The <sc>Lordsc> saw Israel&#8217;s intense suffering;<n id="1" /> everyone was weak and incapacitated and Israel had no deliverer.<n id="2" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">These were the men who joined David in Ziklag, when he was banished<n id="1" /> from the presence of Saul son of Kish. (They were among the warriors who assisted him in battle.

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;But who am I and who are my people, that we should be in a position to contribute this much?<n id="1" /> Indeed, everything comes from you, and we have simply given back to you what is yours.<n id="2" />

When<n id="1" /> I close up the sky<n id="2" /> so that it doesn&#8217;t rain, or command locusts to devour the land&#8217;s vegetation,<n id="3" /> or send a plague among my people,

<p class="poetry">Sometimes I think, &#8220;I will make no mention of his message.p> <p class="poetry">I will not speak as his messenger<n id="1" /> any more.&#8221;p> <p class="poetry">But then<n id="2" /> his message becomes like a firep> <p class="poetry">locked up inside of me, burning in my heart and soul.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">I grow weary of trying to hold it in;p> <p class="poetry">I cannot contain it.p>

So Sarai said to Abram, &#8220;Since<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc> has prevented me from having children, have sexual relations with<n id="2" /> my servant. Perhaps I can have a family by her.&#8221;<n id="3" /> Abram did what<n id="4" /> Sarai told him.p>

and went after the Israelite man into the tent<n id="1" /> and thrust through the Israelite man and into the woman&#8217;s abdomen.<n id="2" /> So the plague was stopped from the Israelites.<n id="3" />

Then the anger of the <sc>Lordsc> will erupt<n id="1" /> against you and he will close up the sky<n id="2" /> so that it does not rain. The land will not yield its produce, and you will soon be removed<n id="3" /> from the good land that the Lord<n id="4" /> is about to give you.

The <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s messenger said to Manoah, &#8220;If I stay,<n id="1" /> I will not eat your food. But if you want to make a burnt sacrifice to the <sc>Lordsc>, you should offer it.&#8221; (He said this because Manoah did not know that he was the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s messenger.)<n id="2" />

David said to the priest, &#8220;Certainly women have been kept away from us, just as on previous occasions when I have set out. The soldiers&#8217;<n id="1" /> equipment is holy, even on an ordinary journey. How much more so will they be holy today, along with their equipment!&#8221;p>

Araunah said, &#8220;Why has my lord the king come to his servant?&#8221; David replied, &#8220;To buy from you the threshing floor so I can build an altar for the <sc>Lordsc>, so that the plague may be removed from the people.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;The time will come when<n id="1" /> the skies are shut up tightly and no rain falls because your people<n id="2" /> sinned against you. When they direct their prayers toward this place, renew their allegiance to you,<n id="3" /> and turn away from their sin because you punish<n id="4" /> them,

So I am ready to bring disaster<n id="1" /> on the dynasty<n id="2" /> of Jeroboam. I will cut off every last male belonging to Jeroboam in Israel, including even the weak and incapacitated.<n id="3" /> I will burn up the dynasty of Jeroboam, just as one burns manure until it is completely consumed.<n id="4" />

The seventh time the servant<n id="1" /> said, &#8220;Look, a small cloud, the size of the palm of a man&#8217;s hand, is rising up from the sea.&#8221; Elijah<n id="2" /> then said, &#8220;Go and tell Ahab, &#8216;Hitch up the chariots and go down, so that the rain won&#8217;t overtake you.&#8217;&#8221;<n id="3" />

The king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea was planning a revolt.<n id="1" /> Hoshea had sent messengers to King So<n id="2" /> of Egypt and had not sent his annual tribute to the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria arrested him and imprisoned him.<n id="3" />

David said to Ornan, &#8220;Sell me the threshing floor<n id="1" /> so I can build<n id="2" /> on it an altar for the <sc>Lordsc> &#8211; I&#8217;ll pay top price<n id="3" /> &#8211; so that the plague may be removed<n id="4" /> from the people.&#8221;

Of course, who can really build a temple for him, since the sky<n id="1" /> and the highest heavens cannot contain him? Who am I that I should build him a temple! It will really be only a place to offer sacrifices before him.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;The time will come when<n id="1" /> the skies<n id="2" /> are shut up tightly and no rain falls because your people<n id="3" /> sinned against you. When they direct their prayers toward this place, renew their allegiance to you,<n id="4" /> and turn away from their sin because you punish<n id="5" /> them,

Eliezer son of Dodavahu from Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, &#8220;Because<n id="1" /> you made an alliance with Ahaziah, the <sc>Lordsc> will shatter what you have made.&#8221; The ships were wrecked and unable to go to sea.<n id="2" />p>

He looked for Ahaziah, who was captured while hiding in Samaria.<n id="1" /> They brought him to Jehu and then executed him. They did give him a burial, for they reasoned,<n id="2" /> &#8220;He is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the <sc>Lordsc> with his whole heart.&#8221; There was no one in Ahaziah&#8217;s family strong enough to rule in his place.<n id="3" />p>