AB - II Samuel

Chapter 1

1:1  And it came to pass after Saul was dead, that David returned from smiting Amelek, and David abode two days in Ziklag.

1:2  And it came to pass on the third day, that behold, a man came from the camp, from the people of Saul, and his clothes were torn, and dust was upon his head. And it came to pass when he went in to David, that he fell upon the earth, and bowed down to him.

1:3  And David said to him, Where have you come from? And he said to him, I have escaped out of the camp of Israel.

1:4  And David said to him, What is the matter? Tell me. And he said, The people fled out of the battle, and many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead.

1:5  And David said to the young man who brought him the tidings, How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?

1:6  And the young man that brought the news said to him, I happened accidentally to be upon Mount Gilboa; and behold, Saul was leaning upon his spear, and behold, the chariots and captains of horse pressed hard upon him.

1:7  And he looked behind him, and saw me, and called me; and I said, Behold, here am I.

1:8  And he said to me, Who are you? And I said, I am an Amalekite.

1:9  And he said to me, Stand over me and kill me, for a dreadful darkness has come upon me, for all my life is in me.

1:10  So I stood over him and killed him, because I knew he would not live after he had fallen; and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was upon his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.

1:11  And David laid hold of his garments, and tore them; and all the men who were with him tore their clothes.

1:12  And they lamented, and wept, and fasted till evening, for Saul and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of Judah, and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

1:13  And David said to the young man who brought the news to him, Where are you from? And he said, I am the son of an Amalekite sojourner.

1:14  And David said to him, How was it that you were not afraid to lift up your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed?

1:15  And David called one of his young men, and said, Go and fall upon him. And he struck him, and he died.

1:16  And David said to him, Your blood be upon your own head; for your mouth has testified against you, saying, I have slain the anointed of the Lord.

1:17  And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son.

1:18  And he gave orders to teach it to the sons of Judah: behold, it is written in the Book of the Upright.

1:19  Set up a pillar, O Israel, for the slain that died upon your high places; how the mighty have fallen!

1:20  Tell it not in Gath, and tell it not as glad tidings in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

1:21  You mountains of Gilboa, let neither dew nor rain descend upon you, nor fields of firstfruits be upon you, for there the shield of the mighty ones has been grievously assailed; the shield of Saul was not anointed with oil.

1:22  From the blood of the slain, and from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan returned not empty; and the sword of Saul turned not back empty.

1:23  Saul and Jonathan, the beloved and the beautiful, were not divided: comely were they in their life, and in their death they were not divided: they were swifter than eagles, and they were stronger than lions.

1:24  Daughters of Israel, weep for Saul, who clothed you with scarlet together with your adorning, who added golden ornaments to your apparel.

1:25  How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, even the slain ones upon your high places!

1:26  I am grieved for you, my brother Jonathan; you were very lovely to me; your love to me was wonderful beyond the love of women.

1:27  How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

Chapter 2

2:1  And it came to pass after this that David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah? And the Lord said to him, Go up. And David said, Where shall I go up? And He said, To Hebron.

2:2  And David went up there to Hebron, he and both his wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite,

2:3  and the men that were with him, everyone and his family; and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.

2:4  And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David to reign over the house of Judah; and they reported to David, saying, The men of Jabesh of the country of Gilead have buried Saul.

2:5  And David sent messengers to the rulers of Jabesh of the country of Gilead, and David said to them, Blessed are you of the Lord, because you have shown this mercy toward your lord, even toward Saul the anointed of the Lord, and you have buried him and Jonathan his son.

2:6  And now may the Lord deal in mercy and truth towards you: and I also will repay towards you this good deed, because you have done this.

2:7  And now let your hands be made strong, and be valiant; for your master Saul is dead, and moreover the house of Judah has anointed me to be king over them.

2:8  But Abner, the son of Ner, the commander of Saul's army, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him up from the camp to Mahanaim;

2:9  and made him king over the land of Gilead, and over Thasiri, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.

2:10  Ishbosheth, Saul's son was forty years old when he reigned over Israel; and he reigned two years, but not over the house of Judah, who followed David.

2:11  And the days which David reigned in Hebron over the house of Judah were seven years and six months.

2:12  And Abner the son of Ner went forth, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, from Manahaim to Gibeon.

2:13  And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went forth from Hebron, and met them at the Fountain of Gibeon, at the same place: and these sat down by the fountain on this side, and those by the fountain on that side.

2:14  And Abner said to Joab, Let now the young men arise, and play before us. And Joab said, Let them arise.

2:15  And there arose and passed over by number twelve of the children of Benjamin, belonging to Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.

2:16  And each one grasped the head of his neighbor with his hand, and his sword was thrust into the side of his neighbor, and they fell down together: and the name of that place was called The Portion of the Treacherous Ones, which is in Gibeon.

2:17  And the battle was very severe in that day; and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.

2:18  Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was swift in his feet as a wild gazelle in the field.

2:19  And Asahel followed after Abner, and turned not to go to the right hand or to the left from following Abner.

2:20  And Abner looked behind him, and said, Are you Asahel? And he said, I am.

2:21  And Abner said to him, Turn to the right or to the left, and lay hold for yourself on one of the young men, and take to yourself his armor; but Asahel would not turn back from following him.

2:22  And Abner said yet again to Asahel, Stand away from me, lest I strike you to the ground! And how should I lift up my face to Joab?

2:23  And what does this mean? Return to Joab your brother? But he would not stand away; and Abner struck him with the blunt end of the spear on his loins, and the spear went out behind him, and he fell down there and died on the spot. And it came to pass that everyone that came to the place where Asahel fell and died, stood still.

2:24  And Joab and Abishai pursued after Abner, and the sun went down. And they went as far as the hill of Ammah, which is in the front of Giah, by the desert way of Gibeon.

2:25  And the children of Benjamin who followed Abner gathered themselves together, and they formed themselves into one body, and stood on the top of a hill.

2:26  And Abner called Joab and said, Shall the sword devour perpetually? Know you not that it will be bitter in the end? How long then will you refuse to tell the people to turn from following our brethren?

2:27  And Joab said, As the Lord lives, if you had not spoken, even from the morning the people had each gone up from following his brother.

2:28  And Joab sounded the trumpet, and all the people departed, and did not pursue after Israel, and did not fight any longer.

2:29  And Abner and his men departed at evening, and went all that night, and crossed over the Jordan, and went along the whole adjacent country, and they came to the camp.

2:30  And Joab returned from following Abner, and he assembled all the people, and there were missing of the people of David, nineteen men, and Asahel.

2:31  And the servants of David struck of the children of Benjamin, of the men of Abner, three hundred and sixty men belonging to him.

2:32  And they took up Asahel, and buried him in the tomb of his father in Bethlehem. And Joab and the men with him went all the night, and the morning rose upon them in Hebron.

Chapter 3

3:1  And there was war for a long time between the house of Saul and the house of David; and the house of David grew continually stronger; but the house of Saul grew continually weaker.

3:2  And sons were born to David in Hebron: and his firstborn was Ammon the son of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess.

3:3  And his second son was Daluia, the son of Abigail the Carmelitess; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai the king of Geshur.

3:4  And the fourth was Adonijah, the son of Haggith, and the fifth was Shephatiah, the son of Abital.

3:5  And the sixth was Ithream, the son of David's wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron.

3:6  And it came to pass while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, that Abner was governing the house of Saul.

3:7  And Saul had a concubine named Rizpah, the daughter of Jol; and Ishbosheth the son of Saul said to Abner, Why have you gone in to my father's concubine?

3:8  And Abner was very angry with Ishbosheth for this saying; and Abner said to him, Am I a dog's head? I have this day showed kindness with the house of Saul your father, and with his brethren and friends, and have not gone over to the house of David, and do you this day seek a charge against me concerning injury to a woman?

3:9  God do thus and more also to Abner, if as the Lord swore to David, so do I not to him this day;

3:10  to take away the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to raise up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah from Dan to Beersheba.

3:11  And Ishbosheth could not any longer answer Abner a word, because he feared him.

3:12  And Abner sent messengers to David to Thaelam where he was, immediately, saying, Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand is with you to bring back to you all the house of Israel.

3:13  And David said, With a good will I will make a covenant with you; only I demand one condition of you: you shall not see my face, unless you bring Michal the daughter of Saul, when you come to see my face.

3:14  And David sent messengers to Ishbosheth the son of Saul, saying, Restore me my wife Michal, whom I took for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.

3:15  And Ishbosheth sent, and took her from her husband, from Paltiel the son of Laish.

3:16  And her husband went with her weeping behind her as far as Bahurim. And Abner said to him, Go, return; and he returned.

3:17  And Abner spoke to the elders of Israel, saying, In former days you sought David to reign over you;

3:18  and now perform it; for the Lord has spoken concerning David, saying, By the hand of My servant David I will save Israel out of the hand of all their enemies.

3:19  And Abner spoke in the ears of Benjamin. And Abner went to speak in the ears of David at Hebron, all that seemed good in the eyes of Israel and in the eyes of the house of Benjamin.

3:20  And Abner came to David at Hebron, and twenty men with him. And David made a banquet of wine for Abner and his men with him.

3:21  Then Abner said to David, I will arise now and go, and gather to my lord the king all of Israel; and I will make a covenant with him, and you shall reign over all whom your soul desires. And David sent Abner away, and he departed in peace.

3:22  And behold, the servants of David and Joab arrived from their expedition, and they brought much spoil with them. And Abner was not with David in Hebron, because he had sent him away, and he had departed in peace.

3:23  Now Joab and all his army came, and it was reported to Joab, saying, Abner the son of Ner has come to David, and David has let him go, and he has departed in peace.

3:24  And Joab went in to the king, and said, What is this you have done? Behold, Abner came to you; and why have you let him go, and he has departed in peace?

3:25  Surely you know the mischief of Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive you, and to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all things that you are doing?

3:26  And Joab returned from David, and sent messengers to Abner after him; and they brought him back from the Well of Sirah, but David knew it not.

3:27  And he brought back Abner to Hebron, and Joab caused him to turn aside from the gate to speak to him, laying wait for him; and he stabbed him there in the loins, and he died for the blood of Asahel the brother of Joab.

3:28  And David heard of it afterwards, and said, I and my kingdom are guiltless before the Lord, even forever, of the blood of Abner the son of Ner.

3:29  Let it fall upon the head of Joab, and upon all the house of his father; and let there not be wanting of the house of Joab one that has an issue, or a leper, or that leans on a staff, or that falls by the sword, or that wants bread.

3:30  For Joab and Abishai his brother laid wait continually for Abner, because he slew Asahel their brother at Gibeon in the battle.

3:31  And David said to Joab and to all the people with him, tear your clothes, and put on sackcloth, and lament over Abner. And King David followed the coffin.

