2 Raja-raja 3:1--9:26
Konteks3:1 In the eighteenth year of King Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, Ahab’s son Jehoram became king over Israel in Samaria; 1 he ruled for twelve years. 3:2 He did evil in the sight of 2 the Lord, but not to the same degree as his father and mother. He did remove the sacred pillar of Baal that his father had made. 3:3 Yet he persisted in 3 the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who encouraged Israel to sin; he did not turn from them. 4
3:4 Now King Mesha of Moab was a sheep breeder. 5 He would send as tribute 6 to the king of Israel 100,000 male lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. 3:5 When Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 3:6 At that time King Jehoram left Samaria and assembled all Israel for war. 3:7 He sent 7 this message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you fight with me against Moab?” Jehoshaphat 8 replied, “I will join you in the campaign; my army and horses are at your disposal.” 9 3:8 He then asked, “Which invasion route are we going to take?” 10 Jehoram 11 answered, “By the road through the Desert of Edom.” 3:9 So the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom 12 set out together. They wandered around on the road for seven days and finally ran out of water for the men and animals they had with them. 3:10 The king of Israel said, “Oh no! 13 Certainly the Lord has summoned these three kings so that he can hand them over to the king of Moab!” 3:11 Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here that we might seek the Lord’s direction?” 14 One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shapat is here; he used to be Elijah’s servant.” 15 3:12 Jehoshaphat said, “The Lord speaks through him.” 16 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to visit him.
3:13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Why are you here? 17 Go to your father’s prophets or your mother’s prophets!” The king of Israel replied to him, “No, for the Lord is the one who summoned these three kings so that he can hand them over to Moab.” 3:14 Elisha said, “As certainly as the Lord who rules over all 18 lives (whom I serve), 19 if I did not respect King Jehoshaphat of Judah, 20 I would not pay attention to you or acknowledge you. 21 3:15 But now, get me a musician.” 22 When the musician played, the Lord energized him, 23 3:16 and he said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Make many cisterns in this valley,’ 24 3:17 for this is what the Lord says, ‘You will not feel 25 any wind or see any rain, but this valley will be full of water and you and your cattle and animals will drink.’ 3:18 This is an easy task for the Lord; 26 he will also hand Moab over to you. 3:19 You will defeat every fortified city and every important 27 city. You must chop down 28 every productive 29 tree, stop up all the springs, and cover all the cultivated land with stones.” 30
3:20 Sure enough, the next morning, at the time of the morning sacrifice, water came flowing down from Edom and filled the land. 31 3:21 Now all Moab had heard that the kings were attacking, 32 so everyone old enough to fight was mustered and placed at the border. 33 3:22 When they got up early the next morning, the sun was shining on the water. To the Moabites, who were some distance away, the water looked red like blood. 3:23 The Moabites 34 said, “It’s blood! The kings are totally destroyed! 35 They have struck one another down! Now, Moab, seize the plunder!” 3:24 When they approached the Israelite camp, the Israelites rose up and struck down the Moabites, who then ran from them. The Israelites 36 thoroughly defeated 37 Moab. 3:25 They tore down the cities and each man threw a stone into every cultivated field until they were covered. 38 They stopped up every spring and chopped down every productive tree.
Only Kir Hareseth was left intact, 39 but the slingers surrounded it and attacked it. 3:26 When the king of Moab realized he was losing the battle, 40 he and 700 swordsmen tried to break through and attack 41 the king of Edom, but they failed. 3:27 So he took his firstborn son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him up as a burnt sacrifice on the wall. There was an outburst of divine anger against Israel, 42 so they broke off the attack 43 and returned to their homeland.
4:1 Now a wife of one of the prophets 44 appealed 45 to Elisha for help, saying, “Your servant, my husband is dead. You know that your servant was a loyal follower of the Lord. 46 Now the creditor is coming to take away my two boys to be his servants.” 4:2 Elisha said to her, “What can I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a small jar of olive oil.” 4:3 He said, “Go and ask all your neighbors for empty containers. 47 Get as many as you can. 48 4:4 Go and close the door behind you and your sons. Pour the olive oil into all the containers; 49 set aside each one when you have filled it.” 4:5 So she left him and closed the door behind her and her sons. As they were bringing the containers to her, she was pouring the olive oil. 4:6 When the containers were full, she said to one of her sons, 50 “Bring me another container.” But he answered her, “There are no more.” Then the olive oil stopped flowing. 4:7 She went and told the prophet. 51 He said, “Go, sell the olive oil. Repay your creditor, and then you and your sons can live off the rest of the profit.”
4:8 One day Elisha traveled to Shunem, where a prominent 52 woman lived. She insisted that he stop for a meal. 53 So whenever he was passing through, he would stop in there for a meal. 54 4:9 She said to her husband, “Look, I’m sure 55 that the man who regularly passes through here is a very special prophet. 56 4:10 Let’s make a small private upper room 57 and furnish it with 58 a bed, table, chair, and lamp. When he visits us, he can stay there.”
4:11 One day Elisha 59 came for a visit; he went 60 into the upper room and rested. 61 4:12 He told his servant Gehazi, “Ask the Shunammite woman to come here.” 62 So he did so and she came to him. 63 4:13 Elisha said to Gehazi, 64 “Tell her, ‘Look, you have treated us with such great respect. 65 What can I do for you? Can I put in a good word for you with the king or the commander of the army?’” She replied, “I’m quite secure.” 66 4:14 So he asked Gehazi, 67 “What can I do for her?” Gehazi replied, “She has no son, and her husband is old.” 4:15 Elisha told him, “Ask her to come here.” 68 So he did so 69 and she came and stood in the doorway. 70 4:16 He said, “About this time next year 71 you will be holding a son.” She said, “No, my master! O prophet, do not lie to your servant!” 4:17 The woman did conceive, and at the specified time the next year she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.
4:18 The boy grew and one day he went out to see his father who was with the harvest workers. 72 4:19 He said to his father, “My head! My head!” His father 73 told a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” 4:20 So he picked him up and took him to his mother. He sat on her lap 74 until noon and then died. 4:21 She went up and laid him down on the prophet’s 75 bed. She shut the door behind her and left. 4:22 She called to her husband, “Send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys, so I can go see the prophet quickly and then return.” 4:23 He said, “Why do you want to go see him today? It is not the new moon 76 or the Sabbath.” She said, “Everything’s fine.” 77 4:24 She saddled the donkey and told her servant, “Lead on. 78 Do not stop unless I say so.” 79
4:25 So she went to visit 80 the prophet at Mount Carmel. When he 81 saw her at a distance, he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, it’s the Shunammite woman. 4:26 Now, run to meet her and ask her, ‘Are you well? Are your husband and the boy well?’” She told Gehazi, 82 “Everything’s fine.” 4:27 But when she reached the prophet on the mountain, she grabbed hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to push her away, but the prophet said, “Leave her alone, for she is very upset. 83 The Lord has kept the matter hidden from me; he didn’t tell me about it.” 4:28 She said, “Did I ask my master for a son? Didn’t I say, ‘Don’t mislead me?’” 4:29 Elisha 84 told Gehazi, “Tuck your robes into your belt, take my staff, 85 and go! Don’t stop to exchange greetings with anyone! 86 Place my staff on the child’s face.” 4:30 The mother of the child said, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So Elisha 87 got up and followed her back.
4:31 Now Gehazi went on ahead of them. He placed the staff on the child’s face, but there was no sound or response. When he came back to Elisha 88 he told him, “The child did not wake up.” 4:32 When Elisha arrived at the house, there was 89 the child lying dead on his bed. 4:33 He went in by himself and closed the door. 90 Then he prayed to the Lord. 4:34 He got up on the bed and spread his body out over 91 the boy; he put his mouth on the boy’s 92 mouth, his eyes over the boy’s eyes, and the palms of his hands against the boy’s palms. He bent down over him, and the boy’s skin 93 grew warm. 4:35 Elisha 94 went back and walked around in the house. 95 Then he got up on the bed again 96 and bent down over him. The child sneezed seven times and opened his eyes. 4:36 Elisha 97 called to Gehazi and said, “Get the Shunammite woman.” So he did so 98 and she came to him. He said to her, “Take your son.” 4:37 She came in, fell at his feet, and bowed down. Then she picked up her son and left.
