2 Kings 4:24

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

Then saddled she the ass, and said unto her young man - Lead on, and go forward, - do not slacken, for my sake, the riding, except I have bidden thee.

Parallel Translations

Update Bible Version
Then she saddled a donkey, and said to her attendant, Drive, and go forward; don't slow down the riding for me, except I bid you.

New Living Translation
So she saddled the donkey and said to the servant, "Hurry! Don't slow down unless I tell you to."

English Revised Version
Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slacken me not the riding, except I bid thee.

New Century Version
Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, "Lead on. Don't slow down for me unless I tell you."

New English Translation
She saddled the donkey and told her servant, "Lead on. Do not stop unless I say so."

Webster's Bible Translation
Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not [thy] riding for me, except I bid thee.

World English Bible
Then she saddled a donkey, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; don't slacken me the riding, except I bid you.

Amplified Bible
Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, "Drive [the animal] fast; do not slow down the pace for me unless I tell you."

English Standard Version
Then she saddled the donkey, and she said to her servant, "Urge the animal on; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And sche sadlide the asse, and comaundide to the child, Dryue thou, and haaste; make thou not tariyng to me in goyng, and do thou this thing which Y comaunde to thee.

Berean Standard Bible
Then she saddled the donkey and told her servant, "Drive onward; do not slow the pace for me unless I tell you."

Contemporary English Version
She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, "Let's go. And don't slow down unless I tell you to."

American Standard Version
Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slacken me not the riding, except I bid thee.

Bible in Basic English
Then she made the ass ready and said to her servant, Keep driving on; do not make a stop without orders from me.

Complete Jewish Bible
Then she saddled the donkey and ordered her servant, "Drive as fast as you can; don't slow down for me unless I say so."

Darby Translation
Then she saddled the ass, and said to her servant, Drive and go forward; slack not the riding for me, except I bid thee.

Easy-to-Read Version
Then she put a saddle on a donkey and said to her servant, "Let's go, and hurry! Go slow only when I tell you."

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant: 'Drive, and go forward; slacken me not the riding, except I bid thee.'

King James Version (1611)
Then she sadled an asse, and said to her seruant, Driue, and goe forward: slacke not thy riding for mee, except I bid thee.

New Life Bible
Then she put a seat on a donkey and said to her servant, "Drive on. Do not slow down for me unless I tell you."

New Revised Standard
Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, "Urge the animal on; do not hold back for me unless I tell you."

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then she sadled an asse, and sayde to her seruant, Driue, and goe forward: staye not for me to get vp, except I bid thee.

George Lamsa Translation
And they saddled an ass for her, and she said to the servant, Drive fast; do not stop to dismount me unless I tell you.

Good News Translation
Then she had the donkey saddled, and ordered the servant, "Make the donkey go as fast as it can, and don't slow down unless I tell you to."

Douay-Rheims Bible
And she saddled an ass, and commanded her servant: Drive, and make haste, make no stay in going: And do that which I bid thee.

Revised Standard Version
Then she saddled the ass, and she said to her servant, "Urge the beast on; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you."

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then she sadled an asse, and saide to her seruaunt: Dryue and go forwarde, staye not for me to get vp, except I hyd thee.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And she saddled the ass, and said to her servant, Be quick, proceed: spare not on my account to ride, unless I shall tell thee. Go, and thou shalt proceed, and come to the man of God to mount Carmel.

Christian Standard Bible®
Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Go fast; don’t slow the pace for me unless I tell you.”

Hebrew Names Version
Then she saddled a donkey, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; don't slacken me the riding, except I bid you.

King James Version
Then she saddled an ass, and said to her servant, Drive, and go forward; slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee.

Lexham English Bible
She saddled the female donkey, and she said to her servant, "Drive along and go; you must not hold me back from riding, unless I tell you."

Literal Translation
And she saddled the ass and said to her young man, Lead on, and go. Do not hold back riding for me except I speak to you.

Young's Literal Translation
And she saddleth the ass, and saith unto her young man, `Lead, and go, do not restrain riding for me, except I have said [so] to thee.'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And she sadled the asse, & sayde to the yongman: dryue forth, and kepe me not bak with rydinge, and do as I byd the.

