Bible Verses About Select Readings

Yo'av said to him, "You are not to be the one to bring the news today; you can convey news another day; but today you will not bring news, because the king's son is dead."

Then Yo'av said to the Ethiopian, "Go, tell the king what you saw."The Ethiopian bowed to Yo'av, then ran off.

But Achima'atz the son of Tzadok said again to Yo'av, "Come what may, please let me also run after the Ethiopian." Yo'av answered, "Why do you want to run, my son? You won't receive any reward for bringing the news."

"I don't care - whatever happens, I want to run." So he said to him, "Run." Then Achima'atz ran by the road through the desert flats and outran the Ethiopian.

David was sitting between the two gates. A watchman went up to the roof of the gate and out onto the wall, raised his eyes, looked, and saw there a man running by himself.

The watchman cried out and told the king. The king said, "If he's alone, he has good news to tell."As he ran along and came close,

the watchman saw another man running and called to the gatekeeper, "There's another man running by himself."The king said, "He too must have good news."

The watchman said, "The first one runs like Achima'atz the son of Tzadok."The king said, "He's a good man, he comes with good news."

Achima'atz called to the king, "Shalom," prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground and said, "Blessed be ADONAI your God, who has handed over the men who rebelled against my lord the king."

The king asked, "Is everything all right with young Avshalom?" Achima'atz answered, "When Yo'av sent the king's servant and me your servant, I saw a big commotion; but I didn't know what it was."

The king said, "Go, and stand over there." So he went and stood there.

Then up came the Ethiopian, and the Ethiopian said, "There's good news for my lord the king, for ADONAI has judged in your favor and rid you of all those who rebelled against you."

The king asked the Ethiopian, "Is everything all right with young Avshalom?"The Ethiopian answered, "May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rebel against you in order to harm you be as that young man is."

Trembling, the king went up to the room over the gate, weeping and crying, "Oh, my son Avshalom! My son! My son Avshalom! If only I had died instead of you! Oh, Avshalom, my son, my son!"

Eliyahu from Tishbe, an inhabitant of Gil'ad, said to Ach'av, "As ADONAI the God of Isra'el lives, before whom I stand, there will be neither rain nor dew in the years ahead unless I say so."

Then the word of ADONAI came to him:

"Leave here, turn to the east, and hide in Vadi K'rit near the Yarden.

You are to drink from the stream, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there."

So he went and acted according to the word of ADONAI- he went and lived in Vadi K'rit near the Yarden.

The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the stream.

After a while the stream dried up, because there was no rain in the land.

Then this word of ADONAI came to him:

"Get up; go to Tzarfat, a village in Tzidon; and live there. I have ordered a widow there to provide for you."

So he set out and went to Tzarfat. On reaching the gate of the city, he saw a widow there gathering sticks. He called out to her, "Please bring a little water in a container for me to drink."

As she was going to get it, he called after her, "Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand."