Study Desk

And he has spoken against me to my lord the king. But my lord the king is like the angel of God. So do what you think is best.

But the men of Israel said to the men of Judah, "We have ten shares in the king. So we have more right to David than you. Why then did you hate us? Were we not the first to speak of bringing back our king?" But the words of the men of Judah had more anger than the words of the men of Israel.

So all the men of Israel stopped following David, and followed Sheba the son of Bichri. But the men of Judah were not moved from following their king, from the Jordan to Jerusalem.

Then David came to his house at Jerusalem. The king took his ten women whom he had left to take care of the house, and had a prison soldier watch them. David gave them food, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up until the day of their death, living as women whose husbands had died.

So Amasa went to call out the men of Judah. But he took longer than the time which had been given him.

So Joab's men went out after him. With them went the Cherethites, the Pelethites and all the strong men. They left Jerusalem to go after Sheba the son of Bichri.

But Amasa did not see the sword which was in Joab's hand. So Joab hit him in the stomach with it, and poured his inside parts out on the ground. He did not hit him again, and Amasa died. Then Joab and his brother Abishai went after Sheba the son of Bichri.

So he came to her, and the woman said, "Are you Joab?" He answered, "I am." Then she said to him, "Listen to the words of your woman servant." And he answered, "I am listening."

Then she said, "In the past they used to say, ‘Let them ask for words of wisdom at Abel.' And so they would stop fighting.

Then the woman went to all the people with her plan. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri and threw it to Joab. So he sounded the horn and they left the city, every man going to his home. Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem.

So the king called the Gibeonites. (Now the Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel, but of the people who were left of the Amorites. The sons of Israel had made an agreement with them. But Saul had wanted to kill them because he thought so much of the sons of Israel and Judah.)

David said to the Gibeonites, "What should I do for you? How can I pay for the sin, so you may bring good to the land of the Lord?"

So they said to the king, "Saul destroyed us and planned to keep us from staying in any land of Israel.

So the Lord has paid me for being right with Him, for being clean in His eyes.

He makes my hands ready for battle, so that my arms can use a bow of brass.

I destroyed them and cut them through, so that they did not rise. They fell under my feet.

So I will give thanks to You among the nations, O Lord. I will sing praises to Your name.

So the three strong men broke through the Philistine army and took water from the well by the gate of Bethlehem. They brought it to David. But David would not drink it. He poured it out to the Lord,

and said, "O Lord, far be it from me to do this. Should I drink the blood of the men who went and put their lives in danger?" So he would not drink it. The three strong men did these things.

He was the most honored of the thirty. So he became their captain. But he was not as strong as the three.