Then Joab went to the king, and said, "What hast thou done? See, Abner came unto thee, why hast thou sent him away, that he should escape quite?

And therefore will I play before the LORD, and will yet be more vile than so, and I will be meek in mine own sight: and of the very same maidservants which thou hast spoken of, shall I be had in honour."

Even for thy word's sake and according to thine own heart hast thou done all these great things to make them known unto thy servant.

And thou hast ordained thy people Israel to be thy people forever. And thou, LORD, art their God.

And now, LORD God, the thing thou hast said of thy servant and of his house: make it good forever and do as thou hast said.

For thou, LORD of Hosts, God of Israel, hast told in the ear of thy servant, saying, "I will build thee a house. And therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee.

And now, Lord Jehovah, thou art the God, and thy words must be true: for thou hast told this goodness unto thy servant.

And now go to and bless the household of thy servant, that it may continue forever before thee. For thou, Lord Jehovah, hast said that of thy blessing the house of thy servant shall be blessed forever."

and charged the messengers, saying, "When thou hast made an end of telling the story of war unto the king,

Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do wickedness in his sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword and hast taken his wife to thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house, because thou hast despised me and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite, to be thy wife.'

Howbeit, because in doing this deed thou hast given the enemies of the LORD a cause to rail, the child that is born thee shall die surely."

Then said his servants unto him, "What is this that thou hast done? Thou did fast and weep for thy child while it was alive, and as soon as it was dead thou didst rise up and didst eat meat."

And the woman said, "Wherefore then hast thou determined on this same manner against the people of God? - That the king should speak this thing and be faulty therein, so that the king should not fetch home again his banished.

And thou hast there with thee, Zadok and Abiathar the priests, unto which thou shalt show all that thou canst hear out of the king's house.

Then said the king to Ziba, "What hast thou there?" And Ziba said, "Asses for the king's household to ride on, and bread and fruit for the young men to eat, and wine to drink, if any man faint in the wilderness."

The LORD hath brought upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned, and he hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom thy son. And thou art wrapped about with thine own mischief, because thou art a blood shedder."

And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, "Get thee in unto thy father's concubines which he hath left to keep the house. For when all Israel shall hear that thou hast made thy father to stink, then shall the hands of all that are with thee be strong."

By the reason whereof, the best men thou hast whose hearts are as the hearts of lions, shall shrink thereat. For all Israel knoweth that thy father is a man, and that they which be with him be children of activity.

Then said Joab to Cushi, "Go and tell the king what thou hast seen." And Cushi bowed himself unto Joab and ran.

And Joab went into the house to the king and said, "Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy servants, which this day have saved thy life and the lives of thy sons and daughters, and the lives of thy wives and concubines:

in that thou lovest thine enemies and hatest thy friends. Thou hast declared this day that thou carest neither for thy lords nor servants. For this day I do perceive, if Absalom had lived, and all we died this day, that then it had pleased thee well.

And thou hast saved me with thy shield, and keptest me ever in meekness.