ISRAEL’S GREAT KINGS

The Birth and Dedication of Samuel: 1 Samuel 1:1-28

1 Sam 1:1 Now there was a certain man from Ramathaim-zophim from the hill country of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 1 Sam 1:2 He had two wives: the name of one was Hannah and the name of the other Peninnah; and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 1 Sam 1:3 Now this man would go up from his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice to the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests to the LORD there. 1 Sam 1:4 When the day came that Elkanah sacrificed, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and her daughters; 1 Sam 1:5 but to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, but the LORD had closed her womb. 1 Sam 1:6 Her rival, however, would provoke her bitterly to irritate her, because the LORD had closed her womb. 1 Sam 1:7 It happened year after year, as often as she went up to the house of the LORD, she would provoke her; so she wept and would not eat. 1 Sam 1:8 Then Elkanah her husband said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep and why do you not eat and why is your heart sad? Am I not better to you than ten sons?" 1 Sam 1:9 Then Hannah rose after eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. 1 Sam 1:10 She, greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. 1 Sam 1:11 She made a vow and said, "O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head." 1 Sam 1:12 Now it came about, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli was watching her mouth.

1 Sam 1:13 As for Hannah, she was speaking in her heart, only her lips were moving, but her voice was not heard. So Eli thought she was drunk. 1 Sam 1:14 Then Eli said to her, "How long will you make yourself drunk? Put away your wine from you." 1 Sam 1:15 But Hannah replied, "No, my lord, I am a woman oppressed in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD. 1 Sam 1:16 "Do not consider your maidservant as a worthless woman, for I have spoken until now out of my great concern and provocation." 1 Sam 1:17 Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace; and may the God of Israel grant your petition that you have asked of Him." 1 Sam 1:18 She said, "Let your maidservant find favor in your sight." So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer {sad.} 1 Sam 1:19 Then they arose early in the morning and worshiped before the LORD, and returned again to their house in Ramah. And Elkanah had relations with Hannah his wife, and the LORD remembered her. 1 Sam 1:20 It came about in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, {saying,} "Because I have asked him of the LORD." 1 Sam 1:21 Then the man Elkanah went up with all his household to offer to the LORD the yearly sacrifice and {pay} his vow. 1 Sam 1:22 But Hannah did not go up, for she said to her husband, "{I will not go up} until the child is weaned; then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD and stay there forever.“ 1 Sam 1:23 Elkanah her husband said to her, "Do what seems best to you. Remain until you have weaned him; only may the LORD confirm His word." So the woman remained and nursed her son until she weaned him. 1 Sam 1:24 Now when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with a three-year-old bull and one ephah of flour and a jug of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD in Shiloh, although the child was young. 1 Sam 1:25 Then they slaughtered the bull, and brought the boy to Eli. 1 Sam 1:26 She said, "Oh, my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the LORD. 1 Sam 1:27 "For this boy I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him. 1 Sam 1:28 "So I have also dedicated him to the LORD; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there.   Eli’s Wicked Sons: 1 Samuel 2:12-26

1 Sam 2:12 Now the sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the LORD 1 Sam 2:13 and the custom of the priests with the people. When any man was offering a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand. 1 Sam 2:14 Then he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. Thus they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 1 Sam 2:15 Also, before they burned the fat, the priest's servant would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give the priest meat for roasting, as he will not take boiled meat from you, only raw." 1 Sam 2:16 If the man said to him, "They must surely burn the fat first, and then take as much as you desire," then he would say, "No, but you shall give {it to me} now; and if not, I will take it by force." 1 Sam 2:17 Thus the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for the men despised the offering of the LORD. 1 Sam 2:18 Now Samuel was ministering before the LORD, {as} a boy wearing a linen ephod. 1 Sam 2:19 And his mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him from year to year when she would come up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 1 Sam 2:20 Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife and say, "May the LORD give you children from this woman in place of the one she dedicated to the LORD." And they went to their own home. 1 Sam 2:21 The LORD visited Hannah; and she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew before the LORD. 1 Sam 2:22 Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 1 Sam 2:23 He said to them, "Why do you do such things, the evil things that I hear from all these people? 1 Sam 2:24 "No, my sons; for the report is not good which I hear the LORD'S people circulating. 1 Sam 2:25 "If one man sins against another, God will mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?" But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for the LORD desired to put them to death. 1 Sam 2:26 Now the boy Samuel was growing in stature and in favor both with the LORD and with men.   The Lord Calls Samuel: 1 Samuel 3:1-21

1 Sam 3:1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD before Eli. And word from the LORD was rare in those days, visions were infrequent. 1 Sam 3:2 It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim {and} he could not see {well),} 1 Sam 3:3 and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD where the ark of God {was,} 1 Sam 3:4 that the LORD called Samuel; and he said, "Here I am.“ 1 Sam 3:5 Then he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call, lie down again." So he went and lay down. 1 Sam 3:6 The LORD called yet again, "Samuel!" So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he answered, "I did not call, my son, lie down again." 1 Sam 3:7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor had the word of the LORD yet been revealed to him. 1 Sam 3:8 So the LORD called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then Eli discerned that the LORD was calling the boy. 1 Sam 3:9 And Eli said to Samuel, "Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, 'Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 1 Sam 3:10 Then the LORD came and stood and called as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for Your servant is listening." 1 Sam 3:11 The LORD said to Samuel, "Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 1 Sam 3:12 "In that day I will carry out against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 1 Sam 3:13 "For I have told him that I am about to judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knew, because his sons brought a curse on themselves and he did not rebuke them. 1 Sam 3:14 "Therefore I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever." 1 Sam 3:15 So Samuel lay down until morning. Then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. But Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 1 Sam 3:16 Then Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son." And he said, "Here I am." 1 Sam 3:17 He said, "What is the word that He spoke to you? Please do not hide it from me. May God do so to you, and more also, if you hide anything from me of all the words that He spoke to you." 1 Sam 3:18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the LORD; let Him do what seems good to Him." 1 Sam 3:19 Thus Samuel grew and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fail. 1 Sam 3:20 All Israel from Dan even to Beersheba knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD. 1 Sam 3:21 And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, because the LORD revealed Himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD. Israel Asks for a King: 1 Samuel 8:1-22

1 Sam 8:1 And it came about when Samuel was old that he appointed his sons judges over Israel. 1 Sam 8:2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; {they} were judging in Beersheba. 1 Sam 8:3 His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain and took bribes and perverted justice. 1 Sam 8:4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah; 1 Sam 8:5 and they said to him, "Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations." 1 Sam 8:6 But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed to the LORD. 1 Sam 8:7 The LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.

