1:9 The king 5 sent a captain and his fifty soldiers 6 to retrieve Elijah. 7 The captain 8 went up to him, while he was sitting on the top of a hill. 9 He told him, “Prophet, 10 the king says, ‘Come down!’” 1:10 Elijah replied to the captain, 11 “If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!” Fire then came down 12 from the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers.
1:11 The king 13 sent another captain and his fifty soldiers to retrieve Elijah. He went up and told him, 14 “Prophet, this is what the king says, ‘Come down at once!’” 15 1:12 Elijah replied to them, 16 “If I am indeed a prophet, may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!” Fire from God 17 came down from the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers.
4:25 So she went to visit 19 the prophet at Mount Carmel. When he 20 saw her at a distance, he said to his servant Gehazi, “Look, it’s the Shunammite woman.
4:38 Now Elisha went back to Gilgal, while there was famine in the land. Some of the prophets were visiting him 24 and he told his servant, “Put the big pot on the fire 25 and boil some stew for the prophets.” 26
5:1 Now Naaman, the commander of the king of Syria’s army, was esteemed and respected by his master, 29 for through him the Lord had given Syria military victories. But this great warrior had a skin disease. 30
5:8 When Elisha the prophet 32 heard that the king had torn his clothes, he sent this message to the king, “Why did you tear your clothes? Send him 33 to me so he may know there is a prophet in Israel.”
8:23 The rest of the events of Joram’s reign, including a record of his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 39
10:34 The rest of the events of Jehu’s reign, including all his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 52
13:8 The rest of the events of Jehoahaz’s reign, including all his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 59
During his reign,
21:17 The rest of the events of Manasseh’s reign and all his accomplishments, as well as the sinful acts he committed, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 83
21:19 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned for two years in Jerusalem. 84 His mother 85 was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz, from Jotbah.
23:36 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. 86 His mother was Zebidah the daughter of Pedaiah, from Rumah.
24:18 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled for eleven years in Jerusalem. 88 His mother 89 was Hamutal, 90 the daughter of Jeremiah, from Libnah.
24:20 What follows is a record of what happened to Jerusalem and Judah because of the Lord’s anger; he finally threw them out of his presence. 91 Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.
1 map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.
2 tn Heb “and he sent messengers and said to them.”
3 tn That is, “seek an oracle from.”
4 sn Apparently Baal Zebub refers to a local manifestation of the god Baal at the Philistine city of Ekron. The name appears to mean “Lord of the Flies,” but it may be a deliberate scribal corruption of Baal Zebul, “Baal, the Prince,” a title known from the Ugaritic texts. For further discussion and bibliography, see HALOT 261 s.v. זְבוּב בַּעַל and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 25.
5 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 tn Heb “officer of fifty and his fifty.”
7 tn Heb “to him.”
8 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the captain) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9 sn The prophet Elijah’s position on the top of the hill symbolizes his superiority to the king and his messengers.
10 tn Heb “man of God” (also in vv. 10, 11, 12, 13).
11 tn Heb “answered and said to the officer of fifty.”
12 tn Wordplay contributes to the irony here. The king tells Elijah to “come down” (Hebrew יָרַד, yarad), but Elijah calls fire down (יָרַד) on the arrogant king’s officer.
13 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
14 tc The MT reads, “he answered and said to him.” The verb “he answered” (וַיַּעַן, vayya’an) is probably a corruption of “he went up” (וַיַּעַל, vayya’al). See v. 9.
15 sn In this second panel of the three-paneled narrative, the king and his captain are more arrogant than before. The captain uses a more official sounding introduction (“this is what the king says”) and the king adds “at once” to the command.
16 tc Two medieval Hebrew
17 tn Or “intense fire.” The divine name may be used idiomatically to emphasize the intensity of the fire. Whether one translates אֱלֹהִים (’elohim) here as a proper name or idiomatically, this addition to the narrative (the name is omitted in the first panel, v. 10b) emphasizes the severity of the judgment and is appropriate given the more intense command delivered by the king to the prophet in this panel.
18 sn Elisha may be referring to the fiery chariot(s) and horses as the Lord’s spiritual army that fights on behalf of Israel (see 2 Kgs 6:15-17; 7:6). However, the juxtaposition with “my father” (clearly a reference to Elijah as Elisha’s mentor), and the parallel in 2 Kgs 13:14 (where the king addresses Elisha with these words), suggest that Elisha is referring to Elijah. In this case Elijah is viewed as a one man army, as it were. When the Lord spoke through him, his prophetic word was as powerful as an army of chariots and horses. See M. A. Beek, “The Meaning of the Expression ‘The Chariots and Horsemen of Israel’ (II Kings ii 12),” The Witness of Tradition (OTS 17), 1-10.
19 tn Heb “went and came.”
20 tn Heb “the man of God.” The phrase has been replaced by the relative pronoun “he” in the translation for stylistic reasons.
21 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elisha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
22 tn Heb “and he returned and went into the house, once here and once there.”
23 tn Heb “and he went up.”
24 tn Heb “the sons of the prophets were sitting before him.”
25 tn The words “the fire” are added for clarification.
26 tn Heb “sons of the prophets.”
27 tn Heb “How can I set this before a hundred men?”
28 tn The verb forms are infinitives absolute (Heb “eating and leaving over”) and have to be translated in light of the context.
29 tn Heb “was a great man before his master and lifted up with respect to the face.”
30 tn For a discussion of מְצֹרָע (mÿtsora’), traditionally translated “leprous,” see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 63. Naaman probably had a skin disorder of some type, not leprosy/Hansen’s disease.
31 tn Heb “and now when this letter comes to you, look, I have sent to you Naaman my servant.”
32 tn Heb “man of God” (also in vv. 15, 20).
33 tn Heb “Let him come.”
34 tn Heb “according to the word of the man of God.”
35 tn Heb “and his skin was restored, like the skin of a small child.”
36 tn Heb “Be resolved and accept two talents.”
37 tn Heb “before him.”
38 tn Heb “and he saw, and look.”
39 tn Heb “As for the rest of the acts of Joram and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
40 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
41 tn Hebrew בַּת (bat), “daughter,” can refer, as here to a granddaughter. See HALOT 166 s.v. בַּת.
42 tn Heb “anointed.”
43 tn Heb “and open the door and run away and do not delay.”
44 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Jehu) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
45 tn Heb “and they hurried and took, each one his garment, and they placed [them] beneath him on the bone [?] of the steps.” The precise nuance of גֶרֶם (gerem), “bone,” is unclear. Some suggest the nuance “bare” here; it may be a technical architectural term in this context.
46 tn Heb “they blew the trumpet.” This has been translated as a passive to avoid the implication that the same ones who shouted had all blown trumpets.
47 tn Or “has become.”
48 tn The words “when she hit the ground” are added for stylistic reasons.
49 tn Heb “and he trampled her.”
50 tn Heb “It is the word of the
51 tn Heb “Know then that there has not fallen from the word of the
52 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jehu, and all which he did and all his strength, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
53 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jehoiada) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
54 tn The Hebrew term עֵדוּת (’edut) normally means “witness” or “testimony.” Here it probably refers to some tangible symbol of kingship, perhaps a piece of jewelry such as an amulet or neck chain. See the discussion in M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 128. Some suggest that a document is in view, perhaps a copy of the royal protocol or of the stipulations of the Davidic covenant. See HALOT 790-91 s.v. עֵדוּת.
55 tn Or “they made him king and anointed him.”
56 tn Heb “Indeed he did not leave to Jehoahaz people.” The identity of the subject is uncertain, but the king of Syria, mentioned later in the verse, is a likely candidate.
57 tn Heb “them,” i.e., the remainder of this troops.
58 tn Heb “and made them like dust for trampling.”
59 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jehoahaz, and all which he did and his strength, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
60 tn Heb “from the hand of.”
61 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
62 tn Heb “the name of his mother.”
63 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
64 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
65 tn Heb “turn away from.”
66 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
67 tn Heb “turn away from.”
68 tc The MT of v. 18 ends with the words, “all his days.” If this phrase is taken with what precedes, then one should translate, “[who encouraged Israel to sin] throughout his reign.” However, it may be preferable to emend the text to בְיֹמָיו (bÿyomav), “in his days,” and join the phrase to what follows. The translation assumes this change.
69 tn Heb “and struck him down and killed him.”
70 tn Heb “he walked in the way of.”
71 sn This may refer to child sacrifice, though some interpret it as a less drastic cultic practice. For discussion see M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 266-67.
72 tn Heb “like the abominable practices of the nations.”
73 tn Heb “until.”
74 tn Heb “the
75 tn Heb “just as he said.”
76 tn Heb “and outstretched arm.”
77 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
78 tn Heb “the name of his mother.”
79 tn The parallel passage in 2 Chr 29:1 has “Abijah.”
80 tn Heb “listen to the voice of.”
81 tn Heb “his covenant.”
82 tn Heb “all that Moses, the
83 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Manasseh, and all which he did, and his sin which he committed, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
84 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
85 tn Heb “the name of his mother.”
86 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
87 tn Heb “he sent them against Judah to destroy it, according to the word of the
88 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
89 tn Heb “the name of his mother.”
90 tc Some textual witnesses support the consonantal text (Kethib) in reading “Hamital.”
91 tn Heb “Surely [or, ‘for’] because of the anger of the