Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

2 Samuel 2:15

So the young soldiers got up. The two groups counted their men for the contest. They chose twelve men from the tribe of Benjamin to fight for Ish Bosheth son of Saul, and they chose twelve men from David's officers.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Abner;   Armies;   Benjamin;   Championship;   David;   Israel;   Joab;   War;   Scofield Reference Index - Kingdom;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Benjamin, Tribe of;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Gibeon;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Abner;   Joab;   Sport;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Gibeon;   Joab;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - War;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Games;   Gibeon;   Helkath-Hazzurim;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Abner;   Games;   Joab;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ishbosheth ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Joab;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Gibeon;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Benjamin;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Abner;   Ish-Bosheth;   Numbers and Numerals;   Samuel, Books of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So they got up and were counted off—twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and twelve from David’s soldiers.
Hebrew Names Version
Then they arose and went over by number: twelve for Binyamin, and for Ish-Boshet the son of Sha'ul, and twelve of the servants of David.
King James Version
Then there arose and went over by number twelve of Benjamin, which pertained to Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
Lexham English Bible
So they came forward and passed by in number: twelve for Benjamin and for Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David.
English Standard Version
Then they arose and passed over by number, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
New Century Version
Then the men got up and were counted—twelve from the people of Benjamin for Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve from David's men.
New English Translation
So they got up and crossed over by number: twelve belonging to Benjamin and to Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David.
Amplified Bible
So they stood up and went over by number, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
New American Standard Bible
So they got up and went over by count, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then there arose and went ouer twelue of Beniamin by number, which perteined to Ish-bosheth the sonne of Saul, and twelue of the seruants of Dauid.
Legacy Standard Bible
So they arose and went over by count, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
Contemporary English Version
and twelve of Ishbosheth's men from the tribe of Benjamin got up to fight twelve of David's men.
Complete Jewish Bible
So they got up and paired off, twelve for Binyamin and Ish-Boshet the son of Sha'ul, and twelve of David's servants.
Darby Translation
And they arose and went over by number, twelve for Benjamin, and for Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
George Lamsa Translation
Then there arose and went over by number twelve of the men of Benjamin, who belonged to Ashbashul the son of Saul and twelve of the men of David.
Good News Translation
So twelve men, representing Ishbosheth and the tribe of Benjamin, fought twelve of David's men.
Literal Translation
And they rose up and went over by number, twelve for Benjamin, and for Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then gat they them vp, & wente in nombre twolue of Ben Iamin on Ißboseth Sauls sonnes syde, and twolue of Dauids seruauntes.
American Standard Version
Then they arose and went over by number: twelve for Benjamin, and for Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
Bible in Basic English
So they got up and went over by number: twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth and twelve of the servants of David.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then there arose & went ouer twelue of Beniamin by numbre, which pertayned to Isboseth the sonne of Saul, and twelue of the seruauntes of Dauid.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then they arose and passed over by number: twelve for Benjamin, and for Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
King James Version (1611)
Then there arose and went ouer by number twelue of Beniamin, which pertained to Ishbosheth the sonne of Saul, and twelue of the seruants of Dauid.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And there arose and passed over by number twelve of the children of Benjamin, belonging to Jebosthe the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
English Revised Version
Then they arose and went over by number; twelve for Benjamin, and for Ish–bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
Berean Standard Bible
So they got up and were counted off-twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor thei risiden, and passiden twelue in noumbre of Beniamyn, of the part of Isbosech, sone of Saul; and twelue of the children of Dauid.
Young's Literal Translation
And they rise and pass over, in number twelve of Benjamin, even of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
Update Bible Version
Then they arose and went over by number: twelve for Benjamin, and for Ishbaal the son of Saul, and twelve of the slaves of David.
Webster's Bible Translation
Then there arose, and went over by number twelve of Benjamin, who [pertained] to Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
World English Bible
Then they arose and went over by number: twelve for Benjamin, and for Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
New King James Version
So they arose and went over by number, twelve from Benjamin, followers of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David.
New Living Translation
So twelve men were chosen to fight from each side—twelve men of Benjamin representing Ishbosheth son of Saul, and twelve representing David.
New Life Bible
So they stood up and went over by number. There were twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
New Revised Standard
So they came forward and were counted as they passed by, twelve for Benjamin and Ishbaal son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then there arose, and went over by number, - twelve of Benjamin, pertaining to Ish-bosheth, son of Saul, and twelve, of the servants of David.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Then there arose and went over twelve in number of Benjamin, of the part of Isboseth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
Revised Standard Version
Then they arose and passed over by number, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bo'sheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
THE MESSAGE
So they lined up for the fight, twelve Benjaminites from the side of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve soldiers from David's side. The men from each side grabbed their opponents' heads and stabbed them with their daggers. They all fell dead—the whole bunch together. So, they called the place Slaughter Park. It's right there at Gibeon.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So they arose and went over by count, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.

Contextual Overview

8 Abner son of Ner was the captain of Saul's army. Abner took Ish Bosheth son of Saul to Mahanaim 9 and made him king of Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel. 10 Ish Bosheth son of Saul was 40 years old when he began to rule over Israel. He ruled Israel two years, but the tribe of Judah followed David. 11 David ruled over the tribe of Judah from Hebron for seven years and six months. 12 Abner son of Ner and the officers of Ish Bosheth son of Saul left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. 13 Joab, Zeruiah's son, and the officers of David also went to Gibeon. They met Abner and Ish Bosheth's officers at the pool of Gibeon. Abner's group sat on one side of the pool. Joab's group sat on the other side. 14 Abner said to Joab, "Let's have the young soldiers get up and have a contest here." Joab said, "Yes, let's have a contest." 15 So the young soldiers got up. The two groups counted their men for the contest. They chose twelve men from the tribe of Benjamin to fight for Ish Bosheth son of Saul, and they chose twelve men from David's officers. 16 Each of the men grabbed his opponent's head and stabbed him in the side with his sword, and then they fell down together. That is why this place in Gibeon is called "The Field of the Sharp Knives." 17 That contest turned into a terrible battle and David's officers defeated Abner and the Israelites that day.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Cross-References

Genesis 2:2
God finished the work he was doing, so on the seventh day he rested from his work.
Genesis 2:8
Then the Lord God planted a garden in the East, in a place named Eden. He put the man he made in that garden.
Job 31:33
I have not tried to hide my sins as some people do. I have never hidden my guilt.
Psalms 128:2
You will get what you work for. You will enjoy the Lord's blessings, and all will go well for you.
Ephesians 4:28
Whoever has been stealing must stop it and start working. They must use their hands for doing something good. Then they will have something to share with those who are poor.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then there arose and went over by number twelve of Benjamin,.... Whom Abner had picked out of that tribe, being his own, and whom he knew to be stout and courageous men, and closely attached to him. It seems by this as if Abner's men,

[which pertained to] Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, passed over the pool of Gibeon unto Joab's men; so forward were they to engage in this duel, and it makes it still more appear that they were the aggressors:

and twelve of the servants of David; of his army under Joab, whom Joab either selected, or they, offered themselves as willing to engage with the twelve that were come over.


 
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