2 Chronicles 20:9

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“If disaster comes on us—sword or judgment, pestilence or famine—we will stand before this temple and before you, for your name is in this temple. We will cry out to you because of our distress, and you will hear and deliver.”

Hebrew Names Version
If evil come on us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house, and before you, (for your name is in this house,) and cry to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.

King James Version
If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.

English Standard Version
‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.'

New Century Version
‘If trouble comes upon us, or war, punishment, sickness, or hunger, we will stand before you and before this Temple where you have chosen to be worshiped. We will cry out to you when we are in trouble. Then you will hear and save us.'

New English Translation
‘If disaster comes on us in the form of military attack, judgment, plague, or famine, we will stand in front of this temple before you, for you are present in this temple. We will cry out to you for help in our distress, so that you will hear and deliver us.'

Amplified Bible
'If evil comes on us, or the sword of judgment, or plague, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for Your Name and Your Presence is in this house) and we will cry out to You in our distress, and You will hear and save us.'

New American Standard Bible
'If disaster comes upon us, the sword, or judgment, or plague, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for Your name is in this house), and cry out to You in our distress, and You will hear and save us.'

World English Bible
If evil come on us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house, and before you, (for your name is in this house,) and cry to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.

Geneva Bible (1587)
If euill come vpon vs, as the sworde of iudgement, or pestilence, or famine, we will stande before this house & in thy presence (for thy name is in this house) and will crie vnto thee in our tribulation, and thou wilt heare and helpe.

Legacy Standard Bible
‘Should evil come upon us, the sword, or judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for Your name is in this house) and cry to You in our distress, and You will hear and save us.'

Berean Standard Bible
'If disaster comes upon us-whether sword or judgment, plague or famine-we will stand before this temple and before You, for Your Name is in this temple. We will cry out to You in our distress, and You will hear us and deliver us.'

Contemporary English Version
They believed that whenever this land is struck by war or disease or famine, your people can pray to you at the temple, and you will hear their prayer and save them.

Complete Jewish Bible
‘If calamity strikes us, such as war, judgment, disease or famine, we will stand before this house — that is, before you, since your name is in this house — and cry to you in our distress; and you will hear us and rescue us.'

Darby Translation
If evil come upon us, sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, and we stand before this house and before thee—for thy name is in this house—and cry unto thee in our distress, then thou wilt hear and save.

Easy-to-Read Version
They said, ‘If trouble comes to us—the sword, punishment, sicknesses, or famine—we will stand in front of this Temple and in front of you. Your name is on this Temple. We will shout to you when we are in trouble. Then you will hear and save us.'

George Lamsa Translation
Now, because there is a sanctuary among us, no evil shall come upon us, nor the sword nor judgment nor pestilence nor famine; and we shall come and stand before this house and before thee (for thy name has been invoked in this house), and we will pray before thee in this house, and thou wilt hear our prayer and save us.

Good News Translation
that if any disaster struck them to punish them—a war, an epidemic, or a famine—then they could come and stand in front of this Temple where you are worshiped. They could pray to you in their trouble, and you would hear them and rescue them.

Lexham English Bible
‘If disaster, a sword, punishment, disease, or famine come upon us, we shall stand before this house and before you—for your name is in this house—and cry out to you out of our trouble, then you will hear and save us.'

Literal Translation
If evil shall come upon us, whether sword, judgment, or pestilence and famine, we shall stand before this house and before You, for Your name is in this house, and shall cry to You out of our distress, and You shall hear andsave.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Yf there come eny plage, swerde, iudgmet, pestilence, or derth vpon vs, we wyll stonde before this house euen before the (for thy name is in this house) and wyll crye vnto the in oure trouble, and thou shalt heare, and shalt saue vs.

American Standard Version
If evil come upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house, and before thee (for thy name is in this house), and cry unto thee in our affliction, and thou wilt hear and save.

