1 Kings 20:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He said, "If they have come out for peace, take them alive. Or if they have come out for war, take them alive."

NIV: He said, "If they have come out for peace, take them alive; if they have come out for war, take them alive."

NASB: Then he said, 'If they have come out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive as well.'

CSB: So he said, "If they have marched out in peace, take them alive, and if they have marched out for battle, take them alive."

NLT: Take them alive,' Ben-hadad commanded, 'whether they have come for peace or for war.'

KJV: And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive.

NKJV: So he said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; and if they have come out for war, take them alive.”

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 6/7/2026 11:15:10 PM