Textorah

II Samuel 3

1
וַתְּהִי הַמִּלְחָמָה אֲרֻכָּה בֵּין בֵּית שָׁאוּל וּבֵין בֵּית דָּוִד וְדָוִד הֹלֵךְ וְחָזֵק וּבֵית שָׁאוּל הֹלְכִים וְדַלִּים
Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David waxed stronger and stronger, but the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.
Καὶ ἐγένετο ὁ πόλεμος ἐπὶ πολὺ ἀναμέσον τοῦ οἴκου Σαοὺλ καὶ ἀναμέσον τοῦ οἴκου Δαυίδ· καὶ ὁ οἶκος Δαυὶδ ἐπορεύετο καὶ ἐκραταιοῦτο, καὶ ὁ οἶκος Σαοὺλ ἐπορεύετο καὶ ἠσθένει.
And there was war for a long time between the house of Saul and the house of David; and the house of David grew continually stronger; but the house of Saul grew continually weaker.
2
וילדו וַיִּוָּלְדוּ לְדָוִד בָּנִים בְּחֶבְרוֹן וַיְהִי בְכוֹרוֹ אַמְנוֹן לַאֲחִינֹעַם הַיִּזְרְעֵאלִת
And unto David were sons born in Hebron; and his first-born was Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess;
Καὶ ἐτέχθησαν τῷ Δαυὶδ υἱοὶ ἐν Χεβρών· καὶ ἦν ὁ πρωτότοκος αὐτοῦ Ἀμνὼν τῆς Ἀχινόομ τῆς Ἰεζραηλίτιδος.
And sons were born to David in Hebron: and his firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess.
3
וּמִשְׁנֵהוּ כִלְאָב לאביגל לַאֲ‍בִיגַיִל אֵשֶׁת נָבָל הַכַּרְמְלִי וְהַשְּׁלִשִׁי אַבְשָׁלוֹם בֶּן־מַעֲכָה בַּת־תַּלְמַי מֶלֶךְ גְּשׁוּר
and his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;
Καὶ ὁ δεύτερος αὐτοῦ Δαλουΐα τῆς Ἀβιγαίας τῆς Καρμηλίας, καὶ ὁ τρίος, Ἀβεσσαλὼμ υἱὸς Μααχὰ θυγατρὸς Θολμὶ βασιλέως Γεσσὶρ,
And his second son [was] Daluia, the son of Abigail the Carmelitess; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai the king of Geshur.
4
וְהָרְבִיעִי אֲדֹנִיָּה בֶן־חַגִּית וְהַחֲמִישִׁי שְׁפַטְיָה בֶן־אֲבִיטָל
and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;
καὶ ὁ τέταρτος Ὀρνία υἱὸς Ἀγγὶθ, καὶ ὁ πέμπτος Σαφατία τῆς Ἀβιτὰλ,
And the fourth [was] Adonijah, the son of Haggith, and the fifth [was] Shephatiah, the son of Abital.
5
וְהַשִּׁשִּׁי יִתְרְעָם לְעֶגְלָה אֵשֶׁת דָּוִד אֵלֶּה יֻלְּדוּ לְדָוִד בְּחֶבְרוֹן
and the sixth, Ithream, of Eglah David's wife. These were born to David in Hebron.
καὶ ὁ ἕκτος Ἰεθεραὰμ τῆς Αἰγὰλ γυναικὸς Δαυίδ· οὗτοι ἐτέχθησαν τῷ Δαυὶδ ἐν Χεβρών.
And the sixth [was] Ithream, the son of Eglah the wife of David. These were born to David in Hebron.
6
וַיְהִי בִּהְיוֹת הַמִּלְחָמָה בֵּין בֵּית שָׁאוּל וּבֵין בֵּית דָּוִד וְאַבְנֵר הָיָה מִתְחַזֵּק בְּבֵית שָׁאוּל
And it came to pass, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner showed himself strong in the house of Saul.
Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ εἶναι τὸν πόλεμον ἀναμέσον τοῦ οἴκου Σαοὺλ καὶ ἀναμέσον τοῦ οἴκου Δαυὶδ, καὶ Ἀβεννὴρ ἦν κρατῶν τοῦ οἴκου Σαούλ.
And it came to pass while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner was governing the house of Saul.
7
וּלְשָׁאוּל פִּלֶגֶשׁ וּשְׁמָהּ רִצְפָּה בַת־אַיָּה וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל־אַבְנֵר מַדּוּעַ בָּאתָה אֶל־פִּילֶגֶשׁ אָבִי
Now Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah; and Ish-bosheth said to Abner: 'Wherefore hast thou gone in unto my father's concubine?'
Καὶ τῷ Σαοὺλ παλλακὴ Ῥεσφὰ θυγάτηρ Ἰώλ· καὶ εἶπεν Ἰεβοσθὲ υἱὸς Σαοὺλ πρὸς Ἀβεννὴρ, τί ὅτι εἰσῆλθες πρὸς τὴν παλλακὴν τοῦ πατρός μου;
And Saul had a concubine, Rizpah, the daughter of Jol; and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul said to Abner, Why hast thou gone in to my father’s concubine?
8
וַיִּחַר לְאַבְנֵר מְאֹד עַל־דִּבְרֵי אִישׁ־בֹּשֶׁת וַיֹּאמֶר הֲרֹאשׁ כֶּלֶב אָנֹכִי אֲשֶׁר לִיהוּדָה הַיּוֹם אֶעֱשֶׂה־חֶסֶד עִם־בֵּית שָׁאוּל אָבִיךָ אֶל־אֶחָיו וְאֶל־מֵרֵעֵהוּ וְלֹא הִמְצִיתִךָ בְּיַד־דָּוִד וַתִּפְקֹד עָלַי עֲוֺן הָאִשָּׁה הַיּוֹם
Then was Abner very wroth for the words of Ish-bosheth, and said: 'Am I a dog's head that belongeth to Judah? This day do I show kindness unto the house of Saul thy father, to his brethren, and to his friends, and have not delivered thee into the hand of David, and yet thou chargest me this day with a fault concerning this woman.
Καὶ ἐθυμώθη σφόδρα Ἀβεννὴρ περὶ τοῦ λόγου τούτου τῷ Ἰεβοσθέ. καὶ εἶπεν Ἀβεννὴρ πρὸς αὐτὸν, μὴ κεφαλὴ κυνὸς ἐγώ εἰμι; ἐποίησα σήμερον ἔλεος μετὰ τοῦ οἴκου Σαοὺλ τοῦ πατρός σου, καὶ περὶ ἀδελφῶν καὶ περὶ γνωρίμων, καὶ οὐκ ηὐτομόλησα εἰς τὸν οἶκον Δαυὶδ, καὶ ἐπιζητεῖς ἐπʼ ἐμὲ σὺ ὑπὲρ ἀδικίας γυναικὸς σήμερον;
And Abner was very angry with Ish-bosheth for this saying; and Abner said to him, Am I a dog’s head? I have this day wrought kindness with the house of Saul thy father, and with his brethren and friends, and have not gone over to the house of David, and dost thou this day seek a charge against me concerning injury to a woman?
9
כֹּה־יַעֲשֶׂה אֱלֹהִים לְאַבְנֵר וְכֹה יֹסִיף לוֹ כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּע יְהוָה לְדָוִד כִּי־כֵן אֶעֱשֶׂה־לּוֹ
G-d do so to Abner, and more also, if, as HaShem hath sworn to David, I do not even so to him;
Τάδε ποιήσαι ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Ἀβεννὴρ καὶ τάδε προσθείη αὐτῷ, ὅτι καθὼς ὤμοσε Κύριος τῷ Δαυὶδ, ὅτι οὕτως ποιήσω αὐτῷ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ,
