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Friday, August 22nd, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Read the Bible

Literal Standard Version

2 Kings 2:17

And they press on him, until he is ashamed, and he says, "Send"; and they send fifty men, and they seek three days, and have not found him;

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ascension;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Jericho;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Miracle;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Heaven;   Prophet;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Kings, 1 and 2;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Numbers (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Prophets, Sons of the;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elijah;   Joab;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Jer'icho;  

Encyclopedias:

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

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
However, they urged him to the point of embarrassment, so he said, “Send them.” They sent fifty men, who looked for three days but did not find him.
Hebrew Names Version
When they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but didn't find him.
King James Version
And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not.
English Standard Version
But when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, "Send." They sent therefore fifty men. And for three days they sought him but did not find him.
New Century Version
When the groups of prophets had begged Elisha until he couldn't refuse them anymore, he said, "Send them." So they sent fifty men who looked for three days, but they could not find him.
New English Translation
But they were so insistent, he became embarrassed. So he said, "Send them out." They sent the fifty men out and they looked for three days, but could not find Elijah.
Amplified Bible
But when they urged him until he was embarrassed [to refuse them], he said, "Send them." So they sent fifty men, and they searched for three days but did not find Elijah.
New American Standard Bible
Yet when they urged him until he was ashamed to refuse, he said, "Send them." So they sent fifty men; and they searched for three days, but did not find him.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Yet they were instant vpon him, til he was ashamed: wherefore he saide, Sende. So they sent fiftie men, which sought three dayes, but founde him not.
Legacy Standard Bible
But when they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, "Send." They sent therefore fifty men; and they searched three days but did not find him.
Contemporary English Version
They kept begging until he was embarrassed to say no. He finally agreed, and the prophets sent the men out. They looked three days for Elijah but never found him.
Complete Jewish Bible
But they kept pressing him until finally, embarrassed, he said to send them. So they sent fifty men. For three days they searched, but they didn't find him.
Darby Translation
And they pressed him till he was ashamed, and he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men, and they sought three days, but did not find him.
Easy-to-Read Version
The group of prophets begged Elisha until he was embarrassed. Then Elisha said, "Send the men to look for Elijah." The group of prophets sent the 50 men to look for Elijah. They looked three days, but they could not find him.
George Lamsa Translation
And when they urged him till he was embarrassed, he said, Send. So they sent therefore fifty men; and they sought him for three days, but found him not.
Good News Translation
But they insisted until he gave in and let them go. The fifty of them went and looked high and low for Elijah for three days, but didn't find him.
Lexham English Bible
But they urged him until embarrassing him, so he said, "Send them." So they sent fifty men, and they looked for three days, but they could not find him.
Literal Translation
And they pressed on him until he was ashamed. And he said, Send. And they sent fifty men, and they sought three days and did not find him.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Neuertheles they constrayned him, tyll he was ashamed, and sayde: Let them go. And they sent fiftye men, which soughte him thre dayes: but they founde him not,
American Standard Version
And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not.
Bible in Basic English
But when they kept on requesting him, he was shamed and said, Send, then. So they sent fifty men; but after searching for three days, they came back without having seen him.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And when they laye vpon him tyll he was ashamed, he said: Send. They sent therefore fiftie men, which sought him three dayes, but found him not.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said: 'Send.' They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not.
King James Version (1611)
And when they vrged him, till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fiftie men, and they sought three dayes, but found him not.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And they pressed him until he was ashamed; and he said, Send. And they sent fifty men, and sought three days, and found him not.
English Revised Version
And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not.
Berean Standard Bible
But when they pressed him to the point of embarrassment, he said, "Send them." And they sent fifty men, who searched for three days but did not find Elijah.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Which seide, `Nyle ye sende. And thei constreyneden hym, til he assentide to hem, and seide, Sende ye. And thei senten fifti men; and whanne thei hadden souyt bi thre daies, thei founden not.
Young's Literal Translation
And they press upon him, till he is ashamed, and he saith, `Send ye;' and they send fifty men, and they seek three days, and have not found him;
Update Bible Version
And when they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but did not find him.
Webster's Bible Translation
And when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but found him not.
World English Bible
When they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, Send. They sent therefore fifty men; and they sought three days, but didn't find him.
New King James Version
But when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, "Send them!" Therefore they sent fifty men, and they searched for three days but did not find him.
New Living Translation
But they kept urging him until they shamed him into agreeing, and he finally said, "All right, send them." So fifty men searched for three days but did not find Elijah.
New Life Bible
But they talked to him until he was ashamed, and he said, "Send them." So they sent fifty men to look for Elijah. But after three days they did not find him.
New Revised Standard
But when they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, "Send them." So they sent fifty men who searched for three days but did not find him.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But, when they urged him until he was ashamed, he said - Send. So they sent fifty men, and made search three days, but found him not.
Douay-Rheims Bible
But they pressed him, till he consented, and said: Send. And they sent fifty men: and they sought three days, but found him not.
Revised Standard Version
But when they urged him till he was ashamed, he said, "Send." They sent therefore fifty men; and for three days they sought him but did not find him.
THE MESSAGE
But they pestered him until he caved in: "Go ahead then. Send them." So they sent the fifty men off. For three days they looked, searching high and low. Nothing.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
But when they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, "Send." They sent therefore fifty men; and they searched three days but did not find him.

Contextual Overview

13And he takes up the robe of Elijah that fell from off him, and turns back and stands on the edge of the Jordan, 14and he takes the robe of Elijah that fell from off him, and strikes the waters, and says, "Where [is] YHWH, God of Elijah—even He?" And he strikes the waters, and they are halved, here and there, and Elisha passes over. 15And they see him—the sons of the prophets who [are] in Jericho—from opposite [them], and they say, "The spirit of Elijah has rested on Elisha"; and they come to meet him, and bow themselves to him to the earth, 16and say to him, "Now behold, there are fifty men with your servants, sons of valor: please let them go, and they seek your lord, lest the Spirit of YHWH has taken him up, and casts him on one of the hills or into one of the valleys"; and he says, "You do not send." 17And they press on him, until he is ashamed, and he says, "Send"; and they send fifty men, and they seek three days, and have not found him;18and they return to him—and he is abiding in Jericho—and he says to them, "Did I not say to you, Do not go?"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

they urged: 2 Samuel 18:22, 2 Samuel 18:23, Luke 11:8, Romans 10:2

found him not: Hebrews 11:5

Reciprocal: Genesis 33:11 - urged him 2 Kings 2:7 - fifty men 2 Kings 5:23 - And he urged him John 8:21 - I go

Cross-References

Genesis 2:1
And the heavens and the earth are completed, and all their host;
Genesis 2:4
These [are] the generations of the heavens and of the earth in their being created, in the day of YHWH God's making the earth and the heavens;
Genesis 2:6
and a mist goes up from the earth, and has watered the whole face of the ground.
Genesis 2:9
and YHWH God causes to sprout from the ground every tree desirable for appearance, and good for food, and the Tree of Life in the midst of the garden, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Genesis 2:10
And a river is going out from Eden to water the garden, and from there it is parted, and has become four chief [rivers];
Genesis 2:12
and the gold of that land [is] good; the bdellium and the shoham stone [are] there;
Genesis 2:13
and the name of the second river [is] Gihon, it [is] that which is surrounding the whole land of Cush;
Genesis 2:18
And YHWH God says, "[It is] not good for the man to be alone; I make him a helper as his counterpart."
Genesis 2:20
And the man calls names to all the livestock, and to bird of the heavens, and to every beast of the field; but for man a helper has not been found as his counterpart.
Genesis 2:21
And YHWH God causes a deep sleep to fall on the man, and he sleeps, and He takes one of his ribs, and closes up flesh in its stead.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And when they urged him until he was ashamed,.... To deny them any longer, being so very pressing and importunate:

he said, send; lest they should think he had not the respect for his master he should have had; or was so fond of his office, that he did not choose he should be found alive if he could, and return and reassume it:

they sent therefore fifty men; some one way, and some another:

and they sought three days, but found him not; and then returned.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Till he was ashamed - i. e. to refuse them any longer.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Kings 2:17. Till he was ashamed — He saw they would not be satisfied unless they made the proposed search; he felt therefore that he could not, with any good grace, resist their importunity any longer.


 
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