The Story of Elisha

	Introduction
		As they walk on conversing, a flaming chariot and flaming horses comes between them, and Elijah goes up to heaven in a whirlwind. When Elisha sees this he cries out, "My father! my father! Israel's chariots and drivers!" But when he can no longer see him, Elisha tears his own garment in two. Then he picks up Elijah's mantle which had fallen from him, and goes back and stands at the bank of the Jordan. Wielding the Elijah’s mantle, he strikes the water in his turn and asks where the LORD, the God of Elijah is. When Elisha strikes the water with the Elijah's mantle, it divides and he crosses over. The guild prophets in Jericho, who are on the other side, see him and declare that the spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha. They go to meet him, bowing to the ground before him.
	The prophets urge Elisha to allow them to send men to search for Elijah. At first Elisha refuses but the prophets keep urging him, until he agrees. So they send the men, who search for three days without finding him. When they go back to Elisha ito tell him that they did not find Elijah, he reminds them that he did not want them to go and search for Elijah in the first place.
	Taking over the Mantle of Elijah The guild prophets in Jericho, who are on the other side, see him and declare that the spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha. They go to meet him, bowing to the ground before him. The prophets urge Elisha to allow them to send men to search for Elijah. At first Elisha refuses but the prophets keep urging him, until he agrees. So they send the men, who search for three days without finding him. They go back to Elisha in Jericho to tell him
	that they did not find Elijah. Elisha reminds them that he did not want them to go and search for Elijah. Once the inhabitants of the city complain to Elisha that although the site of the city is fine indeed the water is bad and the land unfruitful. Elisha asks for a new bowl and tells them to put salt into it. When they bring the bowl of salt to him, he goes out to the spring and throws salt into it, saying that the LORD, has purified the water and never again shall death or miscarriage spring from it. From there Elisha goes up to Bethel. On his way there, some small boys come out of the city and jeer at him, calling him names. The prophet turns, sees them, and he curses them in the name of the LORD. Then two she-bears come out of the woods and tear the children to pieces. From there he goes to Mount Carmel, and thence he returns to Samaria. The Campaigns of the Kings Joram, son of Ahab, becomes king of Israel in Samaria. He does evil in the LORD'S sight, though not as much as his father and mother. He does away with the pillar of Baal, which his father had made, but he still clings to the sin to which Jeroboam, son of Nebat, had lured Israel, which he does not give up. Now Mesha, king of Moab, who raises sheep, used to pay the king of Israel as tribute a hundred thousand lambs and the wool of a hundred thousand rams. But when Ahab dies, the king of Moab had rebels against the king of Israel. Joram as king musters all Israel, and he sets out on a campaign from Samaria. He makes an alliance with king of Judah to do battle with the king of Moab. They discuss the route for their attack, and settle upon the route through the desert of Edom. So the king of Israel accompanied by the king of Judah and the king of Edom set out for their long journey. After seven days the water runs out for the army and for the animals with them. In desperation they seek out a prophet through whom they may inquire of the LORD. One of the officers of the king of Israel replies that Elisha, son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah, is here. The Miracle with the Water So the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom go down to Elisha, who tells them that were it not for his respect for the king of Judah, he would not have noticed them at all. Then the power of the LORD comes upon Elisha. He announces that the LORD says to provide many catch basins in the wadi. Elisha continues that the LORD says that although there will be no rain or wind this wadi will be filled with water for them, their livestock, and their pack animals to drink. LORD also says that He will deliver Moab into their grasp. He continues that they must destroy every fortified city, fell every fruit tree, stop up all the springs, and ruin every fertile field with stones. In the morning, at the time of the sacrifice, water comes from the direction of Edom and fills the land. Meanwhile, all Moab hear that the kings had come to battle with them so they call up every man capable of bearing arms station them at the border. Early that morning, when the sun shines on the water, the Moabites sees the water at a distance as red as blood. The Moabites confuse the sight as the blood of the kings whom they thought have fought among themselves and killed one another. Then they rush to the spoils. But when they reach the camp of Israel, the Israelites rise up and attack the Moabites, who in turn flee from them. They run through the countryside striking down the Moabites, and destroying the cities. Each of them cast stones onto every fertile field till they had loaded it down. All the springs they stop up and every useful tree they fell. Finally only Kir-hareseth is left behind its stone walls, and the slingers surround and attack it.
	When he sees that he is losing the battle, the king of Moab takes seven hundred swordsmen to break through to the king of Aram, but he fails. So he takes his first-born, his heir apparent, and offers him as a holocaust upon the wall. The wrath against Israel is so great that they give up the siege and return to their own land. The Miracle with the Oil A widow of one of the guild prophets complains to Elisha that her husband is dead. She continues that he was a God-fearing man, yet now his creditor has come to take her two children as his slaves. Elisha asks the woman what she has in her house. The woman answers that she has nothing but a jug of oil. Eisha orders her to go and borrow as many empty vessels from her neighbors. Then he tells her to
	come back, close the door on her and her children and then pour the oil into all the vessels. He tells her that as each is filled, set it aside. She goes out and does as Elisha ordered. Then closing the door on herself and her children, she pours oil into the empty vessels until all the vessels are full. And then the oil stop flowing. Then Elisha tells her to go and sell the oil to pay off her creditor and keep what remains, for her and her children. The Mother and the Son One day Elisha comes to Shunem, where there is a woman of influence. She urges him to dine with her. Afterward, whenever he passes by, he stops there to dine. So she says to her husband that they should arrange a little room on the roof and furnish it for him with a bed, table, chair, and lamp, so that when he comes he can stay there. Sometime later Elisha arrives and stays in the room overnight. Then Elisha says to his servant Gehazi, that this woman has lavished them with care, and he asks what they can do for her. So Elisha asks her and she answers there is nothing else she needs. Later Elisha asks his servant again and Gehazi observes that she has no son, and her husband is getting on in years. So Elisha call for the woman and tells her that by this time next year she will be fondling a baby son. As Elisha prophesied, the woman conceives, gives birth at that same time in following year.
	One day when the child is old enough to go out to his father among the reapers, he complains that his head hurts. So they bring him home to his mother. He dies in her lap that afternoon. She takes his dead body to the room they reserved for Elisha, closes and goes out. She goes to her husband to have a servant and a donkey so she can go quickly to the man of God. And she leaves and instructs her servant to lead the donkey and not stop until she tells him. She keeps going until she reaches the man of God on Mount Carmel. After greeting him, the woman tells Elisha what happened and begs him in bitter anguish to save her son. Elisha then says to Gehazi to take his staff with him and go to the house of the boy and lay the staff upon him. But the boy’s mother cries out begs him to go back with her, so they go back
	together.
	Meanwhile, Gehazi goes on ahead and had lays the staff upon the boy, but there is no sound or sign of life. He returns to meet Elisha and informs him that the boy had not awakened.
	When Elisha reaches the house, he finds the boy lying dead. He goes in, closes the door on them both, and prays to the LORD. Then he lays upon the child on the bed, placing his mouth upon the child's mouth, his eyes upon the eyes, and his hands upon the hands. As Elisha stretches himself over the child, the body becomes warm. He arises, paces up and down the room, and then once more lays down upon the boy, who now sneezes seven times and opens his eyes. Elisha summons Gehazi to call the mother, and when she arrives, Elisha presents to her the boy alive.
