2 Samuel 4-14

English Standard Version

Ish-bosheth Murdered

4 When Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, heard that Abner had died at Hebron, ^(A)his courage failed, and all Israel was dismayed. ² Now Saul's son had two men who were captains of raiding bands; the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, sons of Rimmon a man of Benjamin from Beeroth (^(B)for Beeroth also is counted part of Benjamin; ^3 (C)the Beerothites fled ^(D)to Gittaim and have been sojourners there to this day).

^4 (E)Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan ^(F)came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled, and as she fled in her haste, he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.

⁵ Now the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out, and about the heat of the day they came to the house of Ish-bosheth as he was taking his noonday rest. ⁶ And they came into the midst of the house as if to get wheat, and they stabbed him ^(G)in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.^{[a] 7} When they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him and put him to death and beheaded him. They took his head and went by the way of ^(H)the Arabah all night, ⁸ and brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron. And they said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, ^(I)who sought your life. The Lord has avenged my lord the king this day on Saul and on his offspring.” ⁹ But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, ^(J)“As the Lord lives, ^(K)who has redeemed my life out of every adversity, ^10 (L)when one told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, ^(M)I seized him and killed him at 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 ^(N)require his blood at your hand and destroy you from the earth?” ¹² And David commanded his young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and feet and hanged them beside the pool at Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it ^(O)in the tomb of Abner at Hebron.

David Anointed King of Israel

5 Then all the tribes of Israel ^(P)came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, ^(Q)we are your bone and flesh. ² In times past, when Saul was king over us, ^(R)it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord said to you, ^(S)‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince^[b] over Israel.’” ³ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, ^(T)and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron ^(U)before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. ⁴ David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and ^(V)he reigned forty years. ^5 (W)At Hebron he reigned over Judah ^(X)seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.^[c]

^6 (Y)And the king and his men went to Jerusalem ^(Z)against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off”—thinking, “David cannot come in here.” ⁷ Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, ^(AA)that is, the city of David. ⁸ And David said on that day, “Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack ‘the lame and the blind,’ who are hated by David's soul.” Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.” ⁹ And David lived in the stronghold and called it ^(AB)the city of David. And David built the city all around from the ^(AC)Millo inward. ¹⁰ And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.

^11 (AD)And ^(AE)Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also carpenters and masons who built David a house. ¹² And David knew that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

¹³ And David took more ^(AF)concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David. ^14 (AG)And 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.

David Defeats the Philistines

¹⁷ When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. But David heard of it and went down ^(AH)to the stronghold. ¹⁸ Now the Philistines had come and spread out in ^(AI)the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹ And David ^(AJ)inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” And the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.” ²⁰ And David came to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there. And he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like a breaking flood.” ^(AK)Therefore the name of that place is called Baal-perazim.^{[d] 21} And the Philistines left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.

²² And the Philistines came up yet again ^(AL)and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. ^23 (AM)And when David inquired of the Lord, he said, “You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come against them opposite the balsam trees. ²⁴ And ^(AN)when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, ^(AO)for then the Lord has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.” ²⁵ And David did as the Lord commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba ^(AP)to Gezer.

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem

6 ^(AQ)David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. ² And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from ^(AR)Baale-judah ^(AS)to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts ^(AT)who sits enthroned on the cherubim. ³ And they carried the ark of God ^(AU)on a new cart and brought it ^(AV)out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio,^[e] the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, ⁴ with the ark of God,^[f] and Ahio went before the ark.

Uzzah and the Ark

⁵ And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with ^(AW)songs^[g] and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. ⁶ And when they came to the threshing floor of ^(AX)Nacon, Uzzah ^(AY)put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. ⁷ And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and ^(AZ)God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. ⁸ And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah^[h] to this day. ⁹ And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” ¹⁰ So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside ^(BA)to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. ¹¹ And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, ^(BB)and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household.

¹² And it was told King David, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” ^(BC)So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom ^(BD)to the city of David with rejoicing. ¹³ And when ^(BE)those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, ^(BF)he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. ¹⁴ And David ^(BG)danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was ^(BH)wearing a linen ephod. ¹⁵ So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn.

David and Michal

¹⁶ As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart. ¹⁷ And they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it ^(BI)in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it. ^(BJ)And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. ¹⁸ And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, ^(BK)he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts ¹⁹ and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat,^[i] and a cake of raisins to each one. ^(BL)Then all the people departed, each to his house.

²⁰ And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, ^(BM)uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants' female servants, as one of the ^(BN)vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” ²¹ And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, ^(BO)who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince^[j] over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord. ²² I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your^[k] eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.” ²³ And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

The Lord's Covenant with David

7 ^(BP)Now when the king lived in his house and the Lord ^(BQ)had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, ² the king said to ^(BR)Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell ^(BS)in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells ^(BT)in a tent.” ³ And Nathan said to the king, ^(BU)“Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.”

⁴ But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, ⁵ “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: ^(BV)Would you build me a house to dwell in? ⁶ I have not lived in a house ^(BW)since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about ^(BX)in a tent for my dwelling. ⁷ In all places where ^(BY)I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with ^(BZ)any of the judges^[l] of Israel, whom I commanded ^(CA)to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ ⁸ Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, ^(CB)I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince^[m] over my people Israel. ^9 (CC)And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. ¹⁰ And I will appoint a place for my people Israel ^(CD)and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place ^(CE)and be disturbed no more. ^(CF)And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, ^11 (CG)from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And ^(CH)I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that ^(CI)the Lord will make you a house. ^12 (CJ)When your days are fulfilled and ^(CK)you lie down with your fathers, ^(CL)I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ^13 (CM)He shall build a house for my name, and ^(CN)I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ^14 (CO)I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, ^(CP)I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, ^15 (CQ)but my steadfast love will not depart from him, ^(CR)as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. ^16 (CS)And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me.^{[n] (CT)}Your throne shall be established forever.’” ¹⁷ In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

David's Prayer of Gratitude

¹⁸ Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, ^(CU)“Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? ¹⁹ And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. ^(CV)You have spoken also of your servant's house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord God! ²⁰ And what more can David say to you? ^(CW)For you know your servant, O Lord God! ²¹ Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it. ^22 (CX)Therefore you are great, O Lord God. ^(CY)For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. ^23 (CZ)And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name ^(DA)and doing for them^[o] great and awesome things by driving out before your people,^[p] whom ^(DB)you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods? ^24 (DC)And you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O Lord, became their God. ²⁵ And now, O Lord God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken. ²⁶ And your name will be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you. ²⁷ For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. ²⁸ And now, O Lord God, you are God, and ^(DD)your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. ²⁹ Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken, ^(DE)and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”

David's Victories

8 ^(DF)After this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and David took ^(DG)Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines.

^2 (DH)And he defeated Moab and he measured them with a line, making them lie down on the ground. Two lines he measured to be put to death, and one full line to be spared. And the Moabites ^(DI)became servants to David and ^(DJ)brought tribute.

³ David also defeated ^(DK)Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of ^(DL)Zobah, as he went to restore his power at the river Euphrates. ^4 (DM)And David took from him 1,700 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers. And David ^(DN)hamstrung all the chariot horses but left enough for 100 chariots. ^5 (DO)And when the ^(DP)Syrians of Damascus came to help ^(DQ)Hadadezer king of ^(DR)Zobah, David struck down 22,000 men of the Syrians. ⁶ Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Syrians ^(DS)became servants to David and brought tribute. ^(DT)And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went. ⁷ And David took ^(DU)the shields of gold that were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ And from Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took very much bronze.

⁹ When Toi king of ^(DV)Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer, ¹⁰ Toi sent his son Joram to King David, to ask about his health and to bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Hadadezer had often been at war with Toi. And Joram brought with him articles of silver, of gold, and of bronze. ^11 (DW)These also King David dedicated to the Lord, together with the silver and gold that he dedicated from all the nations he subdued, ¹² from Edom, ^(DX)Moab, ^(DY)the Ammonites, ^(DZ)the Philistines, ^(EA)Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of ^(EB)Zobah.

¹³ And David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down 18,000 Edomites in ^(EC)the Valley of Salt. ¹⁴ Then he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, ^(ED)and all the Edomites became David's servants. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.

David's Officials

¹⁵ So David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people. ^16 (EE)Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and ^(EF)Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder, ¹⁷ and ^(EG)Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests, and ^(EH)Seraiah was secretary, ¹⁸ and ^(EI)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over^[q] the ^(EJ)Cherethites and the Pelethites, and David's sons were priests.

David's Kindness to Mephibosheth

9 And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may ^(EK)show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?” ² Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was ^(EL)Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” ³ And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show ^(EM)the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of ^(EN)Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.” ⁴ The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of ^(EO)Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.” ⁵ Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. ⁶ And ^(EP)Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.” ⁷ And David said to him, “Do not fear, ^(EQ)for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and ^(ER)you shall eat at my table always.” ⁸ And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for ^(ES)a dead dog such as I?”

⁹ Then the king called Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master's grandson. ¹⁰ And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master's grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master's grandson ^(ET)shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had ^(EU)fifteen sons and twenty servants. ¹¹ Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” So Mephibosheth ^(EV)ate at David's^[r] table, like one of the king's sons. ¹² And Mephibosheth had a young son, ^(EW)whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba's house became Mephibosheth's servants. ¹³ So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for ^(EX)he ate always at the king's table. Now ^(EY)he was lame in both his feet.

David Defeats Ammon and Syria

10 ^(EZ)After this the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place. ² And David said, “I will deal loyally^[s] with Hanun the son of ^(FA)Nahash, as his father dealt loyally with me.” So David sent by his servants to console him concerning his father. And David's servants came into the land of the Ammonites. ³ But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it?” ⁴ So Hanun took David's servants and shaved off half the beard of each and cut off their garments in the middle, ^(FB)at their hips, and sent them away. ⁵ When it was told David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown and then return.”

⁶ When the Ammonites saw that they had become a stench to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Syrians of ^(FC)Beth-rehob, and ^(FD)the Syrians of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of ^(FE)Maacah with 1,000 men, and the men of ^(FF)Tob, 12,000 men. ⁷ And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the host of ^(FG)the mighty men. ⁸ And the Ammonites came out and drew up in battle array at the entrance of the gate, and ^(FH)the Syrians of Zobah and of Rehob and ^(FI)the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country.

⁹ When Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Syrians. ¹⁰ The rest of his men he put in the charge of Abishai his brother, and he arrayed them against the Ammonites. ¹¹ And he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. ^12 (FJ)Be of good courage, and ^(FK)let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and ^(FL)may the Lord do what seems good to him.” ¹³ So Joab and the people who were with him drew near to battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him. ¹⁴ And when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians fled, they likewise fled before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.

¹⁵ But when the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together. ¹⁶ And Hadadezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond ^(FM)the Euphrates.^[t] They came to Helam, with ^(FN)Shobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer at their head. ¹⁷ And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan and came to Helam. The Syrians arrayed themselves against David and fought with him. ¹⁸ And the Syrians fled before Israel, and David killed of the Syrians the men of 700 chariots, and 40,000 horsemen, and wounded ^(FO)Shobach the commander of their army, so that he died there. ¹⁹ And when all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel ^(FP)and became subject to them. So the Syrians were afraid to save the Ammonites anymore.

David and Bathsheba

11 ^(FQ)(FR)In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged ^(FS)Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

² It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on ^(FT)the roof of the king's house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. ³ And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this ^(FU)Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of ^(FV)Uriah the Hittite?” ⁴ So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (^(FW)Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house. ⁵ And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”

⁶ So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. ⁷ When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going. ⁸ Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and ^(FX)wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king's house, and there followed him a present from the king. ⁹ But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. ¹⁰ When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” ¹¹ Uriah said to David, ^(FY)“The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and ^(FZ)the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and ^(GA)as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.” ¹² Then David said to Uriah, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. ¹³ And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, ^(GB)so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with ^(GC)the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.

¹⁴ In the morning David ^(GD)wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. ¹⁵ In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, ^(GE)that he may be struck down, and die.” ¹⁶ And as Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant men. ¹⁷ And the men of the city came out and fought with Joab, and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the Hittite also died. ¹⁸ Then Joab sent and told David all the news about the fighting. ¹⁹ And he instructed the messenger, “When you have finished telling all the news about the fighting to the king, ²⁰ then, if the king's anger rises, and if he says to you, ‘Why did you go so near the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? ^21 (GF)Who killed Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?’ then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.’”

²² So the messenger went and came and told David all that Joab had sent him to tell. ²³ The messenger said to David, “The men gained an advantage over us and came out against us in the field, but we drove them back to the entrance of the gate. ²⁴ Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall. Some of the king's servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.” ²⁵ David said to the messenger, “Thus shall you say to Joab, ‘Do not let this matter displease you, for the sword devours now one and now another. Strengthen your attack against the city and overthrow it.’ And encourage him.”

²⁶ When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented over her husband. ²⁷ And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and ^(GG)she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.

Nathan Rebukes David

12 And the Lord sent ^(GH)Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, ^(GI)“There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. ² The rich man had very many flocks and herds, ³ but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms,^[u] and it was like a daughter to him. ⁴ Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man's lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” ⁵ Then David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, ^(GJ)“As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, ⁶ and he shall restore the lamb ^(GK)fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

⁷ Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ^(GL)‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul. ⁸ And I gave you your master's house and your master's wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more. ^9 (GM)Why have you despised the word of the Lord, ^(GN)to do what is evil in his sight? ^(GO)You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and ^(GP)have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. ¹⁰ Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ ¹¹ Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. ¹² For you did it secretly, ^(GQ)but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’” ^13 (GR)David said to Nathan, ^(GS)“I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, ^(GT)“The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. ¹⁴ Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly ^(GU)scorned the Lord,^[v] the child who is born to you shall die.” ¹⁵ Then Nathan went to his house.

David's Child Dies

And the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah's wife bore to David, and he became sick. ¹⁶ David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David ^(GV)fasted and went in ^(GW)and lay all night on the ground. ¹⁷ And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. ¹⁸ On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” ¹⁹ But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.” ²⁰ Then David arose from the earth ^(GX)and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord ^(GY)and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. ²¹ Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.” ²² He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ^(GZ)‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’ ²³ But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, ^(HA)but he will not return to me.”

Solomon's Birth

²⁴ Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her, and ^(HB)she bore a son, and he called his name ^(HC)Solomon. And the Lord loved him ²⁵ and sent a message by Nathan the prophet. So he called his name Jedidiah,^[w] because of the Lord.

Rabbah Is Captured

^26 (HD)Now Joab ^(HE)fought against ^(HF)Rabbah of the Ammonites and took the royal city. ²⁷ And Joab sent messengers to David and said, “I have fought against Rabbah; moreover, I have taken the city of waters. ²⁸ Now then gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called by my name.” ²⁹ So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah and fought against it and took it. ³⁰ And he took the crown of their king from his head. The weight of it was a talent^[x] of gold, and in it was a precious stone, and it was placed on David's head. And he brought out the spoil of the city, a very great amount. ³¹ And he brought out the people who were in it and set them to labor with saws and iron picks and iron axes and made them toil at^[y] the brick kilns. And thus he did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

Amnon and Tamar

13 Now ^(HG)Absalom, David's son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was ^(HH)Tamar. And after a time Amnon, David's son, loved her. ² And Amnon was so tormented that he made himself ill because of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her. ³ But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of ^(HI)Shimeah, David's brother. And Jonadab was a very crafty man. ⁴ And he said to him, “O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.” ⁵ Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Let my sister Tamar come and give me bread to eat, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’” ⁶ So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. And when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come and ^(HJ)make a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.”

⁷ Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Go to your brother Amnon's house and prepare food for him.” ⁸ So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house, where he was lying down. And she took dough and kneaded it and made cakes in his sight and baked the cakes. ⁹ And she took the pan and emptied it out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, ^(HK)“Send out everyone from me.” So everyone went out from him. ¹⁰ Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the chamber, that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. ¹¹ But when she brought them near him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.” ¹² She answered him, “No, my brother, do not violate^[z] me, for ^(HL)such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do this ^(HM)outrageous thing. ¹³ As for me, where could I carry my shame? And as for you, you would be as one of ^(HN)the outrageous fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” ¹⁴ But he would not listen to her, and being stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her.

¹⁵ Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up! Go!” ¹⁶ But she said to him, “No, my brother, for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me.”^[aa] But he would not listen to her. ¹⁷ He called the young man who served him and said, “Put this woman out of my presence and bolt the door after her.” ¹⁸ Now she was wearing ^(HO)a long robe with sleeves,^[ab] for thus were the virgin daughters of the king dressed. So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. ¹⁹ And Tamar ^(HP)put ashes on her head and ^(HQ)tore the long robe that she wore. And ^(HR)she laid her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went.

²⁰ And her brother Absalom said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? Now hold your peace, my sister. He is your brother; do not take this to heart.” So Tamar lived, a desolate woman, in her brother Absalom's house. ²¹ When King David heard of all these things, he was very angry.^{[ac] 22} But Absalom spoke to Amnon ^(HS)neither good nor bad, for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had violated his sister Tamar.

Absalom Murders Amnon

²³ After two full years Absalom had ^(HT)sheepshearers at Baal-hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king's sons. ²⁴ And Absalom came to the king and said, “Behold, your servant has sheepshearers. Please let the king and his servants go with your servant.” ²⁵ But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son, let us not all go, lest we be burdensome to you.” He pressed him, but he would not go but gave him his blessing. ²⁶ Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.” And the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” ²⁷ But Absalom pressed him until he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him. ²⁸ Then Absalom commanded his servants, “Mark when Amnon's ^(HU)heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon,’ then kill him. Do not fear; have I not commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant.” ²⁹ So the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and each mounted his mule and fled.

³⁰ While they were on the way, news came to David, “Absalom has struck down all the king's sons, and not one of them is left.” ³¹ Then the king arose and ^(HV)tore his garments and ^(HW)lay on the earth. And all his servants who were standing by tore their garments. ³² But ^(HX)Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David's brother, said, “Let not my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men, the king's sons, for Amnon alone is dead. For by the command of Absalom this has been determined from the day he violated his sister Tamar. ³³ Now therefore let not my lord the king so ^(HY)take it to heart as to suppose that all the king's sons are dead, for Amnon alone is dead.”

Absalom Flees to Geshur

^34 (HZ)But Absalom fled. And the young man who kept the watch lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, many people were coming from the road behind him^[ad] by the side of the mountain. ³⁵ And Jonadab said to the king, “Behold, the king's sons have come; as your servant said, so it has come about.” ³⁶ And as soon as he had finished speaking, behold, the king's sons came and lifted up their voice and wept. And the king also and all his servants wept very bitterly.

^37 (IA)But Absalom fled and went to ^(IB)Talmai the son of Ammihud, king of ^(IC)Geshur. And David mourned for his son day after day. ^38 (ID)So Absalom fled and went to Geshur, and was there three years. ³⁹ And the spirit of the king^[ae] longed to go out^[af] to Absalom, because ^(IE)he was comforted about Amnon, since he was dead.

Absalom Returns to Jerusalem

14 Now Joab the son of Zeruiah knew ^(IF)that the king's heart went out to Absalom. ² And Joab sent to ^(IG)Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman and said to her, “Pretend to be a mourner and put on mourning garments. ^(IH)Do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead. ³ Go to the king and speak thus to him.” So Joab ^(II)put the words in her mouth.

⁴ When the woman of Tekoa came to the king, ^(IJ)she fell on her face to the ground and paid homage and said, ^(IK)“Save me, O king.” ⁵ And the king said to her, “What is your trouble?” She answered, ^(IL)“Alas, I am a widow; my husband is dead. ⁶ And your servant had two sons, and they quarreled with one another in the field. There was no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him. ⁷ And now the whole clan has risen against your servant, and they say, ‘Give up the man who struck his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he killed.’ And so they would ^(IM)destroy the heir also. Thus they would quench my coal that is left and leave to my husband neither name nor ^(IN)remnant on the face of the earth.”

⁸ Then the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.” ⁹ And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, ^(IO)“On me be the guilt, my lord the king, and on my father's house; let the king and his throne be guiltless.” ¹⁰ The king said, “If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall never touch you again.” ¹¹ Then she said, “Please let the king invoke the Lord your God, that ^(IP)the avenger of blood kill no more, and my son be not destroyed.” He said, ^(IQ)“As the Lord lives, ^(IR)not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.”

¹² Then the woman said, “Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.” He said, “Speak.” ¹³ And the woman said, “Why then have you planned such a thing against ^(IS)the people of God? For in giving this decision the king convicts himself, inasmuch as the king does not bring ^(IT)his banished one home again. ¹⁴ We must all die; we are ^(IU)like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life, and he devises means ^(IV)so that the banished one will not remain an outcast.