2 Samuel 4–5

4And when Saul’s son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, ^ahis hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled. ²And Saul’s son had two men that were captains of bands: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the ^†other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon a Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin: (for ^bBeeroth also was reckoned to Benjamin: ³And the Beerothites ^cfled to ^dGittaim, and were sojourners there until this day.) ⁴And ^eJonathan, Saul’s son, had a son that was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan ^fout of Jezreel, 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 about the heat of the day to the house of Ish-bosheth, who lay on a bed at noon. ⁶And they came thither into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they smote him ^gunder the fifth rib: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. ⁷For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and gat them away through ^hthe plain all night. ⁸And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth unto David to Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul thine enemy, ⁱwhich sought thy life; and the Lord hath avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed. ⁹And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said unto them, ^jAs the Lord liveth, ^kwho hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity, ^10lWhen one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, ^†thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him, and slew him in Ziklag, ^||who thought that I would have given him a reward for his tidings: ¹¹How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? shall I not therefore now ^mrequire his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth? ¹²And David commanded his ⁿyoung 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 Ish-bosheth, and buried it in the ^osepulchre of Abner in Hebron.

5Then ^acame all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, ^bwe are thy bone and thy flesh. ²Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, ^cthou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the Lord said to thee, ^dThou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel. ³So all the elders of Israel came to the king to ^eHebron; ^fand king David made a league with them in Hebron ^gbefore the Lord: and they anointed David king over Israel. ^4*David was thirty years old when he began to reign, ^hand he reigned forty years. ⁵In Hebron he reigned over Judah ⁱseven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.

⁶And the king and his men went ^kto Jerusalem unto ^lthe Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: ^||thinking, David cannot come in hither. ⁷Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: ^mthe same is the city of David. ⁸And David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to ⁿthe gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David’s soul, ^ohe shall be chief and captain. ^||Wherefore they said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house. ⁹So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from ^pMillo and inward. ¹⁰And David ^†went on, and grew great, and the Lord God of hosts was with him. ^11qAnd ^rHiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and ^†masons: and they built David an house. ¹²And David perceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that ^she had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel’s sake.

¹³And ^tDavid took him ^umore concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron: and there were yet sons and daughters born to David. ¹⁴And these be the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem; ^||Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, ¹⁵Ibhar also, and ^||Elishua, and Nepheg, and Japhia, ¹⁶And Elishama, and ^||Eliada, and Eliphalet.

¹⁷But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David; and David heard of it, ^wand went down to the hold. ¹⁸The Philistines also came and ^xspread themselves in ^ythe valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹And David ^zinquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the Lord said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand. ²⁰And David came to ^aBaal-perazim, and David smote them there, and said, The Lord hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place ^||Baal-perazim. ²¹And there they left their images, and David and his men ^b||burned them. ²²And the Philistines came up yet again, and ^xspread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. ²³And when ^cDavid inquired of the Lord, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees. ²⁴And let it be, when thou ^dhearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then ^eshall the Lord go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines. ²⁵And David did so, as the Lord had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from ^||Geba until thou come to ^fGazer.