2Samuel:4-7

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* And when Saul ’s son heard that Abner had died in Hebron , his hands became enfeebled , and all the Israelites were troubled . * And Saul ’s son had two men who were captains of bands ; the name of the one was Ba ’anah , and the name of the other Rechab , the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite , of the children of Benjamin : (for Beeroth also was reckoned to Benjamin : * And the Beerothites had fled to Gittayim , and remained sojourners there until this day .) * And Jonathan , Saul ’s son , had a son that was lame on both feet . He was five years old when the tidings came of Saul and Jonathan from Yizre ’el , and his nurse took him up and fled : and it came to pass , in her haste to flee , that he fell , and was rendered lame . And his name was Mephibosheth . * And the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite , Rechab and Ba ’anah , went , and came at the heat of the day to the house of Ish –bosheth , who was just lying in bed as usual at noon . * And they came thither into the interior of the house , as buyers of wheat ; and they smote him under the fifth rib : and Rechab and Ba ’anah his brother escaped . * Namely , they came into the house , while he was lying on his bed in his sleeping –chamber , and they smote him , and slew him , and cut off his head , and took his head , and went by the way of the plain all the night . * And they brought the head of Ish –bosheth unto David to Hebron , and they said to the king , Behold , here is the head of Ish –bosheth the son of Saul thy enemy , who sought thy life : and the Lord hath granted to my lord the king vengeance this day on Saul , and on his seed . * But David answered Rechab and Ba ’anah his brother , the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite , and said unto them , As the Lord liveth , who hath redeemed my soul out of all adversity , * When one told me , saying , Behold , Saul is dead , and he was in his own eyes as though he brought good tidings , I took hold of him , and slew him in Ziklag , who that I should give him a reward for his tidings : * How much more , when wicked men have slain a righteous man in his own house upon his bed ? and now , behold , I will require his blood of your hand , and I will remove you away from the earth . * And David gave the command to the young men , and they slew them , and cut off their hands and their feet , and hanged them up by the pool in Hebron . But the head of Ish –bosheth they took , and buried it in the sepulchre of Abner in Hebron . * Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron , and spoke , saying , Behold us , thy bone and thy flesh are we ; * Already yesterday , and even before , when Saul was king over us , thou wast the one that led out and brought in Israel : And the Lord said to thee , Thou shalt indeed feed my people Israel , and thou shalt be a chief over Israel . * Thus came all the elders of Israel to the king unto Hebron ; and king David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord : and they anointed David as king over Israel . * Thirty years was David old when he became king , forty years he reigned . * In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months : and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah . * And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites , the inhabitants of the land ; who said unto David , as followeth , Thou shalt not come in hither , except thou remove away the blind and the lame : meaning , David cannot come in hither . * Nevertheless David captured the strong –hold of Zion ; the same is the city of David . * And David said on that day , Whosoever will smite the Jebusites , and reach the aqueduct and the lame and the blind , that are hateful to David ’s soul ,––Wherefore people usually say , The blind and the lame shall not come into the house . * And David dwelt in the fort , and he called it "The City of David ." And David built round about from the Millo and inward . * And David went on , and became greater and greater , and the Lord the God of hosts was with him . * And Hiram the king of Tyre sent messengers to David , and cedar –trees , and carpenters , and stone –masons : and they built a house for David . * And David felt conscious that the Lord has established him as king over Israel , and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel . * And David took yet more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem , after he was come from Hebron ; and there were born to David yet sons and daughters . * And these are the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem : Shammua ’, and Shobab , and Nathan , and Solomon , * And Yibchar , and Elishua ’, and Nepheg , and Yaphia ’, * And Elishama ’, and Elyada ’, and Eliphelet . * But when the Philistines heard that the people had anointed David as king over Israel , all the Philistines came up to seek David : and David heard of it , and went down to the strong –hold . * The Philistines also came and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim . * And David asked counsel of the Lord , saying , shall I go up against the Philistines ? wilt thou deliver them into my hand ? And the Lord said unto David , Go up ; for I will certainly deliver the Philistines into thy hand . * And David came to Ba ’al –perazim , and David smote them there , and said , The Lord hath broken down my enemies before me , as a breach water . Wherefore he called the name of that place Ba ’al –perazim . * And they left behind there their idols , and David and his men burnt them . * And the Philistines came up once again , and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim . * And when David asked counsel of the Lord , he said , Thou shalt not go up ; but turn about and fall in the rear of them , and come upon them opposite to the mulberry –trees . * And it shall be , when thou hearest the sound of walking on the top of the mulberry –trees , that thou shalt then bestir thyself ; for then will the Lord go out before thee , to smite in the camp of the Philistines . * And David did so , as the Lord had commanded him ; and he smote the Philistines from Geba ’ until thou comest to Gezer . * And David assembled again all the chosen men of Israel , thirty thousand . * And David arose , and went with all the people who were with him from Ba ’ale –yehudah , to bring up from there the ark of God , the name of which was called by the name of the Lord of hosts , that dwelleth over the cherubim . * And they conveyed the ark of God in a new wagon , and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was on the hill ; and ‘Uzzah and Achyo , the sons of Abinadab , guided the new wagon . * When they brought it out of the house of Abinadab which was on the hill , near the ark of God ; but Achyo went before the ark . * And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord on all manner of instruments made of fir –wood , and on harps , and on psalteries , and on tambourines , and with bells , and with cymbals . * And when they came to the threshing –floor of Nachon , ‘Uzzah put forth to the ark of God , and took hold of it ; for the oxen shook it . * And the anger of the Lord was kindled against ‘Uzzah ; and God smote him there for the error ; and he died there by the ark of God . * And it was grievous to David , because the Lord had suddenly taken away ‘Uzzah ; and he called that place Perez –’uzzah until this day . * And David was afraid of the Lord on that day , and said , How shall the ark of the Lord come to me ? * So David would not allow to have the ark of the Lord removed unto him into the city of David ; but David had it carried round into the house of ‘Obed –edom the Gittite . * And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of ‘Obed –edom the Gittite three months : and the Lord blessed ‘Obed –edom , and all his household . * And it was told to king David , saying , The Lord hath blessed the house of ‘Obed –edom , and all that pertaineth unto him , because of the ark of God : and David then went and brought up the ark of God from the house of ‘Obed –edom into the city of David with joy . * And it happened , that when the bearers of the ark of the Lord had progressed six paces , he sacrificed an ox and a fatling . * And David danced with all his might before the Lord ; and David was girded with a linen ephod . * So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting , and with the sound of the cornet . * And it happened , as the ark of the Lord came into the city of David , that Michal the daughter of Saul looked through the window , and saw king David leaping and dancing before the Lord ; and she despised him in her heart . * 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 before the Lord and peace –offerings . * And when David had made an end of offering the burnt –offerings and the peace –offerings , he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts . * And he dealt out to all the people , to the whole multitude of Israel , to both men and women , to every person one cake of bread , and a good piece of flesh , and a flagon of wine : and all the people departed every one to his house . * And David then returned to bless his household . But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David , and she said , How honored was today the king of Israel , who uncovered himself today before the eyes of the hand –maids of his servants , as only one of the low fellows can uncover himself ! * And David said unto Michal , Before the Lord , who chose me before thy father , and before all his house , to ordain me ruler over the people of the Lord , over Israel :––yea , before the Lord will I yet farther play . * And should I be yet more vile than thus , and should I be base in my own eyes : yet among the maid –servants of whom thou hast spoken , yea , among them would I still be honored . * And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child until the day of her death . * And it came to pass , when the king dwelt in his house , and the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies ; * That the king said unto Nathan the prophet , See now , I dwell in a house of cedar , while the ark of God dwelleth within curtains . * And Nathan said to the king , all that is in thy heart go and do ; for the Lord is with thee . * And it came to pass during that night , That the word of the Lord came unto Nathan , saying , * Go and say unto my servant , unto David , Thus hath said the Lord , Wilt thou indeed build me a house for my dwelling ? * For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt , even until this day ; but have been moving about in a tent and in a tabernacle . * In all the places where I moved about among all the children of Israel , did I speak a word to any one of the tribes of Israel , whom I ordained to feed my people Israel , saying , Why have ye not built for me a house of cedar ? * Now therefore , thus shalt thou say unto my servant , to David , Thus hath said the Lord of hosts , I took thee from the sheep –cote , from behind the flocks , to be a ruler over my people , over Israel ; * And I have been with thee whithersoever thou didst go , and I have cut off all thy enemies from thy presence , and I have made thee a great name , like the name of the great who are on the earth ; * And I have procured a place for my people , for Israel , and I have planted them , that they may dwell in a place of their own , and be no more troubled ; and that the children of wickedness shall not afflict them any more as aforetimes , * And since the day that I ordained judges to be over my people Israel ; and I have caused thee to rest from all thy enemies ; and the Lord telleth thee that he , the Lord , will make thee a house . * When thy days will be completed , and thou wilt sleep with thy fathers : then will I set up thy seed after thee , who shall proceed out of thy body , and I will establish his kingdom . * He it is that shall build a house for my name , and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever . * I too will be to him as a father , and he shall indeed be to me as a son : so that when he committeth iniquity , I will chastise him with the rod of men , and with the plagues of the children of man ; * But my kindness shall not depart from him , as I caused it to depart from Saul , whom I removed from before thee . * And thy house and thy kingdom shall be steadfast for ever before thee : thy throne shall be established for ever . * In accordance with all these words , and in accordance with all this vision , so did Nathan speak unto David . * Then went king David in , and sat down before the Lord , and he said , Who am I , O Lord Eternal ? and what is my house , that thou hast brought me as far as hitherward ? * And this was yet too small a thing in thine eyes , O Lord Eternal ; and thou hast spoken also of thy servant ’s house for a distant time . And is this the desert of man , O Lord Eternal ? * And what can David add yet more to speak unto thee ? since thou , O Lord Eternal , knowest well thy servant ? * For the sake of thy word , and in accordance with thy own heart , hast thou done all this great thing , so as to let thy servant know it . * Therefore art thou great , O Eternal God ; for there is none like thee , and there is no God beside thee , in accordance with all that we have heard with our ears . * And who is like thy people , like Israel , the only nation on the earth , which God went to redeem for himself as a people , and to acquire for himself a name , and to do for you this great deed , and fearful things for thy land , from before thy people which thou hast redeemed for thyself from Egypt , nations and their gods . * For thou hast established for thyself thy people Israel as a people unto thee for ever ; and thou , O Lord , art indeed become their God . * And now , O Eternal God , let the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant , and concerning his house , stand firm for ever , and do as thou hast spoken . * And let thy name be magnified unto everlasting , that men may say , The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel : and may the house of thy servant David be established before thee . * For thou , O Lord of hosts , the God of Israel , hast revealed to the ear of thy servant , saying , A house will be built up for thee ; therefore hath thy servant found the heart to pray unto thee this prayer . * And now , O Lord Eternal , thou art the God , and thy words must become the truth , and thou hast spoken unto thy servant this goodness : * And now let it please thee and bless the house of thy servant , that it may continue for ever before thee ; for thou , O Lord Eternal , hast spoken it ; and from thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever . * And it came to pass after this , that David smote the Philistines , and humbled them : and David took Metheg –haammah out of the hand of the Philistines .

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