Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up, and hit the water with it. The river divided and the two men walked through on dry land.
When they reached the other side, Elijah said to Elisha, “What can I do for you before I’m taken from you? Ask anything.”
Elisha said, “Your life repeated in my life. I want to be a holy man just like you.”
“That’s a hard one!” said Elijah. “But if you’re watching when I’m taken from you, you’ll get what you’ve asked for. But only if you’re watching.”
And so it happened. They were walking along and talking. Suddenly a chariot and horses of fire came between them and Elijah went up in a whirlwind to heaven. Elisha saw it all and shouted, “My father, my father! You—the chariot and cavalry of Israel!” When he could no longer see anything, he grabbed his robe and ripped it to pieces. Then he picked up Elijah’s cloak that had fallen from him, returned to the shore of the Jordan, and stood there. He took Elijah’s cloak—all that was left of Elijah!—and hit the river with it, saying, “Now where is the GOD of Elijah? Where is he?”
When he struck the water, the river divided and Elisha walked through.
The guild of prophets from Jericho saw the whole thing from where they were standing. They said, “The spirit of Elijah lives in Elisha!” They welcomed and honored him.
They then said, “We’re at your service. We have fifty reliable men here; let’s send them out to look for your master. Maybe GOD’s spirit has swept him off to some mountain or dropped him into a remote ravine.”
Elisha said, “No. Don’t send them.”
But they pestered him until he caved in: “Go ahead then. Send them.”
So they sent the fifty men off. For three days they looked, searching high and low. Nothing.
Finally, they returned to Elisha in Jericho. He told them, “So there—didn’t I tell you?”
One day the men of the city said to Elisha, “You can see for yourself, master, how well our city is located. But the water is polluted and nothing grows.”
He said, “Bring me a brand-new bowl and put some salt in it.” They brought it to him.
He then went to the spring, sprinkled the salt into it, and proclaimed, “GOD’s word: I’ve healed this water. It will no longer kill you or poison your land.” And sure enough, the water was healed—and remains so to this day, just as Elisha said.
Another time, Elisha was on his way to Bethel and some little kids came out from the town and taunted him, “What’s up, old baldhead! Out of our way, skinhead!”
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