Study Desk

Then King David went in, sat before the LORD, and said, "Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far?

And as if this was a small thing in Your eyes, O Lord GOD, You have also spoken about the future of the house of Your servant. Is this Your custom with man, O Lord GOD?

What more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O Lord GOD.

How great You are, O Lord GOD! For there is none like You, and there is no God but You, according to everything we have heard with our own ears.

And who is like Your people Israel-the one nation on earth whom God went out to redeem as a people for Himself, to make a name for Himself, and to perform for them great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before Your people, whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt?

For You have established Your people Israel as Your very own forever, and You, O LORD, have become their God.

And now, O LORD God, confirm forever the word You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house. Do as You have promised,

so that Your name will be magnified forever when it is said, 'The LORD of Hosts is God over Israel.' And the house of Your servant David will be established before You.

For You, O LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant when You said, 'I will build a house for you.' Therefore Your servant has found the courage to offer this prayer to You.

And now, O Lord GOD, You are God! Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant.

Now therefore, may it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You. For You, O Lord GOD, have spoken, and with Your blessing the house of Your servant will be blessed forever.

So the king asked, "Is there anyone left of Saul's family to whom I can show the kindness of God?" Ziba answered, "There is still Jonathan's son, who is lame in both feet."

Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and for the cities of our God. May the LORD do what is good in His sight."

Then Nathan said to David, "You are that man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.

David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted and went into his house and spent the night lying in sackcloth on the ground.

"Please," she replied, "may the king invoke the LORD your God to prevent the avenger of blood from increasing the devastation, so that my son may not be destroyed!" "As surely as the LORD lives," he vowed, "not a hair of your son's head will fall to the ground."

The woman asked, "Why have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, since he has not brought back his own banished son?

For surely we will die and be like water poured out on the ground, which cannot be recovered. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises ways so that the banished one may not remain estranged from Him.

Your servant thought: May the word of my lord the king bring me rest, for my lord the king is able to discern good and evil, just like the Angel of God. May the LORD your God be with you."

Joab your servant has done this to bring about this change of affairs, but my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the Angel of God, to know everything that happens in the land."