Lectionary Calendar
Friday, August 22nd, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

2 Samuel 20:5

So Amasa called the people of Judah together, but he took longer than the king had told him.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Abishai;   David;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Amasa;   Sheba;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Joab;   Sheba;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Amasa;   Gibeon;   Joab;   Sheba;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Abner;   Gibeon;   Sheba (1);   Holman Bible Dictionary - Abel-Beth-Maachah or Abel-Beth-Maacah;   Amasa;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Joab;   Samuel, Books of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Amasa ;   Bichri ;   Joab ;   Sheba ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - David;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Da'vid;   She'ba;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Joab;   Treason;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Amasa went to summon Judah, but he took longer than the time allotted him.
Hebrew Names Version
So `Amasa went to call [the men of] Yehudah together; but he stayed longer than the set time which he had appointed him.
King James Version
So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah: but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.
Lexham English Bible
So Amasa went to summon Judah, but he tarried more than the appointed time which he had set for him.
English Standard Version
So Amasa went to summon Judah, but he delayed beyond the set time that had been appointed him.
New Century Version
So Amasa went to call the men of Judah together, but he took more time than the king had said.
New English Translation
So Amasa went out to call Judah together. But in doing so he took longer than the time that the king had allotted him.
Amplified Bible
So Amasa went to summon [the fighting men of] Judah, but he delayed longer than the time which David had set for him.
New American Standard Bible
So Amasa went to summon the men of Judah, but he was delayed longer than the set time which he had designated for him.
Geneva Bible (1587)
So Amasa went to assemble Iudah, but hee taried longer then the time which he had appoynted him.
Legacy Standard Bible
So Amasa went to call out the men of Judah, but he delayed longer than the set time which he had appointed him.
Contemporary English Version
Amasa started bringing the army together, but it was taking him more than three days.
Complete Jewish Bible
‘Amasa went to summon the men of Y'hudah but took longer than the time he had been given.
Darby Translation
So Amasa went to call together [the men of] Judah; but he delayed longer than the set time which he had appointed him.
George Lamsa Translation
So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah; but he tarried longer than the set time which had been appointed.
Good News Translation
Amasa went to call them, but he did not get back by the time the king had told him to.
Literal Translation
And Amasa went to call Judah, but delayed beyond the set time which he had set for him.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Amasa wete to call Iuda together. And he was slacke to come at ye tyme which he had appoynted him.
American Standard Version
So Amasa went to call the men of Judah together; but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.
Bible in Basic English
So Amasa went to get all the men of Judah together, but he took longer than the time David had given him.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And so Amasa went to gather ye men of Iuda together, but taryed longer the the time which he had appoynted him.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
So Amasa went to call the men of Judah together; but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.
King James Version (1611)
So Amasa went to assemble the men of Iudah; but hee taried longer then the set time which he had appointed him.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Amessai went to call Juda, and delayed beyond the time which David appointed him.
English Revised Version
So Amasa went to call [the men of] Judah together: but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.
Berean Standard Bible
So Amasa went to summon Judah, but he took longer than the time allotted him.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor Amasa yede, that he clepe to gidere the puple of Juda; and he dwellide ouer the couenaunt, which the kyng hadde set to hym.
Young's Literal Translation
and Amasa goeth to call Judah, and tarrieth beyond the appointed time that he had appointed him;
Update Bible Version
So Amasa went to call [the men of] Judah together; but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.
Webster's Bible Translation
So Amasa went to assemble [the men of] Judah: but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.
World English Bible
So Amasa went to call [the men of] Judah together; but he stayed longer than the set time which he had appointed him.
New King James Version
So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah. But he delayed longer than the set time which David had appointed him.
New Living Translation
So Amasa went out to notify Judah, but it took him longer than the time he had been given.
New Life Bible
So Amasa went to call out the men of Judah. But he took longer than the time which had been given him.
New Revised Standard
So Amasa went to summon Judah; but he delayed beyond the set time that had been appointed him.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So Amasa went, to assemble Judah, - but he tarried beyond the fixed time, which he had appointed him.
Douay-Rheims Bible
So Amasa went to assemble the men of Juda, but he tarried beyond the set time which the king had appointed him.
Revised Standard Version
So Ama'sa went to summon Judah; but he delayed beyond the set time which had been appointed him.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So Amasa went to call out the men of Judah, but he delayed longer than the set time which he had appointed him.

