# verse

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 And Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. 


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 And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the Law of God, and took a great stone and set it up there under an oak by the sanctuary of Jehovah. 


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 And Joshua said to all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness to us, for it has heard all the Words of Jehovah which He spoke to us. It shall therefore be a witness to you, lest you deny your God. 


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 And it happened after these things, Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of Jehovah, died, being a hundred and ten years old. 


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 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-serah in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash. 


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 And Israel served Jehovah all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, and who had known all the works of Jehovah that He had done for Israel. 


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 And the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel brought up out of Egypt, they buried in Shechem, in a piece of ground which Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of silver. And it became the inheritance of the sons of Joseph. 


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 And Eleazar the son of Aaron died. And they buried him in a hill belonging to Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim. 


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 And it happened after the death of Joshua, the children of Israel asked Jehovah, saying, Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites to fight against them? 


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 And Judah said to Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot so that we may fight against the Canaanites. And I likewise will go with you into your lot. So Simeon went with him. 


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 And Judah went up. And Jehovah delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand. And they killed ten thousand men of them in Bezek. 


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 And they found Adoni-bezek in Bezek. And, they fought against him, and they killed the Canaanites and the Perizzites. 


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 And Adoni-bezek fled. And they ran after him and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his big toes. 


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 And Adoni-bezek said, Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have gathered under my table. As I have done, so God has requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there. 


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 And the sons of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and had struck it with the edge of the sword, and had set the city on fire. 


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 And afterward the sons of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who lived in the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley. 


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 And Judah went against the Canaanites who lived in Hebron (and the name of Hebron before was Kirjath-arba). And they killed Sheshai, and Ahiman, and Talmai. 


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 And from there he went against those who lived in Debir. And the name of Debir before was Kirjath-sepher. 


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 And Caleb said, He who strikes Kirjath-sepher and takes it, I will give Achsah my daughter to him for a wife. 


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 And Othniel, the son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz, took it. And he gave him Achsah his daughter for a wife. 


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 And it happened when she came, she moved him to ask for a field from her father. And she dismounted from the ass. And Caleb said to her, What do you desire? 


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 And she said to him, Give me a blessing. For you have given me a south land. Give me also springs of water. And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs. 


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 And the sons of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the sons of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the south of Arad. And they went and lived among the people. 


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 And Judah went with Simeon his brother, and they killed the Canaanites who lived in Zephath and destroyed it. And the name of the city was called Hormah. 


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 And Jehovah was with Judah. And he took possession of the mountain. But he could not drive out those who lived in the valley, because they had chariots of iron. 


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 And the sons of Benjamin did not expel the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem. But the Jebusites live with the sons of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day. 


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 And the spies saw a man come forth out of the city, and they said to him, Please show us the gate into the city, and we will show you mercy. 


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 And when he showed them the gate into the city, they struck the city with the edge of the sword. But they let the man and all his family go. 


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 And the man went into the land of the Hittites and built a city, and called the name of it Luz, which is the name of it to this day. 


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 And Manasseh had not taken possession of Beth-shean and its daughter-villages, nor Taanach and its daughter-villages, nor struck the inhabitants of Dor and its daughter-villages, nor the inhabitants of Ibleam and its daughter-villages, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and its daughter-villages. For the Canaanites were determined to live in that land. 


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 And it happened, when Israel became strong, they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not completely expel them. 


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 And Ephraim did not expel the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, but the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them. 


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 And Zebulun did not expel those who lived in Kitron, nor those who lived in Nahalol. But the Canaanites lived among them and became tributaries. 


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 And Asher did not expel those who lived in Accho, and the inhabitants of Sidon, and Ahlab, and Achzib, and Helbah, and Aphik, and Rehob. 


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 But the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, those who lived in the land, for they did not expel them. 


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 And Naphtali did not expel those who lived in Beth-shemesh, and the inhabitants of Beth-anath, and they lived among the Canaanites, those who lived in the land. But those who lived in Beth-shemesh and Beth-anath became tributaries to them. 


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 And the Amorites forced the sons of Dan into the mountain. For they would not allow them to come down to the valley. 


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 But the Amorites desired to stay in Mount Heres in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim. Yet the hand of the house of Joseph was heavy so that they became tributaries. 


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 And the Angel of Jehovah came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you go up out of Egypt, and have brought you into the land which I swore to your fathers. And I said, I will never break My covenant with you. 


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 And you shall make no treaty with those who live in this land. You shall throw down their altars. But you have not obeyed My voice. What is this that you have done? 


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 And I also said, I will not drive them out from before you, but they shall be thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you. 


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 And it happened when the Angel of Jehovah spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. 


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 And they called the name of that place The Place of Weeping. And they sacrificed there to Jehovah. 


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 And when Joshua had let the people go, the sons of Israel left, each man to his inheritance, to possess the land. 


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 And the people served Jehovah all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of Jehovah that He did for Israel. 


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 And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash. 


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 And also all that generation were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know Jehovah, nor even the works which He had done for Israel. 


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 And they forsook Jehovah, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt. And they followed other gods of the gods of the people who were around them, and bowed themselves to them, and provoked Jehovah to anger. 


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 And the anger of Jehovah was hot against Israel, and He delivered them into the hand of spoilers who spoiled them. And He sold them into the hand of their enemies all around, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. 


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 Wherever they went out, the hand of Jehovah was against them for evil, as Jehovah had said, and as Jehovah had sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed. 


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 And yet they would not listen to their judges, but they went lusting after other gods, and bowed themselves to them. They turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, for they had obeyed the commandments of Jehovah; these did not do so. 


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 And when Jehovah raised judges up for them, then Jehovah was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For Jehovah took pity because of their groanings before their oppressors and their crushers. 


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 And it happened when the judge was dead, they returned and made themselves more rotten than their fathers in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way. 


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 And the anger of Jehovah glowed against Israel. And He said, Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not listened to My voice, 


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 I also from now on will not expel any from before them of the nations that Joshua left when he died; 


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 so that by them I may test Israel, whether they are keeping the way of Jehovah, to go in it, as their fathers kept it, or not. 


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 And Jehovah left those nations, without driving them out quickly. And He did not deliver them into the hand of Joshua. 


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 And these are the nations which Jehovah left, to prove Israel by them, as many as had not known all the wars of Canaan; 


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 only that the generations of the sons of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least those who before knew nothing of it: 


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 five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that lived in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon to the border of Hamath. 


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 And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would listen to the commands of Jehovah, which He commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. 


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 And the sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites. 


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 And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods. 


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 And the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of Jehovah and forgot Jehovah their God, and served Baals and the Asherahs. 


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 And the anger of Jehovah was hot against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia. And the sons of Israel served Chushan-rishathaim eight years. 


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 And when the sons of Israel cried to Jehovah, Jehovah raised up a deliverer to the sons of Israel, who delivered them, Othniel, the son of Caleb's younger brother Kenaz. 


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 And the spirit of Jehovah came upon him, and he judged Israel and went out to war. And Jehovah delivered Chushan-rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia, into his hand. And his hand prevailed against Chushan-rishathaim. 


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 And the sons of Israel did evil again in the sight of Jehovah. And Jehovah made Eglon the king of Moab strong against Israel because they had done evil in the sight of Jehovah. 


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 And he gathered to him the sons of Ammon and Amalek. And he went forth and struck Israel, and took the city of palm trees. 


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 But when the sons of Israel cried to Jehovah, Jehovah raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent a present to Eglon the king of Moab by him. 


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 But Ehud made himself a dagger which had two edges, a cubit long. And he tied it under his clothing upon his right thigh. 


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 But he himself turned again from the graven images by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret message for you, O, king. And he said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him. 


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 And Ehud came to him. And he was sitting in the cool roof room which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God to you. And he rose out of his seat. 


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 And Ehud put forth his left hand and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly. 


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 And the haft also went in after the blade. And the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly. And the dung came out. 


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 And when he had gone out, his servants came. And they looked, and, behold, the doors of the roof room were locked, they said, Surely he is covering his feet in his cool roof room. 


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 And they waited until they were ashamed. And, behold, he did not open the doors of the room. And they took a key and opened them. And behold, their lord had fallen down dead on the earth. 


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 And it happened, when he had come, he blew a ram's horn in the mountain of Ephraim, and the sons of Israel went down with him from the mountain, and he before them. 


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 And he said to them, Follow after me. For Jehovah has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and did not allow a man to pass over. 


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 And they killed about ten thousand of the men of Moab at that time, all lusty, and all men of might. And there did not escape a man. 


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 And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, who killed six hundred men of the Philistines with an ox goad. And he also delivered Israel. 


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 And Jehovah sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who ruled in Hazor. The captain of his host was Sisera who lived in Harosheth of the nations. 


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 And the sons of Israel cried to Jehovah, for he had nine hundred chariots of iron. And he mightily oppressed the sons of Israel twenty years. 


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 And she lived under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in mount Ephraim. And the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment. 


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 And she sent and called for Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, Has not Jehovah, the God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun? 


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 And I will draw Sisera to you, the captain of Jabin's army, at the river Kishon, together with his chariots and his multitude. And I will deliver him into your hands. 


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 And Barak said to her, If you will go with me, then I will go. But if you will not go with me, I will not go. 


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 And she said, I will surely go with you. But the journey that you take shall not be for your honor, for Jehovah shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh. 


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 And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh. And he went up with ten thousand men at his feet. And Deborah went up with him. 


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 And Heber the Kenite, of the sons of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, had separated himself from the Kenites and pitched his tent toward the plain of Zaanaim, near Kedesh. 


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 And Sisera gathered all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people with him, from Harosheth of the nations to the river of Kishon. 


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 And Deborah said to Barak, Up! For this is the day in which Jehovah has delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not Jehovah gone out before you? So Barak went down from Mount Tabor, and ten thousand men after him. 


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 And Jehovah struck Sisera, and all the chariots, and all the army, with the edge of the sword in front of Barak, so that Sisera got down from the chariot and fled on his feet. 


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 But Barak pursued the chariots and after the army, to Harosheth of the nations. And all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword. There was not a man left. 


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 And Sisera fled on his feet to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite. For there was peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 


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 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, Turn in my lord, turn in to me. Do not fear. When he had turned in to her into the tent, she covered him with a rug. 


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 And he said to her, Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty. And she opened a skin of milk and gave him a drink, and covered him. 


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 Again he said to her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be when any man comes asking of you, saying, Is there any man here? You shall say, No. 


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 Then Jael, Heber's wife, took a peg of the tent and put a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him, and struck the peg into his temple, and beat it into the ground. For he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. 


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 And behold, as Barak followed Sisera, Jael came out to meet him and said to him, Come and I will show you the man whom you seek. And when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the peg was in his temple. 


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 And the hand of the sons of Israel went on, and pressed hard against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan. 


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 Hear, O, kings. Give ear, O, princes. I, even I, will sing to Jehovah, I will sing to Jehovah, the God of Israel. 


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 Jehovah, when You went out of Seir, when You marched out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water. 


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 In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were empty, and the travelers walked through crooked ways. 


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 The leaders ceased in Israel, they ceased until I, Deborah, arose; until I arose, a mother in Israel. 


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 They chose new gods; then war was in the gates. Was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel? 


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 My heart is toward the lawgivers of Israel who offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless Jehovah. 


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 Louder than the voice of the dividers between the watering places, there shall they tell again the righteous acts of Jehovah, the righteous acts of His leaders in Israel. Then shall the people of Jehovah go down to the gates. 


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 Awake, awake, Deborah. Awake, awake, sing a song. Arise, Barak, lead your captivity captive, son of Abinoam. 


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 Then He made me tread on the remnant of the nobles among the people. Jehovah made me have dominion over the mighty. 


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 Out of Ephraim there was a root of them against Amalek; after you, Benjamin, with your peoples. Out of Machir came down commanders, and out of Zebulun came they who handle the pen of the writer. 


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 And the rulers of Issachar were with Deborah, even Issachar, and also Barak. He was sent on foot into the valley. There were great thoughts of heart for the divisions of Reuben. 


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 Why did you stay among the sheepfolds to hear the bleating of the flocks? For in the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart. 


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 Gilead stayed beyond Jordan. And why did Dan remain in ships? Asher continued on the seashore and remained in his havens. 


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 Zebulun and Naphtali were a people who put their lives in danger of death in the high places of the field. 


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 Kings came and fought. Then the kings of Canaan fought in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo. They took no gain of silver. 


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 The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, you trampled in strength. 


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 Curse Meroz, said the Angel of Jehovah; curse the people of it bitterly, because they did not come to the help of Jehovah, to the help of Jehovah against the mighty. 


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 Blessed among women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be. She shall be blessed above women in the tent. 


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 She put her hand to the peg, and her right hand to the workman's hammer; she hammered Sisera; she smashed his head, she pierced and struck through his temple. 


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 He bowed between her feet, he fell, he lay down. Between her feet he bowed; he fell. Where he bowed, there he fell down dead. 


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 The mother of Sisera looked out a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why do the wheels of his chariot wait? 


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 Do they not find and divide the spoil? A womb, two wombs to a man's head, to Sisera a prize of dyed garments, a prize of embroidered dyed garments for the necks of those that take the spoil. 


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 So let all Your enemies perish, O Jehovah. But let them that love Him be like the sun when he goes forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years. 


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 And the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of Jehovah. And Jehovah delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. 


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 And the hand of Midian was strong against Israel. Before the faces of Midian, the sons of Israel made themselves dens in the mountains, and caves and strongholds. 


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 And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the sons of the east, even they came up against them. 


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 And they camped against them and destroyed the increase of the earth, until you come to Gaza. And they left no food for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. 


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 For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as locusts for multitude, both they and their camels were without number. And they entered into the land to destroy it. 


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 Jehovah sent a man, a prophet to the sons of Israel, who said to them, So says Jehovah, the God of Israel: I brought you up from Egypt and brought you forth out of the house of bondage. 


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 And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out from before you and gave you their land. 


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 And I said to you, I am Jehovah your God. Do not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live. But you have not obeyed My voice. 


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 And the Angel of Jehovah came and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. And his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. 


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 And Gideon said to Him, O, my Lord, if Jehovah is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not Jehovah bring us up from Egypt? But now Jehovah has forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. 


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 And Jehovah looked upon him and said, Go in your might, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you? 


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 And he said to him, O, my Lord, with what shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. 


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 And Jehovah said to him, Surely, I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man. 


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 And he said to Him, If now I have found grace in Your sight, then show me a sign that You talk with me. 


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 Do not depart from here, I pray, until I come to You, and bring forth my food offering and set it before You. And He said, I will stay until you come again. 


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 And Gideon went in and made ready a kid and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour. He put the flesh in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out to Him to the oak, and offered it. 


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 And the Angel of God said to him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes and lay on this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. 


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 Then the Angel of Jehovah put forth the end of the staff that was in His hand and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes. And there rose up fire out of the rock and burned up the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the Angel of Jehovah went away out of his sight. 


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 And when Gideon saw that He was the Angel of Jehovah, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! Because I have seen the Angel of Jehovah face to face. 


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 Then Gideon built an altar there to Jehovah, and called it Jehovah-shalom. It is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites to this day. 


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 And it happened on that night Jehovah said to him, Take your father's young bull, even the second bull of seven years, and throw down the altar of Baal which your father has, and cut down the pillar by it. 


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 And build an altar to Jehovah your God upon the top of this rock, in an orderly manner, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which you shall cut down. 


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 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as Jehovah had said to him. And so it was, because he feared his father's household and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day. So he did it by night. 


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 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the pillar which was by it was cut down, and the second bull had been offered upon the altar that was built. 


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 And they said to one another, Who has done this thing? And when they inquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing. 


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 Then the men of the city said to Joash, Bring out your son so that he may die (because he had cast down the altar of Baal, and because he had cut down the pillar by it). 


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 And Joash said to all that stood against him, Will you plead for Baal? Will you save him? He who contends for him shall be killed by the morning. If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because one has cast down his altar. 


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 And on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal contend against him because he has thrown down his altar. 


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 Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites, and the sons of the east were gathered together, and went over and pitched in the valley of Jezreel. 


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 But the spirit of Jehovah came to Gideon, and he blew a ram's horn. And he called the Abiezrites after him. 


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 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also were gathered after him. And he sent messengers to Asher, and to Zebulun, and to Naphtali. And they came up to meet them. 


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 behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the grain-floor. And if the dew is on the fleece only, and dry upon all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said. 


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 And it was so. For he rose up early in the morning and gathered the fleece together, and wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. 


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 And Gideon said to God, Let not Your anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once. I pray You, let me test but this once with the fleece. Let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. 


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 And God did so that night. For it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground. 


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 And Jerubbaal (he is Gideon) and all the people that were with him, rose up early and pitched beside the well of Harod, so that the army of the Midianites was on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. 


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 And Jehovah said to Gideon, The people with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel boast themselves against Me, saying, My own hand has saved me. 


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 Now, therefore, speak in the ears of the people, saying, Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and go away early from Mount Gilead. And twenty-two thousand of the people returned. And there remained ten thousand. 


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 And Jehovah said to Gideon, The people are still too many. Bring them down to the water, and I will separate them for you there. It shall be that of whom I say to you, This shall go with you, the same shall go with you. And of whomever I say to you, This shall not go with you, the same shall not go. 


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 And he brought down the people to the water. And Jehovah said to Gideon, Everyone who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set him apart; also everyone who bows down upon his knees to drink. 


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 And the number of them who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men. But all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. 


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 And Jehovah said to Gideon, I will save you by the three hundred men who lapped, and will deliver the Midianites into your hand. And let all the other people go, each man to his place. 


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 And the people took provisions in their hand, and their ram's horns. And he sent away all the rest of Israel, each man to his tent, and kept those three hundred men. And the army of Midian was below him in the valley. 


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 And it happened on that night, Jehovah said to him, Arise, go down to the army, for I have delivered it into your hand. 


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 And you shall hear what they shall say. And afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down to the army. Then he went down with Phurah his servant to the edge of the ranks in the army. 


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 And the Midianites and the Amalekites, and all the sons of the east lay along in the valley like locusts for multitude, and their camels without number, like the sand by the seaside for multitude. 


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 And when Gideon had come, behold, a man told a dream to his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came to a tent, and struck it so that it fell, and overturned it, so that the tent lay along. 


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 And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else except the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel. For into his hand God has delivered Midian and all the army. 


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 And it happened, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and the meaning of it, he worshiped. And he returned to the army of Israel, and said, Arise! For Jehovah has delivered the host of Midian into your hand. 


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 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies. And he put a ram's horn in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers. 


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 And he said to them, Look on me, and do likewise. And, behold, when I come to the edge of the camp, it shall be, as I do, so you shall do. 


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 When I blow with a ram's horn, I and all who are with me, then you blow the ram's horns also on every side of all the camp, and shout, For Jehovah and for Gideon! 


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 So Gideon and the hundred men with him came to the edge of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch. And they had but newly set the watch. And they blew the ram's horns and broke the pitchers that were in their hands. 


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 And the three companies blew the ram's horns and broke the pitchers and held the torches in their left hands and the ram's horns in their right hands to blow. And they cried, A sword for Jehovah and for Gideon! 


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 And they stood, each man in his place, all around the camp. And all the army ran, and cried, and fled. 


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 And the three hundred blew the ram's horns. And Jehovah set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the army. And the army fled to Beth-shittah in Zererath, to the border of Abel-meholah, to Tabbath. 


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 And the men of Israel were called out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and ran after the Midianites. 


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 And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take the waters to Beth-barah and Jordan before them. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves. And they captured the waters to Beth-barah and Jordan. 


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 Then they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb. And they killed Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and they killed Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. And they pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan. 


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 And the men of Ephraim said to him, What is this thing you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight with the Midianites? And they rebuked him sharply. 


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 And he said to them, What have I done now in comparison to you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer? 


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 God has delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. And what was I able to do in comparison to you? Then their spirits toward him went away when he had said that. 


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 And Gideon came to Jordan, crossing over, he and the three hundred men with him, faint, yet pursuing them. 


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 And he said to the men of Succoth, I pray you, give loaves of bread to the people who follow me. For they are tired, and I am chasing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian. 


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 And the rulers of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand, so that we should give bread to your army? 


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 And Gideon said, Therefore, when Jehovah has delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers. 


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 And he went up from there to Penuel, and spoke to them likewise. And the men of Penuel answered him like the men of Succoth had answered. 


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 And he spoke also to the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower. 


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 And Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their armies with them, about fifteen thousand, all who were left of all the armies of the sons of the east. For a hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword fell. 


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 And Gideon went up by the way of those who lived in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and struck the army. For the army was at ease. 


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 And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued them and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and destroyed all the army. 


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 And he caught a young man of the men of Succoth and asked of him. And he described to him the rulers of Succoth, and its elders, seventy-seven men. 


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 And he came to the men of Succoth and said, Behold, Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom you rebuked me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in your hand so that we should give bread to your men who are weary? 


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 And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth. 


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 And he said to Zebah and Zalmunna, How were the men whom you killed in Tabor? And they answered, As you are, so they. Each one resembled the sons of a king. 


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 And he said, They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As Jehovah lives, if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you. 


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 And he said to Jether his first-born, Up! Kill them! But the youth did not draw his sword, for he feared, because he was still a youth. 


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 And Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise and fall upon us. For as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose and killed Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments on their camels' necks. 


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 And the men of Israel said to Gideon, Rule over us, both you and your son, and your son's son also. For you have delivered us from the hand of Midian. 


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 And Gideon said to them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you. Jehovah shall rule over you. 


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 And Gideon said to them, I would desire a favor of you, that each man of you would give me the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.) 


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 And they answered, We will gladly give. And they spread a cloth, and each man threw the earrings of his prey in it. 


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 And the weight of the golden earrings which he asked for was seventeen hundred of gold, besides ornaments, and pendants, and purple clothing that was on the kings of Midian, and besides the chains around their camels' necks. 


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 And Gideon made an ephod of it, and put it in his city, in Ophrah. And all Israel went there lusting after it, which thing became a snare to Gideon and to his house. 


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 And Midian was subdued before the sons of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the land had rest forty years in the days of Gideon. 


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 And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the tomb of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. 


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 And it happened as soon as Gideon was dead, the sons of Israel turned again and went lusting after the Baals, and made Baal-berith their god. 


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 And the sons of Israel did not remember Jehovah their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side. 


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 Neither did they show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had shown to Israel. 


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 And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem, to his mother's brothers. And he talked with them and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying, 


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 I pray you, speak in the ears of all the men of Shechem: Which is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? Remember also that I am your bone and your flesh. 


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 And his mother's brothers spoke of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem with all these words. And their hearts were bent toward Abimelech, for they said, He is our brother. 


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 And they gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal-berith, with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless persons who followed him. 


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 And he went to his father's house at Ophrah and killed his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy persons, upon one stone. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, was still left; for he hid himself. 


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 And all the leaders of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo. And they came and made Abimelech king beside the plain of the pillar in Shechem. 


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 And when they told Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim. And he lifted up his voice and cried, and said to them, Listen to me, leaders of Shechem, so that God may listen to you. 


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 But the olive tree said to them, Should I leave my fatness with which they honor God and man by me, and go to be promoted over the trees? 


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 But the fig tree said to them, Should I forsake my sweetness and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees? 


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 And the vine said to them, Should I leave my wine, which cheers God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees? 


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 And the bramble-bush said to the trees, If you truly anoint me king over you, come put your trust in my shadow. And if not, let fire come out of the bramble and burn up the cedars of Lebanon. 


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 And now, if you have done truly and sincerely in that you have made Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done to him according to what his hands did, 


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 in which my father fought for you and much endangered his life, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian. 


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 And you have risen up against my father's house today, and have killed his sons, seventy persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his slave woman, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother; 


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 if then you have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house today, rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. 


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 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and burn up the men of Shechem and the house of Millo. And let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and burn up Abimelech. 


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 And Jotham ran away and fled, and went to Beer, and lived there for fear of Abimelech his brother. 


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 And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem. And the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech, 


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 so that the cruelty to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, who killed them, and upon the men of Shechem who helped him in the killing of his brothers. 


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 And the men of Shechem set men lying in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that passed by. And it was told to Abimelech. 


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 And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brothers, and went over to Shechem. And the men of Shechem put their confidence in him. 


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 And they went out into the fields and gathered their vineyards and trod the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and ate and drank, and cursed Abimelech. 


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 And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and Zebul his officer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him? 


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 And I wish this people were under my hand! Then I would remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase your army, and come out! 


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 And Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, and his anger was kindled. 


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 And he sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem. And behold, they fortify the city against you. 


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 And it shall be in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, it shall be that you shall rise early and set upon the city. And behold, when he and the people who are with him come out against you, you may do to them as you desire. 


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 And Abimelech rose up by night, and all the people with him, and they lay in wait against Shechem in four companies. 


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 And Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city. And Abimelech rose up, and the people with him, from lying in wait. 


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 And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, people are coming down from the top of the mountains. And Zebul said to him, You are seeing the shadow of the mountains like men. 


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 And Gaal spoke again and said, See, people are coming by the middle of the land, and another company coming along by way of the Sorcerers' Oak. 


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 And Zebul said to him, Where is your mouth now, with which you said, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? Is not this the people whom you have despised? I pray you, go out now and fight with them. 


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 And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, to the entrance of the gate. 


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 And Abimelech lived at Arumah. And Zebul put Gaal and his brothers out, so that they should not live in Shechem. 


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 And he took the people and divided them into three companies, and lay in wait in the field. And they looked, and behold, the people came forth out of the city. And he rose up against them, and struck them. 


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 And Abimelech and the company with him rushed forward and stood in the entrance of the gate of the city. And the two companies ran upon all the people in the field, and killed them. 


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 And Abimelech fought against the city all that day. And he took the city and killed the people in it. And he beat down the city and sowed it with salt. 


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 And all the men of the tower of Shechem heard, and entered into a stronghold of the house of the god Berith. 


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 And Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people with him. And Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a limb from the trees, and took it and laid it on his shoulder, and said to the people who were with him, What you have seen me do, hurry and do likewise. 


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 And all the people also, each man, cut down a limb for themselves, and followed Abimelech, and set them at the stronghold, and set on fire the stronghold. And about a thousand men and women, all the men of the tower of Shechem, died also. 


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 But there was a strong tower in the middle of the city, and all the men and women, and all the leaders of the city, fled there, and shut it behind them, and got up to the top of the tower. 


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 And Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it, and went hard to the door of the tower to burn it with fire. 


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 Then he called hastily to the young man who was his armor-bearer, and said to him, Draw your sword and kill me, so that men may not say of me, A woman killed him! And his young man thrust him through, and he died. 


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 And God repaid the evil of Abimelech, that which he did to his father in killing his seventy brothers. 


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 And all the evil of the men of Shechem God sent back upon their heads. And upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal. 


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 And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel, Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar. And he lived in Shamir in Mount Ephraim. 


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 And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities which are called Havoth-jair to this day in the land of Gilead. 


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 And the sons of Israel did evil again in the sight of Jehovah, and served the Baals and Ashtoreths, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Sidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines. And they left Jehovah, and did not serve Him. 


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 And the anger of Jehovah was hot against Israel, and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the sons of Ammon. 


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 And that year they troubled and oppressed the sons of Israel; all the sons of Israel on the other side of Jordan, in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead, for eighteen years. 


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 And the sons of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was very distressed. 


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 And the sons of Israel cried to Jehovah, saying, We have sinned against You, both because we have forsaken our God and also have served the Baals. 


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 And Jehovah said to the sons of Israel, Did not I deliver you from Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the sons of Ammon, and from the Philistines? 


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 And the Sidonians and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you. And you cried to Me, and I delivered you out of their hand. 


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 Go and cry to the gods which you have chosen. Let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation. 


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 And the sons of Israel said to Jehovah, We have sinned. Do You to us whatever is good in Your eyes; only deliver us, we pray You, today. 


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 And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served Jehovah. And His soul was moved by the misery of Israel. 


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 Then the sons of Ammon were gathered and camped in Gilead. And the sons of Israel assembled themselves together and camped in Mizpeh. 


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 And the people and rulers of Gilead said to one another, What man is there who will begin to fight against the sons of Ammon? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. 


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 Now Jephthah, the Gileadite, was a mighty man of war. And he was the son of a harlot. And Gilead fathered Jephthah. 


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 And Gilead's wife bore him sons. And his wife's sons grew up, and they threw Jephthah out and said to him, You shall not inherit in our father's house. For you are the son of another woman. 


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 Then Jephthah fled from his brothers and lived in the land of Tob. And worthless men were gathered to Jephthah, and went out with him. 


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 And when the sons of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to bring Jephthah out of the land of Tob. 


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 And they said to Jephthah, Come and be our commander, so that we may fight with the sons of Ammon. 


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 And Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, Have you not hated me and thrown me out of my father's house? Why have you come to me now when you are in trouble? 


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 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, For this reason we turn again to you now, so that you may go with us and fight against the sons of Ammon, and be our head over all the people of Gilead. 


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 And Jephthah said to the elders of Gilead, If you bring me home again to fight against the sons of Ammon, and Jehovah delivers them before me, shall I be your head? 


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 And the elders of Gilead said to Jephthah, Jehovah is witness between us if we do not do so according to your word. 


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 And Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them. And Jephthah uttered all his words before Jehovah in Mizpeh. 


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 And Jephthah sent messengers to the king of the sons of Ammon, saying, What have you to do with me, that you have come against me to fight in my land? 


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 And the king of the sons of Ammon answered to the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even to Jabbok, and to Jordan. Now therefore restore those lands peaceably. 


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 And he said to him, So says Jephthah, Israel did not take away the land of Moab, nor the land of the sons of Ammon. 


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 But when they came up from Egypt, Israel walked through the wilderness to the Red Sea, and came to Kadesh. 


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 And Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, I pray you, let me pass through your land. But the king of Edom would not listen. And in the same way they sent to the king of Moab, but he would not. And Israel stayed in Kadesh. 


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 And they went along through the wilderness, and went around the land of Edom and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but they did not come within the border of Moab; for Arnon was the border of Moab. 


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 And Israel sent messengers to Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon. And Israel said to him, We pray you, let us pass through your land to my place. 


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 But Sihon did not trust Israel to pass through his border. But Sihon gathered all his people together and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 


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 And Jehovah, the God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they struck them. So Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, who lived in that country. 


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 And they possessed all the borders of the Amorites, from Arnon even to Jabbok, and from the wilderness even to Jordan. 


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 So now Jehovah, the God of Israel has put out the Amorites before His people Israel, and should you possess it? 


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 Will you not possess that which Chemosh your god gives you to possess? So whomever Jehovah our God shall drive out from before us, we will possess them. 


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 And now are you any better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them 


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 when Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, and Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities which are along by the borders of Arnon, for three hundred years? Why then did you not deliver them in that time? 


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 So I have not sinned against you, but you do me wrong to war against me. Jehovah, the Judge, will judge this day between the sons of Israel and the sons of Ammon. 


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 Then the Spirit of Jehovah came on Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead passed over to the sons of Ammon. 


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 And Jephthah vowed a vow to Jehovah, and said, If You will indeed give the sons of Ammon into my hand, 


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 then it shall be that whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the sons of Ammon, surely it shall belong to Jehovah, or I will offer it up instead of a burnt offering. 


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 And Jephthah passed over to the sons of Ammon to fight against them. And Jehovah delivered them into his hand. 


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 And he struck them from Aroer even until you come to Minnith, twenty cities, and to the meadow of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. So were the sons of Ammon subdued before the sons of Israel. 


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 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh to his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances. And she was his only child. Besides her he had neither son nor daughter. 


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 And it happened when he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you are one of those who trouble me. For I have opened my mouth to Jehovah, and I cannot go back. 


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 And she said to him, My father, you have opened your mouth to the Lord; do to me according to that which has come out of your mouth, because Jehovah has taken vengeance for you upon your enemies, even of the sons of Ammon. 


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 And she said to her father, Let this thing be done for me. Let me alone two months, so that I may go up and down upon the mountains and weep for my virginity, I and my companions. 


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 And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months. And she went with her companions and wept for her virginity upon the mountains. 


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 And it happened at the end of two months she returned to her father, who did to her his vow which he had vowed. And she knew no man. And it is a custom in Israel, 


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 that the daughters of Israel went yearly to tell again of the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite, four days in a year. 


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 And the men of Ephraim were called together and went northward, and said to Jephthah, Why did you go over to fight against the sons of Ammon, and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house upon you with fire. 


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 And Jephthah said to them, My people and I were at great strife with the sons of Ammon. And when I called you, you did not deliver me out of their hands. 


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 When I saw that you did not deliver me, I took my life in my hand and passed over against the sons of Ammon, and Jehovah delivered them into my hand, and why have you come up against me, to fight against me today? 


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 And Jephthah called up all the men of Gilead and fought with Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck Ephraim, because they said, You Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites and among the Manassites. 


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 And the Gileadites took the fords of Jordan before the Ephraimites. And it happened that when one of those Ephraimites who had escaped said, Let me go over, the men of Gilead said to him, Are you an Ephraimite? And he said, No. 


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 And they said to him, Please say Shibboleth. And he said, Sibboleth, for he could not manage to pronounce it right. Then they took him and killed him at the passages of Jordan. And there fell at that time forty-two thousand of the Ephraimites. 


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 And Jephthah judged Israel six years. And Jephthah the Gileadite died, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead. 


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 And he had thirty sons and thirty daughters whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years. 


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 And he had forty sons and thirty grandsons, who rode on seventy ass colts. And he judged Israel eight years. 


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 And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the Amalekites. 


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 And the sons of Israel did evil again in the sight of Jehovah. And Jehovah delivered them into the hands of the Philistines forty years. 


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 And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and did not bear. 


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 And the Angel of Jehovah appeared to the woman and said to her, Behold now, you are barren and do not bear. But you shall conceive and bear a son. 


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 And now, please take heed, and do not drink wine nor strong drink, and do not eat any unclean thing. 


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 For lo, you shall conceive and bear a son. And no razor shall come upon his head. For the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb. And he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. 


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 And the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came to me, and His face was like the face of an Angel of God, very terrifying. But I did not ask Him where He came from, neither did He tell me His name. 


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 But He said to me, Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. And now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb to the day of his death. 


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 And Manoah prayed to Jehovah and said, O, my Lord, let the Man of God, whom You sent, come again to us and teach us what we shall do to the boy that shall be born. 


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 And God listened to the voice of Manoah, and the Angel of God came again to the woman as she sat in the field. But Manoah her husband was not with her. 


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 And the woman hurried and ran, and told her husband, and said to him, Behold, the Man has appeared to me, the one who came to me the other day. 


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 And Manoah arose and went after his wife, and came to the Man, and said to Him, Are You the Man who spoke to the woman? And He said, I am. 


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 And Manoah said, Now let Your words come to pass. How shall we order the child, and what shall we do to him? 


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 She may not eat of all that comes from the vine, neither let her drink wine nor strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. Let her do all that I commanded her. 


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 And Manoah said to the Angel of Jehovah, I pray You, let us keep You until we have made a kid ready for You. 


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 And the Angel of Jehovah said to Manoah, Though you keep Me, I will not eat of your bread. And if you will offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to Jehovah. For Manoah did not know that He was the Angel of Jehovah. 


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 And Manoah said to the Angel of Jehovah, What is Your name, so that when Your sayings come to pass we may do You honor? 


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 And the Angel of Jehovah said to him, Why do you ask after My name in this way? Yea, it is Wonderful. 


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 And Manoah took a kid with a food offering, and offered it upon a rock to Jehovah, and did wonderfully. And Manoah and his wife looked on. 


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 For it happened when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, the Angel of Jehovah went up in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it and fell on their faces to the ground. 


text:
 But the Angel of Jehovah did not appear any more to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that He was an Angel of Jehovah. 


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 But his wife said to him, If Jehovah were pleased to kill us, He would not have received a burnt offering and a food offering at our hands, neither would He have showed us all these things , nor have told us such things as these at this time. 


text:
 And the Spirit of Jehovah began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol. 


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 And he came up and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. And now get her for me for a wife. 


text:
 And his father and his mother said to him, Is there no woman among the daughters of your brothers, or among all my people, that you go to take a wife from the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said to his father, Get her for me, for she pleases me very much. 


text:
 But his father and his mother did not know that it was from Jehovah, that He was looking for an occasion against the Philistines. For at that time the Philistines had the rule over Israel. 


text:
 And Samson and his father and his mother went down to Timnath. And they came to the vineyards of Timnath. And, behold, a young lion roared to meet him. 


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 And the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon him, and he tore it as he would have torn a kid; and nothing was in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. 


text:
 And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the dead body of the lion. And behold! A swarm of bees and honey was in the dead body of the lion. 


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 And he took some of it in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother. And he gave to them, and they ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the dead body of the lion. 


text:
 And his father went down to the woman. And Samson made a feast there, for so the young men used to do. 


text:
 And Samson said to them, I will now put forth a riddle to you. If you certainly tell it to me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen blouses and thirty changes of garments. 


text:
 But if you cannot tell me, then you shall give me thirty linen blouses and thirty changes of garments. And they said to him, Put forth your riddle so that we may hear it. 


text:
 And he said to them, Out of the eater came forth food, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And in three days they were not able to declare the riddle. 


text:
 And it happened on the seventh day they said to Samson's wife, Lure your husband so that he may tell the riddle to us, lest we burn you and your father's house with fire. Have you called us to take what we have? Is it not so? 


text:
 And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, You only hate me, and do not love me. You have put forth a riddle to the sons of my people, and have not told it to me. And he said to her, Behold, I have not told my father nor to my mother, and shall I tell you? 


text:
 And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted. And on the seventh day, he told her, because she pressed hard upon him. And she told the riddle to the sons of her people. 


text:
 And the men of the city said to him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey, and what stronger than a lion? And he said to them, If you had not plowed with my heifer, you would not have found out my riddle. 


text:
 And the Spirit of Jehovah came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon and killed thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave changes of garments to them who told what the riddle meant. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house. 


text:
 And it happened afterward, in the days of wheat harvest, Samson visited his wife with a kid. And he said, I will go in to my wife into the room. But her father would not allow him to go in. 


text:
 And her father said, I truly thought that you utterly hated her, and I gave her to your companion. Is not her younger sister fairer than she is? Please, let her be for you instead of her. 


text:
 And Samson said concerning them, Now I shall be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do evil with them. 


text:
 And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes and took fire brands, and turned tail to tail, and put a fire brand in the middle between two tails. 


text:
 And he set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing grain of the Philistines, and burned up both the shocks and also the standing grain, with the vineyards and olives. 


text:
 And the Philistines said, Who has done this? And they answered, Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up and burned her and her father with fire. 


text:
 And Samson said to them, Though you have done this, yet I will be avenged of you, and after that I will stop. 


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 And he struck them hip and thigh with a great slaughter. And he went down and lived in the top of the rock Etam. 


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 And the men of Judah said, Why have you come up against us? And they answered, We have come up to bind Samson, to do to him as he has done to us. 


text:
 Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Do you not know that the Philistines are rulers over us? What have you done to us? And he said to them, As they have done to me, so I have done to them. 


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 And they said to him, We have come to bind you so that we may deliver you into the hands of the Philistines. And Samson said to them, Swear to me that you will not fall upon me yourselves. 


text:
 And they spoke to him, saying, No, but we will tie you up and deliver you into their hand. But surely we will not kill you. And they bound him with two new cords and brought him up from the rock. 


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 He came to Lehi, and the Philistines shouted against him. And the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon him, and the cords on his arms became as flax that has been burned with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands. 


text:
 And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand and took it, and killed a thousand men with it. 


text:
 And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jawbone of an ass I have killed a thousand men. 


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 And it happened when he had made an end of speaking, he threw away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place Hill of the Jawbone. 


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 And he was very thirsty and called upon Jehovah and said, You have given this great deliverance into the hand of Your servant. And now shall I die with thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised? 


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 But God cut open a hollow place and water came out there. And he drank, and his spirit came again, and he revived. Therefore, its name is called Fountain of the Praying One, which is in Lehi to this day. 


text:
 The Gazites were told, saying, Samson has come here. And they surrounded him and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, saying, Until the light of the morning, then we shall kill him. 


text:
 And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took hold of the leaves of the gate of the city and the two posts, and picked them up, with the bar, and put them on his shoulders and carried them up to the top of a hill that is before Hebron. 


text:
 And the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and said to her, Lure him and see where his great strength lies, and by what means we may prevail against him, so that we may tie him to afflict him. And each one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver. 


text:
 And Delilah said to Samson, Please tell me where your great strength lies, and with what you may be bound to afflict you. 


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 And Samson said to her, If they bind me with seven green cords that were never dried, then I shall be weak and be as another man. 


text:
 Then the lords of the Philistines brought up to her seven green cords which had not been dried, and she bound him with them. 


text:
 And the ambush was sitting for her in the inner room. And she said to him, The Philistines are upon you, Samson! And he broke the cords like a thread of tow when it smells fire. And his strength was not known. 


text:
 And Delilah said to Samson, Behold, you have mocked me and told me lies. Now, please, tell me with what you may be bound. 


text:
 And he said to her, If they bind me fast with new ropes that have never been used, then I shall be weak and be as another man. 


text:
 And Delilah took new ropes and bound him with them, and said to him, The Philistines are upon you, Samson! And the ambush was sitting for her in the inner room. And he broke them from off his arms like a thread. 


text:
 And Delilah said to Samson, You have mocked me until now, and told me lies. Tell me with what you may be bound. And he said to her, If you weave the seven locks of my head with the web. 


text:
 And she fastened it with the pin, and said to him, The Philistines are upon you, Samson! And He awakened out of his sleep, and pulled out the pin, the hand-loom and the web. 


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 And she said to him, How can you say, I love you, and your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me in what your great strength lies. 


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 And it happened because she distressed him with her words daily, and urged him; and his soul was grieved to death. 


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 And he told her all his heart, and said to her, A razor has not come on my hair, for I am a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will go from me, and I will become weak and be like any man. 


text:
 And when Delilah saw that he had told her all his heart, she sent and called for the lords of the Philistines, saying, Come this once, for he has showed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philistines came up to her, and brought silver in their hand. 


text:
 And she made him sleep upon her knees. And she called for a man, and she caused him to shave off the seven locks of his head. And she began to afflict him, and his strength went from him. 


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 And she said, The Philistines are upon you, Samson! And he awoke out of his sleep and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he did not know that Jehovah had departed from him. 


text:
 And the Philistines took him and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass. And he ground in the prison house. 


text:
 Then the lords of the Philistines gathered in order to offer a great sacrifice to Dagon their god, and to rejoice. For they said, Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hand. 


text:
 And the people saw him and praised their god. For they said, Our god has delivered our enemy into our hand, and the destroyer of our country, who killed many of us. 


text:
 And when their hearts were merry, it happened that they said, Call for Samson and he will make sport for us. And they called for Samson out of the prison house. And he made sport for them, and they set him between the pillars. 


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 And Samson said to the lad who held him by the hand, Allow me to feel the pillars upon which the house stands, so that I may lean upon them. 


text:
 Now the house was full of men and women. And all the lords of the Philistines were there. And on the roof were about three thousand men and women who watched while Samson made sport. 


text:
 And Samson called to Jehovah and said, O, Lord Jehovah, remember me, I pray You, and strengthen me, I pray You, only this once, O God, so that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes. 


text:
 And Samson took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the house stood, and on which it was held up, of the one with his right hand, and of the other with his left. 


text:
 And Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself mightily, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those he killed in his life. 


text:
 Then his brothers and all the house of his father came down, and took him, and brought him up and buried him between Zorah and Eshtaol in the burying-place of Manoah his father. And he judged Israel twenty years. 


text:
 And he said to his mother, The eleven hundred shekels of silver which were taken from you, about which you cursed, and spoke of also in my ears, behold, the silver is with me. Behold, I took it. And his mother said, Be blessed of Jehovah, my son. 


text:
 And when he had given back the eleven hundred of silver to his mother, his mother said, I had wholly given the silver to Jehovah from my hand for my son to make a graven image and a molten image. And now I am giving it to you. 


text:
 And he gave the money back to his mother. And his mother took two hundred shekels of silver and gave them to a refiner, who made of it an engraved image and a molten image. And they were in the house of Micah. 


text:
 And the man Micah had a house of gods, and made an ephod and household gods, and anointed one of his sons, who became his priest. 


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 And there was a young man out of Bethlehem-judah of the family of Judah, and he was a Levite. And he stayed there. 


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 And the man went out of the city from Bethlehem-judah to live where he could find a place. And he came to Mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, as he journeyed. 


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 And Micah said to him, Where do you come from? And he said to him, I am a Levite of Bethlehem-judah, and I go to live where I may find a place. 


text:
 And Micah said to him, Live with me and be a father and a priest to me, and I will give you ten shekels of silver by the year, and a suit of clothes, and your food. And the Levite went in. 


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 And Micah consecrated the Levite. And the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah. 


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 In those days no king was in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the Danites looked for an inheritance for them to live in. For to that day it had not fallen to them by inheritance among the tribes of Israel. 


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 And the sons of Dan sent from their family five men from their borders, men of war, from Zorah and from Eshtaol, to spy out the land and to search it. And they said to them, Go, search the land. And when they came to Mount Ephraim to the house of Micah, they stayed there. 


text:
 When they were at the house of Micah, they knew the voice of the young man the Levite. And they turned in there, and said to him, Who brought you here? And what are you doing in this place? And what have you here? 


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 And they said to him, We pray you, Ask counsel of God so that we may know whether our way which we go shall be prosperous. 


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 And the five men departed and came to Laish, and saw the people in it, how they lived carelessly, as the Sidonians do, quiet and secure. And there was no judge in the land who might put them to shame in a thing. And they were far from the Sidonians, and had no business with any man. 


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 And they came to their brothers, to Zorah and Eshtaol. And their brothers said to them, What do you say? 


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 And they said, Arise, so that we may go up against them. For we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good. And will you sit quietly? Do not be too lazy to go; enter to possess the land. 


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 When you go, you shall come to a people feeling safe, and to a large land. For God has given it into your hands, a place where there is no lack of anything in the earth. 


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 And six hundred men of the family of the Danites moved from there, out of Zorah and out of Eshtaol, girded with weapons of war. 


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 And they went up and pitched in Kirjath-jearim, in Judah. Therefore, they called that place A Camp of Dan to this day. Behold, it is behind Kirjath-jearim. 


text:
 Then the five men who went to spy out the country of Laish answered and said to their brothers, Did you know that there is in these houses an ephod, and household gods, and an engraved image and a molten image? And now consider what you have to do. 


text:
 And they turned in that way, and came to the house of the young man the Levite, to the house of Micah, and greeted him. 


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 And the six hundred men of the sons of Dan, girded with their weapons of war, stood by the entrance of the gate. 


text:
 And the five men who went up to spy out the land came in there, and took the engraved image and the ephod and the household gods, and the molten image. And the priest stood at the entrance of the gate with the six hundred men who were dressed with weapons of war. 


text:
 And these went into Micah's house and brought out the carved image, the ephod, and the household gods, and the molten image. And the priest said to them, What are you doing? 


text:
 And they said to him, Be quiet, lay your hand on your mouth and go with us, and be to us a father and a priest. Is it better for you to be a priest to the house of one man, or that you be a priest to a tribe and a family in Israel? 


text:
 And the priest's heart was glad, and he took the ephod, and the household gods, and the carved image, and went in the midst of the people. 


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 And they turned and departed, and put the little ones and the cattle and the valuables before them. 


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 They had gone far away from the house of Micah, and the men in the houses near Micah's house had been called together and had overtaken the sons of Dan. 


text:
 And they cried to the sons of Dan. And they turned their faces and said to Micah, What ails you, that you have been called together? 


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 And he said, You have taken away my gods which I made, and the priest, and you have gone away. And what more do I have? And what is this you say to me, What ails you? 


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 And the sons of Dan said to him, Do not let your voice be heard among us, lest angry fellows run upon you and you lose your life with the lives of your household. 


text:
 And the sons of Dan went their way. And when Micah saw that they were too strong for him, he turned and went back to his house. 


text:
 And they took the things which Micah had made, and the priest whom he had, and came to Laish, to a people quiet and feeling safe. And they struck them with the edge of the sword and burned the city with fire. 


text:
 And there was no deliverer, because it was far from Sidon, and they had no business with any man. And it was in the valley that lies by Beth-rehob. And they built a city and lived in it. 


text:
 And they called the name of the city Dan, after the name of Dan their father, who was born to Israel. However the name of the city was Laish at the first. 


text:
 And the sons of Dan set up the engraved image. And Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land. 


text:
 And they set up Micah's engraved image for themselves, the image which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh. 


text:
 And it happened in those days, no king being in Israel, there was a certain Levite residing on the far side of Mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Bethlehem-judah. 


text:
 And his concubine played the harlot against him, and went away from him to her father's house to Bethlehem-judah, and was there four whole months. 


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 And her husband arose and went after her, to speak friendly to her, to bring her again, having his servant with him and a couple of asses. And she brought him into her father's house. And when the father of the girl saw him, he rejoiced to meet him. 


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 And his father-in-law, the girl's father, kept him. And he stayed with him three days. So they ate and drank and stayed there. 


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 And it happened on the fourth day when they arose early in the morning, he rose up to leave. And the girl's father said to his son-in-law, Comfort your heart with a piece of bread, and afterward go your way. 


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 And they sat down and ate and drank, both of them together, for the girl's father had said to the man, Please be content, and stay all night, and let your heart be merry. 


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 And he rose early in the morning on the fifth day to leave. And the girl's father said, Please comfort your heart. And they stayed till afternoon, and both of them ate. 


text:
 And when the man rose up to leave, he and his concubine, and his servant, his father-in-law, the girl's father said to him, Behold, now the day draws toward evening. Please stay all night. Behold, the day grows to an end. Stay here so that your heart may be merry. And tomorrow go early on your way, so that you may go to your tent. 


text:
 But the man would not stay that night, but he rose up and left, and came over against Jebus, which is Jerusalem. And there were with him two saddled asses. His concubine also was with him. 


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 They were beside Jebus, and the day was far gone. And the servant said to his master, Please come, and let us turn in to this city of the Jebusites and stay in it. 


text:
 And his master said to him, We will not turn aside here into the city of a stranger that is not of the sons of Israel. We will pass over to Gibeah. 


text:
 And he said to his servant, Come and let us draw near one of these places to stay all night, in Gibeah or in Ramah. 


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 And they passed on and went their way. And the sun went down on them beside Gibeah, which is of Benjamin. 


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 And they turned aside there, to go in and to lodge in Gibeah. And he went in and sat down in a street of the city. For no man took them into his house to stay the night. 


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 And behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at evening, who was also from Mount Ephraim. And he lived in Gibeah, but the men of the place were of Benjamin. 


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 And when he had lifted up his eyes, he saw a traveler in the streets of the city. And the old man said, Where do you go, and where do you come from? 


text:
 And he said to him, We are passing from Bethlehem-judah to the side of mount Ephraim. I am from there, and I went to Bethlehem-judah, but I am going to the house of Jehovah. And there is no man who receives me into his house. 


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 Yet here is both straw and food for our asses. And there is bread and wine also for me, and for your slave woman, and for the young man who is with your servants. There is no lack of anything. 


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 And the old man said, Peace be with you. Yet all that you lack shall be on me. Only do not stay in the street. 


text:
 And he brought him into his house and mixed fodder for the asses. And they washed their feet, and ate and drank. 


text:
 They were making their hearts merry. And, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, set upon the house all around and beat at the door and spoke to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring out the man that came to your house so that we may know him. 


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 And the man, the master of the house, went out to them and said to them, No, my brothers, I pray you, do not do evil, since this man has come into my house. Do not do this foolish sin. 


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 Behold, my daughter, a virgin, and his concubine. I will bring them out now, and you humble them and do with them what seems good to you. But do not do so vile a thing to this man. 


text:
 But the men would not listen to him. And the man took his concubine and brought her out to them. And they knew her and rolled themselves on her all night until the morning. And they sent her away at the dawning of the day. 


text:
 And the woman came, in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's house where her lord was, until it was light. 


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 And her lord rose up in the morning and opened the doors of the house and went out to go his way. And behold, the woman, his concubine, had fallen down at the door of the house, and her hands were upon the threshold. 


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 And he said to her, Up, and let us be going. But there was no answer. Then the man took her on an ass, and the man rose up and went to his place. 


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 And he came into his house, he took a knife and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, with her bones, into twelve pieces and sent her into all the borders of Israel. 


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 And it was so that all that saw it said, There was no such deed done nor seen from the day that the sons of Israel came up out of the land of Egypt to this day. Think of it, take advice and speak. 


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 Then all the sons of Israel went out, and the congregation was gathered together as one man, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, with the land of Gilead, to Jehovah in Mizpeh. 


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 And the leaders of all the people, of all the tribes of Israel, presented themselves in the assembly of the people of God, four hundred thousand footmen that drew sword. 


text:
 And the sons of Benjamin heard that the sons of Israel had gone up to Mizpeh. And the sons of Israel said, Speak. How did this evil happen? 


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 And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was slain, answered and said, I came into Gibeah of Benjamin to stay the night, my concubine and I. 


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 And the men of Gibeah rose against me and set upon the house all around me at night. They intended to kill me. And they raped my concubine, and she is dead. 


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 And I took my concubine and cut her in pieces, and sent her throughout all the land of the inheritance of Israel. For they have committed evil and folly in Israel. 


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 And all people rose as one man, saying, Let no man go to his tent, and do not let any of us turn to his house. 


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 and we will take ten men of a hundred of all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand out of ten thousand, to bring food for the people, so that when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, they may do according to all the folly which they have done in Israel. 


text:
 And the tribes of Israel sent men through all the tribe of Benjamin saying, What wickedness is this that is done among you? 


text:
 Now, therefore, deliver the men, the sons of Belial, who are in Gibeah, so that we may put them to death and put away evil from Israel. But Benjamin would not listen to the voice of their brothers, the sons of Israel. 


text:
 And the sons of Benjamin gathered out of the cities to Gibeah, to go out to battle against the sons of Israel. 


text:
 And the sons of Benjamin were numbered on that day out of the cities twenty-six thousand men who drew sword, besides the inhabitants of Gibeah, who were numbered seven hundred chosen men. 


text:
 Among all this people were seven hundred chosen men, left-handed. Every one could sling stones at a hair's breadth, and not miss. 


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 And the men of Israel, besides Benjamin, were numbered four hundred thousand men who drew sword. All these were men of war. 


text:
 And the sons of Israel rose and went up to the house of God and asked counsel of God, and said, Which of us shall go up first to the battle against the sons of Benjamin? And Jehovah said, Judah first. 


text:
 And the men of Israel went out to battle against Benjamin. And the men of Israel put themselves in order, ready to fight against them at Gibeah. 


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 And the sons of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah and destroyed to the earth twenty-two thousand men of the Israelites that day. 


text:
 And the people, the men of Israel, encouraged themselves and set their battle in order again in the place where they put themselves in order the first day. 


text:
 And the sons of Israel went up and wept before Jehovah until evening, and asked counsel from Jehovah saying, Shall I go up again to battle against the sons of Benjamin my brother? And Jehovah said, Go up against him. 


text:
 And Benjamin went forth to meet them again from Gibeah the second day and again destroyed to the earth eighteen thousand men of the sons of Israel. All these drew the sword. 


text:
 And all the sons of Israel, and all the people, went up and came into the house of God, and wept, and sat there before Jehovah and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Jehovah. 


text:
 And the sons of Israel inquired of Jehovah (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days, 


text:
 and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron stood before it in those days) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the sons of Benjamin my brother, or shall I stop? And Jehovah said, Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand. 


text:
 And the sons of Israel went up against the sons of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in order against Gibeah, as at other times. 


text:
 And the sons of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city. And they began to strike some of the people and to kill, as at other times, in the highways, one of which goes up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel. 


text:
 And the sons of Benjamin said, They are beaten before us as at the first. But the sons of Israel said, Let us flee and draw them from the city to the highways. 


text:
 And all the men of Israel rose up out of their place and marshalled at Baal-tamar. And the ambush of Israel broke forth from their place, from the plains of Gibeah. 


text:
 And there came against Gibeah ten thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was heavy. But they did not know that evil was near them. 


text:
 And Jehovah struck Benjamin before Israel. And the sons of Israel destroyed in Benjamin twenty-five thousand and a hundred men that day. All these drew the sword. 


text:
 So the sons of Benjamin saw that they were beaten. For the men of Israel gave place to Benjamin because they trusted to the ambush which they had set against Gibeah. 


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 And the ambush hurried and rushed against Gibeah. And the ambush marched and struck all the city with the edge of the sword. 


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 And a sign was set between the men of Israel and the ambush, to cause to go up a great smoke rising up from the city. 


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 And when the men of Israel retired in the battle, Benjamin began to strike and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons. For they said, Surely they are stricken down before us as in the first battle. 


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 And the rising of a pillar of smoke began to go up out of the city. And Benjamin turned behind them, and behold, the whole city had gone up toward the heavens. 


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 And the men of Israel turned again, and the men of Benjamin were amazed. For they saw that evil had touched them. 


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 And they turned before the men of Israel, to the way of the wilderness. But the battle overtook them. And those who came out of the cities they destroyed in the midst of them. 


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 They encircled Benjamin and they chased them without rest, and trod them down until they were against Gibeah toward the sunrise. 


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 And they turned and fled toward the wilderness to the rock of Rimmon. And they gleaned of them in the highways five thousand men, and pursued hard after them to Gidom and killed two thousand men of them. 


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 So that all who fell that day of Benjamin were twenty-five thousand men who drew the sword. All of these were men of war. 


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 But six hundred men turned and fled to the wilderness, to the rock Rimmon, and they stayed in the rock Rimmon four months. 


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 And the sons of Israel turned again to the sons of Benjamin and struck them with the edge of the sword, from the entire city to livestock, to all that was found. Also they set on fire all the cities that they came to. 


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 And the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, Not one of us shall give his daughter to Benjamin for a wife. 


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 And the people came to the house of God and stayed there until evening before God, and lifted up their voice and wept grievously, 


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 and said, O, Jehovah, the God of Israel, Why has this happened in Israel, that there should be today one tribe lacking in Israel? 


text:
 And it happened on the next day the people rose early and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. 


text:
 And the sons of Israel said, Who is there among all the tribes of Israel that did not come up with the congregation to Jehovah? For they had made a great oath concerning him who did not come up to Jehovah to Mizpeh, saying, He shall surely be put to death. 


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 And the sons of Israel repented themselves for Benjamin their brother, and said, There is one tribe cut off from Israel this day. 


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 What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since we have sworn by Jehovah that we will not give them of our daughters for wives? 


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 And they said, What one is there of the tribes of Israel that did not come up to Mizpeh to Jehovah? And, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabesh-gilead to the assembly. 


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 And the congregation sent there twelve thousand men of the most valiant, and commanded them, saying, Go, and you shall strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the sword, with the women and the sons. 


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 And this is the thing that you shall do. You shall utterly destroy every male and every woman who has lain with man. 


text:
 And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead four hundred young virgins who had known no man by lying with any male. And they brought them to the camp to Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan. 


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 And the whole congregation sent to speak to the sons of Benjamin who were in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably to them. 


text:
 And Benjamin came again at that time. And they gave them wives whom they had saved alive, of the women of Jabesh-gilead. And yet so they were not enough for them. 


text:
 And the people repented themselves for Benjamin, because Jehovah had made a break in the tribes of Israel. 


text:
 And the elders of the congregation said, What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin? 


text:
 And they said, There must be an inheritance for those of Benjamin who have escaped, so that a tribe may not be destroyed out of Israel. 


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 However, we may not give them wives of our daughters. For the sons of Israel have sworn, saying, Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin. 


text:
 Then they said, Behold, there is a feast of Jehovah in Shiloh yearly on the north side of Bethel, on the east side of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and on the south of Lebonah. 


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 and see, and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then you come out of the vineyards and catch you a wife for every man from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. 


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 And it shall be, when their fathers or their brothers come to us to complain, we will say to them, Be favorable to them for our sakes, because we did not reserve each man a wife in the war. For if you did not give to them at this time, you would be guilty. 


text:
 And the sons of Benjamin did so, and took wives according to their number, from those that danced, whom they caught. And they went and returned to their inheritance, and repaired the cities and lived in them. 


text:
 And the sons of Israel departed from there at that time, each man to his tribe and to his family. And they went out from there every man to his inheritance. 


text:
 And it happened in the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem-judah went to live in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons. 


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 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem-judah. And they came to the fields of Moab and stayed there. 


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 And they took wives for themselves from the women of Moab. The name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth. And they lived there about ten years. 


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 And Mahlon and Chilion also died, both of them. And the woman was left without her two sons and her husband. 


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 Then she arose with her daughters-in-law so that she might return from the fields of Moab. For she had heard in the fields of Moab how Jehovah had visited His people in giving them bread. 


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 And she went out of the place where she was, and her two daughters-in-law with her, and they went on the way to return to the land of Judah. 


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 And Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, Go, return each one to her mother's house. May Jehovah deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me. 


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 May Jehovah grant you that you may find rest, each in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them, and they lifted up their voice and wept. 


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 And Naomi said, Turn again, my daughters. Why will you go with me? Are there yet sons in my womb, that they may be your husbands? 


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 Turn again, my daughters, go. For I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, I have hope, if I should have a husband also tonight, and should also bear sons, 


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 would you wait for them until they were grown? Will you shut yourselves up, not to have a husband? No, my daughters, for it makes me very sad for your sakes that the hand of Jehovah has gone out against me. 


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 And they lifted up their voice and wept again. And Orpah kissed her mother-in-law. But Ruth clung to her. 


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 And she said, Behold, Your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. Return after your sister-in-law. 


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 And Ruth said, Do not beg me to leave you, to return from following after you. For where you go, I will go. Where you stay, I will stay. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 


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 Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May Jehovah do so to me, and more also, if anything but death parts you and me. 


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 And both of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened when they had come to Bethlehem, all the city was moved about them, and they said, Is this Naomi? 


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 And she said to them, Do not call me Naomi, call me Mara. For the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 


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 I went out full, and Jehovah has brought me back empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since Jehovah has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me? 


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 And Naomi returned; and Ruth, who was of Moab, her daughter-in-law, was with her, returning out of the fields of Moab. And they came to Bethlehem in the beginning of barley harvest. 


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 And Naomi had a kinsman of her husband's, a mighty man of wealth, of the family of Elimelech. And his name was Boaz. 


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 And Ruth of Moab said to Naomi, Let me now go to the field and glean ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said to her, Go, my daughter. 


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 And she went. And she came and gleaned in the field after the reapers. And she happened to come upon a part of the field of Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech. 


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 And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the reapers, Jehovah be with you. And they answered him, Jehovah bless you. 


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 And the servant who was set over the reapers answered and said, It is the girl from Moab who came back with Naomi out of the country of Moab. 


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 And she said, Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves. And she came, and has kept on from the morning until now, but that she stayed a little in the house. 


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 And Boaz said to Ruth, Do you not hear, my daughter? Do not go to glean in another field, neither go away from here, but stay here close by my maidens. 


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 Let your eyes be on the field that they reap, and go after them. Have I not commanded the young men that they shall not touch you? And when you are thirsty, go to the vessels and drink of that which the young men have drawn. 


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 Then she fell on her face and bowed herself to the ground, and said to him, Why have I found grace in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner? 


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 And Boaz answered and said to her, It has been fully shown to me all that you have done to your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, And you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and have come to a people whom you did not know before now. 


text:
 May Jehovah repay your work, and may a full reward be given you from Jehovah, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to trust. 


text:
 Then she said, Let me find favor in your sight, my lord, for you have comforted me; for you have spoken kindly to your handmaid, though I am not like one of your handmaidens. 


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 And Boaz said to her, At mealtime come here and eat of the bread and dip your bit in the vinegar. And she sat beside the reapers. And he handed her roasted grain, and she ate and was satisfied, and left. 


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 And when she had risen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men saying, Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not rebuke her. 


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 And also let fall of the handfuls on purpose for her, and leave them so that she may glean them, and do not rebuke her. 


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 And she gleaned in the field until the evening, and beat out what she had gleaned. And it was about an ephah of barley. 


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 And she took it up and went into the city. And her mother-in-law saw what she had gleaned. And she brought it forth, and gave to her what she had kept after she was satisfied. 


text:
 And her mother-in-law said to her, Where have you gleaned today? And where did you work? Blessed is he who took notice of you. And she told her mother-in-law with whom she had worked, and said, The man's name with whom I worked today is Boaz. 


text:
 And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, Blessed is he of Jehovah, who has not left off his kindness to the living and to the dead. And Naomi said to her, The man is near of kin to us, he is of our redeemers. 


text:
 And Ruth of Moab said, He said to me also, You shall keep close by my young men whom I have until they have ended all my harvest. 


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 And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law Ruth, Good, my daughter. You go out with his maidens so that they do not fall upon you in any other field. 


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 And she kept close by the maidens of Boaz to glean until the end of barley harvest and of wheat harvest. And she lived with her mother-in-law. 


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 And her mother-in-law Naomi said to her, My daughter, shall I not seek rest for you so that it may be well with you? 


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 And now, is not Boaz of our kindred, he with whose maidens you were? Behold, he winnows barley tonight in the threshing-floor. 


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 Therefore wash yourself, and anoint yourself, and put your clothing upon you, and go down to the floor. Do not make yourself known to the man until he has finished eating and drinking. 


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 And when he lies down, you mark the place where he lies, and you shall go in and uncover his feet and lie down. And he will tell you what you shall do. 


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 And she went down to the grain floor and did according to all that her mother-in-law had told her. 


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 And when Boaz had eaten and had drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap. And she came softly and uncovered his feet, and lay down. 


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 And it happened at midnight, the man trembled and turned himself. And, behold, a woman lay at his feet. 


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 And he said, Who are you? And she answered, I am your handmaid Ruth. And you shall spread your skirt over your handmaid, for you are a kinsman-redeemer. 


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 And he said, Blessed be you of Jehovah, my daughter. You have shown more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, in that you did not follow young men, whether poor or rich. 


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 And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do to you all that you ask. For all the city of my people knows that you are a woman of virtue. 


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 Stay tonight, and it shall be in the morning, if he will redeem you, well; he will redeem. And if he does not delight to redeem you, as Jehovah lives, then I will redeem you. Lie down until the morning. 


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 And she lay at his feet until the morning. And she rose up before one could know another. And he said, Do not let it be known that a woman came to the floor. 


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 Also, he said, Bring the veil on you, and hold it. And when she held it, he measured six measures of barley and laid it on her. And she went to the city. 


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 And when she came to her mother-in-law, she said, Who are you, my daughter? And she told her all that the man had done to her. 


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 And she said, These six measures of barley he gave to me. For he said to me, Do not go empty to your mother-in-law. 


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 And she said, Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will fall. For the man will not rest until he has finished the thing today. 


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 And Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there. And behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spoke came by. And he said, Such a one! Turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside and sat down. 


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 And he said to the kinsman, Naomi, who has come again out of the country of Moab, sells a parcel of land which was our brother Elimelech's. 


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 And I said I will tell it in your ear, saying, Buy it before those who live here, and before the elders of my people. If you will redeem, redeem it. But if you will not redeem, tell me so that I may know. For there is none to redeem besides you. And I am after you. And he said, I will redeem. 


text:
 And Boaz said, In the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must buy also from the hand of Ruth of Moab, the wife of the dead, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance. 


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 And the kinsman said, I cannot redeem for myself, lest I mar my own inheritance. You redeem my right to yourself, for I cannot redeem. 


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 And this was the custom in former times in Israel concerning redeeming and concerning changing, to confirm everything. A man plucked off his sandal and gave it to his neighbor. And this was a testimony in Israel. 


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 And Boaz said to the elders and all the people, You are witnesses this day that I have bought all that was Elimelech's and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, from the hand of Naomi. 


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 And also Ruth of Moab, the wife of Mahlon, I have purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead on his inheritance, so that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his place. You are witnesses this day. 


text:
 And all the people in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. May Jehovah make the woman who has come into your house like Rachel and like Leah, for these two built the house of Israel. And may you be blessed in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem. 


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 And let your house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, of the seed which Jehovah shall give you of this young woman. 


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 And Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife. And when he went in to her, Jehovah made her conceive. And she bore a son. 


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 And the women said to Naomi, Blessed be Jehovah, who has not left you this day without a redeemer, so that his name may be famous in Israel. 


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 And he shall be to you as a restorer of life, and one who cheers your old age. For your daughter-in-law who loves you has borne him, she who is better to you than seven sons. 


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 And the women, her neighbors, gave it a name, saying, There is a son born to Naomi. And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David. 


text:
 And there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim from the hills of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite. 


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 And he had two wives, the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the second, Peninnah. And Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 


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 And this man went up out of his city from year to year, to worship and to sacrifice to Jehovah of Hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of Jehovah, were there. 


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 And the time came that Elkanah offered, he gave portions to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters. 


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 And her foe also provoked her grievously, in order to make her tremble, because Jehovah had shut up her womb. 


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 And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of Jehovah, so she provoked her. And she wept and did not eat. 


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 And Elkanah her husband said to her, Hannah, why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you than ten sons? 


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 And Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh and after they had drunk. And Eli the priest sat on the seat by the side post of the temple of Jehovah. 


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 And she vowed a vow and said, O, Lord of Hosts, if You will indeed look upon the affliction of Your handmaid and remember me, and not forget Your handmaid, but will give to Your handmaid a man-child, then I will give him to Jehovah all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. 


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 Now Hannah spoke in her heart, only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. And Eli thought she had become drunk. 


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 And Hannah answered, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit. I have neither drunk wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before Jehovah. 


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 Do not count your handmaid for a daughter of wickedness, for out of the abundance of my meditation and grief I have spoken until now. 


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 And Eli answered and said, Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant to you your petition that you have asked of Him. 


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 And she said, Let your handmaid find grace in your sight. So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. 


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 And they rose up in the morning early, and worshiped before Jehovah, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah. And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and Jehovah remembered her. 


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 And it happened when the time had come around, Hannah conceived and bore a son and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of Jehovah. 


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 And the man Elkanah and all his house went up to offer to Jehovah the yearly sacrifice and his vow. 


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 But Hannah did not go up. For she said to her husband, Until the child is weaned, and then I will bring him so that he may appear before Jehovah and stay there forever. 


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 And Elkanah her husband said to her, Do what seems good to you. Stay until you have weaned him. Only may Jehovah establish His Word. So the woman stayed and gave her son suck until she weaned him. 


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 And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bulls and one ephah of flour, and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of Jehovah in Shiloh. And the child was young. 


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 And she said, O, my lord, as your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood by you here, praying to Jehovah. 


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 And I have returned him to Jehovah. As long as he lives, he shall be given to Jehovah. And he worshiped Jehovah there. 


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 And Hannah prayed and said, My heart rejoices in Jehovah, my horn is exalted in Jehovah. My mouth is enlarged over my enemies because I rejoice in Your salvation. 


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 There is none holy as Jehovah, for there is none beside You. Neither is there any rock like our God. 


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 Talk no more so very proudly. Remove arrogance out of your mouth, for Jehovah is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed. 


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 They that were full have hired themselves out for bread, and they that were hungry ceased; yea, while the barren has borne seven, and she who had many sons has languished. 


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 He raises up the poor out of the dust; He lifts up the needy from the dunghill to set them among princes; yea, He causes them to inherit a throne of honor; for to Jehovah are the pillars of the earth; and He sets the habitable world on them. 


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 He keeps the feet of his saints, and the wicked are silenced in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. 


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 The foes of Jehovah shall be broken to pieces. He thunders in the heavens upon them. Jehovah shall judge the ends of the earth. And He shall give strength to His king, and exalts the horn of His anointed. 


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 And the priests' custom with the people was: If any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came while the flesh was boiling, with a flesh-hook of three teeth in his hand. 


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 And he stuck it into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot. All that the flesh-hook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites that came there. 


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 Yea, before they burned the fat, the priest's servant came and said to the man who sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest. For he will not have boiled flesh from you, but raw! 


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 And if any man said to him, Let them not fail to burn the fat at once, and then take as your soul desires, then he would answer him, No! But you shall give now! And if not, I will take it by force. 


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 And the sin of the young men was very great before Jehovah. For men despised the offering of Jehovah. 


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 And his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 


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 And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, May Jehovah give you seed of this woman for the loan which is loaned to Jehovah. And they went to their own home. 


text:
 And Jehovah visited Hannah so that she conceived, and she bore three sons and two daughters. And the child Samuel grew before Jehovah. 


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 And Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who gathered at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. 


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 And he said to them, Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings by all the people. 


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 If one man sins against another, the judge shall judge him. But if a man sins against Jehovah, who shall plead for him? But they did not listen to the voice of their father, because Jehovah desired to kill them. 


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 And the child Samuel went on growing both in stature and in goodness, both with Jehovah and also with men. 


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 And there came a man of God to Eli, and said to him, So says Jehovah: Did I plainly appear to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house? 


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 And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest, to offer upon My altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before Me? And did I give to the house of your father all the offerings made by fire from the sons of Israel? 


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 Why do you kick at My sacrifice and My offering, which I have commanded in My house? Do you honor your sons above Me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel My people? 


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 And Jehovah, the God of Israel says, I said indeed, Your house and the house of your father should walk before Me forever. But now Jehovah says, Be it far from Me! For those who honor Me I will honor, and those that think little of Me shall be lightly regarded. 


text:
 Behold, the days come when I will cut off your arm and the arm of your father's house, so that no old man shall be in your house. 


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 And you shall see an adversary in My house, in all the good which he does with Israel. And there shall not be an old man in your house forever. 


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 And that man of yours whom I shall not cut off from My altar, shall be left in order to make your eyes fail, and to grieve your heart. And all the increase of your house shall die young men. 


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 And this shall be a sign to you, which shall come upon your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day both of them shall die. 


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 And I will raise up a faithful priest to Myself, one who shall do according to what is in My heart and in My mind. And I will build him a sure house, and he shall walk before My anointed forever. 


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 And it shall be that everyone who is left in your house shall come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a piece of bread. And they shall say, Please put me into one of the priests' offices so that I may eat a piece of bread. 


text:
 And the child Samuel served Jehovah before Eli. And the Word of Jehovah was rare in those days. There was no open vision. 


text:
 And it happened at that time, when Eli was lying down in his place, and his eyes began to become dim so that he could not see. 


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 And the lamp of God had not gone out. And Samuel was lying down in the temple of Jehovah, where the ark of God was. 


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 And he ran to Eli, and said, Here am I. For you called me. And he said, I did not call. Go and lie down again. And he went to lie down. 


text:
 And Jehovah called again, Samuel! And Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, Here am I, for you called me. And he answered, I did not call, my son. Go back, lie down. 


text:
 And Jehovah called Samuel again, the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, Here am I, for you called me. And Eli saw that Jehovah had called the child. 


text:
 And Eli said to Samuel, Go, lie down; and it shall be, if One calls you, you shall say, Speak, Jehovah, for Your servant hears. And Samuel went to lie down in his place. 


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 And Jehovah came and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel! Then Samuel answered, Speak, for Your servant hears. 


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 And Jehovah said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel at which both the ears of everyone who hears it shall tingle. 


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 In that day I will confirm to Eli all that which I have spoken as to his house, beginning and making an end. 


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 For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile and he did not restrain them. 


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 And therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering forever. 


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 And Samuel lay until morning, and opened the doors of the house of Jehovah. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision. 


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 And he said, What is the word which He has said to you? Please do not hide it from me. God do so to you, and more also, if you hide a thing from me of all the words that He said to you. 


text:
 And Samuel told him all the words, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is Jehovah; let Him do what seems good to Him. 


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 And all Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, knew that Samuel was established to be a prophet of Jehovah. 


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 And Jehovah appeared again in Shiloh. For Jehovah revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the Word of Jehovah. 


text:
 And the word of Samuel was revealed to all Israel. And Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer. And the Philistines pitched in Aphek. 


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 And the Philistines put themselves in order against Israel. And the battle was joined. And Israel was beaten before the Philistines. And they killed about four thousand men of the army in the field. 


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 And when the people had come to the camp, the elders of Israel said, Why has Jehovah beaten us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of Shiloh to us, so that when it comes among us it may save us out of the hand of our enemies. 


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 And the people sent to Shiloh in order to bring the ark of the covenant of Jehovah of Hosts from there, the ark which dwells between the cherubs. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. 


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 And it happened when the ark of the covenant of Jehovah came into camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth rang again. 


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 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, What is the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews? And they saw that the ark of Jehovah had come into the camp. 


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 And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, God has come into the camp, And they said, Woe to us! For there has not been a thing like this before. 


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 Woe to us! Who shall deliver us out of the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods that struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the wilderness. 


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 Be strong and fight like men, O, Philistines, so that you may not be servants to the Hebrews, as they have been to you. Be men and fight! 


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 And the Philistines fought, and Israel was beaten, and each one of them fled into his tent. And there was a very great slaughter, for there fell thirty thousand footmen of Israel. 


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 And a man of Benjamin ran out of the army. And he came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn and with earth upon his head. 


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 And he came in, and behold, Eli sat on a seat by the wayside watching. For his heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the city and told it, all the city cried out. 


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 And when Eli heard the noise of the crying, he said, What is the noise of this tumult? And the man hurried in and told Eli. 


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 And the man said to Eli, I am he who came out of the army, and I fled today out of the army. And he said, How did the matter go, my son? 


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 And the messenger answered and said, Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there has been a great slaughter among the people also. And also your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God is taken. 


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 And it happened when he spoke of the ark of God, he fell backward off the seat, by the side of the gate. And his neck broke, and he died, for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years. 


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 And his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, ready to be delivered. And when she heard the report that the ark of God was taken, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed, for her pains came upon her. 


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 And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said to her, Do not fear, for you have borne a son. But she did not answer, nor set her heart. 


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 And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory has departed from Israel, because the ark of God had been taken, and because of her father-in-law and her husband. 


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 And the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it beside Dagon. 


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 And when those of Ashdod arose early on the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of Jehovah. And they took Dagon and set him in his place again. 


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 And when they arose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the earth before the ark of Jehovah. And the head of Dagon, and both the palms of his hands, were cut off upon the threshold. Only the stump of Dagon was left to him. 


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 And neither the priests of Dagon, nor any that come into Dagon's house, tread on the threshold of Dagon in Ashdod to this day. 


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 And the hand of Jehovah was heavy on the people of Ashdod, and He destroyed them and struck them with hemorrhoids, Ashdod and its borders. 


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 And the men of Ashdod saw that it was so. And they said, The ark of the God of Israel shall not stay with us. For His hand is sore upon us and upon Dagon our god. 


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 And they sent and gathered all the lords of the Philistines to them. And they said, What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel? And they answered, Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried around to Gath. And they carried the ark of the God of Israel around. 


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 And it happened after they had carried it around, the hand of Jehovah was against the city with a very great destruction. And He struck the men of the city, both small and great, and hemorrhoids broke forth in them. 


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 And it happened that they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it happened as the ark of God came to Ekron, the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought around the ark of the God of Israel to us in order to kill us and our people. 


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 And they sent and gathered all the lords of the Philistines, and said, Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let it go again to its own place, so that it does not kill us and our people. For there was a deadly destruction throughout all the city. The hand of God was very heavy there. 


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 And the men that did not die were stricken with the hemorrhoids. And the cry of the city went up to the heavens. 


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 And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of Jehovah? Tell us with what we shall send with it to its place. 


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 And they said, If you send away the ark of the God of Israel, do not send it empty. For you shall certainly send a guilt offering to him. Then you shall be healed, and it shall be known to you why His hand is not removed from you. 


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 And they said, What shall be the guilt offering which we shall return to Him? And they answered, Five golden hemorrhoids, and five golden mice, for the number of the lords of the Philistines. For one plague was on you all, and on your lords. 


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 And you shall make images of your hemorrhoids, and images of your mice which mar the land. And you shall give glory to the God of Israel. Perhaps He will lighten His hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land. 


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 And why do you harden your hearts, as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He had worked wonderfully among them, did they not let the people go, and did they not depart? 


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 And now make a new cart, and take two milk cows on which there has come no yoke, and tie the cows to the cart, and bring their calves home from them. 


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 And take the ark of Jehovah and lay it on the cart. And put the jewels of gold which you return to Him for a trespass offering in a box in its side. And send it away so that it may go. 


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 And watch. If it goes up by the way of its own border to Beth-shemesh, He has done us this great evil. But if not, then we shall know that it is not His hand that struck us. It was a chance that happened to us. 


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 And the men did so. And they took two milk cows and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home. 


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 And they laid the ark of Jehovah on the cart, and the box with the mice of gold and the images of their hemorrhoids. 


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 And the cows took the straight way to the way of Beth-shemesh, going along the highway, lowing as they went. And they did not turn aside to the right or to the left. And the lords of the Philistines went after them to the border of Beth-shemesh. 


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 And the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. 


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 And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stood there and there was a great stone. And they cut the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to Jehovah. 


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 And the Levites took down the ark of Jehovah and the box in it, in which the jewels of gold were, and put them on the great stone. And the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day to Jehovah. 


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 And these are the golden hemorrhoids which the Philistines returned for a guilt offering to Jehovah: for Ashdod, one; for Gaza, one; for Askelon one; for Gath, one; for Ekron, one. 


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 And the golden mice were according to the number of all the cities of the Philistines for the five lords, of fortified cities and of country villages, even to the great meadow on which they set down the ark of Jehovah to this day, in the field of Joshua the Bethshemite. 


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 And He struck the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of Jehovah. He even struck seventy among the people, including fifty chief men. And the people lamented because Jehovah had struck the people with a great slaughter. 


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 And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy Jehovah God? And to whom shall He go up from us? 


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 And they sent messengers to the people of Kirjath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of Jehovah. Come down and bring it up to yourselves. 


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 And the men of Kirjath-jearim came and brought up the ark of Jehovah, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the hill. And they sanctified Eleazar his son to keep the ark of Jehovah. 


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 And it happened from the day the ark began to dwell in Kirjath-jearim, the days became many; yea, they were twenty years. And all the house of Israel yearned after Jehovah. 


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 And Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel saying, If you return to Jehovah with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts to Jehovah, and serve Him only. And He will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. 


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 And they were gathered to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured out before Jehovah, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against Jehovah. And Samuel judged the sons of Israel in Mizpeh. 


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 And the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had come together to Mizpeh. And the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And the sons of Israel heard, and they were afraid of the Philistines. 


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 And the sons of Israel said to Samuel, Do not cease from crying to Jehovah our God for us, so that He will save us out of the hand of the Philistines. 


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 And Samuel took a suckling lamb, and offered a whole burnt offering to Jehovah. And Samuel cried to Jehovah for Israel, and Jehovah answered him. 


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 And it happened as Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel. But Jehovah thundered with a great noise on that day on the Philistines, and troubled them. And they were beaten before Israel. 


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 And the men of Israel went out of Mizpeh, and pursued the Philistines, and struck them as far as below Beth-car. 


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 And Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpeh and Shen, and called the name of it Ebenezer, saying, Jehovah has helped us until now. 


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 And the Philistines were beaten, and they did not come any more into the border of Israel. And the hand of Jehovah was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel. 


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 And the cities which the Philistines had taken from Israel were given back to Israel, from Ekron even to Gath. And Israel delivered its borders out of the hand of the Philistines. And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. 


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 And he went from year to year in a circuit to Bethel and Gilgal and Mizpeh, and judged Israel in all those places. 


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 And his return was to Ramah, for his house was there. And he judged Israel there. And he built an altar there to Jehovah. 


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 And the name of his first-born was Joel, and the name of his second was Abiah, judges in Beer-sheba. 


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 And his sons did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after ill gain and took bribes and perverted judgment. 


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 And they said to him, Behold, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. 


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 But the thing was evil in the eyes of Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed to Jehovah. 


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 And Jehovah said to Samuel, Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. 


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 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even until this day, works with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods, so they do also to you. 


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 And now listen to their voice. Only, you shall surely protest solemnly to them, and show them the kind of king who shall reign over them. 


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 And he said, This will be the privilege of the king who shall reign over you. He shall take your sons and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and his horsemen. And they shall run before his chariots. 


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 And he will appoint commanders over thousands, and commanders over fifties, and some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and make his weapons of war and weapons for his chariots. 


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 And he will take your fields and your vineyards and your olive-yards, the best, and give them to his servants. 


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 And he will take the tenth of your seed and of your vineyards, and give it to his eunuchs and to his servants. 


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 And he will take your male slaves and your slave girls, and your finest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. 


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 And you shall cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and Jehovah will not answer you in that day. 


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 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, No, but we will have a king over us. 


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 And we shall be, also we, like all the nations, so that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles. 


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 And Jehovah said to Samuel, Listen to their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said to the men of Israel, Every man go to his city. 


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 And there was a man of Benjamin, and his name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Bechorath, the son of Aphiah, a Benjamite, a mighty man of power. 


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 And he had a son named Saul, a young and handsome one. And there was not a man among the sons of Israel more handsome than he, being taller than any of the people from his shoulder and upward. 


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 And the asses of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, Please take one of the servants with you and rise, and go look for the asses. 


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 And he passed through mount Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalisha, but they did not find them. And they passed through the land of Shaalim, and nothing there. And he passed through the land of Benjamin, but they did not find them. 


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 And they came to the land of Zuph, and Saul said to his servant who was with him, Come and let us return lest my father quit caring for the asses, and be anxious about us. 


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 And he said to him, Behold now, in this city is a man of God, and an honorable man. All that he says surely comes to pass. Now let us go there. Perhaps he can declare our way to us, how to go. 


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 Then Saul said to his young man, But behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread in our vessels is gone, and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have? 


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 And the young man answered Saul again, and said, Behold, I have found the fourth of a shekel of silver. I will give it to the man of God to tell us our way. 


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 (In the old days in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he said this: Come, let us go to the seer, for the prophet of today was before called a seer.) 


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 And Saul said to his young man, Your word is good. Come, let us go. So they went into the city where the man of God was. 


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 As they went up the hill to the city, they found young women going out to draw water, and said to them, Is the seer here? 


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 And they answered them and said, He is. Behold, he is before you. Hurry now, for he came today to the city, for there is a feast of the people today in the high place. 


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 As you come to the city, you shall immediately find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat until he comes, because he blesses the feast. Afterwards those who have been invited eat. And now go up, for about this time you shall find him. 


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 And they went up into the city. When they had come into the middle of the city, behold, Samuel came out to meet them, to go up to the high place. 


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 Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man out of the land of Benjamin. And you shall anoint him to be leader over My people Israel, so that he may save My people out of the hand of the Philistines. For I have looked on My people because their cry has come to Me. 


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 And when Samuel saw Saul, Jehovah said to him, Behold the man of whom I spoke to you! This one shall reign over My people. 


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 And Samuel answered Saul and said, I am the seer. Go up before me to the high place. For you shall eat with me today, and tomorrow I will let you go, and will tell you all that is in your heart. 


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 And as to the asses which were lost to you three days ago, do not set your mind on them. For they are found. And on whom is all the desire of Israel? Is it not on you and on all your father's house? 


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 And Saul answered and said, Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? And is not my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak so to me? 


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 And Samuel took Saul and his young man and brought them into the room, and gave them a place at the head of the invited ones, about thirty persons. 


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 And Samuel said to the cook, Bring that part which I gave you, of which I said to you, Set it beside you. 


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 And the cook took up the shoulder and that on it, and set it before Saul. And Samuel said, Behold that which is reserved! Set it before you and eat. For until this set time it has been kept for you, since I said, I have invited the people. And Saul ate with Samuel that day. 


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 And they came down from the high place into the city, and he spoke with Saul on the top of the house. 


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 And they arose early. And it happened about the spring of the day that Samuel called Saul to the top of the house, saying, Up, so that I may send you away. And Saul arose, and both of them went out, he and Samuel outside. 


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 They were going down to the end of the city, and Samuel said to Saul, Tell the servant to pass on before us and pass on. And you stand still awhile, so that I may cause you to hear the Word of God. 


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 And Samuel took a vial of oil and poured on his head, and kissed him, and said, Is it not because Jehovah has anointed you for a leader over His inheritance? 


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 When you have departed from me today, then you shall find two men by Rachel's tomb in the border of Benjamin at Zelzah. And they will say to you, The asses which you went to seek are found. And, lo, your father has quit caring for the asses and sorrows for you, saying, What shall I do for my son? 


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 And you shall go forward from there, and you shall come to the great tree of Tabor. And there you shall meet three men going up to God to Bethel, one carrying three kids, and another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a skin of wine. 


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 After that you shall come to the hill of God, where the garrison of the Philistines is. And it will happen to you when you come there to the city, even you shall meet a company of prophets coming down from the high place with a harp and a tambourine and a flute and a lyre before them. And they shall prophesy. 


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 And the spirit of Jehovah will come powerfully on you, and you shall prophesy with them, and shall be turned into another man. 


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 And it will be when these signs have come to you, you will do for yourself what your hand finds; for God is with you. 


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 And you shall go down before me to Gilgal. And, behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. You shall stay seven days until I come to you and make known to you what you shall do. 


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 And it happened when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God changed him with another heart. And all those signs came on that day. 


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 And they came there to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him. And the Spirit of God came on him, and he prophesied among them. 


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 And it happened when all who knew him before saw him, behold, he prophesied among the prophets. And the people said to one another, What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets? 


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 And a man from there answered and said, And who is their father? Therefore it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets? 


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 And Saul's uncle said to him and to his young man, Where did you go? And he said, To look for the asses. And when we saw that they were nowhere, we came to Samuel. 


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 And Saul said to his uncle, He told us plainly that the asses were found. But he did not tell him of the matter of the kingdom of which Samuel spoke. 


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 And he said to the sons of Israel, So says Jehovah, the God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, of those who oppressed you. 


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 And you have this day rejected your God who Himself saved you out of all your calamities and your tribulations. And you have said to Him, But set a king over us. And now present yourselves before Jehovah by your tribes and by your thousands. 


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 And when Samuel had caused all the tribes of Israel to come near, the tribe of Benjamin was taken. 


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 When he had caused the tribe of Benjamin to come near by their families, the family of Matri was taken, and Saul the son of Kish was taken. And they looked for him, but he could not be found. 


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 And they inquired of Jehovah further, Has the man yet come here? And Jehovah answered, Behold, he is hiding himself among the baggage. 


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 And they ran and brought him from there. And when he stood among the people, he was taller than all of the people from the shoulders and upward. 


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 And Samuel said to all the people, Do you see him whom Jehovah has chosen, that there is none like him among all the people? And all the people shouted, and said, Let the king live! 


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 Then Samuel told the people the duties of the kingdom, and wrote in a book and laid it up before Jehovah. And Samuel sent all the people away, each to his house. 


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 But the sons of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him and brought him no present. But he was silent. 


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 And Nahash the Ammonite came up and camped against Jabesh-gilead. And all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you. 


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 And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, With this I will make a covenant with you, when all your right eyes are dug out and I will make it a reproach on all Israel. 


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 And the elders of Jabesh said to him, Bear with us seven days, so that we may send messengers to all the territory of Israel. And then if there is no man to save us, we will come out to you. 


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 Then the messengers came to Gibeah of Saul, and told the news in ears of the people. And all the people lifted up their voices and wept. 


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 And, behold, Saul came after the herd out of the field. And Saul said, What is wrong with the people that they weep? And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh. 


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 And the Spirit of God came powerfully on Saul when he heard those words, and his anger was kindled greatly. 


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 And he took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent throughout all the territory of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whoever does not come out after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen. And the fear of Jehovah fell on the people, and they came out as one man. 


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 And when he numbered them in Bezek, the sons of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. 


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 And they said to the messengers that came, So shall you say to the men of Jabesh-gilead, Tomorrow by the time the sun is hot, you shall have help. And the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh, and they were glad. 


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 And the men of Jabesh said, Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you shall do with us all that seems good to you. 


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 And it was so on the next day, Saul put the people in three companies, and they came into the middle of the army at the morning watch. And they killed the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And the ones who remained were scattered, so that two of them were not left together. 


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 And the people said to Samuel, Who is he that said, Shall Saul reign over us? Bring the men so that we may put them to death. 


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 And Saul said, There shall not a man be put to death this day, for today Jehovah has worked salvation in Israel. 


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 And all the people went to Gilgal, and made Saul king before Jehovah in Gilgal, and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before Jehovah. And there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly. 


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 And Samuel said to all Israel, Behold, I have listened to your voice in all that you said to me, and have made a king over you. 


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 And now, behold, the king walks before you. And I am old and gray-headed, and, behold, my sons are with you. And I have walked before you from my childhood to this day. 


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 Behold, here I am. Witness against me before Jehovah and before His anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Or whose ass have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose hand have I received a bribe, to blind my eyes with it? And I will restore it to you. 


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 And they said, You have not defrauded us nor oppressed us, neither have you taken from any man's hand. 


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 And he said to them, Jehovah is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand. And they answered, He is witness. 


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 And Samuel said to the people, It is Jehovah who made Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. 


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 And now stand still, so that I may reason with you before Jehovah of all the righteous acts of Jehovah which He did to you and to your fathers. 


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 When Jacob had come into Egypt, and your fathers cried to Jehovah, then Jehovah sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them live in this place. 


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 And they forgot Jehovah their God. And He sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. 


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 And they cried to Jehovah, and said, We have sinned because we have forsaken Jehovah, and have served the Baals and Ashtoreths. But now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You. 


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 And Jehovah sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and you lived safely. 


