Bible in 90 Days

²⁰ Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, in great fear because of Samuel’s message. He had no strength left, since he had eaten nothing all that day and night. ²¹ Then the woman came to Saul and, seeing that he was quite terror-stricken, said to him: “Remember, your maidservant obeyed you: I took my life in my hands and carried out the request you made of me. ²² Now you, in turn, please listen to your maidservant. Let me set out a bit of food for you to eat, so that you are strong enough to go on your way.” ²³ But he refused, saying, “I will not eat.” However, when his servants joined the woman in urging him, he listened to their entreaties, got up from the ground, and sat on a couch. ²⁴ The woman had a stall-fed calf in the house, which she now quickly slaughtered. Then taking flour, she kneaded it and baked unleavened bread. ²⁵ She set the meal before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they got up and left the same night.

Chapter 29

David’s Aid Rejected. ¹ Now the Philistines had mustered all their forces in Aphek, and the Israelites were encamped at the spring in Jezreel.^{(A) 2} As the Philistine lords were marching their units of a hundred and a thousand, David and his warriors were marching in the rear guard with Achish. ³ The Philistine commanders asked, “What are those Hebrews doing here?” Achish answered them: “Why, that is David, the officer of Saul, king of Israel. He has been with me for a year or two, and from the day he came over to me until now I have never found fault in him.”^{(B) 4} But the Philistine commanders were angered at this and said to him: “Send that man back! Let him return to the place you picked out for him. He must not go down into battle with us; during the battle he might become our enemy. For how else can he win back his master’s favor, if not at the expense of our soldiers?^{(C) 5} Is this not the David for whom they sing during their dances,

⁶ So Achish summoned David and said to him: “As the Lord lives, you are honest, and I would want you with me in all my battles. To this day I have found nothing wrong with you since you came to me. But in the view of the chiefs you are not welcome. ⁷ Leave peacefully, now, and do nothing that might displease the Philistine chiefs.” ⁸ But David said to Achish: “What have I done? What fault have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until today, that I cannot go to fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” ⁹ “I recognize,” Achish answered David, “that you are trustworthy, like an angel of God. But the Philistine commanders are saying, ‘He must not go with us into battle.’ ¹⁰ So the first thing tomorrow, you and your lord’s servants who came with you, go to the place I picked out for you. Do not take to heart their worthless remarks; for you have been valuable in my service. But make an early morning start, as soon as it grows light, and be on your way.” ¹¹ So David and his warriors left early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went on up to Jezreel.

Chapter 30

Ziklag in Ruins. ¹ Before David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had raided the Negeb and Ziklag. They stormed Ziklag, and set it on fire.^{(E) 2} They took captive the women and all who were in the city, young and old, killing no one, and they herded them off when they left. ³ David and his men arrived at the city to find it burned to the ground and their wives, sons, and daughters taken captive. ⁴ Then David and those who were with him wept aloud until they could weep no more. ⁵ David’s two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel, had also been carried off.^{(F) 6} Now David found himself in great danger, for the soldiers spoke of stoning him, so bitter were they over the fate of their sons and daughters. David took courage in the Lord his God ^7 (G)and said to Abiathar, the priest, son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod!” When Abiathar brought him the ephod, ⁸ David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue these raiders? Can I overtake them?” The Lord answered him: Go in pursuit, for you will certainly overtake them and bring about a rescue.

Raid on the Amalekites. ⁹ So David went off with his six hundred as far as the Wadi Besor, where those who were to remain behind halted. ¹⁰ David continued the pursuit with four hundred, but two hundred were too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor and remained behind. ¹¹ An Egyptian was found in the open country and brought to David. They gave him food to eat and water to drink; ¹² they also offered a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of pressed raisins. When he had eaten, he revived, for he had not taken food nor drunk water for three days and three nights. ¹³ Then David asked him, “To whom do you belong? Where did you come from?” “I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite,” he replied. “My master abandoned me three days ago because I fell sick. ¹⁴ We raided the Negeb of the Cherethites, the territory of Judah, and the Negeb of Caleb; and we set Ziklag on fire.”^{(H) 15} David then asked him, “Will you lead me down to these raiders?” He answered, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will lead you down to the raiders.” ¹⁶ So he led them down, and there were the Amalekites lounging all over the ground, eating, drinking, and celebrating because of all the rich plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.

The Plunder Recovered. ¹⁷ From dawn to sundown the next day David attacked them, allowing no one to escape except four hundred young men, who mounted their camels and fled.^{(I) 18} David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, and he rescued his two wives. ¹⁹ Nothing was missing, small or great, plunder or sons or daughters, of all that the Amalekites had taken. David brought back everything. ²⁰ Moreover, David took all the sheep and oxen, and as they drove these before him, they shouted, “This is David’s plunder!”

