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New Living Translation

2 Samuel 12:22

David replied, "I fasted and wept while the child was alive, for I said, ‘Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to me and let the child live.'

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   Bereavement;   David;   Fasting;   Parents;   Prayer;   Seven;   Thompson Chain Reference - David;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Afflicted Saints;   Children;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Nathan;   Parable;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ancestors;   Bathsheba;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Know, Knowledge;   Easton Bible Dictionary - David;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Samuel, Books of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ammon, Ammonites;   Samuel, Books of;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Nathan ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Nathan;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - David;   Mourning;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Fast;   Nathan (1);   Samuel, Books of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He answered, “While the baby was alive, I fasted and wept because I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let him live.’
Hebrew Names Version
He said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who knows whether the LORD will not be gracious to me, that the child may live?
King James Version
And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may live?
Lexham English Bible
He said, "When the child was still alive, I fasted and I wept because I thought, ‘Who knows? Yahweh may have mercy on me that the child will live.'
English Standard Version
He said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?'
New Century Version
David said, "While the baby was still alive, I fasted, and I cried. I thought, ‘Who knows? Maybe the Lord will feel sorry for me and let the baby live.'
New English Translation
He replied, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept because I thought, ‘Perhaps the Lord will show pity and the child will live.
Amplified Bible
David said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I thought, 'Who knows, the LORD may be gracious to me and the child may live.'
New American Standard Bible
And he said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who knows, the LORD may be gracious to me, and the child may live.'
Geneva Bible (1587)
And he sayde, While the childe was yet aliue, I fasted, and wept: for I sayde, Who can tell whether God will haue mercy on me, that the childe may liue?
Legacy Standard Bible
Then he said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows, Yahweh may be gracious to me, that the child may live.'
Contemporary English Version
David answered: While he was still alive, I went without food and cried because there was still hope. I said to myself, "Who knows? Maybe the Lord will have pity on me and let the child live."
Complete Jewish Bible
He answered, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; because I thought, ‘Maybe Adonai will show his grace to me and let the child live.'
Darby Translation
And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept; for I thought, Who knows? [perhaps] Jehovah will be gracious to me, that the child may live.
Easy-to-Read Version
David said, "While the baby was still living, I cried and refused to eat because I thought, ‘Who knows? Maybe the Lord will feel sorry for me and let the baby live.'
George Lamsa Translation
David said to them, While the child was still alive, I fasted and prayed; for I said, Who knows whether God will be gracious to me, and let the child live?
Good News Translation
"Yes," David answered, "I did fast and weep while he was still alive. I thought that the Lord might be merciful to me and not let the child die.
Literal Translation
And he said, While the boy was alive, I fasted and wept. For I said, Who knows? Jehovah may be gracious to me and the boy may stay alive.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
He sayde: I fasted and wepte for the childe whan it was yet a lyue, for I thoughte: Who knoweth, peraduenture the LORDE maye be gracious vnto me, that the childe maye lyue.
American Standard Version
And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who knoweth whether Jehovah will not be gracious to me, that the child may live?
Bible in Basic English
And he said, While the child was still living I went without food and gave myself up to weeping: for I said, Who is able to say that the Lord will not have mercy on me and give the child life?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
He said: While the childe was yet ailue I fasted and wept: for this I thought, Who can tell whether God wyll haue mercy on me, that the childe may lyue?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he said: 'While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept; for I said: Who knoweth whether the LORD will not be gracious to me, that the child may live?
King James Version (1611)
And he said, While the child was yet aliue, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who can tell, whether God will be gracious to me, that the child may liue?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And David said, While the child yet lived, I fasted and wept; for I said, Who knows if the Lord will pity me, and the child live?
English Revised Version
And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who knoweth whether the LORD will not be gracious to me, that the child may live?
Berean Standard Bible
David answered, "While the child was alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, 'Who knows? The LORD may be gracious to me and let him live.'
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Dauid seide, Y fastide and wepte for the yong child, whanne he lyuyde yit; for Y seide, Who woot, if perauenture the Lord yyue hym to me, and the yong child lyue?
Young's Literal Translation
And he saith, `While the lad is alive I have fasted, and weep, for I said, Who knoweth? -- Jehovah doth pity me, and the lad hath lived;
Update Bible Version
And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who knows whether Yahweh will not be gracious to me, that the child may live?
Webster's Bible Translation
And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted, and wept: for I said, Who can tell [whether] GOD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?
World English Bible
He said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I said, Who knows whether Yahweh will not be gracious to me, that the child may live?
New King James Version
And he said, "While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who can tell whether the Lord [fn] will be gracious to me, that the child may live?'
New Life Bible
David said, "I went without food and cried while the child was still alive, for I said, ‘Who knows? The Lord might be kind to me and let the child live.'
New Revised Standard
He said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me, and the child may live.'
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And he said, - While yet the child lived, I fasted, and wept, - for I said - Who knoweth whether Yahweh may not grant me favour, and the child live?
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he said: While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept for him: for I said: Who knoweth whether the Lord may not give him to me, and the child may live?
Revised Standard Version
He said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who knows whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?'
THE MESSAGE
"While the child was alive," he said, "I fasted and wept, thinking God might have mercy on me and the child would live. But now that he's dead, why fast? Can I bring him back now? I can go to him, but he can't come to me."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
He said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who knows, the LORD may be gracious to me, that the child may live.'

