Bible in 90 Days
20 Saul immediately fell full-length on the ground. Not only was he terrified because of Samuel’s words, but he also had no strength left because he had eaten no food all that day and all that night.
21 The woman came to Saul and saw that he was terrified. So she said to him, “Look, your servant has obeyed you, and I have taken my life in my hands. I have listened to the words you spoke to me. 22 Now please listen to your servant, and allow me to set some food in front of you. Eat, so that you will have strength when you go on your way.”
23 Saul refused and said, “I will not eat.” But his attendants, together with the woman, strongly urged him, and he listened to them. So he got up off the ground and sat on the bed. 24 The woman had a fattened calf at the house. She quickly butchered it. She took flour, kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread with it. 25 She set it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they got up and left during the night.
David Is Dismissed by the Philistines
29 The Philistines gathered all their armies together at Aphek, and the Israelites camped beside the spring at Jezre’el. 2 As the serens[a] of the Philistines were marching past with their units of a hundred and units of a thousand, David and his men were marching in the rear of the column with Achish.
3 The officers of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?”
Achish said to the officers of the Philistines, “Isn’t this David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me for some time now?[b] I have found no fault in him from the day he defected, right up to today.”
4 But the officers of the Philistines were angry with him, and the officers of the Philistines said, “Make this man return to the place that you have assigned to him. He must not go down to battle with us, or else he might become an adversary against us during the battle. What better way for this man to reconcile himself to his master than with the heads of these men of ours? 5 Isn’t this David, about whom they sang to one another as they danced, ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?’”
6 Then Achish called David and said to him, “As the Lord lives, you have been straightforward with me. As far as I am concerned,[c] it would be good to have you accompany me[d] on this campaign, because I have not found anything wrong with you from the day you came to me right up to this day. Nevertheless, in the opinion of the serens you are a liability. 7 So now return. Go in peace, so that you do not displease the serens of the Philistines.”
8 David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I came into your presence until this day that would disqualify me from going and fighting against the enemies of my lord the king?”
9 Achish answered David, “I know that, as far as I am concerned, you are as good as an angel of God. Nevertheless, the officers of the Philistines have said, ‘He must not go up to the battle with us.’ 10 So get up early in the morning, along with the servants of your master who have come with you. Get up early in the morning, and leave as soon as it is light.”[e]
11 So David got up early, and he and his men left early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines, but the Philistines went up to Jezre’el.
David and the Amalekites
30 David and his men arrived at Ziklag on the third day.
In the meantime the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it down. 2 They had taken the women captive, along with everyone who was there, from the least to the greatest.[f] They did not kill anyone, but they carried them off and went on their way.
3 So when David and his men came to the city, they saw that it had been burned and that their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive. 4 Then David and the troops who were with him wept loudly, until they had no more strength to weep. 5 David’s two wives had been taken captive, namely, Ahinoam from Jezre’el and Abigail, who had been the wife of Nabal from Carmel. 6 David was under a great deal of pressure because his men were talking about stoning him. The spirit of every one of them was very bitter because of their sons and daughters, but David found strength in the Lord his God.
7 David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, “Bring the special vest[g] of the priest here to me.” So Abiathar brought the special vest to David. 8 David inquired of the Lord, “Should I pursue this band of raiders? Will I overtake them?”
The Lord answered him, “Pursue! You will certainly overtake them and recover everything.”
9 So David set out with the six hundred men who were with him. When they came to the stream[h] called the Besor, the men who were unable to keep up stayed there. 10 David pursued with four hundred men, because two hundred stayed behind, so exhausted that they could not get across the ravine of the Besor.
11 They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. They gave him bread to eat and water to drink. 12 They also gave him a piece from a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. When he had eaten, he was revived. (He had eaten no bread and had drunk no water for three days and three nights.) 13 David asked him, “Whose servant are you? Where are you from?”
The young man said, “I am from Egypt, a slave to an Amalekite. My master left me behind when I became sick three days ago. 14 We made a raid on the Negev of the Kerethites, and on the territory of Judah, and on the Negev of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag.”
15 David said to him, “Will you bring me down to this raiding party?”
He said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will bring you down to this raiding party.”
16 When he had brought David to them, there the Amalekites were, scattered all over the place! They were eating, drinking, and celebrating because of the great amount of plunder that they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17 David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man of them escaped from there, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and escaped. 18 David recovered everything that the Amalekites had taken. David also rescued his two wives. 19 There was nothing missing, from the least to the greatest, neither sons nor daughters, nor any plunder, nor anything else that they had taken with them. David brought it all back. 20 David took all the flocks and the herds, which they drove ahead of the other livestock, and the men were saying, “This is David’s plunder.”
