¹⁴ They buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish, at Zela^(A) in Benjamin, and did everything the king commanded. After that,^(B) God answered prayer^(C) in behalf of the land.^(D)

²⁵ David built an altar^(A) to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayer^(B) in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.

This was the inheritance of Benjamin for its clans.^(F)

²⁶ Over Achan they heaped^(A) up a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day.^(B) Then the Lord turned from his fierce anger.^(C) Therefore that place has been called the Valley of Achor^[a](D) ever since.

⁸ Then he called to me, “Look, those going toward the north country have given my Spirit^[a] rest^(A) in the land of the north.”^(B)

¹⁵ Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm.^(A)

Locusts, Fire and a Plumb Line

7 This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me:^(A) He was preparing swarms of locusts^(B) after the king’s share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. ² When they had stripped the land clean,^(C) I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive?^(D) He is so small!^(E)”

³ So the Lord relented.^(F)

“This will not happen,” the Lord said.^(G)

⁴ This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire;^(H) it dried up the great deep and devoured^(I) the land. ⁵ Then I cried out, “Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!^(J)”

⁶ So the Lord relented.^(K)

“This will not happen either,” the Sovereign Lord said.^(L)

The Lord’s Answer

¹⁹ The Lord replied^[a] to them:

Drought, Famine, Sword

14 This is the word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought:^(A)