²¹ Saul answered, “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest tribe^(A) of Israel, and is not my clan the least^(B) of all the clans of the tribe of Benjamin?^(C) Why do you say such a thing to me?”

¹⁹ say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am going to take the stick of Joseph—which is in Ephraim’s hand—and of the Israelite tribes associated with him, and join it to Judah’s stick. I will make them into a single stick of wood, and they will become one in my hand.’^{(A) 20} Hold before their eyes the sticks you have written on ²¹ and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land.^{(B) 22} I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel.^(C) There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms.^{(D) 23} They will no longer defile^(E) themselves with their idols and vile images or with any of their offenses, for I will save them from all their sinful backsliding,^[a](F) and I will cleanse them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.^(G)

²⁴ “‘My servant David^(H) will be king^(I) over them, and they will all have one shepherd.^(J) They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my decrees.^{(K) 25} They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where your ancestors lived.^(L) They and their children and their children’s children will live there forever,^(M) and David my servant will be their prince forever.^{(N) 26} I will make a covenant of peace^(O) with them; it will be an everlasting covenant.^(P) I will establish them and increase their numbers,^(Q) and I will put my sanctuary among them^(R) forever.^{(S) 27} My dwelling place^(T) will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be my people.^(U)

³ David assembled all Israel^(A) in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to the place he had prepared for it.