Bible in 90 Days
20 Then Saul fell full length on the earth and was very afraid because of the words of Samuel, so that there was no strength in him. For he had eaten no bread all day or all night.
21 Then the woman came to Saul and saw that he was very troubled, and said to him, “See, your handmaid has obeyed your voice; and I have put my soul in my hand and have obeyed your words which you said to me.
22 “Now, therefore, you please also listen to the voice of your handmaid and let me set a morsel of bread before you, so that you may eat and strengthen yourself and go on your journey.”
23 But he refused and said, “I will not eat.” But his servants, together with the woman, compelled him. And he obeyed their voice. So he arose from the earth and sat on the bed.
24 Now, the woman had a fat calf in the house. And she hurried and killed it and took flour and kneaded it and baked unleavened bread from it.
25 Then she brought them before Saul, and before his servants. And when they had eaten, they stood up and went away the same night.
29 So the Philistines were gathered together with all their armies in Aphek. And the Israelites camped by the fountain which is in Jezreel.
2 And the princes of the Philistines went forth by hundreds and thousands; but David and his men came behind with Achish.
3 Then the princes of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, “Is not this David, the servant of Saul, the king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years? And I have found nothing in him since he has dwelt with me, until this day.”
4 But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him. And the princes of the Philistines said to him, “Send this fellow back, so that he may go back to his place to which you have appointed him. And let him not go down with us to battle, lest that in the battle he be an adversary to us. For with what would he obtain the favor of his master if not with the heads of these men?
5 “Is not this that David of whom they sang in dances, saying, ‘Saul killed his thousand and David his ten thousand?’”
6 Then Achish called David, and said to him, “As the LORD lives, you have been upright and good in my sight when you went out and in with me in the camp. Nor have I found evil with you since you came to me until this day. But the princes do not favor you.
7 “Therefore, return now and go in peace, so that you do not displease the princes of the Philistines.”
8 And David said to Achish, “But what have I done? And what have you found in your servant for as long as I have been with you, until this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”
9 Achish then answered and said to David, “I know you please me as an angel of God. But the princes of the Philistines have said, “Let him not go up with us to battle.
10 “Therefore, now, rise up early in the morning with your master’s servants who have come with you. And when you are up early, as soon as you have light, depart.”
11 So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning and to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
30 But when David and his men had come to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had invaded in the South, to Ziklag, and had struck Ziklag and burnt it with fire
2 and had taken the women, who were prisoners there, both small and great. They had not killed any man but had carried them away, and had gone their ways.
3 So David and his men came to the city. And behold, it was burnt with fire. And their wives and their sons and their daughters had been taken prisoners.
4 Then David and the people who were with him lifted up their voices and wept until they could weep no more.
5 David’s two wives had been taken prisoners also, Ahinoam the Jezreelite and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite.
6 And David was in great sorrow. For the people intended to stone him because the hearts of all the people were troubled, each man’s for his sons and for his daughters. But David comforted himself in the LORD his God.
7 And David said to Abiathar the Priest, Ahimelech’s son, “Please bring me the ephod.” And Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
8 Then David asked counsel of the LORD, saying, “Shall I follow after this company? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Follow. For you shall surely overtake them and recover all.”
9 So David and the six hundred men who were with him went, and came to the river Besor, where some of them stayed.
10 But David and four hundred men pursued (for two hundred stayed behind, being too weary to go over the river Besor).
11 And they found an Egyptian in the field and brought him to David and gave him bread, and he ate. And they gave him water to drink.
12 Also, they gave him a few figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit came back to him. For he had eaten no bread or drunk any water for three days and three nights.
13 And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And from where do you come?” And he said, “I am a young man of Egypt, and servant to an Amalekite. And my master left me three days ago because I fell sick.
14 “We raided the South of Chereth, and upon the territory belonging to Judah, and upon the South of Caleb. And we burnt Ziklag with fire.”
15 And David said to him, “Can you bring me to this company?” And he said, “Swear to me by God that you will neither kill me nor deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will bring you to this company.”
16 And when he had brought him there, behold, they lay scattered all over the earth, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines and out of the land of Judah.
17 And David struck them from the twilight until the evening of the next day, so that there did not escape a man from them, except four hundred young men who rode upon camels and fled.
18 And David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken. Also, David rescued his two wives.
19 And they lacked nothing, small or great, son or daughter, or of the plunder of all that they had taken away. David recovered them all.
20 David also took all the sheep and the oxen. And they drove them before his cattle, and said, “This is David’s spoil!”
21 And David came to the two hundred men who were too weary to follow David, whom they had also made stay at the river Besor. And they came to meet David, and to meet the people who were with him. So when David came near to the people, he greeted them.
22 Then all the evil and wicked of the men who went with David answered, and said, “Because they did not go with us, therefore will we give them none of the spoil that we have recovered, except each man’s wife and children. Therefore, let them carry them away and depart.”
23 Then David said, “You shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD has given us, Who has preserved us and delivered the company that came against us into our hands.
24 “For who will obey you in this matter? But just as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who waits by the stuff. They shall share alike.”
25 So, from that day forward, he made it a statute and a law in Israel, until this day.
26 Therefore, when David came to Ziklag, he sent some of the spoil to the elders of Judah and to his friends, saying, “Behold, a blessing for you from the spoil of the enemies of the LORD.”
27 He sent to them of Bethel, and to them of South Ramoth, and to them of Jattir,
28 and to them of Aroer, and to them of Siphmoth, and to them of Eshtemoa,
29 and to them of Rachal, and to them of the cities of the Jerahmeelites, and to them of the cities of the Kenites,
30 and to them of Hormah, and to them of Chorashan, and to them of Athach,
31 and to them of Hebron, and to all the places where David and his men had walked.
31 Now the Philistines fought against Israel. And the men of Israel fled away from the Philistines. And they fell down, wounded, on Mount Gilboa.
2 And the Philistines pressed hard upon Saul and his sons, and killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua, Saul’s sons.
3 And when the battle went fiercely against Saul, the archers and bowmen hit him. And he was badly wounded by the archers.
4 Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw out your sword and thrust me through with it, lest the uncircumcised come and thrust me through and mock me.” But his armor bearer would not, for he was very afraid. Therefore, Saul took a sword and fell upon it.
5 And when his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword, and died with him.
6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor bearer, and all his men, that same day, together.
7 And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley, and they of the other side of Jordan, saw that the men of Israel had been put to flight, and that Saul and his sons were dead, then they left the cities and ran away. And the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
8 And the next day, when the Philistines had come to plunder those who had been killed, they found Saul and his three sons lying on Mount Gilboa.
9 And they cut off his head and stripped him out of his armor and sent into the land of the Philistines, on every side, so that they could proclaim it in the temple of their idols, and among the people.
10 And they laid up his armor in the house of Ashtoreth, but they hung up his body on the wall of Beth Shan.
11 When the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
12 then they arose (as many as were strong men) and went all night, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth Shan, and came to Jabesh and burnt them there,
13 and took their bones and buried them under a tree at Jabesh and fasted for seven days.
1 After the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites and had been in Ziklag for two days,
2 behold, on the third day, a man came from out of Saul’s camp with his clothes torn and earth upon his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the earth and prostrated himself.
3 Then David said to him, “Where have you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.”
4 And David said to him, “What has been done? Please tell me.” Then he said that the people had fled from the battle and many of the people were overthrown and dead, and also that Saul and Jonathan, his son, were dead.
5 And David said to the young man who told it to him, “How do you know that Saul and Jonathan, his son, are dead?”
6 Then the young man who told him answered, “As I came to Mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear. And lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.
7 “And when he looked back, he saw me and called me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’
8 “And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ And I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’
9 “Then said he to me, ‘Please come upon me and kill me! For anguish has come upon me because my life is still whole in me.’
10 “So, I came upon him and killed him. And because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen, I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and brought them here to my lord.”
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 the LORD, and for the House of Israel, because they had been killed with the sword.
13 Afterward, David said to the young man who told it to him, “Where are you from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.”
14 And David said to him, “How were you not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the anointed of the LORD?”
15 Then David called one of his young men, and said, “Go near and fall upon him.” And he struck him, so that he died.
16 Then said David to him, “Your blood is upon your own head. For your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the LORD’s anointed.’”
17 Then David mourned with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan, his son.
18 Also, he told them to teach the children of Judah to shoot, as it is written in the book of Jasher:
19 “O noble Israel! He is killed upon your high places! How the mighty are overthrown!
20 “Do not tell it in Gath, or publish it in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.
21 “You, mountains of Gilboa. upon you is neither dew nor rain nor fields of offerings. For there the shield of the mighty has been cast down, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.
22 “The bow of Jonathan never turned back, nor did the sword of Saul return empty from the blood of the slain, and from the fat of the mighty.
