Then David gave way to bitter grief, and so did all the men who were with him:

And there was hard fighting that day; and Abner and the men of Israel gave way before the servants of David.

When David had news of it, he sent men out with the purpose of meeting them on their way, for the men were greatly shamed: and the king said, Go to Jericho till your hair is long again, and then come back.

And the children of Ammon came out and put their forces in position at the way into the town: and the Aramaeans of Zobah and of Rehob, with the men of Tob and Maacah, were by themselves in the field.

Then his servants said to him, Why have you been acting in this way? you were weeping and going without food while the child was still living; but when the child was dead, you got up and had a meal.

Now while they were on their way, news was given to David that Absalom had put to death all the sons of the king and that not one of them was still living.

But Absalom went in flight. And the young man who kept the watch, lifting up his eyes, saw that a great band of people was coming down the slope by the way of the Horons; and the watchman came and gave word to the king, saying, I saw men coming down by the way of the Horons, from the hillside.

See, I will be waiting at the way across the river, in the waste land, till I get news from you.

And David went up the slopes of the Mount of Olives weeping all the way, with his head covered and no shoes on his feet: and all the people who were with him, covering their heads, went up weeping.

And when David had gone a little way past the top of the slope, Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, came to him, with two asses on which were two hundred cakes of bread and a hundred stems of dry grapes and a hundred summer fruits and a skin of wine.

So David and his men went on their way: and Shimei went by the hillside parallel with them, cursing and sending stones and dust at him.

So now send the news quickly to David, and say, Do not take your night's rest by the way across the river to the waste land, but be certain to go over; or the king and all the people with him will come to destruction.

And the people made their way back to the town quietly and secretly, as those who are shamed go secretly when they go in flight from the war.

So the king went over to Gilgal, and Chimham went with him: and all the people of Judah, as well as half the people of Israel, took the king on his way.

For I have kept the ways of the Lord; I have not been turned away in sin from my God.

He who is holy will see that you are holy; but to the man whose way is not straight you will be a hard judge.

By your help I have made a way through the wall which was shutting me in: by the help of my God I have gone over a wall.

As for God, his way is all good: the word of the Lord is tested; he is a safe cover for all those who put their faith in him.

God puts a strong band about me, guiding me in a straight way.

And the three men, forcing their way through the Philistine army, got water from the water-hole of Beth-lehem, by the doorway into the town, and took it back to David: but he would not take it, but, draining it out, made an offering of it to the Lord.