So David said to Ittai, &#8220;Come along then.&#8221;<n id="1" /> So Ittai the Gittite went along,<n id="2" /> accompanied by all his men and all the dependents<n id="3" /> who were with him.p>

Now David<n id="1" /> had been told, &#8220;Ahithophel has sided with the conspirators who are with Absalom. So David prayed,<n id="2" /> &#8220;Make the advice of Ahithophel foolish, O <sc>Lordsc>!&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">When David reached the summit, where he used to worship God, Hushai the Arkite met him with his clothes torn and dirt on his head.

<p class="bodytext">So David and his men went on their way. But Shimei kept going along the side of the hill opposite him, yelling curses as he threw stones and dirt at them.<n id="1" />

When David&#8217;s friend Hushai the Arkite came to Absalom, Hushai said to him,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Long live the king! Long live the king!&#8221;p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">Ahithophel said to Absalom, &#8220;Let me pick out twelve thousand men. Then I will go and pursue David this very night.

<p class="bodytext">When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, Makir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim

The army of Israel was defeated there by David&#8217;s men.<n id="1" /> The slaughter there was great that day &#8211; 20,000 soldiers were killed.

Shimei son of Gera the Benjaminite from Bahurim came down quickly with the men of Judah to meet King David.

<p class="bodytext">So all the men of Israel deserted<n id="1" /> David and followed Sheba son of Bicri. But the men of Judah stuck by their king all the way from the Jordan River<n id="2" /> to Jerusalem.<n id="3" />p>

David said to the Gibeonites, &#8220;What can I do for you, and how can I make amends so that you will bless<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s inheritance?&#8221;p>

Now Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha,<n id="1" /> had a spear<n id="2" /> that weighed three hundred bronze shekels,<n id="3" /> and he was armed with a new weapon.<n id="4" /> He had said that he would kill David.

<t /><n id="1" /><p class="bodytext">David sang<n id="2" /> to the <sc>Lordsc> the words of this song when<n id="3" /> the <sc>Lordsc> rescued him from the power<n id="4" /> of all his enemies, including Saul.<n id="5" />

<p class="bodytext">At the time of<n id="1" /> the harvest three<n id="2" /> of the thirty leaders went down to<n id="3" /> David at the cave of Adullam. A band of Philistines was camped in the valley of Rephaim.

<t /><p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s anger again raged against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, &#8220;Go count Israel and Judah.&#8221;<n id="1" />

&#8220;Go, tell David, &#8216;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says: I am offering you three forms of judgment. Pick one of them and I will carry it out against you.&#8217;&#8221;p>

David said to Gad, &#8220;I am very upset! I prefer that we be attacked by the <sc>Lordsc>, for his mercy is great; I do not want to be attacked by men!&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">So Gad went to David that day and told him, &#8220;Go up and build an altar for the <sc>Lordsc> on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.&#8221;

Araunah told David, &#8220;My lord the king may take whatever he wishes<n id="1" /> and offer it. Look! Here are oxen for burnt offerings, and threshing sledges<n id="2" /> and harnesses<n id="3" /> for wood.

Then David built an altar for the <sc>Lordsc> there and offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings. And the <sc>Lordsc> accepted prayers for the land, and the plague was removed from Israel.p>