1 Samuel 25:11

Contemporary English Version

What makes you think I would take my bread, my water, and the meat that I've had cooked for my own servants and give it to you? Besides, I'm not sure that David sent you!

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Am I supposed to take my bread, my water, and my meat that I butchered for my shearers and give them to these men? I don’t know where they are from.”

Hebrew Names Version
Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men who I don't know where they come from?

King James Version
Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?

Lexham English Bible
Should I take my bread and my water and my meat which I have slaughtered for my shearers and give it to men whom I do not know where they are from?

English Standard Version
Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?"

New Century Version
I have bread and water, and I have meat that I killed for my servants who cut the wool. But I won't give it to men I don't know."

New English Translation
Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers and give them to these men? I don't even know where they came from!"

Amplified Bible
"So should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?"

New American Standard Bible
"Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men whose origin I do not know?"

Geneva Bible (1587)
Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I haue killed for my sherers, and giue it vnto men, whom I know not whence they be?

Legacy Standard Bible
Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men whose origin I do not know?"

Complete Jewish Bible
Am I supposed to take my bread, my water and my meat that I slaughtered for my shearers and give it to men coming from who knows where?"

Darby Translation
And shall I take my bread, and my water, and my flesh which I have killed for my shearers, and give [it] to men whom I know not whence they are?

Easy-to-Read Version
I have bread and water, and I have the meat I killed for my servants who cut the wool from my sheep. But I won't give them to men I don't even know."

George Lamsa Translation
Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men whom I know not whence they are?

Good News Translation
I'm not going to take my bread and water, and the animals I have butchered for my sheepshearers, and give them to people who come from I don't know where!"

Literal Translation
And shall I take my bread, and my water, and my meat which I have killed for my shearers, and give to men whom I have not known, from where they are?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Shulde I take my bred, water and flesh, that I haue slayne for my clyppers, & geue it vnto me whom I knowe not whence they are?

American Standard Version
Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men of whom I know not whence they are?

Bible in Basic English
Am I to take my bread and my wine and the meat I have got ready for my wool-cutters and give it to men coming from I have no idea where?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Shal I then take my bread, my water, and my fleshe that I haue killed for my shearers, and geue it vnto men whom I wot not whence they be?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men of whom I know not whence they are?'

King James Version (1611)
Shall I then take my bread and my water, and my flesh that I haue killed for my shearers, and giue it vnto men, whom I know not whence they bee?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And shall I take my bread, and my wine, and my beasts that I have slain for my shearers, and shall I give them to men of whom I know not whence they are?

English Revised Version
Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men of whom I know not whence they be?

Berean Standard Bible
Why should I take my bread and water and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give them to these men whose origin I do not know?"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor schal Y take my looues and my watris, and the fleischis of beestis, whiche Y haue slayn to my schereris, and schal Y yyue to men, whiche Y knowe not of whennus thei ben?

Young's Literal Translation
and I have taken my bread, and my water, and my flesh, which I slaughtered for my shearers, and have given [it] to men whom I have not known whence they [are]!'

Update Bible Version
Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men of whom I don't know from where they are?

Webster's Bible Translation
Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give [it] to men, whom I know not whence they [are]?

World English Bible
Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men who I don't know where they come from?

New King James Version
Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?"

New Living Translation
Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I've slaughtered for my shearers and give it to a band of outlaws who come from who knows where?"

New Life Bible
Should I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my wool cutters, and give it to men when I do not know where they came from?"

New Revised Standard
Shall I take my bread and my water and the meat that I have butchered for my shearers, and give it to men who come from I do not know where?"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Shall I, then, take my bread, and my wine, and my slain beasts, that I have slaughtered for my shearers, - and give unto men of whom I know not whence they are?

Douay-Rheims Bible
Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and the flesh of my cattle, which I have killed for my shearers, and give to men whom I know not whence they are?

Revised Standard Version
Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men who come from I do not know where?"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men whose origin I do not know?"

Contextual Overview

²Nabal was a very rich man who lived in Maon. He owned three thousand sheep and a thousand goats, which he kept at Carmel. His wife Abigail was sensible and beautiful, but he was from the Caleb clan and was rough and mean. ⁴ One day, Nabal was in Carmel, having his servants cut the wool from his sheep. David was in the desert when he heard about it. ⁵So he sent ten men to Carmel with this message for Nabal: I hope that you and your family are healthy and that all is going well for you. ⁷ I've heard that you are cutting the wool from your sheep. When your shepherds were with us in Carmel, we didn't harm them, and nothing was ever stolen from them. ⁸ Ask your shepherds, and they'll tell you the same thing. My servants are your servants, and you are like a father to me. This is a day for celebrating, so please be kind and share some of your food with us. ⁹ David's men went to Nabal and gave him David's message, then they waited for Nabal's answer. ¹⁰ This is what he said: Who does this David think he is? That son of Jesse is just one more slave on the run from his master, and there are too many of them these days. ¹¹ What makes you think I would take my bread, my water, and the meat that I've had cooked for my own servants and give it to you? Besides, I'm not sure that David sent you!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Shall I then: 1 Samuel 25:3, 1 Samuel 24:13, Deuteronomy 8:17, Judges 8:6, Job 31:17, Psalms 73:7, Psalms 73:8, 1 Peter 4:9

flesh: Heb. slaughter

give it: Ecclesiastes 11:1, Ecclesiastes 11:2, Galatians 6:10

whom: 1 Samuel 25:14, 1 Samuel 25:15, John 9:29, John 9:30, 2 Corinthians 6:9

Reciprocal: Genesis 43:16 - slay Deuteronomy 23:4 - Because they met Judges 8:24 - because 1 Kings 12:13 - answered 2 Chronicles 10:13 - answered Proverbs 13:16 - a fool Proverbs 15:1 - grievous Proverbs 30:22 - a fool Ecclesiastes 10:13 - beginning Isaiah 32:6 - the vile

Cross-References

Genesis 12:2
I will bless you and make your descendants into a great nation. You will become famous and be a blessing to others.

Genesis 16:14
That's why people call the well between Kadesh and Bered, "The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me."

Genesis 17:19
But God answered: No! You and Sarah will have a son. His name will be Isaac, and I will make an everlasting promise to him and his descendants.

Genesis 22:17
"I will bless you and give you such a large family, that someday your descendants will be more numerous than the stars in the sky or the grains of sand along the beach. They will defeat their enemies and take over the cities where their enemies live.

Genesis 24:62
At that time Isaac was living in the southern part of Canaan near a place called "The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me."

Genesis 50:24
Before Joseph died, he told his brothers, "I won't live much longer. But God will take care of you and lead you out of Egypt to the land he promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Shall I then take my bread, and my water,.... Which include all food and liquors, everything eatable and drinkable; and "water" may be particularly mentioned, because very scarce in the wilderness, and so precious; though the Septuagint version has "wine" instead of "water":

and my flesh which I have killed for my shearers; whether oxen, or sheep, or lambs, as there might be of each sort, for an entertainment made on such an occasion:

and give [it] unto men whom I know not whence they [be]? which is another argument Abarbinel makes use of that he meant not David, but his men only, because he did not know who and from whence they were.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The mention of water indicates a country where water was scarce (compare Joshua 15:19). Or “bread and water” may be equivalent to “meat and drink.”