2 Samuel 4–5

Ishbaal Assassinated

⁴When Saul’s son Ishbaal^r heard that Abner had died at Hebron, his courage failed, and all Israel was dismayed.^{* 2}Saul’s son had two captains of raiding bands; the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other was Rechab. They were sons of Rimmon, a Benjaminite from Beeroth, for Beeroth is considered to belong to Benjamin.^{* 3}(Now the people of Beeroth had fled to Gittaim and are there as resident aliens to this day.)^*

⁴Saul’s son Jonathan had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, and in her haste to flee it happened that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.^*

⁵Now the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out, and about the heat of the day they came to the house of Ishbaal^s while he was taking his noonday rest.^{* 6}They came inside the house as though to take wheat,^t and they struck him in the stomach; then Rechab and his brother Baanah escaped.^{* 7}Now they had come into the house while he was lying on his couch in his bedchamber; they attacked him, killed him, and beheaded him. Then they took his head and traveled by way of the Arabah all night long. ⁸They brought the head of Ishbaal^u to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ishbaal^v son of Saul, your enemy who sought your life; the Lord has avenged my lord the king this day on Saul and on his offspring.”^*

⁹David answered Rechab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity,^{* 10}when the one who told me, ‘See, Saul is dead,’ thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag—this was the reward I gave him for his news.^{* 11}How much more, then, when wicked men have killed a righteous man on his bed in his own house! And now shall I not require his blood at your hand and destroy you from the earth?”^{* 12}So David commanded the young men, and they killed them; they cut off their hands and feet and hung their bodies beside the pool at Hebron. But the head of Ishbaal^w they took and buried in the tomb of Abner at Hebron.^*

David Anointed King of All Israel

⁵Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Look, we are your bone and flesh.^{* 2}For some time, while Saul was king over us, it was you who led out Israel and brought it in. The Lord said to you, ‘It is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler over Israel.’ ”^{* 3}So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel.^{* 4}David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.^{* 5}At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.^*

Jerusalem Made Capital of the United Kingdom

⁶The king and his men marched to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here; even the blind and the lame will turn you back,” thinking, “David cannot come in here.”^{* 7}Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, which is now the city of David. ⁸David had said on that day, “Whoever would strike down the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack the lame and the blind, those whom David hates.”^x Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.”^{* 9}David occupied the stronghold and named it the city of David. David built the city all around from the Millo inward.^{* 10}And David became greater and greater, for the Lord of hosts^y was with him.^*

¹¹King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar trees and carpenters and masons who built David a house.^{* 12}David then perceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

¹³In Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron, David took more concubines and wives, and more sons and daughters were born to David.^{* 14}These are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,^{* 15}Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ¹⁶Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

Philistine Attack Repulsed

¹⁷When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up in search of David, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold.^{* 18}Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the valley of Rephaim.^{* 19}David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” The Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.”^{* 20}So David came to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there. He said, “The Lord has burst forth against my enemies before me like a bursting flood.” Therefore that place is called Baal-perazim.^{z* 21}The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.^*

²²Once again the Philistines came up and were spread out in the valley of Rephaim.^{* 23}When David inquired of the Lord, he said, “You shall not go up; go around to their rear and come upon them opposite the balsam trees.^{* 24}When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then be on the alert, for then the Lord has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.”^{* 25}David did just as the Lord had commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines from Geba all the way to Gezer.^*