But Amnon became frustrated because he was so lovesick ¹  over his sister Tamar. For she was a virgin, and to Amnon it seemed out of the question to do anything to her.

“This is what Hezekiah says: ¹  ‘This is a day of distress, insults, ²  and humiliation, ³  as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through. ⁴ 

What follows is a record of what happened to Jerusalem and Judah because of the Lord’s anger; he finally threw them out of his presence. ¹  Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

Shall we once again break your commandments and intermarry with these abominable peoples? Would you not be so angered by us that you would wipe us out, with no survivor or remnant?

“This is what Hezekiah says: ¹  ‘This is a day of distress, insults, ²  and humiliation, ³  as when a baby is ready to leave the birth canal, but the mother lacks the strength to push it through. ⁴ 

The crowd ¹  was listening to him until he said this. ²  Then ³  they raised their voices and shouted, ⁴  “Away with this man ⁵  from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live!” ⁶ 

¹ Therefore ²  you are without excuse, ³  whoever you are, ⁴  when you judge someone else. ⁵  For on whatever grounds ⁶  you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things.

For if someone weak sees you who possess knowledge dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience be “strengthened” ¹  to eat food offered to idols?

So then, tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers. Prophecy, however, is not for unbelievers but for believers.

If from a human point of view I fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, ¹  what did it benefit me? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die. ² 

Now I rejoice, not because you were made sad, ¹  but because you were made sad to the point of repentance. For you were made sad as God intended, ²  so that you were not harmed ³  in any way by us.

You are to put it under the ledge of the altar below, so that the network will come ¹  halfway up the altar. ² 

The border will continue to Ziphron, and its direction will be to Hazar Enan. This will be your northern border.

The Lord your God has increased your population ¹  to the point that you are now as numerous as the very stars of the sky. ² 

As you move forward for battle, the priest ¹  will approach and say to the soldiers, ² 

The men of Zebulun were not concerned about their lives; ¹  Naphtali charged on to the battlefields. ² 

Exercise appropriate caution so that there is no negligence in this matter. Why should danger increase to the point that kings sustain damage?”

Why is light given ¹  to a man ²  whose way is hidden, ³  and whom God has hedged in? ⁴ 

For calamity, ¹  there is derision (according to the ideas of the fortunate ² ) – a fate ³  for those whose feet slip!

I was stone silent; ¹  I held back the urge to speak. ²  My frustration grew; ³