When David returned to Ziklag, he sent part of the loot to his friends, the leaders of Judah, with the message, "Here is a present for you from the loot we took from the LORD's enemies."

One day David asked, "Is there anyone left of Saul's family? If there is, I would like to show him kindness for Jonathan's sake."

"Don't be afraid," David replied. "I will be kind to you for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will give you back all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always be welcome at my table."

he said to Gehazi, "Ask her what I can do for her in return for all the trouble she has had in providing for our needs. Maybe she would like me to go to the king or the army commander and put in a good word for her." "I have all I need here among my own people," she answered.

The king asked, "How have we honored and rewarded Mordecai for this?" His servants answered, "Nothing has been done for him."

Someone lived there who was poor, but so clever that he could have saved the town. But no one thought about him.

The older daughter had a son, whom she named Moab. He was the ancestor of the present-day Moabites.

The younger daughter also had a son, whom she named Benammi. He was the ancestor of the present-day Ammonites.

"No Ammonite or Moabite---or any of their descendants, even in the tenth generation---may be included among the LORD's people.

But the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam; instead he turned the curse into a blessing, because he loved you.

Tobiah was standing there beside him, and he added, "What kind of wall could they ever build? Even a fox could knock it down!"

Sanballat, Tobiah, and the people of Arabia, Ammon, and Ashdod heard that we were making progress in rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem and that the gaps in the wall were being closed, and they became very angry.

When the Law of Moses was being read aloud to the people, they came to the passage that said that no Ammonite or Moabite was ever to be permitted to join God's people.