4:38 Now Elisha went back to Gilgal, while there was famine in the land. Some of the prophets were visiting him 99 and he told his servant, “Put the big pot on the fire 100 and boil some stew for the prophets.” 101 4:39 Someone went out to the field to gather some herbs and found a wild vine. 102 He picked some of its fruit, 103 enough to fill up the fold of his robe. He came back, cut it up, and threw the slices 104 into the stew pot, not knowing they were harmful. 105 4:40 The stew was poured out 106 for the men to eat. When they ate some of the stew, they cried out, “Death is in the pot, O prophet!” They could not eat it. 4:41 He said, “Get some flour.” Then he threw it into the pot and said, “Now pour some out for the men so they may eat.” 107 There was no longer anything harmful in the pot.
4:42 Now a man from Baal Shalisha brought some food for the prophet 108 – twenty loaves of bread made from the firstfruits of the barley harvest, as well as fresh ears of grain. 109 Elisha 110 said, “Set it before the people so they may eat.” 4:43 But his attendant said, “How can I feed a hundred men with this?” 111 He replied, “Set it before the people so they may eat, for this is what the Lord says, ‘They will eat and have some left over.’” 112 4:44 So he set it before them; they ate and had some left over, just as the Lord predicted. 113
5:1 Now Naaman, the commander of the king of Syria’s army, was esteemed and respected by his master, 114 for through him the Lord had given Syria military victories. But this great warrior had a skin disease. 115 5:2 Raiding parties went out from Syria and took captive from the land of Israel a young girl, who became a servant to Naaman’s wife. 5:3 She told her mistress, “If only my master were in the presence of the prophet who is in Samaria! 116 Then he would cure him of his skin disease.”
5:4 Naaman 117 went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5:5 The king of Syria said, “Go! I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman 118 went, taking with him ten talents 119 of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, 120 and ten suits of clothes. 5:6 He brought the letter to king of Israel. It read: “This is a letter of introduction for my servant Naaman, 121 whom I have sent to be cured of his skin disease.” 5:7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill or restore life? Why does he ask me to cure a man of his skin disease? 122 Certainly you must see that he is looking for an excuse to fight me!” 123
5:8 When Elisha the prophet 124 heard that the king had torn his clothes, he sent this message to the king, “Why did you tear your clothes? Send him 125 to me so he may know there is a prophet in Israel.” 5:9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood in the doorway of Elisha’s house. 5:10 Elisha sent out a messenger who told him, “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan; your skin will be restored 126 and you will be healed.” 5:11 Naaman went away angry. He said, “Look, I thought for sure he would come out, stand there, invoke the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the area, and cure the skin disease. 5:12 The rivers of Damascus, the Abana and Pharpar, are better than any of the waters of Israel! 127 Could I not wash in them and be healed?” So he turned around and went away angry. 5:13 His servants approached and said to him, “O master, 128 if the prophet had told you to do some difficult task, 129 you would have been willing to do it. 130 It seems you should be happy that he simply said, “Wash and you will be healed.” 131 5:14 So he went down and dipped in the Jordan seven times, as the prophet had instructed. 132 His skin became as smooth as a young child’s 133 and he was healed.
5:15 He and his entire entourage returned to the prophet. Naaman 134 came and stood before him. He said, “For sure 135 I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel! Now, please accept a gift from your servant.” 5:16 But Elisha 136 replied, “As certainly as the Lord lives (whom I serve), 137 I will take nothing from you.” Naaman 138 insisted that he take it, but he refused. 5:17 Naaman said, “If not, then please give your servant a load of dirt, enough for a pair of mules to carry, 139 for your servant will never again offer a burnt offering or sacrifice to a god other than the Lord. 140 5:18 May the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to worship, and he leans on my arm and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.” 141 5:19 Elisha 142 said to him, “Go in peace.”
When he had gone a short distance, 143 5:20 Gehazi, the prophet Elisha’s servant, thought, 144 “Look, my master did not accept what this Syrian Naaman offered him. 145 As certainly as the Lord lives, I will run after him and accept something from him.” 5:21 So Gehazi ran after Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from his chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?” 146 5:22 He answered, “Everything is fine. 147 My master sent me with this message, ‘Look, two servants of the prophets just arrived from the Ephraimite hill country. 148 Please give them a talent 149 of silver and two suits of clothes.’” 5:23 Naaman said, “Please accept two talents of silver. 150 He insisted, and tied up two talents of silver in two bags, along with two suits of clothes. He gave them to two of his servants and they carried them for Gehazi. 151 5:24 When he arrived at the hill, he took them from the servants 152 and put them in the house. Then he sent the men on their way. 153
5:25 When he came and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” He answered, “Your servant hasn’t been anywhere.” 5:26 Elisha 154 replied, “I was there in spirit when a man turned and got down from his chariot to meet you. 155 This is not the proper time to accept silver or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, sheep, cattle, and male and female servants. 156 5:27 Therefore Naaman’s skin disease will afflict 157 you and your descendants forever!” When Gehazi 158 went out from his presence, his skin was as white as snow. 159
6:1 Some of the prophets 160 said to Elisha, “Look, the place where we meet with you 161 is too cramped 162 for us. 6:2 Let’s go to the Jordan. Each of us will get a log from there and we will build a meeting place for ourselves there.” He said, “Go.” 6:3 One of them said, “Please come along with your servants.” He replied, “All right, I’ll come.” 6:4 So he went with them. When they arrived at the Jordan, they started cutting down trees. 6:5 As one of them was felling a log, the ax head 163 dropped into the water. He shouted, “Oh no, 164 my master! It was borrowed!” 6:6 The prophet 165 asked, “Where did it drop in?” When he showed him the spot, Elisha 166 cut off a branch, threw it in at that spot, and made the ax head float. 6:7 He said, “Lift it out.” So he reached out his hand and grabbed it.
6:8 Now the king of Syria was at war with Israel. He consulted his advisers, who said, “Invade 167 at such and such 168 a place.” 6:9 But the prophet sent this message to the king of Israel, “Make sure you don’t pass through this place because Syria is invading there.” 6:10 So the king of Israel sent a message to the place the prophet had pointed out, warning it 169 to be on its guard. This happened on several occasions. 170 6:11 This made the king of Syria upset. 171 So he summoned his advisers 172 and said to them, “One of us must be helping the king of Israel.” 173 6:12 One of his advisers said, “No, my master, O king. The prophet Elisha who lives in Israel keeps telling the king of Israel the things you say in your bedroom.” 6:13 The king 174 ordered, “Go, find out where he is, so I can send some men to capture him.” 175 The king was told, “He is in Dothan.” 6:14 So he sent horses and chariots there, along with a good-sized army. 176 They arrived during the night and surrounded the city.
6:15 The prophet’s 177 attendant got up early in the morning. When he went outside there was an army surrounding the city, along with horses and chariots. He said to Elisha, 178 “Oh no, my master! What will we do?” 6:16 He replied, “Don’t be afraid, for our side outnumbers them.” 179 6:17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so he can see.” The Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw that 180 the hill was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 6:18 As they approached him, 181 Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Strike these people 182 with blindness.” 183 The Lord 184 struck them with blindness as Elisha requested. 185 6:19 Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the right road or city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you’re looking for.” He led them to Samaria. 186
6:20 When they had entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O Lord, open their eyes, so they can see.” The Lord opened their eyes and they saw that they were in the middle of Samaria. 187 6:21 When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “Should I strike them down, 188 my master?” 189 6:22 He replied, “Do not strike them down! You did not capture them with your sword or bow, so what gives you the right to strike them down? 190 Give them some food and water, so they can eat and drink and then go back to their master.” 6:23 So he threw a big banquet 191 for them and they ate and drank. Then he sent them back 192 to their master. After that no Syrian raiding parties again invaded the land of Israel.
