2 Kings 2:24

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

And, when he turned round and saw them, he cursed them, in the name of Yahweh, - and there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tare, of them, forty-two youths.

Parallel Translations

Update Bible Version
And he looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of Yahweh. And there came forth two she-bears out of the forest, and tore forty and two lads of them.

New Living Translation
Elisha turned around and looked at them, and he cursed them in the name of the Lord . Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of them.

English Revised Version
And he looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she–bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.

New Century Version
Elisha turned around, looked at them, and put a curse on them in the name of the Lord . Then two mother bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys to pieces.

New English Translation
When he turned around and saw them, he called God's judgment down on them. Two female bears came out of the woods and ripped forty-two of the boys to pieces.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tore forty and two children of them.

World English Bible
He looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of Yahweh. There came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and mauled forty-two lads of them.

Amplified Bible
When he turned around and looked at them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore to pieces forty-two of the boys.

English Standard Version
And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord . And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne he hadde biholde, he siy hem, and curside hem in the name of the Lord. And twey beeris yeden out of the forest, and to-rente fourti children of hem.

Berean Standard Bible
Then he turned around, looked at them, and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Suddenly two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the young men.

Contemporary English Version
Elisha turned around and stared at the boys. Then he cursed them in the name of the Lord . Right away two bears ran out of the woods and ripped to pieces forty-two of the boys.

American Standard Version
And he looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of Jehovah. And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two lads of them.

Bible in Basic English
And turning back, he saw them, and put a curse on them in the name of the Lord. And two she-bears came out of the wood and put forty-two of the children to death.

Complete Jewish Bible
He looked behind him, saw them and put a curse on them in the name of Adonai ; whereupon two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.

Darby Translation
And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of Jehovah. And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tore forty-two children of them.

Easy-to-Read Version
Elisha looked back and saw them. He asked the Lord to cause bad things to happen to them. Then two bears came out of the forest and attacked the boys. There were 42 boys ripped apart by the bears.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tore forty and two children of them.

King James Version (1611)
And hee turned backe, and looked on them, and cursed them in the Name of the Lord: and there came foorth two shee Beares out of the wood, and tare fortie and two children of them.

New Life Bible
He looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came from among the trees and tore up forty-two of the boys.

New Revised Standard
When he turned around and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord . Then two she-bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And he turned backe, & looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And two beares came out of the forest, and tare in pieces two and fourtie children of them.

George Lamsa Translation
And he turned back and saw them and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she-bears out of the forest, and tore forty-two of the boys.

Good News Translation
Elisha turned around, glared at them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord . Then two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys to pieces.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And looking back, he saw them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord: and there came forth two bears out of the forest, and tore of them, two and forty boys.

Revised Standard Version
And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he turned backe, and loked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lorde: And there came two shee beares out of the wood, and tare fourtie and two children of them.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he turned after them, and saw them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And, behold, there came out two bears out of the wood, and they tore forty and two children of them.

Christian Standard Bible®
He turned around, looked at them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the children.

Hebrew Names Version
He looked behind him and saw them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. There came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and mauled forty-two lads of them.

King James Version
And he turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord . And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.

Lexham English Bible
When he turned around and saw them, he cursed them in the name of Yahweh. Then two bears came out of the forest and mauled forty-two boys among them.

Literal Translation
And he turned behind him and saw them, and declared them vile in the name of Jehovah. And two bears came out of the forest and tore forty two boys of them.

Young's Literal Translation
And he looketh behind him, and seeth them, and declareth them vile in the name of Jehovah, and two bears come out of the forest, and rend of them forty and two lads.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And he turned him aboute. And wha he sawe them, he cursed them in the name of the LORDE. Then came there two Beeres out of the wod, and rente two and fortye of the children.

THE MESSAGE
Elisha turned, took one look at them, and cursed them in the name of God . Two bears charged out of the underbrush and knocked them about, ripping them limb from limb—forty-two children in all!

New American Standard Bible
When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two of the boys.

New King James Version
So he turned around and looked at them, and pronounced a curse on them in the name of the LORD. And two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
When he looked behind him and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their number.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then he looked behind him and saw them. And he cursed them in the name of Yahweh. Then two female bears came out of the woods and tore up forty-two lads of their number.

