Bible in 90 Days

²⁰ The Medium Feeds Saul. Saul fell full length upon the ground for he was terrified because of what Samuel had said. His strength was gone, for he had not eaten anything all day and night. ²¹ When the woman came up to Saul and saw that he was greatly troubled, she said to him, “Look, your handmaid has obeyed your command. I have taken my life in my hands when I did what you had ordered me to do. ²² Therefore, please heed the voice of your handmaid. Let me give you something to eat, and then you will have the strength to go on your way.” ^23 [a]He refused and said, “I will not eat!”

But both his servants and the woman kept urging him, and he finally listened to them. He got up off the ground and sat on the couch. ²⁴ The woman had a fatted calf in the house, and she quickly killed it. She took some flour, kneaded it, and baked it into loaves of unleavened bread. ²⁵ She set it before Saul and his servants. They ate, and then they got up and went on their way that night.

Chapter 29

The Philistines Reject David. ¹ The Philistines gathered all of their forces together at Aphek. The Israelites camped by the spring in Jezreel. ² The lords of the Philistines were marching along with their units of hundreds and thousands while David and his men were marching at the rear with Achish.

³ The lords of the Philistines said, “What about these Hebrews?” Achish replied to the lords of the Philistines, “Is this not David, a servant of Saul, the king of the Israel? He has been with me these days, these years. I have found no fault in him since he came to me up until the present.”

⁴ The lords of the Philistines were angry with him, and the lords of the Philistines said to him, “Send that man back, let him go back to the place where you have assigned him. Do not let him go into battle with us, lest he turn against us during the battle. What other way could he reconcile to his master if not with the heads of these men? ⁵ Is this not the David of whom they sang while they were dancing, ‘Saul has killed his thousands, and David has killed his ten thousands.’ ”

⁶ So Achish summoned David and said, “As the Lord lives, you have been upright with me. You have done well in your going out and your coming back with your army. From the day you came to me up to the present, I have found nothing wrong in you. Nevertheless, the lords do not approve of you. ⁷ Therefore, go back, and leave in peace, so that you not displease the lords of the Philistines.”

⁸ David said to Achish, “But what have I done? As long as I have been with you, up until now, have you found anything in your servant that would explain why I am not able to go to fight against the enemies of my lord, the king?” ⁹ Achish answered David, “I consider you to be as good as an angel of God. Nevertheless, the lords of the Philistines have said, ‘He will not go up with us into battle.’ ¹⁰ Now, therefore, rise up early in the morning with your master’s servants who have come with you. Get up at daybreak and depart.”

¹¹ David and his men arose in the morning, and they left for the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

Chapter 30

Ziklag Destroyed. ¹ Three days later David and his men arrived in Ziklag. The Amalekites had invaded the Negeb and Ziklag; Ziklag was attacked and burned down. ² The women who were there, young and old, were taken captive. They did not kill any of them, but they carried them off and went on their way.

³ When David and his men arrived in Ziklag, they found it burned to the ground and their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken captive. ⁴ David and his men with him wept out loud until they had no more strength to weep. ⁵ David’s two wives, Ahinoam, the Jezreelite, and Abigail, the wife of Nabal of Carmel were also taken captive.

⁶ David was greatly distressed because the people were talking about stoning him. Every single one of them was embittered because of his sons and his daughters, but David found strength in the Lord, his God.

⁷ David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring the ephod out here.” Abiathar brought the ephod out to David.^{[b] 8} David inquired of the Lord saying, “Shall I pursue after this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you are sure to overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”

David Pursues the Amalekites. ⁹ David and the six hundred men who were with him left and arrived at the Wadi Besor where some stayed behind, ¹⁰ for two hundred men stayed behind who were too exhausted to continue on over the Wadi Besor. David continued the pursuit with four hundred men.

¹¹ They found an Egyptian in a field and they brought him to David. They gave him bread to eat and water to drink ¹² as well as a piece of fig cake and two raisin cakes. When he had eaten, he revived, for he had not had anything to eat or any water to drink for three days and three nights. ¹³ David asked him, “To whom do you belong? Where are you from?” The young man answered, “Egypt. I am a slave to an Amalekite. My master abandoned me because I became sick three days ago. ¹⁴ We raided the south of the Cherethites, and the territory of Judah, and the south of Caleb, and we burned down Ziklag.” ¹⁵ David said to him, “Can you lead me to this raiding party?” He answered, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.”

¹⁶ He took him down, and they were scattered all over the countryside, eating, drinking, and dancing to celebrate the great plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah. ¹⁷ David fought them from dusk of that day until the next evening. None of them escaped except for four hundred young men who mounted their camels and fled away.

¹⁸ David recovered everything that the Amalekites had carried away, and David rescued his two wives. ¹⁹ Nothing was missing, not young nor old, not sons nor daughters, not plunder nor anything that they had taken. David recovered it all. ²⁰ David drove all of the flocks and herds before the livestock saying, “This is David’s plunder.”

