1 Kings 20:36

THE MESSAGE

So he told him, "Because you wouldn't obey God 's orders, as soon as you leave me a lion will attack you." No sooner had the man left his side than a lion met him and attacked.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He told him, “Because you did not listen to the Lord, mark my words: When you leave me, a lion will kill you.” When he left him, a lion attacked and killed him.

Hebrew Names Version
Then said he to him, Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as you are departed from me, a lion shall kill you. As soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and killed him.

King James Version
Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the Lord , behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him.

English Standard Version
Then he said to him, "Because you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord , behold, as soon as you have gone from me, a lion shall strike you down." And as soon as he had departed from him, a lion met him and struck him down.

New Century Version
The prophet said, "You did not obey the Lord 's command, so a lion will kill you as soon as you leave me." When the man left, a lion found him and killed him.

New English Translation
So the prophet said to him, "Because you have disobeyed the Lord , as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you." When he left him, a lion attacked and killed him.

Amplified Bible
Then the prophet said to him, "Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as you leave me, a lion will kill you." And as soon as he left him, a lion found him and killed him.

New American Standard Bible
Then he said to him, "Because you have not listened to the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as you leave me, a lion will kill you." And as soon as he left him a lion found him and killed him.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then sayd he vnto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voyce of the Lorde, beholde, as soone as thou art departed from me, a lyon shall slay thee. So when he was departed from him, a lyon found him and slew him.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then he said to him, "Because you have not listened to the voice of Yahweh, behold, as soon as you walk away from me, a lion will strike you down." And as soon as he had walked away from him, a lion found him and struck him down.

Contemporary English Version
and the prophet told him, "You disobeyed the Lord , and as soon as you walk away, a lion will kill you." The friend left, and suddenly a lion killed him.

Complete Jewish Bible
Then he said to him, "Because you didn't listen to the voice of Adonai , the moment you leave me, a lion will kill you." No sooner had he left him than a lion found him and killed him.

Darby Translation
Then said he to him, Because thou hast not hearkened to the voice of Jehovah, behold, when thou departest from me, the lion will slay thee. And when he had departed from him, the lion found him and slew him.

Easy-to-Read Version
So the first prophet said, "You did not obey the Lord 's command. So a lion will kill you when you leave this place." When the second prophet left, a lion killed him.

George Lamsa Translation
Then he said to him, Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, behold, as soon as you are departed from me, a lion shall slay you. And as soon as he departed from him, a lion found him and slew him.

Good News Translation
so he said to him, "Because you have disobeyed the Lord 's command, a lion will kill you as soon as you leave me." And as soon as he left, a lion came along and killed him.

Lexham English Bible
He said to him, "Because you have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh, look, as you now are going from me, a lion will kill you." When he went from beside him, the lion found him and killed him.

Literal Translation
And he said to him, Because you have not listened to the voice of Jehovah, behold, you shall go from me, and a lion shall kill you. And he left him, and a lion found him and killed him.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then saide he vnto him, because thou hast not herkened vnto the voyce of the LORDE, beholde, therfore shall there a lyon smyte the, whan thou goest fro me. And whan he wente fro him, a lyon founde him, and slewe him.

American Standard Version
Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of Jehovah, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him.

Bible in Basic English
Then he said to him, Because you have not given ear to the voice of the Lord, straight away when you have gone from me a lion will put you to death. And when he had gone, straight away a lion came rushing at him and put him to death.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then sayd he vnto him: Because thou hast not hearkened vnto the voyce of the Lorde: beholde, assoone as thou art departed fro me, a lion shal slay thee. And it came to passe, that assoone as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slue him.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then said he unto him: 'Because thou hast not hearkened to the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee.' And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him; and slew him.

King James Version (1611)
Then said he vnto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voyce of the Lord, beholde, assoone as thou art departed from me, a lyon shal slay thee. And assoone as hee was departed from him, a lyon found him, and slew him.

English Revised Version
Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him.

Berean Standard Bible
Then the prophet said to him, "Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, as soon as you depart from me a lion will kill you." And when he left, a lion found him and killed him.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
To `whiche felowe he seide, For thou noldist here the vois of the Lord, lo! thou schalt go fro me, and a lioun schal smyte thee. And whanne he hadde go a litil fro hym, a lioun foond hym, and slowy hym.