3:32  And they buried Abner in Hebron. And the king lifted up his voice, and wept at his tomb, and all the people wept for Abner.

3:33  And the king mourned over Abner, and said, Shall Abner die according to the death of Nabal?

3:34  Your hands were not bound, and your feet were not put in fetters; one brought you not near as Nabal; you have fallen before children of iniquity.

3:35  And all the people assembled to weep for him. And all the people came to cause David to eat bread while it was yet day. And David swore, saying, God do so to me, and more also, if I eat bread or anything else before the sun goes down.

3:36  And all the people took notice, and all things that the king did before the people were pleasing in their sight.

3:37  So all the people and all Israel perceived in that day, that it was not of the king to slay Abner the son of Ner.

3:38  And the king said to his servants, Do you not know that a great prince has fallen this day in Israel?

3:39  And that I am this day a mere kinsman of his, and as it were a subject; but these men the sons of Zeruiah are too harsh for me: the Lord reward the evildoer according to his wickedness.

Chapter 4

4:1  And Ishbosheth the son of Saul heard that Abner the son of Ner had died in Hebron; and his hands were paralyzed, and all the men of Israel grew faint.

4:2  And Ishbosheth the son of Saul had two men that were captains of bands: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, sons of Rimmon the Berothite of the children of Benjamin; for Beeroth was reckoned to the children of Benjamin.

4:3  And the Berothites ran away to Gittaim, and were sojourners there until this day.

4:4  And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son lame of his feet, five years old, and he was in the way when the news of Saul and Jonathan his son came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up, and fled. And it came to pass as he made haste and retreated, that he fell, and was crippled. And his name was Mephibosheth.

4:5  And Rechab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Berothite set out, and they came in the heat of the day into the house of Ishbosheth; and he was sleeping on a bed at noon.

4:6  And behold, the porter of the house winnowed wheat, and he slumbered and slept. And the brothers Rechab and Baanah went secretly into the house.

4:7  And Ishbosheth was sleeping on his bed in his chamber. And they struck him, and killed him, and took off his head. And they took his head, and went all the night by the western road.

4:8  And they brought the head of Ishbosheth to David at Hebron, and they said to the king, Behold the head of Ishbosheth the son of Saul your enemy, who sought your life; and the Lord has executed vengeance on His enemies for my lord the king, as it is this day: even on Saul your enemy, and on his seed.

4:9  And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Berothite, and said to them, As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all affliction;

4:10  he that reported to me that Saul was dead, even he was as one bringing glad tidings before me. But I seized him and killed him in Ziklag, to whom I ought, as he thought, to have given a reward or his tidings.

4:11  And now evil men have slain a righteous men in his house, and on his bed. Now then, I will require his blood from your hand, and I will destroy you from off the earth.

4:12  And David commanded his young men, and they killed them, and cut off their hands and their feet; and they hung them up at the fountain in Hebron. And they buried the head of Ishbosheth in the tomb of Abner the son of Ner.

Chapter 5

5:1  And all the tribes of Israel came to David to Hebron, and they said to him, Behold, we are your bone and your flesh.

5:2  And before, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord said to you, You shall feed My people Israel, and you shall be for a leader to My people Israel.

5:3  And all the elders of Israel come to the king at Hebron; and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord; and they anointed David king over all Israel.

5:4  David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.

5:5  Seven years and six months he reigned in Hebron over Judah, and thirty-three years he reigned over all Israel and Judah in Jerusalem.

5:6  And David and his men departed to Jerusalem, to the Jebusite that inhabited the land. And it was said to David, You shall not come in here (for the blind and the lame withstood him, saying, David shall not come in here).

5:7  And David first took hold of Zion (that is, the City of David).

5:8  And David said on that day, Everyone that smites the Jebusite, let him attack with the dagger both the lame and the blind, and those that hate the soul of David. Therefore they say, The lame and the blind shall not enter into the house of the Lord.

5:9  And David dwelt in the stronghold, and it was called the City of David, and he built the city itself round about from the citadel, and he built his own house.

5:10  And David advanced and became great, and the Lord Almighty was with him.

5:11  And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar wood, and carpenters, and stone masons; and they built a house for David.

5:12  And David knew that the Lord had prepared him to be king over Israel, and that his kingdom was exalted for the sake of His people Israel.

5:13  And David took again wives and concubines out of Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron: and David had still more sons and daughters born to him.

5:14  And these are the names of those that were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,

5:15  Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,

5:16  Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

5:17  And the Philistines heard that David was anointed king over Israel; and all the Philistines went up to seek David. And David heard of it, and went down to the stronghold.

5:18  And the Philistines came, and assembled in the Valley of Giants.

5:19  And David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? And will You deliver them into my hands? And the Lord said to David, Go up, for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hands.

5:20  And David came from the Upper Breaches, and attacked the Philistines there. And David said, The Lord has destroyed the hostile Philistines from before me, as water is dispersed; therefore the name of that place was called Over Breaches.

5:21  And they left their gods there, and David and his men took them.

5:22  And the Philistines came up yet again, and assembled in the Valley of Giants.

5:23  And David inquired of the Lord. And the Lord said, You shall not go up to meet them: turn from them, and you shall meet them near the Place of Weeping.

5:24  And it shall come to pass when you hear the sound of a clashing together from the Grove of Weeping, then you shall go down to them, for then the Lord shall go forth before you to create havoc in the battle with the Philistines.

5:25  And David did as the Lord commanded him, and struck the Philistines from Gibeon as far as the land of Gezer.

Chapter 6

6:1  And David again gathered all the young men of Israel, about seventy thousand.

6:2  And David arose and went, he and all the people that were with him, and some of the rulers of Judah, on an expedition to a distant place, to bring back from there the ark of God, upon which is called the name of the Lord of hosts who dwells between the cherubim.

6:3  And they put the ark of the Lord on a new cart, and took it out of the house of Abinadab who lived on the hill, and Uzzah and his brethren, the sons of Abinadab drove the cart with the ark.

6:4  And his brethren went before the ark.

6:5  And David and the children of Israel were playing before the Lord on well-tuned instruments mightily, and with songs, and with harps, and with lutes, and with drums, and with cymbals, and with pipes.

6:6  And they came as far as the threshing floor of Nachon. And Uzzah reached forth his hand to the ark of God to keep it steady, and took hold of it; for the ox shook it out of its place.

6:7  And the Lord was very angry with Uzzah, and God struck him there; and he died there by the ark of the Lord before God.

6:8  And David was dispirited because the Lord made a breach upon Uzzah; and that place was called the Breach of Uzzah until this day.

6:9  And David feared the Lord in that day, saying, How shall the ark of the Lord come in to me?

6:10  And David would not bring in the ark of the covenant of the Lord to himself into the City of David; and David turned it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.

6:11  And the ark of the Lord lodged in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed all the house of Obed-Edom, and all his possessions.

6:12  And it was reported to King David, saying, The Lord has blessed the house of Obed-Edom, and all that he has, because of the ark of the Lord. And David went, and brought up the ark of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness.

6:13  And seven bands were with him bearing the ark, and for a sacrifice there was a calf, and lambs.

6:14  And David sounded with well-tuned instruments before the Lord, and David was clothed with a fine long robe.

6:15  And David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of a trumpet.

6:16  And it came to pass as the ark arrived at the City of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked through the window, and saw King David dancing and playing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.

6:17  And they brought the ark of the Lord, and set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle which David pitched for it. And David offered whole burnt offerings before the Lord, and peace offerings.

6:18  And David made an end of offering the whole burnt offerings and peace offerings, and blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts.

6:19  And he distributed to all the people, even to all the host of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, both men and women, to everyone a cake of bread, and a piece of meat, and a cake from the frying pan. And all the people departed, everyone to his home.

6:20  And David returned to bless his house. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and saluted him, and said, How was the king of Israel glorified today, who was today uncovered in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the dancers wantonly uncovers himself!

6:21  And David said to Michal, I will dance before the Lord. Blessed be the Lord who chose me before your father, and before all his house, to make me head over His people, even over Israel. Therefore I will play and dance before the Lord.

6:22  And I will again uncover myself thus, and I will be vile in your eyes, and with the maid servants by whom you said that I was not held in honor.

6:23  And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child till the day of her death.

Chapter 7

7:1  And it came to pass when the king sat in his house, and the Lord had given him an inheritance on every side free from all his enemies round about him;

7:2  that the king said to Nathan the prophet, Behold now, I live in a house of cedar, and the ark of the Lord dwells in the midst of a tent.

7:3  And Nathan said to the king, Go and do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.

7:4  And it came to pass in that night, that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying,

7:5  Go, and say to My servant David, Thus says the Lord, You shall not build Me a house to dwell in.

7:6  For I have not dwelt in a house from the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt to this day, but I have been walking in a lodge and in a tent,

7:7  wheresoever I went with all Israel. Have I ever spoken to any of the tribes of Israel, which I commanded to tend My people Israel, saying, Why have you not built Me a house of Cedar?

7:8  And now thus shall you say to My servant David: Thus says the Lord Almighty, I took you from the sheepfold, that you should be a prince over My people, over Israel.

7:9  And I was with you wherever you went, and I destroyed all your enemies before you, and I made you renowned according to the renown of the great ones on the earth.

7:10  And I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and I will plant them, and they shall dwell by themselves, and shall be distressed no longer; and the son of iniquity shall afflict them no longer, as he has done from the beginning,

7:11  from the days when I appointed judges over My people Israel: and I will give you rest from all your enemies, and the Lord declares to you, that He shall build you a house.

7:12  And it shall come to pass when your days have been fulfilled, and you sleep with your fathers, that I will raise up your seed after you, even from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom.

7:13  He shall build for Me a house for My name, and I will set up his throne, even forever.

7:14  I will be to him a father, and he shall be to Me a son. And when he happens to transgress, then will I chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the sons of men.

7:15  But My mercy I will not take from him, as I took it from those whom I removed from My presence.

7:16  And his house shall be made sure, and his kingdom forever before Me, and his throne shall be established forever.

7:17  According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

7:18  Then King David came in, and sat before the Lord, and said, Who am I, O Lord, my Lord, and what is my house, that You have loved me like this?

7:19  Whereas I was very little before You, O Lord, my Lord, yet You spoke concerning the house of Your servant for a long time to come. And is this the law of man, O Lord, my Lord?

7:20  And what shall David yet say to You? And now You know Your servant, O Lord, my Lord.

7:21  And You have wrought for Your servant's sake, and according to Your heart You have brought about all this greatness, to make it known to Your servant,

7:22  that he may magnify You, O my Lord; for there is none like You, and there is no God but You among all of whom we have heard with our ears.

