"In addition, all Amalechite land between Edom and Gereh to be given to Israel, together with a ransom of 100,000 shekels." "The prophet Samuel wishes to speak with Saul." "He cannot speak with him now." "The king is engaged in the affairs of state." "Since when have the affairs of state taken precedence over the affairs of God?" "Samuel." "We welcome you." "With God's blessing, our victory is complete." "Is this how you show Him your gratitude- by robbing the Amalechites of their women and cattle, and holding their king in chains?" "We were... discussing a possible treaty." "The king is to be ransomed..." "A treaty?" "Ransom?" "!" "Saul, for this you have betrayed your own soul in the sight of God." "His instructions were plain enough." "He said, "I am resolved to blot out these heathen" ""from the face of the land, for I am a jealous God," ""and I abhor their abominable practices." ""Therefore, send for My servant," ""Saul..." ""and tell him to fall upon the Amalechites" ""and utterly destroy them." ""Put them all to death." ""Men and women, children, babes in arms, sheep and cattle." "Spare nothing from the sword. "" "Nothing." "When our tribes clamored for a king, to make us like other nations," "I answered them, "We are not like other nations." "The Lord of Hosts is both our God and our King. "" "The people said," ""We want a king we can see." "We want a king of our own flesh and blood. "" "Here are your kings of flesh and blood." "Here is a king you can see." "I have sinned." "Saul, I weep in the dark for you." "Forgive me." "I beg of you!" "Even so has the Lord torn the kingdom of Israel from the house of Saul." "Soon, he shall give it to another- a man after his own heart, and a worthier man than you." ""And the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not mourn for Saul." ""'Fill your horn with oil, for I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. "'" "Blessings be upon you, Jesse." "On this day shall the Lord God of Israel choose Himself a king from among your sons." "But... but Saul is our king." "God is not a man that He should deceive you." "Which of my sons must it be?" "My first son, Eliab." "The Lord does not see as man sees." "Men judge by outward appearances, but the Lord judges by the heart alone." "My second son, Abinadab." "My third son, Shammah." "The Lord has chosen none of these men." "Have you no other sons?" "David." "You kneel before me as the shepherd of your father's flock, but God has chosen you..." "to be the shepherd of His people Israel, to unite His scattered tribes into one nation... and to send the heathen from His promised land." "My brothers are all soldiers." "Why not choose one of them?" "It was not I who chose you." "It was the Lord God of Israel." "But I am the least in my father's house." "You are a child after God's own heart." "If I stand so well in His sight, let Him command me face to face." "No man may see God face to face and live." "God speaks to man through the mouth of his prophet." "So be it." "When I have gone the way of all flesh, you shall be brought before the king by one of his sons." "Then shall the Lord challenge you, even as you have challenged Him... to defend His name and His honor." "Have no fear, David." "The Lord shall not forsake you so long as you keep His laws and obey His prophets without question." "There's no sense in waiting any longer, My Lord." "Samuel will not come." "He will come." "No, My Lord, he's..." "He will come!" "Is Israel governed by a king, Father, or by the whim's of a senile old prophet?" "You cannot have the one without the other." "And who's to say that Samuel is not a false prophet?" "If Samuel is a false prophet, I'm a false king." "It was Samuel who anointed me, even as he has rejected me." "The people still look to you as their king, Father." "They have not rejected you." "The people will not fight without Samuel's blessing." "Then at least permit me to move them into position while we await his arrival!" "Abner's right, Father." "But what was his name?" "The man who wrestled with me until daybreak." "What man, My Lord?" "It was only a dream, Father." "Well, if it was a dream, send in my musician, let me dream on." "Where is Samuel?" "These are the last words of the prophet Samuel." ""Tell Saul to lead the people out" ""against the Philistines" ""and the Lord shall deliver them" ""into their hands," ""for though He has rejected Saul," "He will not forsake His people Israel. "" "Samuel is dead?" "He is, My Lord." "His soul rests at peace." "The Levite Nathan will perform..." "Peace?" "You talk to me of peace?" "Dear God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" "David!" "You're David?" "I'm Jonathan, son of Saul." "Your cousin Joab tells us you're a fine singer." "You've come to bring me to the king." "How do you know?" "The prophet Samuel is dead, isn't he?" "Who told you?" "David." "What are you doing here?" "Who's minding Father's sheep?" "I know, you've just come to watch the battle." "What are you doing here?" "Father." "I've brought the boy, Father." "Have you seen Him?" "Face to face?" "I saw Him... once." "He smiled on me, too." "But at daybreak..." "He was gone." "The Lord" "Is my shepherd" "I shall not want" "He lies me down" "In green pastures" "He leads me beside still waters" "He restores my soul." "Slaves of a nameless God, once again I bring you the challenge of Goliath of Goth, champion of the Philistines." "Where is your faith in your god?" "Where is your trust in his protection?" "You boast that he can move mountains, and yet, he cannot move one man among you to defend his honor." "Six times have we challenged you to put forward a champion, and six times have you cowered in silence." "Send down a champion, and whoever wins the combat wins the day for his country and his god." "Well, Israelites, what is your answer?" "Then let all the world bear witness." "There is no god in Israel!" "Yea, though I walk" "Through the valley of the shadow of death" "I will fear no evil" "For Thou art with me." "Goliath?" "He will feed your flesh to the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field." "So be it, Lord." "So be it!" "An entire army at my command." "It takes a shepherd boy to wipe out our disgrace." "He's given us back our pride." "From that day," "David did not return to his father's house but remained with Saul at Kabeir, where he served in the army for ten years." "He fought so bravely that Saul placed him over his men of war." "Each victory was greeted with exultation in the sight of all the people." "David!" "David!" "Saul has killed his thousands, and David his tens of thousands!" "David!" "Saul has killed his thousands, and David his tens of thousands!" "Saul has killed his thousands..." "May the Lord bless you and keep you." "May the Lord lift up the light of His face toward you and be gracious to you." "May the Lord lift up His face towards you and give you peace." "From this day forth... no man shall cover thee but me." "It was I who taught him the harp." "Ah, but it was I who taught him to use a sling." "Father taught him both." "Didn't you, Father?" "Any man can teach, but David's gifts are the gifts of God." "There he goes again." "David's a man after God's own heart, isn't he, Father?" "Is it true that he once killed a lion?" "With his own bare hands." "Which were tied behind his back, no doubt." "Yes." "And with a blindfold." "David's a man after God's own heart, you see." "That's what the prophet said, wasn't it, Father?" "Did I please you, My Lord?" "You only have to smile, and I am pleased." "Did I smile..." "My Lord?" "My name is David." "Ah, forgive me." "The confusion is easily made." "By whom?" "The people worship you as their god." "While as for Jonathan..." "He loves me as a brother." "As I love him." "And his sister?" "Hm?" "The resemblance is marked." "But I suspect it's only skin deep." "Then why did you marry me?" "You're my prize for Goliath's head." "Was that your only reason?" "Is love not reason enough?" "You scarcely know me." "Your mystery overwhelms me." "And my beauty." "Plus your modesty." "Uh." "A king's daughter has cause to be proud." "As does the man who has won her." "Because it was a moonlit night, and David and I led the way." "We were climbing up the hill on our hands and feet, and when we got to the top, we found the Hittites and the Ammonites facing us on either side of the valley." "I urged David to turn back, but he said," ""God will deliver them into our hands. "" "Hear how he warbles in praise of the cuckoo bird." "What cuckoo bird?" "He who has fed from my table and now lies with my daughter." "He has robbed me of my God, my people, even my children." "What else can he take but my crown?" "That's a lie." "So long as David lives, neither I nor you nor the throne shall be safe." "What proof do you have of such an accusation?" "Did Samuel anoint your brother?" "The prophet blessed him, My Lord." "David has done nothing wrong, Father." "You cannot harm an innocent man." "Samuel anointed him in my place!" "David!" "The boy I-I trusted and loved as my own son." "Then be glad of it!" "Give thanks that the future of Israel belongs to a man worthy of your love." "Where have you hidden him?" "I don't know where he is." "Don't lie to me!" "When I awoke, he was gone." "Shammah." "That's the important thing." "Who cares about her mother, eh?" "Find David ben Jesse!" "We must wait until light." "Get horses!" "Find David ben Jesse!" "Jabus, you look in the storage room!" "You go to the south tower!" "North tower!" "David, you must go at once to the sanctuary at Nob." "Ask for the high