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2 Samuel 4-6
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.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 4:1 As in some mss; MT he
  2. 2 Samuel 4:1 Lit his hands dropped
  3. 2 Samuel 4:4 In 1 Chr 8:34 and 9:40, Merib-baal
  4. 2 Samuel 4:6 Lit And here they
  5. 2 Samuel 4:6 Lit takers of wheat
  6. 2 Samuel 4:7 Lit went
  7. 2 Samuel 4:8 Lit seed
  8. 2 Samuel 4:10 Lit was as a bearer of good news in his own eyes
  9. 2 Samuel 5:1 Lit said, saying
  10. 2 Samuel 5:2 I.e., to battle and in (returning) from battle
  11. 2 Samuel 5:6 Lit David, saying
  12. 2 Samuel 5:6 Lit saying
  13. 2 Samuel 5:9 I.e., terraced structure
  14. 2 Samuel 5:11 Lit stone wall craftsmen
  15. 2 Samuel 5:20 Lit David struck
  16. 2 Samuel 5:20 I.e., the master of breakthroughs
  17. 2 Samuel 5:24 Or pay attention
  18. 2 Samuel 5:25 In 1 Chr 14:16, Gibeon
  19. 2 Samuel 5:25 Lit until you come to
  20. 2 Samuel 6:2 Lit arose and went
  21. 2 Samuel 6:2 I.e., Kiriath-jearim
  22. 2 Samuel 6:2 Lit sitting
  23. 2 Samuel 6:5 Or zithers
  24. 2 Samuel 6:7 Lit the
  25. 2 Samuel 6:8 Lit the Lord broke through a breakthrough
  26. 2 Samuel 6:8 I.e., outburst against Uzzah
  27. 2 Samuel 6:13 Or each time those
  28. 2 Samuel 6:21 Or dance
Close NLT

2 Samuel 4-6
New Living Translation

The Murder of Ishbosheth

4 When Ishbosheth,[a] Saul’s son, heard about Abner’s death at Hebron, he lost all courage, and all Israel became paralyzed with fear. 2 Now there were two brothers, Baanah and Recab, who were captains of Ishbosheth’s raiding parties. They were sons of Rimmon, a member of the tribe of Benjamin who lived in Beeroth. The town of Beeroth is now part of Benjamin’s territory 3 because the original people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim, where they still live as foreigners.

4 (Saul’s son Jonathan had a son named Mephibosheth,[b] who was crippled as a child. He was five years old when the report came from Jezreel that Saul and Jonathan had been killed in battle. When the child’s nurse heard the news, she picked him up and fled. But as she hurried away, she dropped him, and he became crippled.)

5 One day Recab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon from Beeroth, went to Ishbosheth’s house around noon as he was taking his midday rest. 6 The doorkeeper, who had been sifting wheat, became drowsy and fell asleep. So Recab and Baanah slipped past her.[c] 7 They went into the house and found Ishbosheth sleeping on his bed. They struck and killed him and cut off his head. Then, taking his head with them, they fled across the Jordan Valley[d] through the night. 8 When they arrived at Hebron, they presented Ishbosheth’s head to David. “Look!” they exclaimed to the king. “Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of your enemy Saul who tried to kill you. Today the Lord has given my lord the king revenge on Saul and his entire family!”

9 But David said to Recab and Baanah, “The Lord, who saves me from all my enemies, is my witness. 10 Someone once told me, ‘Saul is dead,’ thinking he was bringing me good news. But I seized him and killed him at Ziklag. That’s the reward I gave him for his news! 11 How much more should I reward evil men who have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed? Shouldn’t I hold you responsible for his blood and rid the earth of you?”

12 So David ordered his young men to kill them, and they did. They cut off their hands and feet and hung their bodies beside the pool in Hebron. Then they took Ishbosheth’s head and buried it in Abner’s tomb in Hebron.

David Becomes King of All Israel

5 Then all the tribes of Israel went to David at Hebron and told him, “We are your own flesh and blood. 2 In the past,[e] when Saul was our king, you were the one who really led the forces of Israel. And the Lord told you, ‘You will be the shepherd of my people Israel. You will be Israel’s leader.’”

3 So there at Hebron, King David made a covenant before the Lord with all the elders of Israel. And they anointed him king of Israel.

4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in all. 5 He had reigned over Judah from Hebron for seven years and six months, and from Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years.

David Captures Jerusalem

6 David then led his men to Jerusalem to fight against the Jebusites, the original inhabitants of the land who were living there. The Jebusites taunted David, saying, “You’ll never get in here! Even the blind and lame could keep you out!” For the Jebusites thought they were safe. 7 But David captured the fortress of Zion, which is now called the City of David.

8 On the day of the attack, David said to his troops, “I hate those ‘lame’ and ‘blind’ Jebusites.[f] Whoever attacks them should strike by going into the city through the water tunnel.[g]” That is the origin of the saying, “The blind and the lame may not enter the house.”[h]

9 So David made the fortress his home, and he called it the City of David. He extended the city, starting at the supporting terraces[i] and working inward. 10 And David became more and more powerful, because the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies was with him.

11 Then King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar timber and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built David a palace. 12 And David realized that the Lord had confirmed him as king over Israel and had blessed his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

13 After moving from Hebron to Jerusalem, David married more concubines and wives, and they had more sons and daughters. 14 These are the names of David’s sons who were born in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

David Conquers the Philistines

17 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king of Israel, they mobilized all their forces to capture him. But David was told they were coming, so he went into the stronghold. 18 The Philistines arrived and spread out across the valley of Rephaim. 19 So David asked the Lord, “Should I go out to fight the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?”

The Lord replied to David, “Yes, go ahead. I will certainly hand them over to you.”

20 So David went to Baal-perazim and defeated the Philistines there. “The Lord did it!” David exclaimed. “He burst through my enemies like a raging flood!” So he named that place Baal-perazim (which means “the Lord who bursts through”). 21 The Philistines had abandoned their idols there, so David and his men confiscated them.

22 But after a while the Philistines returned and again spread out across the valley of Rephaim. 23 And again David asked the Lord what to do. “Do not attack them straight on,” the Lord replied. “Instead, circle around behind and attack them near the poplar[j] trees. 24 When you hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of the poplar trees, be on the alert! That will be the signal that the Lord is moving ahead of you to strike down the Philistine army.” 25 So David did what the Lord commanded, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon[k] to Gezer.

Moving the Ark to Jerusalem

6 Then David again gathered all the elite troops in Israel, 30,000 in all. 2 He led them to Baalah of Judah[l] to bring back the Ark of God, which bears the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,[m] who is enthroned between the cherubim. 3 They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s house, which was on a hill. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab’s sons, were guiding the cart 4 that carried the Ark of God.[n] Ahio walked in front of the Ark. 5 David and all the people of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, singing songs[o] and playing all kinds of musical instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

6 But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out his hand and steadied the Ark of God. 7 Then the Lord’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him dead because of this.[p] So Uzzah died right there beside the Ark of God.

8 David was angry because the Lord’s anger had burst out against Uzzah. He named that place Perez-uzzah (which means “to burst out against Uzzah”), as it is still called today.

9 David was now afraid of the Lord, and he asked, “How can I ever bring the Ark of the Lord back into my care?” 10 So David decided not to move the Ark of the Lord into the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom of Gath. 11 The Ark of the Lord remained there in Obed-edom’s house for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and his entire household.

12 Then King David was told, “The Lord has blessed Obed-edom’s household and everything he has because of the Ark of God.” So David went there and brought the Ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David with a great celebration. 13 After the men who were carrying the Ark of the Lord had gone six steps, David sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly garment.[q] 15 So David and all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and the blowing of rams’ horns.

Michal’s Contempt for David

16 But as the Ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked down from her window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she was filled with contempt for him.

17 They brought the Ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the special tent David had prepared for it. And David sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord. 18 When he had finished his sacrifices, David blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 19 Then he gave to every Israelite man and woman in the crowd a loaf of bread, a cake of dates,[r] and a cake of raisins. Then all the people returned to their homes.

20 When David returned home to bless his own family, Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him. She said in disgust, “How distinguished the king of Israel looked today, shamelessly exposing himself to the servant girls like any vulgar person might do!”

21 David retorted to Michal, “I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord, so I celebrate before the Lord. 22 Yes, and I am willing to look even more foolish than this, even to be humiliated in my own eyes! But those servant girls you mentioned will indeed think I am distinguished!” 23 So Michal, the daughter of Saul, remained childless throughout her entire life.

Footnotes

  1. 4:1 Ishbosheth is another name for Esh-baal.
  2. 4:4 Mephibosheth is another name for Merib-baal.
  3. 4:6 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads So they went into the house pretending to fetch wheat, but they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Recab and Baanah escaped.
  4. 4:7 Hebrew the Arabah.
  5. 5:2 Or For some time.
  6. 5:8a Or Those ‘lame’ and ‘blind’ Jebusites hate me.
  7. 5:8b Or with scaling hooks. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  8. 5:8c The meaning of this saying is uncertain.
  9. 5:9 Hebrew the millo. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
  10. 5:23 Or aspen, or balsam; also in 5:24. The exact identification of this tree is uncertain.
  11. 5:25 As in Greek version (see also 1 Chr 14:16); Hebrew reads Geba.
  12. 6:2a Hebrew Baale of Judah, another name for Kiriath-jearim; compare 1 Chr 13:6.
  13. 6:2b Or the Ark of God where the Name is proclaimed—the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
  14. 6:4 As in Dead Sea Scrolls and some Greek manuscripts; Masoretic Text reads 4 and they brought it from Abinadab’s house, which was on a hill, with the Ark of God.
  15. 6:5 As in Dead Sea Scrolls and Greek version (see also 1 Chr 13:8); Masoretic Text reads before the Lord with all manner of cypress wood.
  16. 6:7 As in Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text reads because of his irreverence.
  17. 6:14 Hebrew a linen ephod.
  18. 6:19 Or a portion of meat. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
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