1 Sam 8:8 "Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day--in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods--so they are doing to you also. 1 Sam 8:9 "Now then, listen to their voice; however, you shall solemnly warn them and tell them of the procedure of the king who will reign over them." 1 Sam 8:10 So Samuel spoke all the words of the LORD to the people who had asked of him a king. 1 Sam 8:11 He said, "This will be the procedure of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and place {them} for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before his chariots. 1 Sam 8:12 "He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and {some} to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 1 Sam 8:13 "He will also take your daughters for perfumers and cooks and bakers. 1 Sam 8:14 "He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves and give {them} to his servants. 1 Sam 8:15 "He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants. 1 Sam 8:16 "He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and use {them} for his work. 1 Sam 8:17 "He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants. 1 Sam 8:18 "Then you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day." 1 Sam 8:19 Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, "No, but there shall be a king over us, 1 Sam 8:20 that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles." 1 Sam 8:21 Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the LORD'S hearing. 1 Sam 8:22 The LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to their voice and appoint them a king." So Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Go every man to his city."   Samuel Anoints Saul: 1 Samuel 9:1 - 10:8

1 Sam 9:1 Now there was a man of Benjamin whose name was Kish the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor. 1 Sam 9:2 He had a son whose name was Saul, a choice and handsome {man,} and there was not a more handsome person than he among the sons of Israel; from his shoulders and up he was taller than any of the people. 1 Sam 9:3 Now the donkeys of Kish, Saul's father, were lost. So Kish said to his son Saul, "Take now with you one of the servants, and arise, go search for the donkeys." 1 Sam 9:4 He passed through the hill country of Ephraim and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they did not find {them.} Then they passed through the land of Shaalim, but {they were} not {there.} Then he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they did not find {them.} 1 Sam 9:5 When they came to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant who was with him, "Come, and let us return, or else my father will cease {to be concerned} about the donkeys and will become anxious for us." 1 Sam 9:6 He said to him, "Behold now, there is a man of God in this city, and the man is held in honor; all that he says surely comes true. Now let us go there, perhaps he can tell us about our journey on which we have set out." 1 Sam 9:7 Then Saul said to his servant, "But behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? For the bread is gone from our sack and there is no present to bring to the man of God. What do we have?" 1 Sam 9:8 The servant answered Saul again and said, "Behold, I have in my hand a fourth of a shekel of silver; I will give {it} to the man of God and he will tell us our way." 1 Sam 9:9 (Formerly in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, he used to say, "Come, and let us go to the seer"; for {he who is called} a prophet now was formerly called a seer.) 1 Sam 9:10 Then Saul said to his servant, "Well said; come, let us go." So they went to the city where the man of God was. 1 Sam 9:11 As they went up the slope to the city, they found young women going out to draw water and said to them, "Is the seer here?" 1 Sam 9:12 They answered them and said, "He is; see, {he is} ahead of you. Hurry now, for he has come into the city today, for the people have a sacrifice on the high place today. 1 Sam 9:13 "As soon as you enter the city you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat, for the people will not eat until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; afterward those who are invited will eat. Now therefore, go up for you will find him at once." 1 Sam 9:14 So they went up to the city. As they came into the city, behold, Samuel was coming out toward them to go up to the high place. 1 Sam 9:15 Now a day before Saul's coming, the LORD had revealed {this} to Samuel saying, 1 Sam 9:16 "About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be prince over My people Israel; and he will deliver My people from the hand of the Philistines. For I have regarded My people, because their cry has come to Me." 1 Sam 9:17 When Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said to him, "Behold, the man of whom I spoke to you! This one shall rule over My people." 1 Sam 9:18 Then Saul approached Samuel in the gate and said, "Please tell me where the seer's house is." 1 Sam 9:19 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 in the morning I will let you go, and will tell you all that is on your mind. 1 Sam 9:20 "As for your donkeys which were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. And for whom is all that is desirable in Israel? Is it not for you and for all your father's household?" 1 Sam 9:21 Saul replied, "Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak to me in this way?" 1 Sam 9:22 Then Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the hall and gave them a place at the head of those who were invited, who were about thirty men. 1 Sam 9:23 Samuel said to the cook, "Bring the portion that I gave you, concerning which I said to you, 'Set it aside.'" 1 Sam 9:24 Then the cook took up the leg with what was on it and set {it} before Saul. And {Samuel} said, "Here is what has been reserved! Set {it} before you {and} eat, because it has been kept for you until the appointed time, since I said I have invited the people." So Saul ate with Samuel that day. 1 Sam 9:25 When they came down from the high place into the city, {Samuel} spoke with Saul on the roof. 1 Sam 9:26 And they arose early; and at daybreak Samuel called to Saul on the roof, saying, "Get up, that I may send you away." So Saul arose, and both he and Samuel went out into the street. 1 Sam 9:27 As they were going down to the edge of the city, Samuel said to Saul, "Say to the servant that he might go ahead of us and pass on, but you remain standing now, that I may proclaim the word of God to you." 1 Sam 10:1 Then Samuel took the flask of oil, poured it on his head, kissed him and said, "Has not the LORD anointed you a ruler over His inheritance? 1 Sam 10:2 "When you go from me today, then you will find two men close to Rachel's tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah; and they will say to you, 'The donkeys which you went to look for have been found. Now behold, your father has ceased to be concerned about the donkeys and is anxious for you, saying, "What shall I do about my son?"' 1 Sam 10:3 "Then you will go on further from there, and you will come as far as the oak of Tabor, and there three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you, one carrying three young goats, another carrying three loaves of bread, and another carrying a jug of wine; 1 Sam 10:4 and they will greet you and give you two {loaves} of bread, which you will accept from their hand. 1 Sam 10:5 "Afterward you will come to the hill of God where the Philistine garrison is; and it shall be as soon as you have come there to the city, that you will meet a group of prophets coming down from the high place with harp, tambourine, flute, and a lyre before them, and they will be prophesying. 1 Sam 10:6 "Then the Spirit of the LORD will come upon you mightily, and you shall prophesy with them and be changed into another man. 1 Sam 10:7 "It shall be when these signs come to you, do for yourself what the occasion requires, for God is with you. 1 Sam 10:8 "And you shall go down before me to Gilgal; and behold, I will come down to you to offer burnt offerings and sacrifice peace offerings. You shall wait seven days until I come to you and show you what you should do." Samuel Rebukes Saul: 1 Samuel 13:1-15

1 Sam 13:1 Saul was {thirty} years old when he began to reign, and he reigned {forty} two years over Israel. 1 Sam 13:2 Now Saul chose for himself 3,000 men of Israel, of which 2,000 were with Saul in Michmash and in the hill country of Bethel, while 1,000 were with Jonathan at Gibeah of Benjamin. But he sent away the rest of the people, each to his tent. 1 Sam 13:3 Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of {it.} Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear." 1 Sam 13:4 All Israel heard the news that Saul had smitten the garrison of the Philistines, and also that Israel had become odious to the Philistines. The people were then summoned to Saul at Gilgal. 1 Sam 13:5 Now the Philistines assembled to fight with Israel, 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen, and people like the sand which is on the seashore in abundance; and they came up and camped in Michmash, east of Beth-aven. 1 Sam 13:6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were hard-pressed), then the people hid themselves in caves, in thickets, in cliffs, in cellars, and in pits. 1 Sam 13:7 Also {some of} the Hebrews crossed the Jordan into the land of Gad and Gilead. But as for Saul, he {was} still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. 1 Sam 13:8 Now he waited seven days, according to the appointed time set by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him. 1 Sam 13:9 So Saul said, "Bring to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings." And he offered the burnt offering. 1 Sam 13:10 As soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him {and} to greet him. 1 Sam 13:11 But Samuel said, "What have you done?" And Saul said, "Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, 1 Sam 13:12 therefore I said, 'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the LORD.' So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering." 1 Sam 13:13 Samuel said to Saul, "You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you, for now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. 1 Sam 13:14 "But now your kingdom shall not endure. The LORD has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you." 1 Sam 13:15 Then Samuel arose and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And Saul numbered the people who were present with him, about six hundred men. Samuel Anoints David: 1 Samuel 16:1-13