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 And when you saw that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon came against you, you said to me, No, but a king shall reign over us, even though Jehovah your God was your King. 


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 And now, behold the king whom you have chosen, whom you have desired! And behold, Jehovah has set a king over you! 


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 If you will fear Jehovah, and serve Him, and listen to His voice, and not rebel against the command of Jehovah, then both you and also the king who reigns over you shall continue following Jehovah your God. 


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 But if you will not listen to the voice of Jehovah, but rebel against the command of Jehovah, then the hand of Jehovah shall be against you as it was against your fathers. 


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 Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call to Jehovah, and He shall send thunder and rain, so that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, that which you have done in the sight of Jehovah, in asking a king for you. 


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 And Samuel called to Jehovah, And Jehovah sent thunder and rain that day. And all the people greatly feared Jehovah and Samuel. 


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 And all the people said to Samuel, Pray for your servants to Jehovah your God, so that we will not die. For we have added evil to all our sins, to ask a king for us. 


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 And Samuel said to the people, Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness. Yet do not turn aside from following Jehovah, but serve Jehovah with all your heart. 


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 For Jehovah will not forsake His people for His great name's sake, because it has pleased Jehovah to make you His people. 


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 Also, I, far be it from me that I should sin against Jehovah from ceasing to pray for you. But I will teach you the good and the right way. 


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 Only fear Jehovah, and serve Him in truth with all your heart. For consider what great things He has done for you. 


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 then Saul chose for himself three thousand from Israel. Two thousand of these were with Saul in Michmash and in mount Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. And of the rest of the people he sent each man to his tent. 


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 And Jonathan struck the garrison of the Philistines in Geba, and the Philistines heard. And Saul blew the ram's horn throughout all the land, saying, Let the Hebrews hear. 


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 And all Israel heard, saying, Saul has struck a garrison of the Philistines, and also Israel has made himself stink to the Philistines. And the people were called to Gilgal after Saul. 


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 And the Philistines gathered to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people like the sand on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and pitched in Michmash, eastward from Beth-aven. 


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 And the men of Israel saw that they were in a tight place (for the people were distressed). And the people hid themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits. 


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 And the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. And Saul was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him, trembling. 


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 And he waited seven days, according to the set time with Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal. And the people were scattered from him. 


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 And Saul said, Bring a burnt offering here to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering. 


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 And it happened as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came. And Saul went out to meet him and to kneel to him. 


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 And Samuel said, What have you done? And Saul said, Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and you did not come in the days appointed, and the Philistines gathered themselves at Michmash, 


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 and I said, The Philistines will come down now on me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to Jehovah. And I forced myself and offered a burnt offering. 


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 And Samuel said to Saul, You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of Jehovah your God, which He commanded you. For now Jehovah would have established your kingdom on Israel forever. 


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 But now your kingdom shall not stand. Jehovah has sought Him a man after His own heart, and Jehovah has appointed him to be leader over His people, because you have not kept what Jehovah commanded you. 


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 And Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people present with him, about six hundred men. 


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 And Saul, and his son Jonathan, and the people present with them, stayed in Gibeah of Benjamin. But the Philistines camped in Michmash. 


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 And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies. One company turned to the way to Ophrah, to the land of Shual. 


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 And another company turned the way to Beth-horon. And one company turned the way of the border that looks toward the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness. 


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 And there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel. For the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears. 


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 But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, each man to sharpen his plowshare, and his mattock, and his axe, and his coulter. 


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 And there was the charge of a pim for the plowshares, and for the mattocks, and for the three-pronged forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the plowshares. 


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 And it happened in the day of battle there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan. But with Saul and with his son Jonathan there was found sword and spear. 


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 And the day came that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor, Come and let us go over to the Philistines' garrison which is on the other side. But he did not tell his father. 


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 And Saul stayed in the edge of Gibeah under the pomegranate tree in Migron. And the people who were with him were about six hundred men. 


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 And Ahiah, the son of Ahitub, Ichabod's brother, the son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, Jehovah's priest in Shiloh, was wearing an ephod. And the people did not know that Jonathan was gone. 


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 And between the passages by which Jonathan sought to go over to the Philistines' garrison there was a rocky crag on the one side and a rocky crag on the other side. And the name of the one was Bozez, and the name of the other Seneh. 


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 The one crag was a pillar on the north in front of Michmash, and the other southward in front of Gibeah. 


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 And Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, Come, and let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised ones. It may be that Jehovah will work for us. For there is no restraint to Jehovah, to save by many or by few. 


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 And his armor-bearer said to him, Do all that is in your heart. Turn, for behold, I am with you according to your heart. 


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 If they say this to us, Stand still until we come to you, then we will stand still in our place and will not go up to them. 


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 But if they say this, Come up to us, then we will go up, for Jehovah has delivered them up into our hand. And this shall be a sign to us. 


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 And both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines. And the Philistines said, Behold, the Hebrews come out of the holes where they have hidden themselves. 


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 And the men of the garrison answered Jonathan and his armor-bearer and said, Come up to us, and we will teach you a thing. And Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, Come up after me, for Jehovah has delivered them into the hand of Israel. 


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 And Jonathan climbed up on his hands and feet, and his armor-bearer after him. And they fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer killed after him. 


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 And this was the first blow, when Jonathan and his armor-bearer struck about twenty men in about half of a furrow of an acre of a field. 


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 And there was trembling in the army, in the field, and among all the people. The garrison and the spoilers also trembled, and the earth quaked, and it was a very great trembling. 


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 And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin looked, and behold, the multitude had melted away and went on here and there. 


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 And Saul said to the people with him, Number now and see who is gone from us. And when they had counted, behold, Jonathan and his armor-bearer were not there. 


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 And Saul said to Ahiah, Bring the ark of God here. For the ark of God was at that time with the sons of Israel. 


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 And it happened, while Saul talked to the priest, the noise in the army of the Philistines went on and grew greater. And Saul said to the priest, Withdraw your hand. 


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 And Saul and all the people with him gathered, and they went to the battle. And, behold, every man's sword was against his fellow, a very great panic. 


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 And the Hebrews that were with the Philistines before, who had gone up with them into the camp all around, even they also turned to be with the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan. 


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 And all the men of Israel who had hidden themselves in mount Ephraim heard that the Philistines had fled, even they also followed them in the battle. 


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 And the men of Israel were distressed on that day. For Saul had commanded the people, saying, Cursed is the man that eats food until evening, so that I may be avenged on my enemies. So none of the people tasted any food. 


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 And when the people had come into the woods, behold, a flow of honey! But no one put his hand to his mouth, for the people feared the oath. 


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 But Jonathan did not hear when his father made the people swear. And he put forth the end of the rod in his hand and dipped it in a honeycomb, and put his hand to his mouth. And his eyes were lightened. 


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 And one from the people answered and said, Your father strictly charged the people with an oath, saying, Cursed is the man who eats food this day. And the people were weary. 


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 Then Jonathan said, My father has troubled the land. Please see how my eyes have been lightened because I tasted a little of this honey. 


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 How much more if the people had happened to eat freely today of the spoil of their enemies which they found? For would not there have been a much greater slaughter among the Philistines? 


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 And they struck the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon, and the people were very faint. 


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 And the people flew on the spoil, and took sheep and oxen and calves, and killed them on the ground. And the people ate with the blood. 


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 And they told Saul, saying, Behold, the people sin against Jehovah in that they eat with the blood. And he said, You have transgressed. Roll a great stone to me today. 


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 And Saul said, Disperse yourselves among the people and say to them, Let each one bring his ox here, and each man his sheep, and kill them here, and eat. And do not sin against Jehovah in eating with the blood. And each man of all the people brought his ox in his hand that night, and killed them there. 


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 And Saul said, Let us go down after the Philistines by night and spoil them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of them. And they said, Do all that seems good to you. Then the priest said, Let us draw near here to God. 


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 And Saul asked counsel of God: Shall I go down after the Philistines? Will You deliver them into the hand of Israel? But He answered him not that day. 


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 And Saul said, Draw near here, all the chief of the people, and know and see what this sin has been today. 


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 For, as Jehovah lives, He who saves Israel, though it is in Jonathan my son, he shall surely die. But there was not a man among all the people who answered. 


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 Then he said to all Israel, You be on one side, and Jonathan my son and I will be on the other side. And the people said to Saul, Do what seems good to you. 


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 And Saul said to Jehovah, the God of Israel, Give a perfect lot. And Saul and Jonathan were taken, but the people escaped. 


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 Then Saul said to Jonathan, Tell me what you have done. And Jonathan told him and said, I did but taste a little honey with the end of the rod in my hand. Behold me, I must die. 


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 And the people said to Saul, Shall Jonathan die, who has worked out this great salvation in Israel? Far be it! As Jehovah lives, not one hair of his head shall fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day. So the people rescued Jonathan, so that he did not die. 


text:
 And Saul took the kingdom over Israel and fought against all his enemies on every side, with Moab, and with the sons of Ammon, and with Edom, and with the kings of Zobah, and with the Philistines. And wherever he turned himself, he troubled them. 


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 And he gathered an army and struck the Amalekites, and delivered Israel out of the hands of those who spoiled them. 


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 And the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and Ishui, and Melchishua. And the names of his two daughters: the first-born's name was Merab, and the name of the younger, Michal. 


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 And the name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. And the name of the commander of his army was Abner, the son of Ner, Saul's uncle. 


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 And the war was heavy against the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any strong man, or any brave man, he took him to himself. 


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 And Samuel said to Saul, Jehovah sent me to anoint you to be king over His people, over Israel. And now listen to the voice of the words of Jehovah. 


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 So says Jehovah of Hosts, I will visit Amalek with what he did to Israel, how he set against him in the way when he came up from Egypt. 


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 Now go and strike Amalek, and completely destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. 


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 And Saul gathered the people together and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen and ten thousand men of Judah. 


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 And Saul said to the Kenites, Go! Depart! Get down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them. For you showed kindness to all the sons of Israel when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites. 


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 And Saul struck the Amalekites from Havilah, as you come to Shur, which is over across from Egypt. 


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 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive. And he completely destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 


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 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fatlings and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not completely destroy them. But everything that was vile and feeble they completely destroyed. 


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 It repents Me that I have set up Saul to be king. For he has turned back from following Me and has not done My commands. And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to Jehovah all night. 


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 And when Samuel rose up early in the morning to meet Saul, it was told to Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a place for himself, and has gone around and passed on and gone down to Gilgal. 


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 And Samuel came to Saul. And Saul said to him, You are blessed of Jehovah. I have done the command of Jehovah. 


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 And Samuel said, What then is this bleating of the flock in my ears? And what is the sound of the herd which I hear? 


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 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites. For the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen to sacrifice to Jehovah your God. And the rest we have completely destroyed. 


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 And Samuel said to Saul, Stop! And I will tell you what Jehovah has said to me tonight. And he said to him, Speak. 


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 And Samuel said, When you were little in your own sight, did you not become the head of the tribes of Israel? And Jehovah anointed you king over Israel. 


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 And Jehovah sent you on the way and said, Go and completely destroy the sinners, Amalek, and fight against them until you destroy them. 


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 Why then did you not obey the voice of Jehovah? Why did you fly on the spoil and do evil in the sight of Jehovah? 


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 And Saul said to Samuel, Yes, I have obeyed the voice of Jehovah, and have gone the way which Jehovah sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have completely destroyed the Amalekites. 


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 But the people took from the spoil, of the flocks and herd, the best of the things devoted to sacrifice to Jehovah your God in Gilgal. 


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 And Samuel said, Does Jehovah delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of Jehovah? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice! To listen is better than the fat of rams! 


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 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idol-worship. Because you have rejected the Word of Jehovah, He has also rejected you from being king! 


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 And Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned. For I have disobeyed the command of Jehovah, and your word, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 


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 And Samuel said to Saul, I will not return with you, for you have rejected the Word of Jehovah, and Jehovah has rejected you from being king over Israel. 


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 And Samuel said to him, Jehovah has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day, and has given it to a neighbor of yours who is better than you. 


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 Then he said, I have sinned. Please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and turn again with me. And I shall worship Jehovah your God. 


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 And Samuel said, Bring here to me Agag the king of the Amalekites. And Agag came to him daintily. And Agag said, Surely the bitterness of death is past. 


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 And Samuel said, As your sword has made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women. And Samuel cut Agag in pieces before Jehovah in Gilgal. 


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 And Samuel never again saw Saul until the day of his death, for Samuel mourned for Saul. And Jehovah repented that He had made Saul king over Israel. 


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 And Jehovah said to Samuel, How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I will send you to Jesse of Bethlehem. For I have seen a king for Me among his sons. 


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 And Samuel said, How can I go? If Saul hears, he will kill me. And Jehovah said, Take a heifer of the herd in your hand with you and say, I have come to sacrifice to Jehovah. 


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 And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for Me whomever I name to you. 


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 And Samuel did what Jehovah said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming and said, Do you come peaceably? 


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 And he said, Peaceably. I have come to sacrifice to Jehovah. Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice. 


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 And it happened as they came in, he saw Eliab and said, Surely Jehovah's anointed is before Jehovah. 


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 But Jehovah said to Samuel, Do not look on his face, nor on his height, because I have refused him. For He does not see as man sees. For man looks on the outward appearance, but Jehovah looks on the heart. 


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 And Jesse called Abinadab, and he passed him before Samuel, but he said, Also Jehovah has not chosen this one. 


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 And Jesse passed seven of his sons before Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, Jehovah has not chosen these. 


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 And Samuel said to Jesse, Are all the young men here? And he said, There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he keeps the sheep. And Samuel said to Jesse, Send and bring him, for we will not sit down until he comes here. 


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 And he sent and brought him in. And he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and good form. And Jehovah said, Arise, anoint him. For this is he. 


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 And Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the spirit of Jehovah came on David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah. 


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 Let our lord now command his servants before you to seek out a man who knows to play on a harp. And it shall be, when the evil spirit from God is on you, then he shall play with his hand, and it shall be well with you. 


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 And one of the servants answered and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is skillful in playing, and a mighty warrior and a man of battle, and prudent in speech. And he is a person of good form, and Jehovah is with him. 


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 And Jesse took an ass loaded with bread and a skin of wine and a kid, and sent them by David his son to Saul. 


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 And David came to Saul and stood before him. And he loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. 


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 And Saul sent to Jesse saying, Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight. 


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 And it happened when the spirit from God was on Saul, that David took a harp and played with his hand. And there was relief for Saul, and it was well with him, and the evil spirit departed from him. 


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 And the Philistines gathered their armies for battle, and gathered at Socoh of Judah, and pitched between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. 


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 And Saul and the men of Israel had gathered and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in order against the Philistines. 


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 And the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side. And there was a valley between them. 


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 And a champion named Goliath came out of the Philistines camp; he was from Gath. His height was six cubits and a span. 


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 And a bronze helmet was on his head, and he was armed with scaled armor. And the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. 


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 And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam. And his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron. And the shield bearer went in front of him. 


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 And he stood and cried to the armies of Israel, and said to them, Why have you come out to set your battle in order? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants to Saul? Choose a man for you, and let him come down to me. 


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 If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your slaves. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our slaves and serve us. 


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 And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day. Give me a man, and we will fight together. 


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 And Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, and they were dismayed and greatly afraid. 


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 And David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem-judah named Jesse. And to him were eight sons. And the man was old among men in the days of Saul. 


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 And the three oldest sons of Jesse went out, and followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the first-born; and his second, Abinadab; and the third Shammah. 


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 And Jesse said to his son David, Please take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and run to the camp to your brothers. 


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 And carry these ten cuttings of cheeses to the commander of their thousand, and see how your brothers are faring, and take their pledge. 


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 And Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the valley of Elah fighting with the Philistines. 


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 And David rose up early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper, and got up and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the barricade, and to the army which was going out to fight, and shouted for the battle. 


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 And David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper of the baggage and ran into the army, and came and greeted his brothers. 


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 And he was speaking with them. And, behold, the champion man, named Goliath, the Philistine of Gath, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke according to these words. And David heard. 


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 And the men of Israel said, Have you seen this man that has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And it shall be, the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel. 


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 And David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man who kills this Philistine and takes away this shame from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God? 


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 And his oldest brother Eliab heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab's anger was kindled against David. And he said, Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the naughtiness of your heart. For you have come down to see the battle. 


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 And he turned from him toward another, and spoke according to this word. And the people answered him again in the same way. 


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 And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine. 


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 And Saul said to David, You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him. For you are but a youth, and he is a man of war from his youth. 


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 And David said to Saul, Your servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock. 


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 And I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb out of its mouth. And when it rose against me, I caught it by the beard, and struck it and killed it. 


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 Your servant killed both the lion and the bear. And this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God. 


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 And David said, Jehovah who has delivered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Go, and may Jehovah be with you. 


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 And Saul armed David with his armor, and he put a helmet of bronze on his head. He also armed him with scaled armor. 


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 And David girded his sword on his armor, and he tried to go. But he had not tested it. And David said to Saul, I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them. And David put them off him. 


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 And he took his staff in his hand, and chose five smooth stones out of the brook for himself, and put them in a shepherd's vessel which he had, even in a bag. And his sling was in his hand. And he drew near the Philistine. 


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 And the Philistine looked and saw David, and disdained him. For he was only a youth, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance. 


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 And the Philistine said to David, Am I a dog that you come to me with sticks? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 


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 And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field. 


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 And David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of Jehovah of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 


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 Jehovah will deliver you into my hand today, and I will strike you and take your head from you and give the bodies of the army of the Philistines to the birds of the air today, and to the wild beasts of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 


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 And all this multitude shall know that Jehovah does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is Jehovah's, and He will give you into our hands. 


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 And it happened when the Philistine rose and went and drew near to meet David, David hurried and ran toward the ranks to meet the Philistine. 


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 And David put his hand into his bag and took a stone from there, and slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead. And he fell on his face to the earth. 


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 And David was stronger than the Philistine with a sling and with a stone. And he struck the Philistine, and killed him. But no sword was in the hand of David. 


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 And David ran and stood on the Philistine, and took out his sword and drew it out of its sheath, and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, and fled. 


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 And the men of Israel rose up and shouted, and Judah pursued the Philistines until you come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even to Gath and to Ekron. 


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 And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem. But he put his armor in his tent. 


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 And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the captain of the army, Abner, whose son is this young man? And Abner said, As your soul lives, O king, I cannot tell. 


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 And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with the head of the Philistine in his hand. 


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 And Saul said to him, Whose son are you, young man? And David answered, I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem. 


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 And it happened when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was joined with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as he did his own soul. 


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 And Jonathan stripped off the robe was on him and gave it to David, and his apparel, even to his sword and to his bow and to his girdle. 


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 And David went out wherever Saul sent him, behaving himself wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and it was good in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants. 


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 And it happened as they came in, as David returned from striking the Philistine, the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of music. 


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 And the women answered as they played, and said, Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. 


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 And Saul was very angry, and this thing was evil in his eyes. And he said, They have given David ten thousands, and to me they have given only thousands. And what more can he have but the kingdom? 


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 And it happened on the next day the evil spirit from God came on Saul, and he prophesied in the midst of the house. And David played with his hand, as at other times. And a spear was in Saul's hand. 


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 And Saul threw the spear. For he said, I will strike David even to the wall. And David drew back out of his presence twice. 


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 And Saul moved him away from himself, and made him his commander over a thousand. And he went out and came in before the people. 


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 And Saul said to David, Behold I will give you my older daughter Merab for a wife. Only you be a brave son for me and fight Jehovah's battles. For Saul said, Let not my hand be on him, but let the hand of the Philistines be on him. 


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 And David said to Saul, Who am I, and what is my life, or my father's family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king? 


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 And it happened at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter should have been given to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite to be his wife. 


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 And Saul said, I will give her to him, so that she may be a trap to him, and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. And Saul said to David a second time, Today you shall be my son-in-law. 


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 And Saul commanded his servants, Talk with David secretly and say, Behold, the king delights in you, and all his servants love you. And now be the king's son-in-law. 


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 And Saul's servants spoke these words in the ears of David. And David said, Is it a light thing to be a king's son-in-law, since I am a poor man and of little worth? 


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 And Saul said, You shall say this to David, The king does not desire any dowry except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king's enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. 


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 And when his servants told David these words, it was right in the eyes of David to be the king's son-in-law. And the days were not fulfilled. 


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 And David arose and went forth, he and his men. And they killed two hundred men of the Philistines. And David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king so that he might be the king's son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife. 


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 And the rulers of the Philistines came out. And it happened as often as they came out, David acted more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was very precious. 


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 But Jonathan, Saul's son, loved David very much. And Jonathan told David, saying, My father Saul seeks to kill you. And now please be careful until morning, and stay in a secret place, and hide yourself. 


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 And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will talk about you with my father. And I will tell you what I see. 


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 And Jonathan spoke good of David to Saul his father, and said to him, Do not let the king sin against his servant, against David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his works are very good toward you. 


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 For he took his life in his hand and killed the Philistine, and Jehovah worked out a great salvation for all Israel. You saw and rejoiced! Why then will you sin against innocent blood, to kill David without a cause? 


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 And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as in times past. 


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 And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines, and killed them with a great slaughter. And they fled from him. 


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 And the evil spirit from Jehovah was on Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David played with his hand. 


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 And Saul thought to strike David even to the wall with the spear. But he burst forth from Saul's presence, and he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night. 


text:
 Saul also sent messengers to David's house to watch him and to kill him in the morning. And David's wife Michal told him saying, If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you shall be killed. 


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 And Michal took an image and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' hair at its head, and covered it with a cloth. 


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 And Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, Bring him up to me in the bed so that I may kill him. 


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 And the messengers came in, and behold, the image was in the bed with a pillow of goats' hair at its head. 


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 And Saul said to Michal, Why have you deceived me so, and sent away my enemy so that he has escaped? And Michal answered Saul, He said to me, Let me go; why should I kill you? 


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 And David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel, to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived in Naioth. 


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 And Saul sent messengers to take David. And when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as appointed over them, the Spirit of God came on the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied. 


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 And they told Saul, and he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers the third time, and they prophesied also. 


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 And he also went to Ramah, and came to a great well in Sechu. And he asked and said, Where are Samuel and David? And one said, Behold, at Naioth in Ramah. 


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 And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. And the Spirit of God was on him also, and going on he went and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah. 


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 And he stripped off his clothes also, and prophesied before Samuel, even he. And he lay down disrobed all that day and all that night. Because of this they say, Is Saul also among the prophets? 


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 And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, What have I done? What is my iniquity, and what my sin before your father, that he seeks my life? 


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 And he said to him, Far be it. You shall not die! Behold, my father will do nothing either great or small that he will not show to me. And why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so. 


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 And David swore again and said, Your father certainly knows that I have found grace in your eyes. And he said, Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be full of sorrow. But truly as Jehovah lives, and as your soul lives, only a step is between me and death. 


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 And David said to Jonathan, Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit at table with the king. But let me go so that I may hide myself in the field until the third day at evening. 


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 If your father misses me at all, then say, David earnestly asked me that he might run to his city Bethlehem. For there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the family. 


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 If he says so, It is well, peace will be to your servant, but if he is very angry, be sure that evil is determined by him. 


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 And you shall deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of Jehovah with you. But if there is any iniquity in me, kill me yourself. For why should you bring me to your father? 


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 And Jonathan said, Far be it from you. For if I knew certainly that evil was determined by my father to come on you, then would I not tell you? 


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 And Jonathan said to David, Come, and let us go into the field. And both of them went out into the field. 


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 And Jonathan said to David, By Jehovah, the God of Israel, when I search my father about this time tomorrow or the third day, behold, if there is good toward David, then shall I not send to you and reveal it in your ear? 


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 So may Jehovah do to Jonathan and more if it seem good to my father to do you evil, then I will reveal it in your ear and send you away, and you may go in peace. And may Jehovah be with you, as He was with my father. 


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 but you shall not cut off your kindness from my house forever, no, not when Jehovah has cut off the enemies of David, every one, from the face of the earth. 


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 So Jonathan covenanted with the house of David, saying, Let Jehovah even require it at the hand of David's enemies. 


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 And Jonathan caused David to swear again, because he loved him. For he loved him as he loved his own soul. 


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 And Jonathan said to David, Tomorrow is the new moon. And you shall be missed, because your seat will be empty. 


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 And on the third day you shall quickly come down and shall come there to the place where you were hidden in the day of the deed. And you shall remain near the stone Ezel. 


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 And behold, I will send a lad, saying, Go find the arrows. If I carefully say to the lad, Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, take them, then you may come, for there is peace to you, and no hurt, as Jehovah lives. 


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 But if I say this to the young man, Behold, the arrows are beyond you, go your way, for Jehovah has sent you away. 


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 And as to the matter which you and I have spoken of, behold, may Jehovah be between you and me forever. 


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 And David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon had come, the king sat down by the food to eat. 


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 And the king sat on his seat as at other times, on a seat by the wall. And Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place was empty. 


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 And Saul did not speak anything that day. For he thought, Something has happened to him; he is not clean. Surely he is not clean. 


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 And it happened on the next day, the second of the month, David's place was empty. And Saul said to his son Jonathan, Why does the son of Jesse not come to the meal, neither yesterday nor today? 


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 and he said, Please send me away, for we have a family sacrifice in the city. And my brother commanded me to be there. And now, if I have found favor in your eyes, I pray you let me get away and see my brothers. And he does not come to the king's table. 


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 And Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own confusion, and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? 


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 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you shall not be established, nor your kingdom. And now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die. 


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 And Saul threw a spear at him to strike him, and by this Jonathan knew that his father was determined to kill David. 


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 And Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger, and did not eat food on the second day of the new moon. For he was grieved for David, because his father had put him to shame. 


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 And it happened, in the morning Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David. And a little lad was with him. 


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 And he said to this lad, Run now, find the arrows which I shoot. As the lad ran, he shot an arrow, causing it to pass over him. 


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 And when the lad had come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad and said, Is not the arrow beyond you? 


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 And Jonathan cried after the lad, Hurry, make haste, do not stand. And Jonathan's lad gathered the arrow and came to his master. 


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 As soon as the lad had gone, David rose from the south, and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times. And they kissed one another, and wept with one another, until David exceeded. 


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 And Jonathan said to David, Go in peace because we have both sworn in the name of Jehovah, saying, The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my seed and your seed, forever. And he rose and went away. And Jonathan went into the city. 


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 And David came to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said to him, Why are you alone, and no man with you? 


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 And David said to Ahimelech the priest, The king has commanded me a business and has said to me, Let no man know anything of the business about which I send you, and what I have sent you. And I have sent servants to such and such a place. 


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 And therefore, what is under your hand? Give five loaves of bread in my hand, or what there is to be found. 


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 And the priest answered David and said, There is no common bread under my hand, but there is holy bread if the young men have kept themselves at least from women. 


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 And David answered the priest and said to him, Truly women have been kept from us for about three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and in a way the holy bread is common. Also surely today it is sanctified in the vessels. 


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 And the priest gave him holy bread. For there was no bread there but the Bread of the Presence that was taken from before Jehovah, in order to put hot bread in on the day when it was taken away. 


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 And a man from the servants of Saul was there that day, held before Jehovah. And his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the chief of Saul's herdsmen. 


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 And David said to Ahimelech, And is there not here under your hand spear or sword? For I have not brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business needed haste. 


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 And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the valley of Elah, behold, it is wrapped in a cloth under the ephod, if you will take, take it for yourself, for there is no other here except that one. And David said, There is none like that. Give it to me. 


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 And the servants of Achish said to him, Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, saying, Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? 


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 And he changed his behavior before them, and pretended himself to be mad in their hands, and marked on the doors of the gate and let his spittle fall down on his beard. 


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 Do I have need of mad men, that you have brought this one to show madness in my presence? Shall this one come into my house? 


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 And David left there and escaped to the cave Adullam. And his brothers and all his father's house heard, and went down to him there. 


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 And every man in distress, and every man who had a creditor, and every man bitter of soul, gathered themselves to him. And he became commander over them. And about four hundred men were with him. 


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 And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, Please let my father and my mother come forth and be with you until I know what God will do for me. 


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 And he brought them before the king of Moab. And they lived with him all the time that David was in the stronghold. 


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 And the prophet Gad said to David, Do not stay in the stronghold. Leave and go into the land of Judah. And David left and came into the forest of Hareth. 


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 And Saul heard that David and the men with him had been discovered. And Saul was staying in Gibeah under the tamarisk tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand. And all his servants were standing about him. 


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 And Saul said to his servants standing by him, Now hear, Benjamites, will the son of Jesse give to any of you fields and vineyards, and make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds? 


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 But all of you have conspired against me, and none of you was revealing in my ear when my son cut a covenant with the son of Jesse? And not one of you is sorry for me, even to reveal in my ear that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as today. 


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 And answered Doeg the Edomite, who was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 


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 And he asked of Jehovah for him and gave him food and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine. 


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 And the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests in Nob. And they came, all of them, to the king. 


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 And Saul said to him, Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword, and have asked of God for him, that he should rise against me to lie in wait, as at this day? 


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 And Ahimelech answered the king and said, And who is so faithful among all your servants as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and who goes at your bidding, and who is honorable in your house? 


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 Have I today begun to ask of God for him? Be it far from me. Do not let the king charge a thing to his servant, nor to all the house of my father. For your servant knew nothing of all this, more or less. 


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 And the king said to the guard that stood around him, Turn and kill the priests of Jehovah, because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled, and did not reveal it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall on the priests of Jehovah. 


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 And the king said to Doeg, You turn and fall on the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned and fell on the priests. And on that day he killed eighty-five persons who wore a linen ephod. 


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 And he struck Nob, the city of the priests, with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and babes, and oxen, and asses, and sheep, with the edge of the sword. 


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 And David said to Abiathar, I knew that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have caused the death of all the persons of your father's house. 


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 Stay with me, and do not fear. For he who seeks my life seeks your life. But you shall be in safekeeping with me. 


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 And they told David, saying, Behold, the Philistines fight against Keilah, and they rob the threshing-floors. 


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 And David asked of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go? And shall I strike these Philistines? And Jehovah said to David, Go and strike the Philistines, and save Keilah. 


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 And David's men said to him, Behold, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we come to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines? 


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 And David inquired of Jehovah once again. And Jehovah answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah. For I will deliver the Philistines into your hand. 


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 And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines. And they led away their cattle and struck them with a great slaughter. And David saved the people of Keilah. 


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 And it happened when Abiathar the son of Ahimelech fled to David to Keilah, he came down with an ephod in his hand. 


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 And it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, God has delivered him into my hands, for he is shut in by entering into a town that has gates and bars. 


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 And Saul called all the people together to war, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his men. 


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 And David knew that Saul secretly planned evil against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring the ephod here. 


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 And David said, O Lord God of Israel, Your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake. 


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 Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? Will Saul come down as Your servant has heard? O Jehovah, the God of Israel, I beg of You, tell Your servant. And Jehovah said, He will come down. 


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 And David said, Will the men of Keilah shut up me and my men into the hand of Saul? And Jehovah said, They will shut you up. 


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 And David and his men, about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah and went wherever they could go. And it was told to Saul that David had escaped from Keilah. And he did not go forth. 


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 And David stayed in the wilderness in strongholds, and remained in the stronghold in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul looked for him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand. 


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 And David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. And David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a woods. 


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 And Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David into the woods, and strengthened his hand in God. 


