If the king is so inclined,<n id="1" /> let an edict be issued<n id="2" /> to destroy them. I will pay ten thousand talents of silver<n id="3" /> to be conveyed to the king&#8217;s treasuries for the officials who carry out this business.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">The rest of the Jews who were throughout the provinces of the king assembled in order to stand up for themselves and to have rest from their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand<n id="1" /> of their adversaries, but they did not confiscate their property.

<p class="poetry">One thousand will scurry at the battle cry of one enemy soldier;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">at the battle cry of five enemy soldiers you will all run away,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">until the remaining few are as isolated<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">as a flagpole on a mountaintopp> <p class="poetry">or a signal flag on a hill.&#8221;p>

in Nebuchadnezzar&#8217;s twenty-third year,<n id="1" /> Nebuzaradan, the captain of the royal guard, carried into exile 745 Judeans. In all 4,600 people went into exile.p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;Next to the border of Judah from the east side to the west will be the allotment you must set apart. It is to be eight and a quarter miles<n id="1" /> wide, and the same length as one of the tribal portions, from the east side to the west; the sanctuary will be in the middle of it.

<t /><p class="poetry"><v id="(5:1)" /> As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">seemingly insignificant<n id="2" /> among the clans of Judah &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">from you a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">one whose origins<n id="4" /> are in the distant past.<n id="5" />p>

<p class="bodytext">But the soldiers replied,<n id="1" /> &#8220;You should not do this!<n id="2" /> For if we should have to make a rapid retreat, they won&#8217;t be too concerned about us.<n id="3" /> Even if half of us should die, they won&#8217;t be too concerned about us. But you<n id="4" /> are like ten thousand of us! So it is better if you remain in the city for support.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">The man replied to Joab, &#8220;Even if<n id="1" /> I were receiving<n id="2" /> a thousand pieces of silver,<n id="3" /> I would not strike<n id="4" /> the king&#8217;s son! In our very presence<n id="5" /> the king gave this order to you and Abishai and Ittai, &#8216;Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.&#8217;<n id="6" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">David assembled in Jerusalem<n id="1" /> all the officials of Israel, including the commanders of the tribes, the commanders of the army divisions that served the king, the commanders of units of a thousand and a hundred, the officials who were in charge of all the property and livestock of the king and his sons, the eunuchs, and the warriors, including the most skilled of them.p>

<t /><p class="psasuper">For the music director; according to the <i>shushan-eduthi> style;<n id="2" /> a prayer<n id="3" /> of David written to instruct others.<n id="4" /> It was written when he fought against Aram Naharaim and Aram-Zobah. That was when Joab turned back and struck down<n id="5" /> 12,000 Edomites<n id="6" /> in the Valley of Salt.<n id="7" />p> <p class="poetry">O God, you have rejected us.<n id="8" />p> <p class="poetry">You suddenly turned on us in your anger.<n id="9" />p> <p class="poetry">Please restore us!<n id="10" />p>