2 Samuel 4-7

New American Standard Bible

Ish-bosheth Murdered

4 Now when ^[a]Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, heard that ^(A)Abner had died in Hebron, ^[b](B)his courage failed, and all Israel was horrified. ² And Saul’s son had two men who were commanders of troops: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the sons of Benjamin (for ^(C)Beeroth is also considered ^(D)part of Benjamin, ³ and the Beerothites fled to ^(E)Gittaim and have lived there as strangers until this day).

⁴ Now ^(F)Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was disabled in both feet. He was five years old when the ^(G)news of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse picked him up and fled. But it happened that in her hurry to flee, he fell and could no longer walk. And his name was ^[c](H)Mephibosheth.

⁵ So the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, departed and came to the house of ^(I)Ish-bosheth in the heat of the day, while he was taking his midday rest. ^6 [d]And they came to the interior of the house as if ^[e]to get wheat, and ^(J)they struck him in the belly; and Rechab and his brother Baanah escaped. ⁷ Now when they had come into the house, as he was lying on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him and killed him, and they beheaded him. And they took his head and ^[f](K)traveled by way of the Arabah all night. ⁸ Then they brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron, and said to the king, “Behold, the head of Ish-bosheth ^(L)the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life; so the Lord has given my lord the king vengeance this day on Saul and his ^[g]descendants.”

⁹ But David replied to Rechab and his brother Baanah, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As the Lord lives, ^(M)who has redeemed my life from all distress, ^10 (N)when the one who informed me, saying, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ also ^[h]viewed himself as the bearer of good news, I seized him and killed him in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news. ¹¹ How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now ^(O)require his blood from your hands and eliminate you both from the earth?” ¹² Then ^(P)David commanded the young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and feet, and hung them up beside the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth ^(Q)and buried it in the grave of Abner in Hebron.

David King over All Israel

5 ^(R)Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and ^[i]said, “Behold, we are ^(S)your bone and your flesh. ² Previously, when Saul was king over us, ^(T)you were the one who led Israel ^[j]out and in. And the Lord said to you, ‘^(U)You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ^(V)a leader over Israel.’” ³ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David ^(W)made a covenant with them before the Lord in Hebron; then ^(X)they anointed David king over Israel. ⁴ David was ^(Y)thirty years old when he became king, and ^(Z)he reigned for forty years. ⁵ At Hebron ^(AA)he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned for thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

^6 (AB)Now the king and his men went to ^(AC)Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land; and they said to ^[k]David, “You shall not come in here, but even those who are blind and those who limp will turn you away,” ^[l]thinking, “David cannot enter here.” ⁷ Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion, that is, ^(AD)the city of David. ⁸ And David said on that day, “Whoever strikes the Jebusites is to reach those who limp and those who are blind, who are hated by David’s soul, through the water tunnel.” For that reason they say, “People who are blind and people who limp shall not come into the house.” ⁹ So David lived in the stronghold, and called it ^(AE)the city of David. And David built all around from the ^[m](AF)Millo and inward. ^10 (AG)David became greater and greater, for the Lord God of armies was with him.

^11 (AH)Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees, carpenters, and ^[n]stonemasons; and ^(AI)they built a house for David. ¹² And David realized that the Lord had appointed him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

¹³ Meanwhile ^(AJ)David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron; and more sons and daughters were born to David. ¹⁴ Now ^(AK)these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ¹⁵ Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ¹⁶ Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

War with the Philistines

¹⁷ Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, ^(AL)all the Philistines went up to seek out David; and when David heard about it, he went down to the ^(AM)stronghold. ¹⁸ Now the Philistines came and overran ^(AN)the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹ So ^(AO)David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You hand them over to me?” And ^(AP)the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly hand the Philistines over to you.” ²⁰ Then David came to ^(AQ)Baal-perazim and ^[o]defeated them there; and he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like the breakthrough of waters.” Therefore he named that place ^[p]Baal-perazim. ²¹ And the Philistines abandoned their idols there, so ^(AR)David and his men carried them away.

²² Now ^(AS)the Philistines came up once again and overran the Valley of Rephaim. ²³ So ^(AT)David inquired of the Lord, but He said, “You shall not go directly up; circle around behind them and come at them in front of the baka-shrubs. ²⁴ And it shall be, when ^(AU)you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the baka-shrubs, then you shall ^[q]act promptly, for then ^(AV)the Lord will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.” ²⁵ Then David did so, just as the Lord had commanded him; he struck and killed the Philistines from ^[r](AW)Geba ^[s]as far as ^(AX)Gezer.

Peril in Moving the Ark

6 ^(AY)Now David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. ² And David ^[t]departed from ^[u](AZ)Baale-judah, with all the people who were with him, to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the ^(BA)Name, the very name of the Lord of armies who ^(BB)is ^[v]enthroned above the cherubim. ³ They had mounted the ark of God on ^(BC)a new cart and moved it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were leading the new cart. ⁴ So ^(BD)they brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Ahio was walking ahead of the ark. ⁵ Meanwhile, David and all the house of Israel ^(BE)were celebrating before the Lord ^(BF)with all kinds of instruments made of juniper wood, and with ^[w]lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

⁶ But when they came to the ^(BG)threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah ^(BH)reached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, because the oxen nearly overturned it. ⁷ And the anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah, and ^(BI)God struck him down there for ^[x]his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God. ⁸ Then David became angry because ^[y]of the Lord’s outburst against Uzzah; and that place has been called ^[z]Perez-uzzah to this day. ⁹ So ^(BJ)David was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” ¹⁰ And David was unwilling to move the ark of the Lord into the city of David with him; but David took it aside to the house of ^(BK)Obed-edom, the Gittite. ¹¹ The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord ^(BL)blessed Obed-edom and all his household.

The Ark Is Brought to Jerusalem

¹² Now it was reported to King David, saying, “The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, on account of the ark of God.” ^(BM)So David went and brought the ark of God up from the house of Obed-edom to ^(BN)the city of David with joy. ¹³ And so it was, that ^[aa]when ^(BO)those carrying the ark of the Lord marched six paces, he sacrificed an ^(BP)ox and a fattened steer. ¹⁴ And ^(BQ)David was dancing before the Lord with all his strength, and David was ^(BR)wearing a linen ephod. ¹⁵ So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with joyful shouting and the sound of the trumpet.

¹⁶ Then it happened, as the ark of the Lord was coming into the city of David, that ^(BS)Michal the daughter of Saul looked down through the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she was contemptuous of him in her heart.

¹⁷ Now they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it ^(BT)in its place inside the tent which David had pitched for it; and ^(BU)David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. ¹⁸ When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace offerings, ^(BV)he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of armies. ¹⁹ Further, he distributed to all the people, to all the multitude of Israel, both to men and women, a cake of bread, one of dates, and one of raisins to each one. Then all the people left, each to his house.

²⁰ But when David returned to bless his own household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel dignified himself today! For ^(BW)he exposed himself today in the sight of his servants’ female slaves, as one of the ^(BX)rabble shamelessly exposes himself!” ²¹ But David said to Michal, “^(BY)I was before the Lord, who preferred me to your father and to all his house, to appoint me as ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel. So I will ^[ab]celebrate before the Lord! ²² And I might demean myself even more than this and be lowly in my own sight, but with the female slaves of whom you have spoken, with them I am to be held in honor!” ²³ And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

David Plans to Build a Temple

7 ^(BZ)Now it came about, when the king lived in his house, and the Lord had given him rest on every side from all his enemies, ² that the king said to ^(CA)Nathan the prophet, “See now, I live in ^(CB)a house of cedar, but the ark of God ^(CC)remains within the tent.” ³ Nathan said to the king, “^(CD)Go, do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you.”

⁴ But in the same night, the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, ⁵ “Go and say to My servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: “^(CE)Should you build Me a house for My dwelling? ⁶ For ^(CF)I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; rather, I have been moving about ^(CG)in a tent, that is, in a dwelling place. ^7 (CH)Wherever I have gone with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel, ^(CI)whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’”’

God’s Covenant with David

⁸ Now then, this is what you shall say to My servant David: ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “^(CJ)I Myself took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, ^(CK)to be leader over My people Israel. ⁹ And ^(CL)I have been with you wherever you have gone, and ^(CM)have eliminated all your enemies from you; I will also make a great name for you, like the names of the great men who ^[ac]are on the earth. ¹⁰ And I will establish a place for My people Israel, and ^(CN)will plant them, so that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, ^(CO)nor will ^[ad]malicious people oppress them anymore as previously, ¹¹ even ^(CP)from the day that I appointed judges over My people Israel; and ^(CQ)I will give you rest from all your enemies. The Lord also declares to you that ^(CR)the Lord will make a house for you. ^12 (CS)When your days are finished and you ^[ae](CT)lie down with your fathers, ^(CU)I will raise up your ^[af]descendant after you, who will come from ^[ag]you, and I will establish his kingdom. ^13 (CV)He shall build a house for My name, and ^(CW)I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ^14 (CX)I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; ^(CY)when he does wrong, I will discipline him with a rod of men and with strokes of sons of mankind, ¹⁵ but My favor shall not depart from him, ^(CZ)as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from you. ^16 (DA)Your house and your kingdom shall endure before ^[ah]Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”’” ¹⁷ In accordance with all these words and all of this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

David’s Prayer

¹⁸ Then David the king came in and sat before the Lord, and he said, “^(DB)Who am I, Lord ^[ai]God, and who are the members of my household, that You have brought me this far? ¹⁹ And yet this was insignificant in Your eyes, Lord God, ^(DC)for You have spoken also of the house of Your servant regarding the distant future. And ^(DD)this is the ^[aj]custom of mankind, Lord God. ²⁰ Again what more can David say to You? For ^(DE)You know Your servant, Lord God! ^21 (DF)For the sake of Your word, and according to Your heart, You have done all this greatness, to let Your servant know. ²² For this reason ^(DG)You are great, Lord God; for ^(DH)there is no one like You, and there is no God except You, ^(DI)according to all that we have heard with our ears. ²³ And ^(DJ)what one nation on the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, and to make a name for Himself, and ^(DK)to do a great thing for You and awesome things for Your land, ^[ak]because of ^(DL)Your people whom ^(DM)You have redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, from other nations and their gods? ²⁴ For ^(DN)You have established for Yourself Your people Israel as Your own people forever, and ^(DO)You, Lord, have become their God. ²⁵ Now then, Lord God, the word that You have spoken about Your servant and his house, confirm it forever, and do just as You have spoken, ^26 (DP)so that Your name may be great forever, by saying, ‘The Lord of armies is God over Israel’; and may the house of Your servant David be established before You. ²⁷ For You, Lord of armies, God of Israel, have ^[al]given a revelation to Your servant, saying, ‘^(DQ)I will build you a house’; therefore Your servant has found ^[am]courage to pray this prayer to You. ²⁸ Now then, Lord God, You are God, and ^(DR)Your words are truth; and You have ^[an]promised this good thing to Your servant. ²⁹ And now, may ^[ao]it please You to bless the house of Your servant, so that it may continue forever before You. For You, Lord God, have spoken; and ^[ap](DS)with Your blessing may the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”