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Wednesday, August 20th, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Bible in Basic English

2 Kings 3:23

Then they said, This is blood: it is clear that destruction has come on the kings; they have been fighting one another: now come, Moab, let us take their goods.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Moabites;   Thompson Chain Reference - Jehoshaphat;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Moabites;   Valleys;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Mesha;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Moab;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Jehoshaphat;   Kir-Haraseth;   Moabite Stone;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Dibon;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Kings, 1 and 2;   Kir-Hareseth;   Mesha;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Edom, Edomites;   Jehoshaphat;   Medeba;   Mesha;   Plagues of Egypt;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Joram, Jehoram;   Mesha ;   Moab, Moabites ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Kirharaseth;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Armor;   Arms;   Jehoshaphat;   Mesha;   Moab;   Samaria;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Eli'sha;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Israel;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Fellow;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“This is blood!” they exclaimed. “The kings have crossed swords and their men have killed one another. So, to the spoil, Moab!”
Hebrew Names Version
and they said, This is blood; the kings are surely destroyed, and they have struck each man his fellow: now therefore, Mo'av, to the spoil.
King James Version
And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.
English Standard Version
And they said, "This is blood; the kings have surely fought together and struck one another down. Now then, Moab, to the spoil!"
New Century Version
Then they said, "This is blood! The kings must have fought and killed each other! Come, Moabites, let's take the valuables from the dead bodies!"
New English Translation
The Moabites said, "It's blood! The kings are totally destroyed! They have struck one another down! Now, Moab, seize the plunder!"
Amplified Bible
And they said, "This is blood! Clearly the kings have fought together, and have killed one another. Now then, Moab, to the spoil [and the plunder of the dead soldiers]!"
New American Standard Bible
So they said, "This is blood; the kings must have fought each other, and they have killed one another. Now then, Moab, to the spoils!"
Geneva Bible (1587)
And they saide, This is blood the Kings are surely slaine, and one hath smitten another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoyle.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then they said, "This is blood; the kings have surely fought together, and they have struck down one another. So now, Moab, to the spoil!"
Contemporary English Version
and shouted, "Look at that blood! The armies of those kings must have fought and killed each other. Come on, let's go take what's left in their camp."
Complete Jewish Bible
said, "That's blood! The kings must have quarreled, and their soldiers killed each other. Mo'av! To the plunder!"
Darby Translation
And they said, This is blood: the kings are entirely destroyed, and have smitten one another; and now, Moab, to the spoil!
Easy-to-Read Version
They said, "Look at the blood! The kings must have fought against each other. They must have destroyed each other. Let's go take the valuable things from the dead bodies!"
George Lamsa Translation
And they said. This is blood; the kings are surely slain, and they have killed one another; now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.
Good News Translation
"It's blood!" they exclaimed. "The three enemy armies must have fought and killed each other! Let's go and loot their camp!"
Lexham English Bible
Then they said, "This is blood! Certainly the kings have fought one another, and each has killed his neighbor. Now, to the war booty, O Moab!"
Literal Translation
And they said, This is blood. The kings fighting have fought one another, and they each man struck his neighbor. And now to the plunder, Moab!
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
& they sayde: It is bloude, ye kynges haue destroyed them selues wt the swerde, & one hath smytten another. Now Moab get the vp to the spoyles.
American Standard Version
and they said, This is blood; the kings are surely destroyed, and they have smitten each man his fellow: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And they saide, This is the blood of slaughter: The kinges are slaine, & one haue smitten another: Now therefore Moab get thee to the spoyle.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
and they said: 'This is blood: the kings have surely fought together, and they have smitten each man his fellow; now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.'
King James Version (1611)
And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slaine, and they haue smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoile.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And they said, This is the blood of the sword; and the kings have fought, and each man has smitten his neighbour; now then to the spoils, Moab.
English Revised Version
and they said, This is blood; the kings are surely destroyed, and they have smitten each man his fellow: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.
Berean Standard Bible
"This is blood!" they exclaimed. "The kings have clashed swords and slaughtered each other. Now to the plunder, Moab!"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thei seiden, It is the blood of swerd, `that is, sched out bi swerd; kyngis fouyten ayens hem silf, and thei ben slayn togider; now go thou, Moab, to the prey.
Young's Literal Translation
and say, `Blood this [is]; the kings have been surely destroyed, and they smite each his neighbour; and now for spoil, Moab!'
Update Bible Version
and they said, This is blood; the kings are surely destroyed, and they have smitten each man his fellow: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.
Webster's Bible Translation
And they said, This [is] blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.
World English Bible
and they said, This is blood; the kings are surely destroyed, and they have struck each man his fellow: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.
New King James Version
And they said, "This is blood; the kings have surely struck swords and have killed one another; now therefore, Moab, to the spoil!"
New Living Translation
"It's blood!" the Moabites exclaimed. "The three armies must have attacked and killed each other! Let's go, men of Moab, and collect the plunder!"
New Life Bible
They said, "This is blood. For sure the kings have fought and killed one another. So now, Moab, let us take what is left!"
New Revised Standard
They said, "This is blood; the kings must have fought together, and killed one another. Now then, Moab, to the spoil!"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
They said therefore - Blood, - this! Destroyed! The kings have destroyed each other! Yea they have smitten every man his neighbour, - Now, then, to the spoil, O Moab!
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they said: It is the blood of the sword: the kings have fought among themselves, and they have killed one another: go now, Moab, to the spoils.
Revised Standard Version
And they said, "This is blood; the kings have surely fought together, and slain one another. Now then, Moab, to the spoil!"
THE MESSAGE
"Blood! Look at the blood!" they said. "The kings must have fought each other—a bloody massacre! Go for the loot, Moab!"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then they said, "This is blood; the kings have surely fought together, and they have slain one another. Now therefore, Moab, to the spoil!"