1 Sam 16:1 Now the LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have selected a king for Myself among his sons." 1 Sam 16:2 But Samuel said, "How can I go? When Saul hears {of it,} he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.' 1 Sam 16:3 "You shall invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for Me the one whom I designate to you." 1 Sam 16:4 So Samuel did what the LORD said, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came trembling to meet him and said, "Do you come in peace?" 1 Sam 16:5 He said, "In peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." He also consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. 1 Sam 16:6 When they entered, he looked at Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD'S anointed is before Him." 1 Sam 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God {sees} not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." 1 Sam 16:8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "The LORD has not chosen this one either." 1 Sam 16:9 Next Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "The LORD has not chosen this one either." 1 Sam 16:10 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. But Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen these." 1 Sam 16:11 And Samuel said to Jesse, "Are these all the children?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, and behold, he is tending the sheep." Then Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here." 1 Sam 16:12 So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him; for this is he." 1 Sam 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

David in Saul’s Service: 1 Samuel 16:14-23

1 Sam 16:14 Now the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrorized him. 1 Sam 16:15 Saul's servants then said to him, "Behold now, an evil spirit from God is terrorizing you. 1 Sam 16:16 "Let our lord now command your servants who are before you. Let them seek a man who is a skillful player on the harp; and it shall come about when the evil spirit from God is on you, that he shall play {the harp} with his hand, and you will be well." 1 Sam 16:17 So Saul said to his servants, "Provide for me now a man who can play well and bring {him} to me." 1 Sam 16:18 Then one of the young men said, "Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is a skillful musician, a mighty man of valor, a warrior, one prudent in speech, and a handsome man; and the LORD is with him." 1 Sam 16:19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me your son David who is with the flock." 1 Sam 16:20 Jesse took a donkey {loaded with} bread and a jug of wine and a young goat, and sent {them} to Saul by David his son. 1 Sam 16:21 Then David came to Saul and attended him; and Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor bearer. 1 Sam 16:22 Saul sent to Jesse, saying, "Let David now stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight." 1 Sam 16:23 So it came about whenever the {evil} spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play {it} with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him. David and Goliath: 1 Samuel 17:12-50

1 Sam 17:12 Now David was the son of the Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, whose name was Jesse, and he had eight sons. And Jesse was old in the days of Saul, advanced {in years} among men. 1 Sam 17:13 The three older sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and the second to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. 1 Sam 17:14 David was the youngest. Now the three oldest followed Saul, 1 Sam 17:15 but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father's flock at Bethlehem. 1 Sam 17:16 The Philistine came forward morning and evening for forty days and took his stand. 1 Sam 17:17 Then Jesse said to David his son, "Take now for your brothers an ephah of this roasted grain and these ten loaves and run to the camp to your brothers. 1 Sam 17:18 "Bring also these ten cuts of cheese to the commander of {their} thousand, and look into the welfare of your brothers, and bring back news of them. 1 Sam 17:19 "For Saul and they and all the men of Israel are in the valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines." 1 Sam 17:20 So David arose early in the morning and left the flock with a keeper and took {the supplies} and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the circle of the camp while the army was going out in battle array shouting the war cry. 1 Sam 17:21 Israel and the Philistines drew up in battle array, army against army. 1 Sam 17:22 Then David left his baggage in the care of the baggage keeper, and ran to the battle line and entered in order to greet his brothers. 1 Sam 17:23 As he was talking with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine from Gath named Goliath, was coming up from the army of the Philistines, and he spoke these same words; and David heard {them.} 1 Sam 17:24 When all the men of Israel saw the man, they fled from him and were greatly afraid. 1 Sam 17:25 The men of Israel said, "Have you seen this man who is coming up? Surely he is coming up to defy Israel. And it will be that 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." 1 Sam 17:26 Then David spoke to the men who were standing by him, saying, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?" 1 Sam 17:27 The people answered him in accord with this word, saying, "Thus it will be done for the man who kills him." 1 Sam 17:28 Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab's anger burned 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 insolence and the wickedness of your heart; for you have come down in order to see the battle." 1 Sam 17:29 But David said, "What have I done now? Was it not just a question?" 1 Sam 17:30 Then he turned away from him to another and said the same thing; and the people answered the same thing as before. 1 Sam 17:31 When the words which David spoke were heard, they told {them} to Saul, and he sent for him. 1 Sam 17:32 David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail on account of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." 1 Sam 17:33 Then Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are {but} a youth while he has been a warrior from his youth." 1 Sam 17:34 But David said to Saul, "Your servant was tending his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, 1 Sam 17:35 I went out after him and attacked him, and rescued {it} from his mouth; and when he rose up against me, I seized {him} by his beard and struck him and killed him. 1 Sam 17:36 "Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted the armies of the living God." 1 Sam 17:37 And David said, "The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and may the LORD be with you." 1 Sam 17:38 Then Saul clothed David with his garments and put a bronze helmet on his head, and he clothed him with armor. 1 Sam 17:39 David girded his sword over his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested {them.} So David said to Saul, "I cannot go with these, for I have not tested {them.}" And David took them off. 1 Sam 17:40 He took his stick in his hand and chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had, even in {his} pouch, and his sling was in his hand; and he approached the Philistine. 1 Sam 17:41 Then the Philistine came on and approached David, with the shield-bearer in front of him. 1 Sam 17:42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him; for he was {but} a youth, and ruddy, with a handsome appearance. 1 Sam 17:43 The Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 1 Sam 17:44 The Philistine also said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the beasts of the field." 1 Sam 17:45 Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. 1 Sam 17:46 "This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands, and I will strike you down and remove your head from you. And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 1 Sam 17:47 and that all this assembly may know that the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear; for the battle is the LORD'S and He will give you into our hands." 1 Sam 17:48 Then it happened when the Philistine rose and came and drew near to meet David, that David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine. 1 Sam 17:49 And David put his hand into his bag and took from it a stone and slung {it,} and struck the Philistine on his forehead. And the stone sank into his forehead, so that he fell on his face to the ground. 1 Sam 17:50 Thus David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and he struck the Philistine and killed him; but there was no sword in David's hand. Saul’s Jealousy of David: 1 Samuel 18:1-30

