Bible in 90 Days

²⁰ Then Saul immediately fell prostrate^[a] to the ground, and he was very afraid because of the words of Samuel; there was no more strength in him, for he had not eaten food all day and all night. ²¹ Then the woman came to Saul and realized that he was absolutely^[b] terrified, so she said to him, “Look, your female servant has obeyed you,^[c] and I have risked my life.^[d] I have listened to your words that you have spoken to me. ²² So then, you also please listen to the voice of your female servant, and let me set before you a morsel of bread, and you eat so that you will have strength^[e] in you when you go on your^[f] way.” ²³ But he refused and said, “I will not eat!” However, his servants urged him, and the woman also. So he listened to what they said,^[g] and he got up from the ground and sat on the bed. ²⁴ Now the woman had a fattened bull calf in the house, so she quickly slaughtered it^[h] and took flour, kneaded dough, and baked him some unleavened bread. ²⁵ She brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they got up and went away that very night.

David Leaves the Service of Achish

29 Now the Philistines assembled all their forces at Aphek, and Israel was encamped at the spring that is in Jezreel. ² The rulers of the Philistines were passing on according to hundreds and thousands, David and his men passing on at 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, who has been with me for days and years?^[i] I have not found anything threatening in him from the day of his desertion until this day!” ⁴ But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him and they said to him, “Send the man back so that he might return to his place where you have assigned him! But he will not go down with us into the battle, so that he does not become an adversary to us in the battle. By what could this fellow make himself favorable to his lord? Is it not with the heads of these men? ⁵ Is this not David about whom they sing in the dances, saying,

⁶ So Achish called David and said to him, “As Yahweh lives,^[j] certainly you were honest, and I am pleased to have you marching with me^[k] in the campaign.^[l] For I have not found any wrong in you from the day you came to me until this day, but in the eyes of the rulers, you are not good. ⁷ So then, return and go in peace, so that you do not do something that displeases^[m] the rulers of the Philistines.” ⁸ Then David said to Achish, “But what have I done? And what have you found in your servant from the day that I entered your service^[n] until this day, that I should not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” ⁹ And Achish answered and said to David, “I know that you are good in my eyes, like an angel of God! However, the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He must not go up with us into the battle.’ ¹⁰ So then, rise early in the morning, you and the servants of your lord who came with you. When you rise early in the morning and it is light enough for you, leave. ¹¹ So David set out early, he and his men, to leave in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines, but the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

David Recovers His Loved Ones

30 Now^[o] when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. When they attacked Ziklag, they burned it with fire. ² They took captive the women^[p] who were in it, from the youngest to the oldest.^[q] They did not kill anyone, but carried them off and went on their way. ³ When David and his men came to the city, they saw,^[r] and it was burned with fire, and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. ⁴ Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until there was not enough strength in them to weep. ⁵ Two of David’s wives had been taken captive. Ahinoam from Jezreel^[s] and Abigail, the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. ⁶ And David was in a very precarious situation,^[t] for the people spoke of stoning him, for the souls of all the people were bitter, each one over his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in Yahweh his God.

⁷ Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Please bring the ephod here for me.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. ⁸ And David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Should I pursue after this band of raiders? Will I overtake them?” He said to him, “Pursue them, for you will certainly overtake them, and you will certainly rescue them.” ⁹ So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the Wadi^[u] Besor, but the rest remained. ¹⁰ David pursued, he and four hundred men; but two hundred men stayed because they were too exhausted to pass over the Wadi Besor.

¹¹ Then they found an Egyptian man in the open country and brought him to David, and they gave him food and he ate; they also gave him water. ¹² They gave him a slice of fig cake and two raisin cakes; he ate and this revived him,^[v] because he had not eaten food or drunk water for three days and three nights. ¹³ Then David said to him, “To whom do you belong,^[w] and from where are you? The young man said, “I am an Egyptian young man, a servant of an Amalekite man, but my master abandoned me because I became ill three days ago. ¹⁴ We raided the Negev of the Kerethites and that which belongs to Judah and then the Negev of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.” ¹⁵ So David asked him, “Will you take me down to this band of raiders?” He said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me and that you will not deliver me into my master’s hand! Then I will take you down to this band.” ¹⁶ So he took him down, and there they were,^[x] spread out over the surface of all the land, eating and drinking and dancing because of all of the abundant plunder which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. ¹⁷ Then David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped except^[y] four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled. ¹⁸ So David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; David also rescued his two wives. ¹⁹ None of theirs was missing from the smallest to the greatest,^[z] even sons and daughters, from the plunder up to everything they had taken for themselves; David brought back everything. ²⁰ And David took all of the sheep,^[aa] and the cattle they drove along in front of that livestock, and they said, “This is David’s plunder.”

