Bible in 90 Days

²⁰ At once, Saul collapsed and lay stretched out on the floor, terrified at what Samuel had said. He was weak because he had not eaten anything since the day before.

²¹ The woman came over to Saul, and when she saw that he was completely terrified, she said, “Your Majesty, I listened to you and risked my life to do what you asked. ²² Now please listen to me. Let me get you a little something to eat. It will give you strength for your walk back to camp.”

²³ “No, I won't eat!”

But his officers and the woman kept on urging Saul, until he finally agreed. He got up off the floor and sat on the bed. ²⁴ At once the woman killed a calf that she had been fattening up. She cooked part of the meat and baked some thin bread.^{[a] 25} Then she served the food to Saul and his officers, who ate and left before daylight.

The Philistines Send David Back

29 The Philistines had brought their whole army to Aphek,^[b] while Israel's army was camping near Jezreel Spring. ^2-3 The Philistine rulers and their troops were marching past the Philistine army commanders in groups of 100 and 1,000. When David and his men marched by at the end with Achish, the commanders said, “What are these worthless Israelites doing here?”

“They are David's men,” Achish answered. “David used to be one of Saul's officers, but he left Saul and joined my army a long time ago. I've never had even one complaint about him.”

⁴ The Philistine army commanders were angry and shouted:

Send David back to the town you gave him. We won't have him going into the battle with us. He could turn and fight against us! Saul would take David back as an officer if David brought him the heads of our soldiers. ^5 (A) The Israelites even dance and sing,

⁶ Achish called David over and said:

I swear by the living Lord that you've been honest with me, and I want you to fight by my side. I don't think you've done anything wrong from the day you joined me until this very moment. But the other Philistine rulers don't want you to come along. ⁷ Go on back home and try not to upset them.

⁸ “But what have I done?” David asked. “Do you know of anything I've ever done that would keep me from fighting the enemies of my king?”^[c]

⁹ Achish said:

I believe that you're as good as an angel of God, but our army commanders have decided that you can't fight in this battle. ¹⁰ You and your troops will have to go back to the town I gave you.^[d] Get up and leave tomorrow morning as soon as it's light. I'm pleased with you, so don't let any of this bother you.^[e]

¹¹ David and his men got up early in the morning and headed back toward Philistia, while the Philistines left for Jezreel.

David Rescues His Soldiers' Families

30 It took David and his men three days to reach Ziklag. But while they had been away, the Amalekites had been raiding in the desert around there. They had attacked Ziklag, burned it to the ground, ² and had taken away the women and children. ³ When David and his men came to Ziklag, they saw the burned-out ruins and learned that their families had been taken captive. ⁴ They started crying and kept it up until they were too weak to cry any more. ^5 (B) David's two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, had been taken captive with everyone else.

⁶ David was desperate. His soldiers were so upset over what had happened to their sons and daughters that they were thinking about stoning David to death. But he felt the Lord God giving him strength, ^7 (C) and he said to the priest, “Abiathar, let's ask God what to do.”

Abiathar brought everything he needed to get answers from God, and he went over to David. ⁸ Then David asked the Lord, “Should I go after the people who raided our town? Can I catch up with them?”

“Go after them,” the Lord answered. “You will catch up with them, and you will rescue your families.”

^9-10 David led his 600 men to Besor Gorge, but 200 of them were too tired to go across. So they stayed behind, while David and the other 400 men crossed the gorge.

¹¹ Some of David's men found an Egyptian out in a field and took him to David. They gave the Egyptian some bread, and he ate it. Then they gave him a drink of water, ¹² some dried figs, and two handfuls of raisins. This was the first time in three days he had tasted food or water. Now he felt much better.

¹³ “Who is your master?” David asked. “And where do you come from?”

“I'm from Egypt,” the young man answered. “I'm the servant of an Amalekite, but he left me here three days ago because I was sick. ¹⁴ We had attacked some towns in the desert where the Cherethites live, in the area that belongs to Judah, and in the desert where the Caleb clan lives. And we burned down Ziklag.”

¹⁵ “Will you take me to those Amalekites?” David asked.

“Yes, I will, if you promise with God as a witness that you won't kill me or hand me over to my master.”

¹⁶ He led David to the Amalekites. They were eating and drinking everywhere, celebrating because of what they had taken from Philistia and Judah. ¹⁷ David attacked just before sunrise the next day and fought until sunset.^[f] Four hundred Amalekites rode away on camels, but they were the only ones who escaped.

¹⁸ David rescued his two wives and everyone else the Amalekites had taken from Ziklag. ¹⁹ No one was missing—young or old, sons or daughters. David brought back everything that had been stolen, ²⁰ including their livestock.

David also took the sheep and cattle that the Amalekites had with them, but he kept these separate from the others. Everyone agreed that these would be David's reward.

²¹ On the way back, David went to the 200 men he had left at Besor Gorge, because they had been too tired to keep up with him. They came toward David and the people who were with him. When David was close enough, he greeted the 200 men and asked how they were doing.

²² Some of David's men were good-for-nothings, and they said, “Those men didn't go with us to the battle, so they don't get any of the things we took back from the Amalekites. Let them take their wives and children and go!”

²³ But David said:

My friends, don't be so greedy with what the Lord has given us! The Lord protected us and gave us victory over the people who attacked. ²⁴ Who would pay attention to you, anyway? Soldiers who stay behind to guard the camp get as much as those who go into battle.

²⁵ David made this a law for Israel, and it has been the same ever since.

²⁶ David went back to Ziklag with everything they had taken from the Amalekites. He sent some of these things as gifts to his friends who were leaders of Judah, and he told them, “We took these things from the Lord's enemies. Please accept them as a gift.”

^27-31 This is a list of the towns where David sent gifts: Bethel,^[g] Ramoth in the Southern Desert, Jattir, Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa, Racal, the towns belonging to the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites, Hormah, Bor-Ashan, Athach, and Hebron. He also sent gifts to the other towns where he and his men had traveled.

Saul and His Sons Die

31 Meanwhile, the Philistines were fighting Israel at Mount Gilboa. Israel's soldiers ran from the Philistines, and many of them were killed. ² The Philistines closed in on Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. ³ The fighting was fierce around Saul, and he was badly wounded by enemy arrows.

⁴ Saul told the soldier who carried his weapons, “Kill me with your sword! I don't want these worthless Philistines to torture and make fun of me.” But the soldier was afraid to kill him.

Saul then took out his own sword; he stuck the blade into his stomach, and fell on it. ⁵ When the soldier knew that Saul was dead, he killed himself in the same way.

⁶ Saul was dead, his three sons were dead, and the soldier who carried his weapons was dead. They and all his soldiers died on that same day. ⁷ The Israelites on the other side of Jezreel Valley^[h] and the other side of the Jordan learned that Saul and his sons were dead. They saw that the Israelite army had run away. So they ran away too, and the Philistines moved into the towns the Israelites had left behind.

⁸ The day after the battle, when the Philistines returned to the battlefield to take the weapons of the dead Israelite soldiers, they found Saul and his three sons lying dead on Mount Gilboa. ^9-10 The Philistines cut off Saul's head and pulled off his armor. Then they put his armor in the temple of the goddess Astarte, and they nailed his body to the city wall of Beth-Shan. They also sent messengers everywhere in Philistia to spread the good news in the temples of their idols and among their people.

¹¹ The people who lived in Jabesh in Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul's body. ¹² So one night, some brave men from Jabesh went to Beth-Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons, then brought them back to Jabesh and burned them. ¹³ They buried the bones under a small tree in Jabesh, and for seven days, they went without eating to show their sorrow.

David Finds Out about Saul's Death

1 Saul was dead.

Meanwhile, David had defeated the Amalekites and returned to Ziklag. ² Three days later, a soldier came from Saul's army. His clothes were torn, and dirt was on his head.^[i] He went to David and knelt down in front of him.

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

The man answered, “From Israel's army. I barely escaped with my life.”

⁴ “Who won the battle?” David asked.

The man said, “Our army turned and ran, but many were wounded and died. Even King Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.”

⁵ David asked, “How do you know Saul and Jonathan are dead?”

^6 (D) The young man replied:

I was on Mount Gilboa and saw King Saul leaning on his spear. The enemy's war chariots and cavalry were closing in on him. ⁷ When he turned around and saw me, he called me over. I went and asked what he wanted.

⁸ Saul asked me, “Who are you?”

“An Amalekite,” I answered.

⁹ Then he said, “Kill me! I'm dying, and I'm in terrible pain.”^[j]

¹⁰ So I killed him. I knew he was too badly wounded to live much longer. Then I took his crown and his arm-band, and I brought them to you, Your Majesty. Here they are.

¹¹ At once, David and his soldiers tore their clothes in sorrow. ¹² They cried all day long and would not eat anything. Everyone was sad because Saul, his son Jonathan, and many of the Lord's people had been killed in the battle.

¹³ David asked the young man, “Where is your home?”

The man replied, “My father is an Amalekite, but we live in Israel.”

^14-16 David said to him, “Why weren't you afraid to kill the Lord's chosen king? And you even told what you did. It's your own fault that you're going to die!”

Then David told one of his soldiers, “Come here and kill this man!”

David Sings in Memory of Saul

¹⁷ David sang a song in memory of Saul and Jonathan, ^18 (E) and he ordered his men to teach the song to everyone in Judah. He called it “The Song of the Bow,” and it can be found in The Book of Jashar.^[k] This is the song:

David Becomes King of Judah

2 Later, David asked the Lord, “Should I go back to one of the towns of Judah?”

The Lord answered, “Yes.”

David asked, “Which town should I go to?”

“Go to Hebron,” the Lord replied.

^2 (F) David went to Hebron with his two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail. Ahinoam was from Jezreel, and Abigail was the widow of Nabal from Carmel. ³ David also told his men and their families to come and live in the villages near Hebron.

^4 (G) The people of Judah met with David at Hebron and poured olive oil on his head to show that he was their new king. Then they told David, “The people from Jabesh in Gilead buried Saul.”

⁵ David sent messengers to tell them:

The Lord bless you! You were kind enough to bury Saul your ruler, ⁶ and I pray that the Lord will be kind and faithful to you. I will be your friend because of what you have done. ⁷ Saul is dead, but the tribe of Judah has made me their king. So be strong and have courage.

Ishbosheth Becomes King of Israel

⁸ Abner the son of Ner^[p] had been the general of Saul's army. He took Saul's son Ishbosheth^[q] across the Jordan River to Mahanaim ⁹ and made him king of Israel,^[r] including the areas of Gilead, Asher,^[s] Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin. ¹⁰ Ishbosheth was 40 years old at the time, and he ruled for two years. But the tribe of Judah made David their king, ¹¹ and he ruled from Hebron for seven and a half years.

The War between David and Ishbosheth

¹² One day, Abner and the soldiers of Ishbosheth^[t] left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. ¹³ Meanwhile, Joab the son of Zeruiah^[u] was leading David's soldiers, and the two groups met at the pool in Gibeon.^[v] Abner and his men sat down on one side of the pool, while Joab and his men sat on the other side. ¹⁴ Abner yelled to Joab, “Let's get some of our best soldiers to stand up and fight each other!”

Joab agreed, ¹⁵ and twelve of Ishbosheth's men from the tribe of Benjamin got up to fight twelve of David's men. ¹⁶ They grabbed each other by the hair and stabbed each other in the side with their daggers. They all died right there! That's why the place in Gibeon is called “Field of Daggers.”^{[w] 17} Then everyone started fighting. Both sides fought very hard, but David's soldiers defeated Abner and the soldiers of Israel.

¹⁸ Zeruiah's three sons were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel could run as fast as a deer in an open field, ¹⁹ and he ran straight after Abner, without looking to the right or to the left.

²⁰ When Abner turned and saw him, he said, “Is that you, Asahel?”

Asahel answered, “Yes it is.”

²¹ Abner said, “There are soldiers all around. Stop chasing me and fight one of them! Kill him and take his clothes and weapons for yourself.”

But Asahel refused to stop.

²² Abner said, “If you don't turn back, I'll have to kill you! Then I could never face your brother Joab again.”

²³ But Asahel would not turn back, so Abner struck him in the stomach with the back end of his spear. The spear went all the way through and came out of his back. Asahel fell down and died. Everyone who saw Asahel lying dead just stopped and stood still. ²⁴ But Joab and Abishai went after Abner. Finally, about sunset, they came to the hill of Ammah, not far from Giah on the road to Gibeon Desert. ²⁵ Abner brought the men of Benjamin together in one group on top of a hill, and they got ready to fight.

²⁶ Abner shouted to Joab, “Aren't we ever going to stop killing each other? Don't you know that the longer we keep on doing this, the worse it's going to be when it's all over? When are you going to order your men to stop chasing their own relatives?”

²⁷ Joab shouted back, “I swear by the living God, if you hadn't spoken, my men would have chased their relatives all night!” ²⁸ Joab took his trumpet and blew the signal for his soldiers to stop chasing the soldiers of Israel. At once, the fighting stopped.

²⁹ Abner and his troops marched through the Jordan River valley all that night. Then they crossed the river and marched all morning^[x] until they arrived back at Mahanaim.

³⁰ As soon as Joab stopped chasing Abner, he got David's troops together and counted them. There were 19 missing besides Asahel. ³¹ But David's soldiers had killed 360 of Abner's men from the tribe of Benjamin. ³² Joab and his troops carried Asahel's body to Bethlehem and buried him in the family burial place. Then they marched all night and reached Hebron before sunrise.

3 This battle was the beginning of a long war between the followers of Saul and the followers of David. Saul's power grew weaker, but David's grew stronger.

David's Sons Born in Hebron

(1 Chronicles 3.1-4)

^2-5 Several of David's sons were born while he was living in Hebron. His oldest son was Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam from Jezreel. David's second son was Chileab, whose mother was Abigail, who had been married to Nabal from Carmel. Absalom was the third. His mother was Maacah, the daughter of King Talmai of Geshur. The fourth was Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith. The fifth was Shephatiah, whose mother was Abital. The sixth was Ithream, whose mother was Eglah, another one of David's wives.

Abner Decides To Help David

⁶ As the war went on between the families of David and Saul, Abner was gaining more power than ever in Saul's family. ⁷ He had even slept with a wife^[y] of Saul by the name of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah. But Saul's son Ishbosheth^[z] told Abner, “You shouldn't have slept with one of my father's wives!”

⁸ Abner was very angry because of what Ishbosheth had said, and he told Ishbosheth:

Am I some kind of worthless dog from Judah? I've always been loyal to your father's family and to his relatives and friends. I haven't turned you over to David. And yet you talk to me as if I've committed a crime with this woman.

⁹ I ask God to punish me if I don't help David get what the Lord promised him! ^10 (H) God said that he wouldn't let anyone in Saul's family ever be king again and that David would be king instead. He also said that David would rule both Israel and Judah, all the way from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south.^[aa]

¹¹ Ishbosheth was so afraid of Abner that he could not even answer.

¹² Abner sent some of his men to David with this message: “You should be the ruler of the whole nation. If you make an agreement with me, I will persuade everyone in Israel to make you their king.”

¹³ David sent this message back: “Good! I'll make an agreement with you. But before I will even talk with you about it, you must get Saul's daughter Michal back for me.”

^14 (I) David sent a few of his officials to Ishbosheth to give him this message: “Give me back my wife Michal! I killed 100 Philistines so I could marry her.”^[ab]

¹⁵ Ishbosheth sent some of his men to take Michal away from her new husband, Paltiel the son of Laish. ¹⁶ Paltiel followed Michal and the men all the way to Bahurim, crying as he walked. But he went back home after Abner ordered him to leave.

¹⁷ Abner talked with the leaders of the tribes of Israel and told them, “You've wanted to make David your king for a long time now. ¹⁸ So do it! After all, God said he would use his servant David to rescue his people Israel from their enemies, especially from the Philistines.”

¹⁹ Finally, Abner talked with the tribe of Benjamin. Then he left for Hebron to tell David everything that the tribe of Benjamin and the rest of the people of Israel wanted to do. ²⁰ Abner took 20 soldiers with him, and when they got to Hebron, David gave a big feast for them.

²¹ After the feast, Abner said, “Your Majesty, let me leave now and bring Israel here to make an agreement with you. You'll be king of the whole nation, just as you've been wanting.”

David told Abner he could leave, and he left without causing any trouble.

Joab Kills Abner

²² Soon after Abner had left Hebron, Joab and some of David's soldiers came back, bringing a lot of things they had taken from an enemy village. ²³ Right after they arrived, someone told Joab, “Abner visited the king, and the king let him go. Abner even left without causing any trouble.”

²⁴ Joab went to David and said, “What have you done? Abner came to you, and you let him go. Now he's long gone! ²⁵ You know Abner—he came to trick you. He wants to find out how strong your army is and to know everything you're doing.”

²⁶ Joab left David, then he sent some messengers to catch up with Abner. They brought him back from the well at Sirah,^[ac] but David did not know anything about it. ²⁷ When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pretended he wanted to talk privately with him. So he took Abner into one of the small rooms that were part of the town gate and stabbed him in the stomach. Joab killed him because Abner had killed Joab's brother Asahel.

Abner's Funeral

²⁸ David heard how Joab had killed Abner, and he said, “I swear to the Lord that I am completely innocent of Abner's death! ²⁹ Joab and his family are the guilty ones. I pray that Joab's family will always be sick with sores and other skin diseases. May they all be cowards,^[ad] and may they die in war or starve to death.”

³⁰ Joab and his brother Abishai killed Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.

³¹ David told Joab and everyone with him, “Show your sorrow by tearing your clothes and wearing sackcloth!^[ae] Walk in front of Abner's body and cry!”

David walked behind the stretcher on which Abner's body was being carried. ³² Abner was buried in Hebron, while David and everyone else stood at the tomb and cried loudly. ³³ Then the king sang a funeral song about Abner:

Everyone started crying again. ³⁵ Then they brought some food to David and told him he would feel better if he had something to eat. It was still daytime, and David said, “I swear to God that I won't take a bite of bread or anything else until sunset!”

³⁶ Everyone noticed what David did, and they liked it, just as they always liked what he did. ³⁷ Now the people of Judah and Israel were certain that David had nothing to do with killing Abner.

³⁸ David said to his officials, “Don't you realize that today one of Israel's great leaders has died? ³⁹ I am the chosen king, but Joab and Abishai have more power than I do. So God will have to pay them back^[ag] for the evil thing they did.”

Ishbosheth Is Killed

4 Ishbosheth^[ah] felt like giving up after he heard that Abner had died in Hebron. Everyone in Israel was terrified.

² Ishbosheth had put the two brothers Baanah and Rechab in charge of the soldiers who raided enemy villages. Rimmon was their father, and they were from the town of Beeroth, which belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. ³ The people who used to live in Beeroth had run away to Gittaim, and they still live^[ai] there.

^4 (J) Saul's son Jonathan had a son named Mephibosheth,^[aj] who had not been able to walk since he was five years old. It happened when someone from Jezreel told his nurse that Saul and Jonathan had died.^[ak] She hurried off with the boy in her arms, but he fell and injured his legs.

⁵ One day about noon, Rechab and Baanah went to Ishbosheth's house. It was a hot day, and he was resting ^6-7 in his bedroom. The two brothers went into the house, pretending to get some flour. But once they were inside, they stabbed Ishbosheth in the stomach and killed him. Then they cut off his head and took it with them.

Rechab and Baanah walked through the Jordan River valley all night long. ⁸ Finally they turned west and went to Hebron. They went in to see David and told him, “Your Majesty, here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of your enemy Saul who tried to kill you! The Lord has let you get even with Saul and his family.”

⁹ David answered:

I swear that only the Lord rescues me when I'm in trouble! ^10 (K) When a man came to Ziklag and told me that Saul was dead, he thought he deserved a reward for bringing good news. But I grabbed him and killed him.

¹¹ You evil men have done something much worse than he did. You've killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed. I'll make you pay for that. I'll wipe you from the face of the earth!

¹² Then David said to his troops, “Kill these two brothers! Cut off their hands and feet and hang their bodies by the pool in Hebron. But bury Ishbosheth's head in Abner's tomb near Hebron.” And they did.

David Becomes King of Israel

(1 Chronicles 11.1-3)

5 Israel's leaders met with David at Hebron and said, “We are your relatives. ² Even when Saul was king, you led our nation in battle. And the Lord promised that someday you would rule Israel and take care of us like a shepherd.”

³ During the meeting, David made an agreement with the leaders and asked the Lord to be their witness. Then the leaders poured olive oil on David's head to show that he was now the king of Israel.