Contextual Overview

¹⁹ And the men of the city said unto Elisha, Lo! we pray thee, the situation of the city, is good, as, my lord, seeth, - but, the waters, are bad, and, the land, apt to miscarry. ²⁰ And he said - Bring me a new bowl, and put therein, salt. So they brought it unto him; ²¹ and he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast therein, saith, - and said - Thus, saith Yahweh, I have healed these waters; there shall come from thence, no longer, death or aptness to miscarry. ²² So the waters were healed, as they remain unto this day, - according to the word of Elisha which he spake. ²³ And he went up from thence, to Bethel, - and, as he was going up on the way, some lads, came forth, out of the city, and made mockery of him, and said to him, Go up, bald head! Go up, bald head! ²⁴ And, when he turned round and saw them, he cursed them, in the name of Yahweh, - and there came forth two she-bears out of the wood, and tare, of them, forty-two youths. ²⁵ And he went from thence, unto Mount Carmel, - and, from thence, he returned, to Samaria.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

cursed them: 2 Kings 1:10-12, Genesis 9:25, Deuteronomy 28:15-26, Judges 9:20, Judges 9:57, Jeremiah 28:16, Jeremiah 29:21-23, Lamentations 3:65, Amos 7:17, Mark 11:14, Mark 11:21, Acts 5:5, Acts 5:9, Acts 8:20, Acts 13:9-11, 2 Corinthians 10:6

she bears: 2 Samuel 17:8, Proverbs 17:12, Proverbs 28:15, Hosea 13:8

children of them: Exodus 20:5, 1 Kings 13:24, 1 Kings 19:17, 1 Kings 20:36

Reciprocal: Genesis 21:9 - mocking Genesis 37:20 - Some Genesis 37:33 - evil beast Leviticus 26:6 - rid Leviticus 26:22 - rob you 2 Kings 3:12 - The word 2 Kings 8:4 - all the great 2 Kings 17:25 - the Lord sent Daniel 7:5 - another Revelation 13:2 - and his feet

Cross-References

Genesis 2:1
Thus were finished the heavens and the earth and all their host.

Genesis 2:2
Thus God finished, on the seventh day his work which he had made, and rested, on the seventh day, from all his work which he had made.

Genesis 2:3
And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it, - because therein, rested he from all his work which God, by creating, had made.

Genesis 2:4
These are the geneses of the heavens and the earth when they were created, - in the day when Yahweh God made earth and heavens.

Genesis 2:6
but, a vapour, went up from the earth, - and watered all the face of the ground.

Genesis 2:7
So then Yahweh God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed in his nostrils the breath of life - and man became a living soul.

Genesis 2:9
And Yahweh God, caused to spring up, out of the ground, every tree pleasant to the sight and good for food, - and the tree of life, in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:10
Now, a river, was coming forth out of Eden, to water the garden, - and, from thence, it parted, and became four heads,

Genesis 2:11
The name of the one, is Pishon, - the same, is that which surroundeth all the land of Havilah, where is gold;

Genesis 2:12
moreover the gold of that and, is good, - there, is the bdellium, and the beryl stone,

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he turned back, and looked on them,.... With a stern countenance, thereby reproving them, and in order to intimidate them, and make them ashamed, and cause them to leave off, but to no purpose; they repeated their mockeries with great vehemence:

and cursed them in the name of the Lord; moved thereunto, not from passion and a spirit of revenge, but by an impulse of the Spirit of God:

and there came forth two she bears out of the wood; which are fiercest, and especially when bereaved of their whelps, as these might be; the wood seems to be near to Bethel, perhaps in the wilderness of Bethel, of which see Joshua 8:15, and Reland y thinks it is the same with the wood of Ephraim, 2 Samuel 18:6, though the Jews, to increase the miracle, say z there was no wood at all, and, if there was, that there were no bears in it; but though those creatures are mostly in northern countries, yet there were of them in Judea, see 1 Samuel 17:34

and tare forty and two children of them; it seems there were more than these; but such a number of them they tore to pieces and destroyed; which was very extraordinary, and was an awful punishment for their wickedness, which they knowingly and willingly committed, and of their parents in them, who had trained them up in such impiety, and put them upon it, and sent them out to do it.

y Palestin. Illustrat. p. 378. z T. Bab. Sotah, fol. 47. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

On this occasion only do we find Elisha a minister of vengeance. Perhaps it was necessary to show, at the outset of his career as a prophet, that he too, so mild and peaceful could, like Elijah, wield the terrors of God’s judgments (1 Kings 19:19 note). The persons really punished were, not so much the children, as the wicked parents 2 Kings 2:23, whose mouth-pieces the children were, and who justly lost the gift of offspring of which they had shown themselves unworthy.