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Complete Jewish Bible

1 Kings 20:39

As the king passed by, he called out to the king and said, "Your servant was on his way into the thick of the fighting when someone turned, brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man! If he is missing, you will pay for his life with yours; or else you will pay sixty-six pounds of silver.'

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Parables;   Self-Condemnation;   Symbols and Similitudes;   Scofield Reference Index - Parables;   Thompson Chain Reference - Benhadad;   Business;   Business Life;   Care;   Cares, Business;   Parables;   Talents;   Truth;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Syria;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ben-Hadad;   Samaria;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ahab;   Coins;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Money;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Micaiah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ben-Hadad;   Damascus;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Parables;   Sons of the Prophets;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ben-Hadad;   Marks;   Parable;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   Talent;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Slave;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Money;   Poetry;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
As the king was passing by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant marched out into the middle of the battle. Suddenly, a man turned aside and brought someone to me and said, ‘Guard this man! If he is ever missing, it will be your life in place of his life, or you will weigh out seventy-five pounds of silver.’
Hebrew Names Version
As the king passed by, he cried to the king; and he said, Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man to me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall your life be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.
King James Version
And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
English Standard Version
And as the king passed, he cried to the king and said, "Your servant went out into the midst of the battle, and behold, a soldier turned and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.'
New Century Version
As Ahab king of Israel passed by, the prophet called out to him. "I went to fight in the battle," the prophet said. "One of our men brought an enemy soldier to me. Our man said, ‘Guard this man. If he runs away, you will have to give your life in his place. Or, you will have to pay a fine of seventy-five pounds of silver.'
New English Translation
When the king passed by, he called out to the king, "Your servant went out into the heat of the battle, and then a man turned aside and brought me a prisoner. He told me, ‘Guard this prisoner. If he ends up missing for any reason, you will pay with your life or with a talent of silver.'
Amplified Bible
As the king passed by, the prophet called out to the king and said, "Your servant went out into the middle of the battle, and behold, a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, 'Guard this man; if for any reason he is missing, then your life shall be required for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.'
New American Standard Bible
And as the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, "Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, 'Guard this man; if for any reason he goes missing, then your life shall be forfeited in place of his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.'
Geneva Bible (1587)
And when the King came by, he cried vnto the King, and said, Thy seruant went into the middes of the battel: and beholde, there went away a man, whom another man brought vnto me, and sayd, Keepe this man: if he be lost, and want, thy life shall go for his life, or els thou shalt pay a talent of siluer.
Legacy Standard Bible
Now it happened that as the king was passing by, he cried out to the king and said, "Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man; if for any reason he is missing, then your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.'
Contemporary English Version
When Ahab went by, the prophet shouted, "Your Majesty, right in the heat of battle, someone brought a prisoner to me and told me to guard him. He said if the prisoner got away, I would either be killed or forced to pay seventy-five pounds of silver.
Darby Translation
And as the king passed by, he cried to the king and said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man to me and said, Keep this man; if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
Easy-to-Read Version
The king came by and the prophet said to him, "I went to fight in the battle. One of our men brought an enemy soldier to me. The man said, ‘Guard this man. If he runs away, you will have to give your life in his place or you will have to pay a fine of 75 pounds of silver.'
George Lamsa Translation
And, behold, as the king was passing by, he cried to the king and said, Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a soldier to me, and said, Keep this man; if by any means he be missing, then shall your life be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.
Good News Translation
As the king was passing by, the prophet called out to him and said, "Your Majesty, I was fighting in the battle when a soldier brought a captured enemy to me and said, ‘Guard this man; if he escapes, you will pay for it with your life or else pay a fine of three thousand pieces of silver.'
Lexham English Bible
As the king was passing by, he called to the king and said, "Your servant went out in the thick of the battle, and suddenly a man turned and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man. If by any means he should be missed, it will be your life in his place, or you shall pay a talent of silver.'
Literal Translation
And as the king passed by, it happened that he cried to the king, and said, Your servant went out into the middle of the battle, and behold, a man turned aside and brought a man to me, and said, Keep this man. If he is at all missing, then your life shall be for his life; or you shall weigh out a talent of silver.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And whan the kynge wente by, he cried vpon ye kynge, and sayde: Thy seruaunt wente forth in to the battayll, and beholde, there wente one asyde, and broughte a man vnto me, and sayde: Kepe this ma: yf he be myssed, thy soule shall be in steade of his soule, or els thou shalt weye downe an hundreth weighte of syluer.
American Standard Version
And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king; and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
Bible in Basic English
And when the king went by, crying out to him he said, Your servant went out into the fight; and a man came out to me with another man and said, Keep this man: if by any chance he gets away, your life will be the price of his life, or you will have to give a talent of silver in payment.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And when the king came by, he cryed vnto the king, and sayde: Thy seruaunt wet out in the middes of the battel, and behold there went away a man, whom another man brought vnto me, & sayde, Kepe this man: and if he be myssed or lost, thy lyfe shall go for his, or els thou shalt pay a talent of siluer.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king; and he said: 'Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said: Keep this man; if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
King James Version (1611)
And as the king passed by, he cried vnto the king: and he saide, Thy seruant went out into the mids of the battell, and behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man vnto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any meanes he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of siluer.
English Revised Version
And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
Berean Standard Bible
As the king passed by, he cried out to the king: "Your servant had marched out into the middle of the battle, when suddenly a man came over with a captive and told me, 'Guard this man! If he goes missing for any reason, your life will be exchanged for his life, or you will weigh out a talent of silver.'
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne the kyng hadde passid, he criede to the kyng, and seide, Thi seruaunt yede out to fiyte anoon, and whanne o man hadde fledde, sum man brouyte hym to me, and seide, Kepe thou this man; and if he aschapith, thi lijf schal be for his lijf, ether thou schalt paye a talent of siluere.
Young's Literal Translation
And it cometh to pass -- the king is passing by -- that he hath cried unto the king, and saith, `Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle, and lo, a man hath turned aside and bringeth in unto me a man, and saith, Keep this man; if he be at all missing, then hath thy life been for his life, or a talent of silver thou dost weigh out;
Update Bible Version
And as the king passed by, he cried to the king; and he said, Your slave went out into the midst of the battle; and, look, a man turned aside, and brought a man to me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he is missing, then your life shall be for his life, otherwise you shall pay a talent of silver.
Webster's Bible Translation
And as the king passed by, he cried to the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man to me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he shall be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
World English Bible
As the king passed by, he cried to the king; and he said, Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man to me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall your life be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.
New King James Version
Now as the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, "Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and there, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, "Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.'
New Living Translation
As the king passed by, the prophet called out to him, "Sir, I was in the thick of battle, and suddenly a man brought me a prisoner. He said, ‘Guard this man; if for any reason he gets away, you will either die or pay a fine of seventy-five pounds of silver!'
New Life Bible
As the king passed by, he cried to the king and said, "Your servant went out to the battle. A soldier turned and brought a man to me, and said, ‘Keep this man. If he is missing for any reason, you will pay for his life with your own. Or else you must pay a man's weight in silver.'
New Revised Standard
As the king passed by, he cried to the king and said, "Your servant went out into the thick of the battle; then a soldier turned and brought a man to me, and said, ‘Guard this man; if he is missing, your life shall be given for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.'
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And so it was, when, the king, was passing, he, cried out unto the king, - and said - Thy servant, went out in the midst of the battle, and lo! a man, turned aside and brought unto me a man, and said - Keep this man, if he be, missing, then shall, thy life, go for, his life, or, a talent of silver, shalt thou weigh out.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And as the king passed by, he cried to the king, and said: Thy servant went out to fight hand to hand: and when a certain man was run away, one brought him to me, and said: Keep this man: and if he shall slip away, thy life shall be for his life, or thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
Revised Standard Version
And as the king passed, he cried to the king and said, "Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and behold, a soldier turned and brought a man to me, and said, 'Keep this man; if by any means he be missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.'
New American Standard Bible (1995)
As the king passed by, he cried to the king and said, "Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, 'Guard this man; if for any reason he is missing, then your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.'