Contextual Overview

15 After Nathan returned to his home, the Lord sent a deadly illness to the child of David and Uriah's wife. 16 David begged God to spare the child. He went without food and lay all night on the bare ground. 17 The elders of his household pleaded with him to get up and eat with them, but he refused. 18 Then on the seventh day the child died. David's advisers were afraid to tell him. "He wouldn't listen to reason while the child was ill," they said. "What drastic thing will he do when we tell him the child is dead?" 19 When David saw them whispering, he realized what had happened. "Is the child dead?" he asked. "Yes," they replied, "he is dead." 20 Then David got up from the ground, washed himself, put on lotions, and changed his clothes. He went to the Tabernacle and worshiped the Lord . After that, he returned to the palace and was served food and ate. 21 His advisers were amazed. "We don't understand you," they told him. "While the child was still living, you wept and refused to eat. But now that the child is dead, you have stopped your mourning and are eating again." 22 David replied, "I fasted and wept while the child was alive, for I said, ‘Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to me and let the child live.' 23 But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him one day, but he cannot return to me." 24 Then David comforted Bathsheba, his wife, and slept with her. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and David named him Solomon. The Lord loved the child

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I fasted: Isaiah 38:1-3, Isaiah 38:5, Joel 1:14, Joel 2:14, Amos 5:15, Jonah 1:6, Jonah 3:9, Jonah 3:10, James 4:9, James 4:10

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 12:16 - besought 2 Kings 20:3 - wept sore Isaiah 38:3 - wept Zephaniah 2:3 - it may

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he said, while the child was yet alive,.... And so there was hope it might be continued:

I fasted and wept; or sought the Lord by prayer, and fasting, and weeping, that the threatening might not take place, that the child's life might be spared:

for I said; within himself, thus he reasoned in his own mind:

who can tell [whether] God will be gracious to me, that the child may live? and in hope of this he kept praying, fasting, and weeping; he could not tell but God might repent of the evil he had threatened, as in some cases he has done; see Joel 2:13. Abarbinel thinks that David fasted and wept to hide this matter from his wife, and his servants, and did not let them know that this was in his punishment, that the child should die.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 2 Samuel 12:22. Who can tell — David, and indeed all others under the Mosaic dispensation, were so satisfied that all God's threatenings and promises were conditional, that even in the most positive assertions relative to judgments, &c., they sought for a change of purpose. And notwithstanding the positive declaration of Nathan, relative to the death of the child, David sought for its life, not knowing but that might depend on some unexpressed condition, such as earnest prayer, fasting, humiliation, &c., and in these he continued while there was hope. When the child died, he ceased to grieve, as he now saw that this must be fruitless. This appears to be the sole reason of David's importunity.


 
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