2 Samuel 18:31

THE MESSAGE

Then the Cushite arrived and said, "Good news, my master and king! God has given victory today over all those who rebelled against you!"

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Just then the Cushite came and said, “May my lord the king hear the good news: The Lord has vindicated you today by freeing you from all who rise against you!”

Hebrew Names Version
Behold, the Kushite came; and the Kushite said, News for my lord the king; for the LORD has avenged you this day of all those who rose up against you.

King James Version
And, behold, Cushi came; and Cushi said, Tidings, my lord the king: for the Lord hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee.

Lexham English Bible
Suddenly the Cushite arrived and said, "May my lord the king receive the good news, for Yahweh has vindicated you today from the power of all who stood up against you."

English Standard Version
And behold, the Cushite came, and the Cushite said, "Good news for my lord the king! For the Lord has delivered you this day from the hand of all who rose up against you."

New Century Version
Then the Cushite arrived. He said, "Master and king, hear the good news! Today the Lord has punished those who were against you!"

New English Translation
Then the Cushite arrived and said, "May my lord the king now receive the good news! The Lord has vindicated you today and delivered you from the hand of all who have rebelled against you!"

Amplified Bible
Behold, the Cushite (Ethiopian) arrived, and said, "Let my lord the king receive good news, for the LORD has vindicated you today by rescuing you from the hand (power) of all those who stood against you."

New American Standard Bible
Then behold, the Cushite arrived, and the Cushite said, "Let my lord the king receive good news, for the LORD has freed you this day from the hand of all those who rose up against you."

Geneva Bible (1587)
And beholde, Cushi came, and Cushi saide, Tidings, my lorde the King: for the Lord hath deliuered thee this day out of the hande of all that rose against thee.

Legacy Standard Bible
Behold, the Cushite arrived, and the Cushite said, "Let my lord the king receive good news, for Yahweh has judged to save you this day from the hand of all those who rose up against you."

Contemporary English Version
The Ethiopian came and said, "Your Majesty, today I have good news! The Lord has rescued you from all your enemies!"

Complete Jewish Bible
Then up came the Ethiopian, and the Ethiopian said, "There's good news for my lord the king, for Adonai has judged in your favor and rid you of all those who rebelled against you."

Darby Translation
And behold, the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, Let my lord the king receive good tidings, for Jehovah has avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee.

Easy-to-Read Version
The Ethiopian arrived and said, "News for my lord and king. Today the Lord has punished all those who were against you!"

George Lamsa Translation
And, behold, Cushi came; and he said, Tidings, my lord the king! for the LORD has avenged you this day from the hand of all those who rose up against you.

Good News Translation
Then the Ethiopian slave arrived and said to the king, "I have good news for Your Majesty! Today the Lord has given you victory over all who rebelled against you!"

Literal Translation
And, behold, the Cushite had come. And the Cushite said, News is borne, my lord, O king! For Jehovah has vindicated you today out of the hand of those rising up against you.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Beholde, then came Chusi and sayde: I brynge good tydinges my lorde the kynge: The LORDE hath executed righte for the this daye, from the hande of all them that rose vp agaynst the.

American Standard Version
And, behold, the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, Tidings for my lord the king; for Jehovah hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee.

Bible in Basic English
And then the Cushite came and said, I have news for my lord the king: today the Lord has done right in your cause against all those who took up arms against you.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And behold, Chusi came also, and sayd: Tydinges my lorde the king, for the Lord hath deliuered thee this day out of the hande of al them that rose against thee.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And, behold, the Cushite came; and the Cushite said: 'Tidings for my lord the king; for the LORD hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee.'

King James Version (1611)
And behold, Cushi came, and Cushi said, Tidings my lord the king: for the Lord hath auenged thee this day of all them that rose vp against thee.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And, behold, Chusi came up, and said to the king, Let my lord the king hear glad tidings, for the Lord has avenged thee this day upon all them that rose up against thee.

English Revised Version
And, behold, the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, Tidings for my lord the king: for the LORD hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee.

Berean Standard Bible
Just then the Cushite came and said, "May my lord the king hear the good news: Today the LORD has avenged you of all who rose up against you!"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and he cam and seide, My lord the kyng, Y brynge good message; for the Lord hath demed to dai for thee of the hond of alle men that risiden ayens thee.

Young's Literal Translation
And lo, the Cushite hath come, and the Cushite saith, `Let tidings be proclaimed, my lord, O king; for Jehovah hath delivered thee to-day out of the hand of all those rising up against thee.'

Update Bible Version
And, look, the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, Tidings for my lord the king; for Yahweh has avenged you this day of all those that rose up against you.

