Beginning
David’s Military Victories(A)
8 Sometime later, David defeated and subdued the Philistines, taking Metheg-ammah away from the Philistines. 2 David also conquered Moab, then measured them with a cord, making them lie down on the ground. He executed everyone measured out in each two lengths’ measurement of the cord, but spared the ones measured out by every third length. Then the Moabites were placed under servitude to David, and made to pay tribute.
3 David also attacked King Hadadezer, Rehob’s son from Zobah, when he was attempting to restore his hegemony[a] over the Euphrates[b] River. 4 David captured 1,000 of his chariots, 1,700[c] horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers. David hamstrung all the chariot horses except for enough to supply[d] 100 chariots. 5 When Arameans came from Damascus to help King Hadadezer of Zobah, David killed 22,000 of them. 6 David erected garrisons in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, placing the Arameans under servitude to him,[e] and they paid tribute to him. 7 David also confiscated the gold shields that belonged to Hadadezer’s officers and took them to Jerusalem. 8 He[f] also confiscated a vast quantity of bronze from Betah and Berothai, cities under Hadadezer’s control.
9 When King Tou of Hamath learned that David had conquered the entire army of King Hadadezer of Zobah, 10 Tou sent his son Joram to King David to greet him and congratulate him on his victory over Hadadezer, because he had been at war with Tou. Joram brought articles of silver, gold, and bronze with him, 11 and King David dedicated them to the Lord, along with the silver and gold that had been dedicated from all the nations that he had conquered, 12 including from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, Amalek, and spoil from King Hadadezer, Rehob’s son from Zobah.
13 David made a name for himself when he returned from killing 18,000 Edomites in the Salt Valley. 14 He erected garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites became subservient to David, while the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.
David’s Leaders(B)
15 David reigned over all of Israel, administering[g] justice and equity to every one of his people. 16 Zeruiah’s son Joab served in charge of the army, Ahilud’s son Jehoshaphat was his personal archivist,[h] 17 Ahitub’s son Zadok and Abiathar’s son Ahimelech were priests, Seraiah[i] was his personal secretary,[j] 18 Jehoida’s son Benaiah supervised the special forces[k] and mercenaries,[l] and David’s sons were priests.[m]
David Shows Kindness to Mephibosheth
9 Later on, David asked, “Is there anyone left alive from Saul’s household to whom I can show gracious love in memory[n] of Jonathan?”
2 A household servant of Saul named Ziba was called to appear before David, and the king asked him, “Are you Ziba?”
“I am your servant,” Ziba replied.
3 At this the king asked, “Isn’t there still someone left from Saul’s household to whom I may show God’s gracious love?”
“There’s Jonathan’s son. He has maimed feet,” Ziba answered.
4 So David asked, “Where is he?”
Ziba responded, “He’s in Lo-debar at the home of Ammiel’s son Makir.”
5 At this, King David sent for him and brought him from the home of Ammiel’s son Makir in Lo-debar. 6 When Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son and a grandson of Saul, approached David, he threw himself on his face out of respect.
“Mephibosheth!” David said as he greeted him.
“Hello! I am your servant,” he replied.
7 “Don’t be afraid,” David reassured him, “because I’m going to show gracious love to you in memory[o] of your father Jonathan. I’m going to restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you’ll always have a place[p] at my table!”
8 Mephibosheth[q] bowed low again and asked, “Who am I, your servant, that you would pay attention to a dead dog like me?”
9 At this, the king called for Saul’s servant Ziba and told him, “I’m restoring to your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You and your servants are to farm the land on his behalf and bring in the crops in order to provide for your master’s grandson. Meanwhile, Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, will always have a place[r] at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and 20 servants.)
11 Later, Ziba told the king, “Your servant will do everything that your majesty the king commands him.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons. 12 Mephibosheth fathered a son named Mica, and everyone who lived in Ziba’s house became Mephibosheth’s servants. 13 Mephibosheth continued to live in Jerusalem, always eating at the king’s table, since he was maimed in both feet.
Subjugation of Ammon and Aram(C)
10 Sometime later, the Ammonite king died and his son Hanun succeeded him as king, 2 so David told himself, “I will be loyal to Nahash’s son Hanun, since in his loyalty his father showed gracious love to me.” So David sent a delegation[s] to Hanun to console him about his loss of[t] his father.
But when David’s delegation arrived in Ammonite territory, 3 the Ammonite officials asked their lord Hanun, “Do you think that because David has sent a delegation of consolers to you that he is honoring your father? His delegation has arrived intending to search, scout the land, and then overthrow it, hasn’t it?” 4 So Hanun arrested David’s delegation, shaved off half of their beards, cut off their clothes at the waist line, and sent them away in disgrace.[u]
5 When David had been informed about the incident,[v] he sent word[w] to them, since the men had been deeply humiliated. The king told them, “Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown back, and then return.”
