<p class="bodytext">So her husband Elkanah said to her, &#8220;Do what you think best.<n id="1" /> Stay until you have weaned him. May the <sc>Lordsc> fulfill his promise.&#8221;<n id="2" />p> <p class="bodytext">So the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

<p class="bodytext">Then Saul instructed his servants, &#8220;Tell David secretly, &#8216;The king is pleased with you, and all his servants like you. So now become the king&#8217;s son-in-law.&#8221;

So Hushai came to Absalom. Absalom said to him, &#8220;Here is what Ahithophel has advised. Should we follow his advice? If not, what would you recommend?&#8221;p>

and the <sc>Lordsc> will fulfill his promise to me,<n id="1" /> &#8216;If your descendants watch their step<n id="2" /> and live faithfully in my presence<n id="3" /> with all their heart and being,<n id="4" /> then,&#8217; he promised,<n id="5" /> &#8216;you will not fail to have a successor on the throne of Israel.&#8217;<n id="6" />p>

The <sc>Lordsc> has kept the promise he made.<n id="1" /> I have taken my father David&#8217;s place and have occupied the throne of Israel, as the <sc>Lordsc> promised. I have built this temple for the honor<n id="2" /> of the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel

&#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> is worthy of praise because he has made Israel his people secure<n id="1" /> just as he promised! Not one of all the faithful promises he made through his servant Moses is left unfulfilled!<n id="2" />

He asked them, &#8220;How do you advise me<n id="1" /> to respond to these people who said to me, &#8216;Lessen the demands your father placed on us&#8217;?&#8221;<n id="2" />

The young advisers with whom Rehoboam<n id="1" /> had grown up said to him, &#8220;Say this to these people who have said to you, &#8216;Your father made us work hard, but now lighten our burden.&#8217;<n id="2" /> Say this to them: &#8216;I am a lot harsher than my father!<n id="3" />

The king refused to listen to the people, because the <sc>Lordsc> was instigating this turn of events<n id="1" /> so that he might bring to pass the prophetic announcement he had made<n id="2" /> through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.p>

The <sc>Lordsc> has kept the promise he made. I have taken my father David&#8217;s place and have occupied the throne of Israel, as the <sc>Lordsc> promised. I have built this temple for the honor of the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel

He asked them, &#8220;How do you advise me to respond to these people who said to me, &#8216;Lessen the demands your father placed on us&#8217;?&#8221;<n id="1" />

The young advisers with whom Rehoboam<n id="1" /> had grown up said to him, &#8220;Say this to these people who have said to you, &#8216;Your father made us work hard, but now lighten our burden&#8217;<n id="2" /> &#8211; say this to them: &#8216;I am a lot harsher than my father!<n id="3" />

The king refused to listen to the people, because God was instigating this turn of events<n id="1" /> so that he might bring to pass the prophetic announcement he had made<n id="2" /> through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.p>

<p class="poetry">&#8220;Speak kindly to<n id="1" /> Jerusalem,<n id="2" /> and tell herp> <p class="poetry">that her time of warfare is over,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">that her punishment is completed.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">For the <sc>Lordsc> has made her pay double<n id="5" /> for all her sins.&#8221;p>

&#8220;You have surely noticed what these people are saying, haven&#8217;t you? They are saying,<n id="1" /> &#8216;The <sc>Lordsc> has rejected the two families of Israel and Judah<n id="2" /> that he chose.&#8217; So they have little regard that my people will ever again be a nation.<n id="3" />

He has carried out his threats<n id="1" /> against us and our rulers<n id="2" /> who were over<n id="3" /> us by bringing great calamity on us &#8211; what has happened to Jerusalem has never been equaled under all heaven!

<p class="poetry">The voice of the <sc>Lordsc> thunders<n id="1" /> as he leads his army.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Indeed, his warriors<n id="3" /> are innumerable;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">Surely his command is carried out!<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">Yes, the day of the <sc>Lordsc> is awesome<n id="6" />p> <p class="poetry">and very terrifying &#8211; who can survive<n id="7" /> it?p>

For the household gods<n id="1" /> have spoken wickedness, the soothsayers have seen a lie, and as for the dreamers, they have disclosed emptiness and give comfort in vain. Therefore the people set out like sheep and become scattered because they have no shepherd.<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">Then King David sent a message to Zadok and Abiathar the priests saying, &#8220;Tell the elders of Judah, &#8216;Why should you delay any further in bringing the king back to his palace,<n id="1" /> when everything Israel is saying has come to the king&#8217;s attention.<n id="2" />