2 Raja-raja 2:1

Elijah Makes a Swift Departure

2:1 Just before ¹  the Lord took Elijah up to heaven in a windstorm, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal.

2 Raja-raja 6:9

6:9 But the prophet sent this message to the king of Israel, “Make sure you don’t pass through this place because Syria is invading there.”

2 Raja-raja 8:14

8:14 He left Elisha and went to his master. Ben Hadad ²  asked him, “What did Elisha tell you?” Hazael ³  replied, “He told me you would surely recover.”

2 Raja-raja 9:11

9:11 When Jehu rejoined ⁴  his master’s servants, they ⁵  asked him, “Is everything all right? ⁶  Why did this madman visit you?” He replied, “Ah, it’s not important. You know what kind of man he is and the kinds of things he says.” ⁷ 

2 Raja-raja 9:22

9:22 When Jehoram saw Jehu, he asked, “Is everything all right, Jehu?” He replied, “How can everything be all right as long as your mother Jezebel promotes idolatry and pagan practices?” ⁸ 

2 Raja-raja 13:14

Elisha Makes One Final Prophecy

13:14 Now Elisha had a terminal illness. ⁹  King Joash of Israel went down to visit him. ¹⁰  He wept before him and said, “My father, my father! The chariot ¹¹  and horsemen of Israel!” ¹² 

2 Raja-raja 13:16

13:16 Then Elisha ¹³  told the king of Israel, “Aim the bow.” ¹⁴  He did so, ¹⁵  and Elisha placed his hands on the king’s hands.

2 Raja-raja 19:9

19:9 The king ¹⁶  heard that King Tirhakah of Ethiopia was marching out to fight him. ¹⁷  He again sent messengers to Hezekiah, ordering them:

2 Raja-raja 19:16

19:16 Pay attention, Lord, and hear! Open your eyes, Lord, and observe! Listen to the message Sennacherib sent and how he taunts the living God! ¹⁸ 

2 Raja-raja 19:20

19:20 Isaiah son of Amoz sent this message to Hezekiah: “This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I have heard your prayer concerning King Sennacherib of Assyria. ¹⁹ 

2 Raja-raja 20:3

20:3 “Please, Lord. Remember how I have served you ²⁰  faithfully and with wholehearted devotion, ²¹  and how I have carried out your will.” ²²  Then Hezekiah wept bitterly. ²³ 

[2:1]  ¹ tn Or “when.”

[8:14]  ² tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ben Hadad) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:14]  ³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Hazael) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “went out to.”

[9:11]  ⁵ tc The MT has the singular, “he said,” but many witnesses correctly read the plural.

[9:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “Is there peace?”

[9:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “He said, ‘You, you know the man and his thoughts.’” Jehu tries to deflect their question by reminding them that the man is an eccentric individual who says strange things. His reply suggests that the man said nothing of importance. The translation seeks to bring out the tone and intent of Jehu’s reply.

[9:22]  ⁸ tn Heb “How [can there be] peace as long as the adulterous acts of Jezebel your mother and her many acts of sorcery [continue]?” In this instance “adulterous acts” is employed metaphorically for idolatry. As elsewhere in the OT, worshiping other gods is viewed as spiritual adultery and unfaithfulness to the one true God. The phrase “many acts of sorcery” could be taken literally, for Jezebel undoubtedly utilized pagan divination practices, but the phrase may be metaphorical, pointing to her devotion to pagan customs in general.

[13:14]  ⁹ tn Heb “Now Elisha was ill with the illness by which he would die.”

[13:14]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “went down to him.”

[13:14]  ¹¹ tn Though the noun is singular here, it may be collective, in which case it could be translated “chariots.”

[13:14]  ¹² sn By comparing Elisha to a one-man army, the king emphasizes the power of the prophetic word. See the note at 2:12.

[13:16]  ¹³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[13:16]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “Cause your hand to ride on the bow.”

[13:16]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “and he caused his hand to ride.”

[19:9]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[19:9]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “heard concerning Tirhakah king of Cush, ‘Look, he has come out to fight with you.’”

[19:16]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “Hear the words of Sennacherib which he sent to taunt the living God.”

[19:20]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “That which you prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.” The verb “I have heard” does not appear in the parallel passage in Isa 37:21, where אֲשֶׁר (’asher) probably has a causal sense, “because.”

[20:3]  ²⁰ tn Heb “walked before you.” For a helpful discussion of the background and meaning of this Hebrew idiom, see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 254.

[20:3]  ²¹ tn Heb “and with a complete heart.”

[20:3]  ²² tn Heb “and that which is good in your eyes I have done.”

[20:3]  ²³ tn Heb “wept with great weeping.”