What the Bible Says About King David: A Definition and Overview

Scripture

¹⁶ The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.”
² And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’
³ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you.”
⁴ Samuel did what the Lord commanded and came to Bethlehem.
⁵ And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
⁶ When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before him.”
⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
⁸ Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.”
⁹ Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.”
¹⁰ Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.”
¹¹ Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here.”
¹² And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.”
¹³ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.

1 Samuel 16:1-13

1 Samuel 17:12-58: ¹² Now David was the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem in Judah, named Jesse, who had eight sons. In the days of Saul, the man was already old and advanced in years.
¹³ The three oldest sons of Jesse had followed Saul to the battle. And the names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
¹⁴ David was the youngest. The three eldest followed Saul.
¹⁵ but David went back and forth from Saul to feed his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.
¹⁶ For forty days the Philistine came forward and took his stand, morning and evening.
¹⁷ And Jesse said to David his son, “Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers.
¹⁸ Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them.
¹⁹ Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.
²⁰ And David rose early in the morning and left the sheep with a keeper and took the provisions and went, as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the encampment as the host was going out to the battle line, shouting the war cry.
²¹ And Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army.
²² And David left the things in charge of the keeper of the baggage and ran to the ranks and went and greeted his brothers.
²³ As he talked with them, behold, the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, came up out of the ranks of the Philistines and spoke the same words as before. And David heard him.
²⁴ All the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were much afraid.
²⁵ And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.”
²⁶ And David said to the men who stood by him, “What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
²⁷ And the people answered him in the same way, “So shall it be done to the man who kills him.”
²⁸ Now Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spoke to the men. And Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, “Why have you come down? And with whom have you left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know your presumption and the evil of your heart, for you have come down to see the battle.”
²⁹ And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?”
³⁰ Then he turned away from him toward another, and spoke in the same way, and the people answered him again as before.
³¹ When the words that David spoke were heard, they repeated them before Saul, and he sent for him.
³² And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
³³ And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.”
³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock,
³⁵ I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him.
³⁶ Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.
³⁷ And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you!”
³⁸ Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail,
³⁹ Then David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. So David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off.
⁴⁰ Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.
⁴¹ And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him.
⁴² And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance.
⁴³ And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
⁴⁴ The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.”
⁴⁵ Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head.
⁴⁷ And that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand.
⁴⁸ When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.
⁴⁹ And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.
⁵⁰ So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David.
⁵¹ Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
⁵² And the men of Israel and Judah rose with a shout and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and the gates of Ekron, so that the wounded Philistines fell on the way from Shaaraim as far as Gath and Ekron.
⁵³ And the people of Israel came back from chasing the Philistines, and they plundered their camp.
⁵⁴ Then David took the head of the Philistine and brought it to Jerusalem, but he put his armor in his tent.
⁵⁵ As soon as Saul saw David go out against the Philistine, he said to Abner, the commander of the army, “Abner, whose son is this youth?” And Abner said, “As your soul lives, O king, I do not know.”
⁵⁶ The king said, “Inquire whose son the boy is.”
⁵⁷ And as David returned from the striking down of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand.
⁵⁸ And Saul said to him, “Whose son are you, young man?” And David answered, “I am the son of your servant Jesse the Bethlehemite.”

1 Samuel 18:1-30: ¹ As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
² And Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house.
³ Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul.
⁴ And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt.
⁵ And David went out and was successful wherever Saul sent him, so that Saul set him over the men of war. And this was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.
⁶ As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments.
⁷ And the women sang to one another as they celebrated, “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”
⁸ And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?”
⁹ And Saul eyed David from that day on.
¹⁰ The next day a harmful spirit from God rushed upon Saul, and he raved within his house while David was playing the lyre, as he did day by day. Saul had his spear in his hand.
¹¹ And Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David evaded him twice.
¹² Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul.
¹³ So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand. And he went out and came in before the people.
¹⁴ And David had success in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him.
¹⁵ And when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him.
¹⁶ But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them.
¹⁷ Then Saul said to David, “Here is my elder daughter Merab. I will give her to you for a wife. Only be valiant for me and fight the Lord’s battles.” For Saul thought, “Let not my hand be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”
¹⁸ Then David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?”
¹⁹ But at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife.
²⁰ Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.
²¹ Saul thought, “I will give her to him, that she may be a snare for him and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time, “You shall now be my son-in-law.”
²² And Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David in private and say, ‘Behold, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now then become the king’s son-in-law.’”
²³ And Saul’s servants spoke those words in the ears of David. And David said, “Does it seem to you a little thing to become the king’s son-in-law, since I am a poor man and have no reputation?”
²⁴ And the servants of Saul told him, “Thus and so did David speak.”
²⁵ Then Saul said, “Thus shall you say to David, ‘The king desires no bride-price except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, that he may be avenged of the king’s enemies.’” Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
²⁶ And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son-in-law.
²⁷ David arose and went, along with his men, and killed two hundred of the Philistines. And David brought their foreskins, which were given in full number to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife.
²⁸ Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him.
²⁹ And Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David’s enemy continually.
³⁰ Then the princes of the Philistines came out to battle, and as often as they came out, David had more success than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly esteemed.

1 Samuel 19:1-24: ¹ And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David.
² And Jonathan told David, “Saul my father seeks to kill you. Therefore be on your guard in the morning. Stay in a secret place and hide yourself.
³ And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you. And if I learn anything I will tell you.”
⁴ And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you.
⁵ For he took his life in his hand and he struck down the Philistine, and the Lord worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause?”
⁶ And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.”
⁷ And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan reported to him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.
⁸ And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great blow, so that they fled before him.
⁹ Then a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing the lyre.
¹⁰ And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.
¹¹ Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, that he might kill him in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, told him, “If you do not escape with your life tonight, tomorrow you will be killed.”
¹² So Michal let David down through the window, and he fled away and escaped.
¹³ Michal took an image and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goats’ hair at its head and covered it with the clothes.
¹⁴ And when David fled and escaped, he came to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived at Naioth.
¹⁵ Then Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may kill him.”
¹⁶ And when the messengers came in, behold, the image was in the bed, with the pillow of goats’ hair at its head.
¹⁷ And Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me so and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go. Why should I kill you?’”
¹⁸ Now David fled and escaped, and he came to Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and lived at Naioth.
¹⁹ And it was told Saul, “Behold, David is at Naioth in Ramah.”
²⁰ Then Saul sent messengers to take David, and when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel standing as head over them, the Spirit of God came upon the messengers of Saul, and they also prophesied.
²¹ And when it was told Saul, he sent other messengers, and they also prophesied. And Saul sent messengers again the third time, and they also prophesied.
²² Then he himself went to Ramah and came to the great well that is in Secu. And he asked, “Where are Samuel and David?” And one said, “Behold, they are at Naioth in Ramah.”
²³ And he went there to Naioth in Ramah. And the Spirit of God came upon him also, and as he went he prophesied until he came to Naioth in Ramah.
²⁴ And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”

1 Samuel 20:1-42: ¹ Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?”
² he said to him, “Far be it from you! You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. And why should my father hide this from me? It is not so.”
³ Then David took an oath again, and said, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he thinks, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.”
⁴ Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.”
⁵ David said to Jonathan, “Behold, tomorrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit at table with the king. But let me go, that I may hide myself in the field till the third day at evening.
⁶ If your father misses me at all, then say, ‘David earnestly asked leave of me to run to Bethlehem his city, for there is a yearly sacrifice there for all the clan.’
⁷ If he says, ‘Good!’ it will be well with your servant, but if he is angry, then know that harm is determined by him.
⁸ Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. But if there is guilt in me, kill me yourself, for why should you bring me to your father?”
⁹ And Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! If I knew that it was determined by my father that harm should come to you, would I not tell you?”
¹⁰ Then David said to Jonathan, “Who will tell me if your father answers you roughly?”
¹¹ Jonathan said to David, “Come, let us go out into the field.” So they both went out into the field.
¹² And Jonathan said to David, “The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness! When I have sounded out my father, about this time tomorrow, or the third day, behold, if he is well disposed toward David, shall I not then send and disclose it to you?
¹³ But should it please my father to do you harm, the Lord do so to Jonathan and more also if I do not disclose it to you and send you away, that you may go in safety. May the Lord be with you, as he has been with my father.
¹⁴ If I am still alive, show me the steadfast love of the Lord, that I may not die;
¹⁵ but do not cut off your steadfast love from my house forever, when the Lord cuts off every one of the enemies of David from the face of the earth.
¹⁶ So Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord take vengeance on David’s enemies.”
¹⁷ And Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him, for he loved him as he loved his own soul.
¹⁸ Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty.
¹⁹ And on the third day I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a mark.
²⁰ I will shoot three arrows to the side of it, as though I shot at a mark.
²¹ And behold, I will send the boy, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I say to the boy, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you, take them,’ then you are to come, for, as the Lord lives, it is safe for you and there is no danger.
²² But if I say to the youth, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you,’ then go, for the Lord has sent you away.
²³ And as for the matter of which you and I have spoken, behold, the Lord is between you and me forever.”
²⁴ So David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food.
²⁵ And the king sat on his seat, as at other times, on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat opposite, and Abner sat by Saul’s side, but David’s place was empty.
²⁶ Nevertheless, Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him. He is not clean; surely he is not clean.”
²⁷ But on the second day, the day after the new moon, David’s place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?”
²⁸ Then Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem.
²⁹ He said, ‘Let me go, for our clan holds a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away and see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king’s table.”
³⁰ Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?
³¹ For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Therefore send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die.”
³² And Jonathan answered Saul his father, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?”
³³ But Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him. So Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.
³⁴ Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and ate no food the second day of the month, for he was grieved for David, because his father had disgraced him.
³⁵ In the morning Jonathan went out into the field to the appointment with David, and with him a little boy.
³⁶ And he said to his servant, “Run, find the arrows that I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him.
³⁷ And when the boy had come to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?”
³⁸ And Jonathan called after the boy, “Hurry! Be quick! Do not stay!” So Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master.
³⁹ But the boy knew nothing. Only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
⁴⁰ Then Jonathan gave his weapons to his boy and said to him, “Go and carry them to the city.”
⁴¹ And as soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed one another and wept with one another, David weeping the most.
⁴² Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’” And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.

1 Samuel 21:1-15: ¹ Then David came to Nob to Ahimelech the priest. And Ahimelech came to meet David trembling and said to him, “Why are you alone, and no one with you?”
² And David said to Ahimelech the priest, “The king has charged me with a matter and said to me, ‘Let no one know anything of the matter about which I send you, and with which I have charged you.’ I have made an appointment with the young men for such and such a place.
³ Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.”
⁴ And the priest answered David, “I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread—if the young men have kept themselves from women.”
⁵ And David answered the priest, “Truly women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?”
⁶ So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.
⁷ Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s herdsmen.
⁸ And David said to Ahimelech, “Is there not here on hand a spear or a sword? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.”
⁹ And the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here.” And David said, “There is none like that; give it to me.”
¹⁰ And David rose and fled that day from Saul and went to Achish the king of Gath.
¹¹ And the servants of Achish said to him, “Is not this David the king of the land? Did they not sing to one another of him in dances, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”
¹² And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath.
¹³ So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard.
¹⁴ Then Achish said to his servants, “Behold, you see the man is mad. Why then have you brought him to me?
¹⁵ Have I need of mad men, that you have brought this fellow to behave as a mad man in my presence? Shall this fellow come into my house?”

1 Samuel 22:1-23: ¹ David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam.
² And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men.
³ And David went from there to Mizpeh of Moab. And he said to the king of Moab, “Please let my father and my mother stay with you, till I know what God will do for me.”
⁴ And he left them with the king of Moab, and they stayed with him all the time that David was in the stronghold.
⁵ Then the prophet Gad said to David, “Do not remain in the stronghold; depart, and go into the land of Judah.” So David departed and went into the forest of Hereth.
⁶ Now Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men who were with him. Saul was sitting at Gibeah under the tamarisk tree on the height with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him.
⁷ And Saul said to his servants who stood about him, “Hear now, people of Benjamin; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds,
⁸ that all of you have conspired against me? No one discloses to me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. And none of you is sorry for me or discloses to me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day.”
⁹ Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub,
¹⁰ And he inquired of the Lord for him and gave him provisions. He also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
¹¹ Then the king sent to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father’s house, the priests who were at Nob, and all of them came to the king.
¹² And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub.” And he answered, “Here I am, my lord.”
¹³ And Saul said to him, “Why have you conspired against me, you and the son of Jesse, in that you have given him bread and a sword and have inquired of God for him, so that he has risen against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?”
¹⁴ Then Ahimelech answered the king, “And who among all your servants is so faithful as David, who is the king’s son-in-law, and captain over your bodyguard, and honored in your house?
¹⁵ Did I then begin to inquire of God for him? No! Far be it from me. Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, much or little.”
¹⁶ And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father’s house.”
¹⁷ And the king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the Lord.
¹⁸ Then the king said to Doeg, “You turn and strike the priests.” And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests, and he killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod.
¹⁹ And Nob, the city of the priests, he put to the sword; both man and woman, child and infant, ox, donkey, and sheep, he put to the sword.
²⁰ But one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped and fled after David.
²¹ And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the priests of the Lord.
²² And David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father’s house.
²³ Stay with me; do not be afraid, for he who seeks my life seeks your life. With me you shall be safe.”

1 Samuel 23:1-29: ⁶ When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand.
² Therefore David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” And the Lord said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”
³ But David’s men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah; how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?”
⁴ Once again David inquired of the Lord, and the Lord answered him, “Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand.”
⁵ So David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines and brought away their livestock and struck them with a great blow. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
⁶ When Abiathar the son of Ahimelech had fled to David to Keilah, he had come down with an ephod in his hand.
⁷ Now it was told Saul that David had come to Keilah. And Saul said, “God has given him into my hand, for he has shut himself in by entering a town that has gates and bars.”
⁸ And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.
⁹ David knew that Saul was plotting harm against him. And he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod here.”
¹⁰ And David said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, your servant has surely heard that Saul seeks to come to Keilah, to destroy the city on my account.
¹¹ Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as your servant has heard? O Lord, the God of Israel, please tell your servant.” And the Lord said, “He will come down.”
Then David said, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my men into the hand of Saul?” And the Lord said, “They will surrender you.”
¹³ Then David and his men, who were about six hundred, arose and departed from Keilah, and they went wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up the expedition.
¹⁴ And David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.
¹⁵ David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh.
¹⁶ And Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God.
¹⁷ And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this.”
¹⁸ And the two of them made a covenant before the Lord. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.
Then the Ziphites went up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding among us in the strongholds at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah, which is south of Jeshimon?”
²⁰ Now come down, O king, according to all your heart’s desire to come down, and our part shall be to surrender him into the king’s hand.”
²¹ And Saul said, “May you be blessed by the Lord, for you have had compassion on me.
²² Please, go, make sure yet again. Know and see the place where his foot is, and who has seen him there, for it is told me that he is very cunning.
²³ See therefore and take note of all the lurking places where he hides, and come back to me with sure information. Then I will go with you. And if he is in the land, I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”
²⁴ And they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon.
²⁵ And Saul and his men went to seek him. And David was told, so he went down to the rock and lived in the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the wilderness of Maon.
²⁶ And Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them,
²⁷ But a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land.”
²⁸ So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape.
²⁹ And David went up from there and lived in the strongholds of Engedi.

