2 Kings 5:1 Naaman, commander of the army for the king of Aram, was essential to his lord and highly regarded because Yahveh had given victory to Aram through him. The man was a valiant warrior, but he had a skin disease.
2 Kings 5:2 Aram had gone on raids and brought back from the land of Israel a young girl who served Naaman’s wife.
2 Kings 5:3 She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his skin disease.”
2 Kings 5:4 So Naaman went and told his lord what the girl from the land of Israel had said.
2 Kings 5:5 Therefore, the king of Aram said, “Go, and I will send a letter with you to the king of Israel.” So, he went and took with him 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and ten sets of clothing.
2 Kings 5:6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel, and it read: When this letter comes to you, note that I have sent you my slave Naaman for you to cure him of his skin disease.
2 Kings 5:7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and asked, “Am I God, killing and giving life that this man expects me to cure a man of his skin disease? Recognize that he is only picking a fight with me.”
2 Kings 5:8 When Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Have him come to me, and he will know there is a prophet in Israel.”
2 Kings 5:9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house.
2 Kings 5:10 Then Elisha sent him an agent, who said, “Go wash seven times in the Jordan, and your skin will be restored, and you will be clean.”
2 Kings 5:11 But Naaman got angry and left, saying, “I was telling myself: He will surely come out, stand and call on the name of Yahveh his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the skin disease.
2 Kings 5:12 Aren’t Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be clean?” So, he turned and left in a rage.
2 Kings 5:13 But his slaves approached and said to him, “My father if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more should you do it when he only tells you, ‘Wash and be clean’?”
2 Kings 5:14 So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the command of the man of God. Then his skin was restored and became like the skin of a small boy, and he was clean.
2 Kings 5:15 Then Naaman and his whole company went back to the man of God, stood before him, and declared, “I know there’s no God in the whole world except in Israel. Therefore, please accept a gift from your servant.”
2 Kings 5:16 But Elisha said, “As Yahveh lives, in whose presence I stand, I will not accept it.” Naaman urged him to accept it, but he refused.
2 Kings 5:17 Naaman responded, “If not, please let your servant be given as much soil as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will no longer offer a burnt offering or a sacrifice to any other god but Yahveh.
2 Kings 5:18 However, in a particular matter may Yahveh pardon your servant: When my lord, the king of Aram, goes into the temple of Rimmon to bow in worship while he is leaning on my arm, and I have to bow in the temple of Rimmon — when I bow in the temple of Rimmon, may Yahveh pardon your servant in this matter.”
2 Kings 5:19 So he said to him, “Go in peace.” After Naaman had traveled a short distance from Elisha,
2 Kings 5:20 Gehazi, the boy of Elisha, the man of God, thought, “My lord has let this Aramean Naaman off lightly by not accepting from him what he brought. As Yahveh lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”
2 Kings 5:21 So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?”
2 Kings 5:22 Gehazi said, “It’s all right. My lord has sent me to say, ‘I have just now discovered that two boys from the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them seventy-five pounds of silver and two sets of clothing.'”
2 Kings 5:23 But Naaman insisted, “Please, accept one hundred fifty pounds.” He urged Gehazi and then packed one hundred fifty pounds of silver in two bags with two sets of clothing. Naaman gave them to two of his boys, who carried them ahead of Gehazi.
2 Kings 5:24 When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the gifts from them and deposited them in the house. Then he dismissed the men, and they left.
2 Kings 5:25 Gehazi came and stood by his lord. “Where did you go, Gehazi?” Elisha asked him. He replied, “Your slave didn’t go anywhere.”
2 Kings 5:26 “And my heart didn’t go when the man got down from his chariot to meet you,” Elisha said. “Is this a time to accept silver and clothing, olive orchards and vineyards, flocks and herds, and male and female slaves?
2 Kings 5:27 Therefore, Naaman’s skin disease will cling to you and your descendants forever.” So Gehazi went out from his presence diseased, resembling snow.
1 Now many have undertaken to compile an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 like the accounts passed on to us by those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word from the beginning. 3 So it seemed good to me as well, because I have followed all things carefully from the beginning, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know for certain the things you were taught.
Brothers and sisters, we live in a world that is suspicious of certainty. People are comfortable with opinions, impressions, and personal truths—but they grow uneasy when someone claims to know something, especially about God. Yet the Christian faith begins with a bold, unapologetic claim: you can know for certain the things you have been taught.
That is Luke’s purpose. That is the Holy Spirit’s purpose. And that is God’s gift to His people.
Luke opens his Gospel not with poetry, not with prophecy, not with a miracle—but with a historian’s preface. He begins with research, eyewitnesses, investigation, and careful writing. Why? Because Christianity is not built on myths, feelings, or private visions. It is built on real events, anchored in time, geography, and human testimony.
Luke wants Theophilus—and us—to understand that the story of Jesus is not a legend polished over time. It is not a spiritual metaphor. It is not a religious philosophy. It is history, and because it is history, it is trustworthy. And because it is trustworthy, it can hold the weight of your soul.
Let’s walk through Luke’s introduction and see how God strengthens our faith through the gift of historical certainty.
1. A Faith Rooted in Fulfilled Prophecies.
“Many have undertaken to compile an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us…” (v. 1)
Luke begins with a remarkable statement: the story of Jesus is not merely a story of things that happened—it is a story of things that have been fulfilled. Fulfilled. That word carries centuries of longing. It carries the weight of prophets, promises, covenants, and expectations. Luke is saying: The things God promised have come to pass in real time, in real space, in real history.
Christianity is not a new idea. It is the continuation and completion of God’s ancient plan. When Jesus was born, lived, died, and rose again, He stepped into a story already in motion—a story God had been writing since Genesis.
And Luke says: These things were fulfilled among us. Not “long ago.” Not “in a distant land.” Not “in a mythical age.” But among us—in the lifetime of the eyewitnesses, in the streets of Jerusalem, in the villages of Galilee, in the courts of Rome. Christianity is not a philosophy that grew over centuries. It is a fulfillment that erupted into the world.
And that matters for your faith. Because if God has fulfilled His promises in the past, you can trust Him with the promises that are still ahead.
2. A Faith Anchored in Eyewitness Testimony.
“…like the accounts passed on to us by those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word from the beginning.” (v. 2)
Luke is not writing rumors. He is not writing secondhand stories. He is not writing religious imagination. He is writing about what eyewitnesses saw.
Christianity is not based on private revelation. It is based on public events witnessed by fishermen, tax collectors, women, soldiers, priests, skeptics, and enemies. The resurrection was not seen by one mystic in a cave. Hundreds saw it.
Luke says these eyewitnesses were “servants of the word”—meaning they didn’t just see these things; they proclaimed them. They staked their lives on them. They suffered for them. Many died for them.
People will die for a lie they believe is true. But no one dies for a lie they know is false. The apostles didn’t die for a philosophy. They died for a fact: Jesus rose from the dead. And Luke says: I talked to them. I listened to them. I investigated their testimony.
Your faith is not built on wishful thinking. It is built on the testimony of men and women who saw Jesus with their own eyes.
3. A Faith Strengthened by Careful Investigation.
“So, it seemed good to me as well, because I have followed all things carefully from the beginning…” (v. 3)
Luke is not a gullible man. He is not a storyteller. He is a physician—trained to observe, to analyze, to verify. And he says he has “followed all things carefully.” That phrase means:
He interviewed eyewitnesses.
He compared accounts.
He checked facts.
He traced events back to their origins.
He examined everything with precision.
Luke is the first-century equivalent of an investigative journalist. And he is telling Theophilus—and us—I did my homework. I checked the sources. I verified the details. God did not ask Luke to shut off his brain. He asked him to use it. And God does not ask you to shut off your brain either. Faith is not the absence of thinking; it is the result of thinking deeply about trustworthy evidence. Christianity welcomes investigation. It invites questions. It stands up to scrutiny because truth has nothing to fear.
4. A Faith Presented in an Orderly Account.
“…to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus…” (v. 3)
Luke is not writing a random collection of stories. He is writing an orderly account carefully structured narrative designed to show the meaning of the events.
Luke wants Theophilus to see the shape of the story:
The promises of God.
The arrival of the Messiah.
The ministry of Jesus.
The death that saves.
The resurrection that conquers.
The ascension that enthrones.
The Spirit who empowers.
The church that spreads the gospel to the nations.
Luke is not just giving information. He is giving understanding. He is showing how the pieces fit together. And that is what God does for us. He doesn’t just give us facts; He gives us a story that explains the world, explains our hearts, explains our hope. Your faith is not built on scattered ideas. It is built on a coherent, ordered, meaningful account of God’s work in history.
