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New Living Translation

2 Kings 3:16

and he said, "This is what the Lord says: This dry valley will be filled with pools of water!

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Armies;   Moabites;   Water;   Thompson Chain Reference - Elisha;   Jehoshaphat;   Miracles;   Preparation;   Prophet's;   Readiness-Unreadiness;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Valleys;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Mesha;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Moab;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Prophet, Prophetess, Prophecy;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Elisha;   Jehoram;   Jehoshaphat;   Moabite Stone;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Dibon;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Brook of Zered;   Ecstasy;   Elisha;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Kir-Hareseth;   Mesha;   Oracles;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Edom, Edomites;   Jehoshaphat;   Medeba;   Mesha;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Joram, Jehoram;   Mesha ;   Miracles;   Moab, Moabites ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Kirharaseth;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Armor;   Arms;   Jehoshaphat;   Mesha;   Moab;   Samaria;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Eli'sha;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Moab;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Israel;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ditch;   Elisha;  

Devotionals:

- Faith's Checkbook - Devotion for November 4;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Dig ditch after ditch in this wadi.’
Hebrew Names Version
He said, Thus says the LORD, Make this valley full of trenches.
King James Version
And he said, Thus saith the Lord , Make this valley full of ditches.
English Standard Version
And he said, "Thus says the Lord , ‘I will make this dry streambed full of pools.'
New Century Version
Then Elisha said, "The Lord says to dig holes in the valley.
New English Translation
and he said, "This is what the Lord says, ‘Make many cisterns in this valley,'
Amplified Bible
He said, "Thus says the LORD, 'Make this valley (the Arabah) full of trenches.'
New American Standard Bible
And he said, "This is what the LORD says: 'Make this valley full of trenches.'
Geneva Bible (1587)
And he saide, Thus saith the Lorde, Make this valley full of ditches.
Legacy Standard Bible
And he said, "Thus says Yahweh, ‘Make this valley full of trenches.'
Contemporary English Version
The Lord says that this dry riverbed will be filled with water.
Complete Jewish Bible
and he said, " Adonai says to dig until this valley is full of trenches.
Darby Translation
And he said, Thus saith Jehovah: Make this valley full of ditches.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then Elisha said, "This is what the Lord says: ‘Dig holes in the valley.'
George Lamsa Translation
And he said, Thus says the LORD: Let this valley be made full of cisterns.
Good News Translation
and he said, "This is what the Lord says: ‘Dig ditches all over this dry stream bed.
Lexham English Bible
He said, "Thus says Yahweh, ‘Make this wadi full of cisterns,'
Literal Translation
And he said, So says Jehovah, Make this valley full of ditches.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And he sayde: Thus sayeth the LORDE: Make pittes by this broke.
American Standard Version
And he said, Thus saith Jehovah, Make this valley full of trenches.
Bible in Basic English
And he said, The Lord says, I will make this valley full of water-holes.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he sayde, thus saith the Lorde: Make this valley full of ditches:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he said: 'Thus saith the LORD: Make this valley full of trenches.
King James Version (1611)
And hee sayde, Thus sayth the Lord, Make this valley full of ditches.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Make this valley full of trenches.
English Revised Version
And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of trenches.
Berean Standard Bible
and he said, "This is what the LORD says: 'Dig this valley full of ditches.'
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Make ye the wombe, ether depthe, of this stronde dichis and dichis.
Young's Literal Translation
and he saith, `Thus said Jehovah, Make this valley ditches -- ditches;
Update Bible Version
And he said, Thus says Yahweh, Make this valley full of trenches.
Webster's Bible Translation
And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Make this valley full of ditches.
World English Bible
He said, Thus says Yahweh, Make this valley full of trenches.
New King James Version
And he said, "Thus says the LORD: "Make this valley full of ditches.'
New Life Bible
He said, "This is what the Lord says, ‘Make this valley full of ditches.'
New Revised Standard
And he said, "Thus says the Lord , ‘I will make this wadi full of pools.'
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said he, Thus, saith Yahweh, Make, in this torrent-bed, pits, pits!
Douay-Rheims Bible
Thus saith the Lord: Make the channel of this torrent full of ditches.
Revised Standard Version
And he said, "Thus says the LORD, 'I will make this dry stream-bed full of pools.'
THE MESSAGE
He 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."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
He said, "Thus says the LORD, 'Make this valley full of trenches.'

Contextual Overview

6 So King Joram promptly mustered the army of Israel and marched from Samaria. 7 On the way, he sent this message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: "The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you join me in battle against him?" And Jehoshaphat replied, "Why, of course! You and I are as one. My troops are your troops, and my horses are your horses." 8 Then Jehoshaphat asked, "What route will we take?" "We will attack from the wilderness of Edom," Joram replied. 9 The king of Edom and his troops joined them, and all three armies traveled along a roundabout route through the wilderness for seven days. But there was no water for the men or their animals. 10 "What should we do?" the king of Israel cried out. "The Lord has brought the three of us here to let the king of Moab defeat us." 11 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." 12 Jehoshaphat said, "Yes, the Lord speaks through him." So the king of Israel, King Jehoshaphat of Judah, and the king of Edom went to consult with Elisha. 13 "Why are you coming to me?" Elisha asked the king of Israel. "Go to the pagan prophets of your father and mother!" But King Joram of Israel said, "No! For it was the Lord who called us three kings here—only to be defeated by the king of Moab!" 14 Elisha replied, "As surely as the Lord Almighty lives, whom I serve, I wouldn't even bother with you except for my respect for King Jehoshaphat of Judah. 15 Now bring me someone who can play the harp." While the harp was being played, the power of the Lord came upon Elisha,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Make this valley: 2 Kings 4:3, Numbers 2:18, Numbers 2:16-18

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 17:14 - thus saith 2 Kings 5:10 - wash Psalms 107:35 - turneth

Cross-References

Genesis 3:1
The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, "Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?"
Genesis 3:6
The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.
Genesis 3:7
At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
Genesis 3:8
When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.
Genesis 3:9
Then the Lord God called to the man, "Where are you?"
Genesis 3:10
He replied, "I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked."
Genesis 3:11
"Who told you that you were naked?" the Lord God asked. "Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?"
Genesis 3:12
The man replied, "It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it."
Genesis 3:16
Then he said to the woman, "I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you."
Genesis 3:17
And to the man he said, "Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he said, thus saith the Lord, make this valley full of ditches. In which the allied army lay encamped, that they might be ready to receive large quantities of water, sufficient for the whole army and cattle, when it came.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Ditches - Or “pits” Jeremiah 14:3. They were to dig pits in the broad valley or wady, wherein the water might remain, instead of flowing off down the torrent course.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Kings 3:16. Make this valley full of ditches. — The word נחל nachal may be translated brook, as it is by the Vulgate and Septuagint. There probably was a river here, but it was now dry; and the prophet desires that they would enlarge the channel, and cut out various canals from it, and reservoirs, where water might be collected for the refreshment of the army and of the cattle; and these were to be made so wide that the reflection of the sun's rays from this water might be the means of confounding and destroying the Moabites.


 
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