1 Kings 20:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the king of Israel answered, "Tell him, ‘Let not him who straps on his armor boast himself as he who takes it off.’"

NIV: The king of Israel answered, "Tell him: ‘One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off.’ "

NASB: Then the king of Israel replied, 'Tell him, 'He who straps on his weapons had better not boast like one who takes them off.'

CSB: The king of Israel answered, "Say this: ‘Don’t let the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off.’"

NLT: The king of Israel sent back this answer: 'A warrior putting on his sword for battle should not boast like a warrior who has already won.'

KJV: And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.

NKJV: So the king of Israel answered and said, “Tell him, ‘Let not the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off.’ ”

This was originally the first half of a combined text. First Kings records the end of David's reign and the rule of Solomon. After this, the kingdom is split in two. The northern nation of Israel no longer submits to the king of the southern nation, called Judah. The prophet Elijah first appears in this book. The kings mostly fail to honor the Lord. They participate in idolatry and other sins. This will eventually result in their conquest and exile, as depicted throughout the books of Chronicles.

Accessed 6/8/2026 9:51:14 AM