2 Samuel 7-9

Common English Bible

God’s promise to David

7 When the king was settled in his palace,^[a] and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, ² the king said to the prophet Nathan, “Look! I’m living in a cedar palace, but God’s chest is housed in a tent!”^[b]

³ Nathan said to the king, “Go ahead and do whatever you are thinking, because the Lord is with you.”

⁴ But that very night the Lord’s word came to Nathan: ⁵ Go to my servant David and tell him: This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build the temple for me to live in. ⁶ In fact, I haven’t lived in a temple from the day I brought Israel out of Egypt until now. Instead, I have been traveling around in a tent and in a dwelling. ⁷ Throughout my traveling around with the Israelites, did I ever ask any of Israel’s tribal leaders I appointed to shepherd my people: Why haven’t you built me a cedar temple?

⁸ So then, say this to my servant David: This is what the Lord of heavenly forces says: I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to be leader over my people Israel. ⁹ I’ve been with you wherever you’ve gone, and I’ve eliminated all your enemies before you. Now I will make your name great—like the name of the greatest people on earth. ¹⁰ I’m going to provide a place for my people Israel, and plant them so that they may live there and no longer be disturbed. Cruel people will no longer trouble them, as they had been earlier, ¹¹ when I appointed leaders over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies.

And the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make a dynasty for you. ¹² When the time comes for you to die and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your descendant—one of your very own children—to succeed you, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He will build a temple for my name, and I will establish his royal throne forever. ¹⁴ I will be a father to him, and he will be a son to me. Whenever he does wrong, I will discipline him with a human rod, with blows from human beings. ¹⁵ But I will never take my faithful love away from him like I took it away from Saul, whom I set aside in favor of you. ¹⁶ Your dynasty and your kingdom will be secured forever before me.^[c] Your throne will be established forever.

¹⁷ Nathan reported all of these words and this entire vision to David.

David’s prayer

¹⁸ Then King David went and sat in the Lord’s presence. He asked:

David’s wars

8 Some time later, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them. David captured Metheg-ammah from Philistine control.

² David also defeated the Moabites and made them lie on the ground, measuring them with a rope. He measured two rope lengths for those who were to be killed and one rope length for those who were to be spared. The Moabites became David’s subjects and brought him tribute.

³ Next David defeated Zobah’s King Hadadezer, Rehob’s son, as Hadadezer was on his way to put^[g] his monument along the Euphrates River.^{[h] 4} David captured one thousand chariots, seven hundred charioteers,^[i] and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He cut the hamstrings of all but one hundred of the chariot horses. ⁵ When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Zobah’s King Hadadezer, David killed twenty-two thousand of them. ⁶ David set up forts among the Arameans of Damascus. And the Arameans became David’s subjects and brought him tribute. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went. ⁷ David took the gold shields carried by Hadadezer’s servants and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ King David also took a large amount of bronze from Tebah^[j] and Berothai, towns that belonged to Hadadezer.

⁹ When Hamath’s King Toi heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, ¹⁰ he sent his son Joram to King David to wish him well and congratulate him on his battle and defeat of Hadadezer, because Toi was an enemy of Hadadezer. Joram brought silver, gold, and bronze objects with him. ¹¹ King David dedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold he had dedicated from all the nations that he had subdued: ¹² Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek, including the plunder of Zobah’s King Hadadezer, Rehob’s son.

¹³ So David made a name for himself.^[k] When he returned, he killed eighteen thousand Edomites^[l] in the Salt Valley. ¹⁴ He set up forts in Edom,^[m] and all the Edomites became David’s subjects. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.

David’s administration

¹⁵ David ruled over all Israel and maintained justice and righteousness for all his people. ¹⁶ Zeruiah’s son Joab was in command of the army; Ahilud’s son Jehoshaphat was recorder; ¹⁷ Ahitub’s son Zadok and Ahimelech’s son^[n] Abiathar were priests; Seraiah was secretary; ¹⁸ Jehoiada’s son Benaiah was in command of^[o] the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were priests.

David and Mephibosheth

9 David asked, “Is there anyone from Saul’s family still alive that I could show faithful love for Jonathan’s sake?” ² There was a servant from Saul’s household named Ziba, and he was summoned before David.

“Are you Ziba?” the king asked him.

“At your service!” he answered.

³ The king asked, “Is there anyone left from Saul’s family that I could show God’s kindness to?”

“Yes,” Ziba said to the king, “one of Jonathan’s sons, whose feet are crippled.”

⁴ “Where is he?” the king asked.

“He is at the house of Ammiel’s son Machir at Lo-debar,” Ziba told the king.

⁵ So King David had him brought from the house of Ammiel’s son Machir at Lo-debar. ⁶ Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son and Saul’s grandson, came to David, and he fell to the ground, bowing low out of respect.

“Mephibosheth?” David said.

“Yes,” he replied. “I am at your service!”

⁷ “Don’t be afraid,” David told him, “because I will certainly show you faithful love for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the fields of your grandfather Saul, and you will eat at my table always.”

⁸ Mephibosheth bowed low out of respect and said, “Who am I, your servant, that you should care about a dead dog like me?”

⁹ Then David summoned Saul’s servant Ziba and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything belonging to Saul and his family. ¹⁰ You will work the land for him—you, your sons, and your servants—and you will bring food into your master’s house for them to eat.^[p] But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, will always be at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)

¹¹ Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do whatever my master the king commands.”

So Mephibosheth ate at David’s^[q] table, like one of the king’s own sons. ¹² Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica. All who lived in Ziba’s household became Mephibosheth’s servants. ¹³ Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table. He was crippled in both feet.