But Uriah stayed at the door of the palace with all ¹  the servants of his lord. He did not go down to his house.

Then David prayed to ¹  God for the child and fasted. ²  He would even ³  go and spend the night lying on the ground.

When someone approached to bow before him, Absalom ¹  would extend his hand and embrace him and kiss him.

But Elisha ¹  replied, “As certainly as the Lord lives (whom I serve), ²  I will take nothing from you.” Naaman ³  insisted that he take it, but he refused.

But they did not pay attention and were as stubborn as their ancestors, ¹  who had not trusted the Lord their God.

David was thirsty and said, “How I wish someone would give me some water to drink ¹  from the cistern in Bethlehem near the city gate!”

But the king’s edict stood, despite Joab’s objections. ¹  So Joab left and traveled throughout Israel before returning to Jerusalem. ² 

But David could not go before it to seek God’s will, for he was afraid of the sword of the Lord’s messenger.

But Amaziah did not heed the warning, ¹  for God wanted to hand them over to Joash because they followed the gods of Edom. ² 

The men of Tekoa worked on the section adjacent to them, but their town leaders ¹  would not assist ²  with the work of their master. ³ 

All those who behave wickedly ¹  do not understand – ²  those who devour my people as if they were eating bread, and do not call out to the Lord.

All those who behave wickedly ¹  do not understand ²  – those who devour my people as if they were eating bread, and do not call out to God.

Of what ¹  use is money in the hand of a fool, ²  since he has no intention ³  of acquiring wisdom? ⁴ 

They do not comprehend or understand, for their eyes are blind and cannot see; their minds do not discern. ¹ 

So tell them: ‘This is a nation that has not obeyed the Lord their God and has not accepted correction. Faithfulness is nowhere to be found in it. These people do not even profess it anymore. ¹ 

The Lord answered, “This has happened because these people have rejected my laws which I gave them. They have not obeyed me or followed those laws. ¹ 

The king did not even listen to Elnathan, Delaiah, and Gemariah, who had urged him not to burn the scroll. ¹ 

If they do this, tell ¹  them, ‘I was pleading with the king not to send me back to die in the dungeon of Jonathan’s house.’” ² 

But Babylonia will be put to great shame. The land where you were born ¹  will be disgraced. Indeed, ²  Babylonia will become the least important of all nations. It will become a dry and barren desert.

I acted for the sake of my reputation, so that I would not be profaned before the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.