²¹ Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow^[ab] David; they had left them behind at the Wadi^[ac] Besor. They went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. David came near with the people and asked them how they were doing.^{[ad] 22} Then all the corrupt and useless men among the men who went with David reacted and said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them anything from the plunder which we recovered, except^[ae] each man may take his own wife and children. They must take them along and go!” ²³ But David said to them, “You should not do so, my brothers, with what Yahweh has given to us! He has preserved us and has given the raiding band that came against us into our hand. ²⁴ And who would listen to you regarding this matter? For as the share of the one who went down into the battle, so the share of the one who remained with the baggage will be. They will share alike.” ²⁵ So^[af] from that day and beyond, he made it a rule and a regulation for Israel until this day.

²⁶ Then David came to Ziklag, and he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, to his friends, saying, “Here is^[ag] a gift for you from the plunder of the enemies of Yahweh!” ²⁷ It was for those in Bethel, for those in Ramoth of the Negev, for those in Jattir, ²⁸ for those in Aroer, for those in Siphmoth, for those in Eshtemoa, ²⁹ for those in Racal, for those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites, for those in the towns of the Kenites, ³⁰ for those in Hormah, for those in Bor Ashan, for those in Athach, ³¹ for those in Hebron, and for all the places where David and his men had roamed.^[ah]

Saul and Jonathan Die on Mount Gilboa

31 Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and they fell slain on Mount Gilboa. ² And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malki-Shua, the sons of Saul. ³ Saul was in the thick of the battle,^[ai] and the archers^[aj] spotted^[ak] him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. ⁴ Then Saul said to his armor bearer,^[al] “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, so that these uncircumcised do not come and thrust me through and make a fool of me!” But his armor bearer^[am] was not willing to do so because he was very afraid. So Saul took the sword and fell on it. ⁵ And when his armor bearer^[an] saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died with him. ⁶ So Saul died, and his three sons, his armor bearer,^[ao] and all his men together that same day.

⁷ And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those who were beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the towns and fled. Thus the Philistines came and lived in them.

⁸ And then^[ap] the next day, the Philistines came to strip the dead and they found Saul and his three sons lying dead on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor. Then they sent messengers around in the land of the Philistines to proclaim victory in the temples^[aq] of their idols and to the people. ¹⁰ And they put his armor in the temple^[ar] of the Ashtoreth,^[as] and they fastened his corpse to the wall of Beth Shan. ¹¹ When the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard about it, what the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all of the valiant men^[at] set out and went all night and took the corpse of Saul and the corpses of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there. ¹³ Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk in Jabesh, and they fasted for seven days.

The Report of Saul’s Death by the Amalekite

1 After^[au] the death of Saul, David returned from defeating the Amalekites and he stayed at Ziklag two days. ² On the third day, a man came from the camp from being with Saul, with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head. When he came^[av] to David, he fell to the ground and bowed down. ³ David said to him, “Where did you come from?” He said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” ⁴ Then David said to him, “How did things go?^[aw] Please tell me.” He answered, “When^[ax] the army fled from the battle, and many of the people fell; also, Saul and Jonathan his son died.” ⁵ Then David asked the young man who was reporting to him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan died?” ⁶ The young man who was reporting to him said, “I merely happened to be on Mount Gilboa. Here Saul was leaning on his spear, and look, the chariots and the horsemen were getting close to him. ⁷ When he turned around and saw me, he called to me, and I said, ‘Here I am.’ ⁸ Then he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ And I said to him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ ⁹ He said to me, ‘Please stand over me and kill me, for convulsions have seized me, even though my life is still in me.’ ¹⁰ So I stood over him and killed him, for I knew that he could not live after his falling; I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet which was on his arm; and here, I have brought them to my lord. ¹¹ David grabbed at his clothes and tore them, as did all of the men who were with him. ¹² Then they mourned and wept and fasted over Saul and Jonathan his son until the evening, as well as over the people of Yahweh and over the house of Israel because they had fallen by the sword. ¹³ Then David said to the young man who was reporting to him, “Where are you from?” And he said, “I am the son of an alien man. I am an Amalekite.” ¹⁴ David said to him, “How is it that you were not afraid to stretch out your hand to destroy Yahweh’s anointed one?” ¹⁵ Then David called to one of the young men and said to him, “Come near; strike him.” So he struck him down and he died. ¹⁶ David said to him, “Your blood is on your head, for your mouth has testified against you by saying, ‘I killed Yahweh’s anointed one!’”

