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Tuesday, December 23rd, 2025
the Fourth Week of Advent
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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

2 Kings 6:29

So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I told her that we would eat her son, but she had hidden him!"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Armies;   Cannibalism;   Famine;   Israel;   Prophecy;   Samaria;   Siege;   Women;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Famine;   Samaria, Ancient;   Sieges;   Syria;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ben-hadad;   Elisha;   Samaria, samaritans;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Jehoram;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Afterbirth;   King, Kingship;   Samaria, Samaritans;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Jehoram;   Prophecy, Prophets;   Samaria;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Samaria ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elisha;   Samaria;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Eli'sha;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Boil (2);  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So we boiled my son and ate him, and I said to her the next day, ‘Give up your son, and we will eat him,’ but she has hidden her son.”
Hebrew Names Version
So we boiled my son, and ate him: and I said to her on the next day, Give your son, that we may eat him; and she has hid her son.
King James Version
So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son.
English Standard Version
So we boiled my son and ate him. And on the next day I said to her, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him.' But she has hidden her son."
New Century Version
So we boiled my son and ate him. Then the next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son so we can eat him.' But she had hidden him."
New English Translation
So we boiled my son and ate him. Then I said to her the next day, ‘Hand over your son and we'll eat him.' But she hid her son!"
Amplified Bible
"So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I said to her, 'Give your son so that we may eat him'; but she had hidden her son."
New American Standard Bible
"So we cooked my son and ate him; and I said to her on the next day, 'Give your son, so that we may eat him'; but she has hidden her son."
Geneva Bible (1587)
So we sod my sonne, and did eate him: & I saide to her the day after, Giue thy sonne, that we may eate him, but she hath hid her sonne.
Legacy Standard Bible
So we boiled my son and ate him; and I said to her on the next day, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him'; but she has hidden her son."
Contemporary English Version
So yesterday we cooked my son and ate him. But today when I went to her house to eat her son, she had hidden him."
Complete Jewish Bible
So we boiled my son and ate him. The next day I said to her, ‘Give your son, so that we can eat him,' but she has hidden her son."
Darby Translation
And we boiled my son, and ate him: and I said to her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him; and she has hidden her son.
Easy-to-Read Version
So we boiled my son and ate him. Then the next day, I said to this woman, ‘Give me your son so that we can eat him.' But she has hidden her son!"
George Lamsa Translation
So we cooked my son and ate him; and I said to her on the next day, Give your son, that we may eat him; but she had hidden her son.
Lexham English Bible
So we cooked my son and ate him, and I said to her the next day, ‘Give your son that we may eat him.' But she had hidden her son."
Literal Translation
And we boiled my son and ate him, and I said to her on the next day, Give your son, that we may eat him. But she hid her son.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
So we sod my sonne, & haue eaten him, and I sayde vnto her on ye thirde daye: Geue vs thy sonne and let vs eate him, but she hath hyd him awaye.
American Standard Version
So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him; and she hath hid her son.
Bible in Basic English
So, boiling my son, we had a meal of him; and on the day after I said to her, Now give your son for our food; but she has put her son in a secret place.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And so we dressed my sonne, and dyd eate him: And I sayde to her the other day, bring thy sonne, that we may eate him: And she hath hyd her sonne.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
So we boiled my son, and did eat him; and I said unto her on the next day: Give thy son, that we may eat him; and she hath hid her son.'
King James Version (1611)
So we boyled my sonne, and did eate him: and I saide vnto her on the next day, Giue thy sonne, that we may eate him: and she hath hid her sonne.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
So we boiled my son, and ate him; and I said to her on the second day, Give thy son, and let us eat him: and she has hidden her son.
English Revised Version
So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son.
Berean Standard Bible
So we boiled my son and ate him, and the next day I said to her, 'Give up your son, and we will eat him.' But she has hidden her son."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor we setheden my sone, and eten him. And Y seide to hir in the tother day, Yyue thi sone, that we ete hym; and she hidde hir sone.
Young's Literal Translation
and we boil my son and eat him, and I say unto her on the next day, Give thy son, and we eat him; and she hideth her son.'
Update Bible Version
So we boiled my son, and ate him: and I said to her on the next day, Give your son, that we may eat him; and she has hid her son.
Webster's Bible Translation
So we boiled my son, and ate him: and I said to her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son.
World English Bible
So we boiled my son, and ate him: and I said to her on the next day, Give your son, that we may eat him; and she has hid her son.
New King James Version
So we boiled my son, and ate him. And I said to her on the next day, "Give your son, that we may eat him'; but she has hidden her son."
New Living Translation
So we cooked my son and ate him. Then the next day I said to her, ‘Kill your son so we can eat him,' but she has hidden her son."
New Life Bible
So we made my son ready to eat over the fire, and ate him. The next day I said to her, ‘Give your son, so we may eat him.' But she has hidden her son."
New Revised Standard
So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son and we will eat him.' But she has hidden her son."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So we cooked my son, and did eat him, - and I said unto her, on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him; But she had hid her son.
Douay-Rheims Bible
So we boiled my son, and ate him. And I said to her on the next day: Give thy son, that we may eat him. And she hath hid her son.
Revised Standard Version
So we boiled my son, and ate him. And on the next day I said to her, 'Give your son, that we may eat him'; but she has hidden her son."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"So we boiled my son and ate him; and I said to her on the next day, 'Give your son, that we may eat him'; but she has hidden her son."

Contextual Overview

24 Some time later King Benhadad of Syria led his entire army against Israel and laid siege to the city of Samaria. 25 As a result of the siege the food shortage in the city was so severe that a donkey's head cost eighty pieces of silver, and half a pound of dove's dung cost five pieces of silver. 26 The king of Israel was walking by on the city wall when a woman cried out, "Help me, Your Majesty!" 27 He replied, "If the Lord won't help you, what help can I provide? Do I have any wheat or wine? 28 What's your trouble?" She answered, "The other day this woman here suggested that we eat my child, and then eat her child the next day. 29 So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I told her that we would eat her son, but she had hidden him!" 30 Hearing this, the king tore his clothes in dismay, and the people who were close to the wall could see that he was wearing sackcloth under his clothes. 31 He exclaimed, "May God strike me dead if Elisha is not beheaded before the day is over!" 32 And he sent a messenger to get Elisha. Meanwhile Elisha was at home with some elders who were visiting him. Before the king's messenger arrived, Elisha said to the elders, "That murderer is sending someone to kill me! Now, when he gets here, shut the door and don't let him come in. The king himself will be right behind him." 33 He had hardly finished saying this, when the king arrived and said, "It's the Lord who has brought this trouble on us! Why should I wait any longer for him to do something?"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

next: Heb. other

she hath hid: 1 Kings 3:26, Isaiah 49:15, Isaiah 66:13

Reciprocal: Leviticus 26:29 - General Deuteronomy 28:53 - the fruit 2 Kings 6:25 - a great famine Job 39:16 - as Lamentations 2:20 - Shall the women Lamentations 4:10 - in Ezekiel 5:10 - the fathers

Gill's Notes on the Bible

So we boiled my son, and did eat him,.... Thus what was predicted, by way of threatening, began to be accomplished, Deuteronomy 28:53,

Deuteronomy 28:53- :, and of which there were other instances of a like kind at the siege of Jerusalem, both by Nebuchadnezzar and Vespasian:

and I said unto her on the next day; after her child had been wholly ate up:

give thy son, that we may eat him; according to agreement:

and she hath hid her son; either to save him alive, or to eat him herself alone.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The prophecy alluded to in the marginal references was now fulfilled, probably for the first time. It had a second accomplishment when Jerusalem was besieged by Nebuchadnezzar Lamentations 4:10, and a third in the final siege of the same city by Titus.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 29. So we boiled my son — This is horrible; but for the sake of humanity we must allow that the children died through hunger, and then became food for their starved, desperate parents.

She hath hid her son. — He was already dead, says Jarchi; and she hid him, that she might eat him alone.

This very evil Moses had foretold should come upon them if they forsook God; see Deuteronomy 28:53; Deuteronomy 28:57. The same evil came upon this wretched people when besieged by Nebuchadnezzar; see Ezekiel 5:10. And also when Titus besieged Jerusalem; see Josephus, De Bell. Judaic. lib. vi., cap. 3, and Clarke's notes on "Matthew 24:19".


 
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