LXX Concordance for μετὰ

Adam lived 800 years after he fathered Seth, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

Seth lived 807 years after he fathered Enosh, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

Enosh lived 815 years after he fathered Kenan, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

Kenan lived 840 years after he fathered Mahalalel, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

Mahalalel lived 830 years after he fathered Jared, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

Jared lived 800 years after he fathered Enoch, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

And after he fathered Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and fathered other sons and daughters.

Methuselah lived 782 years after he fathered Lamech, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

Lamech lived 595 years after he fathered Noah, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

“But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark with your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives.

Seven days later the floodwaters came on the earth.

The water steadily receded from the earth, and by the end of 150 days the water had decreased significantly.

After forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made,

“Come out of the ark, you, your wife, your sons, and your sons' wives with you.

Now Noah lived 350 years after the flood.

These are the family records of Noah's sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. They also had sons after the flood.

the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Afterward the Canaanite clans scattered.

These are the clans of Noah's sons, according to their family records, in their nations. The nations on earth spread out from these after the flood.

These are the family records of Shem. Shem lived 100 years and fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood.

After he fathered Shelah, Arpachshad lived 403 years and fathered other sons and daughters.

After he fathered Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and fathered other sons and daughters.

After he fathered Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and fathered other sons and daughters.

After he fathered Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and fathered other sons and daughters.

After he fathered Serug, Reu lived 207 years and fathered other sons and daughters.

After he fathered Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and fathered other sons and daughters.

After he fathered Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and fathered other sons and daughters.

Now Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks, herds, and tents.

After Lot had separated from him, the LORD said to Abram, “Look from the place where you are. Look north and south, east and west,

waged war against King Bera of Sodom, King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, and King Shemeber of Zeboiim, as well as the king of Bela (that is, Zoar).

After Abram returned from defeating Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him in the Shaveh Valley (that is, the King's Valley).

After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision:

Do not be afraid, Abram.

I am your shield;

your reward will be very great.

“However, I will judge the nation they serve, and afterward they will go out with many possessions.

So Abram's wife, Sarai, took Hagar, her Egyptian slave, and gave her to her husband, Abram, as a wife for him. This happened after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan ten years.

“As for me, here is my covenant with you: You will become the father of many nations.

“I will confirm my covenant that is between me and you and your future offspring throughout their generations. It is a permanent covenant to be your God and the God of your offspring after you.

“I will bring a bit of bread so that you may strengthen yourselves. This is why you have passed your servant's way. Later, you can continue on.”

“Yes,” they replied, “do as you have said.”

Abraham stepped forward and said, “Will you really sweep away the righteous with the wicked?

“You could not possibly do such a thing: to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. You could not possibly do that! Won't the Judge of the whole earth do what is just? ”

So they got their father to drink wine that night, and the firstborn came and slept with her father; he did not know when she lay down or when she got up.

And he said to Sarah, “Look, I am giving your brother one thousand pieces of silver. It is a verification of your honor[fn] to all who are with you. You are fully vindicated.”

But Sarah saw the son mocking ​— ​the one Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham.

God was with the boy, and he grew; he settled in the wilderness and became an archer.

At that time Abimelech, accompanied by Phicol the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do.

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham! ”

“Here I am,” he answered.

Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we'll come back to you.”

Now after these things Abraham was told, “Milcah also has borne sons to your brother Nahor:

After this, Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave of the field at Machpelah near Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.

“If the woman is unwilling to follow you, then you are free from this oath to me, but don't let my son go back there.”

“LORD, God of my master Abraham,” he prayed, “make this happen for me today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.

“Sarah, my master's wife, bore a son to my master in her[fn] old age, and he has given him everything he owns.

“He said to me, ‘The LORD before whom I have walked will send his angel with you and make your journey a success, and you will take a wife for my son from my clan and from my father's family.

But her brother and mother said, “Let the girl stay with us for about ten days. Then she[fn] can go.”

They called Rebekah and said to her, “Will you go with this man? ”

She replied, “I will go.”

Then Rebekah and her female servants got up, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.

After Abraham's death, God blessed his son Isaac, who lived near Beer-lahai-roi.

After this, his brother came out grasping Esau's heel with his hand. So he was named Jacob.[fn] Isaac was sixty years old when they were born.

“stay in this land as an alien, and I will be with you and bless you. For I will give all these lands to you and your offspring, and I will confirm the oath that I swore to your father Abraham.

When Isaac had been there for some time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from the window and was surprised to see[fn] Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah.

Then Abimelech said, “What have you done to us? One of the people could easily have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.”

Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the days of his father Abraham and that the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died. He gave them the same names his father had given them.

But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen and said, “The water is ours! ” So he named the well Esek[fn] because they argued with him.

and the LORD appeared to him that night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your offspring because of my servant Abraham.”

They replied, “We have clearly seen how the LORD has been with you. We think there should be an oath between two parties ​— ​between us and you. Let us make a covenant with you:

They got up early in the morning and swore an oath to each other.[fn] Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace.

When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could not see, he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.”

And he answered, “Here I am.”

As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob and Jacob had left the presence of his father Isaac, his brother Esau arrived from his hunting.

But he replied, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.”

“May God give you and your offspring the blessing of Abraham so that you may possess the land where you live as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.”

“Look, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

“and if I return safely to my father's family, then the LORD will be my God.

“Is he well? ” Jacob asked.

“Yes,” they said, “and here is his daughter Rachel, coming with his sheep.”

While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess.

But Leah replied to her, “Isn't it enough that you have taken my husband? Now you also want to take my son's mandrakes? ”

“Well then,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son's mandrakes.”

Later, Leah bore a daughter and named her Dinah.

The LORD said to him, “Go back to the land of your ancestors and to your family, and I will be with you.”

“I am the God of Bethel, where you poured oil on the stone marker and made a solemn vow to me. Get up, leave this land, and return to your native land.' ”

But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night. “Watch yourself! ” God warned him. “Don't say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”

“Why did you secretly flee from me, deceive me, and not tell me? I would have sent you away with joy and singing, with tambourines and lyres,

“I could do you great harm, but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Watch yourself! Don't say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.'

“I've been with you these twenty years. Your ewes and female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams from your flock.

He commanded them, “You are to say to my lord Esau, ‘This is what your servant Jacob says. I have been staying with Laban and have been delayed until now.

“You are also to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.' ” For he thought, “I want to appease Esau with the gift that is going ahead of me. After that, I can face him, and perhaps he will forgive me.”

