He said, “May you be rewarded ¹  by the Lord, my dear! ²  This act of devotion ³  is greater than what you did before. ⁴  For you have not sought to marry ⁵  one of the young men, whether rich or poor. ⁶ 

(One of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, who was in charge of Saul’s shepherds.)

King David went in, sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, ¹  that you should have brought me to this point?

Therefore you are great, O Lord God, for there is none like you! There is no God besides you! What we have heard is true! ¹ 

Now, O sovereign Lord, you are the true God! ¹  May your words prove to be true! ²  You have made this good promise to your servant! ³ 

For the Lord gave me strict orders, ¹  ‘Do not eat or drink ²  there and do not go home the way you came.’”

Zimri destroyed Baasha’s entire family, just as the Lord had predicted to Baasha ¹  through Jehu the prophet.

The Lord’s angelic messenger said to Elijah, “Go down with him. Don’t be afraid of him.” So he got up and went down ¹  with him to the king.

The king of Israel said, “Oh no! ¹  Certainly the Lord has summoned these three kings so that he can hand them over to the king of Moab!”

Then Ahaz took the silver and gold that were ¹  in the Lord’s temple and in the treasuries of the royal palace and sent it as tribute ²  to the king of Assyria.

At the same time they worshiped ¹  the Lord. They appointed some of their own people to serve as priests in the shrines on the high places. ² 

David did not count the males twenty years old and under, for the Lord had promised to make Israel as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Now, Lord God, may your promise ¹  to my father David be realized, ²  for you have made me king over a great nation as numerous as the dust of the earth.

and the pots, shovels, and meat forks. ¹  All the items King Solomon assigned Huram Abi to make for the Lord’s temple ²  were made from polished bronze.

Anyone who would not seek the Lord God of Israel would be executed, whether they were young or old, ¹  male or female.

In Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed some Levites, priests, and Israelite family leaders to judge on behalf of the Lord ¹  and to settle disputes among the residents of Jerusalem. ² 

Then all the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned joyfully to Jerusalem with Jehoshaphat leading them; the Lord had given them reason to rejoice over their enemies.

My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you to serve in his presence and offer sacrifices.” ¹ 

He has with him mere human strength, ¹  but the Lord our God is with us to help us and fight our battles!” The army ²  was encouraged by the words of King Hezekiah of Judah.

Then King Cyrus brought out the vessels of the Lord’s temple which Nebuchadnezzar had brought from Jerusalem and had displayed ¹  in the temple of his gods.