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Sunday, December 21st, 2025
the Fourth Week of Advent
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Read the Bible

Christian Standard Bible ®

2 Kings 1:5

The messengers returned to the king, who asked them, “Why have you come back?”

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Elijah;   Prophecy;   Scofield Reference Index - Miracles;   Thompson Chain Reference - Elijah;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ahaziah;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Gods and Goddesses, Pagan;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Elijah;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Divination;   Philistia;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ahaziah;   Diseases;   Ekron;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Philistines, the;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ahaziah;   Elijah;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Ahaziah;   Samaria;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Philis'tines;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Ahaziah;   Punishments of the Hebrews;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Israel;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Baal;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Elijah;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
The messengers returned to him, and he said to them, Why is it that you have returned?
King James Version
And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye now turned back?
English Standard Version
The messengers returned to the king, and he said to them, "Why have you returned?"
New Century Version
When the messengers returned to Ahaziah, he asked them, "Why have you returned?"
New English Translation
When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, "Why have you returned?"
Amplified Bible
When the messengers returned to Ahaziah, he said to them, "Why have you returned [so soon]?"
New American Standard Bible
When the messengers returned to Ahaziah, he said to them, "Why have you returned?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the messengers returned vnto him, to whome he said, Why are ye nowe returned?
Legacy Standard Bible
So the messengers returned to him, and he said to them, "Why have you returned?"
Contemporary English Version
When the messengers returned to Ahaziah, he asked, "Why are you back so soon?"
Complete Jewish Bible
The messengers returned to Achazyah, and he asked them, "Why have you come back?"
Darby Translation
And the messengers returned to him; and he said to them, Why have ye returned?
Easy-to-Read Version
When messengers came back to Ahaziah, he asked them, "Why did you come back so soon?"
George Lamsa Translation
And when the messengers returned to Ahaziah, he said to them, Why have you turned back?
Good News Translation
and the messengers returned to the king. "Why have you come back?" he asked.
Lexham English Bible
When the messengers returned to him, he asked them, "Why have you returned?"
Literal Translation
And the messengers returned to him. And he said to them, What is this, that you have turned back?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And wha ye messaunges came to Ochosias agayne, he sayde vnto the: Why come ye agayne?
American Standard Version
And the messengers returned unto him, and he said unto them, Why is it that ye are returned?
Bible in Basic English
And the men he had sent came back to the king; and he said to them, Why have you come back?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And when the messengers turned backe againe vnto him, he saide vnto them: Why are ye now come againe?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the messengers returned unto him, and he said unto them: 'Why is it that ye are returned?'
King James Version (1611)
And when the messengers turned backe vnto him, he said vnto them, Why are ye now turned backe?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the messengers returned to him, and he said to them, Why have ye returned?
English Revised Version
And the messengers returned unto him, and he said unto them, Why is it that ye are returned?
Berean Standard Bible
When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, "Why have you returned?"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Elie yede. And the messangeris turneden ayen to Ocozie. And he seide to hem, Whi turneden ye ayen?
Young's Literal Translation
And the messengers turn back unto him, and he saith unto them, `What [is] this -- ye have turned back!'
Update Bible Version
And the messengers returned to him, and he said to them, Why is it that you have returned?
Webster's Bible Translation
And when the messengers turned back to him, he said to them, Why have ye now returned?
World English Bible
The messengers returned to him, and he said to them, Why is it that you have returned?
New King James Version
And when the messengers returned to him, he said to them, "Why have you come back?"
New Living Translation
When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, "Why have you returned so soon?"
New Life Bible
When the men returned to Ahaziah, he said to them, "Why have you returned?"
New Revised Standard
The messengers returned to the king, who said to them, "Why have you returned?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, when the messengers returned unto him, he said unto them - How is it that ye have returned?
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the messengers turned back to Ochozias. And he said to them: Why are you come back?
Revised Standard Version
The messengers returned to the king, and he said to them, "Why have you returned?"
THE MESSAGE
The messengers went back. The king said, "So why are you back so soon—what's going on?"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
When the messengers returned to him he said to them, "Why have you returned?"

Contextual Overview

1After Ahab’s death, Moab rebelled against Israel. 2Ahaziah had fallen through the latticed window of his upstairs room in Samaria and was injured. So he sent messengers, instructing them, “Go inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this injury.” 3But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? 4Therefore, this is what the Lord says: You will not get up from your sickbed; you will certainly die.’” Then Elijah left. 5The messengers returned to the king, who asked them, “Why have you come back?”6They replied, “A man came to meet us and said, ‘Go back to the king who sent you and declare to him: This is what the Lord says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you’re sending these men to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore, you will not get up from your sickbed; you will certainly die.’” 7The king asked them, “What sort of man came up to meet you and spoke those words to you?” 8They replied, “A hairy man with a leather belt around his waist.”

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Cross-References

Genesis 1:8
God called the expanse “sky.” Evening came and then morning: the second day.
Genesis 1:13
Evening came and then morning: the third day.
Genesis 1:19
Evening came and then morning: the fourth day.
Genesis 1:23
Evening came and then morning: the fifth day.
Genesis 1:31
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good indeed. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day.
Genesis 8:22
As long as the earth endures,seedtime and harvest, cold and heat,summer and winter, and day and nightwill not cease.”
Psalms 19:2
Day after day they pour out speech;night after night they communicate knowledge.
Psalms 74:16
The day is yours, also the night;you established the moon and the sun.
Psalms 104:20
You bring darkness, and it becomes night,when all the forest animals stir.
Isaiah 45:7
I form light and create darkness,I make success and create disaster;I am the Lord, who does all these things.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And when the messengers turned back unto him,.... To Ahaziah king of Israel, as they did as soon as Elijah was gone from them; concluding from his habit, his gravity, and the authority with which he spoke, that he was a prophet of the Lord, and especially from his knowledge of them, and of what they were sent about:

he said unto them, why are ye now turned back? for, by the time they had been gone, he knew they could never have been at Ekron and returned.


 
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