Study Desk

Sha'ul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and run me through with it. Otherwise, these uncircumcised men will come and make sport of me." But his armor-bearer refused; he was too frightened. So Sha'ul took his sword and fell on it.

The three broke through the army of the P'lishtim, drew water from the well by the gate of Beit-Lechem, took it and brought it to David. But David would not drink it; instead, he poured it out to Adonai

He had more honor than the thirty, but he did not achieve the status of the first three. David put him in command of his personal guard.

When David went out to meet them, he said, "If you are coming to me in peace to help me, my heart will be bonded to yours. But if you are coming to betray me to my enemies, then, since I have done nothing wrong, may the God of our fathers see it and judge."

From M'nasheh some defected to David when he was about to go with the P'lishtim to fight against Sha'ul; but they ended up not helping them; because the rulers of the P'lishtim, after consultation, sent David away, saying, "He will defect to his master Sha'ul at the cost of our heads."

But Adonai 's anger blazed up against ‘Uza, and he struck him down, because he had put out his hand and touched the ark, so that he died there before God.

David consulted God again, but God told him, "Don't attack them! Turn away from them, and engage them opposite the balsam trees.

Then David said, "No one but the L'vi'im should carry the ark of God, because Adonai chose them to carry the ark of Adonai and to serve him forever."

When you were but few in number, and not only few, but aliens there too,

For all the gods of the peoples are nothing, but Adonai made the heavens.

After David had been living in his palace awhile, he said to Natan the prophet, "Here, I'm living in a cedar-wood palace; but the ark for the covenant of Adonai is kept under a tent!"

But that same night the word of God came to Natan:

Yet in your view, God, even this was but a small thing; so you have said that your servant's dynasty will continue on into the distant future. You have regarded me, Adonai , God, as a man of high rank.

but the leaders of the people of ‘Amon said to Hanun, "Do you really think David is honoring your father by sending people to comfort you? Haven't his servants come to you in order to look the city over, overthrow it and reconnoiter the land?"

He said, "If Aram is too strong for me, you help me; but if the army of ‘Amon is too strong for you, then I will help you.

But Aram fled before Isra'el; David killed 7,000 chariot-drivers and 40,000 foot soldiers from Aram; and he killed Shofakh the commander of the army.

In the spring, at the time when kings go out to war, Yo'av led the army out in force and laid waste to the country of the people of ‘Amon; then he came and laid siege to Rabbah. But David stayed in Yerushalayim, while Yo'av attacked Rabbah and destroyed it.

Yo'av said, "May Adonai make his people a hundred times as many as they are now! But, my lord the king, aren't they all my lord's servants in any case? Why does my lord the king require this? Why should he bring guilt upon Isra'el?"

But he didn't count Levi and Binyamin among them, because the king's order was hateful to Yo'av.

David said to God, "I have greatly sinned by doing this. But now, please! Put aside your servant's sin, for I have done a very foolish thing."