God do thus and more also to Abner, if as the Lord swore to David, so do I not to him this day;
10
לְהַעֲבִיר הַמַּמְלָכָה מִבֵּית שָׁאוּל וּלְהָקִים אֶת־כִּסֵּא דָוִד עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וְעַל־יְהוּדָה מִדָּן וְעַד־בְּאֵר שָׁבַע
to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beer-sheba.'
περιελεῖν τὴν βασιλείαν ἀπὸ τοῦ οἴκου Σαοὺλ, καὶ τοῦ ἀναστῆσαι τὸν θρόνον Δαυὶδ ἐπὶ Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰούδαν ἀπὸ Δὰν ἕως Βηρσαβεέ.
to take away the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to raise up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah from Dan to Beersheba.
11
וְלֹא־יָכֹל עוֹד לְהָשִׁיב אֶת־אַבְנֵר דָּבָר מִיִּרְאָתוֹ אֹתוֹ
And he could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.
Καὶ οὐκ ἠδυνάσθη ἔτι Ἰεβοσθὲ ἀποκριθῆναι τῷ Ἀβεννὴρ ῥῆμα, ἀπὸ τοῦ φοβεῖσθαι αὐτόν.
And Ish-bosheth could not any longer answer Abner a word, because he feared him.
12
וַיִּשְׁלַח אַבְנֵר מַלְאָכִים אֶל־דָּוִד תחתו תַּחְתָּיו לֵאמֹר לְמִי־אָרֶץ לֵאמֹר כָּרְתָה בְרִיתְךָ אִתִּי וְהִנֵּה יָדִי עִמָּךְ לְהָסֵב אֵלֶיךָ אֶת־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל
And Abner sent messengers to David straightway, saying: 'Whose is the land?' saying also: 'Make thy league with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with thee, to bring over all Israel unto thee.'
Καὶ ἀπέστειλεν Ἀβεννὴρ ἀγγέλους πρὸς Δαυὶδ εἰς Θαιλὰμ οὗ ἦν, παραχρῆμα, λέγων, διάθου διαθήκην σου μετʼ ἐμοῦ, καὶ ἰδοὺ ἡ χείρ μου μετὰ σοῦ ἐπιστρέψαι πρὸς σὲ πάντα τὸν οἶκον Ἰσραήλ.
And Abner sent messengers to David to Thaelam where he was, immediately, saying, Make thy covenant with me, and, behold, my hand [is] with thee to bring back to thee all the house of Israel.
13
וַיֹּאמֶר טוֹב אֲנִי אֶכְרֹת אִתְּךָ בְּרִית אַךְ דָּבָר אֶחָד אָנֹכִי שֹׁאֵל מֵאִתְּךָ לֵאמֹר לֹא־תִרְאֶה אֶת־פָּנַי כִּי אִם־לִפְנֵי הֱבִיאֲךָ אֵת מִיכַל בַּת־שָׁאוּל בְּבֹאֲךָ לִרְאוֹת אֶת־פָּנָי
And he said: 'Well; I will make a league with thee; but one thing I require of thee, that is, thou shalt not see my face, except thou first bring Michal Saul's daughter, when thou comest to see my face.'
Καὶ εἶπε Δαυὶδ, καλῶς ἐγὼ διαθήσομαι πρὸς σὲ διαθήκην· πλὴν λόγον ἕνα ἐγὼ αἰτοῦμαι παρὰ σοῦ, λέγων, οὐκ ὄψει τὸ πρόσωπόν μου, ἐὰν μὴ ἀγάγῃς τὴν Μελχὸλ θυγατέρα Σαοὺλ παραγινομένου σου ἰδεῖν τὸ πρόσωπόν μου.
And David said, With a good will I will make with thee a covenant: only I demand one condition of thee, saying, Thou shalt not see my face, unless thou bring Michal the daughter of Saul, when thou comest to see my face.
14
וַיִּשְׁלַח דָּוִד מַלְאָכִים אֶל־אִישׁ־בֹּשֶׁת בֶּן־שָׁאוּל לֵאמֹר תְּנָה אֶת־אִשְׁתִּי אֶת־מִיכַל אֲשֶׁר אֵרַשְׂתִּי לִי בְּמֵאָה עָרְלוֹת פְּלִשְׁתִּים
And David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth Saul's son, saying: 'Deliver me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to me for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.'
Καὶ ἐξαπέστειλε Δαυὶδ πρὸς Ἰεβοσθὲ υἱον Σαοὺλ ἀγγέλους, λέγων, ἀπόδος μοι τῆν γυναῖκά μου τὴν Μελχὸλ, ἣν ἔλαβον ἐν ἑκατὸν ἀκροβυστίαις ἀλλοφύλων.
And David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, saying, Restore me my wife Michal, whom I took for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.
15
וַיִּשְׁלַח אִישׁ בֹּשֶׁת וַיִּקָּחֶהָ מֵעִם אִישׁ מֵעִם פַּלְטִיאֵל בֶּן־לוש לָיִשׁ
And Ish-bosheth sent, and took her from her husband, even from Paltiel the son of Laish.
Καὶ ἀπέστειλεν Ἰεβοσθὲ, καὶ ἔλαβεν αὐτὴν παρὰ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς παρὰ Φαλτιὴλ υἱοῦ Σελλῆς.
And Ish-bosheth sent, and took her from her husband, [even] from Paltiel the son of Selle.
16
וַיֵּלֶךְ אִתָּהּ אִישָׁהּ הָלוֹךְ וּבָכֹה אַחֲרֶיהָ עַד־בַּחֻרִים וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אַבְנֵר לֵךְ שׁוּב וַיָּשֹׁב
And her husband went with her, weeping as he went, and followed her to Bahurim. Then said Abner unto him: 'Go, return'; and he returned.
Καὶ ἐπορεύετο ὁ ἀνὴρ αὐτῆς μετʼ αὐτῆς κλαίων ὀπίσω αὐτῆς ἕως Βαρακίμ· καὶ εἶπε πρὸς αὐτὸν Ἀβεννὴρ, πορεύου, ἀνάστρεφε· καὶ ἀνέστρεψε.
And her husband went with her weeping behind her as far as Bahurim. And Abner said to him, Go, return; and he returned.
17
וּדְבַר־אַבְנֵר הָיָה עִם־זִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לֵאמֹר גַּם־תְּמוֹל גַּם־שִׁלְשֹׁם הֱיִיתֶם מְבַקְשִׁים אֶת־דָּוִד לְמֶלֶךְ עֲלֵיכֶם
And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying: 'In times past ye sought for David to be king over you;
Καὶ εἶπεν Ἀβεννὴρ πρὸς τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους Ἰσραὴλ, λέγων, χθὲς καὶ τρίτην ἐζητεῖτε τὸν Δαυὶδ βασιλεύειν ἐφʼ ὑμᾶς.
And Abner spoke to the elders of Israel, saying, In former days ye sought David to reign over you;
18
וְעַתָּה עֲשׂוּ כִּי יְהוָה אָמַר אֶל־דָּוִד לֵאמֹר בְּיַד דָּוִד עַבְדִּי הוֹשִׁיעַ אֶת־עַמִּי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִיַּד פְּלִשְׁתִּים וּמִיַּד כָּל־אֹיְבֵיהֶם
