2 Samuel 3-5
Christian Standard Bible
Civil War
3 During the long war between the house of Saul and the house of David,(A) David was growing stronger(B) and the house of Saul was becoming weaker.
2 Sons were born to David in Hebron:
His firstborn was Amnon,(C)
by Ahinoam(D) the Jezreelite;
3 his second was Chileab,
by Abigail,(E) the widow of Nabal the Carmelite;
the third was Absalom,(F)
son of Maacah the daughter of King Talmai of Geshur;(G)
4 the fourth was Adonijah,(H)
son of Haggith;
the fifth was Shephatiah,
son of Abital;
5 the sixth was Ithream,
by David’s wife Eglah.
These were born to David in Hebron.(I)
6 During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner kept acquiring more power in the house of Saul.(J) 7 Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah(K) daughter of Aiah, and Ish-bosheth questioned Abner, “Why did you sleep with my father’s concubine?”
8 Abner was very angry about Ish-bosheth’s accusation. “Am I a dog’s head[a](L) who belongs to Judah?” he asked. “All this time I’ve been loyal to the family of your father Saul, to his brothers, and to his friends and haven’t betrayed you to David, but now you accuse me of wrongdoing with this woman! 9 May God punish Abner and do so severely if I don’t do for David what the Lord swore to him: 10 to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish the throne of David over Israel and Judah(M) from Dan to Beer-sheba.” 11 Ish-bosheth did not dare respond to Abner because he was afraid of him.
12 Abner sent messengers as his representatives to say to David, “Whose land is it? Make your covenant with me, and you can be certain I am on your side to turn all Israel over to you.”
13 David replied, “Good, I will make a covenant with you. However, there’s one thing I require of you: You will not see my face unless you first bring Saul’s daughter Michal(N) when you come to see me.”
14 Then David sent messengers to say to Ish-bosheth son of Saul, “Give me back my wife Michal. I was engaged to her for the price of a hundred Philistine foreskins.”(O)
15 So Ish-bosheth sent someone to take her away from her husband, Paltiel son of Laish.(P) 16 Her husband followed her, weeping all the way to Bahurim. Abner said to him, “Go back.” So he went back.
The Assassination of Abner
17 Abner conferred with the elders of Israel: “In the past you wanted David to be king over you. 18 Now take action, because the Lord has spoken concerning David: ‘Through my servant David I will save my people Israel from the power of the Philistines and the power of all Israel’s enemies.’”
19 Abner also informed the Benjaminites and went to Hebron to inform David about all that was agreed on by Israel and the whole house of Benjamin.(Q) 20 When Abner and twenty men came to David at Hebron, David held a banquet for him and his men.
21 Abner said to David, “Let me now go and I will gather all Israel to my lord the king. They will make a covenant with you,(R) and you will reign over all you desire.” So David dismissed Abner, and he went in peace.
22 Just then David’s soldiers and Joab returned from a raid and brought a large amount of plundered goods with them. Abner was not with David in Hebron because David had dismissed him, and he had gone in peace. 23 When Joab and his whole army arrived, Joab was informed, “Abner son of Ner came to see the king, the king dismissed him, and he went in peace.”
24 Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Look here, Abner came to you. Why did you dismiss him? Now he’s getting away. 25 You know that Abner son of Ner came to deceive you and to find out about your military activities[b] and everything you’re doing.” 26 Then Joab left David and sent messengers after Abner. They brought him back from the well[c] of Sirah, but David was unaware of it. 27 When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pulled him aside to the middle of the city gate, as if to speak to him privately, and there Joab stabbed him in the stomach. So Abner died in revenge for the death of Asahel,[d] Joab’s brother.(S)
28 David heard about it later and said, “I and my kingdom are forever innocent before the Lord concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. 29 May it hang over Joab’s head and his father’s whole family, and may the house of Joab never be without someone who has a discharge or a skin disease,(T) or a man who can only work a spindle,[e] or someone who falls by the sword or starves.” 30 Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner because he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon.(U)
31 David then ordered Joab and all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth,(V) and mourn over Abner.” And King David walked behind the coffin.[f]
32 When they buried Abner in Hebron, the king wept aloud at Abner’s tomb. All the people wept, 33 and the king sang a lament for Abner:(W)
Should Abner die as a fool dies?
