Bible in 90 Days

²⁰ Then Saul quickly fell full length upon the ground and was very afraid because of the words of Samuel; also there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no ^[a]food all day and all night. ²¹ And the woman came to Saul and saw that he was terrified and said to him, “Behold, your servant-woman has listened to your voice, and ^(A)I have ^[b]taken my life in my hand and have listened to your words which you spoke to me. ²² So now also, please listen to the voice of your servant-woman, and let me set a piece of bread before you that you may eat and have strength when you go on your way.” ²³ But he refused and said, “^(B)I will not eat.” ^(C)However, his servants together with the woman urged him, and he listened to ^[c]them. So he arose from the ground and sat on ^(D)the bed. ²⁴ And the woman had a ^(E)fattened calf in the house, and she quickly sacrificed it; and she ^(F)took flour, kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread from it. ²⁵ And she brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they arose and went away that night.

Achish Makes David Leave the Battle

29 Then ^(G)the Philistines gathered together all their camps to ^(H)Aphek, while the Israelites were camping by the spring which is in ^(I)Jezreel. ² And the lords of the Philistines were proceeding on by hundreds and by thousands, and ^(J)David and his men were proceeding on in the rear with Achish. ³ Then the commanders of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, ^(K)who has been with me these days, or rather these years, and ^(L)I have found no fault in him from the day he ^[d]deserted to me to this day?” ⁴ But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him, and the commanders of the Philistines said to him, “Make the man return, that he may return ^(M)to his place where you have assigned him, and do not let him go down to battle with us, ^(N)or in the battle he may become an adversary to us. For with what could this man make himself acceptable to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of ^[e]these men? ⁵ Is this not David, ^(O)of whom they sing in the dances, saying,

⁶ Then Achish called David and said to him, “As Yahweh lives, you have been upright, and ^(P)your going out and your coming in with me in the camp are pleasing in my sight; ^(Q)for I have not found evil in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. Nevertheless, you are not pleasing in the sight of the lords. ⁷ So now, return and go in peace, that you may not do evil in the sight of the lords of the Philistines.” ⁸ And David said to Achish, “^(R)But what have I done? And what have you found in your servant from the day when I came before you to this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” ⁹ But Achish answered and said to David, “I know that you are pleasing in my sight, ^(S)like an angel of God; nevertheless ^(T)the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He must not go up with us to the battle.’ ¹⁰ So now, arise early in the morning ^(U)with the servants of your lord who have come with you, and as soon as you have arisen early in the morning and have light, go.” ¹¹ So David arose early, he and his men, to go in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

David Strikes Down the Amalekites

30 Then it happened when David and his men came to ^(V)Ziklag on the third day, that ^(W)the Amalekites had made a raid on the ^[f]Negev and on ^(X)Ziklag and had struck Ziklag and burned it with fire; ² and they took captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great—^(Y)they did not put anyone to death—and carried them off and went their way. ³ Then David and his men came to the city, and behold, it was burned with fire, and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive. ⁴ So David and the people who were with him ^(Z)lifted their voices and wept until there was no strength in them to weep. ⁵ Now ^(AA)David’s two wives had been taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the ^[g]widow of Nabal the Carmelite. ⁶ Moreover David was greatly distressed because ^(AB)the people said to stone him, for all the people were ^[h]embittered, each one because of his sons and his daughters. But ^(AC)David strengthened himself in Yahweh his God.

⁷ Then ^(AD)David said to ^(AE)Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Please bring the ephod near to me.” So Abiathar brought the ephod near to David. ^8 (AF)And David asked of Yahweh, saying, “^(AG)Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?” And He said to him, “Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, ^(AH)and you will surely deliver all.” ⁹ So David went, ^(AI)he and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those left behind remained. ¹⁰ But David pursued, he and four hundred men, for ^(AJ)two hundred who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor remained behind.

¹¹ Then they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David and gave him bread, and he ate, and they provided him water to drink. ¹² And they gave him a piece of fig cake and two clusters of raisins, and he ate; ^(AK)then his spirit ^[i]revived. For he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. ¹³ And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” And he said, “I am a young man of Egypt, a slave of an Amalekite; and my master forsook me when I fell sick three days ago. ¹⁴ We made a raid on ^(AL)the ^[j]Negev of the Cherethites and on that which belongs to Judah and on ^(AM)the ^[k]Negev of Caleb, and ^(AN)we burned Ziklag with fire.” ¹⁵ Then David said to him, “Will you bring me down to this band?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will not put me to death or surrender me into the hands of my master, and I will bring you down to this band.”

