2 Samuel 17:2

New Century Version

I'll catch him while he is tired and weak, and I'll frighten him so all his people will run away. But I'll kill only King David.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
I will attack him while he is weary and discouraged, throw him into a panic, and all the people with him will scatter. I will strike down only the king

Hebrew Names Version
and I will come on him while he is weary and weak-handed, and will make him afraid; and all the people who are with him shall flee; and I will strike the king only;

King James Version
And I will come upon him while he is weary and weak handed, and will make him afraid: and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only:

Lexham English Bible
I will come upon him while he is weary and weak. I will startle him, and all of the people who are with him will flee. Then I will strike down the king while he is alone.

English Standard Version
I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged and throw him into a panic, and all the people who are with him will flee. I will strike down only the king,

New English Translation
When I catch up with him he will be exhausted and worn out. I will rout him, and the entire army that is with him will flee. I will kill only the king

Amplified Bible
"I will strike while he is weary and exhausted, and terrify him; and all the people with him will flee [in terror]. Then I will attack the king alone,

New American Standard Bible
"And I will attack him while he is weary and exhausted and startle him, so that all the people who are with him will flee. Then I will strike and kill the king when he is alone,

Geneva Bible (1587)
And I will come vpon him: for he is wearie, and weake handed: so I will feare him, and all the people that are with him, shall flee, and I will smite the King onely,

Legacy Standard Bible
And I will come upon him while he is weary with his hands falling limp and throw him into utter fright, so that all the people who are with him will flee. Then I will strike down the king alone,

Contemporary English Version
while he is tired and discouraged. He will panic, and everyone with him will run away. I won't kill anyone except David,

Complete Jewish Bible
I'll fall on him unexpectedly when he's tired and powerless. I'll frighten him, all the people with him will flee, and I'll attack only the king.

Darby Translation
and I will come upon him while he is weary and weak-handed, and will make him afraid; and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only;

Easy-to-Read Version
I will catch him while he is tired and weak. I will frighten him, and all his people will run away. But I will kill only King David.

George Lamsa Translation
And I will overtake him while he is weary and weak, and I will throw him into a panic, and all the people who are with him shall flee, and I will kill the king only;

Good News Translation
I will attack him while he is tired and discouraged. He will be frightened, and all his men will run away. I will kill only the king

Literal Translation
And I shall come on him, and he shall be weary and feeble handed. And I will make him tremble, and the people with him shall flee. And I shall strike the king by himself.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and fall vpo him whan he is feble and weery: When I vexe him the, so that all the people which is by him, flieth, I wil smite the kynge onely,

American Standard Version
and I will come upon him while he is weary and weak-handed, and will make him afraid; and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only;

Bible in Basic English
And I will come up with him when he is tired and feeble, and make him full of fear: and all the people with him will go in flight; and I will make an attack on the king only:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And I wil come vpo him whyle he is weery and weake handed, and will feare him: And all the people that are with him, shall flee, and so will I smite the king only,

JPS Old Testament (1917)
and I will come upon him while he is weary and weak-handed, and will make him afraid; and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only;

King James Version (1611)
And I wil come vpon him while hee is wearie and weake handed, and wil make him afraid: and all the people that are with him shall flee, and I will smite the king onely.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
and I will come upon him when he is weary and weak-handed, and I will strike him with terror; and all the people with him shall flee, and I will smite the king only of all.

English Revised Version
and I will come upon him while he is weary and weak handed, and will make him afraid: and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only:

Berean Standard Bible
I will attack him while he is weak and weary; I will throw him into a panic, and all the people with him will flee; I will strike down only the king

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Y schal falle on hym, for he is wery, and with vnboundun hondis Y schal smyte hym. And whanne al the puple fleeth which is with hym, Y schal smyte the kyng `desolat, ether left aloone.

Young's Literal Translation
and come upon him, and he weary and feeble-handed, and I have caused him to tremble, and all the people have fled who [are] with him, and I have smitten the king by himself,

Update Bible Version
and I will come on him while he is weary and weak-handed, and will make him afraid; and all the people that are with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only;

Webster's Bible Translation
And I will come upon him while he [is] weary and weak-handed, and will make him afraid: and all the people that [are] with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only:

World English Bible
and I will come on him while he is weary and weak-handed, and will make him afraid; and all the people who are with him shall flee; and I will strike the king only;

New King James Version
I will come upon him while he is weary and weak, and make him afraid. And all the people who are with him will flee, and I will strike only the king.

New Living Translation
I will catch up with him while he is weary and discouraged. He and his troops will panic, and everyone will run away. Then I will kill only the king,

New Life Bible
I will come upon him while he is tired and weak. I will fill him with fear so that all the people who are with him will run away. Then I will kill the king alone

New Revised Standard
I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged, and throw him into a panic; and all the people who are with him will flee. I will strike down only the king,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and let me come upon him, when, he, is weary, and weak-handed, so shall I strike him with terror, and all the people who are with him shall flee, - then will I smite the king alone:

Douay-Rheims Bible
And coming upon him (for he is now weary, and weak handed) I will defeat him: and when all the people is put to flight that is with him, I will kill the king who will be left alone.

Revised Standard Version
I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged, and throw him into a panic; and all the people who are with him will flee. I will strike down the king only,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"I will come upon him while he is weary and exhausted and terrify him, so that all the people who are with him will flee. Then I will strike down the king alone,

Contextual Overview

¹ Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Let me choose twelve thousand men and chase David tonight. ² I'll catch him while he is tired and weak, and I'll frighten him so all his people will run away. But I'll kill only King David. ³ Then I'll bring everyone back to you. If the man you are looking for is dead, everyone else will return safely." ⁴ This plan seemed good to Absalom and to all the leaders of Israel. ⁵ But Absalom said, "Now call Hushai the Arkite, so I can hear what he says." ⁶ When Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom said to him, "This is the plan Ahithophel gave. Should we follow it? If not, tell us." ⁷ Hushai said to Absalom, "Ahithophel's advice is not good this time." ⁸ Hushai added, "You know your father and his men are strong. They are as angry as a bear that is robbed of its cubs. Your father is a skilled fighter. He won't stay all night with the army. ⁹ He is probably already hiding in a cave or some other place. If the first attack fails, people will hear the news and think, ‘Absalom's followers are losing!' ¹⁰ Then even the men who are as brave as lions will be frightened, because all the Israelites know your father is a fighter. They know his men are brave!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

weary: 2 Samuel 16:14, Deuteronomy 25:18

I will smite: 1 Kings 22:31, Zechariah 13:7, Matthew 21:38, Matthew 26:31, John 11:50, John 18:4-8

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 4:1 - his hands 2 Samuel 17:29 - to eat 2 Samuel 18:3 - if we flee 2 Samuel 20:21 - his head Nehemiah 4:11 - They shall not Psalms 25:19 - Consider Psalms 35:8 - into Psalms 55:10 - Day Psalms 64:2 - secret Psalms 71:4 - out of the Psalms 109:16 - he remembered Psalms 124:7 - Our soul James 3:6 - a world

Cross-References

Genesis 9:9
"Now I am making my agreement with you and your people who will live after you,

Genesis 12:2
I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you. I will make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.

Genesis 13:16
I will make your descendants as many as the dust of the earth. If anyone could count the dust on the earth, he could count your people.

Genesis 15:18
So on that day the Lord made an agreement with Abram and said, "I will give to your descendants the land between the river of Egypt and the great river Euphrates.

Genesis 17:4
"I am making my agreement with you: I will make you the father of many nations.

Genesis 17:6
I will give you many descendants. New nations will be born from you, and kings will come from you.

Genesis 17:8
You live in the land of Canaan now as a stranger, but I will give you and your descendants all this land forever. And I will be the God of your descendants."

Genesis 17:11
Cut away your foreskin to show that you are prepared to follow the agreement between me and you.

Genesis 17:17
Abraham bowed facedown on the ground and laughed. He said to himself, "Can a man have a child when he is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth to a child when she is ninety?"

Genesis 17:18
Then Abraham said to God, "Please let Ishmael be the son you promised."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And I will come upon him while he [is] weary,.... With travelling, and with grief, and when endeavouring to get some rest by sleep, and so surprise him unawares, when not on his guard, and in no posture of defence:

and weak handed; while the number of men with him is small, and before the people from different parts can come to his assistance:

and will make him afraid; strike terror into him and his then, by surprising them suddenly in the night with such a number of men:

and all the people that [are] with him shall flee; one one way, and another another, for their own security, and leave David alone:

and I will smite the king only; dispatch him, and let the people flee without pursuing them.