6 When the Ammonites realized that they had created quite a stink with[x] David, they hired 20,000 Aramean mercenaries from Beth-rehob and Zobah, along with the king of Maacah and 1,000 men, and 12,000 men from Tob. 7 In response, David sent out Joab and his entire army of elite soldiers. 8 The Ammonites went out in battle formation at the entrance to the city[y] gate, while the Arameans from Zobah and Rehob, along with the army[z] from Tob and Maacah, were out by themselves in the open fields.
9 When Joab observed that the battle lines were set up to oppose him both in front and behind, he appointed the best troops in Israel and arrayed them to oppose the Arameans, 10 putting the rest of his forces under the command of his brother Abishai, who arrayed them to oppose the Ammonites. 11 He said, “If the Arameans prove too strong for me, then you are to help me. If the Ammonites prove too strong for you, then I will come help you. 12 Be strong, be courageous on behalf of our people and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what he thinks is best.”
13 So Joab and the soldiers who were with him attacked the Arameans in battle formation, and the Arameans retreated in front of him. 14 When the Ammonites saw the Arameans retreating, they also retreated from Abishai back to the city. Then Joab broke off his attack against the Ammonites and went back to Jerusalem. 15 After the Arameans realized that they had been defeated by Israel, they regrouped. 16 Hadadezer sent for the Arameans who lived beyond the Euphrates River,[aa] and they set out for Helam, with Shobach[ab] leading them as commander of Hadadezer’s army.
17 When David learned this, he mustered all of Israel, crossed the Jordan River, and approached Helam. The Arameans assembled in battle array to attack David, and started their assault. 18 But the Arameans retreated from Israel, and David’s forces[ac] killed 700 of their charioteers, 40,000 soldiers, and mortally wounded Shobach, the commander of their army. As a result, Shobach[ad] died there. 19 When all the kings who were allied with[ae] Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sought terms of peace with the Israelis and became subservient to them. Furthermore, the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.
David’s Adultery
11 One spring day, during the time of year when kings go off to war, David sent out Joab, along with his personal staff[af] and all of Israel’s army. They utterly destroyed the Ammonites and then attacked Rabbah while David remained in Jerusalem. 2 Late one afternoon about dusk,[ag] David got up from his couch and was walking around on the roof of the royal palace. From there[ah] he watched a woman taking a bath, and she[ai] was very beautiful to look at.
3 David sent word[aj] to inquire about her,[ak] and someone told him, “This is Eliam’s daughter Bathsheba,[al] the wife of Uriah the Hittite, isn’t it?” 4 So David sent some messengers, took her from her home,[am] and she went to him, and he had sex with her. (She had been consecrating herself following her menstrual separation.)[an] Then she returned to her home.
5 The woman conceived, and she sent this message[ao] to David: “I’m pregnant.”
6 So David summoned Joab, and told him,[ap] “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 When Uriah arrived, David inquired about how Joab was doing, how the army was[aq] doing, and how the war was progressing.
8 Then David told Uriah, “Go on down to your house and relax a while.”[ar] So Uriah left the king’s palace, and the king sent a gift along after him. 9 But Uriah spent the night sleeping in the alcove of the king’s palace in the company of all his master’s staff members. He refused to go down to his own home.
10 When David was told that Uriah hadn’t gone home the previous night,[as] he quizzed him,[at] “You just arrived from a long journey, so why didn’t you go down to your own house?”
11 Uriah replied, “The ark, along with Israel and Judah, are encamped in tents, while my commanding officer Joab and my master’s staff members are camping out in the open fields. Should I go home, eat, drink, and have sex with my wife? Not on your life![au] I won’t do something like this, will I?”
12 Then David invited Uriah, “Stay here today, and tomorrow I’ll send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem all that day and the next. 13 Then at David’s invitation, he and Uriah dined and drank wine together, and David got him drunk. Later that evening, Uriah went out to lie on a couch in the company of his lord’s servants, and he did not go down to his house.
David Orders Uriah Killed
14 The next morning, David sent a message to Joab that Uriah took with him in his hand. 15 In the message, he wrote: “Assign Uriah to the most difficult fighting at the battle front, and then withdraw from him so that he will be struck down and killed.” 16 So as Joab began to attack the city, he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew valiant men would be stationed.[av] 17 When the men of the city came out to fight Joab, some of David’s army staff members fell, and Uriah the Hittite died, too.
18 Then Joab sent word to David about everything that had happened at the battle. 19 He instructed the courier, “When you have finished conveying all the news about the battle to the king, 20 if the king starts to get angry and asks you, ‘Why did you get so near the city to fight? Didn’t you know they would shoot from the wall? 21 Who killed Jerubbesheth’s[aw] son Abimelech? Didn’t a woman kill him by throwing an upper millstone on him from the wall at Thebez? Why did you go so close to the wall?’ then tell him, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite also died.’”
22 So the messenger left Joab, set out for Jerusalem,[ax] and disclosed to David everything that Joab had sent him to say. 23 The messenger told David, “The men surprised us and attacked us in the field, but we drove them back to the entrance of the city gate. 24 Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall. Some of the king’s staff members are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite has died as well.”