7:23  And what other nation in the earth is like Your people Israel? Whereas God was his guide, to redeem for Himself a people, to make for Himself a name, to do mightily and nobly, so that You should cast out nations and their tabernacles from the presence of Your people, whom You redeemed for Yourself out of Egypt?

7:24  And You have prepared for Yourself Your people Israel, to be a people forever, and You, O Lord, have become their God.

7:25  And now, O my Lord, the Almighty Lord God of Israel, confirm the word forever which You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house: and now as You have said,

7:26  Let Your name be magnified forever.

7:27  Almighty Lord God of Israel, You have uncovered the ear of Your servant, saying, I will build you a house: therefore Your servant has found in his heart to pray this prayer to You.

7:28  And now, O Lord my Lord, You are God; and Your words will be true, and You have spoken these good things concerning Your servant.

7:29  And now begin and bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You; for You, O Lord, my Lord, have spoken, and the house of Your servant shall be blessed with Your blessing, so as to continue forever.

Chapter 8

8:1  And it came to pass after this, that David attacked the Philistines, and put them to flight, and David took the tribute from out of the hand of the Philistines.

8:2  Then David attacked Moab, and measured them out with lines, having laid them down on the ground. And there were two lines for slaying, and two lines he kept alive. And Moab became servants to David, yielding tribute.

8:3  Then David attacked Hadadezer the son of Rehob king of Zobah, as he went to extend his power to the River Euphrates.

8:4  And David took a thousand of his chariots, and seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David hamstrung all his chariot horses, but he reserved for himself a hundred chariots.

8:5  And Syria of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, and David struck down twenty-two thousand of the Syrians.

8:6  And David placed a garrison in Syria near Damascus, and the Syrians became servants and tributaries to David. And the Lord preserved David wherever he went.

8:7  And David took the golden bracelets which were on the servants of Hadadezer king of Zobah, and brought them to Jerusalem. And Susakim king of Egypt took them, when he went up to Jerusalem in the days of Rehoboam son of Solomon.

8:8  And King David took from Metebac, and from the choice cities of Hadadezer, very much brass; with that Solomon made the bronze sea, and the pillars, and the lavers, and all the furniture.

8:9  And Toi the king of Hemath heard that David had defeated all the armies of Hadadezer.

8:10  And Toi sent Joram his son to King David, to ask him of his welfare, and to congratulate him on his fighting against Hadadezer and smiting him, for he was an enemy to Hadadezer: and in his hands were vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of brass.

8:11  And these King David consecrated to the Lord, with the silver and with the gold which he consecrated out of all the cities which he conquered,

8:12  out of Edom and out of Moab, and from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amelek, and from the spoils of Hadadezer son of Rehob king of Zobah.

8:13  And David made himself a name. And when he returned he struck Edom in Gebelem to the number of eighteen thousand.

8:14  And he set garrisons in Edom, even in all Edom: and all the Edomites were servants to the king. And the Lord preserved David wherever he went.

8:15  And David reigned over all Israel: and David brought about judgment and justice over all his people.

8:16  And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was keeper of the records.

8:17  And Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech son of Abiathar, were priests; and Seraiah was the scribe,

8:18  and Benaiah son of Jehoida was counselor, and the Cherethite and the Pelethite and the sons of David were princes of the court.

Chapter 9

9:1  And David said, Is there yet anyone left from the house of Saul, that I may deal kindly with him for Jonathan's sake?

9:2  And there was a servant of the house of Saul, and his name was Ziba. And they brought him to David. And the king said to him, Are you Ziba? And he said, I am your servant.

9:3  And the king said, Is there yet a man left of the house of Saul, that I may act towards him with the mercy of God? And Ziba said to the king, There is yet a son of Jonathan, lame in his feet.

9:4  And the king said, Where is he? And Ziba said to the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel of Lo Debar.

9:5  And King David went, and took him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel of Lo Debar.

9:6  And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan the son of Saul came to the King David, and he fell upon his face and bowed down before him. And David said to him, Mephibosheth; and he said, Behold your servant.

9:7  And David said to him, Fear not, for I will surely deal mercifully with you for the sake of Jonathan your father, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul the father of your father; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.

9:8  And Mephibosheth bowed down and said, Who am I your servant, that you have looked upon a dead dog like me?

9:9  And the king called Ziba the servant of Saul, and said to him, All that belonged to Saul and to all his house have I given to the son of your lord.

9:10  And you, and your sons, and your servants, shall till the land for him; and you shall bring in bread to the son of your lord, and he shall eat bread; and Mephibosheth the son of your lord shall eat bread continually at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.

9:11  And Ziba said to the king, According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do. So Mephibosheth did eat at the table of David, as one of the sons of the king.

9:12  And Mephibosheth had a little son, and his name was Micha: and all the household of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth.

9:13  And Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he continually ate at the table of the king; and he was lame in both of his feet.

Chapter 10

10:1  And it came to pass after this that the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place.

10:2  And David said, I will show mercy to Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father dealt mercifully with me. And David sent to comfort him concerning his father by the hand of his servants; and the servants of David came into the land of the children of Ammon.

10:3  And the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, Is it to honor your father before you that David has sent comforters to you? Has not David rather sent his servants to you that they should search the city, and spy it out and examine it?

10:4  And Hanun took the servants of David, and shaved their beards, and cut off their garments in the midst as far as their haunches, and sent them away.

10:5  And they brought David word concerning the men; and he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly dishonored. And the king said, Remain in Jericho till your beards have grown, and then you shall return.

10:6  And the children of Ammon saw that the people of David were ashamed; and the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth Rehob, and the Syrians of Zoba, and Rehob, twenty thousand footmen, and the king of Amelek with a thousand men, and Ish-Tob with twelve thousand men.

10:7  And David heard, and sent Joab and all of his army, even the mighty men.

10:8  And the children of Ammon went forth, and set the battle in array by the door of the gate. Those of Syria-Zobah, Rehob, Ish-Tob, and Amelek, being by themselves in the field.

10:9  And Joab saw that the front of the battle was against him from that which was opposed in front and from behind, and he chose out some of all the young men of Israel, and they set themselves in array against Syria.

10:10  And the rest of the people he gave into the hand of Abishai his brother, and they set the battle in array opposite to the children of Ammon.

10:11  And he said, If Syria is too strong for me, then shall you help me: and if the children of Ammon are too strong for you, then will we be ready to help you.

10:12  Be courageous, and let us be strong for our people, and for the sake of the cities of our God, and the Lord shall do that which is good in His eyes.

10:13  And Joab and his people with him advanced to battle against Syria, and they fled from before him.

10:14  And the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians had fled, and they fled from before Abishai, and entered into the city. And Joab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem.

10:15  And the Syrians saw that they were defeated before Israel, and they gathered themselves together.

10:16  And Hadadezer sent and gathered the Syrians from the other side of the River Halamak, and they came to Helam; and Shobach the captain of the army of Hadadezer was at their head.

10:17  And it was reported to David, and he gathered all Israel and went over the Jordan, and came to Helam; and the Syrians set the battle in array against David, and fought with him.

10:18  And Syria fled from before Israel, and David destroyed of the Syrians seven hundred chariots, and forty thousand horsemen, and he struck Shobach the captain of his army, and he died there.

10:19  And all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they were defeated before Israel, and they went over to Israel, and served them: and Syria was afraid to help the children of Ammon anymore.

Chapter 11

11:1  And it came to pass, when the time of year had come for kings to go out to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbath; but David remained at Jerusalem.

11:2  And it came to pass toward evening, that David arose off his couch, and walked on the roof of the king's house, and saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon.

11:3  And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba the daughter of Eliab, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?

11:4  And David sent messengers, and took her, and went in to her, and he lay with her. And she was purified from her uncleanness, and returned to her house.

11:5  And the woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, I am with child.

11:6  And David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah the Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah to David.

11:7  And Uriah arrived and went in to him, and David asked him how Joab was, and how the people were, and how the war was going.

11:8  And David said to Uriah, Go to your house, and wash your feet. And Uriah departed from the house of the king, and a portion of meat from the king followed him.

11:9  And Uriah slept at the door of the king with the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.

11:10  And they brought David word, saying, Uriah has not gone down to his house. And David said to Uriah, Have you not come from a long journey? Why have you not gone down to your house?

11:11  And Uriah said to David, The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields; and shall I go into my house to eat and drink, and lie with my wife? How should I do this? As your soul lives, I will not do this thing.

11:12  And David said to Uriah, Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will let you go. So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the day following.

11:13  And David called him, and he ate before him and drank, and he made him drunk. And he went out in the evening to lie upon his bed with the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house.

11:14  And the morning came, and David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.

11:15  And he wrote in the letter, saying, Station Uriah in front of the most severe part of the fight, and retreat from behind him, that he may be wounded and die.

11:16  And it came to pass while Joab was watching against the city, that he set Uriah in a place where he knew that valiant men were.

11:17  And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab. And some of the people of the servants of David fell, and Uriah the Hittite died also.

11:18  And Joab sent, and reported to David all the events of the war, so as to tell them to the king.

11:19  And he commanded the messenger, saying, When you have finished reporting all the events of the war to the king,

11:20  then it shall come to pass if the anger of the king shall arise, and he shall say to you, Why did you draw near to the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from off the wall?

11:21  Who struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal, son of Ner? Did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from above the wall, and he died in Thebez? Why did you draw near to the wall? Then you shall say, Your servant Uriah the Hittite is also dead.

11:22  And the messenger of Joab went to the king to Jerusalem, and he came and reported to David all that Joab had told him, all the affairs of the war. And David was very angry with Joab, and said to the messenger, Why did you draw near to the wall to fight? Did you not know that you would be wounded from off the wall? Who struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal? Did not a woman cast upon him a piece of millstone from the wall, and he died in Thebez? Why did you draw near to the wall?

11:23  And the messenger said to David, The men prevailed against us, and they came out against us into the field, and we came upon them, even to the door of the gate.

11:24  And the archers shot at your servants from off the wall, and some of the king's servants died, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.

11:25  And David said to the messenger, Thus shall you say to Joab, Let not the matter be grievous in your eyes, for the sword devours one way at one time and another way at another: strengthen your array against the city, and destroy it, and strengthen him.

11:26  And the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, and she mourned for her husband.

11:27  And the time of mourning expired, and David sent and took her into his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son: but the thing which David did was evil in the eyes of the Lord.

Chapter 12

12:1  And the Lord sent Nathan the prophet to David; and he went in to him, and said to him, There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor.

12:2  And the rich man had very many flocks and herds.

12:3  But the poor man had only one little ewe lamb, which he had purchased, and preserved, and reared; and it grew up with himself and his children in common; it ate of his bread and drank of his cup, and slept in his bosom, and was to him as a daughter.

12:4  And a traveler came to the rich man, and he refused to take of his flocks and of his herds, to prepare for the traveler that came to him; and he took the poor man's lamb, and prepared it for the man that came to him.

