2 Samuel 8–9

David’s Further Conquests

8After this it came to pass that David ¹attacked the Philistines and subdued them. And David took ²Metheg Ammah from the hand of the Philistines.

²Then ^ahe defeated Moab. Forcing them down to the ground, he measured them off with a line. With two lines he measured off those to be put to death, and with one full line those to be kept alive. So the Moabites became David’s ^bservants, and ^cbrought tribute.

³David also defeated Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of ^dZobah, as he went to recover ^ehis territory at the River Euphrates. ⁴David took from him one thousand chariots, ³seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. Also David ^fhamstrung all the chariot horses, except that he spared enough of them for one hundred chariots.

^5gWhen the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand of the Syrians. ⁶Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became David’s servants, and brought tribute. So ^hthe Lord preserved David wherever he went. ⁷And David took ⁱthe shields of gold that had belonged to the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸Also from ⁴Betah and from ^jBerothai, ⁵cities of Hadadezer, King David took a large amount of bronze.

⁹When ⁶Toi king of ^kHamath heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer, ¹⁰then Toi sent ⁷Joram his son to King David, to ⁸greet him and bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him (for Hadadezer had been at war with Toi); and Joram brought with him articles of silver, articles of gold, and articles of bronze. ¹¹King David also ^ldedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold that he had dedicated from all the nations which he had subdued—¹²from ⁹Syria, from Moab, from the people of Ammon, from the ^mPhilistines, from Amalek, and from the spoil of Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

¹³And David made himself a ⁿname when he returned from killing ^oeighteen thousand ¹Syrians in ^pthe Valley of Salt. ¹⁴He also put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and ^qall the Edomites became David’s servants. And the Lord preserved David wherever he went.

David’s Administration

¹⁵So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered judgment and justice to all his people. ^16rJoab the son of Zeruiah was over the army; ^sJehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; ^17tZadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were the priests; ²Seraiah was the ³scribe; ^18uBenaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the ^vCherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were ⁴chief ministers.

David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth

9Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may ^ashow him ¹kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

²And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was ^bZiba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”

He said, “At your service!”

³Then the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show ^cthe kindness of God?”

And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is ^dlame in his feet.”

⁴So the king said to him, “Where is he?”

And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of ^eMachir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.”

⁵Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.

⁶Now when ^fMephibosheth ²the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?”

And he answered, “Here is your servant!”

⁷So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”

⁸Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such ^ga dead dog as I?”

⁹And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, ^h“I have given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. ¹⁰You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son ⁱshall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had ^jfifteen sons and twenty servants.

¹¹Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do.”

“As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at ³my table like one of the king’s sons.” ¹²Mephibosheth had a young son ^kwhose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. ¹³So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, ^lfor he ate continually at the king’s table. And he ^mwas lame in both his feet.