2 Kings 10:5
3 select the best and most worthy son of your master, set him on his father’s throne, and fight for your master’s house.”
4 But they were terrified and reasoned, “If two kings could not stand against him, how can we?”
So the palace administrator, the overseer of the city, the elders, and the guardians sent a message to Jehu: “We are your servants, and we will do whatever you say. We will not make anyone king. Do whatever is good in your sight.”
6 Then Jehu wrote them a second letter and said: “If you are on my side, and if you will obey me, then bring the heads of your master’s sons to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow.” Now the sons of the king, seventy in all, were being brought up by the leading men of the city.
7 And when the letter arrived, they took the sons of the king and slaughtered all seventy of them. They put their heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel.
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- So the palace administrator, the overseer of the city, the elders, and the guardians sent a message to Jehu: “We are your servants, and we will do whatever you say. We will not make anyone king. Do whatever is good in your sight.”
- KJV
- And he that was over the house, and he that was over the city, the elders also, and the bringers up of the children, sent to Jehu, saying, We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us; we will not make any king: do thou that which is good in thine eyes.
- WEB
- He who was over the household, and he who was over the city, the elders also, and those who raised the children, sent to Jehu, saying, “We are your servants, and will do all that you ask us. We will not make any man king. You do that which is good in your eyes.”
- ASV
- And he that was over the household, and he that was over the city, the elders also, and they that brought up [the children], sent to Jehu, saying, We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us; we will not make any man king: do thou that which is good in thine eyes.
- DARBY
- And he that was over the house, and he that was over the city, and the elders, and the guardians sent to Jehu, saying, We are thy servants, and will do all that thou shalt bid us; we will not make any one king; do what is good in thy sight.
- BLB
- And he who [was] over the house, and he who [was] in charge of the city, and the elders, and the supporters, sent to Jehu, saying, “We [are] your servants, and all that you tell to us, we will do. But not any man we will make king. That which [is] good in your eyes, do.”
- ÅB
- Så sendte slottshøvdingen og høvdingen over byen og de eldste og formynderne bud til Jehu og lot si: Vi er dine tjenere, og alt hva du sier til oss, vil vi gjøre; vi vil ikke gjøre noen til konge; gjør du hva du finner for godt!
- OTB
- Og forvalteren av huset og forvalteren av byen, sammen med de eldste og vokterne, sendte ord til Jehu og sa, “Vi er dine tjenere; alt du sier vil vi gjøre. Vi vil ikke gjøre noen til konge. Gjør det som er godt i dine øyne.”
- B1930
- Så sendte slottshøvdingen og høvdingen over byen og de eldste og formynderne bud til Jehu og lot si: Vi er dine tjenere, og alt hvad du sier til oss, vil vi gjøre; vi vil ikke gjøre nogen til konge; gjør du hvad du finner for godt!
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
1 Kings 20:4
And the king of Israel replied, “Just as you say, my lord the king: I am yours, along with all that I have.”
Read in context1 Kings 20:32
So with sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, they went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please spare my life.’” And the king answered, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”
Read in contextJoshua 9:11
So the elders and inhabitants of our land told us, ‘Take provisions for your journey; go to meet them and say to them: We are your servants. Please make a treaty with us.’
Read in contextJoshua 9:8
“We are your servants,” they said to Joshua. Then Joshua asked them, “Who are you and where have you come from?”
Read in context2 Kings 18:14
So Hezekiah king of Judah sent word to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, “I have done wrong; withdraw from me, and I will pay whatever you demand from me.” And the king of Assyria exacted from Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
Read in contextJoshua 9:24–25
The Gibeonites answered, “Your servants were told clearly that the LORD your God had commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land and wipe out all its inhabitants before you. So we greatly feared for our lives because of you, and that is why we have done this.
Read in contextJeremiah 27:7–8
All nations will serve him and his son and grandson, until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings will enslave him.
Read in contextJeremiah 27:17
Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon and live! Why should this city become a ruin?
Read in context