But my servant<n id="1" /> has slandered me<n id="2" /> to my lord the king. But my lord the king is like an angel of God. Do whatever seems appropriate to you.

David said to the Gibeonites, &#8220;What can I do for you, and how can I make amends so that you will bless<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s inheritance?&#8221;p>

&#8220;Go, tell David, &#8216;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says: I am offering you three forms of judgment. Pick one of them and I will carry it out against you.&#8217;&#8221;p>

So David sent messengers to the people of Jabesh Gilead and told them, &#8220;May you be blessed by the <sc>Lordsc> because you have shown this kindness<n id="1" /> to your lord Saul by burying him.

Act now! For the <sc>Lordsc> has said to David, &#8216;By the hand of my servant David I will save<n id="1" /> my people Israel from<n id="2" /> the Philistines and from all their enemies.&#8217;&#8221;p>

You know Abner the son of Ner! Surely he came here to spy on you and to determine when you leave and when you return<n id="1" /> and to discover everything that you are doing!&#8221;p>

Then all the people came and encouraged David to eat food while it was still day. But David took an oath saying, &#8220;God will punish me severely<n id="1" /> if I taste bread or anything whatsoever before the sun sets!&#8221;p>

and during the time when I appointed judges to lead my people Israel. Instead, I will give you relief<n id="1" /> from all your enemies. The <sc>Lordsc> declares<n id="2" /> to you that he himself<n id="3" /> will build a dynastic house<n id="4" /> for you.

Who is like your people, Israel, a unique nation<n id="1" /> on the earth? Their God<n id="2" /> went<n id="3" /> to claim<n id="4" /> a nation for himself and to make a name for himself! You did great and awesome acts for your land,<n id="5" /> before your people whom you delivered for yourself from the Egyptian empire and its gods.<n id="6" />

The king asked, &#8220;Is there not someone left from Saul&#8217;s family,<n id="1" /> that I may extend God&#8217;s kindness to him?&#8221; Ziba said to the king, &#8220;One of Jonathan&#8217;s sons is left; both of his feet are crippled.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">Ziba said to the king, &#8220;Your servant will do everything that my lord the king has instructed his servant to do.&#8221; So Mephibosheth was a regular guest<n id="1" /> at David&#8217;s table,<n id="2" /> just as though he were one of the king&#8217;s sons.p>

When the time of mourning passed, David had her brought to his palace.<n id="1" /> She became his wife and she bore him a son. But what David had done upset the <sc>Lordsc>.<n id="2" />p>

Why have you shown contempt for the word of the <sc>Lordsc> by doing evil in my<n id="1" /> sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and you have taken his wife as your own!<n id="2" /> You have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.

<p class="bodytext">His servants said to him, &#8220;What is this that you have done? While<n id="1" /> the child was still alive, you fasted and wept. Once the child was dead you got up and ate food!&#8221;

He removed<n id="1" /> the people who were in it and made them do hard labor with saws, iron picks, and iron axes, putting them to work at the brick kiln. This was his policy<n id="2" /> with all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem.<n id="3" />p>

Jonadab replied to him, &#8220;Lie down on your bed and pretend to be sick.<n id="1" /> When your father comes in to see you, say to him, &#8216;Please let my sister Tamar come in so she can fix some food for me. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I can watch. Then I will eat from her hand.&#8217;&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">Then Amnon said to Tamar, &#8220;Bring the cakes into the bedroom; then I will eat from your hand.&#8221; So Tamar took the cakes that she had prepared and brought them to her brother Amnon in the bedroom.

I have now come to speak with my lord the king about this matter, because the people have made me fearful.<n id="1" /> But your servant said, &#8216;I will speak to the king! Perhaps the king will do what his female servant<n id="2" /> asks.

Your servant Joab did this so as to change this situation. But my lord has wisdom like that of the angel of God, and knows everything that is happening in the land.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

Then Joab bowed down with his face toward the ground and thanked<n id="1" /> the king. Joab said, &#8220;Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord the king, because the king has granted the request of your<n id="2" /> servant!&#8221;p>