<p class="bodytext">Then David became very angry at this man. He said to Nathan, &#8220;As surely as the <sc>Lordsc> lives, the man who did this deserves to die!<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">After four<n id="1" /> years Absalom said to the king, &#8220;Let me go and repay my vow that I made to the <sc>Lordsc> while I was in Hebron.

<p class="bodytext">All the land was weeping loudly<n id="1" /> as all these people were leaving.<n id="2" /> As the king was crossing over the Kidron Valley, all the people were leaving<n id="3" /> on the road that leads to the desert.

He replied, &#8220;My lord the king, my servant deceived me! I<n id="1" /> said, &#8216;Let me get my donkey saddled so that I can ride on it and go with the king,&#8217; for I<n id="2" /> am lame.

<p class="bodytext">Hushai replied to Absalom, &#8220;Ahithophel&#8217;s advice is not sound this time.&#8221;<n id="1" />

<p class="poetry">You deliver oppressed<n id="1" /> people,p> <p class="poetry">but you watch the proud and bring them down.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">Her brother Absalom said to her, &#8220;Was Amnon your brother with you? Now be quiet, my sister. He is your brother. Don&#8217;t take it so seriously!&#8221;<n id="1" /> Tamar, devastated, lived in the house of her brother Absalom.p>

In the past, when Saul was our king, you were the real leader in Israel.<n id="1" /> The <sc>Lordsc> said to you, &#8216;You will shepherd my people Israel; you will rule over Israel.&#8217;&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">As the ark of the <sc>Lordsc> entered the City of David, Saul&#8217;s daughter Michal looked out the window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the <sc>Lordsc>, she despised him.<n id="1" />

Then Amnon greatly despised her.<n id="1" /> His disdain toward her surpassed the love he had previously felt toward her.<n id="2" /> Amnon said to her, &#8220;Get up and leave!&#8221;p>

<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>

<p class="bodytext">Now in all Israel everyone acknowledged that there was no man as handsome as Absalom.<n id="1" /> From the sole of his feet to the top of his head he was perfect in appearance.<n id="2" />

They crossed at the ford in order to help the king&#8217;s household cross and to do whatever he thought appropriate.p> <p class="bodytext">Now after he had crossed the Jordan, Shimei son of Gera threw himself down before the king.

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>

<t /><p class="bodytext">Then David chanted this lament over Saul and his son Jonathan.

<p class="bodytext">The Philistines again came up and spread out in the valley of Rephaim.

<p class="bodytext">When the Ammonites realized that David was disgusted with them,<n id="1" /> they<n id="2" /> sent and hired 20,000 foot soldiers from Aram Beth Rehob and Aram Zobah,<n id="3" /> in addition to 1,000 men from the king of Maacah and 12,000 men from Ish-tob.<n id="4" />p>

The woman conceived and then sent word to David saying, &#8220;I&#8217;m pregnant.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">Then David went to his palace<n id="1" /> in Jerusalem. The king took the ten concubines he had left to care for the palace and placed them under confinement.<n id="2" /> Though he provided for their needs, he did not have sexual relations with them.<n id="3" /> They remained in confinement until the day they died, living out the rest of their lives as widows.p>

<p class="poetry">From the brightness in front of himp> <p class="poetry">came coals of fire.<n id="1" />p>