David Becomes King Over Israel^(A)

5 All the tribes of Israel^(B) came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood.^{(C) 2} In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns.^(D) And the Lord said^(E) to you, ‘You will shepherd^(F) my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.^(G)’”

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

⁴ David was thirty years old^(J) when he became king, and he reigned^(K) forty^(L) years. ⁵ In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months,^(M) and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

David Conquers Jerusalem^(N)(O)

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

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

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

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

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

David Defeats the Philistines^(AE)

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

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

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

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

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem^(AP)(AQ)

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

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

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

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

¹² Now King David^(BI) was told, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.” So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. ¹³ When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed^(BJ) a bull and a fattened calf. ¹⁴ Wearing a linen ephod,^(BK) David was dancing^(BL) before the Lord with all his might, ¹⁵ while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts^(BM) and the sound of trumpets.^(BN)

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

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

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

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

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

Psalm 133

A song of ascents. Of David.

Psalm 134

A song of ascents.

The Greatest Commandment^(A)

²⁸ One of the teachers of the law^(B) came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

²⁹ “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.^{[a] 30} Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’^{[b](C) 31} The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[c](D) There is no commandment greater than these.”

³² “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.^{(E) 33} To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”^(F)

³⁴ When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”^(G) And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.^(H)

Whose Son Is the Messiah?^(I)(J)

³⁵ While Jesus was teaching in the temple courts,^(K) he asked, “Why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the son of David?^{(L) 36} David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit,^(M) declared:

³⁷ David himself calls him ‘Lord.’ How then can he be his son?”

The large crowd^(O) listened to him with delight.

Warning Against the Teachers of the Law

³⁸ As he taught, Jesus said, “Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, ³⁹ and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.^{(P) 40} They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

The Widow’s Offering^(Q)

⁴¹ Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put^(R) and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. ⁴² But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

⁴³ Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. ⁴⁴ They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”^(S)