Study Desk

Then the sons of the men who spoke for God at Bethel came out to Elisha. They said to him, "Do you know that the Lord will take Elijah from you today?" And he said, "Yes, I know. Say no more."

Elijah said to him, "Elisha, I ask you to stay here. For the Lord has sent me to Jericho." But Elisha said, "As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they came to Jericho.

The sons of the men who spoke for God at Jericho came to Elisha. They said to him, "Do you know that the Lord will take Elijah from you today?" And he answered, "Yes, I know. Say no more."

Then Elijah said to him, "I ask you to stay here. For the Lord has sent me to the Jordan." And Elisha said, "As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on.

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Ask what I should do for you before I am taken from you." And Elisha said, "I ask you, let twice the share of your spirit be upon me."

They said to him, "Now see, there are fifty strong men with your servants. Let them go and look for your teacher. It might be that the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up and put him down on some mountain or into some valley." And Elisha said, "Do not send them."

But they talked to him until he was ashamed, and he said, "Send them." So they sent fifty men to look for Elijah. But after three days they did not find him.

Ahab's son Jehoram became the king of Israel at Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. He ruled for twelve years.

Jehoram did what was bad in the eyes of the Lord, but not like his father and mother. For he put away the object of Baal which his father had made.

So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. They traveled around for seven days, but there was no water for the army or the cattle that followed them.

The king of Israel said, "It is bad! For the Lord has called these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab."

But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not a man who speaks for God here? Is there no one we can ask to learn what the Lord would have us do?" One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, "Elisha the son of Shaphat is here. He poured water on the hands of Elijah."

Elisha said, "As the Lord of all lives, before Whom I stand, if I did not care for Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, I would not look at you or see you.

For the Lord says, ‘You will not see wind or rain. But that valley will be filled with water so that you and your cattle and your animals will drink.'

They said, "This is blood. For sure the kings have fought and killed one another. So now, Moab, let us take what is left!"

The king of Moab saw that the battle was too hard for him. So he took with him 700 men who used the sword, to break through to the king of Edom. But they could not.

Elisha said to her, "What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" And she said, "Your woman servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil."

Let us make a little room on the second floor. And let us put a bed there for him, and a table and a chair and a lamp. Then when he comes to us, he can go in there."

Elisha said to Gehazi, "Now tell her, ‘See, you have done much for us. What can I do for you? Should I speak to the king or to the captain of the army for you?'" And she answered, "I live among my own people."

So Elisha said, "What then is to be done for her?" Gehazi answered, "She has no son, and her husband is old."