6:24 Later King Ben Hadad of Syria assembled his entire army and attacked 193 and besieged Samaria. 194 6:25 Samaria’s food supply ran out. 195 They laid siege to it so long that 196 a donkey’s head was selling for eighty shekels of silver 197 and a quarter of a kab 198 of dove’s droppings 199 for five shekels of silver. 200
6:26 While the king of Israel was passing by on the city wall, a woman shouted to him, “Help us, my master, O king!” 6:27 He replied, “No, let the Lord help you. How can I help you? The threshing floor and winepress are empty.” 201 6:28 Then the king asked her, “What’s your problem?” She answered, “This woman said to me, ‘Hand over your son; we’ll eat him today and then eat my son tomorrow.’ 6:29 So we boiled my son and ate him. Then I said to her the next day, ‘Hand over your son and we’ll eat him.’ But she hid her son!” 6:30 When the king heard what the woman said, he tore his clothes. As he was passing by on the wall, the people could see he was wearing sackcloth under his clothes. 202 6:31 Then he said, “May God judge me severely 203 if Elisha son of Shaphat still has his head by the end of the day!” 204
6:32 Now Elisha was sitting in his house with the community leaders. 205 The king 206 sent a messenger on ahead, but before he arrived, 207 Elisha 208 said to the leaders, 209 “Do you realize this assassin intends to cut off my head?” 210 Look, when the messenger arrives, shut the door and lean against it. His master will certainly be right behind him.” 211 6:33 He was still talking to them when 212 the messenger approached 213 and said, “Look, the Lord is responsible for this disaster! 214 Why should I continue to wait for the Lord to help?” 7:1 Elisha replied, “Hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord says, ‘About this time tomorrow a seah 215 of finely milled flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.’” 7:2 An officer who was the king’s right-hand man 216 responded to the prophet, 217 “Look, even if the Lord made it rain by opening holes in the sky, could this happen so soon?” 218 Elisha 219 said, “Look, you will see it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of the food!” 220
7:3 Now four men with a skin disease 221 were sitting at the entrance of the city gate. They said to one another, “Why are we just sitting here waiting to die? 222 7:4 If we go into the city, we’ll die of starvation, 223 and if we stay here we’ll die! So come on, let’s defect 224 to the Syrian camp! If they spare us, 225 we’ll live; if they kill us – well, we were going to die anyway.” 226 7:5 So they started toward 227 the Syrian camp at dusk. When they reached the edge of the Syrian camp, there was no one there. 7:6 The Lord had caused the Syrian camp to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a large army. Then they said to one another, “Look, the king of Israel has paid the kings of the Hittites and Egypt to attack us!” 7:7 So they got up and fled at dusk, leaving behind their tents, horses, and donkeys. They left the camp as it was and ran for their lives. 7:8 When the men with a skin disease reached the edge of the camp, they entered a tent and had a meal. 228 They also took some silver, gold, and clothes and went and hid it all. 229 Then they went back and entered another tent. They looted it 230 and went and hid what they had taken. 7:9 Then they said to one another, “It’s not right what we’re doing! This is a day to celebrate, but we haven’t told anyone. 231 If we wait until dawn, 232 we’ll be punished. 233 So come on, let’s go and inform the royal palace.” 7:10 So they went and called out to the gatekeepers 234 of the city. They told them, “We entered the Syrian camp and there was no one there. We didn’t even hear a man’s voice. 235 But the horses and donkeys are still tied up, and the tents remain up.” 236 7:11 The gatekeepers relayed the news to the royal palace. 237
7:12 The king got up in the night and said to his advisers, 238 “I will tell you what the Syrians have done to us. They know we are starving, so they left the camp and hid in the field, thinking, ‘When they come out of the city, we will capture them alive and enter the city.’” 7:13 One of his advisers replied, “Pick some men and have them take five of the horses that are left in the city. (Even if they are killed, their fate will be no different than that of all the Israelite people – we’re all going to die!) 239 Let’s send them out so we can know for sure what’s going on.” 240 7:14 So they picked two horsemen and the king sent them out to track the Syrian army. 241 He ordered them, “Go and find out what’s going on.” 242 7:15 So they tracked them 243 as far as the Jordan. The road was filled with clothes and equipment that the Syrians had discarded in their haste. 244 The scouts 245 went back and told the king. 7:16 Then the people went out and looted the Syrian camp. A seah 246 of finely milled flour sold for a shekel, and two seahs of barley for a shekel, just as the Lord had said they would. 247
7:17 Now the king had placed the officer who was his right-hand man 248 at the city gate. When the people rushed out, they trampled him to death in the gate. 249 This fulfilled the prophet’s word which he had spoken when the king tried to arrest him. 250 7:18 The prophet told the king, “Two seahs of barley will sell for a shekel, and a seah of finely milled flour for a shekel; this will happen about this time tomorrow in the gate of Samaria.” 7:19 But the officer replied to the prophet, “Look, even if the Lord made it rain by opening holes in the sky, could this happen so soon?” 251 Elisha 252 said, “Look, you will see it happen with your own eyes, but you will not eat any of the food!” 253 7:20 This is exactly what happened to him. The people trampled him to death in the city gate.
8:1 Now Elisha advised the woman whose son he had brought back to life, “You and your family should go and live somewhere else for a while, 254 for the Lord has decreed that a famine will overtake the land for seven years.” 8:2 So the woman did as the prophet said. 255 She and her family went and lived in the land of the Philistines for seven years. 8:3 After seven years the woman returned from the land of the Philistines and went to ask the king to give her back her house and field. 256 8:4 Now the king was talking to Gehazi, the prophet’s 257 servant, and said, “Tell me all the great things which Elisha has done.” 8:5 While Gehazi 258 was telling the king how Elisha 259 had brought the dead back to life, the woman whose son he had brought back to life came to ask the king for her house and field. 260 Gehazi said, “My master, O king, this is the very woman and this is her son whom Elisha brought back to life!” 8:6 The king asked the woman about it, and she gave him the details. 261 The king assigned a eunuch to take care of her request and ordered him, 262 “Give her back everything she owns, as well as the amount of crops her field produced from the day she left the land until now.”
8:7 Elisha traveled to Damascus while King Ben Hadad of Syria was sick. The king 263 was told, “The prophet 264 has come here.” 8:8 So the king told Hazael, “Take a gift 265 and go visit the prophet. Request from him an oracle from the Lord. Ask him, 266 ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” 8:9 So Hazael went to visit Elisha. 267 He took along a gift, 268 as well as 269 forty camel loads of all the fine things of Damascus. When he arrived, he stood before him and said, “Your son, 270 King Ben Hadad of Syria, has sent me to you with this question, 271 ‘Will I recover from this sickness?’” 8:10 Elisha said to him, “Go and tell him, ‘You will surely recover,’ 272 but the Lord has revealed to me that he will surely die.” 8:11 Elisha 273 just stared at him until Hazael became uncomfortable. 274 Then the prophet started crying. 8:12 Hazael asked, “Why are you crying, my master?” He replied, “Because I know the trouble you will cause the Israelites. You will set fire to their fortresses, kill their young men with the sword, smash their children to bits, and rip open their pregnant women.” 8:13 Hazael said, “How could your servant, who is as insignificant as a dog, accomplish this great military victory?” 275 Elisha answered, “The Lord has revealed to me that you will be the king of Syria.” 276 8:14 He left Elisha and went to his master. Ben Hadad 277 asked him, “What did Elisha tell you?” Hazael 278 replied, “He told me you would surely recover.” 8:15 The next day Hazael 279 took a piece of cloth, dipped it in water, and spread it over Ben Hadad’s 280 face until he died. Then Hazael replaced him as king.
