2Samuel:20-22

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* And there happened to be there a man of Belial , whose name was Sheba , the son of Bichri , a Benjamite : and he blew a trumpet , and said , We have no part in David , neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse : every man to his tents , O Israel . * So every man of Israel went up from after David , and followed Sheba the son of Bichri : but the men of Judah clave unto their king , from Jordan even to Jerusalem . * And David came to his house at Jerusalem ; and the king took the ten women his concubines , whom he had left to keep the house , and put them in ward , and fed them , but went not in unto them . So they were shut up unto the day of their death , living in widowhood . * Then said the king to Amasa , Assemble me the men of Judah within three days , and be thou here present . * So Amasa went to assemble the men of Judah : but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him . * And David said to Abishai , Now shall Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than did Absalom : take thou thy lord 's servants , and pursue after him , lest he get him fenced cities , and escape us . * And there went out after him Joab 's men , and the Cherethites , and the Pelethites , and all the mighty men : and they went out of Jerusalem , to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri . * When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon , Amasa went before them . And Joab 's garment that he had put on was girded unto him , and upon it a girdle with a sword fastened upon his loins in the sheath thereof ; and as he went forth it fell out . * And Joab said to Amasa , Art thou in health , my brother ? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him . * But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab 's hand : so he smote him therewith in the fifth rib , and shed out his bowels to the ground , and struck him not again ; and he died . So Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri . * And one of Joab 's men stood by him , and said , He that favoureth Joab , and he that is for David , let him go after Joab . * And Amasa wallowed in blood in the midst of the highway . And when the man saw that all the people stood still , he removed Amasa out of the highway into the field , and cast a cloth upon him , when he saw that every one that came by him stood still . * When he was removed out of the highway , all the people went on after Joab , to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri . * And he went through all the tribes of Israel unto Abel , and to Bethmaachah , and all the Berites : and they were gathered together , and went also after him . * And they came and besieged him in Abel of Bethmaachah , and they cast up a bank against the city , and it stood in the trench : and all the people that were with Joab battered the wall , to throw it down . * Then cried a wise woman out of the city , Hear , hear ; say , I pray you , unto Joab , Come near hither , that I may speak with thee . * And when he was come near unto her , the woman said , Art thou Joab ? And he answered , I am he . Then she said unto him , Hear the words of thine handmaid . And he answered , I do hear . * Then she spake , saying , They were wont to speak in old time , saying , They shall surely ask counsel at Abel : and so they ended the matter . * I am one of them that are peaceable and faithful in Israel : thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Israel : why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of the LORD ? * And Joab answered and said , Far be it , far be it from me , that I should swallow up or destroy . * The matter is not so : but a man of mount Ephraim , Sheba the son of Bichri by name , hath lifted up his hand against the king , even against David : deliver him only , and I will depart from the city . And the woman said unto Joab , Behold , his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall . * Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom . And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri , and cast it out to Joab . And he blew a trumpet , and they retired from the city , every man to his tent . And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king . * Now Joab was over all the host of Israel : and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites : * And Adoram was over the tribute : and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder : * And Sheva was scribe : and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests : * And Ira also the Jairite was a chief ruler about David . * Then there was a famine in the days of David three years , year after year ; and David enquired of the LORD . And the LORD answered , It is for Saul , and for his bloody house , because he slew the Gibeonites . * And the king called the Gibeonites , and said unto them ; (now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel , but of the remnant of the Amorites ; and the children of Israel had sworn unto them : and Saul sought to slay them in his zeal to the children of Israel and Judah .) * Wherefore David said unto the Gibeonites , What shall I do for you ? and wherewith shall I make the atonement , that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD ? * And the Gibeonites said unto him , We will have no silver nor gold of Saul , nor of his house ; neither for us shalt thou kill any man in Israel . And he said , What ye shall say , that will I do for you . * And they answered the king , The man that consumed us , and that devised against us that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the coasts of Israel , * Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us , and we will hang them up unto the LORD in Gibeah of Saul , whom the LORD did choose . And the king said , I will give them . * But the king spared Mephibosheth , the son of Jonathan the son of Saul , because of the LORD 'S oath that was between them , between David and Jonathan the son of Saul . * But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah , whom she bare unto Saul , Armoni and Mephibosheth ; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul , whom she brought up for Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite : * And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites , and they hanged them in the hill before the LORD : and they fell all seven together , and were put to death in the days of harvest , in the first days , in the beginning of barley harvest . * And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth , and spread it for her upon the rock , from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them out of heaven , and suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on them by day , nor the beasts of the field by night . * And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah , the concubine of Saul , had done . * And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabeshgilead , which had stolen them from the street of Bethshan , where the Philistines had hanged them , when the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa : * And he brought up from thence