Bible in 90 Days

²⁰ Saul quickly fell to the ground and lay there. He was afraid because of what Samuel had said. He was also very weak because he had eaten nothing all that day and night.

²¹ Then the woman came to Saul. She saw that he was really frightened. She said, “Look, I, your servant, have obeyed you. I have risked my life and done what you told me to do. ²² Now please listen to me. Let me give you some food. Then you may eat and have enough strength to go on your way.”

²³ But Saul refused. He said, “I won’t eat.”

His servants joined the woman in asking him to eat. And he listened to them. So he got up from the ground and sat on the bed.

²⁴ The woman had a fat calf at the house. She quickly killed it. She took some flour and mixed dough with her hands. Then she baked some bread without yeast. ²⁵ She put the food before them, and they ate. Then that same night they got up and left.

David Goes Back to Ziklag

29 The Philistines gathered all their soldiers at Aphek. Israel camped by the spring at Jezreel. ² The Philistine kings were marching with their groups of 100 and 1,000 men. David and his men were marching at the back with Achish. ³ The Philistine commanders asked, “What are these Hebrews doing here?”

Achish told them, “This is David. He was an officer to Saul king of Israel. But he has been with me for over a year now. I have found nothing wrong in David since the time he left Saul and came to me.”

⁴ But the Philistine commanders were angry with Achish. They said, “Send David back! He must go back to the city you gave him. He can’t go with us into battle. If he’s here, we’ll have an enemy in our own camp. He would please his king by killing our own men. ⁵ David is the one the Israelites sing about in their dances:

⁶ So Achish called David. He said to him, “As surely as the Lord lives, you are loyal. I would be pleased to have you serve in my army. Since the day you came to me, I have found no wrong in you. But the Philistine kings don’t trust you. ⁷ Go back in peace. Don’t do anything to displease the Philistine kings.”

⁸ David asked, “What wrong have I done? What evil have you found in me from the day I came to you until now? Why won’t you allow me to fight your enemies, my lord and king?”

⁹ Achish answered, “I know you are as pleasing to me as an angel from God. But the Philistine commanders have said, ‘David can’t go with us into battle.’ ¹⁰ Early in the morning you and your master’s servants, the Israelites, should go back. Go back to the city I gave you. Leave as soon as the sun comes up.”

¹¹ So David and his men got up early in the morning. They went back to the country of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

David’s War with the Amalekites

30 On the third day David and his men arrived at Ziklag. The Amalekites had raided southern Judah and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it. ² They took the women and everyone in Ziklag as prisoners, both young and old. But they did not kill any of the people. They only took them away.

³ When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found the town had been burned. Their wives, sons and daughters had been taken as prisoners. ⁴ Then David and his army cried loudly until they were too weak to cry anymore. ⁵ David’s two wives had also been taken. They were Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal from Carmel. ⁶ The men in the army were threatening to kill David with stones. This upset David very much. Each man was sad and angry because his sons and daughters had been taken as prisoners. But David found strength in the Lord his God. ⁷ David said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring me the holy vest.”

⁸ Then David prayed to the Lord. He said, “Should I chase the people who took our families? Will I catch them?”

The Lord answered, “Chase them. You will catch them. You will succeed in saving your families.”

⁹ David and the 600 men with him came to the Besor Ravine. Some of the men stayed there. ¹⁰ David and 400 men kept up the chase. The other 200 men stayed behind because they were too tired and weak to cross the ravine.

¹¹ David’s men found an Egyptian in a field. They took him to David. They gave the Egyptian some water to drink and some food to eat. ¹² They gave him a piece of a fig cake and two clusters of raisins. He felt better after eating. He had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and nights.

¹³ David asked him, “Who is your master? Where do you come from?”

He answered, “I’m an Egyptian. I’m the slave of an Amalekite. Three days ago my master left me, because I became sick. ¹⁴ We attacked the southern area of the Kerethites. We attacked the land of Judah and the southern area belonging to Caleb. We burned Ziklag, as well.

¹⁵ David asked him, “Will you lead me to the people who took our families?”

He answered, “Yes, if you will make a promise to me before God. Promise that you won’t kill me or give me back to my master. Then I will take you to them.”

¹⁶ So the Egyptian led David to the Amalekites. They were lying around on the ground, eating and drinking. They were celebrating with the things they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah. ¹⁷ David fought them from sunset until evening the next day. None of them escaped, except 400 young men who rode off on their camels. ¹⁸ David got his two wives back. He also got back everything the Amalekites had taken. ¹⁹ Nothing was missing. David brought back everything: the young and old people, the sons and daughters, the valuable things and everything the Amalekites had taken. ²⁰ David took all the sheep and cattle. His men made these animals go in front. They said, “They are David’s prize.”

²¹ Then David came to the 200 men who had been too tired and weak to follow him. He had made them stay at the Besor Ravine. They came out to meet David and the army with him. When he came near, the men at the ravine greeted David and his army.

²² But there were evil men and troublemakers in the group that followed David. They said, “These 200 men didn’t go with us. So we won’t give them any of the things we took. But each man may take his wife and children and go.”

²³ David answered, “No, my brothers. Don’t do that after what the Lord has given us. He has given us the enemy who attacked us. ²⁴ Who will listen to what you say? The share will be the same for the man who stayed with the supplies as for the man who went into battle. All will share alike.” ²⁵ David made this an order and rule for Israel. This order and rule continues even today.

²⁶ David arrived in Ziklag. Then he sent some of the things he had taken from the Amalekites to his friends, the leaders of Judah. He said, “Here is a present for you from the things we took from the Lord’s enemies.”

²⁷ David sent some things from the Amalekites to the leaders in Bethel, Ramoth in the southern part of Judah, Jattir, ²⁸ Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa ²⁹ and Racal. He also sent some to the leaders of the cities of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites, ³⁰ to Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach ³¹ and Hebron. He sent some things to the people in all the other places where he and his men had been.

The Death of Saul

31 The Philistines fought against Israel, and the Israelites ran away from them. Many Israelites were killed at Mount Gilboa. ² The Philistines fought hard against Saul and his sons. They killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. ³ The fighting became bad around Saul. When the archers shot at him, he was badly wounded. ⁴ He said to the officer who carried his armor, “Pull out your sword and kill me. Then those uncircumcised men won’t make fun of me and kill me.” But Saul’s officer refused, because he was afraid. So Saul took his own sword and threw himself on it. ⁵ The officer saw that Saul was dead. So he threw himself on his own sword. And he died with Saul. ⁶ So Saul, his three sons and the officer who carried his armor died together that day.

⁷ Now there were Israelites who lived on the other side of Jezreel Valley. And some lived across the Jordan River. They saw how the Israelite army had run away. And they saw that Saul and his sons were dead. So they left their cities and ran away. Then the Philistines came and lived there.

⁸ The next day the Philistines came to take all the valuable things from the dead soldiers. They found Saul and his three sons dead on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ They cut off Saul’s head and took off his armor. Then they sent men to tell the news through all the land of the Philistines. They told it in the temple of their idols and to their people. ¹⁰ They put Saul’s armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths. They also hung his body on the wall of Beth Shan.

¹¹ The people living in Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul. ¹² So the brave soldiers of Jabesh marched all night and came to Beth Shan. They took the bodies of Saul and his sons off the wall of Beth Shan. Then they took them to Jabesh. There the people of Jabesh burned the bodies. ¹³ They took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh. Then the people of Jabesh gave up eating for seven days.

David Learns About Saul’s Death

1 Now Saul was dead. And after David had defeated the Amalekites, he returned to Ziklag. He stayed there two days. ² On the third day a young man came to Ziklag. He came from Saul’s camp. To show his sadness his clothes were torn, and he had dirt on his head. He came and bowed facedown on the ground before David.

³ David asked him, “Where did you come from?”

The man answered him, “I escaped from the Israelite camp.”

⁴ David asked him, “What happened? Please tell me!”

The man answered, “The people have run away from the battle. Many of them have fallen dead. Saul and his son Jonathan are dead also.”

⁵ David said to him, “How do you know Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”

⁶ The young man answered, “I happened to be on Mount Gilboa. There I saw Saul leaning on his spear. The Philistine chariots and the men riding in them were coming closer to Saul. ⁷ When he looked back and saw me, he called to me. I answered him, ‘Here I am!’

⁸ “Then Saul asked me, ‘Who are you?’

“I told him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’

⁹ “Then Saul said to me, ‘Please come here and kill me. I am badly hurt and am almost dead already.’

¹⁰ “So I went over and killed him. He had been hurt so badly I knew he couldn’t live. Then I took the crown from his head and the bracelet from his arm. I have brought them here to you, my master.”

¹¹ Then David tore his clothes to show his sorrow. And all the men with him did also. ¹² They were very sad and cried. They did not eat until evening. They cried for Saul and his son Jonathan. And they cried for the Israelites who had been killed with swords.

David Orders the Amalekite Killed

¹³ David asked the young man who brought the report, “Where are you from?”

The young man answered, “I am the son of a foreigner. I am an Amalekite.”

¹⁴ David asked him, “Why were you not afraid to kill the Lord’s appointed king?”

¹⁵ Then David called one of his men. David told him, “Go! Kill the Amalekite!” So the Israelite killed the Amalekite. ¹⁶ David had said to the Amalekite, “You are responsible for your own death. You have spoken against yourself! You said, ‘I have killed the Lord’s appointed king.’”

David’s Song About Saul and Jonathan

¹⁷ David sang a funeral song about Saul and his son Jonathan. ¹⁸ David ordered that the people of Judah be taught this song. It is called “The Bow.” This song is written in the Book of Jashar:

David Is Made King of Judah

2 Later, David prayed to the Lord. David said, “Should I go up to any of the cities of Judah?”

The Lord said to David, “Go.”

David asked, “Where should I go?”

The Lord answered, “To Hebron.”

² So David went up to Hebron with his two wives. One was Ahinoam from Jezreel. The other was Abigail, the widow of Nabal in Carmel. ³ David also brought his men and their families. They all made their homes in the cities of Hebron. ⁴ Then the men of Judah came to Hebron. They appointed David king over Judah.

