1 Samuel 17:15

Christian Standard Bible ®

but David kept going back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s flock in Bethlehem.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Now David went back and forth from Sha'ul to feed his father's sheep at Beit-Lechem.

King James Version
But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

Lexham English Bible
but David went back and forth from Saul to feed the sheep of his father in Bethlehem.

English Standard Version
but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

New Century Version
but David went back and forth from Saul to Bethlehem, where he took care of his father's sheep.

New English Translation
David was going back and forth from Saul in order to care for his father's sheep in Bethlehem.

Amplified Bible
but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father's flock at Bethlehem.

New American Standard Bible
but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father's flock at Bethlehem.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Dauid also went, but hee returned from Saul to feede his fathers sheepe in Beth-lehem.

Legacy Standard Bible
but David went back and forth from Saul to shepherd his father's flock at Bethlehem.

Contemporary English Version
He took care of his father's sheep, and he went back and forth between Bethlehem and Saul's camp.

Complete Jewish Bible
David went back and forth from Sha'ul to pasture his father's sheep at Beit-Lechem.

Darby Translation
But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

Easy-to-Read Version
but David left Saul from time to time to take care of his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

George Lamsa Translation
Now David had returned from Saul, and was gone to tend his fathers sheep at Beth-lehem.

Good News Translation
David would go back to Bethlehem from time to time, to take care of his father's sheep.

Literal Translation
And David went and returned from Saul, to feed his father's flock at Bethlehem.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Dauid wente agayne from Saul, to kepe his fathers shepe at Bethleem.

American Standard Version
Now David went to and fro from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Beth-lehem.

Bible in Basic English
Now David went to and from Saul, looking after his father's sheep at Beth-lehem.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Dauid also went, and departed from Saul, to feede his fathers sheepe at Bethlehem.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Now David went to and fro from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Beth-lehem.--

King James Version (1611)
But Dauid went, and returned from Saul, to feed his fathers sheepe at Bethlehem.

English Revised Version
Now David went to and fro from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Beth–lehem.

Berean Standard Bible
but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father's sheep in Bethlehem.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and turnede ayen fro Saul, that he schulde kepe the floc of his fadir in Bethleem.

Young's Literal Translation
and David is going and returning from Saul, to feed the flock of his father at Beth-Lehem.

Update Bible Version
Now David went to and fro from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Beth-lehem.

Webster's Bible Translation
But David went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Beth-lehem.

World English Bible
Now David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Beth-lehem.

New King James Version
But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

New Living Translation
but David went back and forth so he could help his father with the sheep in Bethlehem.

New Life Bible
But David went to and from Saul, to take care of his father's flock at Bethlehem.

New Revised Standard
but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
whereas, David, kept going and returning from Saul, - to tend his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

Douay-Rheims Bible
David went, and returned from Saul, to feed his father’s flock at Bethlehem.

Revised Standard Version
but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father's flock at Bethlehem.

Contextual Overview

¹²Now David was the son of the Ephrathite from Bethlehem of Judah named Jesse. Jesse had eight sons and during Saul’s reign was already an old man. ¹³Jesse’s three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war, and their names were Eliab, the firstborn, Abinadab, the next, and Shammah, the third, ¹⁴and David was the youngest. The three oldest had followed Saul, ¹⁵but David kept going back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s flock in Bethlehem.¹⁶Every morning and evening for forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand. ¹⁷One day Jesse had told his son David: “Take this half-bushel of roasted grain along with these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. ¹⁸Also take these ten portions of cheese to the field commander. Check on the well-being of your brothers and bring a confirmation from them. ¹⁹They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines.” ²⁰So David got up early in the morning, left the flock with someone to keep it, loaded up, and set out as Jesse had charged him. ²¹Israel and the Philistines lined up in battle formation facing each other.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

returned: 1 Samuel 16:11, 1 Samuel 16:19-23

Reciprocal: Genesis 34:5 - now his Genesis 46:32 - shepherds 1 Samuel 18:2 - took him 1 Chronicles 17:7 - I took thee Psalms 78:70 - and took Psalms 131:1 - my heart

Cross-References

Genesis 17:5
Your name will no longer be Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I will make you the father of many nations.

Genesis 32:28
“Your name will no longer be Jacob,” he said. “It will be Israel because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.”

2 Samuel 12:25
and he sent a message through the prophet Nathan, who named him Jedidiah, because of the Lord.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But David went, and returned from Saul,.... Or "from above Saul"; Josephus u says, the physicians of Saul advised to get a man to stand υπερ κεφαλνς, "over his head", and sing psalms and hymns to him; and Saul being recovered from his frenzy and melancholy, by means of David's music, he was dismissed from him, or had leave to go home, or he returned upon Saul's taking the field; though one would think, if he was now his armourbearer, he would have gone with him, see 1 Samuel 16:21. It seems that when he was called to the court of Saul, that he did not continue there, but was going and coming, was there at certain times when Saul wanted him; and so when in the camp he might go and return as there was occasion for it:

to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem; for though he was anointed king, and was called to court, yet such was his humility, that he condescended to attend this employment of keeping sheep; and though Jesse knew all this, yet he kept him at home to this business, when it might be more reasonably thought he would have lain in the way of preferment, had he followed Saul to the camp, and appeared in the army; but he chose to leave things to the providence of God to work the way for him, and by which he was directed to take the following step, though perhaps without any design to his son's future promotion.

u Antiqu. l. 6. c. 8. sect. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

David went ... - “Was gone,” referring to 1 Samuel 16:19-20. Had he been Saul’s armour-bearer at this time it is highly improbable that he would have left him to feed sheep.