“When a traveler arrived at the rich man’s home, ¹  he did not want to use one of his own sheep or cattle to feed ²  the traveler who had come to visit him. ³  Instead, he took the poor man’s lamb and cooked ⁴  it for the man who had come to visit him.”

The Arameans of Damascus came to help King Hadadezer of Zobah, but David killed 22,000 of the Arameans.

Now King David heard about all these things and was very angry. ¹ 

Those who carried the ark of the Lord took six steps and then David ¹  sacrificed an ox and a fatling calf.

The king settled into his palace, ¹  for the Lord gave him relief ²  from all his enemies on all sides. ³ 

As she brought them to him to eat, he grabbed her and said to her, “Come on! Get in bed with me, ¹  my sister!”

That day the people stole away to go to the city the way people who are embarrassed steal away in fleeing from battle.

So Hushai came to Absalom. Absalom said to him, “Here is what Ahithophel has advised. Should we follow his advice? If not, what would you recommend?”

Now Joab returned from chasing Abner and assembled all the people. Nineteen of David’s soldiers were missing, in addition to Asahel.

So the Tekoan woman went ¹  to the king. She bowed down with her face to the ground in deference to him and said, “Please help me, ²  O king!”

They went through all the land and after nine months and twenty days came back to Jerusalem. ¹ 

Then Joab left David and sent messengers after Abner. They brought him back from the well of Sirah. (But David was not aware of it.)

Messengers ¹  told David what had happened, ²  so he summoned them, for the men were thoroughly humiliated. The king said, “Stay in Jericho ³  until your beards have grown again; then you may come back.”

So they informed David, “Uriah has not gone down to his house.” So David said to Uriah, “Haven’t you just arrived from a journey? Why haven’t you gone down to your house?”

Once he had removed Amasa ¹  from the path, everyone followed Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bicri.

So David asked the Lord what he should do. ¹  This time ²  the Lord ³  said to him, “Don’t march straight up. Instead, circle around behind them and come against them opposite the trees. ⁴ 

The God of Israel spoke, the protector ¹  of Israel spoke to me. The one who rules fairly among men, the one who rules in the fear of God,

Amasa was squirming in his own blood in the middle of the path, and this man had noticed that all the soldiers stopped. Having noticed that everyone who came across Amasa ¹  stopped, the man ²  pulled him ³  away from the path and into the field and threw a garment over him.

His servants said to him, “What is this that you have done? While ¹  the child was still alive, you fasted and wept. Once the child was dead you got up and ate food!”

Then King David reached ¹  Bahurim. There a man from Saul’s extended family named Shimei son of Gera came out, yelling curses as he approached. ²