VERSE STUDY • KJV

2 Kings 6:8-23

⁸ Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place [shall be] my camp. ⁹ And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. ¹⁰ And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice. ¹¹ Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us [is] for the king of Israel? ¹² And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that [is] in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. ¹³ And he said, Go and spy where he [is], that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, [he is] in Dothan. ¹⁴ Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. ¹⁵ And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? ¹⁶ And he answered, Fear not: for they that [be] with us [are] more than they that [be] with them. ¹⁷ And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain [was] full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. ¹⁸ And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. ¹⁹ And Elisha said unto them, This [is] not the way, neither [is] this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria. ²⁰ And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these [men], that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, [they were] in the midst of Samaria. ²¹ And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite [them]? shall I smite [them]? ²² And he answered, Thou shalt not smite [them]: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. ²³ And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.

Read it in 5 translations

KJV King James Version

⁸ Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place [shall be] my camp. ⁹ And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down. ¹⁰ And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice. ¹¹ Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us [is] for the king of Israel? ¹² And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that [is] in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. ¹³ And he said, Go and spy where he [is], that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, [he is] in Dothan. ¹⁴ Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. ¹⁵ And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? ¹⁶ And he answered, Fear not: for they that [be] with us [are] more than they that [be] with them. ¹⁷ And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain [was] full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. ¹⁸ And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. ¹⁹ And Elisha said unto them, This [is] not the way, neither [is] this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria. ²⁰ And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these [men], that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, [they were] in the midst of Samaria. ²¹ And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite [them]? shall I smite [them]? ²² And he answered, Thou shalt not smite [them]: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. ²³ And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.

BSB Berean Standard Bible

⁸ Now the king of Aram was at war against Israel. After consulting with his servants, he said, “My camp will be in such and such a place.” ⁹ Then the man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Be careful not to pass by this place, for the Arameans are going down there.” ¹⁰ So the king of Israel sent word to the place the man of God had pointed out. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places. ¹¹ For this reason the king of Aram became enraged and called his servants to demand of them, “Tell me, which one of us is on the side of the king of Israel?” ¹² But one of his servants replied, “No one, my lord the king. For Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.” ¹³ So the king said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send men to capture him.” On receiving the report, “Elisha is in Dothan,” ¹⁴ the king of Aram sent horses, chariots, and a great army. They went there by night and surrounded the city. ¹⁵ When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early in the morning, behold, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?” ¹⁶ “Do not be afraid,” Elisha answered, “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” ¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. ¹⁸ As the Arameans came down against him, Elisha prayed to the LORD, “Please strike these people with blindness.” So He struck them with blindness, according to the word of Elisha. ¹⁹ And Elisha told them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will take you to the man you are seeking.” And he led them to Samaria. ²⁰ When they had entered Samaria, Elisha said, “O LORD, open the eyes of these men that they may see.” Then the LORD opened their eyes, and they looked around and discovered that they were in Samaria. ²¹ And when the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “My father, shall I kill them? Shall I kill them?” ²² “Do not kill them,” he replied. “Would you kill those you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them, that they may eat and drink and then return to their master.” ²³ So the king prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. And the Aramean raiders did not come into the land of Israel again.

WEB World English Bible

⁸ Now the king of Syria was warring against Israel; and he took counsel with his servants, saying, “My camp will be in such and such a place.” ⁹ The man of God sent to the king of Israel, saying, “Beware that you not pass such a place; for the Syrians are coming down there.” ¹⁰ The king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of; and he saved himself there, not once nor twice. ¹¹ The heart of the king of Syria was very troubled about this. He called his servants, and said to them, “Won’t you show me which of us is for the king of Israel?” ¹² One of his servants said, “No, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” ¹³ He said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and get him.” It was told him, saying, “Behold, he is in Dothan.” ¹⁴ Therefore he sent horses, chariots, and a great army there. They came by night, and surrounded the city. ¹⁵ When the servant of the man of God had risen early, and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was around the city. His servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” ¹⁶ He answered, “Don’t be afraid; for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” ¹⁷ Elisha prayed, and said, “Yahweh, please open his eyes, that he may see.” Yahweh opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire around Elisha. ¹⁸ When they came down to him, Elisha prayed to Yahweh, and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” He struck them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. ¹⁹ Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, neither is this the city. Follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom you seek.” He led them to Samaria. ²⁰ It happened, when they had come into Samaria, that Elisha said, “Yahweh, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” Yahweh opened their eyes, and they saw; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. ²¹ The king of Israel said to Elisha, when he saw them, “My father, shall I strike them? Shall I strike them?” ²² He answered, “You shall not strike them. Would you strike those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow? Set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.” ²³ He prepared great feast for them. When they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. The bands of Syria stopped raiding the land of Israel.

ASV American Standard Version

⁸ Now the king of Syria was warring against Israel; and he took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place shall be my camp. ⁹ And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are coming down. ¹⁰ And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of; and he saved himself there, not once nor twice. ¹¹ And the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not show me which of us is for the king of Israel? ¹² And one of his servants said, Nay, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber. ¹³ And he said, Go and see where he is, that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, he is in Dothan. ¹⁴ Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. ¹⁵ And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, a host with horses and chariots was round about the city. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? ¹⁶ And he answered, Fear not; for they that are with us are more than they that are with them. ¹⁷ And Elisha prayed, and said, Jehovah, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And Jehovah opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. ¹⁸ And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto Jehovah, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. ¹⁹ And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. And he led them to Samaria. ²⁰ And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Jehovah, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And Jehovah opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. ²¹ And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? ²² And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. ²³ And he prepared great provision for them; and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.

YLT Young’s Literal Translation

⁸ And the king of Aram hath been fighting against Israel, and taketh counsel with his servants, saying, ‘At such and such a place is my encamping.’ ⁹ And the man of God sendeth unto the king of Israel, saying, ‘Take heed of passing by this place, for thither are the Aramaeans coming down; ¹⁰ and the king of Israel sendeth unto the place of which the man of God spake to him, and warned him, and he is preserved there not once nor twice. ¹¹ And the heart of the king of Aram is tossed about concerning this thing, and he calleth unto his servants, and saith unto them, ‘Do ye not declare to me who of us is for the king of Israel?’ ¹² And one of his servants saith, ‘Nay, my lord, O king, for Elisha the prophet, who is in Israel, declareth to the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in the inner part of thy bed-chamber.’ ¹³ And he saith, ‘Go ye and see where he is, and I send and take him;’ and it is declared to him, saying, ‘Lo—in Dothan.’ ¹⁴ And he sendeth thither horses and chariot, and a heavy force, and they come in by night, and go round against the city. ¹⁵ And the servant of the man of God riseth early, and goeth out, and lo, a force is surrounding the city, and horse and chariot, and his young man saith unto him, ‘Alas! my lord, how do we do?’ ¹⁶ And he saith, ‘Fear not, for more are they who are with us than they who are with them.’ ¹⁷ And Elisha prayeth, and saith, ‘Jehovah, open, I pray Thee, his eyes, and he doth see;’ and Jehovah openeth the eyes of the young man, and he seeth, and lo, the hill is full of horses and chariots of fire, round about Elisha. ¹⁸ And they come down unto it, and Elisha prayeth unto Jehovah, and saith, ‘Smite, I pray Thee, this nation with blindness;’ and He smiteth them with blindness, according to the word of Elisha. ¹⁹ And Elisha saith unto them, ‘This is not the way, nor is this the city; come after me, and I lead you unto the man whom ye seek;’ and he leadeth them to Samaria. ²⁰ And it cometh to pass, at their coming in to Samaria, that Elisha saith, ‘Jehovah, open the eyes of these, and they see;’ and Jehovah openeth their eyes, and they see, and lo, in the midst of Samaria! ²¹ And the king of Israel saith unto Elisha, at his seeing them, ‘Do I smite—do I smite—my father?’ ²² And he saith, ‘Thou dost not smite; those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow art thou smiting? set bread and water before them, and they eat, and drink, and go unto their lord.’ ²³ And he prepareth for them great provision, and they eat and drink, and he sendeth them away, and they go unto their lord: and troops of Aram have not added any more to come in to the land of Israel.

Surrounding context — 2 Kings 6

5 But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed.

6 And the man of God said, Where fell it? And he shewed him the place. And he cut down a stick, and cast [it] in thither; and the iron did swim.

7 Therefore said he, Take [it] up to thee. And he put out his hand, and took it.

8 Then the king of Syria warred against Israel, and took counsel with his servants, saying, In such and such a place [shall be] my camp.

9 And the man of God sent unto the king of Israel, saying, Beware that thou pass not such a place; for thither the Syrians are come down.

10 And the king of Israel sent to the place which the man of God told him and warned him of, and saved himself there, not once nor twice.

11 Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us [is] for the king of Israel?

12 And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that [is] in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.

13 And he said, Go and spy where he [is], that I may send and fetch him. And it was told him, saying, Behold, [he is] in Dothan.

14 Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about.

15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do?

16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that [be] with us [are] more than they that [be] with them.

17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain [was] full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha.

19 And Elisha said unto them, This [is] not the way, neither [is] this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.

20 And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these [men], that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, [they were] in the midst of Samaria.

21 And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite [them]? shall I smite [them]?

22 And he answered, Thou shalt not smite [them]: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master.

23 And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.

24 And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.

25 And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass’s head was [sold] for fourscore [pieces] of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove’s dung for five [pieces] of silver.

26 And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king.

Read the whole chapter → · About 2 Kings →

HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION

Compare classic commentaries on 2 Kings 6:8-23

Put Matthew Henry, Adam Clarke, Calvin, Wesley, Barnes, Jamieson–Fausset–Brown, Aquinas’ Catena and other public-domain sources beside the passage.

Compare commentaries →