1 Sam 18:1 Now it came about when he had finished speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself. 1 Sam 18:2 Saul took him that day and did not let him return to his father's house. 1 Sam 18:3 Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. 1 Sam 18:4 Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, including his sword and his bow and his belt. 1 Sam 18:5 So David went out wherever Saul sent him, {and} prospered; and Saul set him over the men of war. And it was pleasing in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants. 1 Sam 18:6 It happened as they were coming, when David returned from killing the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy and with musical instruments. 1 Sam 18:7 The women sang as they played, and said, "Saul has slain his thousands, And David his ten thousands." 1 Sam 18:8 Then Saul became very angry, for this saying displeased him; and he said, "They have ascribed to David ten thousands, but to me they have ascribed thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?" 1 Sam 18:9 Saul looked at David with suspicion from that day on. 1 Sam 18:10 Now it came about on the next day that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul, and he raved in the midst of the house, while David was playing {the harp} with his hand, as usual; and a spear {was} in Saul's hand. 1 Sam 18:11 Saul hurled the spear for he thought, "I will pin David to the wall." But David escaped from his presence twice. 1 Sam 18:12 Now Saul was afraid of David, for the LORD was with him but had departed from Saul. 1 Sam 18:13 Therefore Saul removed him from his presence and appointed him as his commander of a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. 1 Sam 18:14 David was prospering in all his ways for the LORD {was} with him. 1 Sam 18:15 When Saul saw that he was prospering greatly, he dreaded him. 1 Sam 18:16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, and he went out and came in before them. 1 Sam 18:17 Then Saul said to David, "Here is my older daughter Merab; I will give her to you as a wife, only be a valiant man for me and fight the LORD'S battles." For Saul thought, "My hand shall not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him." 1 Sam 18:18 But David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my life {or} my father's family in Israel, that I should be the king's son-in-law?" 1 Sam 18:19 So it came about at the time when Merab, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife. 1 Sam 18:20 Now Michal, Saul's daughter, loved David. When they told Saul, the thing was agreeable to him. 1 Sam 18:21 Saul thought, "I will give her to him that she may become a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him." Therefore Saul said to David, "For a second time you may be my son-in-law today." 1 Sam 18:22 Then Saul commanded his servants, "Speak to David secretly, saying, 'Behold, the king delights in you, and all his servants love you; now therefore, become the king's son-in-law.'" 1 Sam 18:23 So Saul's servants spoke these words to David. But David said, "Is it trivial in your sight to become the king's son-in-law, since I am a poor man and lightly esteemed?" 1 Sam 18:24 The servants of Saul reported to him according to these words {which} David spoke. 1 Sam 18:25 Saul then said, "Thus you shall say to David, 'The king does not desire any dowry except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take vengeance on the king's enemies.'" Now Saul planned to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. 1 Sam 18:26 When his servants told David these words, it pleased David to become the king's son-in-law. Before the days had expired 1 Sam 18:27 David rose up and went, he and his men, and struck down two hundred men among the Philistines. Then David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full number to the king, that he might become the king's son-in-law. So Saul gave him Michal his daughter for a wife. 1 Sam 18:28 When Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and {that} Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him, 1 Sam 18:29 then Saul was even more afraid of David. Thus Saul was David's enemy continually. 1 Sam 18:30 Then the commanders of the Philistines went out {to battle,} and it happened as often as they went out, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul. So his name was highly esteemed. David and Jonathan: 1 Samuel 20:1-42

1 Sam 20:1 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said to Jonathan, "What have I done? What is my iniquity? And what is my sin before your father, that he is seeking my life?" 1 Sam 20:2 He said to him, "Far from it, you shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. So why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so!" 1 Sam 20:3 Yet David vowed again, saying, "Your father knows well that I have found favor in your sight, and he has said, 'Do not let Jonathan know this, or he will be grieved.' But truly as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, there is hardly a step between me and death." 1 Sam 20:4 Then Jonathan said to David, "Whatever you say, I will do for you." 1 Sam 20:5 So David said to Jonathan, "Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I ought to sit down to eat with the king. But let me go, that I may hide myself in the field until the third evening. 1 Sam 20:6 "If your father misses me at all, then say, 'David earnestly asked {leave} of me to run to Bethlehem his city, because it is the yearly sacrifice there for the whole family.' 1 Sam 20:7 "If he says, 'It is good,' your servant {will be} safe; but if he is very angry, know that he has decided on evil. 1 Sam 20:8 "Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the LORD with you. But if there is iniquity in me, put me to death yourself; for why then should you bring me to your father?" 1 Sam 20:9 Jonathan said, "Far be it from you! For if I should indeed learn that evil has been decided by my father to come upon you, then would I not tell you about it?" 1 Sam 20:10 Then David said to Jonathan, "Who will tell me if your father answers you harshly?" 1 Sam 20:11 Jonathan said to David, "Come, and let us go out into the field." So both of them went out to the field. 1 Sam 20:12 Then Jonathan said to David, "The LORD, the God of Israel, {be witness!} When I have sounded out my father about this time tomorrow, {or} the third day, behold, if there is good {feeling} toward David, shall I not then send to you and make it known to you? 1 Sam 20:13 "If it please my father {to do} you harm, may the LORD do so to Jonathan and more also, if I do not make it known to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. And may the LORD be with you as He has been with my father. 1 Sam 20:14 "If I am still alive, will you not show me the lovingkindness of the LORD, that I may not die? 1 Sam 20:15 "You shall not cut off your lovingkindness from my house forever, not even when the LORD cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth." 1 Sam 20:16 So Jonathan made a {covenant} with the house of David, {saying,} "May the LORD require {it} at the hands of David's enemies." 1 Sam 20:17 Jonathan made David vow again because of his love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own life. 1 Sam 20:18 Then Jonathan said to him, "Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed because your seat will be empty. 1 Sam 20:19 "When you have stayed for three days, you shall go down quickly and come to the place where you hid yourself on that eventful day, and you shall remain by the stone Ezel. 1 Sam 20:20 "I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target. 1 Sam 20:21 "And behold, I will send the lad, {saying,} 'Go, find the arrows.' If I specifically say to the lad, 'Behold, the arrows are on this side of you, get them,' then come; for there is safety for you and no harm, as the LORD lives. 1 Sam 20:22 "But if I say to the youth, 'Behold, the arrows are beyond you,' go, for the LORD has sent you away. 1 Sam 20:23 "As for the agreement of which you and I have spoken, behold, the LORD is between you and me forever." 1 Sam 20:24 So David hid in the field; and when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. 1 Sam 20:25 The king sat on his seat as usual, the seat by the wall; then Jonathan rose up and Abner sat down by Saul's side, but David's place was empty. 1 Sam 20:26 Nevertheless Saul did not speak anything that day, for he thought, "It is an accident, he is not clean, surely {he is} not clean." 1 Sam 20:27 It came about the next day, the second {day} of the new moon, that David's place was empty; so Saul said to Jonathan his son, "Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal, either yesterday or today?" 1 Sam 20:28 Jonathan then answered Saul, "David earnestly asked leave of me {to go} to Bethlehem, 1 Sam 20:29 for he said, 'Please let me go, since our family has a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to attend. And now, if I have found favor in your sight, please let me get away that I may see my brothers.' For this reason he has not come to the king's table." 1 Sam 20:30 Then Saul's anger burned against Jonathan and he said to him, "You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you are choosing the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother's nakedness? 1 Sam 20:31 "For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Therefore now, send and bring him to me, for he must surely die." 1 Sam 20:32 But Jonathan answered Saul his father and said to him, "Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" 1 Sam 20:33 Then Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him down; so Jonathan knew that his father had decided to put David to death. 1 Sam 20:34 Then Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did not eat food on the second day of the new moon, for he was grieved over David because his father had dishonored him. 1 Sam 20:35 Now it came about in the morning that Jonathan went out into the field for the appointment with David, and a little lad {was} with him. 1 Sam 20:36 He said to his lad, "Run, find now the arrows which I am about to shoot." As the lad was running, he shot an arrow past him. 1 Sam 20:37 When the lad reached the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the lad and said, "Is not the arrow beyond you?" 1 Sam 20:38 And Jonathan called after the lad, "Hurry, be quick, do not stay!" And Jonathan's lad picked up the arrow and came to his master. 1 Sam 20:39 But the lad was not aware of anything; only Jonathan and David knew about the matter. 1 Sam 20:40 Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad and said to him, "Go, bring {them} to the city." 1 Sam 20:41 When the lad was gone, David rose from the south side and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed three times. And they kissed each other and wept together, but David {wept} the more. 1 Sam 20:42 Jonathan said to David, "Go in safety, inasmuch as we have sworn to each other in the name of the LORD, saying, 'The LORD will be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants forever.'" Then he rose and departed, while Jonathan went into the city.