23 “Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives. And in their deaths, they were not divided. They were swifter than eagles. They were stronger than lions.
24 “You daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with pleasures, and hung ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
25 “How were the mighty slain in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, you were killed in your high places.
26 “Woe is me for you, my brother Jonathan! Very kind have you been to me. Your love for me was wonderful, surpassing the love of women. How the mighty are overthrown, and the weapons of war destroyed!”
2 After this, David asked counsel of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” And the LORD said to him, “Go up.” And David said, “Where shall I go? He then answered, “To Hebron.”
2 So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail, Nabal the Carmelite’s wife.
3 And David brought up the men who were with him, every man with his household. And they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.
4 Then the men of Judah came. And they anointed David king over the House of Judah. And they told David, saying that the men of Jabesh Gilead had buried Saul.
5 And David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead, and said to them, “Blessed are you of the LORD, in that you have shown such kindness to your lord Saul, that you have buried him!
6 “Therefore, now, may the LORD show mercy and truth to you. And I will repay you this benefit, because you have done this thing.
7 “Therefore, now, let your hands be strong, and be valiant! For your master Saul is dead, nevertheless the House of Judah has anointed me king over them.”
8 But Abner, the son of Ner, who was captain of Saul’s army, took Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, and brought him to Mahanaim,
9 and made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.
10 Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel and reigned for two years. But the House of Judah followed David.
11 And the time which David reigned over the House of Judah in Hebron was seven years and six months.
12 And Abner, the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, went out of Mahanaim to Gibeon.
13 And Joab, the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David went out and met one another by the pool of Gibeon. And they sat down, one on one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool.
14 Then Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men arise now and play before us.” And Joab said, “Let them arise.”
15 Then there arose and went over twelve from Benjamin (belonging to Ishbosheth, the son of Saul) and twelve of the servants of David.
16 And each one caught another person by the head and thrust his sword in his side, so they fell down together. Therefore, the place was called Helkath Hazzurim (which is in Gibeon).
17 And the battle was exceedingly fierce that same day. For Abner and the men of Israel fell before the servants of David.
18 And there were three sons of Zeruiah there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. And Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle.
19 And Asahel followed after Abner. And while going, he turned neither to the right nor to the left from Abner.
20 Then Abner looked behind him and said, “Are you Asahel?” And he answered, “Yes.”
21 Then Abner said, “Turn yourself either to the right or to the left and take one of the young men and take his weapons for yourself.” And Asahel would not depart from him.
22 And Abner said to Asahel, “Depart from me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then would I be able to hold up my face to Joab, your brother?”
23 And when he would not depart, Abner, with the blunt end of the spear, struck him under the fifth rib, so that the spear came out behind him. And he fell down there and died in his place. And as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died, stood still.
24 Also, Joab and Abishai pursued after Abner. And the Sun went down after they had come to the hill, Ammah, which lies before Giah, on the road to the wilderness of Gibeon.
25 And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and were a troop, and stood on the top of a hill.
26 Then Abner called to Joab, and said, “Shall the sword devour forever? “Do you not know that it will be bitterness in the end? How long, then, shall it be before you bid the people return from following their brethren?”
27 And Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely the people would have departed in the morning, each one returning from following his brother.”
28 So Joab blew a trumpet. And all the people stood still, and no longer pursued after Israel. Nor did they fight anymore.
29 And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain, and went over the Jordan, and passed through all Bithron, until they came to Mahanaim.
30 Joab also returned from following Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, nineteen of David’s servants were missing, and Asahel.
31 But the servants of David had struck some of Benjamin and Abner’s men, so that three hundred sixty men died.
32 And they took up Asahel and buried him in the sepulcher of his father, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night. And when they came to Hebron, the day arose.
3 Then there was a long war between the House of Saul and the House of David. But David grew stronger, and the House of Saul grew weaker.
2 And children were born to David in Hebron. And his eldest son was Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess.
3 And his second was Chileab, of Abigail, the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. And the third was Absalom, the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai the king of Geshur.
4 And the fourth was Adonijah, the son of Haggith. And the fifth was Shephatiah, the son of Abital.
5 And the sixth was Ithream, by Eglah, David’s wife. These were born to David in Hebron.
6 Now, while there was war between the House of Saul and the House of David, Abner strengthened himself for the House of Saul.
7 And Saul had a concubine named Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. And Ishbosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?”
8 Then Abner was very angry at the words of Ishbosheth, and said, “Am I a dog’s head of Judah? This day I have shown mercy to the House of Saul your father, to his brethren, and to his neighbors, and have not delivered you into the hand of David! Yet, you charge me this day with a fault concerning this woman?
9 “So do God to Abner, and more also, unless I do for David as the LORD has sworn to him,
10 “to remove the kingdom from the House of Saul, so that the throne of David may be established over Israel, and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.”
11 And he dared not answer Abner anymore. For he feared him.
12 Then Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, “Whose is the land?” and also saying, “Make a covenant with me. And behold, my hand shall be with you, to bring all Israel to you.”
13 Who said, “Good. I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you, which is that you do not see my face unless you bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to see me.”
14 Then David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, saying, “Deliver my wife Michal to me, whom I married for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.”
15 And Ishbosheth sent and took her from her husband, Paltiel, the son of Laish.
16 And her husband went with her and came, weeping, behind her, to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go. Return.” So, he returned.
17 And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying, “You fought for David in times past, so that he might be your king.
18 “Then, do it now! For the LORD has spoken of David, saying, ‘By the hand of my servant, David, I will save My people, Israel, out of the hands of the Philistines and out of the hands of all their enemies.’”
19 Also, Abner spoke to Benjamin. And afterward, Abner went to speak with David in Hebron concerning all that Israel was content with, as well as all that of the House of Benjamin.
20 So Abner came to David, to Hebron, having twenty men with him. And David made a feast for Abner, and to the men who were with him.
21 Then Abner said to David, “I will rise up and go gather all Israel to my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires.” Then David let Abner depart, who went in peace.
22 And behold, the servants of David and Joab came from the camp and brought a great spoil with them (but Abner was not with David in Hebron; for he had sent him away, and he had departed in peace).
23 When Joab and all the army that was with him had come, men told Joab, saying, “Abner, the son of Ner, came to the king. And he has sent him away. And he has gone in peace.
24 Then Joab came to the king, and said, “What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you. Why have you sent him away, so that he is gone?
25 “You know Abner, the son of Ner. For he came to deceive you, and to know of your coming out and going in, and to know all that you do.”
26 And when Joab had gone out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, who brought him back from the well of Sirah, unknown to David.
27 And when Abner had come back to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him “peaceably”. And he struck him under the fifth rib, so that he died, because of the blood of Asahel, his brother.
28 And afterward, when it came to David’s ear, he said, “I and my kingdom are guiltless before the LORD forever concerning the blood of Abner, the son of Ner.
29 “Let the blood fall on the head of Joab, and on all his father’s House, so that the House of Joab is never without some who have discharges, or are lepers, or who lean on a staff, or who falls by the sword, or who lacks bread.”
30 So Joab and Abishai, his brother, killed Abner because he had killed their brother, Asahel, in battle at Gibeon.
31 And David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and mourn before Abner!” And King David himself followed the bier.
32 And when they had buried Abner in Hebron, the king lifted up his voice and wept beside the sepulcher of Abner. And all the people wept.
33 And the king lamented over Abner, and said, “Did Abner die as a fool dies?
34 “Your hands were not bound, nor your feet tied in fetters of bronze. Yet, as a man falls before wicked men did you fall.” And all the people wept again for him.
35 Afterward, all the people came to urge David to eat food while it was yet day. But David swore, saying, “So do God to me and more also if I taste bread or anything else until the Sun is down.”
36 And all the people noted it, and it pleased them, since whatever the king did pleased all the people.
37 For all the people and all Israel understood on that day how that it was not the king’s doing that Abner, the son of Ner, had been killed.
38 And the king said to his servants, “Do you not know that there is a prince and a great man who has fallen this day in Israel?
39 “And I, the anointed king, am weak this day. And these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too hard for me. May the LORD reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness.”
4 And when Saul’s son heard that Abner had died in Hebron, his hands were idle. And all Israel was afraid,
2 And Saul’s son had two men who were captains of bands: one called Baanah and the other called Rechab (the sons of Rimmon, a Beerothite of the children of Benjamin, for Beeroth was reckoned to Benjamin,
3 because the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and sojourned there to this day).
4 And Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was lame on his feet. He was five years old when the news of Saul and Jonathan came out of Israel. Then his nurse took him and fled away. And as she hurried to flee, the child fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.
5 And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went and came in the heat of the day to the House of Ishbosheth (who slept on a bed at noon).
6 And behold, Rechab and Baanah, his brother, came into the midst of the house, as though requesting wheat. And they struck him under the fifth rib and fled.
