2 Samuel

1

¹ Now after the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, David remained in Ziklag two days.
² And on the third day there came a man from Saul’s camp with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid him homage.
³ And David said to him, Where did you come from? And he said to him, From the camp of Israel I have escaped.
⁴ And David said to him, What has happened? Tell me. And he said that the people had fled from the battle and that also many of the people had fallen and died and that also Saul and Jonathan his son were dead.
⁵ And David said to the young man that told him these things, How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?
⁶ And the young man that told him these things said, By chance I happened to be upon Mount Gilboa; and just then Saul leaned on his spear, and just then the chariots and horsemen pursued closely after him.
⁷ And when he looked behind him, he saw me; and he called to me. And I said, Here I am.
⁸ And he said to me, Who are you? And I said to him, I am an Amalekite.
⁹ Then he said to me, Stand over me, and kill me; for anguish has seized me because my life is yet wholly within me.
¹⁰ So I stood over him and put him to death, for I knew that he would not live after his fall; and I took the crown that was upon his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them to my lord here.
¹¹ Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, as did all the men who were with him.
¹² And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of Jehovah and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.
¹³ And David said to the young man who told him these things, Where are you from? And he said, I am the son of an Amalekite stranger.
¹⁴ And David said to him, How is it that you were not afraid to stretch out your hand to destroy Jehovah’s anointed?
¹⁵ Then David called one of the young men and said, Come near; fall on him. And he struck him, and he died.
¹⁶ And David said to him, Your blood be upon your head, for your mouth has testified against you, saying, I have killed Jehovah’s anointed.
¹⁷ And David sang this dirge over Saul and over Jonathan his son;
¹⁸ And he commanded them to teach the children of Judah The Song of the Bow. It is now written in the book of Jashar:
¹⁹ The beauty of Israel lies slain upon your high places. / How the mighty have fallen!
²⁰ Tell it not in Gath; / Bear not the news of it in the streets of Ashkelon; / Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, / Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
²¹ O mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, / Nor fields of heave offerings. / For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, / The shield of Saul, no more anointed with oil.
²² From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, / The bow of Jonathan has not turned back, / And the sword of Saul has not returned empty.
²³ Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives, / And in their death they were not divided. / They were swifter than eagles; / They were stronger than lions.
²⁴ O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet with splendor, / Who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
²⁵ How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! / Jonathan lies slain upon your high places.
²⁶ I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; so very pleasant were you to me. / Your love to me was wonderful, beyond the love of women.
²⁷ How the mighty have fallen, / And the weapons of war perished!

2

¹ And after this David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah? And Jehovah said to him, Go up. And David said, Where shall I go up? And He said, To Hebron.
² So David went up there, as well as his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
³ And David brought up his men who were with him, each man with his household; and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.
⁴ And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, It is the men of Jabesh-gilead who have buried Saul.
⁵ And David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, Blessed are you of Jehovah, because you have shown this kindness to your master, to Saul, and buried him.
⁶ And now may Jehovah show kindness and faithfulness to you; and I also will repay you for this good, because you have done this thing.
⁷ And now may your hands be strong, and you be valiant; for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.
⁸ But Abner the son of Ner, the captain of Saul’s army, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.
⁹ And he made him king over Gilead and over the Ashurites and over Jezreel and over Ephraim and over Benjamin and over all Israel.
¹⁰ Ish-bosheth the son of Saul was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. However the house of Judah followed David.
¹¹ And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
¹² And Abner the son of Ner and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul went forth from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
¹³ And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went forth and met them at the pool of Gibeon. And they sat down, these on the one side of the pool and those on the other side of the pool.
¹⁴ And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men arise and compete before us. And Joab said, Let them arise.
¹⁵ And they arose and went over by number, twelve for Benjamin and for Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
¹⁶ And each seized his opponent by the head, and his sword went into his opponent’s side; and they fell down together. And that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is at Gibeon.
¹⁷ And the battle was very severe that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were routed before the servants of David.
¹⁸ And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was swift of foot, like one of the gazelles which are in the field.
¹⁹ And Asahel pursued after Abner; and as he went, he did not turn to the right hand or to the left from behind Abner.
²⁰ Then Abner looked behind him and said, Is that you, Asahel? And he said, It is I.
²¹ And Abner said to him, Turn away to your right or to your left, and seize one of the young men, and take his armor for yourself. But Asahel would not turn away from following him.
²² And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn away from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to Joab your brother?
²³ But he refused to turn away, so Abner struck him in the stomach with the end of his spear; and the spear came out behind him. And he fell down there and died in that place. And everyone who came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still.
²⁴ But Joab and Abishai pursued after Abner. And as the sun went down, they came to the hill of Ammah, which is before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.
²⁵ And the children of Benjamin gathered together behind Abner and became one troop, and they stood on the top of a hill.
²⁶ And Abner called out to Joab and said, Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end? Then how long shall it be before you command the people to return from following their brothers?
²⁷ And Joab said, As God lives, if you had not spoken, then surely the people would have gone up each one from following his brother in the morning only.
²⁸ And Joab blew the trumpet, and all the people stood still; and they pursued after Israel no more, neither did they fight anymore.
²⁹ And Abner and his men walked all that night through the Arabah. And they crossed over the Jordan and went through all the Bithron, and they came to Mahanaim.
³⁰ And Joab returned from following Abner. And he gathered all the people together, and among David’s servants there were nineteen men missing plus Asahel.
³¹ And the servants of David had struck down of Benjamin and among Abner’s men three hundred and sixty men, who died.
³² And they took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men walked all night, and the day dawned on them at Hebron.

3

¹ Now there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; but David became continually stronger, and the house of Saul became continually weaker.
² And in Hebron sons were born to David. His firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess;
³ And his second, Chileab, of Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai the king of Geshur;
⁴ And the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;
⁵ And the sixth, Ithream, of Eglah David’s wife. These were born to David in Hebron.
⁶ And while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner made himself strong in the house of Saul.
⁷ Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. And Ish-bosheth said to Abner, Why did you go in to my father’s concubine?
⁸ Then Abner became very angry about the words of Ish-bosheth; and he said, Am I a dog’s head that belongs to Judah? Today I show kindness to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hand of David; yet you charge me today with iniquity concerning this woman.
⁹ May God do so to Abner, and even more, if I do not do for David as Jehovah has sworn to him,
¹⁰ To transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beer-sheba!
¹¹ And he could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.
¹² And Abner sent messengers to David where he was, saying, To whom shall the land belong? and saying, Make your covenant with me; and then my hand will be with you, to turn all Israel to you.
¹³ And David said, Fine, I will make a covenant with you; but I require one thing of you, namely, you shall not see my face, unless you first bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to see my face.
¹⁴ Then David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth Saul’s son, saying, Deliver my wife Michal to me, whom I espoused for a hundred Philistine foreskins.
¹⁵ And Ish-bosheth sent men and had her taken from her husband, from Paltiel the son of Laish.
¹⁶ And her husband went along with her to Bahurim, walking and weeping after her. But Abner said to him, Go; return. And he returned.
¹⁷ Now Abner had conferred with the elders of Israel, saying, For some time now you have been seeking for David to be king over you.
¹⁸ So do it now, for Jehovah has spoken of David, saying, By My servant David I will save My people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines and out of the hand of all their enemies.
¹⁹ And Abner also spoke in the ears of Benjamin; and Abner went also to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel and that seemed good to the whole house of Benjamin.
²⁰ So Abner came to David to Hebron, and twenty men with him. And David held a feast for Abner and for the men who were with him.
²¹ And Abner said to David, I will rise up and go and gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you and that you may reign over all that your soul desires. And David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.
²² And there came the servants of David and Joab from an attack, and they brought great spoil with them. But Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace.
²³ And when Joab and all the army that was with him came, they told Joab, saying, Abner the son of Ner has come to the king; and he has sent him away, and he has gone in peace.
²⁴ Then Joab went to the king and said, What have you done? Abner has just come to you. Why is it that you have sent him away and he has gone?
²⁵ You know Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive you, to discover your going out and your coming in, and to know everything that you do.
²⁶ And when Joab went out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, who brought him back from the well of Sirah, though David did not know about it.
²⁷ And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him privately. And there he struck him in the stomach, so that he died for the bloodshed of Asahel his brother.
²⁸ Then afterward, when David heard of it, he said, I and my kingdom are innocent of the bloodshed of Abner the son of Ner before Jehovah forever.
²⁹ May it fall on the head of Joab and on all his father’s house; and may there not fail from the house of Joab one who has an issue or who is a leper or who leans on a staff or who falls by the sword or who lacks bread!
³⁰ So Joab and Abishai his brother slew Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.
³¹ And David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, Tear your clothes, and gird yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn over Abner. And King David followed the bier.
³² And they buried Abner in Hebron. And the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept.
³³ And the king lamented for Abner and said,Should Abner die / As a fool dies?
³⁴ Your hands were not bound, / Nor were your feet put into fetters. / As a man falls before wicked men, you fell. / And all the people wept over him again.
³⁵ And all the people came to make David eat food while it was still day; but David swore, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun goes down!
³⁶ And all the people took note of it, and it pleased them; as everything that the king did pleased all the people.
³⁷ And all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not of the king to put Abner the son of Ner to death.
³⁸ And the king said to his servants, Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel?
³⁹ And today I am weak, even though anointed king; and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too difficult for me. May Jehovah reward the evildoer according to his evil!