the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son ; and they gathered the bones of them that were hanged . * And the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son buried they in the country of Benjamin in Zelah , in the sepulchre of Kish his father : and they performed all that the king commanded . And after that God was intreated for the land . * Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel ; and David went down , and his servants with him , and fought against the Philistines : and David waxed faint . * And Ishbibenob , which was of the sons of the giant , the weight of whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of brass in weight , he being girded with a new sword , thought to have slain David . * But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him , and smote the Philistine , and killed him . Then the men of David sware unto him , saying , Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle , that thou quench not the light of Israel . * And it came to pass after this , that there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob : then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Saph , which was of the sons of the giant . * And there was again a battle in Gob with the Philistines , where Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim , a Bethlehemite , slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite , the staff of whose spear was like a weaver 's beam . * And there was yet a battle in Gath , where was a man of great stature , that had on every hand six fingers , and on every foot six toes , four and twenty in number ; and he also was born to the giant . * And when he defied Israel , Jonathan the son of Shimea the brother of David slew him . * These four were born to the giant in Gath , and fell by the hand of David , and by the hand of his servants . * And David spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies , and out of the hand of Saul : * And he said , The LORD is my rock , and my fortress , and my deliverer ; * The God of my rock ; in him will I trust : he is my shield , and the horn of my salvation , my high tower , and my refuge , my saviour ; thou savest me from violence . * I will call on the LORD , who is worthy to be praised : so shall I be saved from mine enemies . * When the waves of death compassed me , the floods of ungodly men made me afraid ; * The sorrows of hell compassed me about ; the snares of death prevented me ; * In my distress I called upon the LORD , and cried to my God : and he did hear my voice out of his temple , and my cry did enter into his ears . * Then the earth shook and trembled ; the foundations of heaven moved and shook , because he was wroth . * There went up a smoke out of his nostrils , and fire out of his mouth devoured : coals were kindled by it . * He bowed the heavens also , and came down ; and darkness was under his feet . * And he rode upon a cherub , and did fly : and he was seen upon the wings of the wind . * And he made darkness pavilions round about him , dark waters , and thick clouds of the skies . * Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled . * The LORD thundered from heaven , and the most High uttered his voice . * And he sent out arrows , and scattered them ; lightning , and discomfited them . * And the channels of the sea appeared , the foundations of the world were discovered , at the rebuking of the LORD , at the blast of the breath of his nostrils . * He sent from above , he took me ; he drew me out of many waters ; * He delivered me from my strong enemy , and from them that hated me : for they were too strong for me . * They prevented me in the day of my calamity : but the LORD was my stay . * He brought me forth also into a large place : he delivered me , because he delighted in me . * The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness : according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me . * For I have kept the ways of the LORD , and have not wickedly departed from my God . * For all his judgments were before me : and as for his statutes , I did not depart from them . * I was also upright before him , and have kept myself from mine iniquity . * Therefore the LORD hath recompensed me according to my righteousness ; according to my cleanness in his eye sight . * With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful , and with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright . * With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure ; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury . * And the afflicted people thou wilt save : but thine eyes are upon the haughty , that thou mayest bring them down . * For thou art my lamp , O LORD : and the LORD will lighten my darkness . * For by thee I have run through a troop : by my God have I leaped over a wall . * As for God , his way is perfect ; the word of the LORD is tried : he is a buckler to all them that trust in him . * For who is God , save the LORD ? and who is a rock , save our God ? * God is my strength and power : and he maketh my way perfect . * He maketh my feet like hinds ' feet : and setteth me upon my high places . * He teacheth my hands to war ; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms . * Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation : and thy gentleness hath made me great . * Thou hast enlarged my steps under me ; so that my feet did not slip . * I have pursued mine enemies , and destroyed them ; and turned not again until I had consumed them . * And I have consumed them , and wounded them , that they could not arise : yea , they are fallen under my feet . * For thou hast girded me with strength to battle : them that rose up against me hast thou subdued under me . * Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies , that I might destroy them that hate me . * They looked , but there was none to save ; even unto the LORD , but he answered them not . * Then did I beat them as small as the dust of the earth , I did stamp them as the mire of the street , and did spread them abroad . * Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people , thou hast kept me to be head of the heathen : a people which I knew not shall serve me . * Strangers shall submit themselves unto me : as soon as they hear , they shall be obedient unto me . * Strangers shall fade away , and they shall be afraid out of their close places . * The LORD liveth ; and blessed be my rock ; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation . * It is God that avengeth me , and that bringeth down the people under me , * And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies : thou also hast lifted me up on high above them that rose up against me : thou hast delivered me from the violent man . * Therefore I will give thanks unto thee , O LORD , among the heathen , and I will sing praises unto thy name . * He is the tower of salvation for his king : and sheweth mercy to his anointed , unto David , and to his seed for evermore . * Now these be the last words of David . David the son of Jesse said , and the man who was raised up on high , the anointed of the God of Jacob , and the sweet psalmist of Israel , said ,

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