David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, “How will the ark of the Lord ever come to me?”

When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside at the gate as if to speak privately with him. Joab then stabbed him ¹  in the abdomen and killed him, avenging the shed blood of his brother Asahel. ² 

David was told, ¹  “The Lord has blessed the family of Obed-Edom and everything he owns because of the ark of God.” So David went and joyfully brought the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David.

Indeed, ¹  you are my lamp, ²  Lord. The Lord illumines ³  the darkness around me. ⁴ 

The messenger said to David, “The men overpowered us and attacked us ¹  in the field. But we forced them to retreat all the way ²  to the door of the city gate.

Benaiah son of Jehoida was a brave warrior ¹  from Kabzeel who performed great exploits. He struck down the two sons of Ariel of Moab. ²  He also went down and killed a lion in a cistern on a snowy day.

When I catch up with ¹  him he will be exhausted and worn out. ²  I will rout him, and the entire army that is with him will flee. I will kill only the king

Then David called one of the soldiers ¹  and said, “Come here and strike him down!” So he struck him down, and he died.

The Benjaminites formed their ranks ¹  behind Abner and were like a single army, standing at the top of a certain hill.

He put his brother Abishai in charge of the rest of the army ¹  and they were deployed ²  against the Ammonites.

So Joab and his men ¹  marched out to do battle with the Arameans, and they fled before him.

Then David prayed to ¹  God for the child and fasted. ²  He would even ³  go and spend the night lying on the ground.

Go to the king and speak to him in the following fashion.” Then Joab told her what to say. ¹ 

Look, I will be waiting at the fords of the desert until word from you ¹  reaches me.”

I grind them as fine as the dust of the ground; I crush them and stomp on them like clay ¹  in the streets.

Absalom said to Joab, “Look, I sent a message to you saying, ‘Come here so that I can send you to the king with this message: ¹  “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there.”’ Let me now see the face of the king. If I am at fault, let him put me to death!”

(19:1) ¹  The king then became very upset. He went up to the upper room over the gate and wept. As he went he said, “My son, Absalom! My son, my son, ²  Absalom! If only I could have died in your place! Absalom, my son, my son!” ³ 

So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, ¹  and Absalom had sex with ²  his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.

David was thirsty and said, “How I wish someone would give me some water to drink from the cistern in Bethlehem near the gate!”

So David said, “Good! I will make an agreement with you. I ask only one thing from you. You will not see my face unless you bring Saul’s daughter Michal when you come to visit me.” ¹