2 Samuel 5
New American Standard Bible
David King over All Israel
5 (A)Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and [a]said, “Behold, we are (B)your bone and your flesh. 2 Previously, when Saul was king over us, (C)you were the one who led Israel [b]out and in. And the Lord said to you, ‘(D)You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be (E)a leader over Israel.’” 3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David (F)made a covenant with them before the Lord in Hebron; then (G)they anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was (H)thirty years old when he became king, and (I)he reigned for forty years. 5 At Hebron (J)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 (K)Now the king and his men went to (L)Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land; and they said to [c]David, “You shall not come in here, but even those who are blind and those who limp will turn you away,” [d]thinking, “David cannot enter here.” 7 Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion, that is, (M)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 (N)the city of David. And David built all around from the [e](O)Millo and inward. 10 (P)David became greater and greater, for the Lord God of armies was with him.
11 (Q)Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees, carpenters, and [f]stonemasons; and (R)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 (S)David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron; and more sons and daughters were born to David. 14 Now (T)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, (U)all the Philistines went up to seek out David; and when David heard about it, he went down to the (V)stronghold. 18 Now the Philistines came and overran (W)the Valley of Rephaim. 19 So (X)David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You hand them over to me?” And (Y)the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly hand the Philistines over to you.” 20 Then David came to (Z)Baal-perazim and [g]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 [h]Baal-perazim. 21 And the Philistines abandoned their idols there, so (AA)David and his men carried them away.
22 Now (AB)the Philistines came up once again and overran the Valley of Rephaim. 23 So (AC)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 (AD)you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the baka-shrubs, then you shall [i]act promptly, for then (AE)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 [j](AF)Geba [k]as far as (AG)Gezer.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 5:1 Lit said, saying
- 2 Samuel 5:2 I.e., to battle and in (returning) from battle
- 2 Samuel 5:6 Lit David, saying
- 2 Samuel 5:6 Lit saying
- 2 Samuel 5:9 I.e., terraced structure
- 2 Samuel 5:11 Lit stone wall craftsmen
- 2 Samuel 5:20 Lit David struck
- 2 Samuel 5:20 I.e., the master of breakthroughs
- 2 Samuel 5:24 Or pay attention
- 2 Samuel 5:25 In 1 Chr 14:16, Gibeon
- 2 Samuel 5:25 Lit until you come to
2 Samuel 5
Good News Translation
David Becomes King of Israel and Judah(A)
5 Then all the tribes of Israel went to David at Hebron and said to him, “We are your own flesh and blood. 2 In the past, even when Saul was still our king, you led the people of Israel in battle, and the Lord promised you that you would lead his people and be their ruler.” 3 So all the leaders of Israel came to King David at Hebron. He made a sacred alliance with them, they anointed him, and he became king of Israel. 4 (B)David was thirty years old when he became king, and he ruled for forty years. 5 He ruled in Hebron over Judah for seven and a half years, and in Jerusalem over all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years.
6 (C)The time came when King David and his men set out to attack Jerusalem. The Jebusites, who lived there, thought that David would not be able to conquer the city, and so they said to him, “You will never get in here; even the blind and the crippled could keep you out.” (7 But David did capture their fortress of Zion, and it became known as “David's City.”)
8 That day David said to his men, “Does anybody here hate the Jebusites as much as I do? Enough to kill them? Then go up through the water tunnel and attack those poor blind cripples.” (That is why it is said, “The blind and the crippled cannot enter the Lord's house.”)[a]
9 After capturing the fortress, David lived in it and named it “David's City.” He built the city around it, starting at the place where land was filled in on the east side of the hill. 10 He grew stronger all the time, because the Lord God Almighty was with him.
11 King Hiram of Tyre sent a trade mission to David; he provided him with cedar logs and with carpenters and stone masons to build a palace. 12 And so David realized that the Lord had established him as king of Israel and was making his kingdom prosperous for the sake of his people.
13 After moving from Hebron to Jerusalem, David took more concubines and wives, and had more sons and daughters. 14 The following children were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.
Victory over the Philistines(D)
17 The Philistines were told that David had been made king of Israel, so their army set out to capture him. When David heard of it, he went down to a fortified place. 18 The Philistines arrived at Rephaim Valley and occupied it. 19 David asked the Lord, “Shall I attack the Philistines? Will you give me the victory?”
“Yes, attack!” the Lord answered. “I will give you the victory!”
20 So David went to Baal Perazim and there he defeated the Philistines. He said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies like a flood.” And so that place is called Baal Perazim.[b] 21 When the Philistines fled, they left their idols behind, and David and his men carried them away.
22 Then the Philistines went back to Rephaim Valley and occupied it again. 23 Once more David consulted the Lord, who answered, “Don't attack them from here, but go around and get ready to attack them from the other side, near the balsam trees. 24 When you hear the sound of marching in the treetops, then attack because I will be marching ahead of you to defeat the Philistine army.” 25 David did what the Lord had commanded, and was able to drive the Philistines back from Geba all the way to Gezer.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 5:8 Verse 8 in Hebrew is unclear.
- 2 Samuel 5:20 This name in Hebrew means “Lord of the Breakthrough.”
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
