3 Then the angel of Yahweh said to Elijah from Tishbe, "Meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and ask them, 'Do you seek advice from Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, because you think there is no Elohim in Israel? 4 This is what Yahweh says: You will not get up from the bed you are lying on. Instead, you will die there.'" Then Elijah left.

5 When the messengers returned, the king asked them, "Why have you come back so soon?"

6 They told him that a man came to meet them and said to them, "Go back to the king who sent you. Tell him, 'This is what Yahweh says: Do you send messengers to seek advice from Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, because you think there is no Elohim in Israel? You will not get up from the bed you are lying on. Instead, you will die there.'"

7 The king asked them, "What was the man who told you this like?"

8 They replied, "He was hairy and had a leather belt around his waist."

"That's Elijah from Tishbe," the king answered.

9 The king sent an army officer with 50 men to Elijah. When the officer found Elijah sitting on top of a hill, he told Elijah, "Man of Elohim, the king says, 'Come down.'"

10 Elijah answered the officer, "If I'm a man of Elohim, fire will come from heaven and burn up you and your 50 men." Then fire came from heaven and burned up the officer and his 50 men.

11 The king sent another officer with 50 men to Elijah. The officer said, "Man of Elohim, this is what the king says: Come here right away!"

12 Elijah answered the officer, "If I'm a man of Elohim, fire will come from heaven and burn up you and your 50 men." Then Elohim's fire came from heaven and burned up the officer and his 50 men.

13 The king sent a third officer with 50 men. The officer of the third group went up the hill and knelt in front of Elijah. The officer begged him, "Man of Elohim, please treat my life and the lives of these 50 servants of yours as something precious. 14 Fire has come from heaven and burned up the first two officers and their 100 men. But treat my life as something precious."

15 The angel of Yahweh told Elijah, "Go with him. Don't be afraid of him." So Elijah got up and went with him to the king. 16 Elijah told the king, "This is what Yahweh says: You sent messengers to seek advice from Baalzebub, the god of Ekron. Is this because you think there is no Elohim in Israel whose word you can seek? You will not get up from the bed you are lying on. Instead, you will die there."

17 So Ahaziah died as Yahweh had predicted through Elijah. Joram succeeded him as king because Ahaziah had no son.a 18 Isn't everything else about Ahaziah-the things he did-written in the official records of the kings of Israel?

Elijah Taken to Heaven 2 1 When Yahweh was going to take Elijah to heaven in a windstorm, Elijah and Elisha left Gilgal. 2 Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here because Yahweh is sending me to Bethel."

Elisha answered, "I solemnly swear, as Yahweh lives and as you live, I will not abandon you." So they went to Bethel.

3 Some of the disciples of the prophets at Bethel came to Elisha. They asked him, "Do you know that Yahweh is going to take your master from you today?"

He answered, "Yes, I know. Be quiet."

4 Elijah said, "Elisha, please stay here because Yahweh is sending me to Jericho."

Elisha answered, "I solemnly swear, as Yahweh lives and as you live, I will not abandon you." So they went to Jericho.

5 Then some of the disciples of the prophets who were in Jericho approached Elisha. They asked, "Do you know that Yahweh is going to take your master from you today?"

He answered, "Yes, I know. Be quiet."

6 Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here because Yahweh is sending me to the Jordan River."

Elisha answered, "I solemnly swear, as Yahweh lives and as you live, I will not abandon you."

7 Fifty disciples of the prophets stood at a distance as Elijah and Elisha stood by the Jordan River. 8 Elijah took his coat, rolled it up, and struck the water with it. The water divided to their left and their right, and the two men crossed the river on dry ground.

9 While they were crossing, Elijah asked Elisha, "What should I do for you before I'm taken from you?"

Elisha answered, "Let me inherit a double share of your spirit."

10 Elijah said, "You have asked for something difficult. If you see me taken from you, it will be yours. Otherwise, it will not."

11 As they continued walking and talking, a fiery chariot with fiery horses separated the two of them, and Elijah went to heaven in a windstorm.

12 When Elisha saw this, he cried out, "Master! Master! Israel's chariot and horses!" When he couldn't see Elijah anymore, he grabbed his own garment and tore it in two to show his grief. 13 Then he picked up Elijah's coat (which had fallen off Elijah), went back, and stood on the bank of the Jordan River. 14 He took the coat and struck the water with it. He asked, "Where is Yahweh Elohim of Elijah?" As he struck the water, it divided to his left and his right, and Elisha crossed the river.

