'Please' in the Bible

Please say you are my sister so that it will go well for me on your account. {Then I will live} on account of you."

Then Abram said to Lot, "Please, let there not be quarreling between me and you, and between my shepherds and your shepherds, for we men [are] brothers.

And Sarai said to Abram, "Look, please, Yahweh has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my servant; perhaps {I will have children by her}." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

Then Abraham answered and said, "Look, please, I was bold to speak to my Lord, but I [am] dust and ashes.

And he said, "Please, let not my Lord be angry, and I will speak. What if thirty be found there?" And he answered, "I will not do [it] if I find thirty there."

And he said, "Please, now, I was bold to speak to my Lord. What if twenty be found there?" And he answered, "I will not destroy [it] for the sake of the twenty."

And he said, "Please, let not my Lord be angry, and I will speak only once more. What if ten are found there?" And he answered, "I will not destroy [it] for the sake of the ten."

And he said, "Behold, my lords, please turn aside into the house of your servant and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you can rise early and go on your way." And they said, "No, but we will spend the night in the square."

And he said, "No, my brothers, please do not do [such a] wrong [thing].

Behold, I have two daughters who have not known a man. Please, let me bring them out to you; then do to them as [it seems] good in your eyes. Only to these men do not do [this] thing, since they came under{ my roof} for protection."

And Lot said to them, "No, please, my lords.

Behold, this city [is] near [enough] to flee there, and it [is a] little [one]. Please, let me flee there. Is it not a little [one]? Then my life shall be saved."

And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his house, who had charge of all he had, "Please put your hand under my thigh

And he said, "O Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, please grant me success today and show loyal love to my master Abraham.

And let it be [that] the girl to whom I shall say, 'Please, offer your jar that I may drink' and [who] says, 'Drink--and I will also water your camels,' she [is the one] you have chosen for your servant, for Isaac. By her I will know that you have shown loyal love to my master."

And the servant ran to meet her. And he said, "Please, let me drink a little of the water from your jar."

and said, "Please tell me, whose daughter [are] you? Is there a place [at] the house of your father for us to spend the night?"

Then today I came to the spring, and I said, 'O Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, {if you would please make my journey successful}, upon which I am going.

Behold, I am standing by the spring of water. Let it be [that] the young woman who comes out to draw water and to whom I say, "Please give me a little water to drink from your jar,"

I had not yet finished speaking to myself when, behold, Rebekah [was] coming out with her jar on her shoulder. And she went down to the spring and drew water. And I said to her, 'Please give me a drink.'

And Jacob said to his father, "I [am] Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please get up, sit up and eat from my wild game so that you may bless me."

Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Please, come near and let me feel you, my son. {Are you really} my son Esau or not?"

And in the days of the wheat harvest, Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field and he brought them to Leah his mother. And Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes."

But Laban said to him, "Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, I have learned by divination that Yahweh has blessed me because of you."

Please rescue me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, lest he come and attack mother and children [alike].

Then Jacob asked and said, "Please tell me your name." And he said, "Why do you ask this--for my name?" And he blessed him there.

And Jacob said, "No, please, if I have found favor in your eyes, you must take my gift from my hand, for then I have seen your face [which is] like seeing the face of God, and you have received me.

Please take my gift which has been brought to you, for God has dealt graciously with me, and because {I have enough}." And he urged him, so he took [it].

And Hamor spoke with them saying, "Shechem my son {is in love with} your daughter. Please give her to him for a wife.

And he said, "I am seeking my brothers. Tell me, please, where they are pasturing."

Then they sent the robe with long sleeves and they brought [it] to their father and said, "We found this; please examine [it]. [Is] it the robe of your son or not?"

And he turned aside to her at the roadside and said, "Please come, let me come in to you," for he did not know that she [was] his daughter-in-law. And she said, "What will you give to me that you may come in to me?"

And they said to him, "We [each] dreamed a dream, but there is no one to interpret it." And Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell [them] to me."

But remember me when it goes well with you, and please may you show kindness with respect to me, and mention me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house.