34 Your hands were not bound,
your feet not placed in bronze shackles.
You fell like one who falls victim to criminals.
And all the people wept over him even more.
35 Then they came to urge David to eat food while it was still day, but David took an oath: “May God punish me and do so severely if I taste bread or anything else before sunset!” (X) 36 All the people took note of this, and it pleased them. In fact, everything the king did pleased them. 37 On that day all the troops and all Israel were convinced that the king had no part in the killing of Abner son of Ner.
38 Then the king said to his soldiers, “You must know that a great leader has fallen in Israel today. 39 As for me, even though I am the anointed king, I have little power today. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too fierce for me.(Y) May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his evil!” (Z)
The Assassination of Ish-bosheth
4 When Saul’s son Ish-bosheth heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he gave up,[g] and all Israel was dismayed. 2 Saul’s son had two men who were leaders of raiding parties: one named Baanah and the other Rechab, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite of the Benjaminites. Beeroth is also considered part of Benjamin, 3 and the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and still reside there as aliens today.
4 Saul’s son Jonathan had a son whose feet were crippled. He was five years old when the report about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nanny picked him up and fled, but as she was hurrying to flee, he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.(AA)
5 Rechab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out and arrived at Ish-bosheth’s house during the heat of the day while the king was taking his midday nap. 6 They entered the interior of the house as if to get wheat and stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and his brother Baanah escaped. 7 They had entered the house while Ish-bosheth was lying on his bed in his bedroom and stabbed and killed him. They removed his head, took it, and traveled by way of the Arabah(AB) all night. 8 They brought Ish-bosheth’s head to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here’s the head of Ish-bosheth son of Saul, your enemy who intended to take your life. Today the Lord has granted vengeance to my lord the king against Saul and his offspring.”
9 But David answered Rechab and his brother Baanah, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As the Lord lives, the one who has redeemed my life from every distress,(AC) 10 when the person told me, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ he thought he was a bearer of good news, but I seized him and put him to death at Ziklag.(AD) That was my reward to him for his news! 11 How much more when wicked men kill a righteous man in his own house on his own bed! So now, should I not require his blood from you and purge you from the earth?” (AE)
12 So David gave orders to the young men, and they killed Rechab and Baanah. They cut off their hands and feet and hung their bodies by the pool in Hebron, but they took Ish-bosheth’s head and buried it in Abner’s tomb in Hebron.(AF)
David, King of Israel
5 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron(AG) and said, “Here we are, your own flesh and blood.[h](AH) 2 Even while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led us out to battle and brought us back.(AI) The Lord also said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will be ruler over Israel.’”
3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron. King David made a covenant with them(AJ) at Hebron in the Lord’s presence, and they anointed David king over Israel.
4 David was thirty years old when he began his reign;(AK) he reigned forty years. 5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.
6 The king and his men marched to Jerusalem against the Jebusites(AL) who inhabited the land. The Jebusites had said to David, “You will never get in here. Even the blind and lame can repel you” thinking, “David can’t get in here.”
7 Yet David did capture the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David.(AM) 8 He said that day, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites must go through the water shaft to reach the lame and the blind who are despised by David.”[i] For this reason it is said, “The blind and the lame will never enter the house.”[j]
9 David took up residence in the stronghold, which he named the city of David. He built it up all the way around from the supporting terraces inward. 10 David became more and more powerful,(AN) and the Lord God of Armies was with him.(AO) 11 King Hiram of Tyre sent envoys to David; he also sent cedar logs, carpenters, and stonemasons,(AP) 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 for the sake of his people Israel.
13 After he arrived from Hebron, David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him. 14 These are the names of those born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan,(AQ) Solomon, 15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.(AR)
17 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel,(AS) they all went in search of David, but he heard about it and went down to the stronghold.(AT) 18 So the Philistines came and spread out in Rephaim Valley.
19 Then David inquired of the Lord:(AU) “Should I attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?”
The Lord replied to David, “Attack, for I will certainly hand the Philistines over to you.”
20 So David went to Baal-perazim and defeated them there and said, “Like a bursting flood, the Lord has burst out against my enemies before me.”(AV) Therefore, he named that place The Lord Bursts Out.[k] 21 The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them off.
22 The Philistines came up again and spread out in Rephaim Valley. 23 So David inquired of the Lord, and he answered, “Do not attack directly, but circle around behind them and come at them opposite the balsam trees. 24 When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, act decisively, for then the Lord will have gone out ahead of you to strike down the army of the Philistines.”(AW) 25 So David did exactly as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Geba to Gezer.
Footnotes
- 3:8 = a despised person
- 3:25 Lit your going out and your coming in
- 3:26 Or cistern
- 3:27 Lit And he died for the blood of Asahel
- 3:29 LXX reads who uses a crutch
- 3:31 Or the bier; lit the bed
- 4:1 Lit his hands dropped
- 5:1 Lit your bone and your flesh
- 5:8 Alt Hb tradition, LXX, Tg, Syr read who despise David
- 5:8 Or temple, or palace
- 5:20 Or Baal-perazim; 2Sm 6:8; 1Ch 13:11
1 Chronicles 12
Christian Standard Bible
David’s First Supporters
12 The following were the men who came to David at Ziklag while he was still banned from the presence of Saul son of Kish.(A) They were among the warriors who helped him in battle. 2 They were archers who could use either the right or left hand, both to sling stones and shoot arrows from a bow.(B) They were Saul’s relatives(C) from Benjamin:
3 Their chief was Ahiezer son of Shemaah the Gibeathite.
Then there was his brother Joash;
Jeziel and Pelet sons of Azmaveth;
Beracah, Jehu the Anathothite;
4 Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a warrior among the Thirty and a leader over the Thirty;
Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite;
5 Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite;
6 Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites;
7 and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham from Gedor.
8 Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the desert. They were valiant warriors, trained for battle, expert with shield and spear. Their faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles on the mountains.(D)
9 Ezer was the chief, Obadiah second, Eliab third,
10 Mishmannah fourth, Jeremiah fifth,
11 Attai sixth, Eliel seventh,
12 Johanan eighth, Elzabad ninth,
13 Jeremiah tenth, and Machbannai eleventh.
14 These Gadites were army commanders; the least of them was a match for a hundred, and the greatest of them for a thousand.(E) 15 These are the men who crossed the Jordan in the first month[a] when it was overflowing all its banks,(F) and put to flight all those in the valleys to the east and to the west.
16 Other Benjaminites and men from Judah also went to David at the stronghold.(G) 17 David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come in peace to help me, my heart will be united with you, but if you have come to betray me to my enemies even though my hands have done no wrong, may the God of our ancestors look on it and judge.”
18 Then the Spirit enveloped[b](H) Amasai,(I) chief of the Thirty, and he said:
We are yours, David,
we are with you, son of Jesse!
Peace, peace to you,
and peace to him who helps you,(J)
for your God helps you.
So David received them and made them leaders of his troops.
19 Some Manassites defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. However, they did not help the Philistines because the Philistine rulers sent David away after a discussion. They said, “It will be our heads if he defects to his master Saul.”(K) 20 When David went to Ziklag, some men from Manasseh defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands in Manasseh. 21 They helped David against the raiders,(L) for they were all valiant warriors and commanders in the army. 22 At that time, men came day after day to help David until there was a great army, like an army of God.[c](M)
David’s Soldiers in Hebron
23 The numbers of the armed troops who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul’s kingdom over to him,(N) according to the Lord’s word,(O) were as follows:
24 From the Judahites: 6,800 armed troops bearing shields and spears.
25 From the Simeonites: 7,100 valiant warriors ready for war.
26 From the Levites: 4,600 27 in addition to Jehoiada, leader of the house of Aaron, with 3,700 men; 28 and Zadok,(P) a young valiant warrior, with 22 commanders from his ancestral family.[d]
29 From the Benjaminites, the relatives of Saul:(Q) 3,000 (up to that time the majority of the Benjaminites maintained their allegiance to the house of Saul).
30 From the Ephraimites: 20,800 valiant warriors who were famous men in their ancestral families.[e]
31 From half the tribe of Manasseh: 18,000 designated by name to come and make David king.
32 From the Issacharites, who understood the times(R) and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs with all their relatives under their command.
33 From Zebulun: 50,000 who could serve in the army, trained for battle with all kinds of weapons of war, with one purpose(S) to help David.[f]
34 From Naphtali: 1,000 commanders accompanied by 37,000 men with shield and spear.
35 From the Danites: 28,600 trained for battle.
36 From Asher: 40,000 who could serve in the army, trained for battle.
37 From across the Jordan—from the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh: 120,000 men equipped with all the military weapons of war.
