forward into their land, killing the Moabites. 25 They demolished the cities, and on every good piece of land every man threw a stone and filled it with stones, and they stopped every spring of water and cut down every good tree. Only in Kir Hareseth did the stones in the wall remain, until the slingers surrounded it and struck it.
26 When the king of Moab saw that the battle was overwhelming him, he took with him seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Edom, but they were unable. 27 Then he took his firstborn son, who would have reigned in his place, and offered him for a burnt offering on the wall. And great wrath came upon Israel, and they departed from him and returned to their own land.
The Widow’s Olive Oil
4 Now one of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but a creditor has come to take my two sons as slaves.”
2 Elisha said to her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?”
She said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.”
3 Then he said, “Go, ask for vessels from all your neighbors, empty vessels and not just a few. 4 Then go in, shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour the oil into all these vessels. When each is full, set it aside.”
5 So she left him and shut the door behind her and her sons, and they kept bringing vessels to her, and she kept pouring. 6 When the vessels were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another vessel.”
But he said to her, “There is not another vessel.” And the oil ceased.
7 Then she went and told the man of God. And he said, “Go, sell the oil, and pay your debt, and you and your children can live on the rest.”
Elisha Raises the Shunammite’s Son
8 One day Elisha passed through Shunem, and a noble woman was there who urged him to eat a meal. So whenever he passed through, he stopped there to eat a meal. 9 And she said to her husband, “I know that he is a holy man of God regularly passing through near us. 10 Let us make a little walled upper room and put for him there a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so when he comes to us he can stay there.”
11 One day he came by there, and he turned aside to the upper room and lay down. 12 He said to Gehazi his servant, “Call this Shunammite woman.” So he called her and she stood before him. 13 He said to him, “Say to her, Look, you have gone to all this trouble for us. What may be done for you? Would you have a word spoken on your behalf to the king, or to the captain of the army?”
And she answered, “I am living among my people.”
14 He said, “What may be done for her?”
And Gehazi said, “Actually, she has no son, and her husband is old.”
15 He said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood in the entrance. 16 He said, “At this season, when it is time, you will embrace a son.”
And she said, “No, my lord, man of God, do not lie to your servant.”
17 But the woman conceived and bore a son at that season, at the time that Elisha had told her.
18 When the child was older, he went out one day to his father with the reapers. 19 He said to his father, “My head, my head!”
And he said to a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 20 When he had taken him and brought him to his mother, the boy sat on her knees until noon, and died. 21 She went up, and laid him down on the bed of the man of God, shut the door on him, and went out.
22 Then she called to her husband, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so that I may run to the man of God and return.”
23 He said, “Why are you going to him today? It is neither New Moon nor Sabbath.”
She said, “It will be all right.”
24 Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Lead on, and do not hold back for me unless I tell you.” 25 So she went and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.
And when the man of God saw her far off, he said to Gehazi his servant, “Look, over there is the Shunammite woman. 26 Now run to meet her, and say to her, Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is the child all right?”
And she said, “It is all right.”
27 When she came to the man of God at the mountain, she grabbed his feet. Gehazi approached to push her away. But the man of God said, “Let her alone, for she is in bitter distress, and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me.”
28 Then she said, “Did I ask for a son from my lord? Did I not say, Do not give me false hope?”
29 Then he said to Gehazi, “Prepare yourself, take my staff in your hand, and go. If you find anyone, do not greet him, and if anyone greets you, do not answer him, and lay my staff on the face of the boy.”
30 Then the boy’s mother said, “As the Lord lives, and as you live, I will not leave without you.” And he got up and followed her.
31 Gehazi passed through ahead of them and laid the staff on the face of the boy, but there was no sound or response. So he returned to meet him and told him, “The boy is not awake.”
32 When Elisha came into the house, he saw that the boy was dead, lying on his bed. 33 So he went in, and shut the door on the two of them, and prayed to the Lord. 34 He went up and lay on the child, put his face on his face, and his eyes on his eyes, and his hands on his hands. Then he bent over the child, and the child’s flesh warmed. 35 Then he got down, walked once back and forth in the house, and went up, and bent over him; the boy sneezed seven times, and the boy opened his eyes.
36 Then Elisha called Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite woman.” So he called her, and she came to him. Then he said, “Pick up your son.” 37 Then she came in, fell at his feet, and bowed down to the ground. Then she picked up her son and went out.
Elisha Purifies the Deadly Stew
38 When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a famine in the land. The sons of the prophets were sitting before him, and he said to his servant, “Put on the big cooking pot, and boil some stew for the sons of the prophets.”
39 One went out into the field to gather herbs. He found a wild vine and gathered from it wild gourds, filling his clothes, and came and split them into the pot of stew, but they did not recognize them. 40 So they poured it out for the men to eat. But as they were eating the stew, they cried out, “Man of God, there is death in the pot.” They could not eat it.
41 But he said, “Then bring flour.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Pour it for the people and let them eat.” And there was nothing bad in the pot.
Elisha Feeds One Hundred Men
42 A man came from Baal Shalishah, and he brought the man of God food from the first fruits—twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain—in his sack. And Elisha said, “Give it to the people and let them eat.”
43 But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred men?”
He said, “Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They will eat and have some left.’ ” 44 So he set it before them, they ate, and some was left over, according to the word of the Lord.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.