for you, O <sc>Lordsc> of hosts, the God of Israel, have told<n id="1" /> your servant, &#8216;I will build you a dynastic house.&#8217;<n id="2" /> That is why your servant has had the courage<n id="3" /> to pray this prayer to you.

<p class="bodytext">Ziba said to the king, &#8220;Your servant will do everything that my lord the king has instructed his servant to do.&#8221; So Mephibosheth was a regular guest<n id="1" /> at David&#8217;s table,<n id="2" /> just as though he were one of the king&#8217;s sons.p>

He removed<n id="1" /> the people who were in it and made them do hard labor with saws, iron picks, and iron axes, putting them to work at the brick kiln. This was his policy<n id="2" /> with all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem.<n id="3" />p>

So your servant said, &#8216;May the word of my lord the king be my security, for my lord the king is like the angel of God when it comes to deciding between right and wrong! May the <sc>Lordsc> your God be with you!&#8217;&#8221;p>

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;

<p class="bodytext">In those days Ahithophel&#8217;s advice was considered as valuable as a prophetic revelation.<n id="1" /> Both David and Absalom highly regarded the advice of Ahithophel.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin at Zela in the grave of his father Kish. After they had done everything<n id="1" /> that the king had commanded, God responded to their prayers<n id="2" /> for the land.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>

<p class="bodytext">David felt guilty<n id="1" /> after he had numbered the army. David said to the <sc>Lordsc>, &#8220;I have sinned greatly by doing this! Now, O <sc>Lordsc>, please remove the guilt of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.&#8221;p>

That&#8217;s not the way things are. There is a man from the hill country of Ephraim named Sheba son of Bicri. He has rebelled<n id="1" /> against King David. Give me just this one man, and I will leave the city.&#8221; The woman said to Joab, &#8220;This very minute<n id="2" /> his head will be thrown over the wall to you!&#8221;p>