2 Samuel 5–7

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.

Chapter 6

¹And David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. ²And David arose and went with all the people that were with him from Baale-Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God which is called by the name, the name of Jehovah of hosts who sitteth between the cherubim. ³And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was upon the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart. ⁴And they brought it with the ark of God out of the house of Abinadab which was upon the hill; and Ahio went before the ark. ⁵And David and all the house of Israel played before Jehovah on all manner of instruments made of cypress wood, with harps, and with lutes, and with tambours, and with sistra, and with cymbals.

⁶And when they came to Nachon’s threshing-floor, Uzzah reached after the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen had stumbled. ⁷And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God. ⁸And David was indignant, because Jehovah had made a breach upon Uzzah; and he called that place Perez-Uzzah to this day. ⁹And David was afraid of Jehovah that day, and said, How shall the ark of Jehovah come to me? ¹⁰So David would not bring the ark of Jehovah home unto himself into the city of David; but David carried it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. ¹¹And the ark of Jehovah remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months; and Jehovah blessed Obed-Edom and all his household.

¹²And it was told king David, saying, Jehovah has blessed the house of Obed-Edom, and all that is his, because of the ark of God. And David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom into the city of David with joy. ¹³And it was so, that when they that bore the ark of Jehovah had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatted beast. ¹⁴And David danced before Jehovah with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. ¹⁵And David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of Jehovah with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet. ¹⁶And as the ark of Jehovah came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before Jehovah; and she despised him in her heart. ¹⁷And they brought in the ark of Jehovah, and set it in its place, in the midst of the tent that David had spread for it. And David offered up burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before Jehovah. ¹⁸And when David had ended offering up the burnt-offerings and the peace-offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Jehovah of hosts. ¹⁹And he dealt to all the people, to the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, to every one a cake of bread, and a measure of wine, and a raisin-cake. And all the people departed every one to his house.

²⁰And David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How honourable did the king of Israel make himself to-day, who uncovered himself to-day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the lewd fellows shamelessly uncovers himself! ²¹And David said to Michal, It was before Jehovah, who chose me rather than thy father, and than all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of Jehovah, over Israel; and I played before Jehovah. ²²And I will make myself yet more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight; and of the handmaids that thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour. ²³And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

Chapter 7

¹And it came to pass when the king dwelt in his house, and Jehovah had given him rest round about from all his enemies, ²that the king said to Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedars, and the ark of God dwells under curtains. ³And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thy heart; for Jehovah is with thee.

⁴And it came to pass that night that the word of Jehovah came to Nathan, saying, ⁵Go and say to my servant, to David, Thus saith Jehovah: Wilt thou build me a house for me to dwell in? ⁶For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but I went about in a tent and in a tabernacle. ⁷In all my going about with all the children of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye me not a house of cedars? ⁸And now, thus shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: I took thee from the pasture-grounds, from following the sheep, to be prince over my people, over Israel; ⁹and I have been with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are on the earth. ¹⁰And I will appoint a place for my people, for Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and be disturbed no more; neither shall the sons of wickedness afflict them any more, as formerly, ¹¹and since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. And I have given thee rest from all thine enemies; and Jehovah telleth thee that Jehovah will make thee a house. ¹²When thy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³It is he who shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. ¹⁴I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the stripes of the sons of men; ¹⁵but my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before thee. ¹⁶And thy house and thy kingdom shall be made firm for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. ¹⁷According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak to David.

¹⁸And king David went in and sat before Jehovah, and said, Who am I, Lord Jehovah, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? ¹⁹And yet this hath been a small thing in thy sight, Lord Jehovah; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant’s house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, Lord Jehovah? ²⁰And what can David say more to thee? for thou, Lord Jehovah, knowest thy servant. ²¹For thy word’s sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou…