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Sunday, December 21st, 2025
the Fourth Week of Advent
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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

1 Kings 1:3

A search was made all over Israel for a beautiful young woman, and in Shunem they found such a woman named Abishag, and brought her to the king.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Abishag;   David;   Diplomacy;   Shunammite;   Shunem;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Nathan;   Shunem;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Abishag;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Shunammite;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Abishag;   Shunem;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Abishag;   Shunem;   Shunem, Shunammites;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Adonijah;   Firstborn;   Israel;   Nathan;   Solomon;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Abishag ;   Coast;   Shunammite ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Shunem;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Adonijah;   David;   Shunem;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Ab'ishag,;   Adoni'jah;   Da'vid;   Shu'nammite, the,;   Shu'nem;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Abishag;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Shunammite;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Abishag;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Palestine;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They searched for a beautiful girl throughout the territory of Israel; they found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king.
Hebrew Names Version
So they sought for a beautiful young lady throughout all the borders of Yisra'el, and found Avishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
King James Version
So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
English Standard Version
So they sought for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
New Century Version
After searching everywhere in Israel for a beautiful young woman, they found a girl named Abishag from Shunam and brought her to the king.
New English Translation
So they looked through all Israel for a beautiful young woman and found Abishag, a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
Amplified Bible
So they searched for a beautiful girl throughout the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
New American Standard Bible
So they searched for a beautiful girl throughout the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
Geneva Bible (1587)
So they sought for a faire young maide throughout all the coastes of Israel, and founde one Abishag a Shunamite, and brought her to the King.
Legacy Standard Bible
So they sought for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
Contemporary English Version
They looked everywhere in Israel until they found a very beautiful young woman named Abishag, who lived in the town of Shunem. They brought her to David, and she took care of him. But David did not have sex with her.
Complete Jewish Bible
After looking through all of Isra'el's territory for a beautiful girl, they found Avishag the Shunamit and brought her to the king.
Darby Translation
And they sought for a fair damsel throughout the territory of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
Easy-to-Read Version
So the king's servants began looking everywhere in the country of Israel for a beautiful young woman to keep the king warm. They found a young woman named Abishag, from the town of Shunem, and brought her to the king.
George Lamsa Translation
So they sought for a beautiful maiden throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag a Shilommite, and brought her to the king.
Lexham English Bible
So they sought a beautiful young woman in all the territory of Israel, and they found Abishag the Shunnamite and brought her to the king.
Literal Translation
And they sought out a beautiful young woman in all the border of Israel. And they found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her in to the king.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And they sought a fayre dasell, in all the coastes of Israel, and founde Abisag of Sunem, and brought her vnto ye kynge.
American Standard Version
So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the borders of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
Bible in Basic English
So after searching through all the land of Israel for a fair young girl, they saw Abishag the Shunammite, and took her to the king.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And so they sought for a faire damosell throughout al the coastes of Israel, and founde one Abisag a Sunamite, and brought her to the king.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the borders of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
King James Version (1611)
So they sought for a faire damosel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the King.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
So they sought for a fair damsel out of all the coasts of Israel; and they found Abisag the Somanite, and they brought her to the king.
English Revised Version
So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
Berean Standard Bible
Then they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful girl, and they found Abishag the Shunammite and brought her to the king.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor thei souyten a yong wexyng virgyn, fair in alle the coostis of Israel; and thei founden Abisag of Sunam, and thei brouyten hir to the kyng.
Young's Literal Translation
And they seek a fair young woman in all the border of Israel, and find Abishag the Shunammite, and bring her in to the king,
Update Bible Version
So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the borders of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
Webster's Bible Translation
So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the borders of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunamite, and brought her to the king.
World English Bible
So they sought for a beautiful young lady throughout all the borders of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
New King James Version
So they sought for a lovely young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
New Living Translation
So they searched throughout the land of Israel for a beautiful girl, and they found Abishag from Shunem and brought her to the king.
New Life Bible
So they looked through all the land of Israel for a beautiful girl, and found Abishag the Shunammite. And they brought her to the king.
New Revised Standard
So they searched for a beautiful girl throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So they sought a fair young woman, throughout all the bounds of Israel, - and found Abishag, the Shunammite, and brought her in, unto the king.
Douay-Rheims Bible
So they sought a beautiful young woman, in all the coasts of Israel and they found Abisag, a Sunamitess, and brought her to the king.
Revised Standard Version
So they sought for a beautiful maiden throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Ab'ishag the Shu'nammite, and brought her to the king.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So they searched for a beautiful girl throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.

Contextual Overview

1 King David was now a very old man, and although his servants covered him with blankets, he could not keep warm. 2 So his officials said to him, "Your Majesty, let us find a young woman to stay with you and take care of you. She will lie close to you and keep you warm." 3 A search was made all over Israel for a beautiful young woman, and in Shunem they found such a woman named Abishag, and brought her to the king. 4 She was very beautiful, and waited on the king and took care of him, but he did not have intercourse with her.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

So: Esther 2:2, Esther 2:4

Abishag: 1 Kings 2:17-25

Shunammite: Joshua 19:18, 1 Samuel 28:4, 2 Kings 4:8, 2 Kings 4:25

Cross-References

Job 36:30
He sends lightning through all the sky, but the depths of the sea remain dark.
Job 38:19
Do you know where the light comes from or what the source of darkness is?
Psalms 33:6
The Lord created the heavens by his command, the sun, moon, and stars by his spoken word.
Psalms 33:9
When he spoke, the world was created; at his command everything appeared.
Psalms 97:11
Light shines on the righteous, and gladness on the good.
Psalms 104:2
you cover yourself with light. You have spread out the heavens like a tent
Psalms 118:27
The Lord is God; he has been good to us. With branches in your hands, start the festival and march around the altar.
Psalms 148:5
Let them all praise the name of the Lord ! He commanded, and they were created;
Isaiah 45:7
I create both light and darkness; I bring both blessing and disaster. I, the Lord , do all these things.
Isaiah 60:19
"No longer will the sun be your light by day Or the moon be your light by night; I, the Lord , will be your eternal light; The light of my glory will shine on you.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel,.... Not only a damsel, but a beautiful one, that she might be the more acceptable to the king; who otherwise, if deformed and ugly, would not have endured her in his sight, or received at her hands, and much less suffered her to lie in his bosom:

and found Abishag a Shunammite; a native of the city Shunem, a city in the tribe of Issachar, Joshua 19:18;

and brought her to the king; for his approbation of her, and to make her his concubine wife, as he did.


 
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