	The Miracles with the Bread When Elisha returns to Gilgal, there is a famine in the land. Once, Elisha tells his servant, while the guild prophets are seated before him, to put the large pot on, and make some vegetable stew for the guild prophets. Someone goes out into the field to gather herbs and finds a wild vine, from which he picks some wild gourds. On his return he cuts them up into the pot of vegetable stew without anybody knowing it. When done they pour the stew for the men to eat. But when they begin to eat it, they find that there is poison in the pot and that they cannot not eat it. Elisha then orders to bring some meal and throws it into the pot. Then he says to serve the stew to the people to eat. And there is no longer anything harmful in the pot. A man comes from Baal-shalishah bringing the man of God twenty barley loaves made from the first fruits, and fresh grain in the ear. Elisha says to give the bread to the people to eat. But his servant objects saying that there are a hundred men to serve, and there is not enough bread. Elisha insist to give the bread to the people to eat for thus says the LORD, 'They shall eat and there shall be some left over.' And after they had eaten, there is some left over, as the LORD had said.
	The Shumanite Woman One day Elisha says to the woman whose son he had restored to life to leave with her family because the LORD has decreed a seven-year famine which is coming upon the land. So the woman leaves with the family as the man of God said. They settle in the land of the Philistines for seven years. At the end of the seven years, the woman returns from the land of the Philistines and goes out to the king to claim her house and her field. At that same time the king is talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of
	God to know all the great things that Elisha had done. Just as he is relating to the king how his master had restored a dead person to life, the very woman whose son Elisha had restored to life comes to the king to claim her house and field. Gehazi then says to the king that she is that woman, and this is that son of hers whom Elisha restored to life. The king questions the woman, and she tells him her story. With that the king places an official at her disposal, to restore all her property to her, with all that the field produced from the day she left the land until now. Elisha’s Prophesy Regarding Hazael Elisha comes to Damascus at a time when Ben-hadad, king of Aram, is sick. When Ben-hadad learns that the man of God arrived, the king tells Hazael to take a gift with him and go call on the man of God. He tells his servant to ask the man of God to consult the LORD as to whether he shall recover from this sickness.
	So Hazael goes to visit him, bringing presents, and stands before the prophet to deliver the inquiry of the king. Elisha tells the servant to tell that king that he will surely recover but the LORD has shown Elisha that he will in fact die. Then he stares him down until Hazael becomes ill at ease. Then Elisha begins to weep. He tells Hazael that he knows the evil that he will inflict upon the Israelites. He continues that Hazael will burn their fortresses, slay their youth with the sword, dash their
	little children to pieces and rip open their pregnant women. Hazael leaves Elisha and returns to his master, and tells the king that Elisha said that he will surely recover. The next day, however, Hazael takes a cloth, dips it in water, and spreads it over the king's face, so that he dies. And Hazael becomes king of Aram as Elisha prophesied. Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat, becomes king of Judah, and reigns for eight years. He conducts himself like the kings of Israel of the line of Ahab, and does evil in the LORD'S sight. Even so, the LORD does not destroy Judah, because of David, to whom the LORD had promised David that He would leave him a lamp in the LORD'S presence for all time. Elisha Anoints Jehu During Jehoram's reign, Edom revolts against the sovereignty of Judah and chooses a king of its own. Thereupon Jehoram with all his chariots crosses over to Zair, and arising by night he breaks through the Edomites. He finds himself and his commanders of his chariots surrounded by Edomites then his army flees homeward. Jehoram joins Joram, son of Ahab, in battle against Hazael, king of Aram, at Ramoth-gilead. There the Arameans wound Joram. Joram returns to Jezreel to heal his wounds. Then Ahaziah, king of Judah, goes down to Jezreel to visit him. At this time the prophet Elisha calls on one of the guild prophets and tells him to take a flask of oil and go to Ramoth-gilead. There Elisha tells him to seek out Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat, son of Nimshi. Then he tells the prophet to take Jehu away from his companions into an inner chamber. While at the inner chamber Elisha tells him to pour oil from his flask on Jehu’s head and anoint him king over Israel in the name of the LORD. Then Elisha tells him to leave immediately. The young guild prophet goes to Ramoth-gilead and does as Elisha ordered. He takes Jehu aside to the inner chamber and anoints him the name of the LORD. Then he tells Jehu that the LORD has said that he shall destroy the house of Ahab his master; thus avenging the blood of the LORD’S prophets, and the blood of all the other servants of the LORD shed by Jezebel, and by all the rest of the family of Ahab. He tells Jehu that the LORD has said that He will cut off every male in Ahab's line, whether slave or freeman in Israel and He will deal with the house of Ahab as He dealt with the house of Jeroboam, son of Nebat, and with the house of Baasha, son of Ahijah. Then the prophet opens the doors from the inner room and flees, as Elisha ordered. When Jehu rejoins his master's servants, they ask him why the madman came to him. Jehu tells them that the prophet, in the name of the LORD has anointed him king over Israel. Thereupon, each one takes his garment, spreads it under Jehu on the bare steps. Then they blow the trumpet, and cry out that Jehu is king!
