² Then David said, “I will show ^(A)kindness to Hanun the son of ^(B)Nahash, as his father showed kindness to me.”

So David sent by the hand of his servants to comfort him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the people of Ammon.

Saul Saves Jabesh Gilead

11 Then ^(A)Nahash the Ammonite came up and ^[a]encamped against ^(B)Jabesh Gilead; and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, ^(C)“Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you.”

Principles of Separation^(A)

13 On that day ^(B)they read from the Book of Moses in the hearing of the people, and in it was found written ^(C)that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever come into the assembly of God, ² because they had not met the children of Israel with bread and water, but ^(D)hired Balaam against them to curse them. ^(E)However, our God turned the curse into a blessing. ³ So it was, when they had heard the Law, ^(F)that they separated all the mixed multitude from Israel.

^3 (A)“An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter the assembly of the Lord; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the Lord forever, ^4 (B)because they did not meet you with bread and water on the road when you came out of Egypt, and ^(C)because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of ^[a]Mesopotamia, to curse you. ⁵ Nevertheless the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam, but the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God ^(D)loves you. ^6 (E)You shall not seek their peace nor their prosperity all your days forever.

³ Now ^(A)Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Whatever they build, if even a fox goes up on it, he will break down their stone wall.”

^4 (B)Hear, O our God, for we are despised; ^(C)turn their reproach on their own heads, and give them as plunder to a land of captivity! ^5 (D)Do not cover their iniquity, and do not let their sin be blotted out from before You; for they have provoked You to anger before the builders.

⁶ So we built the wall, and the entire wall was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

⁷ Now it happened, ^(E)when Sanballat, Tobiah, ^(F)the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the ^[a]gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry,

³ Then David went from there to Mizpah of ^(A)Moab; and he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and mother come here with you, till I know what God will do for me.” ⁴ So he brought them before the king of Moab, and they dwelt with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.