21 When David approached the two hundred men whom they had left at the Besor because they were too exhausted to follow him, they went out to meet David and the men who were with him. David came up to the men who had been left behind and wished them well, 22 but all the wicked men and worthless troublemakers among those who had accompanied David responded, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them anything from the plunder that we have recovered, except we will give every man his wife and his children, so that he can take them and leave.”
23 Then David said, “Do not act that way, my brothers, with what the Lord has given to us. He is the one who has preserved us and delivered into our hand the raiders who came against us. 24 Who can listen to this proposal of yours? No, the same share that is given to the one who goes down to the battle will be given to the one who stays with the supplies. They shall have an equal share.” 25 So from that day forward, David made this a rule and precedent for Israel that lasts to this day.
26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were sympathetic to him,[i] and said, “Look, here is a blessing for you from the plunder taken from the Lord’s enemies.” 27 He sent it to the elders who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev, Jattir, 28 Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, 29 and Rakal; to those who were in the towns of the Jerahme’elites and the towns of the Kenites; 30 to those who were in Hormah, Borashan, and Athak; 31 to those who were in Hebron and all the other places where David himself and his men had wandered.
The Death of Saul and Jonathan
31 In the meantime, the Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from the Philistines and fell mortally wounded at Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines were closing in on Saul and his sons. They struck down Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malkishua, the sons of Saul. 3 The attack directed at Saul was fierce. The archers targeted him and hit him, and he was seriously wounded.
4 Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and run me through with it, so that these uncircumcised fellows cannot come and run me through and abuse me!”
But his armor bearer would not do it, because he was too afraid. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. 5 When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him. 6 So Saul died together with his three sons, his armor bearer, and all his men, all on that same day.
7 When the men of Israel from the other side of the valley and those from beyond 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 next day, when the Philistines came to strip those who had been killed in the battle, they found Saul and his three sons fallen at Mount Gilboa. 9 They cut off his head, stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to the temple of their idols and to the people. 10 They put his armor and weapons in the temple of the Ashtartes,[j] and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.
11 When the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the strong, courageous men set out, traveled all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons down from the wall of Beth Shan. They returned to Jabesh and burned them there. 13 They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.
1 After the death of Saul, when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, he stayed at Ziklag for two days. 2 Then, on the third day, a man arrived from Saul’s camp. His clothing was torn, and there was dirt on his head. When he approached David, he fell to the ground and bowed down to him.
3 David said to him, “Where are you coming from?”
He answered, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.”
4 David said to him, “What was the outcome? Tell me!”
The man said, “The people fled from the battle. Many of the people were struck down and died. Even Saul and his son Jonathan have died.”
5 David said to the young man who was talking to him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”
6 The young man who was talking to him said, “I happened to be on Mount Gilboa. There I saw Saul, leaning on his spear. The chariots and charioteers[k] were closing in on him. 7 When Saul looked behind him, he saw me and called to me and I answered, ‘I am here.’
8 “He said to me, ‘Who are you?’
“I said to him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’
9 “Saul said to me, ‘Please stand beside me and put me to death. I am losing consciousness, but I am still alive.’[l] 10 So I stood beside him and ended his life, because I knew that he could not live after being so severely wounded. I took the crown on his head and the armlet on his arm, and I brought them here to my lord.”
11 David and all the men with him grabbed their clothing and tore it. 12 Until evening they mourned, wept, and fasted for Saul, for his son Jonathan, for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
13 David asked the young man who had told him about Saul, “Where are you from?”
He said, “I am an Amalekite, who lives here as an alien.”
14 David asked him, “Why were you not afraid to stretch out your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?”
15 David called to one of the young men, “Come here. Kill him!” He struck him down, and he died.
16 David said to him, “Your blood will be on your own head, because your own mouth testified against you when you said, ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed.’”
David’s Lament
17 David mourned with this funeral song about Saul and his son Jonathan. 18 He gave orders to teach the men of Judah this song, which was named “The Bow,” so it was recorded in the Book of Jashar.[m]
19 The splendor of Israel has been slain upon your high places.
How the mighty warriors have fallen!
20 You must not tell about it in Gath.
You must not publish it in the streets of Ashkelon.
If you do, the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice.
The daughters of the uncircumcised will celebrate.
21 You mountains of Gilboa, may no dew or rain fall on you.
May your fields produce no special offerings.[n]
For there the shield of the mighty was desecrated.
The shield of Saul was not anointed with oil.
22 From the blood of the slain,
from the fat[o] of the mighty warriors,
the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,
and the sword of Saul never returned empty.
23 Saul and Jonathan were the most loved and admired during their lives,
and in their deaths they were not separated.
They were swifter than eagles.
They were stronger than lions.
24 Daughters of Israel, weep over Saul.
He clothed you in scarlet and luxury.
He provided gold ornaments for your clothing.
25 How the mighty warriors have fallen in the midst of battle!
Jonathan lies slain on your high places!
26 I grieve over you, my brother Jonathan!
You were very dear to me.
Your love was more wonderful to me than the love of women.
27 How the mighty warriors have fallen!
The weapons of war have perished!
David Reigns in Hebron
2 After this, David asked the Lord, “Should I go up into one of the cities of Judah?”
The Lord said to him, “Go up.”
David said, “Where shall I go up?”
The Lord said, “To Hebron.”
2 So David went there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezre’el and Abigail of Carmel, who was Nabal’s widow. 3 David also brought along the men who were with him, each man together with his household, and they settled in the towns around Hebron.
4 The men of Judah came there and anointed David to be king over the house of Judah.
David was told, “The men of Jabesh Gilead are the ones who buried Saul.” 5 So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead and said to them, “You are blessed by the Lord because you performed this act of mercy and faithfulness for your master Saul by burying him. 6 Now may the Lord deal with you with mercy and faithfulness. I also will treat you well because you have done this. 7 Now let your hands be strong and courageous, for your master Saul is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me to be king over them.”
8 However, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ishbosheth,[p] the son of Saul, to Mahanaim 9 and made him king over Gilead, Ashuri,[q] and Jezre’el, and over Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel. 10 Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned for two years.
But the house of Judah followed David. 11 David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah for seven years and six months.
12 Abner son of Ner and the followers of Ishbosheth son of Saul went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13 Joab son of Zeruiah and the followers of David went out and confronted them at the pool[r] of Gibeon. They took up positions on the opposite sides of the pool.
14 Abner said to Joab, “The young men should get up and compete in front of us.”
Joab said, “Yes, let them do so.”
15 So twelve representatives for Benjamin and Ishbosheth son of Saul got up and crossed over to confront twelve representatives for David. 16 Each one grabbed his opponent’s head and thrust his sword into his side. Together, they all fell. So that place, which is near Gibeon, was called Helkath Hatsurim.[s] 17 A fierce battle took place that day. Abner and the men of Israel were beaten by the followers of David.
18 Three sons of Zeruiah were there, namely, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was a fast runner, like one of the gazelles out in the fields. 19 Asahel pursued Abner and did not turn aside to the right or to the left from his pursuit.
20 Abner looked behind him and said, “Is that you, Asahel?”
He said, “Yes, it is.”
21 Abner said to him, “Turn to your right hand or to your left and capture one of the young men for yourself and strip off his equipment for yourself.” But Asahel would not turn aside.
22 So Abner warned him again, “Turn aside. Stop following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How could I face Joab your brother?” 23 But Asahel refused to turn aside, so Abner struck him in the stomach with the pointed butt of his spear. The spear came out his back, and he fell down and died right there. Everyone stopped and just stood there when they came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.
24 But Joab and Abishai keep pursuing Abner. The sun was going down when they came to the hill of Ammah in front of Giah, on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon. 25 The Benjaminites rallied together behind Abner, joined in one formation, and took their stand on the top of one hill.
26 Abner called to Joab, “Will the sword continue to devour? Do you not know that it will be bitter when all this is over? How long will you delay telling the people to stop pursuing their brothers?”
27 Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely it would have been morning before the people would have given up pursuing their brothers.” 28 So Joab blew the ram’s horn, and all the people stopped pursuing Israel. They did not continue to fight.
29 Abner and his men traveled through the Arabah all that night. They crossed the Jordan, marched through the entire region of Bithron,[t] and came to Mahanaim.
30 Joab returned from pursuing Abner and gathered together all his troops. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David’s men were missing. 31 The followers of David had struck dead three hundred sixty of Abner’s men from the tribe of Benjamin. 32 The men of Judah picked up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father at Bethlehem.
Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron as it was becoming light.
3 The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David kept getting stronger, and the house of Saul kept getting weaker.
David’s Sons
2 Sons were born to David at Hebron. His firstborn was Amnon, who was born to Ahinoam from Jezre’el. 3 His second was Kileab, who was born to Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel. The third was Absalom, who was the son of Ma’akah, the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur. 4 The fourth was Adonijah, the son of Haggith. The fifth was Shephatiah, the son of Abital. 5 The sixth, Ithream, was born to David’s wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron.
Abner and Ishbosheth
6 While the war was going on between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner kept gaining power within the house of Saul.
