2 Samuel 5-6

Lexham English Bible

David Anointed as King over All of Israel

5 So all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and they said, “Here we are, we are your flesh and blood.^{[a] 2} For some time,^[b] when Saul was king over us, you were leading Israel in and out.^[c] Yahweh had said to you, ‘You shall be the shepherd of my people Israel, and you will be the leader over Israel.’” ³ All the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant^[d] with them at Hebron in the presence of Yahweh; then they anointed David as king over Israel. ⁴ David was thirty years old when he began to reign; he reigned forty years. ⁵ He reigned over Judah at Hebron for seven years and six months; and he reigned over all Israel and Judah at Jerusalem for thirty-three years.

The Capture and Growth of Jerusalem

⁶ The king and his men went to Jerusalem, to the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land. They said to David, “You will not come here, for even the blind and the lame can turn you back, saying, ‘David cannot come here.’” ⁷ David captured the fortress of Zion, the city of David. ⁸ David had said, “On that day when we attack the Jebusites,^[e] one must attack the lame and the blind, those who hate the soul of David, by means of the water supply.” For thus the blind and the lame would say, “He cannot come into the house.” ⁹ David occupied the fortress and called it the city of David. And David built all around it from the Millo and inward.^[f]

¹⁰ David continued growing stronger and stronger,^[g] and Yahweh the God of hosts was with him. ¹¹ So Hiram, the king of Tyre, sent messengers to David, along with cedar trees and craftsmen skilled in wood and in stone masonry,^[h] and they built a house for David. ¹² David realized that Yahweh had established him as king over Israel and that he had exalted his kingdom because of his people Israel. ¹³ David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to him. ¹⁴ These are the names of the ones born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua and Shobab and Nathan and Solomon; ¹⁵ Ibhar and Elishua and Nepheg and Japhia; ¹⁶ Elishama and Eliada and Eliphelet.

War with the Philistines

¹⁷ When the Philistines heard that they had anointed David as king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David, but David heard and went down to the stronghold.^{[i] 18} Now the Philistines had come, and they spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹ And David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go up to the Philistines? Will you give them into my hands?” Yahweh said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give^[j] the Philistines into your hand.” ²⁰ So David came to Baal Perazim and defeated them there; and David said, “Yahweh has burst through my enemies before me like the bursting of water.” Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim.^{[k] 21} They had left their idols there, so David and his men carried them away.

²² Once again^[l] the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. ²³ So David inquired of Yahweh, but he said, “You shall not go up. Rather, go around to their rear and come to them from opposite the balsam trees. ²⁴ And it shall be^[m] that when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then pay attention, for then Yahweh has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.” ²⁵ So David did thus, just as Yahweh had commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines from Geba all the way^[n] to Gezer.

David Brings the Ark of Yahweh to Jerusalem

6 David again gathered all the chosen men in Israel, thirty thousand. ² David got up and went and all the people who were with him, from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God which is called the name, the name of Yahweh of hosts, upon which the cherubim sit.^{[o] 3} They loaded the ark of God on a new utility cart, and they carried it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Now Uzza and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new utility cart along. ⁴ So they brought it out from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill with the ark of God, and Ahio was going before the ark. ⁵ Now David and all the house of Israel were dancing before Yahweh, with all kinds of musical instruments made from ash trees, and with zithers, harps, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals. ⁶ When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzza reached out to the ark of God and took hold of it, because the oxen had stumbled. ⁷ Then the anger of Yahweh was kindled^[p] against Uzza, and God struck him down there because of the indiscretion,^[q] and he died there beside the ark of God. ⁸ David was angry^[r] because Yahweh had burst out against Uzza, and he called that place Perez-Uzza until this day. ⁹ But David feared Yahweh on that day and said, “How can the ark of Yahweh come to me?” ¹⁰ However, David was not willing to bring the ark of Yahweh to himself, to the city of David, so David caused it to turn to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. ¹¹ So the ark of Yahweh remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and Yahweh blessed Obed-Edom and all his household.

¹² It was told to King David, “Yahweh has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and all that is his because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the city of David with jubilation. ¹³ It happened that when the carriers of the ark of Yahweh had marched six steps that he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. ¹⁴ Now David was dancing with all his might before Yahweh, and David was wearing^[s] a linen ephod. ¹⁵ So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of Yahweh with shouts of joyful acclaim and with the sound of the trumpet. ¹⁶ It happened that when the ark of Yahweh came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked down through the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before Yahweh, and she despised him in her heart.

¹⁷ They brought the ark of Yahweh and set it in its place in the middle of the tent which David had pitched for it. Then David offered up burnt offerings and fellowship offerings in the presence of Yahweh. ¹⁸ When David had finished from the sacrificing of the burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh of hosts. ¹⁹ Then he distributed to all the people, to all the multitude of Israel, from man to woman, to each: one ring-shaped piece of bread, one cake of dates, and one cake of raisins; and all the people went each to his house.

²⁰ When David returned to bless his household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David. She said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today by uncovering himself^[t] before the eyes of the maids of his servants, as the total exposure of a worthless one.”^{[u] 21} So David said to Michal, “In the presence of Yahweh who chose me over^[v] your father and over^[w] his household, to appoint me as leader over the people of Yahweh, over Israel, I have celebrated before Yahweh. ²² I will demean myself again more than this, and I will be abased in my eyes, but with the maids whom you mentioned, with them I will be honored.” ²³ So for Michal the daughter of Saul, she had no child until the day of her death.