Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, April 9th, 2026
Thursday in Easter Week
Attention!
Tired of seeing ads while studying? Now you can enjoy an "Ads Free" version of the site for as little as 10¢ a day and support a great cause!
Click here to learn more!

Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

2 Samuel 19:7

Now get up! Go out there and thank them for what they did. If you don't, I swear by the Lord that you won't even have one man left on your side tomorrow morning. You may have had a lot of troubles in the past, but this will be the worst thing that has ever happened to you!

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Absalom;   Chiding;   Courage;   David;   Joab;   Oath;   Reproof;   Sorrow;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Oaths;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Joab;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prophet;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - David;   Joab;   Rabbah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Joab;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Joab;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Joram;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Comfortably;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Now get up! Go out and encourage your soldiers, for I swear by the Lord that if you don’t go out, not a man will remain with you tonight. This will be worse for you than all the trouble that has come to you from your youth until now!”
Hebrew Names Version
Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak comfortably to your servants; for I swear by the LORD, if you don't go forth, there will not stay a man with you this night: and that will be worse to you than all the evil that has befallen you from your youth until now.
King James Version
Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak comfortably unto thy servants: for I swear by the Lord , if thou go not forth, there will not tarry one with thee this night: and that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that befell thee from thy youth until now.
Lexham English Bible
So then, get up and go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by Yahweh, if you do not go out, no man will lodge this night with you, and this disaster will be greater for you than any disaster that has come upon you from your childhood until now!"
English Standard Version
Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the Lord , if you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now."
New Century Version
Now go out and encourage your servants. I swear by the Lord that if you don't go out, no man will be left with you by tonight! That will be worse than all the troubles you have had from your youth until today."
New English Translation
So get up now and go out and give some encouragement to your servants. For I swear by the Lord that if you don't go out there, not a single man will stay here with you tonight! This disaster will be worse for you than any disaster that has overtaken you from your youth right to the present time!"
Amplified Bible
"So now stand up, go out and speak kindly and encouragingly to your servants; for I swear by the LORD that if you do not go out, not a man will stay with you tonight. And this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now."
New American Standard Bible
"Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the LORD, if you do not go out, no man will stay the night with you, and this will be worse for you than all the misfortune that has happened to you from your youth until now!"
Geneva Bible (1587)
Nowe therefore vp, come out, and speake comfortably vnto thy seruants: for I sweare by the Lorde, except thou come out, there will not tarie one man with thee this night: and that wil be worse vnto thee, then all the euill that fell on thee from thy youth hitherto.
Legacy Standard Bible
So now, arise, go out and speak to the heart of your servants, for I swear by Yahweh, if you do not go out, surely not a man will pass the night with you, and this will be of greater evil for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now."
Complete Jewish Bible
But you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. Today you said that princes and servants mean nothing to you — for I can see today that it would have pleased you more if Avshalom had lived today, and we had all died!
Darby Translation
But now arise, go forth, and speak consolingly to thy servants; for I swear by Jehovah, if thou go not forth, there will not tarry one with thee this night; and that would be worse to thee than all the evil that has befallen thee from thy youth until now.
Easy-to-Read Version
Now get up and go encourage your officers. I swear by the Lord , if you don't go out and do that right now, not one man will be with you tonight. And that will be worse for you than all the trouble you have had since you were a child."
George Lamsa Translation
Now therefore arise, go out and speak comfortingly to your servants; for I swear by the LORD, if you do not go out, not a man will remain with you this night; and this will be worse for you than all the evils that have befallen you from your youth until now.
Good News Translation
Now go and reassure your men. I swear by the Lord 's name that if you don't, not one of them will be with you by tomorrow morning. That would be the worst disaster you have suffered in all your life."
Literal Translation
And now rise up; go out and speak to the heart of your servants. For I have sworn by Jehovah that if you do not go out, not a man shall remain with you tonight. And this would be worse for you than all the evil that has come onyou from your youth until now.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Get the vp now therfore, and go forth, and speake louyngly vnto thy seruauntes. For I sweare vnto the by ye LORDE, yf thou go not forth, there shall not be lefte the one man this nighte: this shalbe worse vnto ye, then all the euell that happened the sence yi youth vp hither to.
American Standard Version
Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak comfortably unto thy servants; for I swear by Jehovah, if thou go not forth, there will not tarry a man with thee this night: and that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that hath befallen thee from thy youth until now.
Bible in Basic English
So get up now, and go out and say some kind words to your servants; for, by the Lord, I give you my oath, that if you do not go out, not one of them will keep with you tonight; and that will be worse for you than all the evil which has overtaken you from your earliest years.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Nowe therfore vp, and come out, and speake cofortably vnto thy seruauntes: For I sweare by the Lorde, except thou come out, there will not tary one man with thee this night, and that wilbe worse vnto thee, then all the euyll that fell on thee from thy youth vnto this houre.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
in that thou lovest them that hate thee, and hatest them that love thee. For thou hast declared this day, that princes and servants are nought unto thee; for this day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee well.
King James Version (1611)
Now therefore arise, goe foorth, and speake comfortably vnto thy seruants: for I sweare by the Lord, if thou goe not forth, there wil not tarie one with thee this night, and that will be worse vnto thee then all the euill that befell thee from thy youth vntill now.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And now arise, and go forth, and speak comfortably to thy servants; for I have sworn by the Lord, that unless thou wilt go forth to-day, there shall not a man remain with thee this night: and know for thyself, this thing will indeed be evil to thee beyond all the evil that has come upon thee from thy youth until now.
English Revised Version
Now therefore arise, go forth and speak comfortably unto thy servants: for I swear by the LORD, if thou go not forth, there will not tarry a man with thee this night: and that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that hath befallen thee from thy youth until now.
Berean Standard Bible
Now therefore get up! Go out and speak comfort to your servants, for I swear by the LORD that if you do not go out, not a man will remain with you tonight. This will be worse for you than all the adversity that has befallen you from your youth until now!"
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Now therfor ryse thou, and go forth, and speke thou, and make satisfaccioun to this eruauntis; for Y swere to thee bi the Lord, that if thou schalt not go out, sotheli not o man schal dwelle with thee in this nyyt; and this schal be worse to thee, than alle yuels that camen on thee fro thi yong wexynge age til in to present tyme.
Young's Literal Translation
`And now, rise, go out and speak unto the heart of thy servants, for by Jehovah I have sworn, that -- thou art not going out -- there doth not lodge a man with thee to-night; and this [is] worse for thee than all the evil that hath come upon thee from thy youth till now.'
Update Bible Version
Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak comfortably to your slaves; for I swear by Yahweh, if you don't go forth, there will not tarry a man with you this night: and that will be worse to you than all the evil that has befallen you from your youth until now.
Webster's Bible Translation
Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak comfortably to thy servants: for I swear by the LORD, if thou shalt not go forth, there will not tarry one with thee this night: and that will be worse to thee than all the evil that hath befallen thee from thy youth until now.
World English Bible
Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak comfortably to your servants; for I swear by Yahweh, if you don't go forth, there will not stay a man with you this night: and that will be worse to you than all the evil that has befallen you from your youth until now.
New King James Version
Now therefore, arise, go out and speak comfort to your servants. For I swear by the LORD, if you do not go out, not one will stay with you this night. And that will be worse for you than all the evil that has befallen you from your youth until now."
New Living Translation
Now go out there and congratulate your troops, for I swear by the Lord that if you don't go out, not a single one of them will remain here tonight. Then you will be worse off than ever before."
New Life Bible
So now get up and go out and speak in kindness to your servants. I swear by the Lord that if you do not, for sure not a man will stay with you this night. And this will be worse for you than all the bad things that have happened to you since you were young."
New Revised Standard
So go out at once and speak kindly to your servants; for I swear by the Lord , if you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night; and this will be worse for you than any disaster that has come upon you from your youth until now."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Now, therefore, rise - go forth, and speak unto the heart of thy servants, - for, by Yahweh, have I sworn, that, if thou do not go forth, not a man shall tarry with thee to-night, and this will be to thee, a greater misfortune, than all the misfortune that hath come upon thee from thy youth until now.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Now therefore arise, and go out, and speak to the satisfaction of thy servants: for I swear to thee by the Lord, that if thou wilt not go forth, there will not tarry with thee so much as one this night: and that will be worse to thee, than all the evils that have befallen thee from thy youth until now.
Revised Standard Version
Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants; for I swear by the LORD, if you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night; and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the LORD, if you do not go out, surely not a man will pass the night with you, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now."

Contextual Overview

1 Someone told Joab, "The king is crying because Absalom is dead." 2 David's army found out he was crying because his son had died, and their day of victory suddenly turned into a day of sadness. 3 The troops were sneaking into Mahanaim, just as if they had run away from a battle and were ashamed. 4 David held his hands over his face and kept on crying loudly, "My son, Absalom! Absalom, my son, my son!" 5 Joab went to the house where David was staying and told him: You've made your soldiers ashamed! Not only did they save your life, they saved your sons and daughters and wives as well. 6 You're more loyal to your enemies than to your friends. What you've done today has shown your officers and soldiers that they don't mean a thing to you. You would be happy if Absalom was still alive, even if the rest of us were dead. 7 Now get up! Go out there and thank them for what they did. If you don't, I swear by the Lord that you won't even have one man left on your side tomorrow morning. You may have had a lot of troubles in the past, but this will be the worst thing that has ever happened to you! 8 David got up and went to the town gate and sat down. When the people heard that he was sitting there, they came to see him. After Israel's soldiers had all returned home,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

comfortably unto thy: Heb. to the heart of thy, Genesis 34:3, Proverbs 19:15, Isaiah 40:1, Hosea 2:14, *marg.

there: Proverbs 14:28

all the evil: Psalms 71:4-6, Psalms 71:9-11, Psalms 71:18-20, Psalms 129:1, Psalms 129:2

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 3:39 - too hard 2 Samuel 20:6 - do us Proverbs 17:26 - to strike

Cross-References

Genesis 19:4
Before Lot and his guests could go to bed, every man in Sodom, young and old, came and stood outside his house
Genesis 19:9
"Don't get in our way," the crowd answered. "You're an outsider. What right do you have to order us around? We'll do worse things to you than we're going to do to them." The crowd kept arguing with Lot. Finally, they rushed toward the door to break it down.
Genesis 19:11
Then they struck everyone in the crowd blind, and none of them could even find the door.
Genesis 19:23
The sun was coming up as Lot reached the town of Zoar,
Genesis 19:24
and the Lord sent burning sulfur down like rain on Sodom and Gomorrah.
Leviticus 18:22
It is disgusting for a man to have sex with another man.
Leviticus 20:13
It's disgusting for men to have sex with one another, and those who do will be put to death, just as they deserve.
Deuteronomy 23:17
Moses said: People of Israel, don't any of you ever be temple prostitutes.
Judges 19:23
The old man went outside and said, "My friends, please don't commit such a horrible crime against a man who is a guest in my house.
Acts 17:26
From one person God made all nations who live on earth, and he decided when and where every nation would be.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Now therefore arise, go forth,.... Arise from his couch, he was watering with his tears, and go forth from his house, where he had shut himself up retired from all company, to the gate of the city, where the people passed and repassed, and there was a concourse of them: this he said not by way of command, but by way of advice; though all along he seems to take too much upon him, and to speak unbecoming a subject, and not with that decency as was necessary in, speaking to a king; but it may be observed, that a general of an army had great power over princes in those times; and presumed very much on their interest in the army, which led them sometimes not to behave with that decorum as became them:

and speak comfortably unto thy servants; commend them for their courage and faithfulness, thank them for their services, and reward them suitably; at least give them assurance of it:

for I swear by the Lord; by the Word of the Lord, as the Targum; this he said to arouse him, and make him bestir himself, and think what was proper for him to do:

if thou go not forth, there will not tarry one with thee this night; signifying that he would use his interest in the army to go off with it, and set up another king; and did not doubt of success, as well knowing what temper and humour the people were in through the king's conduct:

and that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that befell thee from thy youth until now; for when he was persecuted by Saul he had a number of friends that adhered close to him; and when Ishbosheth was set up against him by Abner as king of Israel, the tribe of Judah cleaved to him, anointed him their king, and abode by him; wherefore, should he now be abandoned by his army, his case would be worse than ever it had been.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile