David Anointed King

16 Now the Lord said to Samuel, ^(A)“How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? ^(B)Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to ^(C)Jesse the Bethlehemite. For ^(D)I have ^[a]provided Myself a king among his sons.”

² And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.”

But the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ^(E)‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ ³ Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint for Me the one I name to you.”

⁴ So Samuel did what the Lord said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town ^(F)trembled at his coming, and said, ^(G)“Do you come peaceably?”

⁵ And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. ^(H)Sanctify^[b] yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.

⁶ So it was, when they came, that he looked at ^(I)Eliab and ^(J)said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!”

⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, ^(K)“Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have ^[c]refused him. ^(L)For^[d] the Lord does not see as man sees; for man ^(M)looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the ^(N)heart.”

⁸ So Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” ⁹ Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.” ¹⁰ Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” ¹¹ And Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the ^(O)sheep.”

And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not ^[e]sit down till he comes here.” ¹² So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ^(P)ruddy, ^(Q)with ^[f]bright eyes, and good-looking. ^(R)And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” ¹³ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and ^(S)the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

A Distressing Spirit Troubles Saul

^14 (T)But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and ^(U)a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him. ¹⁵ And Saul’s servants said to him, “Surely, a distressing spirit from God is troubling you. ¹⁶ Let our master now command your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player on the harp. And it shall be that he will ^(V)play it with his hand when the ^[g]distressing spirit from God is upon you, and you shall be well.”

¹⁷ So Saul said to his servants, ^[h]“Provide me now a man who can play well, and bring him to me.”

¹⁸ Then one of the servants answered and said, “Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and ^(W)the Lord is with him.”

¹⁹ Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.” ²⁰ And Jesse ^(X)took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine, and a young goat, and sent them by his son David to Saul. ²¹ So David came to Saul and ^(Y)stood before him. And he loved him greatly, and he became his armorbearer. ²² Then Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.” ²³ And so it was, whenever the spirit from God was upon Saul, that David would take a harp and play it with his hand. Then Saul would become refreshed and well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him.

David and Goliath

17 Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered at ^(Z)Sochoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim. ² And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the Philistines. ³ The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them.

⁴ And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named ^(AA)Goliath, from ^(AB)Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. ⁵ He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was ^[i]armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. ⁶ And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. ⁷ Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him. ⁸ Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, “Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the ^(AC)servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. ⁹ If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and ^(AD)serve us.” ¹⁰ And the Philistine said, “I ^(AE)defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.” ¹¹ When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.

¹² Now David was ^(AF)the son of that ^(AG)Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse, and who had ^(AH)eight sons. And the man was old, advanced in years, in the days of Saul. ¹³ The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to the battle. The ^(AI)names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. ¹⁴ David was the youngest. And the three oldest followed Saul. ¹⁵ But David occasionally went and returned from Saul ^(AJ)to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.

¹⁶ And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening.

¹⁷ Then Jesse said to his son David, “Take now for your brothers an ephah of this dried grain and these ten loaves, and run to your brothers at the camp. ¹⁸ And carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and ^(AK)see how your brothers fare, and bring back news of them.” ¹⁹ Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.

²⁰ So David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, and took the things and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the camp as the army was going out to the fight and shouting for the battle. ²¹ For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, army against army. ²² And David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers. ²³ Then as he talked with them, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines; and he spoke ^(AL)according to the same words. So David heard them. ²⁴ And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. ²⁵ So the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, ^(AM)will give him his daughter, and give his father’s house exemption from taxes in Israel.”

²⁶ Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away ^(AN)the reproach from Israel? For who is this ^(AO)uncircumcised Philistine, that he should ^(AP)defy the armies of ^(AQ)the living God?”

²⁷ And the people answered him in this manner, saying, ^(AR)“So shall it be done for the man who kills him.”

²⁸ Now Eliab his oldest brother heard when he spoke to the men; and Eliab’s ^(AS)anger was aroused against David, and he said, “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your pride and the insolence of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.”

²⁹ And David said, “What have I done now? ^(AT)Is^[j] there not a cause?” ³⁰ Then he turned from him toward another and ^(AU)said the same thing; and these people answered him as the first ones did.

³¹ Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul; and he sent for him. ³² Then David said to Saul, ^(AV)“Let no man’s heart fail because of him; ^(AW)your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”

³³ And Saul said to David, ^(AX)“You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”

³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a ^(AY)lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, ³⁵ I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.” ³⁷ Moreover David said, ^(AZ)“The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.”

And Saul said to David, ^(BA)“Go, and the Lord be with you!”

³⁸ So Saul clothed David with his ^[k]armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. ³⁹ David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them.” So David took them off.

⁴⁰ Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. ⁴¹ So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. ⁴² And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he ^(BB)disdained^[l] him; for he was only a youth, ^(BC)ruddy and good-looking. ⁴³ So the Philistine ^(BD)said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ And the Philistine ^(BE)said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”

⁴⁵ Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. ^(BF)But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have ^(BG)defied. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give ^(BH)the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, ^(BI)that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord ^(BJ)does not save with sword and spear; for ^(BK)the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”

⁴⁸ So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ^(BL)ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. ⁴⁹ Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. ⁵⁰ So David prevailed over the Philistine with a ^(BM)sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. ⁵¹ Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his ^(BN)sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it.

And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, ^(BO)they fled. ⁵² Now the men of Israel and Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines as far as the entrance of ^[m]the valley and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell along the road to ^(BP)Shaaraim, even as far as Gath and Ekron. ⁵³ Then the children of Israel returned from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their tents. ⁵⁴ And David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.

⁵⁵ When Saul saw David going out against the Philistine, he said to ^(BQ)Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, ^(BR)whose son is this youth?”

And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.”

⁵⁶ So the king said, “Inquire whose son this young man is.”

⁵⁷ Then, as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul ^(BS)with the head of the Philistine in his hand. ⁵⁸ And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?”

So David answered, ^(BT)“I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

Saul Resents David

18 Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, ^(BU)the ^[n]soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, ^(BV)and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. ² Saul took him that day, ^(BW)and would not let him go home to his father’s house anymore. ³ Then Jonathan and David made a ^(BX)covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. ⁴ And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.

⁵ So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and ^[o]behaved wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants. ⁶ Now it had happened as they were coming home, when David was returning from the slaughter of the ^[p]Philistine, that ^(BY)the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments. ⁷ So the women ^(BZ)sang as they danced, and said:

⁸ Then Saul was very angry, and the saying ^(CB)displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but ^(CC)the kingdom?” ⁹ So Saul ^[q]eyed David from that day forward.

¹⁰ And it happened on the next day that ^(CD)the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, ^(CE)and he prophesied inside the house. So David ^(CF)played music with his hand, as at other times; ^(CG)but there was a spear in Saul’s hand. ¹¹ And Saul ^(CH)cast the spear, for he said, “I will pin David to the wall!” But David escaped his presence twice.

¹² Now Saul was ^(CI)afraid of David, because ^(CJ)the Lord was with him, but had ^(CK)departed from Saul. ¹³ Therefore Saul removed him from ^[r]his presence, and made him his captain over a thousand; and ^(CL)he went out and came in before the people. ¹⁴ And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and ^(CM)the Lord was with him. ¹⁵ Therefore, when Saul saw that he behaved very wisely, he was afraid of him. ¹⁶ But ^(CN)all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.

David Marries Michal

¹⁷ Then Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab; ^(CO)I will give her to you as a wife. Only be valiant for me, and fight ^(CP)the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, ^(CQ)“Let my hand not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”

¹⁸ So David said to Saul, ^(CR)“Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?” ¹⁹ But it happened at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given to ^(CS)Adriel the ^(CT)Meholathite as a wife.

^20 (CU)Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. ²¹ So Saul said, “I will give her to him, that she may ^[s]be a snare to him, and that ^(CV)the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time, ^(CW)“You shall be my son-in-law today.”

²² And Saul commanded his servants, “Communicate with David secretly, and say, ‘Look, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now therefore, become the king’s son-in-law.’ ”

²³ So Saul’s servants spoke those words in the hearing of David. And David said, “Does it seem to you a light thing to be a king’s son-in-law, seeing I am a poor and lightly esteemed man?” ²⁴ And the servants of Saul told him, saying, ^[t]“In this manner David spoke.”

²⁵ Then Saul said, “Thus you shall say to David: ‘The king does not desire any ^(CX)dowry but one hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to take ^(CY)vengeance on the king’s enemies.’ ” But Saul ^(CZ)thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines. ²⁶ So when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to become the king’s son-in-law. Now ^(DA)the days had not expired; ²⁷ therefore David arose and went, he and ^(DB)his men, and killed two hundred men of the Philistines. And ^(DC)David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full count to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him Michal his daughter as a wife.

²⁸ Thus Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him; ²⁹ and Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul became David’s enemy ^[u]continually. ³⁰ Then the princes of the Philistines ^(DD)went out to war. And so it was, whenever they went out, that David ^(DE)behaved more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name became highly esteemed.

The Report of Saul’s Death

1 Now it came to pass after the ^(A)death of Saul, when David had returned from ^(B)the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had stayed two days in Ziklag, ² on the third day, behold, it happened that ^(C)a man came from Saul’s camp ^(D)with his clothes ^[a]torn and dust on his head. So it was, when he came to David, that he ^(E)fell to the ground and prostrated himself.

³ And David said to him, “Where have you come from?”

So he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.”

⁴ Then David said to him, ^(F)“How did the matter go? Please tell me.”

And he answered, “The people have fled from the battle, many of the people are fallen and dead, and Saul and ^(G)Jonathan his son are dead also.”

⁵ So David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?”

⁶ Then the young man who told him said, “As I happened by chance to be on ^(H)Mount Gilboa, there was ^(I)Saul, leaning on his spear; and indeed the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. ⁷ Now when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’ ⁸ And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ So I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ ⁹ He said to me again, ‘Please stand over me and kill me, for ^[b]anguish has come upon me, but my life still remains in me.’ ¹⁰ So I stood over him and ^(J)killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord.”

¹¹ Therefore David took hold of his own clothes and ^(K)tore them, and so did all the men who were with him. ¹² And they ^(L)mourned and wept and ^(M)fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son, for the ^(N)people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

¹³ Then David said to the young man who told him, “Where are you from?”

And he answered, “I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite.”

¹⁴ So David said to him, “How ^(O)was it you were not ^(P)afraid to ^(Q)put forth your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” ¹⁵ Then ^(R)David called one of the young men and said, “Go near, and execute him!” And he struck him so that he died. ¹⁶ So David said to him, ^(S)“Your blood is on your own head, for ^(T)your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed.’ ”

The Song of the Bow

¹⁷ Then David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son, ^18 (U)and he told them to teach the children of Judah the Song of the Bow; indeed it is written ^(V)in the Book ^[c]of Jasher:

David Anointed King of Judah

2 It happened after this that David ^(AJ)inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up to any of the cities of Judah?”

And the Lord said to him, “Go up.”

David said, “Where shall I go up?”

And He said, “To ^(AK)Hebron.”

² So David went up there, and his ^(AL)two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. ³ And David brought up ^(AM)the men who were with him, every man with his household. So they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.

^4 (AN)Then the men of Judah came, and there they ^(AO)anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, ^(AP)“The men of Jabesh Gilead were the ones who buried Saul.” ⁵ So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, ^(AQ)“You are blessed of the Lord, for you have shown this kindness to your lord, to Saul, and have buried him. ⁶ And now may ^(AR)the Lord show kindness and truth to you. I also will repay you this kindness, because you have done this thing. ⁷ Now therefore, let your hands be strengthened, and be valiant; for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

Ishbosheth Made King of Israel

⁸ But ^(AS)Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took ^[e]Ishbosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to ^(AT)Mahanaim; ⁹ and he made him king over ^(AU)Gilead, over the ^(AV)Ashurites, over ^(AW)Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over all Israel. ¹⁰ Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. Only the house of Judah followed David. ¹¹ And ^(AX)the ^[f]time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

Israel and Judah at War

¹² Now Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to ^(AY)Gibeon. ¹³ And ^(AZ)Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out and met them by ^(BA)the pool of Gibeon. So they sat down, one on one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool. ¹⁴ Then Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men now arise and compete before us.”

And Joab said, “Let them arise.”

¹⁵ So they arose and went over by number, twelve from Benjamin, followers of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David. ¹⁶ And each one grasped his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called ^[g]the Field of Sharp Swords, which is in Gibeon. ¹⁷ So there was a very fierce battle that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.

¹⁸ Now the ^(BB)three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab and Abishai and Asahel. And Asahel was ^(BC)as fleet of foot ^(BD)as a wild gazelle. ¹⁹ So Asahel pursued Abner, and in going he did not turn to the right hand or to the left from following Abner.

²⁰ Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Are you Asahel?”

He answered, “I am.”

²¹ And Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and lay hold on one of the young men and take his armor for yourself.” But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. ²² So Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I face your brother Joab?” ²³ However, he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him ^(BE)in the stomach with the blunt end of the spear, so that the spear came out of his back; and he fell down there and died on the spot. So it was that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died, stood ^(BF)still.

²⁴ Joab and Abishai also pursued Abner. And the sun was going down when they came to the hill of Ammah, which is before Giah by the road to the Wilderness of Gibeon. ²⁵ Now the children of Benjamin gathered together behind Abner and became ^[h]a unit, and took their stand on top of a hill. ²⁶ Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the latter end? How long will it be then until you tell the people to return from pursuing their brethren?”

²⁷ And Joab said, “As God lives, ^[i]unless ^(BG)you had spoken, surely then by morning all the people would have given up pursuing their brethren.” ²⁸ So Joab blew a trumpet; and all the people stood still and did not pursue Israel anymore, nor did they fight anymore. ²⁹ Then Abner and his men went on all that night through the plain, crossed over the Jordan, and went through all Bithron; and they came to Mahanaim.

³⁰ So Joab returned from pursuing Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing of David’s servants nineteen men and Asahel. ³¹ But the servants of David had struck down, of Benjamin and Abner’s men, three hundred and sixty men who died. ³² Then they took up Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb, which was in ^(BH)Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at daybreak.

Joab Kills Abner

3 Now there was a long ^(BI)war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David grew stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

Sons of David

² Sons were born ^(BJ)to David in Hebron: His firstborn was Amnon ^(BK)by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; ³ his second, ^[j]Chileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite; the third, ^(BL)Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king ^(BM)of Geshur; ⁴ the fourth, ^(BN)Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; ⁵ and the sixth, Ithream, by David’s wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron.

Abner Joins Forces with David

⁶ Now it was so, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner was strengthening his hold on the house of Saul.

⁷ And Saul had a concubine, whose name was ^(BO)Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. So Ishbosheth said to Abner, “Why have you ^(BP)gone in to my father’s concubine?”

⁸ Then Abner became very angry at the words of Ishbosheth, and said, “Am I ^(BQ)a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? Today I show loyalty to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hand of David; and you charge me today with a fault concerning this woman? ^9 (BR)May God do so to Abner, and more also, if I do not do for David ^(BS)as the Lord has sworn to him— ¹⁰ to transfer the kingdom from the ^[k]house of Saul, and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, ^(BT)from Dan to Beersheba.” ¹¹ And he could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.

¹² Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to David, saying, “Whose is the land?” saying also, “Make your covenant with me, and indeed my hand shall be with you to bring all Israel to you.”

¹³ And David said, “Good, I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you: ^(BU)you shall not see my face unless you first bring ^(BV)Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to see my face.” ¹⁴ So David sent messengers to ^(BW)Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself ^(BX)for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” ¹⁵ And Ishbosheth sent and took her from her husband, from ^[l]Paltiel the son of Laish. ¹⁶ Then her husband went along with her to ^(BY)Bahurim, ^[m]weeping behind her. So Abner said to him, “Go, return!” And he returned.

¹⁷ Now Abner had communicated with the elders of Israel, saying, “In time past you were seeking for David to be king over you. ¹⁸ Now then, do it! ^(BZ)For the Lord has spoken of David, saying, ‘By the hand of My servant David, ^[n]I will save My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and the hand of all their enemies.’ ” ¹⁹ And Abner also spoke in the hearing of ^(CA)Benjamin. Then Abner also went to speak in the hearing of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel and the whole house of Benjamin.

²⁰ So Abner and twenty men with him came to David at Hebron. And David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him. ²¹ Then Abner said to David, “I will arise and go, and ^(CB)gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may ^(CC)reign over all that your heart desires.” So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.

