2 Samuel 4-5

Legacy Standard Bible

Ish-bosheth Put to Death

4 Then ^[a]Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son heard that ^(A)Abner had died in Hebron. And ^[b](B)he lost courage, and all Israel was dismayed. ² Now Saul’s son had two men who were commanders of bands: 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 been sojourners there until this day).

⁴ Now ^(F)Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the ^(G)report of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened that in her hurry to flee, he fell and became lame. And his name was ^[c](H)Mephibosheth.

⁵ So the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went forth and came to the house of ^(I)Ish-bosheth in the heat of the day while he was taking his midday rest. ^6 [d]They came to the middle of the house as ^[e]if to get wheat, and ^(J)they struck him in the belly; and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. ⁷ Thus they came into the house, as he was lying on his bed in his bedroom, and they struck him and put him to death and beheaded him. And they took his head and ^(K)went on the way leading to 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; thus Yahweh has given my lord the king vengeance this day on Saul and his seed.”

⁹ And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As Yahweh lives, ^(M)who has redeemed my life from all distress, ^10 (N)when one told me, saying, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ and ^[f]thought he was bringing 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 hand and purge you 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 Anointed King over All Israel

5 ^(R)Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and ^[g]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 out and brought in Israel; and Yahweh said to you, ‘^(U)You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ^(V)a ruler over Israel.’” ³ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David ^(W)cut a covenant with them in Hebron before Yahweh; then ^(X)they anointed David king over Israel. ⁴ Now David was ^(Y)thirty years old when he became king, and ^(Z)he reigned forty years. ⁵ At Hebron ^(AA)he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

^6 (AB)Then the king and his men went to ^(AC)Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, and they said to ^[h]David, “You shall not come in here, but the blind and lame will turn you away”; ^[i]thinking, “David cannot enter here.” ⁷ Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, that is ^(AD)the city of David. ⁸ And David said on that day, “Whoever would strike down the Jebusites, let him reach the lame and the blind, who are hated by David’s soul, through the water tunnel.” Therefore they say, “The blind or the lame shall not come into the house.” ⁹ Then David lived in the fortress and called it ^(AE)the city of David. And David built all around from the ^[j](AF)Millo and inward. ^10 (AG)And David became greater and greater, and Yahweh, the God of hosts, was with him.

^11 (AH)Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees and craftsmen of wood and craftsmen of stone walls; and ^(AI)they built a house for David. ¹² Thus David knew that Yahweh had established him as king over Israel, and that He had lifted up his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

Children Born to David in Jerusalem

¹³ And ^(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.

David Goes Up Against the Philistines

¹⁷ Then the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, so ^(AL)all the Philistines went up to seek out David. And David heard of it and went down to the ^(AM)fortress. ¹⁸ Now the Philistines had come and spread themselves out in ^(AN)the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹ Then ^(AO)David asked of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You give them into my hand?” And ^(AP)Yahweh said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.” ²⁰ So David came to ^(AQ)Baal-perazim, and there David struck them down; and he said, “Yahweh has broken through my enemies before me, like the breakthrough of waters.” Therefore he named that place ^[k]Baal-perazim. ²¹ And they forsook their idols there; so ^(AR)David and his men carried them away.

²² Then ^(AS)the Philistines yet again came up and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim. ²³ So ^(AT)David asked of Yahweh, and He said, “You shall not go directly up; circle around behind them and come at them in front of the ^[l]balsam trees. ²⁴ And it will be that when ^(AU)you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the ^[m]balsam trees, then you shall act promptly, for then ^(AV)Yahweh will have gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” ²⁵ Then David did so, just as Yahweh had commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from ^[n](AW)Geba ^[o]as far as ^(AX)Gezer.