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the Week of Proper 16 / Ordinary 21
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New Century Version

2 Samuel 14:19

The king said, "Did Joab tell you to say all these things?" The woman answered, "As you live, my master the king, no one could avoid that question. You are right. Your servant Joab did tell me to say these things.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Absalom;   David;   Dishonesty;   Flattery;   Intercession;   Joab;   Kindness;   Obsequiousness;   Tact;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Absalom;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Joab;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Mediator, Mediation;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Court Systems;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Priests and Levites;   Samuel, Books of;   Wisdom;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Absalom;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Jo'ab;   Oath,;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Revelation;   Samuel, Books of;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Absalom;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The king asked, “Did Joab put you up to all this?”
Hebrew Names Version
The king said, Is the hand of Yo'av with you in all this? The woman answered, As your soul lives, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken; for your servant Yo'av, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your handmaid;
King James Version
And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid:
Lexham English Bible
The king asked, "Was the hand of Joab with you in all of this?" The woman answered and said, "As your soul lives, my lord the king, surely one cannot go to the right or to the left from all that my lord the king has spoken. Yes, your servant Joab himself commanded me, and he put all of these words in the mouth of your servant.
English Standard Version
The king said, "Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?" The woman answered and said, "As surely as you live, my lord the king, one cannot turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has said. It was your servant Joab who commanded me; it was he who put all these words in the mouth of your servant.
New English Translation
The king said, "Did Joab put you up to all of this?" The woman answered, "As surely as you live, my lord the king, there is no deviation to the right or to the left from all that my lord the king has said. For your servant Joab gave me instructions. He has put all these words in your servant's mouth.
Amplified Bible
The king said, "Is the hand of Joab with you in all of this?" And the woman answered, "As your soul lives, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king has said. Indeed, it was your servant Joab who commanded me; he put all these words in the mouth of your maidservant.
New American Standard Bible
So the king said, "Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?" And the woman replied, "As your soul lives, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken. Indeed, it was your servant Joab who commanded me, and it was he who put all these words in the mouth of your servant.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the King said, Is not the hand of Ioab with thee in all this? Then the woman answered, and sayd, As thy soule liueth, my lord the King, I will not turne to the right hande nor to the left, from ought that my lorde the King hath spoken: for euen thy seruant Ioab bade mee, & he put all these wordes in the mouth of thine handmayde.
Legacy Standard Bible
So the king said, "Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?" And the woman answered and said, "As your soul lives, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken. Indeed, it was your servant Joab who commanded me, and it was he who put all these words in the mouth of your servant-woman;
Contemporary English Version
David asked, "Did Joab put you up to this?" The woman answered, "Your Majesty, I swear by your life that no one can hide the truth from you. Yes, Joab did tell me what to say,
Complete Jewish Bible
The king asked, "Did Yo'av put you up to this?" The woman answered, "As you live, my lord the king, when my lord the king speaks, no one can avoid the issue by turning either right or left. Yes, it was your servant Yo'av who had me do this, and he put in my mouth every word you have heard your servant say.
Darby Translation
And the king said, Is the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, [As] thy soul liveth, my lord, O king, there is no turning to the right hand or to the left from aught that my lord the king has spoken; for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words into the mouth of thy bondmaid:
Easy-to-Read Version
The king said, "Did Joab tell you to say all these things?" The woman answered, "As you live, my lord and king, you are right. Your officer Joab did tell me to say these things.
George Lamsa Translation
And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with you in all this? And the woman answered and said to him, As your soul lives, my lord the king, I have not turned to the right hand or to the left from all that my lord the king has spoken; for it was your servant Joab who bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your handmaid,
Good News Translation
"Did Joab put you up to this?" he asked her. She answered, "I swear by all that is sacred, Your Majesty, that there is no way to avoid answering your question. It was indeed your officer Joab who told me what to do and what to say.
Literal Translation
And the king said, Is the hand of Joab with you in all this? And the woman answered and said, As your soul lives, my lord, O king, none shall turn to the right or to the left from all thatmy lord the king has spoken. For your servantJoab commanded me, and he put all these words in your servant's mouth.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The kynge sayde: Is not the hande of Ioab with the in all this? The woman answered and sayde: As truly as thy soule lyueth (my lorde O kynge,) there is els noman nether at the righte hande ner at ye lefte, but euen as my LORDE the kynge hath sayde, for thy seruaunt Ioab hath commaunded me, and he himselfe hath taughte thy handmayden all these wordes,
American Standard Version
And the king said, Is the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from aught that my lord the king hath spoken; for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thy handmaid;
Bible in Basic English
