1 The Death of Saul After the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, David had remained two days in Ziklag.
2 On the third day, a man came from the camp of Saul with his clothes torn and dirt upon his head. As he approached David, he fell to the ground prostrate.
3 David asked him, “Where have you come from?” He responded, “I fled from the camp of Israel.”
4 David said to him, “Tell me, what is the report?” So he reported, “The people fled from battle. Many of the people have fallen and died; even Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.”
5 Then David asked the young man who was reporting to him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”
6 The young man who was reporting to him answered, “I happened to be on Mount Gilboa when, in front of me, Saul was leaning on his spear with the chariots and horsemen drawing close.
7 When he turned around, he noticed me. He summoned me, and I responded, ‘Here I am.’
8 “He asked me, ‘Who are you?’ “I answered, ‘I am an Amalekite.’
9 “Then he said to me, ‘Stand over me and kill me, for I have been mortally wounded, yet I am still alive.’
10 “So I stood beside him and killed him because I knew that he could not live after he had fallen. Then I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”
11 Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, as did all of the men who were with him.
12 They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul, Jonathan his son, the people of the Lord, and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
13 Then David asked the young man who was reporting to him, “Where are you from?” He responded, “I am the son of one who sought refuge, an Amalekite.”
14 David said to him, “How is it that you did not fear raising your hand to destroy the anointed of the Lord?”
15 Then David called to one of the young men and said, “Step forward and execute him.” So he struck him and killed him.
16 But David said to him, “Your blood is upon your own head, since your mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I put an end to the anointed of the Lord.’ ”
17 The Lament of David Then David recited this lament over Saul and Jonathan his son,
18 and he told them to teach the sons of Judah the Song of the Bow. It is written in the book of Jashar:
19 Your splendor, O Israel, has been slain upon your hills. How the mighty ones have fallen.
20 Do not report it in Gath, do not announce it in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, or the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.
21 O mountains of Gilboa, may there be no rain or dew upon you or your bountiful fields; for there the shield of the mighty was defiled! The shield of Saul is no longer anointed with oil.
22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of mighty, the bow of Jonathan did not turn back, nor did the sword of Saul return empty.
23 Saul and Jonathan, beloved and delightful, neither in life nor death will they be separated. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.
24 O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet and jewels, who adorned your garments with gold jewelry.
25 How the mighty ones have fallen in the midst of battle! Jonathan was slain on your high places.
26 I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; you were very dear to me; your love was more remarkable than the love of women.
27 How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war have perished.
1 David Anointed King Over Judah After this, David consulted the Lord, asking, “Shall I go to one of the cities of Judah?” The Lord responded to him, “Go up.” David asked, “Where should I go?” And He said, “Hebron.”
2 So David went up there, along with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite.
3 And David brought the men who were with him, each man with his household, and they lived in the cities of Hebron.
4 Then the men of Judah came and there anointed David as king over the house of Judah, and they informed David that it was the men of Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul.
5 So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead saying, “May you be blessed by the Lord, you who have shown this loyalty to your lord Saul by burying him.
6 Now may the Lord show you loyalty and faithfulness, even as I deal kindly with you who have done this thing.
7 Now may your hands be strong and may you be courageous, since your lord Saul is dead and the house of Judah has anointed me as king over them.”
8 War Between the Houses of David and Saul However, Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Saul, had taken Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.
9 He installed him as king over Gilead, the Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin, over Israel in its entirety.
10 Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he ruled for two years. However, the house of Judah followed David.
11 The length of time during which David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
12 Abner the son of Ner, with the servants of Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim toward Gibeon.
13 And Joab the son of Zeruiah, with the servants of David, went out in order to meet together at the pool of Gibeon. They sat down, one group on one side of the pool and the other group on the side of the pool opposite them.
14 Abner suggested to Joab, “Let the young men come forward and compete before us.” And Joab replied, “Let them come.”
15 So they stepped forward and were counted, twelve from Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth and twelve from the servants of David.
16 Each one grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath Hazzurim, which is at Gibeon.
17 The fighting was very fierce that day, but Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by the servants of David.
18 Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel; and Asahel was as fast as a wild gazelle.
19 So Asahel pursued Abner, and as he went, he did not turn to the right hand or to the left from following Abner.
20 Abner looked behind him and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” He answered, “It is I.”
21 Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right or left, overtake one of the young men, and take his equipment for yourself,” but Asahel was not willing to desist.
22 Abner continued still to reason with Asahel, “Abandon your pursuit. Why should I strike you down? How then could I show my face to your brother Joab?”
23 But he refused to desist. So Abner struck him in the abdomen with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out of his back. He fell there and died on the spot. When all of the others came to the place where Asahel fell and died, they halted.
24 But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. As the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, which is next to Giah on the way to the Wilderness of Gibeon.
25 The sons of Benjamin gathered to the rear of Abner into a single formation, and they took their stand atop one of the hills.
26 Abner called to Joab, “Must the sword consume forever? Do you not understand that a bitter taste will result in the end? How long will you refuse to command the people to withdraw from chasing their brothers?”
27 Joab responded, “As God lives, I assure you that if you had not said this, the people would have each pursued his brother throughout the night.”
28 So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still. They pursued Israel no longer, nor did they continue to fight anymore.
29 So Abner and his men traveled through the Arabah all that night, crossed the Jordan, and marched all morning until they returned to Mahanaim.
30 Joab refrained from pursuing Abner, but instead mustered all of the people. There were nineteen men besides Asahel missing from among the servants of David.
31 But the servants of David routed Benjamin and the men of Abner; three hundred and sixty of their men died.
32 They carried Asahel back and interred him in his father’s tomb, which was at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men traveled throughout the night and reached Hebron at dawn.
1 The struggle between the house of Saul and the house of David endured, but David grew stronger as Saul became weaker.
2 Sons were born to David in Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess;
3 and his second, Kileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal, the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maakah the daughter of Talmai, the king of Geshur;
4 and the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;
5 and the sixth, Ithream, was born to Eglah, the wife of David. These were born to David in Hebron.
6 Abner Defects to David While there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was strengthening himself in the house of Saul.
7 Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, and Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?”
8 Abner became very angry over the words of Ish-Bosheth. He said, “Am I a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? Each day I show loyalty to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends by not allowing you to fall into the hand of David. Yet today you are charging me with guilt concerning this woman.
9 May God do so to Abner, and more also, for as the Lord has sworn to David, this I will do for him,
10 to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish the throne of David over Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.”
11 And he could not offer a response to Abner, for fear of him.
12 So Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf saying, “To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and my hand will be with you to bring over all of Israel to you.”
13 He responded, “Very well, I will make a covenant with you, but I require one thing from you: you will not see my face unless you bring Michal the daughter of Saul with you when you come to see me.”
14 Then David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, to whom I was betrothed for one hundred Philistine foreskins.”
15 So Ish-Bosheth sent for her, and he took her from her husband, Paltiel the son of Laish.
16 But her husband went with her, weeping as he went, as far as Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go. Return.” So he turned back.
17 Abner had a word with the elders of Israel, “In days past, you were seeking David as king over you.
18 So do it now, because the Lord said to David: By the hand of David, I will save My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of every enemy.”
19 Abner also spoke privately with Benjamin. Then Abner went to tell David privately at Hebron all that was received favorably by Israel and the entire house of Benjamin.
20 So Abner, along with twenty men, went to David at Hebron, and David held a festival for Abner and the men who were with him.
21 Abner said to David, “Let me arise, go, and gather all Israel to my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, that you may rule over all that your heart desires.” So David sent Abner away, and he went peaceably.
22 Joab Murders Abner Now the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought much plunder with them, but Abner was no longer with David at Hebron, because he had sent him away in peace.
23 When Joab and the whole of the army that was with him arrived, they reported to Joab, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king and he sent him away peaceably.”
24 So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Abner came to you. Why is it that you sent him away? Now he is long gone.
25 You know that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you, to learn of your coming and going, to discern all that you are doing.”
26 When Joab left David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah. However, David was not aware of this.
27 So Abner returned to Hebron, and Joab pulled him aside in the gateway so as to speak with him undisturbed. There he struck him in the midsection so that he died on account of the blood of Asahel, his brother.
28 Afterward when David heard of this, he said, “My kingdom and I are forever blameless before the Lord for the blood of Abner the son of Ner.
29 May it fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father’s house. May the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge, or who is a leper, or who leans on a staff, or who falls by the sword, or who lacks food.”
30 So Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner, because he killed Asahel their brother at Gibeon in the battle.
31 David said to Joab and all of the people with him, “Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner.” As for King David, he followed behind the bier.
32 When they buried Abner at Hebron, the king raised his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all of the people wept.
33 Then, the king lamented for Abner, saying, “Should Abner have died as a fool dies?
34 Your hands were not bound, and your feet were not put in fetters; as a man falls before the wicked, so you have fallen.” And all of the people continued to weep over him.
35 Then all of the people came to persuade David to eat food while it was still day. But David took an oath, saying, “May God do to me, and more also, if I taste food or anything else before the sun sets.”
