Historical

The Murder of Ish-bosheth

4 When Saul’s son heard that Abner had died in Hebron, his courage^[a] failed and all of Israel was disturbed. ² Now Saul’s son had two officers in charge of some raiding parties. One was named Baanah and the other was named Rechab. They were sons of Rimmon, a descendant of Benjamin from Beeroth, which was considered to belong to the tribe of^[b] Benjamin. ³ (The residents of Beeroth had evacuated to Gittaim and live there as resident aliens to this day.)

⁴ Meanwhile, Saul’s son Jonathan had a son whose feet were crippled. When he was five years old, news had arrived about Saul and Jonathan from Jezreel, and his nurse picked him up to flee, but in her hurry to leave, he happened to fall and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.^[c]

⁵ Rechab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, left and arrived during the hottest part of the day at the home of Ish-bosheth while he was taking a noon day nap. ⁶ They entered the house as though they intended to obtain some grain and stabbed him in the abdomen. Then Rechab and his brother Baanah escaped. ⁷ While they were in the house, they struck him, killed him, and cut off his head while he was lying on his bed in his bedroom. They took his head, and traveled all night along the Arabah road.

David Punishes the Killers of Ish-bosheth

⁸ They brought Ish-bosheth’s head to David at Hebron and told the king, “Look! Here’s the head of your enemy Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, who sought your life. Today the Lord has given your majesty the king vengeance on Saul and his descendants.”^[d]

⁹ David responded to Rechab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite: “As the Lord lives, who has saved my life in every adversity, ¹⁰ when the man who told me ‘Look! Saul is dead!’ thought he was bringing me good news, I arrested him and had him killed at Ziklag as the reward I gave him for his news. ¹¹ How much worse will it be, then, when evil men kill an innocent man on his own bed in his own house! Shouldn’t I avenge his blood—which you are responsible for shedding^[e]—by removing you from the earth?” ¹² So David commanded his personal guards,^[f] and they killed Rechab and Baanah,^[g] cut off their hands and feet, and hung up their bodies beside the pool at Hebron. They took Ish-bosheth’s head and buried it in Abner’s tomb at Hebron.

David Becomes King over Israel^(A)

5 After this, all of the tribes of Israel assembled with David at Hebron and declared, “Look, we’re your own flesh and blood!^{[h] 2} Even back when Saul was our king, it was you who kept on leading Israel out to battle^[i] and bringing them back again.^[j] The Lord told you, ‘You yourself will shepherd my people Israel and serve as Commander-in-Chief^[k] over Israel.’” ³ So all the elders of Israel approached the king at Hebron, where King David entered into a covenant with them in the presence of the Lord. Then they anointed David to be king over Israel.

David Establishes Jerusalem as His Capital^(B)

⁴ David began to reign when he was 30 years old, and he reigned 40 years. ⁵ He reigned over Judah for seven years and six months in Hebron, and he reigned over all of Israel including Judah for 33 years in Jerusalem. ⁶ Later, the king and his army marched on Jerusalem against the Jebusites, who were inhabiting the territory at that time^[l] and who had told David, “You’re not coming in here! Even the blind and the lame could turn you away!” because they were thinking^[m] “David can’t come here.” ⁷ Even so, David captured the stronghold of Zion, which is now known as^[n] the City of David.

⁸ At that time,^[o] David had said, “Whoever intends to attack the Jebusites will have to climb up the water shaft to attack the lame and blind, who hate David.”^[p]

Therefore they say, “The blind and lame are never to come into the house.” ⁹ David occupied^[q] the fortress, naming it the City of David. He^[r] built up the surroundings from the terrace ramparts^[s] inward. ¹⁰ David became more and more esteemed because the Lord God of the Heavenly Armies was with him.

¹¹ Later, King Hiram of Tyre sent a delegation to David, accompanied by cedar^[t] logs, carpenters, and stone masons. They built a palace for David. ¹² So David concluded^[u] that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and that he had exalted his kingdom in order to benefit his people Israel. ¹³ But after arriving in Jerusalem after leaving Hebron, David took more wives and mistresses,^[v] and more sons and daughters were born to David. ¹⁴ These are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ¹⁵ Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ¹⁶ Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

David Battles the Philistines^(C)

¹⁷ When the Philistines eventually learned that Israel^[w] had anointed David to be king over Israel, they marched out in search of him.^[x] But David heard about it and retreated to his stronghold. ¹⁸ Meanwhile, the Philistines arrived and encamped in the Rephaim Valley, ¹⁹ so David asked the Lord, “Am I to go attack the Philistines? Will you give me victory over them?”^[y]

“Go get them,” the Lord replied to David, “because I’m going to put the Philistines right into your hand!”

