<p class="bodytext">But she said to him, &#8220;No, my brother! Don&#8217;t humiliate me! This just isn&#8217;t done in Israel! Don&#8217;t do this foolish thing!

<p class="bodytext">At the time of<n id="1" /> the harvest three<n id="2" /> of the thirty leaders went down to<n id="3" /> David at the cave of Adullam. A band of Philistines was camped in the valley of Rephaim.

David said to the messenger, &#8220;Tell Joab, &#8216;Don&#8217;t let this thing upset you.<n id="1" /> There is no way to anticipate whom the sword will cut down.<n id="2" /> Press the battle against the city and conquer<n id="3" /> it.&#8217; Encourage him with these words.&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

<p class="bodytext">Then King David sent a message to Zadok and Abiathar the priests saying, &#8220;Tell the elders of Judah, &#8216;Why should you delay any further in bringing the king back to his palace,<n id="1" /> when everything Israel is saying has come to the king&#8217;s attention.<n id="2" />

<p class="poetry">Don&#8217;t report it in Gath,p> <p class="poetry">don&#8217;t spread the news in the streets of Ashkelon,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice,p> <p class="poetry">the daughters of the uncircumcised will celebrate!p>

So Abner spoke again to Asahel, &#8220;Turn aside from following me! I do not want to strike you to the ground.<n id="1" /> How then could I show<n id="2" /> my face in the presence of Joab your brother?&#8221;

Now Saul had a concubine named Rizpah daughter of Aiah. Ish-bosheth<n id="1" /> said to Abner, &#8220;Why did you have sexual relations with<n id="2" /> my father&#8217;s concubine?&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

&#8220;Go, tell my servant David: &#8216;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says: Do you really intend to build a house for me to live in?

<p class="bodytext">So David sent a message to Joab that said, &#8220;Send me Uriah the Hittite.&#8221; So Joab sent Uriah to David.

<p class="bodytext">So as Joab kept watch on the city, he stationed Uriah at the place where he knew the best enemy soldiers<n id="1" /> were.

<p class="bodytext">Then David exclaimed to Nathan, &#8220;I have sinned against the <sc>Lordsc>!&#8221; Nathan replied to David, &#8220;Yes, and the <sc>Lordsc> has forgiven<n id="1" /> your sin. You are not going to die.

Now don&#8217;t let my lord the king be concerned about the report that has come saying, &#8216;All the king&#8217;s sons are dead.&#8217; It is only Amnon who is dead.&#8221;p>

But the king said, &#8220;Let him go over<n id="1" /> to his own house. He may not see my face.&#8221; So Absalom went over<n id="2" /> to his own house; he did not see the king&#8217;s face.p>

Then Absalom sent a message to Joab asking him to send him to the king, but Joab was not willing to come to him. So he sent a second message to him, but he still was not willing to come.

When David&#8217;s friend Hushai the Arkite came to Absalom, Hushai said to him,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Long live the king! Long live the king!&#8221;p>

Mephibosheth said to the king, &#8220;Let him have<n id="1" /> the whole thing! My lord the king has returned safely<n id="2" /> to his house!&#8221;p>

David said to Gad, &#8220;I am very upset! I prefer that we be attacked by the <sc>Lordsc>, for his mercy is great; I do not want to be attacked by men!&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">They cry out,<n id="1" /> but there is no one to help them;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">they cry out to the <sc>Lordsc>,<n id="3" /> but he does not answer them.p>

<p class="bodytext">So they informed David, &#8220;Uriah has not gone down to his house.&#8221; So David said to Uriah, &#8220;Haven&#8217;t you just arrived from a journey? Why haven&#8217;t you gone down to your house?&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">But the king said to Absalom, &#8220;No, my son. We shouldn&#8217;t all go. We shouldn&#8217;t burden you in that way.&#8221; Though Absalom<n id="1" /> pressed<n id="2" /> him, the king<n id="3" /> was not willing to go. Instead, David<n id="4" /> blessed him.p>