Joab Murders Abner

²² At that moment the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought much ^[o]spoil with them. But Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. ²³ When Joab and all the troops that were with him had come, they told Joab, saying, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he sent him away, and he has gone in peace.” ²⁴ Then Joab came to the king and said, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you; why is it that you sent him away, and he has already gone? ²⁵ Surely you realize that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you, to know ^(CD)your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you are doing.”

²⁶ And when Joab had gone from David’s presence, he sent messengers after Abner, who brought him back from the well of Sirah. But David did not know it. ²⁷ Now when Abner had returned to Hebron, Joab ^(CE)took him aside in the gate to speak with him privately, and there ^[p]stabbed him ^(CF)in the stomach, so that he died for the blood of ^(CG)Asahel his brother.

²⁸ Afterward, when David heard it, he said, “My kingdom and I are ^[q]guiltless before the Lord forever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner. ^29 (CH)Let it rest on the head of Joab and on all his father’s house; and let there never fail to be in the ^[r]house of Joab one ^(CI)who has a discharge or is a leper, who leans on a staff or falls by the sword, or who lacks bread.” ³⁰ So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had killed their brother ^(CJ)Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.

David’s Mourning for Abner

³¹ Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, ^(CK)“Tear your clothes, ^(CL)gird yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn for Abner.” And King David followed the coffin. ³² So they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. ³³ And the king sang a lament over Abner and said:

Then all the people wept over him again.

³⁵ And when all the people came ^(CN)to persuade David to eat food while it was still day, David took an oath, saying, ^(CO)“God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else ^(CP)till the sun goes down!” ³⁶ Now all the people took note of it, and it pleased them, since whatever the king did pleased all the people. ³⁷ For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king’s intent to kill Abner the son of Ner. ³⁸ Then the king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? ³⁹ And I am weak today, though anointed king; and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, ^(CQ)are too harsh for me. ^(CR)The Lord shall repay the evildoer according to his wickedness.”

Ishbosheth Is Murdered

4 When Saul’s ^[s]son heard that Abner had died in Hebron, ^(CS)he^[t] lost heart, and all Israel was ^(CT)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 ^(CU)Beeroth also was ^[u]part of Benjamin, ³ because the Beerothites fled to ^(CV)Gittaim and have been sojourners there until this day.)

^4 (CW)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 ^(CX)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 ^(CY)Mephibosheth.^[v]

⁵ Then the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out and came at about the heat of the day to the ^(CZ)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 ^[w]stabbed him ^(DA)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, ^(DB)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, ^(DC)who has redeemed my life from all adversity, ¹⁰ when ^(DD)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 ^(DE)require his ^[x]blood at your hand and ^[y]remove you from the earth?” ¹² So David ^(DF)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 ^(DG)tomb of Abner in Hebron.

David Reigns over All Israel^(DH)

5 Then all the tribes of Israel ^(DI)came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, “Indeed ^(DJ)we are your bone and your flesh. ² Also, in time past, when Saul was king over us, ^(DK)you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord said to you, ^(DL)‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over Israel.’ ” ^3 (DM)Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, ^(DN)and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron ^(DO)before the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel. ⁴ David was ^(DP)thirty years old when he began to reign, and ^(DQ)he reigned forty years. ⁵ In Hebron he reigned over Judah ^(DR)seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

The Conquest of Jerusalem^(DS)

^6 (DT)And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against ^(DU)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 ^(DV)(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), ^(DW)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 ^(DX)the City of David. And David built all around from ^[z]the Millo and inward. ¹⁰ So David went on and became great, and ^(DY)the Lord God of hosts was with ^(DZ)him.

¹¹ Then ^(EA)Hiram ^(EB)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 ^(EC)exalted His kingdom ^(ED)for the sake of His people Israel.

¹³ And ^(EE)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 ^(EF)these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: ^[aa]Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, ^(EG)Solomon, ¹⁵ Ibhar, ^[ab]Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ¹⁶ Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

The Philistines Defeated^(EH)

^17 (EI)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 ^(EJ)and went down to the stronghold. ¹⁸ The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in ^(EK)the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹ So David ^(EL)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 ^(EM)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 ^[ac]Baal Perazim. ²¹ And they left their ^[ad]images there, and David and his men ^(EN)carried them away.

^22 (EO)Then the Philistines went up once again and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. ²³ Therefore ^(EP)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 ^(EQ)hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then ^(ER)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 ^(ES)Geba^[ae] as far as ^(ET)Gezer.

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem^(EU)

6 Again David gathered all the choice men of Israel, thirty thousand. ² And ^(EV)David arose and went with all the people who were with him from ^[af]Baale Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, whose name is called ^[ag]by the Name, the Lord of Hosts, ^(EW)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 ^(EX)the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new ^[ah]cart. ⁴ And they brought it out of ^(EY)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 ^(EZ)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 ^(FA)Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his ^(FB)hand to the ark of God and ^[ai]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 ^[aj]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 ^[ak]Perez Uzzah to this day.

^9 (FC)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 ^(FD)City of David; but David took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the ^(FE)Gittite. ^11 (FF)The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. And the Lord ^(FG)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.” ^(FH)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 ^(FI)those bearing the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, that he sacrificed ^(FJ)oxen and fatted sheep. ¹⁴ Then David ^(FK)danced^[al] before the Lord with all his might; and David was wearing ^(FL)a linen ephod. ^15 (FM)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, ^(FN)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 ^(FO)they brought the ark of the Lord, and set it in ^(FP)its place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then David ^(FQ)offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. ¹⁸ And when David had finished offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, ^(FR)he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts. ^19 (FS)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 (FT)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, ^(FU)uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the ^(FV)base fellows ^[am]shamelessly uncovers himself!”

²¹ So David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, ^(FW)who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the ^(FX)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 ^(FY)to the day of her death.

God’s Covenant with David^(FZ)

7 Now it came to pass ^(GA)when the king was dwelling in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies all around, ² that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in ^(GB)a house of cedar, ^(GC)but the ark of God dwells inside tent ^(GD)curtains.”

³ Then Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your ^(GE)heart, for the Lord is with you.”

⁴ But it happened that night that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, ⁵ “Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: ^(GF)“Would you build a house for Me to dwell in? ⁶ For I have not dwelt in a house ^(GG)since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in ^(GH)a tent and in a tabernacle. ⁷ Wherever I have ^(GI)moved about with all the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded ^(GJ)to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’ ” ’ ⁸ Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(GK)“I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel. ⁹ And ^(GL)I have been with you wherever you have gone, ^(GM)and have ^[an]cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth. ¹⁰ Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will ^(GN)plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; ^(GO)nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously, ^11 (GP)since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, and have caused you to rest from all your enemies. Also the Lord ^[ao]tells you ^(GQ)that He will make you a ^[ap]house.

^12 (GR)“When your days are fulfilled and you ^(GS)rest with your fathers, ^(GT)I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ^13 (GU)He shall build a house for My name, and I will ^(GV)establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ^14 (GW)I will be his Father, and he shall be ^(GX)My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the ^[aq]blows of the sons of men. ¹⁵ But My mercy shall not depart from him, ^(GY)as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ¹⁶ And ^(GZ)your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before ^[ar]you. Your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ”

¹⁷ According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

David’s Thanksgiving to God^(HA)

¹⁸ Then King David went in and sat before the Lord; and he said: ^(HB)“Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? ¹⁹ And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord God; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come. ^(HC)Is this the manner of man, O Lord God? ²⁰ Now what more can David say to You? For You, Lord God, ^(HD)know Your servant. ²¹ For Your word’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them. ²² Therefore ^(HE)You are great, ^[as]O Lord God. For ^(HF)there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ^(HG)ears. ²³ And who is like Your people, like Israel, ^(HH)the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name—and to do for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land—before ^(HI)Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods? ²⁴ For ^(HJ)You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; ^(HK)and You, Lord, have become their God.

²⁵ “Now, O Lord God, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, establish it forever and do as You have said. ²⁶ So let Your name be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel.’ And let the house of Your servant David be established before You. ²⁷ For You, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You.

²⁸ “And now, O Lord God, You are God, and ^(HL)Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. ²⁹ Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You, O Lord God, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed ^(HM)forever.”