now then do it; for HaShem hath spoken of David, saying: By the hand of My servant David I will save My people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies.'
Καὶ νῦν ποιήσατε, ὅτι Κύριος ἐλάλησε περὶ Δαυὶδ, λέγων, ἐν χειρὶ τοῦ δούλου μου Δαυὶδ σώσω τὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἐκ χειρὸς ἀλλοφύλων, καὶ ἐκ χειρὸς πάντων τῶν ἐχθρῶν αὐτῶν.
and now perform [it]: for the Lord has spoken concerning David, saying, By the hand of my servant David I will save Israel out of the hand of all their enemies.
19
וַיְדַבֵּר גַּם־אַבְנֵר בְּאָזְנֵי בִנְיָמִין וַיֵּלֶךְ גַּם־אַבְנֵר לְדַבֵּר בְּאָזְנֵי דָוִד בְּחֶבְרוֹן אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־טוֹב בְּעֵינֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּבְעֵינֵי כָּל־בֵּית בִּנְיָמִן
And Abner also spoke in the ears of Benjamin; and Abner went also to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel, and to the whole house of Benjamin.
Καὶ ἐλάλησεν Ἀβεννὴρ ἐν τοῖς ὠσὶ Βενιαμίν· καὶ ἐπορεύθη Ἀβεννὴρ τοῦ λαλῆσαι εἰς τὰ ὦτα τοῦ Δαυὶδ εἰς Χεβρὼν πάντα ὅσα ἤρεσεν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς Ἰσραὴλ καὶ ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς οἴκου Βενιαμίν.
And Abner spoke in the ears of Benjamin: and Abner went to speak in the ears of David at Hebron, all that seemed good in the eyes of Israel and in the eyes of the house of Benjamin.
20
וַיָּבֹא אַבְנֵר אֶל־דָּוִד חֶבְרוֹן וְאִתּוֹ עֶשְׂרִים אֲנָשִׁים וַיַּעַשׂ דָּוִד לְאַבְנֵר וְלַאֲנָשִׁים אֲשֶׁר־אִתּוֹ מִשְׁתֶּה
So Abner came to David to Hebron, and twenty men with him. And David made Abner and the men that were with him a feast.
Καὶ ἦλθεν Ἀβεννὴρ πρὸς Δαυὶδ εἰς Χεβρὼν, καὶ μετʼ αὐτοῦ εἴκοσι ἄνδρες· καὶ ἐποίησε Δαυὶδ τῷ Ἀβεννὴρ καὶ τοῖς ἀνδράσι τοῖς μετʼ αὐτοῦ πότον.
And Abner came to David to Hebron, and with him twenty men: and David made for Abner and his men with him a banquet of wine.
21
וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְנֵר אֶל־דָּוִד אָקוּמָה וְאֵלֵכָה וְאֶקְבְּצָה אֶל־אֲדֹנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִכְרְתוּ אִתְּךָ בְּרִית וּמָלַכְתָּ בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־תְּאַוֶּה נַפְשֶׁךָ וַיְּשַׁלַּח דָּוִד אֶת־אַבְנֵר וַיֵּלֶךְ בְּשָׁלוֹם
And Abner said unto David: 'I will arise and go, and will gather all Israel unto my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with thee, and that thou mayest reign over all that thy soul desireth.' And David sent Abner away; and he went in peace.
Καὶ εἶπεν Ἀβεννὴρ πρὸς Δαυὶδ, ἀναστήσομαι δὴ καὶ πορεύσομαι καὶ συναθροίσω πρὸς κύριόν μου τὸν βασιλέα πάντα Ἰσραὴλ· καὶ διαθήσομαι μετʼ αὐτοῦ διαθήκην, καὶ βασιλεύσεις ἐπὶ πᾶσιν οἷς ἐπιθυμεῖ ἡ ψυχή σου. Καὶ ἀπέστειλε Δαυὶδ τὸν Ἀβεννὴρ, καὶ ἐπορεύθη ἐν εἰρήνῃ.
And Abner said to David, I will arise now, and go, and gather to my lord the king all Israel; and I will make with him a covenant, and thou shalt reign over all whom thy soul desires. And David sent away Abner, and he departed in peace.
22
וְהִנֵּה עַבְדֵי דָוִד וְיוֹאָב בָּא מֵהַגְּדוּד וְשָׁלָל רָב עִמָּם הֵבִיאוּ וְאַבְנֵר אֵינֶנּוּ עִם־דָּוִד בְּחֶבְרוֹן כִּי שִׁלְּחוֹ וַיֵּלֶךְ בְּשָׁלוֹם
And, behold, the servants of David and Joab came from a foray, and brought in a great spoil with them; but Abner was not with David in Hebron; for he had sent him away, and he was gone in peace.
Καὶ ἰδοὺ οἱ παῖδες Δαυὶδ καὶ Ἰωὰβ παρεγένοντο ἐκ τῆς ἐξοδίας, καὶ σκῦλα πολλὰ ἔφερον μεθʼ ἑαυτῶν· καὶ Ἀβεννὴρ οὐκ ἦν μετὰ Δαυὶδ εἰς Χεβρὼν, ὅτι ἀπεστάλκει αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀπεληλύθει ἐν εἰρήνῃ.
And, behold, the servants of David and Joab arrived from their expedition, and they brought much spoil with them: and Abner was not with David in Hebron, because he had sent him away, and he had departed in peace.
23
וְיוֹאָב וְכָל־הַצָּבָא אֲשֶׁר־אִתּוֹ בָּאוּ וַיַּגִּדוּ לְיוֹאָב לֵאמֹר בָּא־אַבְנֵר בֶּן־נֵר אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיְשַׁלְּחֵהוּ וַיֵּלֶךְ בְּשָׁלוֹם
When Joab and all the host that was with him were come, they told Joab, saying: 'Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he hath sent him away, and he is gone in peace.'
Καὶ Ἰωὰβ καὶ πᾶσα ἡ στρατιὰ αὐτοῦ ἤλθοσαν, καὶ ἀπηγγέλη τῷ Ἰωὰβ, λέγοντες, ἥκει Ἀβεννὴρ υἱὸς Νὴρ πρὸς Δαυὶδ, καὶ ἀπέσταλκεν αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀπῆλθεν ἐν εἰρήνῃ.
And Joab and all his army came, and it was reported to Joab, saying, Abner the son of Ner is come to David, and David has let him go, and he has departed in peace.
24
וַיָּבֹא יוֹאָב אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיֹּאמֶר מֶה עָשִׂיתָה הִנֵּה־בָא אַבְנֵר אֵלֶיךָ לָמָּה־זֶּה שִׁלַּחְתּוֹ וַיֵּלֶךְ הָלוֹךְ
Then Joab came to the king, and said: 'What hast thou done? behold, Abner came unto thee; why is it that thou hast sent him away, and he is quite gone?
Καὶ εἰσῆλθεν Ἰωὰβ πρὸς τὸν βασιλέα, καὶ εἶπε, τί τοῦτο ἐποίησας; ἰδοὺ ἦλθεν Ἀβεννὴρ πρὸς σὲ, καὶ ἱνατί ἐξαπέσταλκας αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀπελήλυθεν ἐν εἰρήνῃ;
And Joab went in to the king, and said, What [is] this [that] thou hast done? behold, Abner came to thee; and why hast thou let him go, and he has departed in peace?
25
יָדַעְתָּ אֶת־אַבְנֵר בֶּן־נֵר כִּי לְפַתֹּתְךָ בָּא וְלָדַעַת אֶת־מוֹצָאֲךָ וְאֶת־מבואך מוֹבָאֶךָ וְלָדַעַת אֵת כָּל־אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה עֹשֶׂה
Thou knowest Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive thee, and to know thy going out and thy coming in, and to know all that thou doest.'
Ἢ οὐκ οἶδας τὴν κακίαν Ἀβεννὴρ υἱοῦ Νὴρ, ὅτι ἀπατῆσαί σε παρεγένετο, καὶ γνῶναι τὴν ἔξοδόν σου καὶ τὴν εἴσοδόν σου, καὶ γνῶναι ἅπαντα ὅσα σὺ ποιεῖς;
Knowest thou not the mischief of Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive thee, and to know thy going out and thy coming in, and to know all things that thou doest?
26
וַיֵּצֵא יוֹאָב מֵעִם דָּוִד וַיִּשְׁלַח מַלְאָכִים אַחֲרֵי אַבְנֵר וַיָּשִׁבוּ אֹתוֹ מִבּוֹר הַסִּרָה וְדָוִד לֹא יָדָע
And when Joab was come out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from Bor-sirah; but David knew it not.
Καὶ ἀνέστρεψεν Ἰωὰβ ἀπὸ τοῦ Δαυὶδ, καὶ ἀπέστειλεν ἀγγέλους πρὸς Ἀβεννὴρ ὀπίσω, καὶ ἐπιστρέφουσιν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ φρέατος τοῦ Σεειρὰμ· καὶ Δαυὶδ οὐκ ᾔδει.
And Joab returned from David, and sent messengers to Abner after [him]; and they bring him back from the well of Sirah: but David knew [it] not.
27
וַיָּשָׁב אַבְנֵר חֶבְרוֹן וַיַּטֵּהוּ יוֹאָב אֶל־תּוֹךְ הַשַּׁעַר לְדַבֵּר אִתּוֹ בַּשֶּׁלִי וַיַּכֵּהוּ שָׁם הַחֹמֶשׁ וַיָּמָת בְּדַם עֲשָׂה־אֵל אָחִיו
And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him quietly, and smote him there in the groin, that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.
Καὶ ἐπέστρεψε τὸν Ἀβεννὴρ εἰς Χεβρὼν, καὶ ἐξέκλινεν αὐτὸν Ἰωὰβ ἐκ πλαγίων τῆς πύλης λαλῆσαι πρὸς αὐτὸν, ἐνεδρεύων· καὶ ἐπάταξεν αὐτὸν ἐκεῖ εἰς τὴν ψόαν, καὶ ἀπέθανεν ἐν τῷ αἵματι Ἀσαὴλ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ Ἰωάβ.
And he brought back Abner to Hebron, and Joab caused him to turn aside from the gate to speak to him, laying wait for him: and he smote him there in the loins, and he died for the blood of Asahel the brother of Joab.
28
וַיִּשְׁמַע דָּוִד מֵאַחֲרֵי כֵן וַיֹּאמֶר נָקִי אָנֹכִי וּמַמְלַכְתִּי מֵעִם יְהוָה עַד־עוֹלָם מִדְּמֵי אַבְנֵר בֶּן־נֵר
And afterward when David heard it, he said: 'I and my kingdom are guiltless before HaShem for ever from the blood of Abner the son of Ner;
Καὶ ἤκουσε Δαυὶδ μετὰ ταῦτα, καὶ εἶπεν, ἀθῶός εἰμι ἐγὼ καὶ ἡ βασιλεία μου ἀπὸ Κυρίου καὶ ἕως αἰῶνος ἀπὸ τῶν αἱμάτων Ἀβεννὴρ υἱοῦ Νήρ.
And David heard [of it] afterward, and said, I and my kingdom are guiltless before the Lord even forever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner.
29
יָחֻלוּ עַל־רֹאשׁ יוֹאָב וְאֶל כָּל־בֵּית אָבִיו וְאַל־יִכָּרֵת מִבֵּית יוֹאָב זָב וּמְצֹרָע וּמַחֲזִיק בַּפֶּלֶךְ וְנֹפֵל בַּחֶרֶב וַחֲסַר־לָחֶם
let it fall upon the head of Joab, and upon all his father's house; and let there not fail from the house of Joab one that hath an issue, or that is a leper, or that leaneth on a staff, or that falleth by the sword, or that lacketh bread.'
Καταντησάτωσαν ἐπὶ κεφαλὴν Ἰωὰβ καὶ ἐπὶ πάντα τὸν οἶκον τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ μὴ ἐκλείποι ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου Ἰωὰβ γονοῤῥυὴς, καὶ λεπρὸς, καὶ κρατῶν σκυτάλης, καὶ πίπτων ἐν ῥομφαίᾳ, καὶ ἐλασσούμενος ἄρτοις.
Let it fall upon the head of Joab, and upon all the house of his father; and let there not be wanting of the house of Joab one that has an issue, or a leper, or that leans on a staff, or that falls by the sword, or that wants bread.
30
וְיוֹאָב וַאֲבִישַׁי אָחִיו הָרְגוּ לְאַבְנֵר עַל אֲשֶׁר הֵמִית אֶת־עֲשָׂהאֵל אֲחִיהֶם בְּגִבְעוֹן בַּמִּלְחָמָה
So Joab and Abishai his brother slew Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.
Ἰωὰβ δὲ καὶ Ἀβεσσὰ ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ διαπαρετηροῦντο τὸν Ἀβεννὴρ, ἀνθʼ ὧν ἐθανάτωσε τὸν Ἀσαὴλ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτῶν ἐν Γαβαὼν, ἐν τῷ πολέμῳ.
For Joab and Abishai his brother laid wait continually for Abner, because he slew Asahel their brother at Gibeon in the battle.
31
וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִד אֶל־יוֹאָב וְאֶל־כָּל־הָעָם אֲשֶׁר־אִתּוֹ קִרְעוּ בִגְדֵיכֶם וְחִגְרוּ שַׂקִּים וְסִפְדוּ לִפְנֵי אַבְנֵר וְהַמֶּלֶךְ דָּוִד הֹלֵךְ אַחֲרֵי הַמִּטָּה
And David said to Joab, and to all the people that were with him: 'Rend your clothes, and gird you with sackcloth, and wail before Abner.' And king David followed the bier.
Καὶ εἶπε Δαυὶδ πρὸς Ἰωὰβ καὶ πρὸς πάντα τὸν λαὸν τὸν μετʼ αὐτοῦ, διαῤῥήξατε τὰ ἱμάτια ὑμῶν, καὶ περιζώσασθε σάκκους, καὶ κόπτεσθε ἐνώπιον Ἀβεννήρ· καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς Δαυὶδ ἐπορεύετο ὀπίσω τῆς κλίνης.
And David said to Joab and to all the people with him, Rend your garments, and gird yourselves with sackcloth, and lament before Abner. And King David followed the bier.
32
וַיִּקְבְּרוּ אֶת־אַבְנֵר בְּחֶבְרוֹן וַיִשָּׂא הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־קוֹלוֹ וַיֵּבְךְּ אֶל־קֶבֶר אַבְנֵר וַיִּבְכּוּ כָּל־הָעָם
And they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king lifted up his voice, and wept at the grave of Abner; and all the people wept.
Καὶ θάπτουσι τὸν Ἀβεννὴρ ἐν Χεβρών· καὶ ᾖρεν ὁ βασιλεὺς τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔκλαυσεν ἐπὶ τοῦ τάφου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔκλαυσε πᾶς ὁ λαὸς ἐπὶ Ἀβεννήρ.
And they bury Abner in Hebron: and the king lifted up his voice, and wept at his tomb, and all the people wept for Abner.
33
וַיְקֹנֵן הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶל־אַבְנֵר וַיֹּאמַר הַכְּמוֹת נָבָל יָמוּת אַבְנֵר
And the king lamented for Abner, and said: Should Abner die as a churl dieth?
Καὶ ἐθρήνησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ Ἀβεννὴρ, καὶ εἶπεν, εἰ κατὰ τὸν θάνατον Νάβαλ ἀποθανεῖται Ἀβεννήρ;
And the king mourned over Abner, and said, Shall Abner die according to the death of Nabal?
34
יָדֶךָ לֹא־אֲסֻרוֹת וְרַגְלֶיךָ לֹא־לִנְחֻשְׁתַּיִם הֻגָּשׁוּ כִּנְפוֹל לִפְנֵי בְנֵי־עַוְלָה נָפָלְתָּ וַיֹּסִפוּ כָל־הָעָם לִבְכּוֹת עָלָיו
Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters; as a man falleth before the children of iniquity, so didst thou fall. And all the people wept again over him.
Αἱ χεῖρές σου οὐκ ἐδέθησαν, οἱ πόδες σου οὐκ ἐν πέδαις· οὐ προσήγαγεν ὡς Νάβαλ, ἐνώπιον υἱῶν ἀδικίας ἔπεσας· καὶ συνήχθη πᾶς ὁ λαὸς τοῦ κλαῦσαι αὐτόν.
Thy hands were not bound, And thy feet [were] not [put] in fetters: [One] brought [thee] not near as Nabal; Thou didst fall before children of iniquity.
35
וַיָּבֹא כָל־הָעָם לְהַבְרוֹת אֶת־דָּוִד לֶחֶם בְּעוֹד הַיּוֹם וַיִּשָּׁבַע דָּוִד לֵאמֹר כֹּה יַעֲשֶׂה־לִּי אֱלֹהִים וְכֹה יֹסִיף כִּי אִם־לִפְנֵי בוֹא־הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ אֶטְעַם־לֶחֶם אוֹ כָל־מְאוּמָה
And all the people came to cause David to eat bread while it was yet day; but David swore, saying: 'G-d do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or aught else, till the sun be down.'
Καὶ ἦλθε πᾶς ὁ λαὸς περιδειπνῆσαι τὸν Δαυὶδ ἄρτοις ἔτι οὔσης ἡμέρας· καὶ ὤμοσε Δαυὶδ, λέγων, τάδε ποιήσαι μοι ὁ Θεὸς καὶ τάδε προσθείη, ὅτι ἐὰν μὴ δύῃ ὁ ἥλιος, οὐ μὴ γεύσομαι ἄρτου ἢ ἀπὸ παντὸς τινός.
And all the people assembled to weep for him. And all the people came to cause David to eat bread while it was yet day: and David swore, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if I eat bread or anything else before the sun goes down.
36
וְכָל־הָעָם הִכִּירוּ וַיִּיטַב בְּעֵינֵיהֶם כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה הַמֶּלֶךְ בְּעֵינֵי כָל־הָעָם טוֹב
And all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them; whatsoever the king did, pleased all the people.
Καὶ ἔγνω πᾶς ὁ λαὸς, καὶ ἤρεσεν ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησεν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐνώπιον τοῦ λαοῦ.
And all the people took notice, and all things that the king did before the people were pleasing in their sight.
37
וַיֵּדְעוּ כָל־הָעָם וְכָל־יִשְׂרָאֵל בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא כִּי לֹא הָיְתָה מֵהַמֶּלֶךְ לְהָמִית אֶת־אַבְנֵר בֶּן־נֵר
So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not of the king to slay Abner the son of Ner.
Καὶ ἔγνω πᾶς ὁ λαὸς καὶ πᾶς Ἰσραὴλ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, ὅτι οὐκ ἐγένετο παρὰ τοῦ βασιλέως θανατῶσαι τὸν Ἀβεννὴρ υἱὸν Νήρ.
So all the people and all Israel perceived in that day, that it was not of the king to slay Abner the son of Ner.
38
וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶל־עֲבָדָיו הֲלוֹא תֵדְעוּ כִּי־שַׂר וְגָדוֹל נָפַל הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל
And the king said unto his servants: 'Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel?
Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ βασιλεὺς πρὸς τοὺς παῖδας αὐτοῦ, οὐκ οἴδατε, ὅτι ἡγούμενος μέγας πέπτωκεν ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ταύτῃ ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ;
And the king said to his servants, Know ye not that a great prince is this day fallen in Israel?
39
וְאָנֹכִי הַיּוֹם רַךְ וּמָשׁוּחַ מֶלֶךְ וְהָאֲנָשִׁים הָאֵלֶּה בְּנֵי צְרוּיָה קָשִׁים מִמֶּנִּי יְשַׁלֵּם יְהוָה לְעֹשֵׂה הָרָעָה כְּרָעָתוֹ
And I am this day weak, and just anointed king; and these men the sons of Zeruiah are too hard for me; HaShem reward the evildoer according to his wickedness.'
Καὶ ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι συγγενὴς σήμερον, καὶ καθεσταμένος ὑπὸ βασιλέως; οἱ δὲ ἄνδρες οὗτοι υἱοὶ Σαρουίας σκληρότεροί μου εἰσίν· ἀποδῷ Κύριος τῷ ποιοῦντι τὰ πονηρὰ κατὰ τὴν κακίαν αὐτοῦ.
And that I am this day a [mere] kinsman [of his], and [as it were] a subject; but these men the sons of Zeruiah are too hard for me: the Lord reward the evildoer according to his wickedness.

How it works

A parallel reader for the Hebrew Bible and its oldest witnesses: the Masoretic text, the Samaritan Pentateuch, the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint, each with an English translation where one is available.

Reading a chapter

Choose a book and chapter at the top, or type a reference into Go to (Isa 53:11, 1 Sam 3, sam 3:4, ii kgs 2, ben sira 51). Book names can be abbreviated; a name shared by numbered books (sam, kings, chr, macc) opens the first of them unless you add the number. The arrow keys move between chapters, and the address bar keeps a link to the verse you clicked, so you can bookmark or share a place.

Each row is one verse. Rows follow the Masoretic verse numbering, so the Hebrew, JPS and Samaritan columns line up exactly. The Septuagint is numbered differently in many places (Psalms, Jeremiah, Exodus 35–40, parts of Kings, Proverbs, Daniel, and dozens of chapter boundaries). Its verses are placed against their Masoretic counterparts, and a small tag such as 50:3 shows the Septuagint's own number when it differs. Greek verses that have no Masoretic counterpart (for example the Prayer of Azariah in Daniel 3) appear in reading order as separate rows marked LXX.

Columns

The chips at the top switch columns on and off. Drag a chip (or a column heading) to reorder; with a chip focused, the ← → keys move it. Your choice is remembered. The Samaritan columns appear only in Genesis–Deuteronomy; the scrolls column appears wherever a manuscript survives, including Ben Sira. Columns marked † are licensed for non-commercial use only.

Words: lexicon and concordance

Hover over any Hebrew word (Masoretic, Samaritan or scroll) or any Greek word to see its dictionary form, Strong's number, a short gloss and its grammar. Click the word to open the concordance on the right: the full lexicon entry, then every occurrence, grouped by book — for Hebrew, separately for the Masoretic text, the Samaritan Pentateuch and the scrolls (with the manuscript named). Click a reference to go there; every form of the word in the chapter is highlighted. You can also type a word or a Strong's number into Lexicon at the top.

In the Masoretic text, a Ketiv (the written form, unpointed) is shown in grey immediately before its Qere (the form read aloud); both carry the Qere's dictionary entry.

Variants

The Samaritan Pentateuch and every scroll are compared word by word with the Masoretic text of the same verse:

In the scrolls, letters in brackets are a modern editor's reconstruction and are never counted as variants; letters with a dotted overline are uncertain; ◦ is a trace of an unreadable letter. Manuscripts written in paleo-Hebrew script, and divine names that square-script scrolls write in paleo-Hebrew, are shown in paleo-Hebrew letters (switchable under Display). Hover a manuscript to see its edition. Display → Dead Sea Scrolls can hide the manuscripts that agree with the Masoretic text, or strip the reconstructions to show only what survives.

The comparison is automatic. It aligns words by spelling, so a transposition or a long rewritten passage can be marked imperfectly, and the spelling rule cannot tell a suffix from a vowel letter. Treat the colours as a finding aid and check a critical edition before building an argument on a reading.

Books outside the Hebrew Bible

Besides the Septuagint-only books, the book list has 1 Enoch and Jubilees (“Other ancient books”), shown in R. H. Charles's English with the Qumran copies beside them, and Psalms has a chapter 151. Their scroll copies — like those of Tobit and Ben Sira — have no verse numbers in the data: each fragment is placed by its published identification, and its lines are spread over those verses, so treat the exact verse boundaries as approximate. Aramaic copies (Tobit 4Q196–199 and all of Enoch) are marked “Aramaic” and have no word lookups.

Rabbinic citations

The small ❝ under a verse number opens the passages of rabbinic literature that cite that verse — Mishnah, Tosefta, both Talmuds, Midrash, Targum and Kabbalah (and, if you tick the box, later halakhah, liturgy and thought) — fetched live from Sefaria, so it needs an internet connection. Each passage is listed with Sefaria's date for the work it comes from and a link to read it there. Sefaria's links include allusions and discussions as well as quotations; those it classes as quotations are marked. It works for the Hebrew Bible, Ben Sira (by Kahana's numbering, e.g. the Talmud's quotations of Ben Sira), Tobit and Jubilees. For 1 Enoch, which the rabbis do not quote, it lists instead the Zohar's passages about a “Book of Enoch”.

How the Septuagint is aligned

Each Greek verse is placed by combining three things: the standard table of Septuagint–Masoretic verse correspondences (SIL's lxx.vrs), the table of Masoretic–English numbering differences, and a comparison of the English of Brenton's Septuagint with the JPS English, which confirms each pairing and catches displaced verses. Where no Masoretic verse is similar enough, the Greek verse stands on its own row.

The Greek word data

No openly licensed word-by-word analysis of Brenton's Greek exists, so each Greek word is matched to the most frequent analysis of the same form in the openly licensed Swete Septuagint (Morpheus parser), then to a lexicon entry. About 95% of words are identified. Parses of ambiguous forms (e.g. αὐτοῦ, τοῦ) can be wrong; the card says "automatic parse" as a reminder.

About the texts

What each column is, where it comes from, and what to keep in mind when reading it.

Masoretic Text — Westminster Leningrad Codex

The Masoretic text is the Hebrew Bible as transmitted by the Masoretes, scribal scholars active in Tiberias and elsewhere roughly from the 7th to the 10th century, who fixed its vowel points, accents and marginal notes (the Masorah) around a consonantal text that was already essentially stable by the 1st–2nd century CE. The Leningrad Codex (St Petersburg, Firkovich I B 19 A), copied in 1008/1009 CE in the Ben Asher tradition, is the oldest complete manuscript of the Hebrew Bible; the slightly older Aleppo Codex lost most of the Torah in 1947. It is the base of the standard critical editions (BHK, BHS, BHQ).

The Westminster Leningrad Codex is the public-domain digital transcription of it maintained by the J. Alan Groves Center at Westminster Theological Seminary. In this edition a Ketiv appears as its own unpointed word before the pointed Qere.

JPS 1917 — The Holy Scriptures according to the Masoretic Text

The first English Bible translation produced by a committee of Jewish scholars for the Jewish Publication Society of America, under Max L. Margolis as editor-in-chief, published in 1917. Its language deliberately follows the cadence of the King James and Revised Versions, but its renderings follow the Masoretic text and Jewish exegetical tradition, and it keeps the Hebrew chapter and verse numbering. It is in the public domain; its successor, the New JPS (Tanakh, 1985), is not. The electronic edition used here writes the divine names as “HaShem” and “G-d”.

Septuagint — Brenton's Greek text and the Updated Brenton English

The Septuagint is the Jewish translation of the Hebrew scriptures into Greek. The Torah was translated in Alexandria in the 3rd century BCE (the Letter of Aristeas tells the legend of 72 translators under Ptolemy II); the other books followed over the next two centuries. Because it was made from Hebrew manuscripts older than the Masoretic text, it often preserves a different Hebrew text: Jeremiah is about one-seventh shorter and differently ordered (a shorter Hebrew text of this type survives at Qumran in 4QJerb,d), Job is about one-sixth shorter, and Esther and Daniel have long additions. It was the Bible of Philo, Josephus and the New Testament writers, and became the Old Testament of the Greek church, which in turn led Jewish translators (Aquila, Symmachus, Theodotion) to produce closer revisions.

Sir Lancelot C. L. Brenton published an English translation in 1844 and a Greek–English edition in 1851. His Greek is essentially the Sixtine (Roman) edition of 1587, which follows the 4th-century Codex Vaticanus. It is older and less critical than the modern editions of Rahlfs (1935) and Göttingen, which are under copyright. The English column is the Updated Brenton (Adam Boyd, 2020), Brenton's translation with modernised spelling and wording, dedicated to the public domain.

Samaritan Pentateuch †

The Torah as preserved by the Samaritan community of Mount Gerizim (Nablus), written in the Samaritan script, a descendant of the paleo-Hebrew alphabet. It differs from the Masoretic text in about 6,000 places, most of them spelling or grammar; in about 1,900 of them it agrees with the Septuagint. Some readings are distinctively Samaritan, above all the commandment to build an altar on Mount Gerizim added after the Ten Commandments (Exod 20:17; Deut 5:21) and “Gerizim” for “Ebal” in Deut 27:4. Many others — harmonising expansions that copy one passage into its parallel — are shared with “pre-Samaritan” Qumran manuscripts such as 4QpaleoExodm and 4QNumb, showing that the text type is older than the Samaritan schism.

European scholars learned of it in 1616, when Pietro della Valle brought a manuscript from Damascus; it was printed in the Paris (1645) and London (1657) Polyglots, collated by Benjamin Kennicott (1776–80) and edited critically by August von Gall (1914–18). The Hebrew here is Aleksandr Sigalov's digital text, based on Kennicott and checked against von Gall; the English is Sigalov's adaptation of the King James Version to the Samaritan readings. For modern scholarship see Abraham Tal's edition of MS Shechem 6 and Stefan Schorch's critical editio maior.

Dead Sea Scrolls and other Judean Desert manuscripts †

Between 1947 and 1956 the remains of about 950 manuscripts were found in eleven caves near Khirbet Qumran. Some 230 are biblical — every book of the Hebrew Bible except Esther is represented, from tiny fragments to the complete Great Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa) — dating from about 250 BCE to 68 CE. They are a thousand years older than the Leningrad Codex. Most are close to the ancestor of the Masoretic text (“proto-Masoretic”), but others agree with the Septuagint (4QJerb, 4QSama in places), with the Samaritan text type, or with neither — evidence that several forms of the text circulated side by side before the Masoretic text prevailed.

Manuscripts from other sites fill out the picture: Masada (before its fall in 73/74 CE; excavated by Yigael Yadin, 1963–65) and the Bar Kokhba refuges of Wadi Murabba'at and Naḥal Ḥever (132–135 CE), whose biblical texts are already virtually identical with the Masoretic text, as well as Naḥal Ṣe'elim, Wadi Sdeir and Naḥal Arugot. The official publication is the Discoveries in the Judaean Desert series (Oxford, 1955–2010).

The transcriptions here are those of Martin G. Abegg Jr., James E. Bowley and Edward M. Cook, as converted by the Eep Talstra Centre for Bible and Computer (ETCBC). Each manuscript is labelled with its siglum (e.g. 4QIsad), its DJD number, its find-site and the column or fragment and line. Besides the biblical manuscripts, the copies of Ben Sira, Tobit, 1 Enoch, Jubilees and Psalm 151 are shown under those books. Not every manuscript is in the dataset — notably the Greek scrolls (such as the Greek Minor Prophets from Naḥal Ḥever) are absent, and the Masada Ben Sira scroll is added separately (see Ben Sira).

Ben Sira

The Wisdom of Yeshua ben Eleazar ben Sira, composed in Hebrew in Jerusalem around 190–180 BCE and translated into Greek by his grandson in Egypt after 132 BCE (his prologue explains the difficulty of rendering Hebrew into Greek). It belongs to the Septuagint and to the Catholic and Orthodox canons (Latin Ecclesiasticus) but not to the Jewish one, although the Talmud and midrash quote it. Its Hebrew text was lost to the West until 1896, when Solomon Schechter, Agnes Lewis and Margaret Gibson identified medieval copies in the Cairo Genizah; ancient Hebrew copies then emerged at Qumran and Masada.

About two-thirds of the Hebrew is now known, from six medieval Genizah manuscripts (A–F, 10th–12th century) and three ancient ones: 2QSir (2Q18; Sir 6:14–15, 20–32), the acrostic of Sir 51:13–20, 30 in the Psalms Scroll 11QPsa (columns 21–22), and the Masada scroll (Mas1h), found by Yigael Yadin in 1964 in a casemate room of the fortress and published in 1965: seven columns with Sir 39:27–44:17, copied in the early 1st century BCE, little more than a century after the author. Its agreement with Genizah manuscript B showed that the medieval copies descend from the ancient Hebrew rather than from a translation back from Greek or Syriac.

Here the book is shown in Brenton's Greek and English. The Hebrew column is the Kahana edition, as transcribed on Hebrew Wikisource and distributed by Sefaria (CC BY-SA): a running text built on the Genizah manuscripts, in which words in [brackets] are Kahana's restorations; chapters with no surviving Hebrew are empty. Kahana numbers the verses in the Hebrew order — in the Greek, two blocks of chapters 30–36 are transposed — so his verses have been matched to Brenton's by content for this site, with his own number shown as “Heb.” where it differs. The scrolls column has the three ancient witnesses; the Masada text is Eric Reymond's transcription from bensira.org. Their placement was made for this site by matching the text; there is no Masoretic text to compare them with, so no variants are marked.

Psalm 151

The Septuagint Psalter ends with a short psalm “outside the number”, in which David recalls tending his father's sheep, his anointing and his victory over Goliath. It belongs to the Greek, Syriac and Ethiopic Bibles but not to the Hebrew one, and was long thought to have been composed in Greek — until the Psalms Scroll from Qumran Cave 11 (11QPsa, published by James Sanders in 1965) turned out to contain a longer Hebrew original in its 28th column, as two poems (151A on David's music and anointing, 151B, broken off, on Goliath). The Greek is a condensed translation of them. The psalm is shown as chapter 151 of Psalms, with the scroll's lines under the Greek verses they correspond to.

Tobit

A Jewish novella of the Eastern diaspora (probably 3rd–2nd century BCE): the pious exile Tobit, blinded in Nineveh, sends his son Tobias to recover money in Media, guided by the angel Raphael in disguise; on the way Tobias marries Sarah and drives off the demon Asmodeus. It is in the Septuagint and the Catholic and Orthodox canons. It survives in two Greek forms — a shorter one (Codices Vaticanus and Alexandrinus, printed by Brenton) and a longer one (Codex Sinaiticus) — and the Qumran copies, four in Aramaic (4Q196–199) and one in Hebrew (4Q200), published by Joseph Fitzmyer in 1995, side with the longer form, which is now generally taken as nearer the original. Their verse placement here follows Fitzmyer's identifications.

1 Enoch

A collection of five works ascribed to Enoch, the seventh from Adam who “walked with God” (Gen 5:24): the Book of the Watchers (ch. 1–36, 3rd century BCE), on the angels who descended to the daughters of men; the Parables (37–71); the Astronomical Book (72–82); the Dream Visions (83–90), with the “Animal Apocalypse” of Israel's history; and the Epistle of Enoch (91–108). It is quoted in the Letter of Jude (1:14–15) and is canonical in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, whose Ge'ez version is the only complete text; Greek survives for about a third. Józef Milik published the Aramaic fragments from Qumran Cave 4 in 1976: eleven copies, covering every part except the Parables, the oldest from around 200 BCE. The English is R. H. Charles's 1917 translation from the Ethiopic (public domain). The Astronomical scrolls (4Q208–211) contain a much longer calendar than the Ethiopic; only their few passages that match chapters 76–82 are placed.

Jubilees

A retelling of Genesis and Exodus 1–14 as revealed to Moses on Sinai by an “angel of the presence”, dated by a calendar of 49-year jubilees and a 364-day solar year (mid-2nd century BCE). Like 1 Enoch it is canonical only in the Ethiopian church, whose Ge'ez version is the only complete text; parts survive in Latin, Syriac and Greek quotations. Fragments of about fifteen Hebrew copies were found at Qumran, more than of most biblical books, and are published in DJD 13 (VanderKam and Milik, 1994) and DJD 23. The English is R. H. Charles's 1917 translation (public domain).

Lexicon and concordance data

Hebrew words carry the analysis of STEPBible's Translators Amalgamated Hebrew OT (Tyndale House, Cambridge): extended Strong's numbers — James Strong's 1890 numbering, subdivided to follow the Brown–Driver–Briggs lexicon (1906) — with morphology from the ETCBC and an abridged BDB for definitions. Samaritan and scroll words take the analysis of the Masoretic word they correspond to, or, where they differ, of the same written form elsewhere in the Masoretic text. Greek words are matched through the Swete Septuagint and the Morpheus parser to STEPBible's Greek lexicon, which draws on Abbott-Smith (1922) and Liddell–Scott–Jones.

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