And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with you in all this? And the woman in answer said, By the life of your soul, my lord the king, it is not possible for anyone to go to the right hand or to the left from anything said by the king: your servant Joab gave me orders, and put all these words in my mouth:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the king sayd: Is not the hand of Ioab with thee in all this matter? The woman aunswered, and sayde: As thy soule liueth my lorde the king, I wil not turne to the right hande nor to the left from ought that my lorde the king hath spoke: for euen thy seruaunt Ioab bad me, and he put all these wordes in the mouth of thyne handmayde:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the king said: 'Is the hand of Joab with thee in all this?' And the woman answered and said: 'As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from aught that my lord the king hath spoken; for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thy handmaid;
King James Version (1611)
And the king said, Is not the hand of Ioab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soule liueth, my lord the king, none can turne to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy seruant Ioab, hee bade me, and he put all these wordes in the mouth of thine handmaid:
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab in all this matter with thee? and the woman said to the king, As thy soul lives, my lord, O king, there is no turning to the right hand or to the left from all that my lord the king has spoken; for thy servant Joab himself charged me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid.
English Revised Version
And the king said, Is the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from aught that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid;
Berean Standard Bible
So the king asked, "Is the hand of Joab behind all this?" The woman answered, "As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab is the one who gave me orders; he told your maidservant exactly what to say.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the kyng seide, Whether the hond of Joab is with thee in alle these thingis? The womman answeride, and seide, Bi the helthe of thi soule, my lord the kyng, nether to the left side nether to the riyt side is ony thing of alle these thingis, whiche my lord the kyng spak. For thi seruaunt Joab hym silf comaundide to me, and he puttide alle these wordis in to the mouth of thin handmaide,
Young's Literal Translation
And the king saith, `Is the hand of Joab with thee in all this?' And the woman answereth and saith, `Thy soul liveth, my lord, O king, none [doth turn] to the right or to the left from all that my lord the king hath spoken; for thy servant Joab he commanded me, and he put in the mouth of thy maid-servant all these words;
Update Bible Version
And the king said, Is the hand of Joab with you in all this? And the woman answered and said, As your soul lives, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken; for your slave Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your slave;
Webster's Bible Translation
And the king said, [Is not] the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, [As] thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from aught that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thy handmaid:
World English Bible
The king said, Is the hand of Joab with you in all this? The woman answered, As your soul lives, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken; for your servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your handmaid;
New King James Version
So the king said, "Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?" And the woman answered and said, "As you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken. For your servant Joab commanded me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your maidservant.
New Living Translation
"Did Joab put you up to this?" And the woman replied, "My lord the king, how can I deny it? Nobody can hide anything from you. Yes, Joab sent me and told me what to say.
New Life Bible
So the king said, "Is Joab with you in all this?" The woman answered, "As your soul lives, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or left from anything my lord the king has said. Yes, it was your servant Joab who told me to do this. It was he who put all these words in the mouth of your woman servant.
New Revised Standard
The king said, "Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?" The woman answered and said, "As surely as you live, my lord the king, one cannot turn right or left from anything that my lord the king has said. For it was your servant Joab who commanded me; it was he who put all these words into the mouth of your servant.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then said the king, Is, the hand of Joab, with thee, in all this? And the woman answered and said - By the life of thy soul, my lord, O king, there is no way to the right or to the left, of anything that my lord the king hath spoken, for, thy servant Joab himself, charged me, and, himself, put, in the mouth of thy maidservant, all these words:
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the king said: Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? The woman answered, and said: By the health of thy soul, my lord, O king, it is neither on the left hand, nor on the right, in all these things which my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he commanded me, and he put all these words into the mouth of thy handmaid.
Revised Standard Version
The king said, "Is the hand of Jo'ab with you in all this?" The woman answered and said, "As surely as you live, my lord the king, one cannot turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has said. It was your servant Jo'ab who bade me; it was he who put all these words in the mouth of your handmaid.
THE MESSAGE
The king said, "Is the hand of Joab mixed up in this?" "On your life, my master king, a body can't veer an inch right or left and get by with it in the royal presence! Yes, it was your servant Joab who put me up to this, and put these very words in my mouth. It was because he wanted to turn things around that your servant Joab did this. But my master is as wise as God's angels in knowing how to handle things on this earth."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So the king said, "Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?" And the woman replied, "As your soul lives, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken. Indeed, it was your servant Joab who commanded me, and it was he who put all these words in the mouth of your maidservant;

Contextual Overview

1 Joab son of Zeruiah knew that King David missed Absalom very much. 2 So Joab sent messengers to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He said to her, "Pretend to be very sad. Put on funeral clothes and don't put lotion on yourself. Act like a woman who has been crying many days for someone who died. 3 Then go to the king and say these words." Then Joab told her what to say. 4 So the woman from Tekoa spoke to the king. She bowed facedown on the ground to show respect and said, "My king, help me!" 5 King David asked her, "What is the matter?" The woman said, "I am a widow; my husband is dead. 6 I had two sons. They were out in the field fighting, and no one was there to stop them. So one son killed the other son. 7 Now all the family group is against me. They said to me, ‘Bring the son who killed his brother so we may kill him for killing his brother. That way we will also get rid of the one who would receive what belonged to his father.' My son is like the last spark of a fire. He is all I have left. If they kill him, my husband's name and property will be gone from the earth." 8 Then the king said to the woman, "Go home. I will take care of this for you." 9 The woman of Tekoa said to him, "Let the blame be on me and my father's family. My master and king, you and your throne are innocent." 10 King David said, "Bring me anyone who says anything bad to you. Then he won't bother you again."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

of Joab: 2 Samuel 3:27, 2 Samuel 3:29, 2 Samuel 3:34, 2 Samuel 11:14, 2 Samuel 11:15, 1 Kings 2:5, 1 Kings 2:6

As thy soul: 2 Samuel 11:11, 1 Samuel 1:26, 1 Samuel 17:55, 1 Samuel 20:3, 1 Samuel 25:26, 2 Kings 2:2

turn: Numbers 20:17, Deuteronomy 5:32, Deuteronomy 28:14, Joshua 1:7, Proverbs 4:27

he put: 2 Samuel 14:3, Exodus 4:15, Luke 21:15

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 17:11 - to the right 2 Samuel 13:3 - Shimeah 2 Samuel 18:13 - for there is no 1 Kings 18:24 - and said Ezra 8:17 - I told them

Cross-References

Genesis 14:6
They also defeated the Horites in the mountains of Edom to El Paran (near the desert).
Genesis 14:7
Then they turned back and went to En Mishpat (that is, Kadesh). They defeated all the Amalekites, as well as the Amorites who lived in Hazazon Tamar.
Genesis 14:9
They fought against Kedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Babylonia, and Arioch king of Ellasar—four kings fighting against five.
Genesis 14:16
Then Abram brought back everything the enemy had stolen, the women and the other people, and Lot, and everything Lot owned.
Genesis 14:22
But Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I make a promise to the Lord , the God Most High, who made heaven and earth.
Genesis 14:23
I promise that I will not keep anything that is yours. I will not keep even a thread or a sandal strap so that you cannot say, ‘I made Abram rich.'
Genesis 27:4
When you prepare the tasty food that I love, bring it to me, and I will eat. Then I will bless you before I die."
Genesis 47:7
Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and introduced him to the king, and Jacob blessed the king.
Genesis 47:10
Then Jacob blessed the king and left.
Genesis 49:28
These are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them. He gave each son the blessing that was right for him.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the king said, [is not] the hand of Joab with thee in all this?.... That is, is not this done by the advice, assistance, and direction of Joab? did not he form this scheme for thee, and direct thee to this method, and put thee upon prosecuting it?

and the woman answered and said, [as] thy soul liveth, my lord the king; what I am about to say is as sure as thou art alive; though this may be only a wish that he might long live and be happy; nothing is more desirable than thy valuable life:

none can turn to the right hand or the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken; he has hit upon the truth of the matter; there is no dissimulation or prevarication to be used; the thing cannot be denied; for thy servant Joab he bade me, and put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid: he sent for me, and laid his commands on me, and directed me what to say to the king, and how to conduct this affair.


 
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