Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, April 5th, 2026
Easter Sunday
Attention!
Tired of seeing ads while studying? Now you can enjoy an "Ads Free" version of the site for as little as 10¢ a day and support a great cause!
Click here to learn more!

Read the Bible

New Century Version

2 Kings 17:17

They made their sons and daughters pass through fire and tried to find out the future by magic and witchcraft. They always chose to do what the Lord said was wrong, which made him angry.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Assyria;   Babylon;   Character;   Fire;   Idolatry;   Judgments;   Rulers;   Scofield Reference Index - Israel;   Thompson Chain Reference - Bondage, Spiritual;   Fortune Telling;   Liberty-Bondage;   Magic;   Sin;   Sold under Sin;   Sorcery;   The Topic Concordance - Disobedience;   Fear;   Following;   Idolatry;   Rejection;   Unbelief;   Vanity;   Worship;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Character of the Wicked;   Divination;   Forsaking God;   Idolatry;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Captivity;   Egypt;   Fire;   Shalmaneser;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Baal;   Idol, idolatry;   Israel;   Magic;   Molech;   Samaria, samaritans;   Uncleanness;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Amos, Theology of;   Chronicles, Theology of;   Ethics;   Leadership;   Magic;   Persecution;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Samaritans;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Divination;   Idol;   Kings, the Books of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Covenant;   Dan;   High Place;   Hinnom, Valley of;   Host of Heaven;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Idolatry;   Israel;   Magic, Divination, and Sorcery;   Samaria;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Soothsaying;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Baal, Baalim ;   Israel ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Shalmanezer;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Captivity;   Hezekiah;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Enchantments;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Israel;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Astrology;   Calf, Golden;   Enchantment;   Firstborn;   Sacrifice, Human;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Divination;   Witchcraft;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire and practiced divination and interpreted omens. They devoted themselves to do what was evil in the Lord’s sight and angered him.
Hebrew Names Version
They caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
King James Version
And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord , to provoke him to anger.
English Standard Version
And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings and used divination and omens and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord , provoking him to anger.
New English Translation
They passed their sons and daughters through the fire, and practiced divination and omen reading. They committed themselves to doing evil in the sight of the Lord and made him angry.
Amplified Bible
They made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire [as human sacrifices], and used divination [to foretell the future] and enchantments; and they sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.
New American Standard Bible
Then they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and they practiced divination and interpreting omens, and gave themselves over to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him.
World English Bible
They caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, to provoke him to anger.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And they made their sonnes and their daughters passe thorowe the fire, and vsed witchcraft and inchantments, yea, solde them selues to doe euill in the sight of the Lord, to anger him.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and practiced divination and omens, and sold themselves to do what is evil in the sight of Yahweh, provoking Him to anger.
Berean Standard Bible
They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire and practiced divination and soothsaying. They devoted themselves to doing evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.
Contemporary English Version
They used magic and witchcraft and even sacrificed their own children. The Israelites were determined to do whatever the Lord hated.
Complete Jewish Bible
They had their sons and daughters pass through fire [as a sacrifice]. They used divination and magic spells. And they gave themselves over to do what was evil from Adonai 's perspective, thereby provoking him;
Darby Translation
and they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger.
Easy-to-Read Version
They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire. They used magic and witchcraft to try to learn the future. They sold themselves to do what the Lord said was evil. They did this to make him angry.
George Lamsa Translation
And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire and used divinations and sorcery, and they purposed to do all manner of evil in the sight of the LORD to provoke him to anger.
Good News Translation
They sacrificed their sons and daughters as burnt offerings to pagan gods; they consulted mediums and fortunetellers, and they devoted themselves completely to doing what is wrong in the Lord 's sight, and so aroused his anger.
Lexham English Bible
They made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, they practiced divination and read omens, and they sold themselves to do evil in the eyes of Yahweh to provoke him.
Literal Translation
and caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire and divined, and used incantations, and sold themselves to do the evil in the eyes of Jehovah, to provoke Him,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and caused their sonnes and doughters to go thorow the fyre, and medled wt soythsayers and witches, and gaue them selues ouer to do that which was euell in the sighte of the LORDE, to prouoke him vnto wrath.
American Standard Version
And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, to provoke him to anger.
Bible in Basic English
And they made their sons and their daughters go through the fire, and they made use of secret arts and unnatural powers, and gave themselves up to doing evil in the eyes of the Lord, till he was moved to wrath.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And they sacrificed their sonnes and their daughters in fire, and vsed witchcraftes, & enchauntmentes, euen selling them selues to worke wickednesse in the sight of the Lorde, and to anger him.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
and they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and gave themselves over to do that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him;
King James Version (1611)
And they caused their sonnes and their daughters to passe through the fire, and vsed diuination, and inchantments, and sold themselues to doe euill in the sight of the Lord, to prouoke him to anger.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divinations and auspices, and sold themselves to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him.
English Revised Version
And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and her douytris thoruy fier, and thei seruyden to fals dyuynyng, and to dyuynyng bi chiterynge of briddis; and thei yauen hem silf to do yuel bifor the Lord, and thei wraththiden hym.
Young's Literal Translation
and cause their sons and their daughters to pass over through fire, and divine divinations, and use enchantments, and sell themselves to do the evil thing in the eyes of Jehovah, to provoke Him;
Update Bible Version
And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and told the future and used magic, and sold themselves to do that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, to provoke him to anger.
Webster's Bible Translation
And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
New King James Version
And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.
New Living Translation
They even sacrificed their own sons and daughters in the fire. They consulted fortune-tellers and practiced sorcery and sold themselves to evil, arousing the Lord 's anger.
New Life Bible
Then they gave their sons and daughters as burnt gifts. They told the future and used witchcraft. They sold themselves to do what is sinful in the eyes of the Lord. And they made Him angry.
New Revised Standard
They made their sons and their daughters pass through fire; they used divination and augury; and they sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord , provoking him to anger.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and used divinations and enchantments, and sold themselves to do the thing that was wicked in the eyes of Yahweh, provoking him to wrath.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And consecrated their sons, and their daughters, through fire: and they gave themselves to divinations, and soothsayings: and they delivered themselves up to do evil before the Lord, to provoke him.
Revised Standard Version
And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings, and used divination and sorcery, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then they made their sons and their daughters pass through the fire, and practiced divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him.

Contextual Overview

7 All these things happened because the Israelites had sinned against the Lord their God. He had brought them out of Egypt and had rescued them from the power of the king of Egypt, but the Israelites had honored other gods. 8 They lived like the nations the Lord had forced out of the land ahead of them. They lived as their evil kings had shown them, 9 secretly sinning against the Lord their God. They built places to worship gods in all their cities, from the watchtower to the strong, walled city. 10 They put up stone pillars to gods and Asherah idols on every high hill and under every green tree. 11 The Israelites burned incense everywhere gods were worshiped, just as the nations who lived there before them had done, whom the Lord had forced out of the land. The Israelites did wicked things that made the Lord angry. 12 They served idols when the Lord had said, "You must not do this." 13 The Lord used every prophet and seer to warn Israel and Judah. He said, "Stop your evil ways and obey my commands and laws. Follow all the teachings that I commanded your ancestors, the teachings that I gave you through my servants the prophets." 14 But the people would not listen. They were stubborn, just as their ancestors had been who did not believe in the Lord their God. 15 They rejected the Lord 's laws and the agreement he had made with their ancestors. And they refused to listen to his warnings. They worshiped useless idols and became useless themselves. They did what the nations around them did, which the Lord had warned them not to do. 16 The people rejected all the commands of the Lord their God. They molded statues of two calves, and they made an Asherah idol. They worshiped all the stars of the sky and served Baal.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

they caused: 2 Kings 16:3, 2 Kings 21:6, Leviticus 18:21, 2 Chronicles 28:3, Psalms 106:37, Psalms 106:38, Ezekiel 20:26, Ezekiel 20:31, Ezekiel 23:37, Ezekiel 23:39

used: 2 Kings 21:6, Deuteronomy 18:10-12, 2 Chronicles 33:6, Isaiah 8:19, Isaiah 47:9, Isaiah 47:12, Isaiah 47:13, Jeremiah 27:9, Micah 5:12, Acts 16:16, Galatians 5:26

sold: 1 Kings 21:20, 1 Kings 21:25, Isaiah 50:1

in the sight: 2 Kings 17:11, 2 Kings 21:6

Reciprocal: Leviticus 19:26 - nor Leviticus 19:31 - General Leviticus 20:2 - giveth Deuteronomy 4:25 - do evil 2 Kings 17:31 - burnt their children 2 Kings 23:10 - might make Psalms 51:4 - evil Psalms 106:36 - And Jeremiah 7:31 - to burn Jeremiah 19:5 - to burn Jeremiah 25:7 - that ye Ezekiel 2:3 - rebelled Ezekiel 16:21 - to pass Hosea 9:15 - I will drive Romans 7:14 - sold

Cross-References

Genesis 17:3
Then Abram bowed facedown on the ground. God said to him,
Genesis 17:19
God said, "No, Sarah your wife will have a son, and you will name him Isaac. I will make my agreement with him to be an agreement that continues forever with all his descendants.
Genesis 17:20
"As for Ishmael, I have heard you. I will bless him and give him many descendants. And I will cause their numbers to grow greatly. He will be the father of twelve great leaders, and I will make him into a great nation.
Genesis 18:12
she laughed to herself, "My husband and I are too old to have a baby."
Genesis 21:6
And Sarah said, "God has made me laugh. Everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.
Leviticus 9:24
Fire came out from the Lord and burned up the burnt offering and fat on the altar. When the people saw this, they shouted with joy and bowed facedown on the ground.
Numbers 14:5
Then Moses and Aaron bowed facedown in front of all the Israelites gathered there.
Numbers 16:22
But Moses and Aaron bowed facedown and cried out, "God, you are the God over the spirits of all people. Please don't be angry with this whole group. Only one man has really sinned."
Numbers 16:45
"Move away from these people so I can destroy them quickly." So Moses and Aaron bowed facedown.
Deuteronomy 9:18
Then I again bowed facedown on the ground before the Lord for forty days and forty nights; I did not eat bread or drink water. You had sinned by doing what the Lord said was evil, and you made him angry.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire,.... To Baal or Moloch, which were the same, and represented the sun, which, as the above writer observes, presides in the element of fire; this was done either by way of lustration, or so as to be burnt, see 2 Kings 16:3

and used divination and enchantments: to get knowledge of what was to be done at present, or of things to come, neglecting the word of God and his prophets, and acting against the express law of God, Deuteronomy 18:10

and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger; as Ahab their king did, see 1 Kings 21:20, they were as much the servants of sin as if they had sold themselves to be slaves to it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Compare 2 Kings 16:3 note, and see Leviticus 20:2-5 note.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Kings 17:17. Sold themselves to do evil — Abandoned themselves to the will of the devil, to work all iniquity with greediness.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile