And now, will you fear the Lord, giving him full and loyal service, will you banish the gods your fathers obeyed in Egypt, or in Mesopotamia, and serve the Lord only?
If the Lord’s service mislikes you, choose some other way. Shall it be the gods your fathers worshipped in Mesopotamia, or the gods of the Amorrhites, in whose land you dwell? I and mine will worship the Lord.
I call you to witness, said Josue, that you have chosen the Lord’s service; and they answered, We are thy witnesses.
But Josue the son of Nun died, after a hundred and ten years spent in the Lord’s service,
What, said the olive, would you have me forgo this rich influence of mine, for the service of God and man, to win promotion among the trees?
And you, have you kept faith and honour in making Abimelech your king? Have you dealt kindly with Jerobaal and his race, shewn gratitude for the good service he did you? Here was a man that fought in your cause,
and with that they banished the idols of every alien god from their dominions, and went back to the service of the Lord; till at last he took pity on their distress.
But the people cried out to Saul, What, shall he die, Jonathan, who has won such a victory for Israel? As the Lord is a living God, that were great wrong. Never a hair shall fall from his head; this day he has done good service, God speeding him. So it was that the people, that day, saved Jonathan’s life.
Thus it was that David met Saul and entered his service; and became his armour-bearer, so well Saul loved him.
David was the youngest; and when his three eldest brothers went into Saul’s service,
It was then that Saul took David into his service, and would not allow him to go back home;
And still, as he came, David uttered threats; It was a thankless care of mine to protect all this man’s goods, out in the desert, so that he never felt loss; it is an ill return he makes me for such a service.
and Achis believed what he said, and thought to himself, This man has brought great hurt on his own people of Israel; now he is bound to my service in perpetuity.
And now the chiefs of the Philistines began asking what these Hebrews did there; Why, said Achis, you have surely heard of David, that was in the service of Saul, king of Israel? He has been with me a long time, more than a year now, and to this day, from the day when he first took refuge with me I have had no fault to find with him.✻
and he told David, My lord king, I am at thy service to do thy bidding. So Miphiboseth ate at the king’s table, as if he had been one of the king’s own sons.
and camest here but yesterday; there is no need for thee to leave Jerusalem, as the rest of us are leaving it, to-day. I will go where I must; do thou and these brethren of thine return, and may the Lord’s faithful mercies reward thee for this loyal service thou hast shewn.
And indeed, to whom is my service due, if not to the king’s own son? Thou shalt have the same loyalty thy father had from me.
Adonias, then, would offer sacrifice of rams and calves and other fattened beasts at the Stone of Zoheleth, by Enrogel spring; bidding his brother princes there as guests, and the men of Juda that were in David’s service,
As for Solomon, he bore rule over all the kingdoms between Euphrates and the Philistine country, right up to the frontiers of Egypt, enjoying the tribute they brought him and the service they did him all his life long.✻
Pot and shovel and bucket Hiram made, all that king Solomon needed for the service of the Lord’s temple.