1 Kings 20:31

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

His servants said to him, "We have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful. Let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads and go to the king of Israel; perhaps he will spare your life."

Additional Resources

Other Translations

  • King James Version 1769 (Standard Version)

    And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he will save thy life.

  • KJV1611 – Modern English

    And his servants said to him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, I pray you, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: perhaps he will save your life.

  • King James Version 1611 (Original)

    And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he will save thy life.

  • American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

    And his servants{H5650} said{H559} unto him, Behold now, we have heard{H8085} that the kings{H4428} of the house{H1004} of Israel{H3478} are merciful{H2617} kings:{H4428} let us, we pray thee, put{H7760} sackcloth{H8242} on our loins,{H4975} and ropes{H2256} upon our heads,{H7218} and go out{H3318} to the king{H4428} of Israel:{H3478} peradventure he will save{H2421} thy life.{H5315}

  • King James Version with Strong's Numbers

    And his servants{H5650} said{H559}{(H8799)} unto him, Behold now, we have heard{H8085}{(H8804)} that the kings{H4428} of the house{H1004} of Israel{H3478} are merciful{H2617} kings{H4428}: let us, I pray thee, put{H7760}{(H8799)} sackcloth{H8242} on our loins{H4975}, and ropes{H2256} upon our heads{H7218}, and go out{H3318}{(H8799)} to the king{H4428} of Israel{H3478}: peradventure he will save{H2421}{(H8762)} thy life{H5315}.

  • Coverdale Bible (1535)

    Then sayde his seruauntes vnto him: Beholde, we haue herde that the kynges of the house of Israel are mercifull kinges, Let vs therfore put sack cloth aboute oure loynes, and halters aboute oure neckes, & go forth to the kynge of Israel, peraduenture he shal let yi soule lyue.

  • Geneva Bible (1560)

    And his seruants sayd vnto him, Beholde nowe, we haue heard say that the Kings of the house of Israel are mercifull Kings: we pray thee, let vs put sacke cloth about our loynes, & ropes about our heads, & goe out to the King of Israel: it may be that he will saue thy life.

  • Bishops' Bible (1568)

    And his seruauntes said vnto him: Behold, we haue heard say that the kinges of the house of Israel are mercyfull kinges: We will therfore put sackcloth about our loynes, and ropes about our heades, and go out to the king of Israel, if happyly he will saue thy lyfe.

  • Authorized King James Version (1611)

    ¶ And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel [are] merciful kings: let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he will save thy life.

  • Webster's Bible (1833)

    His servants said to him, See now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, we pray you, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he will save your life.

  • Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

    And his servants say unto him, `Lo, we pray thee, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel -- that they are kind kings; let us put, we pray thee, sackcloth on our loins, and ropes on our heads, and we go out unto the king of Israel; it may be he doth keep thee alive.'

  • American Standard Version (1901)

    And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, we pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he will save thy life.

  • American Standard Version (1901)

    And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, we pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he will save thy life.

  • Bible in Basic English (1941)

    Then his servants said to him, It is said that the kings of Israel are full of mercy: let us then put on haircloth, and cords on our heads, and go to the king of Israel; it may be that he will give you your life.

  • World English Bible (2000)

    His servants said to him, "See now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please let us put sackcloth on our bodies, and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel. Maybe he will save your life."

  • NET Bible® (New English Translation)

    His advisers said to him,“Look, we have heard that the kings of the Israelite dynasty are kind. Allow us to put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads and surrender to the king of Israel. Maybe he will spare our lives.”

Referenced Verses

  • Gen 37:34 : 34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son for many days.
  • 2 Sam 3:31 : 31 Then David said to Joab and all the people with him, 'Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn for Abner.' And King David himself walked behind the bier.
  • 1 Kgs 20:23 : 23 Meanwhile, the servants of the king of Aram said to him, 'Their gods are gods of the hills; that is why they were stronger than us. But if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than they are.'
  • 1 Kgs 21:27-29 : 27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went about meekly. 28 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, 29 'Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring disaster during his lifetime; but in the days of his son, I will bring disaster on his house.'
  • 2 Kgs 5:13 : 13 But his servants approached him and said, 'My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he says to you, “Wash and be cleansed”? '
  • 2 Kgs 7:4 : 4 If we say, 'We’ll go into the city,' the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die."
  • 2 Kgs 19:1-2 : 1 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and went into the house of the Lord. 2 Then he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, the scribe Shebna, and the elders of the priests, all dressed in sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz.
  • Esth 4:1-3 : 1 When Mordecai learned about everything that had happened, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the middle of the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. 2 He went as far as the king’s gate, but no one was allowed to enter the king's gate wearing sackcloth. 3 In every province where the king’s command and decree had reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
  • Esth 4:16 : 16 Go, gather all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. After that, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.
  • Job 2:4 : 4 Satan answered the LORD, 'Skin for skin! A man will give everything he has for his own life.'
  • Prov 20:28 : 28 Loyalty and faithfulness preserve a king, and his throne is upheld by steadfast love.
  • Isa 16:5 : 5 Then a throne will be established in steadfast love, and one will sit on it in faithfulness, in the tent of David—a judge who seeks justice and is quick to do what is right.
  • Isa 22:12 : 12 In that day the Lord, the LORD of Hosts, called you to weeping, wailing, shaving your heads, and wearing sackcloth.
  • Isa 37:1 : 1 When King Hezekiah heard this, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the house of the LORD.
  • Jonah 3:5-6 : 5 The people of Nineveh believed God. They proclaimed a fast and dressed in sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least. 6 When the word reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robe, covered himself in sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
  • Matt 10:28 : 28 Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, fear the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
  • Eph 1:7-8 : 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, 8 which He lavished on us in all wisdom and understanding.
  • Rev 11:3 : 3 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.
  • 2 Sam 14:2 : 2 So Joab sent to Tekoa and brought a wise woman from there. He said to her, "Please act like you are in mourning. Put on mourning clothes and do not anoint yourself with oil. Behave as if you have been mourning for the dead for a long time.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

