Jubilee2000 - II Samuel

Chapter 1

1:1  Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag;

1:2  it came to pass on the third day that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent and earth upon his head, and [so] it was when he came to David, that he fell to the earth and did obeisance.

1:3  And David said unto him, Where dost thou come from? And he said unto him, I am escaped out of the camp of Israel.

1:4  And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, The people fled from the battle, and many of the people fell and are dead, and Saul and Jonathan, his son, are dead also.

1:5  And David said unto the young man that told him, How dost thou know that Saul and Jonathan, his son, are dead?

1:6  And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon Mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear, and the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.

1:7  And when he looked behind him, he saw me and called unto me. And I answered, Here [am] I.

1:8  And he said unto me, Who [art] thou? And I answered him, I [am] an Amalekite.

1:9  He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me and slay me, for anguish is come upon me, and all my soul [is] yet in me.

1:10  So I stood upon him and slew him because I was sure that he could not live after he was fallen, and I took the crown that [was] upon his head and the bracelet that [was] on his arm and have brought them here unto my lord.

1:11  Then David took hold on his clothes and rent them and likewise all the men that [were] with him.

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

1:13  And David said unto the young man that told him, From where [art] thou? And he answered, I [am] the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.

1:14  And David said unto him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD'S anointed?

1:15  Then David called one of the young men and said, Go near [and] fall upon him. And he smote him that he died.

1:16  And David said unto him, Thy blood [be] upon thy head, for thy mouth has testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD'S anointed.

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

1:18  (He also bade them teach the sons of Judah [the use of] the bow. Behold, [it is] written in the book of righteousness.)

1:19  The glory of Israel is slain upon thy high places! How are the mighty fallen!

1:20  Tell [it] not in Gath, publish [it] not in the streets of Askelon lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

1:21  Ye mountains of Gilboa, [let there be] no dew, neither [let there be] rain, upon you nor fields of offerings, for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, [as though he had] not [been] anointed with oil.

1:22  Without the blood of the slain, without the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan never turned back, and the sword of Saul never returned empty.

1:23  Saul and Jonathan [were] loved and desired in their lives, and in their death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.

1:24  Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet, with [other] delights, who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel.

1:25  How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! O Jonathan, [thou wast] slain in thine high places.

1:26  I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant hast thou been unto me; thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.

1:27  How are the valiant fallen, and the weapons of war perished!:

Chapter 2

2:1  And it came to pass after this that David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the LORD said unto him, Go up. And David said, Where shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron.

2:2  So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail, who [had been] the wife of Nabal of Carmel.

2:3  And David brought up his men that were with him, each one with his household, and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.

2:4  And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, The men of Jabeshgilead buried Saul.

2:5  And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabeshgilead and said unto them, Blessed [shall ye be] of the LORD that ye have showed this mercy unto your lord, [even] unto Saul and have buried him.

2:6  And now the LORD show mercy and truth unto you; and I also will requite you this kindness because ye have done this thing.

2:7  Therefore, now let your hands be strengthened and be ye valiant; for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.

2:8  But Abner, the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, took Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim

2:9  and made him king over Gilead and over the Ashuri 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 began to reign over Israel and reigned two years. Only the house of Judah followed David.

2:11  And the number of days that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

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

2:13  And Joab, the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David went out and met them by the pool of Gibeon, and when they met, the one [group] was on the one side of the pool and the other on the other side of the pool.

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

2:15  Then there arose and went over by number twelve of Benjamin, who [pertained] to Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.

2:16  And each one caught his fellow by the head and [thrust] his sword in his fellow's side; so they fell down together; therefore, that place was called Helkathhazzurim, which [is] in Gibeon.

2:17  And there was a very severe battle that day where Abner and the men of Israel were overcome before the servants of David.

2:18  And the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab and Abishai and Asahel, and Asahel [was as] light of foot as a wild roe.

2:19  And Asahel pursued after Abner, and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.

2:20  Then Abner looked behind him and said, [Art] thou Asahel? And he answered, Yes.

2:21  Then Abner said to him, Turn aside to thy right hand or to thy left and lay hold on one of the young men and take his spoil. But Asahel would not turn aside from following after him.

2:22  And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn aside from following me; why should I smite thee to the ground? How then should I hold up my face to Joab, thy brother?

2:23  Howbeit he refused to turn aside; therefore, Abner with the butt end of the spear smote him under the fifth [rib] that the spear came out behind him, and he fell down there and died in the same place. And it came to pass [that] as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died, stood still.

2:24  But Joab and Abishai pursued after Abner, and the sun went down when they were come to the hill of Ammah that [lies] before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.

2:25  And the sons of Benjamin gathered themselves together in one troop with Abner and stood on the top of a hill.

2:26  Then Abner called to Joab and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? Dost thou not know that it will be bitterness in the latter end? How long shall it be then before thou bid the people to return from following their brethren?

2:27  And Joab replied, As God lives, if thou had not spoken, surely from this morning the people would have left off from following their brothers.

2:28  So Joab blew the shofar, and all the people stood still and no longer pursued after Israel, neither did they fight any more.

2:29  And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain, and passing the Jordan, they went through all Bithron, and they came to Mahanaim.

2:30  Joab also returned from following Abner, and when he had gathered all the people together, there lacked of David's servants nineteen men and Asahel.

2:31  But the servants of David had smitten of Benjamin and of Abner's men, [so that] three hundred and sixty men died.

2:32  And they took up Asahel and buried him in the sepulchre of his father, which [was in] Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at [the] break of day.:

Chapter 3

3:1  Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David, but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker.

3:2  And sons were born unto David in Hebron; and his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam, the Jezreelitess;

3:3  and his second, Chileab, of Abigail who [had been] the wife of Nabal of Carmel; and the third, Absalom, the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur;

3:4  and the fourth, Adonijah, the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah, the son of Abital;

3:5  and the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah, David's wife. 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 made himself strong for the house of Saul.

3:7  And Saul had a concubine, whose name [was] Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. And [Ishbosheth] said to Abner, Why hast thou gone in unto my father's concubine?

3:8  Then Abner was very angry for the words of Ishbosheth and said, [Am] I a dog's head in regard to Judah? I have shown mercy this day unto the house of Saul, thy father, to his brethren, and to his friends and have not delivered thee into the hand of David that thou dost charge me today with iniquity concerning this woman?

3:9  Let God do to Abner and more also unless, as the LORD has sworn to David, so do I unto him,

3:10  to translate the kingdom from the house of Saul and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah from Dan even to Beersheba.

3:11  And he could not answer Abner a word again because he feared him.

3:12  And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose [is] the land? And that they should also say, Make thy covenant with me, and, behold, my hand [shall be] with thee, to bring about all Israel unto thee.

3:13  And he said, Good; I will make a covenant with thee, but one thing I require of thee, that is, Thou shalt not see my face except thou first bring Michal, Saul's daughter, when thou comest to see my face.

3:14  After this, David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, Saul's son, saying, Deliver [me] my wife Michal, which I espoused to me for one hundred foreskins of the Philistines.

3:15  So Ishbosheth sent and took her from [her] husband, [even] from Phaltiel, the son of Laish.

3:16  And her husband went with her along weeping behind her to Bahurim. Then Abner said unto him, Go, return. And he returned.

3:17  And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying, Ye sought for David in times past [to be] king over you;

3:18  now then do [it], for the LORD has spoken of David, saying, By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines and out of the hand of all their enemies.

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

3:20  So Abner came to David to Hebron and twenty men with him. And David made a banquet for Abner and the men that [were] with him.

3:21  And Abner said unto David, I will arise and go and will gather all Israel unto my lord the king that they may make a covenant with thee and that thou may reign over all that thy heart desires. And David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.

3:22  And, behold, the servants of David and Joab came from [pursuing] a troop and brought in a great spoil with them. But Abner [was not] with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he was gone in peace.

3:23  When Joab and all the host that [was] with him were come, they told Joab, saying, Abner, the son of Ner, came to the king, and he has sent him away, and he is gone in peace.

3:24  Then Joab came to the king and said, What hast thou done? Behold, Abner came unto thee; why [is] it [that] thou hast let him go?

3:25  Dost thou not know that Abner, the son of Ner, came to deceive thee, and to know thy going out and thy coming in and to know all that thou doest?

3:26  And when Joab was come out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, who caused him to return from the well of Sirah, but David did not know [it].

3:27  And when Abner had returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him quietly and smote him there under the fifth [rib] that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.

3:28  And afterward when David heard [it], he said, I and my kingdom [are] guiltless before the LORD for ever from the blood of Abner, the son of Ner.

3:29  Let it rest on the head of Joab and on all his father's house and let there not fail from the house of Joab one that has an issue or that is a leper or that leans on a staff or that dies by the sword or that lacks bread.

3:30  So Joab and Abishai his brother slew Abner because he had slain their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.

3:31  Then David said to Joab and to all the people that [were] with him, Rend your clothes and gird yourselves with sackcloth and mourn before Abner. And King David [himself] followed the bier.

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

3:33  And the king lamented over Abner and said, Abner died the death of a fool!

3:34  Thy hands [were] not bound nor thy feet put into fetters. Thou didst fall as a man falls before wicked men. And all the people wept again over him.

3:35  And when all the people came to cause David to eat food while it was yet day, David swore, saying, So do God to me, and more also if I taste bread or anything else until the sun is down.

3:36  And all the people understood, and it pleased them, for whatever the king did pleased all the people.

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

3:38  Then the king said unto his servants, Do ye not know that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel?

