David’s Triumphs

(A)Now it happened afterward that David [a]defeated the Philistines and subdued them; and David took [b]control of the chief city from the hand of the Philistines.

(B)And He [c]defeated (C)Moab, and measured them with the line, making them lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death, and a full line to keep alive. And (D)the Moabites became servants to David, (E)bringing tribute.

Then David [d]defeated (F)Hadadezer, the son of Rehob king of Zobah, as (G)he went to restore his [e]power at the Euphrates River. And David captured from him [f]1,700 horsemen and twenty thousand foot soldiers; and David (H)hamstrung almost all the chariot horses, but left enough of them for a hundred chariots. When (I)the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, king of Zobah, David [g]killed twenty-two thousand men among the Arameans. Then David put garrisons among the Arameans of Damascus, and (J)the Arameans became servants to David, bringing tribute. And (K)the Lord helped David wherever he went. David took the shields of gold which were [h]carried by the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. And from [i]Betah and (L)Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took a very large amount of bronze.

Now when Toi king of (M)Hamath heard that David had [j]defeated the whole army of Hadadezer, 10 Toi sent his son [k]Joram to King David to [l]greet him and bless him, because he had fought Hadadezer and [m]defeated him; for Hadadezer [n]had been at war with Toi. And [o]Joram brought with him articles of silver, gold, and bronze. 11 King David also (N)consecrated these gifts to the Lord, with the silver and gold that he had consecrated from all the nations which he had subdued: 12 from [p]Aram, (O)Moab, (P)the sons of Ammon, (Q)the Philistines, (R)Amalek, and from the spoils of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

13 So (S)David made a name for himself when he returned from [q]killing eighteen thousand [r]Arameans in (T)the Valley of Salt. 14 He also put garrisons in Edom. In all Edom he put garrisons, and (U)all the Edomites became servants to David. And (V)the Lord helped David wherever he went.

15 So David reigned over all Israel; and David [s]administered justice and righteousness for all his people. 16 (W)Joab the son of Zeruiah was commander over the army, and (X)Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was (Y)secretary. 17 (Z)Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were (AA)priests, and Seraiah was (AB)scribe. 18 (AC)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada [t]was over the (AD)Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were [u](AE)chief ministers.

David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth

Then David said, “Is there [v]anyone still left of the house of Saul, (AF)so that I could show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they summoned him to David; and the king said to him, “Are you (AG)Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” Then the king said, “Is there no one remaining of the house of Saul to whom I could show the (AH)kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “(AI)There is still a son of Jonathan, one who is disabled in both feet.” So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is (AJ)in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar.” Then King David sent [w]messengers who brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. (AK)Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and (AL)fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he said, “Here is your servant!” Then David said to him, “Do not be afraid, for (AM)I will assuredly show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I (AN)will restore to you all the [x]land of your [y]grandfather Saul; and (AO)you yourself shall [z]eat at my table regularly.” Again he prostrated himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should be concerned about (AP)a dead dog like me?”

Then the king summoned Saul’s servant Ziba and said to him, “(AQ)Everything that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s [aa]grandson. 10 You and your sons and your servants shall cultivate the land for him, and you shall bring in the produce so that your master’s grandson will have food [ab]to eat; nevertheless (AR)Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, (AS)shall [ac]eat at my table regularly.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “In accordance (AT)with everything that my lord the king commands his servant, so your servant will do.” So Mephibosheth ate at [ad]David’s table as one of the king’s sons. 12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth. 13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because (AU)he ate at the king’s table regularly. And (AV)he was disabled in his two feet.

Ammon and Aram Defeated

10 (AW)Now it happened afterward that (AX)the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun became king in his place. Then David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun the son of (AY)Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent [ae]some of his servants to console him about his father. But when David’s servants came to the land of the Ammonites, the commanders of the Ammonites said to their lord Hanun, “[af]Do you think that David is simply honoring your father since he has sent you servants [ag]to console you? (AZ)Has David not sent his servants to you in order to explore the city, to spy it out and overthrow it?” So Hanun took David’s servants and (BA)shaved off half of their beards, and (BB)cut off their robes in the middle as far as their buttocks, and sent them away. When messengers informed David, he sent servants to meet them, because the men were extremely humiliated. And the king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards grow back, and then you shall return.”

