1 Samuel 30:8

THE MESSAGE

Then David prayed to God , "Shall I go after these raiders? Can I catch them?" The answer came, "Go after them! Yes, you'll catch them! Yes, you'll make the rescue!"

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
and David asked the Lord: “Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?”

Hebrew Names Version
David inquired of the LORD, saying, If I pursue after this troop, shall I overtake them? He answered him, Pursue; for you shall surely overtake [them], and shall without fail recover [all].

King James Version
And David enquired at the Lord , saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.

Lexham English Bible
And David inquired of Yahweh, saying, "Should I pursue after this band of raiders? Will I overtake them?" He said to him, "Pursue them, for you will certainly overtake them, and you will certainly rescue them."

English Standard Version
And David inquired of the Lord , "Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?" He answered him, "Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue."

New Century Version
Then David asked the Lord , "Should I chase the people who took our families? Will I catch them?" The Lord answered, "Chase them. You will catch them, and you will succeed in saving your families."

New English Translation
David inquired of the Lord , saying, "Should I pursue this raiding band? Will I overtake them?" He said to him, "Pursue, for you will certainly overtake them and carry out a rescue!"

Amplified Bible
David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I pursue this band [of raiders]? Will I overtake them?" And He answered him, "Pursue, for you will certainly overtake them, and you will certainly rescue [the captives]."

New American Standard Bible
And David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I pursue this band of raiders? Will I overtake them?" And He said to him, "Pursue, for you will certainly overtake them, and you will certainly rescue everyone."

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Dauid asked counsell at the Lorde, saying, Shall I followe after this companie? shall I ouertake them? And he answered him, Followe: for thou shalt surely ouertake them, and recouer all.

Legacy Standard Bible
And David asked of Yahweh, saying, "Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?" And He said to him, "Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, and you will surely deliver all."

Contemporary English Version
Then David asked the Lord , "Should I go after the people who raided our town? Can I catch up with them?" "Go after them," the Lord answered. "You will catch up with them, and you will rescue your families."

Complete Jewish Bible
Then David consulted Adonai . He asked, "Should I go in pursuit of these raiders? Will I catch up with them?" And [ Adonai ] answered him, "Go in pursuit, because you will overtake them and recover everyone and everything."

Darby Translation
And David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he said to him, Pursue; for thou shalt assuredly overtake [them] and shalt certainly recover.

Easy-to-Read Version
Then David prayed to the Lord . "Should I chase the people who took our families? Will I catch them?" The Lord answered, "Chase them. You will catch them, and you will save your families."

George Lamsa Translation
And David inquired of the LORD, saying. Shall I pursue these raiders? Shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue; for you shall surely overtake them soon and deliver the captives.

Good News Translation
David asked the Lord , "Shall I go after those raiders? And will I catch them?" He answered, "Go after them; you will catch them and rescue the captives."

Literal Translation
And David asked of Jehovah, saying, Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake it? And He said to him, Pursue, for you shall certainly overtake, and shall certainly recover.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Dauid axed at the LORDE, and sayde: Shal I folowe vpon the men of warre, and shal I ouertake them? He sayde: Yee, folowe vpo them, thou shalt ouertake them, and shalt rescue the pray.

American Standard Version
And David inquired of Jehovah, saying, If I pursue after this troop, shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue; for thou shalt surely overtake them, and shalt without fail recover all.

Bible in Basic English
Then David, questioning the Lord, said, Am I to go after this band? will I be able to overtake them? And in answer he said, Go after them, for you will certainly overtake them, and get back everything.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Dauid asked councel at the Lord, saying: Shall I follow after this company? shall I ouertake them? And he aunswered him: Folowe, for thou shalt suerlie ouertake them, and recouer all.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And David inquired of the LORD, saying: 'Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them?' And He answered him: 'Pursue; for thou shalt surely overtake them, and shalt without fail recover all.'

King James Version (1611)
And Dauid enquired at the Lord, saying; Shall I pursue after this troupe? shall I ouertake them? And he answered him, Pursue, for thou shalt surely ouertake them, and without faile recouer all.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And David enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? and he said to him, Pursue, for thou shalt surely overtake them, and thou shalt surely rescue the captives.

English Revised Version
And David inquired of the LORD, saying, If I pursue after this troop, shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake [them], and shalt without fail recover [all].

Berean Standard Bible
and David inquired of the LORD: "Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?" "Pursue them," the LORD replied, "for you will surely overtake them and rescue the captives."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and seide, Schal Y pursue, ether nay, `these theues? and schal Y take hem? And the Lord seide to hym, Pursue thou; for with out doute thou schalt take hem, and thou schalt take awey the prey.

Young's Literal Translation
and David asketh at Jehovah, saying, `I pursue after this troop -- do I overtake it?' And He saith to him, `Pursue, for thou dost certainly overtake, and dost certainly deliver.'

