2 Kings 2:24

THE MESSAGE

Elisha turned, took one look at them, and cursed them in the name of God . Two bears charged out of the underbrush and knocked them about, ripping them limb from limb—forty-two children in all!

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He turned around, looked at them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the children.

Hebrew Names Version
He looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. There came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and mauled forty-two lads of them.

King James Version
And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord . And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.

English Standard Version
And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord . And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys.

New Century Version
Elisha turned around, looked at them, and put a curse on them in the name of the Lord . Then two mother bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys to pieces.

New English Translation
When he turned around and saw them, he called God's judgment down on them. Two female bears came out of the woods and ripped forty-two of the boys to pieces.

Amplified Bible
When he turned around and looked at them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore to pieces forty-two of the boys.

New American Standard Bible
When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two of the boys.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And he turned backe, & looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And two beares came out of the forest, and tare in pieces two and fourtie children of them.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then he looked behind him and saw them. And he cursed them in the name of Yahweh. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their number.

Contemporary English Version
Elisha turned around and stared at the boys. Then he cursed them in the name of the Lord . Right away two bears ran out of the woods and ripped to pieces forty-two of the boys.

Complete Jewish Bible
He looked behind him, saw them and put a curse on them in the name of Adonai ; whereupon two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.

Darby Translation
And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of Jehovah. And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tore forty-two children of them.

Easy-to-Read Version
Elisha looked back and saw them. He asked the Lord to cause bad things to happen to them. Then two bears came out of the forest and attacked the boys. There were 42 boys ripped apart by the bears.

George Lamsa Translation
And he turned back and saw them and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she-bears out of the forest, and tore forty-two of the boys.

Good News Translation
Elisha turned around, glared at them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord . Then two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys to pieces.

Lexham English Bible
When he turned around and saw them, he cursed them in the name of Yahweh. Then two bears came out of the forest and mauled forty-two boys among them.

Literal Translation
And he turned behind him and saw them, and declared them vile in the name of Jehovah. And two bears came out of the forest and tore forty two boys of them.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And he turned him aboute. And wha he sawe them, he cursed them in the name of the LORDE. Then came there two Beeres out of the wod, and rente two and fortye of the children.

American Standard Version
And he looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of Jehovah. And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two lads of them.

Bible in Basic English
And turning back, he saw them, and put a curse on them in the name of the Lord. And two she-bears came out of the wood and put forty-two of the children to death.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he turned backe, and loked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lorde: And there came two shee beares out of the wood, and tare fourtie and two children of them.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tore forty and two children of them.

King James Version (1611)
And hee turned backe, and looked on them, and cursed them in the Name of the Lord: and there came foorth two shee Beares out of the wood, and tare fortie and two children of them.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he turned after them, and saw them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And, behold, there came out two bears out of the wood, and they tore forty and two children of them.

English Revised Version
And he looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she–bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.

Berean Standard Bible
Then he turned around, looked at them, and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Suddenly two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the young men.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne he hadde biholde, he siy hem, and curside hem in the name of the Lord. And twey beeris yeden out of the forest, and to-rente fourti children of hem.

Young's Literal Translation
And he looketh behind him, and seeth them, and declareth them vile in the name of Jehovah, and two bears come out of the forest, and rend of them forty and two lads.

Update Bible Version
And he looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of Yahweh. And there came forth two she-bears out of the forest, and tore forty and two lads of them.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tore forty and two children of them.

World English Bible
He looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of Yahweh. There came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and mauled forty-two lads of them.

New King James Version
So he turned around and looked at them, and pronounced a curse on them in the name of the LORD. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.

New Living Translation
Elisha turned around and looked at them, and he cursed them in the name of the Lord . Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of them.

New Life Bible
He looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came from among the trees and tore up forty-two of the boys.

New Revised Standard
When he turned around and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord . Then two she-bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, when he turned round and saw them, he cursed them, in the name of Yahweh, - and there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tare, of them, forty-two youths.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And looking back, he saw them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord: and there came forth two bears out of the forest, and tore of them, two and forty boys.

Revised Standard Version
And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their number.

Contextual Overview

¹⁹ One day the men of the city said to Elisha, "You can see for yourself, master, how well our city is located. But the water is polluted and nothing grows." ²⁰ He said, "Bring me a brand-new bowl and put some salt in it." They brought it to him. ²¹He then went to the spring, sprinkled the salt into it, and proclaimed, " God 's word: I've healed this water. It will no longer kill you or poison your land." And sure enough, the water was healed—and remains so to this day, just as Elisha said. ²³ Another time, Elisha was on his way to Bethel and some little kids came out from the town and taunted him, "What's up, old baldhead! Out of our way, skinhead!" ²⁴ Elisha turned, took one look at them, and cursed them in the name of God . Two bears charged out of the underbrush and knocked them about, ripping them limb from limb—forty-two children in all! ²⁵ Elisha went on to Mount Carmel, and then returned to Samaria.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

cursed them: 2 Kings 1:10-12, Genesis 9:25, Deuteronomy 28:15-26, Judges 9:20, Judges 9:57, Jeremiah 28:16, Jeremiah 29:21-23, Lamentations 3:65, Amos 7:17, Mark 11:14, Mark 11:21, Acts 5:5, Acts 5:9, Acts 8:20, Acts 13:9-11, 2 Corinthians 10:6

she bears: 2 Samuel 17:8, Proverbs 17:12, Proverbs 28:15, Hosea 13:8

children of them: Exodus 20:5, 1 Kings 13:24, 1 Kings 19:17, 1 Kings 20:36

Reciprocal: Genesis 21:9 - mocking Genesis 37:20 - Some Genesis 37:33 - evil beast Leviticus 26:6 - rid Leviticus 26:22 - rob you 2 Kings 3:12 - The word 2 Kings 8:4 - all the great 2 Kings 17:25 - the Lord sent Daniel 7:5 - another Revelation 13:2 - and his feet

Cross-References

Genesis 2:1
Heaven and Earth were finished, down to the last detail.

Genesis 2:2
By the seventh day God had finished his work. On the seventh day he rested from all his work. God blessed the seventh day. He made it a Holy Day Because on that day he rested from his work, all the creating God had done. This is the story of how it all started, of Heaven and Earth when they were created.

Genesis 2:10
A river flows out of Eden to water the garden and from there divides into four rivers. The first is named Pishon; it flows through Havilah where there is gold. The gold of this land is good. The land is also known for a sweet-scented resin and the onyx stone. The second river is named Gihon; it flows through the land of Cush. The third river is named Hiddekel and flows east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

Genesis 2:15
God took the Man and set him down in the Garden of Eden to work the ground and keep it in order.

Genesis 2:16
God commanded the Man, "You can eat from any tree in the garden, except from the Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil. Don't eat from it. The moment you eat from that tree, you're dead."

Psalms 45:10
"Now listen, daughter, don't miss a word: forget your country, put your home behind you. Be here—the king is wild for you. Since he's your lord, adore him. Wedding gifts pour in from Tyre; rich guests shower you with presents."

Proverbs 12:4
A hearty wife invigorates her husband, but a frigid woman is cancer in the bones.

Proverbs 31:10
A good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds. Her husband trusts her without reserve, and never has reason to regret it. Never spiteful, she treats him generously all her life long. She shops around for the best yarns and cottons, and enjoys knitting and sewing. She's like a trading ship that sails to faraway places and brings back exotic surprises. She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast for her family and organizing her day. She looks over a field and buys it, then, with money she's put aside, plants a garden. First thing in the morning, she dresses for work, rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started. She senses the worth of her work, is in no hurry to call it quits for the day. She's skilled in the crafts of home and hearth, diligent in homemaking. She's quick to assist anyone in need, reaches out to help the poor. She doesn't worry about her family when it snows; their winter clothes are all mended and ready to wear. She makes her own clothing, and dresses in colorful linens and silks. Her husband is greatly respected when he deliberates with the city fathers. She designs gowns and sells them, brings the sweaters she knits to the dress shops. Her clothes are well-made and elegant, and she always faces tomorrow with a smile. When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say, and she always says it kindly. She keeps an eye on everyone in her household, and keeps them all busy and productive. Her children respect and bless her; her husband joins in with words of praise: "Many women have done wonderful things, but you've outclassed them all!" Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades. The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear-of- God . Give her everything she deserves! Festoon her life with praises!

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he turned back, and looked on them,.... With a stern countenance, thereby reproving them, and in order to intimidate them, and make them ashamed, and cause them to leave off, but to no purpose; they repeated their mockeries with great vehemence:

and cursed them in the name of the Lord; moved thereunto, not from passion and a spirit of revenge, but by an impulse of the Spirit of God:

and there came forth two she bears out of the wood; which are fiercest, and especially when bereaved of their whelps, as these might be; the wood seems to be near to Bethel, perhaps in the wilderness of Bethel, of which see Joshua 8:15, and Reland y thinks it is the same with the wood of Ephraim, 2 Samuel 18:6, though the Jews, to increase the miracle, say z there was no wood at all, and, if there was, that there were no bears in it; but though those creatures are mostly in northern countries, yet there were of them in Judea, see 1 Samuel 17:34

and tare forty and two children of them; it seems there were more than these; but such a number of them they tore to pieces and destroyed; which was very extraordinary, and was an awful punishment for their wickedness, which they knowingly and willingly committed, and of their parents in them, who had trained them up in such impiety, and put them upon it, and sent them out to do it.

y Palestin. Illustrat. p. 378. z T. Bab. Sotah, fol. 47. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

On this occasion only do we find Elisha a minister of vengeance. Perhaps it was necessary to show, at the outset of his career as a prophet, that he too, so mild and peaceful could, like Elijah, wield the terrors of God’s judgments (1 Kings 19:19 note). The persons really punished were, not so much the children, as the wicked parents 2 Kings 2:23, whose mouth-pieces the children were, and who justly lost the gift of offspring of which they had shown themselves unworthy.