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Wednesday, July 9th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

The NET Bible®

Job 20:13

if he retains it for himself and does not let it go, and holds it fast in his mouth,

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Hypocrisy;   Pleasure;   Sin;   Wicked (People);   Worldliness;   The Topic Concordance - Oppression;   Wickedness;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Afflictions of the Wicked, the;  

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Greatness of God;   Hypocrisy;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Job, the Book of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
though he cherishes it and will not let it gobut keeps it in his mouth,
Hebrew Names Version
Though he spare it, and will not let it go, But keep it still within his mouth;
King James Version
Though he spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it still within his mouth:
English Standard Version
though he is loath to let it go and holds it in his mouth,
New Century Version
They cannot stand to let go of it; they keep it in their mouths.
Amplified Bible
Though he desires it and will not let it go But holds it in his mouth,
New American Standard Bible
Though he desires it and will not let it go, But holds it in his mouth,
World English Bible
Though he spare it, and will not let it go, But keep it still within his mouth;
Geneva Bible (1587)
And fauoured it, and would not forsake it, but kept it close in his mouth,
Legacy Standard Bible
Though he desires it and will not forsake it,And holds it to his palate,
Berean Standard Bible
though he cannot bear to let it go and keeps it in his mouth,
Contemporary English Version
and swallow it slowly.
Complete Jewish Bible
he may linger over it and not let it go but keep it there in his mouth —
Darby Translation
[Though] he spare it, and forsake it not, but keep it within his mouth,
Easy-to-Read Version
He hates to let it go and holds it in his mouth.
George Lamsa Translation
Though he spare it and forsake it not, but keep it still in his mouth;
Lexham English Bible
though he spares it and does not let it go and holds it back in the midst of his palate,
Literal Translation
he spares it, and he will not leave it; yea, he keeps holding it in his mouth);
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
That he fauoureth, that wyll he not forsake, but kepeth it close in his throte.
American Standard Version
Though he spare it, and will not let it go, But keep it still within his mouth;
Bible in Basic English
Though he takes care of it, and does not let it go, but keeps it still in his mouth;
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Though he spare it, and will not let it go, but keep it still within his mouth;
King James Version (1611)
Though he spare it, and forsake it not, but keepe it stil within his mouth:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
That he fauoured, that would he not forsake, but kept it close in his throte.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
though he will not spare it, and will not leave it, but will keep it in the midst of his throat:
English Revised Version
Though he spare it, and will not let it go, but keep it still within his mouth;
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
He schal spare it, and schal not forsake it; and schal hide in his throte.
Update Bible Version
Though he spares it, and will not let it go, But keeps it still inside his mouth;
Webster's Bible Translation
[Though] he may spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it still within his mouth:
New King James Version
Though he spares it and does not forsake it, But still keeps it in his mouth,
New Living Translation
They savored it, holding it long in their mouths.
New Life Bible
He hates to let it go, and holds it in his mouth.
New Revised Standard
though they are loath to let it go, and hold it in their mouths,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Though he spare it, and will not let it go, but retain it in the midst of his mouth,
Douay-Rheims Bible
He will spare it, and not leave it, and will hide it in his throat.
Revised Standard Version
though he is loath to let it go, and holds it in his mouth,
Young's Literal Translation
Hath pity on it, and doth not forsake it, And keep it back in the midst of his palate,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Though he desires it and will not let it go, But holds it in his mouth,

Contextual Overview

10 His sons must recompense the poor; his own hands must return his wealth. 11 His bones were full of his youthful vigor, but that vigor will lie down with him in the dust. 12 "If evil is sweet in his mouth and he hides it under his tongue, 13 if he retains it for himself and does not let it go, and holds it fast in his mouth, 14 his food is turned sour in his stomach; it becomes the venom of serpents within him. 15 The wealth that he consumed he vomits up, God will make him throw it out of his stomach. 16 He sucks the poison of serpents; the fangs of a viper kill him. 17 He will not look on the streams, the rivers, which are the torrents of honey and butter. 18 He gives back the ill-gotten gain without assimilating it; he will not enjoy the wealth from his commerce. 19 For he has oppressed the poor and abandoned them; he has seized a house which he did not build.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

spare it: Matthew 5:29, Matthew 5:30, Mark 9:43-49, Romans 8:13

within his mouth: Heb. in the midst of his palate

Reciprocal: Proverbs 19:28 - the

Cross-References

Genesis 12:1
Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go out from your country, your relatives, and your father's household to the land that I will show you.
Genesis 12:9
Abram continually journeyed by stages down to the Negev.
Genesis 20:3
But God appeared to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, "You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken, for she is someone else's wife."
Genesis 20:5
Did Abraham not say to me, ‘She is my sister'? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.' I have done this with a clear conscience and with innocent hands!"
Genesis 20:11
Abraham replied, "Because I thought, ‘Surely no one fears God in this place. They will kill me because of my wife.'
1 Samuel 23:21
Saul replied, "May you be blessed by the Lord , for you have had compassion on me.
Psalms 64:5
They encourage one another to carry out their evil deed. They plan how to hide snares, and boast, "Who will see them?"
Acts 5:9
Peter then told her, "Why have you agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out!"
Hebrews 11:8
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, and he went out without understanding where he was going.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

[Though] he spare it,.... Not that he feeds sparingly on it, for he eats of it freely and plentifully, with great eagerness and greediness; it designs the gratefulness of it to him; he does not spit it out as loathsome, having tasted of it, but retains it as sweet and pleasant; he spares it as Saul did Agag, and as a man spares his only son; sin being a child, a brat of a wicked man, and therefore it is dear unto him:

and forsake it not: as he never will, until he is fully convinced of the evil of it, and it becomes exceeding sinful to him, and so loathsome and disagreeable; and he is restrained from it by the grace of God, and enabled by it to desert it, for such an one only finds mercy, Proverbs 28:13;

but keep it still within his mouth; like an epicure, that will not suffer his food quickly to go down his throat into his stomach, that he may have the greater pleasure in tasting, palating, and relishing it; as Philoxenus, who wished his throat as long as a crane's, that he might be the longer in tasting the sweetness of what he ate and drank; so the wicked man keeps sin within his mouth, not by restraining his mouth from speaking evil, rather by a non-confession of it, but chiefly by continuing and persisting in it, that he might have all the pleasure and satisfaction he has promised himself in it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Though he spare it - That is, though he retains it long in his mouth, that he may enjoy it the more.

And forsake it not - Retains it as long as he can.

But keep it still within his mouth - Margin, as in Hebrew “in the midst of his palate.” He seeks to enjoy it as long as possible.


 
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