4

¹ Now when Saul’s son Ish-bosheth heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel was dismayed.
² And Saul’s son had two men, the captains of bands. The name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the second Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin; for Beeroth is also considered to belong to Benjamin.
³ And the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have been sojourners there until this day.
⁴ Now Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who had crippled feet. He was five years old when the news came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel. And his nurse took him up and fled. And as she hurried to flee, he fell and was made lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.
⁵ And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and around the time of the heat of the day they came into the house of Ish-bosheth, while he was taking his noonday rest.
⁶ And they came into the midst of the house, as though they were taking wheat. And they stabbed him in the stomach. And Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
⁷ Now they had come into the house as he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they struck him and killed him and beheaded him. And they took his head and traveled by the way of the Arabah all night.
⁸ And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David in Hebron; and they said to the king, Here is the head of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, your enemy who sought your life. And Jehovah has granted my lord the king to be avenged this day of Saul and of his seed.
⁹ Then David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, As Jehovah lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all distress,
¹⁰ When one told me, saying, Saul is now dead! thinking he was a bearer of good news, I took hold of him and slew him in Ziklag — that was the reward I gave him for the news.
¹¹ How much more when wicked men slay a righteous person in his own house upon his bed! And now should I not demand his blood of your hand and take you away from the earth?
¹² Then David commanded his young men, and they slew them and cut off their hands and their feet and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in the sepulcher of Abner in Hebron.

5

¹ Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron; and they spoke, saying, Here we are; we are your bone and your flesh.
² Even previously, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And Jehovah said to you, You shall shepherd My people Israel, and you shall be ruler over Israel.
³ And all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron. And King David made a covenant with them in Hebron before Jehovah, and they anointed David king over Israel.
⁴ David was thirty years old when he began to reign; he reigned forty years.
⁵ In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.
⁶ And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land. And they spoke to David, saying, You shall not come in here: Even the blind and the lame will drive you back! (thinking, David cannot come in here.)
⁷ But David took the stronghold of Zion, which is now the city of David.
⁸ And David said on that day, Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him go up to the watercourse and strike the lame and the blind, who are hated by David’s soul. Therefore they say, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.
⁹ So David dwelt in the stronghold and called it the city of David. And David built all around from the Millo and inward.
¹⁰ And David became greater and greater; and Jehovah the God of hosts was with him.
¹¹ And Hiram the king of Tyre sent messengers to David, as well as cedar timbers and carpenters and masons; and they built David a house.
¹² And David perceived that Jehovah had established him as king over Israel and that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.
¹³ And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David.
¹⁴ And these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua and Shobab and Nathan and Solomon
¹⁵ And Ibhar and Elishua and Nepheg and Japhia
¹⁶ And Elishama and Eliada and Eliphelet.
¹⁷ Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up in search of David; and David heard of it and went down to the stronghold.
¹⁸ And the Philistines came and spread out in the valley of Rephaim.
¹⁹ Then David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand? And Jehovah said to David, Go up, for I will certainly deliver the Philistines into your hand.
²⁰ So David came to Baal-perazim, and David struck them there. And he said, Jehovah has broken forth upon my enemies before me like the breaking forth of a flood. Therefore he called the name of that place Baal-perazim.
²¹ And the Philistines left their images there, and David and his men carried them away.
²² And the Philistines came up again and spread out in the valley of Rephaim.
²³ And David inquired of Jehovah, and He said, You shall not go up; go around behind them and come upon them opposite the balsam trees.
²⁴ And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then you shall act decisively; for then Jehovah will have gone forth before you to strike the army of the Philistines.
²⁵ And David did as Jehovah had commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines from Gibeon until you come to Gezer.

6

¹ And David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.
² And David rose up and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the Ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of Jehovah of hosts, who is enthroned between the cherubim.
³ And they set the Ark of God upon a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart.
⁴ And they brought it with the Ark of God out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Ahio went before the Ark.
⁵ And David and all the house of Israel played before Jehovah on all manner of instruments of cypress wood, with lyres and with harps and with tambourines and with sistrums and with cymbals.
⁶ And when they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah reached out for the Ark of God and took hold of it; for the oxen had stumbled.
⁷ And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him there for his error; and he died there by the Ark of God.
⁸ And David was angry because Jehovah had broken forth with an outburst upon Uzzah; and that place has been called Perez-uzzah to this day.
⁹ And David was afraid of Jehovah that day; and he said, How shall the Ark of Jehovah come to me?
¹⁰ So David did not want to remove the Ark of Jehovah to himself in the city of David. But David carried it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.
¹¹ And the Ark of Jehovah remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months; and Jehovah blessed Obed-edom and all his household.
¹² And it was told King David, saying, Jehovah has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that he has because of the Ark of God. So David went and brought up the Ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with rejoicing.
¹³ And when those who bore the Ark of Jehovah had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling.
¹⁴ And David danced with all his might before Jehovah; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
¹⁵ So David and all the house of Israel brought up the Ark of Jehovah with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet.
¹⁶ And when the Ark of Jehovah came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked down through a window and saw King David leaping and dancing before Jehovah; and she despised him in her heart.
¹⁷ And they brought in the Ark of Jehovah and set it in its place in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it. And David offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings before Jehovah.
¹⁸ And when David finished offering up the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Jehovah of hosts.
¹⁹ And he apportioned to all the people, to the whole multitude of Israel, to both men and women, to each one, a cake of bread and a portion of meat and a cake of raisins. And all the people went away, each to his own house.
²⁰ Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul went forth to meet David; and she said, How the king of Israel has made himself honorable today, uncovering himself today in the sight of the maids of his servants as some worthless fellow might shamelessly uncover himself!
²¹ And David said to Michal, It was before Jehovah, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of Jehovah, over Israel; so I played before Jehovah.
²² And I will yet be more lightly esteemed than this, and I will be base in my own sight; but by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them will I be honored.
²³ And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child until the day of her death.

7

¹ And as the king dwelt in his house and Jehovah gave him rest all around from all his enemies,
² The king said to Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the Ark of God dwells within curtains.
³ And Nathan said to the king, All that is in your heart go and do, for Jehovah is with you.
⁴ And in that night the word of Jehovah came to Nathan, saying,
⁵ Go and say to My servant David, Thus says Jehovah, Is it you who will build Me a house for Me to dwell in?
⁶ For I have not dwelt in a house, since the day I brought the children of Israel up out of Egypt to this day; but I went about in a tent and in a tabernacle.
⁷ In all My going about among all the children of Israel, did I ever speak a word to any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?
⁸ And now thus shall you say to My servant David, Thus says Jehovah of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you might be ruler over My people, over Israel;
⁹ And I have been with you in every place that you have gone and have cut off all your enemies before you; and I will make a great name for you, like the name of the great ones who are on the earth.
¹⁰ And I will appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them there, that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more; and the sons of wickedness will ill-treat them no more as before,
¹¹ Even since the time when I commanded that there be judges over My people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover Jehovah declares to you that Jehovah will make you a house.
¹² When your days are fulfilled and you sleep with your fathers, I will raise up your seed after you, which will come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
¹³ It is he who will build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
¹⁴ I will be his Father, and he will be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will strike him with the rod of men and with the stripes of the sons of men;
¹⁵ But My lovingkindness will not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I put away before you.
¹⁶ And your house and your kingdom will be made sure forever before you; your throne will be established forever.
¹⁷ According to all these words and according to this whole vision did Nathan speak to David.
¹⁸ Then King David went and sat before Jehovah; and he said, Who am I, O Lord Jehovah, and what is my house that You have brought me this far?
¹⁹ And this was yet a small thing in Your sight, O Lord Jehovah; but You have spoken also of the house of Your servant for a great while to come; and is this the custom for man, O Lord Jehovah?
²⁰ And what more can David say to You? For You know Your servant, O Lord Jehovah.
²¹ For Your word’s sake and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness to make Your servant know it.
²² Therefore You are great, O Lord Jehovah; for there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
²³ And who is like Your people Israel, a nation unique on the earth, whom God went to redeem to Himself as a people in order to make a name for Himself and to do for You what is great and awesome for Your land and before Your people, whom You have redeemed to Yourself out of Egypt, from the nations and their gods?
²⁴ And You have established Your people Israel to be a people to You forever, and You, O Jehovah, became their God.
²⁵ And now, O Jehovah God, confirm forever the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, and do as You have spoken.
²⁶ And may Your name be magnified forever when men say, Jehovah of hosts is God over Israel; and the house of Your servant David will be established before You.
²⁷ For You, O Jehovah of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed to Your servant, saying, I will build you a house; therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You.
²⁸ And now, O Lord Jehovah, You are God, and Your words are true, and You have spoken this good matter to Your servant;
²⁹ Now therefore may it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may be before You forever; for You, O Lord Jehovah, have spoken it. And with Your blessing may the house of Your servant be blessed forever.

