The matter is not so: But there is a man of mount Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, which hath lifted up his hand against king David. Deliver us him only, and I will depart from the city." And the woman said unto Joab, "Behold, his head shall be thrown through the wall to thee."

And then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they smote off the head of Sheba son of Bichri, and cast it to Joab. And he blew a trumpet, and they scattered from the city every man to his tent, and Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king.

And the king called the Gibeonites and spake unto them. Now these Gibeonites are not of the children of Israel, but a remnant of the Amorites - and the children of Israel sware unto them. And yet Saul sought to slay them, for a zeal that he had to the children of Israel and of Judah.

Wherefore David said unto them, "What shall I do for you? and wherewith shall I content you that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD?"

And the Gibeonites said unto him, "We have no matter of silver or of gold with Saul or with his house: neither have we any man that we would kill in Israel." Then he said, "What say ye that I shall do for you?"

And they said unto the king, "The man that consumed and imagined to bring us to nought, him we ought to destroy, that nought of him continue in any of the coasts of Israel.

But the king had compassion on Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the LORD's oath that was between them: that is to say, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.

But he took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah which she bare unto Saul, Armoni and Miphiyboseth, and the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul which she bare to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite,

And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it under her upon the rock, even from the beginning of harvest until rain dropped upon them out of heaven, and suffered neither the birds of the air to fall on them by day nor beasts of the field by night.

And David waxed fainty, and Ishbi of Nob one of the sons of the Giants whose spear head weighed three hundredth sicles of brass, and was girded with a new sword, thought to have slain David.

But Abishai the son of Zeruiah succoured him and smote the Philistine and killed him. Then the servants of David sware unto him, saying, "Thou shalt go no more out with us to battle, that the light of Israel be not put out."

In my tribulation I called to the LORD, and cried to my God. And he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry entered into his ears.

He delivered me from my mighty enemy, and from them that hated me and were too strong for me.

When they had compassed me in the day of my tribulation, the LORD stayed me up.

The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness, and according to the pureness of my hands he dealt with me.

And the LORD did to me again, according to my righteousness, and after my pureness that I had in his sight.

The way of God is undefiled, and the word of the LORD fined as gold, and he a shield to all that trust in him.

And teacheth my hands to fight, that a bow of brass is too weak for mine arms.

And thou madest me space to walk in, that my feet should not stumble.

And thou compassedest me about with might to battle, and madest them that rose against me to stoop under me.

And thou madest mine enemies to turn their backs to me, and them that hated me, and I destroyed them.

They looked for help, but none came to save them: unto the LORD they cried, but he heard them not.

And thou deliveredst me from the dissension of my people, and keepest me to be a head over nations, for the people which I knew not became my servants.

For thy great and manifold saving of thy king, and showing mercy unto thine anointed, even to David, and his seed forever.

shall be as the morning light, when the sun shineth in a morning in which are no clouds to let the brightness; and as the grass of the earth is by the virtue of the rain.'

But the man that shall touch them must be armed with iron on a long helve. And then shall they be burned with fire to sit thereby."

And next to him, Eleazar the son of Dodi the son of Ahohi, one of the three principal that were with David, which - when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together in battle, and the men of Israel were gone up -

arose and laid on the Philistines until his hand ached and clave unto the sword. And the LORD made a great victory the same day. And the people returned and went after him only to spoil.

And these three of the thirty of the lords went down and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave Adullam. And the Host of the Philistines had pitched in the valley of Giants.

And David longed and said, "Oh, that I had of the water that is in the well in the gate of Bethlehem for to drink."

And anon the three mighty brake through the Host of the Philistines and fetched water out of the well of Bethlehem that was in the gate, and took and brought it to David: Nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but offered it unto the LORD

and said, "The LORD forbid that I should do so! Should I drink the blood of men that were in jeopardy of their lives?" And so he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men.

Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada the son of a lusty man valiant in acts of Kabzeel, he slew two lions of Moab. He went down and slew a lion in a pit in time of snow.

And he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man, which had a spear in his hand. And Benaiah went down to him with a staff and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand and slew him with his own spear.

Such things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and was the noblest of thirty: But not like to any of the three in facts of war.

And forthwith the king said to Joab the captain of his Host, "Go abroad, I pray thee, throughout all the tribes of Israel, even from Dan to Beersheba, and number the people that I may know the number of them."

Notwithstanding, the king's words prevailed against Joab and against all the captains of the Host. Then Joab and the captains of the Host went out from the king, to view the people of Israel.

And they passed over Jordan and pitched in Aroer on the right side of the city that lieth in the midst of the valley of Gad and so forth to Jazer.

And then they went to Gilead and to the nether land of Hodshi, and from thence to Dan-Jaan, and about to Sidon,

and came to the strong town of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites and of the Cananites, and then went out to the South of Judah even to Beersheba.

And so when they had been abroad throughout all the land they returned to Jerusalem again at the end of nine months and twenty days.

"Go and say unto David, 'Thus sayeth the LORD: I offer thee three things, choose which of them I shall do to thee.'"

And Gad came to David and showed him and said unto him, "Whether wilt thou have seven years hunger in thy land, or that thou flee three months before thine enemies and they following thee, or that there be three days pestilence in thy land? Now understand, and see what word I shall bring again to him that sent me."

And when the Angel stretched out his hand unto Jerusalem to have destroyed it, the LORD had compassion to do that evil, and said to the Angel that destroyed the people, "It is sufficient: let thine hand cease." And the Angel was at the threshing place of Araunah the Jebusite.

And Gad came the same day to David and said unto him, "Go up and rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite."

And David according to the saying of Gad went up as the LORD commanded.

And when Araunah looked and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, he went out: and bowed himself to the king flat on his face to the ground,

and said, "Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant?" And David said, "To buy the threshing floor of thee, for to make an altar unto the LORD that the plague may cease from the people."

And Araunah the king's friend gave all to the king, and said moreover unto the king, "The LORD thy God accept thee."