2 Kings 2:11-18

11So they walked along and they talked together. Suddenly a chariot that was burning with fire appeared. The horses that pulled it were also burning with fire. The chariot went between Elijah and Elisha. Elijah went up to heaven in a storm of wind.

12When Elisha saw this, he shouted, ‘My father! My father! You are riding in Israel's chariot! Israel's men are riding on the horses!’ After that, Elisha could not see Elijah again. He took hold of his own clothes and he tore them into pieces because he was very upset.

13He picked up Elijah's coat that had fallen off. He went and he stood on the shore of the Jordan River.

14He took Elijah's coat and he hit the water with it. He said, ‘Now is the Lord, Elijah's God, with me?’ When he hit the water with Elijah's coat, the water became separate, to the left side and to the right side. Elisha went across the river.

15The group of prophets from Jericho were standing not far away. They saw what happened. They said, ‘The spirit that gave power to Elijah is now with Elisha.’ They went to meet Elisha. They bent down low to the ground to respect him.

16They said to him, ‘Please, sir! We are your servants. We have 50 strong men with us. Let them go and look for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has carried him away. Maybe it has dropped him somewhere on a mountain or in a valley.’ But Elisha replied, ‘No. Do not send them to look for him.’

17But the prophets asked him many times to do this. Elisha was too ashamed to refuse. So he said, ‘Send them to look.’ They sent 50 men who looked for Elijah for three days. But they did not find him.

18When they returned, Elisha was waiting for them in Jericho. He said to them, ‘I told you not to go and look for Elijah.’