“Your name will no longer be Jacob,” he said. “It will be Israel[fn] because you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.”

Leah and her children also approached and bowed down, and then Joseph and Rachel approached and bowed down.

Esau said, “Let me leave some of my people with you.”

But he replied, “Why do that? Please indulge me,[fn] my lord.”

Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah, but since his sons were with his livestock in the field, he remained silent until they returned.

Jacob's sons returned from the field when they heard about the incident. They were deeply grieved and very angry, for Shechem had committed an outrage against Israel by raping Jacob's daughter, and such a thing should not be done.

But Jacob's sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully because he had defiled their sister Dinah.

“I will give to you the land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac. And I will give the land to your future descendants.”

While Israel was living in that region, Reuben went in and slept with his father's concubine Bilhah, and Israel heard about it.

Jacob had twelve sons:

These are the family records of Jacob.

At seventeen years of age, Joseph tended sheep with his brothers. The young man was working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's wives, and he brought a bad report about them to their father.

About three months later Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law, Tamar, has been acting like a prostitute, and now she is pregnant.”

“Bring her out,” Judah said, “and let her be burned to death! ”

Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread tied to his hand, came out, and was named Zerah.[fn]

The LORD was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving[fn] in the household of his Egyptian master.

From the time that he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the Egyptian's house because of Joseph. The LORD's blessing was on all that he owned, in his house and in his fields.

After some time his master's wife looked longingly at Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”

Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought to us came to make a fool of me,

But the LORD was with Joseph and extended kindness to him. He granted him favor with the prison warden.

After this, the king of Egypt's cupbearer and baker offended their master, the king of Egypt.

At the end of two years Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing beside the Nile,

After them, seven other cows, sickly and thin, came up from the Nile and stood beside those cows along the bank of the Nile.

“After them, seven years of famine will take place, and all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten. The famine will devastate the land.

But Jacob did not send Joseph's brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he thought, “Something might happen to him.”

But they replied, “We, your servants, were twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now[fn] with our father, and one is no longer living.”

“We were twelve brothers, sons of the same[fn] father. One is no longer living, and the youngest is now with our father in the land of Canaan.'

But Jacob answered, “My son will not go down with you, for his brother is dead and he alone is left. If anything happens to him on your journey, you will bring my gray hairs down to Sheol in sorrow.”

They served him by himself, his brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who were eating with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, since that is detestable to them.

Then Joseph said, “I swear that I will not do this. The man in whose possession the cup was found will be my slave. The rest of you can go in peace to your father.”

“If you also take this one from me and anything happens to him, you will bring my gray hairs down to Sheol in sorrow.'

“Now please let your servant remain here as my lord's slave, in place of the boy. Let him go back with his brothers.

But he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard it, and also Pharaoh's household heard it.

Joseph kissed each of his brothers as he wept,[fn] and afterward his brothers talked with him.

“I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you back. Joseph will close your eyes when you die.”[fn]

The total number of persons belonging to Jacob ​— ​his direct descendants,[fn] not including the wives of Jacob's sons ​— ​who came to Egypt: sixty-six.

“When I rest with my ancestors, carry me away from Egypt and bury me in their burial place.”

Joseph answered, “I will do what you have asked.”

Some time after this, Joseph was told, “Your father is weaker.” So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

“He said to me, ‘I will make you fruitful and numerous; I will make many nations come from you, and I will give this land as a permanent possession to your future descendants.'

“Children born to you after them will be yours and will be recorded under the names of their brothers with regard to their inheritance.

“Yet his bow remained steady,

and his strong arms were made agile

by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob,

by the name of[fn] the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,

Then he commanded them, “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my ancestors in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hethite.

and made their lives bitter with difficult labor in brick and mortar and in all kinds of fieldwork. They ruthlessly imposed all this work on them.

After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned because of their difficult labor, they cried out, and their cry for help because of the difficult labor ascended to God.

He answered, “I will certainly be with you, and this will be the sign to you that I am the one who sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will all worship[fn] God at this mountain.”

“However, I know that the king of Egypt will not allow you to go, even under force from a strong hand.

Now in Midian the LORD told Moses, “Return to Egypt, for all the men who wanted to kill you are dead.”

Later, Moses and Aaron went in and said to Pharaoh, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival for me in the wilderness.”

Seven days passed after the LORD struck the Nile.

The locusts went up over the entire land of Egypt and settled on the whole territory of Egypt. Never before had there been such a large number of locusts, and there never will be again.

The LORD said[fn] to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here. When he lets you go,[fn] he will drive you out of here.

“All these officials of yours will come down to me and bow before me, saying: Get out, you and all the people who follow you.[fn] After that, I will get out.” And he went out from Pharaoh's presence fiercely angry.

“Here is how you must eat it: You must be dressed for travel,[fn] your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You are to eat it in a hurry; it is the LORD's Passover.

At the end of 430 years, on that same day, all the LORD's military divisions went out from the land of Egypt.

“In the future, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean? ' say to him, ‘By the strength of his hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.

He caused their chariot wheels to swerve[fn][fn] and made them drive[fn] with difficulty. “Let's get away from Israel,” the Egyptians said, “because the LORD is fighting for them against Egypt! ”

Then the prophetess Miriam, Aaron's sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women came out following her with tambourines and dancing.

The LORD answered Moses, “Go on ahead of the people and take some of the elders of Israel with you. Take the staff you struck the Nile with in your hand and go.

Now Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, had taken in Zipporah, Moses's wife, after he had sent her back,

Then Jethro, Moses's father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses's father-in-law in God's presence.

“You will certainly wear out both yourself and these people who are with you, because the task is too heavy for you. You can't do it alone.

And the LORD replied to him, “Go down and come back with Aaron. But the priests and the people must not break through to come up to the LORD, or he will break out in anger against them.”

“When men get in a fight and hit a pregnant woman so that her children are born prematurely but there is no injury, the one who hit her must be fined as the woman's husband demands from him, and he must pay according to judicial assessment.

“Whoever has sexual intercourse with an animal must be put to death.

“You must not spread a false report. Do not join[fn] the wicked to be a malicious witness.

“Why should the Egyptians say, ‘He brought them out with an evil intent to kill them in the mountains and eliminate them from the face of the earth'? Turn from your fierce anger and relent concerning this disaster planned for your people.

The following day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a grave sin. Now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I will be able to atone for your sin.”

“Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go up with you because you are a stiff-necked people; otherwise, I might destroy you on the way.”

“No one may go up with you; in fact, no one should be seen anywhere on the mountain. Even the flocks and herds are not to graze in front of that mountain.”

Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he commanded them to do everything the LORD had told him on Mount Sinai.

Bezalel constructed the altar of burnt offering from acacia wood. It was square, 7½ feet long and 7½ feet wide,[fn] and was 4½ feet[fn] high.

“Or if he touches human uncleanness ​— ​any uncleanness by which one can become defiled ​— ​without being aware of it, but later recognizes it, he incurs guilt.

“You and your sons are not to drink wine or beer when you enter the tent of meeting, or else you will die; this is a permanent statute throughout your generations.

“But you and your sons and your daughters may eat the breast of the presentation offering and the thigh of the contribution in any ceremonially clean place, because these portions have been assigned to you and your children from the Israelites' fellowship sacrifices.

“But if the scab spreads further on his skin after he has presented himself to the priest for his cleansing, he is to present himself again to the priest.

“The priest will examine the scaly outbreak on the seventh day, and if it has not spread on the skin and does not appear to be deeper than the skin, the priest is to pronounce the person clean. He is to wash his clothes, and he will be clean.

“After it has been washed, the priest is to reexamine the contamination. If the appearance of the contaminated article has not changed, it is unclean. Even though the contamination has not spread, you must burn the fabric. It is a fungus[fn] on the front or back of the fabric.

“The one who is to be cleansed must wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and bathe with water; he is clean. Afterward he may enter the camp, but he must remain outside his tent for seven days.

“The priest is to sacrifice the sin offering and make atonement for the one to be cleansed from his uncleanness. Afterward he will slaughter the burnt offering.

“The priest must order them to clear the house before he enters to examine the contamination, so that nothing in the house becomes unclean. Afterward the priest will come to examine the house.

“If the contamination reappears in the house after the stones have been pulled out, and after the house has been scraped and replastered,

“But when the priest comes and examines it, if the contamination has not spread in the house after it was replastered, he is to pronounce the house clean because the contamination has disappeared.[fn]

“When a woman has a discharge of her blood for many days, though it is not the time of her menstruation, or if she has a discharge beyond her period, she will be unclean all the days of her unclean discharge, as she is during the days of her menstruation.

“When she is cured of her discharge, she is to count seven days, and after that she will be clean.

“a woman who is in her menstrual period; anyone who has a discharge, whether male or female; and a man who sleeps with a woman who is unclean.”

The LORD spoke to Moses after the death of two of Aaron's sons when they approached the presence of[fn] the LORD and died.

“The man who released the goat for an uninhabitable place is to wash his clothes and bathe his body with water; afterward he may reenter the camp.

“The one who burns them is to wash his clothes and bathe himself with water; afterward he may reenter the camp.

“The priest who is anointed and ordained[fn] to serve as high priest in place of his father will make atonement. He will put on the linen garments, the holy garments,

“You are not to sleep with a man as with a woman; it is detestable.

“If a man has sexual intercourse with a woman who is a slave designated for another man, but she has not been redeemed or given her freedom, there must be punishment.[fn] They are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed.

“If a man sleeps with his father's wife, he has violated the intimacy that belongs to his father.[fn] Both of them must be put to death; their death is their own fault.[fn]

“If a man sleeps with a menstruating woman and has sexual intercourse with her, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has uncovered the source of her blood. Both of them are to be cut off from their people.

“If a man sleeps with his aunt, he has violated the intimacy that belongs to his uncle;[fn] they will bear their guilt and die childless.

“You are to present with the bread seven unblemished male lambs a year old, one young bull, and two rams. They will be a burnt offering to the LORD, with their grain offerings and drink offerings, a food offering, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

“You are to make the purchase from your neighbor based on the number of years since the last Jubilee. He is to sell to you based on the number of remaining harvest years.

“If your brother becomes destitute and sells part of his property, his nearest relative may come and redeem what his brother has sold.

“If your brother becomes destitute and cannot sustain himself among[fn] you, you are to support him as an alien or temporary resident, so that he can continue to live among you.

“he has the right of redemption after he has been sold. One of his brothers may redeem him.

“Your threshing will continue until grape harvest, and the grape harvest will continue until sowing time; you will have plenty of food to eat and live securely in your land.

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, so that you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to live in freedom.[fn]

“If you act with hostility toward me and are unwilling to obey me, I will multiply your plagues seven times for your sins.

“But if he consecrates his field after the Jubilee, the priest will calculate the price for him in proportion to the years left until the next Year of Jubilee, so that your assessment will be reduced.

“Aaron and his sons are to finish covering the holy objects and all their equipment whenever the camp is to move on. The Kohathites will come and carry them, but they are not to touch the holy objects or they will die. These are the transportation duties of the Kohathites regarding the tent of meeting.

“The priest will require the woman to take an oath and will say to her, ‘If no man has slept with you, if you have not gone astray and become defiled while under your husband's authority, be unaffected by this bitter water that brings a curse.

“The priest is to take a handful of the grain offering as a memorial portion and burn it on the altar. Afterward, he will require the woman to drink the water.

“The priest is to take the boiled shoulder from the ram, one unleavened cake from the basket, and one unleavened wafer, and put them into the hands of the Nazirite after he has shaved his consecrated head.

All the livestock for the fellowship sacrifice totaled twenty-four bulls, sixty rams, sixty male goats, and sixty male lambs a year old. This was the dedication gift for the altar after it was anointed.

“After that the Levites may come to serve at the tent of meeting, once you have ceremonially cleansed them and presented them as a presentation offering.

After that, the Levites came to do their work at the tent of meeting in the presence of Aaron and his sons. So they did to them as the LORD had commanded Moses concerning the Levites.

Whenever the cloud was lifted up above the tent, the Israelites would set out; at the place where the cloud stopped, there the Israelites camped.

The LORD answered Moses, “Bring me seventy men from Israel known to you as elders and officers of the people. Take them to the tent of meeting and have them stand there with you.

The LORD answered Moses, “If her father had merely spit in her face, wouldn't she remain in disgrace for seven days? Let her be confined outside the camp for seven days; after that she may be brought back in.”

After that, the people set out from Hazeroth and camped in the Wilderness of Paran.

At the end of forty days they returned from scouting out the land.

