#Christian - "May there be peace within your walls and prosperity within your citadels.” Psalm 122:7
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Last Notes npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom [1Ki 13:1-34 NKJV] 1 And behold, a man of God went from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD, and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. 2 Then he cried out against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said, "O altar, altar! Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men's bones shall be burned on you.' " 3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, "This [is] the sign which the LORD has spoken: Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out." 4 So it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, who cried out against the altar in Bethel, that he stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, "Arrest him!" Then his hand, which he stretched out toward him, withered, so that he could not pull it back to himself. 5 The altar also was split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. 6 Then the king answered and said to the man of God, "Please entreat the favor of the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me." So the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king's hand was restored to him, and became as before. 7 Then the king said to the man of God, "Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward." 8 But the man of God said to the king, "If you were to give me half your house, I would not go in with you; nor would I eat bread nor drink water in this place. 9 "For so it was commanded me by the word of the LORD, saying, 'You shall not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the same way you came.' " 10 So he went another way and did not return by the way he came to Bethel. 11 Now an old prophet dwelt in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel; they also told their father the words which he had spoken to the king. 12 And their father said to them, "Which way did he go?" For his sons had seen which way the man of God went who came from Judah. 13 Then he said to his sons, "Saddle the donkey for me." So they saddled the donkey for him; and he rode on it, 14 and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. Then he said to him, "[Are] you the man of God who came from Judah?" And he said, "I [am]." 15 Then he said to him, "Come home with me and eat bread." 16 And he said, "I cannot return with you nor go in with you; neither can I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place. 17 "For I have been told by the word of the LORD, 'You shall not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you came.' " 18 He said to him, "I too [am] a prophet as you [are], and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, 'Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.' " (He was lying to him.) 19 So he went back with him, and ate bread in his house, and drank water. 20 Now it happened, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back; 21 and he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, "Thus says the LORD: 'Because you have disobeyed the word of the LORD, and have not kept the commandment which the LORD your God commanded you, 22 'but you came back, ate bread, and drank water in the place of which [the LORD] said to you, "Eat no bread and drink no water," your corpse shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.' " 23 So it was, after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, the prophet whom he had brought back. 24 When he was gone, a lion met him on the road and killed him. And his corpse was thrown on the road, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the corpse. 25 And there, men passed by and saw the corpse thrown on the road, and the lion standing by the corpse. Then they went and told [it] in the city where the old prophet dwelt. 26 Now when the prophet who had brought him back from the way heard [it], he said, "It [is] the man of God who was disobedient to the word of the LORD. Therefore the LORD has delivered him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke to him." 27 And he spoke to his sons, saying, "Saddle the donkey for me." So they saddled [it]. 28 Then he went and found his corpse thrown on the road, and the donkey and the lion standing by the corpse. The lion had not eaten the corpse nor torn the donkey. 29 And the prophet took up the corpse of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back. So the old prophet came to the city to mourn, and to bury him. 30 Then he laid the corpse in his own tomb; and they mourned over him, [saying], "Alas, my brother!" 31 So it was, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying, "When I am dead, then bury me in the tomb where the man of God [is] buried; lay my bones beside his bones. 32 "For the saying which he cried out by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the shrines on the high places which [are] in the cities of Samaria, will surely come to pass." 33 After this event Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but again he made priests from every class of people for the high places; whoever wished, he consecrated him, and he became [one] of the priests of the high places. 34 And this thing was the sin of the house of Jeroboam, so as to exterminate and destroy [it] from the face of the earth. npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom [1Ki 12:26-31 NKJV] 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, "Now the kingdom may return to the house of David: 27 "If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah." 28 Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves of gold, and said to the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!" 29 And he set up one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30 Now this thing became a sin, for the people went [to worship] before the one as far as Dan. 31 He made shrines on the high places, and made priests from every class of people, who were not of the sons of Levi. npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom [1Ki 10:8-9, 14-15, 21, 23-25, 27, 29 NKJV] 8 "Happy [are] your men and happy [are] these your servants, who stand continually before you [and] hear your wisdom! 9 "Blessed be the LORD your God, who delighted in you, setting you on the throne of Israel! Because the LORD has loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness." ... 14 The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, 15 besides [that] from the traveling merchants, from the income of traders, from all the kings of Arabia, and from the governors of the country. ... 21 All King Solomon's drinking vessels [were] gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon [were] pure gold. Not [one was] silver, for this was accounted as nothing in the days of Solomon. ... 23 So King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom. 24 Now all the earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart. 25 Each man brought his present: articles of silver and gold, garments, armor, spices, horses, and mules, at a set rate year by year. ... 27 The king made silver [as common] in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedar trees as abundant as the sycamores which [are] in the lowland. ... 29 Now a chariot that was imported from Egypt cost six hundred [shekels] of silver, and a horse one hundred and fifty; and thus, through their agents, they exported [them] to all the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Syria. npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom [1Ki 9:6-7 NKJV] 6 "[But] if you or your sons at all turn from following Me, and do not keep My commandments [and] My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, 7 "then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them; and this house which I have consecrated for My name I will cast out of My sight. Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples. npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom [1Ki 8:1, 3, 6-7, 9-12, 15-19, 22-23, 26-50, 52-61, 65-66 NKJV] 1 Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the City of David, which [is] Zion. ... 3 So all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. ... 6 Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the Most Holy [Place], under the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim spread [their] two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. ... 9 Nothing [was] in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when the LORD made [a covenant] with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10 And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy [place], that the cloud filled the house of the LORD, 11 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD. 12 Then Solomon spoke: "The LORD said He would dwell in the dark cloud. ... 15 And he said: "Blessed [be] the LORD God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to my father David, and with His hand has fulfilled [it], saying, 16 'Since the day that I brought My people Israel out of Egypt, I have chosen no city from any tribe of Israel [in which] to build a house, that My name might be there; but I chose David to be over My people Israel.' 17 "Now it was in the heart of my father David to build a temple for the name of the LORD God of Israel. 18 "But the LORD said to my father David, 'Whereas it was in your heart to build a temple for My name, you did well that it was in your heart. 19 'Nevertheless you shall not build the temple, but your son who will come from your body, he shall build the temple for My name.' ... 22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands toward heaven; 23 and he said: "LORD God of Israel, [there is] no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, who keep [Your] covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their hearts. ... 26 "And now I pray, O God of Israel, let Your word come true, which You have spoken to Your servant David my father. 27 "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built! 28 "Yet regard the prayer of Your servant and his supplication, O LORD my God, and listen to the cry and the prayer which Your servant is praying before You today: 29 "that Your eyes may be open toward this temple night and day, toward the place of which You said, 'My name shall be there,' that You may hear the prayer which Your servant makes toward this place. 30 "And may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive. 31 "When anyone sins against his neighbor, and is forced to take an oath, and comes [and] takes an oath before Your altar in this temple, 32 "then hear in heaven, and act, and judge Your servants, condemning the wicked, bringing his way on his head, and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness. 33 "When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy because they have sinned against You, and when they turn back to You and confess Your name, and pray and make supplication to You in this temple, 34 "then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave to their fathers. 35 "When the heavens are shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, when they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin because You afflict them, 36 "then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your servants, Your people Israel, that You may teach them the good way in which they should walk; and send rain on Your land which You have given to Your people as an inheritance. 37 "When there is famine in the land, pestilence [or] blight [or] mildew, locusts [or] grasshoppers; when their enemy besieges them in the land of their cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness [there is]; 38 "whatever prayer, whatever supplication is made by anyone, [or] by all Your people Israel, when each one knows the plague of his own heart, and spreads out his hands toward this temple: 39 "then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to everyone according to all his ways, whose heart You know (for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men), 40 "that they may fear You all the days that they live in the land which You gave to our fathers. 41 "Moreover, concerning a foreigner, who [is] not of Your people Israel, but has come from a far country for Your name's sake 42 "(for they will hear of Your great name and Your strong hand and Your outstretched arm), when he comes and prays toward this temple, 43 "hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You, as [do] Your people Israel, and that they may know that this temple which I have built is called by Your name. 44 "When Your people go out to battle against their enemy, wherever You send them, and when they pray to the LORD toward the city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name, 45 "then hear in heaven their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause. 46 "When they sin against You (for [there is] no one who does not sin), and You become angry with them and deliver them to the enemy, and they take them captive to the land of the enemy, far or near; 47 "[yet] when they come to themselves in the land where they were carried captive, and repent, and make supplication to You in the land of those who took them captive, saying, 'We have sinned and done wrong, we have committed wickedness'; 48 "and [when] they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who led them away captive, and pray to You toward their land which You gave to their fathers, the city which You have chosen and the temple which I have built for Your name: 49 "then hear in heaven Your dwelling place their prayer and their supplication, and maintain their cause, 50 "and forgive Your people who have sinned against You, and all their transgressions which they have transgressed against You; and grant them compassion before those who took them captive, that they may have compassion on them ... 52 "that Your eyes may be open to the supplication of Your servant and the supplication of Your people Israel, to listen to them whenever they call to You. 53 "For You separated them from among all the peoples of the earth [to be] Your inheritance, as You spoke by Your servant Moses, when You brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord GOD." 54 And so it was, when Solomon had finished praying all this prayer and supplication to the LORD, that he arose from before the altar of the LORD, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven. 55 Then he stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying: 56 "Blessed [be] the LORD, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise, which He promised through His servant Moses. 57 "May the LORD our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor forsake us, 58 "that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers. 59 "And may these words of mine, with which I have made supplication before the LORD, be near the LORD our God day and night, that He may maintain the cause of His servant and the cause of His people Israel, as each day may require, 60 "that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD [is] God; [there is] no other. 61 "Let your heart therefore be loyal to the LORD our God, to walk in His statutes and keep His commandments, as at this day." ... 65 At that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great assembly from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days and seven [more] days--fourteen days. 66 On the eighth day he sent the people away; and they blessed the king, and went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the good that the LORD had done for His servant David, and for Israel His people. npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom [1Ki 5:4-5 NKJV] 4 But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side; [there is] neither adversary nor evil occurrence. 5 And behold, I propose to build a house for the name of the LORD my God, as the LORD spoke to my father David, saying, "Your son, whom I will set on your throne in your place, he shall build the house for My name." npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom [1Ki 4:20, 29-34 NKJV] 20 Judah and Israel [were] as numerous as the sand by the sea in multitude, eating and drinking and rejoicing. ... 29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and exceedingly great understanding, and largeness of heart like the sand on the seashore. 30 Thus Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the men of the East and all the wisdom of Egypt. 31 For he was wiser than all men--than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol; and his fame was in all the surrounding nations. 32 He spoke three thousand proverbs, and his songs were one thousand and five. 33 Also he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree of Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall; he spoke also of animals, of birds, of creeping things, and of fish. 34 And men of all nations, from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom, came to hear the wisdom of Solomon. npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom [1Ki 2:1-4, 12 NKJV] 1 Now the days of David drew near that he should die, and he charged Solomon his son, saying: 2 "I go the way of all the earth; be strong, therefore, and prove yourself a man. 3 "And keep the charge of the LORD your God: to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, His commandments, His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn; 4 "that the LORD may fulfill His word which He spoke concerning me, saying, 'If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul,' He said, 'you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.' ... 12 Then Solomon sat on the throne of his father David; and his kingdom was firmly established. npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom [1Ki 1:29-37, 39-40, 43-48, 50-53 NKJV] 29 And the king took an oath and said, "[As] the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from every distress, 30 "just as I swore to you by the LORD God of Israel, saying, 'Assuredly Solomon your son shall be king after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place,' so I certainly will do this day." 31 Then Bathsheba bowed with [her] face to the earth, and paid homage to the king, and said, "Let my lord King David live forever!" 32 And King David said, "Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada." So they came before the king. 33 The king also said to them, "Take with you the servants of your lord, and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and take him down to Gihon. 34 "There let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel; and blow the horn, and say, '[Long] live King Solomon!' 35 "Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, and he shall be king in my place. For I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah." 36 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king and said, "Amen! May the LORD God of my lord the king say so [too]. 37 "As the LORD has been with my lord the king, even so may He be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David." ... 39 Then Zadok the priest took a horn of oil from the tabernacle and anointed Solomon. And they blew the horn, and all the people said, "[Long] live King Solomon!" 40 And all the people went up after him; and the people played the flutes and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth [seemed to] split with their sound. ... 43 Then Jonathan answered and said to Adonijah, "No! Our lord King David has made Solomon king. 44 "The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the Cherethites, and the Pelethites; and they have made him ride on the king's mule. 45 "So Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon; and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This [is] the noise that you have heard. 46 "Also Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom. 47 "And moreover the king's servants have gone to bless our lord King David, saying, 'May God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and may He make his throne greater than your throne.' Then the king bowed himself on the bed. 48 "Also the king said thus, 'Blessed [be] the LORD God of Israel, who has given [one] to sit on my throne this day, while my eyes see [it]!' " ... 50 Now Adonijah was afraid of Solomon; so he arose, and went and took hold of the horns of the altar. 51 And it was told Solomon, saying, "Indeed Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon; for look, he has taken hold of the horns of the altar, saying, 'Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.' " 52 Then Solomon said, "If he proves himself a worthy man, not one hair of him shall fall to the earth; but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die." 53 So King Solomon sent them to bring him down from the altar. And he came and fell down before King Solomon; and Solomon said to him, "Go to your house." npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom [2Sa 24:3, 10, 12-17, 21, 24-25 NKJV] 3 And Joab said to the king, "Now may the LORD your God add to the people a hundred times more than there are, and may the eyes of my lord the king see [it]. But why does my lord the king desire this thing?" ... 10 And David's heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the LORD, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O LORD, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly." ... 12 "Go and tell David, 'Thus says the LORD: "I offer you three [things]; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do [it] to you." ' " 13 So Gad came to David and told him; and he said to him, "Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me." 14 And David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies [are] great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man." 15 So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died. 16 And when the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, "It is enough; now restrain your hand." And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, "Surely I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father's house." ... 21 Then Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" And David said, "To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people." ... 24 Then the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will surely buy [it] from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25 And David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel. npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom [2Sa 23:2-7 NKJV] 2 "The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, And His word [was] on my tongue. 3 The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me: 'He who rules over men [must be] just, Ruling in the fear of God. 4 And [he shall be] like the light of the morning [when] the sun rises, A morning without clouds, [Like] the tender grass [springing] out of the earth, By clear shining after rain.' 5 "Although my house [is] not so with God, Yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant, Ordered in all [things] and secure. For [this is] all my salvation and all [my] desire; Will He not make [it] increase? 6 But [the sons] of rebellion [shall] all [be] as thorns thrust away, Because they cannot be taken with hands. 7 But the man [who] touches them Must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear, And they shall be utterly burned with fire in [their] place." npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom [2Sa 22:2-51 NKJV] 2 And he said: "The LORD [is] my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; 3 The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, My stronghold and my refuge; My Savior, You save me from violence. 4 I will call upon the LORD, [who is worthy] to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. 5 "When the waves of death surrounded me, The floods of ungodliness made me afraid. 6 The sorrows of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me. 7 In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, And my cry [entered] His ears. 8 "Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of heaven quaked and were shaken, Because He was angry. 9 Smoke went up from His nostrils, And devouring fire from His mouth; Coals were kindled by it. 10 He bowed the heavens also, and came down With darkness under His feet. 11 He rode upon a cherub, and flew; And He was seen upon the wings of the wind. 12 He made darkness canopies around Him, Dark waters [and] thick clouds of the skies. 13 From the brightness before Him Coals of fire were kindled. 14 "The LORD thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice. 15 He sent out arrows and scattered them; Lightning bolts, and He vanquished them. 16 Then the channels of the sea were seen, The foundations of the world were uncovered, At the rebuke of the LORD, At the blast of the breath of His nostrils. 17 "He sent from above, He took me, He drew me out of many waters. 18 He delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me; For they were too strong for me. 19 They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the LORD was my support. 20 He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me. 21 "The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me. 22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not wickedly departed from my God. 23 For all His judgments [were] before me; And [as for] His statutes, I did not depart from them. 24 I was also blameless before Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity. 25 Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness in His eyes. 26 "With the merciful You will show Yourself merciful; With a blameless man You will show Yourself blameless; 27 With the pure You will show Yourself pure; And with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd. 28 You will save the humble people; But Your eyes [are] on the haughty, [that] You may bring [them] down. 29 "For You [are] my lamp, O LORD; The LORD shall enlighten my darkness. 30 For by You I can run against a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall. 31 [As for] God, His way [is] perfect; The word of the LORD [is] proven; He [is] a shield to all who trust in Him. 32 "For who [is] God, except the LORD? And who [is] a rock, except our God? 33 God [is] my strength [and] power, And He makes my way perfect. 34 He makes my feet like the [feet] of deer, And sets me on my high places. 35 He teaches my hands to make war, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze. 36 "You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your gentleness has made me great. 37 You enlarged my path under me; So my feet did not slip. 38 "I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them; Neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed. 39 And I have destroyed them and wounded them, So that they could not rise; They have fallen under my feet. 40 For You have armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose against me. 41 You have also given me the necks of my enemies, So that I destroyed those who hated me. 42 They looked, but [there was] none to save; [Even] to the LORD, but He did not answer them. 43 Then I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth; I trod them like dirt in the streets, [And] I spread them out. 44 "You have also delivered me from the strivings of my people; You have kept me as the head of the nations. A people I have not known shall serve me. 45 The foreigners submit to me; As soon as they hear, they obey me. 46 The foreigners fade away, And come frightened from their hideouts. 47 "The LORD lives! Blessed [be] my Rock! Let God be exalted, The Rock of my salvation! 48 [It is] God who avenges me, And subdues the peoples under me; 49 He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man. 50 Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name. 51 "[He is] the tower of salvation to His king, And shows mercy to His anointed, To David and his descendants forevermore." npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom [2Sa 21:1, 4 NKJV] 1 Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, "[It is] because of Saul and [his] bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites." ... 4 And the Gibeonites said to him, "We will have no silver or gold from Saul or from his house, nor shall you kill any man in Israel for us." So he said, "Whatever you say, I will do for you." npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom [2Sa 20:1, 9, 16-23 NKJV] 1 And there happened to be there a rebel, whose name [was] Sheba the son of Bichri, a Benjamite. And he blew a trumpet, and said: "We have no share in David, Nor do we have inheritance in the son of Jesse; Every man to his tents, O Israel!" ... 9 Then Joab said to Amasa, "[Are] you in health, my brother?" And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. ... 16 Then a wise woman cried out from the city, "Hear, hear! Please say to Joab, 'Come nearby, that I may speak with you.' " 17 When he had come near to her, the woman said, "[Are] you Joab?" He answered, "I [am]." Then she said to him, "Hear the words of your maidservant." And he answered, "I am listening." 18 So she spoke, saying, "They used to talk in former times, saying, 'They shall surely seek [guidance] at Abel,' and so they would end [disputes]. 19 "I [am among the] peaceable [and] faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up the inheritance of the LORD?" 20 And Joab answered and said, "Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy! 21 "That [is] not so. But a man from the mountains of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has raised his hand against the king, against David. Deliver him only, and I will depart from the city." So the woman said to Joab, "Watch, his head will be thrown to you over the wall." 22 Then the woman in her wisdom went to all the people. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw [it] out to Joab. Then he blew a trumpet, and they withdrew from the city, every man to his tent. So Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem. 23 And Joab [was] over all the army of Israel; Benaiah the son of Jehoiada [was] over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom [2Sa 19:5-8, 11-14 NKJV] 5 Then Joab came into the house to the king, and said, "Today you have disgraced all your servants who today have saved your life, the lives of your sons and daughters, the lives of your wives and the lives of your concubines, 6 "in that you love your enemies and hate your friends. For you have declared today that you regard neither princes nor servants; for today I perceive that if Absalom had lived and all of us had died today, then it would have pleased you well. 7 "Now therefore, arise, go out and speak comfort to your servants. For I swear by the LORD, if you do not go out, not one will stay with you this night. And that will be worse for you than all the evil that has befallen you from your youth until now." 8 Then the king arose and sat in the gate. And they told all the people, saying, "There is the king, sitting in the gate." So all the people came before the king. For everyone of Israel had fled to his tent. ... 11 So King David sent to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, saying, "Speak to the elders of Judah, saying, 'Why are you the last to bring the king back to his house, since the words of all Israel have come to the king, to his [very] house? 12 'You [are] my brethren, you [are] my bone and my flesh. Why then are you the last to bring back the king?' 13 "And say to Amasa, '[Are] you not my bone and my flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if you are not commander of the army before me continually in place of Joab.' " 14 So he swayed the hearts of all the men of Judah, just as [the heart of] one man, so that they sent [this word] to the king: "Return, you and all your servants!" npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom [2Sa 18:4-5, 33 NKJV] 4 Then the king said to them, "Whatever seems best to you I will do." So the king stood beside the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands. 5 Now the king had commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, saying, "[Deal] gently for my sake with the young man Absalom." And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains orders concerning Absalom. ... 33 Then the king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept. And as he went, he said thus: "O my son Absalom--my son, my son Absalom--if only I had died in your place! O Absalom my son, my son!" npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Now it happened, when David had come to Mahanaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the people of Ammon, Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, brought beds and basins, earthen vessels and wheat, barley and flour, parched [grain] and beans, lentils and parched [seeds], honey and curds, sheep and cheese of the herd, for David and the people who [were] with him to eat. For they said, "The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness." - 2Sa 17:27-29 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom So David said to all his servants who [were] with him at Jerusalem, "Arise, and let us flee, or we shall not escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly and bring disaster upon us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword." ... Then the king said to Zadok, "Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the LORD, He will bring me back and show me [both] it and His dwelling place. "But if He says thus: 'I have no delight in you,' here I am, let Him do to me as seems good to Him." - 2Sa 15:14, 25-26 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom So Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart [was] concerned about Absalom. And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman, and said to her, "Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning apparel; do not anoint yourself with oil, but act like a woman who has been mourning a long time for the dead. "Go to the king and speak to him in this manner." So Joab put the words in her mouth. And when the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and prostrated herself, and said, "Help, O king!" Then the king said to her, "What troubles you?" And she answered, "Indeed I [am] a widow, my husband is dead. "Now your maidservant had two sons; and the two fought with each other in the field, and [there was] no one to part them, but the one struck the other and killed him. "And now the whole family has risen up against your maidservant, and they said, 'Deliver him who struck his brother, that we may execute him for the life of his brother whom he killed; and we will destroy the heir also.' So they would extinguish my ember that is left, and leave to my husband [neither] name nor remnant on the earth." Then the king said to the woman, "Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you." And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, "My lord, O king, [let] the iniquity [be] on me and on my father's house, and the king and his throne [be] guiltless." So the king said, "Whoever says [anything] to you, bring him to me, and he shall not touch you anymore." Then she said, "Please let the king remember the LORD your God, and do not permit the avenger of blood to destroy anymore, lest they destroy my son." And he said, "[As] the LORD lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground." Therefore the woman said, "Please, let your maidservant speak [another] word to my lord the king." And he said, "Say on." So the woman said: "Why then have you schemed such a thing against the people of God? For the king speaks this thing as one who is guilty, [in that] the king does not bring his banished one home again. "For we will surely die and [become] like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him. "Now therefore, I have come to speak of this thing to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. And your maidservant said, 'I will now speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his maidservant. 