Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, July 30th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible
THE MESSAGE
2 Samuel 20:4
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.
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Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- AmericanEncyclopedias:
- CondensedParallel Translations
Christian Standard Bible®
The king said to Amasa, “Summon the men of Judah to me within three days and be here yourself.”
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.
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.
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."
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."
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."
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."
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."
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."
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.
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."
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!"
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."
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.
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."
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Then saide the king to Amasa: Call me the men of Iuda together within three dayes, and be thou here also.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then said the king to Amasa: 'Call me the men of Judah together within three days, and be thou here present.'
Then said the king to Amasa: 'Call me the men of Judah together within three days, and be thou here present.'
King James Version (1611)
Then said the king to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Iudah within three dayes, and be thou here present.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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,'
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.
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.
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.
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."
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."
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."
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."
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!
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.
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."
Then the king said to Ama'sa, "Call the men of Judah together to me within three days, and be here yourself."
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."
Then the king said to Amasa, "Call out the men of Judah for me within three days, and be present here yourself."
Contextual Overview
4The 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. 11One of Joab's soldiers took up his post over the body and called out, "Everyone who sides with Joab and supports David, follow Joab!" Amasa was lying in a pool of blood in the middle of the road; the man realized that the whole army was going to stop and take a look, so he pulled Amasa's corpse off the road into the field and threw a blanket over him so it wouldn't collect spectators. As soon as he'd gotten him off the road, the traffic flowed normally, following Joab in the chase after Sheba son of Bicri. Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel as far as Abel Beth Maacah; all the Bicrites clustered and followed him into the city.
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 God rained brimstone and fire down on Sodom and Gomorrah—a river of lava from God out of the sky!—and destroyed these cities and the entire plain and everyone who lived in the cities and everything that grew from the ground.
Then God rained brimstone and fire down on Sodom and Gomorrah—a river of lava from God out of the sky!—and destroyed these cities and the entire plain and everyone who lived in the cities and everything that grew from the ground.
Genesis 20:6
God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know your intentions were pure, that's why I kept you from sinning against me; I was the one who kept you from going to bed with her. So now give the man's wife back to him. He's a prophet and will pray for you—pray for your life. If you don't give her back, know that it's certain death both for you and everyone in your family."
God said to him in the dream, "Yes, I know your intentions were pure, that's why I kept you from sinning against me; I was the one who kept you from going to bed with her. So now give the man's wife back to him. He's a prophet and will pray for you—pray for your life. If you don't give her back, know that it's certain death both for you and everyone in your family."
Genesis 20:17
Then Abraham prayed to God and God healed Abimelech, his wife and his maidservants, and they started having babies again. For God had shut down every womb in Abimelech's household on account of Sarah, Abraham's wife.
Then Abraham prayed to God and God healed Abimelech, his wife and his maidservants, and they started having babies again. For God had shut down every womb in Abimelech's household on account of Sarah, Abraham's wife.
1 Chronicles 21:17
David prayed, "Please! I'm the one who sinned; I'm the one at fault. But these sheep, what did they do wrong? Punish me, not them, me and my family; don't take it out on them."
David prayed, "Please! I'm the one who sinned; I'm the one at fault. But these sheep, what did they do wrong? Punish me, not them, me and my family; don't take it out on them."
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.
