David ran and stood over the Philistine. He grabbed Goliath’s ¹  sword, drew it from its sheath, ²  killed him, and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they ran away.

Then the king said to the messengers ¹  who were stationed beside him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, for they too have sided ²  with David! They knew he was fleeing, but they did not inform me.” But the king’s servants refused to harm ³  the priests of the Lord.

Even her mercenaries ¹  will prove to be like pampered, ²  well-fed calves. For they too will turn and run away. They will not stand their ground when ³  the time for them to be destroyed comes, the time for them to be punished.

He prayed to the Lord and said, “Oh, Lord, this is just what I thought ¹  would happen ²  when I was in my own country. ³  This is what I tried to prevent ⁴  by attempting to escape to Tarshish! ⁵  – because I knew ⁶  that you are gracious and compassionate, slow to anger ⁷  and abounding ⁸  in mercy, and one who relents concerning threatened judgment. ⁹ 

I also discovered that the grain offerings for the Levites had not been provided, and that as a result the Levites and the singers who performed this work had all gone off to their fields.

Woe to them! For they have fled from me! Destruction to them! For they have rebelled against me! I want to deliver ¹  them, but they have lied to me.

Hearing this, ¹  the men became even more afraid ²  and said to him, “What have you done?” (The men said this because they knew that he was trying to escape ³  from the Lord, ⁴  because he had previously told them. ⁵ )

Then all the people, from the youngest to the oldest, as well as the army officers, left for ¹  Egypt, because they were afraid of what the Babylonians might do.

What can I say? He has decreed and acted. ¹  I will walk slowly all my years because I am overcome with grief. ² 

He will say, “Where are their gods, the rock in whom they sought security,

He drove his enemies back; he made them a permanent target for insults. ¹ 

Now those who had been forced to scatter went around proclaiming the good news of the word.

They retreated before the Israelites, taking the road to the wilderness. But the battle overtook ¹  them as men from the surrounding cities struck them down. ² 

King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, ¹  the supervisor of the work crews, ²  out after them, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam managed to jump into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. ³ 

In the shadows of the walls of Heshbon those trying to escape will stand helpless. For a fire will burst forth from Heshbon. Flames will shoot out from the former territory of Sihon. They will burn the foreheads of the people of Moab, the skulls of those war-loving people. ¹ 

When the jailer woke up ¹  and saw the doors of the prison standing open, ²  he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, ³  because he assumed ⁴  the prisoners had escaped.

Jacob also deceived ¹  Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was leaving. ² 

If only we had been satisfied to live on the other side of the Jordan! O Lord, what can I say now that Israel has retreated ¹  before its enemies?

Adonijah feared Solomon, so he got up and went and grabbed hold of the horns of the altar. ¹ 

The Ephraimites ¹  were armed with bows, ²  but they retreated in the day of battle. ³