II Samuel 5-9

II Samuel 5

¹Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.

²In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was thou that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be prince over Israel.

³So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Israel.

⁴David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.

⁵In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six mouths: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.

⁶And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither.

⁷Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion; the same is the city of David.

⁸And David said on that day, Whosoever smiteth the Jebusites, let him get up to the watercourse, and smite the lame and the blind, that are hated of David’s soul. Wherefore they say, There are the blind and the lame; he cannot come into the house.

⁹And David dwelt in the strong hold, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward.

¹⁰And David waxed greater and greater; for the LORD, the God of hosts, was with him.

¹¹And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons: and they built David an house.

¹²And David perceived that the LORD had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel’s sake.

¹³And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron: and there were yet sons and daughters born to David.

¹⁴And these be the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon,

¹⁵and Ibhar, and Elishua; and Nepheg, and Japhia;

¹⁶and Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet.

¹⁷And when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the hold.

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

¹⁹And David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto David, Go up: for I will certainly deliver the Philistines into thine hand.

²⁰And David came to Baal-perazim, and David smote them there; and he said, The LORD hath broken mine enemies before me, like the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baal-perazim.

²¹And they left their images there, and David and his men took them away.

²²And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.

²³And when David inquired of the LORD, he said, Thou shalt not go up: make a circuit behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.

²⁴And it shall be, when thou hearest the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then is the LORD gone out before thee to smite the host of the Philistines.

²⁵And David did so, as the LORD commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gezer.

II Samuel 6

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

²And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him, from Baale Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, which is called by the Name, even the name of the LORD of hosts that sitteth upon the cherubim.

³And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in the hill: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart.

⁴And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was in the hill, with the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark.

⁵And David and all the house of Israel played before the LORD with all manner of instruments made of fir wood, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with castanets, and with cymbals.

⁶And when they came to the threshing-floor of Nacon, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen stumbled.

⁷And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.

⁸And David was displeased, because the LORD had broken forth upon Uzzah: and he called that place Perez-uzzah, unto this day.

⁹And David was afraid of the LORD that day; and he said, How shall the ark of the LORD come unto me?

¹⁰So David would not remove the ark of the LORD unto him into the city of David; but David carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.

¹¹And the ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months: and the LORD blessed Obed-edom, and all his house.

¹²And it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth to him, because of the ark of God. And David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with joy.

¹³And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling.

¹⁴And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.

¹⁵So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.

¹⁶And it was so, as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out at the window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.

¹⁷And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in its place, in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.

¹⁸And when David had made an end of offering the burnt offering and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts.

¹⁹And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, both to men and women, to every one a cake of bread, and a portion of flesh, and a cake of raisins. So all the people departed every one to his house.

²⁰Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!

²¹And David said unto Michal, It was before the LORD, which chose me above thy father, and above all his house, to appoint me prince over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD.

²²And I will be yet more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: but of the handmaids which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.

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

II Samuel 7

¹And it came to pass, when the king dwelt in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies round about,

²that the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.

³And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thine heart; for the LORD is with thee.

⁴And it came to pass the same night, that the word of the LORD came unto Nathan, saying,

⁵Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith the LORD, Shalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in?

⁶for I have not dwelt in an house since the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.

⁷In all places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel, spake I a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why have ye not built me an house of cedar?

⁸Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, that thou shouldest be prince over my people, over Israel:

⁹and I have been with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee; and I will make thee a great name, like unto the name of the great ones that are in the earth.

¹⁰And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as at the first,

¹¹and as from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel; and I will cause thee to rest from all thine enemies. Moreover the LORD telleth thee that the LORD will make thee an house.

¹²When thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

¹³He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

¹⁴I will be his father, and he shall be my son: if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men;

¹⁵but my mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.

¹⁶And thine house and thy kingdom shall be made sure for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.

¹⁷According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.

¹⁸Then David the king went in, and sat before the LORD; and he said, Who am I, O Lord GOD, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me thus far?

¹⁹And this was yet a small thing in thine eyes, O Lord GOD; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant’s house for a great while to come; and this too after the manner of men, O Lord GOD!

²⁰And what can David say more unto thee? for thou knowest thy servant, O Lord GOD.

²¹For thy word’s sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou wrought all this greatness, to make thy servant know it.

²²Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

²³And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem unto himself for a people, and to make him a name, and to do great things for you, and terrible things for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee out of Egypt, from the nations and their gods?

²⁴And thou didst establish to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever; and thou, LORD, becamest their God.

²⁵And now, O LORD God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, confirm thou it for ever, and do as thou hast spoken.

²⁶And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is God over Israel: and the house of thy servant David shall be established before thee.

²⁷For thou, O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee.

²⁸And now, O Lord GOD, thou art God, and thy words are truth, and thou hast promised this good thing unto thy servant:

²⁹now therefore let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.

II Samuel 8

¹And after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them: and David took the bridle of the mother city out of the hand of the Philistines.

²And he smote Moab, and measured them with the line, making them to lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death, and one full fine to keep alive. And the Moabites became servants to David, and brought presents.

³David smote also Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his dominion at the River.

⁴And David took from him a thousand and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David houghed all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for an hundred chariots.

⁵And when the Syrians of Damascus came to succour Hadadezer king of Zobah, David smote of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men.

⁶Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus: and the Syrians became servants to David, and brought presents. And the LORD gave victory to David whithersoever he went.

⁷And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem.

⁸And from Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, king David took exceeding much brass.

⁹And when Toi king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadadezer,

¹⁰then Toi sent Joram his son unto king David, to salute him, and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and smitten him: for Hadadezer had wars with Toi. And Joram brought with him vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of brass:

¹¹These also did king David dedicate unto the LORD, with the silver and gold that he dedicated of all the nations which he subdued;

¹²of Syria, and of Moab, and of the children of Ammon, and of the Philistines, and of Amalek, and of the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

¹³And David gat him a name when he returned from smiting of the Syrians in the Valley of Salt, even eighteen thousand men.

¹⁴And he put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and all the Edomites became servants to David. And the LORD gave victory to David whithersoever he went.

¹⁵And David reigned over all Israel; and David executed judgment and justice unto all his people.

¹⁶And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder:

¹⁷and Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, were priests; and Seraiah was scribe;

¹⁸and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were priests.

II Samuel 9

¹And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?

²And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba, and they called him unto David; and the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he.

³And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.

⁴And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar.

⁵Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar.

⁶And Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came unto David, and fell on his face, and did obeisance. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant!

⁷And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.

⁸And he did obeisance, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?

⁹Then the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said unto him, All that pertained to Saul and to all his house have I given unto thy master’s son.

¹⁰And thou shalt till the land for him, thou, and thy sons, and thy servants; and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master’s son may have bread to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master’s son shall eat bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.

¹¹Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my lord the king commandeth his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the kings sons.

¹²And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth.

¹³So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king’s table; and he was lame on both his feet.