You seem to love your enemies and hate your friends! For you have as much as declared today that leaders and servants don&#8217;t matter to you. I realize now<n id="1" /> that if<n id="2" /> Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today,<n id="3" /> it would be all right with you.

The king longed<n id="1" /> to go to Absalom, for he had since been consoled over the death of Amnon.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">My dynasty is approved by God,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">for he has made a perpetual covenant with me,p> <p class="poetry">arranged in all its particulars and secured.p> <p class="poetry">He always delivers me,p> <p class="poetry">and brings all I desire to fruition.<n id="2" />p>

He said to me, &#8216;Stand over me and finish me off!<n id="1" /> I&#8217;m very dizzy,<n id="2" /> even though I&#8217;m still alive.&#8217;<n id="3" />

Joab replied, &#8220;As surely as God lives, if you had not said this, it would have been morning before the people would have abandoned pursuit<n id="1" /> of their brothers!&#8221;

God will severely judge Abner<n id="1" /> if I do not do for David exactly what the <sc>Lordsc> has promised him,<n id="2" />

David realized that the <sc>Lordsc> had established him as king over Israel and that he had elevated his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

<p class="bodytext">When David saw that his servants were whispering to one another, he<n id="1" /> realized that the child was dead. So David asked his servants, &#8220;Is the child dead?&#8221; They replied, &#8220;Yes, he&#8217;s dead.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">When the Arameans realized that they had been defeated by Israel, they consolidated their forces.<n id="1" />

<p class="poetry">The waves of death engulfed me;p> <p class="poetry">the currents<n id="1" /> of chaos<n id="2" /> overwhelmed me.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">He rescued me from my strong enemy,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">from those who hate me,p> <p class="poetry">for they were too strong for me.p>

<p class="poetry">He brought me out into a wide open place;p> <p class="poetry">he delivered me because he was pleased with me.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">For I have obeyed the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s commands;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">I have not rebelled against my God.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">For I am aware of all his regulations,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and I do not reject his rules.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Indeed,<n id="1" /> you are my lamp,<n id="2" /> <sc>Lordsc>.p> <p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> illumines<n id="3" /> the darkness around me.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">Indeed,<n id="1" />with your help<n id="2" /> I can charge<n id="3" /> against an army;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">by my God&#8217;s power<n id="5" /> I can jump over a wall.<n id="6" />p>

<p class="poetry">But evil people are like thorns &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">all of them are tossed away,p> <p class="poetry">for they cannot be held in the hand.p>

But David said, &#8220;What do we have in common,<n id="1" /> you sons of Zeruiah? You are like my enemy today! Should anyone be put to death in Israel today? Don&#8217;t you realize that today I am king over Israel?&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">But the soldiers replied,<n id="1" /> &#8220;You should not do this!<n id="2" /> For if we should have to make a rapid retreat, they won&#8217;t be too concerned about us.<n id="3" /> Even if half of us should die, they won&#8217;t be too concerned about us. But you<n id="4" /> are like ten thousand of us! So it is better if you remain in the city for support.&#8221;

<t /><p class="bodytext">When Ish-bosheth<n id="1" /> the son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he was very disheartened,<n id="2" /> and all Israel was afraid.