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After they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “What can I do for you before I am taken from you?”

Elisha said, “Leave me a double share of your spirit.”[a]

10 Elijah said, “You have asked a hard thing. But if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours. If you don’t, it won’t happen.”

11 Elijah and Elisha were still walking and talking. Then a chariot and horses of fire appeared. The chariot and horses of fire separated Elijah from Elisha. Then Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.

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Footnotes

  1. 2:9 “Leave . . . spirit.” By law, the first son in a family would inherit a double share of his father’s possessions. Elisha is asking to inherit a share of his master’s power. He is not asking for twice as much power as Elijah had.

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?”

“Let me inherit a double(A) portion of your spirit,”(B) Elisha replied.

10 “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.”

11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire(C) and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven(D) in a whirlwind.(E)

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