<p class="poetry">For Israel&#8217;s sake I destroyed the Amorites.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">They were as tall as cedars<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and as strong as oaks,p> <p class="poetry">but I destroyed the fruit on their branches<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">and their roots in the ground.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">I brought you up from the land of Egypt;p> <p class="poetry">I led you through the wilderness for forty yearsp> <p class="poetry">so you could take the Amorites&#8217; land as your own.p>

Your<n id="1" /> servant has found favor with you,<n id="2" /> and you have shown me great<n id="3" /> kindness<n id="4" /> by sparing<n id="5" /> my life. But I am not able to escape to the mountains because<n id="6" /> this disaster will overtake<n id="7" /> me and I&#8217;ll die.<n id="8" />

As for me, I stayed at the mountain as I did the first time, forty days and nights. The <sc>Lordsc> listened to me that time as well and decided not to destroy you.

and the <sc>Lordsc><n id="1" /> commissioned Joshua son of Nun, &#8220;Be strong and courageous, for you will take the Israelites to the land I have promised them, and I will be with you.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

He said to the men of Succoth, &#8220;Give<n id="1" /> some loaves of bread to the men<n id="2" /> who are following me,<n id="3" /> because they are exhausted. I am chasing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.&#8221;

I have not done you wrong,<n id="1" /> but you are doing wrong<n id="2" /> by attacking me. May the <sc>Lordsc>, the Judge, judge this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites!&#8217;&#8221;

When he saw her, he ripped his clothes and said, &#8220;Oh no! My daughter! You have completely ruined me!<n id="1" /> You have brought me disaster!<n id="2" /> I made an oath to the <sc>Lord,sc> and I cannot break it.&#8221;<n id="3" />

Micah said to him, &#8220;Stay with me. Become my adviser<n id="1" /> and priest. I will give you ten pieces of silver per year, plus clothes and food.&#8221;<n id="2" />

So I am legally informing you:<n id="1" /> Acquire it before those sitting here and before the leaders of my people!<n id="2" /> If you want to exercise your right to redeem it, then do so.<n id="3" /> But if not, then tell me<n id="4" /> so I will know.<n id="5" /> For you possess the first option to redeem it; I am next in line after you.&#8221;<n id="6" /> He replied, &#8220;I will redeem it.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">But David replied to the Philistine, &#8220;You are coming against me with sword and spear and javelin. But I am coming against you in the name of the <sc>Lordsc> of hosts, the God of Israel&#8217;s armies, whom you have defied!

<p class="bodytext">David said to Jonathan, &#8220;Tomorrow is the new moon, and I am certainly expected to join the king for a meal.<n id="1" /> You must send me away so I can hide in the field until the third evening from now.

He said to him, &#8220;Don&#8217;t be afraid! For the hand of my father Saul cannot find you. You will rule over Israel, and I will be your second in command. Even my father Saul realizes this.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">Nathan said to David, &#8220;You are that man! This is what the <sc>Lordsc> God of Israel says: &#8216;I chose<n id="1" /> you to be king over Israel and I rescued you from the hand of Saul.

<p class="bodytext">When he saw the angel who was destroying the people, David said to the <sc>Lordsc>, &#8220;Look, it is I who have sinned and done this evil thing! As for these sheep &#8211; what have they done? Attack me and my family.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

When Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door, he said, &#8220;Come on in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you pretending to be someone else? I have been commissioned to give you bad news.<n id="1" />

<p class="poetry">&#8220;I thought to myself,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;Oh what a joy it would be for me to treat you like a son!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">What a joy it would be for me to give<n id="3" /> you a pleasant land,p> <p class="poetry">the most beautiful piece of property there is in all the world!&#8217;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">I thought you would call me, &#8216;Father&#8217;<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">and would never cease being loyal to me.<n id="6" />p>

Those are the terms that I charged your ancestors<n id="1" /> to keep<n id="2" /> when I brought them out of Egypt, that place which was like an iron-smelting furnace.<n id="3" /> I said at that time,<n id="4" /> &#8220;Obey me and carry out the terms of the agreement<n id="5" /> exactly as I commanded you. If you do,<n id="6" /> you will be my people and I will be your God.<n id="7" />

I, the <sc>Lordsc>, affirm<n id="1" /> that I am opposed to those prophets who dream up lies and report them. They are misleading my people with their reckless lies.<n id="2" /> I did not send them. I did not commission them. They are not helping these people at all.<n id="3" /> I, the <sc>Lordsc>, affirm it!&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

I will give them the desire to acknowledge that I<n id="1" /> am the <sc>Lordsc>. I will be their God and they will be my people. For they will wholeheartedly<n id="2" /> return to me.&#8217;p>