7 Saul had a concubine named Rizpah daughter of Aiah. Ishbosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone to the concubine of my father?”
8 Abner became very angry because of the words of Ishbosheth and said, “Am I a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? To this day I have acted with loyalty toward the house of your father Saul, to his relatives, and to his friends. In addition, I have not handed you over to David, but today you make accusations against me concerning this woman! 9 May God punish me severely and double it,[u] if I do not do for David what the Lord has sworn about him 10 by transferring the kingdom from the house of Saul and establishing the throne of David over both Israel and Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.” 11 Ishbosheth was not able to say anything to Abner anymore because he was afraid of him.
Abner and David
12 Abner sent messengers on his behalf to David. They said, “Whose land is it? Make a covenant with me. Look, my hand is with you to turn the allegiance of all Israel to you.”
13 David said, “Good. I will make a covenant with you, but I require one thing from you. You will not see my face unless you bring to me Michal, the daughter of Saul, when you come.”
14 David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, Saul’s son. They delivered this demand: “Give me my wife Michal, whom I obtained as my wife with a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.”
15 Ishbosheth sent and took her away from her husband, Paltiel son of Laish. 16 Her husband accompanied her to Bahurim, weeping all the way, but Abner told him, “Go back,” so he went home.
17 Abner also delivered the following message to the elders of Israel: “Day after day you have been seeking to have David as king over you. 18 Now do it, because the Lord said to David, ‘By the hand of my servant David I will rescue[v] my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.’”
19 Abner also spoke to the tribe of Benjamin. Then he spoke to David in Hebron about everything that Israel and all the house of Benjamin had approved.
20 Abner and twenty men along with him came to David at Hebron, and David held a feast for Abner and his men. 21 Abner said to David, “I will go and gather all Israel to my lord the king. They will make a covenant with you. You will rule over all that your heart desires.” David sent Abner away in peace.
Abner and Joab
22 Just then the soldiers of David and Joab came back from a raid. They brought a large amount of plunder with them. Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, because David had sent him away in peace. 23 When Joab and all the army with him arrived, Joab was informed that Abner son of Ner had come to the king and that David had sent him away in peace.
24 So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Abner came to you. Why have you sent him away? You let him get away! 25 You know that Abner son of Ner came to deceive you and to learn about your comings and goings and everything that you are doing.”
26 Joab left David and sent messengers after Abner. They brought him back from the cistern at Sirah without David’s knowledge. 27 So Abner returned to Hebron, and Joab took him aside into the gatehouse to speak with him. There he stabbed him in the stomach. So Abner was killed because of the blood of Joab’s brother Asahel.
28 Afterward David heard about it and said, “I and my kingdom are guiltless before the Lord forever concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. 29 May his blood splash down on the head of Joab and on the entire house of his father. May the house of Joab never lack a man who has an oozing sore, who is a leper, who holds a spindle,[w] who falls by the sword, or who has no bread.”
30 Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner because he had caused the death of their brother Asahel during the battle at Gibeon.
31 David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothing. Put on sackcloth and mourn for Abner.” King David walked behind the stretcher[x] that was carrying his body. 32 They buried Abner at Hebron, and the king wept loudly at the grave of Abner. All the people also wept. 33 The king lamented over Abner, “Should Abner have died as a fool dies? 34 Your hands were not tied up, and your feet were not bound with iron shackles. You have fallen as one falls before the wicked.” All the people continued to weep over him.
35 All the people came to try to persuade David to eat on that day, but David swore, “May God punish me severely and double it, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun goes down.”
36 All the people took notice and approved of this, as they approved of everything that the king did. 37 All the people, all Israel, knew on that day that it was not the king’s idea to kill Abner son of Ner. 38 The king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a great commander has fallen this day in Israel? 39 Today I am weak, even though I am the anointed king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too hard for me. I pray that the Lord will pay back the evildoer in proportion to his wickedness.”
The Death of Ishbosheth
4 When Saul’s son heard that Abner had died at Hebron, he lost his courage, and all Israel panicked.
2 Saul’s son had two men who were commanders of raiding bands. One was named Ba’anah;[y] the second was Rekab. They were Benjaminites, sons of Rimmon from Be’eroth. (Be’eroth is considered part of Benjamin. 3 The Be’erothites fled to Gittaim. They have lived there as aliens until the present time.)
