¹And when Saul’s son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were enfeebled, and all Israel was troubled. ²And Saul’s son had two men, captains of bands: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin; for Beeroth also was reckoned to Benjamin. ³And the Beerothites had fled to Gittaim, and were sojourners there until this day. ⁴And Jonathan Saul’s son had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the news came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jizreel; and his nurse took him up and fled. And it came to pass, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth. ⁵And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went and came in about the heat of the day into the house of Ishbosheth, who was taking his noonday rest. ⁶And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would fetch wheat; and they smote him in the belly; and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. ⁷They came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him; and they took his head, and went by the way of the plain all night. ⁸And they brought the head of Ishbosheth to David in Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, thine enemy who sought thy life; and Jehovah has given to my lord the king to be avenged this day of Saul and of his seed.

⁹Then David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, As Jehovah liveth, who has redeemed my soul out of all distress, ¹⁰when one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead! and he was in his own sight a messenger of good, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag—to whom forsooth I should give a reward for his good tidings: ¹¹how much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? and should I not now demand his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth? ¹²And David commanded his young men, and they slew them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.

Chapter 5

¹Then came all the tribes of Israel to David to Hebron, and spoke, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. ²Even aforetime, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel; and Jehovah said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be prince over Israel. ³And all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a covenant with them in Hebron before Jehovah; and they anointed David king over Israel. ⁴David was thirty years old when he began to reign; he reigned forty years. ⁵In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months; and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

⁶And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land; and they spoke to David, saying, Thou shalt not come in hither, but the blind and the lame will drive thee back; as much as to say, David will not come in hither. ⁷But David took the stronghold of Zion, which is the city of David. ⁸And David said on that day, Whoever smites the Jebusites and gets up to the watercourse, and the lame and the blind hated of David’s soul…!Therefore they say, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house. ⁹So David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from the Millo and inward. ¹⁰And David became continually greater; and Jehovah the God of hosts was with him.

¹¹And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and timber of cedars, and carpenters, and masons; and they built David a house. ¹²And David perceived that Jehovah had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom because of his people Israel. ¹³And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he had come from Hebron; and there were yet sons and daughters born to David. ¹⁴And these are the names of those that were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, ¹⁵and Ibhar, and Elishua, and Nepheg, and Japhia, ¹⁶and Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet.

¹⁷And the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, and all the Philistines went up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the stronghold. ¹⁸And the Philistines came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹And David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? wilt thou give them into my hand? And Jehovah said to David, Go up; for I will certainly give the Philistines into thy hand. ²⁰And David came to Baal-perazim, and David smote them there; and he said, Jehovah has broken in upon mine enemies before me, as the breaking forth of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baal-perazim. ²¹And they left their images there, and David and his men took them away. ²²And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. ²³And David inquired of Jehovah; and he said, Thou shalt not go up; turn round behind them and come upon them opposite the mulberry-trees. ²⁴And it shall be, when thou hearest a sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry-trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself; for then will Jehovah have gone forth before thee, to smite the army of the Philistines. ²⁵And David did so, as Jehovah had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou comest to Gezer.

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