And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD'S battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him. {valiant: Heb. a son of valour}

And as since the time that I commanded judges {to be} over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house.

Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that {there is} neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it.

For thou, O my God, hast told thy servant that thou wilt build him an house: therefore thy servant hath found {in his heart} to pray before thee. {hast...: Heb. hast revealed the ear of thy servant}

And since the time that I commanded judges {to be} over my people Israel. Moreover I will subdue all thine enemies. Furthermore I tell thee that the LORD will build thee an house.

Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel.

And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

And he said unto his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he {is} the anointed of the LORD.

Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel.

ALEPH. Blessed {are} the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. {undefiled: or, perfect, or, sincere}

For thou, O LORD of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee. {revealed: Heb. opened the ear}

And he said to David, Thou {art} more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.

And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, {upon} me {let this} iniquity {be}: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid. {audience: Heb. ears}

And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle {is} the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands.

His seed also will I make {to endure} for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.

Because David did {that which was} right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from any {thing} that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.

And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, {that is} better than thou.

And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss.

Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle {is} not yours, but God's.

Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust {in thee} from those that rise up {against them}. {by thy...: or, them which trust in thee from those that rise up against thy right hand}

And Saul said to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife: only be thou valiant for me, and fight the LORD'S battles. For Saul said, Let not mine hand be upon him, but let the hand of the Philistines be upon him. {valiant: Heb. a son of valour}

And I will raise me up a faithful priest, {that} shall do according to {that} which {is} in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.

And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily. {Saul's...: Heb. the robe which was Saul's}

And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, {upon} me {let this} iniquity {be}: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid. {audience: Heb. ears}

Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel.

And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.

If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me; (yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy:)

And as since the time that I commanded judges {to be} over my people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the LORD telleth thee that he will make thee an house.

{Is} not the LORD your God with you? and hath he {not} given you rest on every side? for he hath given the inhabitants of the land into mine hand; and the land is subdued before the LORD, and before his people.

Mine enemies chased me sore, like a bird, without cause.

Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.

Then said the princes of the Philistines, What {do} these Hebrews {here}? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, {Is} not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, which hath been with me these days, or these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell {unto me} unto this day?

Although my house {be} not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all {things}, and sure: for {this is} all my salvation, and all {my} desire, although he make {it} not to grow.

Now therefore, {as} the LORD liveth, which hath established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who hath made me an house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day.

Then the spirit came upon Amasai, {who was} chief of the captains, {and he said}, Thine {are we}, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse: peace, peace {be} unto thee, and peace {be} to thine helpers; for thy God helpeth thee. Then David received them, and made them captains of the band. {came...: Heb. clothed}

And Asa and the people that {were} with him pursued them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the LORD, and before his host; and they carried away very much spoil. {destroyed: Heb. broken}

The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved: I bear up the pillars of it. Selah.

AIN. I have done judgment and justice: leave me not to mine oppressors.