4 Bible Verses about Tact

Then the people of Ephraim said to Gideon: Why did you not call us when you went to fight the Midianites? Why did you treat us like this? They complained bitterly about it. He said: What have I accomplished compared to you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abi-ezer? God delivered the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, to you. What was I able to do in comparison to you? Then their anger toward him subsided at what he said.

Then the people of Ephraim said to Gideon: Why did you not call us when you went to fight the Midianites? Why did you treat us like this? They complained bitterly about it. He said: What have I accomplished compared to you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abi-ezer? God delivered the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, to you. What was I able to do in comparison to you? Then their anger toward him subsided at what he said.

For, though I am free from all persons, yet I have made myself a servant to all, that I might gain more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews. To those under the Law, as under the Law, that I might gain those under the Law. To those without Law I became like those without Law that I might gain them. I am not without law to God, but under the law to (toward) (of) Christ. read more.
To the weak I became as the weak, that I might gain the weak. I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

Saul took a pair of oxen, cut them in pieces, and sent them by messengers throughout the territory of Israel with the following message: This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who does not follow Saul and Samuel into battle. The people were afraid of Jehovah. They came out united behind Saul.

Some good-for-nothing people asked: How can this man save us? They despised him and would not bring him presents. He did not respond.

The people asked Samuel: Who said: 'Saul should not rule us?' Let us have them, and we will kill them.' Saul said: No man is to be put to death today, for today Jehovah has saved Israel. Then Samuel said to the people: Come to Gilgal. Let us make the kingdom strong in the hands of Saul. read more.
So all the people went to Gilgal. In Gilgal they made Saul king before Jehovah. Peace offerings were offered before Jehovah. Saul and all the men of Israel were glad with great joy.

For, though I am free from all persons, yet I have made myself a servant to all, that I might gain more. To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews. To those under the Law, as under the Law, that I might gain those under the Law. To those without Law I became like those without Law that I might gain them. I am not without law to God, but under the law to (toward) (of) Christ. read more.
To the weak I became as the weak, that I might gain the weak. I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

If I ever wanted to brag, I would not be a fool. Instead, I would be telling the truth. But I am going to spare you so that no one may think more of me than what he sees or hears about me.

We make known to you brothers the grace of God that has been given to the congregations of Macedonia. Out of severe affliction they have an abundance of joy and their deep poverty abounds in the riches of their generosity. For according to their ability, I bear witness, yes and beyond their power, they gave of their own accord. read more.
They were very urgent in their concern for this grace and the fellowship in the ministering to the holy ones. This is not as we hoped. First they gave their own selves to the Lord, and to us by the will of God. We exhorted Titus, that as he made a beginning before, so he would also complete in you this grace. But as you have plenty of everything, in faith, and speech, and knowledge, and in all earnestness, and in your love for us, see that you have plenty of this undeserved kindness also. I speak not by way of commandment, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity also of your love.

I do not need to write you about the ministry to the holy ones. I know you are ready and I boast about to the Macedonians. That Achaia has been prepared since last year. Your zeal stirred up many of them. But I have sent the brothers that our boasting about you may not be made void in this respect. Even as I said, you may be prepared: read more.
Lest by any means, if any from Macedonia come with me and find you unprepared, we, not to speak of you, should be put to shame in this respect. I thought it necessary therefore to request the brothers to go before me to you, and prepare your generous gift before hand, that the same might be ready as a gift and not extortion.

David told the Levite leaders to appoint some of their brothers to serve as musicians. They were expected to play music on harps, lyres, and cymbals to produce joyful music for singing. So the Levites appointed Heman son of Joel, and from his relatives they appointed Asaph Berechiah's son. From their own relatives, Merari's descendants, they appointed Ethan son of Kushaiah. In addition, they appointed their relatives from the second division: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah. Obed Edom and Jeiel were appointed gatekeepers. read more.
The musicians Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were appointed to play bronze cymbals. Zechariah, Jaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were appointed to play harps tuned according to alamoth. Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were appointed to play lyres and to conduct the eighth. Chenaniah, a Levite leader, instructed others how to sing prophetic songs because he was skilled at it. Berechiah and Elkanah were gatekeepers for the ark. The priests Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer blew trumpets in front of God's Ark. Obed Edom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark.