They told David that the men of Jabesh Gilead had buried Saul. ⁵ So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead. They told David’s message to the men in Jabesh: “The Lord bless you. You have shown kindness to your master Saul by burying him. ⁶ May the Lord now be kind and true to you. I will also be kind to you because you have done this. ⁷ Now be strong and brave. Saul your master is dead. The people of Judah have appointed me their king.”

War Between Judah and Israel

⁸ Now Abner son of Ner was the commander of Saul’s army. Abner took Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth to Mahanaim. ⁹ There Abner made him king of Gilead, Ashuri, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel. ¹⁰ Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth was 40 years old when he became king over Israel. He ruled two years. But the people of Judah followed David. ¹¹ David was king in Hebron for seven years and six months.

¹² Abner son of Ner and the servants of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul left Mahanaim. They went to Gibeon. ¹³ Joab son of Zeruiah and David’s men also went there. They met Abner and Ish-Bosheth’s men at the pool of Gibeon. Abner’s group sat on one side of the pool. Joab’s group sat on the other side.

¹⁴ Abner said to Joab, “Let’s have the young men get up and have a contest here.”

Joab said, “Yes, let them have a contest.”

¹⁵ Then the young men got up. The two groups counted their men for the contest. Twelve men were chosen from the people of Benjamin for Ish-Bosheth son of Saul. Twelve men were chosen from David’s men. ¹⁶ Each man grabbed his enemy’s head. Then he stabbed his enemy’s side with a knife. And the men fell down together. So that place in Gibeon is called The Field of the Sharp Knives. ¹⁷ That day the contest became a terrible battle. And David’s men defeated Abner and the Israelites.

Abner Kills Asahel

¹⁸ Zeruiah’s three sons, Joab, Abishai and Asahel, were there. Now Asahel was a fast runner. He was as fast as a deer in the field. ¹⁹ Asahel chased Abner, going straight toward him. ²⁰ Abner looked back and asked, “Are you Asahel?”

Asahel said, “Yes, I am.”

²¹ Then Abner said to Asahel, “Turn to your right or left. Catch one of the young men and take his armor.” But Asahel refused to stop chasing him.

²² Abner again said to Asahel, “Stop chasing me! If you don’t stop, I’ll have to kill you! Then I won’t be able to face your brother Joab again!”

²³ But Asahel refused to stop chasing Abner. So Abner used the back end of his spear. He stabbed it into Asahel’s stomach, and the spear came out of his back. Asahel died right there. Everyone stopped when they came to the place where Asahel’s body lay.

²⁴ But Joab and Abishai continued chasing Abner. The sun was going down when they arrived at the hill of Ammah. This is near Giah on the way to the empty land near Gibeon. ²⁵ The men of Benjamin came to Abner. They all stood together at the top of the hill.

²⁶ Abner shouted to Joab, “Must the sword kill forever? Surely you must know this will only end in sadness! Tell the people to stop chasing their own brothers!”

²⁷ Then Joab said, “If you had not said anything, the people would have chased their brothers until morning. This is as sure as God is alive.” ²⁸ Then Joab blew a trumpet, and his people stopped chasing the Israelites. They did not try to fight them anymore.

²⁹ Abner and his men marched all night through the Jordan Valley. They crossed the Jordan River. After marching all day, they arrived at Mahanaim.

³⁰ Joab came back after he had stopped chasing Abner. Then Joab gathered the people together. Asahel and 19 of David’s men were missing. ³¹ But David’s men had killed 360 Benjaminites who had followed Abner. ³² David’s men took Asahel and buried him. They put him in the tomb of his father at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night. The sun came up as they reached Hebron.

3 There was a long war between the people who supported Saul’s family and those who supported David’s family. The supporters of David’s family became stronger and stronger. And the supporters of Saul’s family became weaker and weaker.

David’s Sons

² Sons were born to David at Hebron. The first son was Amnon. Amnon’s mother was Ahinoam from Jezreel. ³ The second son was Kileab. Kileab’s mother was Abigail, the widow of Nabal from Carmel. The third son was Absalom. Absalom’s mother was Maacah daughter of Talmai. Talmai was king of Geshur. ⁴ The fourth son was Adonijah. His mother was Haggith. The fifth son was Shephatiah. His mother was Abital. ⁵ The sixth son was Ithream. His mother was Eglah, David’s wife. These sons were born to David at Hebron.

Abner Joins David

⁶ Abner made himself a main leader among the supporters of Saul. He did this during the war between the supporters of Saul’s family and the supporters of David’s family.

⁷ Now Saul had once had a slave woman named Rizpah. She was the daughter of Aiah. Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, “Why did you have physical relations with my father’s slave woman?”

⁸ Abner was very angry because of what Ish-Bosheth said. Abner said, “I have been loyal to Saul and his family and friends! I didn’t hand you over to David. I am not a traitor working for Judah! But now you are saying I did something wrong with this woman! ⁹ May God punish me terribly if I don’t help David. I will make sure that what God promised does happen! ¹⁰ I will take the kingdom from the family of Saul. I will make David king of Israel and Judah! He will rule from Dan to Beersheba.”^[a]

¹¹ Ish-Bosheth couldn’t say anything to Abner. He was too afraid of Abner.