3:39  And I [am] this day a tender anointed king, and these men the sons of Zeruiah [are] too hard for me; the LORD shall reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness.:

Chapter 4

4:1  And when Saul's son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled.

4:2  And Saul's son had two men [that were] captains of companies; the name of the one [was] Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon, a Beerothite, of the sons of Benjamin (for Beeroth also was reckoned to Benjamin;

4:3  and the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and were sojourners there until this day).

4:4  And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son [that was] lame of [his] feet. He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled, and it came to pass as she made haste to flee that he fell, and became lame. And his name [was] Mephibosheth.

4:5  And the sons of Rimmon, the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, who lay on a bed at noon.

4:6  And they came there into the midst of the house [as though] they were wheat merchants, and they smote him under the fifth [rib]; and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

4:7  For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him and beheaded him and took his head and walked all night through the plain.

4:8  And they brought the head of Ishbosheth unto David to Hebron and said to the king, Behold the head of Ishbosheth the son of Saul thy enemy, who sought thy life, and the LORD has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul and of his seed.

4:9  And David answered Rechab and Baanah, his brother, the sons of Rimmon, the Beerothite, and said unto them, As the LORD lives, who has ransomed my soul out of all adversity,

4:10  when one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good tidings, I took hold of him and slew him in Ziklag as a reward for his tidings.

4:11  How much more unto wicked men who have slain a righteous person in his own house upon his bed? Shall I not, therefore, now require his blood of your hand and remove you from the earth?

4:12  Then David commanded his young men, and they slew them and cut off their hands and their feet and hung [them] up over the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth and buried [it] in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron.:

Chapter 5

5:1  Then all the tribes of Israel came unto David in Hebron and spoke, saying, Behold, we [are] thy bone and thy flesh.

5:2  And even yesterday and the day before yesterday, when Saul was king over us, it was thou that didst lead out and bring in Israel; and the LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be prince over Israel.

5:3  So all the elders of Israel came to the king in Hebron; and king David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the LORD; and they anointed David king over Israel.

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

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

5:6  Then the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, who dwelt in the land, who spoke unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in here, thinking, David cannot come in here.

5:7  Nevertheless, David took the fortress of Zion; the same [is] the city of David.

5:8  And David said on that day, Who shall go up the waterspout and smite the Jebusites and the lame and the blind, [that are] hated of David's soul? Therefore they said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.

5:9  So David dwelt in the fortress and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward.

5:10  And David went on and grew great, and the LORD God of the hosts [was] with him.

5:11  And Hiram, king of Tyre, also sent messengers to David, and cedar trees and carpenters and masons, and they built David a house.

5:12  And David understood that the LORD had confirmed him as king over Israel and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake.

5:13  And David took more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem after he had come from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born unto David.

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

5:15  Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,

5:16  Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphalet.

5:17  But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David, and David heard [of it] and went down to the fortress.

5:18  The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.

5:19  Then David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? Wilt thou deliver them into my hand? And the LORD said unto David, Go up, for I without a doubt will deliver the Philistines into thy hand.

5:20  And David came to Baalperazim, and David smote them there and said, The LORD has broken forth upon my enemies before me as the breach of waters. Therefore, he called the name of that place Baalperazim.

5:21  And they left their images there, and David and his men burned them.

5:22  And the Philistines came up yet again and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.

5:23  And when David enquired of the LORD, he said, Thou shalt not go up, [but] go around behind them and come upon them over against the mulberry trees,

5:24  and when thou hearest thunder going through the tops of the mulberry trees, then thou shalt move, for then the LORD shall go out before thee to smite the host of the Philistines.

5:25  And David did so as the LORD had commanded him and smote the Philistines from Geba unto Gazer.:

Chapter 6

6:1  Again, David gathered together all [the] chosen of Israel, thirty thousand.

6:2  And David arose and went with all the people that [were] with him from Baale of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God upon which the name of the LORD of the hosts is invoked, who dwells there between the cherubim.

6:3  And they set the ark of God upon a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that [was] in Gibeah, and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab drove the new cart.

6:4  And when they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which [was] at Gibeah, with the ark of God, Ahio went before the ark.

6:5  And David and all the house of Israel danced before the LORD with all manner of [instruments made of] fir wood, even on harps and on psalteries and on timbrels and on cornets and on cymbals.

6:6  And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth [his hand] to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen shook [it].

6:7  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and God smote him there for [his] effrontery, and there he died by the ark of God.

6:8  And David was grieved because the LORD had made a breach upon Uzzah, and he called the name of the place Perezuzzah to this day.

6:9  And David was afraid of the LORD that day and said, How shall the ark of the LORD come to me?

6:10  So David would not remove the ark of the LORD unto him into the city of David, but David carried it aside into the house of Obededom, the Gittite.

6:11  And the ark of the LORD continued in the house of Obededom the Gittite three months; and the LORD blessed Obededom, and all his household.

6:12  And it was told King David, saying, The LORD has blessed the house of Obededom and all that [pertains] unto him because of the ark of God. So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obededom into the city of David with gladness.

6:13  And it was [so] that when those that bore the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings.

6:14  And David danced before the LORD with all [his] might, and David [was] girded with a linen ephod.

6:15  So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the shofar.

6:16  And as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart.

6:17  And they brought in the ark of the LORD and set it in its place, in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it, and David offered burnt offerings and peace [offerings] before the LORD.

6:18  And as soon as David had finished offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of the hosts.

6:19  And he dealt among all the people, [even] among the whole multitude of Israel, to the men as well to the women, to each one a cake of bread and a good piece of flesh and a flagon [of wine]. So all the people departed each one to his house.

6:20  Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal, the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, How glorious was the king of Israel today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!

6:21  Then David said unto Michal, [It was] before the LORD, who chose me over thy father and over all his house to appoint me prince over the people of the LORD, over Israel; therefore, I will dance before the LORD.

6:22  And I will yet be more vile than thus and will be base in my own sight and before the maidservants whom thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.

6:23  Therefore, Michal, the daughter of Saul, had no children unto 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 rest from all his enemies around him,

7:2  that the king said unto Nathan, the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within curtains.

7:3  And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that [is] in thy heart, for the LORD [is] with thee.

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

7:5  Go and tell my servant David, Thus hath the LORD said, Shalt thou build me a house for me to dwell in?

7:6  For I have not dwelt in [any] house since the time that I brought up the sons of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in [a] tent and in [a] tabernacle.

7:7  In all [the places] in which I have walked with all the sons of Israel did I speak a word in any of the tribes of Israel, unto whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why did ye not build me a house of cedar?

7:8  Now, therefore, so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus hath the LORD of the hosts said, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be prince over my people, over Israel;

7:9  and I have been with thee wherever thou didst walk and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great [men] that [are] in the earth.

7:10  Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in their place and never again be removed; neither shall the sons of iniquity afflict them any more as before,

7:11  since the time that I commanded judges [to be] over my people Israel. And I will cause thee to rest from all thy enemies. Likewise, the LORD makes thee to know that he will make thee a house.

7:12  And when thy days are fulfilled and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

7:13  He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.

7:14  I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the stripes of the sons of men;

7:15  but my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took [it] from Saul, whom I took away from before thee.

7:16  And thy house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee; thy throne shall be established for ever.

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

7:18  Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said, O Lord GOD, Who am I and what [is] my house that thou hast brought me thus far?

7:19  And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord GOD; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come and that this shall be the condition of a man, O Lord GOD.

7:20  And what more can David say unto thee? For thou, Lord GOD, knowest thy servant.

7:21  For thou hast done all these great things by thy word and according to thine own heart to make thy servant know [them].

7:22  Therefore, thou art great, O LORD God, for [there is] none like thee, neither [is there any] God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

7:23  And who in the earth is like thy people, like Israel? A Gentile for [the love of] whom God went to ransom as a people to himself and to give him a name and to do with you great and terrible things in thy land because of thy people whom thou didst redeem unto thee from Egypt, [from] the Gentiles and their gods?

7:24  For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel [to be] thy people for ever, and thou, LORD, have become their God.

7:25  And now, O LORD God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house, raise [it] up for ever and do as thou hast said.

7:26  For [thus] shall thy name be magnified for ever that it [may] be said, The LORD of the hosts [is] God over Israel and that the house of thy servant David be established before thee.

7:27  For thou, O LORD of the hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee a house. Therefore, thy servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer in thy presence.

7:28  And now, O Lord GOD, thou [art] God, and thy words shall be firm, and thou hast spoken this goodness unto thy servant.

7:29  Therefore, now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant that it may continue for ever before thee, for thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken [it], and with thy blessing the house of thy servant shall be blessed for ever.:

Chapter 8

8:1  And after this it, came to pass that David smote the Philistines and subdued them, and David took Methegammah out of the hand of the Philistines.

8:2  He also smote those of Moab and measured them with a line, causing them to lie down on the ground, and he measured them with two lines, [with one] to put to death and the [other] full line to keep alive. And [so] the Moabites became David's servants, bringing presents.

8:3  David smote also Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to extend his border to the river Euphrates.

8:4  And David took from him a thousand seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand footmen, and David hamstrung all the chariot [horses] but reserved of them [for] one hundred chariots.

8:5  And when the Syrians of Damascus came to succour Hadadezer king of Zobah, David slew of the Syrians twenty-two thousand men.

8:6  Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus, and the Syrians became servants to David, bringing presents. And the LORD saved David wherever he went.

8:7  And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.

8:8  Likewise from Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took a great quantity of brass.

