13. He picked up the coat that had fallen from Elijah. He went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan River.
14. Then he struck the water with Elijah's coat. "Where is the power of the Lord?" he asked. "Where is the power of the God of Elijah?" When Elisha struck the water, it parted to the right and to the left. He went across the river.
15. The company of the prophets from Jericho were watching. They said, "The spirit of Elijah has been given to Elisha." They went over to him. They bowed down to him with their faces toward the ground.
16. "Look," they said. "We have 50 able men. Let them go and look for your master. Perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has lifted him up. Maybe he has put him down on a mountain or in a valley." "No," Elisha replied. "Don't send them."
17. But they kept asking until he felt he couldn't say no. So he said, "Send them." And they sent 50 men. They looked for Elijah for three days. But they didn't find him.
18. So they returned to Elisha. He was staying in Jericho. Elisha said to them, "Didn't I tell you not to go?"
19. The men of Jericho spoke to Elisha. "Look," they said. "This town has a good location. You can see that for yourself. But the spring of water here is bad. So the land doesn't produce anything."
20. "Bring me a new bowl," Elisha said. "Put some salt in it." So they brought it to him.
21. Then he went out to the spring. He threw the salt into it. He told them, "The Lord says, 'I have made this water pure. It will never cause death again. It will never keep the land from producing crops again.' "
22. The water has stayed pure to this very day. That's what Elisha had said would happen.
23. Elisha left Jericho and went up to Bethel. He was walking along the road. Some young fellows came out of the town. They made fun of him. "Go on up! You don't even have any hair on your head!" they said. "Go on up! You don't even have any hair on your head!"
24. He turned around and looked at them. And he called down a curse on them. He did it in the name of the Lord. Then two bears came out of the woods. They attacked 42 of the young fellows.