Lectionary Calendar
Saturday, July 26th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Good News Translation

2 Samuel 18:25

He called down and told the king, and the king said, "If he is alone, he is bringing good news." The runner kept coming closer.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ahimaaz;   Cushi;   Readings, Select;   Watchman;   Thompson Chain Reference - Watchmen;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ahimaaz;   Posts;   Watchmen;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Gospel;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Watches;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ahimaaz;   Cushite;   David;   Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Abishai;   Ahimaaz;   David;   Gospel;   Samuel, Books of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ahimaaz ;   Cushi ;   Zadok ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Absalom;   Ahimaaz;   David;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Ahim'a-Az;   Cu'shi;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Apace;   Cushi;   Cushite;   Watchman;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Ahimaaz;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He called out and told the king.
Hebrew Names Version
The watchman cried, and told the king. The king said, If he be alone, there is news in his mouth. He came apace, and drew near.
King James Version
And the watchman cried, and told the king. And the king said, If he be alone, there is tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and drew near.
Lexham English Bible
The sentry called and told the king, and the king said, "If he is alone, good news is in his mouth." He kept coming closer.
English Standard Version
The watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, "If he is alone, there is news in his mouth." And he drew nearer and nearer.
New Century Version
He shouted the news to the king. The king said, "If he is alone, he is bringing good news!" The man came nearer and nearer to the city.
New English Translation
So the watchman called out and informed the king. The king said, "If he is by himself, he brings good news." The runner came ever closer.
Amplified Bible
The lookout called down and told the king. The king said, "If he is alone, he has good news to tell." And he came nearer and nearer.
New American Standard Bible
So the watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, "If he is by himself there is good news in his mouth." And he came nearer and nearer.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And the watchman cryed, & tolde ye king. And the King said, If he be alone, he bringeth tidings. And he came apace, and drew neere.
Legacy Standard Bible
And the watchman called and told the king. And the king said, "If he is by himself there is good news in his mouth." And he came nearer and nearer.
Contemporary English Version
and shouted down to tell David. David answered, "If he's alone, he must have some news." The runner was getting closer,
Complete Jewish Bible
The watchman cried out and told the king. The king said, "If he's alone, he has good news to tell." As he ran along and came close,
Darby Translation
And the watchman cried, and told the king. And the king said, If he be alone, there is news in his mouth. And he came on and drew near.
Easy-to-Read Version
The watchman shouted to tell King David. King David said, "If the man is alone, he is bringing news." The man came closer and closer to the city.
George Lamsa Translation
And the watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, if he is alone, there are tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and drew near.
Literal Translation
And the watchman called and told the king. And the king said, If he is by himself, tidings are in his mouth. And he came, coming on, and drawing near.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and cryed, and tolde the kinge. The kynge sayde: Yf he be alone, then is there good tydinges in his mouth. And as the same wente and came forth,
American Standard Version
And the watchman cried, and told the king. And the king said, If he be alone, there is tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and drew near.
Bible in Basic English
And the watchman gave news of it to the king. And the king said, If he is coming by himself, then he has news. And the man was travelling quickly, and came near.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the watchman cryed, & tolde the king. And the king sayd: If he be alone, there is tydinges in his mouth. And he came a pace, and drewe neare.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the watchman cried, and told the king. And the king said: 'If he be alone, there is tidings in his mouth.' And he came apace, and drew near.
King James Version (1611)
And the watchman cried, and told the King. And the king said, If he bee alone, there is tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and drew neere.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the watchman cried out, and reported to the king. And the king said, If he be alone, there are good tidings in his mouth. And the man came and drew near.
English Revised Version
And the watchman cried, and told the king. And the king said, If he be alone, there is tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and drew near.
Berean Standard Bible
So he called out and told the king. "If he is alone," the king replied, "he bears good news." As the first runner drew near,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and the spiere criede, and schewide to the kyng. And the kyng seide to hym, If he is aloone, good message is in his mouth.
Young's Literal Translation
And the watchman calleth, and declareth to the king, and the king saith, `If by himself, tidings [are] in his mouth;' and he cometh, coming on and drawing near.
Update Bible Version
And the watchman cried, and told the king. And the king said, If he is alone, there is tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and drew near.
Webster's Bible Translation
And the watchman called, and told the king. And the king said, If he [is] alone [there is] tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and drew near.
World English Bible
The watchman cried, and told the king. The king said, If he be alone, there is news in his mouth. He came apace, and drew near.
New King James Version
Then the watchman cried out and told the king. And the king said, "If he is alone, there is news in his mouth." And he came rapidly and drew near.
New Living Translation
He shouted the news down to David, and the king replied, "If he is alone, he has news." As the messenger came closer,
New Life Bible
The man who kept watch called and told the king. The king said, "If he is by himself, he has good news." And he came nearer and nearer.
New Revised Standard
The sentinel shouted and told the king. The king said, "If he is alone, there are tidings in his mouth." He kept coming, and drew near.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So the watchman called out, and told the king. And the king said, If he is alone, there are tidings in his mouth. And he came on nearer and nearer.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And crying out he told the king: and the king said: If he be alone, there are good tidings in his mouth. And as he was coming apace, and drawing nearer,
Revised Standard Version
And the watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, "If he is alone, there are tidings in his mouth." And he came apace, and drew near.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The watchman called and told the king. And the king said, "If he is by himself there is good news in his mouth." And he came nearer and nearer.