5. A Faith That Produces Certainty.
“…so that you may know for certain the things you were taught.” (v. 4)
This is the heart of the passage. This is the heartbeat of Luke’s Gospel. This is the desire of God for His people. Certainly. Not arrogance. Not pride. Not blind confidence. But a settled, grounded, informed assurance that what you believe is true.
Luke knows Theophilus has been taught the gospel. But teaching alone is not enough. Teaching must become conviction. Conviction must become certainty. And certainty must become endurance. Luke writes so that doubts, rumors, persecution, or cultural pressure will not shake Theophilus. He writes so that Theophilus will stand firm.
And God preserved Luke’s Gospel so that you would stand firm.
You do not have fragile faith. You do not have a mythological faith. You do not have faith built on feelings. You have faith built on fulfilled prophecy, eyewitness testimony, careful investigation, and orderly presentation. You have faith you can know for certain.
We live in a skeptical age. People question everything—news, science, institutions, motives, and especially religion. Many assume faith is a leap into the dark.
But Luke shows us that Christian faith is a step into the light.
When you face doubts, Luke says: Look at the evidence. When you face suffering, Luke says: Look at the fulfilled promises. When you face cultural pressure, Luke says: Look at the eyewitnesses. When you face confusion, Luke says: Look at the orderly account. When you face fear, Luke says: Look at the certainty God offers.
Your faith is not fragile. It is anchored in history. And because it is anchored in history, it can anchor your life. Luke does not write history for history’s sake. He writes history for faith’s sake.
Because if Jesus really lived, then His teachings matter. If Jesus really died, then His sacrifice matters. If Jesus really rose, then His victory matters. If Jesus really ascended, then His reign matters. If Jesus is really coming again, then your hope is secure.
Historical truth becomes spiritual power.
The more certain you are of the truth, the more boldly you will live it. The more grounded you are in the gospel, the more confidently you will share it. The more convinced you are of Christ, the more joyfully you will follow Him.
Luke wants you to have a faith that stands firm when the world shakes.
We don’t know much about Theophilus. His name means “lover of God.” He may have been a Roman official, a wealthy patron, or a new believer wrestling with questions. I personally think that Theophilus was a fellow physician whom Luke may have won to Christ.
We do not know that for sure. But we do know this: God cared enough about one man’s certainty to inspire an entire Gospel. And if God cared that much about Theophilus, He cares that much about you. Luke wrote so that Theophilus would know the truth. God preserved Luke so that you would know the truth.
You are not meant to live with a vague, uncertain, half‑formed faith. You are meant to live with a confident, joyful, historically grounded assurance that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Luke 1:1–4 is God’s invitation to a confident faith.
A faith rooted in fulfilled promises. A faith anchored in eyewitness testimony. A faith strengthened by careful investigation. A faith presented in an orderly account. A faith that produces certainty.
Christianity is not a leap into the dark. It is a step into the light of history. And because Jesus really lived, really died, and really rose, you can trust Him with your past, your present, and your future.
Lord, thank You for giving us a faith grounded in truth. Thank You for eyewitnesses who saw Your works, for servants who proclaimed Your word, and for Luke who carefully investigated and wrote so that we might know for certain the things we have been taught. Strengthen our confidence in Your promises. Anchor our hearts in the reliability of Your word. And let the certainty of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection shape the way we live today. Amen.
Communion Meditation:
Titus 3: 13-14 NET
“We wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope in the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He gave himself for us to set us free…”
As we come to the Lord’s Table, we do so with a deep and steady certainty. Scripture tells us we wait for the happy fulfillment of our hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. The One we await is the One who already gave Himself for us, offering His life to set us free. This bread and cup remind us that our future is not uncertain, our hope is not fragile, and our salvation is not in question. Christ has acted, Christ is present, and Christ will come again. In this, we rest with confidence.
2 Kings 4:1 One of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your slave, my husband, has died. You know that your servant feared Yahveh. Now the creditor is coming to take my two children as his slaves.”
2 Kings 4:2 Elisha asked her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She said, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.”
2 Kings 4:3 Then he said, “Go out and borrow empty containers from all your neighbors. Do not get just a few.
2 Kings 4:4 Then go in and shut the door behind you and your sons, and pour oil into all these containers. Set the full ones to one side.”
2 Kings 4:5 So she left. After she had shut the door behind her and her sons, they kept bringing her containers, and she kept pouring.
2 Kings 4:6 When they were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another container.” But he replied, “There aren’t anymore.” Then the oil stopped.
2 Kings 4:7 She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go sell the oil and pay your debt; you and your sons can live on the rest.”
2 Kings 4:8 One day, Elisha went to Shunem. A prominent woman who lived there strongly recommended that he eat some food, so whenever he passed by, he stopped there to eat.
2 Kings 4:9 Then she said to her husband, “I know that the one who often passes by here is a holy man of God,
2 Kings 4:10 so let’s make a small, walled-in upper room and put a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp there for him. Whenever he comes, he can stay there.”
2 Kings 4:11 One day he came there and stopped at the upstairs room to lie down.
2 Kings 4:12 He ordered his boy Gehazi, “Call this Shunammite woman.” So, he called her, and she stood before him.
2 Kings 4:13 Then he said to Gehazi, “Say to her, ‘Look, you’ve gone to all this trouble for us. What can we do for you? Can we speak on your behalf to the king or the commander of the army? ‘” She answered, “I am living among my people.”
2 Kings 4:14 So he asked, “Then what should be done for her?” Gehazi answered, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is old.”
2 Kings 4:15 “Call her,” Elisha said. So Gehazi called her, and she stood in the doorway.
2 Kings 4:16 Elisha said, “At this time next year, you will have a son in your arms.” Then she said, “No, my lord. Man of God, do not lie to your servant.”
2 Kings 4:17 As Elisha had promised her, the woman conceived and gave birth to a son at the same time the following year.
2 Kings 4:18 The child grew and one day went out to his father and the harvesters.
2 Kings 4:19 Suddenly, he complained to his father, “My head! My head!” His father told his boy, “Carry him to his mother.”
2 Kings 4:20 So he picked him up and took him to his mother. The child sat on her lap until noon and then died.
2 Kings 4:21 She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, shut him in and left.
2 Kings 4:22 She summoned her husband and said, “Please send me one of the boys and one of the donkeys, so I can hurry to the man of God and come back again.”
2 Kings 4:23 But he said, “Why go to him today? It’s not a New Moon or a Sabbath.” She replied, “Everything is all right.”
2 Kings 4:24 Then she saddled the donkey and said to her boy, “Go fast; don’t slow the pace for me unless I tell you.”
2 Kings 4:25 So she came to the man of God at Mount Carmel. When the man of God saw her at a distance, he said to his boy Gehazi, “Look, there’s the Shunammite woman.
2 Kings 4:26 Run out to meet her and ask, ‘Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your son all right? ‘” And she answered, “Everything’s all right.”
2 Kings 4:27 When she came up to the man of God at the mountain, she held strongly to his feet. Gehazi came to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone – her throat is in severe anguish, and Yahveh has hidden it from me. He hasn’t told me.”
2 Kings 4:28 Then she said, “Did I ask my lord for a son? Didn’t I say, ‘Do not lie to me? ‘”
2 Kings 4:29 So Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tuck your mantle under your belt, take my staff with you, and go. If you meet anyone, don’t stop to greet him, and if a man greets you, don’t answer him. Then place my staff on the boy’s face.”
2 Kings 4:30 The boy’s mother said to Elisha, “As Yahveh lives and as your throat lives, I will not leave you.” So, he got up and followed her.
2 Kings 4:31 Gehazi went ahead of them and placed the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or sign of life, so he went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy didn’t wake up.”
2 Kings 4:32 When Elisha got to the house, he discovered the boy lying dead on his bed.
2 Kings 4:33 So he went in, closed the door behind the two of them, and prayed to Yahveh.
2 Kings 4:34 Then he went up and lay on the boy: he put mouth to mouth, eye to eye, hand to hand. While he bent down over him, the boy’s flesh became warm.
2 Kings 4:35 Elisha got up, went into the house, and paced back and forth. Then he went up and bent down over him again. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.
2 Kings 4:36 Elisha called Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite woman.” He called her, and she came. Then Elisha said, “Pick up your son.”
2 Kings 4:37 She came, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; she picked up her son and left.
2 Kings 4:38 When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a famine in the land. The sons of the prophets were sitting before him. He said to his boy, “Put on the large pot and make stew for the sons of the prophets.”