36 All of the people recognized this, and it pleased them, as everything that the king did was pleasing to all of the people.
37 That very day, all of the people, all of Israel, understood that it was not ordered from the king to have Abner the son of Ner killed.
38 David said to his servant, “Do you not understand that a great leader has fallen this day in Israel?
39 Today, I am weak, even if an anointed king, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too strong for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his wickedness.”
1 Ish-Bosheth Murdered When the son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, his courage failed, and all of Israel was disheartened.
2 Now the son of Saul had two men who were leaders of raiding bands. The name of one was Baanah and the name of the other Rekab, both sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, from among the sons of Benjamin. Now Beeroth is also regarded as part of Benjamin,
3 because the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have been sojourners there until this day.
4 Now Jonathan the son of Saul had a son with crippled feet. He was five years old when the report of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but in her haste to escape, he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.
5 The sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rekab and Baanah, went out and came to the house of Ish-Bosheth in the heat of the day, as he was resting in his bed at midday.
6 They entered the house as if to get wheat and stabbed him in the abdomen. Then Rekab and his brother Baanah fled to safety.
7 When they entered the house, he was lying on his bed in his bedroom; they struck him, killed him, and beheaded him. Then they took his head and traveled by way of the Arabah all night.
8 They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David in Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul, your enemy who sought your life. This day, the Lord has given retribution against Saul and his descendent to my lord the king.”
9 David answered Rekab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As the Lord, who has delivered my life from every distress, lives,
10 when one reported to me that Saul was dead, although he was a bearer of good news in his own eyes, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was my reward for his message.
11 How much more so, when guilty men have slain an innocent man in his own house on his own bed, should I not now require his blood from your hand and wipe you from the earth?”
12 David then gave orders to the young men. They killed them, cut off their hands and feet, and hung them at the pool in Hebron, but they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in the grave of Abner at Hebron.
1 David Anointed King Over Israel All of the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your bone and flesh.
2 Previously, when Saul was king over us, you were the one leading Israel out and in. Also, the Lord said to you: You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ruler over Israel.”
3 So all of the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them before the Lord at Hebron. They anointed David king over Israel.
4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
5 He reigned over Judah from Hebron for seven years and six months, and he reigned over all of Israel and Judah from Jerusalem for thirty-three years.
6 David Conquers Jerusalem The king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, who were living in the land. They said to David, “You will not enter here; even the blind and the lame will turn you away”—thinking, “David cannot enter here.”
7 Nevertheless, David overthrew the stronghold of Zion, which is now the City of David.
8 David said on that day, “Whoever defeats the Jebusites, let him go through the water shaft to reach the lame and the blind, who are despised by David.” Therefore, it is said, “The blind and lame shall not come into the house.”
9 So David occupied the stronghold, and he called it the City of David. He built on all sides from the terraces inward.
10 David went on and became great, because the Lord, the God of Hosts, was with him.
11 King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar wood, carpenters, and stonemasons, and they built a house for David.
12 Then David understood that the Lord had appointed him king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.
13 David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, after having come from Hebron, and they bore him more sons and daughters.
14 These are the names of the children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,
15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,
16 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.
17 David Defeats the Philistines When the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all of the Philistines went up to search for David, but David heard about this and went down to the stronghold.
18 Now the Philistines had come and were spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
19 So David asked the Lord, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You give them into my hand?” The Lord said to David, “Go up, because I will certainly give them into your hand.”
20 So David came to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there. He said, “The Lord has breached my enemies before me like bursting tides.” Therefore, he named that place Baal Perazim.
21 The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.
22 Once again, the Philistines went up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
23 When David inquired of the Lord, He said, “You shall not go up. Circle around behind them and come against them opposite the trees.
24 When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the trees, pay attention, because at that point the Lord is going before you to defeat the army of the Philistines.”
25 So David did just as the Lord commanded, and he defeated the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer.
1 The Ark Brought to Jerusalem Again David gathered all of the chosen men in Israel, thirty thousand.
2 David and all of the people who were with him arose and went from Baalah of Judah to bring up the ark of God, so named for the name of the Lord of Hosts who sits enthroned among the cherubim that are upon it.
3 They loaded the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio the sons of Abinadab were driving the new cart.
4 They brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab on the hill, and Ahio was walking in front of the ark.
5 Meanwhile, David and the entire house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord with all sorts of instruments made of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals.
6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen had stumbled.
7 The Lord became angry against Uzzah, and God struck him down on the spot for his irreverence. He died there beside the ark of God.
8 David became angry because of the outburst of the Lord against Uzzah; that place is called Perez Uzzah to this day.
9 David feared the Lord that day, and he thought, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?”
10 So David did not allow the ark of the Lord to be brought to him in the City of David. Instead, David redirected it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.
11 The ark of the Lord remained at the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and his entire household.
12 When it was reported to King David, “The Lord has blessed Obed-Edom and everything that belongs to him, for the sake of the ark of God,” David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing.
13 When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, David would sacrifice an ox and a fattened steer.
14 David danced before the Lord with all of his might, and he wore a linen ephod.
15 So David and the whole house of Israel escorted the ark of the Lord with shouting and the sound of the horn.
16 When the ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked down from the window, and upon seeing King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she thought contemptuously of him in her mind.
17 They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had erected for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.
18 When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people before the Lord of Hosts.
19 He distributed to all of the people, the entire multitude of Israel, both men and women, one bread cake, one date cake, and one raisin cake to each one. Then all of the people left, each to his house.
20 David returned to bless his household, but Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet him. She said, “How the king of Israel has dignified himself today, exposing himself this day in the sight of his servant’s slave girls like one of the rabble might shamelessly expose himself.”
21 Then David responded to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me over your father and over everyone in his household, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel. I was celebrating before the Lord.
22 I will humble myself even more than this and be abased in my own eyes. But by the maidservants, of whom you have spoken, I will be held in honor.”
23 Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.
1 God’s Covenant With David Now when the king settled into his house and the Lord had given him rest from all of his enemies on all sides,
2 the king said to Nathan the prophet, “I am dwelling in a cedar house, but the ark of God is sitting in a tent.”
3 Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart because the Lord is with you.”
4 That night the word of the Lord came to Nathan:
5 Go and say to My servant David: Thus says the Lord: Do you intend to build a house for Me in which I will dwell?
6 I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought the sons of Israel from Egypt until this day. I have been moving about with a tent as My dwelling.
7 Wherever I have moved with all the sons of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?”
8 Now therefore, you will say to My servant David: Thus says the Lord of Hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following after the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel.
9 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all of your enemies before you. I will make your name great, like the great ones across the land.
10 Moreover, I will appoint a place for My people Israel. I will plant them, and they will dwell in that very place. They will be restless no longer, and the unjust will no longer oppress them, as in former times,
11 ever since the day in which I appointed judges over My people Israel. I will give you rest from all of your enemies. The Lord declares to you that He will instead bring about a house for you.
12 When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up after you an offspring from your body, and I will establish his rule.
13 He will build a house for My name, and I will establish his royal throne forever.
14 I will be a father to him, and he will be a son to Me. When he goes astray, I will correct him with the rod of men and afflictions of the sons of men.
15 My commitment will not abandon him, as I removed it from Saul, whom I deposed before you.
16 Your house and dominion will endure before Me forever, and your throne will be established by the Lord forever.
17 So Nathan spoke to David in accordance with all of these words and the entirety of this vision.
18 The Prayer of David Then King David went in and sat before the Lord. He said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house that You have brought me this far?
19 Yet this was comparatively insignificant in Your sight, Lord God, for You have also spoken about Your servant’s house into the distant future. Is this Your manner with man, Lord God?
20 “What more can David say to You? You know Your servant, Lord God.
21 Because of Your word, according to Your will, You have done all of this greatness to inform Your servant.
22 “Therefore You are great, Lord God. There is none like You, and there is no God except You, according to everything that we have heard with our ears.
23 And who is like Your people, like Israel—a single nation in the land, whom God went to redeem as a people for Himself, making a name for Himself by doing great and awesome things for Your land, before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods.
24 You established Your people Israel as Your own people forever, and You, Lord, became their God.
25 “Now, Lord God, confirm forever the word that You spoke regarding Your servant and his house and do as You have spoken.
26 May Your name be magnified forever by saying, ‘The Lord of Hosts is God over Israel,’ and may the house of Your servant David be established before You.
27 “For You, O Lord of Hosts, God of Israel, have revealed a word to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore, Your servant has found the courage to pray this prayer to You.
28 Now, Lord God, You are God, and Your words are true. You have spoken this good message to Your servant.
29 Now, be resolved and bless Your servant’s dynastic house, so that it may stand before You forever. You, Lord God, have spoken, and with Your blessing, the house of Your servant will be blessed forever.”
1 David’s Victories Afterward, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and David took Metheg Ammah from the hand of the Philistines.
2 He also defeated Moab. He measured them with a length of rope, forcing them to lie down on the ground. He measured two lengths of rope to be put to death, but the entirety of one length he allowed to live. So the Moabites became subject to David, bearing tribute.
