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Wednesday, July 23rd, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

1 Kings 20:8

The leaders and the people answered, "Don't pay any attention to him; don't give in."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Government;   Thompson Chain Reference - Benhadad;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Samaria, Ancient;   Syria;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ben-Hadad;   Samaria;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ben-hadad;   Samaria, samaritans;   Syria;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Samaria;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ben-Hadad;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ben-Hadad;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Benhadad ;   Samaria ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elder;   Samaria;   Smith Bible Dictionary - A'hab;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Samaria, City of;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Benhadad;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - War;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
All the elders and all the people said to him, “Don’t listen or agree.”
Hebrew Names Version
All the Zakenim and all the people said to him, Don't you listen, neither consent.
King James Version
And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken not unto him, nor consent.
English Standard Version
And all the elders and all the people said to him, "Do not listen or consent."
New Century Version
The elders and all the people said, "Don't listen to him or agree to this."
New English Translation
All the leaders and people said to him, "Do not give in or agree to his demands."
Amplified Bible
All the elders and all the people said to him, "Do not listen or consent [to this additional demand]."
New American Standard Bible
Then all the elders and all the people said to him, "Do not listen nor consent."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And all the Elders, and all the people sayd to him, Hearken not vnto him, nor consent.
Legacy Standard Bible
And all the elders and all the people said to him, "Do not listen or consent."
Contemporary English Version
"Don't listen to him!" they answered. "You don't have to do what he says."
Complete Jewish Bible
All the leaders and all the people said to him, "Don't listen, and don't agree."
Darby Translation
And all the elders and all the people said to him, Hearken not, nor consent.
Easy-to-Read Version
But the elders and all the people said, "Don't obey him or do what he says."
George Lamsa Translation
And all the elders and all the people said to him, Do not hearken to him, nor consent.
Lexham English Bible
All of the elders and all of the people said to him, "Do not listen and do not consent."
Literal Translation
And all the elders and all the people said to him, Do not listen nor consent.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then sayde all the Elders and all the people vnto him: Thou shalt not cosente ner agree vnto him.
American Standard Version
And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken thou not, neither consent.
Bible in Basic English
And all the responsible men and the people said to him, Do not give attention to him or do what he says.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And all the elders and all the people said: Hearken not vnto him, nor consent.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And all the elders and all the people said unto him: 'Hearken thou not, neither consent.'
King James Version (1611)
And all the Elders, and all the people said vnto him; Hearken not vnto him, nor consent.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And she wrote a letter in the name of Achaab, and sealed it with his seal, and sent the letter to the elders, and to the freemen who dwelt with Nabuthai.
English Revised Version
And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken thou not, neither consent.
Berean Standard Bible
And the elders and the people all said, "Do not listen to him or consent to his terms."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And alle the gretter men in birthe, and al the puple seiden to hym, Here thou not, nether assente thou to hym.
Young's Literal Translation
And all the elders and all the people say unto him, `Do not hearken, nor consent.'
Update Bible Version
And all the elders and all the people said to him, Don't listen, neither consent.
Webster's Bible Translation
And all the elders and all the people said to him, Hearken not [to him], nor consent.
World English Bible
All the elders and all the people said to him, Don't you listen, neither consent.
New King James Version
And all the elders and all the people said to him, "Do not listen or consent."
New Living Translation
"Don't give in to any more demands," all the elders and the people advised.
New Life Bible
Then all the leaders and all the people said to him, "Do not listen or agree."
New Revised Standard
Then all the elders and all the people said to him, "Do not listen or consent."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And all the elders and all the people said unto him, - Do not thou hearken, neither do thou consent.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And all the ancients, and all the people said to him: Hearken not to him, nor consent to him.
Revised Standard Version
And all the elders and all the people said to him, "Do not heed or consent."
THE MESSAGE
The elders, backed by the people, said, "Don't cave in to him. Don't give an inch."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
All the elders and all the people said to him, "Do not listen or consent."

Contextual Overview

1 King Benhadad of Syria gathered all his troops, and supported by thirty-two other rulers with their horses and chariots, he marched up, laid siege to Samaria, and launched attacks against it. 2 He sent messengers into the city to King Ahab of Israel to say, "King Benhadad demands that 3 you surrender to him your silver and gold, your women and the strongest of your children." 4 "Tell my lord, King Benhadad, that I agree; he can have me and everything I own," Ahab answered. 5 Later the messengers came back to Ahab with another demand from Benhadad: "I sent you word that you were to hand over to me your silver and gold, your women and your children. 6 Now, however, I will send my officers to search your palace and the homes of your officials, and to take everything they consider valuable. They will be there about this time tomorrow." 7 King Ahab called in all the leaders of the country and said, "You see that this man wants to ruin us. He sent me a message demanding my wives and children, my silver and gold, and I agreed." 8 The leaders and the people answered, "Don't pay any attention to him; don't give in." 9 So Ahab replied to Benhadad's messengers, "Tell my lord the king that I agreed to his first demand, but I cannot agree to the second." The messengers left and then returned with another message 10 from Benhadad: "I will bring enough men to destroy this city of yours and carry off the rubble in their hands. May the gods strike me dead if I don't!"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And all the elders and all the people said unto him,.... They were unanimous in their advice:

hearken not [unto him], nor consent; promising, no doubt, that they would stand by him.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

“The people” had no distinct place in the ordinary Jewish or Israelite constitution; but they were accustomed to signify their approbation or disapprobation of the decisions of the elders by acclamations or complaints (Joshua 9:18; Judges 11:11, etc.).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 20:8. Hearken not unto him — The elders had every thing at stake, and they chose rather to make a desperate defense than tamely to yield to such degrading and ruinous conditions.


 
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