<p class="bodytext">In the meantime Absalom fled. When the servant who was the watchman looked up, he saw many people coming from the west<n id="1" /> on a road beside the hill.

<p class="bodytext">In those days Ahithophel&#8217;s advice was considered as valuable as a prophetic revelation.<n id="1" /> Both David and Absalom highly regarded the advice of Ahithophel.<n id="2" />p>

When David finished offering the burnt sacrifices and peace offerings, he pronounced a blessing over the people in the name of the <sc>Lordsc> of hosts.

On the third day a man arrived from the camp of Saul with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.<n id="1" /> When he approached David, the man<n id="2" /> threw himself to the ground.<n id="3" />p>

They loaded the ark of God on a new cart and carried it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart.

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.

for you, O <sc>Lordsc> of hosts, the God of Israel, have told<n id="1" /> your servant, &#8216;I will build you a dynastic house.&#8217;<n id="2" /> That is why your servant has had the courage<n id="3" /> to pray this prayer to you.

<p class="bodytext">Now there was a servant from Saul&#8217;s house named Ziba, so he was summoned to David. The king asked him, &#8220;Are you Ziba?&#8221; He replied, &#8220;At your service.&#8221;<n id="1" />

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>

But Amnon became frustrated because he was so lovesick<n id="1" /> over his sister Tamar. For she was a virgin, and to Amnon it seemed out of the question to do anything to her.p>

(Now she was wearing a long robe,<n id="1" /> for this is what the king&#8217;s virgin daughters used to wear.) So Amnon&#8217;s<n id="2" /> attendant removed her and bolted the door<n id="3" /> behind her.

<p class="bodytext">Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying in En Rogel. A female servant would go and inform them, and they would then go and inform King David. It was not advisable for them to be seen going into the city.

Joab replied to the man who was telling him this, &#8220;What! You saw this? Why didn&#8217;t you strike him down right on the spot?<n id="1" /> I would have given you ten pieces of silver<n id="2" /> and a commemorative belt!&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

<p class="bodytext">Now David was sitting between the inner and outer gates,<n id="1" /> and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate at the wall. When he looked, he saw a man running by himself.

The watchman said, &#8220;It appears to me that the first runner is Ahimaaz<n id="1" /> son of Zadok.&#8221; The king said, &#8220;He is a good man, and he comes with good news.&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">is like the light of morning when the sun comes up,p> <p class="poetry">a morning in which there are no clouds.p> <p class="poetry">He is like the brightness after rainp> <p class="poetry">that produces grass from the earth.p>

There were a thousand men from Benjamin with him, along with Ziba the servant<n id="1" /> of Saul&#8217;s household, and with him his fifteen sons and twenty servants. They hurriedly crossed<n id="2" /> the Jordan within sight of the king.

<t /><p class="bodytext">During David&#8217;s reign there was a famine for three consecutive years. So David inquired of the <sc>Lordsc>.<n id="1" /> The <sc>Lordsc> said, &#8220;It is because of Saul and his bloodstained family,<n id="2" /> because he murdered the Gibeonites.&#8221;p>

So now, O <sc>Lordsc> God, make this promise you have made about your servant and his family a permanent reality.<n id="1" /> Do as you promised,<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">So they informed David, &#8220;Uriah has not gone down to his house.&#8221; So David said to Uriah, &#8220;Haven&#8217;t you just arrived from a journey? Why haven&#8217;t you gone down to your house?&#8221;