Bible in 90 Days

²⁰ Saul immediately fell full length upon the ground because he greatly feared the words of Samuel. Also there was no strength in him, for he had eaten no bread all day and all night.

²¹ The woman came to Saul and saw that he was terrified. And she said to him, “Listen, your handmaid has obeyed your voice. I have taken my life in my hand and have listened to your words which you spoke to me. ²² Now therefore you also, please obey the voice of your maidservant and let me set before you a piece of bread, and eat so that you may have strength when you go on your way.”

²³ But he refused and said, “I will not eat.”

But his servants, and also the woman, urged him and he listened to them. So he arose from the ground and sat on the bed.

²⁴ Now the woman had a fattened calf in the house, and she hurried and killed it, and took flour, and kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread from it. ²⁵ She brought it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they arose and went away that night.

Philistines Reject David

29 Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek, and the children of Israel were camping by the spring which is in Jezreel. ² The lords of the Philistines were advancing by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were advancing in the rear with Achish. ³ Then the princes of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?”

And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or rather these years? And I have found no fault in him since the day of his desertion to this day.”

⁴ But the princes of the Philistines became angry with him. And the princes of the Philistines said to him, “Make this man return and let him go again to his place which you have appointed him. He will not go down with us in battle, lest he might be an adversary to us in the battle. For with what could he make himself acceptable to his master, if not with the heads of these men? ⁵ Is this not David, whom they sing for in dances saying,

⁶ Then Achish called David and said to him, “As the Lord lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the camp has been pleasing in my sight. For I have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me to this day. However, you are not acceptable in the eyes of the lords. ⁷ Therefore now, return and go in peace, that you do not displease the lords of the Philistines.”

⁸ David said to Achish, “But what have I done? And what have you found in your servant, from the day which I came before you to this day, that I may not come and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”

⁹ And Achish answered and said to David, “I know that you are pleasing in my sight like an angel of God. However the lords of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us in battle.’ ¹⁰ Therefore rise up early in the morning with your master’s servants who have come with you. And when you have risen early in the morning and it is light, then depart.”

¹¹ So David and his men rose early to depart in the morning and return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

David Defeats the Amalekites

30 Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had raided the south as far as Ziklag. They had struck Ziklag and burned it with fire. ² They had taken as captives all the women who were there. They did not kill anyone, but carried them off and went on their way.

³ David and his men came to the city, and they found it burned with fire, and their wives, their sons, and their daughters taken captive. ⁴ So David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept until they had no strength in them to weep. ⁵ Now David’s two wives were taken captive, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. ⁶ David was greatly distressed, for the people talked of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in spirit, each over his sons and daughters. But David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.

⁷ And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Please bring the ephod to me.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. ⁸ David inquired at the Lord, saying, “Should I pursue after this raiding party? Will I overtake them?”

And He answered him, “Pursue them, for you will surely overtake them and will surely recover all.”

⁹ So David went, he and the six hundred men who were with him. And they came to the brook Besor, where those that were left behind remained. ¹⁰ But David pursued, he and four hundred men, for two hundred who were too exhausted to cross over the brook Besor remained behind.

¹¹ They found an Egyptian in the field and took him to David. He gave him bread and he ate, and they made him drink water. ¹² And they gave him a part of a cake of figs and two cakes of raisins. When he had eaten, his spirit came back to him, for he had not eaten bread or drunk any water for three days and nights.

¹³ Then David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?”

And he said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite. And my master left me, because three days ago I fell sick. ¹⁴ We raided the south of the Kerethites, the south of Judah, and the south of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag with fire.”

¹⁵ David said to him, “Will you bring me down to this raiding party?”

And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me, nor deliver me into the hand of my master, and I will bring you down to this raiding party.”

¹⁶ When he brought him down, they were spread out over all the land, eating, drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil which they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. ¹⁷ David struck them from twilight until the evening of the next day, and no man escaped except four hundred young men who rode on camels and fled. ¹⁸ So David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. ¹⁹ Now there was nothing missing, from the smallest thing to the greatest, neither sons, nor daughters, or plunder, or anything which they had taken. David brought back all of it. ²⁰ And David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove before the other livestock. And they said, “This is David’s spoil.”