²¹ Division of the Spoils. David came to the two hundred men who were so weary that they could not follow and whom David had left behind at the Wadi Besor. They came out to meet David and the people who were with him. As David and the people drew near, he greeted them. ²² All of those who had gone with David but who were wicked men of Belial said, “None of them went with us, so we should not give them any of the spoil. Each of them can take his wife and children and depart.” ²³ David replied, “No, my brothers. You must not do that with what the Lord has given us. The Lord protected us and delivered over into our hands the raiding party that came out against us. ²⁴ Who will listen to what you are saying? The share of the man who went down into battle will be the same as the share of the man who stayed with the supplies. They will be equal shares.” ²⁵ He made this a statute and an ordinance in Israel from that day up until the present.

²⁶ When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent some of the spoils to the elders of Judah^[c] who were his friends saying, “Behold, this is a gift from the spoils of the enemies of the Lord.” ²⁷ He sent it to those who were in Bethel, to those who were in Ramoth-negeb, to those who were in Jattir, ²⁸ to those who were in Aroer, to those who were in Siphmoth, to those who were in Eshtemoa, ²⁹ to those who were in Rachal, to those who were in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, to those who were in the cities of the Kenites, ³⁰ to those who were in Hormah, to those who were in Borashan, to those who were in Athach, ³¹ to those who were in Hebron, and to those who were in all those places where David had roamed.

Chapter 31^[d]

The Death of Saul. ¹ Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the Israelites fled before the Philistines, and many were killed at Mount Gilboa. ² The Philistines pressed hard upon Saul and his sons. His sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua were killed by the Philistines.

³ There was fierce fighting around Saul, and when the archers found their mark, they seriously wounded him. ⁴ Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust it through me, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through and abuse me.” But the armor-bearer would not do this for he was terrified. Saul, therefore, took his sword and fell upon it. ⁵ When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he, too, fell upon his sword and died with him.

⁶ So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all of his men died together on the same day. ⁷ When the Israelites on the other side of the valley and those on the other side of the Jordan saw that the Israelites had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities, and the Philistines came and occupied them.

⁸ The next day the Philistines came out to strip the dead, and they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ They cut off his head and stripped off his armor. They sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temples of their idols and among the people. ¹⁰ They put his armor in the temple of Astartes, and they fastened his body to the wall in Beth-shan.

¹¹ Saul Is Buried.^[e] When those living in Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all of their brave men traveled during the night and took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. They went to Jabesh where they cremated them. ¹³ They took their bones and they buried them under a tree in Jabesh, and they fasted for seven days.^[f]

Chapter 1

The Report of Saul’s Death. ¹ Shortly after the death of Saul, David returned from defeating the Amalekites, and he stayed for two days in Ziklag. ² On the third day a man appeared from Saul’s camp, with his clothes in tatters and dirt on his head. Upon coming into David’s presence, he fell to the ground and paid him homage.

³ David asked him: “Where have you come from?” And he replied: “I have escaped from the Israelite camp.” ⁴ David then inquired: “What has happened there? Tell me!” The man answered: “The soldiers fled from the battle, but many of them fell and died. Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.”

⁵ David then asked the young man who had brought the news: “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” ⁶ The young man replied: “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and I beheld Saul leaning on his spear as the chariots and the horsemen were closing in on him. ⁷ When he happened to turn around and saw me, he summoned me to him. I said: ‘Here I am.’ ⁸ Saul then said to me: ‘Who are you?’ And I told him: ‘I am an Amalekite.’ ⁹ Then he gave me this order: ‘Come here, stand over me, and kill me. The throes of death have overcome me, yet I am still alive.’

¹⁰ “Therefore, I stood over him and slew him, for I knew that he could not possibly survive because of the wounds he had suffered. Then I removed the crown that was on his head and the armlet from his arm, and I have brought them here to you, my lord.”

^11 [g]Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and the men who were with him did the same. ¹² They mourned and wept, and they fasted until evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, as well as for the army of the Lord and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

¹³ David then said to the young man who had brought him the report: “Where do you come from?” He answered: “I am the son of a resident alien, an Amalekite.” ¹⁴ David thereupon asked him: “How was it that you were not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?”

¹⁵ Then David summoned one of his young soldiers and gave him this order: “Come here and strike him down!” The young man struck him down, and he died. ¹⁶ As he fell, David said to him: “Your blood be on your own head. You convicted yourself by your own testimony when you said: ‘I killed the Lord’s anointed.’ ”

¹⁷ Elegy for Saul and Jonathan. David chanted the following lament over Saul and his son Jonathan, ¹⁸ and he ordered that this dirge over them be taught to the people of Judah. It is recorded in the Book of Jashar.

Chapter 2

David Is Anointed King.^{[i] 1} After this, David inquired of the Lord, asking: “Shall I go up into one of the towns of Judah?” The Lord replied to him: “Go up.” Then David asked: “To which one stall I go?” The Lord answered: “Hebron.”

² Therefore, David went up to Hebron with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. ³ David also brought up the men who were with him, along with their families, and they settled in the towns of Hebron. Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David as king of the house of Judah.

⁴ When David received a report that the men of Jabesh-gilead were the ones who had buried Saul, ⁵ he sent messengers to the people of Jabesh-gilead to say to them: “May you be blessed by the Lord for having done this act of kindness to your lord Saul by burying him. ⁶ Now may the Lord bestow his love and faithfulness upon you. Moreover, I too will treat you with kindness because you have done this charitable deed. ⁷ Therefore, have courage and be valiant, for even though your lord, Saul, is dead, the house of Judah has anointed me as their king.”

