Biblia the Byble, that is, the holy Scrypture of the Olde and New Testament, faithfully translated in to Englyshe.

The II. Chapter.

[ A] WHan the LORDE was mynded to ta¦ke vp Elias in the tempest, Elias and Eliseus wente from Gilgall. And Elias sayde to Eliseus: Tary thou he∣re I praye the, for the LORDE hath sent me vnto Bethel. But Eliseus sayde: As truly as the LORDE liueth, and as truly as thy sou¦le lyueth, I wyll not forsake the. And whan they came downe vnto Bethel, the prophe∣tes children that were at Bethel, wēte forth to Eliseus, and sayde vnto him: Knowest thou not, that the LORDE wyl take thy lorde awaye from thy heade this daye? He saide: I knowe it well, holde ye youre peace.

And Elias sayde vnto him: Eliseus, tary thou here I praye the, for the LORDE hath sent me vnto Iericho. Neuerthelesse he say∣de: as truly as the LORDE lyueth, and as tru∣ly as thy soule lyueth, I wyl not forsake the

And whan they came vnto Iericho, the [ B] prophetes children which were at Iericho, stepte forth to Eliseus and sayde vnto him: Knowest thou not that the LORDE wyll ta∣ke y^e lorde awaye from thy heade this daie? He sayde: I knowe it well, holde ye yo^r pea∣ce. And Elias sayde vnto him: I praie the ta¦ry here, for y^e LORDE hath sent me vnto Ior¦dane. But he sayde: As truly as the LORDE lyueth, and as truly as thy soule lyueth, I wil not forsake the. And they wente both to¦gether. But fyftye men of y^e prophetes chil∣dren wēte forth, and stode ouer agaynst thē a farre of: but they both stode by Iordane. Then toke Elias his cloke, and wrapped it together, and smote the water, which deuy∣ded it selfe on both the sydes, so that they wē¦te dry shod thorow it. And whan they were come ouer, Elias sayde vnto Eliseus: Axe what I shall do for the, afore I be taken a∣waye from the. Eliseus saide: That thy spre¦te maye be vpō me to speake twyse as moch.

He sayde: Thou hast desyred an harde [ C] thinge: neuertheles yf thou shalt se me whā I am taken awaye from the, it shal be so: Yf no, thē shal it not be. And as they were goin∣ge together, and he talked, there came a fy∣rie charet with horses of fyre, and parted thē both asunder. And so wente Elias vp to heauen in the storme. But Eliseus sawe it, & cryed: My father, my father, the charetman of Israel and his horsmē. And he sawe him nomore.

And he toke holde of his clothes, and ren¦te them in two peces, and toke vp Elias clo∣ke that was fallen from him, and turned bac¦ke, and stode by the shore of Iordane, and toke the same cloke of Elias which was fal¦len from him, and smote it in the water, and saide: Where is now the LORDE God of Eli¦as? And he smote it in to the water, and then parted it asunder on both the sydes, and E∣liseus

wente thorow.

[ D] And whan the prophetes children which were at Iericho ouer agynst him, sawe him, they sayde: The sprete of Elias resteth vpō Eliseus, and so they wēte forth to mete him, and worshipped him to the groūde, and say¦de vnto him: Beholde, there are fiftye va∣leaunt mē amonge thy seruauntes, let them go and seke thy lorde, peraduenture the spre∣te of the LORDE hath taken him, and cast him vpon some mountaine or in some valley. But he saide: Sende them not. Neuertheles they constrayned him, tyll he was ashamed, and sayde: Let them go. And they sent fif∣tye men, which soughte him thre dayes: but they founde him not, and came agayne vn∣to him. And he abode at Iericho, and sayde vnto them: Tolde not I you, that ye shulde not go? And the men of the cite sayde vnto Eliseus: Beholde, there is good dwellynge in this cite, as my lorde seyth, but the water is euell, and the londe vnfrutefull.

[ E] He sayde: Bringe me hither a new vessell, & put salt in it. And they broughte it him. Then wēte he forth vnto the well of water, and cast the salt therin, & sayde: Thus sayeth the LORDE: I haue healed this water: from hence forth shal there no deed ner vnfrute∣fulnes come of it. So the water was healed vnto this daye, acordinge to the worde of Eliseus which he spake.

And he wēte vp towarde Bethel. And as he was goynge vp by the waye, there came litle boyes out of the cite, and mocked him, & sayde: Come vp here thou balde heade, come vp here thou balde heade. And he turned him aboute. And whā he sawe them, he cur¦sed them in the name of the LORDE. Then came there two Beeres out of the wod, and tente two and fortye of the children. From thence wēte he vp vnto mount Carmel, and from it turned he backe to Samaria.

Notes

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