In this initial skirmish Jonathan and his armor bearer struck down about twenty men in an area that measured half an acre.p>

Certainly if the army had eaten some of the enemies’ provisions that they came across today, would not the slaughter of the Philistines have been even greater?”p>

<p class="bodytext">Now once again there was war. So David went out to fight the Philistines. He defeated them thoroughly<n id="1" /> and they ran away from him.

While the battle raged throughout the day, the king stood propped up in his chariot opposite the Syrians. He died in the evening; the blood from the wound ran down into the bottom of the chariot.

Abijah and his army thoroughly defeated them;<n id="1" /> 500,000 well-trained Israelite men fell dead.<n id="2" />

<p class="poetry">From the soles of your feet to your head,p> <p class="poetry">there is no spot that is unharmed.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">There are only bruises, cuts,p> <p class="poetry">and open wounds.p> <p class="poetry">They have not been cleansed<n id="2" /> or bandaged,p> <p class="poetry">nor have they been treated<n id="3" /> with olive oil.<n id="4" />p>

The <sc>Lordsc> who commands armies is about to beat them<n id="1" /> with a whip, similar to the way he struck down Midian at the rock of Oreb.<n id="2" /> He will use his staff against the sea, lifting it up as he did in Egypt.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">As a well continually pours out fresh waterp> <p class="poetry">so it continually pours out wicked deeds.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Sounds of violence and destruction echo throughout it.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">All I see are sick and wounded people.&#8217;<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">Why must I continually suffer such painful anguish?p> <p class="poetry">Why must I endure the sting of their insults like an incurable wound?p> <p class="poetry">Will you let me down when I need youp> <p class="poetry">like a brook one goes to for water, but that cannot be relied on?&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

I will make this city an object of horror, a thing to be hissed at. All who pass by it will be filled with horror and will hiss out their scorn<n id="1" /> because of all the disasters that have happened to it.<n id="2" />

<p class="poetry">All your allies have abandoned you.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">They no longer have any concern for you.p> <p class="poetry">For I have attacked you like an enemy would.p> <p class="poetry">I have chastened you cruelly.p> <p class="poetry">For your wickedness is so greatp> <p class="poetry">and your sin is so much.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Yes,<n id="1" /> I will restore you to health.p> <p class="poetry">I will heal your wounds.p> <p class="poetry">I, the <sc>Lordsc>, affirm it!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">For you have been called an outcast,p> <p class="poetry">Zion, whom no one cares for.&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">After I vent my wrath on it Babylon will be uninhabited.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">It will be totally desolate.p> <p class="poetry">All who pass by will be filled with horror and will hiss out their scornp> <p class="poetry">because of all the disasters that have happened to it.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">For Samaria&#8217;s<n id="1" /> disease<n id="2" /> is incurable.p> <p class="poetry">It has infected<n id="3" /> Judah;p> <p class="poetry">it has spread to<n id="4" /> the leadership<n id="5" /> of my peoplep> <p class="poetry">and has even contaminated Jerusalem!<n id="6" />p>

<p class="poetry">Your destruction is like an incurable wound;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">your demise is like a fatal injury!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">All who hear what has happened to you<n id="3" /> will clap their hands for joy,<n id="4" />p> <p class="bodytext">for no one ever escaped your endless cruelty!<n id="5" />p>

The generation to come &#8211; your descendants who will rise up after you, as well as the foreigner who will come from distant places &#8211; will see<n id="1" /> the afflictions of that land and the illnesses that the <sc>Lordsc> has brought on it.

He defeated them from Aroer all the way to Minnith &#8211; twenty cities in all, even as far as Abel Keramim! He wiped them out!<n id="1" /> The Israelites humiliated the Ammonites.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">But the <sc>Lordsc><n id="1" /> struck down some of the people of Beth Shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the <sc>Lordsc>; he struck down 50,070<n id="2" /> of the men. The people grieved because the <sc>Lordsc> had struck the people with a hard blow.

<p class="bodytext">So David and his men went to Keilah and fought the Philistines. He took away their cattle and thoroughly defeated them.<n id="1" /> David delivered the inhabitants of Keilah.p>

But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received from the Syrians<n id="1" /> when he fought against King Hazael of Syria.<n id="2" /> Jehu told his supporters,<n id="3" /> &#8220;If you really want me to be king,<n id="4" /> then don&#8217;t let anyone escape from the city to go and warn Jezreel.&#8221;