Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version As the king passed by, the prophet called out to him, “Your servant went into the thick of the battle, and someone came to me with a captive and said, ‘Guard this man. If he is missing, it will be your life for his life, or you must pay a talent of silver.’ New Living Translation As the king passed by, the prophet called out to him, “Sir, I was in the thick of battle, and suddenly a man brought me a prisoner. He said, ‘Guard this man; if for any reason he gets away, you will either die or pay a fine of seventy-five pounds of silver!’ English Standard Version And as the king passed, he cried to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle, and behold, a soldier turned and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’ Berean Standard Bible As the king passed by, he cried out to the king: “Your servant had marched out into the middle of the battle, when suddenly a man came over with a captive and told me, ‘Guard this man! If he goes missing for any reason, your life will be exchanged for his life, or you will weigh out a talent of silver.’ King James Bible And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver. New King James Version Now as the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and there, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, ‘Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’ New American Standard Bible And as the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man; if for any reason he goes missing, then your life shall be forfeited in place of his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’ NASB 1995 As the king passed by, he cried to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man; if for any reason he is missing, then your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’ NASB 1977 And as the king passed by, he cried to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man; if for any reason he is missing, then your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’ Legacy Standard Bible Now it happened that as the king was passing by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man; if for any reason he is missing, then your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’ Amplified Bible As the king passed by, the prophet called out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the middle of the battle, and behold, a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man; if for any reason he is missing, then your life shall be required for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’ Christian Standard Bible As the king was passing by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant marched out into the middle of the battle. Suddenly, a man turned aside and brought someone to me and said, ‘Guard this man! If he is ever missing, it will be your life in place of his life, or you will weigh out seventy-five pounds of silver.’ Holman Christian Standard Bible As the king was passing by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant marched out into the middle of the battle. Suddenly, a man turned aside and brought someone to me and said, ‘Guard this man! If he is ever missing, it will be your life in place of his life, or you will weigh out 75 pounds of silver.’ American Standard Version And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king; and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver. Contemporary English Version When Ahab went by, the prophet shouted, "Your Majesty, right in the heat of battle, someone brought a prisoner to me and told me to guard him. He said if the prisoner got away, I would either be killed or forced to pay 3,000 pieces of silver. English Revised Version And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver. GOD'S WORD® Translation When the king passed by, the disciple called to him. "I went to fight in the battle. A man turned around and brought a prisoner to me. He said, 'Guard this prisoner. If he gets away, you will pay for his life with your own life or be fined 75 pounds of silver.' Good News Translation As the king was passing by, the prophet called out to him and said, "Your Majesty, I was fighting in the battle when a soldier brought a captured enemy to me and said, 'Guard this man; if he escapes, you will pay for it with your life or else pay a fine of three thousand pieces of silver.' International Standard Version As the king was passing by, he cried out to the king and told him, "Your servant went out into the middle of the battle, and a soldier turned aside, brought a prisoner to me, and told me, 'Guard this man. If he turns up missing for any reason at all, you'll pay for it with your life or be fined one talent of silver.' Majority Standard Bible As the king passed by, he cried out to the king: ?Your servant had marched out into the middle of the battle, when suddenly a man came over with a captive and told me, ?Guard this man! If he goes missing for any reason, your life will be exchanged for his life, or you will weigh out a talent of silver.? NET Bible When the king passed by, he called out to the king, "Your servant went out into the heat of the battle, and then a man turned aside and brought me a prisoner. He told me, 'Guard this prisoner. If he ends up missing for any reason, you will pay with your life or with a talent of silver.' New Heart English Bible As the king passed by, he cried to the king; and he said, "Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and look, a man turned aside, and brought a man to me, and said, 'Guard this man. If by any means he be missing, then your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.' Webster's Bible Translation And as the king passed by, he cried to the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man to me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he shall be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver. World English Bible As the king passed by, he cried to the king, and he said, “Your servant went out into the middle of the battle; and behold, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, ‘Guard this man! If by any means he is missing, then your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’ Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionAnd it comes to pass—the king is passing by—that he has cried to the king and says, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle, and behold, a man has turned aside and brings a man to me, and says, Keep this man; if he is at all missing, then your life has been for his life, or you weigh out a talent of silver; Young's Literal Translation And it cometh to pass -- the king is passing by -- that he hath cried unto the king, and saith, 'Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle, and lo, a man hath turned aside and bringeth in unto me a man, and saith, Keep this man; if he be at all missing, then hath thy life been for his life, or a talent of silver thou dost weigh out; Smith's Literal Translation And it will be the king passing by, and he cried to the king, and he will say, Thy servant went forth into the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned aside, and he will bring a man to me, and say, Watch this man: if missing, he shall be missed, and thy soul being instead of his soul, or thou shalt weigh a talent of silver. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd as the king passed by, he cried to the king, and said: Thy servant went out to fight hand to hand: and when a certain man was run away, one brought him to me, and said: Keep this man: and if he shall slip away, thy life shall be for his life, or thou shalt pay a talent of silver. Catholic Public Domain Version And when the king had passed by, he cried out to the king, and he said: “Your servant went out to do battle in close quarters. And when one man had fled, a certain person brought him to me, and he said: ‘Guard this man. For if he slips away, your life will take the place of his life, or you will weigh out one talent of silver.’ New American Bible As the king was passing, he called out to the king and said: “Your servant went into the thick of the battle, and suddenly someone turned and brought me a man and said, ‘Guard this man. If he is missing, you shall have to pay for his life with your life or pay out a talent of silver.’ New Revised Standard Version As the king passed by, he cried to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the thick of the battle; then a soldier turned and brought a man to me, and said, ‘Guard this man; if he is missing, your life shall be given for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’ Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleAnd, behold, as the king was passing by, he cried to the king and said, Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a soldier to me, and said, Keep this man; if by any means he be missing, then shall your life be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated And behold, the King passed by, and he shouted before the King and said: “Your Servant went out into battle, and behold, a man turned aside and he brought a man to me and said to me: ‘Guard this man’, and if he will wander off, your life will be in the place of his life, or you shall pay a talent of silver!” OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king; and he said: 'Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said: Keep this man; if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver. Brenton Septuagint Translation And it came to pass as the king passed by, that he cried aloud to the king, and said, Thy servant went out to war, and, behold, a man brought another man to me, and said to me, Keep his man; and if he should by any means escape, then thy life shall go for his life, or thou shalt pay a talent of silver. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context A Prophet Reproves Ahab…38and the prophet went and waited on the road for the king, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes. 39 As the king passed by, he cried out to the king: “Your servant had marched out into the middle of the battle, when suddenly a man came over with a captive and told me, ‘Guard this man! If he goes missing for any reason, your life will be exchanged for his life, or you will weigh out a talent of silver.’ 40But while your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared.” And the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you have pronounced it on yourself.”… Cross References 2 Samuel 12:1-7 Then the LORD sent Nathan to David, and when he arrived, he said, “There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. / The rich man had a great number of sheep and cattle, / but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food and drank from his cup; it slept in his arms and was like a daughter to him. ... Matthew 18:23-35 Because of this, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. / As he began the settlements, a debtor owing ten thousand talents was brought to him. / Since the man was unable to pay, the master ordered that he be sold to pay his debt, along with his wife and children and everything he owned. ... Luke 7:40-43 But Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, Teacher,” he said. / “Two men were debtors to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. / When they were unable to repay him, he forgave both of them. Which one, then, will love him more?” ... 2 Samuel 14:1-20 Now Joab son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart longed for Absalom. / So Joab sent to Tekoa to bring a wise woman from there. He told her, “Please pretend to be a mourner; put on clothes for mourning and do not anoint yourself with oil. Act like a woman who has mourned for the dead a long time. / Then go to the king and speak these words to him.” And Joab put the words in her mouth. ... Matthew 25:14-30 For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions. / To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent—each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey. / The servant who had received the five talents went at once and put them to work and gained five more. ... Luke 19:12-27 So He said, “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to lay claim to his kingship and then return. / Beforehand, he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Conduct business with this until I return,’ he said. / But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us.’ ... 2 Kings 5:25-27 When Gehazi went in and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, “Gehazi, where have you been?” “Your servant did not go anywhere,” he replied. / But Elisha questioned him, “Did not my spirit go with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to accept money and clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, menservants and maidservants? / Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman will cling to you and your descendants forever!” And as Gehazi left his presence, he was leprous—as white as snow. Ezekiel 17:2-10 “Son of man, pose a riddle; speak a parable to the house of Israel / and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers of many colors, came to Lebanon and took away the top of the cedar. / He plucked off its topmost shoot, carried it to the land of merchants, and planted it in a city of traders. ... Isaiah 5:1-7 I will sing for my beloved a song of his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. / He dug it up and cleared the stones and planted the finest vines. He built a watchtower in the middle and dug out a winepress as well. He waited for the vineyard to yield good grapes, but the fruit it produced was sour! / “And now, O dwellers of Jerusalem and men of Judah, I exhort you to judge between Me and My vineyard. ... Jeremiah 34:8-22 After King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim liberty, the word came to Jeremiah from the LORD / that each man should free his Hebrew slaves, both male and female, and no one should hold his fellow Jew in bondage. / So all the officials and all the people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their menservants and maidservants and no longer hold them in bondage. They obeyed and released them, ... Matthew 21:33-41 Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it, and built a tower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey. / When the harvest time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit. / But the tenants seized his servants. They beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. ... Luke 20:9-16 Then He proceeded to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it out to some tenants, and went away for a long time. / At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat the servant and sent him away empty-handed. / So he sent another servant, but they beat him and treated him shamefully, sending him away empty-handed. ... 