I swear to you that I will cause someone from your own family to bring trouble on you. You will see it when I take your wives from you and give them to another man; and he will have intercourse with them in broad daylight.

You sinned in secret, but I will make this happen in broad daylight for all Israel to see.' "

Then the king said to the prophet Nathan, "Here I am living in a house built of cedar, but God's Covenant Box is kept in a tent!"

Then he heard the LORD speaking to him again: "This slave Eliezer will not inherit your property; your own son will be your heir."

Not long after that, Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Let me choose twelve thousand men, and tonight I will set out after David.

and then bring back all his men to you, like a bride returning to her husband. You want to kill only one man; the rest of the people will be safe."

One day, when he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, two of his sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, killed him with their swords and then escaped to the land of Ararat. Another of his sons, Esarhaddon, succeeded him as emperor.

The LORD sent an angel that killed the soldiers and officers of the Assyrian army. So the emperor went back to Assyria disgraced. One day when he was in the temple of his god, some of his sons killed him with their swords.

"People will hand over their own brothers to be put to death, and fathers will do the same to their children; children will turn against their parents and have them put to death.

The LORD said, "Assyria! I use Assyria like a club to punish those with whom I am angry.

But the Assyrian emperor has his own violent plans in mind. He is determined to destroy many nations.

"If any prophets are deceived into giving a false answer, it is because I, the LORD, have deceived them. I will remove them from the people of Israel.

"Then I gave them laws that are not good and commands that do not bring life.