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Elijah took off his coat, rolled it up, and hit the water. The water divided to the right and to the left, and Elijah and Elisha crossed over on dry ground.

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.”

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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 as his follower. He is not asking for twice as much power as Elijah had.

Elijah took his cloak,(A) rolled it up and struck(B) the water with it. The water divided(C) to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry(D) ground.

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(E) portion of your spirit,”(F) 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.”

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