12:5  And David was greatly moved with anger against the man; and David said to Nathan, As the Lord lives, the man that did this thing shall surely die.

12:6  And he shall restore the lamb seven-fold, because he has not spared.

12:7  And Nathan said to David, You are the man that has done this! Thus says the Lord God of Israel: I anointed you to be king over Israel, and I rescued you out the hand of Saul;

12:8  and I gave you the house of your master, and the wives of your master into your bosom, and I gave to you the house of Israel and Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have given you even more.

12:9  Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do that which is evil in His eyes? You have slain Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and you have taken his wife to be your wife, and you have slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon.

12:10  Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and you have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite, to be your wife.

12:11  Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house, and I will take your wives from before your eyes, and will give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in broad daylight.

12:12  For you did it in secret, but I will do this thing in the sight of all Israel, and in broad daylight.

12:13  And David said to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said to David, The Lord has put away your sin; you shall not die.

12:14  Only because you have given great occasion of provocation to the enemies of the Lord by this thing, your son also that is born to you shall surely die.

12:15  And Nathan departed to his house. And the Lord struck the child, which the wife of Uriah the Hittite bore to David, and it was ill.

12:16  And David inquired of God concerning the child, and David fasted, and went in and lay all night upon the ground.

12:17  And the elders of his house arose and went to him to raise him up from the ground, but he would not rise, nor did he eat bread with them.

12:18  And it came to pass on the seventh day that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead; for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive we spoke to him, and he hearkened not to our voice; and should we tell him now that the child is dead?-- so would he do himself harm.

12:19  And David knew that his servants were whispering, and David perceived that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.

12:20  Then David rose up from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and changed his clothes, and went into the house of God, and worshipped Him; and he went into his own house, and called for bread to eat, and they set bread before him and he ate.

12:21  And his servants said to him, What is this thing that you have done concerning the child? While the child was yet living you fasted and wept, and kept watch; but when the child was dead you rose up and ate bread, and drank.

12:22  And David said, While the child yet lived, I fasted and wept; for I said, Who knows if the Lord will pity me, and the child should live?

12:23  But now it is dead, why should I fast thus? Shall I be able to bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me.

12:24  And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and he went in to her, and lay with her; and she conceived and bore a son, and he called his named Solomon, and the Lord loved him.

12:25  And he sent by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and called his name Jedidiah, for the Lord's sake.

12:26  And Joab fought against Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and took the royal city.

12:27  And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, I have fought against Rabbah, and taken the City of Waters.

12:28  And now gather the rest of the people, and encamp against the city, and take it beforehand; lest I take the city first, and it be called by my name.

12:29  And David gathered all the people, and went to Rabbah, and fought against it, and took it.

12:30  And he took the crown of Molchom their king from off his head, and the weight of it was a talent of gold, with precious stones, and it was upon the head of David; and he carried forth very much spoil of the city.

12:31  And he brought forth the people that were in it, and put them under the saw, and under iron harrows, and axes of iron, and made them pass through the brick-kiln: and thus he did to all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

Chapter 13

13:1  And it happened after this that Absalom the son of David had a very beautiful sister, and her name was Tamar; and Amnon the son of David loved her.

13:2  And Amnon was distressed even to sickness, because of Tamar his sister; for she was a virgin, and it seemed very difficult for Amnon to do anything to her.

13:3  Now Amnon had a friend, and his name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah the brother of David: and Jonadab was a very cunning man.

13:4  And he said to him, What ails you, that you are weak like this? O son of the king, morning by morning? Will you not tell me? And Amnon said, I love Tamar the sister of my brother Absalom.

13:5  And Jonadab said to him, Lie upon your bed, and make yourself sick, and your father shall come in to see you; and you shall say to him, Let Tamar my sister come, and feed me with morsels, and let her prepare food before my eyes, that I may see and eat at her hands.

13:6  So Ammon laid down and made himself sick; and the king came in to see him. And Amnon said to the king, Let my sister Tamar come to me, and make a couple of cakes in my sight, and I will eat them at her hand.

13:7  And David sent to Tamar to the house, saying, Go now to your brother's house, and prepare food for him.

13:8  And Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, and he was lying down: and she took the dough and kneaded it, and made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes.

13:9  And she took the frying pan and poured them out before him, but he would not eat. And Amnon said, Send out every man from about me. And they removed every man from about him.

13:10  And Amnon said to Tamar, Bring in the food into the closet, and I will eat of your hand. And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them to her brother Amnon into the chamber.

13:11  And she brought them to him to eat, and he caught hold of her, and said to her, Come, lie with me, my sister.

13:12  And she said to him, No, my brother, do not humble me, for it ought not to be so done in Israel; do not do this disgraceful thing!

13:13  And I, where shall I remove my reproach? And you shall be as one of the fools in Israel. And now, speak to the king, for surely he will not keep me from you.

13:14  But Amnon would not hearken to her voice; and he prevailed against her, and humbled her, and lay with her.

13:15  Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred; for the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her, for the last wickedness was greater than the first. And Amnon said to her, Get up, and get out!

13:16  And Tamar spoke to him concerning this great mischief, saying, this is greater than the other that you did to me, to send me away. But Amnon would not hearken to her voice.

13:17  And he called his servant who had charge of the house, and said to him, Put this woman out from me, and shut the door behind her.

13:18  And she had on herself a multi-colored robe, for so were the king's daughters that were virgins attired in their apparel. And his servant led her forth, and shut the door behind her.

13:19  And Tamar took ashes, and put them on her head. And she tore the robe that was on her, and she laid her hands on her head, and went crying continually.

13:20  And Absalom her brother said to her, Has your brother Amnon been with you? Now then, my sister, be silent, for he is your brother: be not careful to mention this matter. So Tamar dwelt as a widow in the house of her brother Absalom.

13:21  And King David heard of all these things, and was very angry; but he did not grieve the spirit of his son Amnon, because he loved him, for he was his firstborn.

13:22  And Absalom spoke not to Amnon, neither good or bad, because Absalom hated Amnon, on account of his humbling of his sister Tamar.

13:23  And it came to pass at the end of two whole years, that they were shearing sheep for Absalom in Baal Hazor, near Ephraim. And Absalom invited all the king's sons.

13:24  And Absalom came to the king, and said, Behold, your servant has a sheep-shearing; let now the king and his servants go with your servant.

13:25  And the king said to Absalom, No, my son, let us not all go, and let us not be burdensome to you. And he pressed him; but he would not go, but blessed him.

13:26  And Absalom said to him, And if not, let my brother Amnon go with us. And the king said to him, Why should he go with you?

13:27  And Absalom pressed him, and he sent with him Amnon and all the king's sons; and Absalom made a banquet like the banquet of the king.

13:28  And Absalom commanded his servants, saying, Take notice when the heart of Amnon shall be merry with wine, and I shall say to you, Smite Amnon, and kill him: fear not; for is it not I that command you? Be courageous, and be valiant.

13:29  And the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom commanded them. And all the sons of the king rose up, and they mounted every man his mule, and fled.

13:30  And it came to pass, when they were in the way, that a report came to David, saying, Absalom has slain all the king's sons, and there is not one of them left.

13:31  Then the king arose, and tore his clothes, and lay upon the ground. And all his servants that were standing round him tore their clothes.

13:32  And Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David's brother, answered and said, Let not my Lord the king say that he has slain all the young men the sons of the king, for Amnon alone is dead; for he was appointed to death by the mouth of Absalom from the day that he humbled his sister Tamar.

13:33  And now let not my lord the king take the matter to heart, saying, All the king's sons are dead: for Amnon alone is dead.

13:34  And Absalom escaped. And the watchman lifted up his eyes and looked; and behold, many people went in the way behind him from the side of the mountain in the descent. And the watchman came and told the king, and said, I have seen men by the way of Horonaim, by the side of the mountain.

13:35  And Jonadab said to the king, Behold, the king' sons are present: according to the word of your servant, so has it happened.

13:36  And it came to pass when he had finished speaking, that behold, the king's sons came, and lifted up their voices and wept; and the king also and all his servants wept with a very great weeping.

13:37  But Absalom fled, and went to Talmai son of Ammihud the king of Geshur, to the land of Hamaachad: and King David mourned for his son continually.

13:38  So Absalom fled, and departed to Geshur, and was there three years.

13:39  And King David ceased to go out after Absalom, for he was comforted concerning Amnon, regarding his death.

Chapter 14

14:1  Now Joab the son of Zeruiah knew that the heart of the king was toward Absalom.

14:2  And Joab sent to Tekoa, and took from there a cunning woman, and said to her, Mourn, and put on mourning apparel, and anoint yourself not with oil, and you shall be as a woman mourning for one that is dead thus for many days.

14:3  And you shall go to the king, and speak to him according to this word. And Joab put the words in her mouth.

14:4  So the woman of Tekoa went in to the king and fell upon her face to the earth, and bowed down before him, and said, Help, O king, help.

14:5  And the king said to her, What is the matter with you? And she said, I am indeed a widow woman, and my husband is dead.

14:6  And moreover your handmaid had two sons, and they fought together in the field, and there was no one to part them; and the one struck down the other, his brother, and killed him.

14:7  And behold, the whole family rose up against your handmaid, and they said, Give up the one that struck down his brother, and we will put him to death for the life of his brother, whom he killed, and we will take away your heir. So they will quench my coal that is left, so as not to leave my husband a remnant or name upon the face of the earth.

14:8  And the king said to the woman, Go in peace to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.

14:9  And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, On me, my lord, O king, and on my father's house be the iniquity, and the king and his throne be guiltless.

14:10  And the king said, Who was it that spoke to you? You shall bring him to me, and one shall not touch him anymore.

14:11  And she said, Let now the king remember concerning his Lord God in that the avenger of blood is multiplied to destroy, and let them not take away my son. And he said, As the lord lives, not a hair of your son shall fall to the ground.

14:12  And the woman said, Let now your servant speak a word to my lord the king. And he said, Speak on.

14:13  And the woman said, Why have you devised this thing against the people of God? Or is this word out of the king's mouth as a transgression, so that the king should not bring back his own banished son?

14:14  For we shall surely die, and be as water poured upon the earth, which shall not be gathered up, and God shall take the life, even as He devises to thrust forth from Him His outcast.

14:15  And now whereas I came to speak this word to my lord the king, the reason is that the people will see me, and your handmaid will say, Let one now speak to my lord the king, if perhaps the king will perform the request of his handmaid;

14:16  for the king will hear. Let him rescue his handmaid out of the hand of the man that seeks to cast out me and my son from the inheritance of God.

14:17  And the woman said, If now the word of my lord the king be gracious,--well: for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king, to hear good and evil; and the Lord your God shall be with you.