Division of the Plunder. ²¹ When David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him, whom he had left behind at the Wadi Besor, they came out to meet David and the men with him. As David approached, he greeted them. ²² But all the greedy and worthless among those who had accompanied David said, “Since they did not accompany us, we will not give them anything from the plunder, except for each man’s wife and children.” ²³ But David said: “You must not do this, my brothers, after what the Lord has given us. The Lord has protected us and delivered into our hands the raiders that came against us.^{(J) 24} Who could agree with this proposal of yours? Rather, the share of the one who goes down to battle shall be the same as that of the one who remains with the baggage—they share alike.”^{(K) 25} And from that day forward he made this a law and a custom in Israel, as it still is today.^(L)

David’s Gifts to Judah. ²⁶ When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the plunder to his friends, the elders of Judah,^[a] saying, “This is a gift to you from the plunder of the enemies of the Lord,” namely, ²⁷ to those in Bethel, Ramoth-negeb, Jattir, ²⁸ Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, ²⁹ Racal, Jerahmeelite cities and Kenite cities,^{(M) 30} Hormah, Borashan, Athach, ³¹ Hebron, and to all the places that David and his men had frequented.^(N)

Chapter 31

Death of Saul and His Sons. ^1 (O)Now the Philistines went to war against Israel, and the Israelites fled before them, and fell, slain on Mount Gilboa. ² The Philistines pressed hard after Saul and his sons. When the Philistines had struck down Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, sons of Saul,^{(P) 3} the fury of the battle converged on Saul. Then the archers hit him, and he was severely wounded. ⁴ Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through; otherwise these uncircumcised will come and abuse me.” But the armor-bearer, badly frightened, refused, so Saul took his own sword and fell upon it.^{(Q) 5 (R)}When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell upon his sword and died with him. ⁶ Thus Saul, his three sons, and his armor-bearer died together on that same day. ⁷ When the Israelites on the slope of the valley and those along the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. Then the Philistines came and lived in those cities.

⁸ On the following day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ They cut off Saul’s head and stripped him of his armor; these they sent throughout the land of the Philistines to bring the good news to the temple of their idols and to the people.^{(S) 10} They put his armor in the temple of Astarte but impaled his body on the wall of Beth-shan.

Burial of Saul. ^11 (T)When the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all their warriors set out and traveled through the night; they removed the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and, returning to Jabesh, burned them.^{[b] 13} Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted for seven days.

Chapter 1

Report of Saul’s Death. ¹ After the death of Saul, David returned from his victory over the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days.^{(U) 2} On the third day a man came from the field of battle, one of Saul’s people, with his garments torn and his head covered with dirt. Going to David, he fell to the ground in homage. ³ David asked him, “Where have you come from?” He replied, “From the Israelite camp: I have escaped.” ⁴ “What happened?” David said. “Tell me.” He answered that the soldiers had fled the battle and many of them had fallen and were dead; and that Saul and his son Jonathan were dead. ⁵ Then David said to the youth who was reporting to him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” ^6 (V)The youth reporting to him replied: “I happened to find myself on Mount Gilboa and saw Saul leaning on his spear, with chariots and horsemen closing in on him. ⁷ He turned around and saw me, and called me to him. When I said, ‘Here I am,’ ⁸ he asked me, ‘Who are you?’ and I replied, ‘An Amalekite.’ ⁹ Then he said to me, ‘Stand over me, please, and put me to death, for I am in great suffering, but still alive.’ ¹⁰ So I stood over him and put him to death, for I knew that he could not survive his wound. I removed the crown from his head and the armlet from his arm and brought them here to my lord.”

¹¹ David seized his garments and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him.^{(W) 12} They mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the people of the Lord and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.^{(X) 13} David said to the youth who had reported to him, “Where are you from?” He replied, “I am the son of a resident alien, an Amalekite.” ¹⁴ David said to him, “How is it that you were not afraid to put forth your hand to desecrate the Lord’s anointed?”^{(Y) 15} David then called one of the attendants and said to him, “Come, strike him down”; so he struck him and he died. ¹⁶ David said to him, “Your blood is on your head, for you testified against yourself when you said, ‘I put the Lord’s anointed to death.’”

Lament for Saul and Jonathan. ¹⁷ Then David chanted this lament for Saul and his son Jonathan ¹⁸ (he commanded that it be taught to the Judahites; it is recorded in the Book of Jashar):^(Z)

Chapter 2

David Is Anointed King. ¹ After this, David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah?” The Lord replied to him: Go up. Then David asked, “Where shall I go?” He replied: To Hebron. ² So David went up there, with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the wife of Nabal of Carmel.^{(AE) 3} David also brought up his men with their families, and they dwelt in the towns of Hebron. ⁴ Then the men of Judah came there and anointed David king over the house of Judah.

A report reached David that the people of Jabesh-gilead had buried Saul.^{(AF) 5} So David sent messengers to the people of Jabesh-gilead and said to them: “May you be blessed by the Lord for having done this kindness to your lord Saul in burying him. ⁶ And now may the Lord show you kindness and fidelity. For my part, I will show generosity to you for having done this. ⁷ So take courage and prove yourselves valiant, for though your lord Saul is dead, the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

IV. The Reign of David

Ishbaal King of Israel. ⁸ Abner, son of Ner, captain of Saul’s army, took Ishbaal,^[e] son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim,^{(AG) 9} where he made him king over Gilead, the Asherites, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and the rest of Israel. ¹⁰ Ishbaal, son of Saul, was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years; but the house of Judah followed David. ¹¹ In all, David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah seven years and six months.^(AH)

Combat near Gibeon. ¹² Now Abner, son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbaal, Saul’s son, set out from Mahanaim for Gibeon. ¹³ Joab, son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David also set out and encountered them at the pool of Gibeon. And they sat down, one group on one side of the pool and the other on the opposite side. ¹⁴ Then Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men rise and perform for us.”^[f] Joab replied, “All right.” ¹⁵ So they rose and were counted off: twelve of the Benjaminites of Ishbaal, son of Saul, and twelve of David’s servants. ¹⁶ Then each one grasped his opponent’s head and thrust his sword into his opponent’s side, and they all fell down together.^[g] And so that place was named the Field of the Sides; it is in Gibeon.

Death of Asahel. ¹⁷ The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David’s servants. ¹⁸ The three sons of Zeruiah were there—Joab, Abishai, and Asahel.^(AI) Asahel, who was as fleet of foot as a gazelle in the open field, ¹⁹ set out after Abner, turning neither right nor left in his pursuit. ²⁰ Abner turned around and said, “Is that you, Asahel?” He replied, “Yes.” ²¹ Abner said to him, “Turn right or left; seize one of the young men and take what you can strip from him.” But Asahel would not stop pursuing him. ²² Once more Abner said to Asahel: “Stop pursuing me! Why must I strike you to the ground? How could I show my face to your brother Joab?”^{(AJ) 23} Still he refused to stop. So Abner struck him in the abdomen with the heel of his spear, and the weapon protruded from his back. He fell there and died on the spot. All who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, halted. ²⁴ But Joab and Abishai continued the pursuit of Abner. The sun had gone down when they came to the hill of Ammah which lies east of the valley toward the wilderness near Geba.

Truce Between Joab and Abner. ²⁵ Here the Benjaminites rallied around Abner, forming a single group, and made a stand on a hilltop. ²⁶ Then Abner called to Joab and said: “Must the sword devour forever? Do you not know that afterward there will be bitterness? How long before you tell the people to stop pursuing their brothers?” ²⁷ Joab replied, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, it would be morning before the people would be stopped from pursuing their brothers.” ²⁸ Joab then sounded the horn, and all the people came to a halt, pursuing Israel no farther and fighting no more. ²⁹ Abner and his men marched all night long through the Arabah, crossed the Jordan, marched all through the morning, and came to Mahanaim. ³⁰ Joab, coming from the pursuit of Abner, assembled all the men. Nineteen other servants of David were missing, besides Asahel. ³¹ But David’s servants had struck down and killed three hundred and sixty men of Benjamin, followers of Abner. ³² They took up Asahel and buried him in his father’s tomb in Bethlehem. Joab and his men made an all-night march, and dawn found them in Hebron.

Chapter 3

¹ There followed a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David, in which David grew ever stronger, but the house of Saul ever weaker.

Sons Born in Hebron. ^2 (AK)Sons were born to David in Hebron: his firstborn, Amnon, of Ahinoam from Jezreel; ³ the second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal of Carmel; the third, Absalom, son of Maacah, who was the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur;^{(AL) 4} the fourth, Adonijah, son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah, son of Abital;^{(AM) 5} and the sixth, Ithream, by David’s wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron.

Ishbaal and Abner Quarrel. ⁶ During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was gaining power in the house of Saul. ⁷ Now Saul had had a concubine, Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. And Ishbaal, son of Saul, said to Abner, “Why have you slept with my father’s concubine?”^{[h](AN) 8} Enraged at the words of Ishbaal, Abner said, “Am I a dog’s head from Judah? As of today, I have been loyal to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers and his friends, and I have kept you out of David’s clutches; and today you charge me with a crime involving a woman! ⁹ May God do thus to Abner, and more, if I do not carry out for David what the Lord swore to him—^{(AO) 10} that is, take away the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish the throne of David over Israel as well as Judah, from Dan to Beer-sheba.”^{(AP) 11} Ishbaal was no longer able to say a word to Abner, he feared him so.