7 For when they came into the house, he slept on his bed in his bed chamber. And they struck him, and killed him, and beheaded him, and took his head and got away through the plain, all night.
8 And they brought the head of Ishbosheth to David, to Hebron, and said to the king, “Behold the head of Ishbosheth, Saul’s son, your enemy, who sought after your life. And the LORD has avenged my Lord the king of Saul and of his seed this day.”
9 Then David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As the LORD lives, Who has delivered my soul out of all adversity,
10 “when someone told me and said that Saul was dead (thinking to have brought good tidings), I took him and killed him in Ziklag, even while he thought that I would have given him a reward for his tidings.
11 “How much more then, when wicked men have killed a righteous person in his own house, upon his bed, shall I not now therefore require his blood at your hand and take you from the Earth?”
12 Then David commanded his young men, and they killed them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it in the sepulcher of Abner, in Hebron.
5 Then all the tribes of Israel came to David, to Hebron, and said this: “Behold, we are your bones and your flesh.
2 “And in time past, when Saul was our king, you led Israel in and out. And the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall feed my people, Israel, and you shall be a captain over Israel.’”
3 So, all the elders of Israel came to the king, to Hebron. And King David made a covenant with them in Hebron, before the LORD. And they anointed David king over Israel.
4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign. He reigned for forty years.
5 He reigned over Judah for seven years and six months in Hebron. And he reigned over all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
6 Also, the king and his men went to Jerusalem, to the Jebusites (the inhabitants of the land), who spoke to David, saying, “Unless you turn aside the blind and the lame, you shall not come in here,” thinking that David could not come there.
7 But David took the fort of Zion. This is the City of David.
8 Now David had said the same day, “Whoever strikes the Jebusites, go up to the gutters!” (and the lame and blind, whom David’s soul hates). Therefore, they said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into that house!”
9 So David dwelt in that fort and called it the City of David. And David built all around it, from Millo, inward. LORD God of Hosts was with him.
11 Also Hiram, king of Tyre, sent messengers to David and cedar trees and carpenters and masons for walls. And they built David a house.
12 Then David knew that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel’s sake.
13 And after he had come from Hebron, David took more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem for himself. And more sons and daughters were born to David.
14 And these are the names of the sons who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,
15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,
16 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.
17 But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David. And when David heard, he went down to a fort.
18 But the Philistines came and spread themselves in the Valley of Rephaim.
19 Then David asked counsel of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go up to the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hands?” And the LORD answered David, “Go up! For I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hands.”
20 Then David came to Baal Perazim and struck them there, and said, “The LORD has divided my enemies before me, as waters are divided.” Therefore, he called the name of that place, “Baal Perazim”.
21 And they left their images there; and David and his men burnt them.
22 Again, the Philistines came up and spread themselves in the Valley of Rephaim.
23 And when David asked counsel of the LORD, He answered, “You shall not go up. Circle around behind them and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees.
24 “And when you hear the noise of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then move. For then shall the LORD go out before you, to strike the army of the Philistines.”
25 Then David did so, as the LORD had Commanded him, and struck the Philistines from Geba, until you come to Gezer.
6 Again, David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel: thirty thousand.
2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up the Ark of God from there, whose name comes from the Name of the LORD of Hosts, Who dwells upon it between the Cherubim.
3 And they put the Ark of God upon a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart.
4 And when they brought the Ark of God out of the house of Abinadab that was at Gibeah, Ahio went before the Ark.
5 And David and all the House of Israel played before the LORD on all instruments made of fir, and on harps, and on psalteries, and on tambourines, and on cornets, and on cymbals.
6 And when they came to Nachon’s threshing floor, Uzzah put his hand on the Ark of God and held it. For the oxen shook it.
7 And the LORD was very angry with Uzzah. And God struck him in that same place for his fault. And there he died, by the Ark of God.
8 And David was displeased because the LORD had stricken Uzzah. And he called the name of the place “Perez Uzzah” until this day.
9 Therefore, David feared the LORD that day, and said, “How shall the Ark of the LORD come to me?”
10 So David would not bring the Ark of the LORD to him into the City of David. But David carried it into the house of Obed-Edom, a Gittite.
11 And the Ark of the LORD stayed in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months. And the LORD blessed Obed-Edom and all his household.
12 And someone told King David, saying, “The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that he has, because of the Ark of God.” Therefore, David went and brought the Ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom into the City of David with gladness.
