You have witnessed what the Lord did at Baal Peor, ¹  how he ²  eradicated from your midst everyone who followed Baal Peor. ³ 

Instead, you must kill him without fail! ¹  Your own hand must be the first to strike him, ²  and then the hands of the whole community.

“Come to my aid ¹  so we can attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and the Israelites.”

The men of Judah went with their brothers the men of Simeon ¹  and defeated the Canaanites living in Zephath. They wiped out Zephath. ²  So people now call the city Hormah. ³ 

The handle went in after the blade, and the fat closed around the blade, for Ehud ¹  did not pull the sword out of his belly. ² 

When he reached Seirah, ¹  he blew a trumpet ²  in the Ephraimite hill country. The Israelites went down with him from the hill country, with Ehud in the lead. ³ 

He sent messengers throughout Manasseh and summoned them to follow him as well. ¹  He also sent messengers throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet him.

That day the Benjaminites mustered from their cities twenty-six thousand sword-wielding soldiers, besides seven hundred well-trained soldiers from Gibeah. ¹ 

When Saul and his servant ¹  arrived at Gibeah, a company of prophets was coming out to meet him. Then the spirit of God rushed upon Saul ²  and he prophesied among them.

Even Saul went to his home in Gibeah. With him went some brave men whose hearts God had touched.

So on the day of the battle no sword or spear was to be found in the hand of anyone in the army that was with Saul and Jonathan. No one but Saul and his son Jonathan had them.

Then Saul sent word to Jesse saying, “Let David be my servant, for I really like him.” ¹ 

¹ Now David was the son of this Ephrathite named Jesse from Bethlehem ²  in Judah. He had eight sons, and in Saul’s days he was old and well advanced in years. ³ 

When David ¹  had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan and David became bound together in close friendship. ²  Jonathan loved David as much as he did his own life. ³ 

Now when Abiathar son of Ahimelech had fled to David at Keilah, he had brought with him an ephod. ¹ 

Then Hadadezer sent for Arameans from ¹  beyond the Euphrates River, ²  and they came to Helam. Shobach, the general in command of Hadadezer’s army, led them. ³ 

Then Absalom went to the king and said, “My shearers have begun their work. ¹  Let the king and his servants go with me.”

Just as he finished speaking, the king’s sons arrived, wailing and weeping. ¹  The king and all his servants wept loudly ²  as well.

Shimei son of Gera the Benjaminite from Bahurim came down quickly with the men of Judah to meet King David.

Sheba ¹  traveled through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of ²  Beth Maacah and all the Berite region. When they had assembled, ³  they too joined him.