2 Samuel 4–7

Chapter 4

Ish-bosheth Murdered

1 Now when 1Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, heard that aAbner had died in Hebron, 2bhe lost courage, and all Israel was disturbed.

2 Saul’s son had two men who were commanders of bands: the name of the one was Baanah and the name of the other Rechab, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the sons of Benjamin (for aBeeroth is also considered bpart of Benjamin,

3 and the Beerothites fled to aGittaim and have been aliens there until this day).

4 Now aJonathan, Saul’s son, had a son crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the breport of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened that in her hurry to flee, he fell and became lame. And his name was 1cMephibosheth.

5 So the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, departed and came to the house of aIsh-bosheth in the heat of the day while he was taking his midday rest.

6 1They came to the middle of the house as 2if to get wheat, and athey struck him in the belly; and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

7 Now when they came into the house, as he was lying on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him and killed him and beheaded him. And they took his head and 1atraveled by way of the Arabah all night.

8 Then they brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Behold, the head of Ish-bosheth athe son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life; thus the Lord has given my lord the king vengeance this day on Saul and his 1descendants.”

9 David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As the Lord lives, awho has redeemed my life from all distress,

10 awhen one told me, saying, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ and 1thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news.

11 “How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now arequire his blood from your hand and 1destroy you from the earth?”

12 Then aDavid commanded the young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and feet and hung them up beside the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth band buried it in the grave of Abner in Hebron.

Chapter 5

David King over All Israel

1 aThen all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and 1said, “Behold, we are byour bone and your flesh.

2 “Previously, when Saul was king over us, ayou were the one who led Israel out and in. And the Lord said to you, ‘bYou will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ca ruler over Israel.’ ”

3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David amade a covenant with them before the Lord at Hebron; then bthey anointed David king over Israel.

4 David was athirty years old when he became king, and bhe reigned forty years.

5 At Hebron ahe reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

6 aNow the king and his men went to bJerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, and they said to 1David, “You shall not come in here, but the blind and lame will turn you away”; 2thinking, “David cannot enter here.”

7 Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion, that is athe city of David.

8 David said on that day, “Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him reach the lame and the blind, who are hated by David’s soul, through the water tunnel.” Therefore they say, “The blind or the lame shall not come into the house.”

9 So David lived in the stronghold and called it athe city of David. And David built all around from the 1bMillo and inward.

10 aDavid became greater and greater, for the Lord God of hosts was with him.

11 aThen Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees and carpenters and stonemasons; and bthey built a house for David.

12 And David realized that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

13 Meanwhile aDavid took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron; and more sons and daughters were born to David.

14 Now athese are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,

15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,

16 Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.

War with the Philistines

17 When the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, aall the Philistines went up to seek out David; and when David heard of it, he went down to the bstronghold.

18 Now the Philistines came and spread themselves out in athe valley of Rephaim.

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

20 So David came to aBaal-perazim and 1defeated them there; and he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like the breakthrough of waters.” Therefore he named that place 2Baal-perazim.

21 They abandoned their idols there, so aDavid and his men carried them away.

22 Now athe Philistines came up once again and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim.

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

24 “It shall be, when ayou hear the sound of marching in the tops of the 1balsam trees, then you shall act promptly, for then bthe Lord will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.”

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

Chapter 6

Peril in Moving the Ark

1 aNow David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.

2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him to 1aBaale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the bName, the very name of the Lord of hosts who cis 2enthroned above the cherubim.

3 They 1placed the ark of God on aa new cart that they might bring it from the house of Abinadab which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were leading the new cart.

4 So athey brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Ahio was walking ahead of the ark.

5 Meanwhile, David and all the house of Israel awere celebrating before the Lord bwith all kinds of instruments made of 1fir wood, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets and cymbals.

6 But when they came to the athreshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah breached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen nearly upset it.

7 And the anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah, and aGod struck him down there for 1his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God.

8 David became angry because 1of the Lord’s outburst against Uzzah, and that place is called 2Perez-uzzah to this day.

9 So aDavid was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?”

10 And David was unwilling to move the ark of the Lord into the city of David with him; but David took it aside to the house of aObed-edom the Gittite.

11 Thus the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the Lord ablessed Obed-edom and all his household.

The Ark Is Brought to Jerusalem

12 Now it was told King David, saying, “The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, on account of the ark of God.” aDavid went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into bthe city of David with gladness.

13 And so it was, that when the abearers of the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an box and a fatling.

14 And aDavid was dancing before the Lord with all his might, and David was 1bwearing a linen ephod.

15 So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouting and the sound of the trumpet.

16 Then it happened as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David that aMichal 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.

17 So they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it ain its place inside the tent which David had pitched for it; and bDavid offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.

18 When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace offering, ahe blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts.

19 Further, he distributed to all the people, to all the multitude of Israel, both to men and women, a cake of bread and one of dates and one of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed each to his house.

20 But when David returned to bless his household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel distinguished himself today! aHe uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servants’ maids as one of the bfoolish ones shamelessly uncovers himself!”

21 So David said to Michal, “aIt was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the Lord, over Israel; therefore I will celebrate before the Lord.

22 “I will be more lightly esteemed than this and will be humble in my own eyes, but with the maids of whom you have spoken, with them I will be distinguished.”

23 Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

Chapter 7

David Plans to Build a Temple

1 aNow it came about when the king lived in his house, and the Lord had given him rest on every side from all his enemies,

2 that the king said to aNathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in ba house of cedar, but the ark of God cdwells within tent curtains.”

3 Nathan said to the king, “aGo, do all that is in your mind, for the Lord is with you.”

4 But in the same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying,

5 “Go and say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord, “aAre you the one who should build Me a house to dwell in?

6 “For aI have not dwelt in a house since the…