2 Raja-raja 3:14

3:14 Elisha said, “As certainly as the Lord who rules over all ¹  lives (whom I serve), ²  if I did not respect King Jehoshaphat of Judah, ³  I would not pay attention to you or acknowledge you. ⁴ 

2 Raja-raja 17:9

17:9 The Israelites said things about the Lord their God that were not right. ⁵  They built high places in all their cities, from the watchtower to the fortress. ⁶ 

[3:14]  ¹ tn Traditionally “the Lord of hosts.”

[3:14]  ² tn Heb “before whom I stand.”

[3:14]  ³ tn Heb “if I did not lift up the face of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah.”

[3:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “I would not look at you or see you.”

[17:9]  ⁵ tn The meaning of the verb וַיְחַפְּאוּ (vayÿkhappÿ’u), translated here “said,” is uncertain. Some relate it to the verbal root חָפַה (khafah), “to cover,” and translate “they did it in secret” (see BDB 341 s.v. חָפָא). However, the pagan practices specified in the following sentences were hardly done in secret. Others propose a meaning “ascribe, impute,” which makes good contextual sense but has little etymological support (see HALOT 339 s.v. חפא). In this case Israel claimed that the Lord authorized their pagan practices.

[17:9]  ⁶ sn That is, from the city’s perimeter to the central citadel.