y had caused the death
of Naboth, so when Elijah came he found Ahab in the vineyard, and said,

"Hast thou killed and also taken possession?" and he told him that he
should die where Naboth died.

"Hast thou found me, O mine enemy!" cried the king.

"I have found thee," answered Elijah, and he spoke to him the word of
the Lord, that he should be destroyed out of Israel with his whole
family.

Then Ahab repented, and the Lord spared his life two years, but later
his wife Jezebel came to a dreadful end, with the seventy sons of Ahab.

When the time came for the Lord to take his servant to himself, Elijah
wished to be alone, but Elisha his servant would not leave him. He
followed his master from one town to another until they came to the
river Jordan. Then Elijah took off his mantle, and folding it, struck
the waters and they were divided, so that they went over on dry ground.
Then Elijah said, "Ask what I shall do for thee," and Elisha prayed
that a double portion of his Master's spirit might rest upon him.

"If thou see me when I am taken from thee it shall be so unto thee," he
said, "but if not, it shall not be so."

And as they went there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire,
parting them from each other, and Elijah went up in a whirlwind to
heaven. Now Elisha wished his master to know that he saw him, so he
cried,

"My father, my father! the chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof!"
and he saw him no more.

[Illustration: Elijah and the chariot of fire]

Then he took Elijah's mantle that fell from him, and struck the waters
of Jordan again, and they parted, and he went over, and he knew that
the power of the old prophet's spirit had been given to him.

Fifty young men, sons of the prophets, saw him return, and they said,

"The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha," and they bowed themselves
to the ground before him.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

THE LITTLE CHAMBER ON THE WALL.

Elisha did many wonderful things in the strength of the spirit that
Elijah's God gave him. He changed the waters of Jericho, so that they
were no longer poisonous, by casting salt in the spring.

He brought water for the thirsty armies of three kings who had gathered
to battle, by telling them to dig ditches in a valley of Edom, and
watch for the water to come, without wind or rain. When the morning
dawned the valley was full of running water.

He helped a poor widow to pay a debt and take care of her two sons b