8:16 In the fifth year of the reign of Israel’s King Joram, son of Ahab, Jehoshaphat’s son Jehoram became king over Judah. 281 8:17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for eight years in Jerusalem. 282 8:18 He followed in the footsteps of the kings of Israel, just as Ahab’s dynasty had done, for he married Ahab’s daughter. 283 He did evil in the sight of 284 the Lord. 8:19 But the Lord was unwilling to destroy Judah. He preserved Judah for the sake of 285 his servant David to whom he had promised a perpetual dynasty. 286
8:20 During his reign Edom freed themselves from Judah’s control and set up their own king. 287 8:21 Joram 288 crossed over to Zair with all his chariots. The Edomites, who had surrounded him, attacked at night and defeated him and his chariot officers. 289 The Israelite army retreated to their homeland. 290 8:22 So Edom has remained free from Judah’s control to this very day. 291 At that same time Libnah also rebelled.
8:23 The rest of the events of Joram’s reign, including a record of his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 292 8:24 Joram passed away 293 and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His son Ahaziah replaced him as king.
8:25 In the twelfth year of the reign of Israel’s King Joram, son of Ahab, Jehoram’s son Ahaziah became king over Judah. 8:26 Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king and he reigned for one year in Jerusalem. 294 His mother was Athaliah, the granddaughter 295 of King Omri of Israel. 8:27 He followed in the footsteps of Ahab’s dynasty and did evil in the sight of 296 the Lord, like Ahab’s dynasty, for he was related to Ahab’s family. 297
8:28 He joined Ahab’s son Joram in a battle against King Hazael of Syria at Ramoth Gilead in which the Syrians defeated Joram. 8:29 King Joram returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received from the Syrians 298 in Ramah when he fought against King Hazael of Syria. King Ahaziah son of Jehoram of Judah went down to visit 299 Joram son of Ahab in Jezreel, for he was ill.
9:1 Now Elisha the prophet summoned a member of the prophetic guild 300 and told him, “Tuck your robes into your belt, take this container 301 of olive oil in your hand, and go to Ramoth Gilead. 9:2 When you arrive there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi and take him aside into an inner room. 302 9:3 Take the container of olive oil, pour it over his head, and say, ‘This is what the Lord says, “I have designated 303 you as king over Israel.”’ Then open the door and run away quickly!” 304
9:4 So the young prophet 305 went to Ramoth Gilead. 9:5 When he arrived, the officers of the army were sitting there. 306 So he said, “I have a message for you, O officer.” 307 Jehu asked, “For which one of us?” 308 He replied, “For you, O officer.” 9:6 So Jehu 309 got up and went inside. Then the prophet 310 poured the olive oil on his head and said to him, “This is what the Lord God of Israel says, ‘I have designated you as king over the Lord’s people Israel. 9:7 You will destroy the family of your master Ahab. 311 I will get revenge against Jezebel for the shed blood of my servants the prophets and for the shed blood of all the Lord’s servants. 312 9:8 Ahab’s entire family will die. I 313 will cut off every last male belonging to Ahab in Israel, including even the weak and incapacitated. 314 9:9 I will make Ahab’s dynasty 315 like those of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah. 9:10 Dogs will devour Jezebel on the plot of ground in Jezreel; she will not be buried.’” 316 Then he opened the door and ran away.
9:11 When Jehu rejoined 317 his master’s servants, they 318 asked him, “Is everything all right? 319 Why did this madman visit you?” He replied, “Ah, it’s not important. You know what kind of man he is and the kinds of things he says.” 320 9:12 But they said, “You’re lying! Tell us what he said.” So he told them what he had said. He also related how he had said, 321 “This is what the Lord says, ‘I have designated you as king over Israel.’” 9:13 Each of them quickly took off his cloak and they spread them out at Jehu’s 322 feet on the steps. 323 The trumpet was blown 324 and they shouted, “Jehu is 325 king!” 9:14 Then Jehu son of Jehoshaphat son of Nimshi conspired against Joram.
Now Joram had been in Ramoth Gilead with the whole Israelite army, 326 guarding against an invasion by King Hazael of Syria. 9:15 But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received from the Syrians 327 when he fought against King Hazael of Syria. 328 Jehu told his supporters, 329 “If you really want me to be king, 330 then don’t let anyone escape from the city to go and warn Jezreel.” 9:16 Jehu drove his chariot 331 to Jezreel, for Joram was recuperating 332 there. (Now King Ahaziah of Judah had come down to visit 333 Joram.)
9:17 Now the watchman was standing on the tower in Jezreel and saw Jehu’s troops approaching. 334 He said, “I see troops!” 335 Jehoram ordered, 336 “Send a rider out to meet them and have him ask, ‘Is everything all right?’” 337 9:18 So the horseman 338 went to meet him and said, “This is what the king says, ‘Is everything all right?’” 339 Jehu replied, “None of your business! 340 Follow me.” The watchman reported, “The messenger reached them, but hasn’t started back.” 9:19 So he sent a second horseman out to them 341 and he said, “This is what the king says, ‘Is everything all right?’” 342 Jehu replied, “None of your business! Follow me.” 9:20 The watchman reported, “He reached them, but hasn’t started back. The one who drives the lead chariot drives like Jehu son of Nimshi; 343 he drives recklessly.” 9:21 Jehoram ordered, “Hitch up my chariot.” 344 When his chariot had been hitched up, 345 King Jehoram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah went out in their respective chariots 346 to meet Jehu. They met up with him 347 in the plot of land that had once belonged to Naboth of Jezreel.
9:22 When Jehoram saw Jehu, he asked, “Is everything all right, Jehu?” He replied, “How can everything be all right as long as your mother Jezebel promotes idolatry and pagan practices?” 348 9:23 Jehoram turned his chariot around and took off. 349 He said to Ahaziah, “It’s a trap, 350 Ahaziah!” 9:24 Jehu aimed his bow and shot an arrow right between Jehoram’s shoulders. 351 The arrow went through 352 his heart and he fell to his knees in his chariot. 9:25 Jehu ordered 353 his officer Bidkar, “Pick him up and throw him into the part of the field that once belonged to Naboth of Jezreel. Remember, you and I were riding together behind his father Ahab, when the Lord pronounced this judgment on him, 9:26 ‘“Know for sure that I saw the shed blood of Naboth and his sons yesterday,” says the Lord, “and that I will give you what you deserve right here in this plot of land,” 354 says the Lord.’ So now pick him up and throw him into this plot of land, just as the Lord said.” 355
[3:1] 1 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[3:2] 2 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[3:3] 3 tn Heb “held tight,” or “clung to.”
[3:3] 4 tc The Hebrew text has the singular, “it.” Some ancient witnesses read the plural, which seems preferable since the antecedent (“sins”) is plural. Another option is to emend the plural “sins” to a singular. One ancient Greek witness has the singular “sin.”
[3:4] 5 tn For a discussion of the meaning of term (נֹקֵד, noqed), see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 43.
[3:4] 6 tn The vav + perfect here indicates customary action contemporary with the situation described in the preceding main clause. See IBHS 533-34 §32.2.3e.
[3:7] 7 tn Heb “went and sent.”
[3:7] 8 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehoshaphat) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[3:7] 9 tn Heb “I will go up – like me, like you; like my people, like your people; like my horses; like your horses.”
[3:8] 10 tn Heb “Where is the road we will go up?”
[3:8] 11 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehoram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[3:9] 12 tn Heb “the king of Israel and the king of Judah and the king of Edom.”
[3:11] 14 tn Heb “that we might inquire of the
[3:11] 15 tn Heb “who poured water on the hands of Elijah.” This refers to one of the typical tasks of a servant.
[3:12] 16 tn Heb “the word of the
[3:13] 17 tn Or “What do we have in common?” The text reads literally, “What to me and to you?”
