Study Desk

"And now, may it please You to bless the house of Your servant, so that it may continue forever before You. For You, Lord GOD, have spoken; and with Your blessing may the house of Your servant be blessed forever."

And David captured from him 1,700 horsemen and twenty thousand foot soldiers; and David hamstrung almost all the chariot horses, but left enough of them for a hundred chariots.

Toi sent his son Joram to King David to greet him and bless him, because he had fought Hadadezer and defeated him; for Hadadezer had been at war with Toi. And Joram brought with him articles of silver, gold, and bronze.

So David made a name for himself when he returned from killing eighteen thousand Arameans in the Valley of Salt.

So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered justice and righteousness for all his people.

Then David said, "Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul, so that I could show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?"

Then David said to him, "Do not be afraid, for I will assuredly show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you yourself shall eat at my table regularly."

"You and your sons and your servants shall cultivate the land for him, and you shall bring in the produce so that your master's grandson will have food to eat; nevertheless Mephibosheth, your master's grandson, shall eat at my table regularly." Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.

And the sons of Ammon came out and lined up for battle at the entrance of the city, while the Arameans of Zobah and of Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were stationed by themselves in the field.

And he said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come to help you.

"Be strong, and let's show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people and the cities of our God; and may the LORD do what is good in His sight."

Then David said to the messenger, "This is what you shall say to Joab: 'Do not let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another; fight with determination against the city and overthrow it'; and thereby encourage him."

Now when Uriah's wife heard that her husband Uriah was dead, she mourned for her husband.

"Now a visitor came to the wealthy man, And he could not bring himself to take any animal from his own flock or his own herd, To prepare for the traveler who had come to him; So he took the poor man's ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him."

"So he must make restitution for the lamb four times over, since he did this thing and had no compassion."

"However, since by this deed you have shown utter disrespect for the LORD, the child himself who is born to you shall certainly die."

David therefore pleaded with God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground.

Then it happened on the seventh day that the child died. And David's servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, "Behold, while the child was still alive, we spoke to him and he did not listen to us. How then can we tell him that the child is dead, since he might do himself harm?"

Then his servants said to him, "What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you got up and ate food."

And he said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who knows, the LORD may be gracious to me, and the child may live.'