Update Bible Version
And David inquired of Yahweh, saying, If I pursue after this troop, shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue; for you shall surely overtake [them], and without fail shall recover [all].

Webster's Bible Translation
And David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue; for thou shalt surely overtake [them], and without fail recover [all].

World English Bible
David inquired of Yahweh, saying, If I pursue after this troop, shall I overtake them? He answered him, Pursue; for you shall surely overtake [them], and shall without fail recover [all].

New King James Version
So David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?" And He answered him, "Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all."

New Living Translation
Then David asked the Lord , "Should I chase after this band of raiders? Will I catch them?" And the Lord told him, "Yes, go after them. You will surely recover everything that was taken from you!"

New Life Bible
Then David asked the Lord, "Should I go after this army? Should I meet them in battle?" The Lord said to him, "Go after them, for you will catch them for sure. And you will be sure to save all the people."

New Revised Standard
David inquired of the Lord , "Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?" He answered him, "Pursue; for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And David enquired of Yahweh, saying, Shall I pursue this troop? shall I overtake it? And he said unto him: Pursue, for thou shalt, overtake, and thou shalt, rescue.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And David consulted the Lord, saying: Shall I pursue after these robbers, and shall I overtake them, or not? And the Lord said to him: Pursue after them: for thou shalt surely overtake them and recover the prey.

Revised Standard Version
And David inquired of the LORD, "Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?" He answered him, "Pursue; for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?" And He said to him, "Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, and you will surely rescue all."

Contextual Overview

⁷David's Strength Was in His God Three days later, David and his men arrived back in Ziklag. Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They tore Ziklag to pieces and then burned it down. They captured all the women, young and old. They didn't kill anyone, but drove them like a herd of cattle. By the time David and his men entered the village, it had been burned to the ground, and their wives, sons, and daughters all taken prisoner. David and his men burst out in loud wails—wept and wept until they were exhausted with weeping. David's two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail widow of Nabal of Carmel, had been taken prisoner along with the rest. And suddenly David was in even worse trouble. There was talk among the men, bitter over the loss of their families, of stoning him. David strengthened himself with trust in his God . He ordered Abiathar the priest, son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the Ephod so I can consult God." Abiathar brought it to David. ⁸ Then David prayed to God , "Shall I go after these raiders? Can I catch them?" The answer came, "Go after them! Yes, you'll catch them! Yes, you'll make the rescue!" ⁹David went, he and the six hundred men with him. They arrived at the Brook Besor, where some of them dropped out. David and four hundred men kept up the pursuit, but two hundred of them were too fatigued to cross the Brook Besor, and stayed there. ¹¹Some who went on came across an Egyptian in a field and took him to David. They gave him bread and he ate. And he drank some water. They gave him a piece of fig cake and a couple of raisin muffins. Life began to revive in him. He hadn't eaten or drunk a thing for three days and nights! ¹³David said to him, "Who do you belong to? Where are you from?" "I'm an Egyptian slave of an Amalekite," he said. "My master walked off and left me when I got sick—that was three days ago. We had raided the Negev of the Kerethites, of Judah, and of Caleb. Ziklag we burned." ¹⁵ David asked him, "Can you take us to the raiders?" "Promise me by God," he said, "that you won't kill me or turn me over to my old master, and I'll take you straight to the raiders." ¹⁶ He led David to them. They were scattered all over the place, eating and drinking, gorging themselves on all the loot they had plundered from Philistia and Judah. ¹⁷David pounced. He fought them from before sunrise until evening of the next day. None got away except for four hundred of the younger men who escaped by riding off on camels. David rescued everything the Amalekites had taken. And he rescued his two wives! Nothing and no one was missing—young or old, son or daughter, plunder or whatever. David recovered the whole lot. He herded the sheep and cattle before them, and they all shouted, "David's plunder!"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

inquired: 1 Samuel 23:2, 1 Samuel 23:4, 1 Samuel 23:10-12, Judges 20:18, Judges 20:23, Judges 20:28, 2 Samuel 5:19, 2 Samuel 5:23, Proverbs 3:5, Proverbs 3:6

he answered him: 1 Samuel 14:37, 1 Samuel 28:6, 1 Samuel 28:15, 1 Samuel 28:16, Numbers 27:21, Psalms 50:15, Psalms 91:15

Reciprocal: Genesis 14:16 - General Genesis 25:22 - inquire Exodus 28:30 - General Deuteronomy 20:2 - General Joshua 9:14 - asked not 1 Samuel 14:18 - Bring hither 1 Samuel 22:10 - he inquired 1 Samuel 27:2 - the six 1 Samuel 30:19 - General 1 Samuel 30:23 - which the Lord 2 Samuel 2:1 - inquired 2 Samuel 16:23 - as if 1 Kings 8:44 - whithersoever 1 Kings 22:5 - Inquire 1 Chronicles 14:10 - Shall I go Psalms 18:29 - by thee Psalms 27:4 - inquire John 10:35 - unto

Cross-References

Genesis 30:25
After Rachel had had Joseph, Jacob spoke to Laban, "Let me go back home. Give me my wives and children for whom I've served you. You know how hard I've worked for you."