“He has brought you near, and all your fellow Levites who are with you, but you are pursuing the priesthood as well.

The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, all Korah's people, and all their possessions.

“But also bring your relatives with you from the tribe of Levi, your ancestral tribe, so they may join you and assist you and your sons in front of the tent of the testimony.

“But you and your sons will carry out your priestly responsibilities for everything concerning the altar and for what is inside the curtain, and you will do that work. I am giving you the work of the priesthood as a gift,[fn] but an unauthorized person who comes near the sanctuary will be put to death.”

“The contribution of their gifts also belongs to you. I have given all the Israelites' presentation offerings to you and to your sons and daughters as a permanent statute. Every ceremonially clean person in your house may eat it.

“I give to you and to your sons and daughters all the holy contributions that the Israelites present to the LORD as a permanent statute. It is a permanent covenant of salt before the LORD for you as well as your offspring.”

“Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; after that he may enter the camp, but he will remain ceremonially unclean until evening.

When he got up in the morning, Balaam saddled his donkey and went with the officials of Moab.

Then the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you are to say only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak's officials.

So Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth.[fn]

The name of the slain Israelite man, who was struck dead with the Midianite woman, was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family.[fn]

After the plague, the LORD said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron the priest,

“But if he cancels them after he hears about them, he will be responsible for her commitment.”[fn]

“On the seventh day wash your clothes, and you will be clean. After that you may enter the camp.”

“and the land is subdued before the LORD ​— ​afterward you may return and be free from obligation to the LORD and to Israel. And this land will belong to you as a possession before the LORD.

So Moses commanded the Israelites, “This is the land you are to receive by lot as an inheritance, which the LORD commanded to be given to the nine and a half tribes.

“for the one who killed a person was supposed to live in his city of refuge until the death of the high priest. Only after the death of the high priest may the one who has killed a person return to the land he possesses.

This was after he had defeated King Sihon of the Amorites, who lived in Heshbon, and King Og of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth, at Edrei.

“For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this immense wilderness. The LORD your God has been with you these past forty years, and you have lacked nothing.'

“Keep his statutes and commands, which I am giving you today, so that you and your children after you may prosper and so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you for all time.”

“a land where you will eat food without shortage, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and from whose hills you will mine copper.

“When you cross the Jordan and live in the land the LORD your God is giving you to inherit, and he gives you rest from all the enemies around you and you live in security,

“But don't eat the blood, since the blood is the life, and you must not eat the life with the meat.

“Do not eat it, so that you and your children after you will prosper, because you will be doing what is right in the LORD's sight.

“be careful not to be ensnared by their ways after they have been destroyed before you. Do not inquire about their gods, asking, ‘How did these nations worship their gods? I'll also do the same.'

“Do not neglect the Levite within your city gates, since he has no portion or inheritance among you.

“The Levitical priests, the whole tribe of Levi, will have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They will eat the LORD's food offerings; that is their[fn][fn] inheritance.

“If, for example, he goes into the forest with his neighbor to cut timber, and his hand swings the ax to chop down a tree, but the blade flies off the handle and strikes his neighbor so that he dies, that person may flee to one of these cities and live.

“When you go out to war against your enemies and see horses, chariots, and an army larger than yours, do not be afraid of them, for the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you.

“remove the clothes she was wearing when she was taken prisoner, live in your house, and mourn for her father and mother a full month. After that, you may have sexual relations with her and be her husband, and she will be your wife.

“If your brother does not live near you or you don't know him, you are to bring the animal to your home to remain with you until your brother comes looking for it; then you can return it to him.

“If you come across a bird's nest with chicks or eggs, either in a tree or on the ground along the road, and the mother is sitting on the chicks or eggs, do not take the mother along with the young.

“Do not plant your vineyard with two types of seed; otherwise, the entire harvest, both the crop you plant and the produce of the vineyard, will be defiled.

“If a man is discovered having sexual relations with another man's wife, both the man who had sex with the woman and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.

“This is because they did not meet you with food and water on the journey after you came out of Egypt, and because Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram-naharaim was hired to curse you.

“Let him live among you wherever he wants within your city gates. Do not mistreat him.

“the first husband who sent her away may not marry her again after she has been defiled, because that would be detestable to the LORD. You must not bring guilt on the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance.

“If two men are fighting with each other, and the wife of one steps in to rescue her husband from the one striking him, and she puts out her hand and grabs his genitals,

“‘The one who sleeps with his father's wife is cursed, for he has violated his father's marriage bed.'[fn]

And all the people will say, ‘Amen! '

“The LORD is the one who will go before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or abandon you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”

Moses commanded them, “At the end of every seven years, at the appointed time in the year of debt cancellation, during the Festival of Shelters,

The LORD said to Moses, “You are about to rest with your ancestors, and these people will soon prostitute themselves with the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will abandon me and break the covenant I have made with them.

The LORD commissioned Joshua son of Nun, “Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I swore to them, and I will be with you.”

curds from the herd and milk from the flock,

with the fat of lambs,

rams from Bashan, and goats,

with the choicest grains of wheat;

you drank wine from the finest grapes.[fn]

“They will be weak from hunger,

ravaged by pestilence and bitter plague;

I will unleash on them wild beasts with fangs,

as well as venomous snakes that slither in the dust.

Rejoice, you nations, concerning his people,[fn]

for he will avenge the blood of his servants.[fn]

He will take vengeance on his adversaries;[fn]

he will purify his land and his people.[fn]

He chose the best part for himself,

because a ruler's portion was assigned there for him.

He came with the leaders of the people;

he carried out the LORD's justice

and his ordinances for Israel.

After the death of Moses the LORD's servant, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses's assistant:

“No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will not leave you or abandon you.

“Haven't I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

“We will obey you, just as we obeyed Moses in everything. Certainly the LORD your God will be with you, as he was with Moses.

“Go to the hill country so that the men pursuing you won't find you,” she said to them. “Hide there for three days until they return; afterward, go on your way.”

“If anyone goes out the doors of your house, his death will be his own fault, and we will be innocent. But if anyone with you in the house should be harmed, his death will be our fault.

After three days the officers went through the camp

The LORD spoke to Joshua: “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so they will know that I will be with you just as I was with Moses.

And the day after they ate from the produce of the land, the manna ceased. Since there was no more manna for the Israelites, they ate from the crops of the land of Canaan that year.

and the seven priests carrying seven rams' horns marched in front of the ark of the LORD. While the rams' horns were blowing, the armed men went in front of them, and the rear guard went behind the ark of the LORD.