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.

So Abigail quickly took two hundred loaves of bread, two full wineskins, five butchered sheep, a bushel of roasted grain, one hundred bunches of raisins, and two hundred fig cakes and loaded them on donkeys. Lead the way, she told her young men, and I will follow you. But she did not tell her husband Nabal about it. She rode her donkey down a hidden mountain path. David and his men came to her. read more.
David thought: I guarded this man's possessions in the desert for nothing! Not one of his possessions was missing. Yet, he paid me back with evil when I was good to him. May God punish me if I do not kill every one of those men before morning! 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. 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. David said to Abigail: Blessed is Jehovah the God of Israel, who sent you today to meet me. Blessed is your good judgment and blessed are you for keeping me from slaughtering people today and from getting a victory by my own efforts. I solemnly promise as Jehovah the God of Israel lives that if you had not come to meet me Nabal would not have had one of his men alive at dawn. Then David accepted what she brought him. He said: Go home in peace. I have listened to what you said and I grant your request. When Abigail came to Nabal, he was holding a banquet in his home. It was like a king's banquet. He was in a good mood and very drunk, so she did not tell him anything until dawn. In the morning after the effects of the wine wore off his wife told him what had happened. Nabal had a stroke. He could not move.

When David heard the news, he said: Jehovah knows that my subjects and I are completely innocent of the murder of Abner. Let the punishment for it fall on Joab and all his family! In every generation may there be some man in his family who has gonorrhea or a dreaded skin disease or is fit only to do a woman's work or is killed in battle or does not have enough to eat! Joab and his brother Abishai took revenge and murdered Abner for killing their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon. read more.
David told Joab and everyone with him: Show your sorrow by tearing your clothes and wearing sackcloth! Walk in front of Abner's body and cry! David walked behind the coffin on which Abner's body was being carried. Abner was buried in Hebron. David and everyone else stood at the tomb and cried loudly. The king sang a funeral song for Abner: Should Abner die like a godless fool? Your hands were not bound. Your feet were not in fetters. You fell as one falls in front of wicked men. And all the people continued to cry for him. David refused to eat anything the day of the funeral even though people tried to persuade him to eat. David vowed: May God strike me dead if I taste any food or anything else before the sun goes down. All the people understood and approved of everything the king did. That day all the people of Israel knew the king was not responsible for killing Ner's son Abner.

This way you may approve (test) the things that are excellent (of more value). May you be sincere and without offense (blameless) to others till the day of Christ. Be filled with the fruits of righteousness through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. (John 15:5) (Galatians 5:22, 23) I would have you know, brothers that the things that happened to me turned out for the greater progress of the good news. read more.
My imprisonment in Christ became known throughout the whole Praetorian Guard, and to all brothers. Most of the brothers trust in the Lord and boldly speak the word of God without fear because of my bonds. Some preach Christ from envy and strife and some from good will. The latter ones do it out of love, knowing that I am set (appointed) (placed here) for the defense of the good news. But the others proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition without pure motives, thinking to cause me great suffering and distress in my imprisonment. What then? That in every way, whether in pretence or in truth, Christ is proclaimed! For that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice! For I know that this will turn out to my redemption through your prayer and the provision of the spirit (vital principles) (mind) of Jesus Christ. I will not be put to shame according to my earnest expectation and hope. With all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in me, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I live in the flesh this will bring fruit from my labor. I do not know what to choose.

Joab son of Zeruiah knew the king was still thinking about Absalom. Joab sent someone to Tekoa to get a wise woman from there. He told her: Please act like a mourner. Dress in mourning clothes. Do not use any cosmetic lotions. Act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for a long time. Go to the king and speak to him in this way. Then Joab told her exactly what to say. read more.
The woman from Tekoa came to the king. She immediately bowed down with her face touching the ground. Help me, Your Majesty, she said. The king asked her: What can I do for you? She answered: I am a widow; my husband is dead. I had two sons who fought with each other in the field. There was no one to separate them. One killed the other. All my relatives have turned against me and are demanding that I hand my son over to them. They want to kill him for murdering his brother. If they do this, I will be left without a son. They will destroy my last hope. They will leave my husband without a son to keep his name alive. The king responded: Go back home. I will take care of the matter. Your Majesty, she said, do whatever you must. My family and I will take the blame. You and the royal family are innocent. The king replied: If someone threatens you, bring him to me. He will never bother you again. She said: Please pray to Jehovah your God, Your Majesty, so that my relative who is responsible for avenging the death of my son will not commit a greater crime by killing my other son. I promise by the living Jehovah, David replied, your son will not be harmed. She added: Your Majesty, May I say something? Yes, he answered. The woman said: Have you been hurting God's people? Your own son had to leave the country. When you judged in my favor, it was the same as admitting that you should have let him come back. We each must die and disappear like water poured out on the ground. But God does not take our lives. Instead, he figures out ways of bringing us back when we run away. Your Majesty, I came here to tell you about my problem. I was afraid of what someone might do to me. I decided to come to you, because I thought you could help. In fact, I knew that you would listen and save my son and me from those who want to take the land that God gave us. I can rest easy now that you have given your decision. You know the difference between right and wrong just like an angel of God. I pray that Jehovah your God will be with you. David said: Now I ask you a question. Do not try to hide the truth! The woman replied: Please go ahead, Your Majesty. Did Joab put you up to this? The king asked. The woman answered: I solemnly swear on your life, Your Majesty, you are absolutely right! Yes, your servant Joab ordered me to do this. He told me to say exactly what I said. Your servant Joab has done this to view this matter from a different angle. You are as wise as an angel of God (messenger of God), who knows everything on earth. Later on the king said to Joab: I have decided to do what you want. Go and get the young man Absalom and bring him back here. Joab quickly bowed down with his face touching the ground. He blessed the king. He said: Today I know that you have been kind to me because you did what I wanted.

He sent for a sword. When it arrived, he said: Cut the living child in two and give each woman half of it. With a heart full of love for her son the real mother said: Please, Your Majesty, do not kill the child! Give it to her! But the other woman said: Do not give it to either of us cut it in two. read more.
Then Solomon said: Do not kill the child! Give it to the first woman. She is the real mother. The people of Israel heard of Solomon's decision and were all filled with deep respect for him. They knew then that God had given him the wisdom to settle disputes fairly.

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.

The city recorder quieted the crowd. He said: You men of Ephesus, what man is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple-keeper of the great Artemis, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter? Seeing that these things are indisputable it is fitting that you keep calm and do nothing rash. You brought these men, who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of our goddess. read more.
If Demetrius and the craftsmen that are with him have a grievance against any man, the courts are open, and there are judges. Let them accuse one another. But if you seek anything about other matters, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. For indeed we are in danger to be charged with rioting (sedition) because of today's events. We would not be able to account for this ruckus for there is no reason for it. When he finished speaking he dismissed the assembly.

David conferred with each of his officers, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. He then said to the whole assembly of Israel: If it seems good to you and if it is the will of Jehovah our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our brothers throughout the territories of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites with them in their towns and pasturelands, to come and join us. Let us bring the Ark of our God back to us, for we did not inquire of it during the reign of Saul. read more.
The whole assembly agreed to do this, because it seemed right to all the people.

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.

Then the people of Ephraim said to Gideon: Why did you not call us when you went to fight the Midianites? Why did you treat us like this? They complained bitterly about it. He said: What have I accomplished compared to you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abi-ezer? God delivered the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, to you. What was I able to do in comparison to you? Then their anger toward him subsided at what he said.

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.

Esther had not said what family or people she came from, for Mordecai gave her orders not to do so.

Esther answered: My prayer and my request is this:

If I have the king's approval, and if it is the king's pleasure to give me my prayer and do my request, let the king and Haman come to the feast that I will make ready for them. Tomorrow I will do as the king has said.'