1 Samuel 24:1-22: ¹ When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, “Behold, David is in the wilderness of Engedi.”
² Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel and went to seek David and his men in front of the Wildgoats’ Rocks.
³ And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave.
⁴ And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
⁵ And afterward David’s heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
⁶ He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord’s anointed.”
⁷ So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.
⁸ Afterward David also arose and went out of the cave, and called after Saul, “My lord the king!” And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the earth and paid homage.
⁹ And David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to the words of men who say, ‘Behold, David seeks your harm’?
¹⁰ Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the Lord gave you today into my hand in the cave. And some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, ‘I will not put out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.’
¹¹ See, my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand. For by the fact that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you, you may know and see that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt my life to take it.
¹² May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you.
¹³ As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes wickedness.’ But my hand shall not be against you.
¹⁴ After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog! After a flea!
¹⁵ May the Lord therefore be judge and give sentence between me and you, and see to it and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand.”
¹⁶ As soon as David had finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” And Saul lifted up his voice and wept.
¹⁷ He said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil.
¹⁸ And you have declared this day how you have dealt well with me, in that you did not kill me when the Lord put me into your hands.
¹⁹ For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safe? So may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day.
²⁰ And now, behold, I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.
²¹ Swear to me therefore by the Lord that you will not cut off my offspring after me, and that you will not destroy my name out of my father’s house.
²² And David swore this to Saul. Then Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold.

1 Samuel 25:1-44: ²⁵ Now Samuel died. And all Israel assembled and mourned for him, and they buried him in his house at Ramah.
² And there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. The man was very rich; he had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats.
³ Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. The woman was discerning and beautiful, but the man was harsh and badly behaved; he was a Calebite.
⁴ David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.
⁵ So David sent ten young men. And David said to the young men, “Go up to Carmel, and go to Nabal and greet him in my name.
⁶ And thus you shall greet him: ‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.
⁷ I hear that you have shearers. Now your shepherds have been with us, and we did them no harm, and they missed nothing all the time they were in Carmel.
⁸ Ask your young men, and they will tell you. Therefore let my young men find favor in your eyes, for we come on a feast day. Please give whatever you have at hand to your servants and to your son David.
⁹ When David’s young men came, they said all this to Nabal in the name of David, and then they waited.
¹⁰ And Nabal answered David’s servants, “Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants these days who are breaking away from their masters.
¹¹ Shall I take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers and give it to men who come from I do not know where?”
¹² So David’s young men turned away and came back and told him all this.
¹³ And David said to his men, “Every man strap on his sword!” And every man of them strapped on his sword. David also strapped on his sword.
¹⁴ But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to greet our master, and he railed at them.
¹⁵ Yet the men were very good to us, and we suffered no harm, and we did not miss anything when we were in the fields, as long as we went with them.
¹⁶ They were a wall to us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.
¹⁷ Now therefore know this and consider what you should do, for harm is determined against our master and against all his house, and he is such a worthless man that one cannot speak to him.”
¹⁸ Then Abigail made haste and took two hundred loaves and two skins of wine and five sheep already prepared and five seahs of parched grain and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on donkeys.
¹⁹ And she said to her young men, “Go on before me; behold, I come after you.” But she did not tell her husband Nabal.
²⁰ And as she rode on the donkey and came down under cover of the mountain, behold, David and his men came down toward her, and she met them.
²¹ Now David had said, “Surely in vain have I guarded all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him, and he has returned me evil for good.
²² God do so to the enemies of David and more also, if by morning I leave so much as one male of all who belong to him.”
²³ When Abigail saw David, she hurried and got down from the donkey and fell before David on her face and bowed to the ground.
²⁴ She fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant.
²⁵ Please let not my lord regard this worthless fellow, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. But I your servant did not see the young men of my lord, whom you sent.
²⁶ Now then, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, because the Lord has restrained you from bloodguilt and from saving with your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal.
²⁷ And now this present that your servant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord.
²⁸ Please forgive the trespass of your servant.
²⁹ If men rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the Lord your God. And the lives of your enemies he shall sling out as from the hollow of a sling.
³⁰ And when the Lord has done to my lord according to all the good that he has spoken concerning you and has appointed you prince over Israel,
³¹ that this shall be no grief to you or pangs of heart to my lord, either that you have shed blood without cause or that my lord has avenged himself. And when the Lord has dealt well with my lord, then remember your servant.”
³² And David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me!
³³ Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodguilt and from working salvation with my own hand.
³⁴ Nevertheless, as your soul lives, the Lord, the God of Israel, who has restrained me from hurting you, unless you had hurried and come to meet me, truly by morning there had not been left to Nabal so much as one male.”
³⁵ So David received from her hand what she had brought him and said to her, “Go up in peace to your house. See, I have obeyed your voice and granted your petition.”
³⁶ And Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk. So she told him nothing at all until the morning light.
³⁷ In the morning, when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.
³⁸ And about ten days later the Lord struck Nabal, and he died.
³⁹ When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord who has avenged the insult I received at the hand of Nabal, and has kept back his servant from wrongdoing. The Lord has returned the evil of Nabal on his own head.” Then David sent and spoke to Abigail, to take her as his wife.
⁴⁰ When the servants of David came to Abigail at Carmel, they said to her, “David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife.”
⁴¹ And she rose and bowed with her face to the ground and said, “Behold, your handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.”
⁴² And Abigail hurried and rose and mounted a donkey, and her five young women attended her. She followed the messengers of David and became his wife.
⁴³ David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and both of them became his wives.
⁴⁴ Saul had given Michal his daughter, David’s wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.

1 Samuel 26:1-25: ¹ Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “Is not David hiding himself on the hill of Hachilah, which is on the east of Jeshimon?”
² So Saul arose and went down to the wilderness of Ziph with three thousand chosen men of Israel to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
³ And Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, which is beside the road on the east of Jeshimon. But David remained in the wilderness.
⁴ David sent out spies and learned that Saul had come in very deed.
⁵ Then David rose and came to the place where Saul had encamped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, with Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was lying within the encampment, while the army was encamped around him.
⁶ Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab’s brother Abishai the son of Zeruiah, “Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.”
⁷ So David and Abishai went to the army by night. And there lay Saul sleeping within the encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head, and Abner and the army lay around him.
⁸ Then said Abishai to David, “God has given your enemy into your hand this day. Now please let me pin him to the earth with one stroke of the spear, and I will not strike him twice.”
⁹ But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him, for who can put out his hand against the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless?”
¹⁰ And David said, “As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish.
¹¹ The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed.
¹² So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul’s head, and they went away. No man saw it or knew it, nor did any awake, for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them.
¹³ Then David went over to the other side and stood far off on the top of the hill, with a great space between them.
¹⁴ And David called out to the army and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, “Will you not answer, Abner?” Then Abner answered, “Who are you who calls to the king?”
¹⁵ And David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy your lord the king.
¹⁶ This thing that you have done is not good. As the Lord lives, you deserve to die, because you have not kept watch over your lord, the Lord’s anointed. And now see where the king’s spear is and the jar of water that was at his head.”
¹⁷ The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness, for the Lord gave you into my hand today, and I would not put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed.
¹⁸ And he said, “Why does my lord pursue after his servant? For what have I done? What evil is on my hands?
¹⁹ Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is the Lord who has stirred you up against me, may he accept an offering, but if it is men, may they be cursed before the Lord, for they have driven me out this day that I should have no share in the heritage of the Lord, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’
²⁰ Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the presence of the Lord, for the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains.
²¹ Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Behold, I have acted foolishly, and have made a great mistake.”
²² And David answered and said, “Here is the spear, O king! Let one of the young men come over and take it.
²³ The Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness, for the Lord gave you into my hand today, and I would not put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed.
²⁴ Behold, as your life was precious this day in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may he deliver me out of all tribulation.
²⁵ Then Saul said to David, “Blessed be you, my son David! You will do many things and will succeed in them.” So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.

1 Samuel 27:1-12: ¹ Then David said in his heart, “Now I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.”
² And David arose and went over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
³ David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal’s widow.
⁴ And when it was told Saul that David had fled to Gath, he no longer sought him.
⁵ Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be given me in one of the country towns, that I may dwell there. For why should your servant dwell in the royal city with you?”
⁶ So Achish gave him Ziklag that day. Therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day.
⁷ And the number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.
⁸ Now David and his men went up and made raids against the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites, for these were the inhabitants of the land from of old, as far as Shur, to the land of Egypt.
⁹ Now David would strike the land and would leave neither man nor woman alive, but would take away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the garments, and come back to Achish.
¹⁰ When Achish asked, “Where have you made a raid today?” David would say, “Against the Negeb of Judah,” or “Against the Negeb of the Jerahmeelites,” or, “Against the Negeb of the Kenites.”
¹¹ David would leave neither man nor woman alive to bring news to Gath, thinking, “lest they should tell about us and say, ‘So David has done.’” Such was his custom all the while he lived in the country of the Philistines.
¹² And Achish trusted David, thinking, “He has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel; therefore he shall always be my servant.”

1 Samuel 28:1-2: ³ Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. And Saul had put the mediums and the necromancers out of the land.
² And David said to Achish, “Very well, you shall know what your servant can do.”

