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Sunday, September 14th, 2025
the Week of Proper 19 / Ordinary 24
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Young's Literal Translation

2 Kings 10:8

and the messenger cometh in, and declareth to him, saying, `They have brought in the heads of the sons of the king,' and he saith, `Make them two heaps at the opening of the gate till the morning.'

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ahab;   Children;   Enthusiasm;   Gates;   Homicide;   Jehu;   Massacre;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Jezreel;   Punishments;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ahab;   Jehu;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Behead;   Jezreel;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Jehu;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Jezreel ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Jehu;  

Encyclopedias:

- The Jewish Encyclopedia - Gate;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
When the messenger came and told him, “They have brought the heads of the king’s sons,” the king said, “Pile them in two heaps at the entrance of the city gate until morning.”
Hebrew Names Version
There came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king's sons. He said, Lay you them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.
King James Version
And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Lay ye them in two heaps at the entering in of the gate until the morning.
English Standard Version
When the messenger came and told him, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons," he said, "Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning."
New Century Version
The messenger came to Jehu and told him, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons." Then Jehu said, "Lay the heads in two piles at the city gate until morning."
New English Translation
The messenger came and told Jehu, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons." Jehu said, "Stack them in two piles at the entrance of the city gate until morning."
Amplified Bible
When a messenger came and told him, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons," he said, "Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the city gate until morning."
New American Standard Bible
When the messenger came and informed him, saying, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons," he said, "Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning."
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then there came a messenger and tolde him, saying, They haue brought the heads of the Kings sonnes. And he sayd, Let them lay them on two heapes at the entring in of the gate vntil the morning.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then the messenger came and told him, saying, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons." So he said, "Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning."
Contemporary English Version
When Jehu was told what had happened, he said, "Put the heads in two piles at the city gate, and leave them there until morning."
Complete Jewish Bible
A messenger came and told him, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons." He said, "Leave them in two piles at the entrance of the city gate until morning."
Darby Translation
And a messenger came and told him saying, They have brought the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.
Easy-to-Read Version
The messenger came to Jehu and told him, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons." Then Jehu said, "Lay the heads in two piles at the city gate until morning."
George Lamsa Translation
And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the kings sons. And he said, Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning.
Good News Translation
When Jehu was told that the heads of Ahab's descendants had been brought, he ordered them to be piled up in two heaps at the city gate and to be left there until the following morning.
Lexham English Bible
Then the messenger came and told him, saying, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons," and he said, "Put them in two piles at the entrance of the gate until morning."
Literal Translation
And the messenger came and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Make them two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And whan the messaunger came, & tolde him, and sayde: They haue broughte the heades of the kynges children, he sayde: Laye them vpon two heapes at the dore of the porte tyll tomorow.
American Standard Version
And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Lay ye them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.
Bible in Basic English
And a man came and said to him, They have come with the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Put them down in two masses at the doorway of the town till the morning.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And there came a messenger, and told him, saying: They haue brought the heades of the kinges sonnes. And he said: Let them lay them on two heapes in the entring in of the gate, vntill the morning.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And there came a messenger, and told him, saying: 'They have brought the heads of the king's sons.' And he said: 'Lay ye them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.'
King James Version (1611)
And there came a messenger, and tolde him, saying, They haue brought the heads of the kings sonnes. And he said, Lay ye them in two heaps at the entring in of the gate, vntill the morning.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And a messenger came and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king’s sons. And he said, Lay them in two heaps by the door of the gate until the morning.
English Revised Version
And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king’s sons. And he said, Lay ye them in two heaps at the entering in of the gate until the morning.
Berean Standard Bible
When the messenger arrived, he told Jehu, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons." And Jehu ordered, "Pile them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe a messanger cam to hym, and schewide to hym, and seide, Thei han brouyt the heedis of the sones of the king. Which answeride, Putte ye tho heedis to tweyne hepis, bisidis the entring of the yate, til the morewtid.
Update Bible Version
And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.
Webster's Bible Translation
And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king's sons. And he said, Lay ye them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.
World English Bible
There came a messenger, and told him, saying, They have brought the heads of the king's sons. He said, Lay you them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning.
New King James Version
Then a messenger came and told him, saying, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons." And he said, "Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning."
New Living Translation
A messenger went to Jehu and said, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons." So Jehu ordered, "Pile them in two heaps at the entrance of the city gate, and leave them there until morning."
New Life Bible
The men who had been sent returned and told Jehu, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons." And he said, "Put them one upon the other in two places at the gate until morning."
New Revised Standard
When the messenger came and told him, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons," he said, "Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And there came in a messenger and told him, saying, They have brought in the heads of the sons of the king. And he said - Lay ye them in two heaps, at the entrance of the gate, until the morning.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And a messenger came, and told him, saying: They have brought the heads of the king’s sons. And he said: Lay ye them in two heaps by the entering in of the gate until the morning.
Revised Standard Version
When the messenger came and told him, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons," he said, "Lay them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until the morning."
THE MESSAGE
A messenger reported to Jehu: "They've delivered the heads of the king's sons." He said, "Stack them in two piles at the city gate until morning."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
When the messenger came and told him, saying, "They have brought the heads of the king's sons," he said, "Put them in two heaps at the entrance of the gate until morning."

Contextual Overview

1 And Ahab hath seventy sons in Samaria, and Jehu writeth letters, and sendeth to Samaria, unto the heads of Jezreel, the elders, and unto the supporters of Ahab, saying, 2 `And now, at the coming in of this letter unto you, and with you [are] sons of your lord, and with you [are] the chariots and the horses, and a fenced city, and the armour, 3 and ye have seen the best and the uprightest of the sons of your lord, and have set [him] on the throne of his father, and fight ye for the house of your lord.' 4 And they fear very greatly, and say, `Lo, the two kings have not stood before him, and how do we stand -- we?' 5 And he who [is] over the house, and he who [is] over the city, and the elders, and the supporters, send unto Jehu, saying, `Thy servants we [are], and all that thou sayest unto us we do; we do not make any one king -- that which [is] good in thine eyes do.' 6 And he writeth unto them a letter a second time, saying, `If ye [are] for me, and to my voice are hearkening, take the heads of the men -- the sons of your lord, and come unto me about this time to-morrow, to Jezreel;' and the sons of the king [are] seventy men, with the great ones of the city those bringing them up. 7 And it cometh to pass, at the coming in of the letter unto them, that they take the sons of the king, and slaughter seventy men, and put their heads in baskets, and send unto him to Jezreel, 8 and the messenger cometh in, and declareth to him, saying, `They have brought in the heads of the sons of the king,' and he saith, `Make them two heaps at the opening of the gate till the morning.' 9 And it cometh to pass in the morning, that he goeth out, and standeth, and saith unto all the people, `Righteous are ye; lo, I have conspired against my lord, and slay him -- and who smote all these? 10 Know ye now, that nothing doth fall of the word of Jehovah to the earth that Jehovah spake against the house of Ahab, and Jehovah hath done that which He spake by the hand of His servant Elijah.'

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

there came: 2 Samuel 11:18-21, 1 Kings 21:14, Mark 6:28

Lay ye them: Such barbarities are by no means uncommon in the East. "It has been know to occur," says Mr. Morier, "after the combat was over, that prisoners have been put to death in cold blood, in order that the heads, which are immediately despatched to the king, and deposited in heaps at the place gates, might make a more considerable show."

until the morning: Deuteronomy 21:23

Reciprocal: Hosea 1:4 - and I

Cross-References

Micah 5:6
And they have afflicted the land of Asshur with the sword, And the land of Nimrod at its openings, And he hath delivered from Asshur when he doth come into our land, And when he treadeth in our borders.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And there came a messenger, and told him, saying, they have brought the heads of the king's sons,.... Perhaps this messenger to Jehu came from the great men of Samaria themselves, to let him know that they had obeyed his orders:

and he said, lay ye them in two heaps at the entering in of the gate until the morning; very probably it was towards or at the evening they were brought; and he ordered them to be taken out of the baskets, and laid in two heaps at the entering of the gate of the city, that they might be taken notice of, and publicly viewed by the people that passed and repassed the gate; and where they met in great numbers, either on account of the market there, or court of judicature there held, especially in mornings; and here they were to remain till the morning, though not without a guard, that they might still be more exposed to view; Noldius p renders it, "without the door of the gate", for they were brought at night, when the gate was shut.

p Ebr. Conc. Part. p. 68. No. 340.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Two heaps - Probably placed one on either side of the gateway, to strike terror into the partisans of the late dynasty as they passed in and out of the town.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Kings 10:8. Lay ye them in two heaps — It appears that the heads of these princes had arrived at Jezreel in the night time: Jehu ordered them to be left at the gate of the city, a place of public resort, that all the people might see them, and be struck with terror, and conclude that all resistance to such authority and power would be vain.


 
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