13 And when those who bore the Ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he offered an ox and a fat beast.
14 And David danced before the LORD with all his might and was girded with a linen ephod.
15 So David and all the House of Israel brought the Ark of the LORD with shouting and sound of trumpet.
16 And as the Ark of the LORD came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leap and dance before the LORD. And she despised him in her heart.
17 And when they had brought in the Ark of the LORD, they set it in its place, in the midst of the Tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then David offered Burnt Offerings, and Peace Offerings before the LORD.
18 And as soon as David had finished offering Burnt Offerings and Peace Offerings, he blessed the people in the Name of the LORD of Hosts,
19 and gave among all the people, among the whole multitude of Israel, to the women as well as the men, to everyone, a cake of bread and a piece of flesh and a bottle. So, all the people departed, each one to his house.
20 Then David returned to bless his house. And Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet David, and said, “O how glorious was the king of Israel this day, who was uncovered today in the eyes of the maidens of his servants, as a fool uncovers himself!”
21 Then David said to Michal, “It was before the LORD, Who chose me rather than your father and all his house, and Commanded me to be ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel. And therefore, I will play before the LORD,
22 and will be even more vile than this and will be humble in my own sight. But by the very same maidservants which you have spoken of, I shall be had in honor.”
23 Therefore Michal, the daughter of Saul, had no child until the day of her death.
7 Afterward, when the king sat in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies, all around,
2 the king said to Nathan the Prophet, “Behold, now I dwell in a house of cedar trees, and the Ark of God remains within the curtains.”
3 Then Nathan said to the king, “Go and do all that is in your heart. For the LORD is with you.”
4 And that same night, the Word of the LORD came to Nathan, saying,
5 “Go and tell my servant, David, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Shall you build Me a house for My dwelling?
6 ‘For I have dwelt in no house since the time that I brought the children of Israel out of Egypt until this day but have moved about in a Tent and Tabernacle.
7 ‘In every place I have moved about with all the children of Israel, have I ever spoken one word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I Commanded to feed My people Israel, saying, “Why did you not build Me a house of cedar trees?”’
8 “Now, therefore, so say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD of Hosts: “I took you from the sheepfolds, following the sheep, so that you might be ruler over My people, over Israel.
9 “And I was with you wherever you have walked and have destroyed all your enemies out of your sight, and have made you a great name, like the names of the great men who are on the Earth.
10 “Also, I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant it, so that they may dwell in a place of their own and no longer move. Nor shall wicked people trouble them anymore as before,
11 “and since the time that I set judges over My people of Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Also, the LORD tells you that He will make you a house.
12 “And when your days are fulfilled, you shall sleep with your fathers. And I will set up your seed after you, who shall proceed out of your body, and will establish his kingdom.
13 “He shall build a House for My Name. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
14 “I will be his father, and he shall be my son. And if he sins, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the plagues of the children of men.
15 “But my mercy shall not depart from him as I took it from Saul, whom I have put away before you.
16 “And your house shall be established before you, and your kingdom, forever. Your throne shall be established forever.”’”
17 According to all these words and according to all this vision, Nathan spoke thus to David.
18 Then, King David went in and sat before the LORD, and said, “Who am I, O Lord GOD? And what is my house, that You have brought me here?
19 “And yet, this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord GOD. Therefore, You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come. And this is the manner of man, O Lord GOD.
20 “And what more can David say to You? For You, Lord GOD, know Your servant.
21 “For Your Word’s sake, and according to Your own Heart, have You done all these great things, to make them known to Your servant.
22 “Therefore, You are great, O Lord GOD! 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 what one people on the Earth is like Your people, like Israel, whose God went and redeemed them to Himself, so that they might be His people, and that He might make a Name for Himself and do great and mighty things for Yourself and for Your land, O LORD. You have redeemed Your people to Yourself out of Egypt, the nations, and their gods!
24 “For You have ordained Your people Israel to Yourself, to be Your people forever! And You, LORD, have become their God.
25 “Now, therefore, O Lord GOD, confirm forever the Word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house, and do as You have said.
26 “And let Your Name be magnified forever by those who shall say, ‘The LORD of Hosts is the God over Israel,’ and let the House of Your servant David be established before You.
27 “For You, O LORD of Hosts, God of Israel, have revealed to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a House.’ Therefore, Your servant has been bold to pray this prayer to You.
28 “Therefore, now, O Lord GOD (You are God and Your Words are true and You have told this goodness to Your servant),
29 “therefore, now let it please You to bless the House of Your servant, so that it may continue forever before You. For You, O Lord GOD, have spoken it. And let the House of Your servant be blessed forever with Your blessing.”
