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2 Kings 1-3
New English Translation

Elijah Confronts the King and His Commanders

1 After Ahab died, Moab rebelled against Israel.[a] 2 Ahaziah fell through a window lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria and was injured. He sent messengers with these orders,[b] “Go, ask[c] Baal Zebub,[d] the god of Ekron, if I will survive this injury.”

3 But the angel of the Lord told Elijah the Tishbite, “Get up; go to meet the messengers from the king of Samaria. Say this to them: ‘You must think there is no God in Israel! That explains why you are on your way to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub the god of Ekron.[e] 4 Therefore this is what the Lord has said, “You will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die!”’” So Elijah went on his way.

5 When the messengers returned to the king,[f] he asked them, “Why have you returned?” 6 They replied,[g] “A man came up to meet us. He told us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, “This is what the Lord has said: ‘You must think there is no God in Israel! That explains why you are sending for an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron.[h] Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.’”’” 7 The king[i] asked them, “Describe the appearance[j] of this man who came up to meet you and told you these things.” 8 They replied,[k] “He was a hairy[l] man and had a leather belt[m] tied around his waist.” The king[n] said, “He is Elijah the Tishbite.”

9 The king[o] sent a captain and his fifty soldiers[p] to retrieve Elijah.[q] The captain[r] went up to him while he was sitting on the top of a hill.[s] He told him, “Prophet,[t] the king says, ‘Come down!’” 10 Elijah replied to the captain,[u] “If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!” Fire then came down[v] from the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers.

11 The king[w] sent another captain and his fifty soldiers to retrieve Elijah. He went up and told him,[x] “Prophet, this is what the king says, ‘Come down at once!’”[y] 12 Elijah replied to them,[z] “If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!” Fire from God[aa] came down from the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers.

13 The king[ab] sent a third captain and his fifty soldiers. This third captain went up and fell[ac] on his knees before Elijah. He begged for mercy, “Prophet, please have respect for my life and for the lives of these fifty servants of yours. 14 Indeed,[ad] fire came down from the sky and consumed the two captains who came before me, along with their men.[ae] So now, please have respect for my life.” 15 The angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him. Don’t be afraid of him.” So he got up and went down[af] with him to the king.

16 Elijah said to the king,[ag] “This is what the Lord has said, ‘You sent messengers to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron. Is it because there is no God in Israel from whom you can seek a message? Therefore[ah] you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.’”[ai]

17 And he did die in keeping with the Lord’s message that he had spoken through Elijah. In the second year of the reign of King Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat over Judah, Ahaziah’s brother Jehoram replaced him as king of Israel, because he had no son.[aj] 18 The rest of the events of Ahaziah’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.[ak]

Elijah Makes a Swift Departure

2 Just before[al] the Lord took Elijah up to heaven in a windstorm, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal. 2 Elijah told Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. 3 Some members of the prophetic guild[am] in Bethel came out to Elisha and said, “Do you know that today the Lord is going to take your master from you?”[an] He answered, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”

4 Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he replied, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they went to Jericho. 5 Some members of the prophetic guild in Jericho approached Elisha and said, “Do you know that today the Lord is going to take your master from you?” He answered, “Yes, I know. Be quiet.”

6 Elijah said to him, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he replied, “As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So they traveled on together. 7 The fifty members of the prophetic guild went and stood opposite them at a distance, while Elijah and Elisha[ao] stood by the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, folded it up, and hit the water with it. The water divided, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

9 When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “What can I do for you,[ap] before I am taken away from you?” Elisha answered, “May I receive a double portion of the prophetic spirit that energizes you?”[aq] 10 Elijah[ar] replied, “That’s a difficult request![as] If you see me taken from you, may it be so, but if you don’t, it will not happen.”

11 As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a fiery chariot[at] pulled by fiery horses appeared.[au] They went between Elijah and Elisha,[av] and Elijah went up to heaven in a windstorm. 12 While Elisha was watching, he was crying out, “My father, my father! The chariot and horsemen of Israel!”[aw] Then he could no longer see him. He grabbed his clothes and tore them in two. 13 He picked up Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen off him, and went back and stood on the shore of the Jordan. 14 He took the cloak that had fallen off Elijah,[ax] hit the water with it, and said, “Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?” When he hit the water, it divided and Elisha crossed over.

15 When the members of the prophetic guild in Jericho, who were standing at a distance,[ay] saw him do this, they said, “The spirit that energized Elijah[az] rests upon Elisha.” They went to meet him and bowed down to the ground before him. 16 They said to him, “Look, there are fifty capable men with your servants. Let them go and look for your master, for the wind sent from the Lord[ba] may have carried him away and dropped him on one of the hills or in one of the valleys.” But Elisha[bb] replied, “Don’t send them out.” 17 But they were so insistent that he became embarrassed. So he said, “Send them out.” They sent the fifty men out, and they looked for three days, but could not find Elijah.[bc] 18 When they came back, Elisha[bd] was staying in Jericho. He said to them, “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t go’?”

Elisha Demonstrates His Authority

19 The men of the city said to Elisha, “Look, the city has a good location, as our[be] master can see. But the water is bad and the land doesn’t produce crops.”[bf] 20 Elisha[bg] said, “Get me a new jar and put some salt in it.” So they got it. 21 He went out to the spring and threw the salt in. Then he said, “This is what the Lord has said, ‘I have purified[bh] this water. It will no longer cause death or fail to produce crops.’”[bi] 22 The water has been pure to this very day, just as Elisha prophesied.[bj]

23 He went up from there to Bethel. As he was traveling up the road, some young boys[bk] came out of the city and made fun of him, saying, “Go on up, baldy! Go on up, baldy!” 24 When he turned around and saw them, he called God’s judgment down on them.[bl] Two female bears came out of the woods and ripped forty-two of the boys to pieces. 25 From there he traveled to Mount Carmel and then back to Samaria.[bm]

Moab Fights with Israel

3 In the eighteenth year of King Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, Ahab’s son Jehoram became king over Israel in Samaria; he ruled for twelve years. 2 He did evil in the sight of[bn] 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 Yet he persisted in[bo] the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who encouraged Israel to sin; he did not turn from them.[bp]

4 Now King Mesha of Moab was a sheep breeder.[bq] He would send as tribute[br] to the king of Israel 100,000 male lambs and the wool of 100,000 rams. 5 When Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. 6 At that time King Jehoram left Samaria and assembled all Israel for war. 7 He sent[bs] this message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you fight with me against Moab?” Jehoshaphat[bt] replied, “I will join you in the campaign; my army and horses are at your disposal.”[bu] 8 He then asked, “Which invasion route are we going to take?”[bv] Jehoram[bw] answered, “By the road through the wilderness of Edom.” 9 So the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom[bx] 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. 10 The king of Israel said, “Oh no![by] Certainly the Lord has summoned these three kings so that he can hand them over to the king of Moab!” 11 Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here that we might seek the Lord’s direction?”[bz] One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shapat is here; he used to be Elijah’s servant.”[ca] 12 Jehoshaphat said, “Yes, he receives the Lord’s messages.”[cb] So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to visit him.

13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, “Why are you here?[cc] 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.” 14 Elisha said, “As certainly as the Lord of Heaven’s Armies[cd] lives (whom I serve),[ce] if I did not respect King Jehoshaphat of Judah,[cf] I would not pay attention to you or acknowledge you.[cg] 15 But now, get me a musician.”[ch] When the musician played, the Lord energized him,[ci] 16 and he said, “This is what the Lord has said, ‘Make many cisterns in this valley,’[cj] 17 for this is what the Lord has said, ‘You will not feel[ck] any wind or see any rain, but this valley will be full of water, and you and your cattle and animals will drink.’ 18 This is an easy task for the Lord;[cl] he will also hand Moab over to you. 19 You will defeat every fortified city and every important[cm] city. You must chop down[cn] every productive[co] tree, stop up all the springs, and cover all the cultivated land with stones.”[cp]

20 Sure enough, the next morning, at the time of the morning sacrifice, water came flowing down from Edom and filled the land.[cq] 21 Now all Moab had heard that the kings were attacking,[cr] so everyone old enough to fight was mustered and placed at the border.[cs] 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. 23 The Moabites[ct] said, “It’s blood! The kings must have fought one another![cu] The soldiers have struck one another down![cv] Now, Moab, seize the plunder!” 24 When they approached the Israelite camp, the Israelites rose up and struck down the Moabites, who then ran from them. The Israelites[cw] thoroughly defeated[cx] Moab. 25 They tore down the cities, and each man threw a stone into every cultivated field until they were covered.[cy] They stopped up every spring and chopped down every productive tree.

Only Kir Hareseth was left intact,[cz] but the soldiers armed with slings surrounded it and attacked it. 26 When the king of Moab realized he was losing the battle,[da] he and 700 swordsmen tried to break through and attack[db] the king of Edom, but they failed. 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,[dc] so they broke off the attack[dd] and returned to their homeland.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 1:1 sn This statement may fit better with the final paragraph of 1 Kgs 22.
  2. 2 Kings 1:2 tn Heb “and he sent messengers and said to them.”
  3. 2 Kings 1:2 tn That is, “seek an oracle from.”
  4. 2 Kings 1:2 sn Apparently Baal Zebub refers to a local manifestation of the god Baal at the Philistine city of Ekron. The name appears to mean “Lord of the Flies,” but it may be a deliberate scribal change of Baal Zebul, “Baal, the Prince,” a title known from the Ugaritic texts. For further discussion and bibliography, see HALOT 261 s.v. זְבוּב בַּעַל and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 25.
  5. 2 Kings 1:3 tn Heb “Is it because there is no God in Israel [that] you are going to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron?” The translation seeks to bring out the sarcastic tone of the rhetorical question.
  6. 2 Kings 1:5 tn Heb “to him.”sn The narrative is elliptical and telescoped here. The account of Elijah encountering the messengers and delivering the Lord’s message is omitted; we only hear of it as the messengers report what happened to the king.
  7. 2 Kings 1:6 tn Heb “said to him.”
  8. 2 Kings 1:6 tn Heb “Is it because there is no God in Israel [that] you are sending to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron?” The translation seeks to bring out the sarcastic tone of the rhetorical question. In v. 3 the messengers are addressed (in the phrase “you are on your way” the second person plural pronoun is used in Hebrew), but here the king is addressed (in the phrase “you are sending” the second person singular pronoun is used).
  9. 2 Kings 1:7 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  10. 2 Kings 1:7 tn Heb “What was the manner…?”
  11. 2 Kings 1:8 tn Heb “said to him.”
  12. 2 Kings 1:8 tn Heb “an owner of hair.” This idiomatic expression indicates that Elijah was very hairy. For other examples where the idiom “owner of” is used to describe a characteristic of someone, see HALOT 143 s.v. בַּעַל. For example, an “owner of dreams” is one who frequently has dreams (Gen 37:19) and an “owner of anger” is a hot-tempered individual (Prov 22:24).
  13. 2 Kings 1:8 tn Heb “belt of skin” (i.e., one made from animal hide).
  14. 2 Kings 1:8 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  15. 2 Kings 1:9 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  16. 2 Kings 1:9 tn Heb “officer of fifty and his fifty.”
  17. 2 Kings 1:9 tn Heb “to him.”
  18. 2 Kings 1:9 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the captain) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  19. 2 Kings 1:9 sn The prophet Elijah’s position on the top of the hill symbolizes his superiority to the king and his messengers.
  20. 2 Kings 1:9 tn Heb “man of God” (also in vv. 10, 11, 12, 13).
  21. 2 Kings 1:10 tn Heb “answered and said to the officer of fifty.”
  22. 2 Kings 1:10 tn Wordplay contributes to the irony here. The king tells Elijah to “come down” (Hebrew יָרַד, yarad), but Elijah calls fire down (יָרַד) on the arrogant king’s officer.
  23. 2 Kings 1:11 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  24. 2 Kings 1:11 tc The MT reads, “he answered and said to him.” The verb “he answered” (וַיַּעַן, vayyaʿan) probably should be emended to “he went up” (וַיַּעַל, vayyaʿal). See v. 9. One Hebrew ms, the LXX, and Vulgate support וַיַּעַל (vayyaʿal, “he went up”).
  25. 2 Kings 1:11 sn In this second panel of the three-paneled narrative, the king and his captain are more arrogant than before. The captain uses a more official sounding introduction (“this is what the king says”) and the king adds “at once” to the command.
  26. 2 Kings 1:12 tc Two medieval Hebrew mss, the LXX, and the Syriac Peshitta have the singular “to him.”
  27. 2 Kings 1:12 tn Or “intense fire.” The divine name may be used idiomatically to emphasize the intensity of the fire. Whether one translates אֱלֹהִים (ʾelohim) here as a proper name or idiomatically, this addition to the narrative (the name is omitted in the first panel, v. 10b) emphasizes the severity of the judgment and is appropriate given the more intense command delivered by the king to the prophet in this panel.
  28. 2 Kings 1:13 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  29. 2 Kings 1:13 tn Heb “went up and approached and kneeled.”
  30. 2 Kings 1:14 tn Heb “look.”
  31. 2 Kings 1:14 tn Heb “their fifty.”
  32. 2 Kings 1:15 sn In this third panel the verb “come down” (יָרַד, yarad) occurs again, this time describing Elijah’s descent from the hill at the Lord’s command. The moral of the story seems clear: Those who act as if they have authority over God and his servants just may pay for their arrogance with their lives; those who, like the third commander, humble themselves and show the proper respect for God’s authority and for his servants will be spared and find God quite cooperative.
  33. 2 Kings 1:16 tn Heb “he spoke to him,”
  34. 2 Kings 1:16 tn Heb “Because you sent… therefore you will not leave.” The rhetorical question is a parenthetical remark inserted into the proposition for dramatic effect.
  35. 2 Kings 1:16 sn For the third time in this chapter we read the Lord’s sarcastic question to the king and the accompanying announcement of judgment. The repetition emphasizes one of the chapter’s main themes. Israel’s leaders should seek guidance from their own God, not a pagan deity, for Israel’s sovereign God is the one who controls life and death.
  36. 2 Kings 1:17 tn Heb “Jehoram replaced him as king…because he had no son.” Some ancient textual witnesses add “his brother,” perhaps to clarify that it is not the contemporary Jehoram of Judah.
  37. 2 Kings 1:18 tn Heb “As for the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not recorded in the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
  38. 2 Kings 2:1 tn Or “when.”
  39. 2 Kings 2:3 tn Heb “the sons of the prophets.”
  40. 2 Kings 2:3 tn Heb “from your head.” The same expression occurs in v. 5.
  41. 2 Kings 2:7 tn Heb “the two of them.” The referents (Elijah and Elisha) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
  42. 2 Kings 2:9 tn Heb “Ask! What can I do for you….?”
  43. 2 Kings 2:9 tn Heb “May a double portion of your spirit come to me.”
  44. 2 Kings 2:10 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  45. 2 Kings 2:10 tn Heb “You have made difficult [your] request.”
  46. 2 Kings 2:11 tn Though the noun is singular here, it may be collective, in which case it could be translated “chariots.”
  47. 2 Kings 2:11 tn Heb “look, a chariot of fire and horses of fire.”
  48. 2 Kings 2:11 tn Heb “and they made a division between the two of them.”
  49. 2 Kings 2:12 sn Elisha may be referring to the fiery chariot(s) and horses as the Lord’s spiritual army that fights on behalf of Israel (see 2 Kgs 6:15-17; 7:6). However, the juxtaposition with “my father” (clearly a reference to Elijah as Elisha’s mentor), and the parallel in 2 Kgs 13:14 (where the king addresses Elisha with these words), suggest that Elisha is referring to Elijah. In this case Elijah is viewed as a one man army, as it were. When the Lord spoke through him, his prophetic word was as powerful as an army of chariots and horses. See M. A. Beek, “The Meaning of the Expression ‘The Chariots and Horsemen of Israel’ (II Kings ii 12),” The Witness of Tradition (OTS 17), 1-10.
  50. 2 Kings 2:14 tn Heb “Elijah’s cloak, which had fallen off him.” The wording is changed slightly in the translation for the sake of variety of expression (see v. 13).
  51. 2 Kings 2:15 tn Heb “and the sons of the prophets who were in Jericho, [who were standing] opposite, saw him and said.”
  52. 2 Kings 2:15 tn Heb “the spirit of Elijah.”
  53. 2 Kings 2:16 tn Or “the spirit of the Lord.”
  54. 2 Kings 2:16 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  55. 2 Kings 2:17 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  56. 2 Kings 2:18 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  57. 2 Kings 2:19 tn Heb “my.”
  58. 2 Kings 2:19 tn Heb “miscarries” or “is barren.”
  59. 2 Kings 2:20 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  60. 2 Kings 2:21 tn Or “healed.”
  61. 2 Kings 2:21 tn Heb “there will no longer be from there death and miscarriage [or, ‘barrenness’].”
  62. 2 Kings 2:22 tn Heb “according to the word of Elisha which he spoke.”
  63. 2 Kings 2:23 tn The word נַעַר (naʿar), here translated “boy,” can refer to a broad age range, including infants as well as young men. But the qualifying term “young” (or “small”) suggests these youths were relatively young. The phrase in question (“young boy”) occurs elsewhere in 1 Sam 20:35; 1 Kgs 3:7 (used by Solomon in an hyperbolic manner); 11:17; 2 Kgs 5:14; and Isa 11:6.
  64. 2 Kings 2:24 tn Heb “he cursed them in the name of the Lord.” A curse was a formal appeal to a higher authority (here the Lord) to vindicate one’s cause through judgment. As in chapter one, this account makes it clear that disrespect for the Lord’s designated spokesmen can be deadly, for it is ultimately rejection of the Lord’s authority.
  65. 2 Kings 2:25 sn The two brief episodes recorded in vv. 19-25 demonstrate Elisha’s authority and prove that he is the legitimate prophetic heir of Elijah. He has the capacity to bring life and blessing to those who recognize his authority, or death and judgment to those who reject him.
  66. 2 Kings 3:2 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
  67. 2 Kings 3:3 tn Heb “held tight,” or “clung to.”
  68. 2 Kings 3:3 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.”
  69. 2 Kings 3:4 tn For a discussion of the meaning of term נֹקֵד (noqed) as “sheep breeder,” see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 43.
  70. 2 Kings 3:4 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.
  71. 2 Kings 3:7 tn Heb “went and sent.”
  72. 2 Kings 3:7 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehoshaphat) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  73. 2 Kings 3:7 tn Heb “I will go up—like me, like you; like my people, like your people; like my horses; like your horses.”
  74. 2 Kings 3:8 tn Heb “Where is the road we will go up?”
  75. 2 Kings 3:8 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehoram) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  76. 2 Kings 3:9 tn Heb “the king of Israel and the king of Judah and the king of Edom.”
  77. 2 Kings 3:10 tn Or “ah.”
  78. 2 Kings 3:11 tn Heb “that we might inquire of the Lord through him?”
  79. 2 Kings 3:11 tn Heb “who poured water on the hands of Elijah.” This refers to one of the typical tasks of a servant.
  80. 2 Kings 3:12 tn Heb “the Lord’s message is with him.”
  81. 2 Kings 3:13 tn Or “What do we have in common?” The text reads literally, “What to me and to you?”
  82. 2 Kings 3:14 tn Traditionally “the Lord of hosts.”
  83. 2 Kings 3:14 tn Heb “before whom I stand.”
  84. 2 Kings 3:14 tn Heb “if I did not lift up the face of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah.”
  85. 2 Kings 3:14 tn Heb “I would not look at you or see you.”
  86. 2 Kings 3:15 tn The term used refers to one who plays a stringed instrument, perhaps a harp.
  87. 2 Kings 3:15 tn Heb “the hand of the Lord came on him.” This may refer to what typically happened, “[for] when a musician played, the hand of the Lord would come upon him.”
  88. 2 Kings 3:16 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.”
  89. 2 Kings 3:17 tn Heb “see.”
  90. 2 Kings 3:18 tn Heb “and this is easy in the eyes of the Lord.”
  91. 2 Kings 3:19 tn Heb “choice” or “select.”
  92. 2 Kings 3:19 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.
  93. 2 Kings 3:19 tn Heb “good.”
  94. 2 Kings 3:19 tn Heb “and ruin every good portion with stones.”
  95. 2 Kings 3:20 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.”
  96. 2 Kings 3:21 tn Heb “had come up to fight them.”
  97. 2 Kings 3:21 tn Heb “and they mustered all who tied on a belt and upwards, and they stood at the border.”
  98. 2 Kings 3:23 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the Moabites) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  99. 2 Kings 3:23 tn The translation assumes the verb is II חָרַב (kharav) meaning “to fight one another” in the Nifal (HALOT 349 s.v. II חרב and BDB 352 s.v. חָרְבָה), a denominative verb based on the noun חֶרֶב (kherev, “sword”). The infinitive absolute precedes the finite verb form to emphasize the modality (here indicative mode) of the main verb. (For another example of the Hophal infinitive with a Niphal finite verb, see Lev 19:20. Cf. also IBHS 582 §35.2.1c.) It might also be I חָרַב (kharav) meaning “to be desolate.” But because that describes a result, it makes less sense to precede the verb “then they struck one another down.
  100. 2 Kings 3:23 tn Heb “Each struck down his counterpart.” The presumption is that the armies are wiped out, not just that the kings killed each other.
  101. 2 Kings 3:24 tn Heb “they.”
  102. 2 Kings 3:24 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.
  103. 2 Kings 3:25 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.
  104. 2 Kings 3:25 tn Heb “until he had allowed its stones to remain in Kir Hareseth.”
  105. 2 Kings 3:26 tn Heb “and the king of Moab saw that the battle was too strong for him.”
  106. 2 Kings 3:26 tn Heb “he took with him seven hundred men, who drew the sword, to break through against.”
  107. 2 Kings 3:27 tn Heb “there was great anger against Israel.”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.
  108. 2 Kings 3:27 tn Heb “they departed from him.”
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John 8:39-59
New English Translation

39 They answered him,[a] “Abraham is our father!”[b] Jesus replied,[c] “If you are[d] Abraham’s children, you would be doing[e] the deeds of Abraham. 40 But now you are trying[f] to kill me, a man who has told you[g] the truth I heard from God. Abraham did not do this![h] 41 You people[i] are doing the deeds of your father.”

Then[j] they said to Jesus,[k] “We were not born as a result of immorality![l] We have only one Father, God himself.” 42 Jesus replied,[m] “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I have come from God and am now here.[n] I[o] have not come on my own initiative,[p] but he[q] sent me. 43 Why don’t you understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot accept[r] my teaching.[s] 44 You people[t] are from[u] your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires.[v] He[w] was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth,[x] because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies,[y] he speaks according to his own nature,[z] because he is a liar and the father of lies.[aa] 45 But because I am telling you[ab] the truth, you do not believe me. 46 Who among you can prove me guilty[ac] of any sin?[ad] If I am telling you[ae] the truth, why don’t you believe me? 47 The one who belongs to[af] God listens and responds[ag] to God’s words. You don’t listen and respond,[ah] because you don’t belong to God.”[ai]

48 The Judeans[aj] replied,[ak] “Aren’t we correct in saying[al] that you are a Samaritan and are possessed by a demon?”[am] 49 Jesus answered, “I am not possessed by a demon,[an] but I honor my Father—and yet[ao] you dishonor me. 50 I am not trying to get[ap] praise for myself.[aq] There is one who demands[ar] it, and he also judges.[as] 51 I tell you the solemn truth,[at] if anyone obeys[au] my teaching,[av] he will never see death.”[aw]

52 Then[ax] the Judeans[ay] responded,[az] “Now we know you’re possessed by a demon![ba] Both Abraham and the prophets died, and yet[bb] you say, ‘If anyone obeys[bc] my teaching,[bd] he will never experience[be] death.’[bf] 53 You aren’t greater than our father Abraham who died, are you?[bg] And the prophets died too! Who do you claim to be?” 54 Jesus replied,[bh] “If I glorify myself, my glory is worthless.[bi] The one who glorifies me is my Father, about whom you people[bj] say, ‘He is our God.’ 55 Yet[bk] you do not know him, but I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him,[bl] I would be a liar like you. But I do know him, and I obey[bm] his teaching.[bn] 56 Your father Abraham was overjoyed[bo] to see my day, and he saw it and was glad.”[bp]

57 Then the Judeans[bq] replied,[br] “You are not yet fifty years old![bs] Have[bt] you seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the solemn truth,[bu] before Abraham came into existence,[bv] I am!”[bw] 59 Then they picked up[bx] stones to throw at him,[by] but Jesus was hidden from them[bz] and went out from the temple area.[ca]

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Footnotes

  1. John 8:39 tn Grk “They answered and said to him.”
  2. John 8:39 tn Or “Our father is Abraham.”
  3. John 8:39 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
  4. John 8:39 tc Although most mss (C W Θ Ψ 0250 ƒ1,13 33 M) have the imperfect ἦτε (ēte, “you were”) here, making this sentence a proper second class condition, the harder reading, ἐστε (este, “you are”), is found in the better witnesses (P66,75 א B D L 070 lat).
  5. John 8:39 tc Some significant mss (P66 B* [700]) have the present imperative ποιεῖτε (poieite) here: “If you are Abraham’s children, then do,” while many others (א2 C K L N Δ Ψ ƒ1,13 33 565 579 892 pm) add the contingent particle ἄν (an) to ἐποιεῖτε (epoieite) making it a more proper second class condition by Attic standards. The simple ἐποιεῖτε without the ἄν is the hardest reading, and is found in some excellent witnesses (P75 א* B2 D W Γ Θ 070 0250 1424 pm).tn Or “you would do.”
  6. John 8:40 tn Grk “seeking.”
  7. John 8:40 tn Grk “has spoken to you.”
  8. John 8:40 tn The Greek word order is emphatic: “This Abraham did not do.” The emphasis is indicated in the translation by an exclamation point.
  9. John 8:41 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.
  10. John 8:41 tc ‡ Significant and early witnesses (א B L W 070 it sys,p co) lack the conjunction here, while the earliest witnesses along with many others read οὖν (oun, “therefore”; P66,75 C D Θ Ψ 0250 ƒ13 33 M). This conjunction occurs in John some 200 times, far more than in any other NT book. Even though the combined testimony of two early papyri for the conjunction is impressive, the reading seems to be a predictable scribal emendation. In particular, οὖν is frequently used with the plural of εἶπον (eipon, “they said”) in John (in this chapter alone, note vv. 13, 39, 48, 57, and possibly 52). On balance, it is probably best to consider the shorter reading as authentic, even though “Then” is virtually required in translation for English stylistic reasons. NA28 has the conjunction in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.
  11. John 8:41 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) is specified in the translation for clarity.
  12. John 8:41 sn We were not born as a result of immorality! is ironic, because Jesus’ opponents implied that it was not themselves but Jesus who had been born as a result of immoral behavior. This shows they did not know Jesus’ true origin and were not aware of the supernatural events surrounding his birth. The author does not even bother to refute the opponents’ suggestion but lets it stand, assuming his readers will know the true story.
  13. John 8:42 tn Grk “Jesus said to them.”
  14. John 8:42 tn Or “I came from God and have arrived.”
  15. John 8:42 tn Grk “For I.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
  16. John 8:42 tn Grk “from myself.”
  17. John 8:42 tn Grk “that one” (referring to God).
  18. John 8:43 tn Grk “you cannot hear,” but this is not a reference to deafness, but rather hearing in the sense of listening to something and responding to it.
  19. John 8:43 tn Grk “my word.”
  20. John 8:44 tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to clarify that the Greek pronoun and verb are plural.
  21. John 8:44 tn Many translations read “You are of your father the devil” (KJV, ASV, RSV, NASB) or “You belong to your father, the devil” (NIV), but the Greek preposition ἐκ (ek) emphasizes the idea of source or origin. Jesus said his opponents were the devil’s very offspring (a statement which would certainly infuriate them).
  22. John 8:44 tn Grk “the desires of your father you want to do.”
  23. John 8:44 tn Grk “That one” (referring to the devil).
  24. John 8:44 tn Grk “he does not stand in the truth” (in the sense of maintaining, upholding, or accepting the validity of it).
  25. John 8:44 tn Grk “Whenever he speaks the lie.”
  26. John 8:44 tn Grk “he speaks from his own.”
  27. John 8:44 tn Grk “because he is a liar and the father of it.”
  28. John 8:45 tn Or “because I tell you.”
  29. John 8:46 tn Or “can convict me.”
  30. John 8:46 tn Or “of having sinned”; Grk “of sin.”
  31. John 8:46 tn Or “if I tell you.”
  32. John 8:47 tn Grk “who is of.”
  33. John 8:47 tn Grk “to God hears” (in the sense of listening to something and responding to it).
  34. John 8:47 tn Grk “you do not hear” (in the sense of listening to something and responding to it).
  35. John 8:47 tn Grk “you are not of God.”
  36. John 8:48 tn Grk “the Jews.” See the note on this term in v. 31. Here the phrase refers to the Jewish people in Jerusalem (“Judeans”; cf. BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e) who had been listening to Jesus’ teaching in the temple courts (8:20) and had initially believed his claim to be the Messiah (cf. 8:31). They had become increasingly hostile as Jesus continued to teach. Now they were ready to say that Jesus was demon-possessed.
  37. John 8:48 tn Grk “answered and said to him.”
  38. John 8:48 tn Grk “Do we not say rightly.”
  39. John 8:48 tn Grk “and have a demon.” It is not clear what is meant by the charge Σαμαρίτης εἶ σὺ καὶ δαιμόνιον ἔχεις (Samaritēs ei su kai daimonion echeis). The meaning could be “you are a heretic and are possessed by a demon.” Note that the dual charge gets one reply (John 8:49). Perhaps the phrases were interchangeable: Simon Magus (Acts 8:14-24) and in later traditions Dositheus, the two Samaritans who claimed to be sons of God, were regarded as mad, that is, possessed by demons.
  40. John 8:49 tn Grk “I do not have a demon.”
  41. John 8:49 tn “Yet” is supplied to show the contrastive element present in the context.
  42. John 8:50 tn Grk “I am not seeking.”
  43. John 8:50 tn Grk “my glory.”
  44. John 8:50 tn Grk “who seeks.”
  45. John 8:50 tn Or “will be the judge.”
  46. John 8:51 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
  47. John 8:51 tn Grk “If anyone keeps.”
  48. John 8:51 tn Grk “my word.”
  49. John 8:51 tn Grk “he will never see death forever.” The Greek negative here is emphatic.sn Those who keep Jesus’ words will not see death because they have already passed from death to life (cf. 5:24). In Johannine theology eternal life begins in the present rather than in the world to come.
  50. John 8:52 tc ‡ Significant and early witnesses (P66 א B C W Θ 579 it) lack the conjunction here, while other witnesses read οὖν (oun, “therefore”; P75 D L Ψ 070 ƒ1,13 33 M lat). This conjunction occurs in John some 200 times, far more than in any other NT book. Even though the most important Johannine papyrus (P75) has the conjunction, the combination of P66 א B for the omission is even stronger. Further, the reading seems to be a predictable scribal emendation. In particular, οὖν is frequently used with the plural of εἶπον (eipon, “they said”) in John (in this chapter alone, note vv. 13, 39, 48, 57, and possibly 41). On balance, it is probably best to consider the shorter reading as authentic, even though “Then” is virtually required in translation for English stylistic reasons. NA28 has the conjunction in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.
  51. John 8:52 tn Grk “the Jews.” See the note on this term in v. 31. Here, as in vv. 31 and 48, the phrase refers to the Jewish people in Jerusalem (“Judeans”; cf. BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e) who had been listening to Jesus’ teaching in the temple courts (8:20) and had initially believed his claim to be the Messiah (cf. 8:31).
  52. John 8:52 tn Grk “said to him.”
  53. John 8:52 tn Grk “you have a demon.”
  54. John 8:52 tn “Yet” has been supplied to show the contrastive element present in the context.
  55. John 8:52 tn Grk “If anyone keeps.”
  56. John 8:52 tn Grk “my word.”
  57. John 8:52 tn Grk “will never taste.” Here the Greek verb does not mean “sample a small amount” (as a typical English reader might infer from the word “taste”), but “experience something cognitively or emotionally; come to know something” (cf. BDAG 195 s.v. γεύομαι 2).
  58. John 8:52 tn Grk “he will never taste of death forever.” The Greek negative here is emphatic.
  59. John 8:53 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mē) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “are you?”).
  60. John 8:54 tn Grk “Jesus answered.”
  61. John 8:54 tn Grk “is nothing.”
  62. John 8:54 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied in English to clarify the plural Greek pronoun and verb.
  63. John 8:55 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Yet” to indicate the contrast present in the context.
  64. John 8:55 tn Grk “If I say, ‘I do not know him.’”
  65. John 8:55 tn Grk “I keep.”
  66. John 8:55 tn Grk “his word.”
  67. John 8:56 tn Or “rejoiced greatly.”
  68. John 8:56 tn What is the meaning of Jesus’ statement that the patriarch Abraham “saw” his day and rejoiced? The use of past tenses would seem to refer to something that occurred during the patriarch’s lifetime. Genesis Rabbah 44:25ff, (cf. 59:6) states that Rabbi Akiba, in a debate with Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai, held that Abraham had been shown not this world only but the world to come (this would include the days of the Messiah). More realistically, it is likely that Gen 22:13-15 lies behind Jesus’ words. This passage, known to rabbis as the Akedah (“Binding”), tells of Abraham finding the ram which will replace his son Isaac on the altar of sacrifice—an occasion of certain rejoicing.
  69. John 8:57 tn Grk “Then the Jews.” See the note on this term in v. 31. Here, as in vv. 31, 48, and 52, the phrase refers to the Jewish people in Jerusalem (“Judeans”; cf. BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e) who had been listening to Jesus’ teaching in the temple courts (8:20) and had initially believed his claim to be the Messiah (cf. 8:31). They have now become completely hostile, as John 8:59 clearly shows.
  70. John 8:57 tn Grk “said to him.”
  71. John 8:57 tn Grk ‘You do not yet have fifty years” (an idiom).
  72. John 8:57 tn Grk “And have.”
  73. John 8:58 tn Grk “Truly, truly, I say to you.”
  74. John 8:58 tn Grk “before Abraham was.”
  75. John 8:58 sn I am! is an explicit claim to deity. Although each occurrence of the phrase “I am” in the Fourth Gospel needs to be examined individually in context to see if an association with Exod 3:14 is present, it seems clear that this is the case here (as the response of the Jewish authorities in the following verse shows).
  76. John 8:59 tn Grk “they took up.”
  77. John 8:59 sn Jesus’ Jewish listeners understood his claim to deity, rejected it, and picked up stones to throw at him for what they considered blasphemy.
  78. John 8:59 tn The prepositional phrase “from them” has been supplied to clarify that the passive verb “was hidden” does not mean that Jesus turned invisible, but rather that his opponents were not able to find him at that moment.
  79. John 8:59 tc Most later witnesses (A Θc ƒ1,13 M) have at the end of the verse “passing through their midst, he went away in this manner” (διελθὼν διὰ μέσου καὶ παρῆγεν οὕτως, dielthōn dia mesou kai parēgen houtōs), while many others have similar permutations (so א1,2 C L N Ψ 070 33 579 892 1241 al). The wording is similar to two other texts: Luke 4:30 (διελθὼν διὰ μέσου; in several mss αὐτῶν ἐπορεύετο καί [autōn eporeueto kai] is found between this phrase and παρῆγεν, strengthening the parallel with Luke 4:30) and John 9:1 (παρῆγεν; cf. παράγων [paragōn] there). The effect is to signal Jesus’ departure as a miraculous cloaking. As such, the additional statement has all the earmarks of scribal amplification. Further, the best and earliest witnesses (P66,75 א* B D W Θ* lat sa) lack these words, rendering the shorter text virtually certain.tn Grk “from the temple.”
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