3 David also defeated Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his authority over the River Euphrates.
4 David seized from him one thousand seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand foot soldiers, and David hamstrung all of the chariot horses, save those for one hundred chariots.
5 The Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, but David defeated twenty-two thousand men of the Arameans.
6 David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus; and the Arameans became servants who bore tribute to David. The Lord helped David wherever he went.
7 David took the shields of gold that were issued to the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.
8 From Betah and Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took great quantities of bronze.
9 When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer,
10 Toi sent his son Joram to King David to greet him and bless him on account of his fighting with Hadadezer and his defeat of him, for Hadadezer was an opponent of Toi. Joram brought with him implements of silver, gold, and bronze,
11 which King David dedicated to the Lord along with the silver and gold that he dedicated from all of the nations that he had subdued,
12 that is, from Aram, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, Amalek, and the plunder from Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
13 So David made a name for himself upon his return from defeating eighteen thousand Arameans in the Valley of Salt.
14 He set up garrisons in Edom. Throughout all of Edom, he set up garrisons, and all of Edom became subject to David. The Lord helped David wherever he went.
15 David’s Officials David reigned over all of Israel, and he administered fair judgments to all of his people.
16 Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army. Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was secretary.
17 Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelek the son of Abiathar were priests. Seraiah was scribe.
18 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in charge of the Kerethites and Pelethites. The sons of David were chief ministers.
1 David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth David said, “Is there still anyone left from the house of Saul to whom I may show kindness on behalf of Jonathan?”
2 Now there was a servant from the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So they summoned him to David. The king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” He replied, “I am your servant.”
3 The king said, “Is there no one else from the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?” Ziba responded to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet.”
4 The king said to him, “Where is he?” Ziba told the king, “He is at the house of Makir the son of Ammiel at Lo Debar.”
5 So King David sent for and brought him from the house of Makir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.
6 Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan the son of Saul came to David and fell upon his face and bowed down. Then David said, “Mephibosheth,” and he responded, “I am your servant.”
7 David said to him, “Do not be afraid, for I will certainly show you kindness on account of Jonathan, your father. I will return to you every field of Saul, your father, and you will eat at my table perpetually.”
8 He bowed low and said, “What is your servant that you should be concerned for a dead dog like me?”
9 The king summoned Ziba the servant of Saul, and he said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house, I have given to the son of your master.
10 You will work the ground for him—you, your sons, and your servants. You will bring in the produce so that the son of your master will have food to eat; but Mephibosheth, the son of your master, will always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
11 Ziba said to the king, “Everything that my lord the king has commanded his servant, your servant will do.” So Mephibosheth ate at the table of David like one of the sons of the king.
12 Now Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mika, and all who dwelled in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth.
13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he ate continually at the table of the king. Now he was lame in both of his feet.
1 David Defeats the Ammonites and Arameans After this, the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead.
2 David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent a message by way of his servants to comfort him concerning his father, and the servants of David went to the land of the Ammonites.
3 But the Ammonite officials said to Hanun, their lord, “Has David honored your father in your eyes by sending comforters to you? Was it not in an effort to search out the city, to scout it in order to overthrow it, that he sent his servants to you?”
4 So Hanun seized the servants of David, shaved half of the beard of each, cut their robes in half so that they were exposed, and sent them away.
5 When they reported what had happened to David, he sent messengers to meet them, because the men were severely ashamed. The king instructed them, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have regrown, then return.”
6 When the Ammonites saw that they had become odious to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Arameans of Beth Rehob and the Arameans of Zobah, twenty thousand foot soldiers, and from the king of Maakah, one thousand men, and from Tob, twelve thousand men.
7 When David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army with the warriors.
8 The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance of the gate. But the Arameans of Zobah, Rehob, Tob, and Maakah were by themselves in the open field.
9 When Joab saw that the battlefronts were both before and behind him, he selected some from the best men in Israel and lined them up opposite Aram.
10 The remainder of the people he placed under the charge of Abishai his brother, and lined them up opposite the Ammonites.
11 Then he said, “If Aram starts to prevail over me, you shall help me, but if the Ammonites begin to prevail over you, then I will come to help you.
12 Be strong and let us fight with resolve for the sake of our people and the cities of our God. May the Lord do what seems good to Him.”
13 Joab advanced the people that were with him to fight against Aram, and they retreated from before him.
14 When the Ammonites realized that Aram had fled, they retreated from before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab turned away from fighting against the Ammonites, and he came to Jerusalem.
15 When Aram saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they assembled together.
16 Hadadezer sent for and summoned the Arameans who were beyond the River, and they came to Helam. Shobak the commander of the army of Hadadezer led them.
17 When David was informed of this, he assembled all of Israel. They crossed over the Jordan and came to Helam. Aram was drawn up in formation opposite David, and they fought against him.
18 Aram retreated before Israel. David killed seven hundred charioteers, forty thousand horsemen from Aram, and wounded Shobak the commander of the army so that he died there.
19 When all of the kings who were subject to Hadadezer realized that they were being defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. From then on, Aram was fearful of further helping the Ammonites.
1 David and Bathsheba In the spring of the year, the time when the kings go out to battle, David sent out Joab and his officers, all of Israel with him. They brought to ruin the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah, but David remained in Jerusalem.
2 One evening when David arose from his bed and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful.
3 So, David sent someone to inquire about the woman. And it was asked, “Is this not Bathsheba the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”
4 So David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her. When she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house.
5 The woman conceived. So she sent a message and reported to David, “I am pregnant.”
6 Then David sent an order to Joab, “Send Uriah the Hittite to me.” So, Joab sent Uriah to David.
7 When Uriah came to him, David asked about the welfare of Joab, the people, and the fighting.
8 Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house. Wash your feet.” So Uriah left the house of the king, and a gift from the king followed him.
9 But Uriah slept at the entrance of the house of the king with all of the servants of his lord; he did not go down to his house.
10 When they reported to David, saying, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?”
11 Uriah responded to David, “The ark, Israel, and Judah dwell in makeshift shelters. My lord Joab and the officers of my lord are camping in the open field. But I may enter my house to eat, to drink, and to sleep with my wife? As you live and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing!”
12 So David said to Uriah, “Remain here another day, and I will send you back tomorrow.” Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the following day.
13 Now David invited him to eat in his presence, and he drank until he got Uriah drunk. In the evening, he went to lie down in his lodging with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.
14 That morning, David wrote a message to Joab and sent it by way of Uriah.
15 He wrote in the message, “Send Uriah to the front of the line where the fighting is heaviest then withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and die.”
16 So as Joab was besieging the city, he stationed Uriah in a place where he knew fierce men were.
17 When the men of the city came out, they fought with Joab, and some people among those who served David fell; Uriah the Hittite died among them.
18 Joab sent word to inform David of all of the events of the battle.
19 He instructed the messenger, “When you finish telling the king all the details of the battle,
20 if his anger rises and he says to you, ‘Why did you approach so near to the city? Did you not know that they might shoot from the city wall?
21 Who killed Abimelek the son of Jerub-Besheth? Did not a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the city wall so that he died at Thebez? Why did you approach so near to the city wall?’ You shall then say, ‘Additionally your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.’ ”
22 So the messenger departed and came to report to David everything that Joab had sent with him.
23 The messenger reported to David, “The men prevailed over us when they came out against us in the open field, but we drove them back to the entrance of the gate.
24 Then the archers shot at your servants from upon the city wall, and some of those who serve the king are dead. Even your servant Uriah the Hittite died.”
25 So David replied to the messenger, “Thus you shall report to Joab, ‘Do not allow this thing to dismay you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Sustain your attack against the city and bring it to ruin.’ Encourage him with this reply.”
26 When the wife of Uriah heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband.
27 When the time of mourning was concluded, David sent for her and brought her to his house. She became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done was displeasing to the Lord.
1 Nathan Rebukes David The Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said, “There were two men in a certain city. One was wealthy, but the other was poor.
2 The wealthy man had a very large flock and herd,
3 but the poor man had nothing except a single small ewe lamb that he had acquired. He nourished it and raised it together with himself and his sons. From his crumbs, it would eat; from his cup, it would drink; and in his arms it would lie. It was like a daughter to him.
4 “There came a visitor to the wealthy man, but he was unwilling to take from his own flock or herd to prepare a meal for the wanderer who had come to him. Instead he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared food for the wanderer who had come to him.”
5 David became very angry because of this man. He said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die.
6 And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”
7 Then Nathan told David, “You are this man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I anointed you as king over Israel and I rescued you from the hand of Saul.
8 I gave to you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms, and I gave to you the house of Israel and Judah. If this were too little, I would have continued to do for you much more.
9 Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing evil in His sight? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and you took his wife as a wife for yourself. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.
10 Now the sword will never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.
11 “Thus says the Lord: See, I will raise up trouble against you from within your own house. I will take your wives before your eyes and will give them to your neighbor, and he will lie with your wives in broad daylight.
12 Although you did it secretly, I will do this thing before all of Israel, and under the sun.”
13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan said to David, “Now the Lord has put away your sin; you shall not die.
14 Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.”
15 Then Nathan went to his house. The Lord struck the child that the wife of Uriah had born for David, and he became sick.
16 David entreated God on behalf of the child. He fasted for a period, and he would go in and lie throughout the night on the ground.
17 The elders of his house stood beside him to rouse him from the ground, but he was not willing, nor would he consume food with them.
18 The child died on the seventh day, and the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child had died. They said, “When the child was alive, we would speak to him, but he would not acknowledge our voices. Now how can we say to him, ‘The child is dead’? He may do harm.”
19 When David noticed that his servants were whispering to one another, he perceived that the child was dead. So he asked his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.”
20 So David arose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his garments. Then he entered the house of the Lord and worshipped. He then went in to his own house. When he asked, they set down food for him and ate.
21 His servants said to him, “What is this thing you have done? You fasted and wept for the sake of the living child, but when the child died, you arose and ate food.”
22 He explained, “As long as the child was alive, I fasted and wept because I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me, so that the child may live.’
23 But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Am I able to bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”
24 The Birth of Solomon Then David comforted Bathsheba, his wife. He went to her and lay with her, so that she conceived a son. They named him Solomon, and the Lord loved him.
25 So He sent a word by way of the prophet Nathan that he should be named Jedidiah for the sake of the Lord.
26 Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and assumed control of the royal city.
27 So Joab sent messengers to David and reported, “I have fought against Rabbah, and I have occupied the water supply of the city.
28 Now gather the remainder of the people, lay siege to the city, and take it. Otherwise, I myself will capture the city, and it will be called by my name.”
29 So David gathered all of the people and they went to Rabbah, fought against it, and took it.
30 David took the crown of their king from his head, and its weight was a talent of gold and precious stone. It was placed upon the head of David. He brought out large quantities of plunder from the city.
31 He brought out the people who were in it, and he put them to work with saws, and iron picks, and iron axes, and sent them to work in the brick kiln. Thus he did to all of the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all of the people returned to Jerusalem.
1 Amnon and Tamar After this, Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar, and Amnon the son of David fell in love with her.
2 It depressed Amnon to the point of falling ill that Tamar his sister was a virgin, but it was impossible for Amnon to pursue her.
3 Now Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab the son of Shimeah, the brother of David, and Jonadab was a very crafty individual.
4 He asked him, “Why are you, the son of the king, so sullen morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amnon told him, “I am in love with Tamar, the sister of Absalom my brother.”
5 Jonadab instructed him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Please allow Tamar, my sister, to come and prepare some food for me. She should make the food here, so that when I see it, I may eat it from her hand.’ ”
6 So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come here to make a couple of cakes, so that I may be nourished from her hand.”
7 Then David sent word to Tamar at the house, “Please go to the house of Amnon your brother, and prepare food for him.”
8 So Tamar went to the house of Amnon her brother, where he was lying. She took the dough, kneaded it, and made the cakes before him. Then she baked them.
9 Then she took the baking tray and served the cakes to him, but he refused to eat. Amnon said, “Send everyone away.” So they all left him.
10 Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the bedroom that I may eat from your hand.” So Tamar took the cakes that she had made and brought them in the bedroom to Amnon her brother.
11 When she brought them close for him to eat, he took hold of her and said, “Come, lie with me, my sister.”
12 She pled with him, “No, my brother, do not violate me, for such a thing is not to be done in Israel. Do not carry out this awful thing.
13 As for me, where could I escape my disgrace? And you would be like one of the fools in Israel. Now, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.”
14 But he refused to listen to her. So, being stronger than her, he overpowered her and lay with her.
15 Then Amnon hated her greatly, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up, go away.”
16 She said to him, “No, because this great offense of dismissing me is worse than the other which you did to me.” But he refused to listen to her.
17 He called his personal servant and said, “Send this woman out from me, and secure the door behind her.”
18 Now she was wearing a long robe, because the virgin daughters of the king were clothed in such garments. So his servant put her out and secured the door behind her.
19 So Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long robe that she was wearing. She put her hand on her head and left, wailing as she went.
20 Absalom her brother said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? Keep silent for now, my sister. He is your brother. Do not take this thing to heart.” So Tamar stayed in the house of Absalom, her brother, a desolate woman.
21 When King David heard about these things, he was very angry.
22 And Absalom would not speak with Amnon, either pleasantly or angrily; but Absalom hated Amnon because he had raped his sister Tamar.
23 Absalom Kills Amnon Two full years later, the sheepshearers of Absalom were in Baal Hazor, near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all of the sons of the king.
24 Then Absalom came to the king and requested, “Your servant has sheepshearers; will the king and his servants kindly go with your servant?”
25 The king said to Absalom, “No, my son, we must not all go or we will be a burden to you.” When he urged him, he refused to go, but gave him his blessing.
26 Absalom said, “If not, allow my brother Amnon to go with us.” But the king replied to him, “Why should he go with you?”
27 But Absalom urged him until he sent Amnon and all of the king’s sons along with him.
28 Now, Absalom had commanded his servant, “Look for Amnon to become carefree on account of the wine. Then I will say to you, ‘Strike Amnon, and kill him.’ Do not be afraid, for am not I myself commanding you? Be strong and brave.”
29 So, the servants of Absalom did to Amnon that which Absalom had commanded. Then the sons of the king arose, each mounting his mule, and fled.
30 While they were on the way, the report reached David: “Absalom struck down all of the sons of the king, and there is not one of them remaining.”
31 Then the king arose, tore his garments, and lay on the ground, while all of his servants who were standing nearby tore their garments.
32 But Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah, said, “My lord should not think that they have killed all of the servants who are the king’s sons. Amnon alone is dead, for this has been determined from the day he raped Tamar, his sister, by the very declaration of Absalom.
33 Now, my lord the king should not take this matter to heart, thinking that all of the king’s sons are dead. Instead Amnon alone is dead.”
34 Absalom fled. Now when the servant who was keeping watch looked up, he saw many people coming on the road beyond him, around the hill.
35 So Jonadab said to the king, “See, the king’s sons are coming. As your servant spoke, so it is.”
36 As soon as he had finished speaking, the sons of the king arrived, lifted their voices, and wept. The king and all of his servants also wept loudly.
37 Now Absalom fled and went to Talmai the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur, but David mourned over his son every day.
38 When Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he was there for three years.
39 Then King David longed to go out to Absalom, for he was consoled over the death of Amnon.
1 Absalom Returns to Jerusalem Now Joab the son of Zeruiah recognized that the king’s mind was on Absalom.
2 So Joab sent a request to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman. He instructed her, “Act as if you are observing mourning rites. Put on mourning garments, and do not anoint yourself with oil, but act like a woman who has been mourning over the dead like this for many days.
3 Then come to the king and speak to him in this manner.” Thus Joab put the words in her mouth.
4 As the Tekoan woman spoke to the king, she fell on her face toward the ground and bowed low. Then she said, “Help me, O king.”
5 The king said to her, “What troubles you?” She responded, “Alas, I am a widow, and my husband is dead.
6 Furthermore, your servant had two sons. The two of them were fighting in the field, but there was no one to separate them. One struck the other and killed him.
7 Now the entire family has risen up against your maidservant, and they said, ‘Deliver him who struck his brother, so that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he killed, and we will destroy the heir also.’ So they will extinguish my remaining ember, and leave my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the earth.”
8 Then the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.”
9 The Tekoan woman responded to the king, “May guilt rest upon me and the house of my father, my lord the king, and may the king and his throne be blameless.”
10 The king said, “Whoever speaks to you, bring him to me, and he will not cause you harm again.”
11 Then she said, “May the king remember the Lord your God so that the avenger of blood will not continue to destroy, lest they exterminate my son.” He said, “As the Lord lives, not one hair of your son will fall to the ground.”
12 Then the woman said, “Allow your servant to speak a word to my lord the king.” So he said, “Speak.”
13 The woman said, “Why have you planned like this against the people of God? The king’s speaking this word is like a self-conviction, for the king has not brought back his own banished one.
14 We will surely die and are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away a life; He devises plans so that His banished ones will not be cast out from Him.
15 “So now I have come to speak to my lord the king about this matter because the people have made me afraid. So, I thought, ‘I will speak to the king. Perhaps the king will perform the request of his servant.
16 For the king may accept my request to deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son from the inheritance of God.’
17 “So, your servant thought, ‘May the word of my lord the king provide rest. For like the angel of God, my lord the king discerns good from evil. May the Lord your God be with you.’ ”
18 Then the king answered and said to the woman, “Please do not conceal from me anything that I ask you.” The woman said, “May my lord the king please speak.”
19 The king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all of this?” The woman answered and said, “As your soul lives, my lord the king, there is no turning right or left from anything that you spoke, my lord the king, for your servant Joab is the very one who commanded me and placed all of these words in my mouth.