Contextual Overview

20 Now in the morning, about the time when the offering was made, they saw water flowing from the direction of Edom till the country was full of water. 21 Now all Moab, hearing that the kings had come to make war against them, got together all who were able to take up arms and went forward to the edge of the country. 22 And early in the morning they got up, when the sun was shining on the water, and they saw the water facing them as red as blood. 23 Then they said, This is blood: it is clear that destruction has come on the kings; they have been fighting one another: now come, Moab, let us take their goods. 24 But when they came to the tents of Israel, the Israelites came out and made a violent attack on the Moabites, so that they went in flight before them; and they went forward still attacking them; 25 Pulling down the towns, covering every good field with stones, stopping up all the water-springs, and cutting down all the good trees; they went on driving Moab before them till only in Kir-hareseth were there any Moabites; and the fighting-men went round the town raining stones on it. 26 And when the king of Moab saw that the fight was going against him, he took with him seven hundred men armed with swords, with the idea of forcing a way through to the king of Aram, but they were not able to do so. 27 Then he took his oldest son, who would have been king after him, offering him as a burned offering on the wall. So there was great wrath against Israel; and they went away from him, back to their country.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

This is blood: 2 Kings 6:18-20, 2 Kings 7:6

slain: Heb. destroyed

now therefore: Exodus 15:9, Judges 5:30, 2 Chronicles 20:25, Isaiah 10:14

Reciprocal: 1 Chronicles 10:8 - to strip

Cross-References

Genesis 2:5
In the day when the Lord God made earth and heaven there were no plants of the field on the earth, and no grass had come up: for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to do work on the land.
Genesis 3:19
With the hard work of your hands you will get your bread till you go back to the earth from which you were taken: for dust you are and to the dust you will go back.
Genesis 4:2
Then again she became with child and gave birth to Abel, his brother. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a farmer.
Genesis 4:12
No longer will the earth give you her fruit as the reward of your work; you will be a wanderer in flight over the earth.
Genesis 9:20
In those days Noah became a farmer, and he made a vine-garden.
Ecclesiastes 5:9
It is good generally for a country where the land is worked to have a king.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they said, this is blood,.... They were very confident of it, having no notion of water, there having been no rain for some time; and perhaps it was not usual to see water at any time in this place:

the kings are surely slain; they and their forces:

and they have smitten one another; having quarrelled either about their religion, or about want of water, and the distress they were come into through it, laying the blame of their coming out to war, or of their coming that way, on one another; and the Moabites might rather think something of this kind had happened, from what had lately been done among themselves, and their allies, 2 Chronicles 20:23

now therefore, Moab, to the spoil; having no occasion to fight, or prepare for it; all they had to do was to march directly to the enemy's camp, and plunder it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The sun had risen with a ruddy light, as is frequently the case after a storm (compare Matthew 16:3), nearly over the Israelite camp, and the pits, deep but with small mouths, gleaming redly through the haze which would lie along the newly moistened valley, seemed to the Moabites like pools of blood. The preceding year, they and their allies had mutually destroyed each other 2 Chronicles 20:23. It seemed to them, from their knowledge of the jealousies between Judah, Israel, and Edom, not unlikely that a similar calamity had now befallen their foes.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Kings 3:23. Therefore, Moab, to the spoil. — Thus they came on in a disorderly manner, and fell an easy prey to their enemies.


 
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