[3:14] 18 tn Traditionally “the
[3:14] 19 tn Heb “before whom I stand.”
[3:14] 20 tn Heb “if I did not lift up the face of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah.”
[3:14] 21 tn Heb “I would not look at you or see you.”
[3:15] 22 tn The term used refers to one who plays a stringed instrument, perhaps a harp.
[3:15] 23 tn Heb “the hand of the
[3:16] 24 tn Heb “making this valley cisterns, cisterns.” The Hebrew noun גֵּב (gev) means “cistern” in Jer 14:3 (cf. Jer 39:10). The repetition of the noun is for emphasis. See GKC 396 §123.e. The verb (“making”) is an infinitive absolute, which has to be interpreted in light of the context. The translation above takes it in an imperatival sense. The command need not be understood as literal, but as hyperbolic. Telling them to build cisterns is a dramatic way of leading into the announcement that he would miraculously provide water in the desert. Some prefer to translate the infinitive as an imperfect with the Lord as the understood subject, “I will turn this valley [into] many pools.”
[3:18] 26 tn Heb “and this is easy in the eyes of the
[3:19] 27 tn Heb “choice” or “select.”
[3:19] 28 tn Elisha places the object first and uses an imperfect verb form. The stylistic shift may signal that he is now instructing them what to do, rather than merely predicting what would happen.
[3:19] 30 tn Heb “and ruin every good portion with stones.”
[3:20] 31 tn Heb “and in the morning, when the offering is offered up, look, water was coming from the way of Edom, and the land was filled with water.”
[3:21] 32 tn Heb “had come up to fight them.”
[3:21] 33 tn Heb “and they mustered all who tied on a belt and upwards, and they stood at the border.”
[3:23] 34 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Moabites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[3:23] 35 tn The translation assumes the verb is חָרַב (kharav, “to be desolate”). The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb form for emphasis. (For another example of the Hophal infinitive with a Niphal finite verb, see Lev 19:20. Cf. also IBHS 582 §35.2.1c.) Some prefer to derive the verb from a proposed homonym meaning “at HALOT 349 s.v. II חרב and BDB 352 s.v. חָרְבָה).
[3:24] 37 tc The consonantal text (Kethib) suggests, “and they went, striking down,” but the marginal reading (Qere) is “they struck down, striking down.” For a discussion of the textual problem, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 46.
[3:25] 38 tn Heb “and [on] every good portion they were throwing each man his stone and they filled it.” The vav + perfect (“and they filled”) here indicates customary action contemporary with the situation described in the preceding main clause (where a customary imperfect is used, “they were throwing”). See the note at 3:4.
[3:25] 39 tn Heb “until he had allowed its stones to remain in Kir Hareseth.”
[3:26] 40 tn Heb “and the king of Moab saw that the battle was too strong for him.”
[3:26] 41 tn Heb “he took with him seven hundred men, who drew the sword, to break through against.”
[3:27] 42 tn Heb “there was great anger against Israel.”
[3:27] sn The meaning of this statement is uncertain, for the subject of the anger is not indicated. Except for two relatively late texts, the noun קֶצֶף (qetsef) refers to an outburst of divine anger. But it seems unlikely the Lord would be angry with Israel, for he placed his stamp of approval on the campaign (vv. 16-19). D. N. Freedman suggests the narrator, who obviously has a bias against the Omride dynasty, included this observation to show that the Lord would not allow the Israelite king to “have an undiluted victory” (as quoted in M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings [AB], 52, n. 8). Some suggest that the original source identified Chemosh the Moabite god as the subject and that his name was later suppressed by a conscientious scribe, but this proposal raises more questions than it answers. For a discussion of various views, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 47-48, 51-52.
[3:27] 43 tn Heb “they departed from him.”
[4:1] 44 tn Heb “a wife from among the wives of the sons of the prophets.”
[4:1] 46 tn Heb “your servant feared the
[4:3] 47 tn Heb “Go, ask for containers from outside, from all your neighbors, empty containers.”
[4:3] 48 tn Heb “Do not borrow just a few.”
[4:4] 49 tn Heb “all these vessels.”
[4:7] 51 tn Heb “man of God” (also in vv. 16, 22, 25, 27 [twice]).
[4:8] 52 tn Heb “great,” perhaps “wealthy.”
[4:8] 53 tn Or “she urged him to eat some food.”
[4:8] 54 tn Or “he would turn aside there to eat some food.”
[4:9] 56 tn Heb “holy man of God.”
[4:10] 57 tn Heb “a small upper room of a wall”; according to HALOT 832 s.v. עֲלִיָּה, this refers to “a fully walled upper room.”
[4:10] 58 tn Heb “and let’s put there for him.”
[4:11] 59 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:11] 60 tn Heb “turned aside.”
[4:11] 61 tn Or “slept there.”
[4:12] 62 tn Heb “Call for this Shunammite woman.”
[4:12] 63 tn Heb “and he called for her and she stood before him.”
[4:13] 64 tn Heb “he said to him.”
[4:13] 65 tn Heb “you have turned trembling to us with all this trembling.” The exaggerated language is probably idiomatic. The point seems to be that she has taken great pains or gone out of her way to be kind to them. Her concern was a sign of her respect for the prophetic office.
[4:13] 66 tn Heb “Among my people I am living.” This answer suggests that she has security within the context of her family.
[4:14] 67 tn Heb “and he said.”
[4:15] 68 tn Heb “Call for her.”
[4:15] 69 tn Heb “and he called her.”
[4:15] 70 tn Heb “and he called for her and she stood in the door.”
[4:16] 71 tn Heb “at this appointed time, at the time [when it is] reviving.” For a discussion of the second phrase see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 57.
[4:18] 72 tn Heb “to his father, to the harvesters.”
[4:19] 73 tn Heb “He”; the referent (the boy’s father) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:21] 75 tn Heb “man of God’s.”
[4:23] 76 sn The new moon was a time of sacrifice and special feasts (Num 28:14; 1 Sam 20:5). Apparently it was a convenient time to visit a prophet. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 57.
[4:24] 78 tn Heb “lead [the donkey on] and go.”
[4:24] 79 tn Heb “do not restrain for me the riding unless I say to you.”
[4:25] 80 tn Heb “went and came.”
[4:25] 81 tn Heb “the man of God.” The phrase has been replaced by the relative pronoun “he” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[4:26] 82 tn Heb “she said.” The narrator streamlines the story at this point, omitting any reference to Gehazi running to meet her and asking her the questions.
[4:27] 83 tn Heb “her soul [i.e., ‘disposition’] is bitter.”
[4:29] 84 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:29] 85 tn Heb “take my staff in your hand.”
[4:29] 86 tn Heb “If you meet a man, do not greet him with a blessing; if a man greets you with a blessing, do not answer.”
[4:30] 87 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The referent must be Elisha here, since the following verse makes it clear that Gehazi had gone on ahead of them.
[4:31] 88 tn Heb “to meet him.”
[4:33] 90 tn Heb “and closed the door behind the two of them.”
[4:34] 91 tn Heb “he went up and lay down over.”
[4:34] 92 tn Heb “his” (also in the next two clauses).
[4:34] 93 tn Or perhaps, “body”; Heb “flesh.”
[4:35] 94 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:35] 95 tn Heb “and he returned and went into the house, once here and once there.”
[4:35] 96 tn Heb “and he went up.”
[4:36] 97 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:36] 98 tn Heb “and he called for her.”
[4:38] 99 tn Heb “the sons of the prophets were sitting before him.”
[4:38] 100 tn The words “the fire” are added for clarification.
[4:38] 101 tn Heb “sons of the prophets.”
[4:39] 102 tn Heb “a vine of the field.”
[4:39] 103 tn Heb “[some] of the gourds of the field.”
[4:39] 104 tn Heb “he came and cut [them up].”
[4:39] 105 tc The Hebrew text reads, “for they did not know” (יָדָעוּ, yada’u) but some emend the final shureq (וּ, indicating a third plural subject) to holem vav (וֹ, a third masculine singular pronominal suffix on a third singular verb) and read “for he did not know it.” Perhaps it is best to omit the final vav as dittographic (note the vav at the beginning of the next verb form) and read simply, “for he did not know.” See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 59.
[4:40] 106 tn Heb “and they poured out [the stew].” The plural subject is probably indefinite.
[4:41] 107 tn Or “and let them eat.”
[4:42] 108 tn Heb “man of God.”
[4:42] 109 tn On the meaning of the word צִקְלוֹן (tsiqlon), “ear of grain,” see HALOT 148 s.v. בָּצֵק and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 59.
[4:42] 110 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[4:43] 111 tn Heb “How can I set this before a hundred men?”
[4:43] 112 tn The verb forms are infinitives absolute (Heb “eating and leaving over”) and have to be translated in light of the context.
[4:44] 113 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[5:1] 114 tn Heb “was a great man before his master and lifted up with respect to the face.”
[5:1] 115 tn For a discussion of מְצֹרָע (mÿtsora’), traditionally translated “leprous,” see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 63. Naaman probably had a skin disorder of some type, not leprosy/Hansen’s disease.
[5:3] 116 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[5:4] 117 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Naaman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:5] 118 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Naaman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:5] 119 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 750 pounds of silver (cf. NCV, NLT, CEV).
[5:5] 120 tn Heb “six thousand gold […].” The unit of measure is not given in the Hebrew text. A number of English versions supply “pieces” (e.g., KJV, ASV, NAB, TEV) or “shekels” (e.g., NASB, NIV, NRSV).
[5:6] 121 tn Heb “and now when this letter comes to you, look, I have sent to you Naaman my servant.”
[5:7] 122 tn Heb “Am I God, killing and restoring life, that this one sends to me to cure a man from his skin disease?” In the Hebrew text this is one lengthy rhetorical question, which has been divided up in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[5:7] 123 tn Heb “Indeed, know and see that he is seeking an occasion with respect to me.”
[5:8] 124 tn Heb “man of God” (also in vv. 15, 20).
[5:8] 125 tn Heb “Let him come.”
[5:10] 126 tn Heb “will return to you.”
[5:12] 127 tn Heb “Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all of the waters of Israel?” The rhetorical question expects an emphatic “yes” as an answer.
[5:13] 128 tn Heb “my father,” reflecting the perspective of each individual servant. To address their master as “father” would emphasize his authority and express their respect. See BDB 3 s.v. אָב and the similar idiomatic use of “father” in 2 Kgs 2:12.
[5:13] 129 tn Heb “a great thing.”
[5:13] 130 tn Heb “would you not do [it]?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course you would.”
[5:13] 131 tn Heb “How much more [when] he said, “Wash and be healed.” The second imperative (“be healed”) states the expected result of obeying the first (‘wash”).
[5:14] 132 tn Heb “according to the word of the man of God.”
[5:14] 133 tn Heb “and his skin was restored, like the skin of a small child.”
[5:15] 134 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Naaman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:16] 136 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:16] 137 tn Heb “before whom I stand.”
[5:16] 138 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Naaman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:17] 139 tn Heb “and [if] not, may there be given to your servant a load [for] a pair of mules, earth.”
[5:17] 140 tn Heb “for your servant will not again make a burnt offering and sacrifice to other gods, only to the
[5:18] 141 tn Heb “When my master enters the house of Rimmon to bow down there, and he leans on my hand and I bow down [in] the house of Rimmon, when I bow down [in] the house of Rimmon, may the
[5:18] sn Rimmon was the Syrian storm god. See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 65.
[5:19] 142 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:19] 143 tn Heb “and he went from him a distance of land.” The precise meaning of כִּבְרַה (kivrah) “distance,” is uncertain. See BDB 460 s.v. כִּבְרַה, and HALOT 459-60 s.v. II *כְּבָרַה, and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 65.
[5:20] 144 tn Heb “said” (i.e., to himself).
[5:20] 145 tn Heb “Look, my master spared this Syrian Naaman by not taking from his hand what he brought.”
[5:21] 146 tn Heb “Is there peace?”
[5:22] 148 tn Heb “Look now, here, two servants came to me from the Ephraimite hill country, from the sons of the prophets.”
[5:22] 149 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 75 pounds of silver (cf. NCV, NLT, CEV).
[5:23] 150 tn Heb “Be resolved and accept two talents.”
[5:23] 151 tn Heb “before him.”
[5:24] 152 tn Heb “from their hand.”
[5:24] 153 tn Heb “and he sent the men away and they went.”
[5:26] 154 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:26] 155 tn Heb “Did not my heart go as a man turned from his chariot to meet you?” The rhetorical question emphasizes that he was indeed present in “heart” (or “spirit”) and was very much aware of what Gehazi had done. In the MT the interrogative particle has been accidentally omitted before the negative particle.
[5:26] 156 tn In the MT the statement is phrased as a rhetorical question, “Is this the time…?” It expects an emphatic negative response.
[5:27] 158 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gehazi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[5:27] 159 tn Traditionally, “he went from before him, leprous like snow.” But see the note at 5:1, as well as M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 66.
[6:1] 160 tn Heb “the sons of the prophets.”
[6:1] 161 tn Heb “sit before you.”
[6:1] 162 tn Heb “narrow, tight.”
[6:6] 165 tn Heb “man of God” (also in v. 9).
[6:6] 166 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:8] 167 tc The verb form used here is difficult to analyze. On the basis of the form נְחִתִּים (nÿkhitim) in v. 9 from the root נָחַת (nakhat), it is probably best to emend the verb to תִּנְחְתוּ (tinkhÿtu; a Qal imperfect form from the same root). The verb נָחַת in at least two other instances carries the nuance “go down, descend” in a military context. For a defense of this view, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 72.
[6:8] 168 sn The advisers would have mentioned a specific location, but the details are not significant to the narrator’s purpose, so he simply paraphrases here.
[6:10] 169 tn The vav + perfect here indicates action contemporary with the preceding main verb (“sent”). See IBHS 533-34 §32.2.3e.
[6:10] 170 tn Heb “and the king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God spoke to him, and he warned it and he guarded himself there, not once and not twice.”
[6:11] 171 tn Heb “and the heart of the king of Syria was stirred up over this thing.”
[6:11] 173 tn Heb “Will you not tell me who among us [is] for the king of Israel?” The sarcastic rhetorical question expresses the king’s suspicion.
[6:13] 174 tn Heb “he” (also a second time in this verse); the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:13] 175 tn Heb “Go and see where he [is] so I can send and take him.”
[6:14] 176 tn Heb “heavy force.”
[6:15] 177 tn Heb “man of God’s.”
[6:15] 178 tn Heb “his young servant said to him.”
[6:16] 179 tn Heb “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
[6:17] 180 tn Heb “and he saw, and look.”
[6:18] 181 tn Heb “and they came down to him.”
[6:18] 182 tn Or “this nation,” perhaps emphasizing the strength of the Syrian army.
[6:18] 183 tn On the basis of the Akkadian etymology of the word, M. Cogan and H. Tadmor (II Kings [AB], 74) translate “blinding light.” HALOT 761 s.v. סַנְוֵרִים suggests the glosses “dazzling, deception.”
[6:18] 184 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[6:18] 185 tn Heb “according to the word of Elisha.”
[6:19] 186 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[6:20] 187 tn Heb “and they saw, and look, [they were] in the middle of Samaria.”
[6:21] 188 tn Heb “Should I strike them down? I will strike them down.” In the Hebrew text the first person imperfect form is repeated; the first form has the interrogative he prefixed to it; the second does not. It is likely that the second form should be omitted as dittographic or that the first should be emended to an infinitive absolute.
[6:21] 189 tn Heb “my father.” The king addresses the prophet in this way to indicate his respect. See 2 Kgs 2:12.