The Reign of David

Ishbaal as King of Israel.^{[j] 8} Meanwhile the commander of Saul’s army, Abner, the son of Ner, had taken Ishbaal, the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim. ⁹ There he made him king over Gilead, the Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel. ¹⁰ Ishbaal, the son of Saul, was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned for two years. However, the house of Judah followed David. ¹¹ The length of time that David was in Hebron as king of the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

¹² Combat near Gibeon. Abner, the son of Ner, departed from Mahanaim with the servants of Ishbaal and went to Gibeon. ¹³ Joab, the son of Zeruiah, also set forth with David’s servants and encountered them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool, while the other group sat on the opposite side.

¹⁴ Then Abner suggested to Joab: “Let us have the young men come forward and engage in hand-to-hand combat before us.” Joab replied: “Let them come forward.” ¹⁵ Therefore, they came forward and were counted: twelve men from Benjamin for Ishbaal, the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. ¹⁶ Each one grasped his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into his opponent’s side. Thus they all fell down together. Therefore, that place, which is in Gibeon, was called the Field of Swords.

¹⁷ Death of Asahel. On that day the battle was extremely fierce, and when it was finally over, Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David’s forces. ¹⁸ The three sons of Zeruiah were there—Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Then Asahel, who was as fleet of foot as a wild gazelle, ¹⁹ pursued Abner, turning neither to the left nor to the right as he followed him.

²⁰ Abner looked back and said: “Is that you, Asahel?” He replied: “Yes, it is.” ²¹ Abner then said to him: “Turn to your right or left, seize one of the young men, and take from him what is of value.” However, Asahel had no intention of forsaking his pursuit.

²² Abner once again tried to dissuade him: “Cease your pursuit of me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I look your brother Joab in the face?” ²³ Nevertheless Asahel refused to turn away. Therefore, Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of his spear, and the spear protruded through his back. He fell there and died instantaneously.

All those who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died came to a halt. ²⁴ However, Joab and Abishai continued the pursuit of Abner until, as the sun was going down, they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies east of Giah on the road toward the wilderness of Gibeon.

²⁵ Truce between Joab and Abner. The Benjaminites rallied to the support of Abner, gathering in a tightly knit formation behind Abner and taking their stand at the top of a hill. ²⁶ Then Abner called out to Joab: “Will this slaughter never end? Do you not realize how bitter the end will be? How long will it take before you order your people to cease from the pursuit of their brothers?”

²⁷ Joab replied: “As God lives, if you had not spoken, the soldiers would not have relented in their pursuit of their brothers until morning.” ²⁸ Then Joab sounded the trumpet, and all the troops came to a halt. They abandoned their pursuit of the Israelites and did not engage in battle any further.

²⁹ Abner and his men traveled all that night through the Arabah. Then they crossed the Jordan and continued their journey the entire morning until they came to Mahanaim. ³⁰ After returning from the pursuit of Abner, Joab gathered his people together and discovered that, aside from Asahel, nineteen other servants of David were missing. ³¹ However, the forces of David had killed three hundred and sixty Benjaminites, followers of Abner. ³² They took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched throughout the night, and they reached Hebron at daybreak.

Chapter 3

¹ A lengthy war ensued between the house of Saul and the house of David. As time went on, David grew steadily stronger, while the house of Saul became notably weaker.

Sons Born in Hebron.^{[k] 2} Sons were born to David at Hebron. His firstborn was Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam of Jezreel; ³ his second was Chileab, whose mother was Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel; his third was Absalom, whose mother was Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, the king of Geshur; ⁴ the fourth was Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith; the fifth was Shephatiah, the son of Abital; ⁵ the sixth was Ithream, the son of 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 had gradually been gaining power in the house of Saul. ⁷ Now Saul had had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. And Ishbaal said to Abner: “Why have you slept with my father’s concubine?”

⁸ Abner became enraged at this insult of Ishbaal, and he said: “Am I nothing more than a dog’s head in Judah? I have continued to be loyal to the house of your father Saul and to his brothers and friends, and I have not betrayed you into the hands of David. Yet now you charge me with a crime involving a woman.

⁹ “May God punish Abner severely, and inflict even greater ills, if I fail to accomplish for David what the Lord swore to him. ¹⁰ I shall take the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beer-sheba.” ¹¹ And Ishbaal did not dare to say another word in response, because he was afraid of him.

¹² Abner and David Reconciled. Abner sent messengers on his own behalf to say to David: “Who should control the land? If you come to an agreement with me, I will give you my support in bringing all Israel over to you.” ^13 [l]David replied: “Good! I will negotiate an agreement with you. However, I will impose one condition. You will not be allowed to appear in my presence unless you bring back Saul’s daughter, Michal, when you come to see me.”

¹⁴ Then David also sent messengers to Ishbaal, the son of Saul, with this demand: “Return to me my wife Michal whom I espoused after paying the ransom of one hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” ¹⁵ Therefore, Ishbaal summoned Michal and took her away from her husband Paltiel, the son of Laish. ¹⁶ However, her husband, weeping copiously, followed her as far as Horonaim, at which time Abner commanded him: “Go back,” and he returned home.

¹⁷ Abner then proceeded to confer with the elders of Israel. “For a long time now,” he said, “you have wanted David to be your king. ¹⁸ Now is the time for you to make that wish a reality, for the Lord has said of David: ‘By means of my servant David I will deliver my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from all their enemies.’ ” ¹⁹ Abner also spoke personally to the Benjaminites. After that he went to Hebron to notify David about everything that the people of Israel and the house of Benjamin had agreed to do.

²⁰ When Abner, accompanied by twenty men, came to David at Hebron, David prepared a feast for Abner and the men who were with him. ²¹ Abner then said to David: “Allow me now to go and assemble all Israel for my lord the king, in order that they may make a covenant with you, and thus you will reign over all that your heart desires.” Therefore, David dismissed Abner, who went away in peace.

²² The Death of Abner. Just then, David’s men returned with Joab from a raid, bringing with them a large amount of plunder. By then Abner had been dismissed by David and was no longer in Hebron, for he had gone his way in peace. ²³ When Joab and all of the soldiers with him arrived, Joab was informed that Abner, the son of Ner, had come to the king, and that the king had sent him on his way in peace.

²⁴ Then Joab went to the king and said: “What have you done? Abner came to you. What motivated you to dismiss him and allow him to go away as an innocent man? ²⁵ You must be aware that Abner, the son of Ner, came here with the purpose of deceiving you, in order to learn about your movements and to find out what you are doing.”

²⁶ When Joab left David’s presence, he sent messengers to pursue Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern of Sirah. However, David knew nothing at all about this. ²⁷ When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pretended that he wanted to speak to him privately and took him aside at the city gate, where he stabbed him fatally in the stomach. Thus Abner died in retaliation for the murder of Asahel, the brother of Joab.

²⁸ Later, when David heard the news, he said: “Before the Lord, I and my kingdom are forever innocent of the blood of Abner, the son of Ner. ²⁹ May the guilt for this act fall on the head of Joab and his entire family. May the house of Joab never be unafflicted by men who suffer from running sores or leprosy or effeminacy or who are doomed to die by the sword or are in need of bread.” ( ³⁰ Joel and his brother Abishai had murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel at the battle of Gibeon.)

³¹ David Mourns Abner. Then David said to Joab and all the people who were with him: “Tear off your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn over Abner.” King David himself walked behind the bier. ³² After they buried Abner at Hebron, the king wept aloud at the grave of Abner, and all the people also wept. ³³ Then the king sang this lament for Abner:

And all the people continued to weep for him.

³⁵ After that, the people tried to persuade David to eat something while it was still day, but David swore: “May God deal with me severely, and even more terribly, if I eat bread or anything else prior to sunset.” ³⁶ All the people took note of his pledge with approval, just as everything that the king did truly pleased them. ³⁷ Therefore, on that day the people and all Israel were fully convinced that the king had no part in the killing of Abner, the son of Ner.

³⁸ Then the king said to his servants: “You surely must realize that a prince and a great warrior has fallen this day in Israel. ³⁹ And today, even though I have been anointed as the king, I feel weak and powerless with the realization that these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too strong for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer as his evil crimes deserve.”

Chapter 4

The Death of Ishbaal. ¹ When Saul’s son Ishbaal heard that Abner had died at Hebron, his courage failed him, and all Israel was alarmed. ² Ishbaal had two men who served as captains of raiding parties; one was named Baanah, and the other was named Rechab. They were the sons of Rimmon, a Benjaminite from Beeroth—for Beeroth is regarded as being part of Benjamin. ³ The people of Beeroth had fled to Gittaim, where they have remained as aliens to this very day.

⁴ Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a son whose feet were crippled. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but in her haste to get away, the young boy fell to the ground and became lame. His name was Meribbaal.^[m]

⁵ The sons of Rimmon of Beeroth, Rechab and Baanah, arrived at the house of Ishbaal during the hottest part of the day while he was taking his midday rest. ⁶ The woman who was stationed at the door had fallen asleep while she was sifting wheat. ⁷ Therefore, Rechab and his brother quietly slipped past her and entered the house, and when they found him asleep on the couch in his bedroom, they attacked and killed him and cut off his head. Then they took his head and traveled throughout the night by way of the Arabah.

The Murder Avenged.^{[n] 8} When they arrived in Hebron, they brought the head of Ishbaal to David and said to the king: “Here is the head of Ishbaal, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life. Thus has the Lord this day avenged my lord the king on Saul and his offspring.”

⁹ Then David replied to Rechab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite: “As the Lord lives, he who has delivered me from every danger, ¹⁰ in Ziklag I seized and ordered to be killed the man who brought me word that Saul was dead. That was how I rewarded him. ¹¹ How much more then should I take such action when wicked men have slain an innocent man as he was lying on his bed in his house. Should I not now exact vengeance on you for shedding his blood and remove you from the face of the earth?”