2 Samuel 24:10-17 After David had numbered the troops, his conscience was stricken and he said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg You to take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.” / When David got up in the morning, the word of the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer: / “Go and tell David that this is what the LORD says: ‘I am offering you three options. Choose one of them, and I will carry it out against you.’” ... Ezekiel 18:1-4 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, / “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children are set on edge’? / As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. ... Matthew 13:10-17 Then the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Why do You speak to the people in parables?” / He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. / Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ... Treasury of Scripture And as the king passed by, he cried to the king: and he said, Your servant went out into the middle of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man to me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall your life be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver. the ashes away 1 Kings 20:38 So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face. 2 Samuel 13:19 And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of divers colours that was on her, and laid her hand on her head, and went on crying. Job 2:8 And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes. Jump to Previous Battle Cried Life Means Midst Missing Passed Pay Servant Silver Talent TurnedJump to Next Battle Cried Life Means Midst Missing Passed Pay Servant Silver Talent Turned1 Kings 20 1. Ben-Hadad, not content with Ahab's homage, besieges Samaria13. By the direction of a prophet, the Syrians are slain 22. As the prophet forewarned Ahab, the Syrians come against him in Aphek 28. By the word of the prophet, and God's judgment, the Syrians are smitten again 31. The Syrians submit; Ahab sends Ben-Hadad away with a covenant 35. The prophet, under the parable of a prisoner, 39. making Ahab judge himself, denounces God's judgment against him As the king passed by This phrase sets the scene in a historical context where kings often led their armies into battle and were directly involved in military affairs. The king here is Ahab, the ruler of Israel, who is returning from a victorious battle against the Arameans. The Hebrew root for "king" (מֶלֶךְ, melek) signifies not just a political leader but one who is supposed to embody the covenantal responsibilities of leading God's people. Ahab's actions throughout his reign often contrast with this ideal, highlighting the tension between divine expectations and human leadership. the prophet called out to him Your servant went into the thick of the battle and suddenly a man turned aside brought someone to me saying, ‘Guard this man If he is ever missing, it will be your life for his life or you will weigh out a talent of silver Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew As the kingהַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ (ham·me·leḵ) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 4428: A king passed by, עֹבֵ֔ר (‘ō·ḇêr) Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular Strong's 5674: To pass over, through, or by, pass on he וְה֖וּא (wə·hū) Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - third person masculine singular Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are cried out צָעַ֣ק (ṣā·‘aq) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 6817: To shriek, to proclaim to אֶל־ (’el-) Preposition Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to the king: הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 4428: A king “Your servant עַבְדְּךָ֣ ׀ (‘aḇ·də·ḵā) Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular Strong's 5650: Slave, servant had marched out יָצָ֣א (yā·ṣā) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 3318: To go, bring, out, direct and proxim into the middle בְקֶֽרֶב־ (ḇə·qe·reḇ-) Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 7130: The nearest part, the center of the battle, הַמִּלְחָמָ֗ה (ham·mil·ḥā·māh) Article | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 4421: A battle, war when suddenly וְהִנֵּֽה־ (wə·hin·nêh-) Conjunctive waw | Interjection Strong's 2009: Lo! behold! a man אִ֨ישׁ (’îš) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person came over סָ֜ר (sār) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 5493: To turn aside with וַיָּבֵ֧א (way·yā·ḇê) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go a captive אִ֗ישׁ (’îš) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person and told וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ (way·yō·mer) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 559: To utter, say me, אֵלַ֣י (’ê·lay) Preposition | first person common singular Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to ‘Guard שְׁמֹר֙ (šə·mōr) Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular Strong's 8104: To hedge about, guard, to protect, attend to this הַזֶּ֔ה (haz·zeh) Article | Pronoun - masculine singular Strong's 2088: This, that man! הָאִ֣ישׁ (hā·’îš) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person If אִם־ (’im-) Conjunction Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not he goes missing יִפָּקֵ֔ד (yip·pā·qêḏ) Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 6485: To visit, to oversee, muster, charge, care for, miss, deposit for any reason, הִפָּקֵד֙ (hip·pā·qêḏ) Verb - Nifal - Infinitive absolute Strong's 6485: To visit, to oversee, muster, charge, care for, miss, deposit your life נַפְשְׁךָ֙ (nap̄·šə·ḵā) Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular Strong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion will be exchanged וְהָיְתָ֤ה (wə·hā·yə·ṯāh) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person feminine singular Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be for תַּ֣חַת (ta·ḥaṯ) Preposition Strong's 8478: The bottom, below, in lieu of his life, נַפְשׁ֔וֹ (nap̄·šōw) Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular Strong's 5315: A soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion or א֥וֹ (’ōw) Conjunction Strong's 176: Desire, if you will weigh out תִּשְׁקֽוֹל׃ (tiš·qō·wl) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular Strong's 8254: To suspend, poise a talent כִכַּר־ (ḵik·kar-) Noun - feminine singular construct Strong's 3603: A round, a round district, a round loaf, a round weight, a talent (a measure of weight or money) of silver.? כֶּ֖סֶף (ke·sep̄) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 3701: Silver, money Links 1 Kings 20:39 NIV1 Kings 20:39 NLT 1 Kings 20:39 ESV 1 Kings 20:39 NASB 1 Kings 20:39 KJV 1 Kings 20:39 BibleApps.com 1 Kings 20:39 Biblia Paralela 1 Kings 20:39 Chinese Bible 1 Kings 20:39 French Bible 1 Kings 20:39 Catholic Bible OT History: 1 Kings 20:39 As the king passed by he cried (1Ki iKi i Ki 1 Kg 1kg) |
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