¹² Then Abner sent messengers to David. Abner said, “Who is going to rule the land? Make an agreement with me, and I will help you become the king of all Israel.”

¹³ David answered, “Good! I will make an agreement with you. But I ask you one thing. I will not meet with you unless you bring Saul’s daughter Michal to me.” ¹⁴ Then David sent messengers to Saul’s son Ish-Bosheth. David said, “Give me my wife Michal. She was promised to me. I killed 100 Philistines to get her.”

¹⁵ So Ish-Bosheth sent men to take Michal from her husband. He was Paltiel son of Laish. ¹⁶ Michal’s husband went with her, crying as he followed her to Bahurim. But Abner said to Paltiel, “Go back home.” So he went home.

¹⁷ Abner sent a message to the elders of Israel. He said, “You have been wanting to make David your king. ¹⁸ Now do it! The Lord has spoken about David. The Lord said, ‘I will save my people the Israelites. I will save them from the Philistines and all their enemies. I will do this through my servant David.’”

¹⁹ Abner also said these things to the people of Benjamin. He then went to Hebron to tell David what the Benjaminites and Israel wanted to do. ²⁰ Abner came with 20 men to David at Hebron. There David prepared a feast for them. ²¹ Then Abner said to David, “My master and king, I will go and bring all the Israelites to you. Then they will make an agreement with you. You will rule over all Israel as you wanted.” So David let Abner go, and he left in peace.

Abner’s Death

²² Just then Joab and David’s men came from a battle. They had many valuable things they had taken from the enemy. David had let Abner leave in peace. So he was not with David at Hebron. ²³ Joab and all his army arrived at Hebron. The army said to Joab, “Abner son of Ner came to King David. And David let him leave in peace.”

²⁴ Joab came to the king and said, “What have you done? Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he’s gone. ²⁵ You know Abner son of Ner! He came to trick you! He came to learn about everything you are doing!”

²⁶ Then Joab left David and sent messengers after Abner. They brought Abner back from the well of Sirah. But David did not know this. ²⁷ When Abner arrived at Hebron, Joab took him aside into the gateway. Joab acted as though he wanted to talk with him in private. But Joab stabbed Abner in the stomach, and Abner died. Abner had killed Joab’s brother Asahel. So Joab killed Abner to pay him back.

²⁸ Later David heard the news. He said, “My kingdom and I are innocent forever. We did not kill Abner son of Ner. The Lord knows this. ²⁹ Joab and his family are responsible for this. I hope many troubles will come to his family. May his family always have someone with sores or with a harmful skin disease. May they always have someone who must lean on a crutch. May some of his family be killed in war. May they always have someone without food to eat.”

³⁰ (Joab and his brother Abishai had killed Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel. This was in the battle at Gibeon.)

³¹ Then David spoke to Joab and to all the people with Joab. He said, “Tear your clothes and put on rough cloth to show how sad you are. Cry for Abner.” King David himself followed behind the body of Abner. ³² So they buried Abner in Hebron. David and all the people cried at Abner’s grave.

³³ King David sang this funeral song for Abner.

Then all the people cried again for Abner. ³⁵ They came to encourage David to eat while it was still day. But he made a promise. He said, “May God punish me terribly if I eat bread or any other food before the sun sets!”

³⁶ All the people saw what happened. They agreed with what the king was doing. ³⁷ That day all the people of Judah and all the Israelites understood. They knew it was not David who had killed Abner son of Ner.

³⁸ David said to his officers, “You know that a very important leader died today in Israel. ³⁹ Even though I am the appointed king, I am weak today. These sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May the Lord give them the punishment they should have.”

Ish-Bosheth’s Death

4 Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died at Hebron. Then Ish-Bosheth and all Israel became very frightened. ² Two men who were captains in Saul’s army came to Ish-Bosheth. One man was named Baanah, and the other was named Recab. They were the sons of Rimmon of Beeroth, who was a Benjaminite. (The town Beeroth belonged to the tribe of Benjamin.) ³ The people of Beeroth ran away to Gittaim. And they still live there today.

⁴ (Now Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was crippled in both feet. His name was Mephibosheth. He was five years old when the news came from Jezreel that Saul and Jonathan were dead. Mephibosheth’s nurse picked him up and ran away. But as she hurried to leave, he fell and became crippled.)

⁵ Recab and Baanah, sons of Rimmon, were from Beeroth. They went to Ish-Bosheth’s house at noon. ^6-7 They came into the middle of the house. Recab and Baanah came as if they were going to get some wheat. Ish-Bosheth was lying on his bed in his bedroom. Recab and Baanah stabbed him in the stomach. Then they cut off his head and took it with them. They traveled all night through the Jordan Valley. ⁸ When they arrived at Hebron, they gave his head to David. They said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul. He was your enemy. He tried to kill you! Today the Lord has paid back Saul and his family for what they did to you!”

⁹ David answered Recab and his brother Baanah sons of Rimmon of Beeroth. David said, “As surely as the Lord lives, he has saved me from all trouble! ¹⁰ Once a man thought he was bringing me good news. He told me, ‘Look! Saul is dead!’ But I took hold of him and killed him at Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news! ¹¹ So even more I must require your death. This is because evil men have killed an innocent man. And he was on his own bed in his own house!”

