1 Chronicles 12:17

Translations

Modern

And David went out to meet them, saying, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free of violence, may the God of our fathers see it and judge you.”

Traditional

And David went out to meet them, and answered and said unto them, If ye be come peaceably unto me to help me, mine heart shall be knit unto you: but if ye be come to betray me to mine enemies, seeing there is no wrong in mine hands, the God of our fathers look thereon, and rebuke it.

Literal

And David went out to meet them, and he answered and said to them, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, the heart of me will be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies—without violence in my hands—the God of our fathers shall see and judge you.”

Latin

Egressusque est David obviam eis, et ait: Si pacifice venistis ad me ut auxiliemini mihi, cor meum jungatur vobis: si autem insidiamini mihi pro adversariis meis, cum ego iniquitatem in manibus non habeam, videat Deus patrum nostrorum, et judicet.

Original

Hebrew

English

And David went out to meet them, saying, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free of violence, may the God of our fathers see it and judge you.”

Notes

1 Chronicles 12:1–22

Support for making David king started before Saul's death. When Saul was king and David was on the run, warriors joined David, forming a large group from various tribes across Israel. Even Saul's relatives left him to support David as king (1 Chronicles 12:2). David wisely assessed these deserters (1 Chronicles 12:17) to ensure they were not spies for Saul. Before David was officially anointed at Hebron, the people's wishes aligned with God's will for David to become king.

Theme notes and profiles

David

Related verses

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After David had finished speaking with Saul, the souls of Jonathan and David were knit together, and Jonathan loved him as himself.
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For the choirmaster. According to Sheminith. A Psalm of David. Help, O LORD, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men.

People

David: Anointed king of Israel, ancestor of Jesus Christ

Glossary

Chronicles, Books of First and Second David Genealogy

Topics

David: King of Israel: The List of Men Who Join Him

1 Chronicles 12:17

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