Lectionary Calendar
Saturday, September 13th, 2025
the Week of Proper 18 / Ordinary 23
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Read the Bible

Young's Literal Translation

1 Samuel 22:23

dwell with me; fear not; for he who seeketh my life seeketh thy life; for a charge [art] thou with me.'

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Abiathar;   Friendship;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Abiathar;   Ahimelech;   Nob;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Prayer;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Abiathar;   Ahimelech;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Court Systems;   Nob;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Priests and Levites;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Abiathar;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Hebrew Monarchy, the;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Abiathar;   Jesse;   Priest, High;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Abiathar;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Stay with me. Don’t be afraid, for the one who wants to take my life wants to take your life. You will be safe with me.”
Hebrew Names Version
Abide you with me, don't be afraid; for he who seeks my life seeks your life: for with me you shall be in safeguard.
King James Version
Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.
Lexham English Bible
Stay with me! Do not fear, because he who seeks my life seeks your life. You are in good care with me."
English Standard Version
Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be in safekeeping."
New Century Version
Stay with me. Don't be afraid. The man who wants to kill you also wants to kill me. You will be safe with me."
New English Translation
Stay with me. Don't be afraid! Whoever seeks my life is seeking your life as well. You are secure with me."
Amplified Bible
"Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life, but you are safe with me."
New American Standard Bible
"Stay with me; do not be afraid, even though he who is seeking my life is seeking your life. For you are safe with me."
Geneva Bible (1587)
Abide thou with me, & feare not: for he that seeketh my life, shall seeke thy life also: for with me thou shalt be in safegard.
Legacy Standard Bible
Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life, for you are safe with me."
Contemporary English Version
Stay here. Isn't the same person trying to kill both of us? Don't worry! You'll be safe here with me."
Complete Jewish Bible
Stay with me; don't be afraid; because the one who is seeking my life seeks yours too. You'll be safe with me."
Darby Translation
Abide with me, fear not; for he that seeks my life seeks thy life; for with me thou art in safe keeping.
Easy-to-Read Version
Stay with me. Don't be afraid, because the man who tried to kill you is the same man who wants to kill me. I will protect you if you stay with me."
George Lamsa Translation
Abide with me; fear not; for he that seeks my life seeks your life also, but with me you shall be protected.
Good News Translation
Stay with me and don't be afraid. Saul wants to kill both you and me, but you will be safe with me."
Literal Translation
Stay with me. Do not fear. For he who seeks my life seeks your life. For with me you will be under protection.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Abyde thou with me, and feare not. He that layeth wayte for my lyfe, shall laye wayte for thyne also, and thou shalt be preserued with me.
American Standard Version
Abide thou with me, fear not; for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: for with me thou shalt be in safeguard.
Bible in Basic English
Keep here with me and have no fear; for he who has designs on my life has designs on yours: but with me you will be safe.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Abyde thou with me, and feare not: For he that seketh my lyfe, he shall seke thine also, with me thou shalt be in safegarde.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Abide thou with me, fear not; for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life; for with me thou shalt be in safeguard.'
King James Version (1611)
Abide thou with me, feare not: for he that seeketh my life, seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt bee in safegard.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Dwell with me; fear not, for wherever I shall seek a place of safety for my life, I will also seek a place for thy life, for thou art safely guarded while with me.
English Revised Version
Abide thou with me, fear not; for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: for with me thou shalt be in safeguard.
Berean Standard Bible
Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks your life is seeking mine as well. You will be safe with me."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Dwelle thou with me, drede thou not; if ony man sekith thi lijf, he schal seke also my lijf, and thou schalt be kept with me.
Update Bible Version
Abide with me, don't be afraid; for he that seeks my life seeks your life: for with me you shall be in safeguard.
Webster's Bible Translation
Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou [shalt be] in safeguard.
World English Bible
Abide you with me, don't be afraid; for he who seeks my life seeks your life: for with me you shall be in safeguard.
New King James Version
Stay with me; do not fear. For he who seeks my life seeks your life, but with me you shall be safe."
New Living Translation
Stay here with me, and don't be afraid. I will protect you with my own life, for the same person wants to kill us both."
New Life Bible
Stay with me. Do not be afraid. For he who wants to kill me wants to kill you. But you are safe with me."
New Revised Standard
Stay with me, and do not be afraid; for the one who seeks my life seeks your life; you will be safe with me."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Abide with me! do not fear, for, whoso seeketh my life, seeketh thy life, - for, in safeguard, shall thou be, with me.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life, seeketh thy life also, and with me thou shalt be saved.
Revised Standard Version
Stay with me, fear not; for he that seeks my life seeks your life; with me you shall be in safekeeping."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life, for you are safe with me."