¹² Therefore, at David’s command, his young soldiers killed them. Then they cut off their hands and feet and hung their bodies beside the pool at Hebron. However, they took the head of Ishbaal and buried it in Abner’s grave at Hebron.

Chapter 5

David as King of Israel.^{[o] 1} Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said: “Listen to us. We are your own flesh and blood. ² In former days, when Saul was our king, you were the one who led the Israelites on their campaigns and brought them back. Moreover, the Lord said to you: ‘You shall be the shepherd of my people Israel and be the ruler of Israel.’ ” ³ Then all the elders of Israel came to David, the king of Hebron, and David made a covenant with them there before the Lord. After this they anointed David as king of Israel.

⁴ David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned for forty years. ⁵ In Hebron he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months, and then in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years.

Capture of Zion. ⁶ Then the king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites who inhabited the land. These people said to David: “You will never come in here. Even the blind and the lame will stop you in your tracks.” In this way they showed their contempt for David and his forces.

^7 [p]Despite their boast, David did take the stronghold of Zion, which is now known as the City of David. ⁸ David had said on that day: “All those who are eager to attack the Jebusites must scale the water shaft to attack the lame and the blind, the bitter enemies of David.” Therefore, it is said: “The blind and the lame shall not enter the palace.”

⁹ David then took up residence in the stronghold and called it the City of David. After that, he constructed a wall around it from the Millo^[q] inward. ¹⁰ David steadily continued to grow more powerful, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.

¹¹ King Hiram of Tyre sent envoys to David with cedar wood, and he also supplied carpenters and stonemasons who built a palace for David. ¹² Then David had no doubt at all that the Lord had established him as king of Israel and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

¹³ David’s Family in Jerusalem. After he departed from Hebron, David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him.^{[r] 14} These are the names of those children who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ¹⁵ Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ¹⁶ Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

¹⁷ Rout of the Philistines.^[s] When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king of Israel, they all went forth in search of him. When David learned of this, he sought refuge in the stronghold. ¹⁸ After the Philistines arrived and deployed their forces in the valley of Rephaim, ¹⁹ David inquired of the Lord: “Shall I go forth and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my power?” The Lord replied to David: “Go forth and attack them! I shall deliver the Philistines into your hands.”

²⁰ Therefore, David went forth to Baal-perazim and defeated them there. Then he said: “The Lord has broken through the battle lines of my enemies as though they had been breached by the flood waters of a river.” That is why that place is called Baal-perazim. ²¹ The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.

²² However, the Philistines made another invasion and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. ²³ Then David once again consulted the Lord, who said: “Do not attack them from the front. Rather, encircle them from the rear and attack them in front of the balsam trees. ²⁴ When you hear the sound of marching in the top of the balsam trees, advance immediately, for then you will know that the Lord has gone forth ahead of you to strike down the army of the Philistines.”

²⁵ David followed the instructions of the Lord, and he routed the Philistines from Gibeon all the way to Gezer.

Chapter 6

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem. ¹ David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand in all. ² Then he set forth with his entire force to Baalah of Judah to bring up from there the Ark of God, which bears the name of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned above the cherubim.

³ They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it forth from the house of Abinadab, which stood on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart. ⁴ Uzzah walked alongside the Ark of God, with Ahio walking in front. ⁵ David and the entire house of Israel danced joyfully before the Lord with all their might, singing to the accompaniment of lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

⁶ When they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out his hand to the Ark of God and steadied it because the oxen were stumbling. ⁷ This aroused the Lord’s anger against Uzzah because of his irreverent act, and he died there beside the Ark of God. ⁸ David became greatly upset because the Lord had vented his anger against Uzzah, and to this very day that place is called Perez-uzzah.

⁹ David greatly feared the Lord that day, and he said: “How can the Ark of the Lord be placed in my care?” ¹⁰ Therefore, he decided not to take the Ark of the Lord to be in his care in the City of David. Instead he took it to 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 his entire household.

¹² When King David was informed that the Lord had blessed the family of Obed-edom and everything that belonged to him because of the Ark of God, David went and brought up the Ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David amid great rejoicing.

¹³ When the bearers of the Ark of the Lord had advanced six steps, David sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf. ^14 [t]Then, girded with a linen ephod, he danced before the Lord with all his might, ¹⁵ as he and all the Israelites brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and the blowing of trumpets.

¹⁶ As the Ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, watched from a window. When she saw King David leaping and whirling around before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.

¹⁷ They brought in the Ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had erected for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings in the name of the Lord of hosts. ¹⁸ When he had finished making these offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts. ¹⁹ Then he distributed food to all of the people, both men and women, giving to each person in the multitude a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a raisin cake. Then all the people returned to their homes.

²⁰ When David returned to bless his household, Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him. She said: “What an exhibition the king of Israel has made of himself today, exposing himself in the view of the slave girls of his followers like any vulgarian who chooses to shamelessly expose himself before them!”^[u]

²¹ David replied to Michal: “I was dancing in gratitude for the Lord, not for them. The Lord chose me instead of your father and his entire family and appointed me as leader over Israel, the people of the Lord. I shall continue to dance before the Lord in gratitude, ²² and I will demean myself even more. I will be lowly in your esteem, but I will be held in honor by those slave girls of whom you speak.”

²³ Saul’s daughter Michal had no children to the day of her death.

Chapter 7

David’s Concern for the Ark.^{[v] 1} When King David was settled in his palace and the Lord had granted him rest from all his enemies surrounding him, ² he said to the prophet Nathan: “Here I am, dwelling in a house of cedar, while the Ark of God dwells in a tent.” ³ Nathan replied to the king: “Do not hesitate to do whatever you have in mind, for the Lord is with you.”

⁴ However, that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: ⁵ “Go and tell my servant David: ‘Thus says the Lord: “Are you determined to build a house for me to dwell in? ⁶ I have not dwelled in a house from the day I brought the Israelites out of Egypt to this very day. I have been moving from place to place while living in a tent and a tabernacle. ⁷ In all of my travels everywhere among the Israelites, did I ever ask any of the judges whom I had appointed to shepherd my people Israel why they had never built me a house of cedar?” ’ ”

⁸ “Now then, this is what you are to say to my servant David: ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “I was the one who took you from the pastures and your work of caring for the sheep to be the ruler of my people Israel. ⁹ I have been with you wherever you went, and I have destroyed all of your enemies who dared to challenge you. Moreover, I intend to make your name as famous as the names of the greatest men on the earth.

¹⁰ “ ‘ “I also shall provide a place for my people Israel, and there I will plant them so that they may dwell there and never again be disturbed. Nor will the wicked afflict them anymore, as was the case formerly, ¹¹ from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. I will grant you rest from all of your enemies.

“ ‘ “Moreover, I, the Lord, promise that I will establish a royal house for you. ^12 [w]And when it is time for you to be with your ancestors, I will designate as your heir one of your sons to succeed you, and I shall establish his kingdom forever. ¹³ It is he who will build a house in honor of my name, and I shall ensure that his royal throne will stand firm forever.

¹⁴ “ ‘ “I shall be a father to him, and he will be my son. If he does wrong, I shall punish him as any father would do and not fail to inflict chastisements upon him. ¹⁵ However, I will never withdraw my steadfast love from him as I withdrew it from Saul and shielded you from his vindictive plots. ¹⁶ Your descendants and your kingdom will stand firm forever before me, and your throne shall endure forever.” ’ ”

¹⁷ Nathan then related all these promises and this entire revelation to David.

¹⁸ King David’s Prayer. Then King David went in and, sitting in the presence of the Lord, he said:

“Who am I, Lord God, and what is my lineage, that you have brought me this far? ¹⁹ Yet you regarded this as too insignificant an honor, Lord God, for you have also deigned to extend your protective care to the house of your servant for a long time to come. Who can truly consider himself sufficiently worthy to be the recipient of such love, Lord God?

²⁰ “What more can David say to you, Lord God, since you know everything about your servant? ²¹ For the sake of your promise and in accordance with the purpose you have in mind, you have decided to reveal all this to your servant.

²² “How great you are, Lord God! There is no one like you, and there is no God except you alone, as everything that we have heard confirms. ²³ And what other nation on earth can be compared to your people Israel, whom you sent forth to redeem for yourself from Egypt by awe-inspiring deeds as you drove out other nations and their gods. ²⁴ You have established your people Israel as your own forever, and you, Lord, became their God.

²⁵ “And now, Lord God, in regard to the promise that you have made concerning your servant and his house, do what you have promised, ²⁶ so that your name will be exalted forever, and people will say: ‘the Lord of hosts is the God of Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you, ²⁷ since you, the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, made this revelation to your servant: ‘I shall build a house for you.’ Therefore, your servant has found the courage to offer this prayer to you.

²⁸ “And now, Lord God, you are God, and your words are true. You have made this generous promise to your servant.^{[x] 29} Therefore, bless the house of your servant, so that it may remain ever before you. For you, Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.”

Chapter 8

Summary of David’s Wars. ¹ A short time later, David attacked the Philistines and subdued them, and he also wrested Metheg-ammah from their control. ² In addition he defeated the Moabites, after which he ordered them to lie on the ground and then measured them off with a length of cord. He measured two lengths of cord for those who were to be put to death, and one length for those who were to be spared. The Moabites then became David’s subjects and brought him tribute.

³ David also defeated King Hadadezer of Zobah, the son of Rehob, as he led an expedition to restore his dominion along the Euphrates River. ⁴ David captured from him one thousand seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He also hamstrung all but one hundred of the chariot horses.

⁵ When the Arameans of Damascus came to the aid of King Hadadezer of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand men of the Arameans. ⁶ He then established garrisons among the Arameans of Damascus, and they became his subjects and brought him tribute.^[y] The Lord brought David victory wherever he went.

⁷ David also took the gold shields that were carried by the guards of Hadadezer, and he brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ In addition, from Bethah and Berothai, towns belonging to Hadadezer, David removed an immense quantity of bronze.

⁹ When Tor, the king of Hamath, heard that David had defeated Hadadezer’s entire army, ¹⁰ he sent his son Joram to King David to greet him and to congratulate him for having been victorious in his battle against Hadadezer, for Hadadezer had often been at war with Tor.

Joram brought with him objects of silver, gold, and bronze. ¹¹ These also King David consecrated to the Lord, as he had also done with the silver and gold he had taken from every nation he had conquered— ¹² from Edom and Moab, from the Ammonites and the Philistines, from Amalek, and from the spoil taken from King Hadadezer of Zoab, the son of Rehob.

¹³ David became even more greatly renowned when, on his return, he slew eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt, ¹⁴ after which he stationed garrisons throughout Edom. Thus all the Edomites became David’s subjects. And the Lord continued to give victory to David wherever he went.

¹⁵ David’s Officials. David reigned over all Israel, and he administered law and justice among all his people.^{[z] 16} Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was in command of the army. Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was in charge of the records. ¹⁷ Zadok, the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech, the son of Abiathar, were priests. Seraiah was secretary. ¹⁸ Bena-iah, the son of Jehoiada, was in command of the Cherethites and the Pelethites.^[aa] David’s sons were priests.

Chapter 9

David and Meribbaal.^{[ab] 1} David inquired: “Is there anyone belonging to the family of Saul who is still alive, to whom I may show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” ² Now Saul’s family had a servant whose name was Ziba, and he was summoned to appear before David. The king asked him: “Are you Ziba?” He replied: “I am at your service.”

³ The king then asked: “Is there anyone from Saul’s family still alive to whom I may show God’s kindness?” “There is a son of Jonathan who still remains,” Ziba said to the king. “His feet are crippled.” ⁴ Then the king inquired: “Where is he?” Ziba answered: “He is living in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.”

⁵ Then King David sent for him and had him brought from the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. ⁶ When Meribbaal, the son of Jonathan and the grandson of Saul, entered David’s presence, he fell on his face and did obeisance. David said: “Meribbaal!” He replied: “I am your servant.”

⁷ David then said to him: “Do not be afraid. I intend to show you great kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I shall restore to you all the lands that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you yourself shall always eat at my table.” ⁸ Meribbaal again prostrated himself and said: “Of what importance is your servant that you should look with kindness upon a dead dog like me?”

⁹ Then David summoned Saul’s servant Ziba and said to him: “I am turning over to your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and to his family. ¹⁰ You and your sons and your servants shall cultivate the land for him and bring in the harvest to provide for your master’s family to eat. However, Meribbaal, your master’s grandson, shall always eat at my table.”

Ziba, who had fifteen sons and twenty servants, ¹¹ said to the king: “Your servant shall do everything that my lord the king has commanded him.” Therefore, Meribbaal ate at the king’s table like one of the king’s sons.

¹² Meribbaal had a young son whose name was Mica. All the members of Ziba’s household became servants of Meribbaal. ¹³ However, Meribbaal lived in Jerusalem because he always ate at the king’s table, for he was crippled in both feet.

Chapter 10

Insult of the Ammonites. ¹ Sometime afterward the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun succeeded him as king. ² David thought: “I will show Hanun, the son of Nahash, the same loyalty that his father showed to me.” Then David sent a delegation to console him at the loss of his father.

When David’s envoys entered the country of the Ammonites, ³ the Ammonite princes said to their lord Hanun: “Do you truly believe that David means to honor your father just because he has sent envoys to express their condolences to you? Is it not far more likely that he has sent them to be spies so that they may explore and reconnoiter the city and thus be better prepared to overthrow it?”

⁴ Thereupon Hanun seized David’s envoys, shaved off half of their beards, cut away the lower half of their garments up to their hips, and then sent them away.^{[ac] 5} When David was informed about how they had been treated, he sent messengers to meet them, for they were greatly humiliated, and to instruct them: “Remain in Jericho until your beards have grown again, and then return.”

Ammonites Defeated. ⁶ When the Ammonites realized that they had greatly offended David, they sent envoys to hire the Arameans of Beth-rehob and the Arameans of Zobah to come to their support, twenty thousand foot soldiers in number, as well as one thousand men from the king of Maacah, and twelve thousand men from Tob.

⁷ When David learned about this, he sent out Joab with his entire force of trained warriors. ⁸ The Ammonites then came forth and drew up in battle formation at the entrance of their city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah stayed some distance away in the open country.

⁹ When Joab perceived that he would be attacked both from the front and from the rear, he chose the best of the troops of Israel and arrayed them against the Arameans. ¹⁰ He put the rest of his forces in charge of his brother Abishai and arrayed them against the Ammonites.

¹¹ Then Joab said: “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you must come to my aid. However, if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to help you. ¹² Be brave! Let us fight courageously for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God. The Lord will do what he judges to be best.”

¹³ Then Joab and the soldiers with him moved forward into battle against the Arameans and put them to flight. ¹⁴ When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they likewise fled when they were confronted by Abishai and withdrew into the city. Then Joab ceased his attack against the Ammonites and withdrew to Jerusalem.

¹⁵ Arameans Defeated. When the Arameans realized that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered their forces together. ¹⁶ Hadadezer sent messengers to summon other Arameans who lived beyond the Euphrates, and they came to Helam, with Shobach, the commander of the army of Hadadezer, at their head.

¹⁷ When David was informed of this, he assembled all of the forces of Israel, crossed the Jordan, and advanced to Helam. The Arameans then drew up in battle formation against David and fought with him. ¹⁸ However, they were compelled to flee from the Israelite forces. David’s men killed seven hundred Arameans in chariots and forty thousand foot soldiers. In addition, Sho-bach, the general of their army, was seriously wounded, and he died on the battlefield.

¹⁹ When all of the kings who were vassals of Hadadezer realized that they had been defeated by Israel, they sued for peace with the Israelites and became their subjects. As a result, the Arameans were afraid to give any further help to the Ammonites.

Chapter 11

David’s Son. ¹ With the onset of spring, the time of year when kings go off to war, David sent forth Joab along with his officers and the entire Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. However, David himself remained in Jerusalem. ² One evening, when David arose from his couch and walked about on the roof of his palace, he saw from the roof a woman bathing. She was very beautiful. ³ David made inquiries about the woman, and he was told: “That is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.”

⁴ David sent messengers to fetch her, and when she came to him, he had relations with her, just after she had purified herself from her uncleanness. Then she returned home. ⁵ The woman conceived, and she sent a message to David: “I am pregnant.”

⁶ Then David sent word to Joab: “Send me Uriah the Hittite,” and Joab did so. ⁷ When Uriah returned, David asked him how Joab and the troops were faring and how the war was going. ⁸ Then David said to Uriah: “Go down to your house and bathe your feet.” Uriah departed from the king’s palace, and a gift from the king was sent to his house.

⁹ However, Uriah did not return to his house, but rather he slept at the palace gate with all the king’s bodyguard. ¹⁰ Upon receiving the report that Uriah had not returned home, David said to him: “You have just arrived from a journey. Why didn’t you go down to your house?”

¹¹ Uriah replied: “The Ark and Israel and Judah are lodged in tents, and my master Joab and your majesty’s soldiers are encamped in the open fields. How then can I feel comfortable to go to my house, to eat and to drink and to sleep with my wife? As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I shall do no such thing.”

¹² Then David said to Uriah: “Remain here for one more day. Tomorrow I will send you back.” Therefore, Uriah remained that day in Jerusalem. ¹³ On the following day David invited Uriah to eat and drink with him and caused him to become drunk. In the evening he went outside to lie down and fall asleep with the king’s servants, but he did not go down to his house.

¹⁴ In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it to him in the care of Uriah. ¹⁵ In the letter he wrote: “Assign Uriah up front where the fighting is fierce, and then draw back from him so that he may be struck down and die.”

¹⁶ As Joab was besieging the city, he stationed Uriah where he knew the enemy had deployed its most valiant warriors. ¹⁷ When the men of the city came forth and fought against Joab, some of the soldiers of David fell. Uriah the Hittite was also slain.

¹⁸ Then Joab sent David a full account of the battle, ¹⁹ and he instructed the messenger: “When you have finished telling the king all the details about the fighting, ²⁰ his anger may be aroused and he may say to you: ‘Why did you go so close to the city to fight? Were you not aware that they would shoot from the wall? ²¹ Do you recall who killed Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal? Was it not a woman who dropped down a millstone on him from the wall, resulting in his death at Thebez? Why did you go so close to the wall?’ Then say to him: ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.’ ”

²² Therefore, the messenger set off, and on his arrival he relayed to David everything that Joab had instructed him to say. ²³ He told David: “Their men initially gained an advantage over us, and they came forth to fight against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance of the gate. ²⁴ Then their archers shot down at your servants from the wall, and some of the king’s servants died. Your servant Uriah the Hittite was also slain.”

²⁵ David then said to the messenger: “This is what you are to say to Joab: ‘Do not let this matter cause you any distress, for the sword devours now one and now another. Press your attack against the city and destroy it.’ That message should encourage him.”^[ad]

²⁶ When the wife of Uriah was told that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. ²⁷ Then, when the period of mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her to live in his palace. She became his wife and bore him a son. However, the Lord was greatly displeased at what David had done.

Chapter 12

Nathan’s Parable. ¹ The Lord sent the prophet Nathan to David, and when Nathan arrived, he said to him: “There were two men in a certain town. One was rich and the other was poor. ² The rich man had flocks and herds in great abundance, ³ but the poor man had nothing at all except for one little ewe lamb which he had bought. He cared for it, and the lamb grew up with him and with his children. It would share the little food he had and drink from his cup and sleep in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.

⁴ “On one occasion the rich man welcomed a traveler into his house, but he had no wish to take one animal from his flock or herd to provide a meal for his guest. Instead he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and prepared that for his visitor.”

⁵ On hearing this, David flew into a rage against that man, and he said to Nathan: “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die. ⁶ He must make fourfold restitution^[ae] for the lamb, because he has done this without showing the least bit of pity.”

David’s Punishment. ⁷ Then Nathan said to David: “You are that man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king of Israel, and I rescued you from the clutches of Saul. ⁸ I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives as your own. I also gave you the house of Israel and the house of Judah. And if that had not been sufficient, I would have given you even more.

⁹ “ ‘Why have you shown your lack of gratitude to the Lord by doing what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and taken his wife to be your own after having killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. ¹⁰ Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, since you have shown contempt for me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’