8:9  When Toi, king of Hamath, heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadadezer,

8:10  then Toi sent Joram, his son, unto king David, to greet him peacefully and to bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and smitten him, for Hadadezer had wars with Toi. And [Joram] brought vessels of silver and vessels of gold and vessels of brass in his hand,

8:11  which King David dedicated unto the LORD with the silver and gold that he had dedicated of all Gentiles which he subdued

8:12  of the Sirians and of the Moabites and of the sons of Ammon and of the Philistines and of Amalekites and of the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

8:13  And David received fame when he returned from smiting of the Syrians in the valley of salt eighteen thousand [men].

8:14  And he put garrisons in Edom; he put garrisons throughout all Edom, and all those of Edom became David's servants. And the LORD saved David wherever he went.

8:15  And David reigned over all Israel, and David executed justice and righteousness unto all his people.

8:16  And Joab, the son of Zeruiah, [was] over the host, and Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, [was] the writer of chronicles;

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

8:18  and Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, [was over] both the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were priests.:

Chapter 9

9:1  And David said, Is anyone left of the house of Saul that I may show him mercy for Jonathan's sake?

9:2  And [there was] a servant of the house of Saul whose name [was] Ziba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, [Art] thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant [is he].

9:3  And the king said, [Is] there no one left of the house of Saul that I may show the mercy of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, There remains a son of Jonathan, [who is] lame on [his] feet.

9:4  And the king said unto him, Where [is] he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he [is] in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar.

9:5  Then King David sent and took him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar.

9:6  Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face and worshiped. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant!

9:7  And David said unto him, Fear not; for I will surely show thee mercy for Jonathan, thy father's sake, and will restore [unto] thee all the land of Saul, thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.

9:8  And he bowed himself and said, Who [is] thy servant, that thou should look upon such a dead dog as I [am]?

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

9:10  Thou, therefore, and thy sons and thy servants shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in [the fruits] that thy master's son may have bread to eat, but Mephibosheth, thy master's son, shall eat bread always at my table. Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.

9:11  Then Ziba said unto the king, According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, [said the king], he shall eat at my table as one of the king's sons.

9:12  And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name [was] Micha. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba [were] servants unto Mephibosheth.

9:13  So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, for he ate continually at the king's table and was lame on both his feet.:

Chapter 10

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

10:2  Then David said, I will show mercy unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father showed mercy unto me. And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants for his father. And David's servants came into the land of the sons of Ammon.

10:3  And the princes of the sons of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, Does it appear unto thee that David has sent comforters unto thee to honour thy father? Has not David [rather] sent his servants unto thee to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it?

10:4  Therefore, Hanun took David's servants and shaved off the one half of their beards and cut off their garments in the middle [even] to their buttocks and sent them away.

10:5  When they told [it] unto David, he sent to meet them because the men were greatly ashamed, and the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards are grown and [then] return.

10:6  And when the sons of Ammon saw that they stank before David, the sons of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Bethrehob and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand footmen, and of king Maacah a thousand men, and of Ishtob twelve thousand men.

10:7  And when David heard of [it], he sent Joab and all the host of the mighty men.

10:8  And the sons of Ammon came out and ordered their troops at the entering in of the gate, and the Syrians of Zoba and of Rehob and Ishtob and Maacah [were in order] by themselves in the field.

10:9  When Joab saw that there were troops before and behind him, he chose from among the chosen [men] of Israel and put [them] in order against the Syrians.

10:10  [Then] he delivered the rest of the people into the hand of Abishai his brother that he might put [them] in order against the sons of Ammon.

10:11  And he said, If the Syrians are too strong for me, then thou shalt help me; but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for thee, then I will come and help thee.

10:12  Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God; and let the LORD do that which seems good unto him.

10:13  And Joab drew near and the people that [were] with him, to do battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him.

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

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

10:16  And Hadarezer sent and brought out the Syrians that [were] beyond the river, and they came to Helam, and Shobach, the captain of the host of Hadarezer, [went] before them.

10:17  And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together and passed over the Jordan and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in order against David and fought with him.

10:18  And the Syrians fled before Israel, and David slew [the men of] seven hundred chariots of the Syrians and forty thousand horsemen and smote Shobach, the captain of their host, who died there.

10:19  And when all the kings [that were] servants to Hadarezer saw that they were smitten before Israel, they made peace with Israel and served them. So the Syrians feared to help the sons of Ammon any more.:

Chapter 11

11:1  And it came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth [to battle], that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.

11:2  And it came to pass one evening, that David arose from off his bed and walked upon the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself, and the woman [was] very beautiful to look upon.

11:3  And David sent and enquired after the woman. And [one] said, [Is] not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah, the Hittite?

11:4  And David sent messengers and took her, and she came in unto him, and he lay with her. Then she purified herself from her uncleanness, and she returned unto her house.

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

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

11:7  And when Uriah had come unto him, David asked [him] how Joab was and how the people were and how the war prospered.

11:8  And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house and wash thy feet. And Uriah departed out of the king's house, and royal food was sent unto him.

11:9  But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord and did not go down to his house.

11:10  And when they had told David, saying, Uriah did not go down unto his house, David said unto Uriah, Didst thou not come from [thy] journey? Why [then] didst thou not go down to thy house?

11:11  And Uriah said unto David, The ark and Israel and Judah abide in tents, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? [By thy] life and [by] the life of thy soul, I will not do this thing.

11:12  And David said to Uriah, Tarry here today also, and tomorrow I will let thee depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day and the next day.

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

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

11:15  And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle and retire from him, that he may be smitten and die.

11:16  And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that the most valiant men [were].

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

11:18  Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war

11:19  and charged the messenger, saying, When thou hast finished telling the matters of the war unto the king,

11:20  and if the king begins to be angry and he should say unto thee, Why did you approach so near unto the city when ye fought? Did ye not know that which they can throw down from the wall?

11:21  Who smote Abimelech, the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez? Why did you go near the wall? Then thou shalt say, Thy servant Uriah, the Hittite, is dead also.

11:22  So the messenger went and came and told David all that Joab had sent him for.

11:23  And the messenger said unto David, Surely the men prevailed against us and came out unto us into the field, and we made them retreat unto the entering of the gate.

11:24  And the archers shot from off the wall upon thy servants, and [some] of the king's servants are dead, and thy servant Uriah, the Hittite, is dead also.

11:25  Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing displease thee, for the sword devours one as well as another; strengthen the battle against the city until it is overthrown and encourage thou him.

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

11:27  And when the mourning was past, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and gave birth to a son unto him. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD.:

Chapter 12

12:1  And the LORD sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him and said unto him, There were two men in one city; the one rich and the other poor.

12:2  The rich [man] had exceeding many sheep and cows,

12:3  but the poor [man] had nothing except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up, and it grew up together with him and with his children; it ate of his own food and drank of his own cup and lay in his bosom and was unto him as a daughter.

12:4  And a traveller came unto the rich man, who did not wish to take of his own sheep and of his own cows to dress for the wayfaring man that was come unto him, but took the poor man's lamb and dressed it for the man that had come to him.

12:5  And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, As the LORD lives, the man that has done this [thing] is worthy of death,

12:6  and he shall pay for the lamb fourfold because he did this thing and because he had no pity.

12:7  Then Nathan said to David, Thou [art] the man. Thus hath said the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul,

12:8  and I gave thee thy master's house and thy master's wives into thy bosom and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah, and if [that is] too little, I shall add unto thee such and such things.

12:9  Why, therefore, hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in his sight? Thou hast killed Uriah, the Hittite, with the sword and hast taken his wife [to be] thy wife and hast slain him with the sword of the sons of Ammon.

12:10  Now, therefore, the sword shall never depart from thy house because thou hast despised me and hast taken the wife of Uriah, the Hittite, to be thy wife.

12:11  Thus hath the LORD said, Behold, I will raise up evil against thee out of thy own house, and I will take thy wives before thy eyes and give [them] unto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wives in the sight of this sun.

12:12  For thou hast done [it] secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.

12:13  Then David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also has taken away thy sin; thou shalt not die.

12:14  However, because by this deed, thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme; the son that is born unto thee shall surely die.

12:15  And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah's wife had given birth unto David, and it was very sick.

12:16  David, therefore, besought God for the child, and David fasted and went in and lay all night upon the earth.

12:17  And the elders of his house arose [and went] to him to raise him up from the earth, but he would not, neither 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 feared to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke unto him, and he would not hearken unto our voice; how much more will it trouble him if we tell him that the child is dead?

12:19  But when David saw that his servants whispered, David understood that the child was dead; therefore, David said unto his servants, Is the child dead? And they said, He is dead.

12:20  Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed [himself] and changed his clothes and came into the house of the LORD and worshipped. Then he came to his own house; and when he asked, they set bread before him, and he ate.

12:21  Then his servants said unto him, What [is] this that thou hast done? Thou didst fast and weep for the child [while it was alive]; but when the child was dead, thou didst rise and eat bread.

12:22  And he replied, While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, Who can tell [whether] GOD will have mercy on me, that the child may live?

12:23  But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I 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 went in unto her and lay with her; and she gave birth to a son, and he called his name Solomon; and the LORD loved him.

12:25  And he sent by the hand of Nathan, the prophet; and he called his name Jedidiah, by the LORD.

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

12:27  Then Joab sent messengers to David and said, I have fought against Rabbah and have taken the city of waters.

12:28  Now, therefore, gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it lest I take the city, and it be called after my name.

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

12:30  And he took their king's crown from off his head, the weight of which [was] a talent of gold with the precious stones, and it was [set] on David's head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city in great abundance.