2 Kings 4:39 One went out to the field to gather herbs and found a wild vine from which he gathered as many wild gourds as his garment would hold. Then he came back and cut them up into the pot of stew, but they were unaware of what they were.
2 Kings 4:40 They served some for the men to eat, but when they ate the stew, they cried out, “There’s death in the pot, man of God!” And they were unable to eat it.
2 Kings 4:41 Then Elisha said, “Get some flour.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Serve it for the people to eat.” And there was nothing bad in the pot.
2 Kings 4:42 A man from Baal-shalishah came to the man of God with his sack full of twenty loaves of barley bread from the first bread of the harvest. Elisha said, “Give it to the people to eat.”
2 Kings 4:43 But Elisha’s attendant asked, “What? Am I to set this before a hundred men?” “Give it to the people to eat,” Elisha said, “for this is what Yahveh says: ‘They will eat, and they will have some left over.'”
2 Kings 4:44 So he set it before them, and as Yahveh had promised, they ate and had some left over.
2 Kings 3:1 Joram, son of Ahab, became king over Israel in Samaria during the eighteenth year of Judah’s King Jehoshaphat, and he reigned for twelve years.
2 Kings 3:2 He did what was evil in Yahveh’s sight, but not like his father and mother, because he removed the sacred pillar of Baal his father had made.
2 Kings 3:3 Nevertheless, Joram clung to the sins that Jeroboam, son of Nebat, had caused Israel to commit. He did not turn away from them.
2 Kings 3:4 King Mesha of Moab was a sheep breeder. He used to pay the king of Israel one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams,
2 Kings 3:5 but when Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
2 Kings 3:6 So King Joram marched out from Samaria at that time and mobilized all of Israel.
2 Kings 3:7 Then he sent a message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” Jehoshaphat said, “I will go. I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.”
2 Kings 3:8 He asked, “Which route should we take?” He replied, “The route of the Wilderness of Edom.”
2 Kings 3:9 So the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom set out. After they had traveled their indirect route for seven days, they had no water for the army or the animals with them.
2 Kings 3:10 Then the king of Israel said, “Ah! — Yahveh has summoned these three kings, only to hand them over to Moab.”
2 Kings 3:11 But Jehoshaphat said, “Isn’t there a prophet of Yahveh here? Let’s inquire of Yahveh through him.” One of the slaves of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha, son of Shaphat, who used to pour water on Elijah’s hands, is here.”
2 Kings 3:12 Jehoshaphat affirmed, “The word of Yahveh is with him.” So, the kings of Israel, Jehoshaphat, and Edom went to him.
2 Kings 3:13 However, Elisha said to King Joram of Israel, “What do we have in common? Go to the prophets of your father and your mother!” But the king of Israel replied, “No because it is Yahveh who has summoned these three kings to hand them over to Moab.”
2 Kings 3:14 Elisha responded, “By the life of Yahveh of Armies, before whom I stand: If I did not have respect for King Jehoshaphat of Judah, I wouldn’t look at you; I would not take notice of you.
2 Kings 3:15 Now, bring me a musician.” While the musician played, Yahveh’s hand came on Elisha.
2 Kings 3:16 Then he said, “This is what Yahveh says: ‘Dig ditch after ditch in this wadi.’
2 Kings 3:17 Because Yahveh says, ‘You will not see wind or rain, but the wadi will be filled with water, and you will drink — you and your cattle and your animals.’
2 Kings 3:18 This is easy in Yahveh’s sight. He will also hand Moab over to you.
2 Kings 3:19 Then you will attack every fortified city and every choice city. You will cut down every good tree and stop up every spring. You will ruin every good piece of land with stones.”
2 Kings 3:20 About the time for the grain offering the next morning, water suddenly came from the direction of Edom and filled the land.
2 Kings 3:21 All Moab had heard that the kings had come up to fight against them. So, all who could bear arms, from the youngest to the oldest, were summoned and took their stand at the border.
2 Kings 3:22 When they got up early in the morning, the sun was shining on the water, and the Moabites saw that the water across from them was red like blood.
2 Kings 3:23 “This is blood!” they exclaimed. “The kings have crossed swords, and their men have killed one another. So, to the spoil, Moab!”
2 Kings 3:24 However, when the Moabites came to Israel’s camp, the Israelites attacked them, and they fled from them. So, Israel went into the land, attacking the Moabites.
2 Kings 3:25 They would destroy the cities, and each of them would throw a stone to cover every good piece of land. They would stop up every spring and cut down every good tree. This went on until only the buildings of Kir-hareseth were left. Then men with slings surrounded the city and attacked it.
2 Kings 3:26 When the king of Moab saw that the battle was too strong for him, he took seven hundred swordsmen with him to try to break through to the king of Edom, but they could not do it.
2 Kings 3:27 So he took his firstborn son, who was to become king in his place, and offered him as a burnt offering on the city wall. Great wrath was on the Israelites, and they withdrew from him and returned to their land.
2 Kings 2:1 The time had come for Yahveh to take Elijah up to the sky in a whirlwind. Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal,
2 Kings 2:2 and Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; Yahveh is sending me on to Bethel.” But Elisha replied, “As Yahveh lives and as your throat lives, I will not leave you.” So, they went down to Bethel.
2 Kings 2:3 Then the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha and said, “Do you know that Yahveh will take your lord[1] away from you today?” He said, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”
2 Kings 2:4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here; Yahveh is sending me to Jericho.” But Elisha said, “As Yahveh lives and as your throat lives, I will not leave you.” So, they went to Jericho.
2 Kings 2:5 Then the sons of the prophets who were in Jericho came up to Elisha and said, “Do you know that Yahveh will take your lord away from you today?” He said, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”
2 Kings 2:6 Elijah said to him, “Stay here; Yahveh is sending me to the Jordan.” But Elisha said, “As Yahveh lives and as your throat lives, I will not leave you.” So, the two of them went on.
2 Kings 2:7 Fifty men from the sons of the prophets came and stood observing them at a distance while the two of them stood by the Jordan.
2 Kings 2:8 Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water, which parted to the right and left. Then the two of them crossed over on dry ground.
2 Kings 2:9 When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken from you.” So, Elisha answered, “Please, let me inherit two shares of your breath.”[2]
2 Kings 2:10 Elijah replied, “You have asked for something difficult. If you see me being taken from you, you will have it. If not, you won’t.”
2 Kings 2:11 As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire with horses of fire suddenly appeared and separated the two of them. Then Elijah went up into the sky in the whirlwind.
2 Kings 2:12 As Elisha watched, he kept crying out, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!” When he could see him no longer, he held strongly to[3] his clothes, tore them in two,
2 Kings 2:13 picked up the mantle that had fallen off Elijah and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.
2 Kings 2:14 He took the mantle Elijah had dropped, and he struck the water. “Where is Yahveh God of Elijah?” he asked. He struck the water himself, and it parted to the right and the left, and Elisha crossed over.
2 Kings 2:15 When the sons of the prophets from Jericho who were observing saw him, they said, “The breath of Elijah rests on Elisha.” They came to meet him and bowed down to the ground in front of him.
2 Kings 2:16 Then the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, “Since there are fifty strong men here with your slaves, please let them go and search for your lord. Maybe the Breath of Yahveh has carried him away and put him on one of the mountains or into one of the valleys.” He answered, “Don’t send them.”
2 Kings 2:17 However, they urged him to the point of embarrassment, so he said, “Send them.” They sent fifty men, who looked for three days but did not find him.
2 Kings 2:18 When they returned to him in Jericho, where he was staying, he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you not to go?”
2 Kings 2:19 The men of the city said to Elisha, “My lord can see that even though the city’s location is good, the water is bad, and the land[4] unfruitful.”
2 Kings 2:20 He replied, “Bring me a new bowl and put salt in it.” After they had brought him one,
2 Kings 2:21 Elisha went out to the spring, threw salt in it, and said, “This is what Yahveh says: ‘I have healed this water. No longer will death or unfruitfulness result from it.'”
2 Kings 2:22 Therefore, the water remains healthy today according to the word that Elisha spoke.
2 Kings 2:23 From there, Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking up the path, some small boys[5] came out of the city and jeered at him, chanting, “Go up, baldy! Go up, baldy!”
2 Kings 2:24 He turned around, looked at them, and cursed them in the name of Yahveh. Then two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the children.
2 Kings 2:25 From there, Elisha went to Mount Carmel, and then he returned to Samaria.
jeffersonvann 