1 Chronicles 19:12

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“If the Arameans are too strong for me,” Joab said, “then you’ll be my help. However, if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I’ll help you.

Hebrew Names Version
He said, If the Aram be too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the children of `Ammon be too strong for you, then I will help you.

King James Version
And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will help thee.

English Standard Version
And he said, "If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will help you.

New Century Version
Joab said to Abishai, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, you must help me. Or, if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will help you.

New English Translation
Joab said, "If the Arameans start to overpower me, you come to my rescue. If the Ammonites start to overpower you, I will come to your rescue.

Amplified Bible
He said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will help you.

New American Standard Bible
He said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will help you.

World English Bible
He said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the children of Ammon be too strong for you, then I will help you.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And he saide, If Aram be too strong for me, then thou shalt succour me: and if the children of Ammon preuaile against thee, then I wil succour thee.

Legacy Standard Bible
And he said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall save me; but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will save you.

Berean Standard Bible
"If the Arameans are too strong for me," said Joab, "then you will come to my rescue. And if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to your rescue.

Contemporary English Version
Joab told his brother, "If the Syrians are too much for me to handle, come and help me. And if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I'll come and help you.

Complete Jewish Bible
He said, "If Aram is too strong for me, you help me; but if the army of ‘Amon is too strong for you, then I will help you.

Darby Translation
And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me; and if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will help thee.

Easy-to-Read Version
Joab said to Abishai, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, you must help me. But if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will help you.

George Lamsa Translation
And he said to him, If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall come to my help; but if the children of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come to help you.

Good News Translation
Joab said to him, "If you see that the Syrians are defeating me, come and help me, and if the Ammonites are defeating you, I will go and help you.

Lexham English Bible
And he said, "If Aram is too strong for me, then you must be a help to me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will help you.

Literal Translation
And he said, If Syria is stronger than I, then you shall help me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will help you.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and he sayde: Yf ye Syrias be to mightie for me, helpe thou me: but yf the childre of Ammon be to stroge for ye, I shall helpe the:

American Standard Version
And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me; but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will help thee.

Bible in Basic English
And he said, If the Aramaeans are stronger and get the better of me, then come to my help; and if the children of Ammon get the better of you, I will come to your help.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he sayde: If the Syrians be to strong for me, thou shalt succour me, and if the children of Ammon preuayle against thee, I will helpe thee.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he said: 'If the Arameans be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me; but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will help thee.

King James Version (1611)
And he said, If the Syrians bee too strong for me, then thou shalt helpe me: but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I wil helpe thee.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he said, If the Syrian should prevail against me, then shalt thou deliver me: and if the children of Ammon should prevail against thee, then will I deliver thee.

English Revised Version
And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will help thee.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Joab seide, If Sirus schal ouercome me, thou schalt helpe me; sotheli if the sones of Amon schulen ouercome thee, Y schal helpe thee; be thou coumfortid,

Update Bible Version
And he said, If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will help you.

Webster's Bible Translation
And he said, If the Syrians shall be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon shall be too strong for thee, then I will help thee.

New King James Version
Then he said, "If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will help you.

New Living Translation
"If the Arameans are too strong for me, then come over and help me," Joab told his brother. "And if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will help you.

New Life Bible
Joab said, "If the Syrians are too strong for me, then help me. But if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will help you.

New Revised Standard
He said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will help you.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And he said - If, too strong for me, be the Syrians, then shalt thou come to my help, - but, if, the sons of Ammon, be too strong for thee, then will I help thee.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he said: If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, I will help thee.

Revised Standard Version
And he said, "If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will help you.

Young's Literal Translation
And he saith, `If Aram be stronger than I, then thou hast been to me for salvation; and if the sons of Ammon be stronger than thou, then I have saved thee;

New American Standard Bible (1995)
He said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will help you.

Contextual Overview

⁶When it dawned on the Ammonites that as far as David was concerned, they stank to high heaven, they hired, at a cost of a thousand talents of silver (thirty-seven and a half tons!), chariots and horsemen from the Arameans of Naharaim, Maacah, and Zobah—thirty-two thousand chariots and drivers; plus the king of Maacah with his troops who came and set up camp at Medeba; the Ammonites, too, were mobilized from their cities and got ready for battle. ⁸ When David heard this, he dispatched Joab with his strongest fighters in full force. ⁹The Ammonites marched out and spread out in battle formation at the city gate; the kings who had come as allies took up a position in the open fields. When Joab saw that he had two fronts to fight, before and behind, he took his pick of the best of Israel and deployed them to confront the Arameans. The rest of the army he put under the command of Abishai, his brother, and deployed them to deal with the Ammonites. Then he said, "If the Arameans are too much for me, you help me; and if the Ammonites prove too much for you, I'll come and help you. Courage! We'll fight might and main for our people and for the cities of our God. And God will do whatever he sees needs doing!" ¹⁴But when Joab and his soldiers moved in to fight the Arameans, they ran off in full retreat. Then the Ammonites, seeing the Arameans run for dear life, took to their heels and ran from Abishai into the city. So Joab withdrew from the Ammonites and returned to Jerusalem. ¹⁶ When the Arameans saw how badly they'd been beaten by Israel, they picked up the pieces and regrouped; they sent for the Arameans who were across the river; Shophach, commander of Hadadezer's army, led them. ¹⁷When all this was reported to David, he mustered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, advanced, and prepared to fight. The Arameans went into battle formation, ready for David, and the fight was on. But the Arameans again scattered before Israel. David killed seven thousand chariot drivers and forty thousand infantry. He also killed Shophach, the army commander. When all the kings who were vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been routed by Israel, they made peace with David and served him. The Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites ever again.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

If the Syrians: Nehemiah 4:20, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Galatians 6:2, Philippians 1:27, Philippians 1:28

Cross-References

Genesis 7:1
Next God said to Noah, "Now board the ship, you and all your family—out of everyone in this generation, you're the righteous one.

Genesis 19:14
Lot went out and warned the fiancés of his daughters, "Evacuate this place; God is about to destroy this city!" But his daughters' would-be husbands treated it as a joke.

Genesis 19:23
The sun was high in the sky when Lot arrived at Zoar.

2 Peter 2:9
So God knows how to rescue the godly from evil trials. And he knows how to hold the feet of the wicked to the fire until Judgment Day.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

See Gill "1Ch 19:1".