Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹ At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,^(A)

⁷ At the end of four^[a] years, Absalom said to the king, “Let me go to Hebron and fulfill a vow I made to the Lord.

David Becomes King Over Israel^(A)

5 All the tribes of Israel^(B) came to David at Hebron and said, “We are your own flesh and blood.^{(C) 2} In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns.^(D) And the Lord said^(E) to you, ‘You will shepherd^(F) my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.^(G)’”

³ When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a covenant^(H) with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed^(I) David king over Israel.

⁴ David was thirty years old^(J) when he became king, and he reigned^(K) forty^(L) years. ⁵ In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months,^(M) and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

David Anointed King Over Judah

2 In the course of time, David inquired^(A) of the Lord. “Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?” he asked.

The Lord said, “Go up.”

David asked, “Where shall I go?”

“To Hebron,”^(B) the Lord answered.

² So David went up there with his two wives,^(C) Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail,^(D) the widow of Nabal of Carmel. ³ David also took the men who were with him,^(E) each with his family, and they settled in Hebron^(F) and its towns.

¹⁰ They advanced against the Canaanites living in Hebron^(A) (formerly called Kiriath Arba^(B)) and defeated Sheshai, Ahiman and Talmai.^(C)

⁷ So they set apart Kedesh^(A) in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem^(B) in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba^(C) (that is, Hebron^(D)) in the hill country of Judah.^{(E) 8} East of the Jordan (on the other side from Jericho) they designated Bezer^(F) in the wilderness on the plateau in the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead^(G) in the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan^(H) in the tribe of Manasseh. ⁹ Any of the Israelites or any foreigner residing among them who killed someone accidentally^(I) could flee to these designated cities and not be killed by the avenger of blood prior to standing trial before the assembly.^(J)