4 Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a son with crippled feet. This son had been five years old when the report had come from Jezre’el about Saul and Jonathan. His caregiver picked him up and fled. While she was hurrying to escape, he fell and became crippled. His name was Mephibosheth.[z]
5 Ba’anah and Rekab, the sons of Rimmon from Be’eroth, went out during the heat of the day and came to the house of Ishbosheth while he was lying down for his midday rest. 6 ⎣The doorkeeper of the house had been cleaning wheat, but she had grown drowsy and fallen asleep. So Rekab and his brother Ba’anah slipped in.⎦[aa] They came into the inner part of the house as if they were coming to get wheat. They stabbed Ishbosheth in the stomach. Then Rekab and his brother Ba’anah escaped. 7 They had gone into the house while Ishbosheth was lying on his bed in the room where he rested. They struck him, killed him, and cut off his head. Taking his head with them, they traveled on the Arabah Road all night.
8 They brought the head of Ishbosheth to David at Hebron, and they said to the king, “Look! Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy who sought your life. This day the Lord has given my lord the king vengeance on Saul and his offspring.”
9 David answered Rekab and his brother Ba’anah, the sons of Rimmon from Be’eroth, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life from every evil, 10 the man who told me, ‘Look! Saul is dead,’ thought that he was bringing good news, but I seized him and killed him at Ziklag. That is what I gave him for his ‘good news.’ 11 So now that wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his own bed, will I not require his blood from your hand! I will wipe you off the face of the earth.” 12 Then David gave the orders to his young men, and they killed them, cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them beside the pool at Hebron. They took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner in Hebron.
David Becomes King of All Israel
5 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron. They said, “Look, we are your flesh and blood.[ab] 2 Day after day, even when Saul was king, you were the one leading Israel out to battle and back again. And you are the one to whom the Lord said, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel. You will become leader over Israel.’”
3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron in the presence of the Lord. They anointed David king over Israel. 4 David was thirty years old when he became king, and he ruled as king for forty years. 5 He was king over Judah at Hebron for seven years and six months. For thirty-three years he was king over all Israel and Judah at Jerusalem.
The Capture of Jerusalem
6 The king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, who were living in the land. The Jebusites said to David, “You will not get in here, because you could be kept out even by the blind and lame, who say, ‘David will not come in here.’” 7 Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion, which became the City of David.
8 David said on that day, “Anyone who attacks the Jebusites must go up through the water shaft[ac] to get at those lame and blind enemies of David.” Therefore the saying came about, “The blind and the lame will not come into the house.”
9 David lived in the stronghold and called it the City of David. David built up all sides of the stronghold from the Millo[ad] inward. 10 David kept getting greater and greater, because the Lord, the God of Armies, was with him.
Events of David’s Reign
11 Hiram king of Tyre sent representatives to David with cedar logs, carpenters, and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David. 12 David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and had lifted up his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.
13 David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem after he had come from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David. 14 These are the names of those born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.
David Defeats the Philistines
17 The Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel. So all the Philistines went up to search for David. David, however, heard about it and went down to the stronghold. 18 The Philistines came and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. 19 David asked the Lord, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?”
The Lord said to David, “Go up, because I will certainly deliver the Philistines into your hand.”
20 So David went to Baal Perazim and defeated them there. He said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like a wall of water.” That is why he named that place Baal Perazim.[ae] 21 The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.
22 The Philistines came up again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. 23 David inquired of the Lord, who said, “Do not go directly at them. Go around to their rear. Come upon them opposite the balsam trees.[af] 24 When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then get ready, because then the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the army of the Philistines.” 25 So David did as the Lord commanded him. He struck the Philistines from Gibeon[ag] all the way to Gezer.
David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem
6 David once again gathered all of the thirty thousand specially chosen men of Israel. 2 Then David and all the people who were with him set out and went to Baale Judah[ah] to bring up the Ark of God, who is called by the name “The Lord of Armies, who sits above the cherubim.”
3 They transported the Ark of God on a new cart. They brought it out from Abinadab’s house, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart 4 ⎣⎦[ai] with the Ark of God on it. Ahio was walking in front of the ark.
5 David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord with all kinds of instruments, castanets,[aj] lyres, harps, hand drums, rattles,[ak] and cymbals.
6 But when they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out for the Ark of God and grabbed it because the oxen stumbled. 7 The anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his irreverence. So he died there beside the Ark of God.
8 David was angry because the Lord had burst out so violently against Uzzah, and he called that place Perez Uzzah,[al] as it is called to this day. 9 David was afraid of the Lord on that day. He said, “How can the Ark of the Lord come to me?” 10 David was not willing to move the Ark of the Lord to himself in the City of David.
So David diverted the ark to the house of Obed Edom the Gittite. 11 The Ark of the Lord remained at the house of Obed Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed Edom and his whole household. 12 David was told, “Because of the Ark of God, the Lord has blessed the house of Obed Edom and all that belongs to him.”[am]
With rejoicing, David went and brought up the Ark of God from the house of Obed Edom to the City of David. 13 When those carrying the Ark of the Lord had gone six paces, David sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf. 14 David danced with all his might before the Lord. He was wearing a linen vest.[an] 15 David and the entire house of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of a ram’s horn.
16 When the Ark of the Lord arrived at the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked out the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.
17 They brought the Ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord. 18 When David finished presenting the burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Armies. 19 He distributed one loaf of bread, one cake of dates,[ao] and one cake of raisins to all the people, to the whole crowd from Israel, to men and women, to each and every person. Then all the people left. All of them went to their own houses, 20 and David returned to bless his house.
Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet David. She said, “How the king of Israel has brought honor to himself today by exposing himself in the sight of his female servants, just as a vulgar person exposes himself!”
21 David said to Michal, “I did this before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his house, when he appointed me leader over the people of the Lord, over Israel. I will rejoice before the Lord, 22 and I will make myself even more lowly than this. I will be humble in my own eyes, but among the servant girls you have spoken about, among them I will be honored.”
23 Michal, the daughter of Saul, had no child to the day of her death.
The Lord’s Messianic Covenant With David
7 It happened that when the king was living in his palace, and when the Lord had given him rest from his enemies all around, 2 the king said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I live in a house of cedar, but the Ark of God sits under tent curtains.”
3 Nathan said to the king, “Go and do everything that is in your heart, because the Lord is with you.”
4 But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan. He said, 5 “Go and tell my servant David all these things.”
The Covenant
This is what the Lord says. Are you the one to build a house for me to live in? 6 I have not lived in a house from the day I brought the people of Israel up from Egypt until today. I have been moving around in the Tent and the Dwelling. 7 I have traveled everywhere with all the people of Israel. Did I ever speak a word to any of the judges[ap] of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people, or ask them, “Why have you not built a house of cedar for me?”
8 You are also to say the following to my servant David.
This is what the Lord of Armies says. I took you from the pasture, from following sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel. 9 I have been with you wherever you went. I have cut off all your enemies from before you. I will make your reputation great, like that of the great ones on the earth. 10 I will set up a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them there. They will dwell there, and they will not be disturbed again. Violent men will not afflict them again as they did at the beginning 11 and ever since the day I appointed judges over my people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies.
The Lord also declares to you that the Lord himself will make a house for you. 12 When your days are complete and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up after you your seed,[aq] who will come from your own body. I will establish his kingdom. 13 He will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he sins, I will discipline him with a rod used by men and with blows of the sons of men. 15 My faithful mercy will not depart from him as I removed it from Saul, whom I removed to make room for you. 16 Your house will stand firm, and your kingdom will endure forever before you.[ar] Your throne will be established forever.
17 Nathan told David all the words that had been revealed in this vision.
David’s Response to the Covenant
18 Then King David went and sat before the Lord and said:
Who am I, Lord God? And what is my house that you have brought me to this point? 19 Yet this was a small thing in your eyes, Lord God. You have also spoken about the house of your servant for a long time into the future. Is this the law for the man, Lord God?[as]
20 What more can David say to you? You know your servant, Lord God. 21 Because of your word and according to the plan of your heart, you have carried out this great thing in order to make your servant aware of it. 22 Therefore, you are great, Lord God, because there is none like you. There is no God except you, in keeping with everything we have heard with our ears.
23 Who is like your people Israel, the one people on earth whom God went out to redeem for himself, to make them his people and to make a name for himself? You yourself did great and awe-inspiring things for your land in the presence of your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, in the presence of the nations and their gods.[at] 24 You established your people Israel for yourself to be your people forever. You, Lord, became their God.
25 Now, Lord God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken. 26 Your name will be great forever. People will say, “The Lord of Armies is God over Israel.” The house of your servant David will be established before you.
27 You, Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, have whispered into the ear[au] of your servant, saying, “I will build a house for you.” Therefore, your servant has found the heart to pray to you this prayer. 28 Now, Lord God, you are God. Your words are truth. You have promised this good thing to your servant. 29 Now, therefore, please bless the house of your servant, so that it will endure forever in your presence. For you, Lord God, have spoken. With your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.
David’s Wars
8 After this, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them. David took Metheg Ha’ammah[av] from the control of the Philistines.
2 He defeated Moab and measured the men with a length of rope after making them lie down on the ground. He measured two lengths to be put to death and one full length to live. The Moabites became subject to David and brought tribute.
3 David also defeated Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his control[aw] at the river Euphrates. 4 David captured seventeen hundred charioteers and twenty thousand foot soldiers[ax] from him. David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but he left enough horses for a hundred chariots. 5 Arameans from Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, but David killed twenty-two thousand men in Aram. 6 Then David put garrisons in Damascus in the land of Aram,[ay] and the Arameans became subject to David and brought tribute.
The Lord gave victory to David everywhere he went.
7 David took the gold shields that belonged to the officials of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 From Betah and Berothai,[az] cities of Hadadezer, King David took large amounts of bronze.
9 Toi[ba] king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer. 10 So Toi sent his son Joram[bb] to King David to petition him for peace and to bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, because Toi had been at war with Hadadezer. In his hand he brought items made of silver and items of gold and items of bronze.
11 King David dedicated these things to the Lord along with the silver and gold that he had dedicated from all the nations he had subdued: 12 from Aram, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, from Amalek, and from the spoils of Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
13 David made a name for himself when he returned from striking eighteen thousand Edomites[bc] in the Valley of Salt. 14 He put garrisons in Edom, in all of it, and all the Edomites became subject to David.
The Lord gave victory to David wherever he went. 15 David was king over all Israel, and he treated all his people with justice and fairness.
David’s Officials
16 Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the record keeper.[bd] 17 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelek son of Abiathar were priests. Seraiah was the secretary. 18 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in charge of the Kerethites and the Pelethites. The sons of David were government ministers.[be]
David and Mephibosheth
9 David said, “Is there anyone still left from the house of Saul, to whom I may show kindness for the sake of Jonathan?”
2 There was a servant of Saul’s house named Ziba, so they summoned him to come to David.
The king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” He said, “I am.”
3 The king said, “Isn’t there still a man left who belongs to the house of Saul, to whom I may show the kindness of God?”
Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan. He has crippled feet.”
4 The king said to him, “Where is he?”
Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.”
5 So King David sent and brought him from the house of Makir son of Ammiel from Lo Debar.
6 When Mephibosheth, the son of Saul’s son Jonathan, came to David, he bowed facedown to the ground.
David said, “Mephibosheth?” He said, “I am.”
7 David said to him, “Do not be afraid. I will certainly show kindness to you because of Jonathan, your father. I will return to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat bread at my table.”
8 He bowed down and said, “What is your servant that you have paid attention to a dead dog like me?”
9 The king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “Everything that belonged to Saul and to his entire house I am giving to your master’s son. 10 You are to work the soil for him, you and your sons and your servants. You are to bring in the crops, so your master’s son will have food to eat. Mephibosheth, your master’s son, will always eat bread at my table.”
(Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)
11 Ziba said to the king, “Everything that my lord the king commands his servant, your servant will do.”
So Mephibosheth began eating at the king’s table[bf] like one of the king’s sons.
12 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica. Everyone living in Ziba’s house became servants of Mephibosheth. 13 So Mephibosheth took up residence in Jerusalem because he was always to eat at the table of the king. He was crippled in both his feet.
The War With Ammon
10 After this, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun became king in his place.
2 David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent his officials to express condolences to Hanun concerning his father. David’s officials arrived in the land of the Ammonites.
3 But the officials of the Ammonites said to Hanun their master, “Do you really think David was honoring your father when he sent messengers to express his sympathy to you? No, David sent his officials to you in order to gather information about the city and to spy on it, in order to overthrow it.”
4 So Hanun seized the officials of David, shaved off half of each one’s beard, cut off their clothing up to their buttocks, and sent them away.
5 David was told about this, and he sent messengers to meet them because the men were deeply humiliated. The king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown. Then return.”
6 The Ammonites saw that they had become a digusting stench to David, so they sent and hired twenty thousand foot soldiers from Aram Beth Rehob and Aram Zobah, one thousand men from the king of Ma’akah, and twelve thousand men from Tob.[bg]
7 When David heard about it, he deployed Joab and the entire army, the strong warriors.
8 The Ammonites went out and lined up in battle formation in front of the entrance to the city gate. Aram Zobah and Aram Rehob, as well as the men of Tob and Ma’akah, were lined up by themselves in the open country.
9 Joab saw that the battle lines were drawn up against him both in front of him and behind him, so he chose some of the best troops of Israel and lined them up to confront the Arameans. 10 The rest of the men he placed under the command of his brother Abishai and lined them up to face the Ammonites. 11 He said, “If Aram is too strong for me, then you are to rescue me. If the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will come to rescue you. 12 Be strong. We must show ourselves to be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his eyes.”
13 Joab and all the people with him advanced to join battle against the Arameans, and the Arameans fled from him. 14 When the Ammonites saw that Aram had fled, they also fled from Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came back to Jerusalem.