Contextual Overview

4 The king told Amasa, "Tell the people of Judah to meet with me in three days. You must be here, too." 5 So Amasa called the people of Judah together, but he took longer than the king had told him. 6 David said to Abishai, "Sheba son of Bicri is more dangerous to us than Absalom was. So take my officers and chase Sheba. Hurry before he gets into cities with walls. If he gets into the well-protected cities, we will not be able to get him." 7 So Joab took the Kerethites and Pelethites and the other soldiers with him and left Jerusalem to chase after Sheba son of Bicri. 8 When Joab and the army came to Big Rock at Gibeon, Amasa came out to meet them. Joab was wearing his uniform with a belt that held a knife. As he walked toward Amasa, the knife on the belt came out. 9 Joab asked Amasa, "How are you doing, brother?" Joab reached out with his right hand and grabbed Amasa by the beard to greet him with a kiss. 10 Amasa didn't see the knife that was now in Joab's other hand. Joab stabbed him in the belly, and Amasa's intestines spilled out on the ground. There was no need for Joab to stab him again; he was already dead. Then Joab and his brother Abishai resumed the chase after Sheba son of Bicri. 11 One of Joab's young soldiers stood by Amasa's body and said, "All of you who support Joab and David, let's follow Joab." 12 Amasa was there in the middle of road, lying in his own blood. The young soldier noticed that all the people kept stopping to look at the body, so he rolled the body off the road and into the field and covered it with a cloth. 13 Once the body was out of the way, the people simply passed it by and joined up with Joab to go after Sheba son of Bicri.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

So Amasa: 2 Samuel 19:13

tarried: 1 Samuel 13:8

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 20:35 - at the time 2 Samuel 20:8 - Amasa

Cross-References

Joshua 22:22
"The Lord is our God! Again we say that the Lord is our God! And God knows why we did this thing. We want you to know also. You can judge what we did. If you think we did it because we are against the Lord or refuse to obey him, you can kill us today.
1 Kings 9:4
You must serve me with a pure and honest heart, just as your father David did. You must obey my laws and do everything that I commanded you.
2 Kings 20:3
" Lord , remember that I have sincerely served you with all my heart. I have done what you say is good." Then Hezekiah cried very hard.
1 Chronicles 29:17
My God, I know that you test people, and that you are happy when people do what is right. I gladly give you all these things with a pure, honest heart. I see your people gathered here, and I see that they are happy about giving these things to you.
Job 33:9
‘I am pure and innocent; I did nothing wrong; I am not guilty!
Psalms 7:8
Lord , judge the people. Lord , judge me. Prove that I am right and that I am innocent.
Psalms 24:4
Only those who have not done evil, who have pure hearts, who have not used my name to hide their lies, and who have not made false promises.
Psalms 25:21
You are good and do what is right. I trust you to protect me.
Psalms 26:6
Lord , I wash my hands to make myself pure, so that I can come to your altar.
Psalms 73:13
Clearly, then, I gain nothing by keeping my thoughts pure! What good is it to keep myself from sin?

Gill's Notes on the Bible

So Amasa went to assemble [the men of] Judah,.... To gather, them together out of their several tribes, and bring them to Jerusalem:

but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him: than the three days; whether this was owing to the remissness of Amasa, or the unwillingness of the people to serve under him, who had been Absalom's general in the late rebellion, or not having time sufficient allowed him, is not certain.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He tarried - The cause of Amasa’s delay is not stated. It may have been the unwillingness of the men of Judah to place themselves under his orders, or it may have been caused by a wavering or hesitation in loyalty. This last is evidently insinuated in 2 Samuel 20:11, and no doubt this was the pretext, whether grounded in fact or not, by which Joab justified the murder of Amasa before David.


 
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