¹⁹^dNow there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears.” ²⁰But every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle,⁴ ²¹and the charge was two-thirds of a shekel⁵ for the plowshares and for the mattocks, and a third of a shekel⁶ for sharpening the axes and for setting the goads.⁷

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Footnotes

4Septuagint; Hebrew plowshare
5Hebrew was a pim
6A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
7The meaning of the Hebrew verse is uncertain

Cross references

d[2 Kgs. 24:14]

In other versions

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!” So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plow points, mattocks, axes and sickles sharpened. The price was two-thirds of a shekel for sharpening plow points and mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

No blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel because the Philistines had said, “Otherwise, the Hebrews will make swords or spears.” So all the Israelites went to the Philistines to sharpen their plows, mattocks, axes, and sickles. The price was two-thirds of a shekel for plows and mattocks, and one-third of a shekel for pitchforks and axes, and for putting a point on a cattle prod.

NLTNew Living Translation

There were no blacksmiths in the land of Israel in those days. The Philistines wouldn’t allow them for fear they would make swords and spears for the Hebrews. So whenever the Israelites needed to sharpen their plowshares, picks, axes, or sickles, they had to take them to a Philistine blacksmith. The charges were as follows: a quarter of an ounce of silver for sharpening a plowshare or a pick, and an eighth of an ounce for sharpening an ax, a sickle, or an ox goad.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Now no skilled craftsman could be found in all the land of Israel, for the Philistines had said, “So that the Hebrews cannot make swords or spears for themselves.” So all Israel went down to the Philistines, each to have his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, and his iron plowshare sharpened. The charge was two-thirds of a shekel for the plowshare and for the mattock, and a third of a shekel for the pick and for the axe, and to set the goading sticks.

KJV 1900King James Version

Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears: But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock. Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads.

Public Domain