Study Desk

They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and Jonathan his son, and for the LORD'S people and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword [in battle].

So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said to them, "May you be blessed by the LORD because you showed this graciousness and loyalty to Saul your lord (king), and buried him.

"Now may the LORD show lovingkindness and truth and faithfulness to you. I too will show this goodness to you, because you have done this thing.

And Ish-bosheth could not say another word to Abner, because he was afraid of him.

Then the servants of David came with Joab from a raid and brought a great quantity of spoil with them; but Abner was not with David at Hebron, because David had sent him away, and he had gone in peace.

So Joab and Abishai his brother murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.

Now the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, "You shall not enter here, for the blind and the lame [even the weakest among us] will turn you away"; they thought, "David cannot come in here [because the walls are impenetrable]."

Then David said on that day, "Whoever strikes the Jebusites, let him go up through the [underground] water shaft to strike the lame and the blind, who are detested by David's soul [because of their arrogance]." So [for that reason] they say, "The blind or the lame (Jebusites) shall not come into the [royal] house [of Israel]."

When they came to Nacon's threshing floor, Uzzah reached out [with his hand] to the ark of God and took hold of it, because the oxen [stumbled and] nearly overturned it.

David became angry and grieved and offended because of the LORD'S outburst against Uzzah, and that place has been called Perez-uzzah (outburst against Uzzah) to this day.

Now King David was told, "The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God." So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the City of David with rejoicing and gladness.

Then, as the ark of the LORD came into the City of David, Michal, Saul's daughter [David's wife], looked down from the window above and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she felt contempt for him in her heart [because she thought him undignified].

"Because of Your word (promise), and in accordance with Your own heart, You have done all these great and astounding things to let Your servant know (understand).

But the princes of the Ammonites [were suspicious and] said to Hanun their lord, "Do you think that David is honoring your father because he has sent comforters to you? Has David not sent his servants to you in order to search the city, to spy it out and overthrow it?"

"He shall make restitution for the ewe lamb four times as much [as the lamb was worth], because he did this thing and had no compassion."

'Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.'

"Nevertheless, because by this deed you have given [a great] opportunity to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme [Him], the son that is born to you shall certainly die."

Amnon was so frustrated because of his [half-] sister Tamar that he made himself sick, for she was a virgin, and Amnon thought it impossible for him to do anything to her.

But she said, "No, because this wrong of sending me away is worse than the other that you have done to me!" But he would not listen to her.

But Absalom did not speak to Amnon either good or bad; for Absalom hated Amnon because he had violated his sister Tamar.