2 Samuel 20:4

JPS Old Testament

Then said the king to Amasa: 'Call me the men of Judah together within three days, and be thou here present.'

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The king said to Amasa, “Summon the men of Judah to me within three days and be here yourself.”

Hebrew Names Version
Then said the king to `Amasa, Call me the men of Yehudah together within three days, and be here present.

King James Version
Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah within three days, and be thou here present.

Lexham English Bible
Then the king said to Amasa, "Summon for me the men of Judah within three days, and be here yourself."

English Standard Version
Then the king said to Amasa, "Call the men of Judah together to me within three days, and be here yourself."

New Century Version
The king said to Amasa, "Tell the men of Judah to meet with me in three days, and you must also be here."

New English Translation
Then the king said to Amasa, "Call the men of Judah together for me in three days, and you be present here with them too."

Amplified Bible
Now the king said to Amasa [the commander of his army], "Summon the [fighting] men of Judah to me within three days, and be present here yourself."

New American Standard Bible
Now the king said to Amasa, "Summon the men of Judah for me within three days, and be present here yourself."

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then sayde the King to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Iudah within three dayes, and be thou here present.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the king said to Amasa, "Call out the men of Judah for me within three days, and you yourself stand here."

Contemporary English Version
David said to Amasa, "Three days from now I want you and all of Judah's army to be here!"

Complete Jewish Bible
The king said to ‘Amasa, "Summon the men of Y'hudah to come to me within three days; and you, be here too."

Darby Translation
And the king said to Amasa, Call me the men of Judah together within three days, and do thou attend here.

Easy-to-Read Version
The king told Amasa, "Tell the people of Judah to meet with me in three days. You must be here, too."

George Lamsa Translation
Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah within three days, and you yourself be present.

Good News Translation
The king said to Amasa, "Call the men of Judah together and be back here with them by the day after tomorrow."

Literal Translation
And the king said to Amasa, Call for me the men of Judah within three days; and you stand here.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And ye kynge sayde vnto Amasa: Call me all the men of Iuda together agaynst the thirde daye, & be thou here present also.

American Standard Version
Then said the king to Amasa, Call me the men of Judah together within three days, and be thou here present.

Bible in Basic English
Then the king said to Amasa, Get all the men of Judah together, and in three days be here yourself.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then saide the king to Amasa: Call me the men of Iuda together within three dayes, and be thou here also.

King James Version (1611)
Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Iudah within three dayes, and be thou here present.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the king said to Amessai, Call to me the men of Juda for three days, and do thou be present here.

English Revised Version
Then said the king to Amasa, Call me the men of Judah together within three days, and be thou here present.

Berean Standard Bible
Then the king said to Amasa, "Summon the men of Judah to come to me within three days, and be here yourself."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe Dauid seide to Amasa, Clepe thou to gidere to me alle the men of Juda in to the thridde dai, and be thou present.

Young's Literal Translation
And the king saith unto Amasa, `Call for me the men of Judah [in] three days, and thou, stand here,'

Update Bible Version
Then the king said to Amasa, Call together for me the men of Judah three days, and be present here.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble to me the men of Judah within three days, and be thou here present.

World English Bible
Then said the king to Amasa, Call me the men of Judah together within three days, and be here present.

New King James Version
And the king said to Amasa, "Assemble the men of Judah for me within three days, and be present here yourself."

New Living Translation
Then the king told Amasa, "Mobilize the army of Judah within three days, and report back at that time."

New Life Bible
Then the king said to Amasa, "Call the men of Judah to come to me within three days, and you be here yourself."

New Revised Standard
Then the king said to Amasa, "Call the men of Judah together to me within three days, and be here yourself."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said the king unto Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah, within three days, - and, thou, here, take thy stand!

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the king said to Amasa: Assemble to me all the men of Juda against the third day, and be thou here present.

Revised Standard Version
Then the king said to Ama'sa, "Call the men of Judah together to me within three days, and be here yourself."