priest, Ahimelech and show him this." "Come with me." "I cannot." "But we have a covenant to friendship between us." "What of the covenant of honor between a father and his son?" "I would lay down my life for you willingly, but I will not break faith with my father, as I will not break faith with you." "Forgive me." "You have the love of one far greater than I to care for you." "My father has no one." "May the Lord be with you." "May His light shine within your heart... even as you shine within mine." ""So Jacob was alone," ""and a man struggled with him there until daybreak," ""and the man said, 'Let me go, the day is breaking. '" ""But Jacob replied," ""'I will not go, unless you tell me your name. '" ""And the man said, 'Why do you ask my name?" ""'I am that I am." ""That is who I am. '" ""And so Jacob called the place Peniel, which means," ""'The Face of God'" ""'because,' he said," ""'I have seen God face to face and my life has been spared. "'" "Were Moses and Jacob the only men to have seen him face to face?" "Even Abraham was denied the supreme revelation." "Then why did God choose Jacob?" "Why has he chosen you?" "God may have created man in his own image and likeness, but he has denied us all understanding of his purpose." "I knew Him once." "As a boy, I could feel His presence all around me." "If only I, too, could see Him." "Are you aware of the presence that you're in?" "The Ark of the Covenant." "None but a priest may gaze upon it." "The Ten Commandments lie within, written on tablets of stone by the finger of God Himself." "Why is it kept here?" "It should be enthroned on high, not hidden away like this." "For 250 years, it has awaited such a home." "Then hear, O Lord, the vow of Thy servant, David." "When once my feet have found their rest," "I will give no sleep to my eyes until I have built a temple for the Lord." "A dwelling place for the mighty one of Jacob." "Shammah." "Prince Jonathan says that..." "Who are you?" "I am the high priest Ahimelech." "Where is the guardian of the Ark?" "He's at his station in the cavern." "Prince Jonathan says the guardian sent word to the king that you are here." "Joab and our brothers have escaped to the caves of Adullam." "Stand before the Ark." "Now swear to me, in the sight of God, that you have not betrayed our guest." "Showbread." "The law forbids anyone but a priest to partake of it, may God forgive us both." "This I return to you with a clear conscience." "Goliath's sword." "It was sent here for safekeeping." "David!" "May the Lord bless you for your kindness." "And protect you, my son." "We must bar the gates." "No, we have no one to hide." "It is good to give thanks to the Lord" "Whose love endures forever" "Declare it, people of Israel" "For His love endures forever" "Give thanks to the God of gods" "For His love endures forever" "He made the great lights" "His love endures forever" "A sun to rule by day..." "Silence!" "Where is David ben Jesse?" "I do not know." "You are lying." "A priest does not lie." "He was here, was he not?" "He was here." "When did he leave?" "Some time ago." "In what direction did he go?" "I did not see." "The guardian of the Ark, My Lord- he will know." "Where is the guardian?" "He, too, is no longer with us." "Abner." "I want these priests killed one by one until their high priest changes his mind." "Then the killing will stop." "No soldier would carry out such an order." "These priests... are maggots!" "In carrion!" "Fattening themselves on the offerings people give to the Lord!" "They are traitors, every one of them!" "And so is any soldier who refuses to obey the king's command." "You." "I cannot." "You!" "No, Father!" "Will no one obey the king?" "I will, My Lord." "It takes a gentile to obey." "It is good" "To give thanks" "To the Lord" "His love endures forever" "He brought Israel out of Egypt" "His love endures forever" "No king shall bring Him low" "His love endures forever" "No enemy shall strike" "Him down" "His love endures forever" "For the" "Lord has sworn" "To His servant" "David..." "His love for him endures... forever." "And it came to pass that David remained in the wilderness for six years, where Saul sought him day after day." "Everyone that was in distress, everyone that was in debt, and everyone that was discontented gathered themselves unto him." "David took unto himself three wives:" "Abigail, Ahinoam and Maacah." "Ahinoam bore David a firstborn, whom he called Amnon, and Maacah bore him a second son, whom he called Absalom." "And David loved Absalom with all his heart." "Oh, Lord God of all Israel," "King of the universe, we have circumcised the flesh of this child" "Absalom ben David, that he may enter into the covenant of Abraham." "Oh, Lord, God of our fathers, preserve this child." "And, even as he is entered into the