20 In order to change this situation, your servant Joab did this thing; but my lord is wise, as with the wisdom of the angel of God, so as to discern everything happening in the land.”
21 Then the king said to Joab, “This is what I will do. Go and bring back the young man Absalom.”
22 Then Joab fell with his face to ground and bowed low and blessed the king. Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your eyes, my lord the king, since the king has granted the request of his servant.”
23 Then Joab arose and went to Geshur, and he brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
24 The king said, “Let him turn to his own house. He shall not come into my presence.” So Absalom turned to his house and did not come into the king’s presence.
25 David Forgives Absalom In all of Israel, there was no man as handsome as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head, there was not a blemish on him.
26 When he cut the hair of his head (and at the end of every year he cut it, for it was heavy on him), he weighed the hair from his head at two hundred shekels, according to the king’s standard.
27 There were born to Absalom three sons and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman.
28 Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two full years without coming into the king’s presence.
29 Then Absalom sent a message to Joab, requesting that he send him to the king, but he was not willing to come to him. So he sent a second message, but still he was not willing to come.
30 Then he said to his servants, “See, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there. Go, set it on fire.” So the servants of Absalom set the field on fire.
31 Then Joab arose, came to Absalom at his house, and said to him, “Why have your servants set my plot of land on fire?”
32 Absalom said to Joab, “I sent a message to you, saying: Come, so that I may send you to the king, asking, ‘Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still.’ Now, let me go before the king, and if there is still guilt with me, may he put me to death.”
33 So Joab came and reported this to him. Then he summoned Absalom. So he came to the king, bowed low to him, his face on the ground before the king; then the king kissed Absalom.
1 Absalom’s Conspiracy After this Absalom acquired for himself a chariot, horses, and fifty men to run before him.
2 Absalom would go early and stand beside the way into the gate. When any man who had a dispute concerning which he had come to the king for a judgment approached, Absalom would call to him and say, “Which city are you from?” And he would say, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.”
3 Then Absalom would say to him, “Look, your claim is good and right, but there is no one to hear you on behalf of the king.”
4 Absalom would continue, “If I were appointed a judge in the land, then every man who had a claim could come and I would give him justice.”
5 When a man would approach to bow before him, he would reach out, embrace him, and kiss him.
6 Absalom acted this way toward every Israelite who came to the king for a judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
7 After forty years, Absalom said to the king, “Please allow me to go fulfill my vow that I made to the Lord in Hebron.
8 For your servant made a vow when I was dwelling in Geshur in Aram, saying: If indeed the Lord will bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord.”
9 The king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he arose and went to Hebron.
10 But Absalom sent scouts throughout all of the tribes of Israel, saying, “When you hear the sound of the horn, say: Absalom has become king in Hebron.”
11 Now two hundred men went with Absalom from Jerusalem, invited and unsuspecting; they did not know anything.
12 Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, the advisor of David, from his city Giloh, while he was offering the sacrifices. Now the conspiracy was strong, for the number of people with Absalom was continually growing.
13 David Flees Jerusalem A messenger came to David and said, “The hearts of the men of Israel are following Absalom.”
14 David said to all of his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, “Get up. We must flee or there will be no escape from Absalom for us. Hurry up and leave, or he will soon reach us and bring disaster upon us, striking the city with the edge of the sword.”
15 The king’s servants said to the king, “Whatever our lord the king decides, we are your servants.”
16 So the king left with his entire house after him, but he left behind ten women, concubines, to watch over the house.
17 So the king left with all of the people after him, and they came to a stop at the furthest house.
18 Now all his servants passed on beside him, all the Kerethites, all the Pelethites, and all the Gittites, six hundred men who had followed him from Gath, passed on before the king.
19 The king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why are you also going with us? Go back and dwell with the king, for you are a foreigner and, moreover, exiled from your own place.
20 You came only yesterday. Shall I cause you to go roaming around with us today? I am going where I go. Go back, and take back your brothers with you. Mercy and truth be with you.”
21 Ittai answered the king and said, “As the Lord lives and as lives my lord the king, only in the place where my lord the king is, whether for death or for life, there alone will your servant be.”
22 So David said to Ittai, “Go on, pass by.” So Ittai the Gittite passed by, along with all of his men and all of the children and elderly who were with him.
23 The whole land wept with a loud voice as all the people passed by. Now the king was crossing over the brook Kidron, and all of the people were crossing over on the road to the wilderness.
24 And also Zadok and all of the Levites with him were carrying the ark of the covenant of God. They set down the ark of God, and Abiathar came up until all of the people had finished passing from the city.
25 The king said to Zadok, “Take the ark of God back to the city. If I have found favor in the eyes of the Lord, He will bring me back and allow me to see both it and its resting place.
26 But if He should say now, ‘I take no delight in you,’ here I am. May He do to me what seems good to Him.”
27 The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a seer? Return to the city in peace with your two sons, your son Ahimaaz and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.
28 I will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word from you comes to inform me.”
29 So Zadok and Abiathar returned the ark of God to Jerusalem, and they remained there.
30 David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went. His head was covered and he went barefoot. Then all of the people who were with him each covered his head and went up, weeping as they went.
31 Now it was reported to David that Ahithophel was conspiring with Absalom, and David said, “O Lord, make the advice of Ahithophel folly.”
32 When David came to the summit where he would worship God, Hushai the Arkite approached him with his coat torn and dirt on his head.
33 David said to him, “If you pass on with me, you will be a burden to me.
34 But if you return to the city, you may say to Absalom, ‘I am your servant, O king, as I was a servant of your father. As I was then, so now I am your servant,’ so as to counter the advice of Ahithophel.
35 Will not Zadok and Abiathar the priests be with you there? You shall report everything that you hear from the king’s house to Zadok and Abiathar the priests.
36 Their two sons Ahimaaz the son of Zadok and Jonathan the son of Abiathar will be there with them. You shall send word of everything that you hear to me by their hand.”
37 So Hushai, the friend of David, came to the city as Absalom entered Jerusalem.
1 David and Ziba When David had passed a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of saddled donkeys carrying two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, one hundred summer fruits, and one skin of wine.
2 The king said to Ziba, “Why do you have these things?” Ziba replied, “The donkeys are for the household of the king to ride. The bread and the summer fruit are for the servants to eat. The wine is for those who become weary in the wilderness to drink.”
3 The king said, “And where is your master’s son?” Ziba said to the king, “He is staying in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today they will return to me the house of Israel and my father’s kingdom.’ ”
4 Then David said to Ziba, “Everything that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours.” Ziba replied, “I bow before you. May I find favor in your sight, my lord the king.”
5 Shimei Curses David When King David came to Bahurim, a man of the family of the house of Saul came out. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and he came out continuously cursing.
6 He threw stones at David and all of the servants of King David, as well as all of the people and all of the warriors who were at his right and left.
7 Shimei said when he cursed: “Come out! Come out! You bloodthirsty man, you scoundrel!
8 The Lord has returned upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned. And the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. You are taken in your own evil, because you are a man of blood.”
9 Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “How can this dead dog curse my lord the king! Let me go over and remove his head.”
10 The king responded, “What do you have against me, sons of Zeruiah? Suppose that he curses because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David.’ Who shall then say, ‘Why do you do so?’ ”
11 David then said to Abishai and to all of his servants, “My son who came from my own body seeks my life, and now also this Benjamite. Leave him alone and let him curse if the Lord has so instructed him.
12 Perhaps today the Lord will look upon my guilt and return kindness instead of his cursing.”
13 So David and his men continued on the road, and Shimei went along on the hillside beside them, cursing, throwing stones, and flinging dust at them as he went.
14 The king and all of the people who were with him arrived at their destination exhausted, but he refreshed himself there.
15 The Advice of Ahithophel and Hushai Now Absalom and all of the Israelite people entered Jerusalem, and Ahithophel was with him.
16 When Hushai the Arkite, the friend of David, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”
17 Then Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this the extent of your commitment to your friend? Why have you not gone with your friend?”
18 Hushai said to Absalom, “No! For whom the Lord, this people, and all men of Israel have chosen, his I will be and with him I will remain.
19 Furthermore, whom shall I serve? Should it not be his son? As I served your father, so shall I be with you.”
20 Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your advice. What shall we do?”
21 Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Lie with your father’s concubines, whom he left to watch over the palace. When all Israel hears that you have made yourself abhorred by your father, then the hands of all who are with you will be strong.”
22 So they set up a tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all of Israel.
23 In those days, the advice that Ahithophel gave was as when one inquired a word from God. Such was all of the advice of Ahithophel, whether that which he gave to David or to Absalom.
1 Ahithophel also said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men so that I may arise and pursue David tonight.
2 I will overtake him while he is weary and weak and strike him with terror; all of the people who are with him will flee. Then I will strike only the king,
3 and I will return all of the people to you. When all return except the man whom you are seeking, all of the people will be at peace.”
4 The advice pleased Absalom and all of the elders of Israel.
5 So Absalom said, “Summon Hushai the Arkite so that we may hear what he has to say as well.”
6 When Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom said to him, “This is what Ahithophel had advised. Should we do this thing? If not, you should tell us.”