¹² So David commanded his men to kill Recab and Baanah. Then they cut off the hands and feet of Recab and Baanah. They hung their hands and feet over the pool of Hebron. Then they took Ish-Bosheth’s head and buried it in Abner’s tomb at Hebron.

David Is Made King of Israel

5 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron. They said to him, “Look, we are your own family. ² In the past Saul was king over us. But you were the one leading us in battle for Israel. The Lord said to you, ‘You will be like a shepherd for my people, the Israelites. You will become their ruler.’”

³ All the elders of Israel came to King David at Hebron. Then he made an agreement with them in Hebron in front of the Lord. Then they poured oil on David to make him king over Israel.

⁴ David was 30 years old when he became king. He ruled 40 years. ⁵ He was king over Judah in Hebron for 7 years and 6 months. And he was king over all Israel and Judah in Jerusalem for 33 years.

⁶ The king and his men went to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, “You can’t come into our city. Even our people who are blind and crippled can stop you.” They said this because they thought David could not enter their city. ⁷ But David did take the city of Jerusalem with its strong walls. It became the City of David.

⁸ That day David said to his men, “To defeat the Jebusites you must go through the water tunnel. Then you can reach those ‘crippled’ and ‘blind’ enemies. This is why people say, ‘The blind and the crippled cannot enter the palace.’”

⁹ So David lived in the city with its strong walls. He called it the City of David. David built more buildings around it. He began where the land was filled in on the east side of the city. He also built more buildings inside the city. ¹⁰ He became stronger and stronger, because the Lord of heaven’s armies was with him.

¹¹ Hiram king of the city of Tyre sent messengers to David. He also sent cedar logs, carpenters and men to cut stone. They built a palace for David. ¹² Then David knew the Lord really had made him king of Israel. And he knew the Lord had made his kingdom very important. This was because the Lord loved his people, the Israelites.

¹³ In Jerusalem David took for himself more slave women and wives. This was after he moved there from Hebron. More sons and daughters were born to David. ¹⁴ These are the names of the sons born to David in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ¹⁵ Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ¹⁶ Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.

David Defeats the Philistines

¹⁷ Now the Philistines heard that David had been made king over Israel. So all the Philistines went to look for him. But when David heard the news, he went down to a safe place. ¹⁸ So the Philistines came and camped in the Valley of Rephaim. David asked the Lord, “Should I attack the Philistines? Will you help me defeat them?”

¹⁹ The Lord said to David, “Go! I will certainly help you defeat them.”

²⁰ So David went to Baal Perazim and defeated the Philistines there. David said, “Like a flood of water, the Lord has broken through my enemies.” So David named the place Baal Perazim.^{[b] 21} The Philistines left their idols behind at Baal Perazim. And David and his men carried these idols away.

²² Once again the Philistines came and camped at the Valley of Rephaim. ²³ David prayed to the Lord. This time the Lord told David, “Don’t attack the Philistines from the front. Instead, go around them. Attack them opposite the balsam trees. ²⁴ You will hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees. Then you must act quickly. I, the Lord, will have gone ahead of you and defeated the Philistine army.” ²⁵ So David did what the Lord commanded. He defeated the Philistines and chased them all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.

The Ark of the Covenant Is Brought to Jerusalem

6 David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel. There were 30,000 of them. ² Then David and all his people went to Baalah in Judah.^[c] They took the Ark of the Covenant of God from Baalah in Judah and moved it to Jerusalem. The Ark of the Covenant is called by the Name, the name of the Lord of heaven’s armies. His throne is between the gold creatures with wings that are on the Ark of the Covenant. ³ David’s men put the Ark of the Covenant of God on a new cart. Then they brought the Ark of the Covenant out of Abinadab’s house on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, led the new cart. ⁴ This cart had the Ark of the Covenant of God on it. Ahio was walking in front of it. ⁵ David and all the Israelites were playing all kinds of musical instruments before the Lord. They were made of pine wood. There were lyres, harps, tambourines, rattles and cymbals.

⁶ When David’s men came to the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled. The Ark of the Covenant of God began to fall off the cart. So Uzzah reached out and took hold of it. ⁷ The Lord was angry with Uzzah and killed him. Uzzah had not honored God when he touched the Ark of the Covenant. So Uzzah died there beside it. ⁸ David was angry because the Lord had killed Uzzah. So that place is called The Punishment of Uzzah even today.

⁹ David was afraid of the Lord that day. He said, “How can the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord come to me now?” ¹⁰ So David would not move the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord to be with him in Jerusalem. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom, a man from Gath. ¹¹ The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord stayed in Obed-Edom’s house for three months. And the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his family.

¹² The people told David, “The Lord has blessed the family of Obed-Edom. And all his things are blessed. This is because the Ark of the Covenant of God is there.” So David went and brought it up from Obed-Edom’s house to Jerusalem with joy. ¹³ When the men carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord had walked six steps, David sacrificed a bull and a fat calf. ¹⁴ Then David danced with all his might before the Lord. He had on a holy linen vest. ¹⁵ David and all the Israelites shouted with joy. They blew the trumpets as they brought the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord to the city.

