2 Kings 2:14-15

2:14 He took the cloak that had fallen off Elijah, ¹  hit the water with it, and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” When he hit the water, it divided and Elisha crossed over.

2:15 When the members of the prophetic guild in Jericho, ²  who were standing at a distance, ³  saw him do this, they said, “The spirit that energized Elijah ⁴  rests upon Elisha.” They went to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him.

2 Kings 2:21

2:21 He went out to the spring and threw the salt in. Then he said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘I have purified ⁵  this water. It will no longer cause death or fail to produce crops.” ⁶ 

2 Kings 2:24

2:24 When he turned around and saw them, he called God’s judgment down on them. ⁷  Two female bears came out of the woods and ripped forty-two of the boys to pieces.

¹ tn Heb “Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen off him.” The wording is changed slightly in the translation for the sake of variety of expression (see v. 13).

² map For location see Map5-B2; Map6-E1; Map7-E1; Map8-E3; Map10-A2; Map11-A1.

³ tn Heb “and the sons of the prophets who were in Jericho, [who were standing] opposite, saw him and said.”

⁴ tn Heb “the spirit of Elijah.”

⁵ tn Or “healed.”

⁶ tn Heb “there will no longer be from there death and miscarriage [or, ‘barrenness’].”

⁷ tn Heb “he cursed them in the name of the Lord.” A curse was a formal appeal to a higher authority (here the Lord) to vindicate one’s cause through judgment. As in chapter one, this account makes it clear that disrespect for the Lord’s designated spokesmen can be deadly, for it is ultimately rejection of the Lord’s authority.