So the Tekoan woman went ¹  to the king. She bowed down with her face to the ground in deference to him and said, “Please help me, ²  O king!”

During Jehoiakim’s reign, ¹  King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked. ²  Jehoiakim was his subject for three years, but then he rebelled against him. ³ 

When David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David; he came out from the threshing floor and bowed to David with his face ¹  to the ground.

The Lord sent prophets among them to lead them back to him. ¹  They warned ²  the people, but they would not pay attention.

They melted down the silver in the Lord’s temple ¹  and handed it over to the supervisors of the construction foremen.”

But ¹  the tents of robbers are peaceful, and those who provoke God are confident ²  – who carry their god in their hands. ³ 

You may say, ¹  ‘God stores up a man’s ²  punishment for his children!’ ³  Instead let him repay ⁴  the man himself ⁵  so that ⁶  he may know it!

That person sings ¹  to others, ²  saying: ‘I have sinned and falsified what is right, but I was not punished according to what I deserved. ³ 

For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, ¹  your deliverer. I have handed over Egypt as a ransom price, Ethiopia and Seba ²  in place of you.

I remove the guilt of your rebellious deeds as if they were a cloud, the guilt of your sins as if they were a cloud. ¹  Come back to me, for I protect ²  you.”

He repays them for what they have done, dispensing angry judgment to his adversaries and punishing his enemies. ¹  He repays the coastlands. ² 

We existed from ancient times, ¹  but you did not rule over them, they were not your subjects. ² 

“It did no good for me to punish your people. They did not respond to such correction. You slaughtered your prophets like a voracious lion.” ¹ 

Instead they have followed the stubborn inclinations of their own hearts. They have paid allegiance to ¹  the gods called Baal, ²  as their fathers ³  taught them to do.

Your ancestors, ¹  however, did not listen to me or pay any attention to me. They stubbornly refused ²  to pay attention or to respond to any discipline.’

You must pay attention to the exhortations of my servants the prophets. I have sent them to you over and over again. ¹  But you have not paid any attention to them.

So I bought the field at Anathoth from my cousin Hanamel. I weighed out seven ounces of silver and gave it to him to pay for it. ¹ 

But the people of Jerusalem and Judah ¹  would not listen or pay any attention. They would not stop the wickedness they were doing nor quit sacrificing to other gods. ² 

“‘Tarshish ¹  was your trade partner because of your abundant wealth; they exchanged silver, iron, tin, and lead for your products.

Javan, Tubal, and Meshech were your clients; they exchanged slaves and bronze items for your merchandise.