1 Kings 20:39 net — When the king passed by, he called out to the king,“Your servant went out into the heat of the battle, and then a man t…

NET Bible

"When the king passed by, he called out to the king,“Your servant went out into the heat of the battle, and then a man turned aside and brought me a prisoner. He told me,‘Guard this prisoner. If he ends up missing for any reason, you will pay with your life or with a talent of silver.’"

— 1 Kings 20:39, NET Bible

Read in Another Translation

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1 Kings 20:39 in Other Translations

6 versions All translations
  • KJV

    “And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.”

  • ASV

    “And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king; and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver. ”

  • WEB

    “As the king passed by, he cried to the king; and he said, "Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man to me, and said, 'Guard this man! If by any means he be missing, then your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.'”

  • DRB

    “And as the king passed by, he cried to the king, and said: Thy servant went out to fight hand to hand: and when a certain man was run away, one brought him to me, and said: Keep this man: and if he shall slip away, thy life shall be for his life, or thou shalt pay a talent of silver.”

  • BBE

    “And when the king went by, crying out to him he said, Your servant went out into the fight; and a man came out to me with another man and said, Keep this man: if by any chance he gets away, your life will be the price of his life, or you will have to give a talent of silver in payment.”

  • KJVA

    “And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.”

1 Kings 20 — Context

36

So the prophet said to him,“Because you have disobeyed the LORD, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you.” When he left him, a lion attacked and killed him.

37

He found another man and said,“Wound me!” So the man wounded him severely.

38

The prophet then went and stood by the road, waiting for the king. He also disguised himself by putting a bandage down over his eyes.

39

When the king passed by, he called out to the king,“Your servant went out into the heat of the battle, and then a man turned aside and brought me a prisoner. He told me,‘Guard this prisoner. If he ends up missing for any reason, you will pay with your life or with a talent of silver.’

40

Well, it just so happened that while your servant was doing this and that, he disappeared.” The king of Israel said to him,“Your punishment is already determined by your own testimony.”

41

The prophet quickly removed the bandage from his eyes and the king of Israel recognized he was one of the prophets.

42

The prophet then said to him,“This is what the LORD has said,‘Because you released a man I had determined should die, you will pay with your life and your people will suffer instead of his people.’”

1 Kings 20:39 — Frequently Asked Questions

7 questions
What does 1 Kings 20:39 say?
1 Kings 20:39 in the NET Bible reads: “When the king passed by, he called out to the king,“Your servant went out into the heat of the battle, and then a man turned aside and brought me a prisoner. He told me,‘Guard this prisoner. If he ends up missing for any reason, you will pay with your life or with a talent of silver.’”
Where is 1 Kings 20:39 in the Bible?
1 Kings 20:39 is found in the Old Testament, in the book of 1 Kings, chapter 20, verse 39.
Who wrote 1 Kings?
1 Kings is traditionally attributed to Anonymous (traditionally Jeremiah). It was written c. 561–538 BC.
What is the book of 1 Kings about?
1 Kings tells of Solomon's wisdom and the building of the temple, then the painful division of the kingdom after his death. The northern kingdom plunges into idolatry under a series of wicked kings until the prophet Elijah is raised up to call Israel back to the LORD.
What are the major themes of 1 Kings?
1 Kings explores themes including Wisdom, Temple, Divided Kingdom, Idolatry, Prophecy. These themes shape the meaning and context of 1 Kings 20:39.
What translation should I read 1 Kings 20:39 in?
1 Kings 20:39 is available on GodsGoodBook in the King James Version (KJV), American Standard Version (ASV), World English Bible (WEB), NET Bible, Young's Literal Translation, Darby Bible, Douay-Rheims Bible, and the Bible in Basic English. Each translation reflects different translation philosophies — use the translation picker on this page to compare them, or browse our full translations directory.
How can I memorize 1 Kings 20:39?
1 Kings 20:39 reads (NET): “When the king passed by, he called out to the king,“Your servant went out into the heat of the battle, and then a man turned aside and brought me a prisoner. He told me,‘Guard this prisoner. If he ends up missing for any reason, you will pay with your life or with a talent of silver.’” Read it aloud, break it into short phrases, repeat each phrase three times before adding the next, then put the phrases together. Reading it in multiple translations (above) often helps the meaning settle.
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