1 Samuel 17:34

Bishop's Bible

Dauid aunswered vnto Saul: Thy seruaunt kept his fathers sheepe, & ther came a lion and likewise a beare, and toke a sheepe, out of the flocke:

Parallel Translations

Update Bible Version
And David said to Saul, Your slave was keeping his father's sheep; and when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock,

New Living Translation
But David persisted. "I have been taking care of my father's sheep and goats," he said. "When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock,

English Revised Version
And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep; and when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock,

New Century Version
But David said to Saul, "I, your servant, have been keeping my father's sheep. When a lion or bear came and took a sheep from the flock,

New English Translation
David replied to Saul, "Your servant has been a shepherd for his father's flock. Whenever a lion or bear would come and carry off a sheep from the flock,

Webster's Bible Translation
And David said to Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:

World English Bible
David said to Saul, Your servant was keeping his father's sheep; and when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock,

Amplified Bible
But David said to Saul, "Your servant was tending his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock,

English Standard Version
But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Dauid seide to Saul, Thi seruaunt kepte `the floc of his fadir, and a lioun cam, ether a bere, and took awei a ram fro the myddis of the floc;

Young's Literal Translation
And David saith unto Saul, `A shepherd hath thy servant been to his father among the sheep, and the lion hath come -- and the bear -- and hath taken away a sheep out of the drove,

Berean Standard Bible
David replied, "Your servant has been tending his father's sheep, and whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock,

Contemporary English Version
But David told him: Your Majesty, I take care of my father's sheep. And when one of them is dragged off by a lion or a bear,

American Standard Version
And David said unto Saul, Thy servant was keeping his father's sheep; and when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock,

Bible in Basic English
And David said to Saul, Your servant has been keeper of his father's sheep; and if a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock,

Complete Jewish Bible
David answered Sha'ul, "Your servant used to guard his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear would come and grab a lamb from the flock,

Darby Translation
And David said to Saul, Thy servant fed his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and also a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock.

Easy-to-Read Version
But David said to Saul, "There were times when I was taking care of my father's sheep that wild animals came to take some sheep from the flock. Once there was a lion and another time, a bear.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And David said unto Saul: 'Thy servant kept his father's sheep; and when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock,

King James Version (1611)
And Dauid said vnto Saul, Thy seruant kept his fathers sheepe, and there came a Lyon, and a Beare, and tooke a lambe out of the flocke:

New Life Bible
But David said to Saul, "Your servant was taking care of his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock,

New Revised Standard
But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and whenever a lion or a bear came, and took a lamb from the flock,

Geneva Bible (1587)
And Dauid answered vnto Saul, Thy seruant kept his fathers sheepe, and there came a lyon, and likewise a beare, and tooke a sheepe out of the flocke,

George Lamsa Translation
And David said to Saul, Your servant was tending his fathers sheep, and there came a lion and a bear, and took a lamb from the flock;

Good News Translation
"Your Majesty," David said, "I take care of my father's sheep. Any time a lion or a bear carries off a lamb,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said David unto Saul, Thy servant used to tend his father's sheep, - and there would come a lion, or a bear, and carry off a lamb out of the flock;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And David said to Saul: Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, or a bear, and took a ram out of the midst of the flock:

Revised Standard Version
But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep sheep for his father; and when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock,

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And David said to Saul, Thy servant was tending the flock for his father; and when a lion came and a she-bear, and took a sheep out of the flock,

Christian Standard Bible®
David answered Saul: “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock,

Hebrew Names Version
David said to Sha'ul, Your servant was keeping his father's sheep; and when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock,

King James Version
And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:

Lexham English Bible
And David said to Saul, "Your servant has been a shepherd of the flock for his father. If the lion or the bear would come and carry off a sheep from the group,

Literal Translation
And David said to Saul, Your servant has been a shepherd among sheep for his father. And the lion came, and the bear, and took away a sheep out of the flock.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Dauid sayde vnto Saul: Thy seruaunt kepte his fathers shepe, and there came a lyon and a Bere, and caried awaye a shepe from the flocke,

THE MESSAGE
David said, "I've been a shepherd, tending sheep for my father. Whenever a lion or bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I'd go after it, knock it down, and rescue the lamb. If it turned on me, I'd grab it by the throat, wring its neck, and kill it. Lion or bear, it made no difference—I killed it. And I'll do the same to this Philistine pig who is taunting the troops of God-Alive. God , who delivered me from the teeth of the lion and the claws of the bear, will deliver me from this Philistine." Saul said, "Go. And God help you!"