Contextual Overview

19 Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said to Joab, "Let me run to the king with the good news that the Lord has saved him from his enemies." 20 "No," Joab said, "today you will not take any good news. Some other day you may do so, but not today, for the king's son is dead." 21 Then he said to his Ethiopian slave, "Go and tell the king what you have seen." The slave bowed and ran off. 22 Ahimaaz insisted, "I don't care what happens; please let me take the news also." "Why do you want to do it, my son?" Joab asked. "You will get no reward for it." 23 "Whatever happens," Ahimaaz said again, "I want to go." "Then go," Joab said. So Ahimaaz ran off down the road through the Jordan Valley, and soon he passed the slave. 24 David was sitting in the space between the inner and outer gates of the city. The lookout went up to the top of the wall and stood on the roof of the gateway; he looked out and saw a man running alone. 25 He called down and told the king, and the king said, "If he is alone, he is bringing good news." The runner kept coming closer. 26 Then the lookout saw another man running alone, and he called down to the gatekeeper, "Look! There's another man running!" The king answered, "This one also is bringing good news." 27 The lookout said, "I can see that the first man runs like Ahimaaz." "He's a good man," the king said, "and he is bringing good news." 28 Ahimaaz called out a greeting to the king, threw himself down to the ground before him, and said, "Praise the Lord your God, who has given you victory over the men who rebelled against Your Majesty!"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Cross-References

Genesis 18:1
The Lord appeared to Abraham at the sacred trees of Mamre. As Abraham was sitting at the entrance of his tent during the hottest part of the day,
Genesis 18:2
he looked up and saw three men standing there. As soon as he saw them, he ran out to meet them. Bowing down with his face touching the ground,
Genesis 18:5
I will also bring a bit of food; it will give you strength to continue your journey. You have honored me by coming to my home, so let me serve you." They replied, "Thank you; we accept."
Genesis 18:6
Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, "Quick, take a sack of your best flour, and bake some bread."
Genesis 18:7
Then he ran to the herd and picked out a calf that was tender and fat, and gave it to a servant, who hurried to get it ready.
Genesis 18:10
One of them said, "Nine months from now I will come back, and your wife Sarah will have a son." Sarah was behind him, at the door of the tent, listening.
Genesis 18:11
Abraham and Sarah were very old, and Sarah had stopped having her monthly periods.
Genesis 18:12
So Sarah laughed to herself and said, "Now that I am old and worn out, can I still enjoy sex? And besides, my husband is old too."
Genesis 18:13
Then the Lord asked Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Can I really have a child when I am so old?'
Genesis 18:17
And the Lord said to himself, "I will not hide from Abraham what I am going to do.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the watchman cried and told the king,.... Called with a loud voice from the roof of the watchtower to the king, sitting between the gates, and informed him what he saw:

and the king said, if he [be] alone [there is] tidings in his mouth; for if the army was routed and fled, and were pursued, there would be more in company, or several running one after another; but being but one, it was highly improbable that he was sent express:

and he came apace, and drew near; which was another sign of his being a messenger, the haste he made towards the city.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 18:25. If he be alone, there is tidings — That is, good tidings. For if the battle had been lost men would have been running in different directions through the country.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile