Quotes About Justice

In the letter he wrote: “Put Uriah at the front of the fiercest battle; then withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and killed.”

Who was the one to strike Abimelech son of Jerubbesheth? Was it not a woman who dropped an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?í If so, then you are to say, ëYour servant Uriah the Hittite is dead as well.í”

Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall, and some of the kingís servants were killed. And your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead as well.”

Then the LORD sent Nathan to David, and when he arrived, he said, “There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor.

The rich man had a great number of sheep and cattle,

Now a traveler came to the rich man, who refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the poor manís lamb and prepared it for his guest.”

David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan: “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die!

Because he has done this thing and has shown no pity, he must pay for the lamb four times over.”

Why then have you despised the command of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You put Uriah the Hittite to the sword and took his wife as your own, for you have slain him with the sword of the Ammonites.

You have acted in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.í”

“No, my brother!” she cried. “Do not humiliate me, for such a thing should never be done in Israel. Do not do this disgraceful thing!

But Amnon refused to listen to her, and being stronger, he violated her and lay with her.

So Amnonís attendant threw her out and bolted the door behind her. Now Tamar was wearing a robe of many colors, because this is what the kingís virgin daughters wore.

When King David heard all this, he was furious.

So Absalomís young men did to Amnon just as Absalom had ordered. Then all the other sons of the king got up, and each one fled on his mule.

But Jonadab, the son of Davidís brother Shimeah, spoke up: “My lord must not think they have killed all the sons of the king, for only Amnon is dead. In fact, Absalom has planned this since the day Amnon violated his sister Tamar.

Now the whole clan has risen up against your maidservant and said, ëHand over the one who struck down his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of the brother whom he killed. Then we will cut off the heir as well!í So they would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my husbandís name or posterity on the earth.”

“Go home,” the king said to the woman, “and I will give orders on your behalf.”

But the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “My lord the king, may any blame be on me and on my fatherís house, and may the king and his throne be guiltless.”

“Please,” she replied, “may the king invoke the LORD your God to prevent the avenger of blood from increasing the devastation, so that my son may not be destroyed!” “As surely as the LORD lives,” he vowed, “not a hair of your sonís head will fall to the ground.”

The woman asked, “Why have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, since he has not brought back his own banished son?

For the king will hear and deliver his maidservant from the hand of the man who would cut off both me and my son from Godís inheritance.í

“Look,” said Absalom, “I sent for you and said, ëCome here. I want to send you to the king to ask: Why have I come back from Geshur? It would be better for me if I were still there.í So now, let me see the kingís face, and if there is iniquity in me, let him kill me.”

He would get up early and stand beside the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone had a grievance to bring before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out and ask, “What city are you from?” And if he replied, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel,”