Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options Listen to 2 Samuel 4-6
Close NKJV

2 Samuel 4-6
New King James Version

Ishbosheth Is Murdered

4 When Saul’s [a]son heard that Abner had died in Hebron, (A)he[b] lost heart, and all Israel was (B)troubled. 2 Now Saul’s son had two men who were captains of troops. The name of one was Baanah and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin. (For (C)Beeroth also was [c]part of Benjamin, 3 because the Beerothites fled to (D)Gittaim and have been sojourners there until this day.)

4 (E)Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came (F)from Jezreel; and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. His name was (G)Mephibosheth.[d]

5 Then the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out and came at about the heat of the day to the (H)house of Ishbosheth, who was lying on his bed at noon. 6 And they came there, all the way into the house, as though to get wheat, and they [e]stabbed him (I)in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. 7 For when they came into the house, he was lying on his bed in his bedroom; then they struck him and killed him, beheaded him and took his head, and were all night escaping through the plain. 8 And they brought the head of Ishbosheth to David at Hebron, and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul your enemy, (J)who sought your life; and the Lord has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul and his descendants.”

9 But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As the Lord lives, (K)who has redeemed my life from all adversity, 10 when (L)someone told me, saying, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ thinking to have brought good news, I arrested him and had him executed in Ziklag—the one who thought I would give him a reward for his news. 11 How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous person in his own house on his bed? Therefore, shall I not now (M)require his [f]blood at your hand and [g]remove you from the earth?” 12 So David (N)commanded his young men, and they executed them, cut off their hands and feet, and hanged them by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it in the (O)tomb of Abner in Hebron.

David Reigns over All Israel(P)

5 Then all the tribes of Israel (Q)came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, “Indeed (R)we are your bone and your flesh. 2 Also, in time past, when Saul was king over us, (S)you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord said to you, (T)‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over Israel.’ ” 3 (U)Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, (V)and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron (W)before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was (X)thirty years old when he began to reign, and (Y)he reigned forty years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah (Z)seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

The Conquest of Jerusalem(AA)

6 (AB)And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against (AC)the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, “You shall not come in here; but the blind and the lame will repel you,” thinking, “David cannot come in here.” 7 Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (AD)(that is, the City of David).

8 Now David said on that day, “Whoever climbs up by way of the water shaft and defeats the Jebusites (the lame and the blind, who are hated by David’s soul), (AE)he shall be chief and captain.” Therefore they say, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.”

9 Then David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it (AF)the City of David. And David built all around from [h]the Millo and inward. 10 So David went on and became great, and (AG)the Lord God of hosts was with (AH)him.

11 Then (AI)Hiram (AJ)king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters and masons. And they built David a house. 12 So David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, and that He had (AK)exalted His kingdom (AL)for the sake of His people Israel.

13 And (AM)David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he had come from Hebron. Also more sons and daughters were born to David. 14 Now (AN)these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: [i]Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, (AO)Solomon, 15 Ibhar, [j]Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

The Philistines Defeated(AP)

17 (AQ)Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it (AR)and went down to the stronghold. 18 The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in (AS)the Valley of Rephaim. 19 So David (AT)inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?”

And the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand.”

20 So David went to (AU)Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water.” Therefore he called the name of that place [k]Baal Perazim. 21 And they left their [l]images there, and David and his men (AV)carried them away.

22 (AW)Then the Philistines went up once again and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. 23 Therefore (AX)David inquired of the Lord, and He said, “You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. 24 And it shall be, when you (AY)hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then (AZ)the Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” 25 And David did so, as the Lord commanded him; and he drove back the Philistines from (BA)Geba[m] as far as (BB)Gezer.

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem(BC)

6 Again David gathered all the choice men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 And (BD)David arose and went with all the people who were with him from [n]Baale Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, whose name is called [o]by the Name, the Lord of Hosts, (BE)who dwells between the cherubim. 3 So they set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on (BF)the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new [p]cart. 4 And they brought it out of (BG)the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill, accompanying the ark of God; and Ahio went before the ark. 5 Then David and all the house of Israel (BH)played music before the Lord on all kinds of instruments of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals.

6 And when they came to (BI)Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his (BJ)hand to the ark of God and [q]took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7 Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his [r]error; and he died there by the ark of God. 8 And David became angry because of the Lord’s outbreak against Uzzah; and he called the name of the place [s]Perez Uzzah to this day.

