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Tuesday, August 12th, 2025
the Week of Proper 14 / Ordinary 19
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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

2 Samuel 12:6

For having done such a cruel thing, he must pay back four times as much as he took."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - David;   Minister, Christian;   Nathan;   Parables;   Reproof;   Self-Condemnation;   Thompson Chain Reference - Bible Stories for Children;   Children;   David;   Home;   Pleasant Sunday Afternoons;   Religion;   Stories for Children;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Poor, the;   Prophets;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Parable;   Theft;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Bathsheba;   Nathan;   Prophecy, prophet;   Wisdom literature;   Easton Bible Dictionary - David;   Tekoa, Tekoah;   Theft;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Nathan;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Court Systems;   David;   Jonah;   King, Kingship;   Parables;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ammon, Ammonites;   Nathan;   Poverty;   Samuel, Books of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Nathan ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Nathan;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   David;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Na'than;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Nathan;   Thief;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Fourfold;   Nathan (1);   Pity;   Samuel, Books of;   Sin (1);   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Allegory;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Bath-Sheba;   Judge;   Nathan;   Satire;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Because he has done this thing and shown no pity, he must pay four lambs for that lamb.”
Hebrew Names Version
He shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity!"
King James Version
And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
Lexham English Bible
He shall restore the ewe lamb fourfold because he has done this thing, and because he had no pity."
English Standard Version
and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity."
New Century Version
He must pay for the lamb four times for doing such a thing. He had no mercy!"
New English Translation
Because he committed this cold-hearted crime, he must pay for the lamb four times over!"
Amplified Bible
"He shall make restitution for the ewe lamb four times as much [as the lamb was worth], because he did this thing and had no compassion."
New American Standard Bible
"So he must make restitution for the lamb four times over, since he did this thing and had no compassion."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And he shall restore the lambe foure folde, because he did this thing, and had no pitie thereof.
Legacy Standard Bible
And he must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion."
Contemporary English Version
And because he didn't have any pity on the poor man, he will have to pay four times what the lamb was worth."
Complete Jewish Bible
For doing such a thing, he has to pay back four times the value of the lamb — and also because he had no pity."
Darby Translation
and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
Easy-to-Read Version
He must pay four times the price of the lamb because he did this terrible thing and because he had no mercy."
George Lamsa Translation
And he shall restore the ewe lamb fourfold because he did this thing and because he had no pity.
Literal Translation
And he shall repay fourfold for the ewe lamb, because he has done this thing, and because he had no pity.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The shepe also shal he make good foure folde, because he hath done soch a thinge, and not spared it.
American Standard Version
and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
Bible in Basic English
And he will have to give back four times the value of the lamb, because he has done this and because he had no pity.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
He shal restore the lambe foure folde, because he did this thyng and had no pitie.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.'
King James Version (1611)
And he shall restore the Lambe fourefold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pittie.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he shall restore the lamb seven-fold, because he has not spared.
English Revised Version
and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
Berean Standard Bible
Because he has done this thing and has shown no pity, he must pay for the lamb four times over."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
he schal yelde the scheep in to foure folde, for he dide this word, and sparide not.
Young's Literal Translation
and the ewe-lamb he doth repay fourfold, because that he hath done this thing, and because that he had no pity.'
Update Bible Version
and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
Webster's Bible Translation
And he shall restore the lamb four-fold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.
World English Bible
He shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity!"
New King James Version
And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity."
New Living Translation
He must repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity."
New Life Bible
And he must pay four times the worth of the lamb, because he did this thing without pity."
New Revised Standard
he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and, the lamb, shall he pay back sevenfold, - because he did this thing, and, for that he had no pity.
Douay-Rheims Bible
He shall restore the ewe fourfold, because he did this thing, and had no pity.
Revised Standard Version
and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion."