Genesis 35:25
God spoke to Jacob: "Go back to Bethel. Stay there and build an altar to the God who revealed himself to you when you were running for your life from your brother Esau." Jacob told his family and all those who lived with him, "Throw out all the alien gods which you have, take a good bath and put on clean clothes, we're going to Bethel. I'm going to build an altar there to the God who answered me when I was in trouble and has stuck with me everywhere I've gone since." They turned over to Jacob all the alien gods they'd been holding on to, along with their lucky-charm earrings. Jacob buried them under the oak tree in Shechem. Then they set out. A paralyzing fear descended on all the surrounding villages so that they were unable to pursue the sons of Jacob. Jacob and his company arrived at Luz, that is, Bethel, in the land of Canaan. He built an altar there and named it El-Bethel (God-of-Bethel) because that's where God revealed himself to him when he was running from his brother. And that's when Rebekah's nurse, Deborah, died. She was buried just below Bethel under the oak tree. It was named Allon-Bacuth (Weeping-Oak). God revealed himself once again to Jacob, after he had come back from Paddan Aram and blessed him: "Your name is Jacob (Heel); but that's your name no longer. From now on your name is Israel (God-Wrestler)." God continued, I am The Strong God. Have children! Flourish! A nation—a whole company of nations!— will come from you. Kings will come from your loins; the land I gave Abraham and Isaac I now give to you, and pass it on to your descendants. And then God was gone, ascended from the place where he had spoken with him. Jacob set up a stone pillar on the spot where God had spoken with him. He poured a drink offering on it and anointed it with oil. Jacob dedicated the place where God had spoken with him, Bethel (God's-House). They left Bethel. They were still quite a ways from Ephrath when Rachel went into labor—hard, hard labor. When her labor pains were at their worst, the midwife said to her, "Don't be afraid—you have another boy." With her last breath, for she was now dying, she named him Ben-oni (Son-of-My-Pain), but his father named him Ben-jamin (Son-of-Good-Fortune). Rachel died and was buried on the road to Ephrath, that is, Bethlehem. Jacob set up a pillar to mark her grave. It is still there today, "Rachel's Grave Stone." Israel kept on his way and set up camp at Migdal Eder. While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went and slept with his father's concubine, Bilhah. And Israel heard of what he did. There were twelve sons of Jacob. The sons by Leah: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn Simeon Levi Judah Issachar Zebulun. The sons by Rachel: Joseph Benjamin. The sons by Bilhah, Rachel's maid: Dan Naphtali. The sons by Zilpah, Leah's maid: Gad Asher. These were Jacob's sons, born to him in Paddan Aram. Finally, Jacob made it back home to his father Isaac at Mamre in Kiriath Arba, present-day Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac had lived. Isaac was now 180 years old. Isaac breathed his last and died—an old man full of years. He was buried with his family by his sons Esau and Jacob.

Genesis 46:24
Naphtali's sons: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.

Genesis 49:21
Naphtali is a deer running free that gives birth to lovely fawns. Joseph is a wild donkey, a wild donkey by a spring, spirited donkeys on a hill. The archers with malice attacked, shooting their hate-tipped arrows; But he held steady under fire, his bow firm, his arms limber, With the backing of the Champion of Jacob, the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel. The God of your father—may he help you! And may The Strong God—may he give you his blessings, Blessings tumbling out of the skies, blessings bursting up from the Earth— blessings of breasts and womb. May the blessings of your father exceed the blessings of the ancient mountains, surpass the delights of the eternal hills; May they rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the one consecrated among his brothers.

Deuteronomy 33:23
Naphtali: "Naphtali brims with blessings, spills over with God 's blessings As he takes possession of the sea and southland."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And David inquired of the Lord,.... That is, by Abiathar, who reported his questions to the Lord in his name:

saying, shall I pursue after this troop? the large company of the Amalekites, as it appears by what follows they were:

shall I overtake them? two questions are here put together, and answers returned to them, contrary to a notion of the Jews;

:-;

and he answered him, pursue; which respects the first question:

for thou shall surely overtake [them]; which is an answer to the second question, and a full one, giving full assurance of overtaking; to which is added more than what was inquired about;

and without fail recover [all]; their wives, sons, and daughters, and the spoil that was taken; or "in delivering thou shall deliver" p, out of the hands of the Amalekites, whatsoever they had taken.

p הצל תציל "eruendo erues", Pagninus, Montanus; "eripiendo erepturus es", Piscator.