³⁴ Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days.

³¹ David then ordered Joab and all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth,^(A) and mourn over Abner.” And King David walked behind the coffin.^[a]

³¹ His servants said to him, “Consider this: we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. So let’s put sackcloth around our waists^(A) and ropes around our heads, and let’s go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life.”

³² So they dressed with sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, went to the king of Israel, and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please spare my life.’”

So he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”

²⁵ Still, there was no one like Ahab, who devoted himself to do what was evil in the Lord’s sight, because his wife Jezebel incited him.^{(A) 26} He committed the most detestable acts by following idols^(B) as the Amorites^(C) had, whom the Lord had dispossessed before the Israelites.

²⁷ When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put sackcloth over his body, and fasted. He lay down in sackcloth^(D) and walked around subdued. ²⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: ²⁹ “Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? I will not bring the disaster during his lifetime,^(E) because he has humbled himself before me. I will bring the disaster on his house during his son’s lifetime.”^(F)

Hezekiah Seeks Isaiah’s Counsel

19 When King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes, covered himself with sackcloth,^(A) and went into the Lord’s temple.^{(B) 2} He sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the court secretary,^(C) and the leading priests, who were covered with sackcloth,^(D) to the prophet Isaiah^(E) son of Amoz.

¹⁶ When David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, with his drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem, David and the elders, covered in sackcloth,^(A) fell facedown.

² during that time the Lord had spoken through Isaiah^(A) son of Amoz, saying, “Go, take off your sackcloth from your waist and remove the sandals from your feet,” and he did that, going stripped and barefoot^(B)—