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Read the Bible
New American Standard Bible
2 Kings 6:21
Then the king of Israel when he saw them, said to Elisha, "My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?"
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- InternationalParallel Translations
Christian Standard Bible®
When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “Should I kill them, should I kill them, my father?”
When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “Should I kill them, should I kill them, my father?”
Hebrew Names Version
The king of Yisra'el said to Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I strike them? shall I strike them?
The king of Yisra'el said to Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I strike them? shall I strike them?
King James Version
And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
English Standard Version
As soon as the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, "My father, shall I strike them down? Shall I strike them down?"
As soon as the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, "My father, shall I strike them down? Shall I strike them down?"
New Century Version
When the king of Israel saw the Aramean army, he said to Elisha, "My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?"
When the king of Israel saw the Aramean army, he said to Elisha, "My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?"
New English Translation
When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, "Should I strike them down, my master?"
When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, "Should I strike them down, my master?"
Amplified Bible
When the king of Israel (Jehoram) saw them, he said to Elisha, "My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?"
When the king of Israel (Jehoram) saw them, he said to Elisha, "My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the King of Israel sayde vnto Elisha when he sawe them, My father, shall I smite them, shall I smite them?
And the King of Israel sayde vnto Elisha when he sawe them, My father, shall I smite them, shall I smite them?
Legacy Standard Bible
Then the king of Israel when he saw them, said to Elisha, "My father, shall I strike them down? Shall I strike them down?"
Then the king of Israel when he saw them, said to Elisha, "My father, shall I strike them down? Shall I strike them down?"
Contemporary English Version
The king of Israel saw them and asked Elisha, "Should I kill them, sir?"
The king of Israel saw them and asked Elisha, "Should I kill them, sir?"
Complete Jewish Bible
When the king of Isra'el saw them, he asked Elisha, "My father, should I attack them? Should I attack them?"
When the king of Isra'el saw them, he asked Elisha, "My father, should I attack them? Should I attack them?"
Darby Translation
And the king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite? shall I smite [them]?
And the king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite? shall I smite [them]?
Easy-to-Read Version
The king of Israel saw the Aramean army and said to Elisha, "My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?"
The king of Israel saw the Aramean army and said to Elisha, "My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?"
George Lamsa Translation
And the king of Israel said to Elisha when he saw them, My father, shall I slay them? Shall I slay them?
And the king of Israel said to Elisha when he saw them, My father, shall I slay them? Shall I slay them?
Good News Translation
When the king of Israel saw the Syrians, he asked Elisha, "Shall I kill them, sir? Shall I kill them?"
When the king of Israel saw the Syrians, he asked Elisha, "Shall I kill them, sir? Shall I kill them?"
Lexham English Bible
Then the king of Israel said to Elisha when he saw them, "Shall I kill them? Shall I kill, my father?"
Then the king of Israel said to Elisha when he saw them, "Shall I kill them? Shall I kill, my father?"
Literal Translation
And when he saw them, the king of Israel said to Elisha, Shall I strike? Shall I strike, my father?
And when he saw them, the king of Israel said to Elisha, Shall I strike? Shall I strike, my father?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And whan the kynge of Israel sawe them, he saide vnto Eliseus: My father, shal I smyte the?
And whan the kynge of Israel sawe them, he saide vnto Eliseus: My father, shal I smyte the?
American Standard Version
And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
Bible in Basic English
And the king of Israel, when he saw them, said to Elisha, My father, am I to put them to the sword?
And the king of Israel, when he saw them, said to Elisha, My father, am I to put them to the sword?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the king of Israel sayde vnto Elisa when he sawe them: My father, shall I smyte them, shall I smyte them?
And the king of Israel sayde vnto Elisa when he sawe them: My father, shall I smyte them, shall I smyte them?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them: 'My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?'
And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them: 'My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?'
King James Version (1611)
And the king of Israel saide vnto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
And the king of Israel saide vnto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the king of Israel said to Elisaie, when he saw them, Shall I not verily smite them, my father?
And the king of Israel said to Elisaie, when he saw them, Shall I not verily smite them, my father?
English Revised Version
And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father; shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father; shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
Berean Standard Bible
And when the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, "My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?"
And when the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, "My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the kyng of Israel, whanne he hadde seyn hem, seide to Elisee, My fadir, whether Y schal smyte hem?
And the kyng of Israel, whanne he hadde seyn hem, seide to Elisee, My fadir, whether Y schal smyte hem?
Young's Literal Translation
And the king of Israel saith unto Elisha, at his seeing them, `Do I smite -- do I smite -- my father?'
And the king of Israel saith unto Elisha, at his seeing them, `Do I smite -- do I smite -- my father?'
Update Bible Version
And the king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
And the king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them?
Webster's Bible Translation
And the king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite [them]? shall I smite [them]?
And the king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite [them]? shall I smite [them]?
World English Bible
The king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I strike them? shall I strike them?
The king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I strike them? shall I strike them?
New King James Version
Now when the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, "My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?"
Now when the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, "My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?"
New Living Translation
When the king of Israel saw them, he shouted to Elisha, "My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?"
When the king of Israel saw them, he shouted to Elisha, "My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?"
New Life Bible
When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, "My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?"
When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, "My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?"
New Revised Standard
When the king of Israel saw them he said to Elisha, "Father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?"
When the king of Israel saw them he said to Elisha, "Father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said the king of Israel unto Elisha, when he saw them, - Shall I smite - shall I smite, my father?
Then said the king of Israel unto Elisha, when he saw them, - Shall I smite - shall I smite, my father?
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the king of Israel said to Eliseus, when he saw them: My father, shall I kill them?
And the king of Israel said to Eliseus, when he saw them: My father, shall I kill them?
Revised Standard Version
When the king of Israel saw them he said to Eli'sha, "My father, shall I slay them? Shall I slay them?"
When the king of Israel saw them he said to Eli'sha, "My father, shall I slay them? Shall I slay them?"
THE MESSAGE
When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, "Father, shall I massacre the lot?"
When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, "Father, shall I massacre the lot?"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the king of Israel when he saw them, said to Elisha, "My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?"
Then the king of Israel when he saw them, said to Elisha, "My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?"
Contextual Overview
13 So he said, "Go and see where he is, so that I may send men and take him." And it was told to him, saying, "Behold, he is in Dothan." 14 So he sent horses and chariots and a substantial army there, and they came by night and surrounded the city. 15 Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, "This is hopeless, my master! What are we to do?" 16 And he said, "Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are greater than those who are with them." 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, "LORD, please, open his eyes so that he may see." And the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, "Please strike this people with blindness." So He struck them with blindness in accordance with the word of Elisha. 19 Then Elisha said to them, "This is not the way, nor is this the city; follow me and I will bring you to the man whom you seek." And he brought them to Samaria. 20 When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, "LORD, open the eyes of these men, so that they may see." So the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. 21 Then the king of Israel when he saw them, said to Elisha, "My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?"22 But he answered, "You shall not kill them. Would you kill those whom you have taken captive with your sword and your bow? Set bread and water before them, so that they may eat and drink, and go to their master."
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
My father: This was dastardly: the utmost he ought to have done with these men, when thus brought into his hand, was to make them prisoners of war. 2 Kings 2:12, 2 Kings 5:13, 2 Kings 8:9, 2 Kings 13:14
shall: 1 Samuel 24:4, 1 Samuel 24:19, 1 Samuel 26:8, Luke 9:54-56, Luke 22:49
Reciprocal: Judges 17:10 - a father Judges 18:19 - a father Matthew 23:9 - call Mark 6:20 - feared
Cross-References
Job 38:41
"Who prepares feed for the raven When its young cry to God, And wander about without food?
"Who prepares feed for the raven When its young cry to God, And wander about without food?
Job 40:20
"Indeed the mountains bring him food, And all the animals of the field play there.
"Indeed the mountains bring him food, And all the animals of the field play there.
Psalms 35:6
Let their way be dark and slippery, With the angel of the LORD pursuing them.
Let their way be dark and slippery, With the angel of the LORD pursuing them.
Psalms 136:25
Who gives food to all flesh, For His faithfulness is everlasting.
Who gives food to all flesh, For His faithfulness is everlasting.
Psalms 145:16
You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing.
You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing.
Psalms 147:9
It is He who gives an animal its food, And feeds young ravens that cry.
It is He who gives an animal its food, And feeds young ravens that cry.
Matthew 6:26
"Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they?
"Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they?
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them,.... The Syrian army thus in his hands:
my father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? he speaks with great reverence and respect to the prophet, whom at other times he neglected and despised; and the repetition of his words shows the eagerness of his mind to fall upon his enemy when they where at a disadvantage.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
My father - A term of respect used by Jehoram in his joy at seeing an army of Syrians delivered up to him by the prophet. That the king’s character was not changed appears from 2 Kings 6:31-32.
Shall I smite them? shall I smite them? - The repetition of the words mean, “Shall I utterly smite them?” Compare similar repetitions with similar meanings in Genesis 22:17; Luke 22:15.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse 2 Kings 6:21. My father, shall I smite — This was dastardly; the utmost he could have done with these men, when thus brought into his hand, was to make them prisoners of war.