8 Now after this, David struck the Philistines and subdued them. And David took the bridle of bondage out of the hand of the Philistines.
2 And he struck Moab, and measured them with a rope and cast them down to the ground. He measured them with two ropes to put them to death, and with one full rope to keep them alive. So, the Moabites became David’s servants, and brought gifts.
3 David also struck Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his border at the river Euphrates.
4 And David took a thousand seven hundred horsemen from them, and twenty thousand footmen. And David hamstrung almost all the chariot horses, only sparing enough of them for a hundred chariots.
5 Then the Aramites of Dammesek came to help Hadadezer, king of Zobah. But David killed twenty-two thousand of the Aramites.
6 And David put a garrison in Aram of Dammesek. And the Aramites became servants to David and brought gifts. And the LORD saved David wherever he went.
7 And David took the shields of gold that belonged to the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.
8 And out of Betah and Berothai (cities of Hadadezer), king David brought exceedingly much bronze.
9 Then Toi, king of Hamath, heard how David had stricken all the army of Hadadezer.
10 Therefore, Toi sent Joram, his son, to king David, to greet him and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and beaten him (for Hadadezer had warred with Toi). He brought vessels of silver with him, and vessels of gold, and vessels of bronze.
11 And king David dedicated them to the LORD with the silver and gold that he had dedicated from all the nations which he had subdued:
12 from Aram, Moab, the children of Ammon, the Philistines, Amalek, and the spoil of Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
13 So David got a name after he had returned and had killed eighteen thousand of the Aramites in the Valley of Salt.
14 And he put a garrison in Edom. He put soldiers throughout all Edom, and all the Edomites became David’s servants. And the LORD preserved David wherever he went.
15 Thus David reigned over all Israel and executed judgment and justice to 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 the priests, and Seraiah the scribe.
18 And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites and David’s sons were chief rulers.
9 And David said, “Is there any man still left of the House of Saul on whom I may show mercy for Jonathan’s sake?”
2 And there was, of the household of Saul, a servant whose name was Ziba. And when they had called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.”
3 Then the King said, “Is there no one left of the House of Saul on whom I may show the mercy of God?” Ziba then answered the king, “Jonathan still has a son who is lame in his feet.”
4 Then the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel of Lo Debar.”
5 Then king David sent and took him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel of Lo Debar.
6 Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and did reverence. And David said, “Mephibosheth?” And he answered, “Behold your servant.”
7 Then David said to him, “Do not fear. For I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore all the fields of Saul, your father, to you. And you shall eat bread at my table continually.”
8 And he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you would look upon such a dead dog as I am?”
9 Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his House.
10 “You, therefore, and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and bring in, so that your master’s son may have food to eat. And Mephibosheth, your master’s son, shall eat bread always 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 shall your servant do, so that Mephibosheth may eat at my table, as one of the king’s sons.”
12 Mephibosheth also had a young son named Micha. And all who dwelled in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth.
13 And Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem. For he ate continually at the king’s table and was lame in both his feet.
10 After this, the king of the children of Ammon died. And Hanun, his son, reigned in his place.
2 Then David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun, the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness to me.” And David sent his servants to comfort him for his father. So, David’s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon.
3 And the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, their lord, “Do you think that David honors your father because he has sent comforters to you? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it?”
4 Therefore, Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half of their beard and cut off their garments in the middle, down to their buttocks, and sent them away.
5 When it was told to David, he sent to meet them (for the men were exceedingly ashamed) and the king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown, then return.”
6 And when the children of Ammon saw that they stank in the sight of David, the children of Ammon sent and hired twenty thousand Aramite footmen from the House of Rehob, and the Aramites from Zoba, and a thousand men from King Maacah, and twelve thousand men from Ish-Tob.
7 And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the strong men.
8 And the children of Ammon came out and put their army in formation at the entrance of the gate. And the Aramites from Zoba and from Rehob and from Ish-Tob and from Maacah were by themselves in the field.
9 When Joab saw that the fronts of the battle were against him both in front and in the rear, he chose from all the choice of Israel and put them in formation against the Aramites.
10 And he delivered the rest of the people into the hand of Abishai, his brother, so that he might put them in formation against the children of Ammon.
11 And he said, “If the Aramites are stronger than me, you shall help me. And if the children of Ammon are too strong for you, I will come and help you.
12 “Be strong! And let us be valiant for our people and for the cities of our God! And let the LORD do that which is good in His Eyes.”