David Spares Saul’s Life: 1 Samuel 24:1-22

1 Sam 24:1 Now when Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, saying, "Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi." 1 Sam 24:2 Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Rocks of the Wild Goats. 1 Sam 24:3 He came to the sheepfolds on the way, where there {was} a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the inner recesses of the cave. 1 Sam 24:4 The men of David said to him, "Behold, {this is} the day of which the LORD said to you, 'Behold; I am about to give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you.'" Then David arose and cut off the edge of Saul's robe secretly. 1 Sam 24:5 It came about afterward that David's conscience bothered him because he had cut off the edge of Saul's {robe.} 1 Sam 24:6 So he said to his men, "Far be it from me because of the LORD that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, since he is the LORD'S anointed." 1 Sam 24:7 David persuaded his men with {these} words and did not allow them to rise up against Saul. And Saul arose, left the cave, and went on {his} way. 1 Sam 24:8 Now afterward David arose and went out of the cave and called after Saul, saying, "My lord the king!" And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the ground and prostrated himself. 1 Sam 24:9 David said to Saul, "Why do you listen to the words of men, saying, 'Behold, David seeks to harm you'? 1 Sam 24:10 "Behold, this day your eyes have seen that the LORD had given you today into my hand in the cave, and some said to kill you, but {my eye} had pity on you; and I said, 'I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD'S anointed.‘ 1 Sam 24:11 "Now, my father, see! Indeed, see the edge of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the edge of your robe and did not kill you, know and perceive that there is no evil or rebellion in my hands, and I have not sinned against you, though you are lying in wait for my life to take it. 1 Sam 24:12 "May the LORD judge between you and me, and may the LORD avenge me on you; but my hand shall not be against you. 1 Sam 24:13 "As the proverb of the ancients says, 'Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness'; but my hand shall not be against you. 1 Sam 24:14 "After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog, a single flea? 1 Sam 24:15 "The LORD therefore be judge and decide between you and me; and may He see and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand." 1 Sam 24:16 When David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" Then Saul lifted up his voice and wept. 1 Sam 24:17 He said to David, "You are more righteous than I; for you have dealt well with me, while I have dealt wickedly with you. 1 Sam 24:18 "You have declared today that you have done good to me, that the LORD delivered me into your hand and {yet} you did not kill me. 1 Sam 24:19 "For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safely? May the LORD therefore reward you with good in return for what you have done to me this day. 1 Sam 24:20 "Now, behold, I know that you will surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. 1 Sam 24:21 "So now swear to me by the LORD that you will not cut off my descendants after me and that you will not destroy my name from my father's household." 1 Sam 24:22 David swore to Saul. And Saul went to his home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold. David Brings the Arks to Jerusalem: 2 Samuel 6:1-23

2 Sam 6:1 Now David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 Sam 6:2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him to Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the Name, the very name of the LORD of hosts who is enthroned {above} the cherubim. 2 Sam 6:3 They placed the ark of God on a new cart that they might bring it from the house of Abinadab which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were leading the new cart. 2 Sam 6:4 So they brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Ahio was walking ahead of the ark. 2 Sam 6:5 Meanwhile, David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD with all kinds of {instruments made of} fir wood, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets and cymbals. 2 Sam 6:6 But when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen nearly upset {it.} 2 Sam 6:7 And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God. 2 Sam 6:8 David became angry because of the LORD'S outburst against Uzzah, and that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. 2 Sam 6:9 So David was afraid of the LORD that day; and he said, "How can the ark of the LORD come to me?" 2 Sam 6:10 And David was unwilling to move the ark of the LORD into the city of David with him; but David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 2 Sam 6:11 Thus the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and all his household. 2 Sam 6:12 Now it was told King David, saying, "The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, on account of the ark of God." David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness. 2 Sam 6:13 And so it was, that when the bearers of the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. 2 Sam 6:14 And David was dancing before the LORD with all {his} might, and David was wearing a linen ephod. 2 Sam 6:15 So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouting and the sound of the trumpet. 2 Sam 6:16 Then it happened {as} the ark of the LORD came into the city of David that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. 2 Sam 6:17 So they brought in the ark of the LORD and set it in its place inside the tent which David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. 2 Sam 6:18 When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace offering, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts. 2 Sam 6:19 Further, he distributed to all the people, to all the multitude of Israel, both to men and women, a cake of bread and one of dates and one of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed each to his house. 2 Sam 6:20 But when David returned to bless his household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, "How the king of Israel distinguished himself today! He uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servants' maids as one of the foolish ones shamelessly uncovers himself!" 2 Sam 6:21 So David said to Michal, "{It was} before the LORD, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel; therefore I will celebrate before the LORD. 2 Sam 6:22 "I will be more lightly esteemed than this and will be humble in my own eyes, but with the maids of whom you have spoken, with them I will be distinguished." 2 Sam 6:23 Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death. David and Bathsheba: 2 Samuel 11:1-27

2 Sam 11:1 Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out {to battle,} that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. 2 Sam 11:2 Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. 2 Sam 11:3 So David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" 2 Sam 11:4 David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her; and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. 2 Sam 11:5 The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, "I am pregnant." 2 Sam 11:6 Then David sent to Joab, {saying,} "Send me Uriah the Hittite." So Joab sent Uriah to David. 2 Sam 11:7 When Uriah came to him, David asked concerning the welfare of Joab and the people and the state of the war. 2 Sam 11:8 Then David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house, and wash your feet." And Uriah went out of the king's house, and a present from the king was sent out after him. 2 Sam 11:9 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. 2 Sam 11:10 Now when they told David, saying, "Uriah did not go down to his house," David said to Uriah, "Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?" 2 Sam 11:11 Uriah said to David, "The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing." 2 Sam 11:12 Then David said to Uriah, "Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let you go." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 2 Sam 11:13 Now David called him, and he ate and drank before him, and he made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his bed with his lord's servants, but he did not go down to his house. 2 Sam 11:14 Now in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent {it} by the hand of Uriah. 2 Sam 11:15 He had written in the letter, saying, "Place Uriah in the front line of the fiercest battle and withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and die." 2 Sam 11:16 So it was as Joab kept watch on the city, that he put Uriah at the place where he knew there {were} valiant men. 2 Sam 11:17 The men of the city went out and fought against Joab, and some of the people among David's servants fell; and Uriah the Hittite also died. 2 Sam 11:18 Then Joab sent and reported to David all the events of the war. 2 Sam 11:19 He charged the messenger, saying, "When you have finished telling all the events of the war to the king, 2 Sam 11:20 and if it happens that the king's wrath rises and he says to you, 'Why did you go so near to the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? 2 Sam 11:21 'Who struck down Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?'--then you shall say, 'Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.'" 2 Sam 11:22 So the messenger departed and came and reported to David all that Joab had sent him {to tell.} 2 Sam 11:23 The messenger said to David, "The men prevailed against us and came out against us in the field, but we pressed them as far as the entrance of the gate. 2 Sam 11:24 "Moreover, the archers shot at your servants from the wall; so some of the king's servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead." 2 Sam 11:25 Then David said to the messenger, "Thus you shall say to Joab, 'Do not let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another; make your battle against the city stronger and overthrow it'; and {so} encourage him." 2 Sam 11:26 Now when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. 2 Sam 11:27 When the {time of} mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house and she became his wife; then she bore him a son. But the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the LORD. Nathan Rebukes David: 2 Samuel 12:1-14

