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2 Kings 13:14-21
New English Translation

Elisha Makes One Final Prophecy

14 Now Elisha had a terminal illness.[a] King Jehoash of Israel went down to visit him.[b] He wept before him and said, “My father, my father! The chariot[c] and horsemen of Israel!”[d] 15 Elisha told him, “Take a bow and some arrows,” and he did so.[e] 16 Then Elisha[f] told the king of Israel, “Aim the bow.”[g] He did so,[h] and Elisha placed his hands on the king’s hands. 17 Elisha[i] said, “Open the east window,” and he did so.[j] Elisha said, “Shoot!” and he did so.[k] Elisha[l] said, “This arrow symbolizes the victory the Lord will give you over Syria.[m] You will annihilate Syria in Aphek!”[n] 18 Then Elisha[o] said, “Take the arrows,” and he did so.[p] He told the king of Israel, “Strike the ground!” He struck the ground three times and stopped. 19 The prophet[q] got angry at him and said, “If you had struck the ground five or six times, you would have annihilated Syria![r] But now, you will defeat Syria only three times.”

20 Elisha died and was buried.[s] Moabite raiding parties invaded[t] the land at the beginning of the year.[u] 21 One day some men[v] were burying a man when they spotted[w] a raiding party. So they threw the dead man[x] into Elisha’s tomb. When the body[y] touched Elisha’s bones, the dead man[z] came to life and stood on his feet.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 13:14 tn Heb “Now Elisha was ill with the illness by which he would die.”
  2. 2 Kings 13:14 tn Heb “went down to him.”
  3. 2 Kings 13:14 tn Though the noun is singular here, it may be collective, in which case it could be translated “chariots.”
  4. 2 Kings 13:14 sn By comparing Elisha to a one-man army, the king emphasizes the power of the prophetic word. See the note at 2:12.
  5. 2 Kings 13:15 tn Heb “and he took a bow and some arrows.”
  6. 2 Kings 13:16 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  7. 2 Kings 13:16 tn Heb “Cause your hand to ride on the bow.”
  8. 2 Kings 13:16 tn Heb “and he caused his hand to ride.”
  9. 2 Kings 13:17 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  10. 2 Kings 13:17 tn Heb “He opened [it].”
  11. 2 Kings 13:17 tn Heb “and he shot.”
  12. 2 Kings 13:17 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  13. 2 Kings 13:17 tn Heb “The arrow of victory of the Lord and the arrow of victory over Syria.”
  14. 2 Kings 13:17 tn Heb “you will strike down Syria in Aphek until destruction.”
  15. 2 Kings 13:18 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  16. 2 Kings 13:18 tn Heb “and he took [them].”
  17. 2 Kings 13:19 tn Heb “man of God.”
  18. 2 Kings 13:19 tn Heb “[It was necessary] to strike five or six times, then you would strike down Syria until destruction.” On the syntax of the infinitive construct, see GKC 349 §114.k.
  19. 2 Kings 13:20 tn Heb “and they buried him.”
  20. 2 Kings 13:20 tn Heb “entered.”
  21. 2 Kings 13:20 tc The MT reading בָּא שָׁנָה (baʾ shanah), “it came, year,” should probably be emended to בְּבָא הַשָּׁנָה (bevaʾ hashanah), “at the coming [i.e., ‘beginning’] of the year.” See M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 148.
  22. 2 Kings 13:21 tn Heb “and it so happened [that] they.”
  23. 2 Kings 13:21 tn Heb “and look, they saw.”
  24. 2 Kings 13:21 tn Heb “the man”; the adjective “dead” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
  25. 2 Kings 13:21 tn Heb “the man.”
  26. 2 Kings 13:21 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the dead man) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Otherwise the reader might think it was Elisha rather than the unnamed dead man who came back to life.
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2 Kings 13:14-21
Common English Bible

Elisha’s last days

14 Now Elisha became sick with the illness that would kill him. So Israel’s King Joash went down to see him. Joash cried over Elisha, saying, “Oh, my father, my father! Israel’s chariots and its riders!”

15 Elisha told Joash, “Get a bow and some arrows.” So he brought Elisha a bow and some arrows. 16 Elisha then said to Israel’s king, “Put your hand on the bow.” So Joash put his hand on the bow. Elisha then put his hands over the king’s hands 17 and said, “Open the window to the east.” The king did so. “Now shoot!” Elisha told him. Joash shot, then Elisha announced, “That’s the Lord’s rescue arrow! The rescue arrow against the Arameans! You will finish the Arameans off at Aphek.” 18 Then Elisha said, “Take the arrows!” so Joash took them. Elisha then said to Israel’s king, “Hit the ground with them!” Joash hit the ground three times and stopped. 19 The man of God became angry with him. He said, “If only you had struck five or six times, you would have finished the Arameans off. As it is, you will defeat them only three times.”

20 So Elisha died, and he was buried.

Sometimes Moabite raiding parties used to come into the land each spring. 21 Now it happened once that while a man was being buried, the people at the funeral suddenly saw a raiding party. They threw the body into Elisha’s tomb and ran off. When the body touched Elisha’s bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet!

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