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The NET Bible®

2 Kings 2:2

Elijah told Elisha, "Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel." But Elisha said, "As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ascension;   Elisha;   Oath;   Servant;   Students;   Translation;   Thompson Chain Reference - Beth-El;   Constancy;   Elisha;   Friendship;   Friendship-Friendlessness;   Social Duties;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Elisha;   Gilgal;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Elijah;   Elisha;   Oath;   Prophecy, prophet;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Elijah;   Miracle;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Heaven;   Prophet;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Elijah;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Bethel;   Ebal;   Elisha;   Gilgal;   Shechem (1);   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ascension;   Bethel;   Elijah;   Hell;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Bethel;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elijah;   Elisha;   Gilgal;   Oath;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Beth'el;   Gil'gal;   Jer'icho;   Prophet;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Preaching;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Israel;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Elijah;   Gilgal;   Oath;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
and Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; the Lord is sending me on to Bethel.”
Hebrew Names Version
Eliyah said to Elisha, Please wait here, for the LORD has sent me as far as Beit-El. Elisha said, As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. So they went down to Beit-El.
King James Version
And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.
English Standard Version
And Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel.
New Century Version
Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here. The Lord has told me to go to Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the Lord lives, and as you live, I won't leave you." So they went down to Bethel.
Amplified Bible
And Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me to Bethel." But Elisha replied, "As the LORD lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel.
New American Standard Bible
And Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here please, for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Eliiah saide to Elisha, Tarie here, I pray thee: for the Lorde hath sent me to Bethel. But Elisha said, As the Lord liueth, and as thy soule liueth, I will not leaue thee. So they came downe to Beth-el.
Legacy Standard Bible
And Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here please, for Yahweh has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As Yahweh lives and as your soul lives, I will not forsake you." So they went down to Bethel.
Contemporary English Version
Elijah said to Elisha, "The Lord wants me to go to Bethel, but you must stay here." Elisha replied, "I swear by the living Lord and by your own life that I will stay with you no matter what!" And he went with Elijah to Bethel.
Complete Jewish Bible
when Eliyahu said to Elisha, "Please wait here, because Adonai has sent me all the way to Beit-El." But Elisha said, "As Adonai lives, and as you live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Beit-El.
Darby Translation
And Elijah said to Elisha, Abide here, I pray thee; for Jehovah has sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said, As Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee! So they went down to Bethel.
Easy-to-Read Version
Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here, because the Lord told me to go to Bethel." But Elisha said, "I promise, as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So the two men went down to Bethel.
George Lamsa Translation
And Elijah said to Elisha, Wait for me here, for the LORD has sent me to Beth-el. And Elisha said, As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. So they went down to Beth-el.
Good News Translation
and on the way Elijah said to Elisha, "Now stay here; the Lord has ordered me to go to Bethel." But Elisha answered, "I swear by my loyalty to the living Lord and to you that I will not leave you." So they went on to Bethel.
Lexham English Bible
Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here, for Yahweh has sent me up to Bethel." Elisha said, "As Yahweh lives and as your soul lives, I will certainly not leave you!" So they went down to Bethel.
Literal Translation
And Elijah said to Elisha, Please stay here, for Jehovah has sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said, As Jehovah lives, and your soul lives, I will not leave you. And they went down to Bethel.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Elias sayde to Eliseus: Tary thou here I praye the, for the LORDE hath sent me vnto Bethel. But Eliseus sayde: As truly as the LORDE liueth, and as truly as thy soule lyueth, I wyll not forsake the. And whan they came downe vnto Bethel,
American Standard Version
And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for Jehovah hath sent me as far as Beth-el. And Elisha said, As Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Beth-el.
Bible in Basic English
And Elijah said to Elisha, Come no farther for the Lord has sent me to Beth-el. But Elisha said, As the Lord is living and as your soul is living, I will not be parted from you. So they went down to Beth-el.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Elias saide vnto Elisa: Tary here I praye thee, for the Lorde hath sent me to Bethel. Elisa saide vnto him: As the Lorde lyueth, and as thy soule liueth, I will not leaue thee. And they came downe to Bethel,
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Elijah said unto Elisha: 'Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me as far as Beth-el.' And Elisha said: 'As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.' So they went down to Beth-el.--
King James Version (1611)
And Elijah said vnto Elisha, Tarie here, I pray thee: for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel: and Elisha said vnto him, As the Lord liueth, and as thy soule liueth, I wil not leaue thee. So they went downe to Bethel.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Eliu said to Elisaie, Stay here, I pray thee; for God has sent me to Baethel. And Elisaie said, As the Lord lives and thy soul lives, I will not leave thee; so they came to Baethel.
English Revised Version
And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me as far as Beth–el. And Elisha said, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Beth–el.
Berean Standard Bible
and Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here, for the LORD has sent me on to Bethel." But Elisha replied, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Elie seide to Elisee, Sitte thou here, for the Lord sente me til into Bethel. To whom Elisee seide, The Lord lyueth and thi soule lyueth, for Y schal not forsake thee. And whanne thei hadden come doun to Bethel,
Young's Literal Translation
and Elijah saith unto Elisha, `Abide, I pray thee, here, for Jehovah hath sent me unto Beth-El;' and Elisha saith, `Jehovah liveth, and thy soul liveth, if I leave thee;' and they go down to Beth-El.
Update Bible Version
And Elijah said to Elisha, Tarry here, I pray you; for Yahweh has sent me as far as Beth-el. And Elisha said, As Yahweh lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. So they went down to Beth-el.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Elijah said to Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Beth-el. And Elisha said, [As] the LORD liveth, and [as] thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Beth-el.
World English Bible
Elijah said to Elisha, Please wait here, for Yahweh has sent me as far as Bethel. Elisha said, As Yahweh lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. So they went down to Bethel.
New King James Version
Then Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here, please, for the LORD has sent me on to Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!" So they went down to Bethel.
New Living Translation
And Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here, for the Lord has told me to go to Bethel." But Elisha replied, "As surely as the Lord lives and you yourself live, I will never leave you!" So they went down together to Bethel.
New Life Bible
Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here, I ask you. For the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel.
New Revised Standard
Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said Elijah unto Elisha - Tarry here, I pray thee, for, Yahweh, hath sent me as far as Bethel. And Elisha said, By the life of Yahweh and by the life of thine own soul, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Elias said to Eliseus: Stay thou here, because the Lord hath sent me as far as Bethel. And Eliseus said to him: As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And when they were come down to Bethel,
Revised Standard Version
And Eli'jah said to Eli'sha, "Tarry here, I pray you; for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel." But Eli'sha said, "As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here please, for the LORD has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the LORD lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel.

Contextual Overview

1 Just before the Lord took Elijah up to heaven in a windstorm, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal. 2 Elijah told Elisha, "Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Bethel." But Elisha said, "As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel. 3 Some members of the prophetic guild in Bethel came out to Elisha and said, "Do you know that today the Lord is going to take your master from you?" He answered, "Yes, I know. Be quiet." 4 Elijah said to him, "Elisha, stay here, for the Lord has sent me to Jericho." But he replied, "As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So they went to Jericho. 5 Some members of the prophetic guild in Jericho approached Elisha and said, "Do you know that today the Lord is going to take your master from you?" He answered, "Yes, I know. Be quiet." 6 Elijah said to him, "Stay here, for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan." But he replied, "As certainly as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So they traveled on together. 7 The fifty members of the prophetic guild went and stood opposite them at a distance, while Elijah and Elisha stood by the Jordan. 8 Elijah took his cloak, folded it up, and hit the water with it. The water divided, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Tarry here: Ruth 1:15, Ruth 1:16, 2 Samuel 15:19, 2 Samuel 15:20, John 6:67, John 6:68

As the Lord: 2 Kings 2:4, 2 Kings 2:6, 2 Kings 4:30, 1 Samuel 1:26, 1 Samuel 17:55, 1 Samuel 25:26, Jeremiah 4:2

I will not: Ruth 1:16-18, 2 Samuel 15:21, 1 John 2:19

Bethel: Genesis 28:19, 1 Kings 12:29, 1 Kings 12:33, 1 Kings 13:1, 1 Kings 13:2

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 20:3 - but truly 2 Samuel 14:19 - As thy soul Amos 2:11 - I raised

Cross-References

Genesis 1:31
God saw all that he had made—and it was very good! There was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.
Genesis 2:8
The Lord God planted an orchard in the east, in Eden; and there he placed the man he had formed.
Genesis 2:11
The name of the first is Pishon; it runs through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold.
Exodus 23:12
For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you must cease, in order that your ox and your donkey may rest and that your female servant's son and any hired help may refresh themselves.
Exodus 31:17
It is a sign between me and the Israelites forever; for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.'"
Deuteronomy 5:14
but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. On that day you must not do any work, you, your son, your daughter, your male slave, your female slave, your ox, your donkey, any other animal, or the foreigner who lives with you, so that your male and female slaves, like yourself, may have rest.
Isaiah 58:13
You must observe the Sabbath rather than doing anything you please on my holy day. You must look forward to the Sabbath and treat the Lord 's holy day with respect. You must treat it with respect by refraining from your normal activities, and by refraining from your selfish pursuits and from making business deals.
John 5:17
So he told them, "My Father is working until now, and I too am working."
Hebrews 4:4
For he has spoken somewhere about the seventh day in this way: " And God rested on the seventh day from all his works ,"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Elijah said unto Elisha, tarry here, I pray thee,.... Seemingly unwilling he should go with him, and be present at his assumption; which was either out of modesty, not affecting the spread of the honour and glory to be conferred upon him; or to prevent the grief of Elisha at his departure, or to try whether Elisha knew any thing of it, and what affection he had for him:

for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel; to give some comfort and some instruction and advice to the college of prophets there:

and Elisha said unto him, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee; being determined to see the last of him, and to have the benefit of his company and conversation, his heavenly discourse, and instruction from him as long as he could, and in hope of receiving a blessing from him at parting:

so they went down to Bethel; together, which, according to Bunting h, was six miles.

h Travels, &c. p. 205.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Tarry here - Elijah’s motive in making this request is not clear. Perhaps he thought that so awful and sacred a scene as that which he was led to expect 2 Kings 2:9, should be kept as secret as possible.

The Lord hath sent me to Bethel - Elijah may have been directed to Bethel, because of the “School of the prophets” there, that the sight of him - if not his words - might console and encourage them before they lost him forever.

As the Lord liveth ... - This double oath, repeated three times 2 Kings 2:4, 2 Kings 2:6, is very remarkable. The two clauses of it are separately used with some frequency (see Judges 8:19; Ruth 3:13; 1 Samuel 1:26, etc.), but it is comparatively seldom that they are united (see the marginal references).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Kings 2:2. Tarry here, I pray thee — He either made these requests through humility, not wishing any person to be witness of the honour conferred on him by God, or with the desire to prove the fidelity of Elisha, whether he would continue to follow and serve him.


 
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