The critical issue is how I consider [a homosexual]: Do I see him as the product of his biological makeup or his genetic code, the result of a poor relationship with his same-sex parent, the outcome of early sexual stimuli, or one fearing rejection by others due to low self-esteem? If I accept contemporary secular explanations for homosexuality as part of the cause, then I am ultimately accepting culture as the authority for understanding and helping [the individual]. Or, I can take the perspective that the ultimate cause of...homosexual behavior is [a] sinful heart and that all of these important pieces of data make up various significant influences or pressures to which his sinful heart responded.
Kevin Carson

The Second Book of Samuel

The Second Book of Samuel

{1:1} And it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David wasreturned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode twodays in Ziklag; {1:2} it came to pass on the third day, that, behold, aman came out of the camp from Saul, with his clothes rent, and earthupon his head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell tothe earth, and did obeisance. {1:3} And David said unto him, Fromwhence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel amI escaped. {1:4} And David said unto him, How went the matter? I praythee, tell me. And he answered, The people are fled from the battle,and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathanhis son are dead also. {1:5} And David said unto the young man thattold him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?{1:6} And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chanceupon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul was leaning upon his spear; and, lo,the chariots and the horsemen followed hard after him. {1:7} And whenhe looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered,Here am I. {1:8} And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him,I am an Amalekite. {1:9} And he said unto me, Stand, I pray thee,beside me, and slay me; for anguish hath taken hold of me, because mylife is yet whole in me. {1:10} So I stood beside him, and slew him,because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: andI took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was onhis arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord.

{1:11} Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; andlikewise all the men that were with him: {1:12} and they mourned, andwept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, andfor the people of Jehovah, and for the house of Israel; because theywere fallen by the sword. {1:13} And David said unto the young man thattold him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of asojourner, an Amalekite. {1:14} And David said unto him, How wast thounot afraid to put forth thy hand to destroy Jehovah’s anointed? {1:15}And David called one of the young men, and said, Go near, and fall uponhim. And he smote him, so that he died. {1:16} And David said unto him,Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee,saying, I have slain Jehovah’s anointed.

{1:17} And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and overJonathan his son {1:18} (and he bade them teach the children of Judah[the song of] the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jashar):{1:19} Thy glory, O Israel, is slain upon thy high places!How are the mighty fallen!
{1:20} Tell it not in Gath,
Publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon;Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.{1:21} Ye mountains of Gilboa,
Let there be no dew nor rain upon you, neither fields of offerings:For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away,The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.{1:22} From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty,The bow of Jonathan turned not back,
And the sword of Saul returned not empty.{1:23} Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives,And in their death they were not divided:They were swifter than eagles,
They were stronger than lions.
{1:24} Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,Who clothed you in scarlet delicately,
Who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel.{1:25} How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle!Jonathan is slain upon thy high places.{1:26} I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan:Very pleasant hast thou been unto me:
Thy love to me was wonderful,
Passing the love of women.
{1:27} How are the mighty fallen,
And the weapons of war perished!

{2:1} And it came to pass after this, that David inquired ofJehovah, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? AndJehovah said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up?And he said, Unto Hebron. {2:2} So David went up thither, and his twowives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal theCarmelite. {2:3} And his men that were with him did David bring up,every man with his household: and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.{2:4} And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David kingover the house of Judah.

And they told David, saying, The men of Jabesh-gilead were they thatburied Saul. {2:5} And David sent messengers unto the men ofJabesh-gilead, and said unto them, Blessed be ye of Jehovah, that yehave showed this kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and haveburied him. {2:6} And now Jehovah show lovingkindness and truth untoyou: and I also will requite you this kindness, because ye have donethis thing. {2:7} Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be yevaliant; for Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah haveanointed me king over them.

{2:8} Now Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul’s host, had takenIsh-bosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; {2:9}and he made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and overJezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.{2:10} Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began toreign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judahfollowed David. {2:11} And the time that David was king in Hebron overthe house of Judah was seven years and six months.

{2:12} And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth theson of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. {2:13} And Joab the sonof Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out, and met them by thepool of Gibeon; and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool,and the other on the other side of the pool. {2:14} And Abner said toJoab, Let the young men, I pray thee, arise and play before us. AndJoab said, Let them arise. {2:15} Then they arose and went over bynumber: twelve for Benjamin, and for Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, andtwelve of the servants of David. {2:16} And they caught every one hisfellow by the head, and [thrust] his sword in his fellow’s side; sothey fell down together: wherefore that place was calledHelkath-hazzurim, which is in Gibeon. {2:17} And the battle was verysore that day: and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before theservants of David.

{2:18} And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, and Abishai,and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe. {2:19} AndAsahel pursued after Abner; and in going he turned not to the righthand nor to the left from following Abner. {2:20} Then Abner lookedbehind him, and said, Is it thou, Asahel? And he answered, It is I.{2:21} And Abner said to him, Turn thee aside to thy right hand or tothy left, and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take thee hisarmor. But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. {2:22} AndAbner said again to Asahel, Turn thee aside from following me:wherefore should I smite thee to the ground? how then should I hold upmy face to Joab thy brother? {2:23} Howbeit he refused to turn aside:wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him in the body,so that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and diedin the same place: and it came to pass, that as many as came to theplace where Asahel fell down and died stood still.

{2:24} But Joab and Abishai pursued after Abner: and the sun wentdown when they were come to the hill of Ammah, that lieth before Giahby the way of the wilderness of Gibeon. {2:25} And the children ofBenjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and became one band,and stood on the top of a hill. {2:26} Then Abner called to Joab, andsaid, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will bebitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then, ere thou bidthe people return from following their brethren? {2:27} And Joab said,As God liveth, if thou hadst not spoken, surely then in the morning thepeople had gone away, nor followed every one his brother. {2:28} SoJoab blew the trumpet; and all the people stood still, and pursuedafter Israel no more, neither fought they any more. {2:29} And Abnerand his men went all that night through the Arabah; and they passedover the Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and came to Mahanaim.

{2:30} And Joab returned from following Abner: and when he hadgathered all the people together, there lacked of David’s servantsnineteen men and Asahel. {2:31} But the servants of David had smittenof Benjamin, and of Abner’s men, [so that] three hundred and threescoremen died. {2:32} And they took up Asahel, and buried him in thesepulchre of his father, which was in Beth-lehem. And Joab and his menwent all night, and the day brake upon them at Hebron.

{3:1} Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the houseof David: and David waxed stronger and stronger, but the house of Saulwaxed weaker and weaker.

{3:2} And unto David were sons born in Hebron: and his first-bornwas Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; {3:3} and his second, Chileab,of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom theson of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur; {3:4} and thefourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the sonof Abital; {3:5} and the sixth, Ithream, of Eglah, David’s wife. Thesewere born to David in Hebron.

{3:6} And it came to pass, while there was war between the house ofSaul and the house of David, that Abner made himself strong in thehouse of Saul. {3:7} Now Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah,the daughter of Aiah: and [Ish-bosheth] said to Abner, Wherefore hastthou gone in unto my father’s concubine? {3:8} Then was Abner verywroth for the words of Ish-bosheth, and said, Am I a dog’s head thatbelongeth to Judah? This day do I show kindness unto the house of Saulthy father, to his brethren, and to his friends, and have not deliveredthee into the hand of David; and yet thou chargest me this day with afault concerning this woman. {3:9} God do so to Abner, and more also,if, as Jehovah hath sworn to David, I do not even so to him; {3:10} totransfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throneof David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beer-sheba.{3:11} And he could not answer Abner another word, because he fearedhim.

{3:12} And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying,Whose is the land? saying [also], Make thy league with me, and, behold,my hand shall be with thee, to bring about all Israel unto thee. {3:13}And he said, Well; I will make a league with thee; but one thing Irequire of thee: that is, thou shalt not see my face, except thou firstbring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when thou comest to see my face. {3:14}And David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, saying, Deliverme my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to me for a hundred foreskins ofthe Philistines. {3:15} And Ish-bosheth sent, and took her from herhusband, even from Paltiel the son of Laish. {3:16} And her husbandwent with her, weeping as he went, and followed her to Bahurim. Thensaid Abner unto him, Go, return: and he returned.

{3:17} And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel,saying, In times past ye sought for David to be king over you: {3:18}now then do it; for Jehovah hath spoken of David, saying, By the handof my servant David I will save my people Israel out of the hand of thePhilistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies. {3:19} And Abneralso spake in the ears of Benjamin: and Abner went also to speak in theears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel, and to thewhole house of Benjamin. {3:20} So Abner came to David to Hebron, andtwenty men with him. And David made Abner and the men that were withhim a feast. {3:21} And Abner said unto David, I will arise and go, andwill gather all Israel unto my lord the king, that they may make acovenant with thee, and that thou mayest reign over all that thy souldesireth. And David sent Abner away; and he went in peace.

{3:22} And, behold, the servants of David and Joab came from aforay, and brought in a great spoil with them: but Abner was not withDavid in Hebron; for he had sent him away, and he was gone in peace.{3:23} When Joab and all the host that was with him were come, theytold Joab, saying, Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he hathsent him away, and he is gone in peace. {3:24} Then Joab came to theking, and said, What hast thou done? behold, Abner came unto thee; whyis it that thou hast sent him away, and he is quite gone? {3:25} Thouknowest Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive thee, and to knowthy going out and thy coming in, and to know all that thou doest.{3:26} And when Joab was come out from David, he sent messengers afterAbner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah: but David knewit not.

{3:27} And when Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him asideinto the midst of the gate to speak with him quietly, and smote himthere in the body, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel hisbrother. {3:28} And afterward, when David heard it, he said, I and mykingdom are guiltless before Jehovah for ever of the blood of Abner theson of Ner: {3:29} let it fall upon the head of Joab, and upon all hisfather’s house; and let there not fail from the house of Joab one thathath an issue, or that is a leper, or that leaneth on a staff, or thatfalleth by the sword, or that lacketh bread. {3:30} So Joab and Abishaihis brother slew Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel atGibeon in the battle.

{3:31} And David said to Joab, and to all the people that were withhim, Rend your clothes, and gird you with sackcloth, and mourn beforeAbner. And king David followed the bier. {3:32} And they buried Abnerin Hebron: and the king lifted up his voice, and wept at the grave ofAbner; and all the people wept. {3:33} And the king lamented for Abner,and said,
Should Abner die as a fool dieth?
{3:34} 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. {3:35} And all the peoplecame to cause David to eat bread while it was yet day; but David sware,saying, God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or aughtelse, till the sun be down. {3:36} And all the people took notice ofit, and it pleased them; as whatsoever the king did pleased all thepeople. {3:37} So all the people and all Israel understood that daythat it was not of the king to slay Abner the son of Ner. {3:38} Andthe king said unto his servants, Know ye not that there is a prince anda great man fallen this day in Israel? {3:39} And I am this day weak,though anointed king; and these men the sons of Zeruiah are too hardfor me: Jehovah reward the evil-doer according to his wickedness.

{4:1} And when [Ish-bosheth], Saul’s son, heard that Abner was deadin Hebron, his hands became feeble, and all the Israelites weretroubled. {4:2} And [Ish-bosheth], Saul’s son, [had] two men that werecaptains of bands: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of theother Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children ofBenjamin (for Beeroth also is reckoned to Benjamin: {4:3} and theBeerothites fled to Gittaim, and have been sojourners there until thisday).

{4:4} Now Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son that was lame of his feet.He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out ofJezreel; and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it came to pass, asshe made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name wasMephibosheth.

{4:5} And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah,went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth,as he took his rest at noon. {4:6} And they came thither into the midstof the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smotehim in the body: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. {4:7} Nowwhen they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedchamber,they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, andwent by the way of the Arabah all night. {4:8} And they brought thehead of Ish-bosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold,the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, thine enemy, who sought thylife; and Jehovah hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, andof his seed. {4:9} And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother,the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, As Jehovahliveth, who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity, {4:10} when onetold me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought goodtidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, which was thereward I gave him for his tidings. {4:11} How much more, when wickedmen have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed, shallI not now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from theearth? {4:12} And David commanded his young men, and they slew them,and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up beside thepool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth, and buried it inthe grave of Abner in Hebron.

{5:1} Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, andspake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. {5:2} In timespast, when Saul was king over us, it was thou that leddest out andbroughtest in Israel: and Jehovah said to thee, Thou shalt be shepherdof my people Israel, and thou shalt be prince over Israel. {5:3} So allthe elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made acovenant with them in Hebron before Jehovah: and they anointed Davidking over Israel. {5:4} David was thirty years old when he began toreign, and he reigned forty years. {5:5} In Hebron he reigned overJudah seven years and six months; and in Jerusalem he reigned thirtyand three years over all Israel and Judah.

{5:6} And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against theJebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spake unto David, saying,Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come inhither; thinking, David cannot come in hither. {5:7} Nevertheless Davidtook the stronghold of Zion; the same is the city of David. {5:8} AndDavid said on that day, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites, let him get upto the watercourse, and [smite] the lame and the blind, that are hatedof David’s soul. Wherefore they say, There are the blind and the lame;he cannot come into the house. {5:9} And David dwelt in the stronghold,and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Milloand inward. {5:10} And David waxed greater and greater; for Jehovah,the God of hosts, was with him.

{5:11} And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, andcedar-trees, and carpenters, and masons; and they built David a house.{5:12} And David perceived that Jehovah had established him king overIsrael, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel’ssake.

{5:13} And David took him more concubines and wives out ofJerusalem, after he was come from Hebron; and there were yet sons anddaughters born to David. {5:14} And these are the names of those thatwere born unto him in Jerusalem: Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, andSolomon, {5:15} and Ibhar, and Elishua, and Nepheg, and Japhia, {5:16}and Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet.

{5:17} And when the Philistines heard that they had anointed Davidking over Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David; and Davidheard of it, and went down to the stronghold. {5:18} Now thePhilistines had come and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.{5:19} And David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up against thePhilistines? wilt thou deliver them into my hand? And Jehovah said untoDavid, Go up; for I will certainly deliver the Philistines into thyhand. {5:20} And David came to Baal-perazim, and David smote themthere; and he said, Jehovah hath broken mine enemies before me, likethe breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that placeBaal-perazim. {5:21} And they left their images there; and David andhis men took them away.

{5:22} And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselvesin the valley of Rephaim. {5:23} And when David inquired of Jehovah, hesaid, Thou shalt not go up: make a circuit behind them, and come uponthem over against the mulberry-trees. {5:24} And it shall be, when thouhearest the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry-trees, thatthen thou shalt bestir thyself; for then is Jehovah gone out beforethee to smite the host of the Philistines. {5:25} And David did so, asJehovah commanded him, and smote the Philistines from Geba until thoucome to Gezer.

{6:1} And David again gathered together all the chosen men ofIsrael, thirty thousand. {6:2} And David arose, and went with all thepeople that were with him, from Baale-judah, to bring up from thencethe ark of God, which is called by the Name, even the name of Jehovahof hosts that sitteth [above] the cherubim. {6:3} And they set the arkof God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadabthat was in the hill: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drovethe new cart. {6:4} And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab,which was in the hill, with the ark of God: and Ahio went before theark. {6:5} And David and all the house of Israel played before Jehovahwith all manner of [instruments made of] fir-wood, and with harps, andwith psalteries, and with timbrels, and with castanets, and withcymbals.

{6:6} And when they came to the threshing-floor of Nacon, Uzzah putforth [his hand] to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxenstumbled. {6:7} And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Uzzah; andGod smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.{6:8} And David was displeased, because Jehovah had broken forth uponUzzah; and he called that place Perez-uzzah, unto this day. {6:9} AndDavid was afraid of Jehovah that day; and he said, How shall the ark ofJehovah come unto me? {6:10} So David would not remove the ark ofJehovah unto him into the city of David; but David carried it asideinto the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. {6:11} And the ark of Jehovahremained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months: andJehovah blessed Obed-edom, and all his house.

{6:12} And it was told king David, saying, Jehovah hath blessed thehouse of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of theark of God. And David went and brought up the ark of God from the houseof Obed-edom into the city of David with joy. {6:13} And it was so,that, when they that bare the ark of Jehovah had gone six paces, hesacrificed an ox and a fatling. {6:14} And David danced before Jehovahwith all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. {6:15} SoDavid and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of Jehovah withshouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.

{6:16} And it was so, as the ark of Jehovah came into the city ofDavid, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out at the window, andsaw king David leaping and dancing before Jehovah; and she despised himin her heart. {6:17} And they brought in the ark of Jehovah, and set itin its place, in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it;and David offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before Jehovah.{6:18} And when David had made an end of offering the burnt-offeringand the peace-offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Jehovahof hosts. {6:19} And he dealt among all the people, even among thewhole multitude of Israel, both to men and women, to every one a cakeof bread, and a portion [of flesh], and a cake of raisins. So all thepeople departed every one to his house.

{6:20} Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal thedaughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was theking of Israel to-day, who uncovered himself to-day in the eyes of thehandmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelesslyuncovereth himself! {6:21} And David said unto Michal, [It was] beforeJehovah, who chose me above thy father, and above all his house, toappoint me prince over the people of Jehovah, over Israel: thereforewill I play before Jehovah. {6:22} And I will be yet more vile thanthis, and will be base in mine own sight: but of the handmaids of whomthou hast spoken, of them shall I be had in honor. {6:23} And Michalthe daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.

{7:1} And it came to pass, when the king dwelt in his house, andJehovah had given him rest from all his enemies round about, {7:2} thatthe king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house ofcedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains. {7:3} And Nathansaid to the king, Go, do all that is in thy heart; for Jehovah is withthee. {7:4} And it came to pass the same night, that the word ofJehovah came unto Nathan, saying, {7:5} Go and tell my servant David,Thus saith Jehovah, Shalt thou build me a house for me to dwell in?{7:6} for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought upthe children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walkedin a tent and in a tabernacle. {7:7} In all places wherein I havewalked with all the children of Israel, spake I a word with any of thetribes of Israel, whom I commanded to be shepherd of my people Israel,saying, Why have ye not built me a house of cedar? {7:8} Now thereforethus shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts,I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, that thoushouldest be prince over my people, over Israel; {7:9} and I have beenwith thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thineenemies from before thee; and I will make thee a great name, like untothe name of the great ones that are in the earth. {7:10} And I willappoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that theymay dwell in their own place, and be moved no more; neither shall thechildren of wickedness afflict them any more, as at the first, {7:11}and [as] from the day that I commanded judges to be over my peopleIsrael; and I will cause thee to rest from all thine enemies. MoreoverJehovah telleth thee that Jehovah will make thee a house. {7:12} Whenthy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I willset up thy seed after thee, that shall proceed out of thy bowels, and Iwill establish his kingdom. {7:13} He shall build a house for my name,and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. {7:14} I willbe his father, and he shall be my son: if he commit iniquity, I willchasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the childrenof men; {7:15} but my lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as Itook it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. {7:16} And thy houseand thy kingdom shall be made sure for ever before thee: thy throneshall be established for ever. {7:17} According to all these words, andaccording to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.

{7:18} Then David the king went in, and sat before Jehovah; and hesaid, Who am I, O Lord Jehovah, and what is my house, that thou hastbrought me thus far? {7:19} And this was yet a small thing in thineeyes, O Lord Jehovah; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant’s housefor a great while to come; and this [too] after the manner of men, OLord Jehovah! {7:20} And what can David say more unto thee? for thouknowest thy servant, O Lord Jehovah. {7:21} For thy word’s sake, andaccording to thine own heart, hast thou wrought all this greatness, tomake thy servant know it. {7:22} Wherefore thou art great, O JehovahGod: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God besidesthee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. {7:23} Andwhat one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whomGod went to redeem unto himself for a people, and to make him a name,and to do great things for you, and terrible things for thy land,before thy people, whom thou redeemest to thee out of Egypt, [from] thenations and their gods? {7:24} And thou didst establish to thyself thypeople Israel to be a people unto thee for ever; and thou, Jehovah,becamest their God. {7:25} And now, O Jehovah God, the word that thouhast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, confirmthou it for ever, and do as thou hast spoken. {7:26} And let thy namebe magnified for ever, saying, Jehovah of hosts is God over Israel; andthe house of thy servant David shall be established before thee. {7:27}For thou, O Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, hast revealed to thyservant, saying, I will build thee a house: therefore hath thy servantfound in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee. {7:28} And now, OLord Jehovah, thou art God, and thy words are truth, and thou hastpromised this good thing unto thy servant: {7:29} now therefore let itplease thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue forever before thee; for thou, O Lord Jehovah, hast spoken it: and withthy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.