Contextual Overview

31 His servants said to him, "Here now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Isra'el are merciful kings. If it's all right with you, let's put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Isra'el. Maybe he will spare your life." 32 So they put sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads, went to the king of Isra'el and said, "Your servant Ben-Hadad says, ‘Please spare my life.'" And he answered, "He's still alive? He is my brother." 33 The men took this as a promising indication and seized on it to say, "Yes, Ben-Hadad is your brother." Then Ach'av said, "Go, and bring him here." Ben-Hadad went out to him, and Ach'av had him climb up into his chariot. 34 Ben-Hadad said to him, "I will return the cities my father took from your father. Also you can set up markets for trade in Dammesek, as my father did in Shomron." "If you put this covenant in writing," said Ach'av, "I will set you free." So he made a covenant with him and set him free. 35 One of the members of the prophets' guild said to another one, by the word of Adonai , "Hit me!" But the man refused to hit him. 36 Then he said to him, "Because you didn't listen to the voice of Adonai , the moment you leave me, a lion will kill you." No sooner had he left him than a lion found him and killed him. 37 The prophet went to another man and said, "Hit me!" The man struck him a blow and wounded him. 38 The prophet left and waited for the king by the road, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes. 39 As the king passed by, he called out to the king and said, "Your servant was on his way into the thick of the fighting when someone turned, brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man! If he is missing, you will pay for his life with yours; or else you will pay sixty-six pounds of silver.' 40 But while your servant was busy with one thing and another, he disappeared." The king of Isra'el said to him, "So that is your sentence; you have pronounced it on yourself."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Thy servant: Judges 9:7-20, 2 Samuel 12:1-7, 2 Samuel 14:5-7, Mark 12:1-12

thy life: 1 Kings 20:42, 2 Kings 10:24

or else: Exodus 21:30, Job 36:18, Psalms 49:7, Proverbs 6:35, Proverbs 13:8, 1 Peter 1:18, 1 Peter 1:19

pay: Heb. weigh

Reciprocal: Joshua 2:14 - for yours 2 Kings 5:22 - a talent Jeremiah 32:9 - weighed

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king,.... With a loud voice, signifying he had something to say unto him, at which he stopped:

and he said, thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; this was not real, but fictitious, an apologue, fable, or parable, by which he would represent to Ahab his own case, and bring him under conviction of his folly, just as Nathan dealt with David:

and, behold, a man turned aside; a superior officer in the army:

and brought a man unto me; he had made a prisoner of:

and said, keep this man; do not let him escape:

if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver; if he let him go willingly, or by any means he should get out of his hands, then he should either die for it, or be fined a talent of silver, which of our money is three hundred and seventy five pounds; and to this it seems he agreed.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 39. Keep this man — The drift of this is at once seen; but Ahab, not knowing it, was led to pass sentence on himself.


 
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