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Wednesday, June 4th, 2025
the Seventh Week after Easter
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Read the Bible

Literal Standard Version

2 Kings 3:16

and he says, "Thus said YHWH: Make this valley ditches—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.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
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.
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

6And King Jehoram goes out from Samaria in that day, and inspects all Israel, 7and goes and sends to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying, "The king of Moab has transgressed against me; do you go with me to Moab for battle?" And he says, "I go up, as I, so you; as my people, so your people; as my horses, so your horses." 8And he says, "Where [is] this—the way we go up?" And he says, "The way of the wilderness of Edom." 9And the king of Israel goes, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom, and they turn around the way seven days, and there has been no water for the camp, and for the livestock that [are] at their feet, 10and the king of Israel says, "Aah! For YHWH has called for these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab." 11And Jehoshaphat says, "Is there not a prophet of YHWH here, and we seek YHWH by him?" And one of the servants of the king of Israel answers and says, "Here [is] Elisha son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah." 12And Jehoshaphat says, "The word of YHWH is with him"; and the king of Israel goes down to him, and Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom. 13And Elisha says to the king of Israel, "And what do I [have to do] with you? Go to the prophets of your father, and to the prophets of your mother"; and the king of Israel says to him, "No, for YHWH has called for these three kings to give them into the hand of Moab." 14And Elisha says, "YHWH of Hosts lives, before whom I have stood; for unless I am lifting up the face of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I do not look to you, nor see you; 15and now, bring a musician to me"; and it has been, at the playing of the musician, that the hand of YHWH is on 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 has been cunning above every beast of the field which YHWH God has made, and he says to the woman, "Is it true that God has said, You do not eat from every tree of the garden?"
Genesis 3:6
And the woman sees that the tree [is] good for food, and that it [is] pleasant to the eyes, and the tree is desirable to make [one] wise, and she takes from its fruit and eats, and also gives [some] to her husband with her, and he eats;
Genesis 3:7
and the eyes of them both are opened, and they know that they [are] naked, and they sew fig-leaves, and make girdles for themselves.
Genesis 3:8
And they hear the sound of YHWH God walking up and down in the garden at the breeze of the day, and the man and his wife hide themselves from the face of YHWH God in the midst of the trees of the garden.
Genesis 3:9
And YHWH God calls to the man and says to him, "Where [are] you?"
Genesis 3:10
And he says, "I have heard Your sound in the garden, and I am afraid, for I am naked, and I hide myself."
Genesis 3:11
And He says, "Who has declared to you that you [are] naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I have commanded you not to eat?"
Genesis 3:12
And the man says, "The woman whom You placed with me—she has given to me from the tree, and I eat."
Genesis 3:16
To the woman He said, "Multiplying I multiply your sorrow and your conception; you will bear children in sorrow, and your desire [is] toward your Man [[or husband]], and He [[or he]] will rule over you."
Genesis 3:17
And to the man He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and eat from the tree concerning which I have charged you, saying, You do not eat of it, cursed [is] the ground on your account; in sorrow you eat of it [for] all days of your life,

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.


 
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