6 Bible Verses about Diplomacy

The king of Assyria sent his commander-in-chief (Tartan), his quartermaster, and his field commander with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They stood at the channel for the Upper Pool on the road to the Laundryman's Field. They sent for the king, and Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, who was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, came out to them. The Rabshakeh said to them: Say to Hezekiah: These are the words of the great king, the king of Assyria: In what are you placing your hope? read more.
You say you have counsel and [military] strength for war. These are only words. To whom are you looking for support that you rebel against me? You rely on Egypt that broken reed of a staff. If a man leans on it (relies on its power) his hand (strength) will be pierced (wounded) (diminished). So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who put their faith in him. If you say to me: We trust in Jehovah our God, is he not the one whose high places and altars have been taken away by Hezekiah. For he told Judah and Jerusalem that worship may only be given before this altar in Jerusalem? And now, make an agreement with my master, the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able to put horsemen on them. How then can you put to shame the least of my master's servants? You put your hope in Egypt for chariots and horsemen: Have I now come to destroy this place without Jehovah? It was Jehovah who said to me: 'Go up against this land and make it waste.' Then Eliakim son of Hilkiah, and Shebna and Joah said to the Rabshakeh (the commander): Will you kindly make use of the Aramaean language in talking to your servants. We are used to it. Do not use the Jews' language in the hearing of the people on the wall. He replied: Do you think you and the king are the only ones the king sent me to say these things? No, I am also talking to the people who are sitting on the wall. They will have to eat their excrement and drink their own urine, just as you will. The official stood up and shouted in Hebrew: Listen to what the king of Assyria is telling you! He warns you: 'Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. Hezekiah cannot save you.' Do not let Hezekiah convince you to rely on Jehovah. Do not think that Jehovah will save you or that he will stop our Assyrian army from capturing you. Do not listen to Hezekiah. The king of Assyria commands you to come out of the city and surrender. Make peace with me and you will be allowed to eat grapes from your own vines and figs from your own trees, and to drink water from your own wells (cisterns). The king will resettle you in a country much like your own. There are vineyards to give wine and there is grain for making bread there. It is a land of olives, olive oil, and honey. Do what he commands and you will not die. Do not let Hezekiah fool you into thinking Jehovah will rescue you. Did the gods of other nations save their countries from the king of Assyria? Where are they now? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Did anyone save Samaria? When did any of the gods of all these countries ever save their country from our king? What makes you think Jehovah can save Jerusalem? The people kept quiet. They did as King Hezekiah told them. They did not say a word. Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah tore their clothes in grief. They reported to the king what the Assyrian official had said.

When King Hezekiah heard their report he tore his clothes in grief. He dressed in sackcloth and went to the Temple of Jehovah. He sent Eliakim the official in charge of the palace, Shebna the court secretary, and the senior priests to the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz. They also were dressed in sackcloth. They said to him: This is what Hezekiah says: 'Today is a day filled with misery, punishment, and disgrace. We are like a woman who is about to give birth but does not have the strength to do it. read more.
The Assyrian emperor sent his chief official to insult the living God. May Jehovah your God hear these insults and punish those who spoke them. So pray to God for those of our people who survive.' King Hezekiah's men went to Isaiah. Isaiah responded to them: Tell this to your master: 'This is what Jehovah says: Do not be afraid of the message you heard when the Assyrian king's assistants slandered me. I am going to put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own country. I will have him assassinated in his own country.' The field commander returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah. He had heard that the king left Lachish. Sennacherib heard that King Tirhakah of Sudan was coming to fight him. Sennacherib sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying: Tell King Hezekiah of Judah: 'Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by saying that Jerusalem will not be put under the control of the king of Assyria. You heard what the kings of Assyria did to all countries. They totally destroyed them. Will you be rescued? Did the gods of the nations that my ancestors destroyed rescue Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar? Where is the king of Hamath? Where is the king of Arpad? And where is the king of the cities of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?'

Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said to the field commander: Speak to us in Aramaic, since we understand it. Do not speak to us in the Judean language as long as there are people on the wall listening. However the field commander asked: Did my master send me to tell these things only to you and your master? Did he not send me to the men sitting on the wall who will have to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine with you? Then the field commander stood and shouted loudly in the Judean language: Listen to the great king, the king of Assyria. read more.
This is what the king says: 'Do not let Hezekiah deceive you. He cannot rescue you. Do not let Hezekiah get you to trust Jehovah by saying: 'Jehovah will certainly rescue us, and this city will not be put under the control of the king of Assyria. Do not listen to Hezekiah, because this is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me! Come out, and give yourselves up to me! Everyone will eat from his own grapevine and fig tree and drink from his own cistern. Then I will come and take you away to a country like your own. It is a country with grain and new wine, a country with bread and vineyards. Do not let Hezekiah mislead you by saying to you: 'Jehovah will rescue us. Did any of the gods of the nations rescue their countries from the king of Assyria? Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim? Did they rescue Samaria from my control? Did the gods of these countries indeed rescue them from my control? Could Jehovah then rescue Jerusalem from my control?' They were silent and did not say anything to him because the king commanded them not to answer him. Then Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace and was son of Hilkiah, Shebna the scribe, and Joah, who was the royal historian and the son of Asaph, went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn in grief. They told him the message from the field commander.

Hiram's fleet that brought gold from Ophir also brought a large quantity of sandalwood and precious stones from Ophir.

King Solomon also built a fleet of ships at Eziongeber. This is near Elath on the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba, in the land of Edom. King Hiram sent experienced sailors from his fleet to serve with Solomon's men.

When King Hiram of Tyre heard that Solomon succeeded his father as king he sent ambassadors to Solomon. He had always been a friend of David's. Solomon sent this message to Hiram: You know my father David could not build a Temple for the worship of Jehovah due to the constant wars he had to fight. There were enemies in countries all around him. First Jehovah had to give him victory over all his enemies. read more.
Jehovah my God has given me peace on all my borders. I have no enemies, and there is no danger of attack. Jehovah promised my father David: 'Your son, whom I will make king after you, will build a Temple for me. I have decided to build that Temple for the worship of Jehovah my God.' Send your men to Lebanon to cut down cedars for me. My men will work with them. I will pay your men whatever you decide. You may already know, my men do not know how to cut down trees as well as yours do. Hiram was extremely pleased when he received Solomon's message. He said: Praise Jehovah today for giving David such a wise son to succeed him as king of the great nation of Israel! Then Hiram sent Solomon the following message: I received your message. I am ready to do what you ask. I will provide the cedars and the pine trees. My men will bring the logs from Lebanon to the sea and will tie them together in rafts to float them down the coast to the place you choose. My men will untie them. There your men will take charge of them. On your part, I would like you to supply the food for my men. So Hiram supplied Solomon with all the cedar and pine logs he wanted. Solomon provided Hiram with one hundred thousand bushels of wheat and one hundred and ten thousand gallons of pure olive oil every year to feed his men. Jehovah kept his promise and gave Solomon wisdom. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon for they made a treaty with each other.

It took twenty years for Solomon to build two houses, the Temple of Jehovah and the king's house. Hiram, king of Tyre, had given Solomon cedar-trees and cypress-trees and gold, as much as he needed. King Solomon gave Hiram twenty towns in the land of Galilee. But when Hiram came from Tyre to see the towns that Solomon had given him, he was not pleased with them. read more.
He said: What sort of towns are these you have given me, my brother? So they were named the land of Cabul, to this day. Hiram sent the king a hundred and twenty talent of gold.

Later Ahithophel said to Absalom: Let me choose twelve thousand men. Tonight I will set out after David. I will attack him while he is tired and discouraged. He will be frightened! All his men will run away. I will kill only the king. Then I will bring back all his men to you. It will be like a bride returning to her husband. Kill one man and the rest of the people return safely. read more.
This seemed like good advice to Absalom and all the Israelite leaders. Absalom said: Bring in Hushai. Let us hear what he has to say about this. Hushai came to Absalom. He told him what Ahithophel planned. Then Absalom said: Should we do what he says? If we should not, can you come up with something better? Hushai said: This time Ahithophel's advice is not very good. You know your father and his followers are mighty warriors. They are as fierce as a mother bear whose cubs have just been killed. Your father has a lot of experience in fighting wars. He will not spend the night with the others. He has no doubt already found a hiding place in a cave or somewhere else. When people hear that some of your soldiers have been killed, everyone will think your entire army has been destroyed. Even the bravest man with a heart like a lion would lose his courage. All Israel knows that your father is a mighty man and the men with him are brave. My advice is to gather all Israel's troops from Dan to Beersheba. They are as numerous as the sand on the seashore. Lead them into battle yourself. Find him and attack him! We will fall on him as dew falls on the ground. Neither he nor any of his men will be left alive. If he retreats into a city, all Israel will bring ropes to that city and drag it into a valley. Not even a pebble will be found there. Absalom and all the people of Israel said: The advice of Hushai from Archi's family is better than Ahithophel's advice. Jehovah commanded Ahithophel's good advice to be defeated in order to ruin Absalom.

Absalom and all Israel's troops came to Jerusalem. Ahithophel was with him. David's friend Hushai from Archi's family came to Absalom. He said: Long live the king! Long live the king! Is this how loyal you are to your friend? Absalom asked Hushai. Why did you not go with him? read more.
Hushai answered: Jehovah and the people of Israel have chosen you to be king. I cannot leave. I must stay and serve the one they have chosen. After all it seems right for me to serve you, just as I served your father.

David reached the top of the Mount of Olives. He met Hushai the Archite at a place of worship. Hushai's robe was torn, and dust was on his head. David told him: You might slow me down if you come with me. Go back into the city and tell Absalom: Your Majesty, I am your servant. I will serve you just as I served your father in the past. Hushai, if you do that you can help me ruin Ahithophel's plans. read more.
Zadok and Abiathar the priests will be there with you. You can tell them everything you hear in the palace. Have them send their sons Ahimaaz and Jonathan to tell me what you hear. David's advisor Hushai slipped back into Jerusalem. Absalom came into the city at the same time.

Those who heard it glorified God. They said to him: You see brother, how many thousands there are among the Jews who have believed. They are all zealous for the law. They have been informed concerning you, that you teach all the Jews who are among the nations to forsake Moses. You tell them not to circumcise their children neither to walk after the customs. What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you are here. read more.
Do what we tell you. We have four men who have taken a vow. Take these men and join in on their purification rites. Let them shave their heads. All will know there is no truth in the things they have heard about you, that you walk orderly and keep the law. Concerning those of the nations who have believed, we write: they should keep themselves from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what is strangled, and from fornication.

Those who desire to make a showing in the flesh try to compel you to be circumcised. This is done so they may not be persecuted for the stake of Christ.

Abimelech came from Gerar with Ahuzzath, his friend (companion), and Phicol, the commander of his army, to see Isaac. Isaac asked: Why have you now come to see me? You were so unfriendly to me before and made me leave your country. They answered: Now we know that Jehovah is with you. We think that there should be a solemn agreement between us. We want you to promise read more.
that you will not harm us. We did not harm you. We were kind to you and let you go peacefully. Now it is clear that Jehovah has blessed you. Isaac prepared a feast for them, and they ate and drank. Early the next morning each man made his promise and sealed it with a vow. Isaac said good-bye to them. They parted as friends.

Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham. They said: God is with you in all that you do. Swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my posterity. Consider the kindness that I have shown to you. Please show it to me and to the land in which you have sojourned.

His servants said to him: It is said that the kings of Israel are full of mercy: let us then put on haircloth, and cords on our heads, and go to the king of Israel. Maybe he will give you your life. So they put on haircloth, and cords on their heads, and went to the king of Israel and said: Your servant Benhadad says: 'Let me now keep my life.' And he said: Is he still living? He is my brother. Now the men took it as a sign, and were quick to pick up on his word. They said: Benhadad is your brother. Then he said: Go and get him. So Ben-hadad came out to him and he made him get up into his carriage. read more.
Benhadad said: The towns my father took from your father I will give back. You may name streets for yourself in Damascus as my father did in Samaria. As for me, at the price of this agreement you will let me go. So he made an agreement with him and let him go.

A wise woman shouted from the top of the wall: Hear this! Listen to me! I must talk to Joab! Tell him to come here! He came near. She asked: Are you Joab? I am, He answered. Listen to what I have to say, She told him. I am listening, He answered. She said: There is an old saying: 'Be sure to seek guidance from Abel before doing anything.' That is the way they settle disputes. read more.
We are peaceful and faithful Israelites. You seek to destroy a city and a mother in Israel? Why should you swallow up what belongs to Jehovah?' Joab answered: That is unthinkable! I do not wish to swallow it up or destroy it. That is not so. A man from the mountains of Ephraim by the name of Sheba son of Bichri has rebelled against King David. Give him to me and I will withdraw from the city. The woman told Joab: Watch, for his head will be thrown to you from the wall. She went to the people of the city with her plan. They cut off Sheba's head and threw it over the wall to Joab. He blew the trumpet as a signal for his men to leave the city. They went back home. Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.

Abigail saw David and quickly got down from her donkey. She immediately bowed down in front of David with her face touching the ground. She fell at his feet and said: Let me be held responsible for this wrong. Please let me speak with you. Please listen to me. You should not take this worthless person Nabal seriously. He is like his name. His name is Nabal (Godless Fool). He is foolish. But I did not see the young men you sent. read more.
Jehovah kept you from spilling innocent blood and from getting a victory by your own efforts. As Jehovah lives and you live, may your enemies and those who are trying to harm you end up like Nabal. Please accept this gift from your maidservant. And give it to the young men who accompany my lord. Also please forgive the transgression of your maidservant. Jehovah will certainly give you a lasting dynasty, because my lord is fighting the battles of Jehovah. Evil will not be found in you all your days. Even if someone pursues you to take your life, your life is wrapped securely in the bundle (purse) (bag) of the living from Jehovah your God (God will keep you safe). He will dispose of the lives of your enemies. They will be hurled like stones from a sling. When Jehovah does all the good he promised and makes you ruler of Israel, you should not have a troubled conscience because you spilled blood for no good reason and claimed your own victory. When Jehovah gives you success, remember me.

Herod highly disagreed with them at Tyre and Sidon. But they finally came to an agreement. They secured the support of Blastus a trusted personal servant of the king. They desired peace because their country was supported by the king's country. Dressed in royal apparel, Herod delivered a public address to the people on a special day. The people shouted: It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.

Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon. He said: What do you have against us that you want to fight us? Why have you invaded our country? The king of Ammon answered Jephthah's messengers: Because Israel took away our land when they came out of Egypt. They took land from the Arnon River to the Jabbok River and the Jordan River. Now you must give it back peacefully. Jephthah sent messengers back to the king of Ammon. read more.
This was his answer: It is not true that Israel took away the land of Moab or the land of Ammon. It happened this way: 'when the Israelites left Egypt, they went through the desert to the Gulf of Aqaba and came to Kadesh. They sent messengers to the king of Edom to ask permission to go through his land. But the king of Edom would not let them. They also asked the king of Moab, but he would not let them go through his land. So the people of Israel stayed at Kadesh. Then they went through the desert around the land of Edom and the land of Moab until they came to the east side of Moab, on the other side of the Arnon River. They camped there, but they did not cross the Arnon because it was the boundary of Moab. The people of Israel sent messengers to Sihon, the Amorite king of Heshbon. They asked him for permission to go through his country to their own land. But Sihon refused to let Israel do it. He brought his whole army together, camped at Jahaz, and attacked Israel. Jehovah, the God of Israel, gave the people of Israel victory over Sihon and his army. So the people of Israel took possession of all the territory of the Amorites who lived in that country. They occupied all the Amorite territory from the Arnon in the south to the Jabbok in the north and from the desert on the east to the Jordan on the west. Jehovah, the God of Israel, drove out the Amorites for his people, the people of Israel. Are you going to try to take it back? You can keep whatever your god Chemosh has given you. But we are going to keep everything Jehovah, our God, has taken for us. Do you think you are better than Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever challenge Israel or fight with them? Israel has occupied Heshbon and Aroer for three hundred years, and the towns around them, and all the cities on the banks of the Arnon River. Why did you not retake them during that time? I have not done you any wrong. You are doing wrong to me by making war on me. Jehovah is the judge. He will decide today between the Israelites and the Ammonites.' The king of Ammon paid no attention to this message from Jephthah.

When Paul saw that part of them were Sadducees and the other part Pharisees, he cried out in the Sanhedrin: Men! Brothers! I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee! I am being judged because of the hope and resurrection of the dead. When he said this dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The crowd was divided. The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit. The Pharisees believe both. read more.
There arose a great cry. The scribes who were on the Pharisees' side arose and spoke, We find no evil in this man. But if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God. The dispute became so violent the commander was afraid they would pull Paul to pieces. He commanded the soldiers to go down and to take him from among them by force, and to bring him into the barracks.

When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai, They resorted to a ruse (scheme) (trick). They acted as if they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, worn out, torn, and mended. They had worn out and patched shoes on their feet, they wore old garments; and all the bread of their provision was dry and moldy. read more.
They went to Joshua at the camp at Gilgal, and said to him and to the men of Israel: We come from a distant country, make a treaty with us. The men of Israel said to the Hivites: Perhaps you live near us. How can we make a treaty with you? They said: We are your servants. Joshua said to them: Who are you? Where do you come from? They said: From a very far country, your servants came because of the name of Jehovah your God, for we have heard about him and all he did in Egypt; and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth. Our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying: 'Take provisions with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and say to them: We are your servants. Therefore make a treaty with us.' We took hot fresh bread for our provision out of our houses on the day we came to you. Now it is dry, and it is moldy: These bottles of wine, which we filled, were new and now they are cracked. Our garments and shoes have become old by reason of the very long journey. The men sampled their provisions but did not ask for counsel from Jehovah. Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live. The leaders of the congregation ratified it by an oath. At the end of three days after they had made a treaty with them, they heard that they were their neighbors, and that they lived among them.

Ahaz sent representatives to Tiglathpileser king of Assyria, saying: I am your servant and your son. Come help me against the kings of Aram and Israel who have taken up arms against me. Ahaz took the silver and gold in the Temple of Jehovah and in the king's storehouse, and sent them as an offering to the king of Assyria. The king of Assyria, in answer to his request, went up against Damascus and captured it. He took its people away as prisoners to Kir, and put Rezin to death.

He would rise early in the morning and stand by the road at the city gate. When someone came there with a dispute that he wanted the king to settle, Absalom would call him over and ask him where he was from. After the man told him what tribe he was from, Absalom would say: My friend, the law is on your side. However, there is no representative of the king to hear your case. He added: How I wish I were a judge! Then anyone who had a dispute or a claim could come to me. I would give him justice. read more.
The man would approach Absalom and bow down before him. Then Absalom would reach out and hug and kiss him. Absalom did this with every Israelite who came to the king for judgment. That way he won their loyalty.

Then the commissioners and the governors sought to find a charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom. They could find no charge, nor error, nor fault, for he was faithful. These men said: We shall not find any charge against Daniel, unless we find it against him in the Law of his God. Then these commissioners and governors assembled before the king, and said: King Darius, may you live for a very long time. read more.
All the governors of the kingdom, the deputies and the governors, the counselors consulted together to establish a royal statute. They made a strong decree, that whoever prays to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the decree by signing the document. That it will not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be altered. King Darius signed the document for the decree. Daniel knew that the decree was signed. He went into his house. His windows were open in his chamber toward Jerusalem. He kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, like he did before. These men assembled together. They found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God. They approached the king about his decree: Did you sign a decree stating that every man that shall make petition to any god or man within thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be thrown into the den of lions? The king answered: The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be altered. Then they said: Daniel, who is of the children of the captivity of Judah, does not show you respect, O king, nor the decree that you signed. He offers his prayer three times a day. Then the king, when he heard these words, was very displeased with himself. He was determined that Daniel not be delivered to him; and he labored all day to rescue him. Then these men assembled before the king and said: Know, O king that it is a law of the Medes and Persians, that no decree or statute that the king establishes may be changed.

Now King David was old and advanced in years. They put covers over him but he could not get warm. His servants said to him: Your Majesty let us find a young woman to stay with you and take care of you. She will lie close to you and keep you warm. They searched all over Israel for a beautiful young woman, and in Shunem they found such a woman named Abishag, and brought her to the king. read more.
She was very beautiful. She waited on the king and took care of him. However, he did not have intercourse with her. Adonijah, son of Haggith, was very handsome. His mother gave birth to him after Maacah had Absalom. Adonijah boasted about himself, saying, I will be king. He got a chariot and horses and fifty men to run ahead of him.

King Jehoash of Judah took all the offerings that his predecessors Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah had dedicated to Jehovah, added to them his own offerings and all the gold in the treasuries of the Temple and the palace, and sent them all as a gift to King Hazael, who then led his army away from Jerusalem.

King Hiram of Tyre sent some officials to David. Carpenters and stone workers came with them. They brought cedar logs so they could build a palace for David.

He sent his son Joram to greet King David and congratulate him for fighting and defeating Hadadezer. There had often been war between Hadadezer and Toi. Joram brought articles of gold, silver, and copper with him.

Paul wanted to have him travel with him. So he had him circumcised because of the Jews who were in the area. For they knew that his father was a Greek.