Lectionary Calendar
Saturday, July 12th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
Attention!
Take your personal ministry to the Next Level by helping StudyLight build churches and supporting pastors in Uganda.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Bishop's Bible

2 Kings 3:16

And he sayde, thus saith the Lorde: Make this valley full of ditches:

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Armies;   Moabites;   Water;   Thompson Chain Reference - Elisha;   Jehoshaphat;   Miracles;   Preparation;   Prophet's;   Readiness-Unreadiness;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Valleys;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Mesha;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Moab;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Prophet, Prophetess, Prophecy;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Elisha;   Jehoram;   Jehoshaphat;   Moabite Stone;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Dibon;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Brook of Zered;   Ecstasy;   Elisha;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Kir-Hareseth;   Mesha;   Oracles;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Edom, Edomites;   Jehoshaphat;   Medeba;   Mesha;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Joram, Jehoram;   Mesha ;   Miracles;   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;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Moab;  

Encyclopedias:

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

Devotionals:

- Faith's Checkbook - Devotion for November 4;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Dig ditch after ditch in this wadi.’
Hebrew Names Version
He said, Thus says the LORD, Make this valley full of trenches.
King James Version
And he said, Thus saith the Lord , Make this valley full of ditches.
English Standard Version
And he said, "Thus says the Lord , ‘I will make this dry streambed full of pools.'
New Century Version
Then Elisha said, "The Lord says to dig holes in the valley.
New English Translation
and he said, "This is what the Lord says, ‘Make many cisterns in this valley,'
Amplified Bible
He said, "Thus says the LORD, 'Make this valley (the Arabah) full of trenches.'
New American Standard Bible
And he said, "This is what the LORD says: 'Make this valley full of trenches.'
Geneva Bible (1587)
And he saide, Thus saith the Lorde, Make this valley full of ditches.
Legacy Standard Bible
And he said, "Thus says Yahweh, ‘Make this valley full of trenches.'
Contemporary English Version
The Lord says that this dry riverbed will be filled with water.
Complete Jewish Bible
and he said, " Adonai says to dig until this valley is full of trenches.
Darby Translation
And he said, Thus saith Jehovah: Make this valley full of ditches.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then Elisha said, "This is what the Lord says: ‘Dig holes in the valley.'
George Lamsa Translation
And he said, Thus says the LORD: Let this valley be made full of cisterns.
Good News Translation
and he said, "This is what the Lord says: ‘Dig ditches all over this dry stream bed.
Lexham English Bible
He said, "Thus says Yahweh, ‘Make this wadi full of cisterns,'
Literal Translation
And he said, So says Jehovah, Make this valley full of ditches.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And he sayde: Thus sayeth the LORDE: Make pittes by this broke.
American Standard Version
And he said, Thus saith Jehovah, Make this valley full of trenches.
Bible in Basic English
And he said, The Lord says, I will make this valley full of water-holes.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he said: 'Thus saith the LORD: Make this valley full of trenches.
King James Version (1611)
And hee sayde, Thus sayth the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of trenches.
English Revised Version
And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of trenches.
Berean Standard Bible
and he said, "This is what the LORD says: 'Dig this valley full of ditches.'
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Make ye the wombe, ether depthe, of this stronde dichis and dichis.
Young's Literal Translation
and he saith, `Thus said Jehovah, Make this valley ditches -- ditches;
Update Bible Version
And he said, Thus says Yahweh, Make this valley full of trenches.
Webster's Bible Translation
And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches.
World English Bible
He said, Thus says Yahweh, Make this valley full of trenches.
New King James Version
And he said, "Thus says the LORD: "Make this valley full of ditches.'
New Living Translation
and he said, "This is what the Lord says: This dry valley will be filled with pools of water!
New Life Bible
He said, "This is what the Lord says, ‘Make this valley full of ditches.'
New Revised Standard
And he said, "Thus says the Lord , ‘I will make this wadi full of pools.'
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said he, Thus, saith Yahweh, Make, in this torrent-bed, pits, pits!
Douay-Rheims Bible
Thus saith the Lord: Make the channel of this torrent full of ditches.
Revised Standard Version
And he said, "Thus says the LORD, 'I will make this dry stream-bed full of pools.'
THE MESSAGE
He then said, " God 's word: Dig ditches all over this valley. Here's what will happen—you won't hear the wind, you won't see the rain, but this valley is going to fill up with water and your army and your animals will drink their fill. This is easy for God to do; he will also hand over Moab to you. You will ravage the country: Knock out its fortifications, level the key villages, clear-cut the orchards, clog the springs, and litter the cultivated fields with stones."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
He said, "Thus says the LORD, 'Make this valley full of trenches.'