12:31  And he brought forth the people that [were] therein and put [them] under saws and under harrows of iron and under axes of iron and made them pass through the brickkiln, and thus did he unto all the cities of the sons of Ammon. So David and all the people returned unto Jerusalem.:

Chapter 13

13:1  And it came to pass after this that Absalom, the son of David, had a beautiful sister, whose name [was] Tamar, and Amnon, the son of David, loved her.

13:2  And Amnon was so distressed that he fell sick for his sister Tamar, for she [was] a virgin, and Amnon thought it difficult for him to do any thing to her.

13:3  But Amnon had a friend, whose name [was] Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother, and Jonadab [was] a very astute man.

13:4  And he said unto him, Why [art] thou, [being] the king's son, becoming thinner from day to day? Wilt thou not tell me? And Amnon said unto him, I love Tamar, my brother Absalom's sister.

13:5  And Jonadab said unto him, Lay thee down on thy bed and pretend to be sick; and when thy father comes to see thee, say unto him, I pray thee, let my sister Tamar come and give me food and make the food in my sight that I may see [it] and eat [it] at her hand.

13:6  So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick, and when the king cane to see him, Amnon said unto the king, I pray thee, let Tamar, my sister, come, and make me a couple of cakes in my sight that I may eat at her hand.

13:7  Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, Go now to thy brother Amnon's house and make him something to eat.

13:8  So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house, and he was lying down. And she took flour and kneaded [it] and made cakes in his sight and baked the cakes.

13:9  Then she took a pan and poured [them] out before him, but he refused to eat. And Amnon said, Send everyone out from me. And they all went out from him.

13:10  Then Amnon said unto Tamar, Bring the food into the chamber that I may eat from thy hand. And Tamar took the cakes which she had made and brought [them] into the chamber to Amnon, her brother.

13:11  And when she had brought [them] unto him to eat, he took hold of her and said unto her, Come lie with me, my sister.

13:12  And she answered him, No, my brother, do not force me, for no such thing ought to be done in Israel. Do not commit this folly.

13:13  And I, where shall I go with my reproach? And as for thee, thou shalt be as one of the fools in Israel. Now, therefore, I pray thee, speak unto the king, for he will not withhold me from thee.

13:14  Howbeit, he would not hearken unto her voice, but, being stronger than she, forced her and lay with her.

13:15  Then Amnon hated her exceedingly so that the hatred with which he hated her [was] greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said unto her, Arise, be gone.

13:16  And she said unto him, [There is] no cause; this evil in sending me away [is] greater than the other that thou didst unto me. But he would not hearken unto her.

13:17  Then he called his servant that ministered unto him and said, Put now this [woman] out from me and bolt the door after her.

13:18  And [she had] a garment of different colours upon her, for with such robes were the king's daughters [that were] virgins apparelled. Then his servant brought her out and bolted the door after her.

13:19  And Tamar put ashes on her head and rent her garment of different colours that [was] on her and laid her hand on her head and went on crying.

13:20  And Absalom, her brother, said unto her, Has Amnon thy brother been with thee? But now remain silent, my sister; he is thy brother; do not regard this thing in thy heart. So Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absalom's house.

13:21  But when king David heard of all these things, he was very angry.

13:22  And Absalom spoke neither good nor bad unto his brother Amnon, for Absalom hated Amnon because he had forced his sister Tamar.

13:23  And it came to pass after two full years that Absalom had sheepshearers in Baalhazor, which [is] beside Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king's sons.

13:24  And Absalom came to the king and said, Behold now, thy servant has sheepshearers; let the king, I beseech thee, and his servants go with thy servant.

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

13:26  Then said Absalom, If not, I pray thee, let my brother Amnon go with us. And the king said unto him, Why should he go with thee?

13:27  But because Absalom pressed him, he let Amnon and all the king's sons go with him.

13:28  Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, Mark ye now when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon, then kill him. Fear not; have I not commanded you? Be courageous, and be valiant.

13:29  And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and they all got upon their mules and fled.

13:30  And it came to pass, while they were in the way, that the rumour 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 garments and lay on the earth; and all his servants stood by with their clothes rent.

13:32  And Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother, answered and said, Do not let my lord suppose [that] they have slain all the young men, the king's sons, for only Amnon is dead, for by the mouth of Absalom this has been determined from the day that he forced his sister Tamar.

13:33  Now, therefore, do not let my lord the king take the thing to his heart, to think that all the king's sons are dead, for only Amnon is dead.

13:34  But Absalom fled. And the young man that kept the watch lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there came many people by the way of the side of the mountain behind him.

13:35  And Jonadab said unto the king, Behold, the king's sons come; as thy servant said, so it is.

13:36  And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of speaking, that, behold, the king's sons came and lifted up their voice and wept. And the king also and all his servants wept very sore.

13:37  But Absalom fled and went to Talmai, the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And [David] mourned for his son every day.

13:38  So [after] Absalom fled and went to Geshur, he was there three years.

13:39  And King David longed to see Absalom, for he was now comforted concerning Amnon, who was dead.:

Chapter 14

14:1  Now Joab, the son of Zeruiah, perceived that the king's heart [was] toward Absalom.

14:2  And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought an astute woman from there and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner and put on mourning apparel and do not anoint thyself with oil, but be as a woman that has mourned for a long time for someone who is dead

14:3  and come to the king and speak on this manner unto him. So Joab put the words in her mouth.

14:4  And when the woman of Tekoa spoke to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and did obeisance and said, Save [me], O king.

14:5  And the king said unto her, What ails thee? And she answered, I am a widow woman, and my husband is dead.

14:6  And thy handmaid had two sons, and the two strove together in the field, and [there was] no one to part them, but the one smote the other and slew him.

14:7  And, behold, the whole family is risen against thy handmaid, and they said, Deliver him that smote his brother, that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he slew, and we will destroy the heir also. So they shall quench my coal which is left and shall not leave to my husband [neither] name nor remainder upon the earth.

14:8  And the king said unto the woman, Go to thy house, and I will give a command concerning thee.

14:9  And the woman of Tekoa said unto the king, My lord, O king, the iniquity [be] on me and on my father's house; and the king and his throne [be] guiltless.

14:10  And the king said, Whoever speaks against thee, bring him to me, and he shall not touch thee any more.

14:11  Then she said, I pray thee, let the king remember the LORD thy God, that thou will not allow the avengers of blood to increase the damage by destroying my son. And he said, As the LORD lives, not one hair of thy son shall fall to the earth.

14:12  Then the woman said, Let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak [one] word unto my lord the king. And he said, Say on.

14:13  And the woman said, Why then hast thou thought such a thing against the people of God? For the king speaks this word as one who is guilty in that the king does not bring home again his banished.

14:14  For it is certain that we die and [are] as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither does God respect [any] person; yet he does devise means that his outcasts not be expelled from him.

14:15  Now, therefore, that I have come to speak of this thing unto my lord the king because the people have made me afraid. But thy handmaid said [to herself], I will now speak unto the king; it may be that the king will perform the word of his handmaid.

14:16  For the king will hear, to deliver his handmaid out of the hand of the man [that would] destroy me and my son together out of the inheritance of God.

14:17  Then thy handmaid said, Let the word of my lord the king bring rest; for as an angel of God, so is my lord the king to discern good and evil; and let the LORD thy God be with thee.

14:18  Then the king answered and said unto the woman, Hide not from me, I pray thee, the thing that I shall ask thee. And the woman said, Let my lord the king now speak.

14:19  And the king said, [Is not] the hand of Joab with thee in all this? And the woman answered and said, By the life of thy soul, my lord the king, I can not turn to the right hand or to the left from all that my lord the king has spoken; for thy servant Joab, he commanded me, and he put all these words in the mouth of thy handmaid;

14:20  to bring about this form of speech thy servant Joab has done this thing; but my lord [is] wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know that which is [done] in the earth.

14:21  Then the king said unto Joab, Behold now, I have done this thing; go, therefore, bring the young man Absalom again.

14:22  And Joab fell to the ground on his face and worshipped and blessed the king, and Joab said, Today thy servant knows that I have found grace in thy sight, my lord, O king, in that the king has fulfilled the word of his servant.

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

14:24  But the king said, Let him go to his own house and let him not see my face. So Absalom returned to his own house, and did not see the king's face.

14:25  And in all Israel there was no one to be so greatly praised as Absalom for his beauty; from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

14:26  And when he shaved his head (for it was at every year's end that he shaved [it]: because [the hair] was heavy on him, therefore, he shaved it), the hair of his head weighed two hundred shekels after the king's weight.

14:27  And unto Absalom there were born three sons and one daughter, whose name [was] Tamar, who was a beautiful woman to behold.

14:28  So Absalom dwelt two full years in Jerusalem and did not see the king's face.

14:29  Therefore, Absalom sent for Joab, to have sent him to the king; but he would not come to him; and when he sent again the second time, he would not come.

14:30  Therefore, he said unto his servants, See, Joab's field is near mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire. And Absalom's servants set the field on fire.

14:31  Then Joab arose and came to Absalom unto [his] house and said unto him, Why have thy servants set my field on fire?

14:32  And Absalom answered Joab, Behold, I have sent for thee, saying, Come here, that I may send thee to the king, to say, Why have I come from Geshur? [It would have been] better for me [to have been] there still. Now, therefore, let me see the king's face; and if there is [any] iniquity in me, let him kill me.

14:33  So Joab came to the king and told him. Then he called Absalom, who came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king; and the king kissed Absalom.:

Chapter 15

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

15:2  And Absalom rose up early and stood beside the way of the gate; and when anyone that had a controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto them and said, Of what city [art] thou? And he said, Thy servant [is] of one of the tribes of Israel.

15:3  And Absalom would say unto them, See, thy matters [are] good and just; but [there is] no one [delegated] by the king to hear thee.

15:4  And Absalom would say, Oh, that I were made judge in the land, that everyone who has any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!

15:5  And it was so, that when anyone came near [unto him] to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand and took him and kissed him.

15:6  And Absalom did according to this manner with all Israel that came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole the hearts of those of Israel.

15:7  And at the end of [a predetermined period of] forty years, it came to pass that Absalom said unto the king, I pray thee, let me go to Hebron and pay my vow, which I have vowed unto the LORD.

15:8  For thy servant vowed a vow while I abode at Geshur in Syria, saying, If the LORD shall bring me again indeed to Jerusalem, then I will serve the LORD.

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

15:10  But Absalom sent spies throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, As soon as ye hear the sound of the shofar, then ye shall say, Absalom reigns in Hebron.

15:11  And two hundred men of Jerusalem went with Absalom, [that were] invited [by him], and they went in their integrity, without knowing anything.

15:12  Absalom also sent for Ahithophel, the Gilonite, of David's counsel, from his city, [even] from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong, for the people increased continually with Absalom.

15:13  And the word came to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel are after Absalom.

15:14  Then David said unto all his servants that [were] with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee, for we shall not [otherwise] escape from Absalom; make speed to depart lest he overtake us suddenly and bring evil upon us and smite the city with the edge of the sword.

15:15  And the king's servants said unto the king, Behold, thy servants [are ready to do] whatever my lord the king shall choose.

15:16  And the king went forth and all his household after him. And the king left ten women, [who were] concubines, to keep the house.

15:17  And the king went forth and all the people after him and stopped in a place that was far off.

15:18  And all his servants passed to his side, and all the Cherethites and all the Pelethites and all the Gittites, six hundred men who had come on foot [with him] from Gath, went before the king.

15:19  Then the king said to Ittai, the Gittite, Why dost thou also go also with us? Return to thy place and abide with the king; for thou [art] a stranger and also an exile.

15:20  Whereas thou didst come [but] yesterday, should I this day make thee go up and down with us? Seeing I go where I go, return thou and take back thy brethren; mercy and truth [are] in thee.

15:21  And Ittai answered the king and said, As the LORD lives and [as] my lord the king lives, for life or for death, wherever my lord the king shall be, there also will thy servant be.

15:22  Then David said to Ittai, Go, therefore, and pass. And Ittai, the Gittite, passed and all his men and all the little ones that [were] with him.

15:23  And all those of the land wept with a loud voice, and all the people passed the brook Kidron; and then the king also passed, and all the people passed unto the way of the wilderness.

15:24  And behold Zadok also and with him all the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of God, and they set down the ark of God. And Abiathar went up after all the people had finished leaving the city.

15:25  But the king said unto Zadok, Carry back the ark of God into the city; if I shall find grace in the eyes of the LORD, he will bring me again and show me [both] it and his tabernacle.

15:26  But if he should say, I have no delight in thee; behold, [here] I [am], let him do to me as seems good unto him.

15:27  The king said also unto Zadok, the priest, [Art not] thou a seer? Return into the city in peace and your two sons with you, Ahimaaz, thy son, and Jonathan, the son of Abiathar.

15:28  See, I will tarry in the plain of the wilderness until you send word to me.

15:29  Then Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God again to Jerusalem, and they remained there.

15:30  And David went up by the ascent of [Mount] Olivet and wept as he went up and had his head covered, and he went barefoot. And all the people that [were] with him covered each one his head, and they went up, weeping as they went up.

15:31  And it was told David, saying, Ahithophel [is] among the conspirators with Absalom. Then David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into folly.

15:32  And it came to pass that [when] David came to the top [of the mount] to worship God there, behold, Hushai, the Archite came to meet him, with his coat rent and earth upon his head,

15:33  Unto whom David said, If thou pass on with me, then thou shalt be a burden unto me;

15:34  but if thou return to the city and say unto Absalom, I will be thy servant, O king [as] I [have been] thy father's servant until now, so [will] I now also [be] thy servant; then thou may defeat the counsel of Ahithophel for me.

15:35  Are not Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, there with thee? Therefore, it shall be [that] whatever thou shalt hear out of the king's house, thou shalt tell [it] to Zadok and Abiathar, the priests.

15:36  Behold, [they have] there with them their two sons, Ahimaaz, Zadok's [son], and Jonathan, Abiathar's [son]; and by them you shall send unto me everything that you hear.

15:37  So Hushai, David's special companion came into the city, and Absalom came into Jerusalem.:

Chapter 16

16:1  And when David was a little past the top [of the mountain], behold, Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, met him with a couple of asses saddled and upon them two hundred [loaves] of bread and one hundred bunches of raisins and one hundred of summer fruits and a bottle of wine.

16:2  And the king said unto Ziba, What meanest thou by these? And Ziba said, The asses [are] for the king's household to ride on, and the bread and summer fruit for the servants to eat, and the wine that those that become weary in the wilderness may drink.

16:3  And the king said, And where [is] thy master's son? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he abides at Jerusalem, for he said, Today shall the house of Israel restore me the kingdom of my father.

16:4  Then the king said to Ziba, Behold, thine [are] all that [pertained] unto Mephibosheth. And Ziba bowed down and said, Let me find grace in thy sight, my lord, O king.

16:5  And when King David came to Bahurim, behold, a man of the family of the house of Saul came forth, whose name [was] Shimei, the son of Gera; he came forth cursing

16:6  and casting stones at David and at all the servants of King David; and all the people and all the mighty men [were] on his right hand and on his left.

16:7  And thus said Shimei when he cursed, Come out, come out, thou bloody man, and thou man of Belial;

16:8  the LORD has returned upon thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned; and the LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom, thy son; and, behold, thou [art taken] in thy evil because thou [art] a bloody man.

16:9  Then Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, said unto the king, Why should this dead dog curse, my lord the king? Let me go over, I pray thee, and take off his head.

16:10  And the king said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah? So let him curse, because the LORD has said unto him, Curse David. Who shall then say, Why hast thou done so?

16:11  And David said to Abishai, and to all his servants, Behold, my son, who came forth of my bowels, seeks my life; how much more now a son of Jemini? Let him alone, and let him curse, for the LORD has bidden him.

16:12  It may be that the LORD will look on my affliction and that the LORD will requite me good for his cursing this day.

16:13  And as David and his men went by the way, Shimei went along on the side of the mountain over against him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and cast dust.

16:14  And the king and all the people that [were] with him arrived weary and refreshed themselves there.

16:15  And Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.

16:16  And it came to pass when Hushai the Archite, David's special companion, came unto Absalom, that Hushai said unto Absalom, [Long] live the king, [Long] live the king.

16:17  And Absalom said to Hushai, [Is] this thy mercy to thy friend? Why didst thou not go with thy friend?

16:18  And Hushai said unto Absalom, No, but whom the LORD and this people and all the men of Israel choose, his will I be, and with him will I abide.

16:19  And again, whom should I serve? [Should I] not [serve] in the presence of his son? As I have served in thy father's presence, so will I be in thy presence.

16:20  Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, Give counsel among you what we shall do.

16:21  And Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Go in unto thy father's concubines, whom he has left to keep the house; and all Israel shall hear that thou art abhorred of thy father; then the hands of all that [are] with thee shall be strong.

16:22  So they spread Absalom a tent upon the top of the house, and Absalom went in unto his father's concubines in the sight of all Israel.

16:23  And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counseled in those days, [was] as if a man had enquired at the word of God: so [was] all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.:

Chapter 17

17:1  Moreover Ahithophel said unto Absalom, Let me now choose out twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David this night,

17:2  and I will come upon him while he [is] weary and weak-handed and will make him afraid, and all the people that [are] with him shall flee; and I will smite the king only.

17:3  Thus will I turn all the people back unto thee, and when they have returned (for that man is whom thou dost seek), all the people shall be in peace.

17:4  And this word seemed right in the eyes of Absalom and of all the elders of Israel.

17:5  Then Absalom said, Now call Hushai, the Archite, also, and let us likewise hear what he says.

17:6  And when Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom spoke unto him, saying, Thus spoke Ahithophel; shall we follow his word or not? Speak thou.

17:7  Then Hushai said unto Absalom, The counsel that Ahithophel has given this time [is] not good.

17:8  For, said Hushai, thou knowest thy father and his men, that they [are] mighty men, and [now] their souls are bitter, as a bear robbed of her whelps in the field. And thy father [is] a man of war and will not lodge with the people.

17:9  Behold, he is hid now in some pit or in some [other] place, and if some of thy [men] are overthrown at the beginning, whoever hears of it will say, There is a slaughter among the people that follow Absalom.

17:10  Thus even the valiant, whose heart [is] as the heart of a lion, shall utterly melt, for all Israel knows that thy father [is] a mighty man and [those] who [are] with him [are] valiant men.

17:11  Therefore I counsel that all Israel be generally gathered unto thee from Dan even to Beersheba, as the sand that [is] by the sea for multitude, and that thou go to battle in thine own person.

17:12  Then we shall come upon him in some place where he shall be found, and we will light upon him as the dew falls on the ground; and of him and of all the men that [are] with him, there shall not be left so much as one.

17:13  Moreover, if he goes into a city, then all Israel shall bring ropes to that city, and we will draw it into the river until not even one small stone is found there.

17:14  Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai, the Archite, [is] better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the LORD had given orders to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom.

17:15  Then Hushai said unto Zadok and to Abiathar, the priests, Thus and thus did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel, and thus and thus have I counseled.

17:16  Now, therefore, send quickly and tell David, saying, Do not lodge this night in the plains of the wilderness, but speedily pass [the Jordan]; lest the king be swallowed up and all the people that [are] with him.

17:17  Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz stayed by Enrogel, for they could not be seen coming into the city; and a maidservant went and told them, and they went and told king David.

17:18  Nevertheless, a young man saw them and told Absalom, but both of them went away quickly and came to a man's house in Bahurim, who had a well in his court, and they went down into it.

17:19  And the woman [of the house] took and spread a covering over the well's mouth and spread ground wheat upon it, and the thing was not known.

17:20  And when Absalom's servants came to the woman to the house, they said, Where [is] Ahimaaz and Jonathan? And the woman said unto them, They have gone over the brook of water. And when they had sought and could not find [them], they returned to Jerusalem.

17:21  And it came to pass, after they had departed, that they came up out of the well and went and told king David and said unto David, Arise and pass quickly over the water, for thus has Ahithophel counseled against you.

17:22  Then David arose and all the people that [were] with him, and they passed over the Jordan before the morning light; there lacked not one of them that was not gone over the Jordan.

17:23  And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled [his] ass and arose, and went home to his house, to his city, and put his household in order and hanged himself and died and was buried in the sepulchre of his father.

17:24  Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom passed the Jordan with all the men of Israel.

17:25  And Absalom made Amasa captain of the host instead of Joab; this Amasa was the son of a man of Israel named Ithra, who had gone in to Abigail, the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah, Joab's mother.

17:26  So Israel pitched camp with Absalom in the land of Gilead.

17:27  And it came to pass, when David arrived at Mahanaim, that Shobi, the son of Nahash of Rabbah of the sons of Ammon; and Machir, the son of Ammiel of Lodebar; and Barzillai, the Gileadite of Rogelim,

17:28  brought beds and basins and earthen vessels and wheat and barley and flour and parched [wheat] and beans and lentils and parched [grain]

17:29  and honey and butter and sheep and cheese of cows for David and for the people that [were] with him, to eat, for they said, These people [are] hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.:

Chapter 18

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

18:2  And David sent forth a third [part] of the people under the hand of Joab and another third under the hand of Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and the other third under the hand of Ittai, the Gittite. And the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also.

18:3  But the people answered, Thou shalt not go forth, for if we flee away, they will not care about us; nor if half of us die, will they care about us; but now [thou art] worth ten thousand of us. Therefore, now [it is] better that thou help us out of the city.

18:4  Then the king said unto them, I will do what seems best unto you. And the king stood beside the gate, and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands.

18:5  And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, [Deal] gently for my sake with the young man, [even] with Absalom. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom.

18:6  So the people went out into the field against Israel, and the battle was in the forest of Ephraim,

18:7  where the people of Israel were slain before the servants of David, and there was there a great slaughter that day of twenty thousand [men].

18:8  For the battle was there scattered over the face of all the land, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.

18:9  And Absalom met the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the heaven and the earth; and the mule that [was] under him went away.

18:10  And a certain man saw [it] and told Joab, saying, Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.

18:11  And Joab replied unto the man that told him, Behold, when thou didst see [him], why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? I would have given thee ten [shekels] of silver and a girdle.

18:12  And the man said unto Joab, Though I should receive a thousand [shekels] of silver in my hand, [yet] I would not put forth my hand against the king's son, for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittai, saying, Beware that no one [touch] the young man Absalom.

18:13  Otherwise, I should have wrought falsehood against my own soul (for there is no matter hid from the king), and thou thyself would have set thyself against [me].

18:14  Then Joab answered, I may not tarry thus with thee. And taking three darts in his hand, he thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he [was] yet alive in the midst of the oak.

18:15  And ten young men that bore Joab's armour surrounded and smote Absalom and slew him.

18:16  Then Joab blew the shofar, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel, for Joab held back the people.

18:17  And they took Absalom and cast him into a great pit in the forest and laid a very great heap of stones upon him; and all Israel fled each one to his tent.

18:18  Now Absalom, while he was alive, had taken and reared up for himself a pillar, which [is] in the king's valley; for he said, I have no son to keep my name in remembrance. And he called the pillar after his own name, and it is called unto this day, Absalom's place.

18:19  Then Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, said, Let me now run and bear the king tidings, how that the LORD has vindicated him of his enemies.

18:20  And Joab said unto him, Thou shalt not bear tidings today, but thou shalt bear tidings another day; but this day thou shalt bear no tidings because the king's son is dead.

18:21  And Joab said to Cushi, Go tell the king what thou hast seen. And Cushi bowed himself unto Joab and ran.

18:22  Then Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok, said yet again unto Joab, Be what may, let me, I pray thee, also run after Cushi. And Joab said, Why wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou wilt receive no reward for the tidings?

18:23  But, [said he], let me run, be what may. And he said unto him, Run. Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain and overran Cushi.

18:24  And David sat between the two gates, and the watchman went up to the roof over the gate unto the wall and lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold a man running alone.

18:25  And the watchman cried and told the king. And the king said, If he [is] alone, he brings good news. [And while] he kept on drawing near,

18:26  the watchman saw another man running, and the watchman called unto the porter and said, Behold [another] man running alone. And the king said, He also bringeth tidings.

18:27  And the watchman said, I think the running of the foremost is like the running of Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok. And the king said, He [is] a good man and comes with good tidings.

18:28  And Ahimaaz called and said unto the king peace. And he fell down to the earth upon his face before the king, and said, Blessed [be] the LORD thy God, who has delivered up those men that lifted up their hand against my lord the king.

18:29  And the king said, Is the young man Absalom at peace? And Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent the king's servant, and [me] thy servant, I saw a great tumult, but I did not know what [it was].

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

18:31  And, behold, Cushi came; and Cushi said, Tidings, my lord the king, for the LORD has vindicated thee today of all those that rose up against thee.

18:32  And the king said unto Cushi, Is the young man Absalom at peace? And Cushi answered, Let the enemies of my lord the king and all that rise against thee for evil, be as [that] young man.

18:33  Then the king was much moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept; and as he went, he said this: O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! I would rather have died instead of thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!:

Chapter 19

19:1  And it was told Joab, Behold, the king weeps and mourns for Absalom.

19:2  And that day the salvation was [turned] into mourning for all the people, for the people heard it said that day how the king was grieved for his son.

19:3  And the people entered by stealth that day into the city, as people being ashamed steal away when they flee in battle.

19:4  But the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!

19:5  And Joab entering into the house of the king, said unto him, Thou hast shamed this day the faces of all thy servants, who this day have saved thy life and the lives of thy sons and of thy daughters and the lives of thy wives and the lives of thy concubines,

19:6  by loving those who hate thee and hating thy friends. For thou hast declared this day that thou dost not regard thy princes nor thy servants. For this day I perceive that if Absalom had lived and we had all died today, [then this would be] right in thine eyes.

19:7  Now, therefore, arise, go forth and speak unto the heart of thy servants, for I swear by the LORD, if thou go not forth, not one of them will abide with thee tonight and that will be worse unto thee than all the evil that has come upon thee from thy youth until now.

19:8  Then the king arose and sat in the gate. And it was declared unto all the people, saying, Behold, the king sits in the gate. And all the people came before the king, but Israel had fled every man to his tent.

19:9  And all the people were in contention throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, The king saved us out of the hand of our enemies, and he delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines, and now he has fled out of the land for Absalom.

19:10  And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now, therefore, why are ye silent regarding bringing the king back?

19:11  And King David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar, the priests, saying, Speak unto the elders of Judah, saying, Why shall ye be the last to bring the king back to his house? Seeing that the word of all Israel has come to the king, [to return him] to his house.

19:12  Ye [are] my brethren, ye [are] my bones and my flesh; why then are ye the last to bring back the king?

19:13  Likewise say ye to Amasa, [Art] thou not of my bone and of my flesh? God do so to me and more also, if thou be not captain of the host before me continually in the place of Joab.

19:14  And he inclined the heart of all the men of Judah, even as [the heart of] one man, so that they sent [this word] unto the king, Return thou and all thy servants.

19:15  So the king returned and came to the Jordan. And Judah came to Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct the king over the Jordan.

19:16  And Shimei, the son of Gera, son of Jemini, who [was] of Bahurim, hastened and came down with the men of Judah to meet King David.

19:17  And [there were] a thousand men of Benjamin with him; likewise Ziba, the servant of the house of Saul and his fifteen sons and his twenty servants with him, who went over the Jordan before the king.

19:18  Then the ferry boat went over to carry over the king's household and to do what he desired. Then Shimei, the son of Gera, fell down before the king, as he was passing the Jordan,

19:19  And said unto the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity unto me, neither retain the memory of the wickedness that thy servant did the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem, that the king should guard it in his heart.

19:20  For I, thy servant, know that I have sinned; therefore, behold, I am come the first this day of all the house of Joseph to go down to 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  Then David said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of Zeruiah, that ye should this day be adversaries unto me? Shall anyone be put to death today in Israel? Do I not know that I [am] this day king over Israel?

19:23  And the king said unto Shimei, Thou shalt not die. And the king swore unto him.

19:24  Mephibosheth, the son of Saul, also came down to meet the king and had neither washed his feet nor trimmed his beard nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came [again] in peace.

19:25  And after he had come to Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said unto him, Why didst thou not go with me, Mephibosheth?

19:26  And he answered, My lord, O king, my servant deceived me, for thy servant said, I will saddle me an ass, that I may ride upon it and go to the king because thy servant [is] lame.

