2 Kings 3:11

THE MESSAGE

But Jehoshaphat said, "Isn't there a prophet of God anywhere around through whom we can consult God ?" One of the servants of the king of Israel said, "Elisha son of Shaphat is around somewhere—the one who was Elijah's right-hand man."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But Jehoshaphat said, “Isn’t there a prophet of the Lord here? Let’s inquire of the Lord through him.”

Hebrew Names Version
But Yehoshafat said, Isn't there here a prophet of the LORD, that we may inquire of the LORD by him? One of the king of Yisra'el's servants answered, Elisha the son of Shafat is here, who poured water on the hands of Eliyah.

King James Version
But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord , that we may enquire of the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.

English Standard Version
And Jehoshaphat said, "Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire of the Lord ?" Then one of the king of Israel's servants answered, "Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah."

New Century Version
But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there a prophet of the Lord here? We can ask the Lord through him." An officer of the king of Israel answered, "Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He was Elijah's servant."

New English Translation
Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there no prophet of the Lord here that we might seek the Lord 's direction?" One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, "Elisha son of Shapat is here; he used to be Elijah's servant."

Amplified Bible
But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there no prophet of the LORD here from whom we may inquire of the LORD?" One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, "Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who used to pour water over Elijah's hands."

New American Standard Bible
But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there no prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of the LORD by him?" And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, "Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah."

Geneva Bible (1587)
But Iehoshaphat saide, Is there not here a Prophet of the Lorde, that we may inquire of the Lorde by him? And one of the King of Israels seruants answered, and said, Here is Elisha the sonne of Shaphat, which powred water on the handes of Eliiah.

Legacy Standard Bible
But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not a prophet of Yahweh here, that we may inquire of Yahweh by him?" And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, "Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah."

Contemporary English Version
Jehoshaphat said, "Which of the Lord 's prophets is with us? We can find out from him what the Lord wants us to do." One of Joram's officers answered, "Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He was one of Elijah's closest followers."

Complete Jewish Bible
But Y'hoshafat said, "Isn't there a prophet of Adonai here through whom we can consult Adonai ?" One of the servants of the king of Isra'el answered, "Elisha the son of Shafat is here, the one who used to pour water on Eliyahu's hands."

Darby Translation
And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah that we may inquire of Jehovah by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.

Easy-to-Read Version
But Jehoshaphat said, "Surely one of the Lord 's prophets is here. Let's ask the prophet what the Lord says we should do." One of the servants of the king of Israel said, "Elisha son of Shaphat is here. Elisha was Elijah's servant."

George Lamsa Translation
But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may inquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israels servants answered and said, Here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.

Good News Translation
King Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there a prophet here through whom we can consult the Lord ?" An officer of King Joram's forces answered, "Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He was Elijah's assistant."

Lexham English Bible
Then Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there no prophet of Yahweh here that we might inquire guidance from Yahweh?" One of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, "Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah."

Literal Translation
And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah, that we may inquire of Jehovah by him? And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, Here is Elisha the sonof Shaphat, who poured water on the hands ofElijah.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But Iosaphat sayde: Is here no prophet of ye LORDE, yt we maye axe coucell at ye LORDE by him? Then answered one of ye kynge of Israels seruauntes, & saide: Here is Eliseus ye sonne of Saphat, which poured water vpon Elias handes.

American Standard Version
But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah, that we may inquire of Jehovah by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.

Bible in Basic English
But Jehoshaphat said, Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may get directions from the Lord? And one of the king of Israel's men said in answer, Elisha, the son of Shaphat, is here, who was servant to Elijah.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But Iehosaphat said: Is there not here a prophete of the Lorde, that we maye enquire of the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israels seruauntes aunswered and saide: Here is Elisa the sonne of Saphat, which powred water on the handes of Elias.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
But Jehoshaphat said: 'Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may inquire of the LORD by him?' And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said: 'Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.'

King James Version (1611)
But Iehoshaphat said, Is there not here a Prophet of the Lord, that we may enquire of the Lord by him? And one of the king of Israels seruants answered, and said, Here is Elisha the sonne of Shaphat, which powred water on the hands of Eliiah.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Josaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may enquire of the Lord by him? And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, There is here Elisaie son of Saphat, who poured water on the hands of Eliu.

English Revised Version
But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may inquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel’s servants answered and said, Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, which poured water on the hands of Elijah.

Berean Standard Bible
But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there no prophet of the LORD here? Let us inquire of the LORD through him." And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered, "Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Josephat seide, Whether ony prophete of the Lord is here, that we biseche the Lord bi hym? And oon of the seruauntis of the kyng of Israel answeride, Elisee, the sone of Saphat, is here, that schedde watir on the hondis of Elie.

Young's Literal Translation
And Jehoshaphat saith, `Is there not here a prophet of Jehovah, and we seek Jehovah by him?' And one of the servants of the king of Israel answereth and saith, `Here [is] Elisha son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.'

Update Bible Version
But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of Yahweh, that we may inquire of Yahweh by him? And one of the king of Israel's slaves answered and said, Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.

Webster's Bible Translation
But Jehoshaphat said, [Is there] not here a prophet of the LORD, that we may inquire of the LORD by him? And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, Here [is] Elisha the son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.

World English Bible
But Jehoshaphat said, Isn't there here a prophet of Yahweh, that we may inquire of Yahweh by him? One of the king of Israel's servants answered, Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.

New King James Version
But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there no prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of the LORD by him?" So one of the servants of the king of Israel answered and said, "Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah."

New Living Translation
But King Jehoshaphat of Judah asked, "Is there no prophet of the Lord with us? If there is, we can ask the Lord what to do through him." One of King Joram's officers replied, "Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to be Elijah's personal assistant."

New Life Bible
But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not a man who speaks for God here? Is there no one we can ask to learn what the Lord would have us do?" One of the servants of the king of Israel answered, "Elisha the son of Shaphat is here. He poured water on the hands of Elijah."

New Revised Standard
But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire of the Lord ?" Then one of the servants of the king of Israel answered, "Elisha son of Shaphat, who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah, is here."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So Jehoshaphat said - Is there not, here, a prophet of Yahweh, that we may enquire of Yahweh, from him? Then answered one of the servants of the king of Israel, and said, Here, is Elisha son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Josaphat said: Is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may beseech the Lord by him? And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered: Here is Eliseus, the son of Saphat, who poured water on the hands of Elias.

Revised Standard Version
And Jehosh'aphat said, "Is there no prophet of the LORD here, through whom we may inquire of the LORD?" Then one of the king of Israel's servants answered, "Eli'sha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Eli'jah."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not a prophet of the LORD here, that we may inquire of the LORD by him?" And one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said, "Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who used to pour water on the hands of Elijah."

Contextual Overview

⁸Joram of Israel Joram son of Ahab began his rule over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah. He was king for twelve years. In God 's sight he was a bad king. But he wasn't as bad as his father and mother—to his credit he destroyed the obscene Baal stone that his father had made. But he hung on to the sinful practices of Jeroboam son of Nebat, the ones that had corrupted Israel for so long. He wasn't about to give them up. King Mesha of Moab raised sheep. He was forced to give the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and another 100,000 rams. When Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel. So King Joram set out from Samaria and prepared Israel for war. His first move was to send a message to Jehoshaphat king of Judah: "The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Would you join me and fight him?" "I'm with you all the way," said Jehoshaphat. "My troops are your troops, my horses are your horses. Which route shall we take?" "Through the badlands of Edom." ⁹ The king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom started out on what proved to be a looping detour. After seven days they had run out of water for both army and animals. ¹⁰ The king of Israel said, "Bad news! God has gotten us three kings out here to dump us into the hand of Moab." ¹¹ But Jehoshaphat said, "Isn't there a prophet of God anywhere around through whom we can consult God ?" One of the servants of the king of Israel said, "Elisha son of Shaphat is around somewhere—the one who was Elijah's right-hand man." ¹² Jehoshaphat said, "Good! A man we can trust!" So the three of them—the king of Israel, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom—went to meet him. ¹³ Elisha addressed the king of Israel, "What do you and I have in common? Go consult the puppet-prophets of your father and mother." "Never!" said the king of Israel. "It's God who has gotten us into this fix, dumping all three of us kings into the hand of Moab." ¹⁴Elisha said, "As God -of-the-Angel-Armies lives, and before whom I stand ready to serve, if it weren't for the respect I have for Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I wouldn't give you the time of day. But considering—bring me a minstrel." (When a minstrel played, the power of God came on Elisha.) ¹⁶He then said, " God 's word: Dig ditches all over this valley. Here's what will happen—you won't hear the wind, you won't see the rain, but this valley is going to fill up with water and your army and your animals will drink their fill. This is easy for God to do; he will also hand over Moab to you. You will ravage the country: Knock out its fortifications, level the key villages, clear-cut the orchards, clog the springs, and litter the cultivated fields with stones."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Is there not here: 1 Kings 22:7, Psalms 74:9, Amos 3:7

that we may: 2 Kings 3:1, 2 Kings 3:3, Joshua 9:14, Judges 20:8-11, Judges 20:18, Judges 20:23, Judges 20:26-28, 1 Chronicles 10:13, 1 Chronicles 14:10, 1 Chronicles 14:14, 1 Chronicles 15:13

poured water: That is, was his constant and confidential servant. Mr. Hanway, speaking of a Persian supper, says, "Supper being now brought in, a servant presented a basin of water, and a napkin hung over his shoulders; he went to every one in the company, and poured water on their hands to wash." Genesis 18:4, Joshua 1:1, 1 Kings 19:21, Luke 22:26, Luke 22:27, John 13:4, John 13:5, John 13:13, John 13:14, 1 Timothy 5:10, Philippians 2:22

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 22:5 - Inquire 2 Kings 4:12 - servant 2 Kings 6:15 - servant 2 Kings 8:8 - inquire 2 Kings 22:13 - inquire 2 Chronicles 18:6 - Is there not Proverbs 27:18 - so Jeremiah 21:2 - Inquire Jeremiah 37:17 - Is there Acts 13:5 - their

Cross-References

Genesis 4:10
God said, "What have you done! The voice of your brother's blood is calling to me from the ground. From now on you'll get nothing but curses from this ground; you'll be driven from this ground that has opened its arms to receive the blood of your murdered brother. You'll farm this ground, but it will no longer give you its best. You'll be a homeless wanderer on Earth."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But Jehoshaphat said, is there not here a prophet of the Lord, that we may inquire of the Lord by him?.... This the good king should have done before be set out, but had neglected it; however, it was not too late:

and one of the king of Israel's servants answered and said; who might be one that feared the Lord, and was intimate with Elisha, or however had knowledge of him, as appears by what follows:

here is Elisha the son of Shaphat, which poured water on the hands of Elijah; or ministered to him, as the Targum; was his menial servant, waited on him, and assisted him when he washed his hands g; some Jewish writers understand it of his pouring water on the hand of Elijah at Carmel, when the altar and trench were filled with it, and when a miracle was wrought, as they fancy, and the fingers of Elijah became as fountains of water.

g See the like phrase of the business of a servant in Homer, Iliad. 3. ver. 270, & Iliad. 9. ver. 174. Odyss. 1. ver. 147. & Odyss. 3. ver. 388. & Odyss. 4. ver. 258, 261. & passim.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A prophet of the Lord - i. e. of Yahweh. It was necessary to inquire thus definitely, as there were still plenty of prophets who were only prophets of Baal 2 Kings 3:13.

Here is Elisha - Jehoram appears to have been ignorant of his presence with the host, and one of his “servants,” or officers, answered Jehoshaphat’s inquiry.

Which poured water - An act signifying ministration or attendance (compare John 13:5 ff).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Kings 3:11. Is there not here a prophet of the Lord — The kings of Judah still acknowledged the true God, and him only.

Poured water on the hands of Elijah — That is, was his constant and confidential servant.