covenant, so may he enter into the law, the nuptial grace, and into good deeds." "David." "David." "Where's Saul?" "In the cave." "Abner and his men are in there, too." "We must move the women and children at once." "They'll move against us at daybreak." "Where are you going?" "To visit Saul." "David." "David!" "Don't be a fool." "Saul hasn't come to talk;" "he's come to kill." "The Lord did not anoint me to die at the hand of Saul." "My Lord, the day has broken." "He was here." "He was here." "Who?" "David." "That's not possible, My Lord." " I guarded you..." " He was here!" "He was very close." "I felt him." "I'm so stiff I can hardly move." "Have the scouts found David?" "They think they're in the cave." "Saul!" "Can you not answer me, Saul?" "Who are you, David ben Jesse, to shout down at the King of Israel?" "Who are you, Abner ben Ner, to call yourself commander in the king's army?" "Why did you not keep watch over my lord the king while he slept?" "Where is the king's sword that was by his side?" "Here is the king's sword!" "In the hands of a man he calls his enemy." "A lie!" "The Lord delivered you into my hands, and I spared your life." "David... my son... may the Lord bless you." "Let all Israel witness how the king loves David." "He has held my life precious this day." "Put up your arms." "We return to Gibeah." "But he's in our palm, My Lord." "Abner..." "The king... has spoken." "He'll be back." "I know." "Make way for the blind!" "Make way for the man!" "Make way for the blind!" "Make way for the man!" "Make way for the blind!" "Make way for the man!" "Make way for the blind!" "My master wishes to see Akiss," "Lord of the Philistines." "He is Israelite?" "He is mad." "Therefore Israelite." "My master has a message for the king." "From who?" "God." "I apologize for the necessity of your performance, but in our country, madmen are held to be sacred." "Grasp that and you have perhaps grasped the very essence of religion." "Another Samson?" "My son Absalom." "Hmm." "Absalom." "I would be obliged if you were to keep well away from those pillars, hmm?" "Youth is no barrier to strength, as you yourself so ably demonstrated, David." "God's victory, not mine." "I was but the means to His end." "Of Goliath, perhaps." "It's the motive of your God that seems less clear." "If he can deliver you of a giant, why can he not free you of Saul?" "If you will grant us refuge, he will have done so." "What about the God in whose temple you stand?" "Will not Dagon deserve some..." "measure of thanks?" "Hmm?" "It's you who will have good cause to thank him, for we shall be yours to command against any enemy you choose to name." "Except Saul, of course." "I will not raise my hand against the Lord's anointed king." "He's very ready to raise his hand against you, hmm?" "He could no sooner rid himself of me than I could ever bring myself to kill him." "To love one's enemy is a fine sentiment, but for a poet, not for a king." "Very well." "We'll grant you Ziklag as a place of refuge... but in addition to the services of your men, we want a sworn undertaking from you that once you become king in Israel, you will renounce all claims" "to Philistine lands." "Respect what is ours, and we shall keep faith with you." "I refer to the so-called, uh... promised land." "Did not your God promise Moses- or was it Abraham?" " all the lands between the Lebanon and Egypt?" "Between the Syrian wilderness and the western sea?" "The land of the Hittites, the Jebuzites, the Amurites... and, uh, need I add, the Philistines, hmm?" "What God chooses to give, we cannot refuse." "The law of Moses is not renowned for its impartiality towards heathen races, hmm?" "The law of David shall deal justly with all men," "Hebrew and heathen alike." "On that, I give you my solemn oath." "The Lord of Hosts is the God of Israel!" "If you leave the promised land, you will be placing yourself beyond the bounds of His divine protection and into the mercy of heathen gods." "We've been hounded out of every cesspit and rat hole in the promised land." "Is that your idea of protection?" "By whose shield have you been guarded thus far?" "And by what miracle have you survived every onslaught if not for the grace of the Lord Himself?" "You're right." "And yet will His sun be less warm," "His wind less cool... across this border?" "Go, then." "And may the Lord be with you, for I cannot." "Hi-yo." "David dwelt in the country of the Philistines a full year and four months, so that Akiss said," ""He shall be my servant forever. "" "And it came to pass that the Philistines sent word to Saul challenging the men of Israel to battle at Mount Gilboa." "My Lord, I honestly beg you to reconsider." "The Philistines outnumber us by 20,000 men." "Let us withdraw now while we still have the chance." "Still tarnished." "Polish