¹⁶ Saul’s daughter Michal was looking out the window. She watched as the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord came into the city. When she saw David jumping and dancing before the Lord, she hated him.

¹⁷ David put up a tent for the Ark of the Covenant. Then the Israelites put it in its place inside the tent. David offered whole burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord. ¹⁸ When David finished offering the whole burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of heaven’s armies. ¹⁹ David gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to everyone. He gave them to all the Israelites, both men and women. Then all the people went home.

²⁰ David went back to bless the people in his home. But Saul’s daughter Michal came out to meet him. She said, “The king of Israel did not honor himself today! You took off your clothes in front of the servant girls of your officers. You were like a foolish man who takes off his clothes without shame!”

²¹ Then David said to Michal, “I did it before the Lord. The Lord chose me, not your father. He didn’t choose anyone from Saul’s family. The Lord appointed me to be leader of his people, the Israelites. So I will celebrate in front of the Lord. ²² Maybe I will lose even more honor. And you may think little of me. But the girls you talk about will honor me!”

²³ And Saul’s daughter Michal had no children to the day she died.

David Wants to Build a Temple

7 King David was living in his palace. And the Lord gave him peace from all his enemies around him. ² David said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I am living in a palace made of cedar wood. But the Ark of the Covenant of God is still kept in a tent!”

³ Nathan said to the king, “Go and do what you really want to do. The Lord is with you.”

⁴ But that night the Lord spoke his word to Nathan. The Lord said, ⁵ “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not the person to build a house for me to live in. ⁶ I did not live in a house when I brought the Israelites out of Egypt. I have been moving around all this time with a tent as my home. ⁷ I have continued to move with the tribes of Israel. But I have never asked their leaders who take care of them to build me a house of cedar wood.’

⁸ “You must tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says: I took you from the pasture when you were following the sheep. I took you to become leader of my people, the Israelites. ⁹ I have been with you everywhere you have gone. I have defeated your enemies for you. I will make you as famous as any of the great men on the earth. ¹⁰ Also I will choose a place for my people, the Israelites. I will plant them so they can live in their own home. They will not be bothered anymore. Wicked people will no longer make them suffer as they have in the past. ¹¹ Wicked people continued to do this even when I appointed judges. But I will give you peace from all your enemies. I also tell you that I will make your descendants kings of Israel after you.

¹² “‘Your days will come to an end, and you will die. At that time I will make one of your sons the next king. ¹³ He will build a temple for me. I will make his kingdom strong forever. ¹⁴ I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he sins, I will use other people to punish him. They will be my whips. ¹⁵ But I will not stop loving him. I took away my love and kindness from Saul. I removed Saul when I turned to you. ¹⁶ But your family and your kingdom will continue forever before me. Your rule will last forever.’”

¹⁷ Nathan told David everything he had heard.

David Prays to God

¹⁸ Then King David went in the tent and sat in front of the Lord. David said, “Lord God, why have you made me so important to you? Why have you made my family important? ¹⁹ But that was not enough for you, Lord God. You have also said these kind things about my future family. I am your servant. Lord God, this is not the usual way you talk to people.

²⁰ “What more can I say to you? Lord God, you love me, your servant, so much! ²¹ You have done this wonderful thing because you said you would. You have done it because you wanted to. And you have decided to let me know all these great things. ²² This is why you are great, Lord God! There is no one like you. There is no God except you. We have heard all this ourselves! ²³ And there are no others like your people, the Israelites. They are the one nation on earth that God chose to be his people. You used them to make your name well-known. You did great and wonderful miracles for them. You went ahead of them and forced other nations and their gods out of the land. You freed your people from slavery in Egypt. ²⁴ You made the people of Israel your very own people forever. And, Lord, you became their God.

²⁵ “Now, Lord God, keep the promise you made about my family and me, your servant. Do what you have promised. ²⁶ Then you will be honored forever. And people will say, ‘The Lord of heaven’s armies is God over Israel!’ And the family of your servant David will continue before you.

²⁷ “Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, you have shown things to me. You have said, ‘I will make your family great.’ So I, your servant, am brave enough to pray to you. ²⁸ Lord God, you are God, and your words are true. And you have promised these good things to me, your servant. ²⁹ Please, bless my family. Let it continue before you forever. Lord God, you have said these wonderful things. With your blessing let my family be blessed forever.”

David Wins Many Wars

8 Later, David defeated the Philistines. And he took control of their capital city.

² He also defeated the people of Moab. He forced them to lie on the ground. Then he used a rope to measure them. When two men were measured, David ordered them killed. But every third man was allowed to live. So the people of Moab became servants of David. They gave him the payments he demanded.

³ As David went to take control again at the Euphrates River, he defeated Hadadezer. Hadadezer son of Rehob was king of Zobah. ⁴ David took from Hadadezer 1,700 men who rode in his chariots. He also captured 20,000 foot soldiers. David crippled all but 100 of the chariot horses. He saved those horses to pull chariots.

⁵ Arameans from Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah. But David defeated those 22,000 Arameans. ⁶ Then David put groups of soldiers in Damascus in Aram. The Arameans became David’s servants and gave him the payments he demanded. The Lord gave David victory everywhere he went.

