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Read the Bible

King James Version

2 Kings 6:28

And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Armies;   Cannibalism;   Famine;   Israel;   Prophecy;   Samaria;   Siege;   Women;   Thompson Chain Reference - Cannibalism;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Famine;   Samaria, Ancient;   Sieges;   Syria;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ben-hadad;   Elisha;   Samaria, samaritans;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Famine;   Jehoram;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Afterbirth;   Famine and Drought;   King, Kingship;   Samaria, Samaritans;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Jehoram;   Prophecy, Prophets;   Samaria;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Samaria ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elisha;   Samaria;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Eli'sha;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ail;   Siege;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then the king asked her, “What’s the matter?”
Hebrew Names Version
The king said to her, What ails you? She answered, This woman said to me, Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.
English Standard Version
And the king asked her, "What is your trouble?" She answered, "This woman said to me, ‘Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.'
New Century Version
Then the king said to her, "What is your trouble?" She answered, "This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son so we can eat him today. Then we will eat my son tomorrow.'
New English Translation
Then the king asked her, "What's your problem?" She answered, "This woman said to me, ‘Hand over your son; we'll eat him today and then eat my son tomorrow.'
Amplified Bible
And the king said to her, "What is the matter with you?" She answered, "This woman said to me, 'Give your son so we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.'
New American Standard Bible
Then the king said to her, "What is on your mind?" And she said, "This woman said to me, 'Give your son so that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.'
Geneva Bible (1587)
Also the King said vnto her, What ayleth thee? And she answered, This woman sayde vnto me, Giue thy sonne, that we may eate him to day, and we will eate my sonne to morowe,
Legacy Standard Bible
And the king said to her, "What is the matter with you?" And she said, "This woman said to me, ‘Give your son that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.'
Contemporary English Version
Then he asked, "What's the matter anyway?" The woman answered, "Another woman and I were so hungry that we agreed to eat our sons. She said if we ate my son one day, we could eat hers the next day.
Complete Jewish Bible
Then the king asked her, "What's troubling you?" She answered, "This woman said to me, ‘Give me your son, so that we can eat him today; and we'll eat my son tomorrow.'
Darby Translation
And the king said to her, What aileth thee? And she said, This woman said to me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to-day, and we will eat my son to-morrow.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then he said to her, "What is your trouble?" She answered, "This woman said to me, ‘Give me your son so that we can eat him today. Then we will eat my son tomorrow.'
George Lamsa Translation
And the king said to her, What troubles you? And she said to him, This woman said to me, Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.
Good News Translation
What's your trouble?" She answered, "The other day this woman here suggested that we eat my child, and then eat her child the next day.
Lexham English Bible
The king said to her, "What is the problem?" Then the woman said, "This woman said to me, ‘Give me your son, and let us eat him today, then tomorrow we will eat my son.'
Literal Translation
And the king said to her, What ails you? And she said, This woman said to me, Give your son and we will eat him today; and tomorrow we will eat my son.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And the kynge sayde vnto her: What ayleth ye? She sayde: This woman sayde vnto me: Geue vs yi sonne, that we maye eate him, tomorow wyll we eate my sonne.
American Standard Version
And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to-day, and we will eat my son to-morrow.
Bible in Basic English
And the king said to her, What is troubling you? And she said in answer, This woman said to me, Give your son to be our food today, and we will have my son tomorrow.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the king sayde vnto her: What wilt thou? She aunswered: Yonder woman sayd vnto me, Bring thy sonne, that we may eate him to day, and we will eate myne to morowe.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the king said unto her: 'What aileth thee?' And she answered: 'This woman said unto me: Give thy son, that we may eat him to-day, and we will eat my son to-morrow.
King James Version (1611)
And the king said vnto her, What aileth thee? And shee answered, This woman said vnto me, Giue thy sonne, that we may eate him to day, and wee will eate my sonne to morrow.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the king said to her, What is the matter with thee? And the woman said to him, This woman said to me, Give thy son, and we will eat him to-day, and we will eat my son to-morrow.
English Revised Version
And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.
Berean Standard Bible
Then the king asked her, "What is the matter?" And she answered, "This woman said to me, 'Give up your son, and we will eat him today, and tomorrow we will eat my son.'
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And sche answeride, This womman seide to me, Yyue thi sone, that we ete hym to dai, and we schulen ete my sone to morewe.
Young's Literal Translation
And the king saith to her, `What -- to thee?' and she saith, `This woman said unto me, Give thy son, and we eat him to-day, and my son we eat to-morrow;
Update Bible Version
And the king said to her, What ails you? And she answered, This woman said to me, Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the king said to her, What aileth thee? and she answered, This woman said to me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to-day, and we will eat my son to-morrow.
World English Bible
The king said to her, What ails you? She answered, This woman said to me, Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.
New King James Version
Then the king said to her, "What is troubling you?" And she answered, "This woman said to me, "Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.'
New Living Translation
But then the king asked, "What is the matter?" She replied, "This woman said to me: ‘Come on, let's eat your son today, then we will eat my son tomorrow.'
New Life Bible
Then the king said to her, "What is your trouble?" And she answered, "This woman said to me, ‘Give your son, so we may eat him today. And we will eat my son tomorrow.'
New Revised Standard
But then the king asked her, "What is your complaint?" She answered, "This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son; we will eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.'
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And the king said to her - What aileth thee? And she said - This woman, said unto me - Give thy son, that we may eat him, to-day, and, my son, will we eat to-morrow.
Douay-Rheims Bible
This woman said to me: Give thy son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.
Revised Standard Version
And the king asked her, "What is your trouble?" She answered, "This woman said to me, 'Give your son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.'
THE MESSAGE
The king continued, "Tell me your story." She said, "This woman came to me and said, ‘Give up your son and we'll have him for today's supper; tomorrow we'll eat my son.' So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I told her, ‘Your turn—bring your son so we can have him for supper.' But she had hidden her son away."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
And the king said to her, "What is the matter with you?" And she answered, "This woman said to me, 'Give your son that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.'

Contextual Overview

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. 27 And he said, If the Lord do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress? 28 And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son to morrow. 29 So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son. 30 And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, he had sackcloth within upon his flesh. 31 Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day. 32 But Elisha sat in his house, and the elders sat with him; and the king sent a man from before him: but ere the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, See ye how this son of a murderer hath sent to take away mine head? look, when the messenger cometh, shut the door, and hold him fast at the door: is not the sound of his master's feet behind him? 33 And while he yet talked with them, behold, the messenger came down unto him: and he said, Behold, this evil is of the Lord ; what should I wait for the Lord any longer?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

What aileth thee: Genesis 21:17, Judges 18:23, 1 Samuel 1:8, 2 Samuel 14:5, Psalms 114:5, Isaiah 22:1

Give thy son: Leviticus 26:29, Deuteronomy 28:53-57, Isaiah 9:20, Isaiah 9:21, Isaiah 49:15, Lamentations 4:10, Ezekiel 5:10, Matthew 24:18-21, Luke 23:29

Reciprocal: 2 Kings 6:25 - a great famine Job 39:16 - as Lamentations 2:20 - Shall the women

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the king said unto her, what aileth thee?.... His passion subsiding, or pitying her as in distress, and supposing that there might be something particular and pressing in her case:

and she answered,

this woman said unto me; who was now with her, and to whom she pointed:

give thy son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow; and this was agreed to between them, that first one should be eaten, and then the other, and that they should feed upon one as long as it would last, and then on the other; for it is not to be limited precisely to a day and tomorrow.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The king had assumed that the cry of the woman was for food. Her manner indicated that it was not so. He therefore proceeded to inquire what she wanted of him.

This woman - Both women, it would seem, were present; and the aggrieved one pointed to the other.


 
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