1 Samuel 29:1-11: ¹ Now the Philistines had gathered all their forces at Aphek, and the Israelites were encamped by the spring that is in Jezreel.
² As the lords of the Philistines were passing on by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing in the rear with Achish,
³ The commanders of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me now for days and years, and since he deserted to me I have found no fault in him to this day.”
⁴ But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him. And the commanders of the Philistines said to him, “Send the man back, that he may return to the place to which you have assigned him. He shall not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us. For how could this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men here?
⁵ Is not this David, of whom they sing to one another in dances, ‘Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands’?”
⁶ Then Achish called David and said to him, “As the Lord lives, you have been honest, and to me it seems right that you should march out and in with me in the campaign. For I have found nothing wrong in you from the day of your coming to me to this day. But the lords do not approve of you.
⁷ And now return and go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.”
⁸ And David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”
⁹ And Achish answered David and said, “I know that you are as blameless in my sight as an angel of God. But the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’
¹⁰ Now then rise early in the morning with the servants of your lord who came with you, and start early in the morning, and depart as soon as you have light.”
¹¹ So David set out with his men early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

1 Samuel 30:1-31: ¹ Then David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day.
² They had taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great. They killed no one, but carried them off and went their way.
³ So David and his men came to the city, and there it was, burned with fire, and their wives, their sons, and their daughters had been taken captive.
⁴ Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept until they had no more strength to weep.
⁵ David’s two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.
⁶ And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
⁷ And David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David.
⁸ And David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.”
⁹ So David set out, and the six hundred men who were with him, and they came to the brook Besor, where those who were left behind stayed.
¹⁰ But David pursued, he and four hundred men. Two hundred stayed behind, who were too exhausted to cross the brook Besor.
¹¹ They found an Egyptian in the open country and brought him to David. And they gave him bread and he ate. They gave him water to drink,
¹² and they gave him a piece of a cake of figs and two clusters of raisins. And when he had eaten, his spirit revived, for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights.
¹³ And David said to him, “To whom do you belong? And where are you from?” He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite, and my master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago.
¹⁴ We had made a raid against the Negeb of the Cherethites and against that which belongs to Judah and against the Negeb of Caleb, and we burned Ziklag with fire.”
¹⁵ And David said to him, “Will you take me down to this band?” And he said, “Swear to me that you will not kill me or deliver me into the hands of my master, and I will take you down to this band.”
¹⁶ And when he had taken him down, behold, they were spread abroad over all the land, eating and drinking and dancing, because of all the great spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah.
¹⁷ And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day, and not a man of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled.
¹⁸ David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives.
¹⁹ Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. David brought back all.
²⁰ David captured all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them before the other livestock, and said, “This is David’s spoil.”
²¹ Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David, and who had been left at the brook Besor. And they went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. And when David came near to the people, he greeted them.
²² Then all the wicked and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except that each man may lead away his wife and children, and depart.”
²³ But David said, “You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us he has preserved us and given into our hand the band that came against us.
²⁴ For who would listen to you in this matter? For as his share is who goes down into the battle, so shall his share be who stays by the baggage. They shall share alike.”
²⁵ And from that day forward he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.
²⁶ When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord.”
²⁷ to those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, to those in Jattir,
²⁸ and to those who were in Aroer, and to those who were in Siphmoth, and to those who were in Eshtemoa,
²⁹ and to those in Racal, to those in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, to those in the cities of the Kenites,
³⁰ also to those in Hebron, and to all the places where David and his men had roamed.
³¹ and to those who were in Hebron, and to all the places where David himself and his men had roamed.

1 Samuel 31:1-13: ¹ Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
² And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul.
³ The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers.
⁴ Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it.
⁵ And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him.
⁶ Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together.
⁷ And when the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them.
⁸ The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
⁹ They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people.
¹⁰ They put his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.
¹¹ But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
¹² all the valiant men arose and went all night and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan, and they came to Jabesh and burned them there.
¹³ And they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh and fasted seven days.

2 Samuel 1:1-27: ¹ After the death of Saul, when David had returned from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag.
² It happened on the third day that a man came from Saul’s camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. And when he came to David, he fell to the ground and paid homage.
³ And David said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.”
⁴ And David said to him, “How did it go? Tell me.” And he answered, “The people fled from the battle, and also many of the people have fallen and are dead, and Saul and his son Jonathan are also dead.”
⁵ And David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”
⁶ And the young man who told him said, “By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and there was Saul leaning on his spear, and behold, the chariots and the horsemen were close upon him.”
⁷ And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, ‘Here I am.’
⁸ And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’
⁹ And he said to me, ‘Stand beside me and kill me, for anguish has seized me, and yet my life still lingers.’
¹⁰ So I stood beside him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”
¹¹ Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him.
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.
¹³ And David said to the young man who told him, “Where do you come from?” And he answered, “I am the son of a sojourner, an Amalekite.”
¹⁴ And David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?”
¹⁵ And David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died.
¹⁶ And David said to him, “Your blood be on your head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed.’”
¹⁷ And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son
And he said it should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar.
¹⁹ “Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen!”
²⁰ Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.
²¹ “You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor fields of offerings! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.”
²² From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.
²³ “Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely! In life and in death they were not divided; they were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions.”
²⁴ “You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet, who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.”
²⁵ How the mighty have fallen in the midst of the battle!
²⁶ I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women.
²⁷ “How the mighty have fallen, and the weapons of war perished!”