⁷ David took the shields of gold that had belonged to Hadadezer’s officers. He brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ David also took many things made of bronze from Tebah and Berothai. (They were cities that had belonged to Hadadezer.)

⁹ Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer. ¹⁰ So Toi sent his son Joram to greet and congratulate King David. Joram congratulated David for defeating Hadadezer. (Hadadezer had fought wars against Toi before.) Joram brought things made of silver, gold and bronze. ¹¹ David took these things and gave them to the Lord. He also had given other silver and gold to the Lord. He had taken it from the nations he had defeated. ¹² These nations were Edom, Moab, Ammon, Philistia and Amalek. David also defeated the king of Zobah who was Hadadezer son of Rehob.

¹³ David was famous after he returned from the Valley of Salt. There he had defeated 18,000 Arameans. ¹⁴ David put groups of soldiers through all the land of Edom. All the people of Edom became servants for him. The Lord gave David victory everywhere he went.

¹⁵ David was king over all Israel. His decisions were fair and right for all his people. ¹⁶ Joab son of Zeruiah was commander over the army. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder. ¹⁷ Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests. Seraiah was the royal assistant. ¹⁸ Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites, the king’s bodyguards. And David’s sons were important leaders.

David Helps Saul’s Family

9 David asked, “Is there anyone still left in Saul’s family? I want to show kindness to this person for Jonathan’s sake!”

² Now there was a servant named Ziba from Saul’s family. So David’s servants called Ziba to him. King David said to him, “Are you Ziba?”

He answered, “Yes, I am Ziba, your servant.”

³ The king asked, “Is there anyone left in Saul’s family? I want to show God’s kindness to this person.”

Ziba answered the king, “Jonathan has a son still living. He is crippled in both feet.”

⁴ The king asked Ziba, “Where is this son?”

Ziba answered, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.”

⁵ Then King David had servants bring Jonathan’s son from the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar. ⁶ Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, came before David and bowed facedown on the floor.

David said, “Mephibosheth!”

Mephibosheth said, “I am your servant.”

⁷ David said to him, “Don’t be afraid. I will be kind to you for your father Jonathan’s sake. I will give you back all the land of your grandfather Saul. And you will always be able to eat at my table.”

⁸ Mephibosheth bowed to David again. Mephibosheth said, “You are being very kind to me, your servant! And I am no better than a dead dog!”

⁹ Then King David called Saul’s servant Ziba. David said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. ¹⁰ You, your sons and your servants will farm the land for Mephibosheth. You will harvest the crops. Then your master’s grandson will have food to eat. But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, will always be able to eat at my table.”

(Now Ziba had 15 sons and 20 servants.) ¹¹ Ziba said to King David, “I am your servant. I will do everything my master, the king, commands me.”

So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table as if he were one of the king’s sons. ¹² Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica. Everyone in Ziba’s family became Mephibosheth’s servants. ¹³ Mephibosheth was crippled in both feet. He lived in Jerusalem and always ate at the king’s table.

War with Ammonites and Arameans

10 Later Nahash king of the Ammonites died. His son Hanun became king after him. ² David said, “Nahash was kind to me. So I will be kind to his son Hanun.” So David sent his officers to comfort Hanun about his father’s death.

David’s servants went to the land of the Ammonites. ³ But the important men of Ammon spoke to Hanun, their master. They said, “Do you think David wants to honor your father by sending men to comfort you? No! David sent them to study the city and to spy it out. They plan to capture it!” ⁴ So Hanun took David’s officers and shaved off half their beards to shame them. He cut their clothes off at the hips to insult them. Then he sent them away.

⁵ When the people told David, he sent messengers to meet his officers. He did this because these men were very ashamed. King David said, “Wait at Jericho until your beards have grown out. Then come back to Jerusalem.”

⁶ Now the Ammonites saw that they had become David’s enemies. So they hired 20,000 Aramean foot soldiers from Beth Rehob and Zobah. They also hired the king of Maacah with 1,000 men. And they hired 12,000 men from Tob.

⁷ David heard about this. So he sent Joab with the whole army of warriors. ⁸ The Ammonites came out and got ready for the battle. They stood at the city gate. The Arameans from Zobah and Rehob and the men from Tob and Maacah were out in the field. They were standing away from the Ammonites.

⁹ Joab saw that there were enemies both in front of him and behind him. So he chose some of the best men from the Israelites. He got them ready for battle against the Arameans. ¹⁰ Then Joab gave the other men to his brother Abishai to lead against the Ammonites. ¹¹ Joab said to Abishai, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, come help me. If the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will come and help you. ¹² Be strong. Let us fight bravely for our people and for the cities of our God. The Lord will do what he decides is right.”

¹³ Then Joab and his men attacked the Arameans, and they ran away. ¹⁴ The Ammonites saw that the Arameans were running away. So they ran away from Abishai and went back to their city. So Joab returned from the battle with the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.

¹⁵ The Arameans saw that the Israelites had defeated them. So they came together into one big army. ¹⁶ Hadadezer sent messengers to bring the Arameans who lived on the other side of the Euphrates River. These Arameans went to Helam. Their leader was Shobach, the commander of Hadadezer’s army.