{8:1} And after this it came to pass, that David smote thePhilistines, and subdued them: and David took the bridle of the mothercity out of the hand of the Philistines.

{8:2} And he smote Moab, and measured them with the line, makingthem to lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put todeath, and one full line to keep alive. And the Moabites becameservants to David, and brought tribute.

{8:3} David smote also Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, ashe went to recover his dominion at the River. {8:4} And David took fromhim a thousand and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen:and David hocked all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for ahundred chariots. {8:5} And when the Syrians of Damascus came to succorHadadezer king of Zobah, David smote of the Syrians two and twentythousand men. {8:6} Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; andthe Syrians became servants to David, and brought tribute. And Jehovahgave victory to David whithersoever he went. {8:7} And David took theshields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and broughtthem to Jerusalem. {8:8} And from Betah and from Berothai, cities ofHadadezer, king David took exceeding much brass. {8:9} And when Toiking of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadadezer,{8:10} then Toi sent Joram his son unto king David, to salute him, andto bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and smitten him:for Hadadezer had wars with Toi. And [Joram] brought with him vesselsof silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of brass: {8:11} These alsodid king David dedicate unto Jehovah, with the silver and gold that hededicated of all the nations which he subdued; {8:12} of Syria, and ofMoab, and of the children of Ammon, and of the Philistines, and ofAmalek, and of the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

{8:13} And David gat him a name when he returned from smiting theSyrians in the Valley of Salt, even eighteen thousand men. {8:14} Andhe put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and allthe Edomites became servants to David. And Jehovah gave victory toDavid whithersoever he went.

{8:15} And David reigned over all Israel; and David executed justiceand righteousness unto all his people. {8:16} And Joab the son ofZeruiah was over the host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud wasrecorder; {8:17} and Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son ofAbiathar, were priests; and Seraiah was scribe; {8:18} and Benaiah theson of Jehoiada [was over] the Cherethites and the Pelethites; andDavid’s sons were chief ministers.

{9:1} And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house ofSaul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake? {9:2} And therewas of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba, and they calledhim unto David; and the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said,Thy servant is he. {9:3} And the king said, Is there not yet any of thehouse of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God unto him? And Zibasaid unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, who is lame of his feet.{9:4} And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto theking, Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, inLo-debar. {9:5} Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the houseof Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. {9:6} And Mephibosheth, theson of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came unto David, and fell on hisface, and did obeisance. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered,Behold, thy servant! {9:7} And David said unto him, Fear not; for Iwill surely show thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and willrestore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat breadat my table continually. {9:8} And he did obeisance, and said, What isthy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?

{9:9} Then the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said untohim, All that pertained to Saul and to all his house have I given untothy master’s son. {9:10} And thou shalt till the land for him, thou,and thy sons, and thy servants; and thou shalt bring in [the fruits],that thy master’s son may have bread to eat: but Mephibosheth thymaster’s son shall eat bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had fifteensons and twenty servants. {9:11} Then said Ziba unto the king,According to all that my lord the king commandeth his servant, so shallthy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, [said the king], he shall eat atmy table, as one of the king’s sons. {9:12} And Mephibosheth had ayoung son, whose name was Mica. And all that dwelt in the house of Zibawere servants unto Mephibosheth. {9:13} So Mephibosheth dwelt inJerusalem; for he did eat continually at the king’s table. And he waslame in both his feet.

{10:1} And it came to pass after this, that the king of the childrenof Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead. {10:2} And Davidsaid, I will show kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his fathershowed kindness unto me. So David sent by his servants to comfort himconcerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of thechildren of Ammon. {10:3} But the princes of the children of Ammon saidunto Hanun their lord, Thinkest thou that David doth honor thy father,in that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David sent hisservants unto thee to search the city, and to spy it out, and tooverthrow it? {10:4} So Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved off theone half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle,even to their buttocks, and sent them away. {10:5} When they told itunto David, he sent to meet them; for the men were greatly ashamed. Andthe king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and thenreturn.

{10:6} And when the children of Ammon saw that they were becomeodious to David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians ofBeth-rehob, and the Syrians of Zobah, twenty thousand footmen, and theking of Maacah with a thousand men, and the men of Tob twelve thousandmen. {10:7} And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the hostof the mighty men. {10:8} And the children of Ammon came out, and putthe battle in array at the entrance of the gate: and the Syrians ofZobah and of Rehob, and the men of Tob and Maacah, were by themselvesin the field.

{10:9} Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him beforeand behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them inarray against the Syrians: {10:10} And the rest of the people hecommitted into the hand of Abishai his brother; and he put them inarray against the children of Ammon. {10:11} And he said, If theSyrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me; but if thechildren of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will come and helpthee. {10:12} Be of good courage, and let us play the man for ourpeople, and for the cities of our God: and Jehovah do that whichseemeth him good. {10:13} So Joab and the people that were with himdrew nigh unto the battle against the Syrians: and they fled beforehim. {10:14} And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians werefled, they likewise fled before Abishai, and entered into the city.Then Joab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem.

{10:15} And when the Syrians saw that they were put to the worsebefore Israel, they gathered themselves together. {10:16} And Hadarezersent, and brought out the Syrians that were beyond the River: and theycame to Helam, with Shobach the captain of the host of Hadarezer attheir head. {10:17} And it was told David; and he gathered all Israeltogether, and passed over the Jordan, and came to Helam. And theSyrians set themselves in array against David, and fought with him.{10:18} And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew of theSyrians [the men of] seven hundred chariots, and forty thousandhorsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, so that he diedthere. {10:19} And when all the kings that were servants to Hadarezersaw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they made peace withIsrael, and served them. So the Syrians feared to help the children ofAmmon any more.

{11:1} And it came to pass, at the return of the year, at the timewhen kings go out [to battle], that David sent Joab, and his servantswith him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, andbesieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem.

{11:2} And it came to pass at eventide, that David arose from offhis bed, and walked upon the roof of the king’s house: and from theroof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful to lookupon. {11:3} And David send and inquired after the woman. And one said,Is not this Bath-sheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah theHittite? {11:4} And David sent messengers, and took her; and she camein unto him, and he lay with her (for she was purified from heruncleanness); and she returned unto her house. {11:5} And the womanconceived; and she sent and told David, and said, I am with child.

{11:6} And David sent to Joab, [saying], Send me Uriah the Hittite.And Joab sent Uriah to David. {11:7} And when Uriah was come unto him,David asked of him how Joab did, and how the people fared, and how thewar prospered. {11:8} And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house,and wash thy feet. And Uriah departed out of the king’s house, andthere followed him a mess [of food] from the king. {11:9} But Uriahslept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of hislord, and went not down to his house. {11:10} And when they had toldDavid, saying, Uriah went not down unto his house, David said untoUriah, Art thou not come from a journey? wherefore didst thou not godown unto thy house? {11:11} And Uriah said unto David, The ark, andIsrael, and Judah, abide in booths; and my lord Joab, and the servantsof my lord, are encamped in the open field; shall I then go into myhouse, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest,and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing. {11:12} And Davidsaid to Uriah, Tarry here to-day also, and to-morrow I will let theedepart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow. {11:13}And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and hemade him drunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with theservants of his lord, but went not down to his house.

{11:14} And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote aletter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. {11:15} And he wrotein the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottestbattle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.{11:16} And it came to pass, when Joab kept watch upon the city, thathe assigned Uriah unto the place where he knew that valiant men were.{11:17} And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: andthere fell some of the people, even of the servants of David; and Uriahthe Hittite died also. {11:18} Then Joab sent and told David all thethings concerning the war; {11:19} and he charged the messenger,saying, When thou hast made an end of telling all the things concerningthe war unto the king, {11:20} it shall be that, if the king’s wratharise, and he say unto thee, Wherefore went ye so nigh unto the city tofight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall? {11:21} whosmote Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast an uppermillstone upon him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? why wentye so nigh the wall? then shalt thou say, Thy servant Uriah the Hittiteis dead also.

{11:22} So the messenger went, and came and showed David all thatJoab had sent him for. {11:23} And the messenger said unto David, Themen prevailed against us, and came out unto us into the field, and wewere upon them even unto the entrance of the gate. {11:24} And theshooters shot at thy servants from off the wall; and some of the king’sservants are dead, and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.{11:25} Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say untoJoab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth one aswell as another; make thy battle more strong against the city, andoverthrow it: and encourage thou him.

{11:26} And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband wasdead, she made lamentation for her husband. {11:27} And when themourning was past, David sent and took her home to his house, and shebecame his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had donedispleased Jehovah.

{12:1} And Jehovah sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, andsaid unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich, and theother poor. {12:2} The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds;{12:3} but the poor man had nothing, save one little ewe lamb, which hehad bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and withhis children; it did eat of his own morsel, and drank of his own cup,and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. {12:4} And therecame a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his ownflock and of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was comeunto him, but took the poor man’s lamb, and dressed it for the man thatwas come to him. {12:5} And David’s anger was greatly kindled againstthe man; and he said to Nathan, As Jehovah liveth, the man that hathdone this is worthy to die: {12:6} and he shall restore the lambfourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. {12:7}And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith Jehovah, the Godof Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee outof the hand of Saul; {12:8} and I gave thee thy master’s house, and thymaster’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and ofJudah; and if that had been too little, I would have added unto theesuch and such things. {12:9} Wherefore hast thou despised the word ofJehovah, to do that which is evil in his sight? thou hast smitten Uriahthe Hittite with the sword, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, andhast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon. {12:10} Nowtherefore the sword shall never depart from thy house, because thouhast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to bethy wife. {12:11} Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will raise up evilagainst thee out of thine own house; and I will take thy wives beforethine eyes, and give them unto thy neighbor, and he shall lie with thywives in the sight of this sun. {12:12} For thou didst it secretly: butI will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun. {12:13} AndDavid said unto Nathan, I have sinned against Jehovah. And Nathan saidunto David, Jehovah also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die.{12:14} Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion tothe enemies of Jehovah to blaspheme, the child also that is born untothee shall surely die. {12:15} And Nathan departed unto his house.