David Laments Jonathan with the “Song of the Bow”

¹⁷ Then David sang this funeral song over Saul and over Jonathan his son. ¹⁸ And he ordered “The Bow” to be taught to the children of Judah. Look, it is written on the scroll of Jashar.^[ay]

David Moves to Hebron

2 It happened after this that David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah?” And Yahweh said to him, “Go up.” David asked, “Where shall I go up?” And he said, “To Hebron.” ² So David went up there along with^[bc] his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel^[bd] and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. ³ Also, David brought up his men who were with him, each with^[be] his household, and they settled in the towns of Hebron.

David Anointed King over Judah at Hebron

⁴ Then the men of Judah came, and they anointed David there as king over the house of Judah, and they told David, “The men of Jabesh-Gilead buried Saul.” ⁵ So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-Gilead and said to them, “May you be blessed by Yahweh because you did this loyal love with your lord, with Saul, and you buried him. ⁶ Now may Yahweh show loyal love and faithfulness with you. I will also show the good with you that you have done in this matter. ⁷ So then, let your hands be strong and be valiant,^[bf] for your lord Saul is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me as king over them.”

Ish-Bosheth over Israel

⁸ But Abner the son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. ⁹ He made him king over Gilead, over the Ashurites, over Jezreel, over Ephraim, over Benjamin, and over Israel, all of it. ¹⁰ Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel and he reigned two years; however, the house of Judah followed^[bg] David. ¹¹ The number of days that David was king over Hebron, over the house of Judah, was seven years and six months.

War between Judah and Israel

¹² Abner the son of Ner and the servants of Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. ¹³ Then Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out, and they met at the pool of Gibeon. The one group sat on one side of the pool, and the other sat on the other side. ¹⁴ Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men come up and fight in our presence.” And Joab said, “Let them come up.” ¹⁵ So they came forward and passed by in number: twelve for Benjamin and for Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David. ¹⁶ Then each seized his opponent^[bh] by the head and each thrust his sword in the side of his opponent, so they fell together. So they^[bi] called the name of that place Helkath Hazzurim,^[bj] which is in Gibeon. ¹⁷ Then the battle became increasingly fierce^[bk] on that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated before the servants of David.

¹⁸ The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was swift with his feet as one of the gazelles which is in the open field. ¹⁹ So Asahel pursued^[bl] Abner, and he did not turn aside to the right or to the left from going after Abner. ²⁰ Abner turned around and said, “Are you this Asahel?” And he said, “Yes.” ²¹ Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right or to your left; seize for yourself one of the young men, and take his belongings for yourself.” But Asahel was not willing to turn aside from him. ²² So Abner said to Asahel once again,^[bm] “For your own sake,^[bn] turn aside from following me.^[bo] Why should I strike you down to the ground? How could I show my face^[bp] to Joab your brother?” ²³ But he refused to turn away, so Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of the spear, and the spear went out of his back. He fell there and he died on the spot.^[bq] Then^[br] all who came to the place where Asahel fell and died just stood there.

²⁴ So Joab and Abishai pursued^[bs] Abner when^[bt] the sun went down. And they came to the hill country of Ammah, which is before Giah^[bu] on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon. ²⁵ The descendants^[bv] of Benjamin rallied after Abner, and they became as one fighting group and stood on the top of a certain hill. ²⁶ Then Abner called to Joab and said, “Will the sword devour forever? Do you not know that there will be bitterness in the end? How long^[bw] will you not tell the people to turn away from pursuing^[bx] their brothers?” ²⁷ Joab said, “As God lives,^[by] for if you had not spoken, the people would surely have gone up in the morning, each one of them from following after^[bz] his brother.” ²⁸ Then Joab blew on the trumpet and all the people stopped, and they no longer pursued after Israel, and they did not fight with them again.

²⁹ Then Abner and his men went through the Arabah all that night, and they crossed over the Jordan. They went all the forenoon and came to Mahanaim. ³⁰ After Joab returned from pursuing^[ca] Abner, he gathered all the people; nineteen of the servants of David were missing along with Asahel. ³¹ The servants of David had killed some of the Benjaminites among the men of Abner; three hundred and sixty men had died. ³² Then they picked up Asahel and buried him in the grave of his father, which was at Bethlehem. Joab and his men went all that night arriving in Hebron at first light.^[cb]

The House of David Grows Stronger

3 The battle was prolonged between the house of Saul and the house of David, but David was growing stronger and stronger^[cc] while the house of Saul was becoming weaker and weaker.^{[cd] 2} And sons were born to David in Hebron; his firstborn was Amnon by Ahinoam from Jezreel^[ce]. ³ His second was Kileab by Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; the third was Absalom the son of Maacah, who was the daughter of Talmai the king of Geshur. ⁴ The fourth was Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth was Shephatiah the son of Abital. ⁵ The sixth was Ithream by Eglah the wife of David. These were born to David in Hebron.

⁶ As the war between the house of Saul and the house of David was continuing, Abner was strengthening himself in the house of Saul. ⁷ Saul had had a concubine, and her name was Rizpah the daughter of Aiah. Then Ish-Bosheth^[cf] said to Abner, “Why did you have sex with^[cg] my father’s concubine?” ⁸ Abner became very angry^[ch] at the words of Ish-Bosheth, and he said, “Am I the head of a dog which is for Judah today? Do I not continue to show loyal love with the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends? I have not let you fall into the hands of David, yet you have accused me of sin with this woman^[ci] today. ⁹ Thus may God punish Abner,^[cj] if I do not accomplish what Yahweh has sworn to David;^{[ck] 10} specifically, to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish the throne of David over Israel and over Judah from Dan to Beersheba!” ¹¹ And Ish-Bosheth was no longer able to answer^[cl] Abner because he feared him.^[cm]

Abner Pledges Support for David

¹² Abner sent messengers to David where he was,^[cn] saying, “To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me!^[co] Look, my hand is with you to bring all of Israel over to you!” ¹³ He^[cp] said, “Good. I will make a covenant with you.^[cq] I am asking only one thing from you: You shall not see my face unless you bring Michal the daughter of Saul when you come to see me.”^{[cr] 14} Then David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul, saying, “Give me my wife Michal whom I betrothed to myself^[cs] for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” ¹⁵ So Ish-Bosheth sent and took her from her husband, from Paltiel the son of Laish.^{[ct] 16} But her husband went with her, weeping all along^[cu] after her as far as Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go and return.” So he returned.

¹⁷ The word of Abner came to^[cv] the elders of Israel, saying, “For quite some time^[cw] you were seeking David as king over you. ¹⁸ So then, bring it about, because Yahweh had said to David, “Through the hand of David my servant I am about to save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.” ¹⁹ Abner also spoke privately to Benjamin.^[cx] Abner also went to speak to David^[cy] in Hebron, all that was good in the eyes of Israel and in the eyes of all the house of Benjamin.

²⁰ Then Abner came to David in Hebron and with him were twenty men. David had prepared a feast for Abner and for the men who were with him. ²¹ And Abner said to David, “Let me get up and go and gather all of Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant^[cz] with you so you can reign over all which your soul desires.” So David dismissed Abner, and he left in peace. ²² And look, the servants of David and Joab came from the raid, and they brought much plunder with them. But Abner was not with David at Hebron, for he^[da] had dismissed him, and he had gone in peace. ²³ When Joab and all the army that was with him came, they told Joab, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he sent him away, and he left in peace.”

Joab Assassinates Abner

²⁴ Then Joab came to the king and said, “What have you done? Abner came here to you? Why have you dismissed him that he actually went away?^{[db] 25} You know that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you. He came to learn about your going out and coming in and to know all which you are doing.” ²⁶ Then Joab went out from David, and he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from Bor Hasirah, but David did not know it.

²⁷ When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside to the middle of the gate to speak with him in private. Then he struck him in the stomach there and he died, for he had shed the blood of Asahel his brother.^{[dc] 28} When David heard this afterwards, he said: “I and my kingdom are innocent before Yahweh^[dd] forever for the blood of Abner the son of Ner. ²⁹ May the blood come down on the head of Joab and all the house of his father. May the house of Joab never lack^[de] one with a bodily discharge or one with leprosy or one who grasps the distaff or one who falls by the sword or one who is lacking food.”

³⁰ So Joab and Abishai, his brother, killed Abner because he had killed Asahel, their brother, at Gibeon in the battle. ³¹ David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothing and put on sackcloth and mourn before Abner.” Now King David was following after the bier. ³² And they buried Abner at Hebron. And the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. ³³ The king sang a lament for Abner and said, “Should Abner have died the death of a fool? ³⁴ Your hands were not tied and your feet were not in contact with bronze fetters. You have fallen as one who falls before sons of wickedness.” Then all the people wept over him again.^{[df] 35} Then all the people came to give David food. Still on that day, David swore, “May God punish me^[dg] if I taste food or anything before the sun goes down.” ³⁶ All the people noticed, and it was good in their eyes, as everything that the king did was good in the eyes of all the people. ³⁷ Then all the people and all of Israel realized on that day that the king had not desired^[dh] to kill Abner the son of Ner. ³⁸ Then the king said to his servants, “Did you not realize that a prince and a great man has fallen today in Israel? ³⁹ I am weak today even though anointed king, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are crueler than I am. May Yahweh pay them back for doing wickedness according to their own wickedness.”