[6:22] 190 tn Heb “Are [they] ones you captured with your sword or your bow (that) you can strike (them) down?”
[6:23] 191 tn Or “held a great feast.”
[6:23] 192 tn Heb “they went back.”
[6:24] 194 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[6:25] 195 tn Heb “and there was a great famine in Samaria.”
[6:25] 196 tn Heb “and look, [they] were besieging it until.”
[6:25] 197 tn Heb “eighty, silver.” The unit of measurement is omitted.
[6:25] 198 sn A kab was a unit of dry measure, equivalent to approximately one quart.
[6:25] 199 tn The consonantal text (Kethib) reads, “dove dung” (חֲרֵייוֹנִים, khareyonim), while the marginal reading (Qere) has “discharge” (דִּבְיוֹנִים, divyonim). Based on evidence from Akkadian, M. Cogan and H. Tadmor (II Kings [AB], 79) suggest that “dove’s dung” was a popular name for the inedible husks of seeds.
[6:25] 200 tn Heb “five, silver.” The unit of measurement is omitted.
[6:27] 201 tn Heb “From where can I help you, from the threshing floor or the winepress?” The rhetorical question expresses the king’s frustration. He has no grain or wine to give to the masses.
[6:30] 202 tn Heb “the people saw, and look, [there was] sackcloth against his skin underneath.”
[6:31] 203 tn Heb “So may God do to me, and so may he add.”
[6:31] 204 tn Heb “if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat stays on him today.”
[6:32] 205 tn Heb “and the elders were sitting with him.”
[6:32] 206 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:32] 207 tn Heb “sent a man from before him, before the messenger came to him.”
[6:32] 208 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:32] 210 tn Heb “Do you see that this son of an assassin has sent to remove my head?”
[6:32] 211 tn Heb “Is not the sound of his master’s footsteps behind him?”
[6:33] 212 tn The Hebrew text also has “look” here.
[6:33] 213 tn Heb “came down to him.”
[6:33] 214 tn Heb “Look, this is a disaster from the
[7:1] 215 sn A seah was a dry measure equivalent to about 7 quarts.
[7:2] 216 tn Heb “the officer on whose hand the king leans.”
[7:2] 217 tn Heb “man of God.”
[7:2] 218 tn Heb “the
[7:2] 219 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:2] 220 tn Heb “you will not eat from there.”
[7:3] 221 sn See the note at 2 Kgs 5:1.
[7:3] 222 tn Heb “until we die.”
[7:4] 223 tn Heb “If we say, ‘We will enter the city,’ the famine is in the city and we will die there.”
[7:4] 225 tn Heb “keep us alive.”
[7:4] 226 tn Heb “we will die.” The paraphrastic translation attempts to bring out the logical force of their reasoning.
[7:5] 227 tn Heb “they arose to go to.”
[7:8] 228 tn Heb “they ate and drank.”
[7:8] 229 tn Heb “and they hid [it].”
[7:8] 230 tn Heb “and they took from there.”
[7:9] 231 tn Heb “this day is a day of good news and we are keeping silent.”
[7:9] 232 tn Heb “the light of the morning.”
[7:9] 233 tn Heb “punishment will find us.”
[7:10] 234 tn The MT has a singular form (“gatekeeper”), but the context suggests a plural. The pronoun that follows (“them”) is plural and a plural noun appears in v. 11. The Syriac Peshitta and the Targum have the plural here.
[7:10] 235 tn Heb “and, look, there was no man or voice of a man there.”
[7:10] 236 tn Heb “but the horses are tied up and the donkeys are tied up and the tents are as they were.”
[7:11] 237 tn Heb “and the gatekeepers called out and they told [it] to the house of the king.”
[7:12] 238 tn Heb “servants” (also in v. 13).
[7:13] 239 tn Heb “Let them take five of the remaining horses that remain in it. Look, they are like all the people of Israel that remain in it. Look, they are like all the people of Israel that have come to an end.” The MT is dittographic here; the words “that remain in it. Look they are like all the people of Israel” have been accidentally repeated. The original text read, “Let them take five of the remaining horses that remain in it. Look, they are like all the people of Israel that have come to an end.”
[7:13] 240 tn Heb “and let us send so we might see.”
[7:14] 241 tn Heb “and the king sent [them] after the Syrian camp.”
[7:14] 242 tn Heb “Go and see.”
[7:15] 243 tn Heb “went after.”
[7:15] 244 tn Heb “and look, all the road was full of clothes and equipment that Syria had thrown away in their haste.”
[7:15] 245 tn Or “messengers.”
[7:16] 246 sn A seah was a dry measure equivalent to about 7 quarts.
[7:16] 247 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[7:17] 248 tn Heb “the officer on whose hand he leans.”
[7:17] 249 tn Heb “and the people trampled him in the gate and he died.”
[7:17] 250 tn Heb “just as the man of God had spoken, [the word] which he spoke when the king came down to him.”
[7:19] 251 tn Heb “the
[7:19] 252 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[7:19] 253 tn Heb “you will not eat from there.”
[7:19] tn In the Hebrew text vv. 18-19a are one lengthy sentence, “When the man of God spoke to the king…, the officer replied to the man of God, ‘Look…so soon?’” The translation divides this sentence up for stylistic reasons.
[8:1] 254 tn Heb “Get up and go, you and your house, and live temporarily where you can live temporarily.”
[8:2] 255 tn Heb “and the woman got up and did according to the word of the man of God.”
[8:3] 256 tn Heb “and went out to cry out to the king for her house and her field.”
[8:4] 257 tn Heb “man of God’s.”
[8:5] 258 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Gehazi) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:5] 259 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:5] 260 tn Heb “and look, the woman whose son he had brought back to life was crying out to the king for her house and her field.”
[8:5] sn The legal background of the situation is uncertain. For a discussion of possibilities, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 87-88.
[8:6] 261 tn Heb “and the king asked the woman and she told him.”
[8:6] 262 tn Heb “and he assigned to her an official, saying.”
[8:7] 263 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:7] 264 tn Heb “man of God” (also a second time in this verse and in v. 11).
[8:8] 265 tn The Hebrew text also has “in your hand.”
[8:8] 266 tn Heb “Inquire of the
[8:9] 267 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:9] 268 tn The Hebrew text also has “in his hand.”
[8:9] 269 tn Heb “and.” It is possible that the conjunction is here explanatory, equivalent to English “that is.” In this case the forty camel loads constitute the “gift” and one should translate, “He took along a gift, consisting of forty camel loads of all the fine things of Damascus.”
[8:9] 270 sn The words “your son” emphasize the king’s respect for the prophet.
[8:10] 272 tc The consonantal text (Kethib) reads, “Go, say, ‘Surely you will not (לֹא, lo’) recover” In this case the vav beginning the next clause should be translated, “for, because.” The marginal reading (Qere) has, “Go, say to him (לוֹ, lo), ‘You will surely recover.” In this case the vav (ו) beginning the next clause should be translated, “although, but.” The Qere has the support of some medieval Hebrew
[8:11] 273 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:11] 274 tn Heb “and he made his face stand [i.e., be motionless] and set [his face?] until embarrassment.”
[8:13] 275 tn Heb “Indeed, what is your servant, a dog, that he could do this great thing?” With his reference to a dog, Hazael is not denying that he is a “dog” and protesting that he would never commit such a dastardly “dog-like” deed. Rather, as Elisha’s response indicates, Hazael is suggesting that he, like a dog, is too insignificant to ever be in a position to lead such conquests.
[8:13] 276 tn Heb “The
[8:14] 277 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ben Hadad) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:14] 278 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Hazael) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:15] 279 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Hazael) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:15] 280 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Ben Hadad) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:16] 281 tc The Hebrew text reads, “and in the fifth year of Joram son of Ahab king of Israel, and [or, ‘while’?] Jehoshaphat [was?] king of Judah, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah became king.” The first reference to “Jehoshaphat king of Judah” is probably due to a scribe accidentally copying the phrase from the later in the verse. If the Hebrew text is retained, the verse probably refers to the beginning of a coregency between Jehoshaphat and Jehoram.
[8:17] 282 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[8:18] 283 tn Heb “he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab did, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife.”
[8:18] 284 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[8:19] 285 tn The Hebrew has only one sentence, “and the
[8:19] 286 tn Heb “just as he had promised to give him and his sons a lamp all the days.” The metaphorical “lamp” symbolizes the Davidic dynasty; this is reflected in the translation.
[8:20] 287 tn Heb “in his days Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah and enthroned a king over them.”
[8:21] 288 sn Joram is a short form of the name Jehoram.
[8:21] 289 tn Heb “and he arose at night and defeated Edom, who had surrounded him, and the chariot officers.” The Hebrew text as it stands gives the impression that Joram was surrounded and launched a victorious night counterattack. It would then be quite natural to understand the last statement in the verse to refer to an Edomite retreat. Yet v. 22 goes on to state that the Edomite revolt was successful. Therefore, if the MT is retained, it may be better to understand the final statement in v. 21 as a reference to an Israelite retreat (made in spite of the success described in the preceding sentence). The translation above assumes an emendation of the Hebrew text. Adding a third masculine singular pronominal suffix to the accusative sign before Edom (reading אֶתוֹ [’eto], “him,” instead of just אֶת [’et]) and taking Edom as the subject of verbs allows one to translate the verse in a way that is more consistent with the context, which depicts an Israelite defeat, not victory. There is, however, no evidence for this emendation.
[8:21] 290 tn Heb “and the people fled to their tents.”
[8:22] 291 tn Heb “and Edom rebelled from under the hand of Judah until this day.”
[8:23] 292 tn Heb “As for the rest of the acts of Joram and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[8:24] 293 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[8:26] 294 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[8:26] 295 tn Hebrew בַּת (bat), “daughter,” can refer, as here to a granddaughter. See HALOT 166 s.v. בַּת.
[8:27] 296 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[8:27] 297 tn Heb “and he walked in the way of the house of Ahab and did evil in the eyes of the
[8:29] 298 tn Heb “which the Syrians inflicted [on] him.”
[9:1] 300 tn Heb “one of the sons of the prophets.”
[9:2] 302 tn Heb “and go and set him apart from his brothers and bring him into an inner room in an inner room.”
[9:3] 304 tn Heb “and open the door and run away and do not delay.”
[9:4] 305 tc Heb “the young man, the young man, the prophet.” The MT is probably dittographic, the phrase “the young man” being accidentally repeated. The phrases “the young man” and “the prophet” are appositional, with the latter qualifying more specifically the former.
[9:5] 306 tn Heb “and he arrived and look, the officers of the army were sitting.”
[9:5] 307 tn Heb “[there is] a word for me to you, O officer.”
[9:5] 308 tn Heb “To whom from all of us?”
[9:6] 309 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:6] 310 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:7] 311 tn Or “strike down the house of Ahab your master.”
[9:7] 312 tn Heb “I will avenge the shed blood of my servants the prophets and the shed blood of all the servants of the
[9:8] 313 tc The LXX has the second person, “you.”
[9:8] 314 tn Heb “and I will cut off from Ahab those who urinate against a wall, [including both those who are] restrained and let free [or, ‘abandoned’] in Israel.” On the phrase וְעָצוּר וְעָזוּב (vÿ’atsur vÿ’azur, translated here “weak and incapacitated”) see the note at 1 Kgs 14:10.
[9:10] 316 sn Note how the young prophet greatly expands the message Elisha had given to him. In addition to lengthening the introductory formula (by adding “the God of Israel”) and the official declaration that accompanies the act of anointing (by adding “the
[9:11] 317 tn Heb “went out to.”
[9:11] 318 tc The MT has the singular, “he said,” but many witnesses correctly read the plural.
[9:11] 319 tn Heb “Is there peace?”
[9:11] 320 tn Heb “He said, ‘You, you know the man and his thoughts.’” Jehu tries to deflect their question by reminding them that the man is an eccentric individual who says strange things. His reply suggests that the man said nothing of importance. The translation seeks to bring out the tone and intent of Jehu’s reply.
[9:12] 321 tn Heb “So he said, ‘Like this and like this he said to me, saying.’” The words “like this and like this” are probably not a direct quote of Jehu’s words to his colleagues. Rather this is the narrator’s way of avoiding repetition and indicating that Jehu repeated, or at least summarized, what the prophet had said to him.
[9:13] 322 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:13] 323 tn Heb “and they hurried and took, each one his garment, and they placed [them] beneath him on the bone [?] of the steps.” The precise nuance of גֶרֶם (gerem), “bone,” is unclear. Some suggest the nuance “bare” here; it may be a technical architectural term in this context.
[9:13] 324 tn Heb “they blew the trumpet.” This has been translated as a passive to avoid the implication that the same ones who shouted had all blown trumpets.
[9:13] 325 tn Or “has become.”
[9:14] 326 tn Heb “he and all Israel.”
[9:15] 327 tn Heb “which the Syrians inflicted [on] him.”
[9:15] 328 sn See 2 Kgs 8:28-29a.
[9:15] 329 tn The words “his supporters” are added for clarification.
[9:15] 330 tn Heb “If this is your desire.” נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) refers here to the seat of the emotions and will. For other examples of this use of the word, see BDB 660-61 s.v.
[9:16] 331 tn Heb “rode [or, ‘mounted’] and went.”
[9:16] 332 tn Heb “lying down.”
[9:17] 334 tn Heb “the quantity [of the men] of Jehu, when he approached.” Elsewhere שִׁפְעַה (shif’ah), “quantity,” is used of a quantity of camels (Isa 60:6) or horses (Ezek 26:10) and of an abundance of water (Job 22:11; 38:34).
[9:17] 335 tn The term שִׁפְעַת (shifat) appears to be a construct form of the noun, but no genitive follows.
[9:17] 337 tn Heb “Get a rider and send [him] to meet him and let him ask, ‘Is there peace?’”
[9:18] 338 tn Heb “the rider of the horse.”
[9:18] 339 tn Heb “Is there peace?”
[9:18] 340 tn Heb “What concerning you and concerning peace?” That is, “What concern is that to you?”
[9:19] 341 tn Heb “and he came to them.”
[9:19] 342 tc The MT has simply “peace,” omitting the prefixed interrogative particle. It is likely that the particle has been accidentally omitted; several ancient witnesses include it or assume its presence.
[9:20] 343 tn Heb “and the driving is like the driving of Jehu son of Nimshi.”
[9:21] 344 tn The words “my chariot” are added for clarification.
[9:21] 345 tn Heb “and he hitched up his chariot.”
[9:21] 346 tn Heb “each in his chariot and they went out.”
[9:21] 347 tn Heb “they found him.”
[9:22] 348 tn Heb “How [can there be] peace as long as the adulterous acts of Jezebel your mother and her many acts of sorcery [continue]?” In this instance “adulterous acts” is employed metaphorically for idolatry. As elsewhere in the OT, worshiping other gods is viewed as spiritual adultery and unfaithfulness to the one true God. The phrase “many acts of sorcery” could be taken literally, for Jezebel undoubtedly utilized pagan divination practices, but the phrase may be metaphorical, pointing to her devotion to pagan customs in general.
[9:23] 349 tn Heb “and Jehoram turned his hands and fled.” The phrase “turned his hands” refers to how he would have pulled on the reins in order to make his horses turn around.
[9:23] 350 tn Heb “Deceit, Ahaziah.”
[9:24] 351 tn Heb “and Jehu filled his hand with the bow and he struck Jehoram between his shoulders.”
[9:24] 352 tn Heb “went out from.”
[9:26] 354 tn Heb “and I will repay you in this plot of land.”
