2 Kings 2:24

2:24 When he turned around and saw them, he called God’s judgment down on them. ¹  Two female bears came out of the woods and ripped forty-two of the boys to pieces.

2 Kings 3:21

3:21 Now all Moab had heard that the kings were attacking, ²  so everyone old enough to fight was mustered and placed at the border. ³ 

¹ tn Heb “he cursed them in the name of the Lord.” A curse was a formal appeal to a higher authority (here the Lord) to vindicate one’s cause through judgment. As in chapter one, this account makes it clear that disrespect for the Lord’s designated spokesmen can be deadly, for it is ultimately rejection of the Lord’s authority.

² tn Heb “had come up to fight them.”

³ tn Heb “and they mustered all who tied on a belt and upwards, and they stood at the border.”