THE MESSAGE
The king ordered Amasa, "Muster the men of Judah for me in three days; then report in." Amasa went to carry out his orders, but he was late reporting back. So David told Abishai, "Sheba son of Bicri is going to hurt us even worse than Absalom did. Take your master's servants and hunt him down before he gets holed up in some fortress city where we can't get to him." So under Abishai's command, all the best men—Joab's men and the Kerethites and Pelethites—left Jerusalem to hunt down Sheba son of Bicri. They were near the boulder at Gibeon when Amasa came their way. Joab was wearing a tunic with a sheathed sword strapped on his waist, but the sword slipped out and fell to the ground. Joab greeted Amasa, "How are you, brother?" and took Amasa's beard in his right hand as if to kiss him. Amasa didn't notice the sword in Joab's other hand. Joab stuck him in the belly and his guts spilled to the ground. A second blow wasn't needed; he was dead. Then Joab and his brother Abishai continued to chase Sheba son of Bicri.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the king said to Amasa, "Call out the men of Judah for me within three days, and be present here yourself."

Contextual Overview

⁴ Then said the king to Amasa: 'Call me the men of Judah together within three days, and be thou here present.' ⁵ So Amasa went to call the men of Judah together; but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him. ⁶ And David said to Abishai: 'Now will Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than did Absalom; take thou thy lord's servants, and pursue after him, lest he get him fortified cities, and escape out of our sight.' ⁷ And there went out after him Joab's men, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men; and they went out of Jerusalem, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri. ⁸ When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. And Joab was girded with his apparel of war that he had put on, and thereon was a girdle with a sword fastened upon his loins in the sheath thereof; and as he went forth it fell out. ⁹ And Joab said to Amasa: 'Is it well with thee, my brother?' And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. ¹⁰ But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab's hand; so he smote him therewith in the groin, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not again; and he died. And Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri. ¹¹ And there stood by him one of Joab's young men, and said: 'He that favoureth Joab, and he that is for David let him follow Joab.' ¹² And Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the midst of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he carried Amasa out of the highway into the field, and cast a garment over him, when he saw that every one that came by him stood still. ¹³ When he was removed out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Amasa: 2 Samuel 17:25, 2 Samuel 19:13, 1 Chronicles 2:17

Assemble: Heb. Call

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 20:8 - Amasa 2 Samuel 20:11 - for David 1 Chronicles 12:18 - came upon Amasai

Cross-References

Genesis 19:24
Then the LORD caused to rain upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven;

Genesis 20:6
And God said unto him in the dream: 'Yea, I know that in the simplicity of thy heart thou hast done this, and I also withheld thee from sinning against Me. Therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.

Genesis 20:17
And Abraham prayed unto God; and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maid-servants; and they bore children.

Genesis 20:18
For the LORD had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abraham's wife.

2 Samuel 4:11
How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed, shall I not now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?'

1 Chronicles 21:17
And David said unto God: 'Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done very wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? let Thy hand, I pray Thee, O LORD my God, be against me, and against my father's house; but not against Thy people, that they should be plagued.'

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then said the king to Amasa,.... Whom he had promised to make general of his army, 2 Samuel 19:13; and by the following order declared him such:

assemble me the men of Judah within three days; which was done by the sound of the trumpet, or by the proclamation of a herald; it seems that the men of Judah, who attended David to Jerusalem, were gone to their respective cities and places of abode, or there would have been no occasion for such a summons; though it is strange they should, when the men of Israel appeared so inclinable to a new rebellion:

and be thou here present; to take the command of them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

To Amasa ... - Evidently feeling his way toward fulfilling the promise to Amasa (marginal reference).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 20:4. Then said the king to Amasa — Thus he invests him with the command of the army, and sends him to collect the men of Judah, and to come back to receive his orders in relation to Sheba, in three days. It appears that Amasa found more difficulty in collecting his country-men than was at first supposed; and this detaining him beyond the three days, David, fearing that Sheba's rebellion would get head, sent Abishai, who it appears was accompanied by Joab, to pursue after Sheba.

Amasa, it seems, got up with them at Gibeon, 2 Samuel 20:8, where he was treacherously murdered by the execrable Joab.