2 Sam 12:1 Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And he came to him and said, "There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 Sam 12:2 "The rich man had a great many flocks and herds. 2 Sam 12:3 "But the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb Which he bought and nourished; And it grew up together with him and his children. It would eat of his bread and drink of his cup and lie in his bosom, And was like a daughter to him. 2 Sam 12:4 "Now a traveler came to the rich man, And he was unwilling to take from his own flock or his own herd, To prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him; Rather he took the poor man's ewe lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him." 2 Sam 12:5 Then David's anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, "As the LORD lives, surely the man who has done this deserves to die. 2 Sam 12:6 "He must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion.“ 2 Sam 12:7 Nathan then said to David, "You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel, 'It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. 2 Sam 12:8 'I also gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if {that had been} too little, I would have added to you many more things like these! 2 Sam 12:9 'Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. 2 Sam 12:10 'Now 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.' 2 Sam 12:11 "Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes and give {them} to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight. 2 Sam 12:12 'Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.'" 2 Sam 12:13 Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die. 2 Sam 12:14 "However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die." David Grieves: 2 Samuel 12:15-25

2 Sam 12:15 So Nathan went to his house. ถ Then the LORD struck the child that Uriah's widow bore to David, so that he was {very} sick. 2 Sam 12:16 David therefore inquired of God for the child; and David fasted and went and lay all night on the ground. 2 Sam 12:17 The elders of his household stood beside him in order to raise him up from the ground, but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them. 2 Sam 12:18 Then it happened on the seventh day that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, "Behold, while the child was {still} alive, we spoke to him and he did not listen to our voice. How then can we tell him that the child is dead, since he might do {himself} harm!" 2 Sam 12:19 But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; so David said to his servants, "Is the child dead?" And they said, "He is dead." 2 Sam 12:20 So David arose from the ground, washed, anointed {himself,} and changed his clothes; and he came into the house of the LORD and worshiped. Then he came to his own house, and when he requested, they set food before him and he ate. 2 Sam 12:21 Then his servants said to him, "What is this thing that you have done? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept; but when the child died, you arose and ate food." 2 Sam 12:22 He said, "While the child was {still} alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, 'Who knows, the LORD may be gracious to me, that the child may live.' 2 Sam 12:23 "But now he has died; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me." 2 Sam 12:24 Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her; and she gave birth to a son, and he named him Solomon. Now the LORD loved him 2 Sam 12:25 and sent {word} through Nathan the prophet, and he named him Jedidiah for the LORD'S sake. Amnon Rapes Tamar: 2 Samuel 13:1-22

2 Sam 13:1 Now it was after this that Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar, and Amnon the son of David loved her. 2 Sam 13:2 Amnon was so frustrated because of his sister Tamar that he made himself ill, for she was a virgin, and it seemed hard to Amnon to do anything to her. 2 Sam 13:3 But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother; and Jonadab was a very shrewd man. 2 Sam 13:4 He said to him, "O son of the king, why are you so depressed morning after morning? Will you not tell me?" Then Amnon said to him, "I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom." 2 Sam 13:5 Jonadab then said to him, "Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill; when your father comes to see you, say to him, 'Please let my sister Tamar come and give me {some} food to eat, and let her prepare the food in my sight, that I may see {it} and eat from her hand.'" 2 Sam 13:6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill; when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, "Please let my sister Tamar come and make me a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand." 2 Sam 13:7 Then David sent to the house for Tamar, saying, "Go now to your brother Amnon's house, and prepare food for him." 2 Sam 13:8 So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house, and he was lying down. And she took dough, kneaded {it,} made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes. 2 Sam 13:9 She took the pan and dished {them} out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, "Have everyone go out from me." So everyone went out from him. 2 Sam 13:10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the food into the bedroom, that I may eat from your hand." So Tamar took the cakes which she had made and brought them into the bedroom to her brother Amnon. 2 Sam 13:11 When she brought {them} to him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, "Come, lie with me, my sister." 2 Sam 13:12 But she answered him, "No, my brother, do not violate me, for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this disgraceful thing! 2 Sam 13:13 "As for me, where could I get rid of my reproach? And as for you, you will be like one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.“ 2 Sam 13:14 However, he would not listen to her; since he was stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her. 2 Sam 13:15 Then Amnon hated her with a very great hatred; for 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, go away!" 2 Sam 13:16 But she said to him, "No, because this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you have done to me!" Yet he would not listen to her. 2 Sam 13:17 Then he called his young man who attended him and said, "Now throw this woman out of my {presence,} and lock the door behind her." 2 Sam 13:18 Now she had on a long-sleeved garment; for in this manner the virgin daughters of the king dressed themselves in robes. Then his attendant took her out and locked the door behind her. 2 Sam 13:19 Tamar put ashes on her head and tore her long-sleeved garment which {was} on her; and she put her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went. 2 Sam 13:20 Then Absalom her brother said to her, "Has Amnon your brother been with you? But now keep silent, my sister, he is your brother; do not take this matter to heart." So Tamar remained and was desolate in her brother Absalom's house. 2 Sam 13:21 Now when King David heard of all these matters, he was very angry. 2 Sam 13:22 But Absalom did not speak to Amnon either good or bad; for Absalom hated Amnon because he had violated his sister Tamar.