14:18  And the king answered, and said to the woman, Hide not from me, I pray, the matter which I ask you. And the woman said, Let my lord the king by all means speak.

14:19  And the king said, Is not the hand of Joab in all this matter with you? And the woman said to the king, As your soul lives, my lord, O king, there is no turning to the right hand or to the left from all that my lord the king has spoken; for your servant Joab himself charged me, and he put all these words in the mouth of your handmaid.

14:20  In order that this form of speech might come about it was that your servant Joab has framed this matter; and my lord is wise as is the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.

14:21  And the king said to Joab, Behold now, I have done to you according to this your word: go, bring back the young man Absalom.

14:22  And Joab fell on his face to the ground, and bowed down, and blessed the king. And Joab said, Today your servant knows that I have found grace in your sight, my lord, O king, for my lord the king has performed the request of his servant.

14:23  And Joab arose, and went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.

14:24  And the king said, Let him return to his house, and not see my face. And Absalom returned to his house, and saw not the king's face.

14:25  And there was not a man in Israel so very comely as Absalom. From the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

14:26  And when he cut his hair, (and it was at the beginning of every year that he cut it, because it grew heavy upon him) even when he cut it, he weighed the hair of his head, and it weighed two hundred shekels according to the royal shekel.

14:27  And there were born to Absalom three sons and one daughter, and her name was Tamar. She was a very beautiful woman, and she became the wife of Rehoboam son of Solomon, and she bore to him Abia.

14:28  And Absalom remained in Jerusalem two full years, and he saw not the king's face.

14:29  And Absalom sent to Joab to bring him in to the king, and he would not come to him. And he sent to him the second time, and he would not come.

14:30  And Absalom said to his servants, Behold, Joab's portion in the field is next to mine, and he has barley in it; go and set it on fire. And the servants of Absalom set the field on fire. And the servants of Joab come to him with their clothes torn, and they said to him, The servants of Absalom have set the field on fire.

14:31  And Joab arose, and came to Absalom into the house, and said to him, Why have your servants set my field on fire?

14:32  And Absalom said to Joab, Behold, I sent to you, saying, Come here, and I will send you to the king, saying, Why did I come out of Geshur? It would have been better for me to have remained there. And now, behold, I have not seen the face of the king; but if there is iniquity in me, then put me to death.

14:33  And Joab went in to the king, and brought him word. And he called Absalom, and he went in to the king, and bowed down before him, and fell upon his face to the ground, even in the presence of the king; and the king kissed Absalom.

Chapter 15

15:1  And it came to pass after this that Absalom prepared for himself chariots and horses, and fifty men to run before him.

15:2  And Absalom rose early, and stood by the side of the way of the gate. And it came to pass that every man who had a cause came to the king for judgment. And Absalom cried to him, and said to him, Of what city are you? And he said, Your servant is of one of the tribes of Israel.

15:3  And Absalom said to him, See, your affairs are right and clear, yet you have no one appointed of the king to hear you.

15:4  And Absalom said, O that one would make me a judge in the land; then every man who had a dispute or a cause would come to me, and I would judge him!

15:5  And it came to pass that when a man came near to bow down to him, that he stretched out his hand, and took hold of him, and kissed him.

15:6  And Absalom did after this manner to all Israel that came to the king for judgment; and Absalom gained the hearts of the men of Israel.

15:7  And it came to pass after forty years, that Absalom said to his father, I will go now, and pay my vows, which I vowed to the Lord in Hebron.

15:8  For your servant vowed a vow when I dwelt at Geshur in Syria, saying, If the Lord should indeed restore me to Jerusalem, then will I serve the Lord.

15:9  And the king said to him, Go in peace. And he arose and went to Hebron.

15:10  And Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, When you hear the sound of the trumpet, then shall you say, Absalom has become king in Hebron.

15:11  And there went with Absalom two hundred chosen men from Jerusalem; and they went in their simplicity, and knew not anything.

15:12  And Absalom sent to Ahithophel the Gilonite, the counselor of David, from his city, from Giloh, where he was sacrificing. And there was a strong conspiracy; and the people with Absalom were increasingly numerous.

15:13  And there came a messenger to David, saying, the heart of the men of Israel has gone after Absalom.

15:14  And David said to all his servants who were with him in Jerusalem, Rise, and let us flee, for we have no refuge from Absalom. Make haste and go, lest he overtake us speedily, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.

15:15  And the king's servants said to the king, In all things which our lord the king chooses, behold, we are your servants.

15:16  And the king and all his house went out on foot. And the king left ten women from among his concubines to keep the house.

15:17  And the king and all his servants went out on foot; and abode in a distant house.

15:18  And all his servants passed on by his side, and every Cherethite, and every Pelethite, and they stood by the olive tree in the wilderness. And all the people marched near him, and all his court, and all the men of might, and all the men of war, six hundred; and they were present at his side. And every Cherethite, and every Pelethite, and all the six hundred Gittites that came on foot out from Gath, and they went on before the king.

15:19  And the king said to Ittai the Gittite, Why do you also go with us? Return, and dwell with the king, for you are a stranger, and you have come forth as a sojourner out of your place.

15:20  Whereas you came yesterday, shall I today cause you to travel with us, and shall you thus change your place? You came forth yesterday, and today shall I set you in motion to go along with us? I indeed will go wherever I may go: return then, and cause your brethren to return with you, and may the Lord deal mercifully and truly with you.

15:21  And Ittai answered the king and said, As the Lord lives and as my lord the king lives, in the place wheresoever my lord shall be, whether it be for death or life, there shall your servant be.

15:22  And the king said to Ittai, Come and pass over with me. So Ittai the Gittite and the king passed over, and all his servants, and all the multitude with him.

15:23  And all the country wept with a loud voice. And all the people passed by over the Brook of Kidron; and the king crossed the Brook Kidron. And all the people and the king passed on toward the way of the wilderness.

15:24  And behold also Zadok, and all the Levites were with him, bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord. And they set down the ark of God; and Abiathar went up, until all the people had passed out of the city.

15:25  And the king said to Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into the city: if I should find favor in the eyes of the Lord, then will He bring me back, and He will show me both it and its beauty.

15:26  But if He should say thus, I have no pleasure in you; behold, here I am, let Him do to me according to that which is good in His sight.

15:27  And the king said to Zadok the priest, Behold, you shall return to the city in peace, and Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar, your two sons with you.

15:28  Behold, I continue in arms in Araboth of the desert, until there come tidings from you to report to me.

15:29  So Zadok and Abiathar brought back the ark of the Lord to Jerusalem, and it remained there.

15:30  And David went up by the ascent of the Mount of Olives, ascending and weeping, and had his head covered, and went barefoot. And all the people that were with him, every man, covered his head; and they went up, ascending and weeping.

15:31  And it was reported to David, saying, Ahithophel also is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O Lord my God, disconcert, I pray, the counsel of Ahithophel.

15:32  And David came as far as Ros, where he worshipped God. And behold, Hushai the chief friend of David came out to meet him, having torn his clothes, and dust was upon his head.

15:33  And David said to him, If you should go over with me, then will you be a burden to me;

15:34  but if you shall return to the city, and shall say to Absalom, your brethren have passed over, and the king your father has passed over after me: and now I am your servant, O king, permit me to live. At one time even of late I was the servant of your father, and now I am your humble servant-so shall you defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel.

15:35  And behold, Zadok and Abiathar the priests are with you; and it shall be that every word that you shall hear of the house of the king, you shall report it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests.

15:36  Behold, their two sons are with them, Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar; and by them you shall report to me every word which you shall hear.

15:37  So Hushai the friend of David went into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem.

Chapter 16

16:1  And David passed on a little way from Ros; and behold, Ziba the servant of Memphibosheth came to meet him; and he had a couple of donkeys saddled, and upon them two hundred loaves, and a hundred cakes of raisins, and a hundred cakes of dates, and a bottle of wine.

16:2  And the king said to Ziba, What do you mean to do with these? And Ziba said, The donkeys are for the household of the king to sit on, and the loaves and the dates are for the young men to eat, and the wine is for them that are faint in the wilderness to drink.

16:3  And the king said, And where is the son of your master? And Ziba said to the king, Behold, he remains in Jerusalem; for he said, Today shall the house of Israel restore to me the kingdom of my father.

16:4  And the king said to Ziba, Behold, all Memphibosheth's property is yours. And Ziba bowed down and said, My lord, O king, let me find grace in your eyes.

16:5  And King David came to Bahurim; and behold, there came out from there a man of the family of the house of Saul, and his name was Shimei, the son of Gera. He came forth and cursed as he went,

16:6  and cast stones at David, and at all the servants of King David. And all the people and all the mighty men were on the right and left hand of the king.

16:7  And thus Shimei said when he cursed him, Go out, go out, you bloody man, and man of sin.

16:8  The Lord has returned upon you all the blood of the house of Saul, because you have reigned in his place; and the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son: and behold, you are taken in your mischief, because you are a bloody man.

16:9  Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, Why does this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over now and take off his head!

16:10  And the king said, What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? Let him alone, and so let him curse, for the Lord has told him to curse David: and who shall say, Why have you done thus?

16:11  And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, Behold, my son who came forth out of my bowels seeks my life; still more now may the son of Benjamin: let him curse, because the Lord has told him.

16:12  If by any means the Lord may look upon my affliction, thus shall He return me good for his cursing this day.

16:13  And David and all the men with him went along the road: and Shimei went by the side of the hill next to him, cursing as he went, and casting stones at him, and sprinkling him with dirt.

16:14  And the king, and all the people with him, came away and refreshed themselves there.

16:15  And Absalom and all the men of Israel went into Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.

16:16  And it came to pass when Hushai the chief friend of David came to Absalom, that Hushai said to Absalom, Long live the king!

16:17  And Absalom said to Hushai, Is this your kindness to your friend? Why did you not go forth with your friend?

16:18  And Hushai said to Absalom, No, but following whom the Lord, and this people, and all Israel have chosen-his will I be, and with him I will dwell.

16:19  And again, whom shall I serve? Should I not serve in the presence of his son? As I served in the sight of your father, so will I be in your presence.

16:20  And Absalom said to Ahithophel, Deliberate among yourselves concerning what we should do.

16:21  And Ahithophel said to Absalom, Go in to your father's concubines, whom he left to keep his house; and all Israel shall hear that you have dishonored your father; and the hands of all that are with you shall be strengthened.

16:22  And they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof, and Absalom went in to his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.

16:23  And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counseled in former days, was as if one should inquire of the word of God: so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both to David and also to Absalom.

Chapter 17

17:1  And Ahithophel said to Absalom, Let me now choose out for myself twelve thousand men, and I will arise and follow after David this night.

17:2  And I will come upon him when he is weary and weak-handed, and I will strike him with terror; and all the people with him shall flee, and I will smite the king alone.