again, again." "David is not among the enemy, Father." "It's not your honor that's at stake." "It's the lives of our men." "I will ride out against the Philistines." "If I ride alone... so be it." "The prophet Nathan is ready to offer the sacrifice, My Lord." "There will be no sacrifice." "It's still tarnished at the bottom." "Polish." "More, more, more." "Father, our men will not fight without the blessing of the prophet." "Rouse yourselves in anger!" "Lord God of vengeance!" "Lay nations at our feet!" "Lord God of vengeance!" "Whet your flashing swords!" "Lord God of vengeance!" "Make your arrows drunk with blood!" "Lord God of vengeance!" "There will be no sacrifice!" "My Lord..." "I am your sacrifice." "This day, you will surely die." "Then my prayer will be answered at last." "The Lord scorns your prayers." "He has utterly rejected you." "And Samuel, too." "And Abraham and Isaac... and Jacob!" "Even David will be forsaken at the end, for in death, we are all cut off from God's care." "What purpose, then, in-in serving Him?" "He wrestles with man for the nighttime of his life, but at daybreak, He is gone." "Gone." "Father?" "Huh?" "Who marches with the king?" "!" "Who marches with the king... and his son?" "!" "I march with the king and his son!" "And his sons!" "The sword of the Lord, and of Saul!" "The beauty of Israel is slain upon its high places." "How are the mighty fallen." "You mountains of Gilboa, let their be no dew or rain upon you, for there the life of Jonathan is vilely cast away." "From the blood of the slain, the bow of Jonathan held not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty." "In life and in their death, they were not divided." "They were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions." "You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and ornaments of gold." "My brother Jonathan, thy love to me was wonderful." "How are the mighty fallen and the weapons of war perished." "This is the word of the Lord of Hosts." "I took you from the pastures and from following the sheep to be prince over My people, Israel." "I have been with you wherever you have gone and have destroyed all the enemies in your path." "I will make you a great name among the great ones of the earth, and will assign a place for My people in Israel." "There I will plant them, and they shall dwell in their own land." "Why am I brought before you?" "Does a husband not have the right to enjoy the company of his wife?" "My husband is Paltiel ben Laish." "The king knows that well enough." "I am your husband." "Your first and only husband in the eyes of God." "I've never loved another woman as I once loved you." "If you truly cared for me, you would let me go home to the man that I love." "You have many wives, but he has only me." "But I need you." "Indeed you do, My Lord, as a symbol of unity between the house of David and the house of my father." "I'm nothing more to you than a political necessity." "Today, all of Israel praised the Lord, except you." "By your absence, you insult both your God and your king." "I saw no king." "I saw only a dancing man, flaunting his nakedness in the sight of every" " common whore in the city." " In the sight of God, who created man in the perfection of His own image." "So your search is over." "What search?" "Behold." "The king of glory." "Face to face." "Your other women are better able to flatter your vanity than I." "A love untouched by human care." "A love that endures forever." "He who has saved us from our enemies, who has delivered Jerusalem into our hands." "How have we repaid him?" "By rewarding ourselves alone with the wealth He has bestowed upon us." "Now I, too, am guilty, for here I live in a palace of cedar, while the Ark of God is housed in a tent." "How then can we demonstrate our love for him?" "I will tell you how." "By building him this- a great and glorious temple!" "Here on this holy hill of Zion, in which His sacred presence may abide forevermore." "Is there a man among you, indeed, is there a man in this nation who would not gladly give one tenth of his God-given wealth to such an endeavor?" "Has the Lord considered my request?" "God is not a man that He should gird himself about with the trappings of kingship." "If He desired that the Ark reside in a temple instead of a tent, would He not have commanded Moses to build Him one?" "Perhaps He didn't consider 40 years in the wilderness was either the time or place for such a venture." "The tent was intended as a symbol of simplicity and humility, the two virtues you seem to have forsaken." "Let the Lord be my judge." "When will you bring me His answer?" "When you have first carried out the task you were chosen to perform- destroy the heathen nations that occupy our lands." "Have I not already done so?" "Their armies