Beginning

David’s Kingdom Expands

8 Now afterward David attacked the Philistines and subdued them, and took Metheg-ammah^[a] from the hand of the Philistines. ² He also defeated Moab. He made them lie down on the ground and measured them with a cord. Every two measures of them were put to death, and the third measure was kept alive. So the Moabites became vassals to David, bringing tribute.

³ David also defeated King Hadadezer son of Rehob of Zobah, as he went to restore his dominion along the River^[b]. ⁴ David captured from him 1700 horsemen and 20,000 foot soldiers, and David hamstrung all the chariot horses, while reserving 100 of them for chariots. ⁵ When the Arameans of Damascus came to the aid of King Hadadezer of Zobah, David struck down 22,000 Aramean men. ⁶ Then David stationed garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became vassals to David, bringing tribute. So Adonai gave victory to David wherever he went ⁷ David also took the golden shields of Hadadezer’s officers and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ From Betah and Berothai, towns of Hadadezer, King David took a vast amount of bronze.

⁹ Now when King Toi of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, ¹⁰ Toi sent his son Joram to King David to greet him and congratulate him on his victory in battle over Hadadezer—for Hadadezer had been at war with Toi. Joram brought with him articles of silver, gold and bronze. ¹¹ These too King David consecrated to Adonai, along with the silver and gold that he had consecrated from all the nations that he had subdued: ¹² from Aram, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

¹³ Then David made a name for himself when he returned from striking 18,000 down from Edom in the Valley of Salt. ¹⁴ Then he stationed garrisons in Edom. Throughout all Edom he stationed garrisons, so that all the Edomites became vassals to David. So Adonai gave victory to David wherever he went.

¹⁵ David reigned over all Israel, and David executed justice and righteousness for all his people. ¹⁶ Joab son of Zeruiah was commander over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder; ¹⁷ Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were kohanim; Seraiah was scribe; ¹⁸ Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and David’s sons were chief ministers.

Covenant Loyalty to Mephibosheth

9 Then David inquired, “Is there anyone still left from the house of Saul, so that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” ² Now there was a servant from Saul’s house whose name was Ziba, so they summoned him to David. The king asked him, “Are you Ziba?”

“Your servant,” he said.

³ The king asked him, “Is there still anyone from the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?”

“There is still a son of Jonathan,” Ziba said to the king, “with crippled legs.”

⁴ “Where is he?” the king said to him.

Ziba said to the king, “He’s there, in the house of Machir son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar.” ⁵ So King David sent word and brought him from the house of Machir son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar.

⁶ Then Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan son of Saul, came to David, fell on his face and prostrated himself. “Mephibosheth!” David said.

“Behold your servant!” he answered.

“Don’t be afraid,” ⁷ David said to him, “for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat bread at my table.”

⁸ Then he bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should turn to look at such a dead dog like me?”

⁹ Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his household I have given to your master’s son. ¹⁰ So you, you and your sons and your servants will till the land for him, and you will bring in the yield so that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son will always eat bread at my table.” Now Ziba had 15 sons and 20 servants. ¹¹ Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” Thus Mephibosheth used to eat at the table just like one of the king’s sons. ¹² Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. All the members of Ziba’s household were servants to Mephibosheth. ¹³ But Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate at the king’s table regularly, though he was crippled in both his legs.

Aram Vanquished

10 It came about after this that the king of the children of Ammon died, and his son Hanun reigned in his place. ² Then David thought, “Let me show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent word by the hand of his servants to comfort him concerning his father. But when David’s servants arrived at the land of the children of Ammon, ³ the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think that David is really honoring your father because he has sent consolers to you? Has not David sent his servants to you in order to explore the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it?” ⁴ So Hanun seized David’s servants, shaved off one side of their beards, cut off their garments in the middle at their buttocks, and sent them away.

⁵ When they informed David, he sent word to meet them, for the men were greatly humiliated. The king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards grow, then return.” ⁶ Now when the children of Ammon saw that they had become a stench to David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Arameans of Beth-Rehob and the Arameans of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of Maacah with 1,000 men, plus 12,000 men from Tob.

⁷ When David heard about it, he sent Joab and the whole army—the mighty warriors. ⁸ The children of Ammon came out and lined up in battle array at the entrance of the gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the field. ⁹ When Joab saw that there was a battle line against him front and rear, he chose of all the best troops of Israel and arrayed them against the Arameans, ¹⁰ but the rest of the troops he committed to the command of his brother Abishai, and he arrayed them against the children of Ammon. ¹¹ Then he said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you will help me, but if the children of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come to help you. ¹² Chazak! And let us take courage for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God, and may Adonai do what is good in His eyes.”

¹³ So Joab and the troops with him advanced to battle against the Arameans—and they fled before him. ¹⁴ When the children of Ammon saw that the Arameans had fled, they likewise fled before Abishai and withdrew into the city. Then Joab returned from assaulting the children of Ammon, and went to Jerusalem.

¹⁵ When the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they regrouped. ¹⁶ Hadadezer sent word and brought out the Arameans from across the River^[c], and they came to Helam, with Hadadezer’s army commander Shobach before them. ¹⁷ When David was told, he gathered all Israel together, crossed the Jordan and went to Helam. The Arameans arrayed their lines against David and fought him. ¹⁸ But the Arameans fled before Israel—David killed 700 charioteers of the Arameans and 40,000 horsemen, and struck down Shobach the commander of their army, so he died there.

¹⁹ When the vassal kings of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became servants to them. Then the Arameans were afraid to help the children of Ammon anymore.

David Commits Adultery and Murder

11 Now it came to pass at the turn of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his officials with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the children of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem. ² One evening David rose from his bed and strolled on the roof of the royal palace. Then from the roof he saw a woman washing—a very beautiful woman. ³ So David sent someone to inquire about the woman, and he reported, “Isn’t this Bath-sheba, daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”

⁴ Then David sent messengers and took her when she came to him, and he lay with her. (She had purified herself from her uncleanness). Then she returned to her house. ⁵ The woman conceived and sent word to David saying, “I’m pregnant.”

⁶ So David sent a message to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. ⁷ When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the troops fared, and how the war was going. ⁸ Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” When Uriah left the royal palace, a present from the king followed him. ⁹ But Uriah slept at the door of the royal palace with all his master’s servants, and did not go down to his house. ¹⁰ When they informed David saying, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Haven’t you come from a journey? Why didn’t you go down to your house?”

¹¹ But Uriah answered David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my lord Joab and the officers of my lord are camping in the open field. Should I then go to my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? As you live and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.”

¹² Then David said to Uriah, “Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will send you off.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day. The next day, ¹³ David called him, and he ate and drank before him, and he made him drunk. But in the evening he went out to lie on his bed with his master’s servants, but did not go down to his house.

¹⁴ So in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by Uriah’s hand. ¹⁵ In the letter he wrote, “Put Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle and withdraw from him so that he may be struck down and die.” ¹⁶ So it came to pass, when Joab was besieging the city, that he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew that valiant men were. ¹⁷ Then the men of the city came out and attacked Joab, and some of the troops of David’s officers fell; and Uriah the Hittite also died.

¹⁸ When Joab sent and reported to David all the events of the war, ¹⁹ he charged the messenger saying, “When you finish reporting all the events of the war to the king, ²⁰ if it happens that the king’s wrath flares up and he says to you, ‘Why did you come so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know that they would shoot from the wall? ²¹ Who killed Abimelech son of Jerubbesheth? Didn’t a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you come so close to the wall?’ Then you will say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead, too.’”

²² So the messenger went and came and told David all that Joab had sent him to report. ²³ The messenger said to David, “The men prevailed against us and came out against us in the open field, but we drove them back as far as the entrance of the gate. ²⁴ Then the archers shot at your troops from the wall, and some of the king’s officers fell dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite died, too.”

²⁵ Then David said to the messenger, “Thus you shall say to Joab, ‘Don’t let this matter upset you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Press your attack against the city and overthrow it!’ So tell him, chazak!”