²¹ Then David came to the two hundred men, who were too exhausted to follow David, whom they left at the brook Besor. And they went out to meet David and the people who were with him. And when David came near to the people, he greeted them. ²² Then all the wicked and worthless ones from the men who went with David answered and said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them anything from the spoil that we have rescued, except to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away and depart.”

²³ Then David said, “You will not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us, for He has preserved us, and has delivered into our hand the raiding party that came against us. ²⁴ And who will listen to you in this matter? Indeed as the share is of the one going down to battle, so will be the share of the one staying with the equipment. They will share equally.” ²⁵ So it was so from that day forward, that he set it as a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.

²⁶ When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a gift to you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord”: ²⁷ to those who were in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negev, and in Jattir; ²⁸ to those who were in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, ²⁹ and in Rakal; to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites; ³⁰ to those who were in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athak ³¹ and in Hebron; and to those who were in all the other places where David and his men had roamed.

The House of Saul, Dead and Buried^(A)

31 Now the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and Israel’s fighting men fled before the Philistines and they fell slain on Mount Gilboa. ² The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed his sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua, Saul’s sons. ³ The battle was heavy against Saul. The archers found him, and he was severely wounded by the archers.

⁴ Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through and abuse me.”

But his armor bearer would not, for he was very afraid. Therefore Saul took his sword and fell upon it. ⁵ When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. ⁶ So Saul died with his three sons and his armor bearer, together with all his men on that same day.

⁷ When Israel’s fighting men who were on the other side of the valley, and those who were on the other side of the Jordan, saw that Israel’s fighting men fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities and fled. So the Philistines came and lived in them.

⁸ The following day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ They cut off his head, stripped off his armor, and sent them into the land of the Philistines round about, to make it known in the house of their idols and among their people. ¹⁰ They put his armor in the house of Ashtoreth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.

¹¹ When the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all the valiant men arose and went all night, and they took the body of Saul and the bodies 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 tree at Jabesh, and they mourned, fasting seven days.

The Death of Saul^(B)

1 After the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, David had remained two days in Ziklag. ² On the third day, a man came from the camp of Saul with his clothes torn and dirt upon his head. As he approached David, he fell to the ground prostrate.

³ David asked him, “Where have you come from?”

He responded, “I fled from the camp of Israel.”

⁴ David said to him, “Tell me, what is the report?”

So he reported, “The people fled from battle. Many of the people have fallen and died; even Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.”

⁵ Then David asked the young man who was reporting to him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”

⁶ The young man who was reporting to him answered, “I happened to be on Mount Gilboa when, in front of me, Saul was leaning on his spear with the chariots and horsemen drawing close. ⁷ When he turned around, he noticed me. He summoned me, and I responded, ‘Here I am.’

⁸ “He asked me, ‘Who are you?’

“I answered, ‘I am an Amalekite.’

⁹ “Then he said to me, ‘Stand over me and kill me, for I have been mortally wounded, yet I am still alive.’

¹⁰ “So I stood beside him and killed him because I knew that he could not live after he had fallen. Then I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”

¹¹ Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, as did all of the men who were with him. ¹² They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul, Jonathan his son, the people of the Lord, and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

¹³ Then David asked the young man who was reporting to him, “Where are you from?”

He responded, “I am the son of one who sought refuge, an Amalekite.”

¹⁴ David said to him, “How is it that you did not fear raising your hand to destroy the anointed of the Lord?”

¹⁵ Then David called to one of the young men and said, “Step forward and execute him.” So he struck him and killed him. ¹⁶ But David said to him, “Your blood is upon your own head, since your mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I put an end to the anointed of the Lord.’ ”

The Lament of David

¹⁷ Then David recited this lament over Saul and Jonathan his son, ¹⁸ and he told them to teach the sons of Judah the Song of the Bow. It is written in the book of Jashar:

David Anointed King Over Judah

2 After this, David consulted the Lord, asking, “Shall I go to one of the cities of Judah?”

The Lord responded to him, “Go up.”

David asked, “Where should I go?”

And He said, “Hebron.”

² So David went up there, along with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the widow of Nabal the Carmelite. ³ And David brought the men who were with him, each man with his household, and they lived in the cities of Hebron. ⁴ Then the men of Judah came and there anointed David as king over the house of Judah, and they informed David that it was the men of Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul.

⁵ So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead saying, “May you be blessed by the Lord, you who have shown this loyalty to your lord Saul by burying him. ⁶ Now may the Lord show you loyalty and faithfulness, even as I deal kindly with you who have done this thing. ⁷ Now may your hands be strong and may you be courageous, since your lord Saul is dead and the house of Judah has anointed me as king over them.”

War Between the Houses of David and Saul^(C)

⁸ However, Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Saul, had taken Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. ⁹ He installed him as king over Gilead, the Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin, over Israel in its entirety.

¹⁰ Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he ruled for two years. However, the house of Judah followed David. ¹¹ The length of time during which David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

¹² Abner the son of Ner, with the servants of Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim toward Gibeon. ¹³ And Joab the son of Zeruiah, with the servants of David, went out in order to meet together at the pool of Gibeon. They sat down, one group on one side of the pool and the other group on the side of the pool opposite them.

¹⁴ Abner suggested to Joab, “Let the young men come forward and compete before us.”

And Joab replied, “Let them come.”

¹⁵ So they stepped forward and were counted, twelve from Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth and twelve from the servants of David. ¹⁶ Each one grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath Hazzurim, which is at Gibeon.

¹⁷ The fighting was very fierce that day, but Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by the servants of David.

¹⁸ Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel; and Asahel was as fast as a wild gazelle. ¹⁹ So Asahel pursued Abner, and as he went, he did not turn to the right hand or to the left from following Abner. ²⁰ Abner looked behind him and said, “Is that you, Asahel?”

He answered, “It is I.”

²¹ Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right or left, overtake one of the young men, and take his equipment for yourself,” but Asahel was not willing to desist.

²² Abner continued still to reason with Asahel, “Abandon your pursuit. Why should I strike you down? How then could I show my face to your brother Joab?”

²³ But he refused to desist. So Abner struck him in the abdomen with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out of his back. He fell there and died on the spot. When all of the others came to the place where Asahel fell and died, they halted.

²⁴ But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. As the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, which is next to Giah on the way to the Wilderness of Gibeon. ²⁵ The sons of Benjamin gathered to the rear of Abner into a single formation, and they took their stand atop one of the hills.

²⁶ Abner called to Joab, “Must the sword consume forever? Do you not understand that a bitter taste will result in the end? How long will you refuse to command the people to withdraw from chasing their brothers?”

²⁷ Joab responded, “As God lives, I assure you that if you had not said this, the people would have each pursued his brother throughout the night.”

²⁸ So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still. They pursued Israel no longer, nor did they continue to fight anymore.

²⁹ So Abner and his men traveled through the Arabah all that night, crossed the Jordan, and marched all morning until they returned to Mahanaim.

³⁰ Joab refrained from pursuing Abner, but instead mustered all of the people. There were nineteen men besides Asahel missing from among the servants of David. ³¹ But the servants of David routed Benjamin and the men of Abner; three hundred and sixty of their men died. ³² They carried Asahel back and interred him in his father’s tomb, which was at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men traveled throughout the night and reached Hebron at dawn.

3 The struggle between the house of Saul and the house of David endured, but David grew stronger as Saul became weaker.

Abner Defects to David

⁶ While there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was strengthening himself in the house of Saul. ⁷ Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, and Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?”

⁸ Abner became very angry over the words of Ish-Bosheth. He said, “Am I a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? Each day I show loyalty to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends by not allowing you to fall into the hand of David. Yet today you are charging me with guilt concerning this woman. ⁹ May God do so to Abner, and more also, for as the Lord has sworn to David, this I will do for him, ¹⁰ to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish the throne of David over Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.” ¹¹ And he could not offer a response to Abner, for fear of him.

¹² So Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf saying, “To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and my hand will be with you to bring over all of Israel to you.”

¹³ He responded, “Very well, I will make a covenant with you, but I require one thing from you: you will not see my face unless you bring Michal the daughter of Saul with you when you come to see me.” ¹⁴ Then David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, to whom I was betrothed for one hundred Philistine foreskins.”

¹⁵ So Ish-Bosheth sent for her, and he took her from her husband, Paltiel the son of Laish. ¹⁶ But her husband went with her, weeping as he went, as far as Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go. Return.” So he turned back.

¹⁷ Abner had a word with the elders of Israel, “In days past, you were seeking David as king over you. ¹⁸ So do it now, because the Lord said to David: By the hand of David, I will save My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of every enemy.”

¹⁹ Abner also spoke privately with Benjamin. Then Abner went to tell David privately at Hebron all that was received favorably by Israel and the entire house of Benjamin. ²⁰ So Abner, along with twenty men, went to David at Hebron, and David held a festival for Abner and the men who were with him. ²¹ Abner said to David, “Let me arise, go, and gather all Israel to my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, that you may rule over all that your heart desires.” So David sent Abner away, and he went peaceably.

Joab Murders Abner

²² Now the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought much plunder with them, but Abner was no longer with David at Hebron, because he had sent him away in peace. ²³ When Joab and the whole of the army that was with him arrived, they reported to Joab, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king and he sent him away peaceably.”

²⁴ So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Abner came to you. Why is it that you sent him away? Now he is long gone. ²⁵ You know that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you, to learn of your coming and going, to discern all that you are doing.”

²⁶ When Joab left David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah. However, David was not aware of this. ²⁷ So Abner returned to Hebron, and Joab pulled him aside in the gateway so as to speak with him undisturbed. There he struck him in the midsection so that he died on account of the blood of Asahel, his brother.

²⁸ Afterward when David heard of this, he said, “My kingdom and I are forever blameless before the Lord for the blood of Abner the son of Ner. ²⁹ May it fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father’s house. May the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge, or who is a leper, or who leans on a staff, or who falls by the sword, or who lacks food.”

³⁰ So Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner, because he killed Asahel their brother at Gibeon in the battle.

³¹ David said to Joab and all of the people with him, “Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner.” As for King David, he followed behind the bier. ³² When they buried Abner at Hebron, the king raised his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all of the people wept.

³³ Then, the king lamented for Abner, saying,

And all of the people continued to weep over him.

³⁵ Then all of the people came to persuade David to eat food while it was still day. But David took an oath, saying, “May God do to me, and more also, if I taste food or anything else before the sun sets.”

³⁶ All of the people recognized this, and it pleased them, as everything that the king did was pleasing to all of the people. ³⁷ That very day, all of the people, all of Israel, understood that it was not ordered from the king to have Abner the son of Ner killed.

³⁸ David said to his servant, “Do you not understand that a great leader has fallen this day in Israel? ³⁹ Today, I am weak, even if an anointed king, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too strong for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his wickedness.”

Ish-Bosheth Murdered

4 When the son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, his courage failed, and all of Israel was disheartened. ² Now the son of Saul had two men who were leaders of raiding bands. The name of one was Baanah and the name of the other Rekab, both sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, from among the sons of Benjamin. Now Beeroth is also regarded as part of Benjamin, ³ because the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have been sojourners there until this day.

⁴ Now Jonathan the son of Saul had a son with crippled feet. He was five years old when the report of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but in her haste to escape, he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.

⁵ The sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rekab and Baanah, went out and came to the house of Ish-Bosheth in the heat of the day, as he was resting in his bed at midday. ⁶ They entered the house as if to get wheat and stabbed him in the abdomen. Then Rekab and his brother Baanah fled to safety.

⁷ When they entered the house, he was lying on his bed in his bedroom; they struck him, killed him, and beheaded him. Then they took his head and traveled by way of the Arabah all night. ⁸ They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David in Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth the son of Saul, your enemy who sought your life. This day, the Lord has given retribution against Saul and his descendent to my lord the king.”

⁹ David answered Rekab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As the Lord, who has delivered my life from every distress, lives, ¹⁰ when one reported to me that Saul was dead, although he was a bearer of good news in his own eyes, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was my reward for his message. ¹¹ How much more so, when guilty men have slain an innocent man in his own house on his own bed, should I not now require his blood from your hand and wipe you from the earth?”

¹² David then gave orders to the young men. They killed them, cut off their hands and feet, and hung them at the pool in Hebron, but they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in the grave of Abner at Hebron.

David Anointed King Over Israel^(D)

5 All of the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your bone and flesh. ² Previously, when Saul was king over us, you were the one leading Israel out and in. Also, the Lord said to you: You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ruler over Israel.”

³ So all of the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them before the Lord at Hebron. They anointed David king over Israel.

⁴ David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. ⁵ He reigned over Judah from Hebron for seven years and six months, and he reigned over all of Israel and Judah from Jerusalem for thirty-three years.

David Conquers Jerusalem^(E)

⁶ The king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, who were living in the land. They said to David, “You will not enter here; even the blind and the lame will turn you away”—thinking, “David cannot enter here.” ⁷ Nevertheless, David overthrew the stronghold of Zion, which is now the City of David.

⁸ David said on that day, “Whoever defeats the Jebusites, let him go through the water shaft to reach the lame and the blind, who are despised by David.” Therefore, it is said, “The blind and lame shall not come into the house.”

⁹ So David occupied the stronghold, and he called it the City of David. He built on all sides from the terraces inward. ¹⁰ David went on and became great, because the Lord, the God of Hosts, was with him.

¹¹ King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar wood, carpenters, and stonemasons, and they built a house for David. ¹² Then David understood that the Lord had appointed him king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

¹³ David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, after having come from Hebron, and they bore him more sons and daughters. ¹⁴ These are the names of the children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ¹⁵ Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ¹⁶ Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

David Defeats the Philistines^(F)

¹⁷ When the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all of the Philistines went up to search for David, but David heard about this and went down to the stronghold. ¹⁸ Now the Philistines had come and were spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹ So David asked the Lord, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You give them into my hand?”

The Lord said to David, “Go up, because I will certainly give them into your hand.”

²⁰ So David came to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there. He said, “The Lord has breached my enemies before me like bursting tides.” Therefore, he named that place Baal Perazim. ²¹ The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.

²² Once again, the Philistines went up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. ²³ When David inquired of the Lord, He said, “You shall not go up. Circle around behind them and come against them opposite the trees. ²⁴ When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the trees, pay attention, because at that point the Lord is going before you to defeat the army of the Philistines.” ²⁵ So David did just as the Lord commanded, and he defeated the Philistines from Geba as far as Gezer.

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem^(G)

6 Again David gathered all of the chosen men in Israel, thirty thousand. ² David and all of the people who were with him arose and went from Baalah of Judah to bring up the ark of God, so named for the name of the Lord of Hosts who sits enthroned among the cherubim that are upon it. ³ They loaded the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio the sons of Abinadab were driving the new cart. ⁴ They brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab on the hill, and Ahio was walking in front of the ark. ⁵ Meanwhile, David and the entire house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord with all sorts of instruments made of fir wood, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on sistrums, and on cymbals.

⁶ When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen had stumbled. ⁷ The Lord became angry against Uzzah, and God struck him down on the spot for his irreverence. He died there beside the ark of God.

⁸ David became angry because of the outburst of the Lord against Uzzah; that place is called Perez Uzzah to this day.

⁹ David feared the Lord that day, and he thought, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” ¹⁰ So David did not allow the ark of the Lord to be brought to him in the City of David. Instead, David redirected it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. ¹¹ The ark of the Lord remained at the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and his entire household.

¹² When it was reported to King David, “The Lord has blessed Obed-Edom and everything that belongs to him, for the sake of the ark of God,” David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. ¹³ When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, David would sacrifice an ox and a fattened steer. ¹⁴ David danced before the Lord with all of his might, and he wore a linen ephod. ¹⁵ So David and the whole house of Israel escorted the ark of the Lord with shouting and the sound of the horn.

¹⁶ When the ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked down from the window, and upon seeing King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she thought contemptuously of him in her mind.

¹⁷ They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had erected for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. ¹⁸ When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people before the Lord of Hosts. ¹⁹ He distributed to all of the people, the entire multitude of Israel, both men and women, one bread cake, one date cake, and one raisin cake to each one. Then all of the people left, each to his house.

²⁰ David returned to bless his household, but Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet him. She said, “How the king of Israel has dignified himself today, exposing himself this day in the sight of his servant’s slave girls like one of the rabble might shamelessly expose himself.”

²¹ Then David responded to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me over your father and over everyone in his household, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel. I was celebrating before the Lord. ²² I will humble myself even more than this and be abased in my own eyes. But by the maidservants, of whom you have spoken, I will be held in honor.”

²³ Michal the daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

God’s Covenant With David^(H)

7 Now when the king settled into his house and the Lord had given him rest from all of his enemies on all sides, ² the king said to Nathan the prophet, “I am dwelling in a cedar house, but the ark of God is sitting in a tent.”

³ Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart because the Lord is with you.”

⁴ That night the word of the Lord came to Nathan:

⁵ Go and say to My servant David: Thus says the Lord: Do you intend to build a house for Me in which I will dwell? ⁶ I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought the sons of Israel from Egypt until this day. I have been moving about with a tent as My dwelling. ⁷ Wherever I have moved with all the sons of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?”

⁸ Now therefore, you will say to My servant David: Thus says the Lord of Hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following after the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel. ⁹ I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all of your enemies before you. I will make your name great, like the great ones across the land. ¹⁰ Moreover, I will appoint a place for My people Israel. I will plant them, and they will dwell in that very place. They will be restless no longer, and the unjust will no longer oppress them, as in former times, ¹¹ ever since the day in which I appointed judges over My people Israel. I will give you rest from all of your enemies.

The Lord declares to you that He will instead bring about a house for you. ¹² When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up after you an offspring from your body, and I will establish his rule. ¹³ He will build a house for My name, and I will establish his royal throne forever. ¹⁴ I will be a father to him, and he will be a son to Me. When he goes astray, I will correct him with the rod of men and afflictions of the sons of men. ¹⁵ My commitment will not abandon him, as I removed it from Saul, whom I deposed before you. ¹⁶ Your house and dominion will endure before Me forever, and your throne will be established by the Lord forever.

¹⁷ So Nathan spoke to David in accordance with all of these words and the entirety of this vision.

The Prayer of David^(I)

¹⁸ Then King David went in and sat before the Lord. He said,

“Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house that You have brought me this far? ¹⁹ Yet this was comparatively insignificant in Your sight, Lord God, for You have also spoken about Your servant’s house into the distant future. Is this Your manner with man, Lord God?

²⁰ “What more can David say to You? You know Your servant, Lord God. ²¹ Because of Your word, according to Your will, You have done all of this greatness to inform Your servant.

²² “Therefore You are great, Lord God. There is none like You, and there is no God except You, according to everything that we have heard with our ears. ²³ And who is like Your people, like Israel—a single nation in the land, whom God went to redeem as a people for Himself, making a name for Himself by doing great and awesome things for Your land, before Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods. ²⁴ You established Your people Israel as Your own people forever, and You, Lord, became their God.

²⁵ “Now, Lord God, confirm forever the word that You spoke regarding Your servant and his house and do as You have spoken. ²⁶ May Your name be magnified forever by saying, ‘The Lord of Hosts is God over Israel,’ and may the house of Your servant David be established before You.

²⁷ “For You, O Lord of Hosts, God of Israel, have revealed a word to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore, Your servant has found the courage to pray this prayer to You. ²⁸ Now, Lord God, You are God, and Your words are true. You have spoken this good message to Your servant. ²⁹ Now, be resolved and bless Your servant’s dynastic house, so that it may stand before You forever. You, Lord God, have spoken, and with Your blessing, the house of Your servant will be blessed forever.”

David’s Victories^(J)

8 Afterward, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and David took Metheg Ammah from the hand of the Philistines.

² He also defeated Moab. He measured them with a length of rope, forcing them to lie down on the ground. He measured two lengths of rope to be put to death, but the entirety of one length he allowed to live. So the Moabites became subject to David, bearing tribute.

³ David also defeated Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his authority over the River Euphrates. ⁴ David seized from him one thousand seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand foot soldiers, and David hamstrung all of the chariot horses, save those for one hundred chariots.

⁵ The Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, but David defeated twenty-two thousand men of the Arameans. ⁶ David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus; and the Arameans became servants who bore tribute to David. The Lord helped David wherever he went.

⁷ David took the shields of gold that were issued to the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ From Betah^[a] and Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took great quantities of bronze.

⁹ When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, ¹⁰ Toi sent his son Joram to King David to greet him and bless him on account of his fighting with Hadadezer and his defeat of him, for Hadadezer was an opponent of Toi. Joram brought with him implements of silver, gold, and bronze, ¹¹ which King David dedicated to the Lord along with the silver and gold that he dedicated from all of the nations that he had subdued, ¹² that is, from Aram,^[b] Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, Amalek, and the plunder from Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

¹³ So David made a name for himself upon his return from defeating eighteen thousand Arameans^[c] in the Valley of Salt.

¹⁴ He set up garrisons in Edom. Throughout all of Edom, he set up garrisons, and all of Edom became subject to David. The Lord helped David wherever he went.

David’s Officials^(K)

¹⁵ David reigned over all of Israel, and he administered fair judgments to all of his people. ¹⁶ Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army. Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was secretary. ¹⁷ Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelek the son of Abiathar were priests. Seraiah was scribe. ¹⁸ Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in charge of the Kerethites and Pelethites. The sons of David were chief ministers.

David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth

9 David said, “Is there still anyone left from the house of Saul to whom I may show kindness on behalf of Jonathan?”

² Now there was a servant from the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. So they summoned him to David. The king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”

He replied, “I am your servant.”

³ The king said, “Is there no one else from the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?”

Ziba responded to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet.”

⁴ The king said to him, “Where is he?”

Ziba told the king, “He is at the house of Makir the son of Ammiel at Lo Debar.”

⁵ So King David sent for and brought him from the house of Makir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.

⁶ Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan the son of Saul came to David and fell upon his face and bowed down. Then David said, “Mephibosheth,” and he responded, “I am your servant.”

⁷ David said to him, “Do not be afraid, for I will certainly show you kindness on account of Jonathan, your father. I will return to you every field of Saul, your father, and you will eat at my table perpetually.”

⁸ He bowed low and said, “What is your servant that you should be concerned for a dead dog like me?”

⁹ The king summoned Ziba the servant of Saul, and he said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house, I have given to the son of your master. ¹⁰ You will work the ground for him—you, your sons, and your servants. You will bring in the produce so that the son of your master will have food to eat; but Mephibosheth, the son of your master, will always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.

¹¹ Ziba said to the king, “Everything that my lord the king has commanded his servant, your servant will do.” So Mephibosheth ate at the table of David like one of the sons of the king.

¹² Now Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mika, and all who dwelled in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth. ¹³ So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he ate continually at the table of the king. Now he was lame in both of his feet.

David Defeats the Ammonites and Arameans^(L)

10 After this, the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead. ² David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent a message by way of his servants to comfort him concerning his father, and the servants of David went to the land of the Ammonites.

³ But the Ammonite officials said to Hanun, their lord, “Has David honored your father in your eyes by sending comforters to you? Was it not in an effort to search out the city, to scout it in order to overthrow it, that he sent his servants to you?” ⁴ So Hanun seized the servants of David, shaved half of the beard of each, cut their robes in half so that they were exposed, and sent them away.

⁵ When they reported what had happened to David, he sent messengers to meet them, because the men were severely ashamed. The king instructed them, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have regrown, then return.”

⁶ When the Ammonites saw that they had become odious to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Arameans of Beth Rehob and the Arameans of Zobah, twenty thousand foot soldiers, and from the king of Maakah, one thousand men, and from Tob, twelve thousand men.

⁷ When David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army with the warriors. ⁸ The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance of the gate. But the Arameans of Zobah, Rehob, Tob, and Maakah were by themselves in the open field.

⁹ When Joab saw that the battlefronts were both before and behind him, he selected some from the best men in Israel and lined them up opposite Aram. ¹⁰ The remainder of the people he placed under the charge of Abishai his brother, and lined them up opposite the Ammonites. ¹¹ Then he said, “If Aram starts to prevail over me, you shall help me, but if the Ammonites begin to prevail over you, then I will come to help you. ¹² Be strong and let us fight with resolve for the sake of our people and the cities of our God. May the Lord do what seems good to Him.”

¹³ Joab advanced the people that were with him to fight against Aram, and they retreated from before him. ¹⁴ When the Ammonites realized that Aram had fled, they retreated from before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab turned away from fighting against the Ammonites, and he came to Jerusalem.

¹⁵ When Aram saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they assembled together. ¹⁶ Hadadezer sent for and summoned the Arameans who were beyond the River,^[d] and they came to Helam. Shobak the commander of the army of Hadadezer led them.

¹⁷ When David was informed of this, he assembled all of Israel. They crossed over the Jordan and came to Helam. Aram was drawn up in formation opposite David, and they fought against him. ¹⁸ Aram retreated before Israel. David killed seven hundred charioteers, forty thousand horsemen from Aram, and wounded Shobak the commander of the army so that he died there. ¹⁹ When all of the kings who were subject to Hadadezer realized that they were being defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them.

From then on, Aram was fearful of further helping the Ammonites.

David and Bathsheba

11 In the spring of the year, the time when the kings go out to battle, David sent out Joab and his officers, all of Israel with him. They brought to ruin the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah, but David remained in Jerusalem.

² One evening when David arose from his bed and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. ³ So, David sent someone to inquire about the woman. And it was asked, “Is this not Bathsheba the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?” ⁴ So David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her. When she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. ⁵ The woman conceived. So she sent a message and reported to David, “I am pregnant.”

⁶ Then David sent an order to Joab, “Send Uriah the Hittite to me.” So, Joab sent Uriah to David. ⁷ When Uriah came to him, David asked about the welfare of Joab, the people, and the fighting. ⁸ Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house. Wash your feet.” So Uriah left the house of the king, and a gift from the king followed him. ⁹ But Uriah slept at the entrance of the house of the king with all of the servants of his lord; he did not go down to his house.

¹⁰ When they reported to David, saying, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?”

¹¹ Uriah responded to David, “The ark, Israel, and Judah dwell in makeshift shelters. My lord Joab and the officers of my lord are camping in the open field. But I may enter my house to eat, to drink, and to sleep with my wife? As you live and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing!”

¹² So David said to Uriah, “Remain here another day, and I will send you back tomorrow.” Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the following day. ¹³ Now David invited him to eat in his presence, and he drank until he got Uriah drunk. In the evening, he went to lie down in his lodging with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.

¹⁴ That morning, David wrote a message to Joab and sent it by way of Uriah. ¹⁵ He wrote in the message, “Send Uriah to the front of the line where the fighting is heaviest then withdraw from him, so that he may be struck down and die.”

¹⁶ So as Joab was besieging the city, he stationed Uriah in a place where he knew fierce men were. ¹⁷ When the men of the city came out, they fought with Joab, and some people among those who served David fell; Uriah the Hittite died among them.

¹⁸ Joab sent word to inform David of all of the events of the battle. ¹⁹ He instructed the messenger, “When you finish telling the king all the details of the battle, ²⁰ if his anger rises and he says to you, ‘Why did you approach so near to the city? Did you not know that they might shoot from the city wall? ²¹ Who killed Abimelek the son of Jerub-Besheth? Did not a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the city wall so that he died at Thebez? Why did you approach so near to the city wall?’ You shall then say, ‘Additionally your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.’ ”

²² So the messenger departed and came to report to David everything that Joab had sent with him. ²³ The messenger reported to David, “The men prevailed over us when they came out against us in the open field, but we drove them back to the entrance of the gate. ²⁴ Then the archers shot at your servants from upon the city wall, and some of those who serve the king are dead. Even your servant Uriah the Hittite died.”

²⁵ So David replied to the messenger, “Thus you shall report to Joab, ‘Do not allow this thing to dismay you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Sustain your attack against the city and bring it to ruin.’ Encourage him with this reply.”

²⁶ When the wife of Uriah heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. ²⁷ When the time of mourning was concluded, David sent for her and brought her to his house. She became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done was displeasing to the Lord.

Nathan Rebukes David^(M)

12 The Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said, “There were two men in a certain city. One was wealthy, but the other was poor. ² The wealthy man had a very large flock and herd, ³ but the poor man had nothing except a single small ewe lamb that he had acquired. He nourished it and raised it together with himself and his sons. From his crumbs, it would eat; from his cup, it would drink; and in his arms it would lie. It was like a daughter to him.

⁴ “There came a visitor to the wealthy man, but he was unwilling to take from his own flock or herd to prepare a meal for the wanderer who had come to him. Instead he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared food for the wanderer who had come to him.”

⁵ David became very angry because of this man. He said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die. ⁶ And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

⁷ Then Nathan told David, “You are this man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I anointed you as king over Israel and I rescued you from the hand of Saul. ⁸ I gave to you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms, and I gave to you the house of Israel and Judah. If this were too little, I would have continued to do for you much more. ⁹ Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing evil in His sight? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and you took his wife as a wife for yourself. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. ¹⁰ Now the sword will never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.