Abner and David Reconciled. ¹² Then Abner sent messengers to David in Telam, where he was at the moment, to say, “Make a covenant with me, and you have me on your side, to bring all Israel over to you.” ¹³ He replied, “Good, I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you. You must not appear before me unless you bring back Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to present yourself to me.”^{(AQ) 14} At the same time David sent messengers to Ishbaal, son of Saul, to say, “Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed by paying a hundred Philistine foreskins.” ¹⁵ Ishbaal sent for her and took her away from her husband Paltiel, son of Laish,^{(AR) 16} who followed her weeping as far as Bahurim. But Abner said to him, “Go back!” So he turned back.

¹⁷ Abner then had a word with the elders of Israel: “For some time you have been wanting David as your king. ¹⁸ Now take action, for the Lord has said of David: By David my servant I will save my people Israel from the power of the Philistines and from the power of all their enemies.” ¹⁹ Abner also spoke with Benjamin, and then went to speak with David in Hebron concerning all that would be agreeable to Israel and to the whole house of Benjamin. ²⁰ When Abner, accompanied by twenty men, came to David in Hebron, David prepared a feast for Abner and for the men who were with him. ²¹ Then Abner said to David, “I will now go to assemble all Israel for my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you; you will then be king over all whom you wish to rule.” So David let Abner go on his way in peace.

Death of Abner. ²² Just then David’s servants and Joab were coming in from an expedition, bringing much plunder with them. Abner, having been dismissed by David, was no longer with him in Hebron but had gone on his way in peace. ²³ When Joab and the whole force he had with him arrived, he was informed, “Abner, son of Ner, came to David, and he let him go on his way in peace.” ²⁴ So Joab went to the king and said: “What have you done? Abner came to you! Why did you let him get away? ²⁵ Don’t you know Abner? He came to trick you, to learn your comings and goings, to learn everything you do.” ²⁶ Joab then left David and sent messengers after Abner to bring him back from the cistern of Sirah; but David did not know. ²⁷ When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside within the city gate to speak with him privately. There he stabbed him in the abdomen, and he died for the blood of Asahel, Joab’s brother.^{(AS) 28} Later David heard of it and said: “Before the Lord, I and my kingdom are forever innocent.^{(AT) 29} May the blood of Abner, son of Ner, be on the head of Joab and all his family. May Joab’s family never be without one suffering from a discharge, or one with a skin disease, or a man who holds the distaff, or one falling by the sword, or one in need of food!”^{[i] 30} Joab and Abishai his brother had been lying in wait for Abner because he killed Asahel their brother in battle at Gibeon.

David Mourns Abner. ³¹ Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your garments, put on sackcloth, and mourn over Abner.” King David himself followed the bier.^{(AU) 32} When they had buried Abner in Hebron, the king wept aloud at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. ³³ And the king sang this lament over Abner:

And all the people continued to weep for him. ³⁵ Then they went to console David with food while it was still day. But David swore, “May God do thus to me, and more, if before the sun goes down I eat bread or anything else.”^{(AV) 36} All the people noted this with approval, just as everything the king did met with their approval. ³⁷ So on that day all the people and all Israel came to know that it was not the king’s doing that Abner, son of Ner, was put to death. ³⁸ The king then said to his servants: “Do you not know that a prince, a great man, has fallen today in Israel. ³⁹ Although I am the anointed king, I am weak this day, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too ruthless for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer in accordance with his evil deed.”^(AW)

Chapter 4

Death of Ishbaal. ¹ When Ishbaal, son of Saul, heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, he lost his resolve and all Israel was alarmed. ² Ishbaal, son of Saul, had two company leaders named Baanah and Rechab, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the tribe of Benjamin—Beeroth, too, was ascribed to Benjamin:^{(AX) 3} the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, where they have been resident aliens to this day.^{(AY) 4} (Jonathan, son of Saul, had a son with crippled feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel; his nurse took him and fled, but in their hasty flight, he fell and became lame. His name was Meribbaal.)^{[j](AZ) 5} The sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, came into the house of Ishbaal during the heat of the day, while he was lying on his bed in the afternoon. ⁶ The gatekeeper of the house had dozed off while sifting wheat, and was asleep. So Rechab and his brother Baanah slipped past her ⁷ and entered the house while Ishbaal was lying asleep in his bedroom. They struck and killed him, and cut off his head. Then, taking the head, they traveled on the Arabah road all night long.

The Murder Avenged. ⁸ They brought the head of Ishbaal to David in Hebron and said to the king: “This is the head of Ishbaal, son of your enemy Saul, who sought your life. Thus has the Lord this day avenged my lord the king on Saul and his posterity.” ⁹ But David replied to Rechab and his brother Baanah, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite: “As the Lord lives, who rescued me from every distress: ¹⁰ the man who reported to me, ‘Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, that man I seized and killed in Ziglag: that was the reward I gave him.^{(BA) 11} How much more now, when wicked men have slain an innocent man in bed at home, must I require his blood from you and purge you from the land!” ¹² So at David’s command, the young men killed them and cut off their hands and feet, hanging them up near the pool in Hebron. But he took the head of Ishbaal and buried it in Abner’s grave in Hebron.^(BB)

Chapter 5

David King of Israel. ^1 (BC)All the tribes of Israel came to David in Hebron, and they said: “Look! We are your bone and your flesh. ² In days past, when Saul was still our king, you were the one who led Israel out in all its battles and brought it back. And the Lord said to you: You shall shepherd my people Israel; you shall be ruler over Israel.”^{(BD) 3} Then all the elders of Israel came to the king in Hebron, and at Hebron King David made a covenant with them in the presence of the Lord; and they anointed David king over Israel. ⁴ David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years: ⁵ in Hebron he was king over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he was king thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.^(BE)

Capture of Zion.^{[k] 6 (BF)}Then the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites who inhabited the land. They told David, “You shall not enter here: the blind and the lame will drive you away!” which was their way of saying, “David shall not enter here.”^{(BG) 7} David nevertheless captured the fortress of Zion, which is the City of David. ⁸ On that day David said: “All who wish to strike at the Jebusites must attack through the water shaft. The lame and the blind shall be the personal enemies of David.” That is why it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not enter the palace.”^{(BH) 9} David took up residence in the fortress which he called the City of David. David built up the city on all sides, from the Millo toward the center.^{(BI) 10} David became ever more powerful, for the Lord of hosts was with him.^{(BJ) 11 (BK)}Hiram, king of Tyre, sent envoys to David along with cedar wood, and carpenters and masons, who built a house for David.^{(BL) 12} David now knew^[l] that the Lord had truly established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

David’s Family in Jerusalem. ^13 (BM)David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem after he had come from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to him. 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, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.

Rout of the Philistines. ¹⁷ When the Philistines had heard that David was anointed king over Israel, they marched out in force to come after him. When David heard this, he went down to the refuge.^{[m] 18} Meanwhile the Philistines had come and deployed themselves in the valley of Rephaim.^{[n] 19} David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I attack the Philistines, and will you deliver them into my power?” The Lord answered David: Attack, for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your power. ²⁰ So David went to Baal-perazim,^[o] and he defeated them there. He said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me just as water breaks through a dam.” Therefore that place was called Baal-perazim. ²¹ The Philistines abandoned their gods there, and David and his men carried them away. ²² Once again the Philistines came up and deployed themselves in the valley of Rephaim, ²³ and again David inquired of the Lord, who replied: Do not attack the front—circle behind them and come against them near the balsam trees. ²⁴ When you hear the sound of marching^[p] in the tops of the balsam trees, act decisively, for then the Lord has already gone before you to strike the army of the Philistines. ²⁵ David did as the Lord commanded him, and routed the Philistines from Gibeon as far as Gezer.

Chapter 6

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem. ^1 (BN)David again assembled all the picked men of Israel, thirty thousand in number. ² Then David and all the people who were with him set out for Baala of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which bears the name “the Lord of hosts enthroned above the cherubim.”^{(BO) 3} They transported the ark of God on a new cart and took it away from the house of Abinadab on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the cart,^{(BP) 4} with Ahio walking before it, ⁵ while David and all the house of Israel danced before the Lord with all their might, with singing, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals.^{(BQ) 6} As they reached the threshing floor of Nodan, Uzzah stretched out his hand to the ark of God and steadied it, for the oxen were tipping it. ⁷ Then the Lord became angry with Uzzah; God struck him on that spot, and he died there in God’s presence. ⁸ David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah. Therefore that place has been called Perez-uzzah^[q] even to this day. ⁹ David became frightened of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” ¹⁰ So David was unwilling to take the ark of the Lord with him into the City of David. David deposited it instead at the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.

¹¹ 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.^{(BR) 12 (BS)}When it was reported to King David that the Lord had blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that he possessed because of the ark of God, David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the City of David with joy.^{(BT) 13} As soon as the bearers of the ark of the Lord had advanced six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. ¹⁴ Then David came dancing before the Lord with abandon, girt with a linen ephod.^{[r](BU) 15} David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and sound of horn. ¹⁶ As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal, daughter of Saul, looked down from her window, and when she saw King David jumping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart. ^17 (BV)They brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place within the tent which David had pitched for it. Then David sacrificed burnt offerings and communion offerings before the Lord. ¹⁸ When David had finished sacrificing burnt offerings and communion offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts, ¹⁹ and distributed among all the people, the entire multitude of Israel, to every man and every woman, one loaf of bread, one piece of meat, and one raisin cake. Then all the people returned to their homes.

^20 [s]When David went home to bless his own house,^(BW) Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him and said, “How well the king of Israel has honored himself today, exposing himself to the view of the slave girls of his followers, as a commoner might expose himself!” ²¹ But David replied to Michal: “I was dancing before the Lord. As the Lord lives, who chose me over your father and all his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people, Israel, not only will I make merry before the Lord,^{(BX) 22} but I will demean myself even more. I will be lowly in your eyes, but in the eyes of the slave girls you spoke of I will be somebody.” ²³ Saul’s daughter Michal was childless to the day she died.

Chapter 7

The Oracle of Nathan. ^1 (BY)After the king had taken up residence in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from his enemies on every side,^{(BZ) 2} the king said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent!”^{(CA) 3} Nathan answered the king, “Whatever is in your heart, go and do, for the Lord is with you.”^{(CB) 4} But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: ⁵ Go and tell David my servant, Thus says the Lord: Is it you who would build me a house to dwell in?^{(CC) 6} I have never dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up from Egypt to this day, but I have been going about in a tent or a tabernacle. ⁷ As long as I have wandered about among the Israelites, did I ever say a word to any of the judges whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel: Why have you not built me a house of cedar?

⁸ Now then, speak thus to my servant David, Thus says the Lord of hosts:^[t] I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to become ruler over my people Israel.^{(CD) 9} I was with you wherever you went, and I cut down all your enemies before you. And I will make your name like that of the greatest on earth.^{(CE) 10} I will assign a place for my people Israel and I will plant them in it to dwell there; they will never again be disturbed, nor shall the wicked ever again oppress them, as they did at the beginning, ¹¹ and from the day when I appointed judges over my people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord also declares to you that the Lord will make a house for you:^{(CF) 12 (CG)}when your days have been completed and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, sprung from your loins, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He it is^[u] who shall build a house for my name, and I will establish his royal throne forever. ¹⁴ I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. If he does wrong, I will reprove him with a human rod and with human punishments;^{(CH) 15} but I will not withdraw my favor from him as I withdrew it from Saul who was before you.^{(CI) 16} Your house and your kingdom are firm forever before me; your throne shall be firmly established forever.^{[v](CJ) 17} In accordance with all these words and this whole vision Nathan spoke to David.

David’s Thanksgiving. ¹⁸ Then King David went in and sat in the Lord’s presence and said, “Who am I, Lord God, and what is my house, that you should have brought me so far?^{(CK) 19} And yet even this is too little in your sight, Lord God! For you have made a promise regarding your servant’s house reaching into the future, and giving guidance to the people, Lord God! ²⁰ What more can David say to you? You know^[w] your servant, Lord God! ²¹ For your servant’s sake and as you have had at heart, you have brought about this whole magnificent disclosure to your servant. ²² Therefore, great are you, Lord God! There is no one like you, no God but you, as we have always heard.^{(CL) 23} What other nation on earth is there like your people Israel? What god has ever led a nation, redeeming it as his people and making a name by great and awesome deeds, as you drove out the nations and their gods before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt?^{(CM) 24 (CN)}You have established for yourself your people Israel as your people forever, and you, Lord, have become their God. ²⁵ Now, Lord God, confirm the promise that you have spoken concerning your servant and his house forever. Bring about what you have promised ²⁶ so that your name may be forever great. People will say: ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,’ when the house of your servant David is established in your presence. ²⁷ Because you, Lord of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed to your servant, ‘I will build you a house,’ your servant now finds the courage to make this prayer before you. ²⁸ Since you, Lord God, are truly God and your words are truth and you have made this generous promise to your servant,^{(CO) 29} do, then, bless the house of your servant, that it may be in your presence forever—since you, Lord God, have promised, and by your blessing the house of your servant shall be blessed forever.”

Chapter 8

Summary of David’s Wars. ^1 (CP)After this, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them; and David took…^[x] from the Philistines. ² He also defeated Moab and measured them with a line. Making them lie down on the ground, he measured two lengths of line for death, and a full length for life.^[y] Thus the Moabites became subject to David, paying tribute. ^3 (CQ)David then defeated Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to re-establish his dominion at the River.^{(CR) 4} David captured from him one thousand seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand foot soldiers. David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but left one hundred for his chariots.^{(CS) 5} The Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, king of Zobah, but David also defeated twenty-two thousand of them in Aram. ⁶ David then placed garrisons in the Damascus region of Aram, and the Arameans became David’s subjects, paying tribute. The Lord brought David victory in all his undertakings. ⁷ David took the golden shields that were carried by Hadadezer’s attendants and brought them to Jerusalem. (These Shishak, king of Egypt, took away when he came to Jerusalem in the days of Rehoboam, son of Solomon.) ⁸ From Tebah and Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David removed a very large quantity of bronze. ⁹ When Toi, king of Hamath, heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, ¹⁰ Toi sent his son Hadoram to wish King David well and to congratulate him on having waged a victorious war against Hadadezer; for Hadadezer had been at war with Toi. Hadoram also brought with him articles of silver, gold, and bronze. ¹¹ These also King David consecrated to the Lord along with the silver and gold that he had taken for this purpose from all the nations he had subdued: ¹² from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek, and from the spoils of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

¹³ On his return,^[z] David made a name for himself by defeating eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.^{(CT) 14} He set up garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became David’s subjects. Thus the Lord brought David victory in all his undertakings.

David’s Officials. ^15 (CU)David was king over all Israel; he dispensed justice and right to all his people. ¹⁶ Joab, son of Zeruiah, was in command of the army. Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, was chancellor. ¹⁷ Zadok, son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech, son of Abiathar, were priests.^[aa] Shavsha was scribe. ¹⁸ Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, was in command of the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were priests.^(CV)

Chapter 9

David and Meribbaal. ¹ David asked, “Is there any survivor of Saul’s house to whom I may show kindness for the sake of Jonathan?”^{(CW) 2} Now there was an official of the house of Saul named Ziba. He was summoned to David, and the king asked him, “Are you Ziba?” He replied, “Your servant.”^{(CX) 3} Then the king asked, “Is there any survivor of Saul’s house to whom I may show God’s kindness?” Ziba answered the king, “There is still Jonathan’s son, the one whose feet are crippled.”^{(CY) 4} The king asked him, “Where is he?” and Ziba answered the king, “He is in the house of Machir, son of Ammiel, in Lodebar.”^{(CZ) 5} So King David sent for him and had him brought from the house of Machir, son of Ammiel, from Lodebar. ⁶ When Meribbaal, son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David, he fell face down in homage. David said, “Meribbaal,” and he answered, “Your servant.” ⁷ “Do not be afraid,” David said to him, “I will surely be kind to you for the sake of Jonathan your father. I will restore to you all the lands of Saul your grandfather, and you shall eat at my table always.” ⁸ Bowing low, he answered, “What am I, your servant, that you should pay attention to a dead dog like me?”^{(DA) 9} The king then called Ziba, Saul’s attendant, and said to him: “All that belonged to Saul and to his entire house, I am giving to your lord’s son. ¹⁰ You and your sons and servants must till the land for him. You shall bring in the produce, which shall be food for your lord’s household to eat. But Meribbaal, your lord’s son, shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. ¹¹ Ziba answered the king, “Whatever my lord the king commands his servant, so shall your servant do.” And so Meribbaal ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons.^{(DB) 12} Meribbaal had a young son whose name was Mica; and all the tenants of Ziba’s household worked for Meribbaal.^{(DC) 13} But Meribbaal lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table. He was lame in both feet.^(DD)

Chapter 10

Campaigns Against Ammon. ^1 (DE)After this,^[ab] the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son succeeded him as king. ² David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun, the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness to me.” Therefore David sent his servants to Hanun to console him concerning his father. But when David’s servants had entered the land of the Ammonites, ³ the Ammonite princes said to their lord Hanun, “Do you think David is doing this—sending you these consolers—to honor your father? Is it not rather to explore the city, to spy on it, and to overthrow it, that David has sent his servants to you?” ⁴ So Hanun seized David’s servants, shaved off half their beards, cut away the lower halves of their garments at the buttocks, and sent them away.^{(DF) 5} David was told of it and he sent word for them to be intercepted, for the men had been greatly disgraced. “Remain at Jericho,” the king told them, “until your beards have grown again; then come back here.”

^6 [ac]When the Ammonites realized that they were in bad odor with David, they sent for and hired twenty thousand Aramean foot soldiers from Beth-rehob and Zobah, as well as the king of Maacah with one thousand men, and twelve thousand men from Tob.^(DG)

⁷ When David heard of this, he sent Joab and his whole army of warriors against them.^{(DH) 8} The Ammonites marched out and lined up for battle at the entrance of their city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah remained apart in the open field. ⁹ When Joab saw that there was a battle line both in front of and behind him, he chose some of the best fighters of Israel and lined them up against the Arameans; ¹⁰ the rest of the army he placed under the command of his brother Abishai and lined up to oppose the Ammonites. ¹¹ And he said, “If the Arameans prove too strong for me, you must come and save me; and if the Ammonites prove too strong for you, I will come to save you. ¹² Hold firm and let us show ourselves courageous for the sake of our people and the cities of our God; and may the Lord do what is good in his sight.” ¹³ Joab therefore advanced with his men for battle with the Arameans, but they fled before him. ¹⁴ And when the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they too fled before Abishai, and reentered their city. Joab then ceased his attack on the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem. ^15 (DI)Seeing themselves vanquished by Israel, the Arameans held a full muster of troops. ¹⁶ Hadadezer sent for and brought Arameans from beyond the River. They came to Helam, with Shobach, the captain of Hadadezer’s army, at their head. ¹⁷ When this was reported to David, he gathered all Israel together, crossed the Jordan, and went to Helam. The Arameans drew up in formation against David and gave battle. ¹⁸ But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed seven hundred of their chariot fighters and forty thousand of their foot soldiers. He struck down Shobach, commander of the army, and he died on the field. ¹⁹ When Hadadezer’s vassal kings saw themselves vanquished by Israel, they made peace with the Israelites and became their subjects. After this, the Arameans were afraid to give further aid to the Ammonites.

Chapter 11

David’s Sin. ¹ At the turn of the year,^[ad] the time when kings go to war, David sent out Joab along with his officers and all Israel, and they laid waste the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. David himself remained in Jerusalem.^{(DJ) 2} One evening David rose from his bed and strolled about on the roof of the king’s house. From the roof he saw a woman bathing; she was very beautiful. ³ David sent people to inquire about the woman and was told, “She is Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam, and wife of Uriah the Hittite, Joab’s armor-bearer.”^{(DK) 4} Then David sent messengers and took her. When she came to him, he took her to bed, at a time when she was just purified after her period; and she returned to her house.^{(DL) 5} But the woman had become pregnant; she sent a message to inform David, “I am pregnant.”

⁶ So David sent a message to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” Joab sent Uriah to David. ⁷ And when he came, David asked him how Joab was, how the army was, and how the war was going, and Uriah answered that all was well. ⁸ David then said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and bathe your feet.” Uriah left the king’s house, and a portion from the king’s table was sent after him. ⁹ But Uriah slept at the entrance of the king’s house with the other officers of his lord, and did not go down to his own house. ¹⁰ David was told, “Uriah has not gone down to his house.” So he said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why, then, did you not go down to your house?” ¹¹ Uriah answered David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents, and my lord Joab and my lord’s servants are encamped in the open field. Can I go home to eat and to drink and to sleep with my wife? As the Lord lives and as you live, I will do no such thing.”^{(DM) 12} Then David said to Uriah, “Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day. On the following day, ¹³ David summoned him, and he ate and drank with David, who got him drunk. But in the evening he went out to sleep on his bed among his lord’s servants, and did not go down to his house. ¹⁴ The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab which he sent by Uriah. ¹⁵ This is what he wrote in the letter: “Place Uriah up front, where the fighting is fierce. Then pull back and leave him to be struck down dead.” ¹⁶ So while Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew the defenders were strong. ¹⁷ When the men of the city made a sortie against Joab, some officers of David’s army fell, and Uriah the Hittite also died.

¹⁸ Then Joab sent David a report of all the details of the battle, ¹⁹ instructing the messenger, “When you have finished giving the king all the details of the battle, ²⁰ the king may become angry and say to you: ‘Why did you go near the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall above? ²¹ Who killed Abimelech, son of Jerubbaal? Was it not a woman who threw a millstone down on him from the wall above, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you go near the wall?’ Then you in turn are to say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.’”^{(DN) 22} The messenger set out, and on his arrival he reported to David everything Joab had sent him to tell.^{[ae] 23} He told David: “The men had the advantage over us and came out into the open against us, but we pushed them back to the entrance of the city gate. ²⁴ Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall above, and some of the king’s servants died; and your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.” ²⁵ David said to the messenger: “This is what you shall say to Joab: ‘Do not let this be a great evil in your sight, for the sword devours now here and now there. Strengthen your attack on the city and destroy it.’ Encourage him.”

²⁶ When the wife of Uriah heard that her husband had died, she mourned her lord. ²⁷ But once the mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her into his house. She became his wife and bore him a son. But in the sight of the Lord what David had done was evil.

Chapter 12

Nathan’s Parable.^{[af] 1} The Lord sent Nathan to David, and when he came to him, he said: “Tell me how you judge this case: In a certain town there were two men, one rich, the other poor.^{(DO) 2} The rich man had flocks and herds in great numbers. ³ But the poor man had nothing at all except one little ewe lamb that he had bought. He nourished her, and she grew up with him and his children. Of what little he had she ate; from his own cup she drank; in his bosom she slept; she was like a daughter to him. ⁴ Now, a visitor came to the rich man, but he spared his own flocks and herds to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him: he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared it for the one who had come to him.” ⁵ David grew very angry with that man and said to Nathan: “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves death! ⁶ He shall make fourfold restitution^[ag] for the lamb because he has done this and was unsparing.”^{(DP) 7} Then Nathan said to David: “You are the man!

Nathan’s Indictment. “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: I anointed you king over Israel. I delivered you from the hand of Saul.^{(DQ) 8} I gave you your lord’s house and your lord’s wives for your own. I gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were not enough, I could count up for you still more. ⁹ Why have you despised the Lord and done what is evil in his sight? You have cut down Uriah the Hittite with the sword; his wife you took as your own, and him you killed with the sword of the Ammonites. ¹⁰ Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.^(DR)