	The Death of Jezebel: Fulfilling the Prophecy of Elijah
	When Jezebel learns that Jehu has arrived in Jezreel, she shadows her eyes, adorns her hair, and looks down from her window. As Jehu comes through the gate, she cries out accusation to Jehu of murdering his master. Jehu looks up to the window and later orders the two or three eunuchs with Jezebel to throw her down. She dies and Jehu rides in over her body. After eating and drinking, he tells his servants to attend to that accursed woman and bury her, because after all, she was a king's daughter. But when they go to bury her, they find
	nothing of her but the skull, the feet, and the hands. They report this to Jehu who tells them that this is the sentence which the LORD pronounced through his servant Elijah the Tishbite that in the confines of Jezreel dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel. Jehu then proceeds to kill the descendants of Ahab, as well as all his powerful supporters, intimates, and priests, leaving him no survivor, doing away with them completely and thus fulfilling the prophecy which the LORD had spoken through Elijah.
	Death of the Prophets of Baal On a ruse Jehu gathers all the worshipers and priests of Baal saying that there will be a great sacrifice for Baal. Jehu tells them that whoever is absent shall not live. On Jehu’s order they proclaim a solemn assembly in honor of Baal. Jehu sends word of this throughout the land of Israel. All the worshipers of Baal without exception come into the temple of Baal, which is filled to capacity. Then Jehu orders the custodian of the wardrobe to bring out the garments for all the worshipers of Baal. When this is done Jehu, with Jehonadab, enters the temple of Baal and says to the worshipers of Baal to search the temple to make sure that there is no worshiper of the LORD here with them.
	Then they proceed to offer sacrifices and holocausts. Now Jehu had previously stationed eighty men outside with a warning that if one of them lets anyone escape he shall pay with his life. As soon as he finishes offering the holocaust, Jehu orders the guards and officers to go in and slay them. So the guards and officers put them to the sword and cast them out. Afterward they go into the inner shrine of the temple of Baal. They take out the stele of Baal, and burn the shrine. Then they smash the stele of Baal, tear down the building, and turn it into a latrine. Thus Jehu roots out the worship of Baal from Israel. The Death of Elisha
	When Elisha falls ill King Joash of Israel goes down to visit him and he grieves and weeps over Elisha. Elisha tells him to take a bow and some arrows and tells him to shoot through an open window facing east. With Elisha’s hand over his hand, Joash shoots an arrow towards the east. Then the prophet exclaims that that is arrow of victory! Elisha tells Joash that he will completely conquer Aram at Aphec. Then he tells the king of Israel to take the arrows and to strike the ground! Joash does as she is told and strikes the ground three times and stops. Elisha becomes angry that Joash stopped and tells him that now Joash will defeat Aram only three times, and not completely. Then Elisha dies and is buried.
	One Last Miracle Once some people are burying a man, when suddenly they see a raiding band of Moabites. So they cast the dead man into the grave of Elisha, and everyone leave in a hurry. But when the man comes in contact with the bones of Elisha, he comes back to life and rises to his feet!