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1 Kings 20:10-12
New English Translation
1 Kings 20:10-12
New English Translation
10 Ben Hadad sent another message to him, “May the gods judge me severely[a] if there is enough dirt left in Samaria for all my soldiers to scoop up in their hands.”[b] 11 The king of Israel replied, “Tell him the one who puts on his battle gear should not boast like one who is taking it off.”[c] 12 When Ben Hadad received this reply,[d] he and the other kings were drinking in their quarters.[e] He ordered his servants, “Get ready to attack!” So they got ready to attack the city.
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- 1 Kings 20:10 tn Heb “So may the gods do to me, and so may they add.”
- 1 Kings 20:10 tn Heb “if the dirt of Samaria suffices for the handfuls of all the people who are at my feet.”
- 1 Kings 20:11 sn The point of the saying is that someone who is still preparing for a battle should not boast as if he has already won the battle. A modern parallel would be, “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.”
- 1 Kings 20:12 tn Heb “When he heard this word.”
- 1 Kings 20:12 tn Heb “in the temporary shelters.” This is probably referring to tents.
New English Translation (NET)
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