1

1 Saul was dead and David had returned to Ziklag after slaughtering the Amalekites.

2 Three days later a man arrived from the Israeli army with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head as a sign of mourning. He fell to the ground before David in deep respect.

3 "Where do you come from?" David asked. "From the Israeli army," he replied.

4 "What happened?" David demanded. "Tell me how the battle went." And the man replied, "Our entire army fled. Thousands of men are dead and wounded on the field, and Saul and his son Jonathan have been killed."

5 "How do you know they are dead?"

6 "Because I was on Mount Gilboa and saw Saul leaning against his spear with the enemy chariots closing in upon him.

7 When he saw me he cried out for me to come to him.

8 'Who are you?' he asked. 'An Amalekite,' I replied.

9 'Come and put me out of my misery,' he begged, 'for I am in terrible pain but life lingers on.'

10 "So I killed him, for I knew he couldn't live. Then I took his crown and one of his bracelets to bring to you, my lord."

11 David and his men tore their clothes in sorrow when they heard the news.

12 They mourned and wept and fasted all day for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the Lord's people, and for the men of Israel who had died that day.

13 Then David said to the young man who had brought the news, "Where are you from?" And he replied, "I am an Amalekite."

14 "Why did you kill God's chosen king?" David demanded.

15 Then he said to one of his young men, "Kill him!" So he ran him through with his sword and he died.

16 "You die self-condemned," David said, "for you yourself confessed that you killed God's appointed king."

17 Then David composed a dirge for Saul and Jonathan and afterward commanded that it be sung throughout Israel. It is quoted here from the book, Heroic Ballads.

18

19 O Israel, your pride and joy lies dead upon the hills; Mighty heroes have fallen.

20 Don't tell the Philistines, lest they rejoice. Hide it from the cities of Gath and Ashkelon, Lest the heathen nations laugh in triumph.

21 O Mount Gilboa, Let there be no dew nor rain upon you, Let no crops of grain grow on your slopes. For there the mighty Saul has died; He is God's appointed king no more.

22 Both Saul and Jonathan slew their strongest foes, And did not return from battle empty-handed.

23 How much they were loved, how wonderful they were-- Both Saul and Jonathan! They were together in life and in death. They were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.

24 But now, O women of Israel, weep for Saul; He enriched you With fine clothing and gold ornaments.

25 These mighty heroes have fallen in the midst of the battle. Jonathan is slain upon the hills.

26 How I weep for you, my brother Jonathan; How much I loved you! And your love for me was deeper Than the love of women!

27 The mighty ones have fallen, Stripped of their weapons, and dead.

2

1 David then asked the Lord, "Shall I move back to Judah?" And the Lord replied, "Yes." "Which city shall I go to?" And the Lord replied, "Hebron."

2 So David and his wives--Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal from Carmel--

3 and his men and their families all moved to Hebron.

4 Then the leaders of Judah came to David and crowned him king of the Judean confederacy. When David heard that the men of Jabesh-gilead had buried Saul,

5 he sent them this message: "May the Lord bless you for being so loyal to your king and giving him a decent burial.

6 May the Lord be loyal to you in return and reward you with many demonstrations of his love! And I too will be kind to you because of what you have done.

7 And now I ask you to be my strong and loyal subjects, now that Saul is dead. Be like the tribe of Judah who have appointed me as their new king."

8 But Abner, Saul's commander-in-chief, had gone to Mahanaim to crown Saul's son Ish-bosheth as king.

9 His territory included Gilead, Ashuri, Jezreel, Ephraim, the tribe of Benjamin, and all the rest of Israel.

10 Ish-bosheth was forty years old at the time. He reigned in Mahanaim for two years;

11 meanwhile, David was reigning in Hebron and was king of the Judean confederacy for seven and one-half years.

12 One day General Abner led some of Ish-bosheth's troops to Gibeon from Mahanaim,

13 and General Joab (the son of Zeruiah) led David's troops out to meet them. They met at the pool of Gibeon, where they sat facing each other on opposite sides of the pool.

14 Then Abner suggested to Joab, "Let's watch some sword play between our young men!" Joab agreed,

15 so twelve men were chosen from each side to fight in mortal combat.

16 Each one grabbed his opponent by the hair and thrust his sword into the other's side, so that all of them died. The place has been known ever since as Sword Field.

17 The two armies then began to fight each other, and by the end of the day Abner and the men of Israel had been defeated by Joab and the forces of David.

18 Joab's brothers, Abishai and Asahel, were also in the battle. Asahel could run like a deer,

19 and he began chasing Abner. He wouldn't stop for anything, but kept on, singleminded, after Abner alone.

20 When Abner looked behind and saw him coming, he called out to him, "Is that you, Asahel?" "Yes," he called back, "it is."

21 "Go after someone else!" Abner warned. But Asahel refused and kept on coming.

22 Again Abner shouted to him, "Get away from here. I could never face your brother Joab if I have to kill you!"

23 But he refused to turn away, so Abner pierced him through the belly with the butt end of his spear. It went right through his body and came out his back. He stumbled to the ground and died there, and everyone stopped when they came to the place where he lay.

24 Now Joab and Abishai set out after Abner. The sun was just going down as they arrived at Ammah Hill near Giah, along the road into the Gibeon desert.

25 Abner's troops from the tribe of Benjamin regrouped there at the top of the hill,

26 and Abner shouted down to Joab, "Must our swords continue to kill each other forever? How long will it be before you call off your people from chasing their brothers?"

27 Joab shouted back, "I swear by God that even if you hadn't spoken, we would all have gone home tomorrow morning."

28 Then he blew his trumpet and his men stopped chasing the troops of Israel.

29 That night Abner and his men retreated across the Jordan Valley, crossed the river, and traveled all the next morning until they arrived at Mahanaim.

30 Joab and the men who were with him returned home, too, and when he counted his casualties, he learned that only nineteen men were missing, in addition to Asahel.

31 But three hundred and sixty of Abner's men (all from the tribe of Benjamin) were dead.

32 Joab and his men took Asahel's body to Bethlehem and buried him beside his father; then they traveled all night and reached Hebron at daybreak.

3

1 That was the beginning of a long war between the followers of Saul and of David. David's position now became stronger and stronger, while Saul's dynasty became weaker and weaker.

2 Several sons were born to David while he was at Hebron. The oldest was Amnon, born to his wife Ahinoam.

3 His second son, Chileab, was born to Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. The third was Absalom, born to Maacah, the daughter of King Talmai of Geshur.

4 The fourth was Adonijah, who was born to Haggith. Then Shephatiah was born to Abital, and

5 Ithream was born to Eglah.

6 As the war went on, Abner became a very powerful political leader among the followers of Saul.

7 He took advantage of his position by sleeping with one of Saul's concubines, a girl named Rizpah. But when Ish-bosheth accused Abner of this,

8 Abner was furious. "Am I a Judean dog to be kicked around like this?" he shouted. "After all I have done for you and for your father by not betraying you to David, is this my reward--to find fault with me about some woman?

9 May God curse me if I don't do everything I can to take away the entire kingdom from you, all the way from Dan to Beersheba, and give it to David, just as the Lord predicted."

10

11 Ish-bosheth made no reply, for he was afraid of Abner.

12 Then Abner sent messengers to David to discuss a deal--to surrender the kingdom of Israel to him in exchange for becoming commander-in-chief of the combined armies of Israel and Judah.

13 "All right," David replied, "but I will not negotiate with you unless you bring me my wife Michal, Saul's daughter."

14 David then sent this message to Ish-bosheth: "Give me back my wife Michal, for I bought her with the lives of one hundred Philistines."

15 So Ish-bosheth took her away from her husband Palti.

16 He followed along behind her as far as Behurim, weeping as he went. Then Abner told him, "Go on home now." So he returned.

17 Meanwhile, Abner consulted with the leaders of Israel and reminded them that for a long time they had wanted David as their king.

18 "Now is the time!" he told them. "For the Lord has said, 'It is David by whom I will save my people from the Philistines and from all their other enemies.' "

19 Abner also talked to the leaders of the tribe of Benjamin; then he went to Hebron and reported to David his progress with the people of Israel and Benjamin.

20 Twenty men accompanied him, and David entertained them with a feast.

21 As Abner left, he promised David, "When I get back I will call a convention of all the people of Israel, and they will elect you as their king, as you've so long desired." So David let Abner return in safety.

22 But just after Abner left, Joab and some of David's troops returned from a raid, bringing much loot with them.

23 When Joab was told that Abner had just been there visiting the king and had been sent away in peace,

24 he rushed to the king, demanding, "What have you done? What do you mean by letting him get away?

25 You know perfectly well that he came to spy on us and that he plans to return and attack us!"

26 Then Joab sent messengers to catch up with Abner and tell him to come back. They found him at the well of Sirah and he returned with them; but David knew nothing about it.

27 When Abner arrived at Hebron, Joab took him aside at the city gate as if to speak with him privately; but then he pulled out a dagger and killed him in revenge for the death of his brother Asahel.

28 When David heard about it he declared, "I vow by the Lord that I and my people are innocent of this crime against Abner.

29 Joab and his family are the guilty ones. May each of his children be victims of cancer, or be lepers, or be sterile, or die of starvation, or be killed by the sword!"

30 So Joab and his brother, Abishai, killed Abner because of the death of their brother, Asahel, at the battle of Gibeon.

31 Then David said to Joab and to all those who were with him, "Go into deep mourning for Abner." And King David accompanied the bier to the cemetery.

32 They buried Abner in Hebron. And the king and all the people wept at the graveside.

33 "Should Abner have died like a fool?" the king lamented.

34 "Your hands were not bound, Your feet were not tied-- You were murdered-- The victim of a wicked plot." And all the people wept again for him.

35 David had refused to eat anything the day of the funeral, and now everyone begged him to take a bite of supper. But David vowed that he would eat nothing until sundown.

36 This pleased his people, just as everything else he did pleased them!

37 Thus the whole nation, both Judah and Israel, understood from David's actions that he was in no way responsible for Abner's death.

38 And David said to his people, "A great leader and a great man has fallen today in Israel;

39 and even though I am God's chosen king, I can do nothing with these two sons of Zeruiah. May the Lord repay wicked men for their wicked deeds."

4

1 When King Ish-bosheth heard about Abner's death at Hebron, he was paralyzed with fear, and his people too were badly frightened.

2 The command of the Israeli troops then fell to two brothers, Baanah and Rechab, who were captains of King Ish-bosheth's raiding bands. They were the sons of Rimmon, who was from Beeroth in Benjamin.

3 (People from Beeroth are counted as Benjaminites even though they fled to Gittaim, where they now live.)

4 (There was a little lame grandson of King Saul's named Mephibosheth, who was the son of Prince Jonathan. He was five years old at the time Saul and Jonathan were killed at the battle of Jezreel. When the news of the outcome of the battle reached the capital, the child's nurse grabbed him and fled, but she fell and dropped him as she was running, and he became lame.)

5 Rechab and Baanah arrived at King Ish-bosheth's home one noon as he was taking a nap.

6 They walked into the kitchen as though to get a sack of wheat,

7 but then sneaked into his bedroom and murdered him and cut off his head. Taking his head with them, they fled across the desert that night and escaped.

8 They presented the head to David at Hebron. "Look!" they exclaimed. "Here is the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of your enemy Saul who tried to kill you. Today the Lord has given you revenge upon Saul and upon his entire family!"

9 But David replied, "I swear by the Lord who saved me from my enemies,

10 that when someone told me, 'Saul is dead,' thinking he was bringing me good news, I killed him; that is how I rewarded him for his 'glad tidings.'

11 And how much more shall I do to wicked men who kill a good man in his own house and on his bed! Shall I not demand your lives?"

12 So David ordered his young men to kill them, and they did. They cut off their hands and feet and hanged their bodies beside the pool in Hebron. And they took Ish-bosheth's head and buried it in Abner's tomb in Hebron.

5

1 Representatives of all the tribes of Israel now came to David at Hebron and gave him their pledge of loyalty. "We are your blood brothers," they said.

2 "And even when Saul was our king you were our real leader. The Lord has said that you should be the shepherd and leader of his people."

3 So David made a contract before the Lord with the leaders of Israel there at Hebron, and they crowned him king of Israel.

4 (He had already been the king of Judah for seven years, since the age of thirty.

5 He then ruled thirty-three years in Jerusalem as king of both Israel and Judah; so he reigned for forty years altogether.)

6 David now led his troops to Jerusalem to fight against the Jebusites who lived there. "You'll never come in here," they told him. "Even the blind and lame could keep you out!" For they thought they were safe.

7 But David and his troops defeated them and captured the stronghold of Zion, now called the City of David.

8 When the insulting message from the defenders of the city reached David, he told his troops, "Go up through the water tunnel into the city and destroy those 'lame' and 'blind' Jebusites. How I hate them." (That is the origin of the saying, "Even the blind and the lame could conquer you!")

9 So David made the stronghold of Zion (also called the City of David) his headquarters. Then, beginning at the old Millo section of the city, he built northward toward the present city center.

10 So David became greater and greater, for the Lord God of heaven was with him.

11 Then King Hiram of Tyre sent cedar lumber, carpenters, and masons to build a palace for David.

12 David now realized why the Lord had made him the king and blessed his kingdom so greatly--it was because God wanted to pour out his kindness on Israel, his chosen people.

13 After moving from Hebron to Jerusalem, David married additional wives and concubines, and had many sons and daughters.

14 These are his children who were born at Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,

15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,

16 Elishama, Eliada, Eliphelet.

17 When the Philistines heard that David had been crowned king of Israel, they tried to capture him; but David was told that they were coming and went into the stronghold.

18 The Philistines arrived and spread out across the valley of Rephaim.

19 Then David asked the Lord, "Shall I go out and fight against them? Will you defeat them for me?" And the Lord replied, "Yes, go ahead, for I will give them to you."

20 So David went out and fought with them at Baal-perazim and defeated them. "The Lord did it!" he exclaimed. "He burst through my enemies like a raging flood." So he named the place "Bursting."

21 At that time David and his troops confiscated many idols that had been abandoned by the Philistines.

22 But the Philistines returned and again spread out across the valley of Rephaim.

23 When David asked the Lord what to do, he replied, "Don't make a frontal attack. Go behind them and come out by the balsam trees.

24 When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of the balsam trees, attack! For it will signify that the Lord has prepared the way for you and will destroy them."

25 So David did as the Lord had instructed him and destroyed the Philistines all the way from Geba to Gezer.

6

1 Then David mobilized thirty thousand special troops and led them to Baal-judah to bring home the Ark of the Lord of heaven who is enthroned above the Guardian Angels.

2

3 The Ark was placed upon a new cart and taken from the hillside home of Abinadab. It was driven by Abinadab's sons, Uzzah and Ahio.

4 Ahio was walking in front

5 and was followed by David and the other leaders of Israel, who were joyously waving branches of juniper trees and playing every sort of musical instrument before the Lord--lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

6 But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled and Uzzah put out his hand to steady the Ark.

7 Then the anger of the Lord flared out against Uzzah and he killed him for doing this, so he died there beside the Ark.

8 David was angry at what the Lord had done, and named the spot "The Place of Wrath upon Uzzah" (which it is still called to this day).

9 David was now afraid of the Lord and asked, "How can I ever bring the Ark home?"

10 So he decided against taking it into the City of David, but carried it instead to the home of Obed-edom, who had come from Gath.

11 It remained there for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household.

12 When David heard this, he brought the Ark to the City of David with a great celebration.

13 After the men who were carrying it had gone six paces, they stopped and waited so that he could sacrifice an ox and a fat lamb.

14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might and was wearing priests' clothing.

15 So Israel brought home the Ark of the Lord with much shouting and blowing of trumpets.

16 (But as the procession came into the city, Michal, Saul's daughter, watched from a window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she was filled with contempt for him.)

17 The Ark was placed inside the tent that David had prepared for it; and he sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord.

18 Then he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of heaven

19 and gave a present to everyone--men and women alike--of a loaf of bread, some wine, and a cake of raisins. When it was all over, and everyone had gone home,

20 David returned to bless his family. But Michal came out to meet him and exclaimed in disgust, "How glorious the king of Israel looked today! He exposed himself to the girls along the street like a common pervert!"

21 David retorted, "I was dancing before the Lord who chose me above your father and his family and who appointed me as leader of Israel, the people of the Lord! So I am willing to act like a fool in order to show my joy in the Lord.

22 Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, but I will be respected by the girls of whom you spoke!"

23 So Michal was childless throughout her life.

7

1 When the Lord finally sent peace upon the land, and Israel was no longer at war with the surrounding nations,

2 David said to Nathan the prophet, "Look! Here I am living in this beautiful cedar palace while the Ark of God is out in a tent!"

3 "Go ahead with what you have in mind," Nathan replied, "for the Lord is with you."

4 But that night the Lord said to Nathan,

5 "Tell my servant David not to do it!

6 For I have never lived in a temple. My home has been a tent ever since the time I brought Israel out of Egypt.

7 And I have never once complained to Israel's leaders, the shepherds of my people. Have I ever asked them, 'Why haven't you built me a beautiful cedar temple?'

8 "Now go and give this message to David from the Lord of heaven: 'I chose you to be the leader of my people Israel when you were a mere shepherd, tending your sheep in the pastureland.

9 I have been with you wherever you have gone and have destroyed your enemies. And I will make your name greater yet, so that you will be one of the most famous men in the world!

10 I have selected a homeland for my people from which they will never have to move.

11 It will be their own land where the heathen nations won't bother them as they did when the judges ruled my people. There will be no more wars against you; and your descendants shall rule this land for generations to come!

12 For when you die, I will put one of your sons upon your throne, and I will make his kingdom strong.

13 He is the one who shall build me a temple. And I will continue his kingdom into eternity.

14 I will be his father and he shall be my son. If he sins, I will use other nations to punish him,

15 but my love and kindness shall not leave him as I took it from Saul, your predecessor.

16 Your family shall rule my kingdom forever.' "

17 So Nathan went back to David and told him everything the Lord had said.

18 Then David went into the Tabernacle and sat before the Lord and prayed, "O Lord God, why have you showered your blessings on such an insignificant person as I am?

19 And now, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving me an eternal dynasty! Such generosity is far beyond any human standard! O Lord God!

20 What can I say? For you know what I am like!

21 You are doing all these things just because you promised to and because you want to!

22 How great you are, Lord God! We have never heard of any other god like you. And there is no other god.

23 What other nation in all the earth has received such blessings as Israel, your people? For you have rescued your chosen nation in order to bring glory to your name. You have done great miracles to destroy Egypt and its gods.