Contextual Overview

1 The Lord sent the prophet Nathan to David. Nathan went to him and said, "There were two men who lived in the same town; one was rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had many cattle and sheep, 3 while the poor man had only one lamb, which he had bought. He took care of it, and it grew up in his home with his children. He would feed it some of his own food, let it drink from his cup, and hold it in his lap. The lamb was like a daughter to him. 4 One day a visitor arrived at the rich man's home. The rich man didn't want to kill one of his own animals to fix a meal for him; instead, he took the poor man's lamb and prepared a meal for his guest." 5 David became very angry at the rich man and said, "I swear by the living Lord that the man who did this ought to die! 6 For having done such a cruel thing, he must pay back four times as much as he took." 7 "You are that man," Nathan said to David. "And this is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I made you king of Israel and rescued you from Saul. 8 I gave you his kingdom and his wives; I made you king over Israel and Judah. If this had not been enough, I would have given you twice as much. 9 Why, then, have you disobeyed my commands? Why did you do this evil thing? You had Uriah killed in battle; you let the Ammonites kill him, and then you took his wife! 10 Now, in every generation some of your descendants will die a violent death because you have disobeyed me and have taken Uriah's wife.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

restore: Exodus 22:1, Proverbs 6:31, Luke 19:8

because: James 2:13

Reciprocal: Leviticus 6:5 - restore 2 Samuel 14:8 - I will give Nehemiah 5:11 - Restore Job 20:10 - his hands Proverbs 19:17 - that hath Proverbs 28:8 - pity Matthew 7:3 - but

Cross-References

Genesis 10:15
Canaan's sons—Sidon, the oldest, and Heth—were the ancestors of the peoples who bear their names.
Genesis 12:18
Then the king sent for Abram and asked him, "What have you done to me? Why didn't you tell me that she was your wife?
Genesis 12:19
Why did you say that she was your sister, and let me take her as my wife? Here is your wife; take her and get out!"
Genesis 13:7
So quarrels broke out between the men who took care of Abram's animals and those who took care of Lot's animals. (At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were still living in the land.)
Genesis 33:18
On his return from Mesopotamia Jacob arrived safely at the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan and set up his camp in a field near the city.
Genesis 34:2
When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, who was chief of that region, saw her, he took her and raped her.
Genesis 35:4
So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods that they had and also the earrings that they were wearing. He buried them beneath the oak tree near Shechem.
Deuteronomy 11:30
(These two mountains are west of the Jordan River in the territory of the Canaanites who live in the Jordan Valley. They are toward the west, not far from the sacred trees of Moreh near the town of Gilgal.)
Joshua 20:7
So, on the west side of the Jordan they set aside Kedesh in Galilee, in the hill country of Naphtali; Shechem, in the hill country of Ephraim; and Hebron, in the hill country of Judah.
Joshua 24:32
The body of Joseph, which the people of Israel had brought from Egypt, was buried at Shechem, in the piece of land that Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of silver. This land was inherited by Joseph's descendants.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he shall restore the lamb fourfold,.... Which was according to the law in Exodus 22:1; but Kimchi thinks, because the word is of the dual number, it signifies double the number, and that the sentence was to restore eight lambs, because he being a rich man stole from the poor man; so Mr. Weemse s renders it, twice four, twice as much as was commanded in the law; for the Hebrews, he observes, double in the dual number till they come to seven:

because he did this thing; committed this theft:

and because he had no pity; on the poor man, but took his all. The Jews observe, that accordingly David was punished with the loss of four of his children, that which was born of Bathsheba, Ammon, Tamar, and Absalom; so most of the commentators, but Ben Gersom, instead of Tamar, has Adonijah.

s Of the Moral Law, l. 2. ch. 10. p. 252. Vid. Gusset. Ebr. Comment. p. 776.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Fourfold - The exact number prescribed by the Law (see the marginal references), and acted upon by Zaccheus. The Septuagint has “sevenfold,” as in Proverbs 6:31.


 
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