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 And he said to him, Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. And you shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. And my father Saul knows that also. 


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 And the two of them cut a covenant before Jehovah. And David stayed in the forest, and Jonathan went to his house. 


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 And the men of Ziph came up to Saul, to Gibeah, saying, Does not David hide himself with us in strongholds in the forest, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of the wilderness? 


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 And now, O king, come down according to all the desire of your soul. Come down, and it is for us to shut him up into the king's hand. 


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 Please go, make more sure, and know and see the place where his foot is. Who has seen him there? For I am told that he is very subtle. 


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 And see and know of all the hiding places where he hides himself there, and return to me prepared. And I will go with you. And it shall be, if he is in the land, I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah. 


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 And they arose and went to Ziph before Saul. But David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the plain, on the south of the desert. 


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 Saul and his men also went to look for him. And they told David. And he came down from the rock and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard, he followed after David in the wilderness of Maon. 


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 And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain. And David hurried to get away before Saul. For Saul and his men were encircling David and his men, to take them. 


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 And Saul returned from pursuing David, and went against the Philistines. Therefore they called that place, The Rock of the Division. 


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 And it happened when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, they told him, saying, Behold, David is in the wilderness of En-gedi. 


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 And Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the front of the rocks of the wild goats. 


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 And he came to the folds of the flock on the way, where there was a cave. And Saul went in to cover his feet. And David and his men remained in the sides of the cave. 


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 And the men of David said to him, Behold, this is the day of which Jehovah said to you, Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand so that you may do to him as it shall seem good to you. And David arose and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe secretly. 


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 And he said to his men, Far be it from me, by Jehovah, if I will do this thing to my lord, Jehovah's anointed, to stretch forth my hand against him, since he is the anointed of Jehovah. 


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 And David held back his men with words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul rose up out of the cave and went on his way. 


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 And David arose afterward and went out of the cave, and cried after Saul, saying, My lord the king! And Saul looked behind him. And David bowed his face to the earth and prostrated himself. 


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 Behold, your eyes have seen today how Jehovah had delivered you today into my hand in the cave. And one said to kill you. But I had pity on you. And I said, I will not put forth my hand against my lord, for he is Jehovah's anointed. 


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 And, my father, behold! Yes, see the skirt of your robe in my hand. For in that I cut off the skirt of your robe and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my soul to take it. 


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 May Jehovah judge between me and you, and may Jehovah avenge me of you. But my hand shall not be on you. 


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 As the ancient proverb says, Wickedness proceeds from the wicked. But my hand shall not be on you. 


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 After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog? After a flea? 


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 May Jehovah therefore be judge, and judge between you and me, and see, and plead my cause, and deliver me out of your hand. 


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 And it happened when David had made an end of speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, Is this your voice, my son David? And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 


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 And he said to David, You are more righteous than I, for you have rewarded me with good, but I have rewarded you evil. 


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 And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me, because when Jehovah shut me up into your hand, you did not kill me. 


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 For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go completely away? And may Jehovah reward good for what you have done to me this day. 


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 And now, behold, I know well that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. 


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 And swear therefore to me before Jehovah that you will not cut off my seed after me, and that you will not destroy my name out of my father's house. 


text:
 And Samuel died. And all the Israelites were gathered, and lamented him and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose and went down to the wilderness of Paran. 


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 And a certain man was in Maon, and his work was in Carmel. And the man was very great, and had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. 


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 And the man's name was Nabal, and his wife's name was Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding, and of a beautiful form. But the man was cruel and evil in his dealings. And he was of Caleb. 


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 And David sent out ten young men. And David said to the young men, Go up to Carmel and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name. 


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 And you shall say this, Long life and peace be to you, and peace to your house, and peace to all that you have. 


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 And now I have heard that you have shearers. And we did not hurt your shepherds who were with us; neither was there anything missing to them all the while they were in Carmel. 


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 Ask your young men, and they will tell you. And let the young men find favor in your eyes, for we come in a good day. Please give whatever comes to your hand to your servants and to your son David. 


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 And David's young men came, they spoke to Nabal according to all these words in the name of David, and stopped. 


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 And Nabal answered David's servants and said, Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? The servants who have broken away, each man from his master, have multiplied. 


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 Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men about whom I know not where they come from? 


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 And David said to his men, Let each man gird on his sword. And they each one girded on his sword, and David also girded on his sword. And about four hundred men went up after David, and two hundred stayed by the stuff. 


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 And one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Behold! David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he screamed at them. 


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 But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, neither did we miss anything as long as we were going to and fro among them, when we were in the fields. 


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 And now know and consider what you will do, for evil is determined against our master and against all his household. For he is a son of worthlessness, so that none can speak to him. 


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 And Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves, and two skins of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of roasted grain, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and laid them on asses. 


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 And she said to her servants, Go on before me. Behold, I am coming after you. But she did not tell her husband Nabal. 


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 And it happened, she was riding on the ass and coming down under cover of the mountain. And behold, David and his men came down across from her. And she met them. 


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 And David had said, Surely in vain I have kept all that belongs to this fellow in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that was his. And he has requited me evil for good. 


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 So and more also may God do to the enemies of David, if I leave to the light of the morning any that is his of one who urinates against the wall. 


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 And Abigail saw David and hurried and dismounted from the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground. 


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 And she fell at his feet and said, On me, my lord, on me let this iniquity be. And please let your handmaid speak in your ears, and hear the words of your handmaid. 


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 Please do not let my lord regard this man of worthlessness, Nabal. For as his name is, so he is. Nabal is his name, and foolishness is with him. And I, your handmaid, did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent. 


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 And now, my lord, as Jehovah lives and as your soul lives, since Jehovah has withheld you from coming to shed blood, and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now let your enemies, and those that seek to do evil to my lord, be as Nabal. 


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 And now this blessing which your handmaid has brought to my lord, let it even be given to the young men who follow my lord. 


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 Please forgive the trespass of your handmaid. For Jehovah will certainly make a sure house for my lord, because my lord fights the battles of Jehovah, and evil has not been found in you all your days. 


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 Yet a man has risen to pursue you and to seek your soul. But the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with Jehovah your God. And the souls of your enemies, He shall sling them from the hollow of a sling. 


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 And it shall be, when Jehovah has done to my lord according to all the good that He has spoken concerning you, and commanded you to be ruler over Israel, 


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 this shall be no stumbling to you, nor offense of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood for nothing, or that my lord has delivered himself. And may Jehovah deal well with my lord, and you remember your handmaid. 


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 And blessed is your advice, and blessed are you who have kept me from coming to shed blood today, and from delivering myself with my own hand. 


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 And truly, as Jehovah, the God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from doing evil to you, for unless you had hurried and come to meet me, surely there would not have been left to Nabal by the morning light one who urinates against the wall. 


text:
 And David received from her hand that which she had brought him, and said to her, Go up in peace to your house. See, I have listened to your voice and have accepted your person. 


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 And Abigail came to Nabal. And behold, he held a feast in his house like the feast of a king. And Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. And she did not tell him anything, more or less, until the morning light. 


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 And it happened in the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal and his wife had told him these things, his heart died within him and he became like a stone. 


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 And David heard that Nabal had died, and he said, Blessed is Jehovah who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept His servant from evil. For Jehovah has returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head. And David sent and spoke with Abigail, to take her to him for a wife. 


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 And David's servants came to Abigail at Carmel, and spoke to her, saying, David sent us to you to take you to him for a wife. 


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 And she arose and bowed herself on her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let your handmaid be a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord. 


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 And Abigail hurried and arose, and rode on an ass, with five of her maidens who went after her. And she followed the messengers of David and became his wife. 


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 And the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, Is not David hiding himself in the hill of Hachilah, on the edge of the desert? 


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 And Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him. 


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 And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the edge of the desert, by the highway. And David was staying in the wilderness. And he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness. 


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 And David arose and came to the place where Saul had pitched. And David saw the place where Saul lay. And Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his army, and Saul were lying within the barricade. And the people pitched all around him. 


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 And David answered and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to the camp to Saul? And Abishai said, I will go down with you. 


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 So David and Abishai came to the people by night. And behold, Saul lay sleeping in the tent, and his spear stuck in the ground at his head. But Abner and the people lay around him. 


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 And Abishai said to David, God has shut up your enemy into your hand this day. And please let me strike him with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not repeat it to him. 


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 And David said to Abishai, Do not destroy him. For who can stretch forth his hand against Jehovah's anointed and be guiltless? 


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 And David said, As Jehovah lives, except Jehovah strike him, or his day shall come, and he dies, or he goes down to battle and is consumed, 


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 far be it from me by Jehovah, from putting forth my hand against Jehovah's anointed. And now, please take the spear at his head and the cruse of water, and we will go. 


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 And David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's head. And they went away, and no one saw, and no one knew; and no one was awake; for all of them were sleeping, because a deep sleep from Jehovah had fallen on them. 


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 And David went over to the other side and stood on the top of a hill afar off, a great space between them. 


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 And David cried to the people and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, Do you not answer, Abner? And Abner answered and said, Who are you that cries to the king? 


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 And David said to Abner, Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel? But why have you not watched over your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy your lord the king. 


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 This thing that you have done is not good. As Jehovah lives, because you have not watched over your master, Jehovah's anointed, you also are worthy to die. And now see where the king's spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his head. 


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 And Saul knew David's voice and said, Is this your voice, my son David? And David said, It is my voice, my lord, O king. 


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 And he said, Why does my lord pursue after his servant this way? For what have I done? Or what evil is in my hand? 


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 And now, please let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If Jehovah has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering. But if it is the sons of men, they are cursed before Jehovah. For they have driven me out today from joining myself with the inheritance of Jehovah, saying, Go, serve other gods. 


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 And now, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of Jehovah. For the king of Israel has come out to seek a flea, as when one hunts a partridge in the mountains. 


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 And Saul said, I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will never do you harm any more, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Behold, I have acted foolishly, and have greatly erred. 


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 And David answered and said, Behold the king's spear! And let one of the young men come over and get it. 


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 May Jehovah give to each his righteousness and his faithfulness. For Jehovah delivered you into my hand today, but I would not stretch forth my hand against Jehovah's anointed. 


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 And behold, as your life was precious in my eyes this day, so let my life be precious in the eyes of Jehovah, and let Him deliver me out of all tribulation. 


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 And Saul said to David, Blessed are you, my son David. You shall both do great things and also shall still prevail. So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place. 


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 And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul. Nothing is better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines. And Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any border of Israel, and so I shall escape out of his hand. 


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 And David arose and passed over, he and the six hundred men with him to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. 


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 And David lived with Achish of Gath, he and his men, each one with his household; David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's former wife. 


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 And David said to Achish, If I have now found grace in your eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country so that I may live there. For why should your servant live in the royal city with you? 


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 And the number of days that David lived in the field of the Philistines was a year of days and four months. 


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 And David and his men went up and invaded the Geshurites, and the Gezrites, and the Amalekites. For they were the inhabitants of the land from the past days, as you come into Shur, even into the land of Egypt. 


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 And David struck the land, and did not keep alive man nor woman, and took away the sheep and the oxen and the asses and the camels and the clothing, and returned and came to Achish. 


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 And Achish said, Where have you made a raid today? And David said, Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites. 


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 And David did not keep alive man or woman to bring news to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell on us, saying, So David did, and so has been his custom all the days he lived in the fields of the Philistines. 


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 And Achish believed David, saying, He has made himself to be hated among his people Israel, and has become my servant forever. 


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 And in those days it happened that the Philistines gathered their armies for war, to fight with Israel. And Achish said to David, You surely know that you shall go with me to battle, you and your men. 


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 And David said to Achish, Surely you shall know what your servant can do. And Achish said to David, And I will make you keeper of my head forever. 


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 And Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned him and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away the mediums and the spirit-knowers out of the land. 


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 And the Philistines gathered themselves and came and pitched in Shunem. And Saul gathered all Israel and they pitched in Gilboa. 


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 And when Saul inquired of Jehovah, Jehovah did not answer him, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. 


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 And Saul said to his servants, Seek me a woman who is a medium, so that I may go to her and inquire of her. And his servant said to him, Behold, there is a woman who is a medium, at Endor. 


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 And Saul disguised himself and put on other clothing. And he went. And two men went with him. And they came to the woman by night. And he said, Please divine for me calling up the dead, and bring me up the man whom I shall name to you. 


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 And the woman said to him, Behold, you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off mediums, and the spirit-knowers, out of the land. Why then do you lay a snare for my life, to cause me to die? 


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 And Saul swore to her by Jehovah, saying, As Jehovah lives, there shall no punishment happen to you for this thing. 


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 And the woman saw Samuel, and cried with a loud voice. And the woman spoke to Saul, saying, Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul! 


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 And the king said to her, Do not be afraid. For what did you see? And the woman said to Saul, I saw gods coming up out of the earth. 


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 And he said to her, What is his form? And she said, An old man comes up, and he is covered with a cloak. And Saul saw that it was Samuel, and he bowed his face to the ground, and prostrated himself. 


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 And Samuel said to Saul, Why have you disturbed me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am grievously distressed, for the Philistines are warring against me. And God has left me and does not answer me any more, neither by prophets nor by dreams. And I have called you so that you may make known to me what I should do. 


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 And Jehovah has done for Himself as He spoke by me. For Jehovah has torn the kingdom out of your hand and is giving it to your neighbor, to David. 


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 Because you did not obey the voice of Jehovah, nor execute his fierce wrath on Amalek, therefore Jehovah has done this thing to you now. 


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 And, Jehovah will also deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines. And tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me. Jehovah also shall deliver the army of Israel into the hand of the Philistines. 


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 And Saul immediately fell headlong on the earth, and was sorely afraid because of the words of Samuel. And there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no bread all day nor all night. 


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 And the woman came to Saul and saw that he was sorely troubled, and said to him, Behold, your handmaid has obeyed your voice, and I have put my life in my hand, and have listened to your words which you spoke to me. 


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 And now please listen also to the voice of your handmaid, and let me set a bit of bread before you and eat, so that you may have strength when you go on your way. 


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 But he refused, and said, I will not eat. But his servants, forced him, and the woman also. And he listened to their voices and arose from the earth and sat on the bed. 


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 And the woman had a fat calf in the house. And she hurried and killed it, and took flour and kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread with it. 


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 And she brought it before Saul, and before his servants. And they ate, and rose up and went away that night. 


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 And the Philistines gathered all their armies to Aphek. And the Israelites pitched by a fountain in Jezreel. 


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 And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds and by thousands. But David and his men passed on in the rear with Achish. 


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 And the rulers of the Philistines said, What are these Hebrews doing? And Achish said to the rulers of the Philistines, Is this not David the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years. And I have not found anything evil in him from the day he fell away until today? 


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 And the rulers of the Philistines were angry with him. And the Philistine rulers said to him, Send the man back, and he shall return to his place where you have appointed him. And he shall not go down with us to battle, and shall not become an enemy to us in battle. For with what should he reconcile himself to his master? Should it not be with the heads of these men? 


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 Is not this David, of whom they sang to one another in dances, saying, Saul killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands? 


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 And Achish called David and said to him, Surely, as Jehovah lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army is good in my sight. For I have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me until today. But you are not good in the eyes of the lords. 


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 And David said to Achish, But what have I done? And what have you found in your servant so long as I have been with you to this day, that I may not go fight against the enemies of my lord the king? 


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 And Achish answered and said to David, I know that you are good in my sight, like an angel of God. But the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle. 


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 And now, rise up early in the morning with your master's servants who have come with you. And as soon as you have light, depart. 


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 And David and his men rose up early to leave in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel. 


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 And it happened when David and his men had come to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had invaded the south and Ziklag, and had struck Ziklag, and burned it with fire. 


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 And they had seized the women in it. They did not kill any, either small or great, but carried them away and went on their way. 


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 And David and his men came to the city, and behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captives. 


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 And David and the people with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep. 


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 And David's two wives had been seized, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail, the former wife of Nabal of Carmel. 


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 And it greatly distressed David, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, each one for his sons and for his daughters. But David encouraged himself in Jehovah his God. 


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 And David said to Abiathar the priest, Ahimelech's son, Please bring the ephod here to me. And Abiathar brought the ephod there to David. 


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 And David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go after this troop? Shall I overtake them? And He answered him, Go! For you shall surely overtake and will without fail recover all. 


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 So David went, he and the six hundred men that were with him, and came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed. 


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 But David pursued, he and four hundred men. For two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to go over the brook Besor. 


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 And they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David and gave him bread, and he ate. And they made him drink water. 


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 And they gave him a piece of a cake of figs, and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit came again to him. For he had eaten no bread nor drunk water for three days and three nights. 


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 And David said to him, Whose are you? And where do you come from? And he said, I am an Egyptian youth, servant to an Amalekite. And my master left me because three days ago I fell sick. 


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 We raided the south of the Cherethites, and on that belonging to Judah, and on the south of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag with fire. 


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 And David said to him, Can you bring me down to this company? And he said, Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this company. 


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 And when he had brought him down, behold, they were spread abroad on all the earth, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines and out of the land of Judah. 


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 And David struck them from the twilight even to the evening of the next day. And not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. 


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 And nothing was lacking to them, from the small to the great, even to sons and daughters, and from the spoil, even to all that they had taken to themselves. David recovered all. 


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 And David took all the flock, and the herd. They drove on before those cattle. And they said, This is David's spoil. 


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 And David came to the two hundred who were too exhausted to follow David, whom they had made also to stay at the brook Besor. And they went out to meet David, and to meet the people with him. And David came up to the people, and greeted them. 


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 And every evil and worthless man of the men who went with David answered and said, Because they did not go with us, we will not give them from a thing the spoil that we have seized, except to every man his wife and his sons. Let them take them, and go. 


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 And David said, My brothers, you shall not do so with that which Jehovah has given us. For He has protected us, and has delivered into our hand the company that came against us. 


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 For who will listen to you in this matter? But as his part is that goes down to the battle, so shall be his part that stays by the stuff. They shall divide alike. 


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 And it was so, from that day forward he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day. 


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 And David came to Ziklag, and sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, Behold, a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of Jehovah; 


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 and to the ones in Rachal, and to the ones in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to the ones in the cities of the Kenites, 


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 and to the ones in Hebron, and to all the places where David had gone up and down, he and his men. 


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 And the Philistines fought against Israel. And the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down wounded in Mount Gilboa. 


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 And the Philistines followed Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua, Saul's sons. 


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 And the battle went hard against Saul. And the archers hit him, and he was sorely wounded by the archers. 


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 And Saul said to his armor-bearer, Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised ones come and thrust me through, and abuse me. But his armor-bearer would not, for he was very much afraid. So Saul took a sword and fell on it. 


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 And the men of Israel beyond the valley, and who were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled and that Saul and his sons had died. And they abandoned the cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them. 


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 And it happened on the next day, the Philistines came to strip the slain, and they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa. 


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 And they cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines all around, to publish it in the house of their idols and among the people. 


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 And they put his armor in the house of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. 


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 then all the brave men arose, and they traveled all night. And they took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and came to Jabesh, and burned them there. 


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 And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh. And they fasted seven days. 


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 And it happened after the death of Saul, David returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David stayed two days in Ziklag, 


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 on the third day, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes torn and earth upon his head. And it happened when he came to David, he fell to the earth and bowed to him. 


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 And David said to him, Where do you come from? And he said to him, I have escaped out of the camp of Israel. 


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 And David said to him, How did the matter go? Please tell me. And he answered, The people have fled from the battle, and many of the people also have fallen and are dead. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead also. 


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 And David said to the young man who told him, How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead? 


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 And the young man who told him said, As I happened to be upon Mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear. And, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. 


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 He said to me again, Please stand over me and kill me, for anguish has come upon me, because all my life is still in me. 


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 And I stood over him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown on his head, and the bracelet on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord. 


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 And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening, for Saul, and for his son Jonathan, and for the people of Jehovah, and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. 


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 And David said to the young man who told him, From where are you? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite. 


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 And David called one of the young men and said, Go near; fall on him. And he struck him so that he died. 


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 And David said to him, Your blood be upon your head, for your mouth has testified against you, saying, I have slain Jehovah's anointed. 


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 And he said to teach the sons of Judah The Song of the Bow. Behold, it is written in the Book of Jasher: 


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 Tell it not in Gath, do not let it be known in the streets of Askelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. 


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 Mountains of Gilboa, let not dew or rain be on you, nor fields of offerings. For there the shield of the mighty has been evilly cast away, the shield of Saul not being anointed with oil. 


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 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, and the sword of Saul did not return empty. 


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 Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided. They were swifter than eagles; they were stronger than lions. 


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 Daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and with delights; who put ornaments of gold on your clothes. 


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 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan. Very pleasant you have been to me. Your love to me was wonderful, more than the love of women. 


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 And it happened after this, David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And Jehovah said to him, Go up! And David said, Where shall I go? And He said, To Hebron. 


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 And David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's wife. 


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 And David brought up his men with him, each man with his household. And they lived in the cities of Hebron. 


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 And the men of Judah came, and they anointed David king over the house of Judah there. And they told David, saying, The men of Jabesh-gilead buried Saul. 


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 And David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead. And he said to them, Blessed are you of Jehovah, that you have shown this kindness to your lord, to Saul, and have buried him. 


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 And now may Jehovah do kindness and truth to you. And I also do good to you, because you have done this thing. 


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 And now let your hands be strengthened, and be brave. For your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them. 


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 But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim. 


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 And he made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel. 


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 Ishbosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. 


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 And it happened, the number of days that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months. 


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 And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 


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 And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out and met by the pool of Gibeon and sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool. 


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 And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now arise and play before us. And Joab said, Let them arise. 


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 And they arose and went over by number, twelve for Benjamin, and for Ishbosheth the son of Saul; and twelve of the servants of David. 


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 And each one lay hold on the head, of his companion and thrust his sword in his companion's side, so that they fell together. And one called that place The Field of Rocks, which is in Gibeon. 


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 And there was a very grievous battle that day. And Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David. 


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 And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel. And Asahel was swift with his feet, like one of the gazelles in the field. 


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 And Asahel ran after Abner, and in going he did not turn to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner. 


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 And Abner said to him, Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and lay hold on one of the young men, and take for yourself. But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. 


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 And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then should I hold up my face to Joab your brother? 


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 However he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him with the blunt end of the spear in the belly, and the spear came out behind him. And he fell down there, and died in the same place. And it happened that everyone who came to the place where Asahel fell down and died, stood still. 


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 And Joab and Abishai ran after Abner. And the sun went down when they had come to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon. 


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 And the sons of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and became one troop, and stood on the top of a hill. 


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 Then Abner called to Joab and said, Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end? How long shall it be then before you command the people to return from chasing their brothers? 


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 And Joab said, As God lives, unless you had spoken, surely then in the morning the people would have gone up each one from following his brother. 


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 And Joab blew a ram's horn, and all the people stood still and did not pursue after Israel any more, nor did they fight any more. 


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 And Abner and his men went all that night through the plain and passed over Jordan, and went all the forenoon and came to Mahanaim. 


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 And Joab returned from following Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, nineteen men and Asahel were missing from David's servants. 


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 But the servants of David had stricken three hundred and sixty men of Benjamin, and of Abner's men, who died. 


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 And they took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at the break of day. 


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 And there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David became stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul became weaker and weaker. 


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 And sons were born to David in Hebron. And his first-born was Amnon, the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel. 


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 And his second was Chileab, of Abigail of Carmel, the former wife of Nabal. And the third was Absalom, the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur. 


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 And it happened, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner made himself strong for the house of Saul. 


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 And Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. And Ishbosheth said to Abner, Why have you gone in to my father's concubine? 


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 And Abner was very angry over the words of Ishbosheth, and said, Am I a dog's head, who shows kindness against Judah this day to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hand of David? Am I a dog's head that you charge me today with a fault concerning this woman today? 


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 to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beer-sheba. 


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 And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose is the land? He said, Cut your covenant with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with you, to bring about all Israel to you. 


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 And he said, Good! I will cut a covenant with you, but one thing I ask of you, saying, You shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul's daughter, when you come to see my face. 


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 And David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, Saul's son, saying, Deliver my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to me for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines. 


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 And her husband went along with her, weeping behind her, to Bahurim. And Abner said to him, Go, return! And he returned. 


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 The word of Abner was with the elders of Israel, saying, You sought for David in times past to be king over you. 


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 And then do it, for Jehovah has spoken of David, saying, By the hand of my servant David I will save My people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies. 


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 And Abner also spoke in the ears of Benjamin. And Abner went also to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel, and all that seemed good to the whole house of Benjamin. 


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 And Abner came to David at Hebron, and twenty men came with him. And David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him. 


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 And Abner said to David, I will arise and go, and will gather all Israel to my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, and so that you may reign over all that your heart desires. And David sent Abner away, and he went in peace. 


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 And behold, the servants of David and Joab came from pursuing a troop, and brought in a great spoil with them. But Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. 


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 And Joab and all the army with him came, and they told Joab, saying, Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has sent him away, and he has gone in peace. 


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 And Joab came to the king and said, What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you. Why is this, that you have sent him away, and he has already gone? 


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 You know Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive you, and to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you do. 


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 And Joab left David and sent messengers after Abner, who brought him again from the well of Sirah. But David did not know. 


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 And Abner returned to Hebron. And Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him privately. And he struck him there in the belly, and he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother. 


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 And afterward David heard, and said, My kingdom and I are guiltless before Jehovah forever from the blood of Abner the son of Ner. 


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 Let it whirl about the head of Joab, and on all his father's house. And let there not fail from the house of Joab one who has an issue, or who is a leper, or who leans on a staff, or who falls on the sword, or who lacks bread. 


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 And Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had slain their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle. 


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 And David said to Joab and to all the people with him, Tear your clothes and gird yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And King David followed the bier. 


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 And they buried Abner in Hebron. And the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner. And all the people wept. 


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 Your hands were not bound, nor your feet put into fetters; as a man falls before wicked men, so you fell. And all the people wept again over him. 


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 And all the people came to cause David to eat food while it was still day; David swore, saying, So let God do to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else until the sun is down. 


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 And all the people took notice, and it pleased them, as whatever the king did pleased all the people. 


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 For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not of the king to kill Abner the son of Ner. 


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 And the king said to his servants, Do you not know that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel? 


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 And I am weak this day, though anointed king. And these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too hard for me. Jehovah shall reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness. 


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 And Saul's son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron. And his hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled. 


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 And Saul's son had two men that were captains of bands. The name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other was Rechab, the sons of Rimmon of Beeroth, of the sons of Benjamin. For Beeroth also was counted to Benjamin; 


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 And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news of Saul and Jonathan came out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled. And as she made haste to flee he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth. 


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 And the sons of Rimmon of Beeroth, Rechab and Baanah, came at the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth. And he was lying on his bed at noon. 


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 And they came to the midst of the house, bringing wheat. And they struck him in the belly. And Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. 


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 And they came into the house, and he lay in his bed in his bedroom. And they struck him and killed him, and beheaded him and took his head and got away through the plain all night. 


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 And they brought the head of Ishbosheth to David at Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, your enemy who sought your life. And Jehovah has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul and of his seed. 


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 And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon of Beeroth, and said to them, As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity, 


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 when one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good news, I took hold of him and killed him in Ziklag. I gave that to him as a reward. 


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 Indeed when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed, shall I not therefore now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth? 


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 And David commanded his young men, and they killed them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner in Hebron. 


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 And all the tribes of Israel came to David, to Hebron, and spoke, saying, Behold, we are your bone and your flesh. 


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 Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, you were he who led Israel out and brought them in. And Jehovah said to you, You shall feed My people Israel, and you shall be a leader over Israel. 


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 And all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron. And King David made a covenant with them in Hebron before Jehovah. And they anointed David king over Israel. 


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 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah. 


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 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem to the Jebusites, the people of the land. And one spoke to David saying, You shall not come in here, except the blind and the lame will turn you away; also saying, David cannot come in here. 


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 And David said on that day, Anyone who strikes the Jebusite, let him go by the water-shaft and take the lame and the blind, the hated of David's soul. On account of this they say, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house. 


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 And David lived in the fort, and called it the city of David. And David built all around, from Millo and inward. 


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 And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons to David. And they built David a house. 


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 And David saw that Jehovah had established him king over Israel, and that He had made his kingdom sure for His people Israel's sake. 


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 And David took more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he had come from Hebron. And there were still more sons and daughters born to David. 


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 And the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel. And all the Philistines came up to seek David. And David heard, and went down to the stronghold. 


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 And David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand? And Jehovah said to David, Go up! For I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hand. 


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 And David came to Baal-perazim, and David struck them there, and said, Jehovah has broken forth on my enemies before me, like the breaking forth of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place The Breaking of Baal. 


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 And David inquired of Jehovah, and He said, You shall not go up, but go around behind them and come upon them over across from the weeping trees. 


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 And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the weeping trees, then you shall strike. For then Jehovah shall go out before you to strike the army of the Philistines. 


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 And David did so, as Jehovah had commanded him. And he struck the Philistines from Geba until you come to Gezer. 


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 And David arose and went with all the people with him from beyond Baale of Judah, to bring up the ark of God from there, which is called by the Name, the Name of Jehovah of Hosts who dwells above the cherubs. 


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 And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab in Gibeah. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart. 


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 And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab at Gibeah, going with the ark of God. And Ahio went before the ark. 


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 And David and all the house of Israel were dancing before Jehovah on all instruments of fir wood, with lyres and with harps, and with tambourines, and with sistra, and with cymbals. 


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 And when they came to Nachon's threshing-floor, Uzzah reached out to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen upset it. 


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 And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Uzzah. And God struck him there for the error. And he died there by the ark of God. 


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 And David was displeased because Jehovah had broken forth upon Uzzah. And he called the name of the place The Break of Uzzah to this day. 


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 And David was not willing to bring the ark of Jehovah to him into the city of David. But David carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite, the Levite. 


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 And the ark of Jehovah stayed in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months. And Jehovah blessed Obed-edom and all his household. 


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 And they told King David, saying, Jehovah has blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God. And David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness. 


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 And it happened that when those who bore the ark of Jehovah had gone six steps, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings. 


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 And David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of Jehovah with shouting, and with the sound of the ram's horn. 


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 And it happened as the ark of Jehovah came to the city of David, Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and dancing before Jehovah. And she despised him in her heart. 


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 And they brought in the ark of Jehovah and set it in its place in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it. And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Jehovah. 


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 And as soon as David had made an end of offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Jehovah of Hosts. 


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 And he gave out among all the people, among all the multitude of Israel, to the women as well as men, to each one a cake of bread and one raisin-cake. And all the people departed, each one to his house. 


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 And David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, How glorious was the king of Israel today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovers himself! 


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 And David said to Michal, It was before Jehovah, who chose me before your father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of Jehovah, over Israel. And I danced before Jehovah. 


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 And I will be still lower than this, and will be base in my own sight. And of the handmaids of whom you have spoken, with them I shall be had in honor. 


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 And it happened when the king dwelt in his house, and when Jehovah had given him rest round about from all his enemies, 


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 the king said to Nathan the prophet, See now, I live in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within curtains. 


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 For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up the sons of Israel out of Egypt until this day, but have walked in a tent, even in a tabernacle. 


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 In all places in which I have walked with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the tribes of Israel, those I commanded to feed My people Israel, saying, Why do you not build Me a house of cedars? 


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 And now so shall you say to My servant David, So says Jehovah of Hosts: I took you from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel. 


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 And I was with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies out of your sight, and have made you a great name like the name of the great ones in the earth. 


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 And I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them so that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more. Neither shall the sons of wickedness afflict them any more, as before. 


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 And even from the time that I commanded judges to be over My people of Israel, so will I cause you to rest from all your enemies. Also Jehovah tells you that He will make you a house. 


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 And when your days are fulfilled, and you shall sleep with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who shall come out of your bowels. And I will make his kingdom sure. 


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 I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the sons of men. 


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 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever. 


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 Then King David went in and sat before Jehovah. And he said, Who am I, O Lord Jehovah? And what is my house, that You have brought me here? 


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 And this was yet a small thing in Your sight, O Lord God. But You have spoken also of Your servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of men, O Lord God? 


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 For Your Word's sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things to make Your servant know. 


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 Therefore You are great, O Jehovah God. For there is none like You, neither is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 


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 And what one nation in the earth is like Your people, like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to Himself, and to make Him a name, and to do for You great things and terrible, for Your land, before Your people, whom You redeemed to You from Egypt, from the nations and their gods? 


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 For You have confirmed to Yourself Your people Israel to be a people to You forever. And You, Jehovah, have become their God. 


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 And now, O Jehovah God, the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant, and concerning his house: establish it forever, and do as You have said. 


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 And let Your name be magnified forever, saying, The Jehovah of Hosts is the God over Israel. And let the house of Your servant David be established before You. 


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 For You, O Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, have revealed to Your servant, saying, I will build you a house. Therefore Your servant has found in his heart to pray this prayer to You. 


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 And now, O Lord Jehovah, You are that God, and Your Words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. 


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 Therefore, now, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, to be forever before You. For You, O Lord Jehovah, have spoken. And with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever. 


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 And it happened afterward, David struck the Philistines and humbled them. And David took The Bridle of the Metropolis out of the hand of the Philistines. 


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 And he struck Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground. Even with two lines he measured to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive. And the Moabites became David's servants, bringing gifts. 


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 David also struck Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his border at the river Euphrates. 


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 And David took from him seventeen hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen. And David hamstrung all the chariot horses but kept enough of them for a hundred chariots. 


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 And when the Syrians of Damascus came to rescue Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand men of the Syrians. 


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 And David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus. And the Syrians became servants to David, bringing gifts. And Jehovah preserved David wherever he went. 


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 And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. 


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 Then Toi sent Joram his son to King David, to greet him and bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and had struck him. For Hadadezer had wars against Toi. And in his hand were silver articles, and golden articles, and bronze articles. 


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 King David also dedicated them to Jehovah, with the silver and gold that he had dedicated from all nations which he subdued: 


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 of Syria, and of Moab, and of the sons of Ammon, and of the Philistines, and of Amalek, and of the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah. 


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 And David made a name for himself when he returned from striking the Syrians in the Valley of Salt, eighteen thousand men. 


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 And he put garrisons in Edom. He put garrisons throughout all Edom, and all the men of Edom became David's servants. And Jehovah preserved David wherever he went. 


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 And Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, were the priests. And Seraiah was the scribe. 


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 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the Cherethites and the Pelethites. And David's sons were priests. 


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 And David said, Is there still any that is left from the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake? 


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 And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba. And they called him to David, and the king said to him, Are you Ziba? And he said, Your servant. 


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 And the king said, Is there not still any of the house of Saul, so that I may show the kindness of God to him? And Ziba said to the king, Jonathan still has a son, who is lame in his feet. 


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 And the king said to him, Where is he? And Ziba said to the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar. 


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 And Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, and fell on his face and bowed to him. And David said, Mephibosheth! And he answered, Behold your servant! 


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 And David said to him, Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake, and will restore you all the land of Saul your father. And you shall eat bread at my table forever. 


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 And he bowed himself and said, What is your servant, that you should look upon such a dead dog as I? 


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 Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, I have given to your master's son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. 


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 And you shall till the land for him, you and your sons and your servants. And you shall bring in the fruits so that your master's son may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth, your master's son, shall eat bread always at my table. And Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 


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 And Ziba said to the king, According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so shall your servant do. And Mephibosheth was eating at my table like one of the king's sons. 


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 And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Micah. And all that lived in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth. 


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 And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem. For he always sat at the king's table. And he was lame in both his feet. 


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 And it happened after this, the king of the sons of Ammon died, and his son Hanun reigned in his stead. 


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 And David said, I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness to me. And David sent to comfort him for his father, by the hand of his servants. And David's servants came to the land of the sons of Ammon. 


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 And the leaders of the sons of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, Do you think that David honors your father, that he has sent comforters to you? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it? 


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 And Hanun took David's servants and shaved off half their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, to their buttocks, and sent them away. 


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 And they told David, and he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, Stay at Jericho until your beards are grown, and return. 


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 And the sons of Ammon saw that they had begun to stink before David. And the sons of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob, and the Syrians of Zobah, twenty thousand footmen, and from King Maacah a thousand men, and from Ishtob twelve thousand men. 


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 And the sons of Ammon came out and put the battle in order at the entering in of the gate. And the Syrians of Zobah, and of Rehob, and Ishtob, and Maacah, were by themselves in the field. 


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 And Joab saw that the front of the battle was against him before and behind. And he chose from all the choice ones of Israel, and put them in order against the Syrians. 


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 And the rest of the people he delivered into the hand of Abishai his brother, so that he might set in order against the sons of Ammon. 


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 And he said, If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me. But if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. 


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 Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people and for the cities of our God. And may Jehovah do that which seems good to Him. 


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 And Joab and the people with him drew near to the battle against the Syrians. And they fled before him. 


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 And when the sons of Ammon saw that the Syrians had fled, then they fled also before Abishai, and entered into the city. And Joab returned from the sons of Ammon and came to Jerusalem. 


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 And Hadarezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond the river. And they came to Helam. And Shobach the commander of the army of Hadarezer went before them. 


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 And David was told. And he gathered all Israel and passed over Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in order to meet David and fought with him. 


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 And the Syrians fled before Israel. And David killed the men of seven hundred chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand horsemen, and struck Shobach the captain of their army, who died there. 


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 And all the kings, the servants of Hadarezer, saw that they were beaten before Israel, and they made peace with Israel and served them. And the Syrians feared to help the sons of Ammon any more. 


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 And it happened at the turn of the year, at the time kings go forth, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they destroyed the sons of Ammon and circled Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. 


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 And it happened one evening, David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing. And the woman was very beautiful to look upon. 


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 And David sent and asked about the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? 


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 And David sent messengers and took her. And she came in to him, and he lay with her. And she had purified herself from her uncleanness. And she returned to her house. 


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 And when Uriah had come to him, David asked how Joab did, and how the people did, and how the war went. 


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 And David said to Uriah, Go down to your house and wash your feet. And Uriah left the king's house. And a gift from the king went out after him. 


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 But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. 


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 And they told David, saying, Uriah did not go to his house. And David said to Uriah, Did you not come from a journey? Why have you not gone down to your house? 


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 And Uriah said to David, The ark and Israel and Judah abide in tents. And my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are camped in the open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing. 


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 And David said to Uriah, Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let you go. And Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next day. 


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 And when David had called him, he ate and drank before him. And he made him drunk. And at evening he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house. 


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 And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and draw back from him so that he may be stricken and die. 


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 And it happened when Joab observed the city, he sent Uriah to a place where he knew brave men were. 


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 And the men of the city went out and fought with Joab. And some of the people of the servants of David fell. And Uriah the Hittite also died. 


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 And he commanded the messenger saying, When you have made an end of telling the matters of the war to the king, 


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 and if it be so that the king's wrath arise, and he say to you, Why did you approach so near to the city when you fought? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? 


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 Who struck Abimelech the son of Jerub-besheth? Did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you go near the wall? And you shall say, Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also. 


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 And the messenger said to David, Surely the men prevailed against us, and came out to us to the field, and we were upon them even to the entering of the gate. 


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 And the shooters shot from off the wall upon your servants, and some of the king's servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also. 


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 Then David said to the messenger, So you shall say to Joab, Do not let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Make your battle stronger against the city and overthrow it. And you encourage him. 


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 And when her mourning was past, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done was evil in the eyes of Jehovah. 


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 And Jehovah sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said to him, There were two men in one city, one rich and one poor. 


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 but the poor one had nothing except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished up. And it grew up together with him and with his sons. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was to him like a daughter. 


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 And there came a traveler to the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd to dress for the traveler that had come to him. But he took the poor man's lamb and dressed it for the man who had come to him. 


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 And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man. And he said to Nathan, As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die. 


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 And Nathan said to David, You are the man! So says Jehovah, the God of Israel, I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. 


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 And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if that was too little, I would have given to you such and such things besides. 


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 Why have you despised the Word of Jehovah, to do evil in His sight? You have stricken Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. 


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 And therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. 


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 So says Jehovah, Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house, and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor. And he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. 


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 And David said to Nathan, I have sinned against Jehovah. And Nathan said to David, Jehovah also has put away your sin; you shall not die. 


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 Only, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of Jehovah to blaspheme, this child born to you shall surely die. 


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 And Nathan left to go to his house. And Jehovah struck the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and it was very sick. 


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 And David prayed to God for the child. And David fasted, and went in and lay all night upon the earth. 


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 And the elders of his house rose up toward him, to raise him up from the earth. But he would not, neither did he eat bread with them. 


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 And it happened on the seventh day, the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, Behold, while the child was still alive we spoke to him, and he would not listen to our voice. How then will he trouble himself if we tell him that the child is dead? 


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 But David saw that his servants whispered. And David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, Is the boy dead? And they said, He is dead. 


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 And David arose from the earth and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his clothing, and came into the house of Jehovah and worshiped. And he came to his house, and commanded, and they brought bread before him and he ate. 


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 Then his servants said to him, What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the living boy, but when the child was dead you arose and ate bread! 


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 And he said, While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, Who can tell if God will be gracious to me so that the child may live? 


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 But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me. 


text:
 And David comforted his wife Bathsheba. And he went in to her and lay with her. And she bore a son. And he called his name Solomon. And Jehovah loved him. 


text:
 And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and he called his name Jedidiah, because of Jehovah. 


text:
 And Joab sent messengers to David and said, I have fought against Rabbah, and have taken the city of waters. 


text:
 And therefore gather the rest of the people together, and camp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called after my name. 


text:
 And he took the king's crown from off his head, the weight of which was a talent of gold, and a precious stone in it. And it was set on David's head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city in great abundance. 


text:
 And he brought forth the people that were in it, and put them to the saw, and to sharp tools of iron, and to axes of iron. And he made them go over into the brick-kiln. And so he did to all the cities of the sons of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem. 


text:
 And it happened after this Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar. And Amnon the son of David loved her. 


text:
 And Amnon was so troubled that he fell sick for his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin. And Amnon thought it hard for him to do anything to her. 


text:
 And Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of David's brother Shimeah. And Jonadab was a very crafty man. 


text:
 And he said to him, Why are you, the king's son, lean from day to day? Will you not tell me? And Amnon said to him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister. 


text:
 And Jonadab said to him, Lay down on your bed and make yourself sick. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, Please let my sister Tamar come and give me food, and prepare the food in my sight so that I may see and eat it at her hand. 


text:
 And Amnon lay down and made himself sick. And when the king had come to see him, Amnon said to the king, Please let my sister Tamar come and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, so that I may eat at her hand. 


text:
 And David sent home to Tamar, saying, Go now to your brother Amnon's house, and prepare food for him. 


text:
 And Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house. And he had lain down. And she took flour and kneaded it, and made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes. 


text:
 And she took a pan and poured them out before him. But he refused to eat. And Amnon said, Make every man go out from me. And every man went out from him. 


text:
 And Amnon said to Tamar, Bring the food into the room so that I may eat out of your hand. And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them into the room to Amnon her brother. 


text:
 And when she had brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, Come lie with me, my sister. 


text:
 And she answered him, No, my brother, do not humble me. For no such thing ought to be done in Israel. Do not do this folly. 


text:
 And I, where shall I cause my shame to go? And as for you, you shall be as one of the fools in Israel. But now please speak to the king. For he will not withhold me from you. 


text:
 But he would not listen to her voice; but being stronger than she, he forced her and lay with her. 


text:
 Then Amnon hated her with a great hatred. And the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, Get up and go. 


text:
 And she said to him, There is no cause. This evil in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me. But he would not listen to her. 


text:
 And he called his servant who waited on him and said, And put this woman out from me, and bolt the door after her. 


text:
 And she had a robe of many colors upon her, for the king's virgin daughters were clothed with such robes. And his servant brought her out and bolted the door after her. 


text:
 And Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the robe of many colors that was on her, and laid her hand on her head, and went on, crying. 


text:
 And Absalom her brother said to her, Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now hold your peace, my sister. He is your brother. Do not set your heart on this thing. And Tamar remained desolate in the house of her brother Absalom. 


text:
 And Absalom did not speak to his brother Amnon, neither good nor bad, for Absalom hated Amnon because he had forced his sister Tamar. 


text:
 And it happened after two full years Absalom had sheepshearers in Baal-hazor, beside Ephraim. And Absalom invited all the king's sons. 


text:
 And Absalom came to the king and said, Behold now, your servant has shearers. Please let the king and his servants go with your servant. 


text:
 And the king said to Absalom, No, my son, let us not all go now, lest we be too heavy upon you. And he pressed him. He would not go, however, but blessed him. 


text:
 Then Absalom said, If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us? And the king said to him, Why should he go with you? 


text:
 And Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, And watch when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, Strike Amnon, you shall kill him. Do not fear. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous, and be brave. 


text:
 And the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. And all the king's sons arose. And they each got on his mule and fled. 


text:
 And it happened while they were in the way, news came to David, saying, Absalom has killed all the king's sons, and there is not one of them left. 


text:
 And the king arose and tore his garments, and lay on the earth. And all his servants stood by with their clothes torn. 


text:
 And Jonadab, the son of David's brother Shimeah answered and said, Let not my lord think that they have killed all the young men, the king's sons. For only Amnon is dead. For by the mouth of Absalom this has been determined from the day that he humbled his sister Tamar. 


text:
 And now do not let my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king's sons are dead, for only Amnon is dead. 


text:
 But Absalom fled. And the young man that kept the watch lifted up his eyes and looked. And, behold, many people came by the way of the hillside behind him. 


text:
 And it happened as soon as he had made an end of speaking, behold, the king's sons came. And they lifted up their voice and wept. And the king also and all his servants wept with a great weeping. 


text:
 But Absalom fled and went to Talmai, the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day. 


text:
 And King David longed to go forth to Absalom, for he was comforted about Amnon, since he was dead. 


text:
 And Joab sent to Tekoah and brought a wise woman from there. And he said to her, Please pretend yourself to be a mourner, and put on mourning clothes now, and do not anoint yourself with oil. But be like a woman who has mourned for the dead a long time. 


text:
 And the king said to her, What ails you? And she answered, I am indeed a widow, and my husband died. 


text:
 And your handmaid had two sons, and the two of them fought together in the field. And there was no deliverer between them, but the one struck the other and killed him. 


text:
 And behold, the whole family has risen against your handmaid. And they said, Deliver him who struck his brother so that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he killed. And we will destroy the heir also. And so they shall put out my coal which is left, and shall leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the face of the earth. 


text:
 And the woman of Tekoah said to the king, My lord, O king, may the iniquity be on me and on my father's house. And may the king and his throne be without guilt. 


text:
 And the king said, Whoever speaks to you, you also bring him to me, and he shall not touch you any more. 


text:
 Then she said, Please let the king remember Jehovah your God, that you would not allow the avengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they should destroy my son. And he said, As the Lord lives, there shall not one hair of your son fall to the earth. 


text:
 Then the woman said, Please let your handmaid speak one more word to my lord the king. And he said, Say on! 


text:
 And the woman said, Why then have you thought such a thing against the people of God? For the king speaks this thing as one who is at fault, in that the king does not bring his banished one home again. 


text:
 For we must all die, and we are as water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. And God does not take a life, but has devised plans so that the outcast is not cast out from Him. 


text:
 And now I have come to speak of this thing to my lord the king, because the people have made me afraid. And your handmaid said, I will now speak to the king. It may be that the king will do what his handmaid has asked. 


text:
 For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God. 


text:
 And your handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comforting. For as an angel of God, so is my lord the king, to see what is good and bad. And Jehovah your God will be with you. 


text:
 And the king answered and said to the woman, Please do not hide from me the thing that I shall ask you. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak. 


text:
 And the king said, Is the hand of Joab with you in all this? And the woman answered and said, As your soul lives, my lord the king, none shall turn to the right hand or to the left from anything which my lord the king has spoken. For your servant Joab commanded me. And he put all these words in the mouth of your handmaid. 


text:
 Your servant Joab has done this thing to change the face of the matter. And my lord is wise according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all that is in the land. 


text:
 And the king said to Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing. Go therefore and bring the young man Absalom again. 


text:
 And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king. And Joab said, Today your servant knows that I have found grace in your sight, my lord, O, king, in that the king has done what your servant has asked. 


text:
 And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face. And Absalom returned to his own house, and did not see the king's face. 


text:
 But in all Israel there was not a man handsome like Absalom. From the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. 


text:
 And when he sheared his head (for it was at every year's end that he sheared it, because it was heavy on him. And he sheared it), and he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels, according to the king's weight. 


text:
 And there were born three sons to Absalom, and one daughter, whose name was Tamar. She was a woman with a beautiful face. 


text:
 And Absalom sent to Joab, to send him to the king. But he would not come to him. And when he sent again a second time, he would not come. 


text:
 And he said to his servants, See, Joab's field is near mine, and he has barley there. Go and set it on fire! And Absalom's servants set the field on fire. 


text:
 And Joab arose and came to Absalom's house, and said to him, Why have your servants set my field on fire? 


text:
 And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I sent to you, saying, Come here so that I may send you to the king, to say, Why have I come from Geshur? It was good for me to be there still. And now let me see the king's face, and if there is iniquity in me, let him kill me. 


text:
 And Joab came to the king and told him. And when he had called for Absalom, he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king. And the king kissed Absalom. 


text:
 And it happened after this, Absalom prepared himself chariots and horses and fifty men to run before him. 


text:
 And Absalom rose up early and stood beside the way of the gate. And it was so, if any man had a suit to come before the king for judgment, then Absalom called to him and said, What city are you from? And he said, Your servant is of one of the tribes of Israel. 


text:
 And Absalom said to him, See! Your matters are good and right. But no listener from the king will hear you. 


text:
 And Absalom said, Oh that I might be made judge in the land, so that every man who has any suit or cause might come to me, and I would do him justice! 


text:
 And it was so, when any man came near to bow down to him, he put forth his hand and took him and kissed him. 


text:
 And in this way Absalom did to all Israel that came to the king for judgment. And Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. 


text:
 And it happened at the end of forty years, Absalom said to the king, Please let me go and pay my vow which I have vowed to Jehovah in Hebron. 


text:
 For your servant vowed a vow while I lived at Geshur in Syria, saying, If Jehovah will indeed bring me again to Jerusalem, then I will serve Jehovah. 


text:
 But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as you hear the sound of the ram's horn, then you shall say, Absalom reigns in Hebron! 


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 And with Absalom went two hundred called men out of Jerusalem. And they went in their honesty, and did not know anything. 


text:
 And Absalom sent for Ahithophel of Giloh, David's counselor, from his city Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong, for the people with Absalom grew more and more. 


text:
 And David said to all his servants with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee! For otherwise we shall not escape from Absalom. Make haste to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly and bring evil upon us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword. 


text:
 And the king's servants said to the king, Behold, your servants will do whatever my lord the king shall choose. 


text:
 And the king went forth, and all his household after him. And the king left ten women, concubines, to keep the house. 


text:
 And all his servants passed on beside him. And all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men who came after him from Gath, passed on before the king. 


text:
 Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, Why do you also go with us? Return to your place, and stay with the king. For you are a stranger, and also an exile. 


text:
 Since you came only yesterday, should I make you go up and down with us today? Since I go where I may, you may return and take back your brothers. May mercy and truth be with you. 


text:
 And Ittai answered the king and said, As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely in whatever place my lord the king shall be, whether in death or life, even there also will your servant be. 


text:
 And David said to Ittai, Go and pass over. And Ittai the Gittite passed over, and all his men, and all the little ones with him. 


text:
 And all the country wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over. The king himself also passed over the torrent Kidron, and all the people passed over toward the way of the wilderness. 


text:
 And lo, Zadok came also, and all the Levites were with him, carrying the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God. And Abiathar went up until all the people had finished passing out of the city. 


text:
 And the king said to Zadok, Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I shall find favor in the eyes of Jehovah, He will bring me again and show it to me, and its dwelling place also. 


text:
 But if He says this, I have no delight in you; behold me, and let Him do to me as seems good to Him. 


text:
 The king also said to Zadok the priest, Are you a seer? Return to the city in peace, and your two sons with you. Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar. 


text:
 And David went up by the ascent of mount Olivet. And he wept as he went up, and had his head covered, and he went barefoot. And of all the people with him, each man covered his head. And they went up, weeping as they went. 


text:
 And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O Jehovah, I pray You, turn the advice of Ahithophel to foolishness. 


text:
 And it happened when David had come to the top, where he worshiped God, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn and earth upon his head. 


text:
 But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, I will be your servant, O king; I have been your father's servant until now, and now I also will be your servant, then you may break down the advice of Ahithophel for me. 


text:
 And do you not have there with you Zadok and Abiathar the priests? And it shall be, whatever you shall hear out of the king's house, you shall tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests. 


text:
 Behold, they have their two sons there with them, Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, and Jonathan, Abiathar's son. And you shall send to me everything that you hear by them. 


text:
 And David had passed on a little from the top. And, behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him with a couple of asses saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and a hundred bunches of raisins, and a hundred of summer fruits, and a bottle of wine. 


text:
 And the king said to Ziba, What are these to you? And Ziba said, The asses are for the king's household to ride upon. And the bread and summer fruit are for the young men to eat. And the wine is so that the ones who are faint in the wilderness may drink. 


text:
 And the king said, And where is your master's son? And Ziba said to the king, Behold, he remains at Jerusalem. For he said, Today the house of Israel shall restore to me the kingdom of my father. 


text:
 And the king said to Ziba, Behold, All that belonged to Mephibosheth is yours. And Ziba said, I humbly beg you that I may find grace in your sight, my lord, O king. 


text:
 And King David came to Bahurim. And, behold, a man of the house of Saul came out from there, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera. He came out, and he came cursing. 


text:
 And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David. And all the people and all the mighty men were on his right hand, and on his left. 


text:
 Jehovah has returned on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. And Jehovah has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son. And behold, you are taken in your mischief, because you are a man of blood! 


text:
 And Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Please let me go over and take off his head. 


text:
 And the king said, What have I to do with you, sons of Zeruiah? Let him curse, because Jehovah has said to him, Curse David. Who then shall say, Why have you done so? 


text:
 And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, Behold, my son, who came forth from my bowels, seeks my life; and surely now this Benjamite? Let him alone and let him curse, for Jehovah has spoken to him. 


text:
 It may be that Jehovah will look on my affliction, and that Jehovah will repay me with good for his cursing this day. 


text:
 And David and his men went by the highway. And Shimei went along on the hillside over across from him, and cursed as he went, and threw stones at him, and threw dust. 


text:
 And Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem. And Ahithophel went with him. 


text:
 And it happened, when Hushai the Archite, David's friend, had come to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, Let the king live, let the king live! 


text:
 And Absalom said to Hushai, Is this your kindness to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend? 


text:
 And Hushai said to Absalom, No, but whom Jehovah and this people, and all the men of Israel choose, his will I be, and I will stay with him. 


text:
 And again, whom should I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I have served in your father's presence, so I will be in your presence. 


text:
 And Ahithophel said to Absalom, Go in to your father's concubines, that he left to keep the house. And all Israel shall hear that you are abhorred by your father. And the hands of all who are with you will be strong. 


text:
 And they spread Absalom a tent on the top of the house, and Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel. 


text:
 And the advice of Ahithophel, which he advised in those days, was as if a man had inquired at the oracle of God. So was all the advice of Ahithophel, both with David and with Absalom. 


text:
 And Ahithophel said to Absalom, Please let me choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David tonight. 


text:
 And I will come upon him while he is weary and weak-handed, and I will make him tremble. And all the people with him will flee. And I will strike the king by himself. 


text:
 And I will bring back all the people to you, when all return, except the man whom you are seeking. All the people shall be in peace. 


text:
 And Absalom said, Please call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear likewise what is in his mouth. 


text:
 And Hushai came in to Absalom. And Absalom spoke to him saying, Ahithophel has spoken in this way. Shall we do his word? If not, you speak. 


text:
 For, Hushai said, you know your father and his men, that they are mighty men, and they are bitter of soul, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. And your father is a man of war, and will not stay the night with the people. 


text:
 Behold, he is hidden now in some pit, or in one of the places. And it shall be, at the falling among them at the first, whoever hears will say, There is a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom. 


text:
 And also he, the son of valor, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, shall utterly melt. For all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and they who are with him are mighty men. 


text:
 Therefore I advise that all Israel be generally gathered to you, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, like the sand that is by the sea for multitude. And you yourself shall go into battle. 


text:
 And we shall come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him like the dew falls upon the ground. And of all the men that are with him, not even one shall be left. 


text:
 And if he has gotten into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river until there is not one small stone found there. 


text:
 And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For Jehovah had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that Jehovah might bring evil on Absalom. 


text:
 And Hushai said to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, This and this Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel, and this and this I have advised. 


text:
 And now send quickly and tell David, saying, Do not stay in the plains of the wilderness tonight, but speedily pass over, lest the king be swallowed up, and all the people with him. 


text:
 And Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by En-rogel, for there they might not be seen to come into the city. And a slave-girl went and told them, and they went and told King David. 


text:
 But a lad saw them and told Absalom. But both of them went away quickly, and came to a man's house in Bahurim, who had a well in his court, into which they went down. 


text:
 And the woman took and spread a covering over the well's mouth, and spread ground grain on it, and the thing was not known. 


text:
 And when Absalom's servants came to the woman, to the house, they said, Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said to them, They have gone over the brook of water. And when they had searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem. 


text:
 And it happened after they had departed, they came up out of the well, and went and told King David. And they said to David, Arise and pass quickly over the waters, for this is what Ahithophel has advised against you. 


text:
 Then David and all the people with him arose. And they passed over Jordan. By the morning light there was not one of them that had not gone over Jordan. 


text:
 And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, even he saddled the ass and arose, and went home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order. And he hanged himself and died, and was buried in the tomb of his father. 


text:
 And David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed over Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him. 


text:
 And Absalom made Amasa captain of the army instead of Joab. This Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra, an Israelite, who went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah, Joab's mother. 


text:
 And it happened when David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah, of the sons of Ammon, and Machir the son of Ammiel of Lodebar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim, 


text:
 brought beds and basins and earthen vessels, and wheat and barley and flour and roasted grain, and beans and lentils and other roasted food, 


text:
 and honey and butter and sheep and cheese from cows, for David and for the people with him to eat. For they said, The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness. 


text:
 And David numbered the people who were with him, and set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them. 


text:
 And David sent forth a third of the people under the hand of Joab, and a third under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, I will also surely go forth with you myself. 


text:
 But the people answered, You shall not go forth. For if we run away, they will not set their heart on us, even if half of us die. For now you are worth ten thousand of us. And now it is better that you remain to help us from the city. 


text:
 And the king said to them, I will do what is good in your eyes. And the king stood by the side of the gate, and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands. 


text:
 And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, For my sake be gentle with the young man, with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the commanders charge concerning Absalom. 


text:
 And the people went out into the field against Israel. And the battle was in the forest of Ephraim. 


text:
 And the people of Israel were killed there before the servants of David. And there was a great slaughter that day of twenty thousand. 


text:
 For the battle was scattered there over the face of all the country. And the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured. 


text:
 And Absalom met the servants of David. And Absalom rode on a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak. And his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heavens and the earth. And the mule under him went away. 


text:
 And Joab said to the man who told him, And, behold, you saw him, and why did you not strike him there to the ground? And I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a girdle. 


text:
 And the man said to Joab, Though I should receive a thousand silverlings in my hand, yet I would not put forth my hand against the king's son. For in our ears the king charged you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware you who go against the young man, against Absalom. 


text:
 Or I would have dealt falsely with my own life, for there is no matter hidden from the king, and you yourself would have set yourself against me. 


text:
 And Joab said, I cannot stay here with you this way! And he took three darts in his hand and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the midst of the oak. 


text:
 And Joab blew the ram's horn, and the people returned from pursuing Israel. For Joab held back the people. 


text:
 And they took Absalom and threw him into a great pit in the forest. And they laid a very great heap of stones upon him. And all Israel fled, each one to his tent. 


text:
 And Absalom in his lifetime had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which is in the King's Valley. For he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance. And he called the pillar after his own name. And it is called until this day, Absalom's monument. 


text:
 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, And let me run and bear the news to the king, how Jehovah has avenged him of his enemies. 


text:
 And Joab said to him, You shall not bear news today, but you shall bear good news some other day. But today you shall bear no tidings, because the king's son is dead. 


text:
 And Joab said to Cushi, Go tell the king what you have seen. And Cushi bowed himself to Joab, and ran. 


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 And Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said yet again to Joab, Yet whatever, please let me also run after the Cushite. And Joab said, Why will you run, my son, since you have no good news ready? 


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 But he said, Yet whatever, let me run! And he said to him, Run. And Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and ran past the Cushite. 


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 And David sat between the two gates. And the watchman went up to the roof over the gate to the wall, and lifted up his eyes and looked. And behold, a man ran alone. 


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 And the watchman cried and told the king. And the king said, If he is alone, there is news in his mouth. And he came apace and drew near. 


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 And the watchman saw another man running. And the watchman called to the porter and said, Behold, another man running alone. And the king said, He also brings news. 


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 And the watchman said, I see the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man, and comes with good news. 


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 And Ahimaaz called and said to the king, Peace! And he fell down upon his face before the king, and said, Blessed be Jehovah your God, who has delivered up the men who lifted up their hand against my lord the king. 


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 And the king said, Peace to the young man, to Absalom? And Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent the king's servant, and your servant, I saw a great uproar, but I did not know what it was. 


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 And, behold, Cushi came. And Cushi said, Good news, my lord the king, for Jehovah has avenged you this day of all those who rose up against you. 


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 And the king said to Cushi, Peace to the young man, to Absalom? And Cushi answered, May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise against you to do you hurt, be as the young man. 


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 And the king was much moved, and went up to the room over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said this, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would God I had died for you, O Absalom, my son, my son! 


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 And the victory that day was turned into mourning to all the people. For the people heard it said that day how the king was grieved for his son. 


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 And the people went up secretly into the city that day, as people who are ashamed steal away when they flee in battle. 


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 But the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son! 


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 And Joab came into the house to the king and said, You have today shamed the faces of all your servants. For they have saved your life and the lives of your sons and your daughters today, the lives of your wives, and the lives of your concubines. 


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 By loving your enemies and hating those who love you, you have declared today that there are neither commanders nor servants to you. For I know that today if Absalom had lived and all of us had died today, then it would have pleased you very much! 


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 And now get up and go out. Speak to the heart of your servants. For I swear by Jehovah if you do not go out, not a man shall stay with you tonight. And that will be worse to you than all the evil which has come to you from your youth until now. 


text:
 Then the king arose and sat in the gate. And they told it to the people, saying, Behold, the king sits in the gate! And all the people came before the king. (For Israel had fled, every one to his tent.) 


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 And it happened, all the people quarreled throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king saved us out of the hand of our enemies, and he delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines. And now he has fled out of the land from Absalom. 


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 And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. And now why do you not speak a word about bringing the king back? 


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 And King David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, Speak to the elders of Judah, saying, Why are you the last to bring the king back to his house? For the word of all Israel has come to the king, to his house. 


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 And you say to Amasa, Are you not of my bone and of my flesh? May God do so to me, and more also, if you are not commander of the army before me all the days instead of Joab. 


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 And he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, even as one man, so that they sent to the king, saying, Return, you and all your servants. 


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 And the king returned and came to Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal to go to meet the king, to conduct the king over Jordan. 


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 And Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite from Bahurim, hurried and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David. 


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 And a thousand men of Benjamin were with him, and Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him. And they went over Jordan before the king. 


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 And they had crossed over the ford to carry over the king's household, and to do what he thought good. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king as he had come over Jordan. 


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 And he said to the king, Let not my lord charge iniquity to me. Do not remember the perverse way your servant acted in the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, for the king to take it to his heart. 


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 For your servant knows that I have sinned. And, behold, I come today, the first of all the house of Joseph to go down to meet my lord the king. 


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 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed Jehovah's anointed? 


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 And David said, What do I have to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should be my foes today? Shall there be any man put to death today in Israel? For do I not know that I am king over Israel today? 


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 And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king. And he had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his moustache, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until he came in peace. 


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 And it happened when he had come to Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth? 


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 And he answered, My lord, O, king, my servant deceived me. For your servant said, I will saddle me an ass so that I may ride on it and go to the king, because your servant is lame. 


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 And he spoke slander against your servant to my lord the king. But my lord the king is as an angel of God. And do what is good in your eyes. 


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 For all my father's house were but dead men before my lord the king. And you set your servant among those eating at your own table. What right then have I to cry to the king any more? 


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 And the king said to him, Why do you speak any more of your matters? I have said, You and Ziba divide the land. 


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 And Mephibosheth said to the king, Yes, let him take all, because my lord the king has come in peace to his own house. 


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 And Barzillai of Gilead came down from Rogelim, and went over Jordan with the king to conduct him over Jordan. 


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 And Barzillai was a very aged man, eighty years old. And he had provided food for the king while he abode at Mahanaim, for he was a very great man. 


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 And Barzillai said to the king, How long do I have to live, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? 


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 I am eighty years old today, and can I discern between good and evil? Can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink? Can I any more hear the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should your servant be still a burden to my lord the king? 


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 Your servant will go a little way over Jordan with the king. And why should the king repay me with such a reward? 


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 Please let your servant return so that I may die in my own city by the grave of my father and of my mother. But behold your servant Chimham, let him go over with my lord the king. And do to him what shall seem good to you. 


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 And the king answered, Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do to him that which shall seem good to you. And whatever you shall ask of me, that I will do for you. 


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 And all the people went over Jordan. And when the king had come over, the king kissed Barzillai, and blessed him. And he returned to his place. 


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 And the king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went on with him. And all the people of Judah were bringing the king, and also half the people of Israel. 


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 And, behold, all the men of Israel came to the king, and said to the king, Why have our brothers the men of Judah stolen you away, and have brought the king and his household, and all David's men with him, over Jordan? 


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 And all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, Because the king is near to us. Why then are you angry for this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king's cost? Or has he given us any gift? 


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 And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah and said, We have ten parts in the king, and we also have more right in David than you. Why then did you despise us, so that our advice should not be sought first in bringing back our king? And the words of the men of Judah were more fierce than the words of the men of Israel. 


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 And there happened to be there a man of Belial named Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite. And he blew a ram's horn and said, We have no part in David, neither do we have any inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to his tents, O, Israel! 


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 And every man of Israel went up from after David, following Sheba the son of Bichri. But the men of Judah clung to their king, from Jordan even to Jerusalem. 


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 And David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the king took the ten women, his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward, and fed them but did not go in to them. And they were shut up till the day of their death, living in widowhood. 


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 And the king said to Amasa, gather to me the men of Judah within three days, and you be present here. 


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 And Amasa went to gather Judah. But he stayed longer than the set time which he had appointed him. 


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 And David said to Abishai, And Sheba the son of Bichri shall do us more harm than Absalom. You take your lord's servants and pursue him, lest he get himself into fortified cities and escape us. 


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 And Joab's men went out after him, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men. And they went out of Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. 


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 They were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, and Amasa had gone before them. And Joab was girded with his war-coat as his clothing. And upon it was a girdle with a sword fastened upon his loins, in its sheath. And as he went forth, it fell out. 


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 And Joab said to Amasa, Are you well, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him. 


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 And Amasa was not on guard against the sword that was in Joab's hand. And he struck him with it in the belly, and poured out his bowels to the ground. And he did not strike him again. And he died. And Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri. 


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 And one of Joab's men stood by him and said, He who favors Joab, and he who is for David, go after Joab! 


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 And Amasa wallowed in blood in the middle of the highway. And the man saw that all the people stood still. And he moved Amasa out of the highway into the field, and threw a garment over him when he saw that everyone who came by him stood still. 


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 When he was moved out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri. 


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 And he went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, and to Beth-maachah, and to all the Berites. And they were gathered, and went after him too. 


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 And they came and besieged him in Abel of Beth-maachah. And they threw up a siege-mound against the city. And it stood against the wall. And all the people with Joab were undermining the wall to make it fall. 


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 Then a wise woman cried out of the city, Hear, hear! Please say to Joab, Come near here so that I may speak with you. 


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 And when he had come near her, the woman said, Are you Joab? And he answered, I am. And she said to him, Hear the words of your handmaid. And he answered, I hear. 


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 And she spoke, saying, They spoke often in days gone by, saying, Surely they will ask of Abel, and so they ended the matter. 


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 I am peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow up the inheritance of Jehovah? 


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 The matter is not so. But a man of Mount Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Only deliver him, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said to Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall. 


text:
 Then the woman went to all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab. And he blew the ram's horn, and they scattered from the city, each man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king. 


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 And Joab was over all the army of Israel. And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites. 


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 And there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year. And David inquired of Jehovah. And Jehovah answered, For Saul, and for his bloody house, because he killed the Gibeonites. 


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 And the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. And the Gibeonites were not of the sons of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites. And the sons of Israel had sworn to them. And Saul sought to kill them in his zeal to the sons of Israel and Judah. 


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 And David said to the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? And with what shall I atone for this, so that you may bless the inheritance of Jehovah? 


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 And the Gibeonites said to him, We will have no silver nor gold from Saul, nor from his house. Also, we will have no man in Israel put to death. And he said, What you shall say, I will do for you. 


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 And they answered the king, The man who destroyed us, and who devised against us, that we should be destroyed from remaining in any of the borders of Israel, 


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 let seven men of his sons be delivered to us, and we will hang them up to the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of Jehovah. And the king said, I will give them. 


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 But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of Jehovah's oath that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul. 


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 But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth, and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite. 


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 And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites. And they hanged them in the hill before Jehovah. And they fell, seven together, and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, in the beginning of barley harvest. 


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 And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water dropped upon them out of heaven. And she did not allow either the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night. 


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 And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the plaza of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them when the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa. 


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 And he brought the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son up from there. And they gathered the bones of those who were hanged. 


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 And they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the land of Benjamin in Zelah, in the tomb of his father Kish. And they did all that the king commanded. And afterward God heeded prayer for the land. 


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 And again the Philistines warred with Israel. And David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines. And David became faint. 


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 And Ishbi-benob, who was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of bronze in weight. And he being girded with a new sword thought to kill David. 


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 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, You shall not go out to battle with us any more, so that you do not put out the light of Israel. 


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 And it happened after this there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was of the sons of the giant. 


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 And there was again a battle with the Philistines in Gob, where Elhanan of Bethlehem, the son of Jaare-oregim, killed one of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. 


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 And there was yet again a battle in Gath. And there was a man of stature who had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number. And he also was born to the giant. 


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 These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants. 


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 And David spoke to Jehovah the words of this song in the day Jehovah had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul. 


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 The God who is my Rock, in Him will I trust. He is my Shield, and the Horn of my salvation, my High Tower, and my Refuge, my Savior. You save me from violence. 


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 In my distress I called upon Jehovah and cried to my God. And he heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry entered into His ears. 


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 And the earth shook and trembled. The foundations of the heavens moved and shook because He was angry. 


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 And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were uncovered, at the rebuking of Jehovah, at the blast of the breath of His nostrils. 


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 Jehovah rewarded me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands He has rewarded me. 


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 With the faithful You will show Yourself faithful; with the upright man You will show Yourself upright. 


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 As for God, His way is perfect. The Word of Jehovah is tried. He is a shield to all those who seek refuge in Him. 


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 And I have crushed them and wounded them so that they could not rise. Yea, they have fallen under my feet. 


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 For You have girded me with strength to battle. You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. 


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 Then I beat them as small as the dust of the earth, I stamped them like the mire of the streets and spread them out. 


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 You have also delivered me from the strivings of my people, You have kept me the head of the nations. A people I knew not shall serve me. 


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 and who brings me forth from my enemies. You also lift me up on high above those rising up against me. You deliver me from the violent man. 


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 Therefore, I will give thanks to You, O Jehovah, among the heathen, and I will sing praises to Your name. 


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 He is the Tower of salvation for His king, and He shows mercy to His anointed, to David and to his seed, forevermore. 


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 And these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said: 


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 The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me: he who rules over men justly, ruling in the fear of God, 


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 is as the light of the morning, as the sun rises, a morning without clouds. The tender grass springs out of the earth through shining after rain. 


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 Although my house is not so with God, yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure. For all my salvation, and all my desire, will He not make it grow? 


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 But the wicked, all of them, shall be like a thorn thrust away, because they cannot be taken by the hand. 


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 But the man who shall touch them must be armed with iron and the staff of a spear. And they shall be utterly burned in their place. 


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 These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth the Tachmonite, chief of the three; he was called Adino the Eznite, because of the eight hundred he killed at one time. 


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 And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there to battle; and the men of Israel had gone up; 


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 he arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary, and until his hand clung to the sword. And Jehovah worked a great victory that day. And the people returned after him only to spoil. 


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 And next was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where there was a piece of ground full of lentils. And the people fled from the Philistines. 


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 But he stood in the middle of the ground and delivered it, and killed the Philistines. And Jehovah worked a great victory. 


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 And three of the thirty chief men went down and came to David in the harvest time into the cave of Adullam. And the troop of the Philistines pitched in the Valley of the Giants. 


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 And David longed and said, Oh that someone would give me a drink from the water of the well of Bethlehem by the gate! 


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 And the three mighty men broke through the army of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it, but poured it out to Jehovah. 


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 And he said, Be it far from me, O Jehovah, that I should do this. Is it not the blood of the men who went in danger of their lives? And he would not drink it. These three mighty men did these things. 


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 And Abishai the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief among three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred and killed them, and had the name among three. 


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 Surely he was honored more than the three. And he was their commander. However he did not attain to the first three. 


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 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada from Kabzeel, a son of a mighty man, great in deeds. He killed two lion-like men of Moab. He went down also and killed a lion in the middle of a pit in time of snow. 


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 And he killed an Egyptian, a man of form. And the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but he went down to him with a staff and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with his own spear. 


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 He was more honorable than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David set him over his guard. 


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 Heleb the son of Baanah, a Netophathite; Ittai the son of Ribai out of Gibeah, of the sons of Benjamin; 


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 Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maachathite; Eliam the son of Ahithophel, the Gilonite; 


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 And again the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, Go count Israel and Judah. 


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 For the king said to Joab the commander of the army, who was with him, Go around through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beer-sheba, and count the people so that I may know the number of the people. 


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 And Joab said to the king, And may Jehovah your God add to the people however many they be, a hundred times as many, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king delight in this thing? 


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 But the king's word prevailed against Joab, and against the commanders of the army. And Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to number the people of Israel. 


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 And they passed over Jordan and pitched in Aroer, on the right side of the city that is in the middle of the Valley of Gad, and to Jazer. 


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 And they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtim-hodshi. And they came to Dan-jaan, and around to Sidon. 


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 And they came to the stronghold of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites and of the Canaanites; and went out to the south of Judah, to Beer-sheba. 


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 And they went to and fro through all the land, and came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 


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 And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to the king. And there were in Israel eight hundred thousand strong men who drew the sword. And the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men. 


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 And David's heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to Jehovah, I have sinned greatly in what I have done. And now, I beseech You, O Jehovah, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly. 


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 And David rose up in the morning. And the Word of Jehovah came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, 


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 Go and say to David, So says Jehovah, I offer you three things. Choose one of them, so that I may do it to you. 


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 And Gad came to David, and told him, and said to him, Shall seven years of famine come upon you and on your land? Or will you flee three months before your enemies while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' plague in your land? And advise, and see what answer I shall return to Him who sent me. 


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 And David said to Gad, I am in great distress. Let us fall now into the hand of Jehovah, for His mercies are great. And do not let me fall into the hand of man. 


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 And Jehovah sent a plague upon Israel from the morning even till the time appointed. And there died from the people, from Dan to Beer-sheba, seventy thousand men. 


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 And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, Jehovah turned from the evil, and said to the angel who destroyed the people, Enough! And stay your hand. And the angel of Jehovah was by the threshing-place of Araunah the Jebusite. 


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 And David spoke to Jehovah when he saw the angel who struck the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? I pray You, let Your hand be against me and against my father's house. 


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 And Gad came that day to David, and said to him, Go up! Rear an altar to Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 


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 And Araunah looked and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and bowed before the king, his face to the ground. 


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 And Araunah said, Why has my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshing-floor from you, to build an altar to Jehovah, so that the plague may be stayed from the people. 


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 And Araunah said to David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Behold, oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments, and instruments of the oxen for wood. 


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 All these Araunah, like a king, gave to the king. And Araunah said to the king, May Jehovah your God accept you. 


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 And the king said to Araunah, No, but I will surely buy from you at a price. And I will not offer burnt offerings to Jehovah my God of that which costs me nothing. And David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 


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 And David built there an altar to Jehovah, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And Jehovah was entreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel. 


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 And his servants said to him, Let there be sought for my lord the king a young virgin. And let her stand before the king, and let her nurse him, and let her lie in your bosom, so that my lord the king may get heat. 


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 And they sought out a beautiful girl throughout all the borders of Israel, and found Abishag, a Shunammite. And they brought her to the king. 


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 And the girl was very beautiful. And she nursed the king and served him. But the king did not know her. 


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 And Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, I will be king. And he prepared himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. 


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 And his father had not displeased him at any time, saying, Why have you done so? And he also was very good of form, and his mother bore him after Absalom. 


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 And he talked with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest. And they helped Adonijah, following him. 


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 But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei, and Rei, and David's mighty men, were not with Adonijah. 


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 And Adonijah killed sheep and oxen and fat cattle by the Stone of Serpents, which is by En-rogel, and called all his brothers, the king's sons, and all the men of Judah, the king's servants. 


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 And Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith reigns, and David our lord does not know? 


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 And now come, please let me give you counsel, and save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. 


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 Go up and go in to King David, and say to him, My lord, O king, did you not swear to your handmaid, saying, Surely your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? Why then does Adonijah reign? 


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 Behold, while you are still talking with the king, I also will come in after you and confirm your words. 


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 And Bathsheba went in to the king into the room. And the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite served the king. 


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 And she said to him, My lord, you swore by Jehovah your God to your handmaid, saying, Surely your son Solomon shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne. 


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 And he has slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and has called all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army. But he has not called your servant Solomon. 


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 And you, my lord, O king, the eyes of all Israel are upon you, that you should tell them who shall sit upon the throne of my lord the king after him. 


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 And it will be, when my lord the king shall sleep with his fathers, my son Solomon and I shall be offenders. 


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 And they told the king, saying, Behold, Nathan the prophet. And he came in before the king, and bowed before the king with his face to the ground. 


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 And Nathan said, My lord, O king, have you said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? 


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 For he has gone down this day, and has killed a great many of oxen and fat cattle and sheep, and has called all the king's sons and the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they eat and drink before him, and say, Let King Adonijah live. 


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 But he has not called me, your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon. 


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 Is this thing done by my lord the king, and have you not shown your servant who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him? 


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 And David answered and said, Call Bathsheba. And she came into the king's presence, and stood before the king. 


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 surely as I swore to you by Jehovah, the God of Israel, saying, Surely Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne in my place, even so I will do today. 


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 And Bathsheba bowed her face to the earth, even kneeling to the king, and said, Let my lord King David live forever. 


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 And King David said, Call Zadok the priest to me, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king. 


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 The king also said to them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon. 


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 And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel there. And blow with the ram's horn, and say, Let King Solomon live. 


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 And you shall come up after him, and let him come and sit upon my throne. For he shall reign in my place. And I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah. 


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 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen. May Jehovah, the God of my lord the king say so. 


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 As Jehovah has been with my lord the king, even so may He be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David. 


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 And Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, went down and caused Solomon to ride upon King David's mule, and brought him to Gihon. 


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 And Zadok the priest took a horn of oil out of the Tabernacle and anointed Solomon. And they blew the ram's horn, and all the people said, Let King Solomon live! 


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 And all the people came up after him, and the people piped with pipes, and rejoiced with great joy, so that the earth was torn with their sound. 


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 And Adonijah heard, and all the invited guests with him. And they stopped eating. And Joab heard the sound of the ram's horn, and said, What is this noise roaring from the city? 


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 And he was still speaking, and behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. And Adonijah said to him, Come in, for you are a mighty man and you bring good news. 


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 And the king has sent with him Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, and they have caused him to ride upon the king's mule. 


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 And Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king in Gihon. And they have come up from there rejoicing, so that the city is roaring. This is the noise that you heard. 


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 And also the king's servants came to bless our lord King David, saying, May God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne. And the king bowed himself upon the bed. 


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 And also the king said, Blessed is Jehovah, the God of Israel, who has given one to sit on my throne today, my eyes even seeing it. 


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 And Adonijah feared because of Solomon, and arose and went and caught hold on the horns of the altar. 


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 And it was told to Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon. For, lo, he has caught hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let King Solomon swear to me today that he will not kill his servant with the sword. 


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 And Solomon said, If he becomes a son of virtue, not a hair of his head shall fall to the earth. But if wickedness shall be found in him, then he shall die. 


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 And King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and bowed himself to King Solomon. And Solomon said to him, Go to your house. 


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 And keep the charge of Jehovah your God, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His judgments, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, so that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn yourself, 


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 that Jehovah may continue His Word which He spoke concerning me, saying, If your sons take heed to their way, to walk before Me in truth with all their heart and with all their soul saying, there shall not be a man of yours cut off from the throne of Israel. 


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 And also you know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, what he did to the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner, and to Amasa the son of Jether, that he murdered them, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle on his loins, and in his shoes on his feet. 


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 And you shall do according to your wisdom and shall not let his gray head go down to the grave in peace. 


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 But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be of those that eat at your table. For so they came to me when I fled because of Absalom your brother. 


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 And, behold, with you is Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite of Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse in the day when I went to Mahanaim. But he came down to meet me at Jordan, and I swore to him by Jehovah, saying, I will not put you to death with the sword. 


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 And now, do not hold him guiltless. For you are a wise man, and you know what you ought to do to him. But bring his gray head down to the grave with blood. 


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 And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron, and he reigned thirty-three years in Jerusalem. 


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 And Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, Do you come peacefully? And he said, Peace. 


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 And he said, You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me that I should reign. However, the kingdom is turned around, and has become my brother's. For it was his from Jehovah. 


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 And he said, Please speak to Solomon the king, for he will not turn away your face, that he give me Abishag the Shunammite for my wife. 


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 And Bathsheba came in to King Solomon to speak to him for Adonijah. And the king rose up to meet her, and bowed himself to her, and sat on his throne, and caused a throne to be set for the king's mother. And she sat on his right hand. 


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 And she said, I desire one small favor of you. Do not turn away my face. And the king said to her, Ask on, my mother, for I will not turn away your face. 


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 And King Solomon answered and said to his mother, And why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask the kingdom also for him. For he is my older brother! Even for him, and for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah! 


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 And King Solomon swore by Jehovah, saying, May God do so to me, and more He shall do, if Adonijah has not spoken this word against his life. 


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 And now, as Jehovah lives, who has established me and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, as He spoke, Adonijah shall be put to death today. 


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 And King Solomon sent by the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And he fell on him so that he died. 


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 And the king said to Abiathar the priest, Go to Anathoth, to your fields, for you are worthy of death. But I will not put you to death at this time, because you carried the ark of the Lord God before David my father, and because you have been afflicted in all that in which my father was afflicted. 


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 And Solomon thrust out Abiathar from being priest to Jehovah, so that he might fulfil the Word of Jehovah which He spoke concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh. 


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 And the report came to Joab. For Joab had turned after Adonijah, though he did not turn after Absalom. And Joab fled to the tabernacle of Jehovah, and caught hold on the horns of the altar. 


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 And it was told King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tabernacle of Jehovah, and, behold, he is by the altar. And Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go fall on him. 


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 And Benaiah came to the tabernacle of Jehovah, and said to him, So says the king, come forth! And he said, No, but I will die here. And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, Thus said Joab, and so he answered me. 


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 And the king said to him, Do as he has said, and fall on him, and bury him, so that you may take away the innocent blood which Joab shed, from me and from the house of my father. 


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 And Jehovah shall return his blood on his own head, who fell on two men more righteous and better than he, and killed them with the sword, and my father David not knowing of it, Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. 


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 Yea, He shall turn back their blood on the head of Joab, and on the head of his seed forever. But on David, and on his seed, and on his house, and on his throne, there shall be peace forever from Jehovah. 


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 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and fell on him and killed him. And he was buried in his own house in the wilderness. 


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 And the king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in his place. And the king put Zadok the priest in the place of Abiathar. 


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 And the king sent and called for Shimei, and said to him, Build a house at Jerusalem and live there, and do not go forth from there anywhere. 


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 For it shall be, on the day you go out and pass over the torrent Kidron, you shall know for certain that you shall surely die. Your blood shall be on your own head. 


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 And Shimei said to the king, Your saying is good. As my lord the king has said, so will your servant do. And Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days. 


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 And it happened at the end of three years, two of the servants of Shimei ran away to Achish son of Maachah, king of Gath. And they told Shimei, saying, Behold, your servants are in Gath. 


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 And Shimei arose and saddled his ass, and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants. And Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath. 


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 And the king sent and called for Shimei and said to him, Did I not make you swear by Jehovah, and warn you, saying, In the day you go out, and you have gone anywhere, you certainly shall know that you shall surely die? And you said to me, The word I have heard is good. 


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 And the king said to Shimei, You know all the wickedness that your heart knows, what you did to David my father. And Jehovah shall return your wickedness on your own head. 


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 And King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before Jehovah forever. 


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 And the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and fell on him so that he died. And the kingdom was made sure in the hand of Solomon. 


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 And Solomon made an alliance by marriage with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter and brought her into the city of David until he finished building his own house, and the house of Jehovah, and the wall around Jerusalem. 


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 Only the people sacrificed in high places because there was no house built to the name of Jehovah until those days. 


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 And Solomon loved Jehovah, walking in the statutes of David his father. Only he sacrificed and burnt incense in high places. 


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 And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there. For that was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 


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 In Gibeon Jehovah appeared to Solomon in a dream by night. And God said, Ask what I shall give you! 


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 And Solomon said, You have shown to Your servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before You in truth and in righteousness and in uprightness of heart with You. And You have kept this great kindness for him, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today. 


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 And now, O Jehovah my God, You have made Your servant king instead of David my father. And I am a little child; I do not know to go out or come in! 


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 And Your servant is in the midst of Your people whom You have chosen, a numerous people who cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. 


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 And give to Your servant an understanding heart, to judge Your people, to discern between good and bad. For who is able to judge this, Your great people? 


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 And God said to him, Because you have asked this thing, and have not asked for yourself long life, and have not asked riches for yourself, nor have asked the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to judge justly, 


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 behold, I have done according to your words. Lo, I have given you a wise and an understanding heart, so that there was none like you before you, and after you none shall arise like you. 


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 And I also have given you that which you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there shall not be any among the kings like you all your days. 


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 And if you will walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days. 


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 And Solomon awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of Jehovah and offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a feast to all his servants. 


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 And the one woman said, O my lord, this woman and I live in one house. And I bore a child with her in the house. 


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 And it happened the third day after I gave birth, this woman bore a child also. And we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, except the two of us in the house. 


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 And she arose at midnight and took my son from beside me, while your servant was sleeping, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. 


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 When I arose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead. And when I had looked at it in the morning, behold, it was not my son whom I bore. 


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 And the other woman said, No, but the living is my son, and the dead is your son. And this one said, No, but the dead is your son, and the living is my son. So they spoke before the king. 


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 And the king said, The one says, This is my son who lives, and your son is the dead. And the other says, No, but your son is the dead, and my son is the living. 


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 And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other. 


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 And the woman whose son was the living child said to the king, for her womb yearned over her son. And she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no way kill it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor yours; divide it! 


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 And the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no way kill it. She is the mother of it. 


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 And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged. And they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to do judgment. 


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 Elihoreph and Ahiah, the sons of Shisha were the scribes. Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud the recorder, 


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 And Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers, and Zabud the son of Nathan was the minister and the king's friend. 


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 And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, who provided food for the king and his household. Each man had his month in a year to provide food. 


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 Baana the son of Ahilud to whom was Taanach and Megiddo, and all Beth-shean, which is by Zartanah below Jezreel, from Beth-shean to Abel-meholah to the place that is beyond Jokneam; 


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 the son of Geber in Ramoth-gilead; to him were the towns of Jair, Manasseh's son, which are in Gilead; to him was the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, sixty great cities with walls and bronze bars; 


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 Geber the son of Uri was in the land of Gilead, the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan; and he was the only officer in the land; 


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 Judah and Israel were many, as the sand by the sea in multitude; eating and drinking and making merry. 


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 And Solomon reigned over all kingdoms from the River to the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt. They brought presents and served Solomon all the days of his life. 


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 ten fat oxen and twenty oxen out of the pastures, and a hundred sheep, besides harts and roebucks, and fallow deer, and fattened fowl. 


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 For he had the rule over all on this side of the River, from Tiphsah even to Azzah, over all the kings on this side the River. And he had peace on all sides all around him. 


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 And Judah and Israel lived safely, every man under his vine and under his fig-tree, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all the days of Solomon. 


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 And those officers provided food for King Solomon and for all who came to King Solomon's table, every man in his month. They did not lack anything. 


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 They also brought barley and straw for the horses and mules, to the place where the officers were, every man according to his charge. 


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 And God gave Solomon exceeding great wisdom and understanding, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the seashore. 


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 And Solomon's wisdom was greater than the wisdom of all the sons of the east, and all the wisdom of Egypt. 


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 For he was wiser than all men; than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, and Chalcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol. And his fame was in all nations all around. 


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 And he spoke of trees, from the cedar tree in Lebanon even to the hyssop that springs out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts and of birds, and of creeping things, and of fish. 


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 And there came from all the people, to hear the wisdom of Solomon, from all the kings of the earth, who had heard of his wisdom. 


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 And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon, for he had heard that they had anointed him king instead of his father. For Hiram was always a lover of David. 


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 You know how David my father could not build a house to the name of Jehovah his God because of the wars which were around him on every side, until Jehovah put them under the soles of his feet. 


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 And behold, I purpose to build a house to the name of Jehovah my God, as Jehovah spoke to David my father, saying, Your son whom I will set on your throne in your place; he shall build a house to My name. 


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 And now command that they cut me cedar trees out of Lebanon, and my servants shall be with your servants. And I will give you hire for your servants according to all that you shall say. For you know that not a man among us can cut timber like the Sidonians. 


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 And it happened when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, he rejoiced greatly and said, Blessed be Jehovah this day, who has given David a wise son over this great people. 


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 And Hiram sent to Solomon saying, I have heard that for which you sent to me. I will do all your desire concerning timber of cedar, and concerning timber of fir. 


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 My servants shall bring them down from Lebanon to the sea. And I will bring them by sea in floats to the place that you shall name. And I will cause them to be left there, and you shall receive them. And you shall fulfill my desire in giving food for my household. 


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 And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of wheat for food for his household, and twenty measures of pure oil. So Solomon gave to Hiram year by year. 


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 And Jehovah gave Solomon wisdom, as He promised him. And there was peace between Hiram and Solomon. And the two of them made a treaty together. 


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 And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month, by courses. They were a month in Lebanon, and two months at home. And Adoniram was over the labor force. 


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 And Solomon had seventy thousand who bore burdens, and eighty thousand woodcutters in the mountains, 


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 besides the chief of Solomon's overseers who were over the work, thirty-three hundred, who ruled over the people who labored in the work. 


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 And the king commanded, and they brought great stones, costly stones, cut stones, to lay the foundation of the house. 


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 And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders and the Giblites cut out and prepared the timber and the stones to build the house. 


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 And it happened in the four hundred and eightieth year after the sons of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, he began to build the house of Jehovah. 


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 And the house which King Solomon built for Jehovah, its length was sixty cubits and its breadth twenty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 


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 And the porch before the temple of the house was twenty cubits in length, according to the breadth of the house. Ten cubits was its breadth on the front of the house. 


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 And against the wall of the house he built floors all around, against the walls of the house all around, of the temple and of the sanctuary. And he made rooms all around. 


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 The lowest story was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad. For around the outside of the house he made narrowed ledges for the house all around, so as not to lay hold of the walls of the house. 


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 And when it was being built, the house was built of stone made ready beforehand. And there was not heard in the house a hammer or an axe, or any iron tool, while it was being built. 


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 The door for the middle story was in the right side of the house. And they went up with winding stairs into the middle story, and out of the middle into the third. 


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 And he built the side-stories on all the house, five cubits high. And they rested on the house with timbers of cedar. 


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 As to this house which you are building, if you will walk in My statutes and do My judgments and keep all My commandments, to walk in them, then I will perform My work with you which I spoke to David your father. 


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 And he built the walls of the house inside with boards of cedar, from the floor of the house and the walls of the ceiling. He covered them on the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the house with planks of fir. 


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 And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar. He even built them for it inside, for the sanctuary, for the Holy of Holies. 


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 And the cedar of the house inside was carved with gourds and open flowers. All was cedar; there was no stone seen. 


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 And he prepared the Holy of Holies in the house inside, to set there the ark of the covenant of Jehovah. 


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 And the Holy of Holies in the front part was twenty cubits in length and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in height. And he overlaid it with pure gold, and covered the altar of cedar. 


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 And Solomon overlaid the house inside with pure gold. And he drew chains of gold across before the Holy of Holies. And he overlaid it with gold. 


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 And he overlaid the whole house with gold, until he had finished all the house. Also all of the altar that belonged to the Holy of Holies, he overlaid with gold: 


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 And one wing of the cherub was five cubits, and the other wing of the cherub was five cubits; ten cubits from the ends of its wings even to the ends of its wings. 