24 You chose Israel to be your people forever, and you became our God.

25 "And now, Lord God, do as you have promised concerning me and my family.

26 And may you be eternally honored when you have established Israel as your people and have established my dynasty before you.

27 For you have revealed to me, O Lord of heaven, God of Israel, that I am the first of a dynasty which will rule your people forever; that is why I have been bold enough to pray this prayer of acceptance.

28 For you are indeed God, and your words are truth; and you have promised me these good things--

29 so do as you have promised! Bless me and my family forever! May our dynasty continue on and on before you; for you, Lord God, have promised it."

8

1 After this David subdued and humbled the Philistines by conquering Gath, their largest city.

2 He also devastated the land of Moab. He divided his victims by making them lie down side by side in rows. Two-thirds of each row, as measured with a tape, were butchered, and one-third were spared to become David's servants--they paid him tribute each year.

3 He also destroyed the forces of King Hadadezer (son of Rehob) of Zobah in a battle at the Euphrates River, for Hadadezer had attempted to regain his power.

4 David captured seventeen hundred cavalry and twenty thousand infantry; then he lamed all of the chariot horses except for one hundred teams.

5 He also slaughtered twenty-two thousand Syrians from Damascus when they came to help Hadadezer.

6 David placed several army garrisons in Damascus, and the Syrians became David's subjects and brought him annual tribute money. So the Lord gave him victories wherever he turned.

7 David brought the gold shields to Jerusalem which King Hadadezer's officers had used.

8 He also carried back to Jerusalem a very large amount of bronze from Hadadezer's cities of Betah and Berothai.

9 When King Toi of Hamath heard about David's victory over the army of Hadadezer,

10 he sent his son Joram to congratulate him, for Hadadezer and Toi were enemies. He gave David presents made from silver, gold, and bronze.

11 David dedicated all of these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold he had taken from Syria, Moab, Ammon, the Philistines, Amalek, and King Hadadezer.

12

13 So David became very famous. After his return he destroyed eighteen thousand Edomites at the Valley of Salt,

14 and then placed garrisons throughout Edom, so that the entire nation was forced to pay tribute to Israel--another example of the way the Lord made him victorious wherever he went.

15 David reigned with justice over Israel and was fair to everyone.

16 The general of his army was Joab (son of Zeruiah), and his secretary of state was Jehoshaphat (son of Ahilud).

17 Zadok (son of Ahitub) and Ahimelech (son of Abiathar) were the High Priests, and Seraiah was the king's private secretary.

18 Benaiah (son of Jehoiada) was captain of his bodyguard, and David's sons were his assistants.

9

1 One day David began wondering if any of Saul's family was still living, for he wanted to be kind to them, as he had promised Prince Jonathan.

2 He heard about a man named Ziba, who had been one of Saul's servants, and summoned him. "Are you Ziba?" the king asked. "Yes, sir, I am," he replied.

3 The king then asked him, "Is anyone left from Saul's family? If so, I want to fulfill a sacred vow by being kind to him." "Yes," Ziba replied, "Jonathan's lame son is still alive."

4 "Where is he?" the king asked. "In Lo-debar," Ziba told him. "At the home of Machir."

5 So King David sent for Mephibosheth--Jonathan's son and Saul's grandson. Mephibosheth arrived in great fear and greeted the king in deep humility, bowing low before him.

6

7 But David said, "Don't be afraid! I've asked you to come so that I can be kind to you because of my vow to your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you shall live here at the palace!"

8 Mephibosheth fell to the ground before the king. "Should the king show kindness to a dead dog like me?" he exclaimed.

9 Then the king summoned Saul's servant Ziba. "I have given your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family," he said.

10 "You and your sons and servants are to farm the land for him, to produce food for his family; but he will live here with me."

11 Ziba, who had fifteen sons and twenty servants, replied, "Sir, I will do all you have commanded." And from that time on, Mephibosheth ate regularly with King David, as though he were one of his own sons.

12 Mephibosheth had a young son, Mica. All the household of Ziba became Mephibosheth's servants,

13 but Mephibosheth (who was lame in both feet) moved to Jerusalem to live at the palace.

10

1 Some time after this the Ammonite king died and his son Hanun replaced him.

2 "I am going to show special respect for him," David said, "because his father Nahash was always so loyal and kind to me." So David sent ambassadors to express regrets to Hanun about his father's death.

3 But Hanun's officers told him, "These men aren't here to honor your father! David has sent them to spy out the city before attacking it!"

4 So Hanun took David's men and shaved off half their beards and cut their robes off at the buttocks and sent them home half naked.

5 When David heard what had happened he told them to stay at Jericho until their beards grew out; for the men were very embarrassed over their appearance.

6 Now the people of Ammon realized how seriously they had angered David, so they hired twenty thousand Syrian mercenaries from the lands of Rehob and Zobah, one thousand from the king of Maacah, and ten thousand from the land of Tob.

7 When David heard about this, he sent Joab and the entire Israeli army to attack them.

8 The Ammonites defended the gates of their city while the Syrians from Zobah, Rehob, Tob, and Maacah fought in the fields.

9 When Joab realized that he would have to fight on two fronts, he selected the best fighters in his army, placed them under his personal command, and took them out to fight the Syrians in the fields.

10 He left the rest of the army to his brother Abishai, who was to attack the city.

11 "If I need assistance against the Syrians, come out and help me," Joab instructed him. "And if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will come and help you.

12 Courage! We must really act like men today if we are going to save our people and the cities of our God. May the Lord's will be done."

13 And when Joab and his troops attacked, the Syrians began to run away.

14 Then, when the Ammonites saw the Syrians running, they ran too, and retreated into the city. Afterwards Joab returned to Jerusalem.

15 The Syrians now realized that they were no match for Israel. So when they regrouped,

16 they were joined by additional Syrian troops summoned by Hadadezer from the other side of the Euphrates River. These troops arrived at Helam under the command of Shobach, the commander-in-chief of all of Hadadezer's forces.

17 When David heard what was happening, he personally led the Israeli army to Helam, where the Syrians attacked him.

18 But again the Syrians fled from the Israelis, this time leaving seven hundred charioteers dead on the field, also forty thousand cavalrymen, including General Shobach.

19 When Hadadezer's allies saw that the Syrians had been defeated, they surrendered to David and became his servants. And the Syrians were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore after that.

11

1 In the spring of the following year, at the time when wars begin, David sent Joab and the Israeli army to destroy the Ammonites. They began by laying siege to the city of Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem.

2 One night he couldn't get to sleep and went for a stroll on the roof of the palace. As he looked out over the city, he noticed a woman of unusual beauty taking her evening bath.

3 He sent to find out who she was and was told that she was Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah.

4 Then David sent for her and when she came he slept with her. (She had just completed the purification rites after menstruation.) Then she returned home.

5 When she found that he had gotten her pregnant she sent a message to inform him.

6 So David dispatched a memo to Joab: "Send me Uriah the Hittite."

7 When he arrived, David asked him how Joab and the army were getting along and how the war was prospering.

8 Then he told him to go home and relax, and he sent a present to him at his home.

9 But Uriah didn't go there. He stayed that night at the gateway of the palace with the other servants of the king.

10 When David heard what Uriah had done, he summoned him and asked him, "What's the matter with you? Why didn't you go home to your wife last night after being away for so long?"

11 Uriah replied, "The Ark and the armies and the general and his officers are camping out in open fields, and should I go home to wine and dine and sleep with my wife? I swear that I will never be guilty of acting like that."

12 "Well, stay here tonight," David told him, "and tomorrow you may return to the army." So Uriah stayed around the palace.

13 David invited him to dinner and got him drunk; but even so he didn't go home that night, but again he slept at the entry to the palace.

14 Finally the next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and gave it to Uriah to deliver.

15 The letter instructed Joab to put Uriah at the front of the hottest part of the battle--and then pull back and leave him there to die!

16 So Joab assigned Uriah to a spot close to the besieged city where he knew that the enemies' best men were fighting;

17 and Uriah was killed along with several other Israeli soldiers.

18 When Joab sent a report to David of how the battle was going,

19 he told his messenger,

20 "If the king is angry and asks, 'Why did the troops go so close to the city? Didn't they know there would be shooting from the walls?

21 Wasn't Abimelech killed at Thebez by a woman who threw down a millstone on him?'--then tell him, 'Uriah was killed too.' "

22 So the messenger arrived at Jerusalem and gave the report to David.

23 "The enemy came out against us," he said, "and as we chased them back to the city gates,

24 the men on the wall attacked us; and some of our men were killed, and Uriah the Hittite is dead too."

25 "Well, tell Joab not to be discouraged," David said. "The sword kills one as well as another! Fight harder next time, and conquer the city; tell him he is doing well."

26 When Bathsheba heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him;

27 then, when the period of mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her to the palace and she became one of his wives; and she gave birth to his son. But the Lord was very displeased with what David had done.

12

1 So the Lord sent the prophet Nathan to tell David this story: "There were two men in a certain city, one very rich, owning many flocks of sheep and herds of goats;

2

3 and the other very poor, owning nothing but a little lamb he had managed to buy. It was his children's pet, and he fed it from his own plate and let it drink from his own cup; he cuddled it in his arms like a baby daughter.

4 Recently a guest arrived at the home of the rich man. But instead of killing a lamb from his own flocks for food for the traveler, he took the poor man's lamb and roasted it and served it."