but not their inhabitants." "The law of Moses commands that not a single living thing be left alive." "I don't believe God's kingdom can be brought about by the slaughter of women and children." "Who are you to question His laws?" "A man after God's own heart." "God gave the law unto Moses face to face." "Absalom." "Now, it came to pass that Maacah bore David a daughter..." "Absalom." "...that he called Tamar." "And Amnon, his first born, was sick with love for her." "Where's Absalom?" "Am I my brother's keeper?" "Half-brother." "Let go!" "Stand back, stand back." "I have a petition!" "Father!" "Absalom." "My Lord, my petition!" "Have you some grievance against me?" "On behalf of one of your subjects, Father." "Has he a good case?" "He has an excellent case." "My niece awaits your presence in the throne room." "Who?" "Why, Bathsheba, My Lord." "The petition, Father." "Will you read it?" "Your Excellency!" "My Lord!" "Perhaps you and Absalom would care to consider the other petitions until my return." "Certainly, My Lord." "Shall we begin, My Prince?" "Guards..." "Silence!" "By his command, I am authorized to dispense his subjects." "No petitioners." "That's all." "I've seen you once before." "I know." "My Lord, I am married." "To Captain Uriah, an alien..." "Hittite." "He is still my husband." "How long have you been married to Uriah?" "Five years, My Lord." "And yet you have no children?" "He scorns to lie with me." "He refuses even to touch me, except with a whip." "He shall be punished." "Woman has no redress against her husband, My Lord." "I can endure the pain, but where is the child for whom I have suffered?" "You shall have him." "No, My Lord." "Not while my husband lives." "Deliver this to Captain Joab." "Yes, My Lord." "Uriah." "See that Joab receives it in person." "Yes, My Lord." "And the messenger said to David," ""The bowmen upon the walls of Akron fired their arrows" ""at your servants." ""Among the dead is Uriah, the Hittite," ""who had been placed in the forefront of the attack. "" "David said, "Who knows where the Angel of Death will strike?"" "He'll marry me." "He said so." "Who?" "Who said so?" "Who did this thing?" " Your brother, Amnon." " Half-brother." "Half-brother, half-brother." "Half-brother marry half-sister." "He will marry me." "Oh..." "Absalom." "Forgive me, Father." ""Wherever hurt is done, you shall show no mercy." ""You shall take eye for eye, tooth for tooth," ""hand for hand," ""burn for burn," ""wound for wound," ""stripe for stripe, life for life. "" "Prince Absalom must die." "The law has long recognized a brother's right to avenge his sister's death." "But the princess is alive." "She..." "She is dead." "Both here and here." "Now, the king's sentence" "Prince Absalom shall be banished to our estates in Hebron, there to live in permanent exile." "May the Lord be with you." "May His light shine within your heart, even as you shine within mine." "Save me, O God, for the waters are coming unto my soul." "I sink in deep mire where there is no standing." "I am come into deep waters where the floods overflow me." "I am weary of my crying." "My throat is dry." "My eyes fail while I wait for my God." "I have become a stranger unto my children." "I would much value your judgment on a matter." "Since when have you ever valued my judgment?" "Have your powers of divination forsaken you?" "It is a civil petition, David, concerning a wealthy merchant and one of his servants." "The, uh, merchant is a man of... great prominence who owns large flocks and herds." "But the servant on whose behalf I speak owned nothing but one small ewe lamb." "He had reared it himself, and it grew up in his own home." "Indeed, it was as an only child to him." "It ate from his dish, drank from his cup, and... even slept in his arms." "Not long ago, a traveler came to the merchant's house to dine with him... but the merchant was too selfish to take a sheep from his own flock to serve before his guests, so... he took his servant's lamb," "and killed it, and served that instead." "As the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die." "Thou art the man." "This is the word of the Lord, thy God:" ""I anointed you king over Israel and gave you the daughters of Israel for your own." "I have blessed you with honor and glory." "I have given you silver and gold, and the peculiar treasures of kings." "Why, then, did you murder my servant Uriah and take his wife- his only wife- to be your own?"" "Do with me what You will, Lord, only do not take her from me." "You shall not die... nor shall the wife of Uriah be taken from you, but as a punishment for your great sin, the first child born to you shall not survive, and you will never again have rest from the sword." "Wash away my guilt, cleanse me of my sin." "Wash me, that I may become whiter than snow." "And the first child of David and Bathsheba lived only seven days." "Then Bathsheba bore a second child- a son- and the Lord loved him." "The prophet Nathan has made it known that the Lord has chosen Solomon to be your heir." "Might I therefore urge you to name him so?" "Prince Absalom is my oldest son." "But, My Lord, Absalom is not only in exile..." "Let the king's wish prevail, Ahitophel." "Is he not a fine looking son?" "Solomon found favor in the sight of David, but his love remained bound to Absalom, and his heart went out to him in longings... and Absalom remained in exile for three years." "Everyone that was in distress, everyone that was in debt, and everyone that was discontented gathered themselves unto him." "It makes no difference how good a man's case is." "He will receive no audience with the king unless he can bribe his way into his presence, and even if he does, that will not help his cause, for the king's judgment means nothing without the approval" "of Uriah's widow, Bathsheba." "If only I were made a judge in the land," "I would see that everyone who brought a petition received justice!" "Promise?" "I think all the pillars should be octagonal like this one, instead of round, like that one." "What do you think?" "Every day, he stands in the marketplace preaching to the people, stealing their affections." "Well?" "Um... that one." "The round ones?" "The rabble are flocking to his side, David." "Some say he's planning a rebellion." "Why?" "I would've thought that was obvious!" "Why do you prefer the round ones?" "David, listen to me!" "Absalom is a traitor who must be dealt with..." "Absalom is my son!" "Any man who dares to call the king's son a traitor without the evidence to support such a claim shall himself meet the fate of a traitor... by my own hand!" "I am giving you the evidence." ""Some say" is not evidence." "On the morning of the Passover, your father will publicly proclaim" "Prince Solomon as heir to the throne of Israel." "He swore to me as long as I'd live he'd never name another." "His promises mean nothing." "You once loved him." "Why have you turned against him?" "How many men can he muster?" "Because I love my king beyond all others... and it breaks my heart..." "Your love blinds you, my friend." "There are a thousand supporters in Jerusalem alone- more than sufficient for the task." "Strike now, my prince... or regret it for the rest of your life." "Who is Absalom, Father?" "A boy who was once like you." "Is he your enemy?" "Perhaps I am his, but he could never be mine." "Jerusalem!" "For the sword of the Lord and for David!" "Ho." "Turn back!" "Keep firing!" "Ya!" "Ya!" "Ya!" "Ya!" "Ya!" "My Lord!" "My Lord!" "Is the young man Absalom safe?" "All praise be to God, for he has this day delivered you from all those that rose up against you!" "Is the young man Absalom safe?" "!" "May all the enemies of my lord be as that young man is." "All praise be to God!" "Oh, my son." "My son." "Absalom, my son." "Oh, my son." "Oh, my son, Absalom." "Would God I had died for you!" "My son." "My son, my son." "Why does the king lie in the dust like a beggar at his own gate?" "Why do you weep for your enemies and scorn those who serve you?" "When will you learn to obey the Lord your God instead of your emotions?" "He has forsaken me." "David, it is you who have forsaken Him." "You have continuously disobeyed His laws, and have stubbornly presumed to know His will better than we, his prophets." "I am beyond care." "I'll go to my grave mourning for my son." "I shall go to him, but he shall never come back to me." "You have your will of me." "So be it." "Fear the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart." "Consider the great things He has done for you." "And behold, it came to pass that David sinned no more." "And the Lord smiled upon His servant, David, and strengthened his hand, and gave him victory over his enemies wheresoever he went." "And David smote the Philistines and conquered them, and drove them into the sea." "And he went forth and smote the Moabites and the Ammonites and the Edomites, and put them all to the sword." "And David ruled over the kingdom of Israel for 40 years, and he was a lamp unto his people like the light of the sun." "And when David was old and stricken in years, he caused the prophet Nathan to anoint Solomon, his son, king over Israel." "Mark this above all." "Be guided by the instincts of your own heart, no matter what the prophets tell you, for it is through the heart, and the heart alone, that God speaks to man." "Must you record every word I utter?" "It's for "The Book of Samuel," My Lord." "You ordered it yourself." "May the Lord bless you." "May His light shine within your heart, even as you shine within mine." "I'm waiting, Lord." "Hide Your face no more."