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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>2 Kings 2 CEV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/2_kings/2.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/2_kings/2-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="//biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">CEV</a> > 2 Kings 2</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../2_kings/1.htm" title="2 Kings 1">◄</a> 2 Kings 2 <a href="../2_kings/3.htm" title="2 Kings 3">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading">Contemporary English Version</div><div class="chap"><h3 class="s1">The <span class="nd">Lord</span> Takes Elijah Away</h3><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_1"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.1" class="v12_2_1">1</span>Not long before the <span class="nd">Lord</span> took Elijah up into heaven in a strong wind, Elijah and Elisha were leaving Gilgal. </span><span class="v12_2_2"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.2" class="v12_2_2">2</span>Elijah said to Elisha, “The <span class="nd">Lord</span> wants me to go to Bethel, but you must stay here.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_2">Elisha replied, “I swear by the living <span class="nd">Lord</span> and by your own life that I will stay with you no matter what!” And he went with Elijah to Bethel.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_3"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.3" class="v12_2_3">3</span>A group of prophets who lived there asked Elisha, “Do you know that today the <span class="nd">Lord</span> is going to take away your master?”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_3">“Yes, I do,” Elisha answered. “But don't remind me of it.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_4"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.4" class="v12_2_4">4</span>Elijah then said, “Elisha, now the <span class="nd">Lord</span> wants me to go to Jericho, but you must stay here.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_4">Elisha replied, “I swear by the living <span class="nd">Lord</span> and by your own life, that I will stay with you no matter what!” And he went with Elijah to Jericho.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_5"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.5" class="v12_2_5">5</span>A group of prophets who lived there asked Elisha, “Do you know that today the <span class="nd">Lord</span> is going to take away your master?”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_5">“Yes, I do,” Elisha answered. “But don't remind me of it.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_6"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.6" class="v12_2_6">6</span>Elijah then said to Elisha, “Now the <span class="nd">Lord</span> wants me to go to the Jordan River, but you must stay here.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_6">Elisha replied, “I swear by the living <span class="nd">Lord</span> and by your own life that I will never leave you!” So the two of them walked on together.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_7"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.7" class="v12_2_7">7</span>Fifty prophets followed Elijah and Elisha from Jericho, then stood at a distance and watched as the two men walked toward the river. </span><span class="v12_2_8"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.8" class="v12_2_8">8</span>When they got there, Elijah took off his coat, then he rolled it up and struck the water with it. At once a path opened up through the river, and the two of them walked across on dry ground.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_9"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.9" class="v12_2_9">9</span><a href="#fn" id="link_2Kgs.2.9!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> After they had reached the other side, Elijah said, “Elisha, the <span class="nd">Lord</span> will soon take me away. What can I do for you before that happens?”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_9">Elisha answered, “Please give me twice as much of your power as you give the other prophets, so I can be the one who takes your place as their leader.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_10"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.10" class="v12_2_10">10</span>“It won't be easy,” Elijah answered. “It can happen only if you see me as I am being taken away.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_11"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.11" class="v12_2_11">11</span>Elijah and Elisha were walking along and talking, when suddenly there appeared between them a flaming chariot pulled by fiery horses. At once, a strong wind took Elijah up into heaven. </span><span class="v12_2_12"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.12" class="v12_2_12">12</span><a href="#fn" id="link_2Kgs.2.12!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> Elisha saw this and shouted, “Israel's cavalry and chariots have taken my master away!”<a href="#fn" id="link_2Kgs.2.12!f.2" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> After Elijah had gone, Elisha tore his clothes in sorrow.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_13"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.13" class="v12_2_13">13</span>Elijah's coat had fallen off, so Elisha picked it up and walked back to the Jordan River. </span><span class="v12_2_14"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.14" class="v12_2_14">14</span>He struck the water with the coat and wondered, “Will the <span class="nd">Lord</span> perform miracles for me as he did for Elijah?” As soon as Elisha did this, a dry path opened up through the water, and he walked across.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_15"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.15" class="v12_2_15">15</span>When the prophets from Jericho saw what happened, they said to each other, “Elisha now has Elijah's power.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_15">They walked over to him, bowed down, </span><span class="v12_2_16"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.16" class="v12_2_16">16</span>and said, “There are 50 strong men here with us. Please let them go look for your master. Maybe the Spirit of the <span class="nd">Lord</span> carried him off to some mountain or valley.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_16">“No,” Elisha replied, “they won't find him.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_17"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.17" class="v12_2_17">17</span>They kept begging until he was embarrassed to say no. He finally agreed, and the prophets sent the men out. They looked three days for Elijah but never found him. </span><span class="v12_2_18"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.18" class="v12_2_18">18</span>They returned to Jericho, and Elisha said, “I told you that you wouldn't find him.”</span></p><h3 class="s1">Elisha Makes the Water Pure at Jericho</h3><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_19"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.19" class="v12_2_19">19</span>One day the people of Jericho said, “Elisha, you can see that our city is in a good spot. But the water from our spring is so bad that it even keeps our crops from growing.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_20"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.20" class="v12_2_20">20</span>He replied, “Put some salt in a new bowl and bring it to me.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_20">They brought him the bowl of salt, </span><span class="v12_2_21"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.21" class="v12_2_21">21</span>and he carried it to the spring. He threw the salt into the water and said, “The <span class="nd">Lord</span> has made this water pure again. From now on you'll be able to grow crops, and no one will starve.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_22"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.22" class="v12_2_22">22</span>The water has been fine ever since, just as Elisha said.</span></p><h3 class="s1">Some Boys Make Fun of Elisha</h3><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_23"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.23" class="v12_2_23">23</span>Elisha left and headed toward Bethel. Along the way some boys started making fun of him by shouting, “Go away, baldy! Get out of here!”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_24"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.24" class="v12_2_24">24</span>Elisha turned around and stared at the boys. Then he cursed them in the name of the <span class="nd">Lord</span>. At once two bears ran out of the woods and ripped to pieces 42 of the boys.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v12_2_25"><span class="reftext" id="2Kgs.2.25" class="v12_2_25">25</span>Elisha went up to Mount Carmel, then returned to Samaria.</span></p> <a name="fn"></a><br /><br /><br /><b>Footnotes:<br /><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">2.12 </char><char style="fq" closed="false">Israel's … away: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Or “Master, you were like cavalry and chariots for the people of Israel!”</char></note></div></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div align="center"><p><span style="font-size:11pt;">Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt;">© 2006 American Bible Society. 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