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Contemporary English Version

1 Kings 19:20

Elisha stopped plowing and ran after him. "Let me kiss my parents good-by, then I'll go with you," he said. "You can go," Elijah said. "But remember what I've done for you."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Elijah;   Excuses;   Mother;   Obedience;   Procrastination;   Thompson Chain Reference - Elisha;   Filial Honour;   God's;   Honour;   Immediate;   Kiss;   Mothers;   Service;   Silence-Speech;   Surrendered Life, Characteristics of;   Voice;   Work-Workers, Religious;   Young People;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Jezebel;   Prophets;   Sinai;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Elijah;   Elisha;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Elijah;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Philip the Apostle;   Ruth;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Discipline;   Elisha;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ahab;   Kiss;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Proverbs ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elijah;   Elisha;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Israel;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Elisha;   Kiss;   Relationships, Family;   Woman;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Adoption;   Mother;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for January 28;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Elisha left the oxen, ran to follow Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and mother, and then I will follow you.”
Hebrew Names Version
He left the oxen, and ran after Eliyah, and said, Let me, I pray you, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you. He said to him, Go back again; for what have I done to you?
King James Version
And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee?
English Standard Version
And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, "Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you." And he said to him, "Go back again, for what have I done to you?"
New Century Version
Then Elisha left his oxen and ran to follow Elijah. "Let me kiss my father and my mother good-bye," Elisha said. "Then I will go with you." Elijah answered, "Go back. It does not matter to me."
New English Translation
He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Please let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, then I will follow you." Elijah said to him, "Go back! Indeed, what have I done to you?"
Amplified Bible
He left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, "Please let me kiss my father and mother [goodbye], then I will follow you." And he said to him, "Go on back; for what have I done to [stop] you?"
New American Standard Bible
Then he left the oxen behind and ran after Elijah, and said, "Please let me kiss my father and my mother, then I will follow you." And he said to him, "Go back, for what have I done to you?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
And he left the oxen, and ran after Eliiah, and sayde, Let mee, I pray thee, kisse my father and my mother, and then I wil follow thee. Who answered him, Go, returne: for what haue I done to thee?
Legacy Standard Bible
So he forsook the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, "Please let me kiss my father and my mother, then I will follow you." And he said to him, "Go back again, for what have I done to you?"
Complete Jewish Bible
He left the oxen, ran after Eliyahu and said, "Please let me kiss my father and mother good-bye; then I will follow you." He answered, "Go; but return, because of what I did to you."
Darby Translation
And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and I will follow thee. And he said to him, Go back again; for what have I done to thee?
Easy-to-Read Version
Elisha immediately left his oxen and ran after Elijah. Elisha said, "Let me kiss my mother and father goodbye. Then I will follow you." Elijah answered, "You can do that. I will not stop you."
George Lamsa Translation
And he left the plough and the oxen and went after Elijah and said to him, Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you. And he said to him, Go back again; for what have I done to you?
Good News Translation
Elisha then left his oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Let me kiss my father and mother good-bye, and then I will go with you." Elijah answered, "All right, go back. I'm not stopping you!"
Lexham English Bible
Then he left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, "Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will go after you." Then he said, "Go, return, for what I have done to you?"
Literal Translation
And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you. And he said to him, Go back; for what have I done to you?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And he lefte the oxen, & ranne after Elias, & sayde: Let me kysse my father & my mother, and so wil I folowe the. And he sayde vnto him: Go thy waye, & come agayne, for I haue some what to do with the.
American Standard Version
And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again; for what have I done to thee?
Bible in Basic English
And letting the oxen be where they were, he came running after Elijah, and said, Only let me give a kiss to my father and mother, and then I will come after you. But he said to him, Go back again; for what have I done to you?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he left the oxen, and ranne after Elias, and sayde: Let me I pray thee kysse my father and my mother, & then I will folowe thee. He sayde vnto him: Go backe againe, for what is it that I haue done to thee?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said: 'Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee.' And he said unto him: 'Go back; for what have I done to thee?'
King James Version (1611)
And he left the oxen, and ranne after Eliiah, and said, Let mee, I pray thee, kisse my father and my mother, and then I wil follow thee: and he said vnto him, Goe backe againe; for what haue I done to thee?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Elisaie left the cattle, and ran after Eliu and said, I will kiss my father, and follow after thee. And Eliu said, Return, for I have done a work for thee.
English Revised Version
And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again; for what have I done to thee?
Berean Standard Bible
So Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Please let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, and then I will follow you." "Go on back," Elijah replied, "for what have I done to you?"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Which ran anoon after Elie, whanne the oxis weren left, and seide, Y preie thee, kysse Y my fadir and my modir, and so Y schal sue thee. And Elie seide to hym, Go thou, and turne ayen, for Y haue do to thee that that was myn.
Young's Literal Translation
and he forsaketh the oxen, and runneth after Elijah, and saith, `Let me give a kiss, I pray thee, to my father and to my mother, and I go after thee.' And he saith to him, `Go, turn back, for what have I done to thee?'
Update Bible Version
And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray you, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you. And he said to him, Go back again; for what have I done to you?
Webster's Bible Translation
And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and [then] I will follow thee. And he said to him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee?
World English Bible
He left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray you, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you. He said to him, Go back again; for what have I done to you?
New King James Version
And he left the oxen and ran after Elijah, and said, "Please let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you." And he said to him, "Go back again, for what have I done to you?"
New Living Translation
Elisha left the oxen standing there, ran after Elijah, and said to him, "First let me go and kiss my father and mother good-bye, and then I will go with you!" Elijah replied, "Go on back, but think about what I have done to you."
New Life Bible
And he left the bulls and ran after Elijah and said, "Let me kiss my father and mother. Then I will follow you." And Elijah said to him, "Return. For what have I done to you?"
New Revised Standard
He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you." Then Elijah said to him, "Go back again; for what have I done to you?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said - Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, that I may follow thee. And he said unto him, - Go, turn back, for what have I done to thee?
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he forthwith left the oxen, and run after Elias, and said: Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said to him: Go, and return back: for that which was my part, I have done to thee.
Revised Standard Version
And he left the oxen, and ran after Eli'jah, and said, "Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you." And he said to him, "Go back again; for what have I done to you?"
THE MESSAGE
Elisha deserted the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Please! Let me kiss my father and mother good-bye—then I'll follow you." "Go ahead," said Elijah, "but, mind you, don't forget what I've just done to you."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
He left the oxen and ran after Elijah and said, "Please let me kiss my father and my mother, then I will follow you." And he said to him, "Go back again, for what have I done to you?"

Contextual Overview

19 Elijah left and found Elisha plowing a field with a pair of oxen. There were eleven other men in front of him, and each one was also plowing with a pair of oxen. Elijah went over and put his own coat on Elisha. 20 Elisha stopped plowing and ran after him. "Let me kiss my parents good-by, then I'll go with you," he said. "You can go," Elijah said. "But remember what I've done for you." 21 Elisha left and took his oxen with him. He killed them and boiled them over a fire he had made with the wood from his plow. He gave the meat to the people who were with him, and they ate it. Then he left with Elijah and became his assistant.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

he left: Matthew 4:20, Matthew 4:22, Matthew 9:9, Matthew 19:27

I pray: Matthew 8:21, Matthew 8:22, Luke 9:61, Luke 9:62, Acts 20:37

Go back again: Heb. Go, return

Reciprocal: Genesis 31:28 - kiss Genesis 48:10 - kissed Ruth 1:14 - Orpah 2 Samuel 19:39 - kissed Barzillai Psalms 78:70 - and took Mark 1:20 - they left Luke 9:59 - suffer

Cross-References

Genesis 12:13
Please save my life by saying that you are my sister."
Genesis 19:5
and started shouting, "Where are your visitors? Send them out, so we can have sex with them!"
Genesis 19:7
Then he said, "Friends, please don't do such a terrible thing!
Genesis 19:30
Lot was afraid to stay on in Zoar. So he took his two daughters and moved to a cave in the hill country.
Psalms 119:175
Keep me alive, so I can praise you, and let me find help in your teachings.
Isaiah 55:3
Pay close attention! Come to me and live. I will promise you the eternal love and loyalty that I promised David.
Amos 3:6
Isn't the whole city frightened when the trumpet signals an attack? Isn't it the Lord who brings disaster on a city?

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah,.... His heart being touched by the Lord at the same time, and his mind enlightened to understand what was meant by that action:

and said, let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother; take his leave of them in this way, which was what was used by friends at parting, see Ruth 1:9

and then I will follow thee; which he understood was meant by his casting his mantle over him:

and he said unto him, go back again; to his plough:

for what have I done to thee? he had only cast the skirts of his mantle over him, and had said nothing to him; this he said to try him, and get out of him what was in his heart, and how it had been touched by the Spirit of God; and if so, then he suggests it was not what he had done, but what the Lord had impressed upon him, that would oblige him to return, and follow him, after he had taken his leave of his parents.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father ... - Not an unnatural request before following his new spiritual father. Elijah sees in his address a divided heart, and will not give the permission or accept the service thus tendered. Hence, his cold reply. See Luke 9:61-62.

Go back again ... - i. e., “Go, return to thy plowing ... why shouldest thou quit it? Why take leave of thy friends and come with me? What have I done to thee to require such a sacrifice? for as a sacrifice thou evidently regardest it. Truly I have done nothing to thee. Thou canst remain as thou art.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 19:20. Let me - kiss my father and my mother — Elisha fully understood that he was called by this ceremony to the prophetic office: and it is evident that he conferred not with flesh and blood, but resolved, immediately resolved, to obey; only he wished to bid farewell to his relatives. See below.

What have I done to thee? — Thy call is not from me, but from God: to him, not to me, art thou accountable for thy use or abuse of it.


 
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