And the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.

The LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take all the troops with you and go attack Ai. Look, I have handed over to you the king of Ai, his people, city, and land.

Afterward, Joshua read aloud all the words of the law ​— ​the blessings as well as the curses ​— ​according to all that is written in the book of the law.

they acted deceptively. They gathered provisions[fn] and took worn-out sacks on their donkeys and old wineskins, cracked and mended.

Three days after making the treaty with them, they heard that the Gibeonites were their neighbors, living among them.

Moses had given territory to half the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, but Joshua had given territory to the other half,[fn] with their brothers, on the west side of the Jordan. When Joshua sent them to their homes and blessed them,

A long time after the LORD had given Israel rest from all the enemies around them, Joshua was old, advanced in age.

“I sent Moses and Aaron, and I defeated Egypt by what I did within it, and afterward I brought you out.

Israel worshiped the LORD throughout Joshua's lifetime and during the lifetimes of the elders who outlived Joshua and who had experienced all the works the LORD had done for Israel.

And Eleazar son of Aaron died, and they buried him at Gibeah,[fn] which had been given to his son Phinehas in the hill country of Ephraim.

After the death of Joshua, the Israelites inquired of the LORD, “Who will be the first to fight for us against the Canaanites? ”

Judah said to his brother Simeon, “Come with me to my allotted territory, and let's fight against the Canaanites. I will also go with you to your allotted territory.” So Simeon went with him.

Afterward, the men of Judah marched down to fight against the Canaanites who were living in the hill country, the Negev, and the Judean foothills.[fn]

The descendants of the Kenite, Moses's father-in-law, had gone up with the men of Judah from the City of Palms[fn] to the Wilderness of Judah, which was in the Negev of Arad. They went to live among the people.

The LORD was with Judah and enabled them to take possession of the hill country, but they could not drive out the people who were living in the plain because those people had iron chariots.

At the same time the Benjaminites did not drive out the Jebusites who were living in Jerusalem. The Jebusites have lived among the Benjaminites in Jerusalem to this day.

The spies saw a man coming out of the town and said to him, “Please show us how to get into town, and we will show you kindness.”

The people worshiped the LORD throughout Joshua's lifetime and during the lifetimes of the elders who outlived Joshua. They had seen all the LORD's great works he had done for Israel.

Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for the Israelites, the LORD was with him and saved the people from the power of their enemies while the judge was still alive. The LORD was moved to pity whenever they groaned because of those who were oppressing and afflicting them.

At the carved images near Gilgal he returned and said, “King Eglon, I have a secret message for you.” The king said, “Silence! ” and all his attendants left him.

After Ehud, Shamgar son of Anath became judge. He also delivered Israel, striking down six hundred Philistines with a cattle prod.

She summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali and said to him, “Hasn't the LORD, the God of Israel, commanded you, ‘Go, deploy the troops on Mount Tabor, and take with you ten thousand men from the Naphtalites and Zebulunites?

“I will gladly go with you,” she said, “but you will receive no honor on the road you are about to take, because the LORD will sell Sisera to a woman.” So Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh.

“Awake! Awake, Deborah!

Awake! Awake, sing a song!

Arise, Barak,

and take your prisoners,

son of Abinoam! ”

The princes of Issachar were with Deborah;

Issachar was with Barak;

they were under his leadership[fn] in the valley.

There was great searching[fn] of heart

among the clans of Reuben.

The stars fought from the heavens;

the stars fought with Sisera from their paths.

Sisera's mother looked through the window;

she peered through the lattice, crying out:

“Why is his chariot so long in coming?

Why don't I hear the hoofbeats of his horses? ”[fn]

Then the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said, “The LORD is with you, valiant warrior.”

“But I will be with you,” the LORD said to him. “You will strike Midian down as if it were one man.”

The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many troops for me to hand the Midianites over to them, or else Israel might elevate themselves over me and say,[fn] ‘I saved myself.'

Then the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many troops. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. If I say to you, ‘This one can go with you,' he can go. But if I say about anyone, ‘This one cannot go with you,' he cannot go.”

“Listen to what they say, and then you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the troops[fn] who were in the camp.

They did not show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) for all the good he had done for Israel.

“Now if you have acted faithfully and honestly in making Abimelech king, if you have done well by Jerubbaal and his family, and if you have rewarded him appropriately for what he did ​— ​

“so if you have acted faithfully and honestly with Jerubbaal and his house this day, rejoice in Abimelech and may he also rejoice in you.

So he secretly sent messengers to Abimelech, saying, “Beware! Gaal son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem and are turning the city against you.[fn]

After Abimelech, Tola son of Puah, son of Dodo became judge and began to deliver Israel. He was from Issachar and lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim.

Some time later, the Ammonites fought against Israel.

So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead. The people made him their leader and commander, and Jephthah repeated all his terms in the presence of the LORD at Mizpah.

“but Sihon would not trust Israel to pass through his territory. Instead, Sihon gathered all his troops, camped at Jahaz, and fought with Israel.

“Now are you any better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever contend with Israel or fight against them?

At the end of two months, she returned to her father, and he kept the vow he had made about her. And she had never been intimate with a man. Now it became a custom in Israel

The men of Ephraim were called together and crossed the Jordan to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, “Why have you crossed over to fight against the Ammonites but didn't call us to go with you? We will burn your house with you in it! ”

Some time later, he fell in love with a woman named Delilah, who lived in the Sorek Valley.

Then Delilah said to Samson, “You have mocked me all along and told me lies! Tell me how you can be tied up.”

He told her, “If you weave the seven braids on my head into the fabric on a loom ​— ​”[fn]

Samson said, “Let me die with the Philistines.” He pushed with all his might, and the temple fell on the leaders and all the people in it. And those he killed at his death were more than those he had killed in his life.

The five men left and came to Laish. They saw that the people who were there were living securely, in the same way as the Sidonians, quiet and unsuspecting. There was nothing lacking[fn] in the land and no oppressive ruler. They were far from the Sidonians, having no alliance with anyone.[fn]

They answered, “Come on, let's attack them, for we have seen the land, and it is very good. Why wait? Don't hesitate to go and invade and take possession of the land!

After they were some distance from Micah's house, the men who were in the houses near it were mustered and caught up with the Danites.

There was no one to rescue them because it was far from Sidon and they had no alliance with anyone. It was in a valley that belonged to Beth-rehob. They rebuilt the city and lived in it.