²⁰ So David went to Baal-perazim and defeated them there. He called the place Baal-perazim,^[z] because he said, “Like a bursting flood, the Lord has jumped out in front of me to fight my enemies.” ²¹ The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his army carried them off.

²² Later, the Philistines once again marched out and encamped in the Rephaim Valley. ²³ When David asked the Lord about it, he said, “Don’t attack them directly. Instead, go around to the rear and attack them opposite those balsam trees. ²⁴ When you hear the sound of marching coming from the tops of the balsam trees, then be sure to act quickly, since the Lord will have gone out ahead of you to cut down the Philistine army.” ²⁵ So David did exactly what the Lord ordered him to do, and he struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.

Troubles in Mishandling the Ark^(D)

6 After this, David gathered together again 30,000 men from all of the choicest men of Israel. ² Then David and all the people with him set out from Baal-judah to bring up from there the Ark of God, who is called the Name, the name of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, and who is enthroned on the cherubim. ³ They mounted the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s home in Gibeah,^[aa] with Abinadab’s sons Uzzah and Ahio^[ab] driving the new cart. ⁴ As they left Abinadab’s house in Gibeah accompanied by the Ark of God, Ahio was walking ahead of the ark. ⁵ David and the entire assembly^[ac] of Israel were dancing in the presence of the Lord with all of their strength, accompanied by all sorts of wood instruments,^[ad] harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

⁶ When they arrived at Nacon’s threshing floor, Uzzah reached out and grabbed the Ark of God because the oxen had stumbled. ⁷ Just then, the anger of the Lord blazed against Uzzah, and God struck him down right there because of his failure, and he died there beside the Ark of God.

⁸ David flew into a rage because the Lord had killed^[ae] Uzzah. That’s why that place is called Perez-uzzah^[af] to this day. ⁹ But David feared the Lord that day, and asked, “How can the Ark of God come to me?” ¹⁰ As a result, David was unwilling to take the ark of the Lord into his care in the City of David. Instead, David left it at the home of Obed-edom the Gittite. ¹¹ So the ark of the Lord remained for three months in the household of Obed-edom the Gittite while the Lord blessed Obed-edom and his entire household.

¹² Later on, David was informed, “The Lord has blessed the home of Obed-edom and everything he has since he’s in possession^[ag] of the Ark of God.” So David went out joyfully and brought up the Ark of God to the City of David from Obed-edom’s home. ¹³ After those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed oxen and fattened animals, ¹⁴ dancing in front of the Lord with all of his strength and wearing a linen ephod. ¹⁵ So David and the entire assembly^[ah] of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and trumpet blasts.

David’s Wife Michal Disrespects David’s Worship

¹⁶ As the ark of the Lord was coming into the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal was peering out a window, watching King David jumping and dancing in the Lord’s presence, and she despised him in her heart. ¹⁷ They brought in the ark of the Lord, set it in place inside the tent that David had erected for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings in the presence of the Lord.

¹⁸ After David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of the Heavenly Armies ¹⁹ and distributed to all the people—the entire multitude of Israel, including both men and women—a cake made of bread, one made of dates, and one made of raisins to each one. Then all the people left, each headed for home.

²⁰ When David returned to bless his household, Saul’s daughter Michal came out to meet him and called out, “How the king of Israel honored himself today by undressing himself right in front of his women staff members, just like any pervert^[ai] would dare to expose himself!”

²¹ But David replied to Michal, “It was in front of the Lord, who appointed me to replace your father and his entire household by selecting me as Commander-in-Chief^[aj] over Israel, the people of the Lord, that I danced in front of the Lord. ²² I’m going to act more shamelessly than this, even to humbling myself in my own eyes. Now as to the women staff members about whom you have spoken, they are to hold me in honor!” ²³ And Saul’s daughter Michal bore no children from that day on until the day she died.