Lectionary Calendar
Monday, July 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

2 Samuel 13:24

Then he went to David and said, "My servants are cutting the wool from my sheep. Please come and join us!"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Absalom;   Deception;   Homicide;   Rape;   Revenge;   Tamar;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Entertainments;   Revenge;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Amnon;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Absalom;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Family Life and Relations;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Absalom;   Sheep;   Tamar;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Laban (2);   Holman Bible Dictionary - Economic Life;   Samuel, Books of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Amnon ;   Tamar ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Absalom;   Amnon;   David;   Sheep;   Shepherd;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Am'non;   Mephib'osheth;   Ta'mar;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Samuel, Books of;   Sheep;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Absalom;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then he went to the king and said, “Your servant has just hired sheepshearers. Will the king and his servants please come with your servant?”
Hebrew Names Version
Avshalom came to the king, and said, See now, your servant has sheep-shearers; let the king, I pray you, and his servants go with your servant.
King James Version
And Absalom came to the king, and said, Behold now, thy servant hath sheepshearers; let the king, I beseech thee, and his servants go with thy servant.
Lexham English Bible
Then Absalom went to the king and said, "Look, here are your servant's shearers; please let the king and his servants go with your servant.
English Standard Version
And Absalom came to the king and said, "Behold, your servant has sheepshearers. Please let the king and his servants go with your servant."
New Century Version
Absalom went to the king and said, "I have men coming to cut the wool. Please come with your officers and join me."
New English Translation
Then Absalom went to the king and said, "My shearers have begun their work. Let the king and his servants go with me."
Amplified Bible
Absalom came to [his father] the king and said, "Behold, your servant has sheepshearers; please let the king and his servants go with your servant."
New American Standard Bible
And Absalom came to the king and said, "Behold now, your servant has sheepshearers; may the king and his servants please go with your servant."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And Absalom came to the King and sayd, Beholde now, thy seruant hath sheepesherers: I pray thee, that the King with his seruants would goe with thy seruant.
Legacy Standard Bible
And Absalom came to the king and said, "Behold now, your servant has sheepshearers; please let the king and his servants go with your servant."
Complete Jewish Bible
Avshalom went to the king and said, "Your servant has sheep-shearers; please let the king and his servants come along with your servant."
Darby Translation
And Absalom came to the king, and said, Behold, now, thy servant has sheepshearers; let the king, I pray thee, and his servants go with thy servant.
Easy-to-Read Version
Absalom went to the king and said, "I have some men coming to cut the wool from my sheep. Please come with your servants and watch."
George Lamsa Translation
And Absalom came to the king and said to him, Behold now your servant has sheepshearers; let the king and his servants go with your servant.
Good News Translation
He went to King David and said, "Your Majesty, I am having my sheep sheared. Will you and your officials come and take part in the festivities?"
Literal Translation
And Absalom came to the king and said, Behold, your servant now has shearers. Please let the king and his servants go with your servant.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and came to the kynge, and sayde: Beholde, thy seruaunt hath shepe clyppers, let it please ye kynge with his seruauntes to go with his seruaunte.
American Standard Version
And Absalom came to the king, and said, Behold now, thy servant hath sheep-shearers; let the king, I pray thee, and his servants go with thy servant.
Bible in Basic English
And Absalom came to the king and said, See now, your servant is cutting the wool of his sheep; will the king and his servants be pleased to come?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And came to the king, and saide: Beholde, thy seruaunt hath sheepe shearers, I pray thee that the king with his seruauntes come to thy seruaunt.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Absalom came to the king, and said: 'Behold now, thy servant hath sheep-shearers; let the king, I pray thee, and his servants go with thy servant.'
King James Version (1611)
And Absalom came to the King, and said, Behold now, thy seruant hath sheepe-shearers, Let the King, I beseech thee, and his seruants, goe with thy seruant.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Abessalom came to the king, and said, Behold, thy servant has a sheep-shearing; let now the king and his servants go with thy servant.
English Revised Version
And Absalom came to the king, and said, Behold now, thy servant hath sheepshearers; let the king, I pray thee, and his servants go with thy servant.
Berean Standard Bible
And he went to the king and said, "Your servant has just hired shearers. Will the king and his servants please come with me?"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he cam to the kyng, and seide to hym, Lo! the scheep of thi seruaunt ben schorun; Y preye, come the king with hise seruauntis to his seruaunt.
Young's Literal Translation
And Absalom cometh unto the king, and saith, `Lo, I pray thee, thy servant hath shearers, let the king go, I pray thee, and his servants, with thy servant.'
Update Bible Version
And Absalom came to the king, and said, Look now, your slave has sheep-shearers; let the king, I pray you, and his slaves go with your slave.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Absalom came to the king, and said, Behold now, thy servant hath sheep-shearers; let the king, I beseech thee, and his servants go with thy servant.
World English Bible
Absalom came to the king, and said, See now, your servant has sheep-shearers; let the king, I pray you, and his servants go with your servant.
New King James Version
Then Absalom came to the king and said, "Kindly note, your servant has sheepshearers; please, let the king and his servants go with your servant."
New Living Translation
He went to the king and said, "My sheep-shearers are now at work. Would the king and his servants please come to celebrate the occasion with me?"
New Life Bible
He came to the king and said, "See, your servant has men to cut the wool from the sheep. Let the king and his men go with your servant."
New Revised Standard
Absalom came to the king, and said, "Your servant has sheepshearers; will the king and his servants please go with your servant?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Absolom came also unto the king, and said, See, I pray thee, thy servant hath, sheepshearers, - I pray thee, let the king and his servants go with thy servant.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he came to the king, and said to him: Behold thy servant’s sheep are shorn. Let the king, I pray, with his servants come to his servant.
Revised Standard Version
And Ab'salom came to the king, and said, "Behold, your servant has sheepshearers; pray let the king and his servants go with your servant."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Absalom came to the king and said, "Behold now, your servant has sheepshearers; please let the king and his servants go with your servant."