Ish-Bosheth is Assassinated

4 When the son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, his courage failed^[di] and all of Israel was horrified. ² Two of the men, commanders of the raiding bands, were for the son of Saul. The name of one was Baanah, and the name of the other was Recab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite from the descendants^[dj] of Benjamin; also, Beeroth was regarded as belonging to Benjamin. ³ The Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and they are resident aliens there until this day. ⁴ (Now Jonathan the son of Saul had a son who was crippled in the feet. He was five years old when the message of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse had picked him up and fled. It happened that as she was hurrying away to flee, he fell and became crippled. His name was Mephibosheth.) ⁵ When the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Recab and Baanah, set out, they came at the heat of the day to the house of Ish-Bosheth while he was taking a noontime rest.^{[dk] 6} They came as far as the middle of the house as if takers of wheat, and they struck him in the stomach. Then Recab and Baanah his brother escaped. ⁷ When they had come into the house, he was lying on his couch in his bedchamber,^[dl] and they attacked him and killed him. Then they beheaded him,^[dm] and they took his head and went on the way of the Arabah all night. ⁸ They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron, and they said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth, the son of Saul your enemy, who sought your life. Yahweh has given to my lord the king vengeance this day on Saul and on his offspring.” ⁹ Then David answered Recab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and he said to them, “As Yahweh lives,^[dn] who redeemed my soul from all trouble, ¹⁰ when the one who told me, “Look, Saul is dead,” thought that he was bringing good news,^[do] I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was as my giving the news back to him. ¹¹ How much more^[dp] when wicked men kill a righteous man in his house, on his bed! So then, shall I not seek his lifeblood from your hand, so that I may destroy you from the earth?” ¹² Then David commanded the young men, and they killed them, and they cut off their hands and their feet, and they hung them at the pool at Hebron, but the head of Ish-Bosheth they took and buried in the grave of Abner at Hebron.

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.^{[dq] 2} For some time,^[dr] when Saul was king over us, you were leading Israel in and out.^[ds] 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^[dt] 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,^[du] 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.^[dv]

¹⁰ David continued growing stronger and stronger,^[dw] 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,^[dx] 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.^{[dy] 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^[dz] 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.^{[ea] 21} They had left their idols there, so David and his men carried them away.

²² Once again^[eb] 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^[ec] 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^[ed] 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.^{[ee] 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^[ef] against Uzza, and God struck him down there because of the indiscretion,^[eg] and he died there beside the ark of God. ⁸ David was angry^[eh] 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^[ei] 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^[ej] before the eyes of the maids of his servants, as the total exposure of a worthless one.”^{[ek] 21} So David said to Michal, “In the presence of Yahweh who chose me over^[el] your father and over^[em] 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.

Yahweh Makes a Covenant with David

7 It happened that the king settled in his house. (Now Yahweh had given rest to him from all his enemies all around.) ² And the king said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, please, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God is staying in the middle of the tent.” ³ Nathan said to the king, “Go and do all that is in your heart, for Yahweh is with you.” ⁴ But it happened that night,^[en] the word of Yahweh came^[eo] to Nathan, saying, ⁵ “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says Yahweh: “Are you the one to build for me a house for my dwelling? ⁶ For I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought up the Israelites^[ep] from Egypt until this day; rather, I was going about in a tent and in a tabernacle. ⁷ In all of my going about among all the Israelites,^[eq] did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, ‘Why did you not build me a cedar house?’”’ ⁸ So then, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “I took you from the pasture from following^[er] the sheep to be a leader over my people, over Israel, ⁹ and I have been with you everywhere you went.^[es] I have cut off all of your enemies from in front of you, and I will make a great name for you, as the name of the great ones who are on the earth. ¹⁰ I will make a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them^[et] so that they^[eu] can dwell in their own place.^[ev] They will not tremble any longer, and the children of wickedness will not afflict them again, as in the former days. ¹¹ In the manner that^[ew] I appointed judges over my people Israel, I will give you rest from all your enemies. And Yahweh declares to you that Yahweh will build a house for you. ¹² When your days are full and you lie down with your ancestors,^[ex] I will raise up your offspring after you who will go out from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ¹⁴ I will be a father to him, and he will be a son for me, whom I will punish when he does wrong, with a rod of men and with blows of the human beings.^{[ey] 15} But my loyal love shall not depart from him as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ¹⁶ Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before you; your throne shall be established forever.”’”

David Responds to Yahweh’s Covenant

¹⁷ According to all these words and according to all this vision, this Nathan spoke to David. ¹⁸ Then King David went and sat before Yahweh and said, “Who am I, my lord Yahweh, and what is my house that you have brought me up to this place?^{[ez] 19} Still, this was insignificant^[fa] in your eyes, my lord Yahweh, and also you have spoken about the house of your servant from afar, and this may be the teaching of humans, my lord Yahweh. ²⁰ What more can David say to you?^[fb] You know your servant, my lord Yahweh. ²¹ Because of your word and according to your heart, you have done all of this great thing, in order to let your servant know. ²² Therefore you are great, my lord Yahweh, for there is no one like you, and there is no god except you, in all that we have heard with our ears. ²³ Who is like your people, like Israel? Israel is the one nation on earth whose God led them,^[fc] in order to redeem a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to do for you^[fd] the great and awesome things for your land in the presence of your people whom he redeemed for himself from Egypt, from the nations and their gods. ²⁴ You have established your people Israel for yourself as a people forever, and you, O Yahweh, have become their God. ²⁵ So then, Yahweh God, the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, confirm it forever, and do just as you have promised. ²⁶ Your name shall be great forever, and they will say,^[fe] ‘Yahweh of hosts is God over Israel’; and the house of your servant David shall be established before you. ²⁷ For you, O Yahweh of hosts, are God of Israel! You have revealed to the ear of your servant, ‘I will build a house for you’; therefore your servant has found courage^[ff] to pray this prayer to you. ²⁸ Now, my Lord Yahweh, you alone are God, and your words are^[fg] true. You have promised this good to your servant. ²⁹ So then, be content and bless the house of your servant to be forever in your presence, for you, my Lord Yahweh, have spoken, and because of your blessing, may the house of your servant be blessed forever.”

David’s Military Victories Continue

8 It happened afterwards that David attacked the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Metheg Ammah from the hands of the Philistines. ² When he defeated Moab, he measured them with the cord, making them lie on the ground. He measured two cords to kill and the third cord^[fh] to let live.^[fi] So Moab became servants of David, bringing tribute. ³ Then David struck down Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his monument^[fj] at the Euphrates River. ⁴ David captured from him one thousand and seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand foot soldiers.^[fk] David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but from them^[fl] he spared a hundred chariot horses. ⁵ When Aram of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, the king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand men of Aram. ⁶ David placed garrisons in Aram of Damascus, so Aram became servants of David, bringing tribute. Yahweh protected David everywhere he went.

⁷ David took the small round gold shields which had belonged^[fm] to the servants of Hadadezer, and he brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ From Betah and from Berothai, the towns of Hadadezer, King David took very many bronze items.

⁹ When Toi, the king of Hamath, heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer, ¹⁰ Toi sent Joram his son to King David to greet him^[fn] and to congratulate him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him; for Hadadezer had often been at war with Toi.^[fo] He brought with him^[fp] objects of silver and objects of gold and objects of bronze. ¹¹ King David dedicated them also to Yahweh along with the silver and the gold that he had dedicated from all of the nations which he had subdued; ¹² from Aram and from Moab and from the Ammonites^[fq] and from the Philistines and from Amalek and from the plunder of Hadadezer the son of Rehob, the king of Zobah. ¹³ So David made a name for himself when he returned from defeating Aram in the Valley of Salt, eighteen thousand. ¹⁴ He put garrisons in Edom; all over Edom he put garrisons, and all of Edom became servants of David. Yahweh protected David wherever he went.

¹⁵ David reigned over all of Israel, and he^[fr] was administering justice and righteousness for all his people. ¹⁶ Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was secretary. ¹⁷ Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests and Seraiah was scribe. ¹⁸ Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and the Pelethites, and the sons of David were priests.

David Cares for Mephibosheth

9 Then David said, “Is there still anyone who is left for the house of Saul that I may show loyal love to him for the sake of Jonathan?” ² Now Saul’s household had a servant whose name was Ziba, so they summoned him to David, and the king asked him, “Are you Ziba?” He said, “At your service!”^{[fs] 3} Then the king said, “But is there still anyone of Saul’s household that I may show the loyal love of God with him?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is lame in the feet.” ⁴ The king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is here^[ft] in the house of Makir the son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.” ⁵ So King David sent and brought him from the house of Makir the son of Ammiel from Lo Debar. ⁶ So Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David. And he fell on his face and did obeisance. David said, “Mephibosheth,” and he said, “I am ready to serve you.”^{[fu] 7} Then David said to him, “Don’t be afraid, for I will certainly show^[fv] loyal love to you for the sake of Jonathan your father, and I will restore to you all the lands of Saul your father. And you shall always eat food at my table.” ⁸ Then he^[fw] did obeisance and said, “What is your servant that you have paid attention to the dead dog like me?”

⁹ David summoned Ziba the servant of Saul and said to him, “All that was Saul’s and all his household I have given to the son of your master. ¹⁰ You shall till the land for him, you and your sons and your servants; you shall bring in the produce and it shall be food for the son of your master that he may eat. But Mephibosheth the son of your master may always eat food at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty slaves.) ¹¹ Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my master the king commands his servant, so your servant will do.” So Mephibosheth was eating at his table as one of the sons of the king. ¹² Now Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Micah, and all of the dwelling of the household of Ziba became servants for Mephibosheth. ¹³ And Mephibosheth was living in Jerusalem, because he was continually eating at the table of the king, even though he was lame in both of his feet.

The Ammonites Refuse David’s Loyal Love

10 Afterwards the king of the Ammonites died,^[fx] and his son Hanun ruled in his place. ² David said, “I will show loyal love with Hanun, the son of Nahash, as his father showed loyal love with me.” So David sent to console him concerning his father, by the hand of his servants. And the servants of David came to the land of the Ammonites.^{[fy] 3} But the commanders of the Ammonites^[fz] said to Hanun their master, “In your opinion,^[ga] is David honoring your father because he has sent condolences to you? Is it not in order to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it that David sent his servants to you?” ⁴ Then Hanun took the servants of David, and he shaved off half of their beards and cut their garments off in the middle up to their buttocks, then sent them away. ⁵ When they told David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, “Remain in Jericho until your beards have grown, and then you can return.”

Israel Fights Ammon and Aram

⁶ When the Ammonites^[gb] saw that they had become odious to David, the Ammonites^[gc] sent word and hired Aram Beth-Rehob and Aram-Zobah, twenty thousand infantry; and they also hired the king of Maacah, a thousand men, and the men of Tob, twelve thousand men. ⁷ When David heard, he sent Joab and all the army of mighty warriors. ⁸ The Ammonites^[gd] came out and drew up a battle formation^[ge] at the entrance of the gate, but Aram-Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were alone in the open field. ⁹ When Joab saw that the battle was to be fought on two fronts,^[gf] he chose from all the members of the elite troops of Israel and lined them up for battle^[gg] to meet Aram. ¹⁰ The rest of the army he placed into the hand of his brother Abishai, who arranged them in battle lines^[gh] to meet the Ammonites.^{[gi] 11} Then he said, “If Aram is stronger than I am, you must become my deliverer; but if the Ammonites^[gj] are too strong for you, then I will come to rescue you. ¹² Be strong, and let us strengthen ourselves for the sake of the people and for the sake of the cities of our God. May Yahweh do what is good in his eyes. ¹³ Joab and all the people who were with him moved forward into the battle against Aram, and they fled from before him. ¹⁴ When the Ammonites^[gk] saw that Aram had fled, they fled from before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites^[gl] and came to Jerusalem.

The Arameans Regroup for Attack

¹⁵ When the Arameans saw that they were defeated before Israel, they gathered themselves together. ¹⁶ Then Hadadezer sent and brought out the Arameans who were beyond the Euphrates, and they came to Helam. Now Shobach, the commander of the army of Hadadezer, was at their head.^{[gm] 17} David was told, so he gathered all Israel and crossed over the Jordan and came to Helam. Aram arranged themselves in battle lines^[gn] to meet David, and they fought with him. ¹⁸ And Aram fled before Israel, and David killed from the Arameans seven hundred chariot teams and forty thousand horsemen. He struck down Shobach, the commander of his army, and he died there. ¹⁹ When all the kings, the servants of Hadadezer, saw that he had been defeated before Israel, they made peace with Israel and served them, and Aram was afraid to help the Ammonites^[go] any longer.

David Commits Adultery with Bathsheba

11 It came about in the spring,^[gp] at the time kings^[gq] go out, David sent Joab and his servants with him and all of Israel. They ravaged all of the Ammonites^[gr] and besieged Rabbah, but David was remaining in Jerusalem. ² It happened late one afternoon^[gs] that David got up from his bed and walked about on the roof of the king’s house, and he saw a woman bathing on her^[gt] roof. Now the woman was very beautiful.^{[gu] 3} David sent and inquired about the woman, and someone said, “Is this not Bathsheba the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” ⁴ Then David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) And she returned to her house. ⁵ The woman became pregnant, and she sent and told David, and she said, “I am pregnant.” ⁶ So David sent to Joab, “Send Uriah the Hittite to me.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. ⁷ Uriah came to him, and David asked how Joab and the army fared and how the war was going.^{[gv] 8} David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house, and wash your feet.” So Uriah went out from the king’s house, and a gift from the king went out after him. ⁹ But Uriah slept at the entrance of the king’s house with all the servants of his master and did not go down to his house. ¹⁰ They told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house.” David said to Uriah, “Are you not coming from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?” ¹¹ Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are living in the booths; and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping on the surface of the open field; and I, shall I go to my house to eat and to drink and to sleep with my wife? By your life and the life of your soul, I surely will not do this thing.” ¹² David said to Uriah, “Remain here today,^[gw] and tomorrow I will send you away.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem on that day and the next. ¹³ David invited him, and he ate and drank in his presence so that he became drunk,^[gx] and he went out in the evening to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house. ¹⁴ And it happened in the morning, David wrote a letter to Joab, and he sent it by the hand of Uriah. ¹⁵ He had written in the letter, “Put Uriah in the front, in the face of the fiercest fighting, then draw back from behind him so that he may be struck down and die.”

¹⁶ When Joab was besieging^[gy] the city, he put Uriah toward the place which he knew there were valiant warriors.^{[gz] 17} The men of the city came out and fought with Joab. Some from the army from the servants of David fell; Uriah the Hittite also died. ¹⁸ Joab sent and told David all of the news of the battle. ¹⁹ He instructed the messenger, saying, “As you are finishing to speak all the news of the battle to the king, ²⁰ if the anger of the king rises and he says to you, ‘Why did you go near the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from atop the wall? ²¹ Who killed Abimelech the son of Jerub-bosheth,^[ha] if not a woman who threw an upper millstone on him from atop the wall and he died at Thebez? Why did you go near the wall?’ Then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite also died.’” ²² Then the messenger left, and he came and told David all that Joab had sent him to say. ²³ The messenger said to David, “Because the men overpowered us,^[hb] the men came out to us in the field, but we forced them back^[hc] to the entrance of the gate. ²⁴ The archers shot at your servant from atop the wall, and some of the servants of the king died; your servant Uriah the Hittite also died.” ²⁵ Then David said to the messenger, “Thus you shall say to Joab, ‘Do not feel badly about this matter;^[hd] now one and then another^[he] the sword will devour. Intensify your attack on the city and overthrow it.’” And he encouraged him. ²⁶ When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned over her husband. ²⁷ When the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his household, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing which David had done was evil in the eyes of Yahweh.

Nathan Reproves David

12 So Yahweh sent Nathan to David, and he came to him and said, “Two men were in a certain city; one was rich and the other was poor. ² The rich man had very many flocks and herds, ³ but the poor man had nothing except for one small ewe lamb which he had bought. He had nurtured her, and she grew up with him and with his children together. She used to eat from his morsel and drink from his cup, and she used to lie in his lap and became like a daughter for him. ⁴ And a visitor came to the rich man, but he was reluctant^[hf] to take from his flocks or from his herds to prepare a meal for the traveler when he came to him. So he took the ewe lamb of the poor man and prepared it for the man who had come to him.” ⁵ Then the anger of David was kindled^[hg] against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As Yahweh lives,^[hh] the man who has done this deserves to die!^{[hi] 6} He shall restore the ewe lamb fourfold because he has done this thing, and because he had no pity.” ⁷ Then Nathan said to him, “You are the man! Thus says Yahweh the God of Israel: ‘I anointed you as king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. ⁸ I gave you the household of your master and the women of your master into your lap. I also gave you the house of Israel and Judah; if that had been too little, I would have added to you much more.^{[hj] 9} Why have you despised the word of Yahweh by doing evil in his eyes?^[hk] Uriah the Hittite you have struck down with the sword, and his wife you have taken to yourself as wife! You have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites!^{[hl] 10} So then, a sword will not turn away from your house forever, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife!’