1 Chronicles 19:1-5
New English Translation
David’s Campaign against the Ammonites
19 Later King Nahash of the Ammonites died and his son succeeded him. 2 David said, “I will express my loyalty[a] to Hanun son of Nahash, for his father was loyal[b] to me.” So David sent messengers to express his sympathy over his father’s death.[c] When David’s servants entered Ammonite territory to visit Hanun and express the king’s sympathy,[d] 3 the Ammonite officials said to Hanun, “Do you really think David is trying to honor your father by sending these messengers to express his sympathy?[e] No, his servants have come to you so they can get information and spy out the land!”[f] 4 So Hanun seized David’s servants and shaved their beards off.[g] He cut off the lower part of their robes so that their buttocks were exposed[h] and then sent them away. 5 People[i] came and told David what had happened to the men, so he sent messengers to meet them, for the men were thoroughly humiliated. The king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards grow again; then you may come back.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Chronicles 19:2 tn Heb “do loyalty.”
- 1 Chronicles 19:2 tn Heb “did loyalty.”
- 1 Chronicles 19:2 tn Heb “to console him concerning his father.”
- 1 Chronicles 19:2 tn Heb “and the servants of David came to the land of the sons of Ammon to Hanun to console him.”
- 1 Chronicles 19:3 tn Heb “Is David honoring your father in your eyes when he sends to you ones consoling?”
- 1 Chronicles 19:3 tc Heb “Is it not to explore and to overturn and to spy out the land (that) his servants have come to you?” The Hebrew term לַהֲפֹךְ (lahafokh, “to overturn”) seems misplaced in the sequence. Some emend the form to לַחְפֹּר (lakhpor, “to spy out”). The sequence of three infinitives may be a conflation of alternative readings.
- 1 Chronicles 19:4 tn Heb “shaved them.” See v. 5.
- 1 Chronicles 19:4 tn Heb “and he cut their robes in the middle unto the buttocks.”
- 1 Chronicles 19:5 tn Heb “they.” The logical referent, though not specified in the Hebrew text, has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
1 Chronicles 19:1-5
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Defeat of the Ammonites and Arameans
19 Some time afterward, King Nahash of the Ammonites died, and his son succeeded him.(A) 2 David said, “I will deal loyally with Hanun son of Nahash, for his father dealt loyally with me.” So David sent messengers to console him concerning his father. When David’s servants came to Hanun in the land of the Ammonites to console him, 3 the officials of the Ammonites said to Hanun, “Do you think, because David has sent consolers to you, that he is honoring your father? Have not his servants come to you to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?”(B) 4 So Hanun seized David’s servants, shaved them, cut off their garments in the middle at their waists, and sent them away,(C) 5 and they departed. When David was told about the men, he sent messengers to them, for they felt greatly humiliated. The king said, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown and then return.”
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