Lectionary Calendar
Monday, December 22nd, 2025
the Fourth Week of Advent
the Fourth Week of Advent
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Read the Bible
Christian Standard Bible ®
2 Kings 3:16
Then he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Dig ditch after ditch in this wadi.’
Jump to:Bible Study Tools • Parallel Bible Verse • Bible Contextual Overview • Bible Cross-References • Gill's Bible Notes • Clarke's Bible Notes • Barnes' Bible Notes
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- AmericanEncyclopedias:
- CondensedDevotionals:
- Faith'sParallel Translations
Hebrew Names Version
He said, Thus says the LORD, Make this valley full of trenches.
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.
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.'
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.
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,'
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.'
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.'
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.
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.'
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.
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.
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.
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.'
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.
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.
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,'
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.
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.
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.
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.
And he said, The Lord says, I will make this valley full of water-holes.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he sayde, thus saith the Lorde: Make this valley full of ditches:
And he sayde, thus saith the Lorde: Make this valley full of ditches:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he said: 'Thus saith the LORD: Make this valley full of trenches.
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.
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.
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.
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.'
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.
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;
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.
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.
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.
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.'
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!
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.'
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.'
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!
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.
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.'
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."
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.'
He said, "Thus says the LORD, 'Make this valley full of trenches.'
Contextual Overview
6So King Joram marched out from Samaria at that time and mobilized all Israel. 7Then he sent a message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you go with me to fight against Moab?” 8He asked, “Which route should we take?” 9So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom set out. After they had traveled their indirect route for seven days, they had no water for the army or the animals with them. 10Then the king of Israel said, “Oh no, the Lord has summoned these three kings, only to hand them over to Moab.” 11But Jehoshaphat said, “Isn’t there a prophet of the Lord here? Let’s inquire of the Lord through him.” 12Jehoshaphat affirmed, “The word of the Lord is with him.” So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went to him. 13However, Elisha said to King Joram of Israel, “What do we have in common? Go to the prophets of your father and your mother!” 14Elisha responded, “By the life of the Lord of Armies, before whom I stand: If I did not have respect for King Jehoshaphat of Judah, I wouldn’t look at you; I would not take notice of you. 15Now, bring me a musician.”
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
Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?”
Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?”
Genesis 3:6
The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
Genesis 3:7
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Genesis 3:8
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Genesis 3:9
So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
Genesis 3:10
And he said, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”
And he said, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”
Genesis 3:11
Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
Genesis 3:12
The man replied, “The woman you gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.”
The man replied, “The woman you gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.”
Genesis 3:16
He said to the woman:
He said to the woman:
Genesis 3:17
And he said to the man, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘Do not eat from it’:
And he said to the man, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘Do not eat from it’:
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.