Young's Literal Translation
and he saith to him, `Because that thou hast not hearkened to the voice of Jehovah, lo, thou art going from me, and the lion hath smitten thee;' and he goeth from him, and the lion findeth him, and smiteth him.

Update Bible Version
Then he said to him, Because you have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh, look, as soon as you depart from me, a lion shall slay you. And as soon as he departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then said he to him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou hast departed from me, a lion will slay thee. And as soon as he had departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him.

World English Bible
Then said he to him, Because you have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh, behold, as soon as you are departed from me, a lion shall kill you. As soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and killed him.

New King James Version
Then he said to him, "Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, surely, as soon as you depart from me, a lion shall kill you." And as soon as he left him, a lion found him and killed him.

New Living Translation
Then the prophet told him, "Because you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord , a lion will kill you as soon as you leave me." And when he had gone, a lion did attack and kill him.

New Life Bible
Then he said to him, "Because you have not listened to the voice of the Lord, as soon as you have left me, a lion will kill you." And as soon as he had left him, a lion found him and killed him.

New Revised Standard
Then he said to him, "Because you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord , as soon as you have left me, a lion will kill you." And when he had left him, a lion met him and killed him.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So he said to him - Because thou hast not hearkened unto the voice of Yahweh, lo! when thou art departing from me, there shall smite thee a lion. And when he departed from beside him, a lion found him, and smote him.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Then he said to him: Because thou wouldst not hearken to the word of the Lord, behold thou shalt depart from me, and a lion shall slay thee. And when he was gone a little from him, a lion found him, and slew him.

Revised Standard Version
Then he said to him, "Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as you have gone from me, a lion shall kill you." And as soon as he had departed from him, a lion met him and killed him.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then he said to him, "Because you have not listened to the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as you have departed from me, a lion will kill you." And as soon as he had departed from him a lion found him and killed him.