15 The disciples of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him from a distance. They said, "Elijah's spirit rests on Elisha!" Then they went to meet him and bowed in front of him with their faces touching the ground. 16 They said to him, "There are 50 strong men here with us. Please let them go and search for your master. Maybe the Ruach Yahweh lifted him up and dropped him on one of the hills or in one of the valleys."

Elisha answered, "Don't send them to look." 17 But the disciples kept urging him to send the men until he was embarrassed. So he said, "Send them." They sent 50 men who searched for three days without finding him. 18 They returned to Elisha in Jericho, where he was waiting. He said, "Didn't I tell you not to go?"

Elisha Purifies Jericho's Water 19 The people of the city of Jericho told Elisha, "This city's location is as good as you will ever find. But the water is bad, and the land cannot grow crops."

20 Elisha said, "Bring me a new jar, and put salt in it." They brought it to him. 21 He went to the spring and threw the salt into it. Then he said, "This is what Yahweh says: I have purified this water. No more deaths or crop failures will come from this water." 22 To this day the water is still pure, as Elisha had said.

23 From there he went to Bethel. As he walked along the road, some boys came out of the city and mocked him. They said, "Go away, baldy! Go away!"

24 Looking back, he saw them and cursed them in Yahweh's name. Two bears came out of the woods and tore 42 of these youths apart. 25 He left that place, went to Mount Carmel, and returned to Samaria.

King Joram of Israel 3 1 Joram,a son of Ahab, became king of Israel in Samaria during Jehoshaphat's eighteenth year as king of Judah. He ruled for 12 years. 2 He did what Yahweh considered evil, but he didn't do what his father or mother had done. He put away the sacred stone that his father had set up and dedicated to Baal. 3 But he would not give up the sins that Jeroboam (Nebat's son) led Israel to commit. Joram would not turn away from those sins.

King Mesha of Moab Defeated 4 King Mesha of Moab raised sheep. Each year he had to pay the king of Israel 100,000 male lambs and the wool from 100,000 rams. 5 But when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the new king of Israel. 6 King Joram immediately left Samaria to prepare Israel's army for war. 7 He sent this message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: "The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you fight Moab with me?"

Jehoshaphat answered, "I'll go. I will do what you do. My troops will do what your troops do. My horses will do what your horses do."

8 Joram asked, "Which road should we take?"

Jehoshaphat answered, "The road through the desert of Edom."

9 So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom took an indirect route to Moab. After seven days they ran out of water for the army and the animals. 10 The king of Israel said, "Oh no! Yahweh has put the three of us at the mercy of the people of Moab."

11 But Jehoshaphat asked, "Isn't there a prophet of Yahweh whom we could ask?"

One of the officials of the king of Israel answered, "Elisha, the son of Shaphat, is here. He used to be Elijah's assistant."b 12 Jehoshaphat said, "Yahweh's word is with him." So King Jehoshaphat of Judah, the king of Israel, and the king of Edom went to Elisha.

13 Elisha asked the king of Israel, "Why did you come to me? Go to your father's prophets or your mother's prophets."

The king of Israel answered him, "No. Yahweh has called the three of us in order to put us at Moab's mercy."

14 Elisha answered, "I solemnly swear, as Yahweh Tsebaoth whom I serve lives, I wouldn't even bother to look at you or notice you if it weren't for my respect for King Jehoshaphat of Judah. 15 But get me someone to play some music."

While the musician was playing, Yahweh's power came over Elisha. 16 He said, "This is what Yahweh says: Make this valley full of ditches. 17 You will not see wind or rain, but this valley will be filled with water. You, your cattle, and your other animals will drink. 18 Yahweh considers that an easy thing to do. In addition, he will put Moab at your mercy. 19 You will defeat every walled city and every important city. You will cut down every good tree, seal all the wells, and use rocks to ruin every good piece of land."

20 That is what happened in the morning. At the time of the grain offering, water flowed from Edom and filled the countryside.

21 All the people of Moab heard that the kings had come to fight them. So all men old enough to bear arms were called to fight. They stood at the border. 22 When the Moabites got up early in the morning as the sun was rising over the water, they saw the water from a distance. It was as red as blood. 23 They said, "It's blood! The kings have been fighting one another and have killed each other. Now, Moabites, let's take their goods!"

