<p class="poetry">Foreigners are powerless before me;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">when they hear of my exploits, they submit to me.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">I grieve over you, my brother Jonathan!p> <p class="poetry">You were very dear to me.p> <p class="poetry">Your love was more special to me than the love of women.p>

He said:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> is my high ridge,<n id="1" /> my stronghold,<n id="2" /> my deliverer.p>

<p class="poetry">You give me<n id="1" /> your protective shield;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">your willingness to help enables me to prevail.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">You make my enemies retreat;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">I destroy those who hate me.p>

He asked me, &#8216;Who are you?&#8217; I told him, &#8216;I&#8217;m<n id="1" /> an Amalekite.&#8217;

<p class="poetry">They confronted<n id="1" /> me in my day of calamity,p> <p class="poetry">but the <sc>Lordsc> helped me.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> repaid<n id="1" /> me for my godly deeds;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">he rewarded<n id="3" /> my blameless behavior.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc> rewarded me for my godly deeds;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">he took notice of my blameless behavior.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">The one true God completely vindicates me;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">he makes nations submit to me.<n id="2" />p>

However, if he should say, &#8216;I do not take pleasure in you,&#8217; then he will deal with me in a way that he considers appropriate.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

Look, I will be waiting at the fords of the desert until word from you<n id="1" /> reaches me.&#8221;

Perhaps the <sc>Lordsc> will notice my affliction<n id="1" /> and this day grant me good in place of his curse.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">Joab answered, &#8220;Get serious!<n id="1" /> I don&#8217;t want to swallow up or destroy anything!

<p class="poetry">In my distress I called to the <sc>Lordsc>;p> <p class="poetry">I called to my God.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">From his heavenly temple<n id="2" /> he heard my voice;p> <p class="poetry">he listened to my cry for help.<n id="3" />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;

&#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?

I will become his father and he will become my son. When he sins, I will correct him with the rod of men and with wounds inflicted by human beings.

Joab<n id="1" /> said, &#8220;If the Arameans start to overpower me,<n id="2" /> you come to my rescue. If the Ammonites start to overpower you,<n id="3" /> I will come to your rescue.

<p class="bodytext">Then Joab got up and came to Absalom&#8217;s house. He said to him, &#8220;Why did your servants set my portion of field on fire?&#8221;