Study Desk

And the king answered, "Chimham shall cross over with me, and I will do for him what is good in your sight; and whatever you require of me, I will do for you."

Then all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, "Because the king is a close relative to us. Why then are you angry about this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king's expense, or has anything been taken for us?"

Now the king said to Amasa, "Summon the men of Judah for me within three days, and be present here yourself."

So Amasa went to summon the men of Judah, but he was delayed longer than the set time which he had designated for him.

And David said to Abishai, "Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom; take your lord's servants and pursue him, so that he does not find for himself fortified cities and escape from our sight."

And Joab said to Amasa, "Is it going well for you, my brother?" And Joab took hold of Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.

Now one of Joab's young men stood by him and said, "Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David, follow Joab!"

"I am one of those who are ready for peace and faithful in Israel. You are trying to destroy a city, even a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up the inheritance of the LORD?"

Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David sought the presence of the LORD. And the LORD said, "It is because of Saul and his bloody house, because he put the Gibeonites to death."

So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them (now the Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites, and the sons of Israel had made a covenant with them, but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah).

David said to the Gibeonites, "What should I do for you? And how can I make amends, so that you will bless the inheritance of the LORD?"

Then the Gibeonites said to him, "For us it is not a matter of silver or gold with Saul or his house, nor is it for us to put anyone to death in Israel." Nevertheless David said, "I will do for you whatever you say."

And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until it rained on them from the sky; and she allowed neither the birds of the sky to rest on them by day nor the wild animals by night.

Then they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the grave of his father Kish; so they did everything that the king commanded, and after that God responded to prayer for the land.

"For the waves of death encompassed me; The floods of destruction terrified me;

"In my distress I called upon the LORD, Yes, I called out to my God; And from His temple He heard my voice, And my cry for help came into His ears.

"He rescued me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.

"For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not acted wickedly against my God.

"For all His ordinances were before me, And as for His statutes, I did not deviate from them.

"For You are my lamp, LORD; And the LORD illuminates my darkness.