^4 (L) David was 30 years old when he became king, and he ruled for 40 years. ⁵ He lived in Hebron for the first seven and a half years and ruled only Judah. Then he moved to Jerusalem, where he ruled both Israel and Judah for 33 years.

How David Captured Jerusalem

(1 Chronicles 11.4-9; 14.1,2)

^6 (M) The Jebusites lived in Jerusalem, and David led his army there to attack them. The Jebusites did not think he could get in, so they told him, “You can't get in here! We could keep you out, even if we couldn't see or walk!”

^7-9 David told his troops, “You will have to go up through the water tunnel to get those Jebusites. I hate people like them^[al] who can't walk or see.”

That's why there is still a rule that says, “Only people who can walk and see are allowed in the temple.”^[am]

David captured the fortress on Mount Zion, then he moved there and named it David's City. He had the city rebuilt, starting with the landfill to the east. ¹⁰ David became a great and strong ruler, because the Lord All-Powerful was on his side.

¹¹ King Hiram of Tyre sent some officials to David. Carpenters and stone workers came with them, and they brought cedar logs so they could build David a palace.

¹² David knew that the Lord had made him king of Israel and that he had made him a powerful ruler for the good of his people.

David's Sons Born in Jerusalem

(1 Chronicles 14.3-7)

¹³ After David left Hebron and moved to Jerusalem, he married many women^[an] from Jerusalem,^[ao] and he had a lot of children. ¹⁴ His sons who were born there were Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ¹⁵ Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ¹⁶ Elishama, Eliada,^[ap] and Eliphelet.

David Fights the Philistines

(1 Chronicles 14.8-17)

¹⁷ The Philistines heard that David was now king of Israel, and they came into the hill country to try and capture him. But David found out and went into his fortress.^{[aq] 18} So the Philistines camped in Rephaim Valley.^[ar]

¹⁹ David asked the Lord, “Should I attack the Philistines? Will you let me win?”

The Lord told David, “Attack! I will let you win.”

²⁰ David attacked the Philistines and defeated them. Then he said, “I watched the Lord break through my enemies like a mighty flood.” So he named the place “The Lord Broke Through.”^{[as] 21} David and his troops also carried away the idols that the Philistines had left behind.

²² Some time later, the Philistines came back into the hill country and camped in Rephaim Valley. ²³ David asked the Lord what he should do, and the Lord answered:

Don't attack them from the front. Circle around behind and attack from among the balsam^[at] trees. ²⁴ Wait until you hear a sound in the treetops like marching troops. Then attack quickly! That sound will mean I have marched out ahead of you to fight the Philistine army.

²⁵ David obeyed the Lord and defeated the Philistines. He even chased them all the way from Geba to the entrance to Gezer.

David Brings the Sacred Chest Back to Jerusalem

(1 Chronicles 13.1-14; 15.1—16.3,43)

6 David brought together 30,000 of Israel's best soldiers and ^2 (N) led them to Baalah in Judah, which was also called Kiriath-Jearim. They were going there^[au] to get the sacred chest and bring it back to Jerusalem. The throne of the Lord All-Powerful is above the winged creatures^[av] on top of this chest, and he is worshiped there.^[aw]

^3 (O) They put the sacred chest on a new ox cart and started bringing it down the hill from Abinadab's house. Abinadab's sons Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the ox cart, ⁴ with Ahio^[ax] walking in front of it. ⁵ Some of the people of Israel were playing music on small harps and other stringed instruments, and on tambourines, castanets, and cymbals. David and the others were happy, and they danced for the Lord with all their might.

⁶ But when they came to Nacon's threshing-floor, the oxen stumbled, so Uzzah reached out and took hold of the sacred chest. ⁷ The Lord God was very angry with Uzzah for doing this, and he killed Uzzah right there beside the chest.

⁸ David got angry with God for killing Uzzah. He named that place “Bursting Out Against Uzzah,”^[ay] and that's what it's still called.

⁹ David was afraid of the Lord and thought, “Should I really take the sacred chest to my city?” ¹⁰ He decided not to take it there. Instead, he turned off the road and took it to the home of Obed Edom, who was from Gath.^[az]

^11-12 (P) The chest stayed there for three months, and the Lord greatly blessed Obed Edom, his family, and everything he owned. Then someone told King David, “The Lord has done this because the sacred chest is in Obed Edom's house.”

At once, David went to Obed Edom's house to get the chest and bring it to David's City. Everyone was celebrating. ¹³ The people carrying the chest walked six steps, then David sacrificed an ox and a choice cow. ¹⁴ He was dancing for the Lord with all his might, but he wore only a linen cloth.^{[ba] 15} He and everyone else were celebrating by shouting and blowing horns while the chest was being carried along.

¹⁶ Saul's daughter Michal looked out her window and watched the chest being brought into David's City. But when she saw David jumping and dancing for the Lord, she was disgusted.

¹⁷ They put the chest inside a tent that David had set up for it. David worshiped the Lord by sacrificing animals and burning them on an altar,^{[bb] 18} then he blessed the people in the name of the Lord All-Powerful. ^19 (Q) He gave all the men and women in the crowd a small loaf of bread, some meat, and a handful of raisins, then everyone went home.

Michal Talks to David

²⁰ David went home so he could ask the Lord to bless his family. But Saul's daughter Michal went out and started yelling at him. “You were really great today!” she said. “You acted like a dirty old man, dancing around half-naked in front of your servants' slave-girls.”

²¹ David told her, “The Lord didn't choose your father or anyone else in your family to be the leader of his people. The Lord chose me, and I was celebrating in honor of him. ²² I'll show you just how great I can be! I'll even be disgusting to myself. But those slave-girls you talked about will still honor me!”

²³ Michal never had any children.

The Lord's Message to David

(1 Chronicles 17.1-15)

7 King David moved into his new palace, and the Lord let his kingdom be at peace. ² Then one day, as David was talking with Nathan the prophet, David said, “Look around! I live in a palace made of cedar, but the sacred chest has to stay in a tent.”

³ Nathan replied, “The Lord is with you, so do what you want!”

⁴ That night, the Lord told Nathan ⁵ to go to David and give him this message:

David, you are my servant, so listen to what I say. Why should you build a temple for me? ⁶ I didn't live in a temple when I brought my people out of Egypt, and I don't live in one now. A tent has always been my home wherever I have gone with them. ⁷ I chose leaders and told them to be like shepherds for my people Israel. But did I ever say anything to even one of them about building a cedar temple for me?

^8 (R) David, this is what I, the Lord All-Powerful, say to you. I brought you in from the fields where you took care of sheep, and I made you the leader of my people. ⁹ Wherever you went, I helped you and destroyed your enemies right in front of your eyes. I have made you one of the most famous people in the world.

¹⁰ I have given my people Israel a land of their own where they can live in peace, and they won't have to tremble with fear any more. Evil nations won't bother them, as they did ¹¹ when I let judges rule my people. And I have kept your enemies from attacking you.

Now I promise that you and your descendants will be kings. ^12 (S) I'll choose one of your sons to be king when you reach the end of your life and are buried in the tomb of your ancestors. I'll make him a strong ruler, ¹³ and no one will be able to take his kingdom away from him. He will be the one to build a temple for me. ^14 (T) I will be his father, and he will be my son.

When he does wrong, I'll see that he is corrected, just as children are corrected by their parents. ¹⁵ But I will never put an end to my agreement with him, as I put an end to my agreement with Saul, who was king before you. ^16 (U) I will make sure that one of your descendants will always be king.

¹⁷ Nathan told David exactly what he had heard in the vision.

David Gives Thanks to the Lord

(1 Chronicles 17.16-27)

¹⁸ David went into the tent he had set up for the sacred chest. Then he sat there and prayed:

Lord All-Powerful, my family and I don't deserve what you have already done for us, ¹⁹ and yet you have promised to do even more. Is this the way you usually treat people?^{[bc] 20} I am your servant, and you know my thoughts, so there is nothing more that I need to say. ²¹ You have done this wonderful thing, and you have let me know about it, because you wanted to keep your promise.

²² Lord All-Powerful, you are greater than all others. No one is like you, and you alone are God. Everything we have heard about you is true. ^23 (V) And there is no other nation on earth like Israel, the nation you rescued from slavery in Egypt to be your own. You became famous by using great and wonderful miracles to force other nations and their gods out of your land, so your people could live here.^{[bd] 24} You have chosen Israel to be your people forever, and you have become their God.

²⁵ And now, Lord God, please do what you have promised me and my descendants. ²⁶ Then you will be famous forever, and everyone will say, “The Lord God All-Powerful rules Israel, and David's descendants are his chosen kings.” ²⁷ After all, you really are Israel's God, the Lord All-Powerful. You've told me that you will let my descendants be kings. That's why I have the courage to pray to you like this, even though I am only your servant.

²⁸ Lord All-Powerful, you are God. You have promised me some very good things, and you can be trusted to do what you promise. ²⁹ Please bless my descendants and let them always be your chosen kings. You have already promised, and I'm sure that you will bless my family forever.

A List of David's Victories in War

(1 Chronicles 18.1-13)

8 Later, David attacked and badly defeated the Philistines. Israel was now free from their control.^[be]

² David also defeated the Moabites. Then he made their soldiers lie down on the ground, and he measured them off with a rope. He would measure off two lengths of the rope and have those men killed, then he would measure off one length and let those men live. The people of Moab had to accept David as their ruler and pay taxes to him.

³ David set out for the Euphrates River to build a monument^[bf] there. On his way,^[bg] he defeated the king of Zobah, whose name was Hadadezer the son of Rehob. ⁴ In the battle, David captured 1,700 cavalry^[bh] and 20,000 foot soldiers. He also captured war chariots, but he destroyed all but 100 of them.^{[bi] 5} When troops from the Aramean kingdom of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, David killed 22,000 of them. ⁶ He left some of his soldiers in Damascus, and the Arameans had to accept David as their ruler and pay taxes to him.

Everywhere David went, the Lord helped him win battles.

⁷ Hadadezer's officers had carried their arrows in gold cases hung over their shoulders, but David took these cases^[bj] and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ He also took a lot of bronze from the cities of Betah and Berothai, which had belonged to Hadadezer.

^9-10 King Toi of Hamath and King Hadadezer had been enemies. So when Toi heard that David had attacked and defeated^[bk] Hadadezer's whole army, he sent his son Joram to praise and congratulate David. Joram also brought him gifts made of silver, gold, and bronze. ¹¹ David gave these to the Lord, just as he had done with the silver and gold that he had captured from ¹² Edom,^[bl] Moab, Ammon, Philistia, Amalek, and from King Hadadezer of Zobah.

^13 (W) David fought the Edomite^[bm] army in Salt Valley and killed 18,000 of their soldiers. When he returned, he built a monument.^{[bn] 14} David left soldiers all through Edom, and the people of Edom had to accept him as their ruler.

Wherever David went, the Lord helped him.

A List of David's Officials

(1 Chronicles 18.14-17)

¹⁵ David ruled all Israel with fairness and justice.

¹⁶ Joab the son of Zeruiah was the commander in chief of the army.

Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud kept the government records.

¹⁷ Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Abiathar the son of Ahimelech,^[bo] were the priests.

Seraiah was the secretary.

¹⁸ Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was the commander of^[bp] David's bodyguard.^[bq]

David's sons were priests.

David Is Kind to Mephibosheth

9 ^(X) One day, David thought, “I wonder if any of Saul's family are still alive. If they are, I will be kind to them, because I made a promise to Jonathan.” ² David called in Ziba, one of the servants of Saul's family. David said, “So you are Ziba.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, I am.”

^3 (Y) David asked, “Are any of Saul's family still alive? If there are, I want to be kind to them.”

Ziba answered, “One of Jonathan's sons is still alive, but he can't walk.”

⁴ “Where is he?” David asked.

Ziba replied, “He lives in Lo-Debar with Machir the son of Ammiel.”

^5-6 David sent some servants to bring Jonathan's son from Lo-Debar. His name was Mephibosheth,^[br] and he was the grandson of Saul. He came to David and knelt down.

David asked, “Are you Mephibosheth?”

“Yes, I am, Your Majesty.”

⁷ David said, “Don't be afraid. I'll be kind to you because Jonathan was your father. I'm going to give you back the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul. Besides that, you will always eat with me at my table.”

⁸ Mephibosheth knelt down again and said, “Why should you care about me? I'm worth no more than a dead dog.”

⁹ David called in Ziba, Saul's chief servant, and told him, “Since Mephibosheth is Saul's grandson, I've given him back everything that belonged to your master Saul and his family. ¹⁰ You and your 15 sons and 20 servants will work for Mephibosheth. You will farm his land and bring in his crops, so that Saul's family and servants^[bs] will have food. But Mephibosheth will always eat with me at my table.”

^11-13 Ziba replied, “Your Majesty, I will do exactly what you tell me to do.” So Ziba's family and servants worked for Mephibosheth.

Mephibosheth was lame, but he lived in Jerusalem and ate at David's^[bt] table, just like one of David's own sons. And he had a young son of his own, named Mica.

Israel Fights Ammon

(1 Chronicles 19.1-19)

10 Some time later, King Nahash of Ammon died, and his son Hanun became king. ² David said, “Nahash was kind to me, and I will be kind to his son.” So he sent some officials to the country of Ammon to tell Hanun how sorry he was that his father had died.

³ But Hanun's officials told him, “Do you really believe David is honoring your father by sending these people to comfort you? He probably sent them to spy on our city, so he can destroy it.” ⁴ Hanun arrested David's officials and had their beards shaved off on one side of their faces. He had their robes cut off just below the waist, and then he sent them away. ⁵ They were terribly ashamed.

When David found out what had happened to his officials, he sent a message and told them, “Stay in Jericho until your beards grow back. Then you can come home.”

⁶ The Ammonites realized that they had made David very angry, so they hired more foreign soldiers. Twenty thousand of them were foot soldiers from the Aramean cities of Beth-Rehob and Zobah, 1,000 were from the king of Maacah, and 12,000 were from the region of Tob. ⁷ David heard what they had done, and he sent out Joab with all of his well-trained soldiers.

⁸ The Ammonite troops came out and got ready to fight in front of the gate to their city. The Arameans from Zobah and Rehob and the soldiers from Tob and Maacah formed a separate group in the nearby fields.

⁹ Joab saw that he had to fight in front and behind at the same time, and he picked some of the best Israelite soldiers to fight the Arameans. ¹⁰ He put his brother Abishai in command of the rest of the army and gave them orders to fight the Ammonites. ¹¹ Joab told his brother, “If the Arameans are too much for me to handle, you can come and help me. If the Ammonites are too strong for you, I'll come and help you. ¹² Be brave and fight hard to protect our people and the cities of our God. I pray that the Lord will do whatever pleases him.”

¹³ Joab and his soldiers attacked the Arameans, and the Arameans ran from them. ¹⁴ When the Ammonite soldiers saw that the Arameans had run away, they ran from Abishai's soldiers and went back into their own city. Joab stopped fighting the Ammonites and returned to Jerusalem.

¹⁵ The Arameans realized they had lost the battle, so they brought all their troops together again. ¹⁶ Hadadezer sent messengers to call in the Arameans who were on the other side of the Euphrates River. Then Shobach, the commander of Hadadezer's army, led them to the town of Helam.

¹⁷ David found out what the Arameans were doing, and he brought Israel's whole army together. They crossed the Jordan River and went to Helam, where the Arameans were ready to meet them. ¹⁸ The Arameans attacked, but then they ran from Israel. David killed 700 chariot drivers and 40,000 cavalry.^[bu] He also killed Shobach, their commander.

¹⁹ When the kings who had been under Hadadezer's rule saw that Israel had beaten them, they made peace with Israel and accepted David as their ruler. The Arameans were afraid to help Ammon any more.

David and Bathsheba

(1 Chronicles 20.1a)

11 ^(Z) It was now spring, the time when kings go to war.^[bv] David sent out the whole Israelite army under the command of Joab and his officers. They destroyed the Ammonite army and surrounded the capital city of Rabbah, but David stayed in Jerusalem.

^2-4 Late one afternoon, David got up from a nap and was walking around on the flat roof of his palace. A beautiful young woman was down below in her courtyard, bathing as her religion required.^[bw] David happened to see her, and he sent one of his servants to find out who she was.

The servant came back and told David, “Her name is Bathsheba. She is the daughter of Eliam, and she is the wife of Uriah the Hittite.”

David sent some messengers to bring her to his palace. She came to him, and he slept with her. Then she returned home. ⁵ But later, when she found out that she was going to have a baby, she sent someone to David with this message: “I'm pregnant!”

⁶ David sent a message to Joab: “Send Uriah the Hittite to me.”

Joab sent Uriah ⁷ to David's palace, and David asked him, “Is Joab well? How is the army doing? And how about the war?” ⁸ Then David told Uriah, “Go home and clean up.”^[bx] Uriah left the king's palace, and David had dinner sent to Uriah's house. ⁹ But Uriah didn't go home. Instead, he slept outside the entrance to the royal palace, where the king's guards slept.

¹⁰ Someone told David that Uriah had not gone home. So the next morning David asked him, “Why didn't you go home? Haven't you been away for a long time?”

¹¹ Uriah answered, “The sacred chest and the armies of Israel and Judah are camping out somewhere in the fields^[by] with our commander Joab and his officers and troops. Do you really think I would go home to eat and drink and sleep with my wife? I swear by your life that I would not!”

¹² Then David said, “Stay here in Jerusalem today, and I will send you back tomorrow.”

Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day. Then the next day, ¹³ David invited him for dinner. Uriah ate with David, who gave him so much to drink that he got drunk. But Uriah still did not go home. He went out and slept on his mat near the palace guards. ¹⁴ Early the next morning, David wrote a letter and told Uriah to deliver it to Joab. ¹⁵ The letter said: “Put Uriah on the front line where the fighting is the worst. Then pull the troops back from him, so that he will be wounded and die.”

¹⁶ Joab had been carefully watching the city of Rabbah, and he put Uriah in a place where he knew there were some of the enemy's best soldiers. ¹⁷ When the men of the city came out, they fought and killed some of David's soldiers—Uriah the Hittite was one of them.

¹⁸ Joab sent a messenger to tell David everything that was happening in the war. ¹⁹ He gave the messenger these orders:

When you finish telling the king everything that has happened, ²⁰ he may get angry and ask, “Why did you go so near the city to fight? Didn't you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? ^21 (AA) Don't you know how Abimelech the son of Gideon^[bz] was killed at Thebez? Didn't a woman kill him by dropping a large rock from the top of the city wall? Why did you go so close to the city walls?”

Then tell him, “One of your soldiers who was killed was Uriah the Hittite.”

²² The messenger went to David and reported everything Joab had told him. ²³ He added, “The enemy chased us from the wall and out into the open fields. But we pushed them back as far as the city gate. ²⁴ Then they shot arrows at us from the top of the wall. Some of your soldiers were killed, and one of them was Uriah the Hittite.”

²⁵ David replied, “Tell Joab to cheer up and not to be upset about what happened. You never know who will be killed in a war. Tell him to strengthen his attack against the city and break through its walls.”^[ca]

²⁶ When Bathsheba heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. ²⁷ Then after the time for mourning was over, David sent someone to bring her to the palace. She became David's wife, and they had a son.

The Lord's Message for David

The Lord was angry because of what David had done, 12 ^1 (AB) and he sent Nathan the prophet to tell this story to David:

A rich man and a poor man lived in the same town. ² The rich man owned a lot of sheep and cattle, ³ but the poor man had only one little lamb that he had bought and raised. The lamb became a pet for him and his children. He even let it eat from his plate and drink from his cup and sleep on his lap. The lamb was like one of his own children.

⁴ One day someone came to visit the rich man, but the rich man didn't want to kill any of his own sheep or cattle and serve it to the visitor. So he stole the poor man's lamb and served it instead.

⁵ David was furious with the rich man and said to Nathan, “I swear by the living Lord that the man who did this deserves to die! ⁶ And because he didn't have pity on the poor man, he will have to pay four times what the lamb was worth.”

⁷ Then Nathan told David:

You are that rich man! Now listen to what the Lord God of Israel says to you: “I chose you to be the king of Israel. I kept you safe from Saul ⁸ and even gave you his house and his wives. I let you rule Israel and Judah, and if that had not been enough, I would have given you much more. ⁹ Why did you disobey me and do such a horrible thing? You murdered Uriah the Hittite by letting the Ammonites kill him, so you could take his wife.

¹⁰ “Because you wouldn't obey me and took Uriah's wife for yourself, your family will never live in peace.