Then all the Israelites went to the king and said to him, "Your Majesty, why did our brothers, the men of Judah, think they had the right to take you away and escort you, your family, and your men across the Jordan?"

The Israelites replied, "We have ten times as many claims on King David as you have, even if he is one of you. Why do you look down on us? Don't forget that we were the first to talk about bringing the king back!" But the men of Judah were more violent in making their claims than the men of Israel.

Good people suffer many troubles, but the LORD saves them from them all;

But godless people are like thorns that are thrown away; no one can touch them barehanded.

that some worthless people of your nation have misled the people of their town to worship gods that you have never worshiped before.

They were enjoying themselves when all of a sudden some sexual perverts from the town surrounded the house and started beating on the door. They said to the old man, "Bring out that man that came home with you! We want to have sex with him!"

The sons of Eli were scoundrels. They paid no attention to the LORD

But some mean and worthless men who had gone with David said, "They didn't go with us, and so we won't give them any of the loot. They can take their wives and children and go away."

Come, LORD! Oppose my enemies and defeat them! Save me from the wicked by your sword;

Charcoal keeps the embers glowing, wood keeps the fire burning, and troublemakers keep arguments alive.

LORD, from the very beginning you are God. You are my God, holy and eternal. LORD, my God and protector, you have chosen the Babylonians and made them strong so that they can punish us.

But how can you stand these treacherous, evil men? Your eyes are too holy to look at evil, and you cannot stand the sight of people doing wrong. So why are you silent while they destroy people who are more righteous than they are?

But he sent messengers to all the tribes of Israel to say, "When you hear the sound of trumpets, shout, 'Absalom has become king at Hebron!' "

When he arrived there in the hill country of Ephraim, he blew a trumpet to call the people of Israel to battle; then he led them down from the hills.

Have reverence for the LORD, my child, and honor the king. Have nothing to do with people who rebel against them;

such people could be ruined in a moment. Do you realize the disaster that God or the king can cause?

Don't be too quick to go to court about something you have seen. If another witness later proves you wrong, what will you do then?

The Israelites replied, "We have ten times as many claims on King David as you have, even if he is one of you. Why do you look down on us? Don't forget that we were the first to talk about bringing the king back!" But the men of Judah were more violent in making their claims than the men of Israel.

When the people saw that the king would not listen to them, they shouted, "Down with David and his family! What have they ever done for us? People of Israel, let's go home! Let Rehoboam look out for himself !" So the people of Israel rebelled,

King Rehoboam consulted the older men who had served as his father Solomon's advisers. "What answer do you advise me to give these people?" he asked.

Now, his own people hated him, and so they sent messengers after him to say, 'We don't want this man to be our king.'

Now, as for those enemies of mine who did not want me to be their king, bring them here and kill them in my presence!' "