David Learns of Saul’s Death

1 Now it came about after ^(A)the death of Saul, when David had returned from ^(B)the slaughter of the Amalekites, that David stayed two days in Ziklag. ² And on the third day, behold, ^(C)a man came from ^[a]Saul’s camp ^(D)with his clothes torn and ^[b]dust on his head. And it happened when he came to David, ^(E)he fell to the ground and prostrated himself. ³ Then David said to him, “From where do you come?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” ⁴ David said to him, “^(F)How did things go? Please tell me.” And he said, “The people have fled from the battle, and many of the people also have fallen and are dead; and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.” ⁵ Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” ⁶ The young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on ^(G)Mount Gilboa, and behold, ^(H)Saul was leaning on his spear. And behold, the chariots and the horsemen had overtaken him. ⁷ When he looked behind himself, he saw me, and called to me. And I said, ‘Here I am.’ ⁸ Then he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ And I ^[c]answered him, ‘^(I)I am an Amalekite.’ ⁹ And he said to me, ‘Please stand next to me and finish me off, for ^[d]agony has seized me because my ^[e]life still lingers in me.’ ¹⁰ So I stood next to him ^(J)and finished him off, because I knew that he could not live after he had fallen. And ^(K)I took the crown which was on his head and the band which was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”

¹¹ Then ^(L)David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so also did all the men who were with him. ¹² And they mourned and wept and ^(M)fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the people of the Lord and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. ¹³ Then David said to the young man who informed him, “Where are you from?” And he ^[f]answered, “^(N)I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.” ¹⁴ And David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid ^(O)to reach out with your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” ¹⁵ Then David called one of the young men and said, “Come forward, ^[g]put him to death.” ^(P)So he struck him and he died. ¹⁶ And David said to him, “^[h](Q)Your blood is on your head, because ^(R)your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have finished off the Lord’s anointed.’”

David’s Song of Mourning for Saul and Jonathan

¹⁷ Then David ^(S)sang this song of mourning over Saul and his son Jonathan, ¹⁸ and he told them to teach the sons of Judah the mourning song of the bow; behold, it is written in ^(T)the Book of Jashar.

David Made King over Judah

2 Then it came about afterward that ^(AJ)David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” So David said, “Where shall I go up?” And He said, “^(AK)To Hebron.” ² So David went up there, and ^(AL)his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the ^[p]widow of Nabal the Carmelite. ³ And ^(AM)David brought up his men who were with him, each with his household; and they settled in the cities of Hebron. ⁴ Then the men of Judah came, and there they ^(AN)anointed David king over the house of Judah.

And they told David, saying, “It was ^(AO)the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.” ⁵ So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said to them, “^(AP)May you be blessed of the Lord because you have ^[q]shown this kindness to Saul your lord, and have buried him. ⁶ And now ^(AQ)may the Lord ^[r]show kindness and truth to you; and I also will ^[s]show this goodness to you, because you have done this thing. ⁷ Now then, let your hands be strong and be ^[t]valiant, since Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

Ish-bosheth Made King over Israel

⁸ But ^(AR)Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, had taken ^[u]Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to ^(AS)Mahanaim. ⁹ And he made him king over ^(AT)Gilead, over the ^(AU)Ashurites, over ^(AV)Jezreel, over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, even over all Israel. ¹⁰ Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he was king for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David. ¹¹ And ^(AW)the ^[v]time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

Civil War

¹² Now Abner the son of Ner, went from Mahanaim to ^(AX)Gibeon with the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul. ¹³ And ^(AY)Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met ^[w]them by the pool of Gibeon; and they sat down, ^[x]Abner’s men on the one side of the pool and ^[y]Joab’s men on the other side of the pool. ¹⁴ Then Abner said to Joab, “Now have the young men arise and ^(AZ)hold a martial skills match in our presence.” And Joab said, “Have them arise!” ¹⁵ So they got up and went over by count, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David. ¹⁶ And each one of them seized his ^[z]opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his ^[aa]opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called ^[ab]Helkath-hazzurim, which is in Gibeon. ¹⁷ That day the battle was very severe, and ^(BA)Abner and the men of Israel were defeated ^[ac]by the servants of David.

