Job 20:13

King James Version

Though he spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it still within his mouth:

Parallel Translations

New Living Translation
They savored it, holding it long in their mouths.

English Revised Version
Though he spare it, and will not let it go, but keep it still within his mouth;

Update Bible Version
Though he spares it, and will not let it go, But keeps it still inside his mouth;

New Century Version
They cannot stand to let go of it; they keep it in their mouths.

New English Translation
if he retains it for himself and does not let it go, and holds it fast in his mouth,

Webster's Bible Translation
[Though] he may spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it still within his mouth:

World English Bible
Though he spare it, and will not let it go, But keep it still within his mouth;

Amplified Bible
Though he desires it and will not let it go But holds it in his mouth,

English Standard Version
though he is loath to let it go and holds it in his mouth,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
He schal spare it, and schal not forsake it; and schal hide in his throte.

Berean Standard Bible
though he cannot bear to let it go and keeps it in his mouth,

Contemporary English Version
and swallow it slowly.

American Standard Version
Though he spare it, and will not let it go, But keep it still within his mouth;

Bible in Basic English
Though he takes care of it, and does not let it go, but keeps it still in his mouth;

Complete Jewish Bible
he may linger over it and not let it go but keep it there in his mouth —

Darby Translation
[Though] he spare it, and forsake it not, but keep it within his mouth,

Easy-to-Read Version
He hates to let it go and holds it in his mouth.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Though he spare it, and will not let it go, but keep it still within his mouth;

King James Version (1611)
Though he spare it, and forsake it not, but keepe it stil within his mouth:

New Life Bible
He hates to let it go, and holds it in his mouth.

New Revised Standard
though they are loath to let it go, and hold it in their mouths,

Geneva Bible (1587)
And fauoured it, and would not forsake it, but kept it close in his mouth,

George Lamsa Translation
Though he spare it and forsake it not, but keep it still in his mouth;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Though he spare it, and will not let it go, but retain it in the midst of his mouth,

Douay-Rheims Bible
He will spare it, and not leave it, and will hide it in his throat.

Revised Standard Version
though he is loath to let it go, and holds it in his mouth,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
That he fauoured, that would he not forsake, but kept it close in his throte.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
though he will not spare it, and will not leave it, but will keep it in the midst of his throat:

Christian Standard Bible®
though he cherishes it and will not let it gobut keeps it in his mouth,

Hebrew Names Version
Though he spare it, and will not let it go, But keep it still within his mouth;

Lexham English Bible
though he spares it and does not let it go and holds it back in the midst of his palate,

Literal Translation
he spares it, and he will not leave it; yea, he keeps holding it in his mouth);

Young's Literal Translation
Hath pity on it, and doth not forsake it, And keep it back in the midst of his palate,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
That he fauoureth, that wyll he not forsake, but kepeth it close in his throte.

New American Standard Bible
Though he desires it and will not let it go, But holds it in his mouth,

New King James Version
Though he spares it and does not forsake it, But still keeps it in his mouth,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Though he desires it and will not let it go, But holds it in his mouth,

Legacy Standard Bible
Though he desires it and will not forsake it,And holds it to his palate,

Contextual Overview

¹⁰ His children shall seek to please the poor, and his hands shall restore their goods. ¹¹ His bones are full of the sin of his youth, which shall lie down with him in the dust. ¹² Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue; ¹³ Though he spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it still within his mouth: ¹⁴ Yet his meat in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of asps within him. ¹⁵ He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly. ¹⁶ He shall suck the poison of asps: the viper's tongue shall slay him. ¹⁷ He shall not see the rivers, the floods, the brooks of honey and butter. ¹⁸ That which he laboured for shall he restore, and shall not swallow it down: according to his substance shall the restitution be, and he shall not rejoice therein. ¹⁹ Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor; because he hath violently taken away an house which he builded not;

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

spare it: Matthew 5:29, Matthew 5:30, Mark 9:43-49, Romans 8:13

within his mouth: Heb. in the midst of his palate

Reciprocal: Proverbs 19:28 - the

Cross-References

Genesis 12:1
Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:

Genesis 12:9
And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.

Genesis 20:3
But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife.

Genesis 20:5
Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this.

Genesis 20:11
And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place; and they will slay me for my wife's sake.

1 Samuel 23:21
And Saul said, Blessed be ye of the Lord ; for ye have compassion on me.

Psalms 64:5
They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?

Acts 5:9
Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.

Hebrews 11:8
By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

[Though] he spare it,.... Not that he feeds sparingly on it, for he eats of it freely and plentifully, with great eagerness and greediness; it designs the gratefulness of it to him; he does not spit it out as loathsome, having tasted of it, but retains it as sweet and pleasant; he spares it as Saul did Agag, and as a man spares his only son; sin being a child, a brat of a wicked man, and therefore it is dear unto him:

and forsake it not: as he never will, until he is fully convinced of the evil of it, and it becomes exceeding sinful to him, and so loathsome and disagreeable; and he is restrained from it by the grace of God, and enabled by it to desert it, for such an one only finds mercy, Proverbs 28:13;

but keep it still within his mouth; like an epicure, that will not suffer his food quickly to go down his throat into his stomach, that he may have the greater pleasure in tasting, palating, and relishing it; as Philoxenus, who wished his throat as long as a crane's, that he might be the longer in tasting the sweetness of what he ate and drank; so the wicked man keeps sin within his mouth, not by restraining his mouth from speaking evil, rather by a non-confession of it, but chiefly by continuing and persisting in it, that he might have all the pleasure and satisfaction he has promised himself in it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Though he spare it - That is, though he retains it long in his mouth, that he may enjoy it the more.

And forsake it not - Retains it as long as he can.

But keep it still within his mouth - Margin, as in Hebrew “in the midst of his palate.” He seeks to enjoy it as long as possible.