Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G Messageand tell them: 'The king's orders — throw this man in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I come back safely.'
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.Gand say: 'Thus says the king — Put this man in the prison house and feed him bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I return in shalom.'
KJV
King James VersionAnd say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.
BSB
Berean Standard Bibleand tell them that this is what the king says: ‘Put this man in prison and feed him only bread and water until I return safely.’”
Footnotes
The phrase *lechem lachatz u'mayim lachatz* ('bread of affliction / water of affliction') denotes punitive rations — the bare minimum to keep a prisoner alive, stripped of dignity. The root *lachatz* (oppression, pressure) is the very word used of Yisra'el's bondage in Mitzrayim (Exod. 3:9). The irony is devastating: Ach'av treats YHWH's true prophet exactly as Pharaoh treated YHWH's people. FOG preserves the literal 'bread of affliction / water of affliction' to keep the Exodus resonance audible; FOG Message renders it colloquially to capture the contemptuous dismissiveness of the royal order.