On the fourth day, they got up early in the morning and prepared to go, but the girl's father said to his son-in-law, “Have something to eat to keep up your strength and then you can go.”

The owner of the house went out and said to them, “Please don't do this evil, my brothers. After all, this man has come into my house. Don't commit this horrible outrage.

Instead, the Benjaminites gathered together from their cities to Gibeah to go out and fight against the Israelites.

They set out, went to Bethel, and inquired of God. The Israelites asked, “Who is to go first to fight for us against the Benjaminites? ”

And the LORD answered, “Judah will be first.”

The men of Israel went out to fight against Benjamin and took their battle positions against Gibeah.

They went up, wept before the LORD until evening, and inquired of him, “Should we again attack our brothers the Benjaminites? ”

And the LORD answered, “Fight against them.”

and Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, was serving before it. The Israelites asked, “Should we again fight against our brothers the Benjaminites or should we stop? ”

The LORD answered, “Fight, because I will hand them over to you tomorrow.”

Naomi said to them, “Each of you go back to your mother's home. May the LORD show kindness to you as you have shown to the dead and to me.

They said to her, “We insist on returning with you to your people.”

The servant answered, “She is the young Moabite woman who returned with Naomi from the territory of Moab.

Then Boaz said to Ruth, “Listen, my daughter.[fn] Don't go and gather grain in another field, and don't leave this one, but stay here close to my female servants.

Boaz answered her, “Everything you have done for your mother-in-law since your husband's death has been fully reported to me: how you left your father and mother and your native land, and how you came to a people you didn't previously know.

Then Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May the LORD bless him because he has not abandoned his kindness to the living or the dead.” Naomi continued, “The man is a close relative. He is one of our family redeemers.”

“Now isn't Boaz our relative? Haven't you been working with his female servants? This evening he will be winnowing barley on the threshing floor.

“I thought I should inform you: Buy it back in the presence of those seated here and in the presence of the elders of my people. If you want to redeem it, do it. But if you do[fn] not want to redeem it, tell me so that I will know, because there isn't anyone other than you to redeem it, and I am next after you.”

“I want to redeem it,” he answered.

On one occasion, Hannah got up after they ate and drank at Shiloh.[fn] The priest Eli was sitting on a chair by the doorpost of the LORD's temple.

“May your servant find favor with you,” she replied. Then Hannah went on her way; she ate and no longer looked despondent.[fn]

He raises the poor from the dust

and lifts the needy from the trash heap.

He seats them with noblemen

and gives them a throne of honor.[fn]

For the foundations of the earth are the LORD's;

he has set the world on them.

Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice.

By contrast, the boy Samuel grew in stature and in favor with the LORD and with people.

So the people sent men to Shiloh to bring back the ark of the covenant of the LORD of Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. Eli's two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

After they had moved it, the LORD's hand was against the city of Gath, causing a great panic. He afflicted the people of the city, from the youngest to the oldest, with an outbreak of tumors.

One day the donkeys of Saul's father Kish wandered off. Kish said to his son Saul, “Take one of the servants with you and go look for the donkeys.”

“As soon as you enter the city, you will find him before he goes to the high place to eat. The people won't eat until he comes because he must bless the sacrifice; after that, the guests can eat. Go up immediately ​— ​you can find him now.”

The cook picked up the thigh and what was attached to it and set it before Saul. Then Samuel said, “Notice that the reserved piece is set before you. Eat it because it was saved for you for this solemn event at the time I said, ‘I've invited the people.' ” So Saul ate with Samuel that day.

“After that you will come to Gibeah of God where there are Philistine garrisons.[fn] When you arrive at the city, you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place prophesying. They will be preceded by harps, tambourines, flutes, and lyres.

“When these signs have happened to you, do whatever your circumstances require[fn] because God is with you.

Saul also went to his home in Gibeah, and brave men whose hearts God had touched went with him.

Nahash[fn] the Ammonite came up and laid siege to Jabesh-gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to him, “Make a treaty with us, and we will serve you.”

Just then Saul was coming in from the field behind his oxen. “What's the matter with the people? Why are they weeping? ” Saul inquired, and they repeated to him the words of the men from Jabesh.

The next day Saul organized the troops into three divisions. During the morning watch, they invaded the Ammonite camp and slaughtered them until the heat of the day. There were survivors, but they were so scattered that no two of them were left together.

He chose three thousand men from Israel for himself: two thousand were with Saul at Michmash and in Bethel's hill country, and one thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. He sent the rest of the troops away, each to his own tent.

So on the day of battle not a sword or spear could be found in the hand of any of the troops who were with Saul and Jonathan; only Saul and his son Jonathan had weapons.

His armor-bearer responded, “Do what is in your heart. Go ahead! I'm completely with you.”

There were Hebrews from the area who had gone earlier into the camp to join the Philistines, but even they joined the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.

So the LORD saved Israel that day.

The battle extended beyond Beth-aven,

He warned the Kenites, “Since you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came out of Egypt, go on and leave! Get away from the Amalekites, or I'll sweep you away with them.” So the Kenites withdrew from the Amalekites.

Samuel replied to Saul, “I will not return with you. Because you rejected the word of the LORD, the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel.”

So Jesse sent for him. He had beautiful eyes and a healthy,[fn] handsome appearance.

Then the LORD said, “Anoint him, for he is the one.”

David said to Saul, “Don't let anyone be discouraged by him; your servant will go and fight this Philistine! ”

Then David said, “The LORD who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Saul said to David, “Go, and may the LORD be with you.”

When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a youth, healthy[fn] and handsome.

Saul realized[fn] that the LORD was with David and that his daughter Michal loved him,

So David told him, “Look, tomorrow is the New Moon, and I'm supposed to sit down and eat with the king. Instead, let me go, and I'll hide in the countryside for the next two nights.[fn]

“Deal kindly with[fn] your servant, for you have brought me into a covenant with you before the LORD. If I have done anything wrong, then kill me yourself; why take me to your father? ”

“If my father intends to bring evil on you, may the LORD punish Jonathan and do so severely if I do not tell you and send you away so you may leave safely. May the LORD be with you, just as he was with my father.

David went to the priest Ahimelech at Nob. Ahimelech was afraid to meet David, so he said to him, “Why are you alone and no one is with you? ”

“That's why all of you have conspired against me! Nobody tells me when my own son makes a covenant with Jesse's son. None of you cares about me or tells me that my son has stirred up my own servant to wait in ambush for me, as is the case today.”

