Study Desk

"But if He says this: 'I have no delight in you,' then here I am, let Him do to me as seems good to Him."

"See, I am going to wait at the river crossing places of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me."

And David said to him, "If you go over with me, then you will become a burden to me.

"But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, 'I will be your servant, O king; even as I was your father's servant in time past, so now I will also be your servant,' then you can foil the advice of Ahithophel for me.

"Behold their two sons are there with them, Ahimaaz, Zadok's son and Jonathan, Abiathar's son; and by them you shall send me everything that you hear."

Then the king said, "And where is your master's son?" And Ziba said to the king, "Behold, he is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, 'Today the house of Israel will restore the kingdom of my father to me.'"

Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Now let me go over and cut off his head."

"Perhaps the LORD will look on my misery and return good to me instead of his cursing this day."

Furthermore, Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Please let me choose twelve thousand men and let me set out and pursue David tonight.

But the man said to Joab, "Even if I were to receive a thousand pieces of silver in my hand, I would not put out my hand against the king's son; for in our hearing the king commanded you, Abishai, and Ittai, saying, 'Protect the young man Absalom for me!'

"Otherwise, if I had dealt treacherously against his life (and there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have avoided me."

Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, "Please let me run and bring the king news that the LORD has freed him from the hand of his enemies!"

However, Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said once more to Joab, "But whatever happens, please let me also run after the Cushite." And Joab said, "Why would you run, my son, since you will have no messenger's reward for going?"

"And say to Amasa, 'Are you not my bone and my flesh? May God do so to me, and more so, if you will not be commander of the army for me continually, in place of Joab.'"

And he said to the king, "May my lord not consider me guilty, nor call to mind what your servant did wrong on the day when my lord the king went out from Jerusalem, so that the king would take it to heart.

David then said, "What is there between you and me, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should be an adversary to me today? Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? For do I not know that I am king over Israel today?"

And it was when he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said to him, "Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?"

So he said, "My lord the king, my servant betrayed me; for your servant said, 'I will saddle the donkey for myself so that I may ride on it and go with the king,' since your servant cannot walk.

So the king said to Barzillai, "You cross over with me, and I will provide you food in Jerusalem with me."

"Your servant would merely cross over the Jordan with the king. So why should the king compensate me with this reward?