Contextual Overview

21 When David heard what had happened to Tamar, he was very angry. But Amnon was his oldest son and also his favorite, and David would not do anything to make Amnon unhappy. 22 Absalom treated Amnon as though nothing had happened, but he hated Amnon for what he had done to his sister Tamar. 23 Two years later, Absalom's servants were cutting wool from his sheep in Baal-Hazor near the town of Ephraim, and Absalom invited all of the king's sons to be there. 24 Then he went to David and said, "My servants are cutting the wool from my sheep. Please come and join us!" 25 David answered, "No, my son, we won't go. It would be too expensive for you." Absalom tried to get him to change his mind, but David did not want to go. He only said that he hoped they would have a good time. 26 Absalom said, "If you won't go, at least let my brother Amnon come with us." David asked, "Why should he go with you?" 27 But Absalom kept on insisting, and finally David let Amnon and all his other sons go with Absalom. Absalom prepared a banquet fit for a king. 28 But he told his servants, "Keep an eye on Amnon. When he gets a little drunk from the wine and is feeling good, I'll give the signal. Then kill him! I've commanded you to do it, so don't be afraid. Be strong and brave." 29 Absalom's servants killed Amnon, just as Absalom had told them. The rest of the king's sons quickly rode away on their mules to escape from Absalom.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

let the king: 2 Samuel 11:8-15, Psalms 12:2, Psalms 55:21, Jeremiah 41:6, Jeremiah 41:7

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 25:2 - shearing 2 Samuel 15:7 - let me go Luke 18:5 - because

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Absalom came to the king,.... At Jerusalem, to invite him in person:

and said, behold now, thy servant hath sheepshearers; persons employed in shearing his sheep: and this being a time of entertainment and joy,

let the king, I beseech thee, and his servants, go with thy servant; he invited the king and the whole royal family to go with him to Baalhazor, and partake of the sheepshearing feast; for by "his servants" are not meant the king's domestic servants, his guard and retinue, but his sons, as appears by what follows.


 
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