Judges 8:19
17 And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.
18 Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king.
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.
20 And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth.
21 Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.
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.