pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Jericho." And he said: "As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee." So they came to Jericho.

And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him:-"Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to-day?" And he answered:-"Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace."

And Elijah said unto him:-"Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan." And he said: "As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee."

And they two went on. And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view2 afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground.

And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha:-"Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee."

And Elisha said: "I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me." And he said: "Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so."

And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah

2. i. e. Stood opposite to watch the affair.

went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried:-"My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof." And he saw him no more, and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; and he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said: "Where is the Lord God of Elijah?" and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.

And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said: "The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha."

And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him. And they said unto him: -"Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the Lord hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley."

And he said: "Ye shall not send." And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said:-"Send."

They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not. And when they came again to him (for he tarried at Jericho), he said unto them: -"Did I not say unto you, Go not?"

And the men of the ctiy said unto Elisha :-"Behold, I pray thee, the situation of this city is pleasant, as my lord seeth but the water is naught, and the ground barren."

And he said: “Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein." And they brought it to him.

And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said: "Thus saith the Lord, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land." So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.

And he went up from thence unto Beth-el: and as he was going up by the way, there came forth little children out of the city, and mocked him, and said unto him:-"Go up, thou bald head; go up, thou bald head." And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them. And he went forth from thence to mount Carmel, and from thence he returned to Samaria.'

3. A limestone ridge which rises some 600 feet above the sea. The most striking and characteristic feature of the coast of Palestine.

4. About 25 miles north of Jerusalem was Samaria, the capital of the kingdom of Israel. After the kingdom of Israel and Judah had ceased to exist as independent nations, Samaria became the center of an Israelitish community opposed to the Judeans of Jerusalem.

XXVII

THE STORY OF NAAMAN

(II Kings. v)

Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper. And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife. And she said unto her mistress:-"Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy."

And one went in and told his lord, saying:-"Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel." And the king of Syria said:-"Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel." And he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying:"Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover' him of his leprosy."

And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said:

1. Note the use of the word as compared with modern usage.

"Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me."

And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying:-"Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel." So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying:-"Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean."

But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said: -"Behold, I thought, he will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage.

And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said: "My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldst thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?" Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of

2. A small river, the modern Barada, which flows through the plain and city of Damascus and is lost in the desert. 3. The modern Awaj.