You made Israel your very own people for all time.<n id="1" /> You, O <sc>Lordsc>, became their God.

so you may gain lasting fame,<n id="1" /> as people say,<n id="2" /> &#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> of hosts is God over Israel!&#8217; The dynasty<n id="3" /> of your servant David will be established before you,

<p class="bodytext">When Joab saw that the battle would be fought on two fronts, he chose some of Israel&#8217;s best men and deployed them against the Arameans.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">When David was informed, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan River,<n id="1" /> and came to Helam. The Arameans deployed their forces against David and fought with him.

Although you have acted in secret, I will do this thing before all Israel, and in broad daylight.&#8217;&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

<p class="bodytext">But she said to him, &#8220;No, my brother! Don&#8217;t humiliate me! This just isn&#8217;t done in Israel! Don&#8217;t do this foolish thing!

<p class="bodytext">Now in all Israel everyone acknowledged that there was no man as handsome as Absalom.<n id="1" /> From the sole of his feet to the top of his head he was perfect in appearance.<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">Then Absalom sent spies through all the tribes of Israel who said, &#8220;When you hear the sound of the horn, you may assume<n id="1" /> that Absalom rules in Hebron.&#8221;

Hushai replied to Absalom, &#8220;No, I will be loyal to the one whom the <sc>Lordsc>, these people, and all the men of Israel have chosen.<n id="1" />

So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof,<n id="1" /> and Absalom had sex with<n id="2" /> his father&#8217;s concubines in the sight of all Israel.p>

The army of Israel was defeated there by David&#8217;s men.<n id="1" /> The slaughter there was great that day &#8211; 20,000 soldiers were killed.

<p class="bodytext">Then Joab blew the trumpet<n id="1" /> and the army turned back from chasing Israel, for Joab had called for the army to halt.

When the king crossed over to Gilgal, Kimham<n id="1" /> crossed over with him. Now all the soldiers<n id="2" /> of Judah along with half of the soldiers of Israel had helped the king cross over.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="bodytext">So all the men of Israel deserted<n id="1" /> David and followed Sheba son of Bicri. But the men of Judah stuck by their king all the way from the Jordan River<n id="2" /> to Jerusalem.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="bodytext">Sheba<n id="1" /> traveled through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of<n id="2" /> Beth Maacah and all the Berite region. When they had assembled,<n id="3" /> they too joined him.

They replied to the king, &#8220;As for this man who exterminated us and who schemed against us so that we were destroyed and left without status throughout all the borders of Israel &#8211;

<t /><p class="bodytext">Another battle was fought between the Philistines and Israel. So David went down with his soldiers<n id="1" /> and fought the Philistines. David became exhausted.

<t /><p class="bodytext">These are the final words of David:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;The oracle of David son of Jesse,p> <p class="poetry">the oracle of the man raised up asp> <p class="poetry">the ruler chosen by the God of Jacob,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Israel&#8217;s beloved<n id="2" /> singer of songs:p>

<p class="bodytext">So the <sc>Lordsc> sent a plague through Israel from the morning until the completion of the appointed time. Seventy thousand men died from Dan to Beer Sheba.

Then David built an altar for the <sc>Lordsc> there and offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings. And the <sc>Lordsc> accepted prayers for the land, and the plague was removed from Israel.p>