And they said, "Please, my lord, we surely came down once before to buy food,

But Judah drew near to him and said, "Please my lord, let your servant speak a word in the ears of my lord, and {let not your anger burn} against your servant, for {you are like Pharaoh himself}.

So then, please let your servant remain in place of the boy as a slave to my lord, and let the boy go up with his brothers.

So Joseph said to his brothers, "Come near to me, please." And they drew near. And he said, "I [am] Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.

And they said to Pharaoh, "We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servant's flocks, for the famine [is] severe in the land of Canaan. So now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen."

When {the time of Israel's death drew near}, he called to his son, to Joseph. And he said to him, "If I have found favor in your eyes, please put your hand under my thigh, that you might [vow] to deal kindly and faithfully with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt,

Then Joseph said to his father, "They [are] my sons whom God has given me here." And he said, "Please bring them to me that I may bless them."

When the days of his weeping had passed, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, "If I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying,

'My father made me swear, saying, "Behold, I [am about] to die. In the tomb that I have hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan--there you must bury me." So then, please let me go up and let me bury my father; then I will return.'"

"Thus you must say to Joseph, 'O, please now forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did evil to you.' So now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father." And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

And they will listen to your voice, and you will go, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt, and you will say to him, 'Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews has met with us, and now let us please go [on] a journey of three days into the desert, and let us sacrifice to Yahweh our God.'

And Moses said to Yahweh, "Please, Lord, I [am] not a man of words, {neither recently nor in the past nor since your speaking} to your servant, because I [am] heavy of mouth and of tongue."

And he said, "Please, Lord, do send {anyone else whom you wish to send}."

And Moses went, and he returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and he said to him, "Please let me go, and let me return to my brothers who [are] in Egypt, and let me see whether they [are] yet alive. And Jethro said to Moses, "Go in peace."

And they said, "The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go [on] a three-day journey into the desert, and let us sacrifice to Yahweh our God, lest he strike us with plague or with sword."

If {she does not please her master} who selected her, he will allow her to be redeemed; he has no authority to sell her to foreign people, since he has dealt treacherously with her.

And now if you will forgive their sin--and if not, please blot me from your scroll that you have written."

And now if I have found favor in your eyes, make known [to] me, please, your way, and so I may know you so that I can find favor in your eyes. And see that this nation is your people."

And he said, "Please show me your glory."

And he said, "Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, Lord, let my Lord, please, go among us--indeed it is a stiff-necked people--and forgive our iniquity and our sin and {take us as your possession}."

He said, "Please, do not abandon us because you know our encampment in the desert, and {you should be our guide}.

If this is how you [are] going to treat me, please kill me immediately if I find favor in your eyes, and do not let me see my misery."

and he said, "Please hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I, Yahweh, will make myself known to him in a vision. I will speak to him in a dream.

So Aaron said to Moses, "Please, my lord, please do not put on us [this] sin [in] which we were foolish and [in] which we have sinned.

Please do not let her be like the dead, whose flesh is half consumed when coming out from the womb of its mother."

And Moses cried to Yahweh, saying, "God, {please heal her}!"

But now, please, let the power of my Lord be great, just has you spoke,

Please forgive the sin of this people according to the greatness of your loyal love, just as you {forgave} this people, from Egypt until now."

And Moses said to Korah, "Please listen, sons of Levi!

He said to the community, saying, "Please turn away from the tents of these wicked men, and do not touch anything {that belongs to them}, or you will be destroyed with all their sins."

and Moses and Aaron summoned the assembly to the presence of the rock, and he said to them, "Please listen, you rebels; can we bring out water for you from this rock?"

Please let us go through your land. We will not go through a field or vineyard, and we will not drink water from a well. We will go along the road of the king; we will not turn aside right or left until we have gone through your territory.'"

Now, please go, curse this people for me because they [are] stronger than me; perhaps I will be able to strike them and drive them out from the land because I know whoever you bless [is] blessed, and whoever you cursed is cursed."

They came to Balaam and said to him, "Thus says Balak son of Zippor, 'Please, let nothing keep you from coming to me

because I will surely honor you greatly, and all that you say to me I will do. Please, come; curse this people for me.'"

And now please, {you also stay here} the night, and {let me find out} again what Yahweh will say with me."

Then Balak said, "Please walk with me to another place where you will see them, [but] you will only see part of them and will not see all of them; and curse them for me from there."

Then Balak said to Balaam, "Please, come, I will take you to another place; perhaps {it will be acceptable to} God, and you will curse for me from there."

Let me cross over, please, and let me see the good land {that is beyond the Jordan}, this good hill country and Lebanon.'

"Yes, ask, please, about former days that {preceded you} from the day that God created humankind on the earth; [ask even] from [one] end of the heaven up to the [other] end of heaven {whether anything ever happened} like this great thing or {whether anything like it was ever heard}.

"When you come into the vineyard of your neighbor, then you may eat grapes {as you please} and {until you are full}, but you shall not put [any] into your container.

"When a man takes a wife and he marries her {and then} {she does not please him}, because he found {something objectionable} and writes her a letter of divorce and puts [it] in her hand and sends her [away] from his house,

So then please swear to me by Yahweh, because {I have shown loyalty to you}, and {you will also show loyalty} {to my family}. You must give me a sign of good faith,

Please, my Lord! What can I say after {Israel has fled from its enemies}?

And Joshua said to Achan, "My son, please, give glory to Yahweh the God of Israel, and give him a doxology in court. Tell me, please, what you have done; do not hide [it] from me."

And when the spies saw a man leaving the city, they said to him, "Please show us the entrance of the city, and we will deal kindly with you."

And he said to her, "Please, give me a drink of water, because I am thirsty." So she opened a skin vessel of milk and gave him a drink and covered him.

And he said to him, "Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, {show me a sign} that you [are] speaking with me.

Please, do not depart from here until I come [back] to you and bring out my gift and set it out before you." And he said, "I will stay until you return."

And Gideon said to God, "{Do not let your anger burn} against me; let me speak once more. Please let me test once more with the fleece; let the fleece be dry, and let there be dew on the ground."

So then, please proclaim in the {hearing} of the troops, saying, 'Whoever [is] fearful and trembling, let him return and depart from the Mount of Gilead.'" About twenty-two thousand troops returned, and ten thousand remained.

He said to the men of Succoth, "Please give loaves of bread to the people who [are] {following me}, for they [are] weary, and I am pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian."

And Zebul said to him, "Where then {is your boast}, [you] who said, 'Who [is] Abimelech that we should serve him?' [Is] this not the army that you rejected? Please, go out now and fight against them."

And the {Israelites} said to Yahweh, "We have sinned; {do to us accordingly as you see fit}; only please deliver us this day."

Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, "Please let us cross through your land," but the king of Edom would not listen. And they also sent [messengers] to the king of Moab, but he was not willing. So Israel stayed in Kadesh.

Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, king of Heshbon; and Israel said to him, 'Please let us cross through your land {to our country}.'

they said to him, "Please say Shibboleth," and [if] he said, "Sibboleth"--because he could not {pronounce it} correctly--they grabbed him and executed him at the fords of Jordan. At that time forty-two thousand from Ephraim fell.

Then Manoah prayed to Yahweh and said, "Excuse me, my Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent again come to us and teach us what we should do concerning the boy who will be born."

And Manoah said to the angel of Yahweh, "{Please stay}, and let us prepare a {young goat} for you."

Her father said, "I really thought that you hated her, so I gave her to your companion. [Is] not her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please, {take her instead}."

So Delilah said to Samson, "Please tell me what makes your strength so great, and with what can you be tied up to subdue you?"

Delilah said to Samson, "Look, you have mocked me and told me lies. Please tell me how you can be bound."

And Samson called to Yahweh and said, "My Lord Yahweh, remember me! Please give me strength this one time, O God, so that I can repay [with] one act of revenge to [the] Philistines for my eyes."

And they said to him, "Please inquire of God that we may know whether our journey that we [are] going on will be successful."

So the two of them sat and ate and drank together, and the father of the young woman said to the man, "Please, agree to spend the night and {enjoy yourself}."

On the fifth day he rose early in the morning to go, and the father of the young woman said, "Please, {enjoy yourself}," and they lingered until the day declined, and the two of them ate.