And Jehovah struck the child that Uriah’s wife bare unto David, andit was very sick. {12:16} David therefore besought God for the child;and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night upon the earth.{12:17} And the elders of his house arose, [and stood] beside him, toraise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat breadwith them. {12:18} And it came to pass on the seventh day, that thechild died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the childwas dead; for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, wespake unto him, and he hearkened not unto our voice: how will he thenvex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead! {12:19} But whenDavid saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceivedthat the child was dead; and David said unto his servants, Is the childdead? And they said, He is dead. {12:20} Then David arose from theearth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel; andhe came into the house of Jehovah, and worshipped: then he came to hisown house; and when he required, they set bread before him, and he dideat. {12:21} Then said his servants unto him, What thing is this thatthou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while it wasalive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.{12:22} And he said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept:for I said, Who knoweth whether Jehovah will not be gracious to me,that the child may live? {12:23} But now he is dead, wherefore should Ifast? can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will notreturn to me.

{12:24} And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife, and went in untoher, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his nameSolomon. And Jehovah loved him; {12:25} and he sent by the hand ofNathan the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, for Jehovah’s sake.

{12:26} Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, andtook the royal city. {12:27} And Joab sent messengers to David, andsaid, I have fought against Rabbah; yea, I have taken the city ofwaters. {12:28} Now therefore gather the rest of the people together,and encamp against the city, and take it; lest I take the city, and itbe called after my name. {12:29} And David gathered all the peopletogether, and went to Rabbah, and fought against it, and took it.{12:30} And he took the crown of their king from off his head; and theweight thereof was a talent of gold, and [in it were] precious stones;and it was set on David’s head. And he brought forth the spoil of thecity, exceeding much. {12:31} And he brought forth the people that weretherein, and put them under saws, and under harrows of iron, and underaxes of iron, and made them pass through the brickkiln: and thus did heunto all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all thepeople returned unto Jerusalem.

{13:1} And it came to pass after this, that Absalom the son of Davidhad a fair sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of Davidloved her. {13:2} And Amnon was so vexed that he fell sick because ofhis sister Tamar; for she was a virgin; and it seemed hard to Amnon todo anything unto her. {13:3} But Amnon had a friend, whose name wasJonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother; and Jonadab was a verysubtle man. {13:4} And he said unto him, Why, O son of the king, artthou thus lean from day to day? wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon saidunto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister. {13:5} And Jonadabsaid unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed, and feign thyself sick: andwhen thy father cometh to see thee, say unto him, Let my sister Tamarcome, I pray thee, and give me bread to eat, and dress the food in mysight, that I may see it, and eat it from her hand. {13:6} So Amnon laydown, and feigned himself sick: and when the king was come to see him,Amnon said unto the king, Let her sister Tamar come, I pray thee, andmake me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.

{13:7} Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, Go now to thy brotherAmnon’s house, and dress him food. {13:8} So Tamar went to her brotherAmnon’s house; and he was laid down. And she took dough, and kneadedit, and made cakes in his sight, and did bake the cakes. {13:9} And shetook the pan, and poured them out before him; but he refused to eat.And Amnon said, Have out all men from me. And they went out every manfrom him. {13:10} And Amnon said unto Tamar, Bring the food into thechamber, that I may eat from thy hand. And Tamar took the cakes whichshe had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother.{13:11} And when she had brought them near unto him to eat, he tookhold of her, and said unto her, Come, lie with me, my sister. {13:12}And she answered him, Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no suchthing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly. {13:13} AndI, whither shall I carry my shame? and as for thee, thou wilt be as oneof the fools in Israel. Now therefore, I pray thee, speak unto theking; for he will not withhold me from thee. {13:14} Howbeit he wouldnot hearken unto her voice; but being stronger than she, he forced her,and lay with her.

{13:15} Then Amnon hated her with exceeding great hatred; for thehatred wherewith he hated her was greater than the love wherewith hehad loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone. {13:16} And shesaid unto him, Not so, because this great wrong in putting me forth is[worse] than the other that thou didst unto me. But he would nothearken unto her. {13:17} Then he called his servant that ministeredunto him, and said, Put now this woman out from me, and bolt the doorafter her. {13:18} And she had a garment of divers colors upon her; forwith such robes were the king’s daughters that were virgins apparelled.Then his servant brought her out, and bolted the door after her.{13:19} And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of diverscolors that was on her; and she laid her hand on her head, and went herway, crying aloud as she went.

{13:20} And Absalom her brother said unto her, Hath Amnon thybrother been with thee? but now hold thy peace, my sister: he is thybrother; take not this thing to heart. So Tamar remained desolate inher brother Absalom’s house. {13:21} But when king David heard of allthese things, he was very wroth. {13:22} And Absalom spake unto Amnonneither good nor bad; for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had forcedhis sister Tamar.

{13:23} And it came to pass after two full years, that Absalom hadsheep-shearers in Baal-hazor, which is beside Ephraim: and Absalominvited all the king’s sons. {13:24} And Absalom came to the king, andsaid, Behold now, thy servant hath sheep-shearers; let the king, I praythee, and his servants go with thy servant. {13:25} And the king saidto Absalom, Nay, my son, let us not all go, lest we be burdensome untothee. And he pressed him: howbeit he would not go, but blessed him.{13:26} Then said Absalom, If not, I pray thee, let my brother Amnon gowith us. And the king said unto him, Why should he go with thee?{13:27} But Absalom pressed him, and he let Amnon and all the king’ssons go with him. {13:28} And Absalom commanded his servants, saying,Mark ye now, when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine; and when I say untoyou, Smite Amnon, then kill him; fear not; have not I commanded you? becourageous, and be valiant. {13:29} And the servants of Absalom didunto Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose,and every man gat him up upon his mule, and fled.

{13:30} And it came to pass, while they were in the way, that thetidings came to David, saying, Absalom hath slain all the king’s sons,and there is not one of them left. {13:31} Then the king arose, andrent his garments, and lay on the earth; and all his servants stood bywith their clothes rent. {13:32} And Jonadab, the son of Shimeah,David’s brother, answered and said, Let not my lord suppose that theyhave killed all the young men the king’s sons; for Amnon only is dead;for by the appointment of Absalom this hath been determined from theday that he forced his sister Tamar. {13:33} Now therefore let not mylord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king’ssons are dead; for Amnon only is dead.

{13:34} But Absalom fled. And the young man that kept the watchlifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came much people bythe way of the hill-side behind him. {13:35} And Jonadab said unto theking, Behold, the king’s sons are come: as thy servant said, so it is.{13:36} And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of speaking,that, behold, the king’s sons came, and lifted up their voice, andwept: and the king also and all his servants wept very sore.

{13:37} But Absalom fled, and went to Talmai the son of Ammihur,king of Geshur. And [David] mourned for his son every day. {13:38} SoAbsalom fled, and went to Geshur, and was there three years. {13:39}And [the soul of] king David longed to go forth unto Absalom: for hewas comforted concerning Amnon, seeing he was dead.

{14:1} Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heartwas toward Absalom. {14:2} And Joab sent to Tekoa, and fetched thence awise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be amourner, and put on mourning apparel, I pray thee, and anoint notthyself with oil, but be as a woman that hath a long time mourned forthe dead: {14:3} and go in to the king, and speak on this manner untohim. So Joab put the words in her mouth.

{14:4} And when the woman of Tekoa spake to the king, she fell onher face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king.{14:5} And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered,Of a truth I am a widow, and my husband is dead. {14:6} And thyhandmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, andthere was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and killedhim. {14:7} And, behold, the whole family is risen against thyhandmaid, and they say, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we maykill him for the life of his brother whom he slew, and so destroy theheir also. Thus will they quench my coal which is left, and will leaveto my husband neither name nor remainder upon the face of the earth.

{14:8} And the king said unto the woman, Go to thy house, and I willgive charge concerning thee. {14:9} And the woman of Tekoa said untothe king, My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father’shouse; and the king and his throne be guiltless. {14:10} And the kingsaid, Whosoever saith aught unto thee, bring him to me, and he shallnot touch thee any more. {14:11} Then said she, I pray thee, let theking remember Jehovah thy God, that the avenger of blood destroy notany more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As Jehovah liveth,there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth.

{14:12} Then the woman said, Let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak aword unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on. {14:13} And the womansaid, Wherefore then hast thou devised such a thing against the peopleof God? for in speaking this word the king is as one that is guilty, inthat the king doth not fetch home again his banished one. {14:14} Forwe must needs die, and are as water split on the ground, which cannotbe gathered up again; neither doth God take away life, but devisethmeans, that he that is banished be not an outcast from him. {14:15} Nowtherefore seeing that I am come to speak this word unto my lord theking, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaidsaid, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king willperform the request of his servant. {14:16} For the king will hear, todeliver his servant out of the hand of the man that would destroy meand my son together out of the inheritance of God. {14:17} Then thyhandmaid said, Let, I pray thee, the word of my lord the king becomfortable; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discerngood and bad: and Jehovah thy God be with thee.

{14:18} Then the king answered and said unto the woman, Hide notfrom me, I pray thee, aught that I shall ask thee. And the woman said,Let my lord the king now speak. {14:19} And the king said, Is the handof Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thysoul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or tothe left from aught that my lord the king hath spoken; for thy servantJoab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thyhandmaid; {14:20} to change the face of the matter hath thy servantJoab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom ofan angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.

{14:21} And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done thisthing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom back. {14:22} And Joabfell to the ground on his face, and did obeisance, and blessed theking: and Joab said, To-day thy servant knoweth that I have found favorin thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath performed therequest of his servant. {14:23} So Joab arose and went to Geshur, andbrought Absalom to Jerusalem. {14:24} And the king said, Let him turnto his own house, but let him not see my face. So Absalom turned to hisown house, and saw not the king’s face.

{14:25} Now in all Israel there was none to be so much praised asAbsalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown ofhis head there was no blemish in him. {14:26} And when he cut the hairof his head (now it was at every year’s end that he cut it; because itwas heavy on him, therefore he cut it); he weighed the hair of his headat two hundred shekels, after the king’s weight. {14:27} And untoAbsalom there were born three sons, and one daughter, whose name wasTamar: she was a woman of a fair countenance.

{14:28} And Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem; and he sawnot the king’s face. {14:29} Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him tothe king; but he would not come to him: and he sent again a secondtime, but he would not come. {14:30} Therefore he said unto hisservants, See, Joab’s field is near mine, and he hath barley there; goand set it on fire. And Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.{14:31} Then Joab arose, and came to Absalom unto his house, and saidunto him, Wherefore have thy servants set my field on fire? {14:32} AndAbsalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent unto thee, saying, Come hither,that I may send thee to the king, to say, Wherefore am I come fromGeshur? it were better for me to be there still. Now therefore let mesee the king’s face; and if there be iniquity in me, let him kill me.{14:33} So Joab came to the king, and told him; and when he had calledfor Absalom, he came to the king, and bowed himself on his face to theground before the king: and the king kissed Absalom.

{15:1} And it came to pass after this, that Absalom prepared him achariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him. {15:2} And Absalomrose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate: and it was so,that, when any man had a suit which should come to the king forjudgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said, Of what city artthou? And he said, Thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel.{15:3} And Absalom said unto him, See, thy matters are good and right;but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee. {15:4} Absalomsaid moreover, Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every manwho hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do himjustice! {15:5} And it was so, that, when any man came nigh to do himobeisance, he put forth his hand, and took hold of him, and kissed him.{15:6} And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to theking for judgment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

{15:7} And it came to pass at the end of forty years, that Absalomsaid unto the king, I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow, which I havevowed unto Jehovah, in Hebron. {15:8} For thy servant vowed a vow whileI abode at Geshur in Syria, saying, If Jehovah shall indeed bring meagain to Jerusalem, then I will serve Jehovah. {15:9} And the king saidunto him, Go in peace. So he arose, and went to Hebron. {15:10} ButAbsalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soonas ye hear the sound of the trumpet, then ye shall say, Absalom is kingin Hebron. {15:11} And with Absalom went two hundred men out ofJerusalem, that were invited, and went in their simplicity; and theyknew not anything. {15:12} And Absalom sent for Ahithophel theGilonite, David’s counsellor, from his city, even from Giloh, while hewas offering the sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for thepeople increased continually with Absalom.

{15:13} And there came a messenger to David, saying, The hearts ofthe men of Israel are after Absalom. {15:14} And David said unto allhis servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee;for else none of us shall escape from Absalom: make speed to depart,lest he overtake us quickly, and bring down evil upon us, and smite thecity with the edge of the sword. {15:15} And the king’s servants saidunto the king, Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lordthe king shall choose. {15:16} And the king went forth, and all hishousehold after him. And the king left ten women, that were concubines,to keep the house. {15:17} And the king went forth, and all the peopleafter him; and they tarried in Beth-merhak. {15:18} And all hisservants passed on beside him; and all the Cherethites, and all thePelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men that came after himfrom Gath, passed on before the king.

{15:19} Then said the king to Ittai the Gittite, Wherefore goestthou also with us? return, and abide with the king: for thou art aforeigner, and also an exile; [return] to thine own place. {15:20}Whereas thou camest but yesterday, should I this day make thee go upand down with us, seeing I go whither I may? return thou, and take backthy brethren; mercy and truth be with thee. {15:21} And Ittai answeredthe king, and said, As Jehovah liveth, and as my lord the king liveth,surely in what place my lord the king shall be, whether for death orfor life, even there also will thy servant be. {15:22} And David saidto Ittai, Go and pass over. And Ittai the Gittite passed over, and allhis men, and all the little ones that were with him. {15:23} And allthe country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over: theking also himself passed over the brook Kidron, and all the peoplepassed over, toward the way of the wilderness.

{15:24} And, lo, Zadok also [came], and all the Levites with him,bearing the ark of the covenant of God; and they set down the ark ofGod; and Abiathar went up, until all the people had done passing out ofthe city. {15:25} And the king said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark ofGod into the city: if I shall find favor in the eyes of Jehovah, hewill bring me again, and show me both it, and his habitation: {15:26}but if he say thus, I have no delight in thee; behold, here am I, lethim do to me as seemeth good unto him. {15:27} The king said also untoZadok the priest, Art thou [not] a seer? return into the city in peace,and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz thy son, and Jonathan the son ofAbiathar. {15:28} See, I will tarry at the fords of the wilderness,until there come word from you to certify me. {15:29} Zadok thereforeand Abiathar carried the ark of God again to Jerusalem: and they abodethere.

{15:30} And David went up by the ascent of the [mount of] Olives,and wept as he went up; and he had his head covered, and went barefoot:and all the people that were with him covered every man his head, andthey went up, weeping as they went up. {15:31} And one told David,saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And Davidsaid, O Jehovah, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel intofoolishness. {15:32} And it came to pass, that, when David was come tothe top [of the ascent], where God was worshipped, behold, Hushai theArchite came to meet him with his coat rent, and earth upon his head.{15:33} And David said unto him, If thou passest on with me, then thouwilt be a burden unto me: {15:34} but if thou return to the city, andsay unto Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king; as I have been thyfather’s servant in time past, so will I now be thy servant; then wiltthou defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel. {15:35} And hast thou notthere with thee Zadok and Abiathar the priests? therefore it shall be,that what thing soever thou shalt hear out of the king’s house, thoushalt tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. {15:36} Behold, theyhave there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son, andJonathan, Abiathar’s son; and by them ye shall send unto me everythingthat ye shall hear. {15:37} So Hushai, David’s friend, came into thecity; and Absalom came into Jerusalem.

{16:1} And when David was a little past the top [of the ascent],behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple ofasses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and a hundredclusters of raisins, and a hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle ofwine. {16:2} And the king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these?And Ziba said, The asses are for the king’s household to ride on; andthe bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat; and the wine, thatsuch as are faint in the wilderness may drink. {16:3} And the kingsaid, And where is thy master’s son? And Ziba said unto the king,Behold, he abideth at Jerusalem; for he said, To-day will the house ofIsrael restore me the kingdom of my father. {16:4} Then said the kingto Ziba, Behold, thine is all that pertaineth unto Mephibosheth. AndZiba said, I do obeisance; let me find favor in thy sight, my lord, Oking.

{16:5} And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, there came outthence a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei,the son of Gera; he came out, and cursed still as he came. {16:6} Andhe cast stones at David, and at all the servants of king David: and allthe people and all the mighty men were on his right hand and on hisleft. {16:7} And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Begone, begone, thouman of blood, and base fellow: {16:8} Jehovah hath returned upon theeall the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned;and Jehovah hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thyson; and, behold, thou art [taken] in thine own mischief, because thouart a man of blood.

{16:9} Then said Abishai the son of Zeruiah unto the king, Whyshould this dead dog curse my lord the king? let me go over, I praythee, and take off his head. {16:10} And the king said, What have I todo with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? Because he curseth, and becauseJehovah hath said unto him, Curse David; who then shall say, Whereforehast thou done so? {16:11} And David said to Abishai, and to all hisservants, Behold, my son, who came forth from my bowels, seeketh mylife: how much more [may] this Benjamite now [do it]? let him alone,and let him curse; for Jehovah hath bidden him. {16:12} It may be thatJehovah will look on the wrong done unto me, and that Jehovah willrequite me good for [his] cursing of me this day. {16:13} So David andhis men went by the way; and Shimei went along on the hill-side overagainst him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and castdust. {16:14} And the king, and all the people that were with him, cameweary; and he refreshed himself there.

{16:15} And Absalom, and all the people, the men of Israel, came toJerusalem, and Ahithophel with him. {16:16} And it came to pass, whenHushai the Archite, David’s friend, was come unto Absalom, that Hushaisaid unto Absalom, [Long] live the king, [Long] live the king. {16:17}And Absalom said to Hushai, Is this thy kindness to thy friend? whywentest thou not with thy friend? {16:18} And Hushai said unto Absalom,Nay; but whom Jehovah, and this people, and all the men of Israel havechosen, his will I be, and with him will I abide. {16:19} And again,whom should I serve? [should I] not [serve] in the presence of his son?as I have served in thy father’s presence, so will I be in thy presence.

{16:20} Then said Absalom to Ahithophel, Give your counsel what weshall do. {16:21} And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thyfather’s concubines, that he hath left to keep the house; and allIsrael will hear that thou art abhorred of thy father: then will thehands of all that are with thee be strong. {16:22} So they spreadAbsalom a tent upon the top of the house; and Absalom went in unto hisfather’s concubines in the sight of all Israel. {16:23} And the counselof Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if a man inquired atthe oracle of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with Davidand with Absalom.

{17:1} Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose outtwelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David thisnight: {17:2} and I will come upon him while he is weary andweak-handed, and will make him afraid; and all the people that are withhim shall flee; and I will smite the king only; {17:3} and I will bringback all the people unto thee: the man whom thou seekest is as if allreturned: [so] all the people shall be in peace. {17:4} And the sayingpleased Absalom well, and all the elders of Israel.

{17:5} Then said Absalom, Call now Hushai the Archite also, and letus hear likewise what he saith. {17:6} And when Hushai was come toAbsalom, Absalom spake unto him, saying, Ahithophel hath spoken afterthis manner: shall we do [after] his saying? if not, speak thou. {17:7}And Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel hath giventhis time is not good. {17:8} Hushai said moreover, Thou knowest thyfather and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are chafed intheir minds, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field; and thyfather is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people. {17:9}Behold, he is hid now in some pit, or in some [other] place: and itwill come to pass, when some of them are fallen at the first, thatwhosoever heareth it will say, There is a slaughter among the peoplethat follow Absalom. {17:10} And even he that is valiant, whose heartis as the heart of a lion, will utterly melt; for all Israel knoweththat thy father is a mighty man, and they that are with him are valiantmen. {17:11} But I counsel that all Israel be gathered together untothee, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, as the sand that is by the sea formultitude; and that thou go to battle in thine own person. {17:12} Soshall we come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and wewill light upon him as the dew falleth on the ground; and of him and ofall the men that are with him we will not leave so much as one. {17:13}Moreover, if he be gotten into a city, then shall all Israel bringropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river, until there benot one small stone found there. {17:14} And Absalom and all the men ofIsrael said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than thecounsel of Ahithophel. For Jehovah had ordained to defeat the goodcounsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that Jehovah might bring evil uponAbsalom.

{17:15} Then said Hushai unto Zadok and to Abiathar the priests,Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel;and thus and thus have I counselled. {17:16} Now therefore sendquickly, and tell David, saying, Lodge not this night at the fords ofthe wilderness, but by all means pass over; lest the king be swallowedup, and all the people that are with him. {17:17} Now Jonathan andAhimaaz were staying by En-rogel; and a maid-servant used to go andtell them; and they went and told king David: for they might not beseen to come into the city. {17:18} But a lad saw them, and toldAbsalom: and they went both of them away quickly, and came to the houseof a man in Bahurim, who had a well in his court; and they went downthither. {17:19} And the woman took and spread the covering over thewell’s mouth, and strewed bruised grain thereon; and nothing was known.{17:20} And Absalom’s servants came to the woman to the house; and theysaid, Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said unto them,They are gone over the brook of water. And when they had sought andcould not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

{17:21} And it came to pass, after they were departed, that theycame up out of the well, and went and told king David; and they saidunto David, Arise ye, and pass quickly over the water; for thus hathAhithophel counselled against you. {17:22} Then David arose, and allthe people that were with him, and they passed over the Jordan: by themorning light there lacked not one of them that was not gone over theJordan. {17:23} And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was notfollowed, he saddled his ass, and arose, and gat him home, unto hiscity, and set his house in order, and hanged himself; and he died, andwas buried in the sepulchre of his father.

{17:24} Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over theJordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. {17:25} And Absalom setAmasa over the host instead of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man,whose name was Ithra the Israelite, that went in to Abigal the daughterof Nahash, sister to Zeruiah, Joab’s mother. {17:26} And Israel andAbsalom encamped in the land of Gilead.

{17:27} And it came to pass, when David was come to Mahanaim, thatShobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machirthe son of Ammiel of Lodebar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim,{17:28} brought beds, and basins, and earthen vessels, and wheat, andbarley, and meal, and parched [grain], and beans, and lentils, andparched [pulse], {17:29} and honey, and butter, and sheep, and cheeseof the herd, for David, and for the people that were with him, to eat:for they said, The people are hungry, and weary, and thirsty, in thewilderness.

{18:1} And David numbered the people that were with him, and setcaptains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them. {18:2} AndDavid sent forth the people, a third part under the hand of Joab, and athird part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’sbrother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And theking said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also.{18:3} But the people said, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we fleeaway, they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will theycare for us: but thou art worth ten thousand of us; therefore now it isbetter that thou be ready to succor us out of the city. {18:4} And theking said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the kingstood by the gate-side, and all the people went out by hundreds and bythousands. {18:5} And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai,saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom.And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains chargeconcerning Absalom.

{18:6} So the people went out into the field against Israel: and thebattle was in the forest of Ephraim. {18:7} And the people of Israelwere smitten there before the servants of David, and there was a greatslaughter there that day of twenty thousand men. {18:8} For the battlewas there spread over the face of all the country; and the forestdevoured more people that day than the sword devoured.

{18:9} And Absalom chanced to meet the servants of David. AndAbsalom was riding upon his mule, and the mule went under the thickboughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he wastaken up between heaven and earth; and the mule that was under him wenton. {18:10} And a certain man saw it, and told Joab, and said, Behold,I saw Absalom hanging in an oak. {18:11} And Joab said unto the manthat told him, And, behold, thou sawest it, and why didst thou notsmite him there to the ground? and I would have given thee ten [piecesof] silver, and a girdle. {18:12} And the man said unto Joab, Though Ishould receive a thousand [pieces of] silver in my hand, yet would Inot put forth my hand against the king’s son; for in our hearing theking charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that none touchthe young man Absalom. {18:13} Otherwise if I had dealt falsely againsthis life (and there is no matter hid from the king), then thou thyselfwouldest have set thyself against [me]. {18:14} Then said Joab, I maynot tarry thus with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, andthrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in themidst of the oak. {18:15} And ten young men that bare Joab’s armorcompassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him.

{18:16} And Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned frompursuing after Israel; for Joab held back the people. {18:17} And theytook Absalom, and cast him into the great pit in the forest, and raisedover him a very great heap of stones: and all Israel fled every one tohis tent. {18:18} Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared upfor himself the pillar, which is in the king’s dale; for he said, Ihave no son to keep my name in remembrance: and he called the pillarafter his own name; and it is called Absalom’s monument, unto this day.

{18:19} Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, Let me now run, and bearthe king tidings, how that Jehovah hath avenged him of his enemies.{18:20} And Joab said unto him, Thou shalt not be the bearer of tidingsthis day, but thou shalt bear tidings another day; but this day thoushalt bear no tidings, because the king’s son is dead. {18:21} Thensaid Joab to the Cushite, Go, tell the king what thou hast seen. Andthe Cushite bowed himself unto Joab, and ran. {18:22} Then said Ahimaazthe son of Zadok yet again to Joab, But come what may, let me, I praythee, also run after the Cushite. And Joab said, Wherefore wilt thourun, my son, seeing that thou wilt have no reward for the tidings?{18:23} But come what may, [said he], I will run. And he said unto him,Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Plain, and outran the Cushite.

{18:24} Now David was sitting between the two gates: and thewatchman went up to the roof of the gate unto the wall, and lifted uphis eyes, and looked, and, behold, a man running alone. {18:25} And thewatchman cried, and told the king. And the king said, If he be alone,there is tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and drew near.{18:26} And the watchman saw another man running; and the watchmancalled unto the porter, and said, Behold, [another] man running alone.And the king said, He also bringeth tidings. {18:27} And the watchmansaid, I think the running of the foremost is like the running ofAhimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man, andcometh with good tidings.

{18:28} And Ahimaaz called, and said unto the king, All is well. Andhe bowed himself before the king with his face to the earth, and said,Blessed be Jehovah thy God, who hath delivered up the men that liftedup their hand against my lord the king. {18:29} And the king said, Isit well with the young man Absalom? And Ahimaaz answered, When Joabsent the king’s servant, even me thy servant, I saw a great tumult, butI knew not what it was. {18:30} And the king said, Turn aside, andstand here. And he turned aside, and stood still.

{18:31} And, behold, the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, Tidingsfor my lord the king; for Jehovah hath avenged thee this day of allthem that rose up against thee. {18:32} And the king said unto theCushite, Is it well with the young man Absalom? And the Cushiteanswered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise up againstthee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is. {18:33} And the king wasmuch moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and ashe went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! wouldI had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!

{19:1} And it was told Joab, Behold, the king weepeth and mournethfor Absalom. {19:2} And the victory that day was turned into mourningunto all the people; for the people heard say that day, The kinggrieveth for his son. {19:3} And the people gat them by stealth thatday into the city, as people that are ashamed steal away when they fleein battle. {19:4} And the king covered his face, and the king criedwith a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son! {19:5}And Joab came into the house to the king, and said, Thou hast shamedthis day the faces of all thy servants, who this day have saved thylife, and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters, and the lives ofthy wives, and the lives of thy concubines; {19:6} in that thou lovestthem that hate thee, and hatest them that love thee. For thou hastdeclared this day, that princes and servants are nought unto thee: forthis day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and all we had diedthis day, then it had pleased thee well. {19:7} Now therefore arise, goforth, and speak comfortably unto thy servants; for I swear by Jehovah,if thou go not forth, there will not tarry a man with thee this night:and that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that hath befallenthee from thy youth until now. {19:8} Then the king arose, and sat inthe gate. And they told unto all the people, saying, Behold, the kingis sitting in the gate: and all the people came before the king.

Now Israel had fled every man to his tent. {19:9} And all the peoplewere at strife throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The kingdelivered us out of the hand of our enemies, and he saved us out of thehand of the Philistines; and now he is fled out of the land fromAbsalom. {19:10} And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead inbattle. Now therefore why speak ye not a word of bringing the king back?

{19:11} And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests,saying, Speak unto the elders of Judah, saying, Why are ye the last tobring the king back to his house? seeing the speech of all Israel iscome to the king, [to bring him] to his house. {19:12} Ye are mybrethren, ye are my bone and my flesh: wherefore then are ye the lastto bring back the king? {19:13} And say ye to Amasa, Art thou not mybone and my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if thou be notcaptain of the host before me continually in the room of Joab. {19:14}And he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, even as [the heart of]one man; so that they sent unto the king, [saying], Return thou, andall thy servants. {19:15} So the king returned, and came to the Jordan.And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to bring the kingover the Jordan.

{19:16} And Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, who was ofBahurim, hasted and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David.{19:17} And there were a thousand men of Benjamin with him, and Zibathe servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and his twentyservants with him; and they went through the Jordan in the presence ofthe king. {19:18} And there went over a ferry-boat to bring over theking’s household, and to do what he thought good. And Shimei the son ofGera fell down before the king, when he was come over the Jordan.{19:19} And he said unto the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity untome, neither do thou remember that which thy servant did perversely theday that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king shouldtake it to his heart. {19:20} For thy servant doth know that I havesinned: therefore, behold, I am come this day the first of all thehouse of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king.

