Then Mephibosheth<n id="1" /> bowed and said, &#8220;Of what importance am I, your servant, that you show regard for a dead dog like me?&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

The king replied to her, &#8220;What do you want?&#8221;<n id="1" /> She answered, &#8220;I am a widow; my husband is dead.

<p class="bodytext">Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, &#8220;Give us your advice. What should we do?&#8221;

But Absalom said, &#8220;Call for<n id="1" /> Hushai the Arkite, and let&#8217;s hear what he has to say.&#8221;<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">So Joab went to the king and said, &#8220;What have you done? Abner<n id="1" /> has come to you! Why would you send him away? Now he&#8217;s gone on his way!<n id="2" />

But he said,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Whatever happens, I want to go!&#8221; So Joab<n id="2" /> said to him, &#8220;Then go!&#8221; So Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Jordan plain, and he passed the Cushite.p>

David said to the Gibeonites, &#8220;What can I do for you, and how can I make amends so that you will bless<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s inheritance?&#8221;p>

David inquired, &#8220;How were things going?<n id="1" /> Tell me!&#8221; He replied, &#8220;The people fled from the battle and many of them<n id="2" /> fell dead.<n id="3" /> Even Saul and his son Jonathan are dead!&#8221;

When David went home to pronounce a blessing on his own house,<n id="1" /> Michal, Saul&#8217;s daughter, came out to meet him.<n id="2" /> She said, &#8220;How the king of Israel has distinguished<n id="3" /> himself this day! He has exposed himself today before his servants&#8217; slave girls the way a vulgar fool<n id="4" /> might do!&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">His servants said to him, &#8220;What is this that you have done? While<n id="1" /> the child was still alive, you fasted and wept. Once the child was dead you got up and ate food!&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">The king asked Ziba, &#8220;Why did you bring these things?&#8221;<n id="1" /> Ziba replied, &#8220;The donkeys are for the king&#8217;s family to ride on, the loaves of bread<n id="2" /> and the summer fruit are for the attendants to eat, and the wine is for those who get exhausted in the desert.&#8221;<n id="3" />

But the king said, &#8220;What do we have in common,<n id="1" /> you sons of Zeruiah? If he curses because the <sc>Lordsc> has said to him, &#8216;Curse David!&#8217;, who can say to him, &#8216;Why have you done this?&#8217;&#8221;

Ahimaaz the son of Zadok again spoke to Joab, &#8220;Whatever happens, let me go after the Cushite.&#8221; But Joab said, &#8220;Why is it that you want to go, my son? You have no good news that will bring you a reward.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">The king replied, &#8220;How is the young man Absalom?&#8221; Ahimaaz replied, &#8220;I saw a great deal of confusion when Joab was sending the king&#8217;s servant and me, your servant, but I don&#8217;t know what it was all about.&#8221;

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">The Gibeonites said to him, &#8220;We<n id="1" /> have no claim to silver or gold from Saul or from his family,<n id="2" /> nor would we be justified in putting to death anyone in Israel.&#8221; David asked,<n id="3" /> &#8220;What then are you asking me to do for you?&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">When he saw the angel who was destroying the people, David said to the <sc>Lordsc>, &#8220;Look, it is I who have sinned and done this evil thing! As for these sheep &#8211; what have they done? Attack me and my family.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

<p class="bodytext">Gad went to David and told him, &#8220;Shall seven<n id="1" /> years of famine come upon your land? Or shall you flee for three months from your enemy with him in hot pursuit? Or shall there be three days of plague in your land? Now decide<n id="2" /> what I should tell the one who sent me.&#8221;