25 David responded to the messenger, “Here’s what you’re to tell Joab: ‘Don’t be troubled by this incident, because the battle sword consumes one or another from time to time. Consolidate your attack against the city and conquer it.’ Be sure to encourage him.”
26 When Uriah’s wife heard about the death of her husband[ay] Uriah, she went into mourning for the head of her household.[az] 27 When her mourning period was completed, David sent for her, brought her to his palace, and she became his wife. Later on, she bore him a son.
Meanwhile, what David had done grieved the Lord,[ba] 12 1 so the Lord sent Nathan to David.
Nathan’s Rebuke
Nathan[bb] approached David[bc] and said, “There are two men in the city. One is rich and one is poor. 2 The rich man has many flocks and herds, 3 but the poor man had nothing except for one little ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It used to share his food and drink from his own cup. It even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. 4 A traveler arrived to visit the rich man. Because he was unwilling to take an animal from one of his own flocks or herds to prepare for the guest who had come to visit him, he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to visit him.”
5 David flew into a rage at the man and told Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! 6 He will restore the lamb four times its value, because he did this thing, and because he did it without compassion.”
7 But Nathan replied to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord God of Israel says:
“‘I anointed you king—and you became king over Israel.
“‘I delivered you from Saul’s control.
8 “‘I gave you your former[bd] master’s household.
“‘I placed your former[be] master’s wives right in your arms.
“‘I gave you[bf] Israel and Judah.
“‘And if this had been too little, I would have added much more than that to you!
9 “‘Why did you despise what the Lord has promised by doing what is detestable in his sight?
“‘You struck down Uriah the Hittite with a battle sword.
“‘You took his wife to be your own.[bg]
“‘You killed him with the sword of the Ammonite army.
10 “‘Therefore the sword will never leave your household, because you have despised me by taking the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’[bh]
11 “This is what the Lord says:
“‘Listen very carefully!
“‘I’m raising up evil against you right out of your own household.
“‘I’m going to take your wives away from you right before your eyes.
“‘Then I’ll give them to your neighbor.
“‘And then he’s going to have sex with your wives in broad daylight!
12 “‘What you did in secret I’m going to do right in front of all Israel and in broad daylight as well!’”
13 At this point, David told Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.”
Nathan responded to David, “There’s one other thing: the Lord has forgiven your sin.[bi] You won’t die. 14 Nevertheless, because you have despised the Lord’s enemies with utter contempt,[bj] the son born to you will most certainly die.” 15 Then Nathan went home.
David’s Infant Son Dies
After this, the Lord afflicted the child that Uriah’s wife had born to David, and the child[bk] became very ill. 16 David begged God on behalf of the youngster. He[bl] fasted, went inside, and spent the night lying on the ground. 17 His closest advisors at the palace[bm] got up, remained with him, and tried to help him get up from the ground, but he would not do so. He also wouldn’t eat with them.
18 A week later, the child died, and David’s staff was afraid to tell him that the child had died. They were telling themselves, “Look, when the child was still alive, we talked to him but he wouldn’t listen to what we said. Now what kind of trouble will he bring on himself if we tell him that the child has died?”
19 But as David observed his staff whispering together, he perceived that the child had died, so he asked his staff, “Is the child dead?”
They replied, “He has died.”
20 At this, David got up from the ground, washed, anointed himself, changed his clothes, and went into the Lord’s tent[bn] to worship. Then he went back to his palace where, at his request, they served him food and he ate.
21 His staff asked him, “What’s this about? When the child was alive, you fasted and cried. Now that the child has died, you get up and eat!”
22 He answered, “When the child was alive, I fasted and cried. I asked myself, ‘Who knows? Maybe the Lord will show grace to me and the child will live.’ 23 But now that he has died, what’s the point of fasting? Can I bring him back again? I’ll be going to be with him, but he won’t be returning to me.”
The Birth of Solomon
24 Then David consoled his wife Bathsheba. He went in and had sex with her, and she bore a son whom he named Solomon. The Lord loved him, 25 and sent a message written by Nathan the prophet to call his name Jedidiah,[bo] for the Lord’s sake.
The Ammonites are Defeated
26 Meanwhile, Joab attacked the Ammonite city of[bp] Rabbah and captured its stronghold. 27 Then Joab sent messengers to David to tell him, “I just attacked Rabbah and captured its municipal water supply, 28 so call out the rest of the army, attack the city, and capture it. Otherwise, I’ll take the city myself and name it after me.” 29 So David mustered his entire army and marched on Rabbah, attacked it, and captured it. 30 He confiscated the crown of their king[bq] from his head—it weighed one talent[br] in gold and was set with precious stones—and it was placed on David’s head. He confiscated a great amount of war booty that had been plundered from the city, 31 brought back the people who had lived in it, placing them under conscripted labor with saws, iron picks, and axes. He did this to every Ammonite city, and then David and his entire army[bs] returned to Jerusalem.
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