^5:1All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron saying, “Look, we are your very flesh and blood!¹^5:2In the past, when Saul was our king, you were the real leader in Israel.² The Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel; you will rule over Israel.’ ”

^5:3When all the leaders³ of Israel came to the king at Hebron, King David made an agreement with them⁴ in Hebron before the Lord. They designated⁵ David as king over Israel. ^5:4David was thirty years old when he began to reign and he reigned for forty years. ^5:5In Hebron he reigned over Judah for seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem⁶ he reigned for thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

David Occupies Jerusalem

^5:6Then the king and his men advanced to Jerusalem⁷ against the Jebusites who lived in the land. The Jebusites⁸ said to David, “You cannot invade this place! Even the blind and the lame will turn you back, saying, ‘David cannot invade this place!’ ”

^5:7But David captured the fortress of Zion (that is, the city of David). ^5:8David said on that day, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites must approach the ‘lame’ and the ‘blind’ who are David’s enemies⁹ by going through the water tunnel.”¹⁰ For this reason it is said, “The blind and the lame cannot enter the palace.”¹¹

^5:9So David lived in the fortress and called it the City of David. David built all around it, from the terrace inwards. ^5:10David’s power grew steadily, for the Lord God¹² who commands armies¹³ was with him.¹⁴

^5:11King Hiram of Tyre¹⁵ sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs, carpenters, and stonemasons. They built a palace¹⁶ for David. ^5:12David realized that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and that he had elevated his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel. ^5:13David married more concubines and wives from Jerusalem after he arrived from Hebron. Even more sons and daughters were born to David. ^5:14These are the names of children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ^5:15Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ^5:16Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

Conflict with the Philistines

^5:17When the Philistines heard that David had been designated¹⁷ king over Israel, they all¹⁸ went up to search for David. When David heard about it, he went down to the fortress. ^5:18Now the Philistines had arrived and spread out in the valley of Rephaim. ^5:19So David asked the Lord, “Should I march up against the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?” The Lord said to David, “March up, for I will indeed¹⁹ hand the Philistines over to you.”

^5:20So David marched against Baal Perazim and defeated them there. Then he said, “The Lord has burst out against my enemies like water bursts out.” So he called the name of that place Baal Perazim.²⁰^5:21The Philistines²¹ abandoned their idols²² there, and David and his men picked them up.

^5:22The Philistines again came up and spread out in the valley of Rephaim. ^5:23So David asked the Lord what he should do.²³ This time²⁴ the Lord²⁵ said to him, “Don’t march straight up. Instead, circle around behind them and come against them opposite the trees.²⁶^5:24When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the trees, act decisively. For at that moment the Lord is going before you to strike down the army²⁷ of the Philistines.” ^5:25David did just as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines from Gibeon all the way to Gezer.²⁸

David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem

^6:1David again assembled¹ all the best² men in Israel, thirty thousand in number. ^6:2David and all the men who were with him traveled³ to⁴ Baalah⁵ in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the name⁶ of the Lord of hosts, who sits enthroned between the cherubim that are on it. ^6:3They loaded the ark of God on a new cart and carried it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart. ^6:4They brought⁷ it with the ark of God up from the house of Abinadab on the hill. Ahio was walking in front of the ark, ^6:5while David and all Israel⁸ were energetically celebrating before the Lord, singing⁹ and playing various stringed instruments,¹⁰ tambourines, rattles,¹¹ and cymbals.

^6:6When they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon,¹² Uzzah reached out and grabbed hold of¹³ the ark of God,¹⁴ because the oxen stumbled. ^6:7The Lord was so furious with Uzzah,¹⁵ he¹⁶ killed him on the spot¹⁷ for his negligence.¹⁸ He died right there beside the ark of God.

^6:8David was angry because the Lord attacked¹⁹ Uzzah; so he called that place Perez Uzzah,²⁰ which remains its name to this very day. ^6:9David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, “How will the ark of the Lord ever come to me?” ^6:10So David was no longer willing to bring the ark of the Lord to be with him in the City of David. David left it in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. ^6:11The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months. The Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his family.²¹^6:12David was told,²² “The Lord has blessed the family of Obed-Edom and everything he owns because of the ark of God.” So David went and joyfully brought the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David. ^6:13Those who carried the ark of the Lord took six steps and then David²³ sacrificed an ox and a fatling calf. ^6:14Now David, wearing a linen ephod, was dancing with all his strength before the Lord.²⁴^6:15David and all Israel²⁵ were bringing up the ark of the Lord, shouting and blowing trumpets.²⁶

^6:16As the ark of the Lord entered the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked out the window. When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him.²⁷^6:17They brought the ark of the Lord and put it in its place²⁸ in the middle of the tent that David had pitched for it. Then David offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before the Lord. ^6:18When David finished offering the burnt sacrifices and peace offerings, he pronounced a blessing over the people in the name of the Lord of hosts. ^6:19He then handed out to each member of the entire assembly of Israel,²⁹ both men and women, a portion of bread, a date cake,³⁰ and a raisin cake. Then all the people went home.³¹^6:20When David went home to pronounce a blessing on his own house,³² Michal, Saul’s daughter, came out to meet him.³³ She said, “How the king of Israel has distinguished³⁴ himself this day! He has exposed himself today before his servants’ slave girls the way a vulgar fool³⁵ might do!”

^6:21David replied to Michal, “It was before the Lord! I was celebrating before the Lord, who chose me over your father and his entire family³⁶ and appointed me as leader over the Lord’s people Israel. ^6:22I am willing to shame and humiliate myself even more than this!³⁷ But with the slave girls whom you mentioned let me be distinguished!” ^6:23Now Michal, Saul’s daughter, had no children to the day of her death.

The Lord Establishes a Covenant with David

^7:1The king settled into his palace,¹ for the Lord gave him relief² from all his enemies on all sides.³^7:2The king said to Nathan the prophet, “Look! I am living in a palace made from cedar, while the ark of God sits in the middle of a tent.” ^7:3Nathan replied to the king, “You should go⁴ and do whatever you have in mind,⁵ for the Lord is with you.” ^7:4That night the Lord told Nathan,⁶^7:5“Go, tell my servant David: ‘This is what the Lord says: Do you really intend to build a house for me to live in? ^7:6I have not lived in a house from the time I brought the Israelites up from Egypt to the present day. Instead, I was traveling with them and living in a tent.⁷^7:7Wherever I moved among all the Israelites, I did not say⁸ to any of the leaders⁹ whom I appointed to care for¹⁰ my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house made from cedar?” ’

^7:8“So now, say this to my servant David: ‘This is what the Lord of hosts says: I took you from the pasture and from your work as a shepherd¹¹ to make you leader of my people Israel. ^7:9I was with you wherever you went, and I defeated¹² all your enemies before you. Now I will make you as famous as the great men of the earth.¹³^7:10I will establish a place for my people Israel and settle¹⁴ them there; they will live there and not be disturbed¹⁵ any more. Violent men¹⁶ will not oppress them again, as they did in the beginning ^7:11and during the time when I appointed judges to lead my people Israel. Instead, I will give you relief¹⁷ from all your enemies. The Lord declares¹⁸ to you that he himself¹⁹ will build a dynastic house²⁰ for you. ^7:12When the time comes for you to die,²¹ I will raise up your descendant, one of your own sons, to succeed you,²² and I will establish his kingdom. ^7:13He will build a house for my name, and I will make his dynasty permanent.²³^7:14I will become his father and he will become my son. When he sins, I will correct him with the rod of men and with wounds inflicted by human beings. ^7:15But my loyal love will not be removed from him as I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ^7:16Your house and your kingdom will stand before me²⁴ permanently; your dynasty²⁵ will be permanent.’ ” ^7:17Nathan told David all these words that were revealed to him.²⁶

David Offers a Prayer to God

^7:18King David went in, sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family,²⁷ that you should have brought me to this point? ^7:19And you didn’t stop there, O Lord God! You have also spoken about the future of your servant’s family.²⁸ Is this your usual way of dealing with men,²⁹ O Lord God? ^7:20What more can David say to you? You have given your servant special recognition,³⁰ O Lord God! ^7:21For the sake of your promise and according to your purpose³¹ you have done this great thing in order to reveal it to your servant.³²^7:22Therefore you are great, O Lord God, for there is none like you! There is no God besides you! What…

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Footnotes

1 Heb “look we are your bone and your flesh.”
2 Heb “you were the one leading out and the one leading in Israel.”
3 Heb “elders.”
4 Heb “and the king, David, cut for them a covenant.”
5 Heb “anointed.”
6 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
7 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
8 The Hebrew text has “he” rather than “the Jebusites.” The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity. In the and some of the the verb is plural rather than singular.
9 There is some confusion among the witnesses concerning this word. The Kethib is the Qal perfect 3cp שָׂנְאוּ (sané’u, “they hated”), referring to the Jebusites’ attitude toward David. The Qere is the Qal passive participle construct plural שְׂנֻאֵי (sénu’e, “hated”), referring to David’s attitude toward the Jebusites. 4QSama has the Qal perfect 3rd person feminine singular שָׂנְאָה (sané’ah, “hated”), the subject of which would be “the soul of David.” The difference is minor and the translation adopted above works for either the Kethib or the Qere.
10 The meaning of the Hebrew term has been debated. For a survey of various views, see P. K. McCarter, II Samuel (), . If a water tunnel is in view here, it is probably the so-called Warren’s Shaft that extends up from Hezekiah’s tunnel. It would have provided a means for surprise attack against the occupants of the city of David. The seems not to understand the reference here, translating “by the water shaft” as “with a small knife.”
11 Heb “the house.” takes this as a reference to the temple (“the Lord’s house”).
12 4QSama and the lack the word “God,” probably due to harmonization with the more common biblical phrase “the Lord of hosts.”
13 Traditionally, “the Lord God of hosts” (, ); , “the Lord God Almighty”; “the Lord (+ God ) All-Powerful.”
14 The translation assumes that the disjunctive clause is circumstantial-causal, giving the reason for David’s success.
15 For location see ; ; ; ; .
16 Heb “a house.”
17 Heb “anointed.”
18 Heb “all the Philistines.”
19 The infinitive absolute lends emphasis to the following verb.
20 The name means “Lord of the outbursts.”
21 Heb “they”; the referent (the Philistines) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
22 For “idols” the and have “gods.”
23 The words “what to do” are not in the Hebrew text.
24 The words “this time” are not in the Hebrew text.
25 Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
26 Some translate as “balsam trees” (cf. , , , , ); cf. , , “mulberry trees”; “mastic trees”; , “aspens.” The exact identification of the type of tree or plant is uncertain.
27 Heb “camp” (so ).
28 Heb “from Gibeon until you enter Gezer.”
1 The translation understands the verb to be a defective spelling of וַיְּאֱסֹף (vayyé’esof) due to quiescence of the letter א (alef). The root therefore is אסף (’sf, “to gather”). The Masoretes, however, pointed the verb as וַיֹּסֶף (vayyosef), understanding it to be a form of יָסַף (yasaf, “to add”). This does not fit the context, which calls for a verb of gathering.
2 Or “chosen.”
3 Heb “arose and went.”
4 Heb “from,” but the following context indicates they traveled to this location.
5 This is another name for Kiriath-jearim (see 1 Chr 13:6).
6 The has here a double reference to the name (שֵׁם שֵׁם, shem shem). Many medieval Hebrew in the first occurrence point the word differently and read the adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”). This is also the understanding of the (, taman). While this yields an acceptable understanding to the text, it is more likely that the dittographic here. The present translation therefore reads שֵׁם only once.
7 Heb “lifted.”
8 Heb “all the house of Israel.”
9 Heb “were celebrating before the Lord with all woods of fir” (cf. , , ). If the text is retained, the last expression must be elliptical, referring to musical instruments made from fir wood. But it is preferable to emend the text in light of 1 Chr 13:8, which reads “were celebrating before the Lord with all strength and with songs.”
10 Heb “with zithers [?] and with harps.”
11 That is, “sistrums” (so , ); , , , , “castanets.”
12 1 Chr 13:9 has “Kidon.”
13 Or “steadied.”
14 Heb “and Uzzah reached out toward the ark of God and grabbed it.”
15 Heb “and the anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah.”
16 Heb “God.”
17 Heb “there.” Since this same term occurs later in the verse it is translated “on the spot” here for stylistic reasons.
18 The phrase “his negligence” is absent from the .
19 Heb “because the Lord broke out [with] a breaking out [i.e., an outburst] against Uzzah.”
20 The name Perez Uzzah means in Hebrew “the outburst [against] Uzzah.”
21 Heb “house,” both here and in v. 12.
22 Heb “and it was told to David, saying.”
23 Heb “he”; the referent (David) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
24 Heb “and David was dancing with all his strength before the Lord, and David was girded with a linen ephod.”
25 Heb “all the house of Israel.” A few medieval Hebrew and the lack the words “the house.”
26 Heb “the shophar” (the ram’s horn trumpet).
27 The Hebrew text adds “in her heart.” Cf. “she was disgusted (+ with him )”; “was filled with contempt for him”; “she hated him.”
28 The lacks “in its place.”
29 Heb “to all the people, to all the throng of Israel.”
30 The Hebrew word used here אֶשְׁפָּר (’espar) is found in the OT only here and in the parallel passage found in 1 Chr 16:3. Its exact meaning is uncertain, although the context indicates that it was a food of some sort (cf. “a good piece of flesh”; “a portion of meat”). The translation adopted here (“date cake”) follows the lead of the Greek translations of the , Aquila, and Symmachus (cf. , , ).
31 Heb “and all the people went, each to his house.”
32 Heb “and David returned to bless his house.”
33 Heb “David.” The name has been replaced by the pronoun (“him”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
34 Heb “honored.”
35 Heb “one of the foolish ones.”
36 Heb “all his house”; “anyone else in your family.”
37 Heb “and I will shame myself still more than this and I will be lowly in my eyes.”
1 Heb “house” (also in the following verse).
2 Or “rest.”
3 The translation understands the disjunctive clause in v. 1b as circumstantial-causal.
4 Several medieval Hebrew and the lack this word.
5 Heb “all that is in your heart.”
6 Heb “the word of the Lord was [i.e., came] to Nathan.”
7 Heb “in a tent and in a dwelling.” The expression is a hendiadys, using two terms to express one idea.
8 Heb “Did I speak a word?” In the Hebrew text the statement is phrased as a rhetorical question.
9 Heb “tribes” (so , , ), but the parallel passage in 1 Chr 17:6 has “judges.”
10 Heb “whom I commanded to shepherd” (so , ).
11 Heb “and from after the sheep.”
12 Heb “cut off.”
13 Heb “and I will make for you a great name like the name of the great ones who are in the earth.”
14 Heb “plant.”
15 Heb “shaken.”
16 Heb “the sons of violence.”
17 Or “rest.”
18 In the Hebrew text the verb is apparently perfect with vav consecutive, which would normally suggest a future sense (“he will declare”; so the , ἀπαγγελεῖ [apangelei]). But the context seems instead to call for a present or past nuance (“he declares” or “he has declared”). The synoptic passage in 1 Chr 17:10 has וָאַגִּד (va’aggid, “and I declared”). The construction used in 2 Sam 7:11 highlights this important statement.
19 Heb “the Lord.”
20 Heb “house,” but used here in a metaphorical sense, referring to a royal dynasty. Here the Lord’s use of the word plays off the literal sense that David had in mind as he contemplated building a temple for the Lord. To reflect this in the English translation the adjective “dynastic” has been supplied.
21 Heb, “when your days are full and you lie down with your ancestors.”
22 Heb “your seed after you who comes out from your insides.”
23 Heb “and I will establish the throne of his kingdom permanently.”
24 Heb “before you.” A few medieval Hebrew read instead “before me,” which makes better sense contextually. (See also the and the .) The reading is probably the result of dittography (note the ך [kaf] at the beginning of the next form), with the extra ך then being interpreted as a pronominal suffix.
25 Heb “throne.”
26 Heb “according to all these words and according to all this revelation, so Nathan said to David.”
27 Heb “house.”
28 Heb “and this was small in your eyes, O Lord God, so you spoke concerning the house of your servant for a distance.”
29 Heb “and this [is] the law of man”; “is this the manner of man, O Lord God?”; “this too you have shown to man”; “May this be instruction for the people, O Lord God!” This part of the verse is very enigmatic; no completely satisfying solution has yet been suggested. The present translation tries to make sense of the by understanding the phrase as a question that underscores the uniqueness of God’s dealings with David as described here. The parallel passage in 1 Chr 17:17 reads differently (see the there).
30 Heb “and you know your servant.” The verb here refers to recognizing another in a special way and giving them special treatment (see 1 Chr 17:18). Some English versions take this to refer to the Lord’s knowledge of David himself: “you know my thoughts”; “know what I am really like.”
31 Heb “for the sake of your word and according to your heart.”
32 Heb “to make known, your servant.”