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Saturday, July 26th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Bible in Basic English

2 Chronicles 20:16

Go down against them tomorrow: see, they are coming up by the slope of Ziz; at the end of the valley, before the waste land of Jeruel, you will come face to face with them.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Faithfulness;   Jehoshaphat;   Jeruel;   Prayer;   Rulers;   Ziz;   Thompson Chain Reference - Jehoshaphat;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Ammonites, the;   Deserts;   Inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the;   Prayer, Answers to;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Jehoshaphat, Valley of;   War;   Ziz, the Cliff of;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Jehoshaphat;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Jahaziel;   Jeruel;   Wilderness;   Ziz;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Jeruel Wilderness;   Moab;   Palestine;   Prophet;   Ziz;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Asaph;   Jahaziel;   Red Sea (Reed Sea);   Ziz;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Chronicles, I;   Gershon, Gershonites;   Jeruel;   Moab, Moabites;   Ziz;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Jeruel ;   Moab, Moabites ;   Ziz;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Jehoshaphat (2);   Ziz;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Jer'uel;   Ziz;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Marble;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Judah;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Cleft;   End;   Jeruel;   Ziz, Ascent of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Edox, Idumea;   Hezekiah;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Tomorrow, go down against them. You will see them coming up the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley facing the Wilderness of Jeruel.
Hebrew Names Version
Tomorrow go you down against them: behold, they come up by the ascent of Tzitz; and you shall find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Yeru'el.
King James Version
To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.
English Standard Version
Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel.
New Century Version
Tomorrow go down there and fight those people. They will come up through the Pass of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the ravine that leads to the Desert of Jeruel.
New English Translation
Tomorrow march down against them as they come up the Ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the ravine in front of the Desert of Jeruel.
Amplified Bible
'Go down against them tomorrow. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the river valley, in front of the Wilderness of Jeruel.
New American Standard Bible
'Tomorrow, go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley in front of the wilderness of Jeruel.
World English Bible
Tomorrow go you down against them: behold, they come up by the ascent of Ziz; and you shall find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel.
Geneva Bible (1587)
To morowe goe yee downe against them: beholde, they come vp by the cleft of Ziz, and ye shall finde them at the ende of the brooke before the wildernesse of Ieruel.
Legacy Standard Bible
Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley in front of the wilderness of Jeruel.
Berean Standard Bible
Tomorrow you are to march down against them. You will see them coming up the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley facing the Wilderness of Jeruel.
Contemporary English Version
So here's what you must do. Tomorrow the enemy armies will march through the desert around the town of Jeruel. March down and meet them at the town of Ziz as they come up the valley.
Complete Jewish Bible
Tomorrow, go down against them. They will be coming up by the ascent of Tzitz, and you will find them at the end of the vadi, before the Yeru'el Desert.
Darby Translation
To-morrow go down against them: behold, they come up by the ascent of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel.
Easy-to-Read Version
Tomorrow, they will come up through the Ziz Pass. You must go down to them. You will find them at the end of the valley on the other side of the desert of Jeruel.
George Lamsa Translation
Hasten, go down against them; behold, they are coming up early in the morning; and you shall find them in the cliff of the valley, before the wilderness. They are coming up to fight against you.
Good News Translation
Attack them tomorrow as they come up the pass at Ziz. You will meet them at the end of the valley that leads to the wild country near Jeruel.
Lexham English Bible
Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they are coming up the ascent of Ziz. And you will find them at the end of the valley facing the desert of Jeruel.
Literal Translation
Tomorrow, go down against them; behold, they are coming up by the ascent of Ziz, and you shall find them in the end of the valley, at the front of the wilderness of Jeruel.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Tomorow shal ye go downe vnto the. And beholde, they go vp by Sis, and ye shal fynde them at the reed see by the broke before the wyldernes of Ieruel:
American Standard Version
To-morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the ascent of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
To morow go ye downe against them: behold they come vp by the clift of Ziz, and ye shall finde them at the ende of the brooke before the wildernesse of Ieruel
JPS Old Testament (1917)
To-morrow go ye down against them; behold, they come up by the ascent of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel.
King James Version (1611)
To morrow goe ye downe against them: behold, they come vp by the cliffe of Ziz, and ye shall finde them at the end of the brooke, before the wildernesse of Ieruel.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
To-morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the ascent of Assis, and ye shall find them at the extremity of the river of the wilderness of Jeriel.
English Revised Version
Tomorrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the ascent of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
To morewe ye schulen stie `ayens hem; for thei schulen stie bi the side of the hil, `bi name Seys, and ye schulen fynde hem in the hiynesse of the stronde, which is ayens the wildirnesse of Jheruhel.
Update Bible Version
Tomorrow go down against them: look, they are coming up by the ascent of Ziz; and you shall find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel.
Webster's Bible Translation
To-morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.
New King James Version
Tomorrow go down against them. They will surely come up by the Ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the brook before the Wilderness of Jeruel.
New Living Translation
Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel.
New Life Bible
Go down to fight them tomorrow. See, they will come up by the hill of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, in front of the desert of Jeruel.
New Revised Standard
Tomorrow go down against them; they will come up by the ascent of Ziz; you will find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
To-morrow, go ye down against them, for lo! there they are coming up by the ascent of Ziz, - and ye shall find them at the end of the ravine, facing the wilderness of Jeruel.
Douay-Rheims Bible
To morrow you shall go down against them: for they will come up by the ascent named Sis, and you shall find them at the head of the torrent, which is over against the wilderness of Jeruel.
Revised Standard Version
Tomorrow go down against them; behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz; you will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeru'el.
Young's Literal Translation
To-morrow, go ye down against them, lo, they are coming up by the ascent of Ziz, and ye have found them in the end of the valley, the front of the wilderness of Jeruel.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
'Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz, and you will find them at the end of the valley in front of the wilderness of Jeruel.

Contextual Overview

14 Then, before all the meeting, the spirit of the Lord came on Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite and one of the family of Asaph; 15 And he said, Give ear, O Judah, and you people of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat: the Lord says to you, Have no fear and do not be troubled on account of this great army; for the fight is not yours but God's. 16 Go down against them tomorrow: see, they are coming up by the slope of Ziz; at the end of the valley, before the waste land of Jeruel, you will come face to face with them. 17 There will be no need for you to take up arms in this fight; put yourselves in position, and keep where you are, and you will see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: have no fear and do not be troubled: go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you. 18 Then Jehoshaphat went down with his face to the earth, and all Judah and the people of Jerusalem gave worship to the Lord, falling down before him. 19 And the Levites, the children of the Kohathites and the Korahites, got to their feet and gave praise to the Lord, the God of Israel, with a loud voice.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

cliff: Heb. ascent

Ziz: The cliff of Ziz was probably near Ziza, which Ptolemy places in Arabia Petrae, long. 69, 11/24 degrees lat. 31 degrees.

brook: or, valley

the wilderness: The wilderness of Jeruel seems, from 2 Chronicles 20:20, to have been a part of the wilderness of Tekoa.

Reciprocal: Joshua 11:6 - morrow

Cross-References

Genesis 20:3
But God came to Abimelech in a dream in the night, and said to him, Truly you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken; for she is a man's wife.
Genesis 20:5
Did he not say to me himself, She is my sister? and she herself said, He is my brother: with an upright heart and clean hands have I done this.
Genesis 20:6
And God said to him in the dream, I see that you have done this with an upright heart, and I have kept you from sinning against me: for this reason I did not let you come near her.
Genesis 20:8
So Abimelech got up early in the morning and sent for all his servants and gave them word of these things, and they were full of fear.
Genesis 20:9
Then Abimelech sent for Abraham, and said, What have you done to us? what wrong have I done you that you have put on me and on my kingdom so great a sin? You have done to me things which are not to be done.
Genesis 24:65
And said to the servant, Who is that man coming to us through the field? And the servant said, It is my master: then she took her veil, covering her face with it.
Genesis 26:11
And Abimelech gave orders to his people that anyone touching Isaac or his wife was to be put to death.
Proverbs 12:1
A lover of training is a lover of knowledge; but a hater of teaching is like a beast.
Proverbs 25:12
Like a nose-ring of gold and an ornament of the best gold, is a wise man who says sharp words to an ear ready to give attention.
Proverbs 27:5
Better is open protest than love kept secret.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Tomorrow go ye down against them,.... This was the fast day, and so not proper to march out in, but on the morrow they might go out with great confidence and intrepidity; and as Jerusalem was situated on an eminence, they are directed to go down:

behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; a steep hill, so called from the flowers upon it:

and ye shall find them at the end of the brook; on the bank of Kidron, according to Beckius, which seems not likely to be meant, since they went as far as the wilderness of Tekoa, 2 Chronicles 20:20,

before the wilderness of Jeruel; the same with that of Tekoa, or near it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The prophet uses words familiar to the people, and connected with several great deliverances (see the marginal references).

2 Chronicles 20:16

By the “cliff (or, rather - as in the margin - ascent) of Ziz,” we must understand the mountain path which leads up from Engedi across the elevated tract still known as El-Husasah, in the direction of Tekoa 2 Chronicles 20:20.

At the end of the brook - Rather, “at the end of the gulley,” or dry torrent-course. No name like Jeruel has been as yet found in this district.


 
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