diff --git a/ld/ld.texi b/ld/ld.texi
index 5b543914e67..86247db2439 100644
--- a/ld/ld.texi
+++ b/ld/ld.texi
@@ -2355,7 +2355,9 @@ For a linker for a Linux system, if the file @file{/etc/ld.so.conf}
 exists, the list of directories found in that file.  Note: the path
 to this file is prefixed with the @code{sysroot} value, if that is
 defined, and then any @code{prefix} string if the linker was
-configured with the @command{--prefix=<path>} option.
+configured with the @command{--prefix=<path>} option. This has feature has
+been disabled on Gentoo Linux to make it consistent with the other
+linkers, which do not do this.
 @item
 For a native linker on a FreeBSD system, any directories specified by
 the @code{_PATH_ELF_HINTS} macro defined in the @file{elf-hints.h}
diff --git a/ld/ldelf.c b/ld/ldelf.c
index eff6693e052..e4a3f75f7ee 100644
--- a/ld/ldelf.c
+++ b/ld/ldelf.c
@@ -1090,8 +1090,8 @@ ldelf_handle_dt_needed (struct elf_link_hash_table *htab,
 	 linker will search.  That means that we want to use
 	 rpath_link, rpath, then the environment variable
 	 LD_LIBRARY_PATH (native only), then the DT_RPATH/DT_RUNPATH
-	 entries (native only), then the linker script LIB_SEARCH_DIRS.
-	 We do not search using the -L arguments.
+	 entries (native only), then the linker script LIB_SEARCH_DIRS,
+	 then the -L arguments.
 
 	 We search twice.  The first time, we skip objects which may
 	 introduce version mismatches.  The second time, we force
@@ -1156,20 +1156,12 @@ ldelf_handle_dt_needed (struct elf_link_hash_table *htab,
 	      if (is_freebsd
 		  && ldelf_check_ld_elf_hints (l, force, elfsize))
 		break;
-
-	      if (is_linux
-		  && ldelf_check_ld_so_conf (l, force, elfsize, prefix))
-		break;
 	    }
 
 	  len = strlen (l->name);
 	  for (search = search_head; search != NULL; search = search->next)
 	    {
-	      char *filename;
-
-	      if (search->cmdline)
-		continue;
-	      filename = (char *) xmalloc (strlen (search->name) + len + 2);
+	      char *filename = (char *) xmalloc (strlen (search->name) + len + 2);
 	      sprintf (filename, "%s/%s", search->name, l->name);
 	      nn.name = filename;
 	      if (ldelf_try_needed (&nn, force, is_linux))