Quotes About Leadership

The woman asked, “Why have you devised a thing like this against the people of God? When the king says this, does he not convict himself, since he has not brought back his own banished son?

Joab your servant has done this to bring about this change of affairs, but my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that happens in the land.”

Then the king said to Joab, “I hereby grant this request. Go, bring back the young man Absalom.”

So Joab got up, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

Then he sent for Joab to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come to him. So Absalom sent a second time, but Joab still would not come.

Some time later, Absalom provided for himself a chariot with horses and fifty men to run ahead of him.

Absalom would say, “Look, your claims are good and right, but the king has no deputy to hear you.”

And he would add, “If only someone would appoint me judge in the land, then everyone with a grievance or dispute could come to me, and I would give him justice.”

Also, when anyone approached to bow down to him, Absalom would reach out his hand, take hold of him, and kiss him.

Absalom did this to all the Israelites who came to the king for justice. In this way he stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

Then Absalom sent spies throughout the tribes of Israel with this message: “When you hear the sound of the horn, you are to say, ëAbsalom reigns in Hebron!í”

Then a messenger came to David and reported, “The hearts of the men of Israel are with Absalom.”

The kingís servants replied, “Whatever our lord the king decides, we are your servants.”

Then the king set out, and his entire household followed him. But he left behind ten concubines to take care of the palace.

So the king set out with all the people following him. He stopped at the last house,

and all his servants marched past him—all the Cherethites and Pelethites, and six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath.

Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why should you also go with us? Go back and stay with the new king, since you are both a foreigner and an exile from your homeland.

But Ittai answered the king, “As surely as the LORD lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether it means life or death, there will your servant be!”

“March on then,” said David to Ittai. So Ittai the Gittite marched past with all his men and all the little ones who were with him.

So Zadok and Abiathar returned the ark of God to Jerusalem and stayed there.

David said to him, “If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me.

Indeed, their two sons, Ahimaaz son of Zadok and Jonathan son of Abiathar, are there with them. Send them to me with everything you hear.”

So Davidís friend Hushai arrived in Jerusalem just as Absalom was entering the city.

He threw stones at David and at all the servants of the king, though the troops and all the mighty men were on Davidís right and left.