"As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee." And they two went on. And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha:

"Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee." And Elisha said:

"I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me." And he said:

"Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so."

And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, "My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof." And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; and he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, "Where is the Lord God of Elijah?" and when he also had

smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, "The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha." And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

ELISHA, THE SUCCESSOR OF ELIJAH

1. ELISHA PAYS A POOR WOMAN'S DEBT

Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying:

"Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the Lord: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen." And Elisha said unto her:

"What shall I do for thee? tell me? what hast thou in the house?" And she said:

"Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil." Then he said:

"Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full." So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son:

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Bring me yet a vessel." And he said unto her:

"There is not a vessel more." And the oil stayed. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said:

Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest."

2. THE SHUNAMMITE'S SON

It fell on a day, that Elisha passed to Shunem, where was a great woman; and she constrained him to eat bread. And so it was, that as oft as he passed by, he turned in thither to eat bread. And she said unto her husband, "Behold now, I perceive that this is an holy man of God, which passeth by us continually. Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither." And it fell on a day, that he came thither, and he turned into the chamber, and lay there. And he said to Gehazi his servant:

"Call this Shunammite." And when he had called her, she stood before him. And he said unto him:

"Say now unto her, Behold, thou hast been careful for us with all this care; what is to be done for thee? wouldest thou be spoken for to the king, or to the captain of the host?" And she answered:

“I dwell among mine own people." And he said:

"What then is to be done for her?" And Gehazi answered: "Verily she hath no child, and her husband is old." And he said:

"Call her." And when he had called her, she stood in the door. And he said:

"About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son." And she said:

"Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid." And the woman bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life.

And when the child was grown, it fell on a day, that he went out to his father to the reapers. And he said unto his father, "My head, my head." And he said to a lad, "Carry him to his mother." And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. And she went up, and laid him on the bed of the man of God, and shut the door upon him, and went out. And she called unto her husband, and said:

"Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, that I may run to the man of God, and come again." And he said:

"Wherefore wilt thou go to him to-day? it is neither new moon, nor sabbath." And she said:

"It shall be well." Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, "Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee." So she went and came unto the man of God to mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant: