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1 Chronicles chapter 19 in Hebrew and English

19 verses, about 4 minutes to read aloud. The Hebrew has its vowel points and the English stands under each verse.

The whole chapter is here, a verse to a line.

וַיְהִי אַחֲרֵי־כֵן וַיָּמָת נָחָשׁ מֶלֶךְ בְּנֵי־עַמּוֹן וַיִּמְלֹךְ בְּנוֹ תַּחְתָּֽיו׃

And it came to pass after this, that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his stead.

וַיֹּאמֶר דָּוִיד אֶעֱשֶׂה־חֶסֶד עִם־חָנוּן בֶּן־נָחָשׁ כִּי־עָשָׂה אָבִיו עִמִּי חֶסֶד וַיִּשְׁלַח דָּוִיד מַלְאָכִים לְנַחֲמוֹ עַל־אָבִיו וַיָּבֹאוּ עַבְדֵי דָוִיד אֶל־אֶרֶץ בְּנֵי־עַמּוֹן אֶל־חָנוּן לְנַחֲמֽוֹ׃

And David said: ‘l will show kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.’ So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon to Hanun, to comfort him.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ שָׂרֵי בְנֵי־עַמּוֹן לְחָנוּן הַמְכַבֵּד דָּוִיד אֶת־אָבִיךָ בְּעֵינֶיךָ כִּי־שָׁלַח לְךָ מְנַחֲמִים הֲלֹא בַּעֲבוּר לַחְקֹר וְלַהֲפֹךְ וּלְרַגֵּל הָאָרֶץ בָּאוּ עֲבָדָיו אֵלֶֽיךָ׃

But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun: ‘Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? are not his servants come unto thee to search, and to overthrow, and to spy out the land?’

וַיִּקַּח חָנוּן אֶת־עַבְדֵי דָוִיד וַיְגַלְּחֵם וַיִּכְרֹת אֶת־מַדְוֵיהֶם בַּחֵצִי עַד־הַמִּפְשָׂעָה וַֽיְשַׁלְּחֵֽם׃

So Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved them, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their hips, and sent them away.

וַיֵּלְכוּ וַיַּגִּידוּ לְדָוִיד עַל־הָאֲנָשִׁים וַיִּשְׁלַח לִקְרָאתָם כִּי־הָיוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים נִכְלָמִים מְאֹד וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁבוּ בִירֵחוֹ עַד אֲשֶׁר־יְצַמַּח זְקַנְכֶם וְשַׁבְתֶּֽם׃

Then there went certain persons, and told David how the men were served. And he sent to meet them; for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said: ‘Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return.’

וַיִּרְאוּ בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן כִּי הִתְבָּאֲשׁוּ עִם־דָּוִיד וַיִּשְׁלַח חָנוּן וּבְנֵי עַמּוֹן אֶלֶף כִּכַּר־כֶּסֶף לִשְׂכֹּר לָהֶם מִן־אֲרַם נַהֲרַיִם וּמִן־אֲרַם מַעֲכָה וּמִצּוֹבָה רֶכֶב וּפָרָשִֽׁים׃

And when the children of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the children of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire them chariots and horsemen out of Aram-naharaim, and out of Aram-maacah, and out of Zobah.

וַיִּשְׂכְּרוּ לָהֶם שְׁנַיִם וּשְׁלֹשִׁים אֶלֶף רֶכֶב וְאֶת־מֶלֶךְ מַעֲכָה וְאֶת־עַמּוֹ וַיָּבֹאוּ וַיַּחֲנוּ לִפְנֵי מֵידְבָא וּבְנֵי עַמּוֹן נֶאֶסְפוּ מֵעָרֵיהֶם וַיָּבֹאוּ לַמִּלְחָמָֽה׃

So they hired them thirty and two thousand chariots, and the king of Maacah and his people; who came and encamped before Medeba. And the children of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities, and came to battle.

וַיִּשְׁמַע דָּוִיד וַיִּשְׁלַח אֶת־יוֹאָב וְאֵת כָּל־צָבָא הַגִּבּוֹרִֽים׃

And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host of the mighty men.

וַיֵּצְאוּ בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן וַיַּעַרְכוּ מִלְחָמָה פֶּתַח הָעִיר וְהַמְּלָכִים אֲשֶׁר־בָּאוּ לְבַדָּם בַּשָּׂדֶֽה׃

And the children of Ammon came out and put the battle in array at the gate of the city; and the kings that were come were by themselves in the field.

וַיַּרְא יוֹאָב כִּי־הָיְתָה פְנֵי־הַמִּלְחָמָה אֵלָיו פָּנִים וְאָחוֹר וַיִּבְחַר מִכָּל־בָּחוּר בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּעֲרֹךְ לִקְרַאת אֲרָֽם׃

Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Arameans.

וְאֵת יֶתֶר הָעָם נָתַן בְּיַד אַבְשַׁי אָחִיו וַיַּעַרְכוּ לִקְרַאת בְּנֵי עַמּֽוֹן׃

And the rest of the people he committed into the hand of Abishai his brother, and they put themselves in array against the children of Ammon.

וַיֹּאמֶר אִם־תֶּחֱזַק מִמֶּנִּי אֲרָם וְהָיִיתָ לִּי לִתְשׁוּעָה וְאִם־בְּנֵי עַמּוֹן יֶחֶזְקוּ מִמְּךָ וְהוֹשַׁעְתִּֽיךָ׃

And he said: ‘If the Arameans be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me; but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will help thee.

חֲזַק וְנִתְחַזְּקָה בְּעַד־עַמֵּנוּ וּבְעַד עָרֵי אֱלֹהֵינוּ וַיהוָה הַטּוֹב בְּעֵינָיו יַעֲשֶֽׂה׃

Be of good courage, and let us prove strong for our people, and for the cities of our God; and the LORD do that which seemeth Him good.’

וַיִּגַּשׁ יוֹאָב וְהָעָם אֲשֶׁר־עִמּוֹ לִפְנֵי אֲרָם לַמִּלְחָמָה וַיָּנוּסוּ מִפָּנָֽיו׃

So Joab and the people that were with him drew nigh unto the battle to meet the Arameans; and they fled before him.

וּבְנֵי עַמּוֹן רָאוּ כִּי־נָס אֲרָם וַיָּנוּסוּ גַם־הֵם מִפְּנֵי אַבְשַׁי אָחִיו וַיָּבֹאוּ הָעִירָה וַיָּבֹא יוֹאָב יְרוּשָׁלִָֽם׃

And when the children of Ammon saw that the Arameans were fled, they likewise fled before Abishai his brother, and entered into the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.

וַיַּרְא אֲרָם כִּי נִגְּפוּ לִפְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּשְׁלְחוּ מַלְאָכִים וַיּוֹצִיאוּ אֶת־אֲרָם אֲשֶׁר מֵעֵבֶר הַנָּהָר וְשׁוֹפַךְ שַׂר־צְבָא הֲדַדְעֶזֶר לִפְנֵיהֶֽם׃

And when the Arameans saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they sent messengers, and brought out the Arameans that were beyond the River, with Shophach the captain of the host of Hadarezer at their head.

וַיֻּגַּד לְדָוִיד וַיֶּאֱסֹף אֶת־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּעֲבֹר הַיַּרְדֵּן וַיָּבֹא אֲלֵהֶם וַיַּעֲרֹךְ אֲלֵהֶם וַיַּעֲרֹךְ דָּוִיד לִקְרַאת אֲרָם מִלְחָמָה וַיִּלָּחֲמוּ עִמּֽוֹ׃

And it was told David; and he gathered all Israel together, and passed over the Jordan, and came upon them, and set the battle in array against them. So when David had put the battle in array against the Arameans, they fought with him.

וַיָּנָס אֲרָם מִלִּפְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּהֲרֹג דָּוִיד מֵאֲרָם שִׁבְעַת אֲלָפִים רֶכֶב וְאַרְבָּעִים אֶלֶף אִישׁ רַגְלִי וְאֵת שׁוֹפַךְ שַׂר־הַצָּבָא הֵמִֽית׃

And the Arameans fled before Israel; and David slew of the Arameans the men of seven thousand chariots, and forty thousand footmen, and killed Shophach the captain of the host.

וַיִּרְאוּ עַבְדֵי הֲדַדְעֶזֶר כִּי נִגְּפוּ לִפְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיַּשְׁלִימוּ עִם־דָּוִיד וַיַּעַבְדֻהוּ וְלֹא־אָבָה אֲרָם לְהוֹשִׁיעַ אֶת־בְּנֵי־עַמּוֹן עֽוֹד׃

And when the servants of Hadarezer saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they made peace with David, and served him; neither would the Arameans help the children of Ammon any more.

The Hebrew is the Leningrad Codex, free to view and copy, compared letter by letter with a second edition, Miqra according to the Masorah, under the CC BY-SA licence. The English is the Jewish Publication Society translation of 1917, in the public domain.

Where this chapter stands in the Tanakh.

  • Chapter 19 of the 29 chapters of 1 Chronicles
  • 1 Chronicles is one of the Writings
  • 19 verses, 319 words, about 4 minutes to read

1 Chronicles has 29 chapters, and each one has its own page.

All of 1 Chronicles·All the books of the Tanakh·Psalms and prayers

Questions about this chapter

How many verses does 1 Chronicles chapter 19 have?

1 Chronicles chapter 19 has 19 verses and 319 words.

How does 1 Chronicles chapter 19 begin?

The first verse begins in Hebrew with the words ויהי אחרי־כן וימת נחש.

Where does 1 Chronicles chapter 19 stand in the Tanakh?

It is chapter 19 of the 29 chapters of 1 Chronicles, which is one of the Writings.

How long does it take to read 1 Chronicles chapter 19?

About 4 minutes, at a steady pace.