9 (BK)David was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” 10 So David would not move the ark of the Lord with him into the (BL)City of David; but David took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the (BM)Gittite. 11 (BN)The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. And the Lord (BO)blessed Obed-Edom and all his household.

12 Now it was told King David, saying, “The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” (BP)So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness. 13 And so it was, when (BQ)those bearing the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, that he sacrificed (BR)oxen and fatted sheep. 14 Then David (BS)danced[t] before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing (BT)a linen ephod. 15 (BU)So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.

16 Now as the ark of the Lord came into the City of David, (BV)Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart. 17 So (BW)they brought the ark of the Lord, and set it in (BX)its place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then David (BY)offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 18 And when David had finished offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, (BZ)he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts. 19 (CA)Then he distributed among all the people, among the whole multitude of Israel, both the women and the men, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins. So all the people departed, everyone to his house.

20 (CB)Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, “How glorious was the king of Israel today, (CC)uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the (CD)base fellows [u]shamelessly uncovers himself!”

21 So David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, (CE)who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the (CF)people of the Lord, over Israel. Therefore I will play music before the Lord. 22 And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor.”

23 Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no children (CG)to the day of her death.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 4:1 Ishbosheth
  2. 2 Samuel 4:1 Lit. his hands dropped
  3. 2 Samuel 4:2 considered part of
  4. 2 Samuel 4:4 Merib-Baal, 1 Chr. 8:34; 9:40
  5. 2 Samuel 4:6 Lit. struck
  6. 2 Samuel 4:11 Or bloodshed
  7. 2 Samuel 4:11 Lit. consume you
  8. 2 Samuel 5:9 Lit. The Landfill
  9. 2 Samuel 5:14 Shimea, 1 Chr. 3:5
  10. 2 Samuel 5:15 Elishama, 1 Chr. 3:6
  11. 2 Samuel 5:20 Lit. Master of Breakthroughs
  12. 2 Samuel 5:21 idols
  13. 2 Samuel 5:25 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; LXX Gibeon
  14. 2 Samuel 6:2 Baalah, Kirjath Jearim, Josh. 15:9; 1 Chr. 13:6
  15. 2 Samuel 6:2 LXX, Tg., Vg. omit by the Name; many Heb. mss., Syr. there
  16. 2 Samuel 6:3 LXX adds with the ark
  17. 2 Samuel 6:6 held it
  18. 2 Samuel 6:7 Or irreverence
  19. 2 Samuel 6:8 Lit. Outburst Against Uzzah
  20. 2 Samuel 6:14 whirled about
  21. 2 Samuel 6:20 openly
Listen to 2 Samuel 4-6
Close NIV

2 Samuel 4-6
New International Version

Ish-Bosheth Murdered

4 When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner(A) had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed. 2 Now Saul’s son had two men who were leaders of raiding bands. One was named Baanah and the other Rekab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite from the tribe of Benjamin—Beeroth(B) is considered part of Benjamin, 3 because the people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim(C) and have resided there as foreigners to this day.

4 (Jonathan(D) son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news(E) about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became disabled.(F) His name was Mephibosheth.)(G)

5 Now Rekab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out for the house of Ish-Bosheth,(H) and they arrived there in the heat of the day while he was taking his noonday rest.(I) 6 They went into the inner part of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed(J) him in the stomach. Then Rekab and his brother Baanah slipped away.

7 They had gone into the house while he was lying on the bed in his bedroom. After they stabbed and killed him, they cut off his head. Taking it with them, they traveled all night by way of the Arabah.(K) 8 They brought the head(L) of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul,(M) your enemy, who tried to kill you. This day the Lord has avenged(N) my lord the king against Saul and his offspring.”

9 David answered Rekab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered(O) me out of every trouble, 10 when someone told me, ‘Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag.(P) That was the reward I gave him for his news! 11 How much more—when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed—should I not now demand his blood(Q) from your hand and rid the earth of you!”

12 So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them.(R) They cut off their hands and feet and hung the bodies by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in Abner’s tomb at Hebron.

David Becomes King Over Israel(S)

5 All the tribes of Israel(T) came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood.(U) 2 In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns.(V) And the Lord said(W) to you, ‘You will shepherd(X) my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.(Y)’”

3 When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a covenant(Z) with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed(AA) David king over Israel.