38 All these warriors, lined up in battle formation, came to Hebron wholeheartedly determined to make David king over all Israel. All the rest of Israel was also of one mind to make David king.(T) 39 They spent three days there eating and drinking with David, for their relatives had provided for them. 40 In addition, their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali came and brought food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen—abundant provisions of flour, fig cakes, raisins, wine and oil, herds, and flocks.(U) Indeed, there was joy in Israel.
Psalm 122
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 122
A Prayer for Jerusalem
A song of ascents. Of David.
1 I rejoiced with those who said to me,
“Let’s go to the house of the Lord.”(A)
2 Our feet were standing
within your gates, Jerusalem(B)—
3 Jerusalem, built as a city should be,
solidly united,(C)
4 where the tribes, the Lord’s tribes, go up
to give thanks to the name of the Lord.(D)
(This is an ordinance for Israel.(E))
5 There, thrones for judgment are placed,
thrones of the house of David.(F)
6 Pray for the well-being[a] of Jerusalem:
“May those who love you be secure;(G)
7 may there be peace within your walls,
security within your fortresses.”(H)
8 Because of my brothers and friends,
I will say, “May peace be in you.”[b](I)
9 Because of the house of the Lord our God,
I will pursue your prosperity.(J)
Acts 22
Christian Standard Bible
22 “Brothers and fathers, listen now to my defense before you.” 2 When they heard that he was addressing them in Aramaic,[a] they became even quieter.(A) 3 He(B) continued, “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel(C) according to the strictness of our ancestral law. I was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.(D) 4 I persecuted this Way(E) to the death, arresting and putting both men and women in jail,(F) 5 as both the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify about me. After I received letters from them to the brothers, I traveled to Damascus to arrest those who were there and bring them to Jerusalem to be punished.(G)
Paul’s Testimony
6 “As(H) I was traveling and approaching Damascus, about noon an intense light from heaven suddenly flashed around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
8 “I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’
“He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, the one you are persecuting.’ 9 Now those who were with me saw the light,[b] but they did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.(I)
10 “I said, ‘What should I do, Lord?’
“The Lord told me, ‘Get up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything that you have been assigned to do.’
11 “Since I couldn’t see because of the brightness of the light,[c] I was led by the hand by those who were with me, and went into Damascus.(J) 12 Someone named Ananias, a devout man according to the law, who had a good reputation with all the Jews living there,(K) 13 came and stood by me and said, ‘Brother Saul, regain your sight.’ And in that very hour I looked up and saw him. 14 And he said, ‘The God of our ancestors has appointed(L) you to know his will, to see(M) the Righteous One,(N) and to hear the words from his mouth, 15 since you will be a witness for him to all people of what you have seen and heard.(O) 16 And now, why are you delaying? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins,(P) calling on his name.’(Q)
17 “After I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance(R) 18 and saw him telling me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’
19 “But I said, ‘Lord, they know that in synagogue after synagogue I had those who believed in you imprisoned and beaten.(S) 20 And when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I stood there giving approval[d] and guarding the clothes of those who killed him.’(T)
21 “He said to me, ‘Go, because I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”(U)
Paul’s Roman Protection
22 They listened to him up to this point. Then they raised their voices, shouting, “Wipe this man off the face of the earth! He should not be allowed to live!” (V)
23 As they were yelling and flinging aside their garments and throwing dust into the air,(W) 24 the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, directing that he be interrogated with the scourge to discover the reason they were shouting against him like this. 25 As they stretched him out for the lash, Paul said to the centurion standing by, “Is it legal for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen and is uncondemned?” (X)
26 When the centurion heard this, he went and reported to the commander, saying, “What are you going to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.”
27 The commander came and said to him, “Tell me, are you a Roman citizen?”
“Yes,” he said.
28 The commander replied, “I bought this citizenship for a large amount of money.”
“But I was born a citizen,” Paul said.
29 So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately. The commander too was alarmed when he realized Paul was a Roman citizen and he had bound him.(Y)
Paul before the Sanhedrin
30 The next day, since he wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused by the Jews, he released him[e] and instructed the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to convene.(Z) He brought Paul down and placed him before them.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
Bible Gateway Recommends