Contextual Overview

20 And there escapeth one son of Ahimelech, son of Ahitub, and his name [is] Abiathar, and he fleeth after David, 21 and Abiathar declareth to David that Saul hath slain the priests of Jehovah. 22 And David saith to Abiathar, `I have known on that day when Doeg the Edomite [is] there, that he doth certainly declare [it] to Saul; I have brought [it] round to every person of the house of thy father; 23 dwell with me; fear not; for he who seeketh my life seeketh thy life; for a charge [art] thou with me.'

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

he that seeketh: 1 Kings 2:26, Matthew 24:9, John 15:20, John 16:2, John 16:3, Hebrews 12:1-3

but with me: John 10:28-30, John 17:12, John 18:9

Reciprocal: Esther 7:4 - we are sold

Cross-References

Genesis 24:15
And it cometh to pass, before he hath finished speaking, that lo, Rebekah (who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, wife of Nahor, brother of Abraham) is coming out, and her pitcher on her shoulder,
Genesis 24:24
And she saith unto him, `I [am] daughter of Bethuel, son of Milcah, whom she hath borne to Nahor.'
Genesis 24:47
`And I ask her, and say, Whose daughter [art] thou? and she saith, Daughter of Bethuel, son of Nahor, whom Milcah hath borne to him, and I put the ring on her nose, and the bracelets on her hands,
Genesis 24:51
lo, Rebekah [is] before thee, take and go, and she is a wife to thy lord's son, as Jehovah hath spoken.'
Genesis 24:60
and they bless Rebekah, and say to her, `Thou [art] our sister; become thou thousands of myriads, and thy seed doth possess the gate of those hating it.'
Genesis 24:67
and Isaac bringeth her in unto the tent of Sarah his mother, and he taketh Rebekah, and she becometh his wife, and he loveth her, and Isaac is comforted after [the death of] his mother.
Genesis 25:20
and Isaac is a son of forty years in his taking Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel the Aramaean, from Padan-Aram, sister of Laban the Aramaean, to him for a wife.
Genesis 28:2
rise, go to Padan-Aram, to the house of Bethuel, thy mother's father, and take for thyself from thence a wife, of the daughters of Laban, thy mother's brother;
Genesis 28:5
And Isaac sendeth away Jacob, and he goeth to Padan-Aram, unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Aramaean, brother of Rebekah, mother of Jacob and Esau.
Romans 9:10
And not only [so], but also Rebecca, having conceived by one -- Isaac our father --

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Abide thou with me, fear not,.... He appeared to be in a fright; which is not to be wondered at, as not knowing what to do, and where to go and provide for his safety; when, to allay his fears, and make him easy, David invites and encourages him to stay with him, and not be afraid of Saul, nor any other:

for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life; or, as Kimchi observes, it may be interpreted, "my life he seeks who seeks thy life"; we are in the same circumstances, and have the same common enemy, and therefore it is best and safest to be together; as the Targum,

"he that seeks to kill me seeks to kill thee;''

and as Jarchi adds, he that loves me will love thee, and he that keeps my life will keep thine:

but with me thou [shalt be] in safeguard; intimating, that he would be as careful of him as of himself; and that for this reason, as Ben Gersom suggests, because he brought the ephod with the Urim and Thummim with him, by which he could inquire of God for him; but this was the thing David was confident of, that God would preserve him, and raise him to the kingdom, and therefore Abiathar might be sure of safety with him: at this time he penned the fifty second psalm, which shows the frame of spirit he was now in; see Psalms 52:1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The characteristic generosity of David’s disposition breaks out in these words. He never forgot a friend. (Compare 2 Samuel 1:26; 2 Samuel 9:1, etc.) David acknowledges that Saul’s enmity against Abiathar is the consequence of his enmity against himself, and therefore David makes common cause with him.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Samuel 22:23. He that seeketh my life seeketh thy life — The enmity of Saul is directed against thee as well as against me, and thou canst have no safety but in being closely attached to me; and I will defend thee even at the risk of my own life. This he was bound in duty and conscience to do.


 
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