They did not treat<n id="1" /> the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) fairly in return for all the good he had done for Israel.p>

Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, &#8220;Listen to me! Each of you should return to your mother&#8217;s home!<n id="1" /> May the <sc>Lordsc> show<n id="2" /> you<n id="3" /> the same kind of devotion that you have shown to your deceased husbands<n id="4" /> and to me!<n id="5" />

Now may the <sc>Lordsc> show you true kindness!<n id="1" /> I also will reward you,<n id="2" /> because you have done this deed.

<t /><n id="1" /><p class="bodytext">Then David asked, &#8220;Is anyone still left from the family<n id="2" /> of Saul, so that I may extend kindness to him for the sake of Jonathan?&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;Treat fairly<n id="1" /> the sons of Barzillai of Gilead and provide for their needs,<n id="2" /> because they helped me<n id="3" /> when I had to flee from your brother Absalom.p>

<p class="poetry">For he never bothered to show kindness;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">he harassed the oppressed and needy,p> <p class="poetry">and killed the disheartened.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">May the godly strike me in love and correct me!p> <p class="poetry">May my head not refuse<n id="1" /> choice oil!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Indeed, my prayer is a witness against their evil deeds.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">The godly<n id="1" /> perish,p> <p class="poetry">but no one cares.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Honest people disappear,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">when no one<n id="4" /> minds<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">that the godly<n id="6" /> disappear<n id="7" /> because of<n id="8" /> evil.<n id="9" />p>

You show unfailing love to thousands.<n id="1" /> But you also punish children for the sins of their parents.<n id="2" /> You are the great and powerful God who is known as the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all.<n id="3" />

<p class="poetry">Sow righteousness for yourselves,p> <p class="poetry">reap unfailing love.p> <p class="poetry">Break up the unplowed ground for yourselves,p> <p class="poetry">for it is time to seek the <sc>Lordsc>,p> <p class="poetry">until he comes and showers deliverance<n id="1" /> on you.p>

<p class="poetry">There is no other God like you!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">You<n id="2" /> forgive sinp> <p class="poetry">and pardon<n id="3" /> the rebellionp> <p class="poetry">of those who remain among your people.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">You do not remain angry forever,<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">but delight in showing loyal love.p>

I will say to a young woman, &#8216;Please lower your jar so I may drink.&#8217; May the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac reply, &#8216;Drink, and I&#8217;ll give your camels water too.&#8217;<n id="1" /> In this way I will know that you have been faithful to my master.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

Now, if you will show faithful love to my master, tell me. But if not, tell me as well, so that I may go on my way.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

The time<n id="1" /> for Israel to die approached, so he called for his son Joseph and said to him, &#8220;If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh<n id="2" /> and show me kindness and faithfulness.<n id="3" /> Do not bury me in Egypt,

keeping loyal love for thousands,<n id="1" /> forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. But he by no means leaves the guilty unpunished, responding to the transgression<n id="2" /> of fathers by dealing with children and children&#8217;s children, to the third and fourth generation.&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;&#8216;If a man has sexual intercourse with<n id="1" /> his sister, whether the daughter of his father or his mother, so that he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off in the sight of the children of their people.<n id="2" /> He has exposed his sister&#8217;s nakedness; he will bear his punishment for iniquity.<n id="3" />

&#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> is slow to anger and abounding in loyal love,<n id="1" /> forgiving iniquity and transgression,<n id="2" /> but by no means clearing<n id="3" /> the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children until the third and fourth generations.&#8217;<n id="4" />

The men said to her, &#8220;If you<n id="1" /> die, may we die too!<n id="2" /> If you do not report what we&#8217;ve been up to,<n id="3" /> then, when the <sc>Lordsc> hands the land over to us, we will show unswerving allegiance<n id="4" /> to you.&#8221;<n id="5" />p>

Saul said to the Kenites, &#8220;Go on and leave! Go down from among the Amalekites! Otherwise I will sweep you away<n id="1" /> with them! After all, you were kind to all the Israelites when they came up from Egypt.&#8221; So the Kenites withdrew from among the Amalekites.p>

You must be loyal<n id="1" /> to your servant, for you have made a covenant with your servant in the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s name.<n id="2" /> If I am guilty,<n id="3" /> you yourself kill me! Why bother taking me to your father?&#8221;p>