Joab answered,“ It’s a good thing you spoke up. If you hadn’t, the men would have kept on chasing them until morning. And that’s just as sure as God is alive.”

约押说：“我指着永生的神起誓：你若不说戏耍的那句话，今日早晨百姓就回去，不追赶弟兄了。”

约押说：“我指着永生的上帝起誓：你若没有这么说，百姓就必继续追赶弟兄，直到早晨。”

约押说：“我指着永生的神起誓：你若没有这么说，百姓就必继续追赶弟兄，直到早晨。”

约押说：“我凭永活的上帝起誓，你要是不这样说，我们会一直追到天亮。”

约押说：“我指着永活的神起誓，如果你没有说过比武的话，大家必在早晨的时候离去，不再追赶自己的兄弟。”

約押說：「我指着永生的神起誓：你若不說戲耍的那句話，今日早晨百姓就回去，不追趕弟兄了。」

約押說：「我指着永生的上帝起誓：你若沒有這麼說，百姓就必繼續追趕弟兄，直到早晨。」

約押說：「我指着永生的神起誓：你若沒有這麼說，百姓就必繼續追趕弟兄，直到早晨。」

約押說：「我憑永活的上帝起誓，你要是不這樣說，我們會一直追到天亮。」

約押說：“我指著永活的神起誓，如果你沒有說過比武的話，大家必在早晨的時候離去，不再追趕自己的兄弟。”

約押說：『我指着永活的上帝來起誓：你若沒有說話，眾民非到明日早晨是不會停止不追趕族弟兄的。』

約押說：「我指著永生的神起誓：要不是你這樣說，大家必定不停止追趕自己的兄弟，直到清晨！」

約押曰、我指維生上帝而誓、如爾無言啟釁、則民清晨已返、不追兄弟、

約押曰、我指上帝以誓、如爾無角技之舉、則自朝迄今民不追其兄弟。

約押曰、我指永生天主而誓、如爾不開爭端、則民自今晨不追其兄弟矣、或作爾若不言民至明晨始不追其兄弟

Joab answered,“ As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued pursuing them until morning.”

And Joab said,“ As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely the men would not have given up the pursuit of their brothers until the morning.”

Then Joab said,“ God only knows what would have happened if you hadn’t spoken, for we would have chased you all night if necessary.”

“ As God lives,” Joab replied,“ if you had not spoken up, the troops wouldn’t have stopped pursuing their brothers until morning.”

Joab said,“ As God lives, if you had not spoken, then the people of Judah certainly would have withdrawn in the morning, each from pursuing his brother.”

And Joab said,“ As God lives, unless you had spoken, surely then by morning all the people would have given up pursuing their brethren.”

And Joab said, As God liveth, if thou hadst not spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone away, nor followed every one his brother.

“ As God lives,” Joab replied,“ if you had not spoken up, the troops wouldn’t have stopped pursuing their brothers until morning.”

And Joab said,[ As] God liveth, unless thou hadst spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone up every one from following his brother.

Joab replied,“ As surely as God lives, if you had not said this, it would have been morning before the people would have abandoned pursuit of their brothers!”

Joab said,“ As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely then in the morning the people would have gone away, and not each followed his brother.”

Then Abner said to Joab,“ Let’s have some of the young men get up and fight. Let’s tell them to fight hand to hand in front of us.”“ All right. Let them do it,” Joab said.

Starting to argue is like making a crack in a dam. So drop the matter before a fight breaks out.

You said,‘ I am queen forever!’ But you did not think about what you were doing. You did not consider how things might turn out.

don’t bring too quickly to court. What will you do in the end if your neighbor puts you to shame?

Sir, the Lord has kept you from killing Nabal and his men. He has kept you from using your own hands to get even. So may what’s about to happen to Nabal happen to all your enemies. May it happen to everyone who wants to harm you. And may it happen just as surely as the Lord your God and you are alive.

A gentle answer turns anger away. But mean words stir up anger.

“ God hasn’t treated me fairly. The Mighty One has made my life bitter. You can be sure that God lives. And here’s something else you can be sure of.

Plans are made by asking for guidance. So if you go to war, get good advice.

“ Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. And suppose he has 10,000 men, while the other has 20,000 coming against him. Won’t he first sit down and think about whether he can win?And suppose he decides he can’t win. Then he will send some men to ask how peace can be made. He will do this while the other king is still far away.