2 Samuel 5:17–25

David Goes Up Against the Philistines

¹⁷Then the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, so ^aall the Philistines went up to seek out David. And David heard of it and went down to the ^bfortress.

¹⁸Now the Philistines had come and spread themselves out in ^athe valley of Rephaim.

¹⁹Then ^aDavid asked of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You give them into my hand?” And ^bYahweh said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.”

²⁰So David came to ^aBaal-perazim, and there David struck them down; and he said, “Yahweh has broken through my enemies before me, like the breakthrough of waters.” Therefore he named that place ¹Baal-perazim.

²¹And they forsook their idols there; so ^aDavid and his men carried them away.

²²Then ^athe Philistines yet again came up and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim.

²³So ^aDavid asked of Yahweh, and He said, “You shall not go directly up; circle around behind them and come at them in front of the ¹balsam trees.

²⁴“And it will be that when ^ayou hear the sound of marching in the tops of the ¹balsam trees, then you shall act promptly, for then ^bYahweh will have gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.”

²⁵Then David did so, just as Yahweh had commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from ^1aGeba ²as far as ^bGezer.