2 Kings 3:9

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

Then departed the king of Israel, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom, and went round, a journey of seven days, - and there was no water for the host, nor for the cattle that went with them.

Parallel Translations

Update Bible Version
So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom; and they made a circuit of seven days' journey: and there was no water for the host, nor for the beasts that followed them.

New Living Translation
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.

English Revised Version
So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they made a circuit of seven days’ journey: and there was no water for the host, nor for the beasts that followed them.

New Century Version
So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. After they had marched seven days, there was no more water for the army or for their animals that were with them.

New English Translation
So the kings of Israel, Judah, and Edom set out together. They wandered around on the road for seven days and finally ran out of water for the men and animals they had with them.

Webster's Bible Translation
So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days' journey: and there was no water for the army, and for the cattle that followed them.

World English Bible
So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom; and they made a circuit of seven days' journey: and there was no water for the host, nor for the animals that followed them.

Amplified Bible
So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. They made a circuit of seven days' journey, but there was no water for the army or for the cattle that followed them.

English Standard Version
So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. And when they had made a circuitous march of seven days, there was no water for the army or for the animals that followed them.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor the kyng of Israel, and the kyng of Juda, and the kyng of Edom, yeden forth, and cumpassiden bi the weie of seuene daies; and `watir was not to the oost, and to the beestis, that sueden hem.

Berean Standard Bible
So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom set out, and after they had traveled a roundabout route for seven days, they had no water for their army or for their animals.

Contemporary English Version
So Joram, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom led their troops out. But seven days later, there was no drinking water left for them or their animals.

American Standard Version
So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom; and they made a circuit of seven days' journey: and there was no water for the host, nor for the beasts that followed them.

Bible in Basic English
So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom by a roundabout way for seven days: and there was no water for the army or for the beasts they had with them.

Complete Jewish Bible
So the king of Isra'el set out, along with the king of Y'hudah and the king of Edom. After a roundabout journey of seven days, there was no water for either the army or the animals following them.

Darby Translation
And the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom, and they made a circuit of seven days' journey. And there was no water for the army, and for the cattle that followed them.

Easy-to-Read Version
So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. They traveled around for seven days. There was not enough water for the army or for their animals.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom; and they made a circuit of seven days' journey; and there was no water for the host, nor for the beasts that followed them.

King James Version (1611)
So the king of Israel went, and the king of Iudah, and the king of Edom: and they fetcht a compasse of seuen dayes iourney: and there was no water for the hoste, and for the cattell that followed them.

New Life Bible
So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. They traveled around for seven days, but there was no water for the army or the cattle that followed them.

New Revised Standard
So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom set out; and when they had made a roundabout march of seven days, there was no water for the army or for the animals that were with them.

Geneva Bible (1587)
So went the King of Israel & the king of Iudah, and the King of Edom, and when they had compassed the way seuen dayes, they had no water for the hoste, nor for the cattell that followed them.

George Lamsa Translation
So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom, and traveled seven days journey; and there was no water for the army and for the people who were with them.

Good News Translation
So King Joram and the kings of Judah and Edom set out. After marching seven days, they ran out of water, and there was none left for the men or the pack animals.

Douay-Rheims Bible
So the king of Israel, and the king of Juda, and the king of Edom, went, and they fetched a compass of seven days journey, and there was no water for the army, and for the beasts, that followed them.

Revised Standard Version
So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom. And when they had made a circuitous march of seven days, there was no water for the army or for the beasts which followed them.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And so the king of Israel toke his iourney, and the king of Iuda, and the king of Edom: And when they had compassed the way seuen dayes, they had no water for the hoast, and for the cattayle that folowed them.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the king of Israel went, and the king of Juda, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days’ journey; and there was no water for the army, and for the cattle that went with them.

Christian Standard Bible®
So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom set out. After they had traveled their indirect route for seven days, they had no water for the army or the animals with them.

Hebrew Names Version
So the king of Yisra'el went, and the king of Yehudah, and the king of Edom; and they made a circuit of seven days' journey: and there was no water for the host, nor for the animals that followed them.

King James Version
So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom: and they fetched a compass of seven days' journey: and there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them.

Lexham English Bible
So the king of Israel and the king of Judah and the king of Edom went around, a way of seven days, but there was no water for the army or for the animals which were with them.

Literal Translation
And the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom. And they made a circuit of seven days' journey. And there was no water for the army, and for the livestock that were at their feet.

Young's Literal Translation
And the king of Israel goeth, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom, and they turn round the way seven days, and there hath been no water for the camp, and for the cattle that [are] at their feet,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
So the kynge of Israel, the kynge of Iuda, & the kynge of Edom wente forth. And whan they had gone aboute seue dayes iourney, ye hoost & the catell yt were amonge the had no water.

THE MESSAGE
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.

