II SAMUEL XII

Now the child of David was very sick. David therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in and lay all night upon the earth. And the elders of his house arose, and stood beside him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would not, neither did he eat bread. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that the child died. And the servants of David feared to tell him that the child was dead; for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spake unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice: how will he then vex himself, if we tell him that the child is dead! But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, he perceived that the child was dead; and he said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead. Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his apparel; and he came into the house of the Lord, and worshipped: then he came to his own house; and when they set bread before him, he did eat.

Then said his servants unto David, What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for the child, while he was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread! And David said, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, Who knoweth whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live? But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can I bring him

back again? He will not return to me, but I shall go to him.

II SAMUEL XIV, XVIII, XIX

Now the battle was sore that day: and David was sitting between the two gates of the city; and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate unto the walls, and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, a man running alone. And the watchman cried, and told the king. And the king said, If he be alone, there is tidings in his mouth. And he came apace, and drew near. And the watchman saw another man running; and the watchman called unto the porter, and said, Behold, another man running alone. And the king said, He also bringeth tidings. And the watchman said, Me thinketh the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man, and cometh with good tidings.

And Ahimaaz came, and bowed himself before the king with his face to the earth. And the king said, Is it well with the young man Absalom? And Ahimaaz answered, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what it was. And the king said, Turn aside, and stand here. And he turned aside, and stood still.

And, behold, the other messenger came; and he said, Tidings for my lord the king! And the king said unto him, Is it well with the young man Absalom? And he answered, The enemies of my lord the king, and all that rise up against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is!

And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!

And the victory that day was turned into mourning unto all the people; for the people heard say how the king was grieved for his son. And the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son! For in all the land there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty: from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

II SAMUEL XXIV
(I Chronicles xxi)

Psalm xxxiii. Isaiah xxxi. Jeremiah xvii. Zechariah iv Now the heart of David was stirred up that he should number Israel. And the king said to Joab the captain of the host, Go now to and fro through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the sum of them, and their strength. And Joab said unto the king, The Lord make his people an hundred times as many as they are: but, my lord the king, are they not all the king's servants? why doth my lord the king delight in this thing? Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab went out from the presence of the king, to number the people. And at the end of nine months and twenty days Joab returned,

and gave the sum of the numbering of the people unto David.

And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David prayed unto the Lord, and said, I have sinned greatly in that which I have done: but now, O Lord, put away, I beseech thee, the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.

For thus it is written:

Cursed is the man that trusteth in man,

And maketh flesh his arm,

And whose heart departeth from the Lord. Woe to them that trust in chariots because they are many,

And in horsemen because they are very strong! For there is no king saved by the multitude of an host,

Neither is a mighty man delivered by great strength.

For it is not by might, nor by an army,
But by my Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.

II SAMUEL XXIII, XXIV

(I Chronicles xxi)

Now it came to pass in those days, that three of the thirty chief men went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam; and the troop of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim. And David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Beth-lehem. And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give

me water to drink of the well of Beth-lehem, which is by the gate! And when they heard this saying, the three mighty men brake through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David. But he would not drink thereof; for he said, Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this! shall I drink the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? Therefore David would not drink it; but poured it out unto the Lord.

And it came to pass on a day, that David went up to rear an altar unto the Lord in the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite. Now Araunah was threshing wheat. And as David came to Araunah, Araunah looked forth and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground. And he said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshing-floor of thee, to build thereon an altar unto the Lord. And Araunah said unto David, Take it thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments and the furniture of the oxen for the wood, and the wheat for the meal offering: all this, my lord, doth Araunah freely give unto the king. And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will verily buy it of thee for the full price: for what is thine I will not take for the Lord, neither will I offer unto the Lord my God burnt offer