He said to himself, "As things are now, if my people go to Jerusalem and offer sacrifices to the LORD in the Temple there, they will transfer their allegiance to King Rehoboam of Judah and will kill me."

(SEE 12:26)

(Saul's chief herdsman, Doeg, who was from Edom, happened to be there that day, because he had to fulfill a religious obligation.)

Say to God, "How wonderful are the things you do! Your power is so great that your enemies bow down in fear before you.

You say to yourselves, "We can hardly wait for the holy days to be over so that we can sell our grain. When will the Sabbath end, so that we can start selling again? Then we can overcharge, use false measures, and fix the scales to cheat our customers.

You should each give, then, as you have decided, not with regret or out of a sense of duty; for God loves the one who gives gladly.