¹⁶ So he brought him down, and behold, they were ^[l]spread over all the land, ^(AO)eating and drinking and ^[m]celebrating because of ^(AP)all the great spoil that they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. ¹⁷ Then David struck them ^(AQ)down from the twilight ^[n]until the evening of ^[o]the next day; and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men who rode on ^(AR)camels and fled. ¹⁸ So David ^(AS)delivered all that the Amalekites had taken and ^[p]delivered his two wives. ¹⁹ Indeed nothing of theirs was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that they had taken for themselves; ^(AT)David brought it all back. ²⁰ And David took all the sheep and the cattle which the people drove ahead of ^[q]the other livestock, and they said, “^(AU)This is David’s spoil.”

David Apportions the Spoils

²¹ Then ^(AV)David came to the two hundred men who were too exhausted to follow David, who had also remained at the brook Besor, and they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him, and David approached the people and greeted them. ²² Then all the evil and vile men among those who went with David said, “Because they did not go with ^[r]us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have delivered, except to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away and depart.” ²³ Then David said, “You must not do so, my brothers, with what Yahweh has given us, who has kept us and given into our hand the band that came against us. ²⁴ And who will listen to you in this matter? For ^(AW)as is the portion of the one who goes down to the battle, so shall the portion be of the one who remains by the baggage; they shall be apportioned together.” ²⁵ So it has been from that day forward, that he made it a statute and a judgment for Israel to this day.

²⁶ Then David came to Ziklag and sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “Behold, ^(AX)a ^[s]gift for you from the spoil of ^(AY)the enemies of Yahweh: ²⁷ to those who were in ^(AZ)Bethel, and to those who were in ^(BA)Ramoth of the ^[t]Negev, and to those who were in ^(BB)Jattir, ²⁸ and to those who were in ^(BC)Aroer, and to those who were in Siphmoth, and to those who were in ^(BD)Eshtemoa, ²⁹ and to those who were in Racal, and to those who were in the cities of ^(BE)the Jerahmeelites, and to those who were in the cities of ^(BF)the Kenites, ³⁰ and to those who were in ^(BG)Hormah, and to those who were in ^(BH)Bor-ashan, and to those who were in Athach, ³¹ and to those who were in ^(BI)Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men ^(BJ)went about.”

The Death of Saul and His Sons

31 ^(BK)Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines and fell slain ^(BL)on Mount Gilboa. ² And the Philistines closely pursued Saul and his sons; and the Philistines struck down ^(BM)Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. ^3 (BN)And the battle became heavy against Saul, and the archers ^[u]hit him; and he was badly wounded by the archers. ^4 (BO)Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and pierce me through with it, lest ^(BP)these uncircumcised come and pierce me through and abuse me.” But his armor bearer was not willing, for he was greatly afraid. ^(BQ)So Saul took his sword and fell on it. ⁵ Then his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, so he also fell on his sword and died with him. ⁶ Thus Saul died with his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men on that day together.

⁷ Then the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, with those who were beyond the Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead. So they forsook the cities and fled; and the Philistines came and lived in them.

⁸ Now it happened on the ^[v]next day, that the Philistines came to strip the slain, and they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ Then they cut off his head and stripped off his weapons and sent them all around the land of the Philistines, ^(BR)to proclaim the good news ^(BS)to the house of their idols and to the people. ¹⁰ And they placed his weapons in the ^[w]house of ^(BT)Ashtaroth and ^(BU)fastened his body to the wall of ^(BV)Beth-shan. ¹¹ Then ^(BW)the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard ^[x]what the Philistines had done to Saul, ^12 (BX)so all the valiant men arose and walked all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and ^(BY)burned them there. ¹³ And they took their bones and ^(BZ)buried them under ^(CA)the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and ^(CB)fasted seven days.

Saul and Jonathan Are Dead

1 Now it happened after ^(CC)the death of Saul, that David returned from ^(CD)striking down the Amalekites. Then David remained two days in Ziklag. ² Now it happened that on the third day, behold, ^(CE)a man came out of the camp from Saul. And ^(CF)his clothes were torn and ^[y]dust was on his head. And it happened when he came to David, that ^(CG)he fell to the ground and prostrated himself. ³ Then David said to him, “From where do you come?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” ⁴ And David said to him, “^(CH)How did things go? Tell me now.” And he said, “The people have fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.” ⁵ So David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” ⁶ And the young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on ^(CI)Mount Gilboa, and behold, ^(CJ)Saul was leaning on his spear. And behold, the chariots and the horsemen pursued him closely. ⁷ Then he turned to look behind him, and he saw me and called to me. And I said, ‘Here I am.’ ⁸ And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ And I ^[z]answered him, ‘^(CK)I am an Amalekite.’ ⁹ Then he said to me, ‘Please stand beside me and put me to death, for agony has seized me because my ^[aa]life still lingers in me.’ ¹⁰ So I stood beside him ^(CL)and put him to death, because I knew that he could not live after he had fallen. And ^(CM)I took the crown which was on his head and the bracelet which was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”

¹¹ Then ^(CN)David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so also did all the men who were with him. ¹² And they lamented and wept and ^(CO)fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan and for the people of ^[ab]Yahweh and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. ¹³ And David said to the young man who told him, “Where are you from?” And he ^[ac]answered, “^(CP)I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.” ¹⁴ Then David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid ^(CQ)to send forth your hand to destroy the anointed of Yahweh?” ¹⁵ And David called one of the young men and said, “Approach and fall upon him.” ^(CR)So he struck him and he died. ¹⁶ And David said to him, “^(CS)Your blood is on your head, for ^(CT)your mouth has answered against you, saying, ‘I have put the anointed of Yahweh to death.’”

David’s Lament for Saul and Jonathan

¹⁷ Then David ^(CU)chanted with this funeral lament over Saul and Jonathan his son, ¹⁸ and he told them to teach the sons of Judah the song of the bow; behold, it is written in ^(CV)the book of Jashar.

David Anointed King of Judah

2 Now it happened afterwards that ^(DL)David asked of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah?” And Yahweh said to him, “Go up.” So David said, “Where shall I go up?” And He said, “^(DM)To Hebron.” ² So David went up there, and ^(DN)his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. ³ And ^(DO)David brought up his men who were with him, each with his household; and they lived in the cities of Hebron. ⁴ Then the men of Judah came and there ^(DP)anointed David king over the house of Judah.

And they told David, saying, “It was ^(DQ)the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.” ⁵ And David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said to them, “^(DR)May you be blessed of Yahweh because you have ^[ae]shown this lovingkindness with your lord, with Saul, and have buried him. ⁶ So now, ^(DS)may Yahweh ^[af]show lovingkindness and truth to you; and I also will ^[ag]show this goodness to you, because you have done this thing. ⁷ So now, let your hands be strong and be ^[ah]valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

Ish-bosheth Made King over Israel

⁸ Now ^(DT)Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, had taken ^[ai]Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to ^(DU)Mahanaim. ⁹ And he made him king over ^(DV)Gilead, over the ^(DW)Ashurites, over ^(DX)Jezreel, over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, even over all Israel. ¹⁰ Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he was king for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David. ^11 (DY)And the ^[aj]time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

Abner Defeated Before David

¹² Now Abner the son of Ner, went out from Mahanaim to ^(DZ)Gibeon with the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul. ¹³ And ^(EA)Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met ^[ak]them by the pool of Gibeon; and they sat down, ^[al]one on the one side of the pool and ^[am]the other on the other side of the pool. ¹⁴ Then Abner said to Joab, “Now let the young men arise and ^[an](EB)hold a contest before us.” And Joab said, “Let them arise.” ¹⁵ So they arose and went over by count, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. ¹⁶ And each one of them seized his ^[ao]opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his ^[ap]opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called ^[aq]Helkath-hazzurim, which is in Gibeon. ¹⁷ And that day the battle was very severe, and ^(EC)Abner and the men of Israel were ^[ar]defeated before the servants of David.

¹⁸ Now ^(ED)the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel; and Asahel was ^(EE)as ^[as]swift-footed as one of the gazelles which is in the field. ¹⁹ And Asahel pursued Abner and did not ^[at]turn to the right or to the left from following Abner. ²⁰ Then Abner turned to look behind him and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” And he answered, “It is I.” ²¹ So Abner said to him, “^[au]Turn to your right or to your left, and seize one of the young men for yourself, and take for yourself his spoil.” But Asahel was not willing to turn aside from following him. ²² And Abner repeated again to Asahel, “Turn ^[av]aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? ^(EF)How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?” ²³ However, he refused to turn aside; therefore Abner struck him in the belly with the butt end of the spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died on the spot. And it happened that all who came to the place where ^(EG)Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.

²⁴ But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. Now the sun was going down, and they came to the hill of Ammah, which is in front of Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon. ²⁵ And the sons of Benjamin gathered together behind Abner and became one band, and they stood on the top of a certain hill. ²⁶ Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end? How long will you ^[aw]refrain from telling the people to turn back from following their brothers?” ²⁷ And Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely then the people would have only gone away in the morning, each from following his brother.” ²⁸ So Joab blew the trumpet; and all the people stood still and pursued Israel no longer, ^(EH)nor did they continue to fight anymore. ²⁹ But Abner and his men then went through the Arabah all that night; so they crossed the Jordan, walked all morning, and came to ^(EI)Mahanaim.

³⁰ Now Joab returned from following Abner. And he had gathered all the people together, and ^[ax]nineteen of David’s servants besides Asahel were missing. ³¹ But the servants of David had struck down many of Benjamin and Abner’s men, so that 360 men died. ³² And they took up Asahel and buried him ^(EJ)in his father’s tomb which was in Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men went all night until the day ^[ay]dawned at Hebron.

The House of David Strengthened

3 Now ^(EK)the war between the house of Saul and the house of David was long; and David grew steadily stronger, but the house of Saul grew weaker continually.

^2 (EL)And sons were born to David at Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, by ^(EM)Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; ³ and his second, Chileab, by Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of ^(EN)Maacah, the daughter of Talmai king of ^(EO)Geshur; ⁴ and the fourth, ^(EP)Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital; ⁵ and the sixth, Ithream, by David’s wife Eglah. These were born to David at Hebron.

Abner Cuts a Covenant with David

⁶ Now it happened, while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David that ^(EQ)Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul. ⁷ Now Saul had a concubine whose name was ^(ER)Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah; and ^[az]Ish-bosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?” ⁸ Then Abner was very angry over the words of Ish-bosheth and said, “^(ES)Am I a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? Today I show lovingkindness to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hands of David; and yet today you charge me with a guilt concerning the woman. ^9 (ET)May God do so to Abner, and more also, if ^(EU)as Yahweh has sworn to David, I do not do this for him, ^10 (EV)to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, ^(EW)from Dan even to Beersheba.” ¹¹ And he could no longer respond a word to Abner, because he was afraid of him.

¹² Then Abner sent messengers to David in his place, saying, “Whose is the land? Cut your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to turn all Israel over to you.” ¹³ And he said, “Good! I will cut a covenant with you, but I ask one thing of you, ^[ba]namely, ^(EX)you shall not see my face unless you ^(EY)first bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to see my face.” ¹⁴ So David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, to whom I was betrothed ^(EZ)for one hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” ¹⁵ And Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband, from ^[bb]Paltiel the son of Laish. ¹⁶ But her husband went with her, weeping as he went, and followed her as far as ^(FA)Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go, return.” So he returned.

¹⁷ Now Abner had ^[bc]consultation with ^(FB)the elders of Israel, saying, “In times past you were seeking for David to be king over you. ¹⁸ So now, do it! For Yahweh has spoken of David, saying, ‘^(FC)By the hand of My servant David ^[bd]I will save My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.’” ¹⁹ Abner also spoke in the hearing of Benjamin; and in addition Abner went to speak in the hearing of David in Hebron all that was good in the sight of Israel and in the sight of ^(FD)the whole house of Benjamin.

²⁰ Then Abner and twenty men with him came to David at Hebron. And David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him. ²¹ And Abner said to David, “Let me arise and go and ^(FE)gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may cut a covenant with you, and that ^(FF)you may be king over all that your soul desires.” So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.

²² And behold, ^(FG)the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought much spoil with them; but Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. ²³ Now Joab and all the army that was with him arrived, and they told Joab, saying, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has sent him away, and he has gone in peace.” ²⁴ Then Joab came to the king and said, “What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you; why then have you sent him away and he is already gone? ²⁵ You know Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive you and to know of ^(FH)your going out and your coming in and to know all that you are doing.”

Joab Strikes Abner

²⁶ Then Joab came out from David and sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah; but David did not know it. ²⁷ So when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the middle of the gate to speak with him privately, and there ^(FI)he struck him in the belly so that he died on account of the blood of Asahel his brother. ²⁸ Afterward David heard it, so he said, “I and my kingdom are innocent before Yahweh forever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner. ^29 (FJ)May it whirl on the head of Joab and on all his father’s house; and may ^(FK)one who has a discharge, or who is a leper, or who takes hold of a spindle, or who falls by the sword, or who lacks bread not be cut off from the house of Joab.” ³⁰ So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner ^(FL)because he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon.

David’s Lament for Abner

³¹ Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “^(FM)Tear your clothes and gird on sackcloth and lament before Abner.” And King David walked behind the bier. ³² Thus they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king lifted up his voice and wept at ^(FN)the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. ^33 (FO)And the king chanted a lament for Abner and said,

And all the people continued to weep over him. ³⁵ Then all the people came ^(FP)to ^[bf]persuade David to eat bread while it was still day; but David swore an oath, saying, “^(FQ)May God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else ^(FR)before the sun goes down.” ³⁶ Now all the people took note of it, and it was good in their sight, just as everything the king did was good in the sight of all the people. ³⁷ So all the people and all Israel knew that day that it had not been the will of the king to put Abner the son of Ner to death. ³⁸ Then the king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? ³⁹ Thus I am ^(FS)weak today, though anointed king; and these men ^(FT)the sons of Zeruiah are too difficult for me. ^(FU)May Yahweh repay the evildoer according to his evil.”

Ish-bosheth Put to Death

4 Then ^[bg]Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son heard that ^(FV)Abner had died in Hebron. And ^[bh](FW)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 ^(FX)Beeroth is also considered ^(FY)part of Benjamin, ³ and the Beerothites fled to ^(FZ)Gittaim and have been sojourners there until this day).

⁴ Now ^(GA)Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the ^(GB)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 ^[bi](GC)Mephibosheth.

⁵ So the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went forth and came to the house of ^(GD)Ish-bosheth in the heat of the day while he was taking his midday rest. ^6 [bj]They came to the middle of the house as ^[bk]if to get wheat, and ^(GE)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 ^(GF)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 ^(GG)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, ^(GH)who has redeemed my life from all distress, ^10 (GI)when one told me, saying, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ and ^[bl]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 ^(GJ)require his blood from your hand and purge you from the earth?” ¹² Then ^(GK)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 ^(GL)and buried it in the grave of Abner in Hebron.

David Anointed King over All Israel

5 ^(GM)Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and ^[bm]said, “Behold, we are ^(GN)your bone and your flesh. ² Previously, when Saul was king over us, ^(GO)you were the one who led out and brought in Israel; and Yahweh said to you, ‘^(GP)You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ^(GQ)a ruler over Israel.’” ³ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David ^(GR)cut a covenant with them in Hebron before Yahweh; then ^(GS)they anointed David king over Israel. ⁴ Now David was ^(GT)thirty years old when he became king, and ^(GU)he reigned forty years. ⁵ At Hebron ^(GV)he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

^6 (GW)Then the king and his men went to ^(GX)Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, and they said to ^[bn]David, “You shall not come in here, but the blind and lame will turn you away”; ^[bo]thinking, “David cannot enter here.” ⁷ Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, that is ^(GY)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 ^(GZ)the city of David. And David built all around from the ^[bp](HA)Millo and inward. ^10 (HB)And David became greater and greater, and Yahweh, the God of hosts, was with him.

^11 (HC)Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees and craftsmen of wood and craftsmen of stone walls; and ^(HD)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 ^(HE)David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron; and more sons and daughters were born to David. ¹⁴ Now ^(HF)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 ^(HG)all the Philistines went up to seek out David. And David heard of it and went down to the ^(HH)fortress. ¹⁸ Now the Philistines had come and spread themselves out in ^(HI)the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹ Then ^(HJ)David asked of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You give them into my hand?” And ^(HK)Yahweh said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.” ²⁰ So David came to ^(HL)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 ^[bq]Baal-perazim. ²¹ And they forsook their idols there; so ^(HM)David and his men carried them away.

²² Then ^(HN)the Philistines yet again came up and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim. ²³ So ^(HO)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 ^[br]balsam trees. ²⁴ And it will be that when ^(HP)you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the ^[bs]balsam trees, then you shall act promptly, for then ^(HQ)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 ^[bt](HR)Geba ^[bu]as far as ^(HS)Gezer.

The Ark Is Brought to Jerusalem

6 ^(HT)Then David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. ² And David arose and went with all the people who were with him ^[bv]from ^[bw](HU)Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the ^(HV)Name, the very name of Yahweh of hosts who ^(HW)is ^[bx]enthroned above the cherubim. ³ And they ^[by]drove the ark of God on ^(HX)a new cart that they might bring it from the house of Abinadab which was on the hill; and ^[bz]Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were leading the new cart. ⁴ So ^(HY)they brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Ahio was walking ahead of the ark. ⁵ Now David and all the house of Israel ^(HZ)were celebrating before Yahweh ^(IA)with all kinds of instruments made of ^[ca]fir wood, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

⁶ Then they came to the ^(IB)threshing floor of Nacon. And ^[cb]Uzzah ^(IC)reached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, because the oxen nearly upset it. ⁷ And the anger of Yahweh burned against Uzzah, and ^(ID)God struck him down there for ^[cc]his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God. ⁸ And David became angry because ^[cd]of Yahweh’s breaking out against Uzzah; and that place is called ^[ce]Perez-uzzah to this day. ⁹ So ^(IE)David was afraid of Yahweh that day; and he said, “How can the ark of Yahweh come to me?” ¹⁰ And David was unwilling to move the ark of Yahweh into the city of David with him; but David took it aside to the house of ^(IF)Obed-edom the Gittite. ¹¹ Thus the ark of Yahweh remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and Yahweh ^(IG)blessed Obed-edom and all his household.

¹² Then it was told to King David, saying, “Yahweh has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, on account of the ark of God.” So ^(IH)David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into ^(II)the city of David with gladness. ¹³ And so it happened, that when those ^(IJ)who were carrying the ark of Yahweh had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ^(IK)ox and a fatling. ¹⁴ And ^(IL)David was dancing before Yahweh with all his strength, and David was ^(IM)girded with a linen ephod. ¹⁵ So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of Yahweh with shouting and the sound of the trumpet.

David Dances Before Yahweh

¹⁶ Then it happened as the ark of Yahweh came into the city of David, that ^(IN)Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before Yahweh; and she despised him in her heart.

¹⁷ And they brought in the ark of Yahweh and placed it ^(IO)in its place inside the tent which David had pitched for it; and ^(IP)David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh. ¹⁸ Then David completed offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings. And ^(IQ)he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh of hosts. ¹⁹ And he apportioned to all the people, to all the multitude of Israel, both to men and women, a cake of bread and one of dates and one of raisins to each one. Then all the people went each to his house.

²⁰ But David returned to bless his household, and Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel has glorified himself today! ^(IR)He uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servants’ maids as one of the ^(IS)worthless ones shamelessly uncovers himself!” ²¹ So David said to Michal, “^(IT)It was before Yahweh, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of Yahweh, over Israel; therefore I will celebrate before Yahweh. ²² And I will be esteemed even more lightly than this and will be humble in my own eyes, but with the maids of whom you have spoken, with them I will be glorified.” ²³ And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

The Ark of God Inhabits a Tent

7 ^(IU)Now it happened when the king inhabited his house, and Yahweh had given him rest on every side from all his enemies, ² that the king said to ^(IV)Nathan the prophet, “See now, I inhabit ^(IW)a house of cedar, but the ark of God ^(IX)inhabits tent curtains.” ³ So Nathan said to the king, “^(IY)Go, do all that is in your heart, for Yahweh is with you.”

⁴ Now it happened in the same night, that the word of Yahweh came to Nathan, saying, ⁵ “Go and say to My servant David, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “^(IZ)Are you the one who would build Me a house to inhabit? ⁶ For ^(JA)I have not inhabited a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; but I have been going about ^(JB)in a tent, even in a ^[cf]tabernacle. ^7 (JC)Wherever I have gone about with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel, ^(JD)which I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’”’

David’s House Will Be Established Forever

⁸ So now, thus you shall say to My servant David, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “^(JE)I Myself took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, ^(JF)to be ruler over My people Israel. ^9 (JG)And I have been with you wherever you have gone and ^(JH)have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth. ¹⁰ And I will appoint a place for My people Israel and ^(JI)will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and not be disturbed again; ^(JJ)and the ^[cg]unrighteous will not afflict them any more as formerly, ¹¹ even ^(JK)from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and ^(JL)I will give you rest from all your enemies. Yahweh also declares to you that ^(JM)Yahweh will make a house for you. ^12 (JN)When your days are fulfilled and you ^(JO)lie down with your fathers, ^(JP)I will raise up one of your seed after you, who will come forth from ^[ch]your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. ^13 (JQ)He shall build a house for My name, and ^(JR)I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ^14 (JS)I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; ^(JT)when he commits iniquity, I will reprove him with the rod of men and the strikes from the sons of men, ¹⁵ but My lovingkindness shall not be removed from him, ^(JU)as I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ^16 (JV)And your house and your kingdom shall ^[ci]endure before ^[cj]Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”’” ¹⁷ According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

David Magnifies Yahweh’s Name

¹⁸ Then David the king went in and sat before Yahweh, and he said, “^(JW)Who am I, O Lord Yahweh, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far? ¹⁹ And yet this was a small thing in Your eyes, O Lord Yahweh, ^(JX)for You have spoken also of the house of Your slave concerning the distant future. And ^(JY)this is the law of man, O Lord Yahweh. ²⁰ And again what more can David say to You? And ^(JZ)You know Your slave, O Lord Yahweh! ^21 (KA)For the sake of Your word, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness to let Your slave know. ²² For this reason ^(KB)You are great, O Lord Yahweh; for ^(KC)there is none like You, and there is no God besides You, ^(KD)according to all that we have heard with our ears. ²³ And ^(KE)what one nation on the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people and to make a name for Himself, and ^(KF)to do a great thing for You and awesome things for Your land, before ^(KG)Your people whom ^(KH)You have redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, from nations and their gods? ²⁴ Yet ^(KI)You have established for Yourself Your people Israel as Your own people forever, and ^(KJ)You, O Yahweh, have become their God. ²⁵ So now, O Yahweh God, the word that You have spoken concerning Your slave and concerning his house, establish it forever, and do as You have spoken, ^26 (KK)that Your name may be magnified forever, by saying, ‘Yahweh of hosts is God over Israel’; and the house of Your ^[ck]servant David shall be established before You. ²⁷ For You, O Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, have revealed in the hearing of Your slave, saying, ‘^(KL)I will build you a house’; therefore Your slave has found courage in his heart to pray this prayer to You. ²⁸ So now, O Lord Yahweh, You are God, and ^(KM)Your words are truth, and You have ^[cl]promised this good thing to Your slave. ²⁹ So now, be pleased and bless the house of Your slave, that it may be forever before You. For You, O Lord Yahweh, have spoken; and ^(KN)with Your blessing may the house of Your slave be blessed forever.”

David Strikes Down Nations

8 ^(KO)Now it happened afterwards, that David struck the Philistines and subdued them; and David took ^[cm]control of the chief city from the hand of the Philistines.

^2 (KP)He also struck ^(KQ)Moab, and measured them with the line, making them lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death and one full line to keep alive. And ^(KR)the Moabites became servants to David, ^(KS)bringing tribute.

³ Then David struck ^(KT)Hadadezer, the son of Rehob king of Zobah, as ^(KU)he went to restore his ^[cn]power at the ^[co]River. ⁴ And David captured from him 1,700 horsemen and 20,000 foot soldiers; and David ^(KV)hamstrung all the chariot horses, but left enough of them for 100 chariots. ⁵ Then ^(KW)the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, king of Zobah. And David struck down 22,000 Arameans. ⁶ Then David placed garrisons among the Arameans of Damascus; and ^(KX)the Arameans became servants to David, bringing tribute. And ^(KY)Yahweh granted salvation to David wherever he went. ⁷ And David took the small shields of gold which were ^[cp]carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ Also from ^[cq]Betah and from ^(KZ)Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took a very large amount of bronze.

⁹ Then Toi king of ^(LA)Hamath heard that David had struck down all the military force of Hadadezer, ¹⁰ so Toi sent ^[cr]Joram his son to King David to ^[cs]greet him and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and struck him down; for Hadadezer ^[ct]had been at war with Toi. And in ^[cu]Joram’s hand were articles of silver, of gold, and of bronze. ¹¹ King David also ^(LB)set these apart as holy to Yahweh, with the silver and the gold that he had set apart as holy from all the nations which he had subdued: ¹² from ^[cv]Aram, ^(LC)Moab, ^(LD)the sons of Ammon, ^(LE)the Philistines, ^(LF)Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

¹³ So ^(LG)David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down 18,000 ^[cw]Arameans in ^(LH)the Valley of Salt. ¹⁴ Then he placed garrisons in Edom. In all Edom he placed garrisons, and ^(LI)all the Edomites became servants to David. And ^(LJ)Yahweh granted salvation to David wherever he went.

¹⁵ So David reigned over all Israel; and David was doing justice and righteousness for all his people. ^16 (LK)Now Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and ^(LL)Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was ^(LM)recorder; ^17 (LN)and Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were ^(LO)priests, and Seraiah was ^(LP)scribe; ^18 (LQ)and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada ^[cx]was over the ^(LR)Cherethites and the Pelethites; and the sons of David were ^[cy](LS)priests.

David’s Lovingkindness to Mephibosheth

9 Then David said, “Is there yet ^[cz]anyone left of the house of Saul, ^(LT)that I may show him lovingkindness for Jonathan’s sake?” ² Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, “Are you ^(LU)Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.” ³ And the king said, “Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the ^(LV)lovingkindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “^(LW)There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet.” ⁴ So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is ^(LX)in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.” ⁵ Then King David sent and took him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. ^6 (LY)So Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and ^(LZ)fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he said, “Here is your servant!” ⁷ And David said to him, “Do not fear, for ^(MA)I will surely show lovingkindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and ^(MB)will restore to you all the ^[da]land of your ^[db]grandfather Saul; and ^(MC)you shall ^[dc]eat at my table continually.” ⁸ So he prostrated himself and said, “What is your servant, that you should regard ^(MD)a dead dog like me?”

⁹ Then the king called Saul’s young man Ziba and said to him, “^(ME)All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s ^[dd]grandson. ¹⁰ And 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 may have food and eat of it; nevertheless ^(MF)Mephibosheth your master’s grandson ^(MG)shall ^[de]eat at my table continually.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. ¹¹ Then Ziba said to the king, “According ^(MH)to all that my lord the king commands his servant so your servant will do.” So Mephibosheth ate at ^[df]David’s table as one of the king’s sons. ¹² Now 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, for ^(MI)he ate at the king’s table continually. Now ^(MJ)he was lame in both feet.

The Ammonites Dishonor David’s Men

10 ^(MK)Now it happened afterwards, that ^(ML)the king of the sons of Ammon died, and Hanun his son became king in his place. ² So David said, “I will show lovingkindness to Hanun the son of ^(MM)Nahash, just as his father showed lovingkindness to me.” So David sent to comfort him concerning his father by the hand of his servants. And David’s servants came to the land of the sons of Ammon. ³ But the princes of the sons of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, “In your eyes, is David honoring your father because he has sent comforters to you? ^(MN)Has David not sent his servants to you in order to search the city, to spy it out and overthrow it?” ⁴ So Hanun took David’s servants and ^(MO)shaved off half of their beards, and ^(MP)cut off their garments in the middle as far as their hips, and sent them away. ⁵ Then they told it to David. And he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly dishonored. And the king said, “^[dg]Stay at Jericho until your beards grow, and then return.”

⁶ Then the sons of Ammon saw that ^(MQ)they had become odious to David. So the sons of Ammon sent and ^(MR)hired the Arameans of ^(MS)Beth-rehob and the ^(MT)Arameans of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of ^(MU)Maacah with 1,000 men, and the men of Tob with 12,000 men. ⁷ Then David heard of it and sent Joab and all the army, the mighty men. ⁸ And the sons of Ammon came out and arranged themselves for battle ^(MV)at the entrance of the gate of the city. But the Arameans of Zobah and of Rehob and the men of ^(MW)Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the field.

David Defeats Ammon and Aram

⁹ Then Joab saw that ^[dh]the battle was set against him from the front and from the rear. So he chose from all the choice men of Israel, and they arranged themselves to meet the Arameans. ¹⁰ But the remainder of the people he put in the hand of Abishai his brother; and he arranged them to meet the sons of Ammon. ¹¹ And he said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall save me, but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come to save you. ^12 (MX)Be strong, and let us show strength for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God; and ^(MY)may Yahweh do what is good in His sight.” ¹³ So Joab and the people who were with him drew near for the battle against the Arameans, and ^(MZ)they fled before him. ¹⁴ Now the sons of Ammon saw that the Arameans fled. So they also fled before Abishai and came into the city. ^(NA)Then Joab returned from fighting against the sons of Ammon and came to Jerusalem.

¹⁵ Then the Arameans saw that they had been ^[di]defeated by Israel. So they gathered themselves together. ^16 (NB)And Hadadezer sent and brought out the Arameans who were beyond the ^[dj]River, and they came to Helam; and ^(NC)Shobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer ^[dk]led them. ¹⁷ And it was told to David, so he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Arameans arranged themselves to meet David and fought against him. ¹⁸ But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed of the Arameans ^(ND)700 charioteers and 40,000 horsemen and struck down Shobach the commander of their army, and he died there. ¹⁹ Then all the kings, the servants of Hadadezer, saw that they were ^[dl]defeated by Israel. So ^(NE)they made peace with Israel and served them. And the Arameans were afraid to save the sons of Ammon anymore.

David and Bathsheba

11 ^(NF)Now it happened ^[dm](NG)in the spring, at the time when ^[dn]kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and ^(NH)besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem.

² Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on ^(NI)the roof of the king’s house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. ³ So David sent and ^[do]inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is this not ^(NJ)Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of ^(NK)Uriah the Hittite?” ⁴ Then David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and ^(NL)he lay with her; ^(NM)and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. ⁵ And the woman became pregnant; and she sent and told David, and said, “^(NN)I am pregnant.”

⁶ Then David sent to Joab, saying, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. ⁷ When Uriah came to him, ^(NO)David asked concerning the ^[dp]state of Joab and the ^[dq]state of the people and the ^[dr]state of the war. ⁸ Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house, and ^(NP)wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king’s house, and a present from the king went out after him. ⁹ But Uriah lay down ^(NQ)at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. ¹⁰ Then they told David, saying, “Uriah did not go down to his house.” And David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” ¹¹ And Uriah said to David, “^(NR)The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in ^[ds]booths, and my lord Joab and ^(NS)the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul, I will not do this thing.” ¹² Then David said to Uriah, “^(NT)Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will send you out.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the ^[dt]next. ¹³ Now David called him, and he ate and drank before him, and he ^(NU)made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his bed ^(NV)with his lord’s servants, but he did not go down to his house.

¹⁴ Now it happened in the morning that David ^(NW)wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah. ^15 (NX)And he had written in the letter, saying, “^[du]Place Uriah in the front line of the ^[dv]fiercest battle and withdraw from him, ^(NY)so that he may be struck down and die.” ¹⁶ So it was as Joab kept watch on the city, that he put 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 ^(NZ)Uriah the Hittite also died. ¹⁸ Then Joab sent and told David all the events of the war. ¹⁹ And he commanded the messenger, saying, “When you have finished telling all the events of the war to the king, ²⁰ and if it happens that the king’s wrath rises and he says to you, ‘Why did you approach the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? ²¹ Who ^(OA)struck down Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall so he died at Thebez? Why did you approach the wall?’—then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.’”

²² So the messenger went and came and told David all that Joab had sent him to tell. ²³ And the messenger said to David, “The men prevailed against us and came out against us in the field, but we ^[dw]pressed them as far as the entrance of the gate. ²⁴ And 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, “Thus you shall say to Joab, ‘Do not let this thing be evil in your sight, for the sword devours one as well as another; make your battle against the city stronger and ^[dx]tear it down’; and so strengthen him.”

²⁶ Then the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband had died, so ^(OB)she lamented over her husband. ²⁷ Then the time of mourning passed by, and David sent and gathered her to his house and ^(OC)she became his wife; then she bore him a son. But ^(OD)the thing that David had done was evil in the sight of Yahweh.

Yahweh Sends Nathan to David

12 Then Yahweh sent ^(OE)Nathan to David. And ^(OF)he came to him and ^[dy]said,

⁵ Then David’s anger burned greatly against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As Yahweh lives, surely the man who has done this ^[ea](OH)deserves to die. ⁶ And he must make restitution for the lamb ^(OI)fourfold, because he did this thing and had no compassion.”

⁷ Nathan then said to David, “^(OJ)You are the man! Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, ‘^(OK)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 ^(OL)your master’s house and your master’s wives into your ^[eb]care, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added to you many more things like these! ⁹ Why ^(OM)have you despised the word of Yahweh by doing evil in His sight? ^(ON)You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, ^(OO)have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. ¹⁰ So now, ^(OP)the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’