1 Samuel 9:20

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
As for the donkeys that wandered away from you three days ago, don’t worry about them because they’ve been found. And who does all Israel desire but you and all your father’s family?”

Hebrew Names Version
As for your donkeys who were lost three days ago, don't set your mind on them; for they are found. For whom is all that is desirable in Yisra'el? Is it not for you, and for all your father's house?

King James Version
And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father's house?

Lexham English Bible
And as for your female donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not be concerned about them, because they have been found. For whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not for you and for all the house of your father?"

English Standard Version
As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father's house?"

New Century Version
Don't worry about the donkeys you lost three days ago, because they have been found. Soon all the wealth of Israel will belong to you and your family."

New English Translation
Don't be concerned about the donkeys that you lost three days ago, for they have been found. Whom does all Israel desire? Is it not you, and all your father's family?"

Amplified Bible
"As for your donkeys which were lost three days ago, do not be concerned about them, for they have been found. And for whom are all things that are desirable in Israel? Are they not for you and for all your father's household (family)?"

New American Standard Bible
"And as for your donkeys that wandered off three days ago, do not be concerned about them, for they have been found. And for whom is everything that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father's household?"

Geneva Bible (1587)
And as for thine asses that were lost three dayes ago, care not for them: for they are founde. and on whom is set all the desire of Israel? is it not vpon thee and on all thy fathers house?

Legacy Standard Bible
As for your donkeys which were lost three days ago, do not set your heart on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father's household?"

Contemporary English Version
Don't worry about your donkeys that ran off three days ago. They've already been found. Everything of value in Israel now belongs to you and your family."

Complete Jewish Bible
As for your donkeys that got lost three days ago, don't worry about them; they've been found. Now, who is it that all Isra'el wants? Isn't it you, and all your father's household?"

Darby Translation
And as for the asses that thou didst lose three days ago, set not thy heart on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel [set]? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father's house?

Easy-to-Read Version
And don't worry about the donkeys that you lost three days ago. They have been found. Now, there is something that everyone in Israel is looking for and that something is you and your family."

George Lamsa Translation
And as for your asses that were lost three days ago, do not be anxious about them, for they have been found. And on whom is all the hope of the house of Israel? Is it not on you and on your fathers house?

Good News Translation
As for the donkeys that were lost three days ago, don't worry about them; they have already been found. But who is it that the people of Israel want so much? It is you—you and your father's family."

Literal Translation
And as to the asses which were lost to you three days ago, do not set your heart on them, for they have been found. And to whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not to you and to all the house of your father?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and as for the Asses which were lost thre dayes agoo, care not thou for them, for they are founde. And to whom shall belonge all that is pleasaunt in Israel? Shall it not belonge vnto the and to all thy fathers house?

American Standard Version
And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for thee, and for all thy father's house?

Bible in Basic English
As for your asses which have been wandering for three days, give no thought to them, for they have come back. And for whom are all the desired things in Israel? are they not for you and your father's family?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And as for thyne asses that were lost three dayes ago, care not for them, for they are founde: And whose shall the beawtiful thinges of Israel be? Belong they not to thee, and vnto all thy fathers house?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on thee, and on all thy father's house?'

King James Version (1611)
And as for thine asses that were lost three dayes agoe, set not thy minde on them, for they are found: And on whom is all the desire of Israel? is it not on thee, & on all thy fathers house?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And concerning thine asses that have been lost now these three days, care not for them, for they are found. And to whom does the excellency of Israel belong? does it not to thee and to thy father’s house?

English Revised Version
And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for thee, and for all thy father’s house?

Berean Standard Bible
As for the donkeys you lost three days ago, do not worry about them, for they have been found. And upon whom is all the desire of Israel, if not upon you and on all your father's house?"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And be thou not bisy of the femal assis, whiche thou lostist the thridde dai agoon, for tho ben foundun; and whose schulen be alle the beste thingis of Israel, whether not to thee, and to al the hows of thi fader?

Young's Literal Translation
As to the asses which are lost to thee this day three days, set not thy heart to them, for they have been found; and to whom [is] all the desire of Israel?' is it not to thee and to all thy father's house?'

Update Bible Version
And as for your donkeys being lost now these three days, don't set your mind on them; for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you, and for all your father's house?

Webster's Bible Translation
And as for thy asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind on them; for they are found. And on whom [is] all the desire of Israel? [Is it] not on thee, and on all thy father's house?

World English Bible
As for your donkeys who were lost three days ago, don't set your mind on them; for they are found. For whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you, and for all your father's house?

New King James Version
But as for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not be anxious about them, for they have been found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you and on all your father's house?"

New Living Translation
And don't worry about those donkeys that were lost three days ago, for they have been found. And I am here to tell you that you and your family are the focus of all Israel's hopes."

New Life Bible
Do not worry about your donkeys which were lost three days ago, for they have been found. And for whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father's house?"

New Revised Standard
As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, give no further thought to them, for they have been found. And on whom is all Israel's desire fixed, if not on you and on all your ancestral house?"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, as for the asses that went astray from thee three days ago, do not regard them, for they are found, - but to whom belongeth all that is desirable in Israel? is it not to thee, and to all the house of thy father?

Douay-Rheims Bible
And as for the asses, which were lost three days ago, be not solicitous, because they are found. And for whom shall be all the best things of Israel? Shall they not be for thee and for all thy father’s house?

Revised Standard Version
As for your asses that were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father's house?"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"As for your donkeys which were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father's household?"

Contextual Overview

¹⁸ Saul came up to Samuel in the street and said, "Pardon me, but can you tell me where the Seer lives?" ¹⁹"I'm the Seer," said Samuel. "Accompany me to the shrine and eat with me. In the morning I'll tell you all about what's on your mind, and send you on your way. And by the way, your lost donkeys—the ones you've been hunting for the last three days—have been found, so don't worry about them. At this moment, Israel's future is in your hands." ²¹ Saul answered, "But I'm only a Benjaminite, from the smallest of Israel's tribes, and from the most insignificant clan in the tribe at that. Why are you talking to me like this?" ²²Samuel took Saul and his servant and led them into the dining hall at the shrine and seated them at the head of the table. There were about thirty guests. Then Samuel directed the chef, "Bring the choice cut I pointed out to you, the one I told you to reserve." ²⁴ The chef brought it and placed it before Saul with a flourish, saying, "This meal was kept aside just for you. Eat! It was especially prepared for this time and occasion with these guests." Saul ate with Samuel—a memorable day! ²⁵ Afterward they went down from the shrine into the city. A bed was prepared for Saul on the breeze-cooled roof of Samuel's house. ²⁶ They woke at the break of day. Samuel called to Saul on the roof, "Get up and I'll send you off." Saul got up and the two of them went out in the street. ²⁷ As they approached the outskirts of town, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell your servant to go on ahead of us. You stay with me for a bit. I have a word of God to give you."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

three days ago: Heb. to-day three days, 1 Samuel 9:3

set not: 1 Samuel 4:20, *marg. 1 Chronicles 29:3, Psalms 62:10, Colossians 3:2

on whom: 1 Samuel 8:5, 1 Samuel 8:19, 1 Samuel 12:13, 1 Samuel 12:15

Reciprocal: Proverbs 25:6 - in the presence Luke 1:29 - what

Cross-References

Genesis 3:23
So God expelled them from the Garden of Eden and sent them to work the ground, the same dirt out of which they'd been made. He threw them out of the garden and stationed angel-cherubim and a revolving sword of fire east of it, guarding the path to the Tree-of-Life.

Genesis 4:2
Then she had another baby, Abel. Abel was a herdsman and Cain a farmer.

Genesis 9:18
The sons of Noah who came out of the ship were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. These are the three sons of Noah; from these three the whole Earth was populated.

Genesis 9:24
When Noah woke up with his hangover, he learned what his youngest son had done. He said, Cursed be Canaan! A slave of slaves, a slave to his brothers! Blessed be God , the God of Shem, but Canaan shall be his slave. God prosper Japheth, living spaciously in the tents of Shem. But Canaan shall be his slave.

Deuteronomy 28:30
You'll get engaged to a woman and another man will take her for his mistress; you'll build a house and never live in it; you'll plant a garden and never eat so much as a carrot; you'll watch your ox get butchered and not get a single steak from it; your donkey will be stolen from in front of you and you'll never see it again; your sheep will be sent off to your enemies and no one will lift a hand to help you.

Proverbs 10:11
The mouth of a good person is a deep, life-giving well, but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse.

Proverbs 12:11
The one who stays on the job has food on the table; the witless chase whims and fancies.

Proverbs 24:30
One day I walked by the field of an old lazybones, and then passed the vineyard of a lout; They were overgrown with weeds, thick with thistles, all the fences broken down. I took a long look and pondered what I saw; the fields preached me a sermon and I listened: "A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there, sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next? Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, with poverty as your permanent houseguest!"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago,.... Which, according to Kimchi, is to be understood not of the time from whence they were lost, but to be reckoned from the time that Saul had been seeking of them; so the Targum,

"as to the business of the asses, which are lost to thee, and thou art come to seek them today, these three days:''

though it is probable enough that the same day they were lost Saul set out to seek them, Now Samuel telling him of the asses that were lost, and of the time of their being lost, or of his seeking them, so exactly, before ever he said a word to him about them, must at once convince him that he was a true prophet, and which must prepare him to give credit to all that he should hereafter say to him:

set not thy mind on them, for they are found; of the truth of which he could not doubt, after he had said the above words; and which he said to make his mind easy, that he might the more cheerfully attend the feast, and be the more willing to stay all night:

and on whom is all the desire of Israel? which was to have a king; in this they were unanimous, and who so fit and proper as Saul, it is intimated, whom Samuel knew God had chosen and appointed to be king over them?

is it not on thee, and on all thy father's house? not that the Israelites had their eye on Saul, and their desire after him to be their king, though he was such an one as they wished for; but that as this desire of theirs was granted, it would issue and terminate in him and his family; he should be advanced to the throne, which would be attended with the promotion of his father's house, as Abner particularly, who was his uncle's son, and was made the general of the army.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 9:20. As for thine asses — Thus he shows him that he knew what was in his heart, God having previously revealed these things to Samuel.

And on whom is all the desire of Israel? — Saul understood this as implying that he was chosen to be king.