'For the king will hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man [who would] destroy me and my son together from the inheritance of God.' "Your maidservant said, 'The word of my lord the king will now be comforting; for as the angel of God, so [is] my lord the king in discerning good and evil. And may the LORD your God be with you.' " Then the king answered and said to the woman, "Please do not hide from me anything that I ask you." And the woman said, "Please, let my lord the king speak." So the king said, "[Is] the hand of Joab with you in all this?" And the woman answered and said, "[As] you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken. For your servant Joab commanded me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your maidservant. "To bring about this change of affairs your servant Joab has done this thing; but my lord [is] wise, according to the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that [is] in the earth." And the king said to Joab, "All right, I have granted this thing. Go therefore, bring back the young man Absalom." Then Joab fell to the ground on his face and bowed himself, and thanked the king. And Joab said, "Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord, O king, in that the king has fulfilled the request of his servant." So Joab arose and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. And the king said, "Let him return to his own house, but do not let him see my face." So Absalom returned to his own house, but did not see the king's face. Now in all Israel there was no one who was praised as much as Absalom for his good looks. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. And when he cut the hair of his head--at the end of every year he cut [it] because it was heavy on him--when he cut it, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels according to the king's standard. To Absalom were born three sons, and one daughter whose name [was] Tamar. She was a woman of beautiful appearance. And Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem, but did not see the king's face. Therefore Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he would not come to him. And when he sent again the second time, he would not come. So he said to his servants, "See, Joab's field is near mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire." And Absalom's servants set the field on fire. Then Joab arose and came to Absalom's house, and said to him, "Why have your servants set my field on fire?" And Absalom answered Joab, "Look, I sent to you, saying, 'Come here, so that I may send you to the king, to say, "Why have I come from Geshur? [It would be] better for me [to be] there still." ' Now therefore, let me see the king's face; but if there is iniquity in me, let him execute me." So Joab went to the king and told him. And when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king. Then the king kissed Absalom. - 2Sa 14:1-33 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom And King David longed to go to Absalom. For he had been comforted concerning Amnon, because he was dead. - 2Sa 13:39 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him, and said to him: "There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor. "The rich [man] had exceedingly many flocks and herds. "But the poor [man] had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him. "And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him." So David's anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, "[As] the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! "And he shall restore fourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity." Then Nathan said to David, "You [are] the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 'I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if [that had been] too little, I also would have given you much more! 'Why have you despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife [to be] your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon. 'Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' "Thus says the LORD: 'Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and give [them] to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 'For you did [it] secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.' " So David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. "However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also [who is] born to you shall surely die." Then Nathan departed to his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and it became ill. David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground. So the elders of his house arose [and went] to him, to raise him up from the ground. But he would not, nor did he eat food with them. Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, "Indeed, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not heed our voice. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He may do some harm!" When David saw that his servants were whispering, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, "Is the child dead?" And they said, "He is dead." So David arose from the ground, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate. Then his servants said to him, "What [is] this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child [while he was] alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food." And he said, "While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who can tell [whether] the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?' "But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me." Then David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her and lay with her. So she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. Now the LORD loved him, and He sent [word] by the hand of Nathan the prophet: So he called his name Jedidiah, because of the LORD. Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the people of Ammon, and took the royal city. And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, "I have fought against Rabbah, and I have taken the city's water [supply]. "Now therefore, gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called after my name." So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah, fought against it, and took it. Then he took their king's crown from his head. Its weight [was] a talent of gold, with precious stones. And it was [set] on David's head. Also he brought out the spoil of the city in great abundance. And he brought out the people who [were] in it, and put [them to work] with saws and iron picks and iron axes, and made them cross over to the brick works. So he did to all the cities of the people of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem. - 2Sa 12:1-31 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman [was] very beautiful to behold. So David sent and inquired about the woman. And [someone] said, "[Is] this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her, for she was cleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house. And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, "I [am] with child." Then David sent to Joab, [saying], "Send me Uriah the Hittite." And Joab sent Uriah to David. ... And David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house and wash your feet." So Uriah departed from the king's house, and a gift [of food] from the king followed him. But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. So when they told David, saying, "Uriah did not go down to his house," David said to Uriah, "Did you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?" And Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink, and to lie with my wife? [As] you live, and [as] your soul lives, I will not do this thing." Then David said to Uriah, "Wait here today also, and tomorrow I will let you depart." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. Now when David called him, he ate and drank before him; and he made him drunk. And at evening he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house. In the morning it happened that David wrote a letter to Joab and sent [it] by the hand of Uriah. And he wrote in the letter, saying, "Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck down and die." So it was, while Joab besieged the city, that he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew there [were] valiant men. Then the men of the city came out and fought with Joab. And [some] of the people of the servants of David fell; and Uriah the Hittite died also. Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war, and charged the messenger, saying, "When you have finished telling the matters of the war to the king, "if it happens that the king's wrath rises, and he says to you: 'Why did you approach so near to the city when you fought? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? 'Who struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Was it not a woman who cast a piece of a millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you go near the wall?'--then you shall say, 'Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.' " So the messenger went, and came and told David all that Joab had sent by him. And the messenger said to David, "Surely the men prevailed against us and came out to us in the field; then we drove them back as far as the entrance of the gate. "The archers shot from the wall at your servants; and [some] of the king's servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also." Then David said to the messenger, "Thus you shall say to Joab: 'Do not let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Strengthen your attack against the city, and overthrow it.' So encourage him." When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. And when her mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD. - 2Sa 11:2-6, 8-27 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Now when David heard [of it], he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men. ... When Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind, he chose some of Israel's best and put [them] in battle array against the Syrians. And the rest of the people he put under the command of Abishai his brother, that he might set [them] in battle array against the people of Ammon. Then he said, "If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. "Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the LORD do [what is] good in His sight." ... When it was told David, he gathered all Israel, crossed over the Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in battle array against David and fought with him. Then the Syrians fled before Israel; and David killed seven hundred charioteers and forty thousand horsemen of the Syrians, and struck Shobach the commander of their army, who died there. And when all the kings [who were] servants to Hadadezer saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and served them. So the Syrians were afraid to help the people of Ammon anymore. - 2Sa 10:7, 9-12, 17-19 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Now David said, "Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" And [there was] a servant of the house of Saul whose name [was] Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, "[Are] you Ziba?" He said, "At your service!" Then the king said, "[Is] there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?" And Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan [who is] lame in [his] feet." So the king said to him, "Where [is] he?" And Ziba said to the king, "Indeed he [is] in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar." Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar. Now when Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, "Mephibosheth?" And he answered, "Here is your servant!" So David said to him, "Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually." Then he bowed himself, and said, "What [is] your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I?" And the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, "I have given to your master's son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. "You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in [the harvest], that your master's son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master's son shall eat bread at my table always." Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. Then Ziba said to the king, "According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do." "As for Mephibosheth," [said the king], "he shall eat at my table like one of the king's sons." Mephibosheth had a young son whose name [was] Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba [were] servants of Mephibosheth. So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king's table. And he was lame in both his feet. - 2Sa 9:1-13 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom King David also dedicated these to the LORD, along with the silver and gold that he had dedicated from all the nations which he had subdued-- ... So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered judgment and justice to all his people. - 2Sa 8:11, 15 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom "Go and tell My servant David, 'Thus says the LORD: "Would you build a house for Me to dwell in? "For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in a tent and in a tabernacle. "Wherever I have moved about with all the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, 'Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?' " ' ... "And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who [are] on the earth. "Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously, "since the time that I commanded judges [to be] over My people Israel, and have caused you to rest from all your enemies. Also the LORD tells you that He will make you a house. "When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. "He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. "I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. "But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took [it] from Saul, whom I removed from before you. "And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever." ' " According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David. Then King David went in and sat before the LORD; and he said: "Who [am] I, O Lord GOD? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? "And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord GOD; and You have also spoken of Your servant's house for a great while to come. [Is] this the manner of man, O Lord GOD? "Now what more can David say to You? For You, Lord GOD, know Your servant. "For Your word's sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know [them]. "Therefore You are great, O Lord GOD. For [there is] none like You, nor [is there any] God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. "And who [is] like Your people, like Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name--and to do for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land--before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods? "For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, LORD, have become their God. "Now, O LORD God, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, establish [it] forever and do as You have said. "So let Your name be magnified forever, saying, 'The LORD of hosts [is] the God over Israel.' And let the house of Your servant David be established before You. "For You, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed [this] to Your servant, saying, 'I will build you a house.' Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You. "And now, O Lord GOD, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. "Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You, O Lord GOD, have spoken [it], and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever." - 2Sa 7:5-7, 9-29 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, "[As] the LORD lives, who has redeemed my life from all adversity, "when someone told me, saying, 'Look, Saul is dead,' thinking to have brought good news, I arrested him and had him executed in Ziklag--the one who [thought] I would give him a reward for [his] news. "How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous person in his own house on his bed? Therefore, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and remove you from the earth?" So David commanded his young men, and they executed them, cut off their hands and feet, and hanged [them] by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth and buried [it] in the tomb of Abner in Hebron. - 2Sa 4:9-12 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom And the king sang [a lament] over Abner and said: "Should Abner die as a fool dies? Your hands were not bound Nor your feet put into fetters; As a man falls before wicked men, [so] you fell." Then all the people wept over him again. - 2Sa 3:33-34 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom and he told [them] to teach the children of Judah [the Song of] the Bow; indeed [it is] written in the Book of Jasher: "The beauty of Israel is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen! Tell [it] not in Gath, Proclaim [it] not in the streets of Ashkelon--Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. "O mountains of Gilboa, [Let there be] no dew nor rain upon you, Nor fields of offerings. For the shield of the mighty is cast away there! The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil. From the blood of the slain, From the fat of the mighty, The bow of Jonathan did not turn back, And the sword of Saul did not return empty. "Saul and Jonathan [were] beloved and pleasant in their lives, And in their death they were not divided; They were swifter than eagles, They were stronger than lions. "O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, Who clothed you in scarlet, with luxury; Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel. "How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan [was] slain in your high places. I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; You have been very pleasant to me; Your love to me was wonderful, Surpassing the love of women. "How the mighty have fallen, And the weapons of war perished!" - 2Sa 1:18-27 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom and had taken captive the women and those who [were] there, from small to great; they did not kill anyone, but carried [them] away and went their way. So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire; and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. Then David and the people who [were] with him lifted up their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. And David's two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite, had been taken captive. Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God. Then David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, "Please bring the ephod here to me." And Abiathar brought the ephod to David. So David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?" And He answered him, "Pursue, for you shall surely overtake [them] and without fail recover [all]." So David went, he and the six hundred men who [were] with him, and came to the Brook Besor, where those stayed who were left behind. But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed [behind], who were so weary that they could not cross the Brook Besor. Then they found an Egyptian in the field, and brought him to David; and they gave him bread and he ate, and they let him drink water. And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. So when he had eaten, his strength came back to him; for he had eaten no bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights. Then David said to him, "To whom do you [belong], and where [are] you from?" And he said, "I [am] a young man from Egypt, servant of an Amalekite; and my master left me behind, because three days ago I fell sick. "We made an invasion of the southern [area] of the Cherethites, in the [territory] which [belongs] to Judah, and of the southern [area] of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag with fire." And David said to him, "Can you take me down to this troop?" So he said, "Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this troop." And when he had brought him down, there they were, spread out over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. So David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. And nothing of theirs was lacking, either small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything which they had taken from them; David recovered all. Then David took all the flocks and herds they had driven before those [other] livestock, and said, "This [is] David's spoil." Now David came to the two hundred men who had been so weary that they could not follow David, whom they also had made to stay at the Brook Besor. So they went out to meet David and to meet the people who [were] with him. And when David came near the people, he greeted them. Then all the wicked and worthless men of those who went with David answered and said, "Because they did not go with us, we will not give them [any] of the spoil that we have recovered, except for every man's wife and children, that they may lead [them] away and depart." But David said, "My brethren, you shall not do so with what the LORD has given us, who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the troop that came against us. "For who will heed you in this matter? But as his part [is] who goes down to the battle, so [shall] his part [be] who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike." So it was, from that day forward; he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day. Now when David came to Ziklag, he sent [some] of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, "Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD"-- - 1Sa 30:2-26 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom "[Is] this not David, of whom they sang to one another in dances, saying: 'Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands'?" Then Achish called David and said to him, "Surely, [as] the LORD lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army [is] good in my sight. For to this day I have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me. Nevertheless the lords do not favor you. "Therefore return now, and go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines." So David said to Achish, "But what have I done? And to this day what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?" Then Achish answered and said to David, "I know that you [are] as good in my sight as an angel of God; nevertheless the princes of the Philistines have said, 'He shall not go up with us to the battle.' "Now therefore, rise early in the morning with your master's servants who have come with you. And as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, depart." So David and his men rose early to depart in the morning, to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel. - 1Sa 29:5-11 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had lamented for him and buried him in Ramah, in his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the spiritists out of the land. ... When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. And when Saul inquired of the LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets. Then Saul said to his servants, "Find me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her." And his servants said to him, "In fact, [there is] a woman who is a medium at En Dor." So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes, and he went, and two men with him; and they came to the woman by night. And he said, "Please conduct a seance for me, and bring up for me the one I shall name to you." Then the woman said to him, "Look, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the spiritists from the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die?" And Saul swore to her by the LORD, saying, "[As] the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing." Then the woman said, "Whom shall I bring up for you?" And he said, "Bring up Samuel for me." When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul, saying, "Why have you deceived me? For you [are] Saul!" And the king said to her, "Do not be afraid. What did you see?" And the woman said to Saul, "I saw a spirit ascending out of the earth." So he said to her, "What [is] his form?" And she said, "An old man is coming up, and he [is] covered with a mantle." And Saul perceived that it [was] Samuel, and he stooped with [his] face to the ground and bowed down. Now Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?" And Saul answered, "I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do." Then Samuel said: "So why do you ask me, seeing the LORD has departed from you and has become your enemy? "And the LORD has done for Himself as He spoke by me. For the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. "Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day. "Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons [will be] with me. The LORD will also deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines." Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, and was dreadfully afraid because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no food all day or all night. And the woman came to Saul and saw that he was severely troubled, and said to him, "Look, your maidservant has obeyed your voice, and I have put my life in my hands and heeded the words which you spoke to me. "Now therefore, please, heed also the voice of your maidservant, and let me set a piece of bread before you; and eat, that you may have strength when you go on [your] way." But he refused and said, "I will not eat." So his servants, together with the woman, urged him; and he heeded their voice. Then he arose from the ground and sat on the bed. Now the woman had a fatted calf in the house, and she hastened to kill it. And she took flour and kneaded [it], and baked unleavened bread from it. So she brought [it] before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night. - 1Sa 28:3, 5-25 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom So Achish gave him Ziklag that day. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. - 1Sa 27:6 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom But David said to Abishai, "Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the LORD's anointed, and be guiltless?" David said furthermore, "[As] the LORD lives, the LORD shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish. "The LORD forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the LORD's anointed. But please, take now the spear and the jug of water that [are] by his head, and let us go." ... "May the LORD repay every man [for] his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the LORD delivered you into [my] hand today, but I would not stretch out my hand against the LORD's anointed. "And indeed, as your life was valued much this day in my eyes, so let my life be valued much in the eyes of the LORD, and let Him deliver me out of all tribulation." Then Saul said to David, "[May] you [be] blessed, my son David! You shall both do great things and also still prevail." So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place. - 1Sa 26:9-11, 23-25 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Now when Abigail saw David, she dismounted quickly from the donkey, fell on her face before David, and bowed down to the ground. So she fell at his feet and said: "On me, my lord, [on] me [let] this iniquity [be]! And please let your maidservant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your maidservant. "Please, let not my lord regard this scoundrel Nabal. For as his name [is], so [is] he: Nabal [is] his name, and folly [is] with him! But I, your maidservant, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent. "Now therefore, my lord, [as] the LORD lives and [as] your soul lives, since the LORD has held you back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now then, let your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be as Nabal. "And now this present which your maidservant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord. "Please forgive the trespass of your maidservant. For the LORD will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord fights the battles of the LORD, and evil is not found in you throughout your days. "Yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life, but the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the LORD your God; and the lives of your enemies He shall sling out, [as from] the pocket of a sling. "And it shall come to pass, when the LORD has done for my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and has appointed you ruler over Israel, "that this will be no grief to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause, or that my lord has avenged himself. But when the LORD has dealt well with my lord, then remember your maidservant." Then David said to Abigail: "Blessed [is] the LORD God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! "And blessed [is] your advice and blessed [are] you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand. "For indeed, [as] the LORD God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely by morning light no males would have been left to Nabal!" So David received from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, "Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your voice and respected your person." Now Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was, holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal's heart [was] merry within him, for he [was] very drunk; therefore she told him nothing, little or much, until morning light. So it was, in the morning, when the wine had gone from Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became [like] a stone. Then it happened, [after] about ten days, that the LORD struck Nabal, and he died. So when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Blessed [be] the LORD, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept His servant from evil! For the LORD has returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head." And David sent and proposed to Abigail, to take her as his wife. When the servants of David had come to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her saying, "David sent us to you, to ask you to become his wife." Then she arose, bowed her face to the earth, and said, "Here is your maidservant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord." So Abigail rose in haste and rode on a donkey, attended by five of her maidens; and she followed the messengers of David, and became his wife. David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and so both of them were his wives. But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who [was] from Gallim. - 1Sa 25:23-44 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Now it happened, when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, "Take note! David [is] in the Wilderness of En Gedi." Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats. So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there [was] a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.) Then the men of David said to him, "This is the day of which the LORD said to you, 'Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.' " And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul's robe. Now it happened afterward that David's heart troubled him because he had cut Saul's robe. And he said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he [is] the anointed of the LORD." So David restrained his servants with [these] words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on [his] way. David also arose afterward, went out of the cave, and called out to Saul, saying, "My lord the king!" And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed down. And David said to Saul: "Why do you listen to the words of men who say, 'Indeed David seeks your harm'? "Look, this day your eyes have seen that the LORD delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and [someone] urged [me] to kill you. But [my eye] spared you, and I said, 'I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he [is] the LORD's anointed.' "Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that [there is] neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it. "Let the LORD judge between you and me, and let the LORD avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you. "As the proverb of the ancients says, 'Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.' But my hand shall not be against you. "After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? "Therefore let the LORD be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand." So it was, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, "[Is] this your voice, my son David?" And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. Then he said to David: "You [are] more righteous than I; for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil. "And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me; for when the LORD delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me. "For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? Therefore may the LORD reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. "And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. "Therefore swear now to me by the LORD that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father's house." So David swore to Saul. And Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold. - 1Sa 24:1-22 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom And David stayed in strongholds in the wilderness, and remained in the mountains in the Wilderness of Ziph. Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand. So David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. And David [was] in the Wilderness of Ziph in a forest. Then Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God. And he said to him, "Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Even my father Saul knows that." So the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. And David stayed in the woods, and Jonathan went to his own house. - 1Sa 23:14-18 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Then Saul said to him, "Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as it is this day?" So Ahimelech answered the king and said, "And who among all your servants [is as] faithful as David, who is the king's son-in-law, who goes at your bidding, and is honorable in your house? "Did I then begin to inquire of God for him? Far be it from me! Let not the king impute anything to his servant, [or] to any in the house of my father. For your servant knew nothing of all this, little or much." And the king said, "You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's house!" Then the king said to the guards who stood about him, "Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because their hand also [is] with David, and because they knew when he fled and did not tell it to me." But the servants of the king would not lift their hands to strike the priests of the LORD. And the king said to Doeg, "You turn and kill the priests!" So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck the priests, and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod. Also Nob, the city of the priests, he struck with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and nursing infants, oxen and donkeys and sheep--with the edge of the sword. Now one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David. And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the LORD's priests. So David said to Abiathar, "I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite [was] there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have caused [the death] of all the persons of your father's house. "Stay with me; do not fear. For he who seeks my life seeks your life, but with me you [shall be] safe." - 1Sa 22:13-23 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom And the priest answered David and said, "[There is] no common bread on hand; but there is holy bread, if the young men have at least kept themselves from women." Then David answered the priest, and said to him, "Truly, women [have been] kept from us about three days since I came out. And the vessels of the young men are holy, and [the bread is] in effect common, even though it was consecrated in the vessel this day." So the priest gave him holy [bread]; for there was no bread there but the showbread which had been taken from before the LORD, in order to put hot bread [in its place] on the day when it was taken away. ... And David said to Ahimelech, "Is there not here on hand a spear or a sword? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste." So the priest said, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, there it is, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take [it]. For [there is] no other except that one here." And David said, "[There is] none like it; give it to me." ... Now David took these words to heart, and was very much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. So he changed his behavior before them, pretended madness in their hands, scratched on the doors of the gate, and let his saliva fall down on his beard. Then Achish said to his servants, "Look, you see the man is insane. Why have you brought him to me? "Have I need of madmen, that you have brought this [fellow] to play the madman in my presence? Shall this [fellow] come into my house?" - 1Sa 21:4-6, 8-9, 12-15 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom And David said to Jonathan, "Indeed tomorrow [is] the New Moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king to eat. But let me go, that I may hide in the field until the third [day] at evening. "If your father misses me at all, then say, 'David earnestly asked [permission] of me that he might run over to Bethlehem, his city, for [there is] a yearly sacrifice there for all the family.' ... Then Jonathan said to David, "Tomorrow [is] the New Moon; and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. "And [when] you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed; and remain by the stone Ezel. ... Then Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, since we have both sworn in the name of the LORD, saying, 'May the LORD be between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants, forever.' " So he arose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city. - 1Sa 20:5-6, 18-19, 42 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom "For he took his life in his hands and killed the Philistine, and the LORD brought about a great deliverance for all Israel. You saw [it] and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood, to kill David without a cause?" ... Now it was told Saul, saying, "Take note, David [is] at Naioth in Ramah!" Then Saul sent messengers to take David. And when they saw the group of prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing [as] leader over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. And when Saul was told, he sent other messengers, and they prophesied likewise. Then Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they prophesied also. Then he also went to Ramah, and came to the great well that [is] at Sechu. So he asked, and said, "Where [are] Samuel and David?" And [someone] said, "Indeed [they are] at Naioth in Ramah." So he went there to Naioth in Ramah. Then the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on and prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah. And he also stripped off his clothes and prophesied before Samuel in like manner, and lay down naked all that day and all that night. Therefore they say, "[Is] Saul also among the prophets?" - 1Sa 19:5, 19-24 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom And it happened on the next day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house. So David played [music] with his hand, as at other times; but [there was] a spear in Saul's hand. And Saul cast the spear, for he said, "I will pin David to the wall!" But David escaped his presence twice. Now Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, but had departed from Saul. ... And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the LORD [was] with him. Therefore, when Saul saw that he behaved very wisely, he was afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them. - 1Sa 18:10-12, 14-16 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom "Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle [is] the LORD's, and He will give you into our hands." ... Then, as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. And Saul said to him, "Whose son [are] you, young man?" So David answered, "[I am] the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite." - 1Sa 17:47, 57-58 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Now the LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons." ... So Samuel did what the LORD said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, "Do you come peaceably?" And he said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice. ... But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For [the LORD does] not [see] as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." ... And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all the young men here?" Then he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes here." So he sent and brought him in. Now he [was] ruddy, with bright eyes, and good-looking. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him; for this [is] the one!" Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah. But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the LORD troubled him. And Saul's servants said to him, "Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you. "Let our master now command your servants, [who are] before you, to seek out a man [who is] a skillful player on the harp. And it shall be that he will play it with his hand when the distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well." So Saul said to his servants, "Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring [him] to me." Then one of the servants answered and said, "Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, [who is] skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the LORD [is] with him." Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, "Send me your son David, who [is] with the sheep." ... So David came to Saul and stood before him. And he loved him greatly, and he became his armorbearer. Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight." And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play [it] with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him. - 1Sa 16:1, 4-5, 7, 11-19, 21-23 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom "I greatly regret that I have set up Saul [as] king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments." And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the LORD all night. ... Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, "Blessed [are] you of the LORD! I have performed the commandment of the LORD." But Samuel said, "What then [is] this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" ... Then Samuel said to Saul, "Be quiet! And I will tell you what the LORD said to me last night." And he said to him, "Speak on." So Samuel said, "When you [were] little in your own eyes, [were] you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel? ... "Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the LORD?" ... "But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal." So Samuel said: "Has the LORD [as great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, [And] to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from [being] king." Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. "Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD." But Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel." And as Samuel turned around to go away, [Saul] seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. So Samuel said to him, "The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, [who is] better than you. "And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He [is] not a man, that He should relent." Then he said, "I have sinned; [yet] honor me now, please, before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may worship the LORD your God." So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD. ... Then Samuel went to Ramah, and Saul went up to his house at Gibeah of Saul. And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul, and the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel. - 1Sa 15:11, 13-14, 16-17, 19, 21-31, 34-35 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom But Jonathan had not heard his father charge the people with the oath; therefore he stretched out the end of the rod that [was] in his hand and dipped it in a honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth; and his countenance brightened. - 1Sa 14:27 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom And Samuel said to Saul, "You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. "But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him [to be] commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you." - 1Sa 13:13-14 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom "Now therefore, stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD concerning all the righteous acts of the LORD which He did to you and your fathers: ... "Then they cried out to the LORD, and said, 'We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD and served the Baals and Ashtoreths; but now deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You.' ... "Now therefore, here is the king whom you have chosen [and] whom you have desired. And take note, the LORD has set a king over you. "If you fear the LORD and serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the LORD your God. "However, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you, as [it was] against your fathers. "Now therefore, stand and see this great thing which the LORD will do before your eyes: "[Is] today not the wheat harvest? I will call to the LORD, and He will send thunder and rain, that you may perceive and see that your wickedness [is] great, which you have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking a king for yourselves." ... And all the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for ourselves." Then Samuel said to the people, "Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. "And do not turn aside; for [then you would go] after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they [are] nothing. "For the LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name's sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people. "Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way. "Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. "But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king." - 1Sa 12:7, 10, 13-17, 19-25 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you." And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, "On this [condition] I will make [a covenant] with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and bring reproach on all Israel." ... Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news, and his anger was greatly aroused. So he took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent [them] throughout all the territory of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, "Whoever does not go out with Saul and Samuel to battle, so it shall be done to his oxen." And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out with one consent. When he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. ... But Saul said, "Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has accomplished salvation in Israel." Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there." So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they made sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly. - 1Sa 11:1-2, 6-8, 13-15 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom "Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. "And let it be, when these signs come to you, [that] you do as the occasion demands; for God [is] with you. ... So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day. When they came there to the hill, there was a group of prophets to meet him; then the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. And it happened, when all who knew him formerly saw that he indeed prophesied among the prophets, that the people said to one another, "What [is] this [that] has come upon the son of Kish? [Is] Saul also among the prophets?" Then a man from there answered and said, "But who [is] their father?" Therefore it became a proverb: "[Is] Saul also among the prophets?" And when he had finished prophesying, he went to the high place. ... Then Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah, and said to the children of Israel, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians [and] from the hand of all kingdoms and from those who oppressed you.' "But you have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, 'No, set a king over us!' Now therefore, present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your clans." And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was chosen. When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was chosen. And Saul the son of Kish was chosen. But when they sought him, he could not be found. Therefore they inquired of the LORD further, "Has the man come here yet?" And the LORD answered, "There he is, hidden among the equipment." So they ran and brought him from there; and when he stood among the people, he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. And Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen, that [there is] no one like him among all the people?" So all the people shouted and said, "Long live the king!" Then Samuel explained to the people the behavior of royalty, and wrote [it] in a book and laid [it] up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and valiant [men] went with him, whose hearts God had touched. But some rebels said, "How can this man save us?" So they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace. - 1Sa 10:6-7, 9-13, 17-27 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom So the cook took up the thigh with its upper part and set [it] before Saul. And [Samuel] said, "Here it is, what was kept back. [It] was set apart for you. Eat; for until this time it has been kept for you, since I said I invited the people." So Saul ate with Samuel that day. ... As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell the servant to go on ahead of us." And he went on. "But you stand here awhile, that I may announce to you the word of God." - 1Sa 9:24, 27 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom and said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations." But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." So Samuel prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, "Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. "According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day--with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods--so they are doing to you also. "Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them." So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who asked him for a king. And he said, "This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint [them] for his own chariots and [to be] his horsemen, and [some] will run before his chariots. "He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, [will set some] to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and [some] to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. "He will take your daughters [to be] perfumers, cooks, and bakers. "And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give [them] to his servants. "He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. "And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put [them] to his work. "He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. "And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not hear you in that day." Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, "No, but we will have a king over us, "that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles." And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the LORD. So the LORD said to Samuel, "Heed their voice, and make them a king." And Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Every man go to his city." - 1Sa 8:5-22 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom So the children of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and served the LORD only. ... And Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered [it as] a whole burnt offering to the LORD. Then Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him. Now as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But the LORD thundered with a loud thunder upon the Philistines that day, and so confused them that they were overcome before Israel. ... Then Samuel took a stone and set [it] up between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far the LORD has helped us." - 1Sa 7:4, 9-10, 12 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Then they said, "What [is] the trespass offering which we shall return to Him?" They answered, "Five golden tumors and five golden rats, [according to] the number of the lords of the Philistines. For the same plague [was] on all of you and on your lords. "Therefore you shall make images of your tumors and images of your rats that ravage the land, and you shall give glory to the God of Israel; perhaps He will lighten His hand from you, from your gods, and from your land. "Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He did mighty things among them, did they not let the people go, that they might depart? "Now therefore, make a new cart, take two milk cows which have never been yoked, and hitch the cows to the cart; and take their calves home, away from them. "Then take the ark of the LORD and set it on the cart; and put the articles of gold which you are returning to Him [as] a trespass offering in a chest by its side. Then send it away, and let it go. "And watch: if it goes up the road to its own territory, to Beth Shemesh, [then] He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we shall know that [it is] not His hand [that] struck us--it happened to us by chance." Then the men did so; they took two milk cows and hitched them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. And they set the ark of the LORD on the cart, and the chest with the gold rats and the images of their tumors. Then the cows headed straight for the road to Beth Shemesh, [and] went along the highway, lowing as they went, and did not turn aside to the right hand or the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth Shemesh. Now [the people of] Beth Shemesh [were] reaping their wheat harvest in the valley; and they lifted their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see [it]. Then the cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh, and stood there; a large stone [was] there. So they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the LORD. The Levites took down the ark of the LORD and the chest that [was] with it, in which [were] the articles of gold, and put [them] on the large stone. Then the men of Beth Shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices the same day to the LORD. ... These [are] the golden tumors which the Philistines returned [as] a trespass offering to the LORD: one for Ashdod, one for Gaza, one for Ashkelon, one for Gath, one for Ekron; and the golden rats, [according to] the number of all the cities of the Philistines [belonging] to the five lords, [both] fortified cities and country villages, even as far as the large [stone of] Abel on which they set the ark of the LORD, [which stone remains] to this day in the field of Joshua of Beth Shemesh. Then He struck the men of Beth Shemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD. He struck fifty thousand and seventy men of the people, and the people lamented because the LORD had struck the people with a great slaughter. And the men of Beth Shemesh said, "Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? And to whom shall it go up from us?" So they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath Jearim, saying, "The Philistines have brought back the ark of the LORD; come down [and] take it up with you." - 1Sa 6:4-15, 17-21 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom So they sent and gathered together all the lords of the Philistines, and said, "Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go back to its own place, so that it does not kill us and our people." For there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city; the hand of God was very heavy there. - 1Sa 5:11 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom And when the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us it may save us from the hand of our enemies." So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who dwells [between] the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, [were] there with the ark of the covenant of God. And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook. Now when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, "What [does] the sound of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews [mean]?" Then they understood that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp. So the Philistines were afraid, for they said, "God has come into the camp!" And they said, "Woe to us! For such a thing has never happened before. "Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These [are] the gods who struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. "Be strong and conduct yourselves like men, you Philistines, that you do not become servants of the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Conduct yourselves like men, and fight!" So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent. There was a very great slaughter, and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. Also the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died. Then a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line the same day, and came to Shiloh with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. Now when he came, there was Eli, sitting on a seat by the wayside watching, for his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told [it], all the city cried out. When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, "What [does] the sound of this tumult [mean]?" And the man came quickly and told Eli. Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were so dim that he could not see. Then the man said to Eli, "I [am] he who came from the battle. And I fled today from the battle line." And he said, "What happened, my son?" So the messenger answered and said, "Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people. Also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead; and the ark of God has been captured." Then it happened, when he made mention of the ark of God, that Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years. Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, [due] to be delivered; and when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and gave birth, for her labor pains came upon her. And about the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, "Do not fear, for you have borne a son." But she did not answer, nor did she regard [it]. Then she named the child Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel!" because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. And she said, "The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured." - 1Sa 4:3-22 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom that the LORD called Samuel. And he answered, "Here I am!" ... Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, 'Speak, LORD, for Your servant hears.' " So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Now the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel answered, "Speak, for Your servant hears." Then the LORD said to Samuel: "Behold, I will do something in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. ... And he said, "What [is] the word that [the LORD] spoke to you? Please do not hide [it] from me. God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the things that He said to you." Then Samuel told him everything, and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It [is] the LORD. Let Him do what seems good to Him." So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel [had been] established as a prophet of the LORD. Then the LORD appeared again in Shiloh. For the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD. - 1Sa 3:4, 9-11, 17-21 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom And Hannah prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the LORD; My horn is exalted in the LORD. I smile at my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation. "No one is holy like the LORD, For [there is] none besides You, Nor [is there] any rock like our God. "Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the LORD [is] the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed. "The bows of the mighty men [are] broken, And those who stumbled are girded with strength. [Those who were] full have hired themselves out for bread, And the hungry have ceased [to hunger]. Even the barren has borne seven, And she who has many children has become feeble. "The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and brings up. The LORD makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up. He raises the poor from the dust [And] lifts the beggar from the ash heap, To set [them] among princes And make them inherit the throne of glory. "For the pillars of the earth [are] the LORD's, And He has set the world upon them. He will guard the feet of His saints, But the wicked shall be silent in darkness. "For by strength no man shall prevail. The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken in pieces; From heaven He will thunder against them. The LORD will judge the ends of the earth. "He will give strength to His king, And exalt the horn of His anointed." - 1Sa 2:1-10 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom "And I thought to inform you, saying, 'Buy [it] back in the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeem [it], redeem [it]; but if you will not redeem [it, then] tell me, that I may know; for [there is] no one but you to redeem [it], and I [am] next after you.' " And he said, "I will redeem [it]." ... Now this [was the custom] in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and exchanging, to confirm anything: one man took off his sandal and gave [it] to the other, and this [was] a confirmation in Israel. ... Then the women said to Naomi, "Blessed [be] the LORD, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! "And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him." ... Also the neighbor women gave him a name, saying, "There is a son born to Naomi." And they called his name Obed. He [is] the father of Jesse, the father of David. - Rth 4:4, 7, 14-15, 17 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom "And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you [are] a virtuous woman. - Rth 3:11 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom "The LORD repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge." - Rth 2:12 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Now it came to pass, in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah, went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. ... Then Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons. Now they took wives of the women of Moab: the name of the one [was] Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they dwelt there about ten years. Then both Mahlon and Chilion also died; so the woman survived her two sons and her husband. ... And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go, return each to her mother's house. The LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. "The LORD grant that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband." So she kissed them, and they lifted up their voices and wept. ... But Ruth said: "Entreat me not to leave you, [Or to] turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people [shall be] my people, And your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If [anything but] death parts you and me." ... So Naomi returned, and Ruth the Moabitess her daughter-in-law with her, who returned from the country of Moab. Now they came to Bethlehem at the beginning of barley harvest. - Rth 1:1, 3-5, 8-9, 16-17, 22 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom and said, "O LORD God of Israel, why has this come to pass in Israel, that today there should be one tribe [missing] in Israel?" ... And the children of Israel grieved for Benjamin their brother, and said, "One tribe is cut off from Israel today. ... And the people grieved for Benjamin, because the LORD had made a void in the tribes of Israel. ... And they said, "[There must be] an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe may not be destroyed from Israel. ... So the children of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family; they went out from there, every man to his inheritance. In those days [there was] no king in Israel; everyone did [what was] right in his own eyes. - Jdg 21:3, 6, 15, 17, 24-25 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom And the men of Israel turned back against the children of Benjamin, and struck them down with the edge of the sword--from [every] city, men and beasts, all who were found. They also set fire to all the cities they came to. - Jdg 20:48 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom And it came to pass in those days, when [there was] no king in Israel, that there was a certain Levite staying in the remote mountains of Ephraim. He took for himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. But his concubine played the harlot against him, and went away from him to her father's house at Bethlehem in Judah, and was there four whole months. Then her husband arose and went after her, to speak kindly to her [and] bring her back, having his servant and a couple of donkeys with him. So she brought him into her father's house; and when the father of the young woman saw him, he was glad to meet him. Now his father-in-law, the young woman's father, detained him; and he stayed with him three days. So they ate and drank and lodged there. Then it came to pass on the fourth day that they arose early in the morning, and he stood to depart; but the young woman's father said to his son-in-law, "Refresh your heart with a morsel of bread, and afterward go your way." So they sat down, and the two of them ate and drank together. Then the young woman's father said to the man, "Please be content to stay all night, and let your heart be merry." And when the man stood to depart, his father-in-law urged him; so he lodged there again. Then he arose early in the morning on the fifth day to depart, but the young woman's father said, "Please refresh your heart." So they delayed until afternoon; and both of them ate. And when the man stood to depart--he and his concubine and his servant--his father-in-law, the young woman's father, said to him, "Look, the day is now drawing toward evening; please spend the night. See, the day is coming to an end; lodge here, that your heart may be merry. Tomorrow go your way early, so that you may get home." However, the man was not willing to spend that night; so he rose and departed, and came to opposite Jebus (that [is], Jerusalem). With him were the two saddled donkeys; his concubine [was] also with him. They [were] near Jebus, and the day was far spent; and the servant said to his master, "Come, please, and let us turn aside into this city of the Jebusites and lodge in it." ... Just then an old man came in from his work in the field at evening, who also [was] from the mountains of Ephraim; he was staying in Gibeah, whereas the men of the place [were] Benjamites. And when he raised his eyes, he saw the traveler in the open square of the city; and the old man said, "Where are you going, and where do you come from?" So he said to him, "We [are] passing from Bethlehem in Judah toward the remote mountains of Ephraim; I [am] from there. I went to Bethlehem in Judah; [now] I am going to the house of the LORD. But there [is] no one who will take me into his house, "although we have both straw and fodder for our donkeys, and bread and wine for myself, for your female servant, and for the young man [who is] with your servant; [there is] no lack of anything." And the old man said, "Peace [be] with you! However, [let] all your needs [be] my responsibility; only do not spend the night in the open square." So he brought him into his house, and gave fodder to the donkeys. And they washed their feet, and ate and drank. As they were enjoying themselves, suddenly certain men of the city, perverted men, surrounded the house [and] beat on the door. They spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, "Bring out the man who came to your house, that we may know him [carnally]!" But the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, "No, my brethren! I beg you, do not act [so] wickedly! Seeing this man has come into my house, do not commit this outrage. "Look, [here is] my virgin daughter and [the man's] concubine; let me bring them out now. Humble them, and do with them as you please; but to this man do not do such a vile thing!" But the men would not heed him. So the man took his concubine and brought [her] out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until morning; and when the day began to break, they let her go. Then the woman came as the day was dawning, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her master [was], till it was light. When her master arose in the morning, and opened the doors of the house and went out to go his way, there was his concubine, fallen [at] the door of the house with her hands on the threshold. And he said to her, "Get up and let us be going." But there was no answer. So the man lifted her onto the donkey; and the man got up and went to his place. When he entered his house he took a knife, laid hold of his concubine, and divided her into twelve pieces, limb by limb, and sent her throughout all the territory of Israel. And so it was that all who saw it said, "No such deed has been done or seen from the day that the children of Israel came up from the land of Egypt until this day. Consider it, confer, and speak up!" - Jdg 19:1-11, 16-30 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom And the priest said to them, "Go in peace. The presence of the LORD [be] with you on your way." - Jdg 18:6 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Then Micah said, "Now I know that the LORD will be good to me, since I have a Levite as priest!" - Jdg 17:13 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Now Samson went to Gaza and saw a harlot there, and went in to her. [When] the Gazites [were told], "Samson has come here!" they surrounded [the place] and lay in wait for him all night at the gate of the city. They were quiet all night, saying, "In the morning, when it is daylight, we will kill him." And Samson lay [low] till midnight; then he arose at midnight, took hold of the doors of the gate of the city and the two gateposts, pulled them up, bar and all, put [them] on his shoulders, and carried them to the top of the hill that faces Hebron. Afterward it happened that he loved a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name [was] Delilah. ... Then she said to him, "How can you say, 'I love you,' when your heart [is] not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where your great strength [lies]." And it came to pass, when she pestered him daily with her words and pressed him, [so] that his soul was vexed to death, that he told her all his heart, and said to her, "No razor has ever come upon my head, for I [have been] a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any [other] man." When Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, "Come up once more, for he has told me all his heart." So the lords of the Philistines came up to her and brought the money in their hand. Then she lulled him to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him. And she said, "The Philistines [are] upon you, Samson!" So he awoke from his sleep, and said, "I will go out as before, at other times, and shake myself free!" But he did not know that the LORD had departed from him. Then the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza. They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison. However, the hair of his head began to grow again after it had been shaven. Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice. And they said: "Our god has delivered into our hands Samson our enemy!" When the people saw him, they praised their god; for they said: "Our god has delivered into our hands our enemy, The destroyer of our land, And the one who multiplied our dead." So it happened, when their hearts were merry, that they said, "Call for Samson, that he may perform for us." So they called for Samson from the prison, and he performed for them. And they stationed him between the pillars. Then Samson said to the lad who held him by the hand, "Let me feel the pillars which support the temple, so that I can lean on them." Now the temple was full of men and women. All the lords of the Philistines [were] there--about three thousand men and women on the roof watching while Samson performed. Then Samson called to the LORD, saying, "O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray! Strengthen me, I pray, just this once, O God, that I may with one [blow] take vengeance on the Philistines for my two eyes!" And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars which supported the temple, and he braced himself against them, one on his right and the other on his left. Then Samson said, "Let me die with the Philistines!" And he pushed with [all his] might, and the temple fell on the lords and all the people who [were] in it. So the dead that he killed at his death were more than he had killed in his life. And his brothers and all his father's household came down and took him, and brought [him] up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the tomb of his father Manoah. He had judged Israel twenty years. - Jdg 16:1-4, 15-31 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom So Samson went down to Timnah with his father and mother, and came to the vineyards of Timnah. Now [to his] surprise, a young lion [came] roaring against him. And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though [he had] nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. Then he went down and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well. After some time, when he returned to get her, he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion. And behold, a swarm of bees and honey [were] in the carcass of the lion. He took some of it in his hands and went along, eating. When he came to his father and mother, he gave [some] to them, and they also ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion. - Jdg 14:5-9 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom And the Angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, "Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. "Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or [similar] drink, and not to eat anything unclean. "For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines." So the woman came and told her husband, saying, "A Man of God came to me, and His countenance [was] like the countenance of the Angel of God, very awesome; but I did not ask Him where He [was] from, and He did not tell me His name. "And He said to me, 'Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. Now drink no wine or [similar] drink, nor eat anything unclean, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death.' " Then Manoah prayed to the LORD, and said, "O my Lord, please let the Man of God whom You sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for the child who will be born." And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the Angel of God came to the woman again as she was sitting in the field; but Manoah her husband [was] not with her. Then the woman ran in haste and told her husband, and said to him, "Look, the Man who came to me the [other] day has just now appeared to me!" So Manoah arose and followed his wife. When he came to the Man, he said to Him, "Are You the Man who spoke to this woman?" And He said, "I [am]." Manoah said, "Now let Your words come [to pass]! What will be the boy's rule of life, and his work?" So the Angel of the LORD said to Manoah, "Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful. "She may not eat anything that comes from the vine, nor may she drink wine or [similar] drink, nor eat anything unclean. All that I commanded her let her observe." Then Manoah said to the Angel of the LORD, "Please let us detain You, and we will prepare a young goat for You." And the Angel of the LORD said to Manoah, "Though you detain Me, I will not eat your food. But if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to the LORD." (For Manoah did not know He [was] the Angel of the LORD.) Then Manoah said to the Angel of the LORD, "What [is] Your name, that when Your words come [to pass] we may honor You?" And the Angel of the LORD said to him, "Why do you ask My name, seeing it [is] wonderful?" So Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering, and offered it upon the rock to the LORD. And He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on-- it happened as the flame went up toward heaven from the altar--the Angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar! When Manoah and his wife saw [this], they fell on their faces to the ground. When the Angel of the LORD appeared no more to Manoah and his wife, then Manoah knew that He [was] the Angel of the LORD. And Manoah said to his wife, "We shall surely die, because we have seen God!" But his wife said to him, "If the LORD had desired to kill us, He would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering from our hands, nor would He have shown us all these [things], nor would He have told us [such things] as these at this time." So the woman bore a son and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him. And the Spirit of the LORD began to move upon him at Mahaneh Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol. - Jdg 13:3-25 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then Jephthah the Gileadite died and was buried in among the cities of Gilead. - Jdg 12:7 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Then the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the people of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him. So the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the people of Ammon. ... And the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, saying, "We have sinned against You, because we have both forsaken our God and served the Baals!" ... "Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more. "Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress." And the children of Israel said to the LORD, "We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver us this day, we pray." So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD. And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel. - Jdg 10:6-7, 10, 13-16 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Now when they told Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim, and lifted his voice and cried out. And he said to them: "Listen to me, you men of Shechem, That God may listen to you! "The trees once went forth to anoint a king over them. And they said to the olive tree, 'Reign over us!' But the olive tree said to them, 'Should I cease giving my oil, With which they honor God and men, And go to sway over trees?' "Then the trees said to the fig tree, 'You come [and] reign over us!' But the fig tree said to them, 'Should I cease my sweetness and my good fruit, And go to sway over trees?' "Then the trees said to the vine, 'You come [and] reign over us!' But the vine said to them, 'Should I cease my new wine, Which cheers [both] God and men, And go to sway over trees?' "Then all the trees said to the bramble, 'You come [and] reign over us!' And the bramble said to the trees, 'If in truth you anoint me as king over you, [Then] come [and] take shelter in my shade; But if not, let fire come out of the bramble And devour the cedars of Lebanon!' "Now therefore, if you have acted in truth and sincerity in making Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done to him as he deserves-- "for my father fought for you, risked his life, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian; "but you have risen up against my father's house this day, and killed his seventy sons on one stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his female servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother-- "if then you have acted in truth and sincerity with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, [then] rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. "But if not, let fire come from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem and Beth Millo; and let fire come from the men of Shechem and from Beth Millo and devour Abimelech!" And Jotham ran away and fled; and he went to Beer and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother. After Abimelech had reigned over Israel three years, God sent a spirit of ill will between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, that the crime [done] to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might be settled and their blood be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and on the men of Shechem, who aided him in the killing of his brothers. And the men of Shechem set men in ambush against him on the tops of the mountains, and they robbed all who passed by them along that way; and it was told Abimelech. ... So Abimelech came as far as the tower and fought against it; and he drew near the door of the tower to burn it with fire. But a certain woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech's head and crushed his skull. Then he called quickly to the young man, his armorbearer, and said to him, "Draw your sword and kill me, lest men say of me, 'A woman killed him.' " So his young man thrust him through, and he died. And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed, every man to his place. Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his father by killing his seventy brothers. And all the evil of the men of Shechem God returned on their own heads, and on them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal. - Jdg 9:7-25, 52-57 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, "Rule over us, both you and your son, and your grandson also; for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian." But Gideon said to them, "I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you." ... Now the weight of the gold earrings that he requested was one thousand seven hundred [shekels] of gold, besides the crescent ornaments, pendants, and purple robes which [were] on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains that [were] around their camels' necks. Then Gideon made it into an ephod and set it up in his city, Ophrah. And all Israel played the harlot with it there. It became a snare to Gideon and to his house. ... So it was, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel again played the harlot with the Baals, and made Baal-Berith their god. Thus the children of Israel did not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side; nor did they show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (Gideon) in accordance with the good he had done for Israel. - Jdg 8:22-23, 26-27, 33-35 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Then the LORD said to Gideon, "By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the [other] people go, every man to his place." So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And he sent away all [the rest of] Israel, every man to his tent, and retained those three hundred men. Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley. It happened on the same night that the LORD said to him, "Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand. ... And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, "Arise, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand." Then he divided the three hundred men [into] three companies, and he put a trumpet into every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers. And he said to them, "Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do: "When I blow the trumpet, I and all who [are] with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp, and say, '[The sword of] the LORD and of Gideon!' " So Gideon and the hundred men who [were] with him came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just as they had posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers that [were] in their hands. Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers--they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing--and they cried, "The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!" And every man stood in his place all around the camp; and the whole army ran and cried out and fled. When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the LORD set every man's sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled to Beth Acacia, toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath. - Jdg 7:7-9, 15-22 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, "The LORD [is] with you, you mighty man of valor!" Gideon said to Him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where [are] all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites." Then the LORD turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?" So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan [is] the weakest in Manasseh, and I [am] the least in my father's house." And the LORD said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man." Then he said to Him, "If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me. "Do not depart from here, I pray, until I come to You and bring out my offering and set [it] before You." And He said, "I will wait until you come back." So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot; and he brought [them] out to Him under the terebinth tree and presented [them]. The Angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay [them] on this rock, and pour out the broth." And he did so. Then the Angel of the LORD put out the end of the staff that [was] in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the LORD departed out of his sight. Now Gideon perceived that He [was] the Angel of the LORD. So Gideon said, "Alas, O Lord GOD! For I have seen the Angel of the LORD face to face." Then the LORD said to him, "Peace [be] with you; do not fear, you shall not die." So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-[Is]-Peace. To this day it [is] still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. - Jdg 6:12-24 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying: "When leaders lead in Israel, When the people willingly offer themselves, Bless the LORD! "Hear, O kings! Give ear, O princes! I, [even] I, will sing to the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel. "LORD, when You went out from Seir, When You marched from the field of Edom, The earth trembled and the heavens poured, The clouds also poured water; The mountains gushed before the LORD, This Sinai, before the LORD God of Israel. "In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, In the days of Jael, The highways were deserted, And the travelers walked along the byways. Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel, Until I, Deborah, arose, Arose a mother in Israel. They chose new gods; Then [there was] war in the gates; Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel. My heart [is] with the rulers of Israel Who offered themselves willingly with the people. Bless the LORD! "Speak, you who ride on white donkeys, Who sit in judges' attire, And who walk along the road. Far from the noise of the archers, among the watering places, There they shall recount the righteous acts of the LORD, The righteous acts [for] His villagers in Israel; Then the people of the LORD shall go down to the gates. "Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, Barak, and lead your captives away, O son of Abinoam! "Then the survivors came down, the people against the nobles; The LORD came down for me against the mighty. From Ephraim [were] those whose roots were in Amalek. After you, Benjamin, with your peoples, From Machir rulers came down, And from Zebulun those who bear the recruiter's staff. And the princes of Issachar [were] with Deborah; As Issachar, so [was] Barak Sent into the valley under his command; Among the divisions of Reuben [There were] great resolves of heart. Why did you sit among the sheepfolds, To hear the pipings for the flocks? The divisions of Reuben have great searchings of heart. Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan, And why did Dan remain on ships? Asher continued at the seashore, And stayed by his inlets. Zebulun [is] a people [who] jeopardized their lives to the point of death, Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield. "The kings came [and] fought, Then the kings of Canaan fought In Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; They took no spoils of silver. They fought from the heavens; The stars from their courses fought against Sisera. The torrent of Kishon swept them away, That ancient torrent, the torrent of Kishon. O my soul, march on in strength! Then the horses' hooves pounded, The galloping, galloping of his steeds. 'Curse Meroz,' said the angel of the LORD, 'Curse its inhabitants bitterly, Because they did not come to the help of the LORD, To the help of the LORD against the mighty.' "Most blessed among women is Jael, The wife of Heber the Kenite; Blessed is she among women in tents. He asked for water, she gave milk; She brought out cream in a lordly bowl. She stretched her hand to the tent peg, Her right hand to the workmen's hammer; She pounded Sisera, she pierced his head, She split and struck through his temple. At her feet he sank, he fell, he lay still; At her feet he sank, he fell; Where he sank, there he fell dead. "The mother of Sisera looked through the window, And cried out through the lattice, 'Why is his chariot [so] long in coming? Why tarries the clatter of his chariots?' Her wisest ladies answered her, Yes, she answered herself, 'Are they not finding and dividing the spoil: To every man a girl [or] two; For Sisera, plunder of dyed garments, Plunder of garments embroidered and dyed, Two pieces of dyed embroidery for the neck of the looter?' "Thus let all Your enemies perish, O LORD! But [let] those who love Him [be] like the sun When it comes out in full strength." So the land had rest for forty years. - Jdg 5:1-31 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time. And she would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the mountains of Ephraim. And the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. Then she sent and called for Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, "Has not the LORD God of Israel commanded, 'Go and deploy [troops] at Mount Tabor; take with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun; 'and against you I will deploy Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude at the River Kishon; and I will deliver him into your hand'?" And Barak said to her, "If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go!" So she said, "I will surely go with you; nevertheless there will be no glory for you in the journey you are taking, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman." Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; he went up with ten thousand men under his command, and Deborah went up with him. - Jdg 4:4-10 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom https://www.blueletterbible.org/nkjv/jdg/3/1/ npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Then the Angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said: "I led you up from Egypt and brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers; and I said, 'I will never break My covenant with you. 'And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.' But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this? "Therefore I also said, 'I will not drive them out before you; but they shall be [thorns] in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you.' " So it was, when the Angel of the LORD spoke these words to all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept. Then they called the name of that place Bochim; and they sacrificed there to the LORD. And when Joshua had dismissed the people, the children of Israel went each to his own inheritance to possess the land. So the people served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the LORD which He had done for Israel. Now Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died [when he was] one hundred and ten years old. ... Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals; and they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from [among] the gods of the people who [were] all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the LORD to anger. They forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. Wherever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for calamity, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed. Nevertheless, the LORD raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them. Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do so. And when the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them. And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way. Then the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and He said, "Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not heeded My voice, - Jdg 2:1-8, 11-20 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Now the children of Judah fought against Jerusalem and took it; they struck it with the edge of the sword and set the city on fire. - Jdg 1:8 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom 'Also I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to what I did among them. Afterward I brought you out. 'Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea; and the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. 'So they cried out to the LORD; and He put darkness between you and the Egyptians, brought the sea upon them, and covered them. And your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. Then you dwelt in the wilderness a long time. ... 'I have given you a land for which you did not labor, and cities which you did not build, and you dwell in them; you eat of the vineyards and olive groves which you did not plant.' "Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the LORD! ... And the people said to Joshua, "The LORD our God we will serve, and His voice we will obey!" ... Then Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone, and set it up there under the oak that [was] by the sanctuary of the LORD. And Joshua said to all the people, "Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us, for it has heard all the words of the LORD which He spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny your God." ... Now it came to pass after these things that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, [being] one hundred and ten years old. ... Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the LORD which He had done for Israel. The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, they buried at Shechem, in the plot of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of silver, and which had become an inheritance of the children of Joseph. And Eleazar the son of Aaron died. They buried him in a hill [belonging to] Phinehas his son, which was given to him in the mountains of Ephraim. - Jos 24:5-7, 13-14, 24, 26-27, 29, 31-33 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom And Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders, for their heads, for their judges, and for their officers, and said to them: "I am old, advanced in age. "You have seen all that the LORD your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the LORD your God [is] He who has fought for you. "See, I have divided to you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from the Jordan, with all the nations that I have cut off, as far as the Great Sea westward. ... "Therefore be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left, "[and] lest you go among these nations, these who remain among you. You shall not make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause [anyone] to swear [by them]; you shall not serve them nor bow down to them, "but you shall hold fast to the LORD your God, as you have done to this day. "For the LORD has driven out from before you great and strong nations; but [as for] you, no one has been able to stand against you to this day. "One man of you shall chase a thousand, for the LORD your God [is] He who fights for you, as He promised you. "Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the LORD your God. ... "Behold, this day I [am] going the way of all the earth. And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spoke concerning you. All have come to pass for you; not one word of them has failed. "Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all the good things have come upon you which the LORD your God promised you, so the LORD will bring upon you all harmful things, until He has destroyed you from this good land which the LORD your God has given you. - Jos 23:2-4, 6-11, 14-15 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom [Jos 22:2-6 NKJV] 2 and said to them: "You have kept all that Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, and have obeyed my voice in all that I commanded you. 3 "You have not left your brethren these many days, up to this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the LORD your God. 4 "And now the LORD your God has given rest to your brethren, as He promised them; now therefore, return and go to your tents [and] to the land of your possession, which Moses the servant of the LORD gave you on the other side of the Jordan. 5 "But take careful heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul." 6 So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents. npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom [Jos 21:3-5, 9-10, 13, 43-45 NKJV] 3 So the children of Israel gave to the Levites from their inheritance, at the commandment of the LORD, these cities and their common-lands: 4 Now the lot came out for the families of the Kohathites. And the children of Aaron the priest, [who were] of the Levites, had thirteen cities by lot from the tribe of Judah, from the tribe of Simeon, and from the tribe of Benjamin. 5 The rest of the children of Kohath had ten cities by lot from the families of the tribe of Ephraim, from the tribe of Dan, and from the half-tribe of Manasseh. ... 9 So they gave from the tribe of the children of Judah and from the tribe of the children of Simeon these cities which are designated by name, 10 which were for the children of Aaron, one of the families of the Kohathites, [who were] of the children of Levi; for the lot was theirs first. ... 13 Thus to the children of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron with its common-land (a city of refuge for the slayer), Libnah with its common-land, ... 43 So the LORD gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it. 44 The LORD gave them rest all around, according to all that He had sworn to their fathers. And not a man of all their enemies stood against them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand. 45 Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass. npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom [Jos 20:2-6, 9 NKJV] 2 "Speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'Appoint for yourselves cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you through Moses, 3 'that the slayer who kills a person accidentally [or] unintentionally may flee there; and they shall be your refuge from the avenger of blood. 4 'And when he flees to one of those cities, and stands at the entrance of the gate of the city, and declares his case in the hearing of the elders of that city, they shall take him into the city as one of them, and give him a place, that he may dwell among them. 5 'Then if the avenger of blood pursues him, they shall not deliver the slayer into his hand, because he struck his neighbor unintentionally, but did not hate him beforehand. 6 'And he shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, [and] until the death of the one who is high priest in those days. Then the slayer may return and come to his own city and his own house, to the city from which he fled.' " ... 9 These were the cities appointed for all the children of Israel and for the stranger who dwelt among them, that whoever killed a person accidentally might flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood until he stood before the congregation. npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom “Oh, that my words were written! npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom [Jos 19:51 NKJV] 51 These [were] the inheritances which Eleazar the priest, Joshua the son of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Israel divided as an inheritance by lot in Shiloh before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. So they made an end of dividing the country. npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Now the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the tabernacle of meeting there. And the land was subdued before them. - Jos 18:1 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph--to Ephraim and Manasseh--saying, "You [are] a great people and have great power; you shall not have [only] one lot, "but the mountain country shall be yours. Although it [is] wooded, you shall cut it down, and its farthest extent shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots [and] are strong." - Jos 17:17-18 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom The lot fell to the children of Joseph from the Jordan, by Jericho, to the waters of Jericho on the east, to the wilderness that goes up from Jericho through the mountains to Bethel, then went out from Bethel to Luz, passed along to the border of the Archites at Ataroth, and went down westward to the boundary of the Japhletites, as far as the boundary of Lower Beth Horon to Gezer; and it ended at the sea. So the children of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, took their inheritance. The border of the children of Ephraim, according to their families, was [thus]: The border of their inheritance on the east side was Ataroth Addar as far as Upper Beth Horon. And the border went out toward the sea on the north side of Michmethath; then the border went around eastward to Taanath Shiloh, and passed by it on the east of Janohah. Then it went down from Janohah to Ataroth and Naarah, reached to Jericho, and came out at the Jordan. The border went out from Tappuah westward to the Brook Kanah, and it ended at the sea. This [was] the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim according to their families. The separate cities for the children of Ephraim [were] among the inheritance of the children of Manasseh, all the cities with their villages. And they did not drive out the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephraimites to this day and have become forced laborers. - Jos 16:1-10 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Then the children of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal. And Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him: "You know the word which the LORD said to Moses the man of God concerning you and me in Kadesh Barnea. "I [was] forty years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy out the land, and I brought back word to him as [it was] in my heart. "Nevertheless my brethren who went up with me made the heart of the people melt, but I wholly followed the LORD my God. "So Moses swore on that day, saying, 'Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children's forever, because you have wholly followed the LORD my God.' "And now, behold, the LORD has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years, ever since the LORD spoke this word to Moses while Israel wandered in the wilderness; and now, here I am this day, eighty-five years old. "As yet I [am as] strong this day as on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength [was] then, so now [is] my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in. "Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the LORD spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim [were] there, and [that] the cities [were] great [and] fortified. It may be that the LORD [will be] with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the LORD said." And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance. Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel. And the name of Hebron formerly was Kirjath Arba ([Arba was] the greatest man among the Anakim). Then the land had rest from war. - Jos 14:6-15 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Now Joshua was old, advanced in years. And the LORD said to him: "You are old, advanced in years, and there remains very much land yet to be possessed. - Jos 13:1 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom These [are] the kings of the land whom the children of Israel defeated, and whose land they possessed on the other side of the Jordan toward the rising of the sun, from the River Arnon to Mount Hermon, and all the eastern Jordan plain: - Jos 12:1 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Interestingly enough we are told that we can know at least some parts of eschatology perfectly also. Without such assurance in the Scriptures, summaries of doctrine such as the WCF would be impossible. npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Maybe ethical, but many passages seem to say that this ethical equality of mind is not possible this side of heaven. But more specifically having to do with knowledge of the Trinity... "that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." — Philippians 2:11 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that He might utterly destroy them, [and] that they might receive no mercy, but that He might destroy them, as the LORD had commanded Moses. ... None of the Anakim were left in the land of the children of Israel; they remained only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod. So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the LORD had said to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Then the land rested from war. - Jos 11:20, 22-23 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, — Philippians 2:5-6 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom So they answered Joshua and said, "Because your servants were clearly told that the LORD your God commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; therefore we were very much afraid for our lives because of you, and have done this thing. "And now, here we are, in your hands; do with us as it seems good and right to do to us." So he did to them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, so that they did not kill them. And that day Joshua made them woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and for the altar of the LORD, in the place which He would choose, even to this day. - Jos 9:24-27 NKJV npub1rfja82qut42nmy3xxh0lly56k04rpeg2zrhzchraue7hmekxmemqm7yjh3 History & Wisdom So Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap forever, a desolation to this day. ... And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them. - Jos 8:28, 34-35 NKJV