5 David was furious. "I swear by the living God," he vowed, "any man who would do a thing like that should be put to death;

6 he shall repay four lambs to the poor man for the one he stole and for having no pity."

7 Then Nathan said to David, "You are that rich man! The Lord God of Israel says, 'I made you king of Israel and saved you from the power of Saul.

8 I gave you his palace and his wives and the kingdoms of Israel and Judah; and if that had not been enough, I would have given you much, much more.

9 Why, then, have you despised the laws of God and done this horrible deed? For you have murdered Uriah and stolen his wife.

10 Therefore murder shall be a constant threat in your family from this time on because you have insulted me by taking Uriah's wife.

11 I vow that because of what you have done, I will cause your own household to rebel against you. I will give your wives to another man, and he will go to bed with them in public view.

12 You did it secretly, but I will do this to you openly, in the sight of all Israel.' "

13 "I have sinned against the Lord," David confessed to Nathan. Then Nathan replied, "Yes, but the Lord has forgiven you, and you won't die for this sin.

14 But you have given great opportunity to the enemies of the Lord to despise and blaspheme him, so your child shall die."

15 Then Nathan returned to his home. And the Lord made Bathsheba's baby deathly sick.

16 David begged him to spare the child and went without food, and lay all night before the Lord on the bare earth.

17 The leaders of the nation pleaded with him to get up and eat with them, but he refused.

18 Then, on the seventh day, the baby died. David's aides were afraid to tell him. "He was so broken up about the baby being sick," they said, "what will he do to himself when we tell him the child is dead?"

19 But when David saw them whispering, he realized what had happened. "Is the baby dead?" he asked. "Yes," they replied, "he is."

20 Then David got up off the ground, washed himself, brushed his hair, changed his clothes, and went into the Tabernacle and worshiped the Lord. Then he returned to the palace and ate.

21 His aides were amazed. "We don't understand you," they told him. "While the baby was still living, you wept and refused to eat; but now that the baby is dead, you have stopped your mourning and are eating again."

22 David replied, "I fasted and wept while the child was alive, for I said, 'Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to me and let the child live.'

23 But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me."

24 Then David comforted Bathsheba; and when he slept with her, she conceived and gave birth to a son and named him Solomon. And the Lord loved the baby,

25 and sent congratulations and blessings through Nathan the prophet. David nicknamed the baby Jedidiah (meaning, "Beloved of Jehovah") because of the Lord's interest.

26 Meanwhile Joab and the Israeli army were successfully ending their siege of Rabbah the capital of Ammon.

27 Joab sent messengers to tell David, "Rabbah and its beautiful harbor are ours!

28 Now bring the rest of the army and finish the job, so that you will get the credit for the victory instead of me."

29 So David led his army to Rabbah and captured it. Tremendous amounts of loot were carried back to Jerusalem,

30 and David took the king of Rabbah's crown--a $50,000 treasure made from solid gold set with gems--and placed it on his own head.

31 He made slaves of the people of the city and made them labor with saws, picks, and axes and work in the brick kilns; that is the way he treated all of the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and the army returned to Jerusalem.

13

1 Prince Absalom, David's son, had a beautiful sister named Tamar. And Prince Amnon (her half brother) fell desperately in love with her.

2 Amnon became so tormented by his love for her that he became ill. He had no way of talking to her, for the girls and young men were kept strictly apart.

3 But Amnon had a very crafty friend--his cousin Jonadab (the son of David's brother Shimeah).

4 One day Jonadab said to Amnon, "What's the trouble? Why should the son of a king look so haggard morning after morning?" So Amnon told him, "I am in love with Tamar, my half sister."

5 "Well," Jonadab said, "I'll tell you what to do. Go back to bed and pretend you are sick; when your father comes to see you, ask him to let Tamar come and prepare some food for you. Tell him you'll feel better if she feeds you."

6 So Amnon did. And when the king came to see him, Amnon asked him for this favor--that his sister Tamar be permitted to come and cook a little something for him to eat.

7 David agreed and sent word to Tamar to go to Amnon's quarters and prepare some food for him.

8 So she did and went into his bedroom so that he could watch her mix some dough; then she baked some special bread for him.

9 But when she set the serving tray before him, he refused to eat! "Everyone get out of here," he told his servants; so they all left the apartment.

10 Then he said to Tamar, "Now bring me the food again here in my bedroom and feed it to me." So Tamar took it to him.

11 But as she was standing there before him, he grabbed her and demanded, "Come to bed with me, my darling."

12 "Oh, Amnon," she cried. "Don't be foolish! Don't do this to me! You know what a serious crime it is in Israel.

13 Where could I go in my shame? And you would be called one of the greatest fools in Israel. Please, just speak to the king about it, for he will let you marry me."

14 But he wouldn't listen to her; and since he was stronger than she, he forced her.

15 Then suddenly his love turned to hate, and now he hated her more than he had loved her. "Get out of here!" he snarled at her.

16 "No, no!" she cried. "To reject me now is a greater crime than the other you did to me." But he wouldn't listen to her.

17 He shouted for his valet and demanded, "Throw this woman out and lock the door behind her."

18 So he put her out. She was wearing a long robe with sleeves, as was the custom in those days for virgin daughters of the king.

19 Now she tore the robe and put ashes on her head and with her head in her hands went away crying.

20 Her brother Absalom asked her, "Is it true that Amnon raped you? Don't be so upset, since it's all in the family anyway. It's not anything to worry about!" So Tamar lived as a desolate woman in her brother Absalom's quarters.

21 When King David heard what had happened, he was very angry,

22 but Absalom said nothing one way or the other about this to Amnon. However, he hated him with a deep hatred because of what he had done to his sister.

23 Then, two years later, when Absalom's sheep were being sheared at Baal-hazor in Ephraim,

24 Absalom invited his father and all his brothers to come to a feast to celebrate the occasion.

25 The king replied, "No, my boy; if we all came, we would be too much of a burden on you." Absalom pressed him, but he wouldn't come, though he sent his thanks.

26 "Well, then," Absalom said, "if you can't come, how about sending my brother Amnon instead?" "Why Amnon?" the king asked.

27 Absalom kept on urging the matter until finally the king agreed and let all of his sons attend, including Amnon.

28 Absalom told his men, "Wait until Amnon gets drunk, then, at my signal, kill him! Don't be afraid. I'm the one who gives the orders around here, and this is a command. Take courage and do it!"

29 So they murdered Amnon. Then the other sons of the king jumped on their mules and fled.

30 As they were on the way back to Jerusalem, the report reached David: "Absalom has killed all of your sons, and not one is left alive!"

31 The king jumped up, ripped off his robe, and fell prostrate to the ground. His aides also tore their clothes in horror and sorrow.

32 But just then Jonadab (the son of David's brother Shimeah) arrived and said, "No, not all have been killed! It was only Amnon! Absalom has been plotting this ever since Amnon raped Tamar.

33 No, no! Your sons aren't all dead! It was only Amnon."

34 Meanwhile Absalom escaped. Now the watchman on the Jerusalem wall saw a great crowd coming toward the city along the road at the side of the hill.

35 "See!" Jonadab told the king. "There they are now! Your sons are coming, just as I said."

36 They soon arrived, weeping and sobbing, and the king and his officials wept with them.

37 Absalom fled to King Talmai of Geshur (the son of Ammihud)

38 and stayed there three years.

39 Meanwhile David, now reconciled to Amnon's death, longed day after day for fellowship with his son Absalom.

14

1 When General Joab realized how much the king was longing to see Absalom,

2 he sent for a woman of Tekoa who had a reputation for great wisdom and told her to ask for an appointment with the king.

3 He told her what to say to him. "Pretend you are in mourning," Joab instructed her. "Wear mourning clothes, and dishevel your hair as though you have been in deep sorrow for a long time."

4 When the woman approached the king, she fell face downward on the floor in front of him, and cried out, "O king! Help me!"

5 "What's the trouble?" he asked. "I am a widow," she replied,

6 "and my two sons had a fight out in the field, and since no one was there to part them, one of them was killed.

7 Now the rest of the family is demanding that I surrender my other son to them to be executed for murdering his brother. But if I do that, I will have no one left, and my husband's name will be destroyed from the face of the earth."

8 "Leave it with me," the king told her. "I'll see to it that no one touches him."

9 "Oh, thank you, my lord," she replied. "And I'll take the responsibility if you are criticized for helping me like this."

10 "Don't worry about that!" the king replied. "If anyone objects, bring him to me; I can assure you he will never complain again!"

11 Then she said, "Please swear to me by God that you won't let anyone harm my son. I want no more bloodshed." "I vow by God," he replied, "that not a hair of your son's head shall be disturbed!"

12 "Please let me ask one more thing of you!" she said. "Go ahead," he replied. "Speak!"

13 "Why don't you do as much for all the people of God as you have promised to do for me?" she asked. "You have convicted yourself in making this decision, because you have refused to bring home your own banished son.

14 All of us must die eventually; our lives are like water that is poured out on the ground--it can't be gathered up again. But God will bless you with a longer life if you will find a way to bring your son back from his exile.

15 But I have come to plead with you for my son because my life and my son's life have been threatened, and I said to myself,

16 'Perhaps the king will listen to me and rescue us from those who would end our existence in Israel.

17 Yes, the king will give us peace again.' I know that you are like the angel of God and can discern good from evil. May God be with you."

18 "I want to know one thing," the king replied. "Yes, my lord?" she asked.

19 "Did Joab send you here?" And the woman replied, "How can I deny it? Yes, Joab sent me and told me what to say.