¹⁷ When David heard about this, he gathered all the Israelites together. They crossed over the Jordan River and went to Helam. There the Arameans prepared for battle and attacked. ¹⁸ But David defeated the Arameans, and they ran away from the Israelites. David killed 700 Aramean chariot drivers and 40,000 Aramean horsemen. He also killed Shobach, the commander of the Aramean army.

¹⁹ The kings who served Hadadezer saw that the Israelites had defeated them. So they made peace with the Israelites and served them. And the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites again.

David and Bathsheba

11 In the spring the kings would go out to war. So in the spring David sent out Joab, his servants and all the Israelites. They destroyed the Ammonites and attacked the city of Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem. ² One evening David got up from his bed. He walked around on the roof^[d] of his palace. While he was on the roof, he saw a woman bathing. She was very beautiful. ³ So David sent his servants to find out who she was. A servant answered, “That woman is Bathsheba daughter of Eliam. She is the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” ⁴ David sent messengers to bring Bathsheba to him. When she came to him, he had physical relations with her. (Now Bathsheba had purified herself from her monthly period.) Then she went back to her house. ⁵ But Bathsheba became pregnant. She sent word to David, saying, “I am pregnant.”

⁶ So David sent this message to Joab: “Send Uriah the Hittite to me.” So Joab sent Uriah to David. ⁷ Uriah came to David. And David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. ⁸ Then David said to Uriah, “Go home and rest.”

So Uriah left the palace. The king also sent a gift to him. ⁹ But Uriah did not go home. He slept outside the door of the palace. He slept there as all the king’s officers did.

¹⁰ The officers told David, “Uriah did not go home.”

Then David said to Uriah, “You came from a long trip. Why didn’t you go home?”

¹¹ Uriah said to him, “The Ark of the Covenant and the soldiers of Israel and Judah are staying in tents. My master Joab and his officers are camping out in the fields. It isn’t right for me to go home to eat and drink and have intimate relations with my wife!”

¹² David said to Uriah, “Stay here today. Tomorrow I’ll send you back to the battle.” So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next. ¹³ Then David called Uriah to come to see him. Uriah ate and drank with David. David made Uriah drunk, but he still did not go home. That evening Uriah went to sleep with the king’s officers outside the king’s door.

¹⁴ The next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by Uriah. ¹⁵ In the letter David wrote, “Put Uriah on the front lines where the fighting is worst. Then leave him there alone. Let him be killed in battle.”

¹⁶ Joab watched the city and saw where its strongest defenders were. He put Uriah there. ¹⁷ The men of the city came out to fight against Joab. Some of David’s men were killed. And Uriah the Hittite was one of them.

¹⁸ Then Joab sent a report to David about everything that had happened in the war. ¹⁹ Joab told the messenger, “Tell King David what happened in the war. ²⁰ After you finish, the king may become angry. He may ask you, ‘Why did you go so near the city to fight? Didn’t you know they would shoot arrows from the city wall? ²¹ Do you remember who killed Abimelech son of Jerub-Besheth?^[e] It was a woman on the city wall. She threw a large stone for grinding grain on Abimelech. She killed him there in Thebez. Why did you go so near the wall?’ If King David asks that, you must answer, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite also died.’”

²² The messenger went in and told David everything Joab had told him to say. ²³ The messenger told David, “The men of Ammon were winning. They came out and attacked us in the field. But we fought them back to the city gate. ²⁴ The men on the city wall shot arrows at your servants. Some of your men were killed. Your servant Uriah the Hittite also died.”

²⁵ David said to the messenger, “Say this to Joab: ‘Don’t be upset about this. The sword kills everyone the same. Make a stronger attack against the city and capture it.’ Encourage Joab with these words.”

²⁶ When Bathsheba heard that her husband was dead, she cried for him. ²⁷ After she finished her time of sadness, David sent servants to bring her to his house. She became David’s wife and gave birth to his son. But the Lord did not like what David had done.

David’s Son Dies

12 The Lord sent Nathan to David. When Nathan came to David, Nathan said, “There were two men in a city. One man was rich, but the other was poor. ² The rich man had very many sheep and cattle. ³ But the poor man had nothing except one little female lamb he had bought. The poor man fed the lamb. It grew up with him and his children. It shared his food and drank from his cup. It slept in his arms. The lamb was like a daughter to him.

⁴ “Then a traveler stopped to visit the rich man. The rich man wanted to give food to the traveler. But he didn’t want to take one of his own sheep or cattle to feed the traveler. Instead, he took the lamb from the poor man. The rich man killed the lamb and cooked it for his visitor.”

⁵ David became very angry at the rich man. He said to Nathan, “As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this should die! ⁶ He must pay for the lamb four times for doing such a thing. He had no mercy!”

⁷ Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘I appointed you king of Israel. I saved you from Saul. ⁸ I gave you his kingdom and his wives. And I made you king of Israel and Judah. And if that had not been enough, I would have given you even more. ⁹ So why did you ignore the Lord’s command? Why did you do what he says is wrong? You killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites! And you took his wife to become your wife! ¹⁰ So there will always be people in your family who will be killed by a sword. This is because you showed that you did not respect me! And you took the wife of Uriah the Hittite!’