Study Desk

Abner called out to Joab, "Do we have to go on fighting forever? Can't you see that in the end there will be nothing but bitterness? We are your relatives. How long will it be before you order your men to stop chasing us?"

Paltiel followed her all the way to the town of Bahurim, crying as he went. But when Abner said, "Go back home," he did.

After leaving David, Joab sent messengers to get Abner, and they brought him back from Sirah Well; but David knew nothing about it.

All day long the people tried to get David to eat something, but he made a solemn promise, "May God strike me dead if I eat anything before the day is over!"

Another descendant of Saul was Jonathan's son Mephibosheth, who was five years old when Saul and Jonathan were killed. When the news about their death came from the city of Jezreel, his nurse picked him up and fled; but she was in such a hurry that she dropped him, and he became crippled.

(But David did capture their fortress of Zion, and it became known as "David's City.")

Once more David consulted the Lord , who answered, "Don't attack them from here, but go around and get ready to attack them from the other side, near the balsam trees.

and will disgrace myself even more. You may think I am nothing, but those women will think highly of me!"

Then the king said to the prophet Nathan, "Here I am living in a house built of cedar, but God's Covenant Box is kept in a tent!"

But that night the Lord said to Nathan,

I have chosen a place for my people Israel and have settled them there, where they will live without being oppressed any more. Ever since they entered this land, they have been attacked by violent people, but this will not happen again. I promise to keep you safe from all your enemies and to give you descendants.

But I will not withdraw my support from him as I did from Saul, whom I removed so that you could be king.

You, your sons, and your servants will farm the land for your master Saul's family and bring in the harvest, to provide food for them. But Mephibosheth himself will always be a guest at my table." (Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)

The following spring, at the time of the year when kings usually go to war, David sent out Joab with his officers and the Israelite army; they defeated the Ammonites and besieged the city of Rabbah. But David himself stayed in Jerusalem.

But Uriah did not go home; instead he slept at the palace gate with the king's guards.

David invited him to supper and got him drunk. But again that night Uriah did not go home; instead he slept on his blanket in the palace guardroom.

He said, "Our enemies were stronger than we were and came out of the city to fight us in the open, but we drove them back to the city gate.

When the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to the palace; she became his wife and bore him a son. But the Lord was not pleased with what David had done.

You sinned in secret, but I will make this happen in broad daylight for all Israel to see.'"

But because you have shown such contempt for the Lord in doing this, your child will die."