Then the king ordered the guards standing by him, “Turn and kill the priests of the LORD because they sided with David. For they knew he was fleeing, but they didn't tell me.” But the king's servants would not lift a hand to execute the priests of the LORD.

Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, and he brought an ephod with him.

Afterward, David's conscience bothered[fn] him because he had cut off the corner of Saul's robe.[fn]

He said to his men, “All of you, put on your swords! ” So each man put on his sword, and David also put on his sword. About four hundred men followed David while two hundred stayed with the supplies.

Then David asked Ahimelech the Hethite and Joab's brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, “Who will go with me into the camp to Saul? ”

“I'll go with you,” answered Abishai.

David and his men stayed with Achish in Gath. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's widow.

Now David said to Achish, “If I have found favor with you, let me be given a place in one of the outlying towns, so I can live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you? ”

At that time, the Philistines gathered their military units into one army to fight against Israel. So Achish said to David, “You know, of course, that you and your men must march out in the army[fn] with me.”

Samuel answered, “Since the LORD has turned away from you and has become your enemy, why are you asking me?

“The LORD will also hand Israel over to the Philistines along with you. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me,[fn] and the LORD will hand Israel's army over to the Philistines.”

As the Philistine leaders were passing in review with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men were passing in review behind them with Achish.

“So get up early in the morning, you and your masters' servants who came with you.[fn] When you've all gotten up early, go as soon as it's light.”

but all the corrupt and worthless men among those who had gone with David argued, “Because they didn't go with us, we will not give any of the plunder we recovered to them except for each man's wife and children. They may take them and go.”

After the death of Saul, David returned from defeating the Amalekites and stayed at Ziklag two days.

“So I stood over him and killed him because I knew that after he had fallen he couldn't survive. I took the crown that was on his head and the armband that was on his arm, and I've brought them here to my lord.”

Daughters of Israel, weep for Saul,

who clothed you in scarlet, with luxurious things,

who decked your garments with gold ornaments.

Some time later, David inquired of the LORD: “Should I go to one of the towns of Judah? ”

The LORD answered him, “Go.”

Then David asked, “Where should I go? ”

“To Hebron,” the LORD replied.

Abner was very angry about Ish-bosheth's accusation. “Am I a dog's head[fn] who belongs to Judah? ” he asked. “All this time I've been loyal to the family of your father Saul, to his brothers, and to his friends and haven't betrayed you to David, but now you accuse me of wrongdoing with this woman!

Abner sent messengers as his representatives to say to David, “Whose land is it? Make your covenant with me, and you can be certain I am on your side to turn all Israel over to you.”

Abner said to David, “Let me now go and I will gather all Israel to my lord the king. They will make a covenant with you, and you will reign over all you desire.” So David dismissed Abner, and he went in peace.

David heard about it later and said, “I and my kingdom are forever innocent before the LORD concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner.

After he arrived from Hebron, David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him.

He and the whole house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of the ram's horn.

“and I will dishonor myself and humble myself even more.[fn][fn] However, by the slave girls you spoke about, I will be honored.”

So Nathan told the king, “Go and do all that is on your mind, for the LORD is with you.”

“I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. I will make a great name for you like that of the greatest on the earth.

“When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up after you your descendant, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.

After this, David defeated the Philistines, subdued them, and took Metheg-ammah[fn] from Philistine control.[fn]

King David also dedicated these to the LORD, along with the silver and gold he had dedicated from all the nations he had subdued ​— ​

“Don't be afraid,” David said to him, “since I intend to show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all your grandfather Saul's fields, and you will always eat meals at my table.”

Some time later, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun became king in his place.

When all the kings who were Hadadezer's subjects saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became their subjects. After this, the Arameans were afraid to ever help the Ammonites again.

But Uriah slept at the door of the palace with all his master's servants; he did not go down to his house.

Uriah answered David, “The ark, Israel, and Judah are dwelling in tents, and my master Joab and his soldiers[fn] are camping in the open field. How can I enter my house to eat and drink and sleep with my wife? As surely as you live and by your life, I will not do this! ”

Then David invited Uriah to eat and drink with him, and David got him drunk. He went out in the evening to lie down on his cot with his master's servants, but he did not go home.

Then the men of the city came out and attacked Joab, and some of the men from David's soldiers fell in battle; Uriah the Hethite also died.

but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised her, and she grew up with him and with his children. From his meager food she would eat, from his cup she would drink, and in his arms she would sleep. She was like a daughter to him.

“This is what the LORD says, ‘I am going to bring disaster on you from your own family: I will take your wives and give them to another[fn] before your very eyes, and he will sleep with them in broad daylight.[fn]

Some time passed. David's son Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar, and David's son Amnon was infatuated with her.

Her brother Absalom said to her, “Has your brother Amnon been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister. He is your brother. Don't take this thing to heart.” So Tamar lived as a desolate woman in the house of her brother Absalom.

Absalom didn't say anything to Amnon, either good or bad, because he hated Amnon since he disgraced his sister Tamar.

Then he went to the king and said, “Your servant has just hired sheepshearers. Will the king and his servants please come with your servant? ”

“If not,” Absalom said, “please let my brother Amnon go with us.”

The king asked him, “Why should he go with you? ”

“Your servant thought: May the word of my lord the king bring relief, for my lord the king is able to discern the good and the bad like the angel of God. May the LORD your God be with you.”

The king asked, “Did Joab put you up to[fn] all this? ”

The woman answered. “As you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or left from all my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab is the one who gave orders to me; he told your servant exactly what to say.[fn]

After this, Absalom got himself a chariot, horses, and fifty men to run before him.

Two hundred men from Jerusalem went with Absalom. They had been invited and were going innocently, for they did not know the whole situation.

The king said to Ittai of Gath, “Why are you also going with us? Go back and stay with the new king since you're both a foreigner and an exile from your homeland.

Then someone reported to David, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.”

“LORD,” David pleaded, “please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness! ”

“Won't the priests Zadok and Abiathar be there with you? Report everything you hear from the palace to the priests Zadok and Abiathar.

“Is this your loyalty to your friend? ” Absalom asked Hushai. “Why didn't you go with your friend? ”

Ahithophel replied to Absalom, “Sleep with your father's concubines whom he left to take care of the palace. When all Israel hears that you have become repulsive to your father, everyone with you will be encouraged.”[fn]

After they had gone, Ahimaaz and Jonathan climbed out of the well and went and informed King David. They told him, “Get up and immediately ford the river, for Ahithophel has given this advice against you.”