20 He did it in order to place the matter before you in a different light. But you are as wise as an angel of God, and you know everything that happens!"

21 So the king sent for Joab and told him, "All right, go and bring back Absalom."

22 Joab fell to the ground before the king and blessed him and said, "At last I know that you like me! For you have granted me this request!"

23 Then Joab went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem.

24 "He may go to his own quarters," the king ordered, "but he must never come here. I refuse to see him."

25 Now no one in Israel was such a handsome specimen of manhood as Absalom, and no one else received such praise.

26 He cut his hair only once a year--and then only because it weighed three pounds and was too much of a load to carry around!

27 He had three sons and one daughter, Tamar, who was a very beautiful girl.

28 After Absalom had been in Jerusalem for two years and had not yet seen the king,

29 he sent for Joab to ask him to intercede for him; but Joab wouldn't come. Absalom sent for him again, but again he refused to come.

30 So Absalom said to his servants, "Go and set fire to that barley field of Joab's next to mine," and they did.

31 Then Joab came to Absalom and demanded, "Why did your servants set my field on fire?"

32 And Absalom replied, "Because I wanted you to ask the king why he brought me back from Geshur if he didn't intend to see me. I might as well have stayed there. Let me have an interview with the king; then if he finds that I am guilty of murder, let him execute me."

33 So Joab told the king what Absalom had said. Then at last David summoned Absalom, and he came and bowed low before the king, and David kissed him.

15

1 Absalom then bought a magnificent chariot and chariot horses, and hired fifty footmen to run ahead of him.

2 He got up early every morning and went out to the gate of the city; and when anyone came to bring a case to the king for trial, Absalom called him over and expressed interest in his problem.

3 He would say, "I can see that you are right in this matter; it's unfortunate that the king doesn't have anyone to assist him in hearing these cases.

4 I surely wish I were the judge; then anyone with a lawsuit could come to me, and I would give him justice!"

5 And when anyone came to bow to him, Absalom wouldn't let him, but shook his hand instead!

6 So in this way Absalom stole the hearts of all the people of Israel.

7 After four years, Absalom said to the king, "Let me go to Hebron to sacrifice to the Lord in fulfillment of a vow I made to him

8 while I was at Geshur--that if he would bring me back to Jerusalem, I would sacrifice to him."

9 "All right," the king told him, "go and fulfill your vow." So Absalom went to Hebron.

10 But while he was there, he sent spies to every part of Israel to incite rebellion against the king. "As soon as you hear the trumpets," his message read, "you will know that Absalom has been crowned in Hebron."

11 He took two hundred men from Jerusalem with him as guests, but they knew nothing of his intentions.

12 While he was offering the sacrifice, he sent for Ahithophel, one of David's counselors who lived in Giloh. Ahithophel declared for Absalom, as did more and more others. So the conspiracy became very strong.

13 A messenger soon arrived in Jerusalem to tell King David, "All Israel has joined Absalom in a conspiracy against you!"

14 "Then we must flee at once or it will be too late!" was David's instant response to his men. "If we get out of the city before he arrives, both we and the city of Jerusalem will be saved."

15 "We are with you," his aides replied. "Do as you think best."

16 So the king and his household set out at once. He left no one behind except ten of his young wives to keep the palace in order.

17 David paused at the edge of the city to let his troops move past him to lead the way--six hundred Gittites who had come with him from Gath, and the Cherethites and Pelethites.

18

19 But suddenly the king turned to Ittai, the captain of the six hundred Gittites, and said to him, "What are you doing here? Go on back with your men to Jerusalem, to your king, for you are a guest in Israel, a foreigner in exile.

20 It seems but yesterday that you arrived, and now today should I force you to wander with us, who knows where? Go on back and take your troops with you, and may the Lord be merciful to you."

21 But Ittai replied, "I vow by God and by your own life that wherever you go, I will go, no matter what happens--whether it means life or death."

22 So David replied, "All right, come with us." Then Ittai and his six hundred men and their families went along.

23 There was deep sadness throughout the city as the king and his retinue passed by, crossed Kidron Brook, and went out into the country.

24 Abiathar and Zadok and the Levites took the Ark of the Covenant of God and set it down beside the road until everyone had passed.

25 Then, following David's instructions, Zadok took the Ark back into the city. "If the Lord sees fit," David said, "he will bring me back to see the Ark and the Tabernacle again.

26 But if he is through with me, well, let him do what seems best to him."

27 Then the king told Zadok, "Look, here is my plan. Return quietly to the city with your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar's son Jonathan.

28 I will stop at the ford of the Jordan River and wait there for a message from you. Let me know what happens in Jerusalem before I disappear into the wilderness."

29 So Zadok and Abiathar carried the Ark of God back into the city and stayed there.

30 David walked up the road that led to the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went. His head was covered and his feet were bare as a sign of mourning. And the people who were with him covered their heads and wept as they climbed the mountain.

31 When someone told David that Ahithophel, his advisor, was backing Absalom, David prayed, "O Lord, please make Ahithophel give Absalom foolish advice!"

32 As they reached the spot at the top of the Mount of Olives where people worshiped God, David found Hushai the Archite waiting for him with torn clothing and earth upon his head.

33 But David told him, "If you go with me, you will only be a burden;

34 return to Jerusalem and tell Absalom, 'I will counsel you as I did your father.' Then you can frustrate and counter Ahithophel's advice.

35 Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, are there. Tell them the plans that are being made to capture me,

36 and they will send their sons Ahimaaz and Jonathan to find me and tell me what is going on."

37 So David's friend Hushai returned to the city, getting there just as Absalom arrived.

16

1 David was just past the top of the hill when Ziba, the manager of Mephibosheth's household, caught up with him. He was leading two donkeys loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred clusters of raisins, one hundred bunches of grapes, and a small barrel of wine.

2 "What are these for?" the king asked Ziba. And Ziba replied, "The donkeys are for your people to ride on, and the bread and summer fruit are for the young men to eat; the wine is to be taken with you into the wilderness for any who become faint."

3 "And where is Mephibosheth?" the king asked him. "He stayed at Jerusalem," Ziba replied. "He said, 'Now I'll get to be king! Today I will get back the kingdom of my father, Saul.' "

4 "In that case," the king told Ziba, "I give you everything he owns." "Thank you, thank you, sir," Ziba replied.

5 As David and his party passed Bahurim, a man came out of the village cursing them. It was Shimei, the son of Gera, a member of Saul's family.

6 He threw stones at the king and the king's officers and all the mighty warriors who surrounded them!

7 "Get out of here, you murderer, you scoundrel!" he shouted at David.

8 "The Lord is paying you back for murdering King Saul and his family; you stole his throne and now the Lord has given it to your son Absalom! At last you will taste some of your own medicine, you murderer!"

9 "Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king?" Abishai demanded. "Let me go over and strike off his head!"

10 "No!" the king said. "If the Lord has told him to curse me, who am I to say no?

11 My own son is trying to kill me, and this Benjaminite is merely cursing me. Let him alone, for no doubt the Lord has told him to do it.

12 And perhaps the Lord will see that I am being wronged and will bless me because of these curses."

13 So David and his men continued on, and Shimei kept pace with them on a nearby hillside, cursing as he went and throwing stones at David and tossing dust into the air.

14 The king and all those who were with him were weary by the time they reached Bahurim, so they stayed there awhile and rested.

15 Meanwhile, Absalom and his men arrived at Jerusalem, accompanied by Ahithophel.

16 When David's friend, Hushai the Archite, arrived, he went immediately to see Absalom. "Long live the king!" he exclaimed. "Long live the king!"

17 "Is this the way to treat your friend David?" Absalom asked him. "Why aren't you with him?"

18 "Because I work for the man who is chosen by the Lord and by Israel," Hushai replied.

19 "And anyway, why shouldn't I? I helped your father and now I will help you!"

20 Then Absalom turned to Ahithophel and asked him, "What shall I do next?"

21 Ahithophel told him, "Go and sleep with your father's wives, for he has left them here to keep the house. Then all Israel will know that you have insulted him beyond the possibility of reconciliation, and they will all close ranks behind you."

22 So a tent was erected on the roof of the palace where everybody could see it, and Absalom went into the tent to lie with his father's wives.

23 (Absalom did whatever Ahithophel told him to, just as David had; for every word Ahithophel spoke seemed as wise as though it had come directly from the mouth of God.)

17

1 "Now," Ahithophel said, "give me twelve thousand men to start out after David tonight.

2 I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged, and he and his troops will be thrown into a panic and everyone will run away;

3 and I will kill only the king and let all those who are with him live, and restore them to you."

4 Absalom and all the elders of Israel approved of the plan,

5 but Absalom said, "Ask Hushai the Archite what he thinks about this."

6 When Hushai arrived, Absalom told him what Ahithophel had said. "What is your opinion?" Absalom asked him. "Should we follow Ahithophel's advice? If not, speak up."

7 "Well," Hushai replied, "this time I think Ahithophel has made a mistake.

8 You know your father and his men; they are mighty warriors and are probably as upset as a mother bear who has been robbed of her cubs. And your father is an old soldier and isn't going to be spending the night among the troops;

9 he has probably already hidden in some pit or cave. And when he comes out and attacks and a few of your men fall, there will be panic among your troops and everyone will start shouting that your men are being slaughtered.

10 Then even the bravest of them, though they have hearts of lions, will be paralyzed with fear; for all Israel knows what a mighty man your father is and how courageous his soldiers are.

11 "What I suggest is that you mobilize the entire army of Israel, bringing them from as far away as Dan and Beersheba, so that you will have a huge force. And I think that you should personally lead the troops.

12 Then when we find him we can destroy his entire army so that not one of them is left alive.

13 And if David has escaped into some city, you will have the entire army of Israel there at your command, and we can take ropes and drag the walls of the city into the nearest valley until every stone is torn down."

14 Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, "Hushai's advice is better than Ahithophel's." For the Lord had arranged to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel, which really was the better plan, so that he could bring disaster upon Absalom!

15 Then Hushai reported to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, what Ahithophel had said and what he himself had suggested instead.

16 "Quick!" he told them. "Find David and urge him not to stay at the ford of the Jordan River tonight. He must go across at once into the wilderness beyond; otherwise he will die, and his entire army with him."

17 Jonathan and Ahimaaz had been staying at En-rogel so as not to be seen entering and leaving the city. Arrangements had been made for a servant girl to carry to them the messages they were to take to King David.

18 But a boy saw them leaving En-rogel to go to David, and he told Absalom about it. Meanwhile, they escaped to Bahurim where a man hid them inside a well in his backyard.

19 The man's wife put a cloth over the top of the well with grain on it to dry in the sun; so no one suspected they were there.

20 When Absalom's men arrived and asked her if she had seen Ahimaaz and Jonathan, she said they had crossed the brook and were gone. They looked for them without success and returned to Jerusalem.

21 Then the two men crawled out of the well and hurried on to King David. "Quick!" they told him, "cross the Jordan tonight!" And they told him how Ahithophel had advised that he be captured and killed.

22 So David and all the people with him went across during the night and were all on the other bank before dawn.

23 Meanwhile, Ahithophel--publicly disgraced when Absalom refused his advice--saddled his donkey, went to his hometown, set his affairs in order, and hanged himself; so he died and was buried beside his father.

24 David soon arrived at Mahanaim. Meanwhile, Absalom had mobilized the entire army of Israel and was leading the men across the Jordan River.

25 Absalom had appointed Amasa as general of the army, replacing Joab. (Amasa was Joab's second cousin; his father was Ithra, an Ishmaelite, and his mother was Abigail, the daughter of Nahash, who was the sister of Joab's mother, Zeruiah.)

26 Absalom and the Israeli army now camped in the land of Gilead.

27 When David arrived at Mahanaim, he was warmly greeted by Shobi (son of Nahash of Rabbah, an Ammonite) and Machir (son of Ammiel of Lodebar) and Barzillai (a Gileadite of Rogelim).

28 They brought him and those who were with him mats to sleep on, cooking pots, serving bowls, wheat and barley flour, parched grain, beans, lentils,

29 honey, butter, and cheese. For they said, "You must be very tired and hungry and thirsty after your long march through the wilderness."

18

1 David now appointed regimental colonels and company commanders over his troops.

2 A third were placed under Joab's brother, Abishai (the son of Zeruiah); and a third under Ittai, the Gittite. The king planned to lead the army himself, but his men objected strongly.

3 "You mustn't do it," they said, "for if we have to turn and run, and half of us die, it will make no difference to them--they will be looking only for you. You are worth ten thousand of us, and it is better that you stay here in the city and send us help if we need it."

4 "Well, whatever you think best," the king finally replied. So he stood at the gate of the city as all the troops passed by.

5 And the king commanded Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, "For my sake, deal gently with young Absalom." And all the troops heard the king give them this charge.

6 So the battle began in the forest of Ephraim,

7 and the Israeli troops were beaten back by David's men. There was a great slaughter and twenty thousand men laid down their lives that day.

8 The battle raged all across the countryside, and more men disappeared in the forest than were killed.

9 During the battle Absalom came upon some of David's men and as he fled on his mule, it went beneath the thick boughs of a great oak tree, and his hair caught in the branches. His mule went on, leaving him dangling in the air.

10 One of David's men saw him and told Joab.

11 "What? You saw him there and didn't kill him?" Joab demanded. "I would have rewarded you handsomely and made you a commissioned officer."

12 "For a million dollars I wouldn't do it," the man replied. "We all heard the king say to you and Abishai and Ittai, 'For my sake, please don't harm young Absalom.'

13 And if I had betrayed the king by killing his son (and the king would certainly find out who did it), you yourself would be the first to accuse me."

14 "Enough of this nonsense," Joab said. Then he took three daggers and plunged them into the heart of Absalom as he dangled alive from the oak.

15 Ten of Joab's young armor-bearers then surrounded Absalom and finished him off.

16 Then Joab blew the trumpet, and his men returned from chasing the army of Israel.

17 They threw Absalom's body into a deep pit in the forest and piled a great heap of stones over it. And the army of Israel fled to their homes.

18 (Absalom had built a monument to himself in the King's Valley, for he said, "I have no sons to carry on my name." He called it "Absalom's Monument," as it is still known today.)

19 Then Zadok's son Ahimaaz said, "Let me run to King David with the good news that the Lord has saved him from his enemy Absalom."

20 "No," Joab told him, "it wouldn't be good news to the king that his son is dead. You can be my messenger some other time."

21 Then Joab said to a man from Cush, "Go tell the king what you have seen." The man bowed and ran off.

22 But Ahimaaz pleaded with Joab, "Please let me go too." "No, we don't need you now, my boy." Joab replied. "There is no further news to send."

23 "Yes, but let me go anyway," he begged. And Joab finally said, "All right, go ahead." Then Ahimaaz took a shortcut across the plain and got there ahead of the man from Cush.

24 David was sitting at the gate of the city. When the watchman climbed the stairs to his post at the top of the wall, he saw a lone man running toward them.

25 He shouted the news down to David, and the king replied, "If he is alone, he has news." As the messenger came closer,

26 the watchman saw another man running toward them. He shouted down, "Here comes another one." And the king replied, "He will have more news."

27 "The first man looks like Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok," the watchman said. "He is a good man and comes with good news," the king replied.

28 Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, "All is well!" He bowed low with his face to the ground and said, "Blessed be the Lord your God who has destroyed the rebels who dared to stand against you."

29 "What of young Absalom?" the king demanded. "Is he all right?" "When Joab told me to come, there was a lot of shouting; but I didn't know what was happening," Ahimaaz answered.

30 "Wait here," the king told him. So Ahimaaz stepped aside.

31 Then the man from Cush arrived and said, "I have good news for my lord the king. Today Jehovah has rescued you from all those who rebelled against you."

32 "What about young Absalom? Is he all right?" the king demanded. And the man replied, "May all of your enemies be as that young man is!"

33 Then the king broke into tears, and went up to his room over the gate, crying as he went. "O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom. If only I could have died for you! O Absalom, my son, my son."

19

1 Word soon reached Joab that the king was weeping and mourning for Absalom.

2 As the people heard of the king's deep grief for his son, the joy of that day's wonderful victory was turned into deep sadness.

3 The entire army crept back into the city as though they were ashamed and had been beaten in battle.

4 The king covered his face with his hands and kept on weeping, "O my son Absalom! O Absalom my son, my son!"

5 Then Joab went to the king's room and said to him, "We saved your life today and the lives of your sons, your daughters, your wives, and concubines; and yet you act like this, making us feel ashamed, as though we had done something wrong.

6 You seem to love those who hate you, and hate those who love you. Apparently we don't mean anything to you; if Absalom had lived and all of us had died, you would be happy.

7 Now go out there and congratulate the troops, for I swear by Jehovah that if you don't, not a single one of them will remain here during the night; then you will be worse off than you have ever been in your entire life."

8 So the king went out and sat at the city gates, and as the news spread throughout the city that he was there, everyone went to him.

9 Meanwhile, there was much discussion and argument going on all across the nation: "Why aren't we talking about bringing the king back?" was the great topic everywhere. "For he saved us from our enemies, the Philistines;

10 and Absalom, whom we made our king instead, chased him out of the country, but now Absalom is dead. Let's ask David to return and be our king again."

11 Then David sent Zadok and Abiathar the priests to say to the elders of Judah, "Why are you the last ones to reinstate the king? For all Israel is ready, and only you are holding out.

12 Yet you are my own brothers, my own tribe, my own flesh and blood!"

13 And he told them to tell Amasa, "Since you are my nephew, may God strike me dead if I do not appoint you as commander-in-chief of my army in place of Joab."

14 Then Amasa convinced all the leaders of Judah, and they responded as one man. They sent word to the king, "Return to us and bring back all those who are with you."

15 So the king started back to Jerusalem. And when he arrived at the Jordan River, it seemed as if everyone in Judah had come to Gilgal to meet him and escort him across the river!

16 Then Shimei (the son of Gera the Benjaminite), the man from Bahurim, hurried across with the men of Judah to welcome King David.

17 A thousand men from the tribe of Benjamin were with him, including Ziba, the servant of Saul, and Ziba's fifteen sons and twenty servants; they rushed down to the Jordan to arrive ahead of the king.

18 They all worked hard ferrying the king's household and troops across, and helped them in every way they could. As the king was crossing, Shimei fell down before him,

19 and pleaded, "My lord the king, please forgive me and forget the terrible thing I did when you left Jerusalem;

20 for I know very well how much I sinned. That is why I have come here today, the very first person in all the tribe of Joseph to greet you."

21 Abishai asked, "Shall not Shimei die, for he cursed the Lord's chosen king!"

22 "Don't talk to me like that!" David exclaimed. "This is not a day for execution but for celebration! I am once more king of Israel!"

23 Then, turning to Shimei, he vowed, "Your life is spared."

24 Now Mephibosheth, Saul's grandson, arrived from Jerusalem to meet the king. He had not washed his feet or clothes nor trimmed his beard since the day the king left Jerusalem.

25 "Why didn't you come with me, Mephibosheth?" the king asked him.

26 And he replied, "My lord, O king, my servant Ziba deceived me. I told him, 'Saddle my donkey so that I can go with the king.' For as you know I am lame.

27 But Ziba has slandered me by saying that I refused to come. But I know that you are as an angel of God, so do what you think best.

28 I and all my relatives could expect only death from you, but instead you have honored me among all those who eat at your own table! So how can I complain?"

29 "All right," David replied. "My decision is that you and Ziba will divide the land equally between you."

30 "Give him all of it," Mephibosheth said. "I am content just to have you back again!"

31 Barzillai, who had fed the king and his army during their exile in Mahanaim, arrived from Rogelim to conduct the king across the river.

32 He was very old now, about eighty, and very wealthy.

33 "Come across with me and live in Jerusalem," the king said to Barzillai. "I will take care of you there."

34 "No," he replied, "I am far too old for that.

35 I am eighty years old today, and life has lost its excitement. Food and wine are no longer tasty, and entertainment is not much fun; I would only be a burden to my lord the king.

36 Just to go across the river with you is all the honor I need!

37 Then let me return again to die in my own city, where my father and mother are buried. But here is Chimham. Let him go with you and receive whatever good things you want to give him."

38 "Good," the king agreed. "Chimham shall go with me, and I will do for him whatever I would have done for you."

39 So all the people crossed the Jordan with the king; and after David had kissed and blessed Barzillai, he returned home.

40 The king then went on to Gilgal, taking Chimham with him. And most of Judah and half of Israel were there to greet him.

41 But the men of Israel complained to the king because only men from Judah had ferried him and his household across the Jordan.

42 "Why not?" the men of Judah replied. "The king is one of our own tribe. Why should this make you angry? We have charged him nothing--he hasn't fed us or given us gifts!"

43 "But there are ten tribes in Israel," the others replied, "so we have ten times as much right in the king as you do; why didn't you invite the rest of us? And, remember, we were the first to speak of bringing him back to be our king again." The argument continued back and forth, and the men of Judah were very rough in their replies.

20

1 Then a hothead whose name was Sheba (son of Bichri, a Benjaminite) blew a trumpet and yelled, "We want nothing to do with David. Come on, you men of Israel, let's get out of here. He's not our king!"

2 So all except Judah and Benjamin turned around and deserted David and followed Sheba! But the men of Judah stayed with their king, accompanying him from the Jordan to Jerusalem.

3 When he arrived at his palace in Jerusalem, the king instructed that his ten wives he had left to keep house should be placed in seclusion. Their needs were to be cared for, he said, but he would no longer sleep with them as his wives. So they remained in virtual widowhood until their deaths.

4 Then the king instructed Amasa to mobilize the army of Judah within three days and to report back at that time.

5 So Amasa went out to notify the troops, but it took him longer than the three days he had been given.

6 Then David said to Abishai, "That fellow Sheba is going to hurt us more than Absalom did. Quick, take my bodyguard and chase after him before he gets into a fortified city where we can't reach him."

7 So Abishai and Joab set out after Sheba with an elite guard from Joab's army and the king's own bodyguard.

8 As they arrived at the great stone in Gibeon, they came face to face with Amasa. Joab was wearing his uniform with a dagger strapped to his side. As he stepped forward to greet Amasa, he stealthily slipped the dagger from its sheath.

9 "I'm glad to see you, my brother," Joab said, and took him by the beard with his right hand as though to kiss him.

10 Amasa didn't notice the dagger in his left hand, and Joab stabbed him in the stomach with it, so that his bowels gushed out onto the ground. He did not need to strike again, and he died there. Joab and his brother, Abishai, left him lying there and continued after Sheba.

11 One of Joab's young officers shouted to Amasa's troops, "If you are for David, come and follow Joab."

12 But Amasa lay in his blood in the middle of the road, and when Joab's young officers saw that a crowd was gathering around to stare at him, they dragged him off the road into a field and threw a garment over him.

13 With the body out of the way, everyone went on with Joab to capture Sheba.

14 Meanwhile Sheba had traveled across Israel to mobilize his own clan of Bichri at the city of Abel in Beth-maacah.

15 When Joab's forces arrived, they besieged Abel and built a mound to the top of the city wall and began battering it down.

16 But a wise woman in the city called out to Joab, "Listen to me, Joab. Come over here so I can talk to you."

17 As he approached, the woman asked, "Are you Joab?" And he replied, "I am."

18 So she told him, "There used to be a saying, 'If you want to settle an argument, ask advice at Abel.' For we always give wise counsel.

19 You are destroying an ancient, peace-loving city, loyal to Israel. Should you destroy what is the Lord's?"

20 And Joab replied, "That isn't it at all.

21 All I want is a man named Sheba from the hill country of Ephraim, who has revolted against King David. If you will deliver him to me, we will leave the city in peace." "All right," the woman replied, "we will throw his head over the wall to you."

22 Then the woman went to the people with her wise advice, and they cut off Sheba's head and threw it out to Joab. And he blew the trumpet and called his troops back from the attack, and they returned to the king at Jerusalem.

23 Joab was commander-in-chief of the army, and Benaiah was in charge of the king's bodyguard.

24 Adoram was in charge of the forced labor battalions, and Jehoshaphat was the historian who kept the records.

25 Sheva was the secretary, and Zadok and Abiathar were the chief priests.

26 Ira the Jairite was David's personal chaplain.

21

1 There was a famine during David's reign that lasted year after year for three years, and David spent much time in prayer about it. Then the Lord said, "The famine is because of the guilt of Saul and his family, for they murdered the Gibeonites."

2 So King David summoned the Gibeonites. They were not part of Israel but were what was left of the nation of the Amorites. Israel had sworn not to kill them; but Saul, in his nationalistic zeal, had tried to wipe them out.

3 David asked them, "What can I do for you to rid ourselves of this guilt and to induce you to ask God to bless us?"

4 "Well, money won't do it," the Gibeonites replied, "and we don't want to see Israelites executed in revenge." "What can I do, then?" David asked. "Just tell me and I will do it for you."

5 "Well, then," they replied, "give us seven of Saul's sons--

6 the sons of the man who did his best to destroy us. We will hang them before the Lord in Gibeon, the city of King Saul." "All right," the king said, "I will do it."

7 He spared Jonathan's son Mephibosheth, who was Saul's grandson, because of the oath between himself and Jonathan.

8 But he gave them Saul's two sons Armoni and Mephibosheth, whose mother was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. He also gave them the five adopted sons of Michal that she brought up for Saul's daughter Merab, the wife of Adriel.

9 The men of Gibeon impaled them in the mountain before the Lord. So all seven of them died together at the beginning of the barley harvest.

10 Then Rizpah, the mother of two of the men, spread sackcloth upon a rock and stayed there through the entire harvest season to prevent the vultures from tearing at their bodies during the day and the wild animals from eating them at night.

11 When David learned what she had done,

12 he arranged for the men's bones to be buried in the grave of Saul's father, Kish. At the same time he sent a request to the men of Jabesh-gilead, asking them to bring him the bones of Saul and Jonathan.

13 They had stolen their bodies from the public square at Beth-shan where the Philistines had impaled them after they had died in battle on Mount Gilboa.

14 So their bones were brought to him. Then at last God answered prayer and ended the famine.

15 Once when the Philistines were at war with Israel, and David and his men were in the thick of the battle, David became weak and exhausted.

16 Ishbi-benob, a giant whose speartip weighed more than twelve pounds and who was sporting a new suit of armor, closed in on David and was about to kill him.

17 But Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, came to his rescue and killed the Philistine. After that David's men declared, "You are not going out to battle again! Why should we risk snuffing out the light of Israel?"

18 Later, during a war with the Philistines at Gob, Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, another giant.

19 At still another time and at the same place, Elhanan killed the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spearhandle was as huge as a weaver's beam!

20 And once when the Philistines and the Israelis were fighting at Gath, a giant with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot defied Israel,

21 and David's nephew Jonathan--the son of David's brother Shimei--killed him.

22 These four were from the tribe of giants in Gath and were killed by David's troops.

22

1 David sang this song to the Lord after he had rescued him from Saul and from all his other enemies:

2 "Jehovah is my rock, My fortress and my Savior.

3 I will hide in God, Who is my rock and my refuge. He is my shield And my salvation, My refuge and high tower. Thank you, O my Savior, For saving me from all my enemies.

4 I will call upon the Lord, Who is worthy to be praised; He will save me from all my enemies.

5 The waves of death surrounded me; Floods of evil burst upon me;

6 I was trapped and bound By hell and death;

7 But I called upon the Lord in my distress, And he heard me from his Temple. My cry reached his ears.

8 Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of the heavens quaked Because of his wrath.

9 Smoke poured from his nostrils; Fire leaped from his mouth And burned up all before him, Setting fire to the world.

10 He bent the heavens down and came to earth; He walked upon dark clouds.

11 He rode upon the glorious-- On the wings of the wind.

12 Darkness surrounded him, And clouds were thick around him;

13 The earth was radiant with his brightness.

14 The Lord thundered from heaven; The God above all gods gave out a mighty shout.

15 He shot forth his arrows of lightning And routed his enemies.

16 By the blast of his breath Was the sea split in two. The bottom of the sea appeared.

17 From above, he rescued me. He drew me out from the waters;

18 He saved me from powerful enemies, From those who hated me And from those who were too strong for me.

19 They came upon me In the day of my calamity, But the Lord was my salvation.

20 He set me free and rescued me, For I was his delight.

21 The Lord rewarded me for my goodness, For my hands were clean;

22 And I have not departed from my God.

23 I knew his laws, And I obeyed them.

24 I was perfect in obedience And kept myself from sin.

25 That is why the Lord has done so much for me, For he sees that I am clean.

26 You are merciful to the merciful; You show your perfections To the blameless.

27 To those who are pure, You show yourself pure; But you destroy those who are evil.

28 You will save those in trouble, But you bring down the haughty; For you watch their every move.

29 O Lord, you are my light! You make my darkness bright.

30 By your power I can crush an army; By your strength I leap over a wall.

31 As for God, his way is perfect; The word of the Lord is true. He shields all who hide behind him.

32 Our Lord alone is God; We have no other Savior.

33 God is my strong fortress; He has made me safe.

34 He causes the good to walk a steady tread Like mountain goats upon the rocks.

35 He gives me skill in war And strength to bend a bow of bronze.

36 You have given me the shield of your salvation; Your gentleness has made me great.

37 You have made wide steps for my feet, To keep them from slipping.

38 I have chased my enemies And destroyed them. I did not stop till all were gone.

39 I have destroyed them So that none can rise again. They have fallen beneath my feet.

40 For you have given me strength for the battle And have caused me to subdue All those who rose against me.

41 You have made my enemies Turn and run away; I have destroyed them all.

42 They looked in vain for help; They cried to God, But he refused to answer.

43 I beat them into dust; I crushed and scattered them Like dust along the streets.

44 You have preserved me From the rebels of my people; You have preserved me As the head of the nations. Foreigners shall serve me

45 And shall quickly submit to me When they hear of my power.

46 They shall lose heart And come, trembling, From their hiding places.

47 The Lord lives. Blessed be my Rock. Praise to him-- The Rock of my salvation.

48 Blessed be God Who destroys those who oppose me

49 And rescues me from my enemies. Yes, you hold me safe above their heads. You deliver me from violence.

50 No wonder I give thanks to you, O Lord, among the nations, And sing praises to your name.

51 He gives wonderful deliverance to his king And shows mercy to his anointed-- To David and his family, Forever."

23

1 These are the last words of David: "David, the son of Jesse, speaks. David, the man to whom God gave such wonderful success; David, the anointed of the God of Jacob; David, sweet psalmist of Israel:

2 The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, And his word was on my tongue.

3 The Rock of Israel said to me: 'One shall come who rules righteously, Who rules in the fear of God.

4 He shall be as the light of the morning; A cloudless sunrise When the tender grass Springs forth upon the earth; As sunshine after rain.'

5 And it is my family He has chosen! Yes, God has made An everlasting covenant with me; His agreement is eternal, final, sealed. He will constantly look after My safety and success.

6 But the godless are as thorns to be thrown away, For they tear the hand that touches them.

7 One must be armed to chop them down; They shall be burned."

8 These are the names of the Top Three--the most heroic men in David's army: the first was Josheb-basshebeth from Tah-chemon, known also as Adino, the Eznite. He once killed eight hundred men in one battle.

9 Next in rank was Eleazar, the son of Dodo and grandson of Ahohi. He was one of the three men who, with David, held back the Philistines that time when the rest of the Israeli army fled.

10 He killed the Philistines until his hand was too tired to hold his sword; and the Lord gave him a great victory. (The rest of the army did not return until it was time to collect the loot!)

11 After him was Shammah, the son of Agee from Harar. Once during a Philistine attack, when all his men deserted him and fled,

12 he stood alone at the center of a field of lentils and beat back the Philistines; and God gave him a great victory.

13 One time when David was living in the cave of Adullam and the invading Philistines were at the valley of Rephaim, three of The Thirty--the top-ranking officers of the Israeli army--went down at harvest time to visit him.

14 David was in the stronghold at the time, for Philistine marauders had occupied the nearby city of Bethlehem.

15 David remarked, "How thirsty I am for some of that good water in the city well!" (The well was near the city gate.)

16 So the three men broke through the Philistine ranks and drew water from the well and brought it to David. But he refused to drink it! Instead, he poured it out before the Lord.

17 "No, my God," he exclaimed, "I cannot do it! This is the blood of these men who have risked their lives."

18 Of those three men, Abishai, the brother of Joab (son of Zeruiah), was the greatest. Once he took on three hundred of the enemy single-handed and killed them all.

19 It was by such feats that he earned a reputation equal to The Three, though he was not actually one of them. But he was the greatest of The Thirty--the top-ranking officers of the army--and was their leader.

20 There was also Benaiah (son of Jehoiada), a heroic soldier from Kabzeel. Benaiah killed two giants, sons of Ariel of Moab. Another time he went down into a pit and, despite the slippery snow on the ground, took on a lion that was caught there and killed it.

21 Another time, armed only with a staff, he killed an Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear; he wrenched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with it.

22 These were some of the deeds that gave Benaiah almost as much renown as the Top Three.

23 He was one of the greatest of The Thirty, but was not actually one of the Top Three. And David made him chief of his bodyguard.

24 Asahel, the brother of Joab, was also one of The Thirty. Others were: Elhanan (son of Dodo) from Bethlehem;

25 Shammah from Harod; Elika from Harod;

26 Helez from Palti; Ira (son of Ikkesh) from Tekoa;

27 Abiezer from Anathoth; Mebunnai from Hushath;

28 Zalmon from Ahoh; Maharai from Netophah;

29 Heleb (son of Baanah) from Netophah; Ittai (son of Ribai) from Gibeah, of the tribe of Benjamin;

30 Benaiah of Pirathon; Hiddai from the brooks of Gaash;

31 Abi-albon from Arbath; Azmaveth from Bahurim;

32 Eliahba from Shaalbon; The sons of Jashen; Jonathan;

33 Shammah from Harar; Ahiam (the son of Sharar) from Harar;

34 Eliphelet (son of Ahasbai) from Maacah; Eliam (the son of Ahithophel) from Gilo;

35 Hezro from Carmel; Paarai from Arba;

36 Igal (son of Nathan) from Zobah; Bani from Gad;

37 Zelek from Ammon; Naharai from Beeroth, the armor-bearer of Joab (son of Zeruiah);

38 Ira from Ithra; Gareb from Ithra;

39 Uriah the Hittite--thirty-seven in all.

24

1 Once again the anger of the Lord flared against Israel, and he caused David to harm them by taking a national census. "Go and count the people of Israel and Judah," the Lord told him.

2 So the king said to Joab, commander-in-chief of his army, "Take a census of all the people from one end of the nation to the other, so that I will know how many of them there are."

3 But Joab replied, "God grant that you will live to see the day when there will be a hundred times as many people in your kingdom as there are now! But you have no right to rejoice in their strength."

4 But the king's command overcame Joab's remonstrance; so Joab and the other army officers went out to count the people of Israel.

5 First they crossed the Jordan and camped at Aroer, south of the city that lies in the middle of the valley of Gad, near Jazer;

6 then they went to Gilead in the land of Tahtim-hodshi and to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon;

7 and then to the stronghold of Tyre, and all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites, and south to Judah as far as Beersheba.

8 Having gone through the entire land, they completed their task in nine months and twenty days.

9 And Joab reported the number of the people to the king--800,000 men of conscription age in Israel and 500,000 in Judah.

10 But after he had taken the census, David's conscience began to bother him, and he said to the Lord, "What I did was very wrong. Please forgive this foolish wickedness of mine."

11 The next morning the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, who was David's contact with God. The Lord said to Gad,

12 "Tell David that I will give him three choices."

13 So Gad came to David and asked him, "Will you choose seven years of famine across the land, or to flee for three months before your enemies, or to submit to three days of plague? Think this over and let me know what answer to give to God."

14 "This is a hard decision," David replied, "but it is better to fall into the hand of the Lord (for his mercy is great) than into the hands of men."

15 So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel that morning, and it lasted for three days; and seventy thousand men died throughout the nation.

16 But as the death angel was preparing to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord was sorry for what was happening and told him to stop. He was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite at the time.

17 When David saw the angel, he said to the Lord, "Look, I am the one who has sinned! What have these sheep done? Let your anger be only against me and my family."

18 That day Gad came to David and said to him, "Go and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite."

19 So David went to do what the Lord had commanded him.

20 When Araunah saw the king and his men coming toward him, he came forward and fell flat on the ground with his face in the dust.

21 "Why have you come?" Araunah asked. And David replied, "To buy your threshing floor, so that I can build an altar to the Lord, and he will stop the plague."

22 "Use anything you like," Araunah told the king. "Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and you can use the threshing instruments and ox yokes for wood to build a fire on the altar.

23 I will give it all to you, and may the Lord God accept your sacrifice."

24 But the king said to Araunah, "No, I will not have it as a gift. I will buy it, for I don't want to offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that have cost me nothing." So David paid him for the threshing floor and the oxen.

25 And David built an altar there to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And the Lord answered his prayer, and the plague was stopped.