Absalom Kills Amnon: 2 Samuel 13:23-39

2 Sam 13:23 Now it came about after two full years that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baal-hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king's sons. 2 Sam 13:24 Absalom came to the king and said, "Behold now, your servant has sheepshearers; please let the king and his servants go with your servant." 2 Sam 13:25 But the king said to Absalom, "No, my son, we should not all go, for we will be burdensome to you." Although he urged him, he would not go, but blessed him. 2 Sam 13:26 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?" 2 Sam 13:27 But when Absalom urged him, he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him. 2 Sam 13:28 Absalom commanded his servants, saying, "See now, when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, 'Strike Amnon,' then put him to death. Do not fear; have not I myself commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant." 2 Sam 13:29 The servants of Absalom did to Amnon just as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose and each mounted his mule and fled. 2 Sam 13:30 Now it was while they were on the way that the report came to David, saying, "Absalom has struck down all the king's sons, and not one of them is left." 2 Sam 13:31 Then the king arose, tore his clothes and lay on the ground; and all his servants were standing by with clothes torn. 2 Sam 13:32 Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother, responded, "Do not let my lord suppose they have put to death all the young men, the king's sons, for Amnon alone is dead; because by the intent of Absalom this has been determined since the day that he violated his sister Tamar. 2 Sam 13:33 "Now therefore, do not let my lord the king take the report to heart, namely, 'all the king's sons are dead,' for only Amnon is dead." 2 Sam 13:34 Now Absalom had fled. And the young man who was the watchman raised his eyes and looked, and behold, many people were coming from the road behind him by the side of the mountain. 2 Sam 13:35 Jonadab said to the king, "Behold, the king's sons have come; according to your servant's word, so it happened." 2 Sam 13:36 As soon as he had finished speaking, behold, the king's sons came and lifted their voices and wept; and also the king and all his servants wept very bitterly. 2 Sam 13:37 Now Absalom fled and went to Talmai the son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. And {David} mourned for his son every day. 2 Sam 13:38 So Absalom had fled and gone to Geshur, and was there three years. 2 Sam 13:39 {The heart of} King David longed to go out to Absalom; for he was comforted concerning Amnon, since he was dead. Absalom Returns to Jerusalem: 2 Samuel 14:1-33

2 Sam 14:1 Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart {was inclined} toward Absalom. 2 Sam 14:2 So Joab sent to Tekoa and brought a wise woman from there and said to her, "Please pretend to be a mourner, and put on mourning garments now, and do not anoint yourself with oil, but be like a woman who has been mourning for the dead many days; 2 Sam 14:3 then go to the king and speak to him in this manner." So Joab put the words in her mouth. 2 Sam 14:4 Now when the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and prostrated herself and said, "Help, O king." 2 Sam 14:5 The king said to her, "What is your trouble?" And she answered, "Truly I am a widow, for my husband is dead. 2 Sam 14:6 "Your maidservant had two sons, but the two of them struggled together in the field, and there was no one to separate them, so one struck the other and killed him. 2 Sam 14:7 "Now behold, the whole family has risen against your maidservant, and they say, 'Hand over the one who struck his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed, and destroy the heir also.' Thus they will extinguish my coal which is left, so as to leave my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the earth." 2 Sam 14:8 Then the king said to the woman, "Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you." 2 Sam 14:9 The woman of Tekoa said to the king, "O my lord, the king, the iniquity is on me and my father's house, but the king and his throne are guiltless." 2 Sam 14:10 So the king said, "Whoever speaks to you, bring him to me, and he will not touch you anymore." 2 Sam 14:11 Then she said, "Please let the king remember the LORD your God, {so that} the avenger of blood will not continue to destroy, otherwise they will destroy my son." And he said, "As the LORD lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground." 2 Sam 14:12 Then the woman said, "Please let your maidservant speak a word to my lord the king." And he said, "Speak." 2 Sam 14:13 The woman said, "Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in speaking this word the king is as one who is guilty, {in that} the king does not bring back his banished one. 2 Sam 14:14 "For we will surely die and are like water spilled on the ground which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away life, but plans ways so that the banished one will not be cast out from him. 2 Sam 14:15 "Now the reason I have come to speak this word to my lord the king is that the people have made me afraid; so your maidservant said, 'Let me now speak to the king, perhaps the king will perform the request of his maidservant. 2 Sam 14:16 'For the king will hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would destroy both me and my son from the inheritance of God.' 2 Sam 14:17 "Then your maidservant said, 'Please let the word of my lord the king be comforting, for as the angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and evil. And may the LORD your God be with you.'" 2 Sam 14:18 Then the king answered and said to the woman, "Please do not hide anything from me that I am about to ask you." And the woman said, "Let my lord the king please speak." 2 Sam 14:19 So the king said, "Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?" And the woman replied, "As your soul lives, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king has spoken. Indeed, it was your servant Joab who commanded me, and it was he who put all these words in the mouth of your maidservant; 2 Sam 14:20 in order to change the appearance of things your servant Joab has done this thing. But my lord is wise, like the wisdom of the angel of God, to know all that is in the earth." 2 Sam 14:21 Then the king said to Joab, "Behold now, I will surely do this thing; go therefore, bring back the young man Absalom." 2 Sam 14:22 Joab fell on his face to the ground, prostrated himself and blessed the king; then Joab said, "Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, O my lord, the king, in that the king has performed the request of his servant." 2 Sam 14:23 So Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. 2 Sam 14:24 However the king said, "Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face." So Absalom turned to his own house and did not see the king's face. 2 Sam 14:25 Now in all Israel was no one as handsome as Absalom, so highly praised; from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no defect in him. 2 Sam 14:26 When he cut the hair of his head (and it was at the end of every year that he cut {it,} for it was heavy on him so he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head at 200 shekels by the king's weight. 2 Sam 14:27 To Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar; she was a woman of beautiful appearance. 2 Sam 14:28 Now Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, and did not see the king's face. 2 Sam 14:29 Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but he would not come to him. So he sent again a second time, but he would not come. 2 Sam 14:30 Therefore he said to his servants, "See, Joab's field is next to mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire." So Absalom's servants set the field on fire. 2 Sam 14:31 Then Joab arose, came to Absalom at his house and said to him, "Why have your servants set my field on fire?" 2 Sam 14:32 Absalom answered Joab, "Behold, I sent for you, saying, 'Come here, that I may send you to the king, to say, "Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me still to be there."' Now therefore, let me see the king's face, and if there is iniquity in me, let him put me to death." 2 Sam 14:33 So when Joab came to the king and told him, he called for Absalom. Thus he came to the king and prostrated himself on his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom. David’s Mighty Men: 2 Samuel 23:8-23

2 Sam 23:8 These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains, he was {called} Adino the Eznite, because of eight hundred slain {by him} at one time; 2 Sam 23:9 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 withdrawn. 2 Sam 23:10 He arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary and clung to the sword, and the LORD brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to strip {the slain.} 2 Sam 23:11 Now after him was Shammah the son of Agee a Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered into a troop where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines. 2 Sam 23:12 But he took his stand in the midst of the plot, defended it and struck the Philistines; and the LORD brought about a great victory. 2 Sam 23:13 Then three of the thirty chief men went down and came to David in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam, while the troop of the Philistines was camping in the valley of Rephaim. 2 Sam 23:14 David was then in the stronghold, while the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 2 Sam 23:15 David had a craving and said, "Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!" 2 Sam 23:16 So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water from the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and took {it} and brought {it} to David. Nevertheless he would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD; 2 Sam 23:17 and he said, "Be it far from me, O LORD, that I should do this. {Shall I drink} the blood of the men who went in {jeopardy} of their lives?" Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did. 2 Sam 23:18 Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty. And he swung his spear against three hundred and killed {them,} and had a name as well as the three. 2 Sam 23:19 He was most honored of the thirty, therefore he became their commander; however, he did not attain to the three. 2 Sam 23:20 Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, killed the two {sons of} Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day. 2 Sam 23:21 He killed an Egyptian, an impressive man. Now the Egyptian {had} a spear in his hand, but he went down to him with a club and snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear. 2 Sam 23:22 These {things} Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and had a name as well as the three mighty men. 2 Sam 23:23 He was honored among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David appointed him over his guard. Solomon’s Wisdom: 1 Kings 3:1-28

