2 Samuel 5–7

David Anointed King of Israel

5Then all the tribes of Israel ^ucame to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, ^vwe are your bone and flesh. ²In times past, when Saul was king over us, ^wit was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord said to you, ^x‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince¹ over Israel.’ ” ³So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, ^yand King David made a covenant with them at Hebron ^zbefore the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. ⁴David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and ^ahe reigned forty years. ^5aAt Hebron he reigned over Judah ^bseven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.²

^6cAnd the king and his men went to Jerusalem ^dagainst the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off”—thinking, “David cannot come in here.” ⁷Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, ^ethat is, the city of David. ⁸And David said on that day, “Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack ‘the lame and the blind,’ who are hated by David’s soul.” Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.” ⁹And David lived in the stronghold and called it ^ethe city of David. And David built the city all around from the ^fMillo inward. ¹⁰And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.

^11gAnd ^hHiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also carpenters and masons who built David a house. ¹²And David knew that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

¹³And David took more ⁱconcubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David. ^14jAnd these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ¹⁵Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ¹⁶Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

David Defeats the Philistines

¹⁷When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. But David heard of it and went down ^kto the stronghold. ¹⁸Now the Philistines had come and spread out in ^lthe Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹And David ^minquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” And the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.” ²⁰And David came to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there. And he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like a breaking flood.” ⁿTherefore the name of that place is called Baal-perazim.^{3 21}And the Philistines left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.

²²And the Philistines came up yet again ^oand spread out in the Valley of Rephaim. ^23pAnd when David inquired of the Lord, he said, “You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come against them opposite the balsam trees. ²⁴And ^qwhen you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, ^rfor then the Lord has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.” ²⁵And David did as the Lord commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba ^sto Gezer.

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem

6^tDavid again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. ²And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from ^uBaale-judah ^vto bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts ^wwho sits enthroned on the cherubim. ³And they carried the ark of God ^xon a new cart and brought it ^yout of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio,¹ the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, ⁴with the ark of God,² and Ahio went before the ark.

Uzzah and the Ark

⁵And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with ^zsongs³ and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. ⁶And when they came to the threshing floor of ^aNacon, Uzzah ^bput out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. ⁷And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and ^cGod struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. ⁸And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah⁴ to this day. ⁹And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” ¹⁰So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside ^dto the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. ¹¹And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, ^eand the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household.

¹²And it was told King David, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” ^fSo David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom ^gto the city of David with rejoicing. ¹³And when ^hthose who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, ⁱhe sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. ¹⁴And David ^jdanced before the Lord with all his might. And David was ^kwearing a linen ephod. ¹⁵So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn.

David and Michal

¹⁶As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart. ¹⁷And they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it ^lin its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it. ^mAnd David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. ¹⁸And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, ⁿhe blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts ¹⁹and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat,⁵ and a cake of raisins to each one. ^oThen all the people departed, each to his house.

²⁰And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, ^puncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants, as one of the ^qvulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” ²¹And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, ^rwho chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince⁶ over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord. ²²I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your⁷ eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.” ²³And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

The Lord’s Covenant with David

7^sNow when the king lived in his house and the Lord ^thad given him rest from all his surrounding enemies, ²the king said to ^uNathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell ^vin a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells ^win a tent.” ³And Nathan said to the king, ^x“Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.”

⁴But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, ⁵“Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: ^yWould you build me a house to dwell in? ⁶I have not lived in a house ^zsince the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about ^ain a tent for my dwelling. ⁷In all places where ^bI have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with ^cany of the judges¹ of Israel, whom I commanded ^dto shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” ’ ⁸Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, ^eI took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince² over my people Israel. ^9fAnd I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. ¹⁰And I will appoint a place for my people Israel ^gand will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place ^hand be disturbed no more. ⁱAnd violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, ^11jfrom the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And ^kI will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that ^lthe Lord will make you a house. ^12mWhen your days are fulfilled and ⁿyou lie down with your fathers, ^oI will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body,³ and I will establish his kingdom. ^13pHe shall build a house for my name, and ^qI will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ^14rI will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, ^sI will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, ^15sbut my steadfast love will not depart from him, ^tas I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. ^16uAnd your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me.^{4 u}Your throne shall be established forever.’ ” ¹⁷In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

David’s Prayer of Gratitude

¹⁸Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, ^v“Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? ¹⁹And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. ^wYou have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord God! ²⁰And what more can David say to you? ^xFor you know your servant, O Lord God! ²¹Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it. ^22yTherefore you are great,…