Parallel Verses

Amplified

Then Abner called to Joab, “Must the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end? How long [will it be] before you tell the people to stop pursuing their brothers?”

New American Standard Bible

Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end? How long will you refrain from telling the people to turn back from following their brothers?”

King James Version

Then Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren?

Holman Bible

Then Abner called out to Joab: “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize this will only end in bitterness? How long before you tell the troops to stop pursuing their brothers?”

International Standard Version

Then Abner called out to Joab, "Must the battle sword keep on devouring forever? Don't you realize that the end result is bitterness? How long will it take for you to order your army to stop pursuing their own relatives?"

A Conservative Version

Then Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? Know thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? How long shall it be then, before thou bid the people return from following their brothers?

American Standard Version

Then Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren?

Bible in Basic English

Then crying out to Joab, Abner said, Are fighting and destruction to go on for ever? do you not see that the end will only be bitter? how long will it be before you send the people back and make them give up attacking their countrymen?

Darby Translation

And Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? and how long shall it be ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren?

Julia Smith Translation

And Abner will call to Joab and say, Shall the sword consume forever? knewest thou not that it will be bitter at the last? and how long wilt thou not say to the people to turn back from after their brethren?

King James 2000

Then Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour forever? know you not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then, before you bid the people return from following their brethren?

Lexham Expanded Bible

Then Abner called to Joab and said, "Will [the] sword devour forever? Do you not know that [there] will be bitterness in the end? {How long} will you not tell the people to turn {away from pursuing} their brothers?"

Modern King James verseion

Then Abner called to Joab and said, Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end? How long shall it be then before you command the people to return from chasing their brothers?

Modern Spelling Tyndale-Coverdale

Then Abner called to Joab, and said, "Shall the sword devour without end? Knowest thou not that bitterness is wont to come in the latter end? How long shall it be, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren?"

NET Bible

Then Abner called out to Joab, "Must the sword devour forever? Don't you realize that this will turn bitter in the end? When will you tell the people to turn aside from pursuing their brothers?"

New Heart English Bible

Then Abner called to Joab, and said, "Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitterness in the latter end? How long shall it be then, before you ask the people to return from following their brothers?"

The Emphasized Bible

then Abner cried aloud unto Joab, and said - To the uttermost, must the sword devour? Dost thou not well know that, bitter, shall it be, in the latter end? How long, then, wilt thou not bid the people turn back from pursuing their own brethren?

Webster

Then Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then, ere thou wilt bid the people return from following their brethren?

World English Bible

Then Abner called to Joab, and said, "Shall the sword devour forever? Don't you know that it will be bitterness in the latter end? How long shall it be then, before you ask the people to return from following their brothers?"

Youngs Literal Translation

and Abner calleth unto Joab, and saith, 'For ever doth the sword consume? hast thou not known that it is bitterness in the latter end? and till when dost thou not say to the people to turn back from after their brethren?'

Interlinear

English(KJV)
Strong's
Root Form
Definition
Usage
H74
אבינר אבנר 
'Abner 
Usage: 63

קרא 
Qara' 
Usage: 736

to Joab
יואב 
Yow'ab 
Usage: 145

and said

Usage: 0

Shall the sword
חרב 
Chereb 
Usage: 413

אכל 
'akal 
Usage: 809

נצח נצח 
Netsach 
Usage: 43

thou not that it will be bitterness
מרה מר 
Mar 
Usage: 38

in the latter end
אחרן אחרין 
'acharown 
Usage: 50

how long shall it be then, ere thou bid

Usage: 0

the people
עם 
`am 
Usage: 1867

שׁוּב 
Shuwb 
Usage: 1058

אחר 
'achar 
Usage: 488

References

American

Easton

Hastings

Morish

Context Readings

The Battle Of Gibeon

25 And the sons of [the tribe of] Benjamin gathered together behind Abner and became one troop, and took their stand on the top of a hill. 26 Then Abner called to Joab, “Must the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end? How long [will it be] before you tell the people to stop pursuing their brothers?” 27 Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, then the people certainly would have stopped pursuing their brothers in the morning.”

Cross References

Jeremiah 46:10


For that day belongs to the Lord God of hosts,
A day of vengeance, that He may avenge Himself on His adversaries.
And the sword will devour and be satiated
And drink its fill of their blood;
For the Lord God of hosts has a sacrifice [like that of a great sin offering]
In the north country by the river Euphrates.

Jeremiah 46:14


“Declare in Egypt and proclaim in Migdol,
And proclaim in Memphis and in Tahpanhes;
Say, ‘Take your stand and get yourself ready,
For the sword has devoured those around you.’

2 Samuel 2:14

Then Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men now stand and have a contest before us.” And Joab said, “Let them stand.”

2 Samuel 2:16

Each one of them seized his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into his opponents side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim [that is, the Field of Sides], which is in Gibeon.

2 Samuel 11:25

Then David said to the messenger, “Tell Joab this, ‘Do not let this thing disturb you, for the sword devours one [side] as well as another. Strengthen your battle against the city and overthrow it’; and so encourage Joab.”

Job 18:2


“How long will you hunt for words and continue these speeches?
Do some clear thinking and show understanding and then we can talk.

Job 19:2


“How long will you torment and exasperate me
And crush me with words?

Psalm 4:2


O sons of men, how long will my honor and glory be [turned into] shame?
How long will you [my enemies] love worthless (vain, futile) things and seek deception and lies? Selah.

Proverbs 17:14


The beginning of strife is like letting out water [as from a small break in a dam; first it trickles and then it gushes];
Therefore abandon the quarrel before it breaks out and tempers explode.

Isaiah 1:20


But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword.”
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Jeremiah 2:30


“In vain I have punished your people [with the consequences of their disobedience];
They received no insight from correction [and refused to change].
Your [own] sword has devoured your prophets
Like a destroying lion.

Jeremiah 4:21


How long [O Lord] must I see the banner [marking the way for flight]
And hear the sound of the trumpet [urging the people to run for safety]?

Jeremiah 12:12


“Destroyers have come
On all the caravan roads in the desert,
For the sword of the Lord (Babylon) is devouring
From one end of the land even to the other;
No one has peace or a way of escape.

Hosea 11:6


The sword will whirl against and fall on their cities,
And will demolish the bars of their gates and fortifications
And will consume them because of their counsels.

Acts 7:26

Then on the next day he suddenly appeared to two of them as they were fighting, and he tried to reconcile them, saying, ‘Men, you are brothers; why do you wrong one another?’

King James Version Public Domain

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers.

International Standard Version Copyright © 1996-2008 by the ISV Foundation.

New American Standard Bible Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org

American Standard Version Public Domain

NET Bible copyright © 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. NetBible

Basic English, produced by Mr C. K. Ogden of the Orthological Institute - public domain