15 When the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they regrouped. 16 Hadadezer sent for Arameans from beyond the Euphrates. They came to Helam with Shobak, who was the commander of the army of Hadadezer, at their head.
17 When David was informed, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, and came to Helam. The Arameans lined up to confront David and fought against him. 18 The Arameans fled from Israel. David killed seven hundred Aramean charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers.[bh] Shobak, the commander of their army, was wounded, and he died there. 19 All the kings who were the subjects of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, so they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. Then the Arameans were afraid to try to rescue the Ammonites anymore.
David and Bathsheba
11 Springtime arrived, the time when kings go out to war. David sent Joab out with his officers and with all Israel. They ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem.
2 One evening David had gotten up from his couch and was walking around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very good looking. 3 David sent to inquire about the woman, and he was told, “Isn’t this Bathsheba daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”
4 David sent messengers to bring her. She came to him, and he lay down with her. (She had been purifying herself from her ceremonial uncleanness.)[bi] She then returned to her house.
5 The woman became pregnant, so she sent a message and told David, “I am pregnant.”
6 David sent a message to Joab, “Send Uriah the Hittite to me.” So Joab sent Uriah to David, 7 and Uriah came to him.
David asked how Joab and the troops were doing, and how the war effort was going. 8 Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.”
When Uriah went out from the palace, the king sent a gift to him. 9 But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all the servants of his master. He did not go down to his own house.
10 David was informed, “Uriah has not gone down to his house.” So David said to Uriah, “Haven’t you come a long distance? Why didn’t you go down to your house?”
11 Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah are living in shelters, and my master Joab and the servants of my master are camped on the bare ground in the open countryside. Should I go to my house to eat and to drink and to lie down with my wife? By your life, as surely as you live, I will not do such a thing.”
12 Then David said to Uriah, “Stay here today also. Tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13 David summoned him, and Uriah ate as his guest, and David got him drunk. But in the evening he went and slept on his mat where the servants of his master were. He did not go to his own house.
14 In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab, and he sent it in the hands of Uriah. 15 In the letter he wrote, “Station Uriah opposite the fiercest fighting. Then withdraw from behind him so that he will be struck down and die.”
16 So when Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew that the enemy’s strongest warriors were. 17 The men of the city came out and fought against Joab, and some of the troops of David fell. Uriah the Hittite also died.
18 Joab sent a message to inform David about all the events of the war. 19 He instructed the messenger, “As you are finishing reporting all the events of the war to the king, 20 if the king becomes angry and says to you, ‘Why did you go so close to the city to fight? Didn’t you know that they would be shooting from on top of the wall? 21 Who killed Abimelek son of Jerubbesheth?[bj] Didn’t a woman throw an upper millstone from the wall on him, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so close to the wall?’ Then you are to say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite also died.’”
22 The messenger set out. He came and told David everything that Joab had sent him to say. 23 The messenger said to David, “Their men gained an advantage over us and drove us back into the open country. But then we gained the upper hand and drove them back all the way to the entrance of the city gate. 24 The archers shot at your troops from the wall. Some of the servants of the king died. And your servant Uriah the Hittite also died.”
25 David told the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Do not take this too hard, because the sword devours people at random. Strengthen your attack against the city, and overthrow it.’ Encourage Joab.”
26 The wife of Uriah the Hittite heard that her husband was dead, so she mourned for her husband. 27 When her mourning was completed, David sent for her and brought her to his house, and she became his wife. She gave birth to a son for him. But what David had done was evil in the eyes of the Lord.
David and Nathan
12 So the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came and told him this:
There were two men in a city. One was rich and one poor. 2 The rich man had a large number of flocks and herds. 3 The poor man did not own anything except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. He raised it so that it grew up together with him and his children. It ate from his food and drank from his cup. It slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him. 4 When a traveler came to the rich man, the rich man was unwilling to take an animal from his flock or from his herd to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. So he took the lamb from the poor man and prepared it for the man who had come to him.
5 David’s anger flared up against that man. He said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this is as good as dead. 6 In place of that lamb, he will restore four lambs, because he did this and had no pity.”
7 Nathan told David, “You are the man. This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says.”
The Message of Judgment Against David
I anointed you king over Israel. I rescued you from the hand of Saul. 8 I gave the house of your master to you, and I gave the wives of your master into your embrace. I gave you the house of Israel and the house of Judah. If this was too little, I would have added even more. 9 Why have you despised the word of the Lord by doing evil in his eyes? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword. You have taken his wife as your own wife. You have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 So now the sword will not depart from your house forever, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.