Contextual Overview

³¹ At about this same time Ben-Hadad king of Aram mustered his troops. He recruited in addition thirty-two local sheiks, all outfitted with horses and chariots. He set out in force and surrounded Samaria, ready to make war. He sent an envoy into the city to set his terms before Ahab king of Israel: "Ben-Hadad lays claim to your silver and gold, and to the pick of your wives and sons." The king of Israel accepted the terms: "As you say, distinguished lord; I and everything I have is yours." But then the envoy returned a second time, saying, "On second thought, I want it all—your silver and gold and all your wives and sons. Hand them over—the whole works. I'll give you twenty-four hours; then my servants will arrive to search your palace and the houses of your officials and loot them; anything that strikes their fancy, they'll take." The king of Israel called a meeting of all his tribal elders. He said, "Look at this—outrageous! He's just looking for trouble. He means to clean me out, demanding all my women and children. And after I already agreed to pay him off handsomely!" The elders, backed by the people, said, "Don't cave in to him. Don't give an inch." So he sent an envoy to Ben-Hadad, "Tell my distinguished lord, ‘I agreed to the terms you delivered the first time, but this I can't do—this I won't do!'" The envoy went back and delivered the answer. Ben-Hadad shot back his response: "May the gods do their worst to me, and then worse again, if there'll be anything left of Samaria but rubble." The king of Israel countered, "Think about it—it's easier to start a fight than end one." It happened that when Ben-Hadad heard this retort he was into some heavy drinking, boozing it up with the sheiks in their field shelters. Drunkenly, he ordered his henchmen, "Go after them!" And they attacked the city. Just then a lone prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and said, " God 's word: Have you taken a good look at this mob? Well, look again—I'm turning it over to you this very day. And you'll know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that I am God ." Ahab said, "Really? And who is going to make this happen?" God said, "The young commandos of the regional chiefs." "And who," said Ahab, "will strike the first blow?" God said, "You." Ahab looked over the commandos of the regional chiefs; he counted 232. Then he assessed the available troops—7,000. At noon they set out after Ben-Hadad who, with his allies, the thirty-two sheiks, was busy at serious drinking in the field shelters. The commandos of the regional chiefs made up the vanguard. A report was brought to Ben-Hadad: "Men are on their way from Samaria." He said, "If they've come in peace, take them alive as hostages; if they've come to fight, the same—take them alive as hostages." The commandos poured out of the city with the full army behind them. They hit hard in hand-to-hand combat. The Arameans scattered from the field, with Israel hard on their heels. But Ben-Hadad king of Aram got away on horseback, along with his cavalry. The king of Israel cut down both horses and chariots—an enormous defeat for Aram. Sometime later the prophet came to the king of Israel and said, "On the alert now—build up your army, assess your capabilities, and see what has to be done. Before the year is out, the king of Aram will be back in force." Meanwhile the advisors to the king of Aram said, "Their god is a god of the mountains—we don't stand a chance against them there. So let's engage them on the plain where we'll have the advantage. Here's the strategy: Remove each sheik from his place of leadership and replace him with a seasoned officer. Then recruit a fighting force equivalent in size to the army that deserted earlier—horse for horse, chariot for chariot. And we'll fight them on the plain—we're sure to prove stronger than they are." It sounded good to the king; he did what they advised. As the new year approached, Ben-Hadad rallied Aram and they went up to Aphek to make war on Israel. The Israelite army prepared to fight and took the field to meet Aram. They moved into battle formation before Aram in two camps, like two flocks of goats. The plain was seething with Arameans. Just then a holy man approached the king of Israel saying, "This is God 's word: Because Aram said, ‘ God is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys,' I'll hand over this huge mob of an army to you. Then you'll know that I am God ." The two armies were poised in a standoff for seven days. On the seventh day fighting broke out. The Israelites killed 100,000 of the Aramean infantry in one day. The rest of the army ran for their lives back to the city, Aphek, only to have the city wall fall on 27,000 of the survivors. Ben-Hadad escaped into the city and hid in a closet. Then his advisors told him, "Look, we've heard that the kings of Israel play by the rules; let's dress in old gunnysacks, carry a white flag of truce, and present ourselves to the king of Israel on the chance that he'll let you live." ³² So that's what they did. They dressed in old gunnysacks and carried a white flag, and came to the king of Israel saying, "Your servant Ben-Hadad said, ‘Please let me live.'" Ahab said, "You mean to tell me that he's still alive? If he's alive, he's my brother." ³³ The men took this as a good sign and concluded that everything was going to be all right: "Ben-Hadad is most certainly your brother!" The king said, "Go and get him." They went and brought him back by chariot. ³⁴ Ahab said, "I am prepared to return the cities that my father took from your father. And you can set up your headquarters in Damascus just as my father did in Samaria; I'll send you home under safe conduct." Then he made a covenant with him and sent him off. ³⁵ A man who was one of the prophets said to a bystander, "Hit me; wound me. Do it for God 's sake—it's his command. Hit me; wound me." But the man wouldn't do it. ³⁶ So he told him, "Because you wouldn't obey God 's orders, as soon as you leave me a lion will attack you." No sooner had the man left his side than a lion met him and attacked. ³⁷ He then found another man and said, "Hit me; wound me." That man did it—hit him hard in the face, drawing blood. ³⁸Then the prophet went and took a position along the road, with a bandage over his eyes, waiting for the king. It wasn't long before the king happened by. The man cried out to the king, "Your servant was in the thick of the battle when a man showed up and turned over a prisoner to me, saying, ‘Guard this man with your life; if he turns up missing you'll pay dearly.' But I got busy doing one thing after another and the next time I looked he was gone." The king of Israel said, "You've just pronounced your own verdict." ⁴¹ At that, the man ripped the bandage off his eyes and the king recognized who he was—one of the prophets! ⁴² The man said to the king, " God 's word: Because you let a man go who was under sentence by God , it's now your life for his, your people for his."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

1 Kings 13:21-24, 1 Kings 13:26, 1 Samuel 15:22, 1 Samuel 15:23

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 13:24 - a lion 2 Kings 2:24 - children of them 2 Kings 17:25 - the Lord sent Isaiah 38:13 - as a lion Ezekiel 14:15 - noisome

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then said he unto him, because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the Lord,.... In not smiting him; which, if he was a prophet, he must know how great an evil it was to disregard or disobey what was said by a prophet in his name; he must be inexcusable:

behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee.

And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him; which may seem severe, yet being an act of disobedience to the command of God, by a prophet of his, was punishable with death.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 36. A lion found him, and slew him. — This seems a hard measure, but there was ample reason for it. This person was also one of the sons of the prophets, and he knew that God frequently delivered his counsels in this way, and should have immediately obeyed; for the smiting could have had no evil in it when God commanded it, and it could be no outrage or injury to his fellow when he himself required him to do it.