Now when the sons of Ammon saw that (BC)they had become repulsive to David, the sons of Ammon sent messengers and (BD)hired the Arameans of (BE)Beth-rehob and the (BF)Arameans of Zobah, twenty thousand foot soldiers, and the king of (BG)Maacah with a thousand men, and the men of Tob with twelve thousand men. When David heard about this, he sent Joab and all the army, the warriors. And the sons of Ammon came out and lined up for battle (BH)at the entrance of the [ah]city, while the Arameans of Zobah and of Rehob and the men of (BI)Tob and Maacah were stationed by themselves in the field.

Now when Joab saw that [ai]the battle was set against him at the front and at the rear, he selected warriors from all the choice men in Israel, and lined them up against the Arameans. 10 But the remainder of the people he placed [aj]under the command of his brother Abishai, and he lined them up against the sons of Ammon. 11 And he said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come to help you. 12 (BJ)Be strong, and let’s show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people and the cities of our God; and (BK)may the Lord do what is good in His sight.” 13 So Joab and the people who were with him advanced to the battle against the Arameans, and (BL)they fled from him. 14 When the sons of Ammon saw that the Arameans had fled, they also fled from Abishai and entered the city. (BM)Then Joab returned from fighting against the sons of Ammon and came to Jerusalem.

15 When the Arameans saw that they had been [ak]defeated by Israel, they assembled together. 16 (BN)And Hadadezer sent word and brought out the Arameans who were beyond the Euphrates River, and they came to Helam; and (BO)Shobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer [al]led them. 17 Now when it was reported to David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Arameans lined up against David and fought him. 18 But the Arameans fled from Israel, and David killed (BP)seven hundred charioteers of the Arameans and forty thousand horsemen, and struck Shobach the commander of their army, and he died there. 19 When all the kings, servants of Hadadezer, saw that they had been [am]defeated by Israel, (BQ)they made peace with Israel and served them. So the Arameans were afraid to help the sons of Ammon anymore.

Bathsheba, David’s Great Sin

11 (BR)Then it happened [an](BS)in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they brought destruction on the sons of Ammon and (BT)besieged Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem.

Now at evening time David got up from his bed and walked around on (BU)the roof of the king’s house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. So David sent servants and inquired about the woman. And someone said, “Is this not (BV)Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of (BW)Uriah the Hittite?” Then David sent messengers and [ao]had her brought, and when she came to him, (BX)he slept with her; (BY)and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. But the woman conceived; so she sent word and informed David, and said, “(BZ)I am pregnant.”

Then David sent word to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. When Uriah came to him, (CA)David asked about Joab’s well-being and [ap]that of the people, and the condition of the war. Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house, and (CB)wash your feet.” So Uriah left the king’s house, and a gift from the king [aq]was sent after him. But Uriah slept (CC)at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. 10 Now when they informed David, saying, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Did you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” 11 And Uriah said to David, “(CD)The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in [ar]temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and (CE)the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Should I then go to my house to eat and drink and to sleep with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing.” 12 Then David said to Uriah, “(CF)Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let you go back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the day after. 13 Now David summoned [as]Uriah, and he ate and drank in his presence, and he (CG)made [at]Uriah drunk; and in the evening Uriah went out to lie on his bed (CH)with his lord’s servants, and he still did not go down to his house.

14 So in the morning David (CI)wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 (CJ)He had written in the letter [au]the following: “[av]Station Uriah on the front line of the [aw]fiercest battle and pull back from him, (CK)so that he may be struck and killed.” 16 So it was as Joab kept watch on the city, that he [ax]stationed Uriah at the place where he knew there were valiant men. 17 And the men of the city went out and fought against Joab, and some of the people among David’s servants fell; and (CL)Uriah the Hittite also died. 18 Then Joab sent a messenger and reported to David all the events of the war. 19 He ordered the messenger, saying, “When you have finished telling all the events of the war to the king, 20 then it shall be that if the king’s wrath rises and he says to you, ‘Why did you move against the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? 21 Who (CM)struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did a woman not throw an upper millstone on him from the wall so that he died at Thebez? Why did you move against the wall?’—then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite also died.’”

22 So the messenger departed and came and reported to David everything that Joab had sent him to tell. 23 The messenger said to David, “The men prevailed against us and came out against us in the field, but we [ay]pressed them as far as the entrance of the gate. 24 Also, the archers shot at your servants from the wall; so some of the king’s servants died, and your servant Uriah the Hittite also died.” 25 Then David said to the messenger, “This is what you shall say to Joab: ‘Do not let this thing [az]displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another; [ba]fight with determination against the city and overthrow it’; and thereby encourage him.”

26 Now when Uriah’s wife heard that her husband Uriah was dead, (CN)she mourned for her husband. 27 When the time of mourning was over, David sent servants and [bb]had her brought to his house and (CO)she became his wife; then she bore him a son. But (CP)the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 8:1 Lit struck
  2. 2 Samuel 8:1 Lit the bridle of the mother city
  3. 2 Samuel 8:2 Lit struck
  4. 2 Samuel 8:3 Lit struck
  5. 2 Samuel 8:3 Lit hand
  6. 2 Samuel 8:4 Here LXX reads as 1 Chr 18:4; partial DSS text appears to also
  7. 2 Samuel 8:5 Lit struck
  8. 2 Samuel 8:7 Lit on
  9. 2 Samuel 8:8 In 1 Chr 18:8, Tibhath
  10. 2 Samuel 8:9 Lit struck
  11. 2 Samuel 8:10 In 1 Chr 18:10, Hadoram
  12. 2 Samuel 8:10 Lit ask him of his welfare
  13. 2 Samuel 8:10 Lit struck
  14. 2 Samuel 8:10 Lit was a man of wars
  15. 2 Samuel 8:10 Lit there were in his hand
  16. 2 Samuel 8:12 Some mss Edom
  17. 2 Samuel 8:13 Lit striking
  18. 2 Samuel 8:13 Some mss Edom
  19. 2 Samuel 8:15 Lit was doing
  20. 2 Samuel 8:18 See 1 Chr 18:17; MT and the Cherethites
  21. 2 Samuel 8:18 Lit priests
  22. 2 Samuel 9:1 Lit he who is
  23. 2 Samuel 9:5 Lit and he brought
  24. 2 Samuel 9:7 Lit field
  25. 2 Samuel 9:7 Lit father
  26. 2 Samuel 9:7 Lit eat bread
  27. 2 Samuel 9:9 Lit son
  28. 2 Samuel 9:10 Lit and eat it
  29. 2 Samuel 9:10 Lit eat bread
  30. 2 Samuel 9:11 Lit my
  31. 2 Samuel 10:2 Lit by the hand of
  32. 2 Samuel 10:3 Lit In your eyes is David honoring
  33. 2 Samuel 10:3 Lit consoling
  34. 2 Samuel 10:8 Lit gate
  35. 2 Samuel 10:9 Lit the faces of the battle were against
  36. 2 Samuel 10:10 Lit in the hand of
  37. 2 Samuel 10:15 Lit struck
  38. 2 Samuel 10:16 Lit was before them
  39. 2 Samuel 10:19 Lit struck
  40. 2 Samuel 11:1 Lit at the return of the year
  41. 2 Samuel 11:4 Lit took her
  42. 2 Samuel 11:7 Lit welfare of
  43. 2 Samuel 11:8 Lit went out
  44. 2 Samuel 11:11 Or huts
  45. 2 Samuel 11:13 Lit him
  46. 2 Samuel 11:13 Lit him
  47. 2 Samuel 11:15 Lit saying
  48. 2 Samuel 11:15 Lit Give
  49. 2 Samuel 11:15 Lit severe
  50. 2 Samuel 11:16 Lit gave
  51. 2 Samuel 11:23 Lit were upon
  52. 2 Samuel 11:25 Lit be evil in your sight
  53. 2 Samuel 11:25 Lit seize your battle against
  54. 2 Samuel 11:27 Lit brought her

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