¹⁸ Now ^(BB)the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel; and Asahel was ^(BC)as ^[ad]swift-footed as one of the gazelles that is in the field. ¹⁹ Asahel pursued Abner and did not turn ^[ae]to the right or to the left from following Abner. ²⁰ Then Abner looked behind himself and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” And he said, “It is I!” ²¹ So Abner said to him, “Turn aside for your own good to your right or to your left, and take hold of one of the young men for yourself, and take for yourself his equipment.” But Asahel was unwilling to turn aside from following him. ²² Then Abner repeated again to Asahel, “Turn aside for your own good from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? ^(BD)How then could I ^[af]show my face to your brother Joab?” ²³ However, he refused to turn aside; so Abner struck him in the belly with the butt end of the spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died on the spot. And it happened that all who came thereafter to the place where ^(BE)Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.

²⁴ But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and when the sun was going down, they came to the hill of Ammah, which is opposite Giah by way of the wilderness of Gibeon. ²⁵ And the sons of Benjamin gathered together behind Abner and became one troop, and they stood on the top of a hill. ²⁶ Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Should the sword devour forever? Do you not realize that it will be bitter in the end? So how long will you ^[ag]refrain from telling the people to turn back from pursuing their kinsmen?” ²⁷ Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, then the people of Judah certainly would have withdrawn in the morning, each from pursuing his brother.” ²⁸ So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the people halted and no longer pursued Israel, ^(BF)nor did they continue to fight anymore. ²⁹ Abner and his men then went through the Arabah all that night; so they crossed the Jordan, walked all morning, and came to ^(BG)Mahanaim.

³⁰ Then Joab returned from pursuing Abner; but he gathered all the people together, and ^[ah]nineteen of David’s servants were missing, besides Asahel. ³¹ However, the servants of David had struck and killed many of Benjamin and Abner’s men; 360 men were dead. ³² And they carried Asahel away and buried him ^(BH)in his father’s tomb, which was in Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men traveled all night until the day ^[ai]dawned at Hebron.

The House of David Strengthened

3 Now ^(BI)there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David became steadily stronger, while the house of Saul became steadily weaker.

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

Abner Joins David

⁶ Now it happened that while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, ^(BO)Abner was ^[ak]strengthening himself in the house of Saul. ⁷ And Saul had a concubine whose name was ^(BP)Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah; and ^[al]Ish-bosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?” ⁸ Then Abner became very angry over Ish-bosheth’s ^[am]question and said, “^(BQ)Am I a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? Today I show kindness to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers and to his friends, and have not let you fall into the hands of David; yet today you call me to account for wrongdoing with ^[an]that woman? ^9 (BR)May God do so to ^[ao]me, and more so, if ^(BS)as the Lord has sworn to David, I do not accomplish this for him: ^10 (BT)to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to establish the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, ^(BU)from Dan even to Beersheba!” ¹¹ And Ish-bosheth could no longer say a word in response to Abner, because he was afraid of him.

¹² Then Abner sent messengers to David at his place, saying, “Whose is the land? Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to bring all Israel over to you.” ¹³ And he said, “Good! I will make a covenant with you, only I require one thing of you, ^[ap]namely, that ^(BV)you shall not see my face unless you ^(BW)first bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to see ^[aq]me.” ¹⁴ So David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, to whom I was betrothed ^(BX)for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” ¹⁵ Ish-bosheth sent men and ^[ar]had her taken from her husband, from ^[as]Paltiel the son of Laish. ¹⁶ And her husband went with her, weeping as he went, ^[at]following her as far as ^(BY)Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go, return.” So he returned.

¹⁷ Now Abner had a ^[au]consultation with ^(BZ)the elders of Israel, saying, “In times past you were seeking for David to be king over you. ¹⁸ Now then, do it! For the Lord has spoken regarding David, saying, ‘^(CA)By the hand of My servant David ^[av]I will save My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and from the hands of all their enemies.’” ¹⁹ Abner also spoke ^[aw]to Benjamin; and in addition Abner went to speak ^[ax]to David in Hebron everything that seemed good to Israel and to ^(CB)the entire house of Benjamin.

²⁰ Then Abner and twenty men with him came to David at Hebron. And David held a feast for Abner and the men who were with him. ²¹ Abner said to David, “Let me set out and go and ^(CC)gather all Israel to my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, and that ^(CD)you may be king over all that your soul desires.” So David let Abner go, and he went in peace.

²² And behold, ^(CE)the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought a large amount of plunder with them; but Abner was not with David in Hebron, since he had let him go, and he had gone in peace. ²³ When Joab and all the army that was with him arrived, they informed Joab, saying, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has let him go on his way, and he has gone in peace.” ²⁴ Then Joab came to the king and said, “What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you; why then have you let him go, so that he is already gone? ²⁵ You know Abner the son of Ner, that he came to gain your confidence, and to learn of ^(CF)your ^[ay]going out and coming in and to find out everything that you are doing.”

Joab Murders Abner

²⁶ When Joab left David’s presence, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah; but David did not know about it. ²⁷ So when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the middle of the gate to speak with him privately, and there ^(CG)he struck him in the belly, so that he died on account of the blood of his brother Asahel. ²⁸ Afterward, when David heard about this, he said, “I and my kingdom are innocent before the Lord forever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner. ^29 (CH)May it turn upon the head of Joab and on all his father’s house; and may there not be eliminated from the house of Joab ^(CI)someone who suffers a discharge, or has leprosy, or ^[az]holds the spindle, or falls by the sword, or lacks bread.” ³⁰ So Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner ^(CJ)because he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon.

David Mourns Abner

³¹ Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “^(CK)Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner.” And King David walked behind the bier. ³² And they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king raised his voice and wept at ^(CL)the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. ³³ And ^(CM)the king sang a song of mourning for Abner and said,

And all the people wept over him again. ³⁵ Then all the people came ^(CN)to provide ^[bb]food for David in his distress while it was still day; but David vowed, saying, “^(CO)May God do so to me, and more so, if I taste bread or anything else ^(CP)before the sun goes down.” ³⁶ Now all the people took note of David’s vow, and it ^[bc]pleased them, just as everything that the king did ^[bd]pleased all the people. ³⁷ So all the people and all Israel understood on that day that it had not been the desire of the king to put Abner the son of Ner to death. ³⁸ Then the king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a leader and a great man has fallen in Israel this day? ³⁹ And I am ^(CQ)weak today, though anointed king; and these men, ^(CR)the sons of Zeruiah, are too difficult for me. ^(CS)May the Lord repay the evildoer in proportion to his evil.”

Ish-bosheth Murdered

4 Now when ^[be]Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, heard that ^(CT)Abner had died in Hebron, ^[bf](CU)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 ^(CV)Beeroth is also considered ^(CW)part of Benjamin, ³ and the Beerothites fled to ^(CX)Gittaim and have lived there as strangers until this day).

⁴ Now ^(CY)Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was disabled in both feet. He was five years old when the ^(CZ)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 ^[bg](DA)Mephibosheth.

⁵ So the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, departed and came to the house of ^(DB)Ish-bosheth in the heat of the day, while he was taking his midday rest. ^6 [bh]And they came to the interior of the house as if ^[bi]to get wheat, and ^(DC)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 ^[bj](DD)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 ^(DE)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 ^[bk]descendants.”

⁹ But David replied to Rechab and his brother Baanah, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As the Lord lives, ^(DF)who has redeemed my life from all distress, ^10 (DG)when the one who informed me, saying, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ also ^[bl]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 ^(DH)require his blood from your hands and eliminate you both from the earth?” ¹² Then ^(DI)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 ^(DJ)and buried it in the grave of Abner in Hebron.

David King over All Israel

5 ^(DK)Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and ^[bm]said, “Behold, we are ^(DL)your bone and your flesh. ² Previously, when Saul was king over us, ^(DM)you were the one who led Israel ^[bn]out and in. And the Lord said to you, ‘^(DN)You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ^(DO)a leader over Israel.’” ³ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David ^(DP)made a covenant with them before the Lord in Hebron; then ^(DQ)they anointed David king over Israel. ⁴ David was ^(DR)thirty years old when he became king, and ^(DS)he reigned for forty years. ⁵ At Hebron ^(DT)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 (DU)Now the king and his men went to ^(DV)Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land; and they said to ^[bo]David, “You shall not come in here, but even those who are blind and those who limp will turn you away,” ^[bp]thinking, “David cannot enter here.” ⁷ Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion, that is, ^(DW)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 ^(DX)the city of David. And David built all around from the ^[bq](DY)Millo and inward. ^10 (DZ)David became greater and greater, for the Lord God of armies was with him.

^11 (EA)Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees, carpenters, and ^[br]stonemasons; and ^(EB)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 ^(EC)David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron; and more sons and daughters were born to David. ¹⁴ Now ^(ED)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, ^(EE)all the Philistines went up to seek out David; and when David heard about it, he went down to the ^(EF)stronghold. ¹⁸ Now the Philistines came and overran ^(EG)the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹ So ^(EH)David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You hand them over to me?” And ^(EI)the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly hand the Philistines over to you.” ²⁰ Then David came to ^(EJ)Baal-perazim and ^[bs]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 ^[bt]Baal-perazim. ²¹ And the Philistines abandoned their idols there, so ^(EK)David and his men carried them away.

²² Now ^(EL)the Philistines came up once again and overran the Valley of Rephaim. ²³ So ^(EM)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 ^(EN)you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the baka-shrubs, then you shall ^[bu]act promptly, for then ^(EO)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 ^[bv](EP)Geba ^[bw]as far as ^(EQ)Gezer.

Peril in Moving the Ark

6 ^(ER)Now David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. ² And David ^[bx]departed from ^[by](ES)Baale-judah, with all the people who were with him, to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the ^(ET)Name, the very name of the Lord of armies who ^(EU)is ^[bz]enthroned above the cherubim. ³ They had mounted the ark of God on ^(EV)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 ^(EW)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 ^(EX)were celebrating before the Lord ^(EY)with all kinds of instruments made of juniper wood, and with ^[ca]lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

⁶ But when they came to the ^(EZ)threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah ^(FA)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 ^(FB)God struck him down there for ^[cb]his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God. ⁸ Then David became angry because ^[cc]of the Lord’s outburst against Uzzah; and that place has been called ^[cd]Perez-uzzah to this day. ⁹ So ^(FC)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 ^(FD)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 ^(FE)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.” ^(FF)So David went and brought the ark of God up from the house of Obed-edom to ^(FG)the city of David with joy. ¹³ And so it was, that ^[ce]when ^(FH)those carrying the ark of the Lord marched six paces, he sacrificed an ^(FI)ox and a fattened steer. ¹⁴ And ^(FJ)David was dancing before the Lord with all his strength, and David was ^(FK)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 ^(FL)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 ^(FM)in its place inside the tent which David had pitched for it; and ^(FN)David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. ¹⁸ When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace offerings, ^(FO)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 ^(FP)he exposed himself today in the sight of his servants’ female slaves, as one of the ^(FQ)rabble shamelessly exposes himself!” ²¹ But David said to Michal, “^(FR)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 ^[cf]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 ^(FS)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 ^(FT)Nathan the prophet, “See now, I live in ^(FU)a house of cedar, but the ark of God ^(FV)remains within the tent.” ³ Nathan said to the king, “^(FW)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: “^(FX)Should you build Me a house for My dwelling? ⁶ For ^(FY)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 ^(FZ)in a tent, that is, in a dwelling place. ^7 (GA)Wherever I have gone with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel, ^(GB)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: “^(GC)I Myself took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, ^(GD)to be leader over My people Israel. ⁹ And ^(GE)I have been with you wherever you have gone, and ^(GF)have eliminated all your enemies from you; I will also make a great name for you, like the names of the great men who ^[cg]are on the earth. ¹⁰ And I will establish a place for My people Israel, and ^(GG)will plant them, so that they may live in their own place and not be disturbed again, ^(GH)nor will ^[ch]malicious people oppress them anymore as previously, ¹¹ even ^(GI)from the day that I appointed judges over My people Israel; and ^(GJ)I will give you rest from all your enemies. The Lord also declares to you that ^(GK)the Lord will make a house for you. ^12 (GL)When your days are finished and you ^[ci](GM)lie down with your fathers, ^(GN)I will raise up your ^[cj]descendant after you, who will come from ^[ck]you, and I will establish his kingdom. ^13 (GO)He shall build a house for My name, and ^(GP)I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ^14 (GQ)I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; ^(GR)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, ^(GS)as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from you. ^16 (GT)Your house and your kingdom shall endure before ^[cl]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, “^(GU)Who am I, Lord ^[cm]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, ^(GV)for You have spoken also of the house of Your servant regarding the distant future. And ^(GW)this is the ^[cn]custom of mankind, Lord God. ²⁰ Again what more can David say to You? For ^(GX)You know Your servant, Lord God! ^21 (GY)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 ^(GZ)You are great, Lord God; for ^(HA)there is no one like You, and there is no God except You, ^(HB)according to all that we have heard with our ears. ²³ And ^(HC)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 ^(HD)to do a great thing for You and awesome things for Your land, ^[co]because of ^(HE)Your people whom ^(HF)You have redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, from other nations and their gods? ²⁴ For ^(HG)You have established for Yourself Your people Israel as Your own people forever, and ^(HH)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 (HI)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 ^[cp]given a revelation to Your servant, saying, ‘^(HJ)I will build you a house’; therefore Your servant has found ^[cq]courage to pray this prayer to You. ²⁸ Now then, Lord God, You are God, and ^(HK)Your words are truth; and You have ^[cr]promised this good thing to Your servant. ²⁹ And now, may ^[cs]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 ^[ct](HL)with Your blessing may the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”

⁴ Then the men of Judah came, and there they ^(A)anointed David king over the house of Judah.

And they told David, saying, “It was ^(B)the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.”

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Ish-bosheth Made King over Israel

⁸ But ^(A)Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, had taken ^[a]Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to ^(B)Mahanaim. ⁹ And he made him king over ^(C)Gilead, over the ^(D)Ashurites, over ^(E)Jezreel, over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, even over all Israel. ¹⁰ Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he was king for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David.

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¹⁸ Now ^(A)the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel; and Asahel was ^(B)as ^[a]swift-footed as one of the gazelles that is in the field. ¹⁹ Asahel pursued Abner and did not turn ^[b]to the right or to the left from following Abner. ²⁰ Then Abner looked behind himself and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” And he said, “It is I!” ²¹ So Abner said to him, “Turn aside for your own good to your right or to your left, and take hold of one of the young men for yourself, and take for yourself his equipment.” But Asahel was unwilling to turn aside from following him. ²² Then Abner repeated again to Asahel, “Turn aside for your own good from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? ^(C)How then could I ^[c]show my face to your brother Joab?” ²³ However, he refused to turn aside; so Abner struck him in the belly with the butt end of the spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died on the spot. And it happened that all who came thereafter to the place where ^(D)Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.

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The House of David Strengthened

3 Now ^(A)there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David became steadily stronger, while the house of Saul became steadily weaker.

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

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²⁰ Then Abner and twenty men with him came to David at Hebron. And David held a feast for Abner and the men who were with him. ²¹ Abner said to David, “Let me set out and go and ^(A)gather all Israel to my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, and that ^(B)you may be king over all that your soul desires.” So David let Abner go, and he went in peace.

²² And behold, ^(C)the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought a large amount of plunder with them; but Abner was not with David in Hebron, since he had let him go, and he had gone in peace. ²³ When Joab and all the army that was with him arrived, they informed Joab, saying, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has let him go on his way, and he has gone in peace.” ²⁴ Then Joab came to the king and said, “What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you; why then have you let him go, so that he is already gone? ²⁵ You know Abner the son of Ner, that he came to gain your confidence, and to learn of ^(D)your ^[a]going out and coming in and to find out everything that you are doing.”

Joab Murders Abner

²⁶ When Joab left David’s presence, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah; but David did not know about it. ²⁷ So when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the middle of the gate to speak with him privately, and there ^(E)he struck him in the belly, so that he died on account of the blood of his brother Asahel. ²⁸ Afterward, when David heard about this, he said, “I and my kingdom are innocent before the Lord forever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner. ^29 (F)May it turn upon the head of Joab and on all his father’s house; and may there not be eliminated from the house of Joab ^(G)someone who suffers a discharge, or has leprosy, or ^[b]holds the spindle, or falls by the sword, or lacks bread.” ³⁰ So Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner ^(H)because he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon.

David Mourns Abner

³¹ Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “^(I)Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner.” And King David walked behind the bier. ³² And they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king raised his voice and wept at ^(J)the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. ³³ And ^(K)the king sang a song of mourning for Abner and said,

And all the people wept over him again. ³⁵ Then all the people came ^(L)to provide ^[d]food for David in his distress while it was still day; but David vowed, saying, “^(M)May God do so to me, and more so, if I taste bread or anything else ^(N)before the sun goes down.” ³⁶ Now all the people took note of David’s vow, and it ^[e]pleased them, just as everything that the king did ^[f]pleased all the people. ³⁷ So all the people and all Israel understood on that day that it had not been the desire of the king to put Abner the son of Ner to death.

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