2 Samuel 1-8

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

1 Now after the death of Saul, when David returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, he had stayed two days in Ziklag,

² When on the third day a man came from Saul’s camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground and did obeisance.

³ David said to him, Where have you come from? He said, I have escaped from the camp of Israel.

⁴ David said to him, How did it go? Tell me. He answered, The men have fled from the battle. Many have fallen and are dead; Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.

⁵ David said to the young man, How do you know Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?

⁶ The young man said, By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa and I saw Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and horsemen were close behind him.

⁷ When he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. I answered, Here I am.

⁸ He asked me, Who are you? I answered, An Amalekite.

⁹ He said to me, Rise up against me and slay me; for terrible dizziness has come upon me, yet my life is still in me [and I will be taken alive].

¹⁰ So I stood up against him and slew him, because I was sure he could not live after he had fallen. So I took the crown on his head and the bracelet on his arm and have brought them here to my lord.^(A)

¹¹ Then David grasped his own clothes and tore them; so did all the men with him.

¹² They mourned and wept for Saul and Jonathan his son, and fasted until evening for the Lord’s people and the house of Israel, because of their defeat in battle.

¹³ David said to the young man who told him, Where are you from? He answered, I am the son of a foreigner, an Amalekite.

¹⁴ David said to him, Why were you not afraid to stretch forth your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?

¹⁵ David called one of the young men and said, Go near and fall upon him. And he smote him so that he died.

¹⁶ David said to [the fallen man], Your blood be upon your own head; for you have testified against yourself, saying, I have slain the Lord’s anointed.

¹⁷ David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son,

¹⁸ And he commanded to teach it, [the lament of] the bow, to the Israelites. Behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar:

¹⁹ Your glory, O Israel, is slain upon your high places. How have the mighty fallen!

²⁰ Tell it not in Gath, announce it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.

²¹ O mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, or fields with offerings. For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, as though he were not anointed with oil.

²² From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.

²³ Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In their lives and in their deaths they were not divided. They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

²⁴ You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet with [other] delights, who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel.

²⁵ How have the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan lies slain upon your high places.

²⁶ I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me. Your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.

²⁷ How have the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

2 After this, David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the Lord said to him, Go up. David said, To which shall I go up? And He said, To Hebron.

² So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel.

³ And David brought up his men who were with him, each one with his household, and they dwelt in the towns of Hebron.

⁴ And the men of Judah came and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. They told David, The men of Jabesh-gilead buried Saul.^(B)

⁵ And David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead, saying, May the Lord bless you because you showed kindness and loyalty to Saul your king and buried him.

⁶ And now may the Lord show loving-kindness and faithfulness to you. I also will do well by you because you have done this.

⁷ So now, let your hands be strengthened and be valiant, for your master Saul is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.

⁸ Now Abner son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Ish-bosheth son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.

⁹ And he made him king over Gilead, the Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel.

¹⁰ Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began his two-year reign over Israel. But the house of Judah followed David.

¹¹ And David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah for seven years and six months.

¹² And Abner son of Ner and the servants of Ish-bosheth son of Saul went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.

¹³ Joab son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out also; and the two groups met by the pool of Gibeon, seating themselves with one group on either side of the pool.

¹⁴ And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now arise and have a contest before us. And Joab said, Let them arise.

¹⁵ Then there arose and went over by number—twelve of Benjamin who were with Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.

¹⁶ And each caught his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into his side; so they all fell together. Therefore that place was called the Field of Sharp Knives, which is at Gibeon.

¹⁷ A very fierce battle followed, and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.

¹⁸ Three sons of Zeruiah [the half sister of David] were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe or antelope.

¹⁹ Asahel pursued Abner, and as he ran he turned not to the right hand or to the left from following Abner.

²⁰ Then Abner looked behind him and said, Are you Asahel? He answered, I am.

²¹ Abner said to him, Turn aside to your right or left, and seize one of the young men and take his armor. But Asahel would not turn aside from following him.

²² And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then should I be able to face Joab your brother?

²³ Asahel refused to turn aside; so Abner with the rear end of his spear smote him through the abdomen, and he fell and died where he fell. And all who came to the place where Asahel fell and died stood still.

²⁴ But Joab and Abishai [his brothers] pursued Abner; the sun was going down as they came to the hill of Ammah, before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.

²⁵ And the Benjamites gathered together behind Abner and became one troop and took their stand on the top of a hill.

²⁶ Then Abner called to Joab, Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that bitterness will be the result? How long will it be then before you bid the people to stop pursuing their brethren?

²⁷ Joab said, As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely the men would have stopped pursuing their brethren in the morning.

²⁸ So Joab blew a trumpet, and all the people stood still and pursued Israel no more, nor did they fight any more.

²⁹ Abner and his men went all night through the Arabah [plain], crossed the Jordan, and went through the whole Bithron [district of ravines] and came to Mahanaim.

³⁰ Joab returned from pursuing Abner, and when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing of David’s servants nineteen men besides Asahel.

³¹ But the servants of David had slain of Benjamin 360 of Abner’s men.

³² And they took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father at Bethlehem. And Joab and his men walked all night and came to Hebron at daybreak.

3 There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. But David grew stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

² Sons were born to David in Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess;

³ His second, Chileab, by Abigail widow of Nabal of Carmel; the third, Absalom the son of Maacah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;

⁴ The fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;

⁵ And the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah, David’s wife. These were born to David in Hebron.

⁶ While there was war between the houses of Saul and David, Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul.

⁷ Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah daughter of Aiah. And Ish-bosheth said to Abner, Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?

⁸ Then Abner was very angry at the words of Ish-bosheth and said, Am I a dog’s head [despicable and hostile] against Judah? This day I keep showing kindness and loyalty to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and his friends, and have not delivered you into the hands of David; and yet you charge me today with a fault concerning this woman!

⁹ May God do so to Abner, and more also, if I do not do for David what the Lord has sworn to him,

¹⁰ To transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and set the throne of David over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beersheba.

¹¹ And Ish-bosheth could not answer Abner a word, because he feared him.

¹² And Abner sent messengers to David where he was [at Hebron], saying, Whose is the land? Make your league with me, and my hand shall be with you to bring all Israel over to you.

¹³ And David said, Good. I will make a league with you. But I require one thing of you: that is, you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to see me.

¹⁴ And David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, saying, Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.

¹⁵ And Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her [second] husband, from Paltiel son of Laish [to whom Saul had given her].

¹⁶ But her husband went with her, weeping behind her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, Go back. And he did so.

¹⁷ Abner talked with the seniors of Israel, saying, In times past you sought to make David king over you.

¹⁸ Now then, do it! For the Lord has spoken of David, saying, By the hand of My servant David I will save My people Israel from the hands of the Philistines and of all their enemies.^(C)

¹⁹ Abner also spoke to [the men of] Benjamin. Then [he] went to Hebron to tell David all that seemed good to Israel and the whole house of Benjamin to do.

²⁰ So Abner came to David at Hebron, and twenty men along with him. And David made Abner and the men with him a feast.

²¹ Abner said to David, I will go and gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a league with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires. So David sent Abner away in peace.

²² Then the servants of David came with Joab from pursuing a troop and brought much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace.

²³ When Joab and all the army with him had come, it was told to Joab, Abner son of Ner came to the king, and he has sent him away, and he is gone in peace.

²⁴ Then Joab came to the king and said, What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you. Why is it you have sent him away and he is quite gone?

²⁵ You know that Abner son of Ner came to deceive you and to know your going out and coming in and all you are doing.

²⁶ When Joab came from seeing David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah; but David did not know it.

²⁷ And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside to the center of the gate to speak to him privately, and there he smote Abner in the abdomen, so that he died to avenge the blood of Asahel, Joab’s brother.

²⁸ When David heard of it, he said, I and my kingdom are guiltless before the Lord forever of the blood of Abner son of Ner.

²⁹ Let it fall on the head of Joab and on all his father’s house; and let the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge or is a leper or walks with a crutch or is a distaff holder [unfit for war] or who falls by the sword or lacks food!

³⁰ So Joab and Abishai his brother slew Abner because he had slain their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.

³¹ And David said to Joab and to all the people with him, Rend your clothes, gird yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And King David followed the bier.

³² They buried Abner in Hebron. And the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept.

³³ And the king lamented over Abner and said, Should Abner die as a fool dies?

³⁴ Your hands were not bound or your feet put into fetters; as a man falls before wicked men, so you fell. And all the people wept again over him.

³⁵ All the people came to urge David to eat food while it was yet day; but David took an oath, saying, May God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else, till the sun is down.

³⁶ And all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them, as whatever the king did pleased all the people.

³⁷ For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not the king’s will to slay Abner son of Ner.

³⁸ King David said to his servants, Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel?

³⁹ And I am this day weak, though anointed [but not crowned] king; these sons of Zeruiah are too hard for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his wickedness!

4 When Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son [king over Israel], heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his courage failed, and all the Israelites were troubled and dismayed.

² Saul’s son had two men who were captains of raiding bands. One was named Baanah and the other Rechab, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite of Benjamin—for Beeroth also was reckoned to Benjamin,

³ And the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have been sojourners there to this day.

⁴ Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was a cripple in his feet. He was five years old when the news came out of Jezreel [of the deaths] of Saul and Jonathan. And the boy’s nurse took him up and fled; and in her haste, he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.

⁵ Now the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went about in the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, who lay resting on his bed at noon.

⁶ And they came into the interior of the house as though they were delivering wheat, and they smote him in the body; and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

⁷ Now when they had come into the house and he lay on his bed in his bedroom, they [not only] smote and slew him, [but] beheaded him and took his head and went by the way of the plain all night.

⁸ And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, Behold, the head of Ish-bosheth son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life; and the Lord has avenged my lord the king this day on Saul and on his offspring.

⁹ And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, As the Lord lives, Who redeemed my life out of all adversity,

¹⁰ When one told me, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking he was bringing good news, I seized and slew him in Ziklag who expected me to give him a reward for his news.

¹¹ How much more—when wicked men have slain a just man in his own house on his bed—shall I not now require his blood of your hand and remove you from the earth!

¹² David commanded his young men, and they slew them and cut off their hands and feet and hanged them over the pool in Hebron. But they took Ish-bosheth’s head and buried it in Hebron in the tomb of Abner [his relative and once chief supporter].

5 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, Behold, we are your bone and your flesh.

² In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord told you, You shall feed My people Israel and be prince over [them].^(D)

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

⁴ David was thirty years old when he began his forty-year reign.

⁵ In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

⁶ And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, You shall not enter here, for the blind and the lame will prevent you; they thought, David cannot come in here.

⁷ Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the City of David.

⁸ David said on that day, Whoever smites the Jebusites, let him get up through the water shaft and smite the lame and the blind who are detested by David’s soul. So they say, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.

⁹ So David dwelt in the stronghold and called it the City of David. And he built round about from the Millo and inward.

¹⁰ David became greater and greater, for the Lord God of hosts was with him.

¹¹ Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, carpenters, and masons; and they built David a house.

¹² And David perceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel and that He had exalted his kingdom for His people Israel’s sake.

¹³ And David took more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron, and other sons and daughters were born to [him].

¹⁴ And 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.

¹⁷ When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they all went up to find [him], but [he] heard of it and went down to the stronghold.

¹⁸ The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the Valley of Rephaim.

¹⁹ David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand? And the Lord said to David, Go up, for I will surely deliver [them] into your hand.

²⁰ And David came to Baal-perazim, and he smote them there, and said, The Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like the bursting out of great waters. So he called the name of that place Baal-perazim [Lord of breaking through].

²¹ There the Philistines left their ^[a]images, and David and his men took them away.

²² The Philistines came up again and spread themselves out in the Valley of Rephaim.

²³ When David inquired of the Lord, He said, You shall not go up, but go around behind them and come upon them over opposite the mulberry (or balsam) trees.

²⁴ And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then bestir yourselves, for then has the Lord gone out before you to smite the army of the Philistines.

²⁵ And David did as the Lord had commanded him, and smote the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.

6 Again David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, 30,000.

² And [he] arose and went with all the people who were with him to Baale-judah [Kiriath-jearim] to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts, Who sits enthroned above the cherubim.

³ And they set the ark of God upon a new cart and brought it ^[b]out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart.

⁴ And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill, with the ark of God; and Ahio went before the ark.

⁵ And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord with all their might, with songs, lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

⁶ And when they came to Nacon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled and shook it.

⁷ And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for touching the ark, and he died there by the ark of God.

⁸ David was grieved and offended because the Lord had broken forth upon Uzzah, and that place is called Perez-uzzah [the breaking forth upon Uzzah] to this day.

⁹ David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, How can the ark of the Lord come to me?

¹⁰ So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord to him into the City of David; but he took it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.

¹¹ And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household.

¹² And it was told King David, The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the City of David with rejoicing;

¹³ And when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling.

¹⁴ And David danced before the Lord with all his might, clad in a linen ephod [a priest’s upper garment].

¹⁵ So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.

¹⁶ As the ark of the Lord came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter [David’s wife], looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.

¹⁷ They brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent which David had pitched for it, and 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 in the name [and presence] of the Lord of hosts,

¹⁹ And distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both to men and women, to each a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins. So all the people departed, each to his house.

²⁰ Then David returned to bless his household. And [his wife] Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, How glorious was the king of Israel today, who stripped himself of his kingly robes and uncovered himself in the eyes of his servants’ maids as one of the worthless fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!

²¹ David said to Michal, It was before the Lord, Who chose me above your father and all his house to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord. Therefore will I make merry [in pure enjoyment] before the Lord.

²² I will be still more lightly esteemed than this, and will humble and lower myself in my own sight [and yours]. But by the maids you mentioned, I will be held in honor.

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

7 When King David dwelt in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies,

² The king said to Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within curtains.

³ And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.

⁴ That night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying,

⁵ Go and tell My servant David, Thus says the Lord: Shall you build Me a house in which to dwell?

⁶ For I have not dwelt in a house since I brought the Israelites out of Egypt to this day, but have moved about with a tent for My dwelling.

⁷ In all the places where I have moved with all the Israelites, did I speak a word to any from the tribes of Israel whom I commanded to be shepherd of My people Israel, asking, Why do you not build Me a house of cedar?

⁸ So now say this to My servant David, Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be prince over My people Israel.

⁹ And I was with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like [that] of the great men of the earth.

¹⁰ And I will appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and be moved no more. And wicked men shall afflict them no more, as formerly

¹¹ And as from the time that I appointed judges over My people Israel; and I will cause you to rest from all your enemies. Also the Lord declares to you that He will make for you a house:

¹² And when your days are fulfilled and you sleep with your fathers, I will set up after you your offspring who shall be born to you, and I will establish his kingdom.

¹³ He shall build a house for My ^[c]Name [and My Presence], and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

¹⁴ I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. When he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the stripes of the sons of men.

¹⁵ But My mercy and loving-kindness shall not depart from him, as I took [them] from Saul, whom I took away from before you.

¹⁶ And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before you; your throne shall be established forever.

¹⁷ In accordance with all these words and all this vision Nathan spoke to David.

¹⁸ Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and said, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far?

¹⁹ Then as if this were a little thing in Your eyes, O Lord God, You have spoken also of Your servant’s house in the far distant future. And this is the law for man, O Lord God!

²⁰ What more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O Lord God.

²¹ Because of Your promise and as Your own heart dictates, You have done all these astounding things to make Your servant know and understand.

²² Therefore You are great, O Lord God; for none is like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all [You have made] our ears to hear.

²³ What [other] one nation on earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem to be a people for Himself and to make for Himself a name? You have done great and terrible things for Yourself and for Your land, before Your people, whom You redeemed and delivered for Yourself from Egypt, from the nations and their gods.

²⁴ And You have established for Yourself Your people Israel to be Your people forever, and You, Lord, became their God.

²⁵ Now, O Lord God, confirm forever the word You have given as to Your servant and his house; and do as You have said,

²⁶ And Your name [and presence] shall be magnified forever, saying, The Lord of hosts is God over Israel; and the house of Your servant David will be made firm before You.

²⁷ For You, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant: I will build you a house. So Your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to You.

²⁸ And now, O Lord God, You are God, and Your words are truth, and You have promised this good thing to Your servant.

²⁹ Therefore now let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You; for You, O Lord God, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let [his] house be blessed forever.

8 After this David smote the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Metheg-ammah out of the hands of the Philistines.

² He defeated Moab, and measured them with a line, making them lie down on the ground; two lines he measured to be put to death, and one full line to keep alive. And the Moabites became servants to David, bringing tribute.

³ David also defeated Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to restore his power at the river [Euphrates].

⁴ David took from him 1,700 horsemen and 20,000 foot soldiers; and David hamstrung all the chariot horses, except he reserved enough of them for 100 chariots.

⁵ And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David slew 22,000 of them.

⁶ David put garrisons in Syrian Damascus, and the Syrians became [his] servants and brought tribute. The Lord preserved and gave victory to David wherever he went.

⁷ And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.

⁸ And from Betah and Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David exacted an immense amount of bronze.

⁹ When Toi king of Hamath heard about David’s defeat of all the forces of Hadadezer,

¹⁰ [He] sent Joram his son to King David to salute and congratulate him about his battle and defeat of Hadadezer. For Hadadezer had had wars with Toi. Joram brought vessels of silver, gold, and bronze.

¹¹ These King David dedicated to the Lord, with the silver and gold that he had dedicated from all the nations he subdued:

¹² From Syria, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

¹³ David won renown. When he returned he slew 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt.

¹⁴ He put garrisons throughout all Edom, and all the Edomites became his servants. And the Lord preserved and gave victory to [him] wherever he went.

¹⁵ So David reigned over all Israel, and executed justice and righteousness for all his people.

¹⁶ Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder;

¹⁷ Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were the [chief] priests, and Seraiah was the scribe;

¹⁸ Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over both the Cherethites and Pelethites [the king’s bodyguards]; and David’s sons were chief [confidential] assistants to the king.