  • 1 Kgs 20:32-34
    3 verses
    90%

    32 So they put sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads, went to the king of Israel, and said, "Your servant Ben-Hadad says: 'Please let me live.'" The king answered, "Is he still alive? He is my brother."

    33 The men interpreted this as a good sign and quickly seized on it, saying, 'Yes, Ben-Hadad is your brother!' The king said, 'Go and bring him.' So Ben-Hadad came out to him, and Ahab had him brought into his chariot.

    34 Ben-Hadad said to him, 'I will restore the cities that my father took from your father, and you can set up marketplaces for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.' Ahab replied, 'On the basis of a treaty, I will let you go.' So he made a treaty with him and let him go.

  • 1 Kgs 20:1-2
    2 verses
    77%

    1 Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram, gathered his entire army along with thirty-two kings, horses, and chariots. He marched up, laid siege to Samaria, and attacked it.

    2 He sent messengers to Ahab, king of Israel, in the city,

  • 1 Kgs 20:5-7
    3 verses
    75%

    5 But the messengers came back and said, 'This is what Ben-Hadad says: I sent to demand your silver, gold, wives, and children. You must give them to me.'

    6 'About this time tomorrow, I will send my officials to search your palace and the houses of your officials. They will take whatever you value and carry it off.'

    7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land and said, 'See how this man is seeking trouble! He sent for my wives, my sons, my silver, and my gold, and I did not refuse him.'

  • 1 Kgs 20:30
    75%

    30 The rest of the Arameans fled to the city of Aphek, where a wall collapsed on 27,000 of them. Meanwhile, Ben-Hadad fled to the city and hid in an inner room.

  • 1 Kgs 20:16-20
    5 verses
    74%

    16 They marched out at noon, while Ben-Hadad and the thirty-two kings allied with him were drinking themselves drunk in their tents.

    17 The young men of the provincial leaders went out first, and Ben-Hadad sent scouts who reported to him, 'Men have come out from Samaria.'

    18 He said, 'If they have come out for peace, capture them alive; and if they have come out for war, capture them alive.'

    19 The young men of the provincial leaders marched out of the city, followed by the army.

    20 Each man struck down his opponent, and the Arameans fled with Israel pursuing them. Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, escaped on horseback along with some cavalry.

  • 1 Kgs 20:39
    74%

    39 As the king passed by, the prophet called out to him and said, 'Your servant went into the middle of the battle, and suddenly a man brought another man to me and said, "Guard this man. If he is missing, your life will be for his life, or you will pay a talent of silver."

  • 1 Kgs 20:9-13
    5 verses
    74%

    9 So he replied to Ben-Hadad's messengers, 'Tell my lord the king: I will do what you originally demanded of me, but this I cannot do.' The messengers left and reported back to Ben-Hadad.

    10 Then Ben-Hadad sent another message: 'May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if the dust of Samaria will suffice for even a handful for each of the people who follow me.'

    11 The king of Israel replied, 'Tell him: One who arms himself for battle should not boast as if he is already victorious.'

    12 When Ben-Hadad heard this reply while he and the kings were drinking in their tents, he commanded his officials, 'Prepare to attack,' and they prepared to attack the city.

    13 Meanwhile, a prophet approached Ahab, king of Israel, and said, 'This is what the LORD says: Do you see this vast army? I will give it into your hand today, and you will know that I am the LORD.'

  • 2 Kgs 7:12-13
    2 verses
    73%

    12 The king got up in the night and said to his servants, "I will tell you what the Arameans have done to us. They know we are hungry, so they have gone out of the camp to hide in the countryside, thinking, 'When they come out of the city, we will capture them alive and take the city.'"

    13 One of his servants replied, "Let some men take five of the remaining horses that are left here. Their fate will be like that of all the Israelites who are left—yes, they will be like all the Israelites who have perished. Let us send them out to find out what has happened."

  • 2 Kgs 6:11-12
    2 verses
    73%

    11 The king of Aram became very upset about this. He called his servants and said to them, "Will you not tell me who among us is on the side of the king of Israel?"

    12 One of his servants said, "No, my lord the king; Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom."

  • 1 Kgs 20:25
    72%

    25 You must assemble an army like the one you lost, with horses and chariots like the ones before. Then we will fight them on the plains, and surely we will be stronger than they are." Ben-Hadad listened to their advice and did as they instructed.

  • 2 Kgs 7:4
    71%

    4 If we say, 'We’ll go into the city,' the famine is there, and we will die. And if we stay here, we will die. So let’s go over to the camp of the Arameans and surrender. If they spare us, we live; if they kill us, then we die."

  • 1 Kgs 18:9
    71%

    9 But Obadiah said, "What have I done wrong that you are handing your servant over to Ahab to be killed?"

  • 2 Kgs 6:30-32
    3 verses
    71%

    30 When the king heard the woman's words, he tore his clothes. As he was walking on the wall, the people saw that he was wearing sackcloth underneath, next to his skin.

    31 He said, "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today!"

    32 Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. The king sent a messenger ahead, but before he arrived, Elisha said to the elders, "Do you see how this murderer is sending someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger arrives, shut the door and hold it shut against him. Is not the sound of his master's footsteps behind him?"

  • 1 Kgs 22:31-32
    2 verses
    71%

    31 Now the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two chariot commanders, 'Do not fight with anyone, whether small or great, except the king of Israel alone.'

    32 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, 'Surely this is the king of Israel.' So they turned to attack him. But Jehoshaphat cried out for help.

  • 2 Chr 18:30
    71%

    30 Now the king of Aram had commanded his chariot commanders, 'Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel.'

  • 2 Kgs 1:13
    71%

    13 A third time, the king sent a captain with fifty men. This third captain approached, fell on his knees before Elijah, and pleaded with him, 'Man of God, please let my life and the lives of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your eyes.'

  • 1 Kgs 20:23
    71%

    23 Meanwhile, the servants of the king of Aram said to him, 'Their gods are gods of the hills; that is why they were stronger than us. But if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than they are.'

  • 2 Kgs 8:9
    70%

    9 Hazael went to meet him, taking a gift in his hand that included all the finest products of Damascus, loaded on forty camels. When he came, he stood before him and said, "Your son, Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram, has sent me to ask, 'Will I recover from this sickness?'"

  • 2 Kgs 5:13
    70%

    13 But his servants approached him and said, 'My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he says to you, “Wash and be cleansed”? '

  • 2 Kgs 5:18
    70%

    18 But may the LORD forgive your servant in this one matter: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down, and he is leaning on my arm and I bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD forgive your servant for this.'

  • 2 Kgs 8:7
    70%

    7 Elisha came to Damascus, and Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram, was sick. It was reported to him, "The man of God has come all the way here."

  • 2 Kgs 6:21-22
    2 verses
    70%

    21 When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, "My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?"

    22 Elisha answered, "Do not kill them. Would you kill those you have captured with your sword or bow? Set food and water before them so they can eat and drink and then return to their master."

  • 1 Kgs 20:41
    70%

    41 Then the prophet quickly removed the bandage from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.

  • 2 Chr 18:33
    70%

    33 But a man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. The king said to his chariot driver, 'Turn around and get me out of the battle, for I am wounded.'

  • 2 Kgs 5:7
    70%

    7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, 'Am I God, able to kill and bring to life, that this man sends someone to me to cure him of his leprosy? See for yourselves that he is seeking a quarrel with me!'

  • 2 Sam 10:19
    70%

    19 When all the kings who were vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. So the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.

  • 1 Kgs 21:27
    69%

    27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went about meekly.

  • 2 Kgs 6:24
    69%

    24 Afterward, Ben-Hadad, king of Aram, gathered his entire army and marched up to lay siege to Samaria.

  • 1 Kgs 22:34
    69%

    34 But someone randomly drew his bow and struck the king of Israel between the sections of his armor. The king told his chariot driver, 'Turn around and get me out of the battle, for I am badly wounded.'

  • 2 Kgs 1:6
    69%

    6 They answered, 'A man came to meet us and said, "Go back to the king who sent you and tell him: This is what the LORD says: 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore, you will not leave the bed you are lying on. You will surely die.'"'

  • 2 Kgs 6:26
    69%

    26 As the king of Israel was walking along the city wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, "Help me, my lord the king!"

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