Job 20:13

Amplified Bible

Though he desires it and will not let it go But holds it in his mouth,

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
though he cherishes it and will not let it gobut keeps it in his mouth,

Hebrew Names Version
Though he spare it, and will not let it go, But keep it still within his mouth;

King James Version
Though he spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it still within his mouth:

English Standard Version
though he is loath to let it go and holds it in his mouth,

New Century Version
They cannot stand to let go of it; they keep it in their mouths.

New English Translation
if he retains it for himself and does not let it go, and holds it fast in his mouth,

New American Standard Bible
Though he desires it and will not let it go, But holds it in his mouth,

World English Bible
Though he spare it, and will not let it go, But keep it still within his mouth;

Geneva Bible (1587)
And fauoured it, and would not forsake it, but kept it close in his mouth,

Legacy Standard Bible
Though he desires it and will not forsake it,And holds it to his palate,

Berean Standard Bible
though he cannot bear to let it go and keeps it in his mouth,

Contemporary English Version
and swallow it slowly.

Complete Jewish Bible
he may linger over it and not let it go but keep it there in his mouth —

Darby Translation
[Though] he spare it, and forsake it not, but keep it within his mouth,

Easy-to-Read Version
He hates to let it go and holds it in his mouth.

George Lamsa Translation
Though he spare it and forsake it not, but keep it still in his mouth;

Lexham English Bible
though he spares it and does not let it go and holds it back in the midst of his palate,

Literal Translation
he spares it, and he will not leave it; yea, he keeps holding it in his mouth);

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
That he fauoureth, that wyll he not forsake, but kepeth it close in his throte.

American Standard Version
Though he spare it, and will not let it go, But keep it still within his mouth;

Bible in Basic English
Though he takes care of it, and does not let it go, but keeps it still in his mouth;

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Though he spare it, and will not let it go, but keep it still within his mouth;

King James Version (1611)
Though he spare it, and forsake it not, but keepe it stil within his mouth:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
That he fauoured, that would he not forsake, but kept it close in his throte.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
though he will not spare it, and will not leave it, but will keep it in the midst of his throat:

English Revised Version
Though he spare it, and will not let it go, but keep it still within his mouth;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
He schal spare it, and schal not forsake it; and schal hide in his throte.

Update Bible Version
Though he spares it, and will not let it go, But keeps it still inside his mouth;

Webster's Bible Translation
[Though] he may spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it still within his mouth:

New King James Version
Though he spares it and does not forsake it, But still keeps it in his mouth,

New Living Translation
They savored it, holding it long in their mouths.

New Life Bible
He hates to let it go, and holds it in his mouth.

New Revised Standard
though they are loath to let it go, and hold it in their mouths,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Though he spare it, and will not let it go, but retain it in the midst of his mouth,

Douay-Rheims Bible
He will spare it, and not leave it, and will hide it in his throat.

Revised Standard Version
though he is loath to let it go, and holds it in his mouth,

Young's Literal Translation
Hath pity on it, and doth not forsake it, And keep it back in the midst of his palate,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Though he desires it and will not let it go, But holds it in his mouth,

Contextual Overview

¹⁰"His sons favor the poor [and pay his obligations], And his hands give back his [ill-gotten] wealth. ¹¹"His bones are full of youthful strength But it lies down with him in the dust. ¹²"Though evil and wickedness are sweet in his mouth And he hides it under his tongue, ¹³Though he desires it and will not let it go But holds it in his mouth,¹⁴Yet his food turns [to poison] in his stomach; It is the venom of vipers within him. ¹⁵"He swallows [his ill-gotten] riches, But will vomit them up; God will drive them out of his belly. ¹⁶"He sucks the poison of vipers [which ill-gotten wealth contains]; The viper's tongue slays him. ¹⁷"He does not look at the rivers, The flowing streams of honey and butter [to enjoy his wealth]. ¹⁸"He gives back what he has labored for and attained And cannot swallow it [down to enjoy it]; As to the riches of his labor, He cannot even enjoy them. ¹⁹"For he has oppressed and neglected the poor; He has violently taken away houses which he did not build.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

spare it: Matthew 5:29, Matthew 5:30, Mark 9:43-49, Romans 8:13

within his mouth: Heb. in the midst of his palate

Reciprocal: Proverbs 19:28 - the

Cross-References

Genesis 12:1
Now [in Haran] the LORD had said to Abram, "Go away from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you;

Genesis 12:9
Then Abram journeyed on, continuing toward the Negev (the South country of Judah).

Genesis 20:3
But God came to Abimelech in a dream during the night, and said, "Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken [as your wife], for she is another man's wife."

Genesis 20:5
"Did Abraham not tell me, 'She is my sister?' And she herself said, 'He is my brother.' In the integrity of my heart and innocence of my hands I have done this."

Genesis 20:11
Abraham said, "Because I thought, 'Surely there is no fear or reverence of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.'

1 Samuel 23:21
Saul said, "May you be blessed by the LORD, because you have had compassion on me.

Psalms 64:5
They encourage themselves in [their pursuit of] an evil agenda; They talk of laying snares secretly; They say, "Who will discover us?"

Acts 5:9
Then Peter said to her, "How could you two have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Look! The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also."

Hebrews 11:8
By faith Abraham, when he was called [by God], obeyed by going to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went, not knowing where he was going.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

[Though] he spare it,.... Not that he feeds sparingly on it, for he eats of it freely and plentifully, with great eagerness and greediness; it designs the gratefulness of it to him; he does not spit it out as loathsome, having tasted of it, but retains it as sweet and pleasant; he spares it as Saul did Agag, and as a man spares his only son; sin being a child, a brat of a wicked man, and therefore it is dear unto him:

and forsake it not: as he never will, until he is fully convinced of the evil of it, and it becomes exceeding sinful to him, and so loathsome and disagreeable; and he is restrained from it by the grace of God, and enabled by it to desert it, for such an one only finds mercy, Proverbs 28:13;

but keep it still within his mouth; like an epicure, that will not suffer his food quickly to go down his throat into his stomach, that he may have the greater pleasure in tasting, palating, and relishing it; as Philoxenus, who wished his throat as long as a crane's, that he might be the longer in tasting the sweetness of what he ate and drank; so the wicked man keeps sin within his mouth, not by restraining his mouth from speaking evil, rather by a non-confession of it, but chiefly by continuing and persisting in it, that he might have all the pleasure and satisfaction he has promised himself in it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Though he spare it - That is, though he retains it long in his mouth, that he may enjoy it the more.

And forsake it not - Retains it as long as he can.

But keep it still within his mouth - Margin, as in Hebrew “in the midst of his palate.” He seeks to enjoy it as long as possible.