Historical
God’s Covenant With David(A)
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(B)
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(C)
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(D)
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(E)
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.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.