Saul and Jonathan were greatly loved ¹  during their lives, and not even in their deaths were they separated. They were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.

Ish-bosheth ¹  was unable to answer Abner with even a single word because he was afraid of him.

Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, had no children to the day of her death.

But my loyal love will not be removed from him as I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.

But he refused to listen to her. ¹  He overpowered her and humiliated her by raping her. ² 

The king said, “Bring to me whoever speaks to you, and he won’t bother you again!”

Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years without seeing the king’s face.

However, if he should say, ‘I do not take pleasure in you,’ then he will deal with me in a way that he considers appropriate.” ¹ 

Hushai replied to Absalom, “Ahithophel’s advice is not sound this time.” ¹ 

The king said to Shimei, “You won’t die.” The king vowed an oath ¹  concerning this.

You rescue me from a hostile army; ¹  you preserve me as a leader of nations; people over whom I had no authority are now my subjects. ² 

is like the light of morning when the sun comes up, a morning in which there are no clouds. He is like the brightness after rain that produces grass from the earth.

From ¹  the three he was given honor and he became their officer, even though he was not one of the three.

He received honor from ¹  the thirty warriors, though he was not one of the three elite warriors. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

Then Abner called out to Joab, “Must the sword devour forever? Don’t you realize that this will turn bitter in the end? When will you tell the people to turn aside from pursuing their brothers?”

Then the king and his men advanced to Jerusalem ¹  against the Jebusites who lived in the land. The Jebusites ²  said to David, “You cannot invade this place! Even the blind and the lame will turn you back, saying, ‘David cannot invade this place!’”

But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son. We shouldn’t all go. We shouldn’t burden you in that way.” Though Absalom ¹  pressed ²  him, the king ³  was not willing to go. Instead, David ⁴  blessed him.

Certainly we must die, and are like water spilled on the ground that cannot be gathered up again. But God does not take away life; instead he devises ways for the banished to be restored. ¹ 

So David and all the people who were with him got up and crossed the Jordan River. ¹  By dawn there was not one person left who had not crossed the Jordan.

But Joab said to him, “You will not be a bearer of good news today. You will bear good news some other day, but not today, ¹  for the king’s son is dead.”