²⁶ Now when the wife of Uriah heard that her husband Uriah had died, she mourned over her husband. ²⁷ When the time of mourning was over, David sent someone who brought her to his palace. So she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done was evil in Adonai’s eyes.

Nathan Confronts David

12 Then Adonai sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said to him, “There were two men in the same city—one was rich and the other poor. ² The rich man had an exceedingly huge flock and herd, ³ but the poor man had nothing at all, except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished, and it grew up together with him and his children. It ate from his own morsel and drank from his own cup, and nestled in his bosom, and it was to him like a daughter. ⁴ Now a traveler came to the rich man, but he was unwilling to take one from his own flock or herd to prepare a meal for the wayfarer who had come to him. Rather, he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man that had come to him.”

⁵ Then David’s anger blazed hot against the man and he said to Nathan, “As Adonai lives, the man that did this deserves to die! ⁶ So he must make restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he did such a thing and showed no pity.”

⁷ Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says Adonai, God of Israel: It is I who anointed you king over Israel, and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul. ⁸ I also gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your bosom, and I gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. Now if that were too little, then I would have added to you so much more. ⁹ Why then have you despised the word of Adonai by doing such evil in My eyes? Uriah the Hittite you have struck down with the sword, and his wife you have taken to be your wife, and him you have slain with the sword of the children of Ammon ¹⁰ So now the sword will never depart from your house—because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.

¹¹ “Thus says Adonai: Behold, I am going to raise up evil against you from your own household, and I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he will lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. ¹² Indeed you have done it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and under the sun.”

¹³ Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against Adonai.”

Nathan replied to David, “Adonai also has made your sin pass away—you will not die. ¹⁴ However, because by this deed you have made the enemies of Adonai greatly blaspheme, so even the child born to you will surely die.” ¹⁵ Then Nathan went to his house.

Then Adonai struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David and he became very sick. ¹⁶ David therefore sought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in and lay all night on the floor. ¹⁷ The elders of his household stood beside him in order to get him up from the floor but he was unwilling and would not eat food with them. ¹⁸ Then it came to pass on the seventh day that the child died. But David’s servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, “Behold, while the child was still alive, we spoke to him and he didn’t listen to our voice. So how can we tell him that the child is dead? He might do something terrible!”

¹⁹ But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead. So David asked his servants, “Is the child dead?”

“He is dead,” they said.

²⁰ Then David got up from the floor, washed and anointed himself, and changed his clothes. Then he went to the House of Adonai and worshipped. When he came back to his own palace, he asked for food, so they set food before him and he ate.

²¹ His servants asked him, “What is this thing you have done? You fasted and wept while the child was still alive, but as soon as the child died, you got up and ate food.”

²² He replied, “While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept, for I thought, ‘Who knows? Adonai might be gracious to me and let the child live.’ ²³ But now that he has died, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? It is I who will be going to him, but he will never return to me.”

²⁴ Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba. He went to her and lay with her, and she bore a son and called his name Solomon. Adonai loved him, ²⁵ and He sent word by the hand of the prophet Nathan. So he called his name Jedidiah^[d], for Adonai’s sake.

²⁶ Now Joab attacked Rabbah of the children of Ammon and captured the royal city. ²⁷ So Joab sent messengers to David and said, “I have attacked Rabbah and captured the city’s water supply. ²⁸ So now gather the rest of the troops together, camp against the city and capture it. Otherwise I will capture the city myself and it will be named after me.” ²⁹ So David gathered all the troops, went to Rabbah, attacked it and captured it. ³⁰ Then he took the crown of their king from off his head—its weight was a talent of gold and in it was a precious stone—and then it was placed on David’s head. He also brought a vast amount of spoils out of the city. ³¹ Then he brought out the people who were there and put them to work under saws, iron threshing boards and iron axes, and assigned them to brick making; and thus he did to all the cities of the children of Ammon. Then David and all the troops returned to Jerusalem.