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 And he set the cherubs inside the inner house. And they stretched forth the wings of the cherubs so that the wing of the one touched the one wall and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall. And their wings touched one another in the midst of the house. 


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 And he carved all the walls of the house all around with carved figures of cherubs and palm trees and open flowers, inside and out. 


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 As to the entrance of the holy place he made doors of olive wood. The lintel and side posts were a fifth part, 


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 and the two doors were of olive wood. And he carved on them carvings of cherubs and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold and spread gold on the cherubs and on the palm trees. 


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 And the two doors were of fir tree. The two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. 


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 And he carved on them cherubs and palm trees and open bowers. And he covered them with gold fitted on the carved work. 


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 And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, the house was finished as to all its parts, and as to all its plans. So he was seven years in building it. 


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 And he built the house of the forest of Lebanon. Its length was a hundred cubits, and its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits, on four rows of cedar pillars, with cedar beams on the pillars. 


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 And it was covered with cedar above on the beams that lay on forty-five pillars, fifteen in a row. 


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 And all the doors and posts were square, with the windows. And the front of a window was against a window in three rows. 


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 And he made a porch of pillars. Its length was fifty cubits, and its breadth thirty cubits. And the porch was before them, and the pillars and the roof were over them. 


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 And he made a porch of the throne where he judged, the porch of judgment. And it was covered with cedar from floor to floor. 


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 As to his house where he lived, the other court was within the porch, as this work was. Solomon also made a house for Pharaoh's daughter, whom he had taken, like this porch. 


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 All these were of costly stones, according to the measures of hewn stones, sawed with saws, inside and out, even from the foundation to the coping, and so on the outside toward the great court. 


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 And the foundation was of costly stones, huge stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits. 


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 And the great court all around was with three rows of hewn stone, and a row of cedar beams, both for the inner court of the house of Jehovah, and for the porch of the house. 


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 He was the son of a widow of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in bronze. And he was filled with wisdom and understanding, and cunning to work all works in bronze. And he came to King Solomon and did all his work. 


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 For he cast two pillars of bronze, eighteen cubits was the height of the one pillar. And a line of twelve cubits went around the second pillar. 


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 And he made two capitals of melted bronze to set on the tops of the pillars. The height of the one capital was five cubits, and the height of the other capital five cubits. 


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 He made gratings, grating work with twisted threads of chain-work, for the capitals on the top of the pillars; seven for the one capital, and seven for the other capital. 


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 And he made the pillars. And two rows were all around on the one grating, to cover the capitals on the top with the pomegranates. And so he did for the other capital. 


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 And the capitals on the two pillars had pomegranates on the upper part, over against the belly which was by the grating; and the pomegranates were two hundred in rows all around on the other capital. 


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 And he set up the pillars in the porch of the temple. And he set up the right pillar and called its name, Jachin. And he set up the left pillar, and called its name, Boaz. 


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 And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from brim to brim, all around it. And its height was five cubits, and a line of thirty cubits went around it. 


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 And under its brim were gourds, going around it, ten by the cubit, going all around the sea. The gourds were cast in two rows when it was cast. 


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 It stood on twelve oxen, three facing the north, and three facing the west, and three facing the south, and three facing the east. The sea was set on top of them, and all their hinder parts were inward. 


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 And it was a handbreadth thick, and its brim was fashioned like the brim of a cup, with a bud of a lily. It contained two thousand baths. 


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 And he made ten bases of bronze, four cubits the length of the one base, and four cubits its breadth, and three cubits its height. 


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 And on the borders that were between the ledges were lions, oxen, and cherubs. And a pedestal was on the stays above. And beneath the lions and oxen were wreaths of hanging-work. 


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 And the one base had four bronze wheels and axles of bronze. And its four feet were supports to them; under the basin were casted supports with wreaths at each side. 


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 And its mouth within and above the capital was a cubit. And its mouth was round like the work of a pedestal, a cubit and half of the cubit. And also on its mouth were carvings; and their borders were square, not round. 


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 And under the borders were four wheels. And the axletrees of the wheels were in the base. And the height of a wheel was a cubit and a half. 


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 And the work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel, their axletrees, and their rims, and their hub, and their spokes, were all cast. 


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 And there were four supports to the four corners of one base, and the supports were of the very base itself. 


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 And in the top of the base was a round compass of a half a cubit high. And on the top of the base its sides and its borders were from it. 


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 And he engraved cherubs, lions, and palm trees on the plates of its sides, and on its borders, as the place of each, with wreaths all around. 


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 And he made ten basins of bronze. One basin contained forty baths. The one basin was four cubits, one basin on the one base, to the ten bases. 


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 And he put five bases on the right side of the house, and five on the left side of the house. And he set the sea on the right side of the house, eastward, across from the south. 


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 And Hiram made the basins and the shovels and the bowls. So Hiram finished doing all the work that he did for King Solomon for the house of Jehovah. 


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 Two pillars, and the bowls of the capitals on the top of the two pillars, and the two gratings to cover the two bowls of the capitals on the top of the pillars, 


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 and the four hundred pomegranates for the two gratings; two rows of pomegranates for each grating, to cover the two bowls of the capitals which were on the face of the pillars, 


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 and the pots, and the shovels, and the basins. All these vessels which Hiram made for King Solomon for the house of Jehovah were of burnished bronze. 


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 The king cast them in the plain of Jordan, in the thick soil of the ground between Succoth and Zarethan. 


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 And Solomon left all the vessels unweighed because they were exceeding many; the weight of the bronze was not searched out. 


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 And Solomon made all the vessels in the house of Jehovah: the altar of gold, and the table of gold on which was the Bread of the Presence; 


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 and the lampstands of pure gold, five on the right and five on the left, in front of the Holy of Holies, with the flowers and the lamps and the tongs of gold, 


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 and the bowls, and the snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the fire-pans of pure gold, and the hinges of gold for the doors of the inner house, the Holy of Holies, and for the doors of the house, the temple. 


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 So all the work that King Solomon made for the house of Jehovah was finished. And Solomon brought in the things which David his father had dedicated: the silver, and the gold, and the vessels, he had put into the treasuries of the house of Jehovah. 


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 And Solomon gathered the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the sons of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, so that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of Jehovah out of the city of David, which is Zion. 


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 And all the men of Israel were gathered to King Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 


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 And they brought up the ark of Jehovah, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels which were in the tabernacle; even those the priests and the Levites brought up. 


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 And King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who had assembled to him, were with him before the ark sacrificing sheep and oxen which could not be counted nor numbered for multitude. 


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 And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of Jehovah into its place, into the holy place of the house, into the Holy of Holies, under the wings of the cherubs. 


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 For the cherubs spread forth their two wings over the place of the ark. And the cherubs covered the ark and the staves of it above. 


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 And they drew out the staves, so that the ends of the staves were seen out in the holy place, in front of the Holy of Holies. And they were not seen outside. And there they are until today. 


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 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when Jehovah made a covenant with the sons of Israel when they came out of the land of Egypt. 


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 And it happened when the priests had come out of the Holy of Holies, the cloud filled the house of Jehovah. 


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 And the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of Jehovah had filled the house of Jehovah. 


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 And the king turned his face around and blessed all the congregation of Israel. And all the congregation of Israel stood. 


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 And he said, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who spoke with His mouth to David my father, and has fulfilled it by His hand, saying, 


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 From the day that I brought forth My people Israel out of Egypt, I did not choose any city out of all the tribes of Israel to build a house, so that My name might be in it. But I chose David to be over My people Israel. 


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 And it was in the heart of my father David to build a house for the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel. 


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 And Jehovah said to my father David, Because it was in your heart to build a house to My name, you did well that it was in your heart. 


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 Only, you shall not build the house, but your son who shall come out of your loins, he shall build the house to My name. 


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 And Jehovah has performed His Word which He spoke, and I have risen up instead of my father David. And I sit on the throne of Israel, as Jehovah promised. And I have built a house for the name of Jehovah, the God of Israel. 


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 And I have set there a place for the ark, in which is the covenant of Jehovah which He made with our fathers when He brought them out of the land of Egypt. 


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 And Solomon stood before the altar of Jehovah in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward the heavens. 


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 And he said, Jehovah, the God of Israel, there is no God like You, in Heaven above or on earth beneath, who keeps covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their heart, 


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 who have kept with Your servant David my father what You promised him. You also spoke with Your mouth, and have fulfilled with Your hand, as it is today. 


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 And now, Jehovah, the God of Israel, keep with Your servant David, my father, what You promised him, saying, There shall not be cut off from you a man in My sight to sit on the throne of Israel-- if your sons take heed to their way so that they walk before Me as you have walked before Me. 


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 And now, O God of Israel, I pray You, let Your Word be proved to be true, the Word which You spoke to Your servant David my father. 


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 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, the heavens and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this house which I have built? 


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 Yet, O, Jehovah my God, You have turned toward the prayer of Your servant and to his request, to listen to the cry and to the prayer which Your servant prays before You today; 


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 for Your eyes to be open toward this house night and day, toward the place of which You have said, My name shall be there; to listen to the prayer which Your servant shall pray toward this place. 


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 And You shall listen to the cry of Your servant, and of Your people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place, and hear in Heaven Your dwelling-place, and when You hear, forgive! 


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 If any man sins against his neighbor, and if an oath is laid on him to cause him to swear, and if the oath comes before Your altar in this house, 


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 then hear in Heaven, and do, and judge Your servants, to declare the wicked to be wicked, to bring his way on his head, and to declare the righteous to be righteous, to give him according to his righteousness. 


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 When Your people Israel are crushed before the enemy because they have sinned against You, and shall turn again to You and confess Your name, and pray, and cry to You in this house, 


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 then hear in Heaven and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them again into the land which You gave to their fathers. 


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 When the heavens are restrained, and there is no rain because they have sinned against You, if they pray toward this place and confess Your name, and turn from their sin when You afflict them, 


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 then hear in Heaven and forgive the sin of Your servants, and of Your people Israel, for You shall teach them the good way in which they should walk, and give rain on Your land which You have given to Your people for an inheritance. 


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 If there is famine in the land, if there is plague, blasting, mildew, locusts; if there are stripping locusts; if their enemy encircles them in the land of their cities, whatever plague, whatever sickness, 


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 any prayer, any supplication from any man of all Your people Israel, who shall each know the plague of his own heart, and shall spread forth his hands toward this house, 


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 then hear in Heaven Your dwelling-place, and forgive, and do, and give to every man according to all his ways, whose heart You know. For You, You only, know the hearts of all the sons of Adam. 


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 Do this so that they may fear You all the days that they live in the land which You have given to our fathers. 


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 And concerning a stranger who is not of Your people Israel, but who comes out of a far country for Your name's sake; 


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 for they shall hear of Your great name and of Your strong hand and of Your stretched-out arm; and if he shall come and pray toward this house, 


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 hear in Heaven Your dwelling-place, and do according to all that the stranger calls to You for, so that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, to fear You, as Your people Israel do , and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Your name. 


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 If Your people go out to battle against their enemy, wherever You shall send them, and shall pray to Jehovah toward the city which You have chosen, and the house that I have built for Your name, 


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 If they sin against You (for there is no man who does not sin), and if You are angry with them, and have delivered them up before the enemy, and they have been led away captive to the land of the enemy, far or near, 


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 yet if they shall think within themselves in the land where they are carried captives, and repent, and pray to You in the land of their captors saying, We have sinned and have done perversely, we have done wickedly, 


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 and so return to You with all their heart, and with all their soul, in the land of their enemies who led them away captive, and if they pray to You toward their land which You gave to their fathers, to the city which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your name, 


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 and forgive Your people who have sinned against You, even all their sins which they have done against You, and give them pity before their captors, so that they may have pity on them. 


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 For they are Your people, and Your inheritance, which You brought out of Egypt, from the middle of the furnace of iron, 


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 for Your eyes shall be open to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your people Israel, to listen to them in all that they call for to You. 


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 For You have separated them from among all the people of the earth to be Your inheritance, as You spoke by the hand of Moses Your servant, when You brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord Jehovah. 


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 And it happened as Solomon finished praying all this prayer and petition to Jehovah, he rose from before the altar of Jehovah, from kneeling on his knees with his hands spread up to heaven. 


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 Blessed be Jehovah, who has given rest to His people Israel, according to all that He promised. There has not failed one word of all His good promise which He promised by the hand of Moses His servant. 


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 to incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments which He commanded our fathers. 


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 And let these my words, with which I have prayed before Jehovah, be near Jehovah our God day and night, so that He may maintain the cause of His servant, and the cause of His people Israel of each day in its day, 


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 And let your heart be perfect with Jehovah our God, to walk in His statutes, and to keep His commandments, as at this day. 


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 And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered to Jehovah, twenty-two thousand oxen, and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep. So the king and all the sons of Israel dedicated the house of Jehovah. 


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 On that day the king sanctified the middle of the court before the house of Jehovah. For there he had offered the burnt offering, and the food offering, and the fat of the peace offerings; because the bronze altar before Jehovah was too small to contain the burnt offering, and the food offering, and the fat of the peace offerings. 


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 And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath to the river of Egypt, before Jehovah our God, seven days and seven days, fourteen days. 


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 On the eighth day he sent the people away. And they blessed the king and went to their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the good that Jehovah had done for David His servant, and for Israel His people. 


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 And it happened as Solomon finished the building of the house of Jehovah, and the king's house, and all Solomon's desire which he was pleased to do, 


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 And Jehovah said to him, I have heard your prayer and your cry which you have made before Me. I have made this house which you have built holy, to put My name there forever. And My eyes and My heart shall be there perpetually. 


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 And if you will walk before Me as David your father walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you; and if you will keep My statutes and My judgments, 


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 then I will establish the throne of your kingdom on Israel forever, as I promised to David your father, saying, There shall not be cut off to you a man on the throne of Israel. 


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 If you shall at all turn from following Me, you or your sons, and will not keep My commandments and My statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods and worship them, 


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 then I will cut off Israel from the face of the land which I have given them. And this house which I have made holy for My name I will cast out of My sight. And Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people. 


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 As to this house which is exalted, everyone who passes by it shall be amazed and shall hiss. And they shall say, Why has Jehovah done this to this land and to this house? 


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 And they shall answer, Because they left Jehovah their God who brought out their fathers from the land of Egypt, and have taken hold on other gods and have worshiped them and served them. On account of this Jehovah has brought on them all this evil. 


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 And it happened at the end of twenty years, Solomon had built the two houses, the house of Jehovah and the king's house. 


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 Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and fir trees, and with gold, according to all his desires. Then King Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee. 


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 And Hiram came out from Tyre to see the cities which Solomon had given him. And they did not please him. 


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 And he said, What cities are these which you have given me, my brother? And he called them the land of Cabul to this day. 


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 And this is the reason of the labor force which King Solomon raised to build the house of Jehovah and his own house, and Millo, and the wall of Jerusalem, and Hazor, and Megiddo, and Gezer. 


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 For Pharaoh, king of Egypt, had gone up and had taken Gezer and had burned it with fire, and had slain the Canaanites who lived in the city. And he had given it for a present to his daughter, Solomon's wife. 


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 And he built all the store-cities which Solomon had, and cities for his chariots, and cities for his horsemen, and that which Solomon desired to build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of his dominion. 


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 And all the people who were left of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, who were not of the sons of Israel, 


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 their sons who were left after them in the land, whom the sons of Israel also were not able to destroy completely, on those Solomon laid a tribute of bond-service to this day. 


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 But Solomon did not make any slave out of the sons of Israel. But they were men of war, and his servants, and his rulers, and his commanders, and rulers of his chariots, and his horsemen. 


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 These were the chief of the officers who were over Solomon's work, five hundred and fifty who ruled over the people who labored in the work. 


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 But Pharaoh's daughter came up from the city of David to her house which had been built for her. And he built Millo. 


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 And three times in a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and peace offerings on the altar which he had built to Jehovah, and he burned incense on the altar which was before Jehovah. And he finished the house. 


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 And King Solomon made a navy of ships in Ezion-geber, which is beside Eloth, on the shore of the Red Sea, in the land of Edom. 


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 And Hiram sent in the navy his servants, shipmen who had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon. 


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 And they came to Ophir, and brought gold from there, four hundred and twenty talents, and brought it to King Solomon. 


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 And the queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame concerning the name of Jehovah, and she came to test him with hard questions. 


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 And she came to Jerusalem with a very great train, with camels that bore spices, and very much gold, and precious stones. And she came to Solomon, and she told him all that was in her heart. 


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 And Solomon answered all her questions for her. There was not a thing hidden from the king, which he did not tell her. 


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 and the food of his table, and the sitting of his servants, and the attendance of his ministers, and their clothing, and his cupbearers, and his burnt offering that he offered up to the house of Jehovah, there was no more spirit in her. 


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 And she said to the king, It was a true report which I heard in my own land of your acts and of your wisdom. 


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 And I did not believe the words until I came and my eyes had seen. And behold! The half was not told me. Your wisdom and blessings are more than the fame which I heard. 


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 Happy are your men, happy are these who are your servants, who stand always before you, and who hear your wisdom. 


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 Blessed is Jehovah your God, who delighted in you, to set you on the throne of Israel. Because Jehovah loved Israel forever; therefore, He made you king to do judgment and justice. 


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 And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, a very great store of spices, and precious stones. No spice like that came any more for abundance, that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon. 


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 And also the navy of Hiram which brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir great abundance of almug trees and precious stones. 


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 And the king made of the almug trees a support for the house of Jehovah, and for the king's house, also lyres and harps for singers. No such almug wood has come or been seen to this day. 


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 And King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatever she asked, besides what Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants. 


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 And the weight of gold which came to Solomon in one year was six hundred sixty-six talents of gold, 


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 apart from the merchant men, and and from the traffic of the traders, and from all the kings of Arabia, and from the governors of the lands. 


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 And King Solomon made two hundred targets of beaten gold; six hundred shekels of gold went into one target. 


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 And he made three hundred shields of beaten gold; three minas of gold went into one shield. And the king put them in the house of the forest of Lebanon. 


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 The throne had six steps, and the top of the throne was round in the back part. And there were stays on either side on the place of the seat, and two lions stood beside the stays; 


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 and two lions were standing on the six steps, on this and on that side. There was not the like made in any kingdom. 


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 And all King Solomon's drinking vessels were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. None were of silver; it was counted nothing in the days of Solomon. 


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 For the king had at sea a navy of Tarshish with the navy of Hiram. Once in three years the navy of Tarshish came bringing gold and silver, ivory, and apes, and peacocks. 


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 And every man brought his presents, vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and clothing and armor, and spices, horses and mules, so much year by year. 


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 And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen. And he had fourteen hundred chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen, whom he stationed in the cities for chariots, and with the king at Jerusalem. 


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 And the king made silver like stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars like the sycamore trees in the valley for abundance. 


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 And Solomon had horses brought out of Egypt, and out of Kue. The king's merchants received them from Kue at a price. 


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 And a chariot came up and went out of Egypt for six hundred shekels of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. And so for all the kings of the Hittites, and for the kings of Syria, they brought them out by their means. 


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 And King Solomon loved many foreign women, even the daughter of Pharaoh, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, Hittites; 


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 of the nations which Jehovah had said to the sons of Israel, You shall not go in to them, and they shall not go in to you; surely they will turn away your heart after their gods. Solomon clung to these in love. 


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 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines. And his wives turned away his heart. 


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 For it happened when Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods. And his heart was not perfect with Jehovah his God, as was the heart of David his father. 


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 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom, the abomination of the Ammonites; 


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 and Solomon did evil in the sight of Jehovah, and did not go fully after Jehovah like his father David. 


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 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill which is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the sons of Ammon. 


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 And Jehovah was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned from Jehovah, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice 


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 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; and he did not keep that which Jehovah commanded. 


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 And Jehovah said to Solomon, Since this is done by you, and since you have not kept My covenant and My statutes which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. 


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 But I will not do it in your days, for David your father's sake, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 


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 Only, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son for David My servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen. 


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 And it happened Jehovah stirred up a foe to Solomon, Hadad the Edomite. He was of the king's seed in Edom. 


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 For it happened when David was in Edom, and Joab the commander of the army had gone up to bury the slain, after he had stricken every male in Edom-- 


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 it happened that Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father's servants with him, to go to Egypt, Hadad being still a little child. 


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 And they arose out of Midian and came to Paran. And they took men with them out of Paran, and they came to Egypt, to Pharaoh king of Egypt, who gave him a house and appointed food for him, and gave him land. 


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 And Hadad found great favor in the sight of Pharaoh, so that he gave him the sister of his own wife for a wife, the sister of Tahpenes the queen. 


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 And the sister of Tahpenes bore him Genubath his son, whom Tahpenes weaned in Pharaoh's house. And Genubath was in Pharaoh's household among the sons of Pharaoh. 


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 And when Hadad heard in Egypt that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, even Hadad said to Pharaoh, Let me depart so that I may go to my own land. 


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 And Pharaoh said to him, But what have you lacked with me that, behold, you seek to go to your land? And he answered, Nothing; however, you shall certainly send me away. 


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 And God stirred up another foe, to him, Rezon the son of Eliadah, who fled from his lord Hadadezer king of Zobah. 


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 And he gathered men to him, and became head over a band when David killed them. And they went to Damascus and lived in it, and reigned in Damascus. 


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 And he was a foe to Israel all the days of Solomon, besides the mischief which Hadad did. And he hated Israel and reigned over Syria. 


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 And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon's servant, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow, he too lifted up his hand against the king. 


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 And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against the king. Solomon built Millo and repaired the breaks of the city of David his father. 


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 And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of war. And Solomon, seeing that the young man was doing work, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph. 


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 And it happened at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh found him in the way. And he had clothed himself with a new garment. And the two of them were alone in the field. 


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 And he said to Jeroboam, Take ten pieces for yourself. For so says Jehovah, the God of Israel, Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you, 


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 but he shall have one tribe for My servant David's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, 


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 because they have forsaken Me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the goddess of the sons of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways, to do what is right in My eyes, and to keep My statutes and My judgments, as David his father did. 


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 But I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David My servant, whom I chose, because he kept My commandments and My statutes. 


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 And to his son I will give one tribe, so that David My servant may have a light always before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for Me, to put My name there. 


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 And I will take you, and you shall reign according to all that your soul desires, and shall be king over Israel. 


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 And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as David My servant did, it shall happen that I will be with you and build you a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you. 


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 And Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon. 


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 And the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not written in the Book of the Acts of Solomon? 


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 And Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father. And Rehoboam reigned in his place. 


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 And it happened when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, heard, he being still in Egypt; for he had fled from the presence of King Solomon, and Jeroboam lived in Egypt; 


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 they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 


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 Your father made our yoke hard. And now lighten the hard service of your father, and the heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you. 


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 And King Rehoboam talked with the old men who had stood before Solomon his father while he still lived, and said, How do you advise to return a word to this people? 


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 And they spoke to him, saying, If you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever. 


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 But he left the counsel of the old men which they had advised him, and talked with the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him. 


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 And he said to them, What advice do you give that we may answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, Lighten the yoke which your father put on us? 


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 And the young men who had grown up with him spoke to him, saying, So shall you speak to this people who spoke to you, saying, Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it lighter for us, so you shall say to them: My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins. 


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 And now my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, and I will add to your yoke. My father has whipped you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. 


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 And they came, Jeroboam and all the people, to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had appointed, saying, Come to me again the third day. 


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 and spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke. My father whipped you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions. 


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 And the king did not listen to the people, for the cause was from Jehovah, that He might perform His saying which Jehovah spoke by Ahijah of Shiloh to Jeroboam the son of Nebat. 


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 And all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, and the people answered the king, saying, What part do we have in David? Yea, there is no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel! Now see to your house, O David! And Israel went to its tents. 


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 And King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute. And all Israel stoned him with stones so that he died. And King Rehoboam made haste to go up to get into a chariot to flee to Jerusalem. 


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 And it happened when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had come again, they sent and called him to the company, and made him king over all Israel. There was none who followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only. 


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 And when Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, and he gathered all the house of Judah with the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty thousand warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. 


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 Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people, saying, 


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 So says Jehovah, You shall not go up, nor fight against your brothers the sons of Israel. Each man return to his house. For this thing is from Me. And they listened to the Word of Jehovah and turned to go back, according to the Word of Jehovah. 


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 And Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim and lived in it, and went out from there and built Penuel. 


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 If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of Jehovah at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah. 


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 And the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold and said to them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Behold your gods, O, Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt! 


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 And he made a house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, who were not the sons of Levi. 


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 And Jeroboam ordered a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that is in Judah. And he offered on the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. 


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 And he offered on the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised out of his own heart. And he ordered a feast for the sons of Israel. And he offered on the altar, and burned incense. 


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 And behold, a man of God came out of Judah, by the Word of Jehovah, to Bethel. And Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. 


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 And he cried against the altar in the Word of Jehovah and said, O, altar, altar, so says Jehovah. Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name, and on you he shall offer the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men's bones shall be burned on you. 


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 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which Jehovah has spoken. Behold, the altar shall be torn apart, and the ashes that are on it shall be poured out. 


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 And it happened when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God who had cried against the altar in Bethel, he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him! And his hand, which he put forth against him withered up so that he could not pull it in again to himself. 


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 The altar also was torn apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar according to the sign which the man of God had given by the Word of Jehovah. 


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 And the king answered and said to the man of God, Seek now the face of Jehovah your God, and pray for me, and my hand may be given back to me again. And the man of God prayed to Jehovah, and the king's hand was given back to him again, and became as at the beginning. 


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 And the king said to the man of God, Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward. 


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 And the man of God said to the king, If you will give me half your house, I will not go in with you, nor will I eat bread nor drink water in this place. 


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 For so was it commanded me by the Word of Jehovah, saying, Eat no bread nor drink water, nor return again by the same way that you came. 


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 And a certain old prophet was living in Bethel, and his son came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. The words which he had spoken to the king they also told to their father. 


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 And their father said to them, Where is this man? What way did he go? For his sons had seen what way the man of God, who came from Judah, had gone. 


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 and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. And he said to him, Are you the man of God who came from Judah? And he said, I am. 


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 And he said, I may not return with you nor go in with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place. 


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 For a word was to me by the Word of Jehovah, You shall eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that you came. 


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 And he said to him, I am a prophet also as you are. And an angel spoke to me by the Word of Jehovah, saying, Bring him back with you into your house, so that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied to him. 


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 And it happened as they sat at the table, the Word of Jehovah came to the prophet who brought him back. 


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 And he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, So says Jehovah, Because you have not obeyed the mouth of Jehovah and have not kept the command which Jehovah your God commanded you, 


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 but came back and have eaten bread and have drunk water in the place which He said to you, You shall not eat bread nor drink water, your body shall not come to the tomb of your fathers. 


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 And after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, it happened that he saddled the ass for him, for the prophet whom he had brought back. 


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 And he left, and a lion met him by the way and killed him. And his dead body was thrown in the highway, and the ass stood by it, and the lion also stood by the body. 


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 And behold, men passed by and saw the body thrown in the way, and the lion standing by the body. And they came and told it in the city where the old prophet lived. 


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 And when the prophet who brought him back from the way heard, he said, It is the man of God who did not obey the Word of Jehovah. And Jehovah has delivered him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the Word of Jehovah which He spoke to him. 


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 And he went and found his body thrown in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the body. The lion had not eaten the body nor torn the ass. 


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 And the prophet took up the dead body of the man of God, and laid it on the ass and brought it back. And the prophet came to the city to mourn and to bury him. 


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 And it happened after he had buried him, he spoke to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the tomb in which the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones, 


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 for the saying which he cried by the Word of Jehovah against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass. 


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 After this thing Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but turned and made priests of the high places from the lowest of the people. He who desired, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. 


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 And this thing is the sin of the house of Jeroboam, even to blot it from off the face of the earth. 


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 And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, please, and disguise yourself so that you will not be known to be the wife of Jeroboam. And go to Shiloh. Behold, there is Ahijah the prophet, who told me about being king over this people. 


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 And take ten loaves, and cakes, and a jar of honey with you, and go to him. And he will tell you what shall become of the boy. 


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 And Jeroboam's wife did so, and arose and went to Shiloh. And she came to the house of Ahijah. And Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were set because of his age. 


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 And Jehovah said to Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam comes to ask a thing of you for her son, for he is sick. This and this you shall say to her, for when she comes in, she shall act as a stranger. 


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 And it happened when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet as she came in at the door, he said, Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you acting as a stranger? For I am sent to you with a hard thing. 


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 Go tell Jeroboam, So says Jehovah, the God of Israel, I lifted you up from among the people, and made you ruler over My people Israel, 


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 and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you. And you have not been as My servant David who kept My commandments, and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only what was right in My eyes. 


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 But you have done evil above all who were before you, for you have gone and made yourself other gods, and molded images, to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back; 


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 therefore, behold, I will bring evil on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam everyone who urinates against the wall, bound and free in Israel, and will sweep away the rest of the house of Jeroboam, as a man sweeps away the dung, until it is all gone. 


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 Those of Jeroboam who die in the city, the dogs shall eat. And those who die in the field, the fowls of the air shall eat. For Jehovah has spoken. 


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 And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him. For he only of Jeroboam shall come down to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward Jehovah, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam. 


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 And Jehovah shall raise up a king over Israel for Himself, a king who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day. And what? Even now! 


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 For Jehovah shall strike Israel as the reed waves in the water, and He shall root up Israel out of this good land which He gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the River, because they have made their Asherahs, provoking Jehovah to anger. 


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 And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who sinned, and that he made Israel to sin. 


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 And Jeroboam's wife arose, and left, and came to Tirzah. When she came to the doorsill the boy died. 


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 And they buried him, and all Israel mourned for him, according to the Word of Jehovah which He spoke by the hand of His servant Ahijah the prophet. 


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 And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the Book of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Israel. 


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 And the days which Jeroboam reigned were twenty-two years. And he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place. 


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 And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which Jehovah chose out of all the tribes of Israel to put His name there. And his mother's name was Naamah, an Ammonitess. 


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 And Judah did evil in the sight of Jehovah, and they provoked Him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done. 


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 For they also built high places for themselves, and images, and Asherahs, on every high hill and under every green tree. 


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 And also the sodomite was in the land. They did according to all the hateful things of the nations which Jehovah cast out before the sons of Israel. 


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 And it happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam Shishak king of Egypt, he came up against Jerusalem. 


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 And he took away the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king's house. He took all away. And he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made. 


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 And King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and committed them to the hands of the chief of the guard, who kept the door of the king's house. 


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 And it happened when the king went into the house of Jehovah, the guard carried them and brought them back into the guard chamber. 


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 And the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Judah? 


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 And Rehoboam slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And his mother's name was Naamah, an Ammonitess. And his son Abijam reigned in his place. 


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 He reigned three years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom. 


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 And he walked in all the sins of his father which he had done before him. And his heart was not perfect with Jehovah his God, as the heart of David his father. 


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 But for David's sake Jehovah his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem, 


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 because David did what was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and did not turn aside from all that He commanded him all the days of his life, except in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. 


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 And the rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Matters of the Days of the Kings of Judah? And there was war between Abijam and Jeroboam. 


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 And Abijam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David. And his son Asa reigned in his place. 


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 And he reigned in Jerusalem forty-one years. And his grandmother's name was Maachah, the daughter of Abishalom. 


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 And he took away the sodomites out of the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. 