13 Then Joab and the people who were with him joined in battle with the Aramites, who fled before him.
14 And when the children of Ammon saw that the Aramites fled, they also fled before Abishai and entered into the city. So, Joab returned from the children of Ammon and came to Jerusalem.
15 And when the Aramites saw that they were stricken before Israel, they gathered themselves together.
16 And Hadarezer sent and brought out the Aramites who were beyond the river. And they came to Helam. And Shobach, the captain of the army of Hadadezer, went before them.
17 When it was told to David, they gathered all Israel together and passed over Jordan and came to Helam. And the Aramites set themselves in formation against David and fought with him.
18 And the Aramites fled before Israel. And David destroyed seven hundred chariots of the Aramites, and forty thousand horsemen, and struck Shobach, the captain of his army, who died there.
19 And when all the kings serving Hadadezer saw that they fell before Israel, they made peace with Israel and served them. And the Aramites were afraid to help the children of Ammon anymore.
11 And it happened at that time, after the year had expired, in the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab (with his servants and all Israel). And they destroyed the children of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.
2 And when it was evening, David arose out of his bed and walked upon the roof of the king’s palace. And from the roof he saw a woman washing herself. And the woman was very beautiful to look upon.
3 And David sent and inquired what woman it was, and said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, wife to Uriah the Hittite?”
4 Then David sent messengers and took her away. And she came to him. And he lay with her (now she had been purified from her uncleanness). And she returned to her house.
5 And the woman conceived. Therefore, she sent and told David, and said, “I am with child.”
6 Then David sent to Joab, saying, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David.
7 And when Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab did, and how the people fared, and how the war prospered.
8 Afterward, David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” So, Uriah departed out of the king’s palace. And the king sent a present after him.
9 But, Uriah slept at the door of the king’s palace with all the servants of his lord and did not go down to his house.
10 Then they told David, saying, “Uriah did not go down to his house.” And David said to Uriah, “Do you not come from your journey? Why did you not go down to your house?”
11 Then Uriah answered David, “The Ark and Israel and Judah dwell in tents. And my lord Joab and the servants of my lord remain in the open fields. Shall I then go into my house to eat and drink and lie with my wife? By your life, and by the life of your soul, I will not do this thing.”
12 Then David said to Uriah, “Stay this day also. And tomorrow I will send you away.” So, Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next.
13 Then David called him. And he ate and drank before him. And he made himself drunk. And in the evening, he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord but did not go down to his house.
14 And in the morning, David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
15 And he wrote this in the letter: “Put Uriah at the front of the fiercest battle, and retreat from him, so that he may be stricken and die.”
16 So when Joab besieged the city, he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew that strong men were.
17 And the men of the city came out and fought with Joab. And people of the servants of David fell there. And Uriah the Hittite also died.
18 Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war.
19 And he charged the messenger, saying, “When you have finished telling all the matters of the war to the king,
20 “and if the king’s anger arises, so that he says to you, ‘Why did you approach the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall?
21 ‘Who struck Abimelech, son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall and he died in Thebez? Why did you go near the wall?’ Then you say, ‘Your servant, Uriah the Hittite, is also dead.’”
22 So the messenger went and came and told David all that Joab had sent him to tell.
23 And the messenger said to David, “Certainly the men prevailed against us, and came out to us into the field. But we pursued them to the entrance of the gate.
24 “But the shooters shot against your servants from the wall. And some of the king’s servants are dead. 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 thing trouble you. For the sword devours one as well as another. Make your attack against the city stronger, and destroy it,’ and encourage him.”
26 And when the wife of Uriah heard that her husband Uriah was dead, she mourned for her husband.
27 So, when the mourning had passed, David sent and took her into his house. And she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.
12 Then the LORD sent Nathan to David, who came to him and said to him, “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor.
2 “The rich man had exceedingly many sheep and oxen.
3 “But the poor had none at all, except one little sheep which he had bought and nourished. And it grew up with him and with his children also, and ate of his own morsels and drank of his own cup and slept in his bosom and was to him as his daughter.
4 “Now a stranger came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own sheep and from his own oxen to prepare for the stranger who had come to him. But he took the poor man’s sheep and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”
5 Then David was exceedingly angry with the man, and said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this thing shall surely die!
6 “And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing and had no pity!”
7 Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man. Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and delivered you out of the hand of Saul,
8 ‘and gave you your lord’s house, and your lord’s wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah, and would moreover (if that had been too little) have given you such and such things.
9 ‘Why have you despised the Commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the children of Ammon.
10 ‘Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’
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