{19:21} But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Shall notShimei be put to death for this, because he cursed Jehovah’s anointed?{19:22} And David said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah,that ye should this day be adversaries unto me? shall there any man beput to death this day in Israel? for do not I know that I am this dayking over Israel? {19:23} And the king said unto Shimei, Thou shalt notdie. And the king sware unto him.

{19:24} And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king;and he had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washedhis clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came homein peace. {19:25} And it came to pass, when he was come to Jerusalem tomeet the king, that the king said unto him, Wherefore wentest not thouwith me, Mephibosheth? {19:26} And he answered, My lord, O king, myservant deceived me: for thy servant said, I will saddle me an ass,that I may ride thereon, and go with the king; because thy servant islame. {19:27} And he hath slandered thy servant unto my lord the king;but my lord the king is as an angel of God: do therefore what is goodin thine eyes. {19:28} For all my father’s house were but dead menbefore my lord the king; yet didst thou set thy servant among them thatdid eat at thine own table. What right therefore have I yet that Ishould cry any more unto the king? {19:29} And the king said unto him,Why speakest thou any more of thy matters? I say, Thou and Ziba dividethe land. {19:30} And Mephibosheth said unto the king, yea, let himtake all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come in peace unto his ownhouse.

{19:31} And Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim; and hewent over the Jordan with the king, to conduct him over the Jordan.{19:32} Now Barzillai was a very aged man, even fourscore years old:and he had provided the king with sustenance while he lay at Mahanaim;for he was a very great man. {19:33} And the king said unto Barzillai,Come thou over with me, and I will sustain thee with me in Jerusalem.{19:34} And Barzillai said unto the king, How many are the days of theyears of my life, that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem?{19:35} I am this day fourscore years old: can I discern between goodand bad? can thy servant taste what I eat or what I drink? can I hearany more the voice of singing men and singing women? wherefore thenshould thy servant be yet a burden unto my lord the king? {19:36} Thyservant would but just go over the Jordan with the king: and why shouldthe king recompense it me with such a reward? {19:37} Let thy servant,I pray thee, turn back again, that I may die in mine own city, by thegrave of my father and my mother. But behold, thy servant Chimham; lethim go over with my lord the king; and do to him what shall seem goodunto thee. {19:38} And the king answered, Chimham shall go over withme, and I will do to him that which shall seem good unto thee: andwhatsoever thou shalt require of me, that will I do for thee. {19:39}And all the people went over the Jordan, and the king went over: andthe king kissed Barzillai, and blessed him; and he returned unto hisown place.

{19:40} So the king went over to Gilgal, and Chimham went over withhim: and all the people of Judah brought the king over, and also halfthe people of Israel. {19:41} And, behold, all the men of Israel cameto the king, and said unto the king, Why have our brethren the men ofJudah stolen thee away, and brought the king, and his household, overthe Jordan, and all David’s men with him? {19:42} And all the men ofJudah answered the men of Israel, Because the king is near of kin tous: wherefore then are ye angry for this matter? have we eaten at allat the king’s cost? or hath he given us any gift? {19:43} And the menof Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, We have ten parts in theking, and we have also more [right] in David than ye: why then did yedespise us, that our advice should not be first had in bringing backour king? And the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the wordsof the men of Israel.

{20:1} And there happened to be there a base fellow, whose name wasSheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew the trumpet, andsaid, We have no portion in David, neither have we inheritance in theson of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel. {20:2} So all the menof Israel went up from following David, and followed Sheba the son ofBichri; but the men of Judah clave unto their king, from the Jordaneven to Jerusalem.

{20:3} And David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king tookthe ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, andput them in ward, and provided them with sustenance, but went not inunto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living inwidowhood.

{20:4} Then said the king to Amasa, Call me the men of Judahtogether within three days, and be thou here present. {20:5} So Amasawent to call [the men of] Judah together; but he tarried longer thanthe set time which he had appointed him. {20:6} And David said toAbishai, Now will Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than didAbsalom: take thou thy lord’s servants, and pursue after him, lest heget him fortified cities, and escape out of our sight. {20:7} And therewent out after him Joab’s men, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites,and all the mighty men; and they went out of Jerusalem, to pursue afterSheba the son of Bichri. {20:8} When they were at the great stone whichis in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. And Joab was girded with hisapparel of war that he had put on, and thereon was a girdle with asword fastened upon his loins in the sheath thereof; and as he wentforth it fell out. {20:9} And Joab said to Amasa, Is it well with thee,my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand tokiss him. {20:10} But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was inJoab’s hand: so he smote him therewith in the body, and shed out hisbowels to the ground, and struck him not again; and he died.

And Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son ofBichri. {20:11} And there stood by him one of Joab’s young men, andsaid, He that favoreth Joab, and he that is for David, let him followJoab. {20:12} And Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the midst of thehighway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, hecarried Amasa out of the highway into the field, and cast a garmentover him, when he saw that every one that came by him stood still.{20:13} When he was removed out of the highway, all the people went onafter Joab, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.

{20:14} And he went through all the tribes of Israel unto Abel, andto Beth-maacah, and all the Berites: and they were gathered together,and went also after him. {20:15} And they came and besieged him in Abelof Beth-maacah, and they cast up a mound against the city, and it stoodagainst the rampart; and all the people that were with Joab batteredthe wall, to throw it down. {20:16} Then cried a wise woman out of thecity, Hear, hear; say, I pray you, unto Joab, Come near hither, that Imay speak with thee. {20:17} And he came near unto her; and the womansaid, Art thou Joab? And he answered, I am. Then she said unto him,Hear the words of thy handmaid. And he answered, I do hear. {20:18}Then she spake, saying, They were wont to speak in old time, saying,They shall surely ask [counsel] at Abel: and so they ended [thematter]. {20:19} I am of them that are peaceable and faithful inIsrael: thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Israel: why wiltthou swallow up the inheritance of Jehovah? {20:20} And Joab answeredand said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up ordestroy. {20:21} The matter is not so: but a man of the hill-country ofEphraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, hath lifted up his handagainst the king, even against David; deliver him only, and I willdepart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, Behold, his headshall be thrown to thee over the wall. {20:22} Then the woman went untoall the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba theson of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab. And he blew the trumpet, andthey were dispersed from the city, every man to his tent. And Joabreturned to Jerusalem unto the king.

{20:23} Now Joab was over all the host of Israel; and Benaiah theson of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites;{20:24} and Adoram was over the men subject to taskwork; andJehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder; {20:25} and Sheva wasscribe; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests; {20:26} and also Ira theJairite was chief minister unto David.

{21:1} And there was a famine in the days of David three years, yearafter year; and David sought the face of Jehovah. And Jehovah said, Itis for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he put to death theGibeonites. {21:2} And the king called the Gibeonites, and said untothem (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel, but of theremnant of the Amorites; and the children of Israel had sworn untothem: and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal for the children ofIsrael and Judah); {21:3} and David said unto the Gibeonites, Whatshall I do for you? and wherewith shall I make atonement, that ye maybless the inheritance of Jehovah? {21:4} And the Gibeonites said untohim, It is no matter of silver or gold between us and Saul, or hishouse; neither is it for us to put any man to death in Israel. And hesaid, What ye shall say, that will I do for you. {21:5} And they saidunto the king, The man that consumed us, and that devised against us,[that] we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the borders ofIsrael, {21:6} let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and wewill hang them up unto Jehovah in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen ofJehovah. And the king said, I will give them.

{21:7} But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the sonof Saul, because of Jehovah’s oath that was between them, between Davidand Jonathan the son of Saul. {21:8} But the king took the two sons ofRizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bare unto Saul, Armoni andMephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whomshe bare to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite: {21:9} And hedelivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged themin the mountain before Jehovah, and they fell [all] seven together. Andthey were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, atthe beginning of barley harvest.

{21:10} And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spreadit for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water waspoured upon them from heaven; and she suffered neither the birds of theheavens to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.{21:11} And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, theconcubine of Saul, had done.

{21:12} And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones ofJonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen themfrom the street of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them, inthe day that the Philistines slew Saul in Gilboa; {21:13} and hebrought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan hisson: and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged. {21:14} Andthey buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country ofBenjamin in Zela, in the sepulchre of Kish his father: and theyperformed all that the king commanded. And after that God was entreatedfor the land.

{21:15} And the Philistines had war again with Israel; and Davidwent down, and his servants with him, and fought against thePhilistines. And David waxed faint; {21:16} and Ishbibenob, who was ofthe sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred[shekels] of brass in weight, he being girded with a new [sword],thought to have slain David. {21:17} But Abishai the son of Zeruiahsuccored him, and smote the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men ofDavid sware unto him, saying, Thou shalt go no more out with us tobattle, that thou quench not the lamp of Israel.

{21:18} And it came to pass after this, that there was again warwith the Philistines at Gob: then Sibbecai the Hushathite slew Saph,who was of the sons of the giant. {21:19} And there was again war withthe Philistines at Gob; and Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim theBeth-lehemite slew Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear waslike a weaver’s beam. {21:20} And there was again war at Gath, wherewas a man of great stature, that had on every hand six fingers, and onevery foot six toes, four and twenty in number; and he also was born tothe giant. {21:21} And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son ofShimei, David’s brother, slew him. {21:22} These four were born to thegiant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand ofhis servants.

{22:1} And David spake unto Jehovah the words of this song in theday that Jehovah delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, andout of the hand of Saul: {22:2} and he said,Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, even mine;{22:3} God, my rock, in him will I take refuge;My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge;My saviour, thou savest me from violence.{22:4} I will call upon Jehovah, who is worthy to be praised:So shall I be saved from mine enemies.
{22:5} For the waves of death compassed me;The floods of ungodliness made me afraid:{22:6} The cords of Sheol were round about me;The snares of death came upon me.
{22:7} In my distress I called upon Jehovah;Yea, I called unto my God:
And he heard my voice out of his temple,And my cry [came] into his ears.
{22:8} Then the earth shook and trembled,The foundations of heaven quaked
And were shaken, because he was wroth.
{22:9} There went up a smoke out of his nostrils,And fire out of his mouth devoured:
Coals were kindled by it.
{22:10} He bowed the heavens also, and came down;And thick darkness was under his feet.
{22:11} And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly;Yea, he was seen upon the wings of the wind.{22:12} And he made darkness pavilions round about him,Gathering of waters, thick clouds of the skies.{22:13} At the brightness before him
Coals of fire were kindled.
{22:14} Jehovah thundered from heaven,
And the Most High uttered his voice.
{22:15} And he sent out arrows, and scattered them;Lightning, and discomfited them.
{22:16} Then the channels of the sea appeared,The foundations of the world were laid bare,By the rebuke of Jehovah,
At the blast of the breath of his nostrils.{22:17} He sent from on high, he took me;He drew me out of many waters;
{22:18} He delivered me from my strong enemy,From them that hated me; for they were too mighty for me.{22:19} They came upon me in the day of my calamity;But Jehovah was my stay.
{22:20} He brought me forth also into a large place;He delivered me, because he delighted in me.{22:21} Jehovah rewarded me according to my righteousness;According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.{22:22} For I have kept the ways of Jehovah,And have not wickedly departed from my God.{22:23} For all his ordinances were before me;And as for his statutes, I did not depart from them.{22:24} I was also perfect toward him;
And I kept myself from mine iniquity.
{22:25} Therefore hath Jehovah recompensed me according to my

righteousness,
According to my cleanness in his eyesight.{22:26} With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful;With the perfect man thou wilt show thyself perfect;{22:27} With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure;And with the perverse thou wilt show thyself froward.{22:28} And the afflicted people thou wilt save;But thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down.{22:29} For thou art my lamp, O Jehovah;And Jehovah will lighten my darkness.
{22:30} For by thee I run upon a troop;By my God do I leap over a wall.
{22:31} As for God, his way is perfect:The word of Jehovah is tried;
He is a shield unto all them that take refuge in him.{22:32} For who is God, save Jehovah?
And who is a rock, save our God?
{22:33} God is my strong fortress;
And he guideth the perfect in his way.
{22:34} He maketh his feet like hinds’ [feet],And setteth me upon my high places.
{22:35} He teacheth my hands to war,
So that mine arms do bend a bow of brass.{22:36} Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation;And thy gentleness hath made me great.
{22:37} Thou hast enlarged my steps under me;And my feet have not slipped.
{22:38} I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them;Neither did I turn again till they were consumed.{22:39} And I have consumed them, and smitten them through, so that

they cannot arise:
Yea, they are fallen under my feet.
{22:40} For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle;Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.{22:41} Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me,That I might cut off them that hate me.{22:42} They looked, but there was none to save;Even unto Jehovah, but he answered them not.{22:43} Then did I beat them small as the dust of the earth,I did crush them as the mire of the streets, and did spread them abroad.{22:44} Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people;Thou hast kept me to be the head of the nations:A people whom I have not known shall serve me.{22:45} The foreigners shall submit themselves unto me:As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me.{22:46} The foreigners shall fade away,And shall come trembling out of their close places.{22:47} Jehovah liveth; And blessed be my rock;And exalted be God, the rock of my salvation,{22:48} Even the God that executeth vengeance for me,And that bringeth down peoples under me,{22:49} And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies:Yea, thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me;Thou deliverest me from the violent man.{22:50} Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah, among the

nations,
And will sing praises unto thy name.
{22:51} Great deliverance giveth he to his king,And showeth lovingkindness to his anointed,To David and to his seed, for evermore.

{23:1} Now these are the last words of David.David the son of Jesse saith,
And the man who was raised on high saith,The anointed of the God of Jacob,
And the sweet psalmist of Israel:
{23:2} The Spirit of Jehovah spake by me,And his word was upon my tongue.
{23:3} The God of Israel said,
The Rock of Israel spake to me:
One that ruleth over men righteously,
That ruleth in the fear of God,
{23:4} [He shall be] as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth,A morning without clouds,
[When] the tender grass [springeth] out of the earth,Through clear shining after rain.
{23:5} Verily my house is not so with God;Yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant,Ordered in all things, and sure:
For it is all my salvation, and all [my] desire,Although he maketh it not to grow.
{23:6} But the ungodly shall be all of them as thorns to be thrust away,Because they cannot be taken with the hand {23:7} But the man that toucheth them
Must be armed with iron and the staff of a spear:And they shall be utterly burned with fire in [their] place

{23:8} These are the names of the mighty men whom David had:Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains; the same wasAdino the Eznite, against eight hundred slain at one time.

{23:9} And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodai the son of anAhohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied thePhilistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men ofIsrael were gone away. {23:10} He arose, and smote the Philistinesuntil his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword; andJehovah wrought a great victory that day; and the people returned afterhim only to take spoil.

{23:11} And after him was Shammah the son of Agee a Hararite. Andthe Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a plotof ground full of lentils; and the people fled from the Philistines.{23:12} But he stood in the midst of the plot, and defended it, andslew the Philistines; and Jehovah wrought a great victory.

{23:13} And three of the thirty chief men went down, and came toDavid in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam; and the troop ofthe Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim. {23:14} AndDavid was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistineswas then in Beth-lehem. {23:15} And David longed, and said, Oh that onewould give me water to drink of the well of Beth-lehem, which is by thegate! {23:16} And the three mighty men brake through the host of thePhilistines, and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem, that was bythe gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but he would not drinkthereof, but poured it out unto Jehovah. {23:17} And he said, Be it farfrom me, O Jehovah, that I should do this: [shall I drink] the blood ofthe men that went in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would notdrink it. These things did the three mighty men.

{23:18} And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, waschief of the three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundredand slew them, and had a name among the three. {23:19} Was he not mosthonorable of the three? therefore he was made their captain: howbeit heattained not unto the [first] three.

{23:20} And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man ofKabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, he slew the two [sons of] Ariel ofMoab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in timeof snow. {23:21} And he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man: and theEgyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a staff,and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with hisown spear. {23:22} These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, andhad a name among the three mighty men. {23:23} He was more honorablethan the thirty, but he attained not to the [first] three. And Davidset him over his guard.

{23:24} Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhananthe son of Dodo of Beth-lehem, {23:25} Shammah the Harodite, Elika theHarodite, {23:26} Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,{23:27} Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite, {23:28}Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite, {23:29} Heleb the son ofBaanah the Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of thechildren of Benjamin, {23:30} Benaiah a Pirathonite, Hiddai of thebrooks of Gaash. {23:31} Abialbon the Arbathite, Azmaveth theBarhumite, {23:32} Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen,Jonathan, {23:33} Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar theArarite, {23:34} Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of theMaacathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite, {23:35} Hezro theCarmelite, Paarai the Arbite, {23:36} Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah,Bani the Gadite, {23:37} Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite,armorbearers to Joab the son of Zeruiah, {23:38} Ira the Ithrite, Garebthe Ithrite, {23:39} Uriah the Hittite: thirty and seven in all.

{24:1} And again the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel,and he moved David against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Judah.{24:2} And the king said to Joab the captain of the host, who was withhim, Go now to and fro through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan evento Beer-sheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the sum of thepeople. {24:3} And Joab said unto the king, Now Jehovah thy God addunto the people, how many soever they may be, a hundredfold; and maythe eyes of my lord the king see it: but why doth my lord the kingdelight in this thing? {24:4} Notwithstanding, the king’s wordprevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the host. And Joaband the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king, tonumber the people of Israel. {24:5} And they passed over the Jordan,and encamped in Aroer, on the right side of the city that is in themiddle of the valley of Gad, and unto Jazer: {24:6} then they came toGilead, and to the land of Tahtim-hodshi; and they came to Dan-jaan,and round about to Sidon, {24:7} and came to the stronghold of Tyre,and to all the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites; and theywent out to the south of Judah, at Beer-sheba. {24:8} So when they hadgone to and from through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at theend of nine months and twenty days. {24:9} And Joab gave up the sum ofthe numbering of the people unto the king: and there were in Israeleight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men ofJudah were five hundred thousand men.

{24:10} And David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered thepeople. And David said unto Jehovah, I have sinned greatly in thatwhich I have done: but now, O Jehovah, put away, I beseech thee, theiniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly. {24:11} Andwhen David rose up in the morning, the word of Jehovah came unto theprophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, {24:12} Go and speak unto David,Thus saith Jehovah, I offer thee three things: choose thee one of them,that I may do it unto thee. {24:13} So Gad came to David, and told him,and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thyland? or wilt thou flee three months before thy foes while they pursuethee? or shall there be three days’ pestilence in thy land? now advisethee, and consider what answer I shall return to him that sent me.{24:14} And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fallnow into the hand of Jehovah; for his mercies are great; and let me notfall into the hand of man. {24:15} So Jehovah sent a pestilence uponIsrael from the morning even to the time appointed; and there died ofthe people from Dan even to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men. {24:16}And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroyit, Jehovah repented him of the evil, and said to the angel thatdestroyed the people, It is enough; now stay thy hand. And the angel ofJehovah was by the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite. {24:17} AndDavid spake unto Jehovah when he saw the angel that smote the people,and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done perversely; but thesesheep, what have they done? let thy hand, I pray thee, be against me,and against my father’s house.

{24:18} And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up,rear an altar unto Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Araunah theJebusite. {24:19} And David went up according to the saying of Gad, asJehovah commanded. {24:20} And Araunah looked forth, and saw the kingand his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowedhimself before the king with his face to the ground. {24:21} AndAraunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? AndDavid said, To buy the threshing-floor of thee, to build an altar untoJehovah, that the plague may be stayed from the people. {24:22} AndAraunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up whatseemeth good unto him: behold, the oxen for the burnt-offering, and thethreshing instruments and the yokes of the oxen for the wood: {24:23}all this, O king, doth Araunah give unto the king. And Araunah saidunto the king, Jehovah thy God accept thee. {24:24} And the king saidunto Araunah, Nay; but I will verily buy it of thee at a price. Neitherwill I offer burnt-offerings unto Jehovah my God which cost me nothing.So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels ofsilver. {24:25} And David built there an altar unto Jehovah, andoffered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. So Jehovah was entreatedfor the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.

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