Ish-bosheth Murdered

4 Now when ^[a]Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, heard that ^(A)Abner had died in Hebron, ^[b](B)his courage failed, and all Israel was horrified. ² And Saul’s son had two men who were commanders of troops: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the sons of Benjamin (for ^(C)Beeroth is also considered ^(D)part of Benjamin, ³ and the Beerothites fled to ^(E)Gittaim and have lived there as strangers until this day).

⁴ Now ^(F)Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was disabled in both feet. He was five years old when the ^(G)news of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse picked him up and fled. But it happened that in her hurry to flee, he fell and could no longer walk. And his name was ^[c](H)Mephibosheth.

⁵ So the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, departed and came to the house of ^(I)Ish-bosheth in the heat of the day, while he was taking his midday rest. ^6 [d]And they came to the interior of the house as if ^[e]to get wheat, and ^(J)they struck him in the belly; and Rechab and his brother Baanah escaped. ⁷ Now when they had come into the house, as he was lying on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him and killed him, and they beheaded him. And they took his head and ^[f](K)traveled by way of the Arabah all night. ⁸ Then they brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron, and said to the king, “Behold, the head of Ish-bosheth ^(L)the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life; so the Lord has given my lord the king vengeance this day on Saul and his ^[g]descendants.”

⁹ But David replied to Rechab and his brother Baanah, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As the Lord lives, ^(M)who has redeemed my life from all distress, ^10 (N)when the one who informed me, saying, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ also ^[h]viewed himself as the bearer of good news, I seized him and killed him in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news. ¹¹ How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now ^(O)require his blood from your hands and eliminate you both from the earth?” ¹² Then ^(P)David commanded the young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and feet, and hung them up beside the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth ^(Q)and buried it in the grave of Abner in Hebron.

David King over All Israel

5 ^(A)Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and ^[a]said, “Behold, we are ^(B)your bone and your flesh. ² Previously, when Saul was king over us, ^(C)you were the one who led Israel ^[b]out and in. And the Lord said to you, ‘^(D)You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ^(E)a leader over Israel.’” ³ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David ^(F)made a covenant with them before the Lord in Hebron; then ^(G)they anointed David king over Israel. ⁴ David was ^(H)thirty years old when he became king, and ^(I)he reigned for forty years. ⁵ At Hebron ^(J)he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned for thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

^6 (K)Now the king and his men went to ^(L)Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land; and they said to ^[c]David, “You shall not come in here, but even those who are blind and those who limp will turn you away,” ^[d]thinking, “David cannot enter here.” ⁷ Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion, that is, ^(M)the city of David. ⁸ And David said on that day, “Whoever strikes the Jebusites is to reach those who limp and those who are blind, who are hated by David’s soul, through the water tunnel.” For that reason they say, “People who are blind and people who limp shall not come into the house.” ⁹ So David lived in the stronghold, and called it ^(N)the city of David. And David built all around from the ^[e](O)Millo and inward. ^10 (P)David became greater and greater, for the Lord God of armies was with him.

^11 (Q)Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees, carpenters, and ^[f]stonemasons; and ^(R)they built a house for David. ¹² And David realized that the Lord had appointed him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

¹³ Meanwhile ^(S)David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron; and more sons and daughters were born to David. ¹⁴ Now ^(T)these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ¹⁵ Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ¹⁶ Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

War with the Philistines

¹⁷ Now when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, ^(U)all the Philistines went up to seek out David; and when David heard about it, he went down to the ^(V)stronghold. ¹⁸ Now the Philistines came and overran ^(W)the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹ So ^(X)David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You hand them over to me?” And ^(Y)the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly hand the Philistines over to you.” ²⁰ Then David came to ^(Z)Baal-perazim and ^[g]defeated them there; and he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like the breakthrough of waters.” Therefore he named that place ^[h]Baal-perazim. ²¹ And the Philistines abandoned their idols there, so ^(AA)David and his men carried them away.

²² Now ^(AB)the Philistines came up once again and overran the Valley of Rephaim. ²³ So ^(AC)David inquired of the Lord, but He said, “You shall not go directly up; circle around behind them and come at them in front of the baka-shrubs. ²⁴ And it shall be, when ^(AD)you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the baka-shrubs, then you shall ^[i]act promptly, for then ^(AE)the Lord will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.” ²⁵ Then David did so, just as the Lord had commanded him; he struck and killed the Philistines from ^[j](AF)Geba ^[k]as far as ^(AG)Gezer.