saying, “Don’t touch my anointed ones! Don’t harm my prophets!”

they wandered from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another.

Three of the thirty leaders went down to David at the rocky cliff at the cave of Adullam, while a Philistine force was camped in the Valley of Rephaim.

So David did not move the ark to the City of David; he left it in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.

David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring the ark of the Lord up to the place he had prepared for it.

The Lord told Gad, David’s prophet,

The Lord ordered the messenger to put his sword back into its sheath.

Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruiah’s three sons were Abshai, Joab, and Asahel.

These were the descendants of Ehud who were leaders of the families living in Geba who were forced to move to Manahath:

Their relatives, who lived in their settlements, came from time to time and served with them for seven-day periods.

All Israel joined David at Hebron and said, “Look, we are your very flesh and blood!

The mighty warriors were: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo, from Bethlehem,

Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Announce every day how he delivers!

Nathan said to David, “You should do whatever you have in mind, for God is with you.”

That night God told Nathan the prophet,

Nathan told David all these words that were revealed to him.

These were the descendants of Rapha who lived in Gath; they were killed by the hand of David and his soldiers.

Gad went to David and told him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Pick one of these:

David said, “I will express my loyalty to Hanun son of Nahash, for his father was loyal to me.” So David sent messengers to express his sympathy over his father’s death. When David’s servants entered Ammonite territory to visit Hanun and express the king’s sympathy,

David said to Gad, “I am very upset! I prefer to be attacked by the Lord, for his mercy is very great; I do not want to be attacked by men!”