19:27  And he has slandered thy servant unto my lord the king, but my lord the king [is] as an angel of God; do therefore [what is] good in thine eyes.

19:28  For all [of] my father's house were worthy of death before my lord the king; yet thou didst set thy servant among those that eat at thy own table. What righteousness, therefore, have I yet to cry any more unto the king?

19:29  And the king said unto him, Why speakest thou any more words? I have determined, Thou and Ziba divide the land.

19:30  And Mephibosheth said unto the king, Let him even take it all, forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his own house.

19:31  Barzillai, the Gileadite, also came down from Rogelim and went over the Jordan with the king to conduct him over the Jordan.

19:32  Now Barzillai was a very aged man, of eighty years, who had provided the king with sustenance while he was at Mahanaim, for he [was] a very great man.

19:33  And the king said unto Barzillai, Come thou over with me, and I will feed thee with me in Jerusalem.

19:34  And Barzillai said unto the king, How long have I to live, that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem?

19:35  I [am] this day eighty years old, [and] shall I tell the difference between the good and the bad? Shall thy servant enjoy what I eat or what I drink? Shall I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should thy servant be yet a burden unto my lord the king?

19:36  Thy servant will go a little way over the Jordan with the king, and why should the king recompense it me with such a reward?

19:37  Let thy servant, I pray thee, turn back again, that I may die in my own city [and be buried] by the grave of my father and of my mother. But behold thy servant Chimham; let him go over with my lord the king, and do to him what shall seem good unto thee.

19:38  And the king answered, Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do with him that which shall seem good unto thee, and whatever thou shalt ask of me, [that] will I do for thee.

19:39  And all the people went over the Jordan. And when the king had also come over, the king kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and he returned unto his own place.

19:40  Then the king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went on with him; and all the people of Judah conducted the king, and also half the people of Israel.

19:41  And, behold, all the men of Israel came to the king and said unto the king, Why have our brethren the men of Judah, stolen thee away and have brought the king and his household and all David's men with him, over the Jordan?

19:42  And all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, Because the king [is] near of kin to us. Why then are ye angry for this matter? Have we eaten anything at the king's cost? Or has he given us any gift?

19:43  Then the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, We have ten parts in the king, and we have also more [right] in David than ye; why then did ye not take us into account? Did we not speak first about bringing back our king? But [in the end] the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.:

Chapter 20

20:1  And a man of Belial happened to be there, whose name [was] Sheba, the son of Bichri, a man of Jemini, and he blew the shofar, saying, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to his tents, O Israel.

20:2  So all the men of Israel went up from after David [and] followed Sheba, the son of Bichri; but the men of Judah cleaved unto their king from the Jordan even to Jerusalem.

20:3  And [when] David came to his house at Jerusalem, the king took the ten women, [his] concubines, whom he had left to keep the house, and put them in ward and fed them, but did not go in unto them. So they were shut up unto the day of their death, living in widowhood.

20:4  Then the king said to Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah for the third day, and be thou here present.

20:5  So Amasa went to assemble [the men of] Judah, but he tarried longer than the set time which he had appointed him.

20:6  And David said to Abishai, Now Sheba, the son of Bichri, shall do us more harm than Absalom; take thou thy lord's servants and pursue after him lest he find fenced cities and escape us.

20:7  Then Joab's men went out after him, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites and all the mighty men; and they went out of Jerusalem to pursue after Sheba, the son of Bichri.

20:8  When they [were] at the great stone which [is] in Gibeon, Amasa came out and met them. And Joab's garment that he had put on was girded unto him and upon it a girdle [with] a sword fastened upon his loins in its sheath, and as he went forth, it fell out.

20:9  And Joab said to Amasa, [Art] thou in peace, my brother? And Joab took Amasa by the beard with the right hand to kiss him.

20:10  But Amasa took no heed of the sword that [was] in Joab's hand; and he smote him with it in the fifth [rib], and shed out his bowels to the ground and struck him not again; and he died. So Joab and Abishai, his brother, pursued after Sheba, the son of Bichri.

20:11  And one of Joab's servants stood by him, and said, He that favours Joab and he that [is] for David, [let him go] after Joab.

20:12  And Amasa had wallowed in blood in the midst of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stopped, he removed Amasa out of the highway into the field and cast a garment upon him because he saw that every one that came by him stopped.

20:13  When he was removed out of the highway, all the people that followed Joab passed on, to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.

20:14  And he went through all the tribes of Israel unto Abel and to Bethmaachah and all the Berites; and they were gathered together and also went after him.

20:15  And they came and besieged him in Abel of Bethmaachah, and they cast up a bank against the city, and [the people] went against the wall; and all the people that [were] with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down.

20:16  Then a wise woman cried out in the city, Hear, hear, I pray you, tell Joab to come here, that I may speak with him.

20:17  And when he had come near unto her, the woman said, [Art] thou Joab? And he answered, I [am he]. Then she said unto him, Hear the words of thy handmaid. And he answered, I hear.

20:18  Then she spoke, saying, They used to speak in old times, saying, If you have a question ask it at Abel; and so they concluded [the matter].

20:19  I]am one of those that are] peaceable [and] faithful in Israel, and thou seekest to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel; why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of the LORD?

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

20:21  The matter [is] not so, but a man of Mount Ephraim, Sheba, the son of Bichri, by name, has lifted up his hand against king David; give only him over, and I will depart from the city. And the woman said unto Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to thee over the wall.

20:22  Then the woman went unto all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba, the son of Bichri, and cast [it] out to Joab. And he blew the shofar, and they retired from the city, each one to his tent. And Joab returned to Jerusalem unto the king.

20:23  So Joab [remained] over all the host 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] writer of the chronicles,

20:25  and Sheva [was] scribe, and Zadok and Abiathar [were] the priests;

20:26  and Ira, the Jairite, was David's priest.:

Chapter 21

21:1  Then there was a famine in the days of David for three consecutive years, and David enquired of the LORD. And the LORD answered, [It is] because of Saul and because of [his] bloody house, because he slew the Gibeonites.

21:2  And the king called the Gibeonites and said unto them: (now the Gibeonites [were] not of the sons of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; and the sons of Israel had sworn unto them, and Saul had sought to slay them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah).

21:3  Therefore, David said unto the Gibeonites, What shall I do for you? And with what shall I make reconciliation that ye may bless the inheritance of the LORD?

21:4  And the Gibeonites replied unto him, We have no [quarrel] regarding silver nor gold with Saul, nor with his house; neither do we desire that anyone in Israel should die. And he said unto them, What ye shall say [that] will I do for you.

21:5  And they answered the king, The man that consumed us and that devised against us, let us destroy him that nothing [of him] remains in any of the borders of Israel.

21:6  Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us, and we will disjoint them, [hanging them from a tree], unto the LORD in Gibeah of Saul, [whom] the LORD did choose. And the king said, I will give [them].

21:7  But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the LORD'S oath that [was] between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.

21:8  But the king took the two sons of Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, whom she gave birth unto Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth, and five sons of Michal, the daughter of Saul, whom she had given birth unto Adriel, the son of Barzillai, the Meholathite;

21:9  and he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they disjointed them [hanging them from a tree] in the hill before the LORD; and they fell [all] seven together and were put to death in the days of harvest, in the first [days], in the beginning of barley harvest.

21:10  And Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, took sackcloth and spread it upon the rock from the beginning of harvest until water rained upon them out of heaven and allowed neither the birds of the air to rest on 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.

21:12  Then David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan, his son, from the men of Jabeshgilead, who had stolen them from the plaza of Bethshan where the Philistines had hanged them, when the Philistines had slain Saul in Gilboa;

21:13  and he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan, his son; and they gathered the bones of those that had been disjointed [by being hanged from a tree],

21:14  and they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan, his son, in the land of Benjamin in Zelah, in the sepulchre of Kish his father; and they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God was intreated for the land.

21:15  And the Philistines made war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines; and David became weary.

21:16  And Ishbibenob, who [was] of the sons of the giant, and the weight of whose spear [was] three hundred [shekels] of brass in weight, was girded with a new [sword] and had determined to kill David.

21:17  But Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, helped David, and smote the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore unto him, saying, From now on thou shalt not go out with us to battle that thou not quench the light of Israel.

21:18  And after this, there was a second war with the Philistines at Gob; then Sibbechai, the Hushathite, slew Saph, who [was] of the sons of the giant.

21:19  And there was another war in Gob with the Philistines where Elhanan, the son of Jaareoregim of Bethleham, slew Goliath, the Gittite, the staff of whose spear [was] like a weaver's beam.

21:20  And after that there was another war in Gath where there was a man of [great] stature, that had six fingers on every hand, and six toes on every foot, twenty-four in number; and he also was of the sons of the giant.

21:21  And when he dishonoured Israel, Jonathan, the son of Shimea, the brother of David, slew him.

21:22  These four were born to the giant in Gath and fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.:

Chapter 22

22:1  And David spoke the words of this song unto the LORD in the day [that] the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies and out of the hand of Saul.

22:2  And he said, The LORD [is] my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer.

22:3  God is my Strong One; in him will I trust: [he is] my shield and the horn of my saving health; my defence and my refuge; my saviour, who shall save me from violence.

22:4  I will call on the LORD, [who is] worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.

22:5  When the waves of death compassed me, the floods of Belial made me afraid;

22:6  [when] the cords of Sheol compassed me about; the snares of death came before me;

22:7  in my distress I called upon the LORD and cried to my God, who heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry [entered] into his ears.

22:8  Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of the heavens were moved and shook because he was wroth.

22:9  Smoke went up from his nostrils, and fire devoured out of his mouth; coals were kindled by it.

22:10  And he lowered the heavens and came down, and darkness [was] under his feet.

22:11  And he rode upon a cherub and flew; and he appeared upon the wings of the wind.

22:12  He placed darkness like tabernacles round about him, dark waters [and] thick clouds of the skies.

22:13  From the brightness of his presence, coals of fire were kindled.

22:14  The LORD thundered from the heavens, and the most High uttered his voice;

22:15  he sent out arrows and scattered them; he lightninged, and consumed them.

22:16  Then the springs of the sea appeared and the foundations of the world were uncovered, at the rebuking of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

22:17  He extended [his hand] from above, he took me; he drew me out of the impetuous waters;

22:18  he delivered me from strong enemies, from those that hated me, who were stronger than I.

22:19  They came upon me unawares in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my stay.

22:20  He brought me forth into a large place; he delivered me, because he had put his will in me.

22:21  The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has recompensed me.

22:22  For I have kept the ways of the LORD and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22:23  For I have all his ordinances before me and am attentive to his statutes; I will not depart from them.

22:24  And I was perfect before him and have kept myself from my iniquity.

22:25  Therefore, the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness before his eyes.

22:26  With the merciful thou art good, [and] with the perfect thou art upright.

22:27  With the pure thou art pure, and with the perverse thou art an adversary.

22:28  Thou wilt save the poor [in spirit]; but thine eyes [are] upon the haughty [that] thou may bring [them] down.

22:29  For thou [art] my lamp, O LORD, and the LORD gives light unto my darkness.

22:30  For in thee I have run through a troop; with my God I have gone over the walls.

22:31  [As for] God, his way [is] perfect; the word of the LORD [is] purified; he [is] a shield to all those that trust in him.

22:32  For what God [is there] except the LORD? Or who [is] a Strong One, except our God?

22:33  God [is] he who strengthens me with virtue; he who clears my way;

22:34  he who makes my feet like hinds' [feet], and he who sets me upon my high places;

22:35  he who trains my hands for war and [causes] my arms to break the bow of bronze.

22:36  Thou hast also given me the shield of thy saving health, and thy meekness has multiplied me.

22:37  Thou hast enlarged my steps under me so that my knees did not shake.

22:38  I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them and did not return until I had consumed them.

22:39  And I consumed them and wounded them, and they did not arise; they are fallen under my feet.

22:40  For thou hast girded me with strength for the battle; thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.

22:41  Thou hast given me the necks of my enemies, of those that hate me, that I might cut them off.

22:42  They looked, but [there was] no one to save them; [even] unto the LORD, but he did not answer them.

22:43  Then I beat them as small as the dust of the earth; I stamped them as the mire of the street [and] spread them abroad.

22:44  Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of peoples; thou hast kept me [to be] head of the Gentiles; peoples [whom] I did not know have served me.

22:45  The strangers trembled [before] my [command]; as soon as they heard, they obeyed me.

22:46  The strangers withered away and trembled in their close places.

22:47  The LORD lives, and blessed [be] my rock, and exalted be the God [who is] the rock of my salvation.

22:48  The God who has given me revenge and who subjects the peoples under me,

22:49  who brings me forth from among my enemies; thou hast lifted me up on high from among those that rose up against me; thou hast delivered me from the man of violence.

22:50  Therefore, I will confess thee among the Gentiles, O LORD, and I will sing unto thy name.

22:51  He who makes great the saving health of his king and shows mercy to his anointed, unto David, and to his seed for ever.:

Chapter 23

23:1  Now these [are] the last words of David. David, the son of Jesse, said, and the man [who was] raised up high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet cantor of Israel, said,

23:2  (The Spirit of the LORD has spoken by me, and his word [has been] in my tongue.

23:3  The God of Israel dictated unto me, the strong One of Israel spoke): He that rules over men [must be] just, ruling in the fear of God.

23:4  And as the light of the morning when the sun rises, of a morning shining forth without clouds, [as] the shining forth through light rain [upon the] tender grass of the earth:

23:5  shall not my house be so with God, although all my saving health and my desire shall not be produced yet? For he has made an everlasting covenant with me, ordered in all [things], and it shall be kept;

23:6  but those of Belial [shall] all be as thorns to be chased away, whom no one takes with the hand;

23:7  but the one [that] desires to touch them must be armed with iron and the staff of a spear, and they are completely burned with fire in their place.

23:8  These [are] the names of the mighty men whom David had: he that sat in the seat of wisdom, chief among the three: Adino, the Eznite, who on one occasion slew eight hundred enemies.

23:9  And after him [was] Eleazar, the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, [one] of the three mighty men who [were] with David, when they defied the Philistines [that] were there gathered together to battle, and those of Israel were gone away.

23:10  He arose and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword; and the LORD wrought a great salvation that day, and the people returned after him only to spoil.

23:11  And after him [was] Shammah, the son of Agee, the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a community, where was an inheritance of land full of lentils, and the people had fled before the Philistines.

23:12  But he stood in the midst of the inheritance and defended it and slew the Philistines, and the LORD wrought a great salvation.

23:13  [These] three, [who were] of the thirty chief, went down and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam, and the camp of the Philistines was pitched in the valley of Rephaim.

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

23:15  And David longed and said, Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which [is] by the gate!

23:16  Then [these] three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that [was] by the gate and took [it] and brought [it] to David; nevertheless, he would not drink of it, but poured it out unto the LORD, saying,

23:17  Be it far from me, O LORD, that I should do this; [is not this] the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives? And he would not drink it. These three mighty men did this.

23:18  And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred [and] slew [them] and had [a] name among the three.

23:19  He was the most honourable of the three and captain among them; however, he did not attain unto the [first] three.

23:20  [Then], Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many acts, slew two lions of Moab; he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow.

23:21  He also slew an Egyptian, a man of [great] stature, and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but he went down to him with a staff and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand and slew him with his own spear.

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

23:23  He had more honour than the thirty, but he did not attain to the [first] three. And David put him in his council.

23:24  Asahel, the brother of Joab [was] one of the thirty; Elhanan, the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

23:25  Shammah of Harodi, Elika of Harodi,

23:26  Helez of Palti, Ira, the son of Ikkesh of Tekoah,

23:27  Abiezer of Anethoth, Mebunnai of Hushath,

23:28  Zalmon of Ahoh, Maharai of Netophath,

23:29  Heleb, the son of Baanah of Netophath, Ittai, the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the sons of Benjamin,

23:30  Benaiah, the Pirathonite, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash,

23:31  Abialbon of Arbath, Azmaveth of Barhum,

23:32  Eliahba of Shaalbon, Jonathan of the sons of Jashen,

23:33  Shammah of Harar, Ahiam, the son of Sharar of Harar,

23:34  Eliphelet, the son of Ahasbai, the son of Maachath, Eliam, the son of Ahithophel of Gilon,

23:35  Hezrai of Carmel, Paarai of Arbi,

23:36  Igal, the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani of Gadi,

23:37  Zelek of Ammon, Naharai of Beeroth, armourbearer to Joab, the son of Zeruiah,

23:38  Ira of Ithri, Gareb of Ithri,

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

Chapter 24

24:1  And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.

24:2  For the king said to Joab, the captain of the host, who [was] with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel from Dan unto Beersheba and number the people that I may know the number of the people.

24:3  And Joab replied unto the king, Now the LORD thy God add unto the people one hundredfold to however many there are and that the eyes of my lord the king may see [it], but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?

24:4  Notwithstanding, the king's word prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the host. And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel.

24:5  And passing the Jordan, they pitched in Aroer, on the right side of the city that [lies] in the midst of the river of Gad, and toward Jazer.

24:6  After that they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtimhodshi, and they came to Danjaan and about to Zidon.

24:7  Then they came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and of the Canaanites, and they went out towards the Negev from Judah, [even] to Beersheba.

24:8  So when they had gone through all the land, they returned to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

24:9  And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king, and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword, and the men of Judah [were] five hundred thousand men.

24:10  And David's heart smote him after he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in having done this; but now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy servant, for I have done very foolishly.

24:11  And in the morning when David had risen, the word of the LORD came unto the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,

24:12  Go and say unto David, Thus hath the LORD said, I offer thee three [things]: choose one of them, which I will do unto thee.

24:13  So Gad came to David and told him and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? Or wilt thou flee three months before thy enemies while they pursue thee? Or shall there be three days' pestilence in thy land? Now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.

24:14  Then David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait; let us fall now into the hand of the LORD, for his mercies [are] great, and let me not fall into the hand of man.

24:15  So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning until the time appointed, and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men.

24:16  And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD himself repented of that evil and said to the angel that was destroying the people, It is enough; stay now thy hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingfloor of Araunah, the Jebusite.

24:17  And David spoke unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people and said, I have sinned, I committed the iniquity, but these sheep, what have they done? Let thy hand, I pray thee, be against me and against my father's house.

24:18  And Gad came that day to David and said unto him, Go up, erect an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah, the Jebusite.

24:19  And David went up, according to the word of Gad, as the LORD had commanded [him].

24:20  And Araunah looked and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him, and Araunah went out and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground.

24:21  And Araunah said, Why is my lord the king come to his servant? And David answered, To buy this threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.

24:22  And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what [seems] good unto him; behold, [here are] oxen for burnt sacrifice and threshing instruments and [other] instruments of the oxen for wood;

24:23  all these [things] does king Araunah give unto the King. Then Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee.

24:24  And the king said unto Araunah, No, but I will surely buy [it] of thee at a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which costs me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

24:25  And David built there an altar unto the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace [offerings]. So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.: