Judges 8:19
17 He also pulled down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
18 Next, Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?” “Men like you,” they answered, “each one resembling the son of a king.”
“They were my brothers,” Gideon replied, “the sons of my mother! As surely as the LORD lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.”
20 So he said to Jether, his firstborn, “Get up and kill them.” But the young man did not draw his sword; he was fearful because he was still a youth.
21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Get up and kill us yourself, for as the man is, so is his strength.” So Gideon got up and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments from the necks of their camels.
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
- “They were my brothers,” Gideon replied, “the sons of my mother! As surely as the LORD lives, if you had let them live, I would not kill you.”
- KJV
- And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you.
- WEB
- He said, “They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the LORD lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you.”
- ASV
- And he said, They were my brethren, the sons of my mother: as Jehovah liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you.
- DARBY
- And he said, They were my brethren, the sons of my mother. [As] Jehovah liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you.
- BLB
- And he said, “They [were] my brothers, the sons of my mother. [As] YHWH lives, if you⁺ had let them live, I would not kill you⁺.”
- ÅB
- Da sa han: Det var mine brødre, min mors sønner; så sant Herren lever, dersom dere hadde latt dem leve, skulle jeg ikke slått dere ihjel.
- OTB
- Gideon sa: «Det var mine brødre, sønnene av min egen mor. Så sant Herren lever, hvis dere hadde spart deres liv, ville jeg ikke drepe dere.»
- B1930
- Da sa han: Det var mine brødre, min mors sønner; så sant Herren lever, dersom I hadde latt dem leve, skulde jeg ikke slått eder ihjel.