7 Hushai said to Absalom, “At this time, the advice that Ahithophel has given is not good.”
8 Moreover, Hushai said, “You know that your father and his men are warriors, and they have been provoked like a bear robbed of her cubs. Your father is a veteran of warfare. He will not spend the night with the people.
9 Even now, he has hidden himself in a ravine or some other place, and when one of them falls in the first attack, whoever hears will say, ‘It was a defeat for the people who follow Absalom.’
10 Then even the valiant one, whose heart is like that of a lion, will completely despair, for all of Israel knows that your father is a warrior, and those who are with him are brave.
11 “Therefore my advice is for all of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, to be completely gathered to you like the multitude of the sand along the shoreline and for you to go to battle in person.
12 We will come upon him in one of the places where he may be found, and we will fall upon him like the dew upon the ground. Neither he nor any of the men who are with him will remain, not a single one.
13 If he withdraws into a city, then all of Israel will bring ropes to that city. We will raze it until it is a valley, until there cannot be found there even a pebble.”
14 Then Absalom and all of the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Arkite is better than the advice of Ahithophel.” For the Lord had decided to undermine the prudent advice of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring calamity to Absalom.
15 Hushai Warns David to Escape Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, “Ahithophel advised Absalom and the elders of Israel to do one thing, but I advised them to do another thing.
16 Now quickly send someone to report to David, ‘Do not spend the night at the fords of the wilderness, but instead cross over. Otherwise, the king and all of the people who are with him will be swallowed up.’ ”
17 Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En Rogel. A servant girl would go report to them, and they would go report to King David, because they could not be seen entering the city.
18 But a young man saw them and reported this to Absalom. So the two of them went quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim. He had a well in his courtyard, and they went down into it.
19 The wife took a covering and spread it over the opening of the well. Then she scattered grain over it so that nothing could be discerned.
20 The servants of Absalom came to the woman at the house and said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” She said, “They crossed over the brook of water.” When they searched, they could not find them. So they returned to Jerusalem.
21 After they left, they came up from the well, went, and reported to King David. They said to David, “Arise and quickly cross over the water because thus has Ahithophel advised against you.”
22 So David and all of the people who were with him arose and crossed over the Jordan. By daybreak, there was not one left who had not crossed over the Jordan.
23 When Ahithophel realized that his advice was not followed, he saddled his donkey and returned to his house in his own city. He gave instruction to his household, then he hanged himself and died; he was interred in the tomb of his father.
24 Absalom’s Death David came to Mahanaim as Absalom crossed the Jordan, he and every Israelite with him.
25 Now Absalom had placed Amasa over the army in the place of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man named Jether the Ishmaelite, who went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash and sister of Zeruiah, the mother of Joab.
26 Israel and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.
27 When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, Makir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim
28 brought bedding, metal bowls, ceramic vessels, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils,
29 honey, curds, sheep, and cheese from the livestock for David and the people who were with him to eat and use. For they said, “The people are hungry, exhausted, and thirsting in the wilderness.”
1 David mustered the people who were with him, and he set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.
2 Then David dispatched the people, one-third under the command of Joab, one-third under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah and brother of Joab, and one-third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. Then David said to the people, “I myself will go out with you.”
3 But the people said, “You should not go, for if we retreat, they will not be concerned about us. Even if half of us die, they will not be concerned about us. But now you are worth ten thousand of us. Therefore, it would be better to assist us from the city.”
4 The king said to them, “I will do what seems best to you.” So the king stood beside the gate while all of the people went out by hundreds and thousands.
5 The king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, “Deal gently with the young man Absalom.” All of the people heard the king instruct the commanders concerning Absalom.
6 So the people went out toward Israel in the field, but the fighting occurred in the forest of Ephraim.
7 The people of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David. That day the defeat was extensive, twenty thousand men.
8 The fighting spread across the land, and the people consumed by the forest were more numerous than those consumed by the sword that day.
9 Absalom was encountered by some of the servants of David. Now Absalom was riding on his mule. When the mule went under the branches of a very large tree, his head was caught in the tree. He was left in midair while the mule that was under him kept going.
10 One man saw him and reported it to Joab, saying, “I saw Absalom hanging in a tree.”
11 Joab said to the man who was reporting to him, “What? You saw him? Why did you not strike him on the spot, sending him to the ground? I would have given you ten shekels of silver and a belt.”
12 The man said to Joab, “Not even if I had felt the weight of a thousand shekels of silver in my hand would I have laid a hand on the king’s son. In our hearing the king commanded you, Abishai, and Ittai saying: Beware lest anyone touch the young man Absalom!
13 Otherwise, I would have worked falsehood against my own life. For nothing is hidden from the king, and you yourself would have set yourself against me.”
14 Then Joab said, “I will not waste any more time with you.” He took three spears in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the midst of the tree.
15 Then ten young men, armor bearers for Joab, gathered around and struck down Absalom, killing him.
16 When Joab blew the horn, the people returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab held back the people.
17 Then they took Absalom, disposed of him in a large pit in the forest, and piled over him a very large heap of stones. Then all Israel fled, everyone to his home.
18 Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself a memorial stone in the Valley of the King, for he said, “I have no son by whom my name may be remembered.” So he named the memorial stone after himself; and to this day, it is called the monument of Absalom.
19 David Mourns Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Allow me to run and bring the news to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.”
20 But Joab said to him, “You will not be a man who bears news today; you may bear news another day. Today you will not bear news because the king’s son is dead.”
21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, report to the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed to Joab, then ran off.
22 Ahimaaz again said to Joab, “Whatever may happen, let me run also, after the Cushite.” Then Joab said, “Why is it that you want to run, my son? There is no messenger’s reward for you to obtain.”
23 “Whatever happens, I want to run.” So he said to him, “Run.” So Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and passed the Cushite.
24 Now David was sitting between the two gates when the watchman went up to the roof of the gate, to the city wall. He lifted his eyes and saw a man running by himself.
25 The watchman called and told the king. The king said, “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.” And he came ever closer.
26 Then the watchman saw another man running. The watchman called to the gatekeeper and said, “Look there is another man running alone.” The king said, “He also is bringing news.”
27 The watchman said, “I think that the running of the first one is like the running of Ahimaaz.” The king said, “He is a good man and comes with good news.”
28 Then Ahimaaz called to the king and said, “All is well.” He bowed down to the ground before the king and said, “Blessed be the Lord your God who has handed over the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.”
29 The king said, “Is it well for the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz said, “I saw a great commotion when Joab sent the servant of the king, your servant, but I do not know what it was.”
30 The king said, “Step aside and stand here.” So he stepped aside and stood in position.
31 Then the Cushite came and said, “Good news for my lord the king, for today the Lord has delivered you from those who rose up against you.”
32 The king said to the Cushite, “Is it well for the young man Absalom?” The Cushite said, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who would rise up against you to do harm become as the young man is.”
33 The king was deeply moved and went up to the upper chamber of the gate and wept. As he went he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! If only I could have given my death in your stead, Absalom, my son, my son!”
1 It was reported to Joab that the king was weeping and mourning over Absalom.
2 The victory that day was turned into mourning for all of the people, for the people heard that day, “The king is grieving for his son.”
3 So the people entered the city by stealth that day, as a people who have been disgraced steal away when they flee from battle.
4 The king covered his face and called with a loud voice, “My son Absalom, my son, my son!”
5 Then Joab came to the king in his house and said, “Today you have shamed the faces of all of your servants who saved your life today, as well as the lives of your sons and daughters, the lives of your wives, and the lives of your concubines,
6 by loving those who hated you and hating those who love you. You have shown today that commanders and servants are nothing to you. I know that if Absalom were alive instead today and all of us were dead, then this would be right in your eyes.
7 Now go out and speak reassuringly to your servants, for I swear by the Lord that if you do not go out, no man will stay with you this night, and this will be worse for you than any calamity that has come against you from your youth until now.”
8 So the king arose and took his seat in the gate, and the people were all told, “The king is sitting in the gate.” So all the people came before the king, but the children of Israel had fled, each to his tent.
9 David Returns to Jerusalem Now all of the people began to quarrel throughout all of the tribes of Israel, saying, “The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies, and he saved us from the hand of the Philistines, but now he has fled from the land on account of Absalom.
10 But Absalom, whom we anointed over us, has died in battle. Now why are you idle to bring back the king?”
11 Then David sent word to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, saying, “Speak to the elders of Israel, saying, ‘Why are you last to bring the king back to his house when the word of all Israel has come to the king, to his house?
12 You are my brother. You are my bone and my flesh. Why are you last to bring back the king?’
13 Say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? May God do to me, and more so, if you are not commander of the army before me from now on in the place of Joab.’ ”
14 He swayed the heart of every man of Judah as though they were one man, and they sent a message to the king: “Return, you and all of your servants.”
15 So the king returned and came as far as the Jordan, and Judah came to Gilgal to meet the king and bring the king across the Jordan.
16 Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite who was from Bahurim, hastened to go down with the men of Judah to meet King David.
17 With him were a thousand men from Benjamin. And Ziba, the servant of the house of Saul, with his fifteen sons and twenty servants, rushed down to the Jordan before the king.
18 They crossed the ford to bring the household of the king across and to do what was pleasing in his eyes. Shimei the son of Gera fell before the king as he was crossing the Jordan,
19 and he said to the king, “Do not regard me as guilty, my lord, or remember how your servant went astray the day when my lord the king went out from Jerusalem. May the king not take it to heart.
20 For your servant knows that I have sinned. Therefore, I have come this day, first from all of the house of Joseph, to go down to meet my lord the king.”
21 Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered, “Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the anointed of the Lord?”
22 David said, “What do you sons of Zeruiah have against me that you should become an adversary to me today? Should any man in Israel be put to death today? For do I not know that today I am king over Israel?”
23 The king said to Shimei, “You will not die.” The king gave him his oath.
24 Then Mephibosheth the son of Saul went down to meet the king. He had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his mustache, nor washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he came back in peace.
25 When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, “Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?”
26 He said, “My lord, O king, my servant deceived me. For your servant said, ‘I will saddle the mule for myself in order to ride on it and go with the king,’ because your servant is lame.
27 But he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. Still my lord the king is as the angel of God, so do what seems best to you.
28 For all my father’s house were but dead men before my lord the king. Yet you set your servant among those who eat at your table. What right do I have to cry out any more to the king?”
29 The king said to him, “Why do you still speak of your affairs? I say that you and Ziba shall divide the field.”
30 Mephibosheth said to the king, “Let him even take everything, since my lord the king has come safely to his house.”
31 Now Barzillai the Gileadite had come down from Rogelim in order to see the king across the Jordan.
32 Barzillai was very old, eighty years old. But he sustained the king during his stay in Mahanaim, for he was a very rich man.
33 The king said to Barzillai, “Cross over with me and I will sustain you with me in Jerusalem.”
34 Barzillai said to the king, “How many days are left in my life that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem?
35 I am now eighty years old. Can I discern what is pleasant from what is harmful? Can your servant taste what I eat and what I drink? Can I still hear the voices of men and women who sing? Why, then, should your servant be a burden to my lord the king?
36 Your servant is merely crossing over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king repay me with this reward?
37 Now allow your servant to return, that I may die in my own city with the grave of my father and my mother. But here is your servant Kimham. He will cross over with my lord the king. Do for him what seems best to you.”
38 The king said, “Kimham will cross over with me, and I will do for him what seems best to you. Whatever you require of me, I will do for you.”
39 All of the people crossed over the Jordan. And when the king had crossed over, the king kissed Barzillai and blessed him and he returned to his own place.
40 The king passed on to Gilgal, and Kimham went on with him; all of the people of Judah and half of the people of Israel passed on with the king.
41 Now all of the men of Israel were coming to the king and said to the king, “Why have our brothers, the men of Judah, stolen you away and brought the king and his household across the Jordan, and all of the men of David with him?”
42 All of the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “Because the king is our close relative. Why are you angry over this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king’s expense? Has he given any gift to us?”
43 And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah and said, “We have ten shares in the king. Therefore we also have more claim on David than you. Why then did you treat us with contempt? Were we not the first to advise bringing back our king?” But the words of the men of Judah were harsher than the words of the men of Israel.
1 Sheba Rebels Against David There happened to be a worthless man there whose name was Sheba the son of Bikri, a Benjamite. He sounded the trumpet and said, “We have no share in David, nor do we have an inheritance in the son of Jesse; every man to his tents, O Israel.”
2 So every man of Israel withdrew from following David and followed after Sheba the son of Bikri, but the men of Judah stayed with their king, from the Jordan as far as Jerusalem.
3 When the king came to his house in Jerusalem, he took the ten women, the concubines whom he had left to keep watch over the house, and he placed them in custody. He provided for them but did not go in to them. They were shut up until the day of their deaths, living as in widowhood.
4 Then the king said to Amasa, “Summon for me the men of Judah in three days, then present yourself here.”
5 So Amasa went to summon Judah, but he delayed beyond the deadline determined for him.
6 So David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bikri will cause more harm for us than Absalom. You take your lord’s servants and pursue after him. Otherwise, he will find fortified cities and escape from our sight.”
7 The men of Joab went out after him, along with the Kerethites, the Pelethites, and all of the warriors; and they went out from Jerusalem to pursue after Sheba the son of Bikri.
8 When they were at the large stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Now Joab was dressed in his battle armor, and fastened on it was a belt with a sword in its sheath at the waist. As he went forward, it fell out.
9 Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” and he took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.
10 Amasa was not on guard against the sword in the hand of Joab, and he struck him in the midsection spilling his entrails on the ground. He died without being struck a second time. Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bikri.
11 Now one of the young men of Joab stood by him and said, “Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab.”
12 Now Amasa was wallowing in his own blood in the middle of the path. When the man saw that all of the people stood still, he moved Amasa from the path to the field and threw a covering over him, when he observed that everyone who passed by would stop.
13 Once he removed him from the path, all of the men passed by, following Joab in pursuit of Sheba the son of Bikri.
14 He passed through all of the tribes of Israel toward Abel Beth Maakah, also passing by all of the Bikrites. Once assembled, they also came after him.
15 They came and besieged him in Abel Beth Maakah. They constructed a siege ramp against the city, standing it against the rampart. As all of the people who were with Joab were battering the city wall in order to bring it down,
16 a wise woman called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Say to Joab, ‘Come closer so that I may speak with you.’ ”
17 When he came near, the woman said, “Are you Joab?” He said, “I am.” She said to him, “Listen to the words of your servant,” and he said, “I’m listening.”
18 She said, “In former times, they would say, ‘Let them inquire carefully in Abel,’ and thus they would resolve an issue.
19 I am a trustworthy and faithful one of Israel. You are attempting to destroy a city, even a mother, in Israel. Why do you swallow up the inheritance of the Lord?”
20 Joab responded, “Far be it, far be it from me to swallow up or destroy.
21 That is not true. But a man from the hill country of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bikri by name, has lifted his hand against King David. Only deliver him, and I will depart from the city.” And the woman said to Joab, “His head will be thrown to you over the wall.”
22 The woman, with her wisdom, came to all of the people in the city, and they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bikri. When they threw it to Joab, he blew the horn, and they dispersed from the city, each going to his own tent. Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.
23 David’s Officials Now Joab was over the entire army of Israel. Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites.
24 Adoniram was over conscripted labor. Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was secretary.
25 Sheva was scribe. Zadok and Abiathar were priests,
26 and also Ira the Jairite was priest to David.
1 David Avenges the Gibeonites Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David called upon the Lord. The Lord said, “There is blood guilt upon Saul and upon his house because he put the Gibeonites to death.”
2 So the king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not from the children of Israel. Instead they were a remnant of the Amorites. Although the children of Israel had made a pact with them, Saul attempted to destroy them in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah.
3 David said to the Gibeonites, “What must I do for you, and with what may I appease you that you may bless the inheritance of the Lord?”
4 The Gibeonites said to him, “We have no concern for silver or gold from Saul or his household, nor is it for us to put any man in Israel to death.” He said to them, “What are you saying I should do for you?”
5 They said to the king, “Regarding the man who put an end to us and planned to exterminate us from the entire territory of Israel,
6 let seven of his male descendants be handed over to us, and we will hang them before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen one of the Lord.” The king said, “I will hand them over.”
7 But the king spared Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul on account of the oath of the Lord that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.
8 So the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, Armoni and Mephibosheth, whom she had born to Saul, and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she had born to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite.
9 He delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the Lord; the seven of them fell together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, in the beginning of the barley harvest.
10 Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of the harvest until the rains poured on them from heaven. She did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day nor the animals of the field by night.
11 When it was reported to David that which Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done,
12 David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh Gilead who had secretly taken them from the plaza in Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hung them the day the Philistines struck down Saul on Gilboa.
13 He brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there, and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged.
14 They interred the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the land of Benjamin at Zela, in the tomb of Kish, his father. They did everything that the king commanded. After that God was entreated regarding the land.
15 Wars With the Philistines Now once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. So David went down and his servants with him to fight the Philistines, and David grew weary.
16 Now Ishbi-Benob, who was among the descendants of the giant and was girded with new weaponry, had a spear weighing three hundred bronze shekels and had said that he would strike David down.
17 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid. He struck down the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David made an oath with him, saying, “You shall no longer come out with us to battle, so that you do not extinguish the lamp of Israel.”
18 Now afterwards there was again a battle with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbekai the Hushathite struck down Saph, who was among the descendants of the giant.
19 Once again, there was a battle with the Philistines at Gob. On this occasion, Elhanan the son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite struck down Goliath the Gittite, whose spear shaft was like a weaver’s beam.
20 Once again, there was war at Gath. There was a man of stature who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number. Now he also was born to the giant.
21 When he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimeah, the brother of David, struck him down.
22 Now these four were born to the giant in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
1 David’s Song of Deliverance Now on the day the Lord delivered him from the hand of all of his enemies and from the hand of Saul, David spoke to the Lord the words of this song.
2 He said: The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
3 the God of my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my fortress and my sanctuary; my Savior, You save me from violence.
4 I call upon the Lord, who is praiseworthy, and I am saved from my enemies.
5 When the waves of death encompassed me, the currents of destruction made me afraid.
6 The ropes of Sheol were wrapped around me; the snares of death were opposite me.
7 In my distress I called on the Lord, and cried out to my God; from His temple He heard my voice. My cry reached His ears.
8 Then the earth quaked and trembled; the foundations of the heavens rumbled and shook, because He was angry.
9 Smoke rose from His nostrils, devouring fire from His mouth; coals blazed forth from Him.
10 He bowed the heaven as He came down, with thick darkness under His feet.
11 He rode upon a cherub as He flew, and appeared upon the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness canopies around Him, dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
13 From the brightness before Him embers of fire are kindled.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven, and the Most High uttered His voice.
15 He sent out arrows and dispersed them; with lightning He sent them into confusion.
16 The channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were exposed with the rebuke of the Lord, from the blast of breath from His nostrils.
17 He reached from on high and took me; He drew me out of mighty waters.
18 He rescued me from my strong enemy, from those who hate me; for they were stronger than I.
19 They confronted me in the day of my disaster, but the Lord was my support.
20 He brought me to the open expanse; He rescued me, for He delighted in me.
21 The Lord did for me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He recompensed me.
22 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and I have not become guilty against my God.
23 For all His judgments are before me, and I have not abandoned His statutes.
24 I am blameless toward Him, and I have kept myself from guilt.
25 The Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in His sight.
26 With the faithful You prove Yourself faithful; with the blameless You prove Yourself blameless;
27 with the pure You show Yourself pure; but with the perverse You show Yourself shrewd.
28 You deliver a humble people; but Your eyes are upon the exalted to bring them down.
29 For You are my lamp, O Lord; the Lord illuminates my darkness.
30 For by You I can run over a channel; by my God I can leap over a wall.
31 As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him.
32 For who is God except the Lord? And who is a rock except our God?
33 God is my strong fortress, and He sets the blameless on His way.
34 He makes my feet like hinds’ feet; He sets me on my high places.
35 He trains my hand for battle, so that my arm may bend a bow of bronze.
36 You have given me a shield of Your salvation, and Your humility has made me great.
37 You widen my stride under me, and my feet do stagger.
38 I pursued my enemies and destroyed them; I did not turn back until they were consumed.
39 I consumed them and shattered them so that they did not rise; they fell under my feet.
40 You girded me with strength for the battle; You subjugated under me those who rose up against me.
41 You caused my enemies to retreat from me; I destroyed those who hated me.
42 They looked, but there was no one to save them, to the Lord, but He did not respond.
43 I crushed them like the dust of the land, like the mud of the streets, I ground them and stamped them down.
44 You have also delivered me from the strivings of my people; You have kept me as the head of the nations. A people whom I have not known will serve me.
45 Foreigners submit to me, cringing; as soon as they hear, they obey me.
46 Foreigners lose heart; they gird themselves as they leave their fortresses.
47 The Lord lives; blessed be my rock. May the God of the rock of my salvation be exalted,
48 the God who gave me retribution and brought down peoples under me,
49 who brought me out from my enemies. You exalted me above those who rose up against me; You delivered me from violent ones.
50 Therefore, I praise You, O Lord, among the nations; I sing praises to Your name.
51 He is a tower of salvation for His king, and He acts faithfully toward His anointed, toward David and his descendants forever.
1 David’s Last Words Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the favorite psalmist of Israel:
2 The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me: He who rules over man justly, who rules in the fear of God,
4 is like the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning with no clouds, gleaming after the rain like grass from the land.
5 Is not my house like this with God? For He made an everlasting covenant with me, ordered in all things and secure. For this is all my salvation and all my desire; will He not make it flourish?
6 But the worthless individual is like a thorn tossed away, all of them, for they cannot be taken with the hand.
7 But the man who touches them must have an iron implement and the shaft of a spear, and they must be burned with fire on the spot.
8 David’s Mighty Warriors These are the names of the warriors whom David had: Josheb-Basshebeth, a Tahkemonite, was head of the three. He was also known as Adino the Eznite, on account of eight hundred slain on one occasion.
9 After him was Eleazar the son of Dodai the son of Ahohi. He was among the three warriors with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered together there to fight when the men of Israel withdrew.
10 He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand grew weary and stuck to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day, and the people returned only to plunder.
11 After him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines had gathered into a troop, where the plot of the field was full of lentils, and the people fled before the Philistines.
12 He took his stand in the midst of the plot of land, defended it, and defeated the Philistines. The Lord brought about a great victory.
13 Then three of the thirty chief men went down and came to David at the cave of Adullam during the harvest. Now the Philistine army was in the Valley of Rephaim.
14 At that time, David was in the stronghold while the Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.
15 David said longingly, “O that someone would give me a drink of water from the well in Bethlehem by the gate!”
16 The three warriors breached the Philistine camp and drew up water from the well in Bethlehem by the gate, and they brought it to David. However, he was not willing to drink it, so he poured it out as a drink offering to the Lord.
17 He said, “Far be it from me, O Lord, to drink this, the blood of the men who risked their lives.” So he was not willing to drink it. These things the three warriors did.
18 Now Abishai, the brother of Joab and son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty. He wielded his spear against three hundred men and killed them, and won a name beside the three.
19 Was he more honored than the three? He became their commander, but he did not attain to the three.
20 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done great acts. He struck down two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day.
21 He struck down an Egyptian, an impressive man. Now the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff, seized the spear from the Egyptian, and killed him with his own spear.
22 These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did and won for himself a name alongside the three.
23 He was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. So David set him over his bodyguard.
24 Among the thirty were Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,
25 Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,
26 Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,
27 Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite,
28 Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,
29 Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ithai the son of Ribai from Gibeah of Benjamin,
30 Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai from the brooks of Gaash,
31 Abi-Albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,
32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite, of the sons of Jashen, Jonathan,
33 Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite,
34 Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maakathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,
35 Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,
36 Igal the son of Nathan from Zobah, the son of Hagri,
37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, the armor bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah,
38 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
39 and Uriah the Hittite. There were thirty-seven in all.
1 David’s Census of Israel and Judah Again the Lord became angry against Israel, and He incited David against them, saying, “Go and count the people of Israel and Judah.”
2 The king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, “Go throughout all of the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and muster the people so that I may know the number of the people.”
3 Joab said to the king, “May the Lord your God add to the people however many they are one hundred times over in the sight of my lord the king. But why does my lord the king so desire this thing?”
4 However, the king’s word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from before the king to register the people of Israel.
5 They crossed the Jordan and camped at Aroer, south of the city, in the middle of the ravine of Gad toward Jazer.
6 They went toward Gilead to the land of Tahtim Hodshi. Then they went toward Dan Jaan and around to Sidon.
7 They went to the fortress of Tyre and all of the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. They went to the Negev and Beersheba.
8 They went throughout the entire land, and after nine months and twenty days, they came to Jerusalem.
9 Joab gave the count of the census of the people to the king. There were eight hundred thousand capable men who could draw a sword in Israel, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand.
10 Judgment for David’s Sin Now the heart of David struck him after he had counted the people. David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly by what I have done. Now may the Lord take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have behaved very foolishly.”
11 When David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, the seer for David, saying,
12 “Go and speak to David: Thus says the Lord: Three options I am laying before you. Choose for yourself one of them, and I will do this to you.”
13 So Gad came to David and told him. He said to him, “Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days of plague in your land? Now consider and advise what answer I shall return to Him who sent me.”
14 David said to Gad, “I am very distressed. Let us fall by the hand of the Lord, for His mercy is great. May I not fall by the hand of man.”
15 So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time. Seventy thousand men from the people died, from Dan to Beersheba.
16 When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity. He said to the angel who was annihilating the people, “Enough! Now stay your hand.” The angel of the Lord was at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
17 On seeing the angel who was striking down the people, David said to the Lord, “I am the one who has sinned and I am the one who has done wrong. These sheep, what have they done? Please, let your hand be against me and against the house of my father.”
18 David Builds an Altar Gad came to David that day and said to him, “Go up and erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
19 So David went up according to the word of Gad, as the Lord commanded.
20 When Araunah looked and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, he went out and bowed low to the king with his face on the ground.
21 Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David replied, “To purchase the threshing floor from you in order to build an altar to the Lord, so that the plague may be averted from the people.”
22 Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and yokes of the oxen for wood.
23 Everything, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” Araunah also said to the king, “May the Lord your God be favorable toward you.”
24 However, the king said to Araunah, “No, for I will certainly purchase from you for a fair price. I will not offer up to the Lord burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David purchased the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
25 David built an altar to the Lord there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then the land pleaded with the Lord, and the plague was averted from Israel.