New American Standard Bible
So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom, and they made a circuit of seven days' journey. But there was no water for the army or for the cattle that followed them.

New King James Version
So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom, and they marched on that roundabout route seven days; and there was no water for the army, nor for the animals that followed them.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom; and they made a circuit of seven days' journey, and there was no water for the army or for the cattle that followed them.

Legacy Standard Bible
So the king of Israel went with the king of Judah and the king of Edom; and they went around on a seven days' journey, and there was no water for the camp or for the cattle that followed them.

Contextual Overview

⁶ So King Jehoram went forth, on that day, out of Samaria, and numbered all Israel. ⁷ And he departed, and sent unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, saying - The king of Moab, hath revolted against me, wilt thou go with me against Moab to battle? And he said - I will go up, I am as thou art, my people are as thy people, my horses as thy horses. ⁸ And he said - Which way, then, shall we go up? And he said - The way of the wilderness of Edom. ⁹ Then departed the king of Israel, and the king of Judah, and the king of Edom, and went round, a journey of seven days, - and there was no water for the host, nor for the cattle that went with them. ¹⁰ Then said the king of Israel - Alas! for Yahweh hath called these three kings, to deliver them into the hand of Moab. ¹¹ 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. ¹² Then said Jehoshaphat, The word of Yahweh, is with him. So the king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom, went down unto him. ¹³ And Elisha said unto the king of Israel - What have I and thou in common? get thee unto the prophets of thy father, and unto the prophets of thy mother. But the king of Israel said to him - Nay! for Yahweh hath called together these three kings, to deliver them into the hand of Moab. ¹⁴ Then said Elisha - By the life of Yahweh of hosts, before whom I stand, were it not that, the countenance of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, I would lift up, I would neither look at thee, nor see thee. ¹⁵ But, now, bring me one that can touch the strings. For it used to be, when the player touched the strings, then would, the hand of Yahweh, be upon him.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Edom: 1 Kings 22:27

no water: Exodus 15:22, Exodus 17:1, Numbers 20:2, Numbers 20:4, Numbers 21:5, Numbers 33:14

that followed them: Heb. at their feet, Exodus 11:8, *marg. Judges 4:10

Reciprocal: Genesis 21:15 - the water 1 Kings 22:47 - no king 2 Kings 3:26 - unto the king of Edom 2 Kings 8:20 - Edom 2 Chronicles 21:8 - and made Psalms 84:6 - the rain Proverbs 19:3 - foolishness Amos 2:1 - because

Cross-References

Genesis 3:12
And the man said, - The woman whom thou didst put with me, she, gave me of the tree, so I did eat.

Genesis 3:13
Then said Yahweh God to the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, the serpent, deceived me, so I did eat.

Genesis 3:17
And, to the man, he said, Because thou didst hearken to the voice of thy wife, and so didst eat of the tree as to which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it, Accursed be the ground for thy sake, In pain, shalt thou eat of it, all the days of thy life;

Genesis 3:19
In the sweat of thy face, shalt thou eat bread, until thou return to the ground, because therefrom, wast thou taken, - For, dust, thou art, And, unto dust, shalt thou return.

Genesis 3:20
So the man called the name of his wife, Eve, - in that, she, was made mother of every one living.

Genesis 3:21
And Yahweh God made for the man - and for his wife - tunics of skin and clothed them.

Genesis 4:9
Then said Yahweh unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said know not, the keeper of my brother, am, I?

Genesis 11:5
And Yahweh came down, to behold the city, and the tower, - which the sons of men had built.

Genesis 16:8
So he said Hagar! handmaid of Sarai! Whence hast thou come, and whither wouldst thou go? And she said, From the face of Sarai, my lady, am, I, fleeing.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

So the king of Israel went, and the king of Judah,.... The way of the wilderness of Edom, proposed by the latter:

and the king of Edom; whom they took with them in their way, who was not properly a king, but a viceroy or deputy, see 1 Kings 22:47

and they fetched a compass of seven days journey; they went round the Dead Sea, and through the wilderness of Edom, and so to the borders of Moab:

and there was no water for the host, and for the cattle that followed them; neither for the soldiers in the army, nor the cattle that drew the carriages, being in a wilderness.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Seven days’ journey - The distance of the route probably followed is not much more than 100 miles. But the difficulties of the way are great; and the army might not be able to move along it at a faster rate than about 15 miles a day.

No water - The kings had probably expected to find sufficient water for both men and baggage animals in the Wady-el-Ahsy, which divides Edom from Moab, and which has a stream that is now regarded as perennial. But it was dried up - quite a possible occurrence with any of the streams of this region.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Kings 3:9. A compass of seven days' journey — By taking a circuitous route, to go round the southern part of the Dead Sea, they probably intended to surprise the Moabites; but it appears their journey was ill planned, as they at last got into a country in which it was impossible to obtain water, and they were brought in consequence to the utmost extremity.