New American Standard Bible
But David said to Saul, "Your servant was tending his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a sheep from the flock,

New King James Version
But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep his father's sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But David said to Saul, "Your servant was tending his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock,

Legacy Standard Bible
But David said to Saul, "Your servant was shepherding his father's sheep. And a lion and a bear would come and take a lamb from the flock,

Contextual Overview

³¹ And they that heard the wordes which Dauid spake, rehearsed them before Saul, which caused him to be fet. ³² And Dauid sayde to Saul: Let no mans heart fayle him because of him: Thy seruaunt will go, and fight with yonder Philistine. ³³ And Saul sayde to Dauid againe: Thou art not able to go against yonder Philistine, to fight with him: For thou art but a childe, but he is a man of warre euen from his youth. ³⁴ Dauid aunswered vnto Saul: Thy seruaunt kept his fathers sheepe, & ther came a lion and likewise a beare, and toke a sheepe, out of the flocke: ³⁵ And I went out after him, and smote him, and toke it out of his mouth: And whe he arose against me, I caught him by the bearde, and smote him, and slue him. ³⁶ And so thy seruaunte slue both the lion, and the beare: And trulie this vncircumcised Philistine shalbe as one of them, seing he hath rayled on the hoast of the liuyng God. ³⁷ And Dauid spake moreouer: The Lord that deliuered me out of the hand of the lion, and out of the hande of the beare, he shal deliuer me also out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul sayd vnto Dauid: Go, and the Lorde [shall] be with thee. ³⁸ And Saul put his rayment vpon Dauid, and put an helmet of brasse vpon his head, and put a coate of mayle vpon him. ³⁹ And gyrded Dauid with his owne sword vpon his rayment, and he assayed to go, and because he neuer proued it, Dauid saide vnto Saul: I cannot go with these, for I haue not vsed my selfe thereto. And Dauid put them of him,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

lamb: or, kid

Reciprocal: Genesis 31:39 - torn of Judges 14:6 - rent him 1 Samuel 16:19 - with the sheep 2 Samuel 17:8 - mighty men 2 Samuel 23:20 - slew a lion 1 Chronicles 11:22 - slew a Psalms 143:5 - remember Ezekiel 34:12 - As a shepherd seeketh out Amos 3:12 - As the Zechariah 9:7 - I will Zechariah 11:16 - neither Luke 2:8 - abiding John 10:11 - giveth Romans 5:4 - and experience Revelation 13:2 - and his feet

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And David said unto Saul,.... In answer to his objection of inability to encounter with one so superior to him; and this answer is founded on experience and facts, and shows that he was not so weak and inexpert as Saul took him to be:

thy servant kept his father's sheep; which he was not ashamed to own, and especially as it furnished him with an stance of his courage, bravery, and success, and which would be convincing to Saul:

and there came a lion and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock; not that they came together; though Kimchi so interprets it, "a lion with a bear"; but these are creatures that do not use to go together; and besides, both could not be said with propriety to take one and the same lamb out of the flock: to which may be added, that David in 1 Samuel 17:35 speaks only of one, out of whose mouth he took the lamb; wherefore the words may be rendered, "a lion or a bear" f; and if the copulative "and" is retained, the meaning can only be, that at different times they would come and take a lamb, a lion at one time, and a bear at another.

f הארי ואת הדוב "leo vel ursus", V. L. "leo aut ursus", Junius & Tremellius, Bochart. Noldius, p. 271.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The narrative does not make it certain whether the lion and the bear came on one and the same, or on two different occasions. If it was on one occasion, the probability would be that the bear, having seized a lamb and carrying it off, a lion appeared to dispute the prize with the bear, or with David after he had taken it from the bear, and that David killed first one and then the other.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 17:34. Thy servant kept his father's sheep — He found it necessary to give Saul the reasons why he undertook this combat; and why he expected to be victorious.

1. I have courage to undertake it, and strength to perform it.

2. Both have been tried in a very signal manner:

(1.) A lion came upon my flock, and seized a lamb; I ran after him, he attacked me, I seized hold of him by his shaggy locks, smote and slew him, and delivered the lamb.

(2.) A bear came in the same way, and I attacked and slew him.

3. This, with whom I am to fight, is a Philistine, an uncircumcised man; one who is an enemy to God: God therefore will not be on his side. On that ground I have nothing to fear.

4. He has defied the armies of the Lord; and has in effect defied Jehovah himself: therefore the battle is the Lord's, and he will stand by me.

5. I have perfect confidence in his protection and defense; for they that trust in him shall never be confounded.

6. I conclude, therefore, that the Lord, who delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, will deliver me out of the hand of the Philistine.