4 David was thirty years old(AB) when he became king, and he reigned(AC) forty(AD) years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months,(AE) and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

David Conquers Jerusalem(AF)(AG)

6 The king and his men marched to Jerusalem(AH) to attack the Jebusites,(AI) who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, “You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off.” They thought, “David cannot get in here.” 7 Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion(AJ)—which is the City of David.(AK)

8 On that day David had said, “Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft(AL) to reach those ‘lame and blind’(AM) who are David’s enemies.[a]” That is why they say, “The ‘blind and lame’ will not enter the palace.”

9 David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the terraces[b](AN) inward. 10 And he became more and more powerful,(AO) because the Lord God Almighty(AP) was with him.(AQ)

11 Now Hiram(AR) king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David. 12 Then David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom(AS) for the sake of his people Israel.

13 After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives(AT) in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him. 14 These are the names of the children born to him there:(AU) Shammua, Shobab, Nathan,(AV) Solomon, 15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.

David Defeats the Philistines(AW)

17 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold.(AX) 18 Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim;(AY) 19 so David inquired(AZ) of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?”

The Lord answered him, “Go, for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hands.”

20 So David went to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, “As waters break out, the Lord has broken out against my enemies before me.” So that place was called Baal Perazim.[c](BA) 21 The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them off.(BB)

22 Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; 23 so David inquired of the Lord, and he answered, “Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the poplar trees. 24 As soon as you hear the sound(BC) of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front(BD) of you to strike the Philistine army.” 25 So David did as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines(BE) all the way from Gibeon[d](BF) to Gezer.(BG)

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem(BH)(BI)

6 David again brought together all the able young men of Israel—thirty thousand. 2 He and all his men went to Baalah[e](BJ) in Judah to bring up from there the ark(BK) of God, which is called by the Name,[f](BL) the name of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned(BM) between the cherubim(BN) on the ark. 3 They set the ark of God on a new cart(BO) and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill.(BP) Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart 4 with the ark of God on it,[g] and Ahio was walking in front of it. 5 David and all Israel were celebrating(BQ) with all their might before the Lord, with castanets,[h] harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals.(BR)

6 When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of(BS) the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. 7 The Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act;(BT) therefore God struck him down,(BU) and he died there beside the ark of God.

8 Then David was angry because the Lord’s wrath(BV) had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.[i](BW)

9 David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, “How(BX) can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?” 10 He was not willing to take the ark of the Lord to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom(BY) the Gittite. 11 The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed him and his entire household.(BZ)

12 Now King David(CA) was told, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went to bring 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, he sacrificed(CB) a bull and a fattened calf. 14 Wearing a linen ephod,(CC) David was dancing(CD) before the Lord with all his might, 15 while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts(CE) and the sound of trumpets.(CF)

16 As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David,(CG) Michal(CH) daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.

17 They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it,(CI) and David sacrificed burnt offerings(CJ) and fellowship offerings before the Lord. 18 After he had finished sacrificing(CK) the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed(CL) the people in the name of the Lord Almighty. 19 Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins(CM) to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women.(CN) And all the people went to their homes.

20 When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked(CO) in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!”

21 David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed(CP) me ruler(CQ) over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord. 22 I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.”

23 And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 5:8 Or are hated by David
  2. 2 Samuel 5:9 Or the Millo
  3. 2 Samuel 5:20 Baal Perazim means the lord who breaks out.
  4. 2 Samuel 5:25 Septuagint (see also 1 Chron. 14:16); Hebrew Geba
  5. 2 Samuel 6:2 That is, Kiriath Jearim (see 1 Chron. 13:6)
  6. 2 Samuel 6:2 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate do not have the Name.
  7. 2 Samuel 6:4 Dead Sea Scrolls and some Septuagint manuscripts; Masoretic Text cart 4 and they brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill
  8. 2 Samuel 6:5 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint (see also 1 Chron. 13:8) songs
  9. 2 Samuel 6:8 Perez Uzzah means outbreak against Uzzah.
Next
2 Samuel 3
2 Samuel 7
Next
dropdown
New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Learn the Bible in 30 days
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.

July Summer Surge

More on the NIV