David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.
Then the king arose and tore his garments and lay on the earth. And all his servants who were standing by tore their garments.
And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”
In that day the Lord God of hosts called for weeping and mourning, for baldness and wearing sackcloth;
When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach.
and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.”
“Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.”
And when Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes and put sackcloth on his flesh and fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly.
He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’
O Lord, in distress they sought you; they poured out a whispered prayer when your discipline was upon them.
“Though evil is sweet in his mouth, though he hides it under his tongue, though he is loath to let it go and holds it in his mouth, yet his food is turned in his stomach; it is the venom of cobras within him.
“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God?
Unless otherwise indicated, all content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Contact me: openbibleinfo (at) gmail.com.