2 Samuel 18:11
9 Now Absalom was riding on his mule when he met the servants of David, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s head was caught fast in the tree. The mule under him kept going, so that he was suspended in midair.
10 When one of the men saw this, he told Joab, “I just saw Absalom hanging in an oak tree!”
“You just saw him!” Joab exclaimed. “Why did you not strike him to the ground right there? I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a warrior’s belt!”
12 The man replied, “Even if a thousand shekels of silver were weighed out into my hands, I would not raise my hand against the son of the king. For we heard the king command you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.’
13 If I had jeopardized my own life —and nothing is hidden from the king—you would have abandoned me.”
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- “You just saw him!” Joab exclaimed. “Why did you not strike him to the ground right there? I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a warrior’s belt!”
- KJV
- And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest him, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have given thee ten shekels of silver, and a girdle.
- WEB
- Joab said to the man who told him, “Behold, you saw it, and why didn’t you strike him there to the ground? I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a sash.”
- ASV
- And Joab said unto the man that told him, And, behold, thou sawest it, and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have given thee ten [pieces of] silver, and a girdle.
- DARBY
- And Joab said to the man that told him, And behold, thou sawest [him], and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have given thee ten silver pieces and a girdle.
- BLB
- And Joab said to the man who told him, “And behold, you saw [him], and why did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have given to you ten [shekels] of silver and one belt.”
- ÅB
- Da sa Joab til mannen som meldte ham dette: Men når du har sett det, hvorfor slo du ham da ikke til jorden med det samme? Så hadde det vært min skyldighet å gi deg ti sekel sølv og et belte.
- OTB
- Da sa Joab til mannen som hadde fortalt ham det: "Du så ham! Hvorfor slo du ham ikke da til jorden? Jeg ville ha gitt deg ti sølvstykker og et belte."
- B1930
- Da sa Joab til mannen som meldte ham dette: Men når du har sett det, hvorfor slo du ham da ikke til jorden med det samme? Så hadde det vært min skyldighet å gi dig ti sekel sølv og et belte.