Webster's Bible Translation
And behold, Cushi came; and Cushi said, Tidings, my lord the king: for the LORD hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee.

World English Bible
Behold, the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, News for my lord the king; for Yahweh has avenged you this day of all those who rose up against you.

New King James Version
Just then the Cushite came, and the Cushite said, "There is good news, my lord the king! For the LORD has avenged you this day of all those who rose against you."

New Living Translation
Then the man from Ethiopia arrived and said, "I have good news for my lord the king. Today the Lord has rescued you from all those who rebelled against you."

New Life Bible
Then the Cushite came and said, "Let my lord the king receive good news. For the Lord has saved you today from all those who came against you."

New Revised Standard
Then the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, "Good tidings for my lord the king! For the Lord has vindicated you this day, delivering you from the power of all who rose up against you."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then lo! the Cushite, coming in, - and the Cushite said - Tidings, getteth my lord the king, how that Yahweh hath vindicated thee to-day, at the hand of all them who had risen up against thee.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And when he had passed, and stood still, Chusai appeared and coming up he said: I bring good tidings, my lord, the king, for the Lord hath judged for thee this day from the hand of all that have risen up against thee.

Revised Standard Version
And behold, the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, "Good tidings for my lord the king! For the LORD has delivered you this day from the power of all who rose up against you."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Behold, the Cushite arrived, and the Cushite said, "Let my lord the king receive good news, for the LORD has freed you this day from the hand of all those who rose up against you."

Contextual Overview

¹⁹Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, said, "Let me run to the king and bring him the good news that God has delivered him from his enemies." But Joab said, "You're not the one to deliver the good news today; some other day, maybe, but it's not ‘good news' today." (This was because the king's son was dead.) ²¹ Then Joab ordered a Cushite, "You go. Tell the king what you've seen." "Yes sir," said the Cushite, and ran off. ²² Ahimaaz son of Zadok kept at it, begging Joab, "What does it matter? Let me run, too, following the Cushite." Joab said, "Why all this ‘Run, run'? You'll get no thanks for it, I can tell you." ²³ "I don't care; let me run." "Okay," said Joab, "run." So Ahimaaz ran, taking the lower valley road, and passed the Cushite. ²⁴David was sitting between the two gates. The sentry had gone up to the top of the gate on the wall and looked around. He saw a solitary runner. The sentry called down and told the king. The king said, "If he's alone, it must be good news!" As the runner came closer, the sentry saw another runner and called down to the gate, "Another runner all by himself." And the king said, "This also must be good news." Then the sentry said, "I can see the first man now; he runs like Ahimaaz son of Zadok." "He's a good man," said the king. "He's bringing good news for sure." Then Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, "Peace!" Then he bowed deeply before the king, his face to the ground. "Blessed be your God ; he has handed over the men who rebelled against my master the king." The king asked, "But is the young man Absalom all right?" Ahimaaz said, "I saw a huge ruckus just as Joab was sending me off, but I don't know what it was about." The king said, "Step aside and stand over there." So he stepped aside. Then the Cushite arrived and said, "Good news, my master and king! God has given victory today over all those who rebelled against you!" "But," said the king, "is the young man Absalom all right?" And the Cushite replied, "Would that all of the enemies of my master the king and all who maliciously rose against you end up like that young man." The king was stunned. Heartbroken, he went up to the room over the gate and wept. As he wept he cried out, O my son Absalom, my dear, dear son Absalom! Why not me rather than you, my death and not yours, O Absalom, my dear, dear son! ²⁶ David organized his forces. He appointed captains of thousands and captains of hundreds. Then David deployed his troops, a third under Joab, a third under Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third under Ittai the Gittite. The king then announced, "I'm marching with you." They said, "No, you mustn't march with us. If we're forced to retreat, the enemy won't give it a second thought. And if half of us die, they won't do so either. But you are worth ten thousand of us. It will be better for us if you stay in the city and help from there." "If you say so," said the king. "I'll do what you think is best." And so he stood beside the city gate as the whole army marched out by hundreds and by thousands. Then the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, "Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom." The whole army heard what the king commanded the three captains regarding Absalom. The army took the field to meet Israel. It turned out that the battle was joined in the Forest of Ephraim. The army of Israel was beaten badly there that day by David's men, a terrific slaughter—twenty thousand men! There was fighting helter-skelter all over the place—the forest claimed more lives that day than the sword! Absalom ran into David's men, but was out in front of them riding his mule, when the mule ran under the branches of a huge oak tree. Absalom's head was caught in the oak and he was left dangling between heaven and earth, the mule running right out from under him. A solitary soldier saw him and reported it to Joab, "I just saw Absalom hanging from an oak tree!" Joab said to the man who told him, "If you saw him, why didn't you kill him then and there? I'd have rewarded you with ten pieces of silver and a fancy belt." The man told Joab, "Even if I'd had a chance at a thousand pieces of silver, I wouldn't have laid a hand on the king's son. We all heard the king command you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘For my sake, protect the young man Absalom.' Why, I'd be risking my life, for nothing is hidden from the king. And you would have just stood there!" Joab said, "I can't waste my time with you." He then grabbed three knives and stabbed Absalom in the heart while he was still alive in the tree; by then Absalom was surrounded by ten of Joab's armor bearers; they hacked away at him and killed him. Joab then blew the ram's horn trumpet, calling off the army in its pursuit of Israel. They took Absalom, dumped him into a huge pit in the forest, and piled an immense mound of rocks over him. Meanwhile the whole army of Israel was in flight, each man making his own way home. While alive, Absalom had erected for himself a pillar in the Valley of the King, "because," he said, "I have no son to carry on my name." He inscribed the pillar with his own name. To this day it is called "The Absalom Memorial." Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, said, "Let me run to the king and bring him the good news that God has delivered him from his enemies." But Joab said, "You're not the one to deliver the good news today; some other day, maybe, but it's not ‘good news' today." (This was because the king's son was dead.) Then Joab ordered a Cushite, "You go. Tell the king what you've seen." "Yes sir," said the Cushite, and ran off. Ahimaaz son of Zadok kept at it, begging Joab, "What does it matter? Let me run, too, following the Cushite." Joab said, "Why all this ‘Run, run'? You'll get no thanks for it, I can tell you." "I don't care; let me run." "Okay," said Joab, "run." So Ahimaaz ran, taking the lower valley road, and passed the Cushite. David was sitting between the two gates. The sentry had gone up to the top of the gate on the wall and looked around. He saw a solitary runner. The sentry called down and told the king. The king said, "If he's alone, it must be good news!" As the runner came closer, the sentry saw another runner and called down to the gate, "Another runner all by himself." And the king said, "This also must be good news." ²⁷ Then the sentry said, "I can see the first man now; he runs like Ahimaaz son of Zadok." "He's a good man," said the king. "He's bringing good news for sure." ²⁸ Then Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, "Peace!" Then he bowed deeply before the king, his face to the ground. "Blessed be your God ; he has handed over the men who rebelled against my master the king." ²⁹ The king asked, "But is the young man Absalom all right?" Ahimaaz said, "I saw a huge ruckus just as Joab was sending me off, but I don't know what it was about." ³⁰ The king said, "Step aside and stand over there." So he stepped aside.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Tidings: Heb. Tidings is brought

the Lord: 2 Samuel 18:19, 2 Samuel 18:28, 2 Samuel 22:48, 2 Samuel 22:49, Deuteronomy 32:35, Deuteronomy 32:36, Psalms 58:10, Psalms 94:1-4, Psalms 124:2, Psalms 124:3, Luke 18:7, Luke 18:8, cushi was the man Joab ordered to carry the tidings to David. He was an Ethiopian, as his name signifies, and some think he was so by birth - a black, who waited on Joab, probably one of the ten who had helped to dispatch Absalom; though it was dangerous for one of those to bring the news to David, lest his fate should be the same with theirs that reported the death of Saul and Ishbosheth to him.

Reciprocal: Judges 11:36 - forasmuch 2 Samuel 4:8 - the Lord Daniel 4:19 - My Lord

Cross-References

Genesis 18:20
God continued, "The cries of the victims in Sodom and Gomorrah are deafening; the sin of those cities is immense. I'm going down to see for myself, see if what they're doing is as bad as it sounds. Then I'll know."

Genesis 18:22
The men set out for Sodom, but Abraham stood in God 's path, blocking his way.

Genesis 18:27
Abraham came back, "Do I, a mere mortal made from a handful of dirt, dare open my mouth again to my Master? What if the fifty fall short by five—would you destroy the city because of those missing five?" He said, "I won't destroy it if there are forty-five."

Matthew 7:7
"Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn't a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn't think of such a thing. You're at least decent to your own children. So don't you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?

Luke 11:8
"But let me tell you, even if he won't get up because he's a friend, if you stand your ground, knocking and waking all the neighbors, he'll finally get up and get you whatever you need.

Luke 18:1
Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit. He said, "There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people. A widow in that city kept after him: ‘My rights are being violated. Protect me!'

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And, behold, Cushi came,.... A little after:

and Cushi said, tidings, my lord the king; news is sent and brought by me, and good news it is:

for the Lord hath avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee; they are either killed or dispersed; there is an entire victory over them, and deliverance from them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Tidings ... - Rather, “Let my lord the king receive the good tidings.”