8

¹ And after this David struck the Philistines and subdued them. And David took control of the chief city out of the hand of the Philistines.
² And he struck Moab. And making them lie down on the ground, he measured them with a measuring line; and he measured out two lengths of them to be put to death and one full length to be kept alive. And the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute.
³ Then David struck Hadadezer the son of Rehob, the king of Zobah, when he went to recover his power at the River.
⁴ And David took from him a thousand seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand foot soldiers. And David hamstrung all the chariot horses but left enough of them for a hundred chariots.
⁵ And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer the king of Zobah, David struck twenty-two thousand men among the Syrians.
⁶ And David put garrisons among the Syrians of Damascus, and the Syrians became servants to David and brought tribute. And Jehovah preserved David wherever he went.
⁷ And David took the shields of gold that were with the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.
⁸ And from Betah and Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took very much bronze.
⁹ Then when Toi the king of Hamath heard that David had struck down all the army of Hadadezer,
¹⁰ Toi sent Joram his son to King David to greet him and congratulate him for fighting against Hadadezer and striking him down, for Hadadezer had been at war with Toi. And in Joram’s hand were articles of silver and of gold and of bronze.
¹¹ King David consecrated these also to Jehovah along with the silver and gold that he consecrated from all the nations that he had subdued:
¹² From the Syrians and from the Moabites and from the children of Ammon and from the Philistines and from the Amalekites and from the spoil of Hadadezer the son of Rehob, the king of Zobah.
¹³ And David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down the Syrians in the Valley of Salt, that is, eighteen thousand men.
¹⁴ And he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons; and all the Edomites became servants to David. And Jehovah preserved David wherever he went.
¹⁵ So David reigned over all Israel, and David executed justice and righteousness for all his people.
¹⁶ And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder.
¹⁷ And Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests, and Seraiah was scribe.
¹⁸ And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and David’s sons were his chief ministers.

9

¹ And David said, Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show kindness to him for Jonathan’s sake?
² Now there was a servant of the house of Saul, whose name was Ziba; and they called him to David. And the king said to him, Are you Ziba? And he said, I am your servant.
³ And the king said, Is there yet anyone at all of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him? And Ziba said to the king, There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.
⁴ Then the king said to him, Where is he? And Ziba said to the king, He is just now in the house of Machir the son of Amiel in Lo-debar.
⁵ And King David sent men and took him from the house of Machir the son of Amiel, from Lo-debar.
⁶ And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he said, Your servant is here.
⁷ And David said to him, Do not be afraid, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of Jonathan your father; and I will restore to you all the land of your father Saul, and you will eat food at my table continually.
⁸ And he paid him homage and said, What is your servant that you should look upon a dead dog like me?
⁹ And the king called Ziba, Saul’s attendant, and said to him, All that belongs to Saul and to all his house I give to your master’s son.
¹⁰ And you shall work the land for him, you and your sons and your servants; and you shall bring in the produce that your master’s son may have food to eat; and Mephibosheth, your master’s son, will eat food continually at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
¹¹ Then Ziba said to the king, According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do. And Mephibosheth, said David, shall eat at my table like one of the king’s sons.
¹² And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth.
¹³ And Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem because he ate at the king’s table continually. And he was crippled in both his feet.

10

¹ And after this the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place.
² And David said, I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me. And David sent word through his servants to comfort him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon.
³ But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, Do you really think that David is honoring your father just because he sent some men to you to comfort you? Has not David sent his servants to you in order to search out the city and to spy on it and to overthrow it?
⁴ So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half their beards and cut away half their garments at the buttocks, and he sent them away.
⁵ Now when they told this to David, he sent some to meet them, for the men were very ashamed. And the king said, Stay in Jericho until your beards grow back, then return.
⁶ And when the children of Ammon saw that they had become odious to David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob and the Syrians of Zobah, twenty thousand foot soldiers, and the king of Maacah with one thousand men, and the men of Tob, twelve thousand men.
⁷ And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the host of mighty men.
⁸ And the children of Ammon went forth and set the battle in array at the entrance of the gate; but the Syrians of Zobah and of Rehob and the men of Tob and of Maacah were alone in the field.
⁹ Now when Joab saw that there were battle lines against him before and behind, he chose some of the choice men in Israel and set them in array against the Syrians.
¹⁰ And the rest of the people he put under the charge of Abishai his brother and set them in array against the children of Ammon.
¹¹ And he said, If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; and if the children of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come to help you.
¹² Be strong and let us be bold for the sake of our people and for the sake of the cities of our God, and may Jehovah do what seems good in His sight.
¹³ So Joab and the people who were with him approached the battle against the Syrians, and the Syrians fled before him.
¹⁴ And the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians fled, and they fled from before Abishai and entered the city. And Joab returned from the children of Ammon and entered Jerusalem.
¹⁵ Now when the Syrians saw that they had been routed before Israel, they gathered themselves together.
¹⁶ And Hadadezer sent word and brought forth the Syrians who were beyond the River. And they came to Helem, and Shobach the captain of the army of Hadadezer was before them.
¹⁷ And it was told David, and he gathered all Israel together and passed over the Jordan and came to Helem. And the Syrians set themselves in array to meet David, and they fought with him.
¹⁸ And the Syrians fled before Israel. And David slew seven hundred charioteers of the Syrians and forty thousand horsemen; and he struck Shobach the captain of their army, and he died there.
¹⁹ And when all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been routed by Israel, they made peace with Israel and served them. So the Syrians were afraid to help the children of Ammon anymore.

11

¹ And at the turn of the year, at the time when kings go forth to battle, David sent out Joab and his servants with him and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.
² And late one afternoon David rose from his bed and went for a walk on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to look at.
³ And David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, This is none other than Bath-sheba the daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hittite.
⁴ And David sent messengers and took her; and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had just purified herself from her uncleanness.) And she returned to her house.
⁵ And the woman conceived; and she sent word and told David and said, I am pregnant.
⁶ Then David sent word to Joab: Send me Uriah the Hittite. So Joab sent Uriah to David.
⁷ And Uriah came to him, and David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the battle was going.
⁸ And David said to Uriah, Go down to your house, and wash your feet. And Uriah went forth from the king’s house, and there followed him a present from the king.
⁹ But Uriah lay down at the entrance to the king’s house with all the servants of his lord and did not go down to his house.
¹⁰ And they told David, saying, Uriah did not go down to his house. Then David said to Uriah, Have you not just come from a journey? Why have you not gone down to your house?
¹¹ And Uriah said to David, The Ark and Israel and Judah dwell in huts, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open field. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live and your soul lives, I shall by no means do this thing!
¹² And David said to Uriah, Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back. So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the following.
¹³ Then David invited him to eat and drink in his presence, and he made him drunk. Then in the evening he went forth to lie down on his bed with the servants of his lord, and he did not go down to his house.
¹⁴ Then in the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
¹⁵ And he wrote in the letter, saying, Put Uriah in the forefront of the hardest battle, and withdraw from him that he may be struck down and die.
¹⁶ So when Joab besieged the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew the valiant men were.
¹⁷ And the men of the city went forth and fought with Joab; and some of the people, some of the servants of David, fell. And Uriah the Hittite died also.
¹⁸ And Joab sent a messenger to tell David all the things concerning the battle;
¹⁹ And he commanded the messenger, saying, When you have finished telling the king all the things concerning the battle,
²⁰ If the king’s anger rises up and he says to you, Why did you go so close to the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall?
²¹ Who struck down Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman throw an upper millstone upon him from the wall so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so close to the wall? Then you shall say, Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.
²² So the messenger went, and he came and told David all that Joab had sent him for.
²³ And the messenger said to David, The men prevailed against us and came out to us in the field, but we drove them back to the entrance of the gate.
²⁴ Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall, and some of the king’s servants died. And your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.
²⁵ Then David said to the messenger, Thus shall you say to Joab, Do not let this matter displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Strengthen your fighting against the city and overthrow it. And encourage him.
²⁶ And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she made lamentation for her husband.
²⁷ And when the mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her to his house; and she became his wife and bore a son to him. But the thing that David did displeased Jehovah.

12

¹ Then Jehovah sent Nathan to David. And he went to him and said to him, Two men lived in a city, one rich and the other poor.
² The rich man had very many flocks and herds,
³ But the poor man had nothing but one small ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he nourished it, and it grew up together with him and his children; it ate of the morsels of his food and drank out of his own cup and lay on his bosom; indeed it was like a daughter to him.
⁴ And there came a traveler to the rich man. But the rich man refused to take something from his own flock and herd to dress for the wayfarer who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s ewe lamb and dressed it for the man who had come to him.
⁵ And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man. And he said to Nathan, As Jehovah lives, the man who has done this is worthy of death;
⁶ And he shall restore the ewe lamb fourfold because he has done this thing and because he had no pity.
⁷ Then Nathan said to David, You are the man. Thus says Jehovah the God of Israel, I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul;
⁸ And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your bosom, and I gave you the house of Israel and Judah; and if this were too little, I would have added to you such and such things.
⁹ Why have you despised the word of Jehovah by doing what is evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife as your wife and have slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
¹⁰ Now therefore the sword will not depart from your house forever because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.
¹¹ Thus says Jehovah, I will now raise up trouble against you from within your house; and I will take your wives before your eyes and will give them to your companion, and he will lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.
¹² For you did this secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and even before the sun.
¹³ And David said to Nathan, I have sinned against Jehovah. And Nathan said to David, Jehovah has also put away your sin; you will not die.
¹⁴ Nevertheless, because you have given the enemies of Jehovah much occasion to blaspheme Him because of this thing, the son who is born to you shall also surely die.
¹⁵ Then Nathan went to his house. And Jehovah struck the child whom Uriah’s wife bore to David, and he was very sick.
¹⁶ And David besought God for the child; and David fasted and went in and spent all night lying on the ground.
¹⁷ And the elders of his house stood over him to raise him from the ground; but he did not want to, nor would he eat food with them.
¹⁸ And on the seventh day the child died. And David’s servants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead; for they said, While the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to our voice; how then can we tell him that the child is dead? He will do himself some harm.
¹⁹ And David saw that his servants were whispering, and David perceived that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.
²⁰ Then David rose up from the ground and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went to the house of Jehovah and worshipped. Then he went to his house; and when he requested it, they set food before him, and he ate.
²¹ And his servants said to him, What is this thing that you have done? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept; but as soon as the child died, you rose up and ate bread.
²² And he said, While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I thought, Who knows? Jehovah may be gracious to me, and the child may live.
²³ But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not come back to me.
²⁴ And David comforted Bath-sheba his wife and went in unto her and lay with her. And she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And Jehovah loved him;
²⁵ And He sent word through Nathan the prophet and called his name Jedidiah for Jehovah’s sake.
²⁶ Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon and took the royal city.
²⁷ And Joab sent messengers to David and said, I have fought against Rabbah; indeed I have taken the city of water.
²⁸ Now therefore gather the rest of the people, and encamp against the city, and take it; otherwise I myself will take the city, and it will be called by my name.
²⁹ So David gathered all the people and went to Rabbah and fought against it and took it.
³⁰ And he took the crown of their king from off his head. And the weight of it was a talent of gold, and it had precious stones; and it was put upon David’s head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city, a very great amount.
³¹ And he brought out the people who were in it and set them under saws and iron cutting tools and iron axes and made them pass through the brick kilns; and thus did he do to all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

13

¹ And some time after this, it so happened that Absalom the son of David had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her.
² And Amnon was so distraught that he made himself sick because of Tamar his sister; for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her.
³ Now Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David’s brother; and Jonadab was a very crafty man.
⁴ And he said to him, Why are you, O son of the king, so downcast morning after morning? Will you not tell me? And Amnon said to him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.
⁵ And Jonadab said to him, Lie down on your bed, and pretend to be sick; and when your father comes to see you, tell him, Please let Tamar my sister come and give me bread to eat, and let her make me food in my sight that I may see it and eat from her hand.
⁶ So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick. And when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, Please let Tamar my sister come and make a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat them from her hand.
⁷ Then David sent word home to Tamar, saying, Go now to your brother Amnon’s house, and make him food.
⁸ So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house; and he was lying down. And she took dough and kneaded it and made cakes in his sight and baked the cakes.
⁹ And she took the pan and emptied it before him, but he refused to eat. Then Amnon said, Have all the men go out from me. And all the men went out from him.
¹⁰ And Amnon said to Tamar, Bring the food into my room so that I may eat from your hand. And Tamar took the cakes that she had made and brought them to Amnon her brother in his room.
¹¹ And when she brought them near to him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, Come lie with me, my sister.
¹² And she said to him, No, my brother. Do not force me, for such a thing should not be done in Israel. Do not commit this folly.
¹³ And where will I carry my shame? And you, you will be like one of the foolish men in Israel. Now therefore, speak to the king, I beg you; for he will not withhold me from you.
¹⁴ But he would not listen to her voice. And being stronger than she, he forced her and lay with her.
¹⁵ Then Amnon hated her with a very great hatred, for the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, Rise up and go.
¹⁶ But she said to him, Do not cause this greater wrong by sending me away, greater than the other that you have done to me. But he would not listen to her.
¹⁷ And he called his young man who served him and said, Send this woman away from me outside, and bolt the door behind her.
¹⁸ Now she had a long garment with sleeves, for the virgin daughters of the king dressed themselves in such robes. So his servant brought her outside and bolted the door behind her.
¹⁹ And Tamar put ashes upon her head and rent the long garment with sleeves that was upon her, and she put her hand on her head and went off, crying aloud as she went.
²⁰ Then Absalom her brother said to her, Has Amnon your brother been with you? But be quiet now, my sister. He is your brother; do not take this thing to heart. And Tamar remained in her brother Absalom’s house, desolate.
²¹ And when King David heard about all these things, he was very angry.
²² But Absalom did not speak anything good or evil to Amnon, for Absalom hated Amnon because he had forced Tamar his sister.
²³ Then after two full years, while Absalom had sheep shearers in Baal-hazor, which is by Ephraim, Absalom invited all the king’s sons.
²⁴ And Absalom came to the king and said, Your servant now has sheep shearers. May the king and his servants go now with your servant.
²⁵ But the king said to Absalom, No, my son; let us not all go, or we will be a burden to you. And he pressed him, but he would not go; yet he gave him his blessing.
²⁶ Then Absalom said, If not, then let Amnon my brother go with us. And the king said to him, Why should he go with you?
²⁷ But Absalom pressed him, and he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him.
²⁸ And Absalom commanded his attendants, saying, Watch now when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine; and when I say to you, Strike Amnon, then kill him. Do not be afraid; is it not I who have commanded you? Be strong and valiant.
²⁹ And Absalom’s attendants did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. And all the king’s sons rose up, and each mounted his mule and fled.
³⁰ And while they were on the way, the report came to David, namely, Absalom has struck down all the king’s sons, and not one of them is left.
³¹ And the king rose up and rent his garments and lay on the ground, and all his servants stood by with their garments rent.
³² Then Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, answered and said, Let not my lord think that all the young men, the sons of the king, have been killed, for Amnon alone is dead. For this has been determined by Absalom since the day Amnon forced Tamar his sister.
³³ Now therefore let my lord the king not take the matter to heart, thinking that all the king’s sons are dead; for only Amnon is dead.
³⁴ But Absalom fled. And the young man who kept watch lifted up his eyes and looked, and there they were, a multitude of people coming from the road behind him at the side of the mountain.
³⁵ Then Jonadab said to the king, Here come the king’s sons; as your servant has said, so has it been.
³⁶ And when he had finished speaking, there came the king’s sons, and they lifted up their voice and wept. And the king and all his servants also wept exceedingly.
³⁷ But Absalom fled and went to Talmai the son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son every day.
³⁸ So Absalom fled and went to Geshur. And he was there three years.
³⁹ And David the king longed to go out to Absalom, for he was comforted concerning Amnon, since he was dead.

14

¹ And Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s heart was set on Absalom.
² So Joab sent word to Tekoa and had a wise woman brought from there. And he said to her, Pretend to be in mourning, and put on mourning garments, and do not anoint yourself with oil; but be like a woman who has mourned for the dead a long time.
³ And go to the king and speak with him in this way. And Joab put the words in her mouth.
⁴ And when the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and paid him homage and said, Help, O king!
⁵ And the king said to her, What troubles you? And she said, Truly I am a widow, and my husband is dead.
⁶ And your servant had two sons. And the two struggled with each other in the field, and there was no one to part them. So the one struck down the other and killed him.
⁷ And now the whole family has risen up against your servant, and they say, Give over that one who struck down his brother that we may put him to death for the life of his brother whom he has slain, even if we destroy the heir also. Thus they will quench my coal which is left without leaving to my husband a name or a remainder on the face of the earth.
⁸ Then the king said to the woman, Go to your house, and I will issue a command concerning you.
⁹ And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, O my lord the king, the iniquity be upon me and upon the house of my father, and the king and his throne be guiltless.
¹⁰ And the king said, If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall not touch you anymore.
¹¹ And she said, May the king remember Jehovah your God, so that the avenger of blood may kill no more and they destroy not my son. And he said, As Jehovah lives, not a hair from your son shall fall to the ground.
¹² Then the woman said, Let your servant speak a word to my lord the king. And he said, Speak.
¹³ And the woman said, Why then have you devised such a thing against the people of God? For in speaking this word, the king is like one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring back his banished one.
¹⁴ For we must die and are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered again. Yet God does not take away life, but devises ways that the banished one would not be cast out from Him.
¹⁵ Now therefore that I have come to speak this word to my lord the king, it is because the people made me afraid; and your servant said, I will now speak to the king; perhaps the king will perform his servant’s request.
¹⁶ For the king will hear and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.
¹⁷ Then your servant said, Let the word of my lord the king be a comfort to me, for as an angel of God is, so is my lord the king in discerning good and evil; and may Jehovah your God be with you.
¹⁸ And the king answered and said to the woman, Do not hide the matter from me which I will ask of you. And the woman said, Let my lord the king speak.
¹⁹ And the king said, Is the hand of Joab with you in all this? And the woman answered and said, As your soul lives, O my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or left of anything that my lord the king has said; for your servant Joab commanded me, and it is he who has put all these words in the mouth of your servant.
²⁰ In order to change the appearance of the matter, your servant Joab did this thing; and my lord is wise, as wise as an angel of God, knowing all that there is in the land.
²¹ Then the king said to Joab, I will now do this thing; go therefore, and bring the young man Absalom back.
²² And Joab fell on his face to the ground and paid homage and blessed the king; and Joab said, Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, O my lord the king, in that the king has granted his servant’s request.
²³ Then Joab rose up and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
²⁴ And the king said, Let him turn to his own house, but let him not see my face. So Absalom turned to his own house and did not see the king’s face.
²⁵ Now there was none in Israel to be praised more greatly for his beauty than Absalom; from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
²⁶ And when he cut the hair of his head (and it was at the end of each year that he cut it, for it became heavy on him and he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels, according to the king’s weight.
²⁷ And to Absalom were born three sons and one daughter, whose name was Tamar; she was a woman of beautiful appearance.
²⁸ And Absalom dwelt in Jerusalem for two full years and did not see the king’s face.
²⁹ Then Absalom sent for Joab so that he might send him to the king, but he would not come to him. And he sent for him yet a second time, but he would not come.
³⁰ Then he said to his servants, See, Joab’s portion of land is near mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire. So Absalom’s servants set the portion of land on fire.
³¹ And Joab rose up and came to Absalom at his house; and he said to him, Why did your servants set my portion of land on fire?
³² And Absalom said to Joab, I sent for you, saying, Come now that I may send you to the king to say, Why have I come from Geshur? It would have been better for me to be there still. Now therefore let me see the king’s face; and if there is any iniquity in me, let him put me to death.
³³ So Joab went to the king and spoke to him, and he called for Absalom. And he came to the king and bowed himself with his face to the ground before the king. And the king kissed Absalom.

15

¹ And after this Absalom prepared for himself a chariot and horses and fifty men to run before him.
² And Absalom would rise up early and stand beside the way into the gate; and when any man who had a cause that should have come to the king for judgment came, Absalom would call to him and say, What city are you from? And he would say, Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.
³ Then Absalom would say to him, See, your matters are good and right, but there is no one appointed by the king to hear you.
⁴ And Absalom would say, Oh that I were made a judge in the land, that every man who had a cause or a matter to be judged would come to me, and I would do him justice!
⁵ And so when any man came near to pay him homage, he would put forth his hand and take hold of him and kiss him.
⁶ And Absalom acted in this way to all the Israelites who came to the king for judgment. And Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
⁷ And at the end of forty years Absalom said to the king, Let me go now and repay my vow, which I vowed to Jehovah in Hebron.
⁸ For your servant vowed a vow while I was dwelling in Geshur in Syria, saying, If Jehovah will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, I will worship Jehovah.
⁹ And the king said to him, Go in peace. So he rose up and went to Hebron.
¹⁰ But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, When you hear the sound of the trumpet, you shall say, Absalom is king in Hebron.
¹¹ And with Absalom there went two hundred men from Jerusalem, who had been called and went innocently; they did not know anything.
¹² And while he was offering the sacrifices, Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, a counselor of David, from his city Giloh. And the conspiracy gained strength, and the people with Absalom increased continually.
¹³ Then a messenger came to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.
¹⁴ And David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, Rise up, and let us flee; for none of us will escape from Absalom otherwise. Hurry and go, lest he quickly overtake us and bring harm down upon us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.
¹⁵ And the king’s servants said to the king, In all that my lord the king chooses, here we are, your servants.
¹⁶ So the king went forth, and all his house after him. But the king left ten concubines to keep the house.
¹⁷ And the king went forth, and all the people after him; and they stopped at the last house.
¹⁸ And all his servants passed on beside him; and all the Cherethites and all the Pelethites and all the Gittites, six hundred men who came after him from Gath, passed on before the king.
¹⁹ Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, Why are you also going with us? Return and abide with the king, for you are a foreigner as well as an exile from your place.
²⁰ You came just recently, so should I today make you wander with us, while I go about wherever I can? Return and take your brothers back; lovingkindness and truth be with you.
²¹ But Ittai answered the king and said, As Jehovah lives and as my lord the king lives, in whatever place my lord the king will be, whether for death or for life, there shall your servant most certainly be.
²² And David said to Ittai, Go and pass over. And Ittai the Gittite and all his men and all the little ones with him passed over.
²³ And all the land wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed over. And the king passed over the brook Kidron, and all the people passed over toward the way of the wilderness.
²⁴ And there came Zadok also and all the Levites with him, bearing the Ark of the Covenant of God; and they set the Ark of God down, and Abiathar went up until all the people had finished passing over from the city.
²⁵ Then the king said to Zadok, Take the Ark of God back into the city. If I should find favor in the sight of Jehovah, He will bring me back and show me it and His habitation.
²⁶ But if He should say thus, I am not pleased with you, let Him then do with me as it seems good in His sight.
²⁷ And the king said to Zadok the priest, You are a seer; return to the city in peace with Ahimaaz your son and Jonathan the son of Abiathar, your two sons with you.
²⁸ See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.
²⁹ So Zadok and Abiathar brought the Ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they remained there.
³⁰ And David went up the ascent to the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went up, and he had his head covered and he went barefoot. And all the people who were with him each covered his own head; and they went up, weeping as they went up.
³¹ Then someone told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, Turn, I pray, the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness, O Jehovah.
³² Then when David came to the summit, where God was worshipped, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn and with earth on his head.
³³ And David said to him, If you pass over with me, you will be a burden to me.
³⁴ But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, I am your servant, O king; as I was your father’s servant in the past, so will I be your servant now; then you will defeat the counsel of Ahithophel for me.
³⁵ And will not Zadok and Abiathar the priests be with you there? Therefore whatever you hear from the king’s house you shall tell Zadok and Abiathar the priests.
³⁶ And there with them will be their two sons, Ahimaaz the son of Zadok and Jonathan the son of Abiathar; and through them you shall send to me whatever you hear.
³⁷ So Hushai, David’s friend, came to the city; and Absalom came to Jerusalem.

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¹ And when David was a little past the summit, Ziba, Mephibosheth’s attendant, came to meet him with a pair of saddled asses and upon them two hundred loaves of bread and a hundred clusters of raisins and a hundred summer fruit and a skin of wine.
² And the king said to Ziba, Why do you have these? And Ziba said, The asses are for the king’s household to ride on, and the bread and the summer fruit are for the young men to eat, and the wine is for those who faint in the wilderness to drink.
³ And the king said, And where is your master’s son? And Ziba said to the king, He is now dwelling in Jerusalem, for he said, Today the house of Israel will restore to me the kingdom of my father.
⁴ And the king said to Ziba, Now all that belongs to Mephibosheth is yours. And Ziba said, I bow myself to you. May I find favor in your sight, O my lord the king.
⁵ And when King David came to Bahurim, a man of the family of the house of Saul came forth from there, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera; he came forth, cursing as he came forth.
⁶ And he threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David, and all the people and all the mighty men were on his right and on his left.
⁷ And Shimei spoke thus in his cursing, Go away, go away, you man of bloodshed and worthless fellow.
⁸ Jehovah has returned upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and Jehovah has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son; and now you have been taken in your own mischief, for you are a man of bloodshed.
⁹ Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.
¹⁰ But the king said, What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he curses, and if Jehovah has told him to curse David, who then can say, Why have you done so?
¹¹ And David said to Abishai and all his servants, Now my son, who came forth from my body, seeks my life; how much more then this Benjaminite will do so. Leave him alone and let him curse, for Jehovah has told him to do so.
¹² It may be that Jehovah will look on the wrong done to me and that Jehovah will repay me with good for his cursing on this day.
¹³ And David and his men went on their way. And Shimei went along the hillside opposite him, cursing as he went; and he threw stones at him and cast dust upon him.
¹⁴ And the king and all the people who were with him arrived weary, and he refreshed himself there.
¹⁵ Meanwhile Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem; and Ahithophel was with him.
¹⁶ And when Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, Long live the king! Long live the king!
¹⁷ And Absalom said to Hushai, Is this your kindness to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?
¹⁸ And Hushai said to Absalom, No; but the one whom Jehovah and this people and all the men of Israel choose, his will I be, and with him will I dwell.
¹⁹ Furthermore, whom should I serve? Should it not be in the presence of his son? As I served in the presence of your father, so will I be in your presence.
²⁰ Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, Give your counsel as to what we should do.
²¹ And Ahithophel said to Absalom, Go in unto your father’s concubines whom he left to keep the house, and all Israel will hear that you have made yourself abhorrent to your father; then the hands of all those who are with you will be strong.
²² So they spread a tent for Absalom upon the roof, and Absalom went in unto his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.
²³ Now the counsel of Ahithophel that he gave in those days was as if one inquired of the oracle of God; all the counsel of Ahithophel was thus, both with David and with Absalom.

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¹ Then Ahithophel said to Absalom, Let me now choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David tonight.
² And I will come upon him while he is weary and weak-handed. And I will terrorize him, and all the people who are with him will flee; then I will strike down the king only.
³ And I will bring all the people back to you; the return of the whole depends on what happens to the man whom you are seeking. All the people will be at peace.
⁴ And the word seemed right in the sight of Absalom and in the sight of all the elders of Israel.
⁵ Then Absalom said, Call now for Hushai the Archite also that we may hear what he also has to say.
⁶ So Hushai came to Absalom; and Absalom spoke to him, saying, Ahithophel has spoken in this way. Shall we do what he says? If not, you speak.
⁷ And Hushai said to Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel has given this time is not good.
⁸ Hushai said moreover, You know your father and his men, that they are mighty men and bitter in soul, like a bear robbed of her whelps in the field; and your father is a man of war and will not lodge with the people.
⁹ He is now hidden in some pit or some other place; and when some of them fall at the beginning, whoever hears of it will say, There is a slaughter among the people who are with Absalom.
¹⁰ And even he who is valiant, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will utterly melt in fear; for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man and that those who are with him are valiant men.
¹¹ But I counsel that all Israel be gathered together unto you, from Dan to Beer-sheba, like the sand that is by the sea in multitude, and that you go into battle in person.
¹² Then we will come upon him in some place where he will be found, and we will light upon him as dew falls upon the ground; and we will not leave among him and among the men who are with him even one.
¹³ And if he should withdraw into a city, all Israel will carry ropes to that city, and we will pull it into the river, until not even a stone is found there.
¹⁴ And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel; for Jehovah had ordained the defeat of the good counsel of Ahithophel to the intent that Jehovah might bring evil upon Absalom.
¹⁵ Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel, and thus and thus did I counsel.
¹⁶ Now therefore send word quickly and tell David, saying, Do not lodge tonight at the fords of the wilderness, but pass over by all means; otherwise, the king will be swallowed up, as well as all the people who are with him.
¹⁷ Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were staying in En-rogel, and a female servant would go and tell them, and they would go and tell King David; for they could not risk being seen coming into the city.
¹⁸ But a young man saw them, and he told Absalom. And both of them went off quickly and came to the house of a man in Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard; and they went down into it.
¹⁹ And his wife took the covering and spread it over the mouth of the well, and she strew grain over it; and the matter was unknown.
²⁰ Then Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house and said, Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said to them, They have crossed over the brook of water. And when they searched for them and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.
²¹ And after they departed, they came up out of the well and went and told King David. And they said to David, Rise up and cross quickly over the water, for thus has Ahithophel given counsel against you.
²² So David rose up with all the people who were with him, and they crossed over the Jordan; by morning’s light there was not one left who had not crossed over the Jordan.
²³ And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and rose up and went to his house in his city; and he set his house in order and hanged himself. And he died and was buried in the sepulcher of his father.
²⁴ Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.
²⁵ And Absalom set Amasa over the army, instead of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man whose name was Ithra the Israelite, who went in unto Abigail the daughter of Nahash, Zeruiah’s sister, Joab’s mother.
²⁶ And Israel and Absalom camped in the land of Gilead.
²⁷ And when David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and Machir the son of Amiel of Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim,
²⁸ Brought beds and basins and earthen vessels and wheat and barley and meal and parched grain and beans and lentils and other parched grain
²⁹ And honey and butter and sheep and cheese from the herd to David and the people who were with him for them to eat; for they said, The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.

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¹ Then David mustered the people who were with him, and he set captains of thousands and captains of hundreds over them.
² And David sent the people out, a third under the hand of Joab and a third under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and a third under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the people, I myself will surely go forth with you also.
³ But the people said, You shall not go forth; for if we flee off, they will not care about us; and if half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us; therefore it is better for you to be available to help us from the city.
⁴ And the king said to them, What seems best in your sight I will do. So the king stood at the side of the gate, and all the people went forth by hundreds and by thousands.
⁵ And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave the command to all the captains concerning Absalom.
⁶ And the people went forth into the field against Israel, and the battle was in the forest of Ephraim.
⁷ And the people of Israel were struck there before the servants of David, and there was a great slaughter of twenty thousand there on that day.
⁸ And the battle was spread there over the face of all the land, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.
⁹ And Absalom happened to meet the servants of David, and Absalom was riding upon his mule. And the mule went under the tangled branches of a great terebinth; and his head was caught in the terebinth, and he was left hanging between heaven and earth while the mule that was under him went on.
¹⁰ And a certain man saw this; and he told Joab and said, I have just seen Absalom hanging from a terebinth.
¹¹ And Joab said to the man who told him this, And you have just seen this. Why did you not strike him down to the ground there? For I would have given you ten pieces of silver and a belt.
¹² And the man said to Joab, Though I would receive a thousand pieces of silver in my hand, I would not put forth my hand against the son of the king; for in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Take care of the young man Absalom, whoever you be.
¹³ On the other hand, if I had dealt treacherously with his life (there is nothing hidden from the king), you would have set yourself against me.
¹⁴ Then Joab said, I will not linger here with you. And he took three staves in his hand and thrust them through Absalom’s heart while he was still alive in the midst of the terebinth.
¹⁵ And ten young men who carried Joab’s armor surrounded Absalom and struck him, and they killed him.
¹⁶ And Joab blew the trumpet; and the people returned from pursuing after Israel, for Joab restrained the people.
¹⁷ And they took Absalom and threw him into a great pit in the forest, and they cast up over him a very great mound of stones. And all Israel fled, every man to his tent.
¹⁸ Now Absalom, while he was alive, had taken a pillar which was in the king’s valley and raised it up for himself, for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance. And he called the pillar by his own name, and it is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.
¹⁹ Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, Let me now run and announce the news to the king, that Jehovah has avenged him of his enemies.
²⁰ And Joab said to him, You shall not be the bearer of the news this day, but you shall announce the news on another day; yet on this day you shall not announce the news, for the king’s son is dead.
²¹ And Joab said to the Cushite, Go, tell the king what you have seen. And the Cushite bowed to Joab and ran.
²² Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said yet again to Joab, But come what may, let me also run after the Cushite. And Joab said, Why will you run, my son, seeing that you will have no reward for the news?
²³ But come what may, he said, I will run. And he said to him, Run. And Ahimaaz ran by way of the plain and passed the Cushite.
²⁴ Now David was sitting between the two gates. And the watchman went up on the roof of the gate to the wall; and lifted up his eyes and looked, and there came a man running alone.
²⁵ And the watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, If he is alone, there is news in his mouth. And he continued coming and drew near.
²⁶ Then the watchman saw another man running; and the watchman called out to the gatekeeper and said, Here comes a man running alone. And the king said, This one also brings news.
²⁷ And the watchman said, I think the running of the first one is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man and comes with good news.
²⁸ And Ahimaaz called out and said to the king, All is well; and he bowed down to the king on his face to the ground. And he said, Blessed be Jehovah your God, who has delivered up the men who have lifted up their hand against my lord the king.
²⁹ And the king said, Is all well with the young man Absalom? And Ahimaaz said, When Joab sent the king’s servant and me your servant, I saw a great commotion, but I do not know what it was.
³⁰ And the king said, Turn aside, and stand here. And he turned aside and stood there.
³¹ Just then the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, Good news for my lord the king, for today Jehovah has avenged you of all who have risen up against you.
³² And the king said to the Cushite, Is all well with the young man Absalom? And the Cushite said, May the enemies of my lord the king and all those who rise up against you to harm you be like that young man!
³³ And the king was badly shaken, and he went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he spoke thus, O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you! O Absalom, my son, my son!

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¹ And Joab was told: The king now weeps and mourns for Absalom.
² And the victory that day was turned to mourning for all the people, for the people heard it said that day that the king was grieved concerning his son.
³ And the people stole into the city that day as shamed people steal away when they flee in battle.
⁴ And the king covered his face and cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!
⁵ Then Joab came to the king at his house and said, Today you have shamed the faces of all your servants, who saved your life today and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and the lives of your concubines,
⁶ In that you love those who hate you and hate those who love you; for you have made it clear today that princes and servants are nothing to you. But I realize today that if Absalom had lived and we all had died today, then it would have been fine in your sight.
⁷ Now therefore rise up; go forth and comfort the hearts of your servants. For I swear by Jehovah that if you do not go forth, not a man will remain with you tonight; and that will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.
⁸ So the king rose up and sat in the gate. And all the people were told, saying, The king is now sitting in the gate. And all the people came before the king. Now Israel had fled, every man to his tent.
⁹ And all the people quarreled throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king delivered us out of the hand of our enemies, and he saved us out of the hand of the Philistines; and now he has fled out of the land because of Absalom.
¹⁰ But Absalom, whom we anointed as king over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?
¹¹ And King David sent word to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests, saying, Speak to the elders of Judah, saying, Why are you the last to bring the king back to his house, seeing that the word of all Israel has come to the king?
¹² You are my brothers; you are my bone and my flesh. Why then are you the last to bring the king back?
¹³ And you shall say to Amasa, Are you not my bone and my flesh? May God do so to me, and even more, if you do not become captain of the army before me continually in the place of Joab.
¹⁴ And he turned the heart of all the men of Judah as one man, and they sent word to the king, saying, Return, you and all your servants.
¹⁵ So the king returned and came to the Jordan, and Judah came to Gilgal to go to meet the king, to bring the king over the Jordan.
¹⁶ And Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite who was from Bahurim, hurried and went down with the men of Judah to meet King David.
¹⁷ And there were a thousand men with him from Benjamin; and Ziba, the attendant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him were there. And they rushed down to the Jordan before the king.
¹⁸ And the crossing was being made in order to bring the king’s household over and to do whatever was good in his sight. And Shimei the son of Gera fell down before the king as he was about to cross the Jordan.
¹⁹ And he said to the king, Let not my lord consider me guilty; and do not remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king went forth from Jerusalem, that the king should take it to heart.
²⁰ For your servant knows that I have sinned; and now I have come today, the first of all the house of Joseph to come down, to meet my lord the king.
²¹ Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, for he has cursed Jehovah’s anointed?
²² And David said, What have I to do with you, O sons of Zeruiah, that you should be an adversary to me today? Should any man in Israel be put to death today? For do I not know that today I am king over Israel?
²³ And the king said to Shimei, You will not die. And the king swore so to him.
²⁴ Then Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king. Now he had neither taken care of his feet nor trimmed his beard nor washed his clothes from the day the king left until the day he came back in peace.
²⁵ And when he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, Why did you not come with me, Mephibosheth?
²⁶ And he said, O my lord the king, my servant deceived me; for your servant said, I will saddle myself a donkey that I may ride on it and go with the king. For your servant is lame.
²⁷ And Ziba slandered your servant before my lord the king. But my lord the king is like an angel of God; therefore do what is good in your sight.
²⁸ For all my father’s house were but men worthy of death before my lord the king, but you set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right then do I have to cry out more to the king?
²⁹ And the king said to him, Why speak any more of your affairs? I say that you and Ziba shall divide the land.
³⁰ And Mephibosheth said to the king, Let him even take it all, since my lord the king has arrived at his house in peace.
³¹ Then Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim, and he crossed over the Jordan with the king, to escort him through the Jordan.
³² And Barzillai was very old, eighty years of age; and he had provided the king with food while he remained in Mahanaim, for he was a very great man.
³³ And the king said to Barzillai, Cross over with me, and I will provide you with food in Jerusalem at my side.
³⁴ But Barzillai said to the king, How many are the days of the years of my life, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem?
³⁵ I am eighty years old today. Can I discern between good and bad? Can your servant taste what I eat and what I drink? Can I hear anymore the voice of singing men and women? Why then should your servant be a further burden to my lord the king?
³⁶ Your servant would just cross a little way over the Jordan with the king. Why then should the king reward me with such a reward?
³⁷ Let your servant return that I may die in my city near the grave of my father and my mother. But here is your servant Chimham, let him cross over with my lord the king; and do with him what is good in your sight.
³⁸ And the king said, Chimham shall cross over with me, and I will do with him what is good in your sight; and whatever you wish for me to do, I will do for you.
³⁹ And all the people crossed over the Jordan, and the king crossed over. And the king kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and he returned to his own place.
⁴⁰ So the king crossed over to Gilgal, and Chimham crossed over with him. And all the people of Judah, and half the people of Israel as well, brought the king over.
⁴¹ Then all the men of Israel came to the king and said to the king, Why have our brothers the men of Judah stolen you away and brought the king and his household over the Jordan along with the men of David with him?
⁴² And all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, Because the king is near of kin to us. Why then are you angry about this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king’s expense? Or has he given us any gift?
⁴³ And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah and said, We have ten parts in the king, and in David too we have more than you. Why then have you despised us? And were we not the first to speak of bringing our king back? But the speaking of the men of Judah was more prevailing than the speaking of the men of Israel.