Contextual Overview

6 And king Iehoram went out of Samaria the same season, and numbred all Israel: 7 And went, & sent to Iehosaphat the king of Iuda, saying: The king of Moab hath rebelled against me, wilt thou come with me against Moab in battell? He aunswered, I will come vp: for as I am, so art thou: and as my people be, so are thy people: & thy horses, as myne. 8 And he saide: What way shall we go vp? And he aunswered: The way through the wildernesse of Edom. 9 And so the king of Israel toke his iourney, and the king of Iuda, and the king of Edom: And when they had compassed the way seuen dayes, they had no water for the hoast, and for the cattayle that folowed them. 10 And the king of Israel saide: Alas, the Lorde hath called these three kinges together, to deliuer them ouer into the hande of Moab. 11 But Iehosaphat said: Is there not here a prophete of the Lorde, that we maye enquire of the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israels seruauntes aunswered and saide: Here is Elisa the sonne of Saphat, which powred water on the handes of Elias. 12 And Iehosaphat saide: The word of the Lorde is with him. And so the king of Israel, & Iehosaphat, and the king of Edom went downe to him. 13 And Elias saide vnto the king of Israel: What haue I to do with thee? Get thee to the prophetes of thy father, & to the prophetes of thy mother. And the king of Israel saide vnto him, Oh naye: for the Lorde hath called these three kinges together, to deliuer them into the hand of Moab. 14 And Elias saide: As the Lorde of hoastes liueth, in whose sight I stande, and it were not that I regarde the presence of Iehosaphat the king of Iuda, I would not loke towarde thee, nor yet see thee. 15 But now bryng me a minstrell. And when the minstrell played, the hand of the Lorde came vpon him:

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Make this valley: 2 Kings 4:3, Numbers 2:18, Numbers 2:16-18

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 17:14 - thus saith 2 Kings 5:10 - wash Psalms 107:35 - turneth

Cross-References

Genesis 3:1
And the serpent was suttiller then euery beast of the fielde which ye lord God hadde made, and he sayde vnto the woman: yea, hath God saide, ye shall not eate of euery tree of the garden?
Genesis 3:6
And so the woman, seing that the same tree was good to eate of, and pleasaunt to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, toke of the fruite therof, and dyd eate, and gaue also vnto her husbande beyng with her, and he dyd eate.
Genesis 3:7
Then the eyes of them both were opened, and they knewe that they were naked, and they sowed fygge leaues together, & made them selues apernes.
Genesis 3:8
And they heard the voyce of the Lord God, walkyng in the garden in ye coole of the day: and Adam and his wyfe hyd themselues from the presence of the lord God amongst ye trees of the garden.
Genesis 3:9
And the Lorde called Adam, & sayde vnto hym: where art thou?
Genesis 3:10
Which sayde: I hearde thy voyce in the garden, and was afrayde because I was naked, and hyd my selfe.
Genesis 3:11
And he sayde: Who tolde thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou not eaten of the same tree, concernyng the which I commaunded thee that thou shouldest not eate of it?
Genesis 3:12
And Adam said: The woman whom thou gauest [to be] with me, she gaue me of the tree, and I dyd eate.
Genesis 3:16
But vnto the woman he sayde: I wyll very much multiplie thy sorowe, and thy griefes of chylde bearyng, In sorowe shalt thou bring foorth children: thy desire [shalbe] to thy husbande, and he shall haue the rule of thee.
Genesis 3:17
Unto Adam he sayde: Because thou hast hearkened vnto the voyce of thy wyfe, and hast eaten of the tree concernyng the whiche I commaunded thee, saying, thou shalt not eate of it, cursed is the grounde for thy sake, in sorowe shalt thou eate of it all the dayes of thy lyfe.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he said, thus saith the Lord, make this valley full of ditches. In which the allied army lay encamped, that they might be ready to receive large quantities of water, sufficient for the whole army and cattle, when it came.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Ditches - Or “pits” Jeremiah 14:3. They were to dig pits in the broad valley or wady, wherein the water might remain, instead of flowing off down the torrent course.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Kings 3:16. Make this valley full of ditches. — The word נחל nachal may be translated brook, as it is by the Vulgate and Septuagint. There probably was a river here, but it was now dry; and the prophet desires that they would enlarge the channel, and cut out various canals from it, and reservoirs, where water might be collected for the refreshment of the army and of the cattle; and these were to be made so wide that the reflection of the sun's rays from this water might be the means of confounding and destroying the Moabites.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile