When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, {as thou art} in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.

Go not forth hastily to strive, lest {thou know not} what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.

But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?

Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,

Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.

Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. {him: that is, God}

For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. {place...: or, way to change his mind}

My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, {if} thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger,

And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son;

For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. {when...: Heb. of finding}

And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom. {country: Heb. field}

(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now {is} the accepted time; behold, now {is} the day of salvation.)

And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother;

Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he {is such} a son of Belial, that {a man} cannot speak to him.

Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

Go not forth hastily to strive, lest {thou know not} what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.

Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. {him: that is, God}

And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.

Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand. {Satan: or, an adversary}

Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: {and} because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel.

Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched {corn}, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid {them} on asses. {clusters: or, lumps}

Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.

And Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, which {was} of Bahurim, hasted and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David.

Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire {is, that} the Almighty would answer me, and {that} mine adversary had written a book. {my...: or, my sign is that the Almighty will}

{He is} near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who {is} mine adversary? let him come near to me. {mine...: Heb. the master of my cause?}

(Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Israel were gone up to Mizpeh.) Then said the children of Israel, Tell {us}, how was this wickedness?