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¹ Now there was a worthless fellow there whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite. And he blew the trumpet and said,We have no portion in David, / Nor do we have an inheritance in the son of Jesse. / Every man to his tents, O Israel!
² And all the men of Israel went up from following David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri, but the men of Judah clung to their king, from the Jordan to Jerusalem.
³ And David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the king took the ten concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them under guard; and he provided for them but did not go in unto them. So they were shut up until the day of their death, living like widows.
⁴ Then the king said to Amasa, Call the men of Judah to me in three days, and you be present here.
⁵ And Amasa went to call Judah, but he delayed beyond the time that David appointed to him.
⁶ Then David said to Abishai, Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom did. You take servants of your lord and pursue after him; otherwise he will find himself some fortified cities and escape out of our sight.
⁷ So the men of Joab went out after him, along with the Cherethites and the Pelethites and all the mighty men; and they went forth from Jerusalem to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.
⁸ When they were at the large stone that is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. And Joab was in military dress, and over it was a belt with a sword in its sheath, fastened on his loins; and when he went forward, it fell out.
⁹ And Joab said to Amasa, Is it well with you, my brother? And he took hold of Amasa’s beard with his right hand to kiss him.
¹⁰ But Amasa did not notice the sword which was in Joab’s hand. And Joab struck him in the stomach with it and poured out his bowels onto the ground, and he did not strike him a second time; and he died. And Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri.
¹¹ And one of Joab’s young men stood by him and said, Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab.
¹² And Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the road, and the man saw that all the people stood still. And when he saw that all who came by him were stopping, he carried Amasa off the road into the field and put a garment over him.
¹³ As soon as he was removed from the road, all the men went on after Joab to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.
¹⁴ And Sheba went on throughout all the tribes of Israel to Abel and to Beth-maacah and unto all the Berites; and they gathered together and also went after him.
¹⁵ And they came and besieged him at Abel of Beth-maacah; and they cast up a siege mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart. And all the people who were with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down.
¹⁶ And a wise woman from the city cried out, Listen! Listen! Say to Joab, Come near here that I may speak to you.
¹⁷ And he came near to her; and the woman said, Are you Joab? And he said, I am. And she said to him, Listen to the words of your female servant. And he said, I am listening.
¹⁸ Then she spoke, saying, They used to speak in former times, saying, They shall surely ask for counsel in Abel; and thus they would end matters.
¹⁹ I am of the peaceable and faithful of Israel; you are seeking to destroy a city and a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow up the inheritance of Jehovah?
²⁰ And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I would swallow up or destroy.
²¹ The matter is not so, but a man from the hill country of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has lifted up his hand against the king, against David. Deliver him only, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said to Joab, His head will immediately be thrown over the wall to you.
²² So the woman went to all the people in her wisdom; and they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri and threw it to Joab. And he blew the trumpet, and they dispersed from the city, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.
²³ Now Joab was over all the army of Israel, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites,
²⁴ And Adoram was over the forced labor, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder,
²⁵ And Sheva was scribe, and Zadok and Abiathar were priests,
²⁶ And Ira the Jairite was also a chief minister to David.

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¹ And there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of Jehovah. And Jehovah said, It is because of Saul and because of his house of bloodshed, for he put those Gibeonites to death.
² So the king called for the Gibeonites and spoke to them. Now the Gibeonites were not of the children of Israel but were of the remnant of the Amorites, and the children of Israel had sworn to them. But Saul had sought to slay them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah.
³ And David said to the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? And how shall I make expiation that you may bless the inheritance of Jehovah?
⁴ And the Gibeonites said to him, It is not a matter of silver or gold between us and Saul and his house, and it is not for us to put any man to death in Israel. And he said, Whatever you say I will do for you.
⁵ Then they said to the king, The man who consumed us and who made plans against us to destroy us so that we would not remain within any of the territory of Israel,
⁶ Let seven men from among his sons be given to us, and we will hang them unto Jehovah in Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of Jehovah. And the king said, I will give them.
⁷ But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath of Jehovah that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.
⁸ So the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite.
⁹ And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites. And they hanged them on the mountain before Jehovah, and the seven perished together. And they were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first days, at the beginning of the barley harvest.
¹⁰ And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it on a rock for herself, from the beginning of harvest until rain from heaven fell on their bodies; and she did not allow the birds of heaven to come upon them by day or the beasts of the field by night.
¹¹ And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.
¹² And David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the open square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them on the day when the Philistines slew Saul in Gilboa.
¹³ So he brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there, and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged.
¹⁴ And they buried the bones of Saul and of Jonathan his son in the land of Benjamin in Zela, in the grave of Kish his father; and they did all that the king had commanded. And God responded to the entreaty for the land after that.
¹⁵ And again the Philistines were at war with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought with the Philistines. And David became faint.
¹⁶ And Ishbi-benob, who was one of the children of the giant and whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of bronze, was girded with new weapons; and he intended to slay David.
¹⁷ But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him and struck down the Philistine and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, saying, You shall not go forth with us again into battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel.
¹⁸ Then after this there was war again with the Philistines at Gob; and Sibbecai the Hushathite slew Saph, who was one of the children of the giant.
¹⁹ And there was war with the Philistines, again at Gob; and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, the Bethlehemite, slew Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
²⁰ And again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; and he also had been born to the giant.
²¹ And he defied Israel; and Jonathan the son of Shimei, David’s brother, slew him.
²² These four had been born to the giant in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hands of his servants.

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¹ And David spoke the words of this song to Jehovah on the day when Jehovah delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.
² And he said: Jehovah is my crag and my fortress and my Deliverer;
³ My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; / My shield and the horn of my salvation, my high retreat and my refuge; / My Savior, You save me from violence.
⁴ I called upon Jehovah, who is worthy of praise, / And from my enemies I was saved.
⁵ For the waves of death encompassed me; / The torrents of destruction assailed me.
⁶ The cords of Sheol surrounded me; / The snares of death confronted me.
⁷ In my distress I called upon Jehovah / And called to my God. / And He heard my voice from His temple, / And my cry came to His ears.
⁸ Then the earth shook and quaked, / And the foundations of the heavens trembled and shook about, / For He was furious.
⁹ Smoke went up from His nostrils, / And fire from His mouth devoured; / Coals blazed forth from Him.
¹⁰ He bowed the heavens down and descended, / And deep darkness was under His feet.
¹¹ He rode upon a cherub and did fly; / He was seen upon the wings of the wind.
¹² And He made darkness pavilions around Him: / Dark waterclouds, thick clouds of the skies.
¹³ Out of the brightness before Him / Fiery coals were kindled.
¹⁴ Jehovah thundered from heaven, / And the Most High uttered His voice.
¹⁵ And He sent forth arrows and scattered my enemies; / Lightning bolts, and discomfited them.
¹⁶ The channels of the sea were seen, / The foundations of the habitable land were laid bare, / By the rebuke of Jehovah, / At the blast of the breath of His nostrils.
¹⁷ He reached forth from on high; He took me; / He drew me out of great waters.
¹⁸ He delivered me from my strong enemy / And from those who hate me, for they were too mighty for me.
¹⁹ They confronted me in the day of my calamity, / But Jehovah became my support.
²⁰ He brought me forth to a place broad and free; / He rescued me, for He took delight in me.
²¹ Jehovah has recompensed me according to my righteousness; / According to the cleanness of my hands He has repaid me.
²² For I have kept the ways of Jehovah / And have not acted wickedly by turning away from my God.
²³ For all His judgments were before me, / And as for His statutes, I did not turn away from them.
²⁴ I was perfect toward Him, / And I kept myself from my iniquity.
²⁵ Therefore Jehovah recompensed me according to my righteousness, / According to my cleanness in His sight.
²⁶ With the faithful You show Yourself faithful, / With the perfect man You show Yourself perfect,
²⁷ With the pure You show Yourself pure, / And with the perverse You show Yourself contrary.
²⁸ And You save the afflicted people, / But Your eyes are upon the haughty that You may bring them down;
²⁹ For You are my lamp, O Jehovah. / And Jehovah lights up my darkness;
³⁰ For by You I can run up against a troop; / By my God I can leap over a wall.
³¹ As for God, His way is perfect; / The word of Jehovah is tried. / He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.
³² For who is God other than Jehovah, / And who is a rock except our God?
³³ God is my strong fortress, / And He makes my way perfect;
³⁴ He makes my feet like hinds’ feet / And sets me on my high places;
³⁵ He teaches my hands to wage war / So that my arms may bend a bronze bow.
³⁶ And You have given me the shield of Your salvation, / And Your condescending gentleness has made me great.
³⁷ You have broadened the places of my steps under me, / And my feet have not slipped.
³⁸ I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, / And I did not turn back until they were consumed.
³⁹ And I devoured them and shattered them, so that they did not rise up; / Indeed, they have fallen under my feet.
⁴⁰ And You girded me with strength for war; / You brought down under me those who rose up against me.
⁴¹ You also made my enemies turn their back to me, / And I annihilated those who hated me.
⁴² They looked, but there was no one to save them; / They looked to Jehovah, but He did not answer them.
⁴³ Then I beat them like the dust of the earth; / I pounded them, I stamped them, like the mud of the streets.
⁴⁴ And You rescued me from the strivings of my people; / You have kept me as the head of the nations; / A people whom I have not known serves me.
⁴⁵ Foreigners come cringing to me; / At the mere hearing of a report, they obey me;
⁴⁶ Foreigners are discouraged / And come quaking out of their fortresses.
⁴⁷ Jehovah lives; and blessed be my rock, / And exalted be God, the rock of my salvation,
⁴⁸ The God who executes vengeance for me / And brings down peoples under me,
⁴⁹ And who brings me forth from my enemies. / Yes, You exalted me above those who rise up against me; / From the violent man You delivered me.
⁵⁰ Therefore I give thanks to You among the nations, O Jehovah; / And I sing psalms to Your name.
⁵¹ It is He who magnifies salvation to His king / And executes lovingkindness to His anointed, / To David and to his seed forever.

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¹ Now these are the last words of David:The declaration of David the son of Jesse, / And the declaration of the man who has been raised up on high, / The anointed of the God of Jacob, / The one lovely in the psalms of Israel.
² The Spirit of Jehovah spoke through me, / And His word was on my tongue.
³ The God of Israel spoke, / The Rock of Israel spoke to me, / Who rules among men righteously, / Who rules with the fear of God,
⁴ And is like the light of the morning when the sun rises, / A morning without clouds, / As when the tender grass sprouts up from the earth / At the sun’s shining after a rain.
⁵ For is not my house so with God? / For He has made an eternal covenant with me, / Ordered in all things and secure. / For all my salvation and all my desire, / Will He not indeed make them grow?
⁶ But the wicked, all of them, will be / Like thorns to be thrust away, / Because they cannot be taken with the hand.
⁷ But the man who touches them / Must arm himself with an iron rod or with the shaft of a spear; / And they will be burned with fire in their place.
⁸ These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was the chief of the captains; the same is Adino the Eznite, who fought against eight hundred, who were slain at one time.
⁹ After him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the son of an Ahohite, one among the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel went away.
¹⁰ He rose up and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary; and his hand clung to the sword, and Jehovah accomplished a great salvation that day; and the people returned after him, but only to strip the slain.
¹¹ And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. Now the Philistines were gathered into a troop where there was a plot of land full of lentils, and the people fled before the Philistines.
¹² But he stationed himself in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck the Philistines, and Jehovah accomplished a great salvation.
¹³ Now three of the thirty chief men went down and came to David at harvest time in the cave of Adullam; and the Philistine troop was encamped in the valley of Rephaim.
¹⁴ Now at that time David was in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was at that time in Bethlehem.
¹⁵ And David said longingly, If only someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!
¹⁶ And the three mighty men burst through the camp of the Philistines and drew water from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate. And they carried it and brought it to David, but he would not drink it; rather he poured it out to Jehovah.
¹⁷ And he said, Far be it from me, O Jehovah, that I should do this! Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives? Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.
¹⁸ And Abishai the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the three. And he brandished his spear against three hundred, who were slain; and he had a name among the three.
¹⁹ He was indeed the most honored among the thirty, and he became their leader; but he did not attain to the three.
²⁰ And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, was great in mighty deeds. He struck the two sons of Ariel the Moabite; he also went down and struck a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day.
²¹ And he struck an Egyptian, an imposing man. And the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but he went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the hand of the Egyptian and slew him with his own spear.
²² These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and he had a name among the three mighty men.
²³ He was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard.
²⁴ Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem;
²⁵ Shammah the Harodite; Elika the Harodite;
²⁶ Helez the Paltite; Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite;
²⁷ Abiezer the Anathothite; Mebunnai the Hushathite;
²⁸ Zalmon the Ahohite; Maharai the Netophathite;
²⁹ Heleb the son of Baanah the Netophathite; Ittai the son of Ribai from Gibeah of the children of Benjamin;
³⁰ Benaiah the Pirathonite; Hiddai from the brooks of Gaash;
³¹ Abi-albon the Arbathite; Azmaveth the Barhumite;
³² Eliahba the Shaalbonite; of the sons of Jashen, Jonathan;
³³ Shammah the Hararite; Ahiam the son of Sharar the Ararite;
³⁴ Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai; the son of the Maachathite; Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite;
³⁵ Hezrai the Carmelite; Paarai the Arbite;
³⁶ Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah; Bani the Gadite;
³⁷ Zelek the Ammonite; Naharai the Beerothite, the armor bearer to Joab the son of Zeruiah;
³⁸ Ira the Ithrite; Gareb the Ithrite;
³⁹ Uriah the Hittite. They were thirty-seven in all.

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¹ And again the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel; and he moved David against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Judah.
² And the king said to Joab the captain of the army, who was with him, Go now throughout all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beer-sheba, and count the people, that I may know the number of the people.
³ And Joab said to the king, Now may Jehovah your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king may see it. But why does my lord the king desire this thing?
⁴ Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the army. And Joab and the captains of the army went forth before the king to count the people of Israel.
⁵ And they crossed the Jordan and encamped at Aroer to the right of the city, which was in the midst of the river valley, toward Gad and unto Jazer.
⁶ Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim-hodshi, and they came to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon.
⁷ And they came to the stronghold of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and of the Canaanites, and they went on to the south of Judah at Beer-sheba.
⁸ And when they had gone about throughout all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
⁹ And Joab gave the number of the count of the people to the king. And there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.
¹⁰ And David’s heart smote him after he had numbered the people. And David said to Jehovah, I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, O Jehovah, put away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.
¹¹ And when David rose up in the morning, the word of Jehovah came to Gad the prophet, David’s seer, saying,
¹² Go and speak to David, Thus says Jehovah, I am offering you three things; choose one of them for Me to do for you.
¹³ So Gad went to David and told him these things. And he said to him, Shall seven years of famine come upon you in your land? Or shall you flee before your adversaries for three months while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days of pestilence in your land? Consider now and see what word I should return to Him who sent me.
¹⁴ And David said to Gad, I am in a great strait; let us fall into the hand of Jehovah, for His compassions are great; and do not let me fall into the hand of man.
¹⁵ So Jehovah sent a pestilence in Israel from the morning until the appointed time; and seventy thousand people died among the people from Dan to Beer-sheba.
¹⁶ And when the angel stretched forth his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, Jehovah repented of the harm. And He said to the angel who destroyed the people, It is enough; now hold back your hand. And the angel of Jehovah was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
¹⁷ And David spoke to Jehovah when he saw the angel striking the people and said, It is I who have sinned, and it is I who have acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against the house of my father.
¹⁸ And Gad came to David on that day; and he said to him, Go up and raise up an altar to Jehovah on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
¹⁹ And David went up according to Gad’s word, as Jehovah had commanded.
²⁰ And Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants coming over toward him. And Araunah went forth and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.
²¹ And Araunah said, Why has my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshing floor from you to build an altar to Jehovah, that the plague may be stayed among the people.
²² And Araunah said to David, May my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good in his sight. Look, the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing instruments and the yokes for the oxen for the wood —
²³ All this, O king, does Araunah give to the king. Then Araunah said to the king, May Jehovah your God accept you.
²⁴ But the king said to Araunah, No; but I will surely buy it from you for a price, and I will not offer to Jehovah my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
²⁵ And there David built an altar to Jehovah, and he offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And Jehovah responded to the entreaty for the land, and the plague was stayed in Israel.