2 Samuel 4–5

Ishbosheth is Murdered

4When Saul’s ¹son heard that Abner had died in Hebron, ^ahe ²lost heart, and all Israel was ^btroubled. ²Now Saul’s son had two men who were captains of troops. The name of one was Baanah and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin. (For ^cBeeroth also was ³part of Benjamin, ³because the Beerothites fled to ^dGittaim and have been sojourners there until this day.)

^4eJonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came ^ffrom Jezreel; and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell and became lame. His name was ^gMephibosheth. ⁴

⁵Then the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out and came at about the heat of the day to the ^hhouse of Ishbosheth, who was lying on his bed at noon. ⁶And they came there, all the way into the house, as though to get wheat, and they ⁵stabbed him ⁱin the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. ⁷For when they came into the house, he was lying on his bed in his bedroom; then they struck him and killed him, beheaded him and took his head, and were all night escaping through the plain. ⁸And they brought the head of Ishbosheth to David at Hebron, and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul your enemy, ^jwho sought your life; and the Lord has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul and his descendants.”

⁹But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As the Lord lives, ^kwho has redeemed my life from all adversity, ¹⁰when ^lsomeone told me, saying, ‘Look, Saul is dead,’ thinking to have brought good news, I arrested him and had him executed in Ziklag—the one who thought I would give him a reward for his news. ¹¹How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous person in his own house on his bed? Therefore, shall I not now ^mrequire his ⁶blood at your hand and ⁷remove you from the earth?” ¹²So David ⁿcommanded his young men, and they executed them, cut off their hands and feet, and hanged them by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth and buried it in the ^otomb of Abner in Hebron.

David Reigns Over All Israel

5Then all the tribes of Israel ^acame to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, “Indeed ^bwe are your bone and your flesh. ²Also, in time past, when Saul was king over us, ^cyou were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord said to you, ^d‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over Israel.’ ” ^3eTherefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, ^fand King David made a covenant with them at Hebron ^gbefore the Lord. And they anointed David king over Israel. ⁴David was ^hthirty years old when he began to reign, and ⁱhe reigned forty years. ⁵In Hebron he reigned over Judah ^jseven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

The Conquest of Jerusalem

^6kAnd the king and his men went to Jerusalem against ^lthe Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, “You shall not come in here; but the blind and the lame will repel you,” thinking, “David cannot come in here.” ⁷Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion ^m(that is, the City of David).

⁸Now David said on that day, “Whoever climbs up by way of the water shaft and defeats the Jebusites (the lame and the blind, who are hated by David’s soul), ⁿhe shall be chief and captain.” Therefore they say, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.”

⁹Then David dwelt in the stronghold, and called it ^othe City of David. And David built all around from ¹the Millo and inward. ¹⁰So David went on and became great, and ^pthe Lord God of hosts was with ^qhim.

¹¹Then ^rHiram ^sking of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters and masons. And they built David a house. ¹²So David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, and that He had ^texalted His kingdom ^ufor the sake of His people Israel.

¹³And ^vDavid took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he had come from Hebron. Also more sons and daughters were born to David. ¹⁴Now ^wthese are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: ²Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, ^xSolomon, ¹⁵Ibhar, ³Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ¹⁶Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

The Philistines Defeated

^17yNow when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it ^zand went down to the stronghold. ¹⁸The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in ^athe Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹So David ^binquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?”

And the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into your hand.”

²⁰So David went to ^cBaal Perazim, and David defeated them there; and he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like a breakthrough of water.” Therefore he called the name of that place ⁴Baal Perazim. ²¹And they left their ⁵images there, and David and his men ^dcarried them away.

^22eThen the Philistines went up once again and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. ²³Therefore ^fDavid inquired of the Lord, and He said, “You shall not go up; circle around behind them, and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. ²⁴And it shall be, when you ^ghear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall advance quickly. For then ^hthe Lord will go out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” ²⁵And David did so, as the Lord commanded him; and he drove back the Philistines from ⁱGeba ⁶as far as ^jGezer.