“Now get up! Go out and encourage[fn] your soldiers, for I swear by the LORD that if you don't go out, not a man will remain with you tonight. This will be worse for you than all the trouble that has come to you from your youth until now! ”

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

“My lord the king,” he replied, “my servant Ziba betrayed me. Actually your servant said, ‘I'll saddle the donkey for myself[fn] so that I may ride it and go with the king' ​— ​for your servant is lame.

Mephibosheth said to the king, “Instead, since my lord the king has come to his palace safely, let Ziba take it all! ”

Barzillai replied to the king, “How many years of my life are left that I should go up to Jerusalem with the king?

“Since your servant is only going with the king a little way across the Jordan, why should the king repay me with such a reward?

The king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went with him. All the troops of Judah and half of Israel's escorted the king.

So David said to Abishai, “Sheba son of Bichri will do more harm to us than Absalom. Take your lord's soldiers and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and elude us.”[fn]

Joab's troops came and besieged Sheba in Abel of Beth-maacah. They built a siege ramp against the outer wall of the city. While all the troops with Joab were battering the wall to make it collapse,

The Gibeonites said to him, “We are not asking for silver and gold from Saul or his family, and we cannot put anyone to death in Israel.”

“Whatever you say, I will do for you,” he said.

and buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan at Zela in the land of Benjamin in the tomb of Saul's father Kish. They did everything the king commanded. After this, God was receptive to prayer for the land.

After this, there was another battle with the Philistines at Gob. At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was one of the descendants of the giant.

With the faithful

you prove yourself faithful,

with the blameless

you prove yourself blameless,

Is it not true my house is with God?

For he has established a permanent covenant with me,

ordered and secured in every detail.

Will he not bring about

my whole salvation and my every desire?

After him, Eleazar son of Dodo son of an Ahohite was among the three warriors with David when they defied the Philistines. The men of Israel retreated in the place they had gathered for battle,

David's conscience troubled him after he had taken a census of the troops. He said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I've done. Now, LORD, because I've been very foolish, please take away your servant's guilt.”

He conspired[fn] with Joab son of Zeruiah and with the priest Abiathar. They supported Adonijah,

Adonijah sacrificed sheep, goats, cattle, and fattened cattle near the stone of Zoheleth, which is next to En-rogel. He invited all his royal brothers and all the men of Judah, the servants of the king,

“At that moment, while you are still there speaking with the king, I'll come in after you and confirm your words.”

“Otherwise, when my lord the king rests with his ancestors, I and my son Solomon will be regarded as criminals.”

“Just as the LORD was with my lord the king, so may he[fn] be with Solomon and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.”

“Keep an eye on Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim who is with you. He uttered malicious curses against me the day I went to Mahanaim. But he came down to meet me at the Jordan River, and I swore to him by the LORD, ‘I will never kill you with the sword.'

Then David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David.

But then, at the end of three years, two of Shimei's slaves ran away to Achish son of Maacah, king of Gath. Shimei was informed, “Look, your slaves are in Gath.”

And Solomon replied, “You have shown great and faithful love to your servant, my father David, because he walked before you in faithfulness, righteousness, and integrity.[fn] You have continued this great and faithful love for him by giving him a son to sit on his throne, as it is today.

“I will therefore do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and understanding heart, so that there has never been anyone like you before and never will be again.

“Therefore, command that cedars from Lebanon be cut down for me. My servants will be with your servants, and I will pay your servants' wages according to whatever you say, for you know that not a man among us knows how to cut timber like the Sidonians.”

At that time Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, all the tribal heads and the ancestral leaders of the Israelites before him at Jerusalem in order to bring the ark of the LORD's covenant from the city of David, that is Zion.

Nothing was in the ark except the two stone tablets that Moses had put there at Horeb,[fn] where the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites when they came out of the land of Egypt.

I have provided a place there for the ark,

where the LORD's covenant is

that he made with our ancestors

when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.

But will God indeed live on earth?

Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain you,

much less this temple I have built.

“May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our ancestors. May he not abandon us or leave us

With the fleet, Hiram sent his servants, experienced seamen, along with Solomon's servants.

for the king had ships of Tarshish at sea with Hiram's fleet, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.[fn]

Solomon accumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen and stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.

When Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away to follow other gods. He was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God, as his father David had been.

Then the LORD said to Solomon, “Since you have done this[fn] and did not keep my covenant and my statutes, which I commanded you, I will tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant.

When Hadad heard in Egypt that David rested with his ancestors and that Joab, the commander of the army, was dead, Hadad said to Pharaoh, “Let me leave, so I may go to my own country.”

“ ‘After that, if you obey all I command you, walk in my ways, and do what is right in my sight in order to keep my statutes and my commands as my servant David did, I will be with you. I will build you a lasting dynasty just as I built for David, and I will give you Israel.

Solomon rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of his father David. His son Rehoboam became king in his place.

But he rejected the advice of the elders who had advised him and consulted with the young men who had grown up with him and attended him.

“‘This is what the LORD says: You are not to march up and fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you return home, for this situation is from me.' ”

So they listened to the word of the LORD and went back according to the word of the LORD.

But the man of God replied, “If you were to give me half your house, I still wouldn't go with you, and I wouldn't eat food or drink water in this place,

But he answered, “I cannot go back with you or accompany you; I will not eat food or drink water with you in this place.

So after he had eaten food and after he had drunk, the old prophet saddled the donkey for the prophet he had brought back.

After he had buried him, he said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the grave where the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones,

Even after this, Jeroboam did not repent of his evil way but again made priests for the high places from the ranks of the people. He ordained whoever so desired it, and they became priests of the high places.

Rehoboam rested with his ancestors and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite. His son Abijam[fn] became king in his place.

Abijam walked in all the sins his father before him had committed, and he was not wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his God as his ancestor David had been.

Abijam rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of David. His son Asa became king in his place.

The high places were not taken away, but Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the LORD his entire life.

Then Asa rested with his ancestors and was buried in the city of his ancestor David. His son Jehoshaphat became king in his place.

Baasha rested with his ancestors and was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah became king in his place.

However, the people who followed Omri proved stronger than those who followed Tibni son of Ginath. So Tibni died and Omri became king.