Bible in Basic English
If evil comes on us, the sword, or punishment, or disease, or need of food, we will come to this house and to you, (for your name is in this house,) crying to you in our trouble, and you will give us salvation in answer to our cry.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
If euyll come vpon vs, as the sword of iudgement, pestilence or hunger: then, if we stande before this house in thy presence (for thy name is in this house) and crye vnto thee in our tribulation, heare thou, and helpe.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
If evil come upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house, and before Thee--for Thy name is in this house--and cry unto Thee in our affliction, and Thou wilt hear and save.

King James Version (1611)
If, when euill commeth vpon vs, as the sword, iudgement, or pestilence, or famine, wee stand before this house, and in thy presence (for thy Name is in this house) and cry vnto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt heare & helpe.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
If there should come upon us evils, sword, judgment, pestilence, famine, we will stand before this house, and before thee, (for thy name is upon this house,)and we will cry to thee because of the affliction, and thou shalt hear, and deliver.

English Revised Version
If evil come upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house, and before thee, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, and thou wilt hear and save.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
If yuelis comen on vs, the swerd of doom, pestilence, and hungur, we schulen stonde bifor this hows withouten ende in thi siyt, in which hows thi name is clepid, and we schulen crie to thee in oure tribulaciouns; and thou schalt here vs, and schalt make vs saaf.

Update Bible Version
If evil comes on us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house, and before you, (for your name is in this house,) and cry to you in our affliction, and you will hear and save.

Webster's Bible Translation
If, [when] evil cometh upon us, [as] the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name [is] in this house,) and cry to thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.

New King James Version
"If disaster comes upon us--sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine--we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.'

New Living Translation
They said, ‘Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.'

New Life Bible
‘If what is bad comes upon us, fighting, hard times, disease, or no food, we will stand in front of this house. And we will stand before You, (for Your name is in this house). We will cry to You in our trouble. And You will hear and take us out of trouble.'

New Revised Standard
‘If disaster comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house, and before you, for your name is in this house, and cry to you in our distress, and you will hear and save.'

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
If there come upon us calamity, the sword of judgment or pestilence or famine, we will stand before this house and before thee, for, thy Name, is in this house, - that we may make outcry unto thee out of our distress, that thou mayest hear and save.

Douay-Rheims Bible
If evils fall upon us, the sword of judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand in thy presence before this house, in which thy name is called upon: and we will cry to thee in our afflictions, and thou wilt hear, and save us.

Revised Standard Version
'If evil comes upon us, the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house, and before thee, for thy name is in this house, and cry to thee in our affliction, and thou wilt hear and save.'

Young's Literal Translation
If evil doth come upon us -- sword, judgment, and pestilence, and famine -- we stand before this house, and before Thee, for Thy name [is] in this house, and cry unto Thee out of our distress, and Thou dost hear and save.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
'Should evil come upon us, the sword, or judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we will stand before this house and before You (for Your name is in this house) and cry to You in our distress, and You will hear and deliver us.'

Contextual Overview

¹Some time later the Moabites and Ammonites, accompanied by Meunites, joined forces to make war on Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat received this intelligence report: "A huge force is on its way from beyond the Dead Sea to fight you. There's no time to waste—they're already at Hazazon Tamar, the oasis of En Gedi." ³Shaken, Jehoshaphat prayed. He went to God for help and ordered a nationwide fast. The country of Judah united in seeking God 's help—they came from all the cities of Judah to pray to God . ⁵Then Jehoshaphat took a position before the assembled people of Judah and Jerusalem at The Temple of God in front of the new courtyard and said, "O God , God of our ancestors, are you not God in heaven above and ruler of all kingdoms below? You hold all power and might in your fist—no one stands a chance against you! And didn't you make the natives of this land leave as you brought your people Israel in, turning it over permanently to your people Israel, the descendants of Abraham your friend? They have lived here and built a holy house of worship to honor you, saying, ‘When the worst happens—whether war or flood or disease or famine—and we take our place before this Temple (we know you are personally present in this place!) and pray out our pain and trouble, we know that you will listen and give victory.' ¹⁰"And now it's happened: men from Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir have shown up. You didn't let Israel touch them when we got here at first—we detoured around them and didn't lay a hand on them. And now they've come to kick us out of the country you gave us. O dear God, won't you take care of them? We're helpless before this vandal horde ready to attack us. We don't know what to do; we're looking to you." ¹³ Everyone in Judah was there—little children, wives, sons—all present and attentive to God .

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

when evil: 2 Chronicles 6:28-30, 1 Kings 8:33, 1 Kings 8:37

and in thy presence: Matthew 18:20

thy name: 2 Chronicles 6:20, Exodus 20:24, Exodus 23:21

is in this house: Several manuscripts with the Syriac, Arabic, and Vulgate, read nikra, "is invoked." "Thy name is invoked in this house.

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 8:30 - when they shall Ezra 10:1 - before the house Psalms 20:2 - from Psalms 30:11 - turned Ezekiel 14:19 - if I

Cross-References

Genesis 12:18
Pharaoh called for Abram, "What's this that you've done to me? Why didn't you tell me that she's your wife? Why did you say, ‘She's my sister' so that I'd take her as my wife? Here's your wife back—take her and get out!"

Genesis 20:10
Abimelech went on to Abraham, "Whatever were you thinking of when you did this thing?"

Genesis 20:11
Abraham said, "I just assumed that there was no fear of God in this place and that they'd kill me to get my wife. Besides, the truth is that she is my half sister; she's my father's daughter but not my mother's. When God sent me out as a wanderer from my father's home, I told her, ‘Do me a favor; wherever we go, tell people that I'm your brother.'"

Genesis 26:10
Abimelech said, "But think of what you might have done to us! Given a little more time, one of the men might have slept with your wife; you would have been responsible for bringing guilt down on us."

Genesis 38:24
Three months or so later, Judah was told, "Your daughter-in-law has been playing the whore—and now she's a pregnant whore." Judah yelled, "Get her out here. Burn her up!"

Exodus 32:21
Moses said to Aaron, "What on Earth did these people ever do to you that you involved them in this huge sin?"

Exodus 32:35
God sent a plague on the people because of the calf they and Aaron had made.

Leviticus 20:10
"If a man commits adultery with another man's wife—the wife, say, of his neighbor—both the man and the woman, the adulterer and adulteress, must be put to death.

Joshua 7:25
Joshua said, "Why have you troubled us? God will now trouble you. Today!" And all Israel stoned him—burned him with fire and stoned him with stones. They piled a huge pile of stones over him. It's still there. Only then did God turn from his hot anger. That's how the place came to be called Trouble Valley right up to the present time.

2 Samuel 12:5
David exploded in anger. "As surely as God lives," he said to Nathan, "the man who did this ought to be lynched! He must repay for the lamb four times over for his crime and his stinginess!"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

If when evil cometh upon us,.... Any calamity,

as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, God's four sore judgments, if by "judgment" is meant wild beasts:

we stand before this house; in the court before the holy place, and holy of holies:

and in thy presence, for thy name is in this house; called upon in it, and it was called by his name, and in which he dwelt:

and cry unto thee in our affliction; as Solomon prayed at the dedication of it:

then thou wilt hear and help; as the Lord promised, see 1 Kings 8:33.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Jehoshaphat’s appeal is threefold:

(1) to God omnipotent 2 Chronicles 20:6;

(2) to “our God;”

(3) the God especially “of this house” the temple.

2 Chronicles 20:7

Abraham thy friend - Historically, this is the first use of this remarkable expression, afterward repeated (marginal references). The ground of the expression is to be found principally in Genesis 18:23-33, where Abraham spoke with God as a man with his friend (compare Exodus 33:11).

2 Chronicles 20:8, 2 Chronicles 20:9

The appeal recalls Solomon’s prayer (marginal references), which God had formally accepted by sending down fire from heaven to consume the accompanying offering.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Chronicles 20:9. For thy name is in this house — "Thy Majesty is in this house." Several of Kennicott's and De Rossi's MSS., with the Vulgate, Syriac, and Arabic, add נקרא nikra, "is invoked;" Thy name is invoked in this house - here thou dwellest, and here thou art worshipped.