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the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

New Century Version

2 Kings 3:16

Then Elisha said, "The Lord says to dig holes in the valley.

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 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

6 So King Joram went out from Samaria and gathered Israel's army. 7 He also sent messengers to Jehoshaphat king of Judah. "The king of Moab has turned against me," he said. "Will you go with me to fight Moab?" Jehoshaphat replied, "I will go with you. My soldiers and my horses are yours." 8 Jehoshaphat asked, "Which way should we attack?" Joram answered, "Through the Desert of Edom." 9 So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. After they had marched seven days, there was no more water for the army or for their animals that were with them. 10 The king of Israel said, "This is terrible! The Lord has called us three kings together to hand us over to the Moabites!" 11 But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there a prophet of the Lord here? We can ask the Lord through him." An officer of the king of Israel answered, "Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He was Elijah's servant." 12 Jehoshaphat said, "He speaks the Lord 's truth." So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat and the king of Edom went down to see Elisha. 13 Elisha said to the king of Israel, "I have nothing to do with you. Go to the prophets of your father and to the prophets of your mother!" The king of Israel said to Elisha, "No, the Lord has called us three kings together to hand us over to the Moabites." 14 Elisha said, "As surely as the Lord All-Powerful lives, whom I serve, I tell you the truth. I wouldn't even look at you or notice you if Jehoshaphat king of Judah were not here. I respect him. 15 Now bring me someone who plays the harp." While the harp was being played, the Lord gave Elisha power.

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
Now the snake was the most clever of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day the snake said to the woman, "Did God really say that you must not eat fruit from any tree in the garden?"
Genesis 3:6
The woman saw that the tree was beautiful, that its fruit was good to eat, and that it would make her wise. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some of the fruit to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
Genesis 3:7
Then, it was as if their eyes were opened. They realized they were naked, so they sewed fig leaves together and made something to cover themselves.
Genesis 3:8
Then they heard the Lord God walking in the garden during the cool part of the day, and the man and his wife hid from the Lord God among the trees in the garden.
Genesis 3:9
But the Lord God called to the man and said, "Where are you?"
Genesis 3:10
The man answered, "I heard you walking in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid."
Genesis 3:11
God asked, "Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat fruit from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?"
Genesis 3:12
The man said, "You gave this woman to me and she gave me fruit from the tree, so I ate it."
Genesis 3:16
Then God said to the woman, "I will cause you to have much trouble when you are pregnant, and when you give birth to children, you will have great pain. You will greatly desire your husband, but he will rule over you."
Genesis 3:17
Then God said to the man, "You listened to what your wife said, and you ate fruit from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat. "So I will put a curse on the ground, and you will have to work very hard for your food. In pain you will eat its food all the 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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