2 Kings 1:11

The king ¹  sent another captain and his fifty soldiers to retrieve Elijah. He went up and told him, ²  “Prophet, this is what the king says, ‘Come down at once!’” ³ 

At this the king sent to Elijah another captain with his fifty men. The captain said to him, "Man of God, this is what the king says, ‘Come down at once!’"

So he again sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he said to him, "O man of God, thus says the king, ‘Come down quickly.’"

So the king sent another captain with fifty men. The captain said to him, "Man of God, the king says that you must come down right away."

The king sent another captain with his fifty men, "O Holy Man! King's orders: Come down. And right now!"

Then the king sent another captain of fifty with his fifty men; and he said to Elijah, O man of God, the king says, Come down quickly.

Again the king sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty. He went up and said to him, "O man of God, this is the king’s order: Come down quickly!"

Then he sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty men. And he answered and said to him: "Man of God, thus has the king said, ‘Come down quickly!’"

The king ¹  sent another captain and his fifty soldiers to retrieve Elijah. He went up and told him, ²  “Prophet, this is what the king says, ‘Come down at once!’” ³ 

¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² 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.

³ 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.