17:3  And I will bring back all the people to you, as a bride returns to her husband: only you seek the life of one man, and all the people shall have peace.

17:4  And the saying was right in the eyes of Absalom, and in the eyes of all the elders of Israel.

17:5  And Absalom said, Call now also Hushai the Archite, and let us hear what is in his mouth, even in his also.

17:6  And Hushai went in to Absalom, and Absalom spoke to him, saying, After this manner spoke Ahithophel: shall we do according to his word? But if not, speak up.

17:7  And Hushai said to Absalom, This counsel which Ahithophel has counseled this one time is not good.

17:8  And Hushai said, You know your father and his men, that they are very mighty, and bitter in their spirit, as a bereaved bear in the field, and as a wild boar in the plain; and your father is a man of war, and will not give the people rest.

17:9  For behold, he is now hidden in one of the hills or in some other place; and it shall come to pass when he falls upon them at the beginning, that someone will certainly hear, and say, There has been a slaughter among the people that follow after Absalom.

17:10  Then even he that is strong, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, it shall utterly melt: for all Israel knows that your father is mighty, and they that are with him are mighty men.

17:11  For thus I have surely given counsel, that all Israel be generally gathered to you from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that is upon the seashore for multitude; and that your presence go in the midst of them.

17:12  And we will come upon him in one of the places where we shall find him, and we will encamp against him, as the dew falls upon the earth; and we will not leave of him and of his men so much as one.

17:13  And if he shall have taken refuge with his army in a city, then shall all Israel take ropes to that city, and we will draw it even into the river, that there may not be left there even a stone.

17:14  And Absalom, and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the Lord has purposed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, that the Lord might bring all evil upon Absalom.

17:15  And Hushai the Archite said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, Thus and thus Ahithophel counseled Absalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and thus have I counseled.

17:16  And now send quickly and report to David, saying, Lodge not this night in Araboth of the wilderness: but go and make haste, lest one swallow up the king, and all the people with him.

17:17  And Jonathan and Ahimaaz stood by the Well of Rogel, and a maidservant went and reported to them, and they went to tell King David; so that they might not be seen entering into the city.

17:18  But a young man saw them and told Absalom: and the two went quickly, and entered into the house of a man in Bahurim; and he had a well in his court, and they went down into it.

17:19  And a woman took a covering, and spread it over the mouth of the well, and spread out ground grain upon it to dry, and the thing was not known.

17:20  And the servants of Absalom came to the woman into the house, and said, Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said to them, They have gone a little way beyond the water. And they sought and found them not, and returned to Jerusalem.

17:21  And it came to pass after they were gone, that they came up out of the pit, and went on their way; and reported to King David, and said to David, Arise, and go quickly over the water, for thus has Ahithophel counseled concerning you.

17:22  And David rose up and all the people with him, and they passed over the Jordan till the morning light; there was not one missing who did not pass over the Jordan.

17:23  And Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, and he saddled his donkey, and rose and departed to his house into his city; and he gave orders to his household, and hanged himself, and died, and was buried in the tomb of his father.

17:24  And David passed over to Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed over the Jordan, he and all the men of Israel with him.

17:25  And Absalom appointed Amasa over the army, in the place of Joab. And Amasa was the son of a man whose name was Jether of Jezreel: he went in to Abigail the daughter of Nahash, the sister of Zeruiah the mother of Joab.

17:26  And all Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.

17:27  And it came to pass when David came to Manahaim, that Shobi the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, and Machir son of Ammiel of Lo Debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite of Rogelim,

17:28  brought ten embroidered beds (with double coverings) and ten caldrons, earthenware and wheat, barley and flour, meal and beans, and parched seeds,

17:29  honey and butter, sheep and cheese of the herd. And they brought them to David and to his people with him to eat; for one said, The people are faint and hungry and thirsty in the wilderness.

Chapter 18

18:1  And David numbered the people with him, and set over them captains of thousands and captains of hundreds.

18:2  And David sent the people away, a third part under the hand of Joab, a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And David said to the people, I also will surely go out with you.

18:3  And they said, You shall not go out; for if we should indeed flee, they will not care for us; and if half of us should die, they will not mind us; for you are as ten thousand of us; and now it is well that you shall be to us an aid to help us in the city.

18:4  And the king said to them, Whatever seems good in your eyes I will do. And the king stood by the side of the gate, and all the people went out by hundreds and by thousands.

18:5  And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Spare the young man Absalom for my sake. And all the people heard the king charging all the commanders concerning Absalom.

18:6  And all the people went out into the woods against Israel; and the battle was in the woods of Ephraim.

18:7  And the people of Israel fell down there before the servants of David, and there was a great slaughter in that day, even twenty thousand men.

18:8  And the battle there was scattered over the face of all the land. And the woods consumed more of the people than the sword consumed in that day.

18:9  And Absalom went to meet the servants of David. And Absalom was mounted on his mule, and the mule came under the thick boughs of a great oak; and his head was entangled in the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth; and the mule passed on from under him.

18:10  And a man saw it, and reported to Joab, and said, Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.

18:11  And Joab said to the man who reported it to him, Behold, did you indeed see him? Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? And I would have given you ten pieces of silver, and a belt.

18:12  And the man said to Joab, Were I even to receive a thousand shekels of silver, I would not lift my hand against the king's son; for in our ears the king charged you and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Take care of the young man Absalom for me,

18:13  so as to do no harm to his life: and nothing of the matter will be concealed from the king, and you will set yourself against me.

18:14  And Joab said, I will begin this; I will not thus remain with you. And Joab took three spears in his hand, and thrust them into the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the heart of the oak.

18:15  And ten young men that bore Joab's armor surrounded Absalom, and struck him, and killed him.

18:16  And Joab blew the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing Israel, for Joab spared the people.

18:17  And he took Absalom, and cast him into a great cavern in the woods, into a deep pit, and set up over him a very great heap of stones: and all Israel fled, every man to his tent.

18:18  Now Absalom, while he was yet alive, had taken and set up for himself the pillar near which he was taken, and set it up so as to have the pillar in the king's valley; for he said he had no son to keep his name in remembrance: and he called the pillar, Absalom's Hand, until this day.

18:19  And Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, Let me run now and carry the good news to the king, for the Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.

18:20  And Joab said to him, You shall not be a messenger of good news this day; you shall bear them another day; but on this day you shall bear no news, because the king's son is dead.

18:21  And Joab said to Hushai, Go, report to the king all that you have seen. And Hushai bowed down before Joab and went out.

18:22  And Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, No, let me also run after Hushai. And Joab said, Why would you thus run, my son? Attend, you have no news for profit if you go.

18:23  And he said, Why should I not run? And Joab said to him, Run. And Ahimaaz ran along the way of Kechar, and outran Hushai.

18:24  And David was sitting between the two gates. And the watchman went up on the top of the gate of the wall, and lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was running alone before him.

18:25  And the watchman cried out, and reported to the king. And the king said, If he is alone, he has good news in his mouth. And the man came and drew near.

18:26  And the watchman saw another man running. And the watchman cried at the gate, and said, Behold, another man is running alone. And the king said, He also brings good news.

18:27  And the watchman said, I see the running of the first as the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok. And the king said, He is a good man, and will come to report good news.

18:28  And Ahimaaz cried out and said to the king, Peace. And he bowed down to the king with his face to the ground, and said, Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men that lifted up their hands against my lord the king.

18:29  And the king said, Is the young man Absalom safe? And Ahimaaz said, I saw a great multitude at the time of Joab's sending the king's servant and your servant, and I knew not what was there.

18:30  And the king said, Turn aside, stand still here. And he turned aside, and stood.

18:31  And, behold, Hushai came up, and said to the king, Let my lord the king hear the good news, for the Lord has avenged you this day upon all them that rose up against you.

18:32  And the king said to Hushai, Is it well with the young man Absalom? And Hushai said, Let the enemies of my lord the king, and all whosoever have risen up against him for evil, be as that young man.

18:33  And the king was troubled, and went to the chamber over the gate, and wept. And thus he said as he went, My son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! I pray God I had died for you, even I had died for you, Absalom, my son, my son!

Chapter 19

19:1  And they brought Joab word, saying, Behold, the king weeps and mourns for Absalom.

19:2  And the victory was turned that day into mourning to all the people, for the people heard it said that day, The king grieves after his son.

19:3  And the people stole away that day to go into the city, as people steal away when they are ashamed as they flee in the battle.

19:4  And the king hid his face. And the king cried with a loud voice, My son Absalom! Absalom my son!

19:5  And Joab went in to the king, into the house, and said, You have this day shamed the faces of all your servants that have delivered you this day, and have saved the lives of your sons and of your daughters, and the lives of your wives, and of your concubines,

19:6  forasmuch as you love them that hate you, and hate them that love you; and you have this day declared, that your princes and your servants are nothing in your sight; for I know this day, that if Absalom were alive, and all of us were dead today, then it would have been right in your sight.

19:7  And now arise and go forth, and speak comfortably to your servants; for I have sworn by the Lord, that unless you will go forth this day, there shall not a man remain with you this night. And know for yourself, this thing will indeed be evil to you beyond all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.

19:8  Then the king arose, and sat in the gate. And all the people reported, saying, Behold, the king sits in the gate. And all the people went in before the king to the gate (for Israel had fled every man to his tent).

19:9  And all the people disputed among all the tribes of Israel, saying, King David delivered us from all our enemies, and he rescued us from the hand of the Philistines; and now he has fled from the land, and from his kingdom, and from Absalom.

19:10  And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. And now, why are you silent about bringing back the king? And the word of all Israel came to the king.

19:11  And King David sent to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, saying, Speak to the elders of Israel, saying, Why are you the last to bring back the king to his house, since the word of all Israel have come to the king, to this very house?

19:12  Ye are my brethren, you are my bones and my flesh: why are you the last to bring back the king to his house?

19:13  And you shall say to Amasa, Are you not my bone and my flesh? And now God do so to me and more also, if you shall not be commander of the army before me continually in the place of Joab.

19:14  And he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah as that of one man; and they sent to the king, saying, Return, you and all your servants.

19:15  And the king returned, and came as far as the Jordan. And the men of Judah came to Gilgal on their way to meet the king, to cause the king to pass over the Jordan.

19:16  And Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, of Bahurim, made haste and went down with the men of Judah to meet King David.

19:17  And a thousand men of Benjamin were with him, and Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons with him, and his twenty servants with him. And they went directly down to the Jordan before the king,

19:18  and they performed the service of bringing the king over; and a ferryboat went across to move the household of the king, and to do that which was right in his eyes. And Shimei the son of Gera fell on his face before the king, as he went over the Jordan,

19:19  and said to the king, Let not my lord now impute iniquity, and remember not all the iniquity of your servant in the day in which my lord went out from Jerusalem, so that the king should mind it.

19:20  For your servant knows that I have sinned; and behold, I have come this day before all Israel and the house of Joseph, to go down and meet my lord the king.

19:21  But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord's anointed?

19:22  And David said, What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you lie in wait against me this day? Today no man in Israel shall be put to death, for I know not this day if I reign over Israel.

19:23  And the king said to Shimei, You shall not die; and the king swore to him.

19:24  And Memphibosheth the son of Saul's son went down to meet the king, and had not dressed his feet, nor trimmed his nails, nor shaved himself, neither had he washed his garments, from the day that the king departed, until the day that he arrived in peace.

19:25  And it came to pass when he went into Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said to him, Why did you not go with me, Memphibosheth?

19:26  And Memphibosheth said to him, My lord, O king, my servant deceived me; for your servant said to him, Saddle me the donkey, and I will ride upon it, and go with the king; for your servant is lame.

19:27  And he has dealt deceitfully with your servant to my lord the king. But my lord the king is like an angel of God; do that which is good in your eyes.

19:28  For all of my father's house were as dead men before my lord the king; yet you have set your servant among them that eat at your table; and what right have I any longer even to cry to the king?

19:29  And the king said to him, Why speak any longer of these matters? I have said, You and Ziba shall divide the land.

19:30  And Memphibosheth said to the king, Rather, let him take it all, since my lord the king has come in peace to his house.

19:31  And Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim, and crossed over the Jordan with the king, that he might escort the king over the Jordan.

19:32  And Barzillai was a very old man, eighty years old; and he had provided for the king when he dwelt in Mahanaim; for he was a very great man.

19:33  And the king said to Barzillai, You shall go over with me, and I will nourish your old age with me in Jerusalem.

19:34  And Barzillai said to the king, How many are the days of the years of my life, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem?

19:35  I am this day eighty years old: can I then distinguish between good and evil? Can your servant taste any longer what I eat or drink? Can I any longer hear the voice of singing men or singing women? And why shall your servant any longer be a burden to my lord the king?

19:36  Your servant will go a little way over the Jordan with the king. And why does the king return me this recompense?

19:37  Let your servant remain, I pray, and I will die in my city, by the tomb of my father and of my mother. And behold, your servant Chimham shall go over with my lord the king; and do to him as it seems good in your eyes.

19:38  And the king said, Let Chimham go over with me, and I will do to him what is good in my sight; and whatsoever you shall choose at my hand, I will do for you.

19:39  And all the people went over the Jordan, and the king went over. And the king kissed Barzillai, and blessed him; and he returned to his place.

19:40  And the king went over to Gilgal and Chimham went over with him. And all the men of Judah went over with the king, and also half the people of Israel.

19:41  And behold, all the men of Israel came to the king, and said to the king, Why have our brethren the men of Judah stolen you away, and caused the king and all his house to pass over the Jordan, and all the men of David with him?

19:42  And all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel and said, Because the king is near of kin to us: and why were you thus angry concerning this matter? Have we indeed eaten of the king's food? Or has he given us a gift, or has he sent us a portion?

19:43  And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, We have ten parts in the king, and we are older than you, we have also an interest in David above you: and why have you thus insulted us, and why was not our advice taken before that of Judah, to bring back our king? And the speech of the men of Judah was sharper than the speech of the men of Israel.

Chapter 20

20:1  And there was a transgressor there, and his name was Sheba, a Benjamite, the son of Bichri: and he blew the trumpet, and said, We have no portion in David, neither have we any inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel!

20:2  And all the men of Israel went up from following David after Sheba the son of Bichri; but the men of Judah adhered to their king, from Jordan even to Jerusalem.

20:3  And David went into his house at Jerusalem. And the king took the ten women his concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and he put them in a place of custody, and maintained them, and went not in to them; and they were kept living as widows, till the day of their death.

20:4  And the king said to Amasa, Call to me the men of Judah for three days, and be present here yourself.

20:5  And Amasa went to call Judah, and delayed beyond the time which David appointed him.

20:6  And David said to Amasa, Now shall Sheba the son of Bichri do us more harm than Absalom: now then take with you the servants of your lord, and follow after him, lest he find for himself strong cities, so will he blind our eyes.

20:7  And there went out after him Amasa and the men of Joab, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men; and they went out from Jerusalem to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.

20:8  And they were by the great stone that is in Gibeon. And Amasa went in before them. And Joab had upon him a military cloak over his apparel, and over it he was girded with a dagger fastened upon his loins in its sheath; and the dagger came out, and fell to the ground.

20:9  And Joab said to Amasa, Are you in health, my brother? And the right hand of Joab took hold of the beard of Amasa to kiss him.

20:10  And Amasa observed not the dagger that was in the hand of Joab. And Joab struck him with it on the loins, and his bowels were shed out upon the ground, and he did not repeat the blow, and he died. And Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba the son of Bichri.

20:11  And there stood over him one of the servants of Joab, and said, Who is he that is for Joab, and who is on the side of David following Joab?

20:12  And Amasa was weltering in blood in the midst of the way. And a man saw that all the people stood still; and he removed Amasa out of the path into a field, and he cast a garment upon him, because he saw everyone that came to him standing still.

20:13  And when he was quickly removed from the road, every man of Israel passed after Joab to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.

20:14  And he went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, and to Beth Maachah; and all in Charri also were assembled, and followed after him.

20:15  And they came and besieged him in Abel and Phermacha: and they raised a mound against the city and it stood close to the wall; and all the people with Joab proposed to throw down the wall.

20:16  And a wise woman cried from the wall, and said, Hear, hear; say to Joab, Draw close, and I will speak to him.

20:17  And he drew close to her. And the woman said to him, Are you Joab? And he said, I am. And she said to him, Hear the words of your handmaid; and Joab said, I do hear.

20:18  And she spoke, saying, Of old time they said thus, Surely one was asked in Abel, and Dan, whether the faithful in Israel failed in what they purposed; they will surely ask in Abel, even in like manner, whether they have failed.

20:19  I am a peaceable one of the strong ones in Israel; but you seek to destroy a city and a mother city in Israel: why do you seek to ruin the inheritance of the Lord?

20:20  And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it from me, that I should ruin or destroy.

20:21  Is not the case thus, that a man of Mount Ephraim, Sheba, son of Bichri by name, has even lifted up his hand against King David? Give him only to me, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said to Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall.

20:22  And the woman went in to all the people, and she spoke to all the city in her wisdom; and they took off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri; and took it away and threw it to Joab. And he blew the trumpet, and the people separated from the city away from him, every man to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.

20:23  And Joab was over all he forces of Israel, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites.

20:24  And Adoram was over the tribute; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder.

20:25  And Sheva was scribe; and Zadok and Abiathar were the priests.

20:26  Moreover Ira the Jairite was priest to David.

Chapter 21

21:1  And there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David sought the face of the Lord. And the Lord said, There is guilt upon Saul and his house because of his bloody murder, whereby he slew the Gibeonites.

21:2  So King David called the Gibeonites, and said to them (now the Gibeonites are not the children of Israel, but are of the remnant of the Amorite, and the children of Israel had sworn to them; but Saul sought to smite them in his zeal for the children of Israel and Judah).

21:3  And David said to the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make atonement, that you may bless the inheritance of the Lord?

21:4  And the Gibeonites said to him, We have no question about silver or gold with Saul and with his house; and there is no man for us to put to death in Israel.

21:5  And he said, What do you ask? Speak, and I will do it for you. And they said to the king, The man who would have made an end of us, and persecuted us, who plotted against us to destroy us, let us utterly destroy him, so that he shall have no standing in all the coasts of Israel.

21:6  Let one give us seven men of his sons, and let us hang them up in the sun to the Lord in Gibeah of Saul, as chosen out for the Lord. And the king said, I will give them.

21:7  But the king spared Memphibosheth son of Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the oath of the Lord that was between them, even between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.

21:8  And the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Memphibosheth, and the five sons of Michal daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite.

21:9  And he gave them into the hand of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them up to the sun in the mountain before the lord. And they fell, even the seven together. Moreover they were put to death in the days of harvest at the commencement, in the beginning of the barley harvest.

21:10  And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and fixed it for herself on the rock in the beginning of the barley harvest, until water dropped upon them out of heaven. And she did not allow the birds of the air to rest upon them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night.

21:11  And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah the concubine of Saul had done (and they were faint, and Dan, the son of Joa of the offspring of the giants overtook them).

21:12  And David went and took the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, from the men of the sons of Jabesh Gilead, who stole them from the street of Beth Shan; for the Philistines set them there in the day in which the Philistines killed Saul in Gilboa.

21:13  And he carried up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son, and gathered the bones of them that had been hanged.

21:14  And they buried the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son, and the bones of them that had been hanged, in the land of Benjamin in the hill, in the tomb of Kish his father; and they did all things that the king commanded. And after this God hearkened to the prayers of the land.

21:15  And there was yet war between the Philistines and Israel. And David went down and his servants with him, and they fought with the Philistines, and David went.

21:16  And Ishbi-Benob, who was of the sons of Rapha, and the head of whose spear was three hundred shekels of brass in weight, who also was dressed with a club, even he thought to kill David.

21:17  But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him and struck the Philistine, and killed him. Then the men of David swore, saying, You shall not any longer go out with us to battle, and you shall not quench the lamp of Israel.

21:18  And after this there was a battle again with the Philistines in Gath. Then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Saph of the sons of Rapha.

21:19  And there was a battle in Gob with the Philistines; and Elhanan son of Jaare-Oregim the Bethlehemite slew the brother of Goliath the Gittite; and the staff of his spear was as a weaver's beam.

21:20  And there was yet a battle in Gath. And there was a man of stature, and the fingers of his hands and the toes of his feet were six on each, twenty-four in number: and he also was born to Rapha.

21:21  And he defied Israel, and Jonathan son of Shimei brother of David, killed him.

21:22  These four were born descendants of the giants in Gath, the family of Rapha; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

Chapter 22

22:1  And David spoke to the Lord the words of this song, in the day in which the Lord rescued him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul.

22:2  And the song was thus: O Lord, my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer,

22:3  my God; He shall be to me my guard, I will trust in Him: He is my protector, and the horn of my salvation, my helper, and my sure refuge; You shall save me from the unjust man.

22:4  I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I shall be saved from my enemies.

22:5  For the troubles of death compassed me, the floods of iniquity amazed me;

22:6  the pangs of death surrounded me, the agonies of death prevented me.

22:7  When I am afflicted I will call upon the Lord, and will cry to my God, and He shall hear my voice out of His temple, and my cry shall come into His ears.

22:8  And the earth was troubled and quaked, and the foundations of heaven were confounded and torn asunder, because the Lord was angry with them.

22:9  There went up a smoke in His wrath, and fire out of His mouth devours; coals were kindled at it.

22:10  And He bowed the heavens, and came down, and there was darkness under His feet.

22:11  And He rode upon the cherubim and flew, and was seen upon the wings of the wind.

22:12  And He made darkness His hiding place; His tabernacle round about Him was the darkness of waters, He condensed it with the clouds of the air.

22:13  At the brightness before Him coals of fire were kindled.

22:14  The Lord thundered out of heaven, and the Most High uttered His voice.

22:15  And He sent forth arrows, and scattered them, and He flashed lightning, and dismayed them.

22:16  And the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered, at the rebuke of the Lord, at the blast of the breath of His anger.

22:17  He sent from above and took me; He drew me out of many waters.

22:18  He delivered me from my strong enemies, from them that hated me, for they were stronger than I.

22:19  The days of my affliction prevented me; but the Lord was my stay.

22:20  And He brought me into a wide place, and rescued me, because He delighted in me.

22:21  And the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness; even according to the purity of my hands did He recompense me.

22:22  Because, I kept the ways of the Lord, and did not wickedly depart from my God.

22:23  For all His judgments and His ordinances were before me: I departed not from them.

22:24  And I shall be blameless before Him, and will keep myself from my iniquity.

22:25  And the Lord will recompense me according to my righteousness, and according to the purity of my hands in His sight.

22:26  With the holy You will be holy, and with the blameless man You will be blameless,

22:27  and with the excellent You will be excellent, and with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd.

22:28  And You will save the poor people, and will bring down the eyes of the haughty.

22:29  For You, O Lord, are my lamp, and the Lord shall shine forth to me in my darkness.

22:30  For by You shall I run as a girded man, and by my God shall I leap over a wall.

22:31  As for the Mighty One, His way is blameless: the word of the Lord is strong and tried in the fire; He is a protector to all that put their trust in Him.

22:32  Who is strong, but the Lord? And who will be a Creator except our God?

22:33  It is the Mighty One who strengthens me with might, and has prepared my way without fault.

22:34  He makes my feet like the feet of deer, and sets me upon the high places.

22:35  He teaches my hands to war, and has broken the bronze bow by my arm.

22:36  And You have given me the shield of my salvation, and Your propitious dealing has increased me,

22:37  so as to make room under me for my going, and my legs did not totter.

22:38  I will pursue my enemies, and will utterly destroy them; and I will not turn again till I have consumed them.

22:39  And I will crush them, and they shall not rise; and they shall fall under my feet.

22:40  And You shall strengthen me with power for the war; You shall cause them that rise up against me to bow down under me.

22:41  And You have caused my enemies to flee before me, even them that hated me, and You have slain them.

22:42  They shall cry, and there shall be no helper; they shall cry to the Lord, but He hearkens not to them.

22:43  And I ground them as the dust of the earth, I beat them small as the mire of the streets.

22:44  And You shall deliver me from the striving of the peoples, You shall keep me to be the head of the Gentiles:; a people which I knew not served me.

22:45  The strange children feigned obedience to me; they hearkened to me as soon as they heard.

22:46  The strange children shall be cast away, and shall be overthrown out of their hiding places.

22:47  The Lord lives, and blessed be my guardian, and my God, my strong keeper, and He shall be exalted.

22:48  The Lord who avenges me is strong, chastening the nations under me,

22:49  and bringing me out from my enemies; and You shall set me on high from among those that rise up against me; You shall deliver me from the violent man.

22:50  Therefore will I confess to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles, and sing to Your name.

22:51  He magnifies the salvation of His king, and works mercy for His anointed, even for David and for his seed forever.

Chapter 23

23:1  And these are the last words of David. Faithful is David the son of Jesse, and faithful is the man whom the Lord has raised up to be the anointed of the God of Jacob, and beautiful are the psalms of Israel.

23:2  The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue.

23:3  The God of Israel says, The watchman out of Israel spoke to me a parable: I said among men, How will you strengthen the fear of the anointed?

23:4  And in the morning light of God, let the sun arise in the morning, from the light of which the Lord passed on, and as it were from the rain of the tender grass upon the earth.

23:5  For my house is not so with the Mighty One; for He has made an everlasting covenant with me, ready, guarded at every time; for all my salvation and all my desire is, that the wicked should not flourish.

23:6  All these are as a thorn thrust forth, for they shall not be taken with the hand,

23:7  and a man shall not labor among them; and one shall have that which is fully armed with iron, and the staff of a spear, and he shall burn them with fire, and they shall be burnt in their shame.

23:8  These are the names of the mighty men of David: Josheb-Basshebeth the Canaanite is a captain of the third part; Adino the Eznite, he drew his sword against eight hundred soldiers at once.

23:9  And after him Eleazer the son of his uncle, son of Dodai who was among the three mighty men with David; and when he defied the Philistines they were gathered there to war, and the men of Israel went up.

23:10  He arose and attacked the Philistines, until his hand was weary, and his hand clave to the sword: and the Lord brought about a great salvation in that day, and the people rested behind him only to plunder the slain.

23:11  And after him Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered to Theria; and there was there a portion of ground full of lentils; and the people fled before the Philistines.

23:12  And he stood firm in the midst of the portion, and rescued it, and attacked the Philistines; and the Lord brought about a great deliverance.

23:13  And three out of the thirty went down, and came to Cason to David, to the cave of Adullam; and there was an army of the Philistines, and they encamped in the valley of Rephaim.

23:14  And David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.

23:15  And David longed, and said, Who will give me water to drink out of the well that is in Bethlehem by the gate? Now the band of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.

23:16  And the three mighty men broke through the army of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well that was in Bethlehem in the gate; and they took it, and brought it to David, and he would not drink it, but poured it out before the Lord.

23:17  And he said, O Lord, God forbid that I should do this, that I should drink of the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives; and he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men.

23:18  And Abishai the brother of Joab the son of Zeruiah, he was chief among the three, and he lifted up his spear against three hundred whom he killed; and he had a name among these three.

23:19  Of those three he was most honorable, and he became a chief over them, but he reached not to the first three.

23:20  And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, he was abundant in mighty deeds, from Kabzeel, and he killed the two sons of Ariel of Moab: and he went down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day.

23:21  He killed an Egyptian, a spectacular man, and in the hand of the Egyptian was a spear as the side of a ladder; and he went down to him with a staff, and snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with his own spear.

23:22  These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he had a name among the three mighty men.

23:23  He was honorable among the second three, but he reached not to the first three: and David made him his reporter. And these are the names of King David's mighty men.

23:24  Asahel Joab's brother; he was among the thirty. Elhanan son of Dodai his uncle in Bethlehem.

23:25  Shammah the Harodite;

23:26  Helez the Paltite; Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite;

23:27  Abiezer the Anathothite, of the sons of the Anathothites;

23:28  Zalmon the Ahohite; Maharai the Netophathite;

23:29  Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah, son of Benjamin the Ephrathite; Asmoth the Bardiamite; Emasu the Salabonite;

23:30  Adroi of the brooks;

23:31  Gadabiel son of the Arbathite;

23:32  the sons of Asan, Jonathan;

23:33  Shammah the Hararite; Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite;

23:34  Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maachathite; Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite;

23:35  Hezrai the Carmelite, the son of Uraeoerchi;

23:36  Igal the son of Nathan; the son of much valor, the son of Galaddi; Elie the Ammonite;

23:37  Gelore the Bethorite, armorbearer to Joab, son of Zeruiah.

23:38  Ira the Ithrite; Gareb the Ithrite;

23:39  and Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.

Chapter 24

24:1  And the Lord caused His anger to burn forth again in Israel, and Satan stirred up David against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Judah.

24:2  And the king said to Joab commander of the army, who was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel and Judah, from Dan even to Beersheba, and number the people, and I will know the number of the people.

24:3  And Joab said to the king, Now may the Lord add to the people a hundredfold as many as they are, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it: but why does my lord the king desire this thing?

24:4  Nevertheless the word of the king prevailed against Joab and the captains of the army. Therefore Joab and the captains of the army went out before the king to number the people of Israel.

24:5  And they went over the Jordan, and encamped in Aroer, on the right of the city which is in the midst of the valley of Gad and Jazer.

24:6  And they came to Gilead, and into the land of Tahtim Hodshi, which is Adasai, and they came to Danidan and Udan, and compassed Sidon.

24:7  And they came to Mapsar of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivite and the Canaanite; and they came by the South of Judah to Beersheba.

24:8  And they compassed the whole land; and they arrived at Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

24:9  And Joab gave in the number of the census of the people to the king. And Israel consisted of eight hundred thousand men of might that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand fighting men.

24:10  And the heart of David convicted him after he had numbered the people; and David said to the Lord, I have sinned grievously, O Lord, in what I have now done: remove the iniquity of Your servant, I pray, for I have been exceedingly foolish.

24:11  And David rose early in the morning, and the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, the seer, saying, Go, and speak to David, saying,

24:12  Thus says the Lord: I shall bring one of three things upon you: now choose one of them, and I will do it to you.

24:13  And Gad went in to David and told him, and said to him, Choose one of these things to befall you, whether there shall come upon you for three years famine in your land; or that you should flee three months before your enemies, and they should pursue you; or that there should be for three days mortality in your land. Now then decide, and see what answer I shall return to Him that sent me.

24:14  And David said to Gad, On every side I am much straitened: let me fall now into the hands of the Lord, for His compassions are very many; and let me not fall into the hands of man.

24:15  So David chose for himself the mortality: and they were the days of wheat harvest; and the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from morning till noon, and the plague began among the people; and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men.

24:16  And the angel of the Lord stretched out His hand against Jerusalem to destroy it, and the Lord relented of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough now, withhold your hand. And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

24:17  And David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel smiting the people, and he said, Behold, it is I that has done wrong, but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand be upon me, I pray, and upon my father's house.

24:18  And Gad came to David in that day, and said to him, Go up, and set up to the Lord and altar on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

24:19  And David went up according to the word of Gad, as the Lord commanded him.

24:20  And Araunah looked out, and saw the king and his servants coming on before him. And Araunah went forth, and bowed down before the king with his face to the earth.

24:21  And Araunah said, Why has my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy of you the threshing floor, in order to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague may be restrained from off the people.

24:22  And Araunah said to David, Let my lord the king take and offer to the Lord that which is good in his eyes: behold, here are oxen for a whole burnt offering, and the wheels and furniture of the oxen for wood.

24:23  Araunah gave all to the king. And Araunah said to the king, The Lord your God bless you.

24:24  And the king said to Araunah, No, but I will surely buy it from you at a fair price, and I will not offer to the Lord my God a whole burnt offering for nothing. So David purchased the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

24:25  And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered up whole burnt offerings and peace offerings; and Solomon made an addition to the altar afterwards, for it was little at first. And the Lord hearkened to the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel.