Bilingual reading

When the LORD was about to take Elijah up by a whirlwind into heaven, Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.

Elijah said to Elisha, “Please wait here, for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel.” Elisha said, “As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel.

The sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that the LORD will take away your master from over you today?” He said, “Yes, I know it. Hold your peace.”

Elijah said to him, “Elisha, please wait here, for the LORD has sent me to Jericho.” He said, “As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho.

The sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came near to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that the LORD will take away your master from over you today?” He answered, “Yes, I know it. Hold your peace.”

Elijah said to him, “Please wait here, for the LORD has sent me to the Jordan.” He said, “As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you.” Then they both went on.

Fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood opposite them at a distance; and they both stood by the Jordan.

Elijah took his mantle, and rolled it up, and struck the waters; and they were divided here and there, so that they both went over on dry ground.

When they had gone over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be on me.”

He said, “You have asked a hard thing. If you see me when I am taken from you, it will be so for you; but if not, it will not be so.”

As they continued on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

Elisha saw it, and he cried, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” He saw him no more. Then he took hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

He also took up Elijah’s mantle that fell from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan.

He took Elijah’s mantle that fell from him, and struck the waters, and said, “Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” When he also had struck the waters, they were divided apart, and Elisha went over.

When the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho facing him saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” They came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

They said to him, “See now, there are with your servants fifty strong men. Please let them go and seek your master. Perhaps the LORD’s Spirit has taken him up, and put him on some mountain or into some valley.” He said, “Don’t send them.”

When they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, “Send them.” Therefore they sent fifty men; and they searched for three days, but didn’t find him.

They came back to him while he stayed at Jericho; and he said to them, “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t go’?”

The men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold, please, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord sees; but the water is bad, and the land is barren.”

He said, “Bring me a new jar, and put salt in it.” Then they brought it to him.

He went out to the spring of the waters, and threw salt into it, and said, “The LORD says, ‘I have healed these waters. There shall not be from there any more death or barren wasteland.’”

So the waters were healed to this day, according to Elisha’s word which he spoke.

He went up from there to Bethel. As he was going up by the way, some youths came out of the city and mocked him, and said to him, “Go up, you baldy! Go up, you baldy!”

He looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the LORD’s name. Then two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of those youths.

He went from there to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.

وقَبلَ أَن يَرفَعَ الرَّبُّ إِيلِيَّا في العاصِفَةِ نَحوَ السَّماء، ذَهَبَ إيلِيَّا مع أَليشاعَ مِنَ الجِلْجال

فقالَ إِيلِيَّا لِأَليشاع: «أُمكُثْ هٰهُنا، فإِنَّ الرَّبَّ قد أَرسَلَني إِلى بَيتَ إِيل». فقالَ أَليشاع: «حَيٌّ الرَّبُّ وحَيَّةٌ نَفسُكَ! إِنِّي لا أُفارِقُكَ». ونَزَلا إِلى بَيتَ إِيل

فخَرَجَ بَنو الأَنبِياءِ الَّذينَ في بَيتَ إِيلَ إِلى أَليشاعَ وقالوا لَه: «هَل عَلِمتَ أَنَّ الرَّبَّ في هٰذا اليَومِ يَأخُذُ سَيِّدَكَ مِن فَوقِ رَأسِكَ؟» فقال: «نَعَم، قد عَلِمتُ أَنا أَيضًا، فٱسكُتوا»

ثُمَّ قالَ لَه إِيلِيَّا: «يا أَليشاع، أُمكُثْ هٰهُنا، فإِنَّ الرَّبَّ قد أَرسَلَني إِلى أَريحا». فقال: «حَيٌّ الرَّبُّ وحَيَّةٌ نَفسُكَ! إِنِّي لا أُفارِقُكَ». ووَصَلا إِلى أَريحا

فتَقَدَّمَ بَنو الأَنبِياءِ الَّذينَ في أَريحا إِلى أَليشاعَ وقالوا لَه: «هل عَلِمتَ أَنَّ الرَّبَّ في هٰذا اليَومِ يَأخُذُ سَيِّدَكَ مِن فَوْقِ رأسِكَ؟» فقال: «نَعَم، قد عَلِمتُ أَنا أَيضًا، فٱسكُتوا»

ثُمَّ قالَ لَه إِيلِيَّا: «أُمكُثْ هٰهُنا، فإِنَّ الرَّبَّ قد أَرسَلني إِلى الأُردُنّ». فقال: «حَيٌّ الرَّبُّ وحَيَّةٌ نَفسُكَ! إِنِّي لا أُفارِقُكَ». وذَهَبا كِلاهما معًا

فذَهَبَ خَمْسونَ رَجُلًا مِن بَني الأَنبِياءِ ووَقَفوا تُجاهَهما عن بُعْد، ووَقَفا هُما بِجانِبِ الأُردُنّ

فأَخَذَ إِيلِيَّا رِداءَه ولَفَّه وضَرَبَ بِه المِياه، فٱنفَلَقَت إِلى هُنا وهُناك، وعَبَرا كِلاهُما على اليَبَس

فلَمَّا عَبَرا، قالَ إِيلِيَّا لِأَليشاع: «سَلْني ماذا أَصنَعُ لَكَ، قَبلَ أَن أُوخَذَ عنكَ» فقالَ أَليشاع: «لِيَكُنْ لي نَصيبُ ٱثنَينِ مِن روحِكَ علَيَّ»

قال: «قد سأَلتَ أَمرًا عَسيرًا: إِن أَنتَ رَأَيتَني عِندَما أُوخَذُ مِن عِندِكَ، يَكونُ لَكَ ذٰلك، وإِلَّا فلا»

وفيما كانا سائِرَين، وهُما يَتَحادثان، إِذا مَركَبَةٌ نارِيَّةٌ وخَيلٌ نارِيَّةٌ قد فَصَلَت بَينَهما. وصَعِدَ إِيلِيَّا في العاصِفَةِ نَحوَ السَّماء

وأَليشاعُ ناظِرٌ وهو يَصرُخ: «يا أَبي، يا أَبي، يا مَركَبَةَ إِسْرائيلَ وفُرْسانَه!». ثُمَّ لم يَعُدْ يَراه. فأَمسَكَ ثِيابَه وشَقَّها شَطرَين

ورَفَعَ رِداءَ إيلِيَّا الَّذي كانَ قد سَقَطَ عنه، ورَجَعَ فوَقَفَ على شاطِئِ الأُردُنّ

وأَخَذَ رِداءَ إِيلِيَّا الَّذي كانَ قد سَقَطَ عَنه وضَرَبَ بِه المِياهَ وقال: «أَينَ الرَّبُّ، إِلٰهُ إِيلِيَّا، هو أَيضًا؟» وعادَ فَضَرَبَ المِياهَ فٱنفَلَقَت إِلى هُنا وهُناك، وعَبَرَ أَليشاع

ورَآه بَنو الأَنبِياءِ الَّذينَ في أَريحا تُجاهَه، فقالوا: «قد حَلَّت روحُ إِيلِيَّا على أَليشاع». وأَتَوا لِلِقائِه وسَجَدوا لَه إِلى الأَرْض

وقالوا لَه: «هُوَذا مع عَبيدِكَ خَمْسونَ رَجُلًا ذَوو بَأس، يَمْضونَ ويَبحَثونَ عن سَيِّدَكَ، فعَسى أَن يَكونَ روحُ الرَّبِّ قد حَمَلَه وطَرَحَه على أَحَدِ الجِبالِ أَو في أَحَدِ الأَودِيَة». فقال: «لا تُرسِلوا أَحَدًا»

فأَلحُّوا علَيه جِدًّا حتَّى قالَ لَهم: «أَرسِلوا»، فأَرسَلوا خَمْسينَ رَجُلًا، فبَحَثوا ثَلاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ فلَم يَجِدوه

فرَجَعوا إِلَيه وهو مُقيمٌ في أَريحا. فقالَ لَهم: «أَلَم أَقُلْ لَكم: لا تَمْضوا؟»

وقالَ أَهلُ المَدينةِ لِأَليشاع: «إِنَّ مَوقِعَ المَدينةِ حَسَنٌ، كما يَرى سَيِّدي، إِلَّا أَنَّ ماءَها رَديءٌ والأَرضَ مُجدِبة»

فقال: «إِئْتوني بِقَصعَةٍ جَديدة، وٱجعَلوا فيها مِلْحًا». فجاؤُوه بِذٰلك

فذَهَبَ إِلى مَنبَعِ الماء وطَرَحَ فيه مِلْحًا وقال: «هٰكذا قالَ الرَّبّ: إِنِّي قد شَفَيتُ هٰذه المِياه، فلا يَكونُ مِنها بَعدَ اليَومِ مَوتٌ ولا جَدْب»

فشُفِيَتِ المِياهُ إِلى هٰذا اليَوم، على حَسَبِ كَلامِ أَليشاعَ الَّذي تَكَلَّمَ بِه

وصَعِدَ مِن هُناكَ إِلى بَيتَ إِيل، فبَينَما هو صاعِدٌ في الطَّريق، إِذا بِصِبْيانٍ صِغارٍ خارِجونَ مِنَ المَدينة، فهَزأُوا بِه وقالوا لَه: «إِصعَدْ يا أَصلَع، إِصعَدْ يا أَصلَع»

فٱلتَفَتَ إِلى وَرائِه ورَآهم ولَعَنَهم بِٱسمِ الرَّبّ. فخَرَجَت دُبَّتانِ مِنَ الغابِ وٱفتَرَسَتا مِنهمُ ٱثنَينِ وأَربَعينَ صَبيًّا

ثُمَّ مَضى مِن هُناكَ إِلى جَبَلِ الكَرمَل، ومِن هُناكَ رَجَعَ إِلى السَّامِرة