1 Kin 3:1 Then Solomon formed a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt, and took Pharaoh's daughter and brought her to the city of David until he had finished building his own house and the house of the LORD and the wall around Jerusalem. 1 Kin 3:2 The people were still sacrificing on the high places, because there was no house built for the name of the LORD until those days. 1 Kin 3:3 Now Solomon loved the LORD, walking in the statutes of his father David, except he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places. 1 Kin 3:4 The king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place; Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. 1 Kin 3:5 In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night; and God said, "Ask what {you wish} me to give you." 1 Kin 3:6 Then Solomon said, "You have shown great lovingkindness to Your servant David my father, according as he walked before You in truth and righteousness and uprightness of heart toward You; and You have reserved for him this great lovingkindness, that You have given him a son to sit on his throne, as {it is} this day. 1 Kin 3:7 "Now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king in place of my father David, yet I am but a little child; I do not know how to go out or come in. 1 Kin 3:8 "Your servant is in the midst of Your people which You have chosen, a great people who are too many to be numbered or counted. 1 Kin 3:9 "So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?" 1 Kin 3:10 It was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing. 1 Kin 3:11 God said to him, "Because you have asked this thing and have not asked for yourself long life, nor have asked riches for yourself, nor have you asked for the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself discernment to understand justice, 1 Kin 3:12 behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you. 1 Kin 3:13 "I have also given you what you have not asked, both riches and honor, so that there will not be any among the kings like you all your days. 1 Kin 3:14 "If you walk in My ways, keeping My statutes and commandments, as your father David walked, then I will prolong your days." 1 Kin 3:15 Then Solomon awoke, and behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and made peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants. 1 Kin 3:16 Then two women who were harlots came to the king and stood before him. 1 Kin 3:17 The one woman said, "Oh, my lord, this woman and I live in the same house; and I gave birth to a child while she {was} in the house. 1 Kin 3:18 "It happened on the third day after I gave birth, that this woman also gave birth to a child, and we were together. There was no stranger with us in the house, only the two of us in the house. 1 Kin 3:19 "This woman's son died in the night, because she lay on it. 1 Kin 3:20 "So she arose in the middle of the night and took my son from beside me while your maidservant slept, and laid him in her bosom, and laid her dead son in my bosom. 1 Kin 3:21 "When I rose in the morning to nurse my son, behold, he was dead; but when I looked at him carefully in the morning, behold, he was not my son, whom I had borne." 1 Kin 3:22 Then the other woman said, "No! For the living one is my son, and the dead one is your son." But the first woman said, "No! For the dead one is your son, and the living one is my son." Thus they spoke before the king. 1 Kin 3:23 Then the king said, "The one says, 'This is my son who is living, and your son is the dead one'; and the other says, 'No! For your son is the dead one, and my son is the living one.'" 1 Kin 3:24 The king said, "Get me a sword." So they brought a sword before the king. 1 Kin 3:25 The king said, "Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one and half to the other." 1 Kin 3:26 Then the woman whose child {was} the living one spoke to the king, for she was deeply stirred over her son and said, "Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill him." But the other said, "He shall be neither mine nor yours; divide {him!}" 1 Kin 3:27 Then the king said, "Give the first woman the living child, and by no means kill him. She is his mother." 1 Kin 3:28 When all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had handed down, they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him to administer justice.

The Queen of Sheba Visits Solomon: 1 Kings 10:1-13

1 Kin 10:1 Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to test him with difficult questions. 1 Kin 10:2 So she came to Jerusalem with a very large retinue, with camels carrying spices and very much gold and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she spoke with him about all that was in her heart. 1 Kin 10:3 Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was hidden from the king which he did not explain to her. 1 Kin 10:4 When the queen of Sheba perceived all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, 1 Kin 10:5 the food of his table, the seating of his servants, the attendance of his waiters and their attire, his cupbearers, and his stairway by which he went up to the house of the LORD, there was no more spirit in her. 1 Kin 10:6 Then she said to the king, "It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. 1 Kin 10:7 "Nevertheless I did not believe the reports, until I came and my eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. You exceed {in} wisdom and prosperity the report which I heard. 1 Kin 10:8 "How blessed are your men, how blessed are these your servants who stand before you continually {and} hear your wisdom. 1 Kin 10:9 "Blessed be the LORD your God who delighted in you to set you on the throne of Israel; because the LORD loved Israel forever, therefore He made you king, to do justice and righteousness." 1 Kin 10:10 She gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and a very great {amount} of spices and precious stones. Never again did such abundance of spices come in as that which the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon. 1 Kin 10:11 Also the ships of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought in from Ophir a very great {number of} almug trees and precious stones. 1 Kin 10:12 The king made of the almug trees supports for the house of the LORD and for the king's house, also lyres and harps for the singers; such almug trees have not come in {again} nor have they been seen to this day. 1 Kin 10:13 King Solomon gave to the queen of Sheba all her desire which she requested, besides what he gave her according to his royal bounty. Then she turned and went to her own land together with her servants. Solomon’s Splendor; Solomon’s Wives: 1 Kings 10:23 – 11:13

1 Kin 10:23 So King Solomon became greater than all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. 1 Kin 10:24 All the earth was seeking the presence of Solomon, to hear his wisdom which God had put in his heart. 1 Kin 10:25 They brought every man his gift, articles of silver and gold, garments, weapons, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year. 1 Kin 10:26 Now Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; and he had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen, and he stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem. 1 Kin 10:27 The king made silver {as common} as stones in Jerusalem, and he made cedars as plentiful as sycamore trees that are in the lowland. 1 Kin 10:28 Also Solomon's import of horses was from Egypt and Kue, {and} the king's merchants procured {them} from Kue for a price. 1 Kin 10:29 A chariot was imported from Egypt for 600 {shekels} of silver, and a horse for 150; and by the same means they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of the Arameans. 1 Kin 11:1 Now King Solomon loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 1 Kin 11:2 from the nations concerning which the LORD had said to the sons of Israel, "You shall not associate with them, nor shall they associate with you, {for} they will surely turn your heart away after their gods." Solomon held fast to these in love. 1 Kin 11:3 He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart away. 1 Kin 11:4 For when Solomon was old, his wives turned his heart away after other gods; and his heart was not wholly devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father {had been.} 1 Kin 11:5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after Milcom the detestable idol of the Ammonites. 1 Kin 11:6 Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and did not follow the LORD fully, as David his father {had done.} 1 Kin 11:7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the detestable idol of Moab, on the mountain which is east of Jerusalem, and for Molech the detestable idol of the sons of Ammon. 1 Kin 11:8 Thus also he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods. 1 Kin 11:9 Now the LORD was angry with Solomon because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 1 Kin 11:10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods; but he did not observe what the LORD had commanded. 1 Kin 11:11 So the LORD said to Solomon, "Because you have done this, and 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. 1 Kin 11:12 "Nevertheless I will not do it in your days for the sake of your father David, {but} I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 1 Kin 11:13 "However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, {but} I will give one tribe to your son for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem which I have chosen."