What Does the Bible Say About Tact?

“And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply. Why: Heb. What thing is this thou hast done unto us sharply: Heb. strongly”

“And he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?”

“God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that. anger: Heb. spirit”

“But the children of Belial said, How shall this man save us? And they despised him, and brought him no presents. But he held his peace. held: or, was as though he had been deaf”

“And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out with one consent. with: Heb. as one man”

“And the people said unto Samuel, Who is he that said, Shall Saul reign over us? bring the men, that we may put them to death.”

“And Saul said, There shall not a man be put to death this day: for to day the LORD hath wrought salvation in Israel.”

“Then said Samuel to the people, Come, and let us go to Gilgal, and renew the kingdom there.”

“And all the people went to Gilgal; and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal; and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD; and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.”

“Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and an hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses. clusters: or, lumps”

“And she said unto her servants, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal.”

“And it was so, as she rode on the ass, that she came down by the covert of the hill, and, behold, David and his men came down against her; and she met them.”

“Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good.”

“So and more also do God unto the enemies of David, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.”

“And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off the ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground,”

“And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid. audience: Heb. ears”

“Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send. regard: Heb. lay it to his heart Nabal: that is, Fool”

“Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing the LORD hath withholden thee from coming to shed blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal. avenging: Heb. saving thyself”

“And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord. blessing: or, present follow: Heb. walk at the feet of, etc”

“I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD, and evil hath not been found in thee all thy days.”

“Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as out of the middle of a sling. as out: Heb. in the midst of the bought of a sling”

“And it shall come to pass, when the LORD shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel;”

“That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid. no grief: Heb. no staggering, or, stumbling”

“And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me:”

“And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.”

“For in very deed, as the LORD God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.”

“So David received of her hand that which she had brought him, and said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.”

“And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.”

“But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.”

“Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom.”

“And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead:”

“And come to the king, and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.”

“And when the woman of Tekoah spake to the king, she fell on her face to the ground, and did obeisance, and said, Help, O king. Help: Heb. Save”

“And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, I am indeed a widow woman, and mine husband is dead.”

“And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and slew him. none: Heb. no deliverer between them”

“And, behold, the whole family is risen against thine handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him, for the life of his brother whom he slew; and we will destroy the heir also: and so they shall quench my coal which is left, and shall not leave to my husband neither name nor remainder upon the earth. upon: Heb. upon the face of the earth”

“And the king said unto the woman, Go to thine house, and I will give charge concerning thee.”

“And the woman of Tekoah said unto the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity be on me, and on my father's house: and the king and his throne be guiltless.”

“And the king said, Whosoever saith ought unto thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.”

“Then said she, I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that thou wouldest not suffer the revengers of blood to destroy any more, lest they destroy my son. And he said, As the LORD liveth, there shall not one hair of thy son fall to the earth. that: Heb. that the revenger of blood do not multiply to destroy”

“Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak one word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.”

“And the woman said, Wherefore then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? for the king doth speak this thing as one which is faulty, in that the king doth not fetch home again his banished.”

“For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him. neither: or, because God hath not taken away his life, he hath also devised means, etc”

“Now therefore that I am come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king, it is because the people have made me afraid: and thy handmaid said, I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his handmaid.”

“For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man that would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.”

“Then thine handmaid said, The word of my lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the LORD thy God will be with thee. comfortable: Heb. for rest to discern: Heb. to hear”

“Then the king answered and said unto the woman, Hide not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak.”

“And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, As thy soul liveth, my lord the king, none can turn to the right hand or to the left from ought that my lord the king hath spoken: for thy servant Joab, he bade me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thine handmaid:”

“To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.”

“And the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing: go therefore, bring the young man Absalom again.”

“And Joab fell to the ground on his face, and bowed himself, and thanked the king: and Joab said, To day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of his servant. thanked: Heb. blessed his servant: or, thy servant”

“Then cried a wise woman out of the city, Hear, hear; say, I pray you, unto Joab, Come near hither, that I may speak with thee.”

“And when he was come near unto her, the woman said, Art thou Joab? And he answered, I am he. Then she said unto him, Hear the words of thine handmaid. And he answered, I do hear.”

“Then she spake, saying, They were wont to speak in old time, saying, They shall surely ask counsel at Abel: and so they ended the matter. They were: or, They plainly spake in the beginning, saying, Surely they will ask of Abel, and so make an end”

“I am one of them that are peaceable and faithful in Israel: thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Israel: why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of the LORD?”

“And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should swallow up or destroy.”

“The matter is not so: but a man of mount Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, hath lifted up his hand against the king, even against David: deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall. by name: Heb. by his name”

“Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri, and cast it out to Joab. And he blew a trumpet, and they retired from the city, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king. retired: Heb. were scattered”

“And the king said, Bring me a sword. And they brought a sword before the king.”

“And the king said, Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.”

“Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it. But the other said, Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it. yearned: Heb. were hot”

“Then the king answered and said, Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.”

“And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged; and they feared the king: for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do judgment. in him: Heb. in the midst of him”

“Esther had not shewed her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she should not shew it.”

“Then answered Esther, and said, My petition and my request is;”

“A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.”

“By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.”

“Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.”

“And when the townclerk had appeased the people, he said, Ye men of Ephesus, what man is there that knoweth not how that the city of the Ephesians is a worshipper of the great goddess Diana, and of the image which fell down from Jupiter? a worshipper: Gr. the temple keeper”

“Seeing then that these things cannot be spoken against, ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly.”

“For ye have brought hither these men, which are neither robbers of churches, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess.”

“Wherefore if Demetrius, and the craftsmen which are with him, have a matter against any man, the law is open, and there are deputies: let them implead one another. the law: or, the court days are kept”

“But if ye enquire any thing concerning other matters, it shall be determined in a lawful assembly. lawful: or, ordinary”

“For we are in danger to be called in question for this day's uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse.”

“And when he had thus spoken, he dismissed the assembly.”

“And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:”

“And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.”

“What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.”

“Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;”

“Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.”

“As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.”

“But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.”

“For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.”

“And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;”

“To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.”

“To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.”

“For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.”

“That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; approve: or, try are: or, differ”