⁸ The words of Ishbaal^[a] made Abner very angry; he said, “Am I a dog’s head for Judah? Today I keep showing loyalty to the house of your father Saul, to his brothers, and to his friends and have not given you into the hand of David, yet you charge me now with a crime concerning this woman.^(A)

⁸ He did obeisance and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon a dead dog such as I?”^(A)

⁹ Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.”^(A)

⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”^{(A) 5} He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

¹⁸ For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”^{(A) 19} And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to kill him. But she could not,

Psalm 2

God’s Promise to His Anointed

¹³ Hazael said, “What is your servant, who is a mere dog, that he should do this great thing?” Elisha answered, “The Lord has shown me that you are to be king over Aram.”^(A)

² For some time, while Saul was king over us, it was you who led out Israel and brought it in. The Lord said to you, ‘It is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler over Israel.’ ”^(A)