24 So when the Moabites came to Israel's camp, the Israelites attacked them, and they fled from the Israelites. Israel went after the Moabites and defeated them. 25 Then Israel tore down the cities, each man throwing rocks on every good field until it was covered. They sealed every well and cut down every good tree. Only the stones in the walls of Kir Hareseth were left. Soldiers surrounded Kir Hareseth and attacked it with slings and stones. 26 When the king of Moab saw he was losing the battle, he took 700 swordsmen to try to break through to the king of Edom. But they couldn't do it. 27 Then he took his firstborn son, who would have succeeded him as king, and sacrificed him on the wall as a burnt offering. There was bitter anger against the Israelites. So they went home to their own country.

Elisha and the Widow's Olive Oil 4 1 One of the wives of a disciple of the prophets called to Elisha, "Sir, my husband is dead! You know how he feared Yahweh. Now a creditor has come to take my two children as slaves."

2 Elisha asked her, "What should I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?"

She answered, "I have nothing in the house except a jar of olive oil."

3 Elisha said, "Borrow many empty containers from all your neighbors. 4 Then close the door behind you and your children, and pour oil into all those containers. When one is full, set it aside."

5 So she left him and closed the door behind her and her children. The children kept bringing containers to her, and she kept pouring. 6 When the containers were full, she told her son, "Bring me another container."

He told her, "There are no more containers." So the olive oil stopped flowing. 7 She went and told the man of Elohim.

He said, "Sell the oil, and pay your debt. The rest is for you and your children."

Elisha Brings a Shunem Woman's Son Back to Life 8 One day Elisha was traveling through Shunem, where a rich woman lived. She had invited him to eat with her. So whenever he was in the area, he stopped in to eat.

9 She told her husband, "I know he's a holy man of Elohim. And he regularly travels past our house. 10 Let's make a small room on the roof and put a bed, table, chair, and lamp stand there for him. He can stay there whenever he comes to visit us."

11 One day he came to their house, went into the upstairs room, and rested there. 12 He told his servant Gehazi, "Call this Shunem woman."

Gehazi called her, and she stood in front of him. 13 Elisha said to Gehazi, "Ask her what we can do for her, since she has gone to a lot of trouble for us. Maybe she would like us to speak to the king or the commander of the army for her."

She answered, "I'm already living among my own people."

14 "What should we do for her?" Elisha asked.

Gehazi answered, "Well, she has no son, and her husband is old."

15 Elisha said, "Call her." So Gehazi called her, and she stood in the doorway. 16 Elisha said, "At this time next spring, you will hold a baby boy in your arms."

She answered, "Don't say that, sir. Don't lie to me. You're a man of Elohim."

17 But the woman became pregnant and had a son at that time next year, as Elisha had told her.

18 Several years later the boy went to his father, who was with the harvest workers. 19 Suddenly, he said to his father, "My head! My head!"

The father told his servant, "Carry him to his mother."

20 The servant picked him up and brought him to his mother. The boy sat on her lap until noon, when he died. 21 She took him upstairs and laid him on the bed of the man of Elohim, left the room, and shut the door behind her. 22 She called her husband and said, "Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys. I will go quickly to the man of Elohim and come back again."

23 Her husband asked, "Why are you going to him today? It isn't a New Moon Festival or a day of worship."

But she said goodbye to him.

24 She saddled the donkey. Then she told her servant, "Lead on. Don't slow down unless I tell you." 25 So she came to the man of Elohim at Mount Carmel.

When the man of Elohim saw her coming at a distance, he told his servant Gehazi, "There is the woman from Shunem. 26 Run to meet her and ask her how she, her husband, and the boy are doing."

"Everyone's fine," she answered.

27 When she came to the man of Elohim at the mountain, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi went to push her away. But the man of Elohim said, "Leave her alone. She is bitter. Yahweh has hidden the reason from me. He hasn't told me."

28 The woman said, "I didn't ask you for a son. I said, 'Don't raise my hopes.'"

29 The man of God told Gehazi, "Put on a belt, take my shepherd's staff in your hand, and go. Whenever you meet anyone, don't stop to greet him. If he greets you, don't stop to answer him. Lay my staff on the boy's face."

30 The boy's mother said, "I solemnly swear, as Yahweh and you live, I will not leave without you." So Elisha got up and followed her.

31 Gehazi went ahead of them and put the staff on the boy's face, but there was no sound or sign of life. So Gehazi came back to meet the man of Elohim. Gehazi told him, "The boy didn't wake up."

32 When Elisha came to the house, the dead boy was lying on Elisha's bed. 33 He went into the room, closed the door, and prayed to Yahweh. 34 Then he lay on the boy, putting his mouth on the boy's mouth, his eyes on the boy's eyes, his hands on the boy's hands. He crouched over the boy's body, and it became warm. 35 Elisha got up, walked across the room and came back, and then got back on the bed and crouched over him. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. 36 Elisha called Gehazi and said, "Call the Shunem woman." Gehazi called her. When she came to him, he said, "Take your son."

37 Then she immediately bowed at his feet. She took her son and left.

Elisha and the Poisoned Food 38 When Elisha went back to Gilgal, there was a famine in the country. One day, while the disciples of the prophets were meeting with him, he told his servant, "Put a large pot on the fire, and cook some stew for the disciples of the prophets."

39 One of them went into the field to gather vegetables and found a wild vine. He filled his clothes with wild gourds. Then he cut them into the pot of stew without knowing what they were. 40 They dished out the food for the men to eat. As they were eating the stew, they cried out, "There's death in the pot, man of Elohim!" So they couldn't eat it.

41 Elisha said, "Bring some flour." He threw it into the pot and said, "Dish it out for the people to eat." Then there was nothing harmful in the pot.

Elisha Feeds a Hundred People 42 A man from Baal Shalisha brought bread made from the first harvested grain, 20 barley loaves, and fresh grain to the man of Elohim. The man of Elohim said, "Give it to the people to eat."

43 But his servant asked, "How can I set this in front of a hundred people?"

"Give it to the people to eat," the man of Elohim said. "This is what Yahweh says: They will eat and even have some left over."

44 The servant set it in front of them. They ate and had some left over, as Yahweh had predicted.

Elisha Heals Naaman 5 1 Naaman, the commander of the Aramean king's army, was respected and highly honored by his master. Yahweh had given Aram a victory through Naaman. This man was a good soldier, but he had a skin disease.

2 Once, when the Arameans went on raids, they had brought back a little girl from Israel. She became the servant of Naaman's wife. 3 The girl told her mistress, "If only my master were with the prophet in Samaria. Then the prophet could cure him of his skin disease."

4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said.

5 The king of Aram said, "You may go. I will also send a letter to the king of Israel." When Naaman left, he took 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and 10 sets of clothing with him. 6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel. It read, "I'm sending my officer Naaman with this letter. Cure him of his skin disease."

7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in distress. He asked, "Am I Elohim? Can I kill someone and then bring him back to life? This man sends someone to me so that I can cure his skin disease! All of you should realize and understand that he's trying to pick a fight with me."

8 But when Elisha, the man of Elohim, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a messenger to the king. He asked, "Why did you tear your clothes? Please let Naaman come to me and find out that there is a prophet in Israel."

9 Naaman came with his horses and chariot and stopped at the entrance to Elisha's home. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to him. He said, "Wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River, and your skin will be healthy and clean."a 11 But Naaman became angry and left. He said, "I thought he would at least come out of his house, stand somewhere, call on the name of Yahweh his Elohim, wave his hand over the infected place, and heal the skin disease. 12 The Abana and Pharpar Rivers in Damascus have better water than any of the rivers in Israel. Couldn't I wash in them and be clean?" So he turned around and left in anger.

13 But Naaman's servants went to him and said, "Master, if the prophet had asked you to do some extraordinary act, wouldn't you have done it? Why shouldn't you do as he said: 'Wash and be clean'?"

14 So he went to dip himself in the Jordan River seven times, as the man of Elohim had instructed him. His skin became healthy again like a little child's skin. 15 Then he and all his men returned to the man of Elohim. Naaman stood in front of Elisha and said, "Now I know that there's no god in the whole world, except the Elohim of Israel. So please accept a present from me."

16 Elisha said, "I solemnly swear, as Yahweh whom I serve lives, I will not accept it." Naaman urged him to take it, but he refused.

17 So Naaman said, "If you won't take it, please have someone give me as much dirt as a pair of mules can carry. From now on I will sacrifice to Yahweh alone. I will not offer any burnt offering or sacrifice to any other gods. 18 May Yahweh forgive me when my master goes to the temple of Rimmon to worship, leans on my arm, and I have to bow down in the temple of Rimmon. When I do this, may Yahweh forgive me for this one thing."