THE MESSAGE
She went ahead and saddled the donkey, ordering her servant, "Take the lead—and go as fast as you can; I'll tell you if you're going too fast." And so off she went. She came to the Holy Man at Mount Carmel. The Holy Man, spotting her while she was still a long way off, said to his servant Gehazi, "Look out there; why, it's the Shunammite woman! Quickly now. Ask her, ‘Is something wrong? Are you all right? Your husband? Your child?'" She said, "Everything's fine." But when she reached the Holy Man at the mountain, she threw herself at his feet and held tightly to him. Gehazi came up to pull her away, but the Holy Man said, "Leave her alone—can't you see that she's in distress? But God hasn't let me in on why; I'm completely in the dark." Then she spoke up: "Did I ask for a son, master? Didn't I tell you, ‘Don't tease me with false hopes'?" He ordered Gehazi, "Don't lose a minute—grab my staff and run as fast as you can. If you meet anyone, don't even take time to greet him, and if anyone greets you, don't even answer. Lay my staff across the boy's face." The boy's mother said, "As sure as God lives and you live, you're not leaving me behind." And so Gehazi let her take the lead, and followed behind. But Gehazi arrived first and laid the staff across the boy's face. But there was no sound—no sign of life. Gehazi went back to meet Elisha and said, "The boy hasn't stirred." Elisha entered the house and found the boy stretched out on the bed dead. He went into the room and locked the door—just the two of them in the room—and prayed to God . He then got into bed with the boy and covered him with his body, mouth on mouth, eyes on eyes, hands on hands. As he was stretched out over him like that, the boy's body became warm. Elisha got up and paced back and forth in the room. Then he went back and stretched himself upon the boy again. The boy started sneezing—seven times he sneezed!—and opened his eyes. He called Gehazi and said, "Get the Shunammite woman in here!" He called her and she came in. Elisha said, "Embrace your son!" She fell at Elisha's feet, face to the ground in reverent awe. Then she embraced her son and went out with him. Elisha went back down to Gilgal. There was a famine there. While he was consulting with the guild of prophets, he told his servant, "Put a large pot on the fire and cook up some stew for the prophets." One of the men went out into the field to get some herbs; he came across a wild vine and picked gourds from it, filling his gunnysack. He brought them back, sliced them up, and put them in the stew, even though no one knew what kind of plant it was. The stew was then served up for the men to eat. They started to eat, and then exclaimed, "Death in the pot, O man of God! Death in the pot!" Nobody could eat it. Elisha ordered, "Get me some meal." Then he sprinkled it into the stew pot. "Now serve it up to the men," he said. They ate it, and it was just fine—nothing wrong with that stew! One day a man arrived from Baal Shalishah. He brought the man of God twenty loaves of fresh-baked bread from the early harvest, along with a few apples from the orchard. Elisha said, "Pass it around to the people to eat." His servant said, "For a hundred men? There's not nearly enough!" Elisha said, "Just go ahead and do it. God says there's plenty." And sure enough, there was. He passed around what he had—they not only ate, but had leftovers.

New American Standard Bible
Then she saddled the donkey and said to her servant, "Drive the donkey and go on; do not slow down the pace for me unless I tell you."

New King James Version
Then she saddled a donkey, and said to her servant, "Drive, and go forward; do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then she saddled a donkey and said to her servant, "Drive and go forward; do not slow down the pace for me unless I tell you."

Legacy Standard Bible
Then she saddled a donkey and said to her young man, "Drive and go; do not hold back the pace of the ride for me unless I tell you."

Contextual Overview

¹⁸ And, when the child was grown, it came to pass, on a certain day, that he went out unto his father, unto the reapers; ¹⁹ and he said unto his father - My head! my head! So he said unto the young man, Carry him to his mother. ²⁰ And, when he had carried him, and brought him in unto his mother, he sat on her knees until noon, and then died. ²¹ And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, - and shut him in, and then went out. ²² And she called unto her husband, and said - Send me, I pray thee, one of the young men, and one of the asses, - that I may run unto the man of God, and return! ²³ And he said - Wherefore art thou going unto him, to-day, neither new moon nor sabbath? And she said - Peace! ²⁴ Then saddled she the ass, and said unto her young man - Lead on, and go forward, - do not slacken, for my sake, the riding, except I have bidden thee. ²⁵ So she went her way, and came unto the man of God, unto Mount Carmel. And it came to pass, when the man of God saw her, opposite, that he said unto Gehazi young man, Lo! this Shunammitess! ²⁶ Now, run, I pray thee, to meet her, and say to her - Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child? And she said, Well! ²⁷ But, when she came unto the man of God, on the mount, she caught hold of his feet, - and Gehazi drew near to thrust her away, when the man of God said - Let her alone! for, her life, is embittered to her, howbeit, Yahweh, hath hidden it from me, and hath not told me.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Then she: Exodus 4:20, 1 Samuel 25:20, 1 Kings 13:13, 1 Kings 13:23

an ass: These animals were not anciently, as now, used only by the lower classes, but were in general use among the noble and chief personages of the East, and it was not unusual for even the husband to walk by the side of his wife while thus riding; the driver, as was the custom, following. The Shunammite, when she went to the prophet, did not desire so much attendance; but only requested her husband to send her an ass and its driver.

Drive: 1 Samuel 25:19

slack not thy riding for me: Heb. restrain not for me to ride

Reciprocal: Joshua 10:6 - Slack 2 Kings 4:22 - I may run Luke 10:4 - and

Cross-References

Genesis 4:15
And Yahweh said to him - Not so, whosoever slayeth Cain seven - fold, shall it be avenged. So Yahweh set, for Cain, a sign, that none finding him should smite him.

Matthew 18:22
Jesus saith to him - I say not unto thee, unto, seven, times, but, until seventy times seven.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then she saddled an ass,.... Her servant did it by her order:

and said to her servant, drive, and go forward; make all the haste he could:

slack not thy riding for me, except I bid thee; do not be afraid of riding too fast for me; if thou dost, I will tell thee; till then, keep on a good pace: Abarbinel says she walked afoot all the way, and ordered the man not to slacken his pace in riding for her, unless she called to him; and the Targum seems to favour this sense,

"do not press me to ride unless I call to thee;''

so that the ass was for Elijah to ride on; but one would think, that, as she was in haste, quicker dispatch would be made by her riding than by walking, see 2 Kings 4:22.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Slack not thy riding - Translate, “delay me not in my riding, except I bid thee.” The servant went on foot with the donkey to urge it forward, as is the ordinary custom in the East.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Kings 4:24. Drive, and go forward — It is customary in the East for a servant to walk along side or drive the ass his master rides. Sometimes he walks behind, and goads on the beast; and when it is to turn, he directs its head with the long pole of the goad. It is probably to this custom that the wise man alludes when he says, "I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking as servants on the earth," on the ground.