2 Samuel 2:1-32: ¹ After this David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” David said, “To which shall I go up?” And he said, “To Hebron.”
² So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.
³ And David brought up his men who were with him, everyone with his household, and they lived in the towns of Hebron.
⁴ And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.
⁵ David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead and said to them, “May you be blessed by the Lord, because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord and buried him.
⁶ Now may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you. And I will do good to you because you have done this thing.
⁷ Now therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant, for Saul your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”
⁸ But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim.
⁹ And he made him king over Gilead, and the Ashurites, and Jezreel, and Ephraim, and Benjamin, and all Israel.
¹⁰ Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.
¹¹ And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
¹² Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
¹³ And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. And they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.
¹⁴ And Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men arise and compete before us.” And Joab said, “Let them arise.”
¹⁵ So they arose and passed over by number, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
¹⁶ And each caught his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side, so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is at Gibeon.
¹⁷ And there was a very fierce battle that day, and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.
¹⁸ Now the three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. And Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle.
¹⁹ And Asahel pursued Abner, and as he went, he turned neither to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.
²⁰ So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon.
²¹ And Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and seize one of the young men and take his spoil.” But Asahel would not turn aside from following him.
²² And Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I lift up my face to your brother Joab?”
²³ But he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of the spear, so that the spear came out at his back. And he fell there and died where he was. And all who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.
²⁴ But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. And as the sun was going down they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.
²⁵ The sons of Benjamin also rallied to Abner and became one band with him.
²⁶ Then Abner called to Joab, “Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter? How long will it be before you tell your people to turn from the pursuit of their brothers?”
²⁷ And Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, surely the men would not have given up the pursuit of their brothers until the morning.”
²⁸ So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the men stopped and pursued Israel no more, nor did they fight anymore.
²⁹ Abner and his men went all that night through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, and marching the whole morning, they came to Mahanaim.
³⁰ But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. And as the sun was going down they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.
³¹ But the servants of David had struck down of Benjamin 360 of Abner’s men.
³² And they took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was at Bethlehem. And Joab and his men marched all night, and the day broke upon them at Hebron.

2 Samuel 3:1-39: ¹ There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. And David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker.
² And sons were born to David at Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam of Jezreel;
³ and his second, Chileab, of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; and the third, Absalom the son of Maacah the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;
⁴ And the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;
⁵ And the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah, David’s wife. These were born to David in Hebron.
⁶ While there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul.
⁷ And Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. And Ish-bosheth said to Abner, “Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?”
⁸ Then Abner was very angry over the words of Ish-bosheth and said, “Am I a dog’s head of Judah? To this day I keep showing steadfast love to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not given you into the hand of David. And yet you charge me today with a fault concerning a woman.
⁹ God do so to Abner and more also, if I do not accomplish for David what the Lord has sworn to him,
¹⁰ to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beersheba.”
¹¹ And he could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.
¹² And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, “To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to bring over all Israel to you.”
¹³ And he said, “Good; I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you; that is, you shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul’s daughter, when you come to see my face.”
¹⁴ Then David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, saying, “Give me my wife Michal, for whom I paid the bridal price of a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.”
¹⁵ And Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband Paltiel the son of Laish.
¹⁶ And her husband went with her, weeping after her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go, return.” And he returned.
¹⁷ And Abner conferred with the elders of Israel, saying, “For some time past you have been seeking David as king over you.
¹⁸ Now then bring it about, for the Lord has promised David, saying, ‘By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and from the hand of all their enemies.’”
¹⁹ Abner also spoke to Benjamin. And then Abner went to tell David at Hebron all that Israel and the whole house of Benjamin thought good to do.
²⁰ So Abner came to David at Hebron, and twenty men along with him. And David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him.
²¹ And Abner said to David, “I will arise and go and will gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires.” So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.
²² Just then the servants of David arrived with Joab from a raid, bringing much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David at Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace.
²³ When Joab and all the army that was with him came, it was told Joab, “Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has let him go, and he has gone in peace.”
²⁴ Then Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you. Why is it that you have sent him away, so that he is gone?”
²⁵ You know that Abner the son of Ner came to deceive you and to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you are doing.”
²⁶ When Joab came out from David’s presence, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern of Sirah. But David did not know about it.
²⁷ And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him privately, and there he struck him in the stomach, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.
²⁸ When David heard of it, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the Lord for the blood of Abner the son of Ner.
²⁹ May it fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father’s house, and may the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge or who is leprous or who holds a spindle or who falls by the sword or who lacks bread!”
³⁰ So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon.
³¹ Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and mourn before Abner.” And King David followed the bier.
³² And they buried Abner at Hebron. And the king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept.
³³ And the king lamented for Abner, saying, “Should Abner die as a fool dies?
³⁴ Your hands were not bound; your feet were not fettered; as one falls before the wicked you have fallen.” And all the people wept again over him.
³⁵ Then all the people came to persuade David to eat bread while it was yet day. But David swore, saying, “God do so to me and more also, if I taste bread or anything else till the sun goes down.”
³⁶ Then all the people took notice of it, and it pleased them, as everything that the king did pleased all the people.
³⁷ For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the king’s will to put to death Abner the son of Ner.
³⁸ And the king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel?
³⁹ And I am weak today, though anointed king. These men, the sons of Zeruiah, are more severe than I. The Lord repay the evildoer according to his wickedness!”

2 Samuel 4:1-12: ¹ When Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, heard that Abner had died at Hebron, his courage failed, and all Israel was dismayed.
² And Saul’s son had two men who were captains of raiding bands; the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, sons of Rimmon a man of Benjamin from Beeroth, for Beeroth also is counted part of Benjamin.
³ And the Beerothites fled to Gittaim and have been sojourners there to this day.
⁴ Jonathan, the son of Saul, had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled, and as she fled in her haste, he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.
⁵ Now the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out, and about the heat of the day they came to the house of Ish-bosheth as he was taking his noonday rest.
⁶ And they came into the midst of the house as if to get wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.
⁷ And when they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him and put him to death and beheaded him. They took his head and went by the way of the Arabah all night,
⁸ And they brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life. The Lord has avenged my lord the king this day on Saul and on his offspring.”
⁹ But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity,
¹⁰ when one told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news.
¹¹ How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and destroy you from the earth?”
¹² And David commanded his young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and feet and hanged them beside the pool at Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it in the tomb of Abner at Hebron.

2 Samuel 5:1-25: ¹ Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh.
² In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’”
³ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel.
⁴ David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
⁵ And David sent and gathered together the elders of Israel and the priests and the Levites.
⁶ And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off”—thinking, “David cannot come in here.”
⁷ Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David.
⁸ And David said on that day, “Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack ‘the lame and the blind,’ who are hated by David’s soul.” Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.”
⁹ And David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. And David built the city all around from the Millo inward.
¹⁰ And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.
¹¹ And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also carpenters and masons who built David a house.
¹² And David knew that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.
¹³ And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David.
¹⁴ And these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,
¹⁵ David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.
¹⁶ And Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet.
¹⁷ When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. But David heard of it and went down to the stronghold.
¹⁸ Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
¹⁹ And David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” And the Lord said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.”
²⁰ So David came to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there. And he said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like a breaking flood.” So the name of that place is called Baal-perazim.
²¹ And the Philistines left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.
²² And the Philistines came up yet again and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim.
²³ And when David inquired of the Lord, he said, “You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come against them opposite the balsam trees.
²⁴ And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the Lord has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.
²⁵ And David did as the Lord commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.

2 Samuel 6:1-23: ¹ David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.
² And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim.
³ And they carried the ark of God on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart.
⁴ And they brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart,
⁵ And David and all the house of Israel were making merry before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.
⁶ And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled.
⁷ And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God.
⁸ And David was angry because the Lord had burst forth against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah, to this day.
⁹ And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?”
¹⁰ So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.
¹¹ 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.
¹² And it was told King David, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing.
¹³ And when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal.
¹⁴ And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod.
¹⁵ So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn.
¹⁶ As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.
¹⁷ And they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.
¹⁸ And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts.
¹⁹ And distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat, and a cake of raisins to each one. Then all the people departed, each to his house.
²⁰ And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!”
²¹ And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will make merry before the Lord.
²² I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your eyes.
²³ And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

2 Samuel 7:1-29: ¹ Now when the king lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies,
² that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent.”
³ And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.”
⁴ But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan,
⁵ “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Would you build me a house to dwell in?
⁶ I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling.
⁷ In all the places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”
⁸ Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel.
⁹ And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.
¹⁰ And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly,
¹¹ from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house.
¹² When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
¹³ He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
¹⁴ I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,
¹⁵ but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.
¹⁶ And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.
¹⁷ In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.
¹⁸ Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?
¹⁹ And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God. You have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and this is instruction for mankind, O Lord God!
²⁰ And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God!
²¹ Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have brought about all this greatness, to make your servant know it.
²² Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
²³ And who is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making himself a name and doing for them great and awesome things by driving out before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, a nation and its gods?
²⁴ For you established for yourself your people Israel to be your people forever. And you, O Lord, became their God.
²⁵ And now, O Lord God, confirm forever the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, and do as you have spoken.
²⁶ And your name will be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you.
²⁷ For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you.
²⁸ And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant.
²⁹ Now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”

2 Samuel 8:1-18: ¹ After this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and David took Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines.
² And he defeated Moab and measured them with a line, making them lie down on the ground. Two lines he measured to be put to death, and one full line to be spared. And the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute.
³ David also defeated Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to restore his power at the river Euphrates.
⁴ And David took from him 1,700 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers. And David hamstrung all the chariot horses but left enough for 100 chariots.
⁵ And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand men of the Syrians.
⁶ Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Syrians became servants to David and brought tribute. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.
⁷ And David took the shields of gold that were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.
⁸ And from Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took very much bronze.
⁹ When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer,
¹⁰ then Toi sent Joram his son to King David, to ask about his health and to bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Hadadezer had often been at war with Toi. And Joram brought with him articles of silver, of gold, and of bronze.
¹¹ King David also dedicated these to the Lord, together with the silver and gold that he had dedicated from all the nations he subdued,
¹² from Edom, and from Moab, and from the Ammonites, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek. And David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
¹³ And David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
¹⁴ He put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and all the Edomites became David’s servants. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.
¹⁵ So David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people.
¹⁶ Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder.
¹⁷ and Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests, and Seraiah was secretary;
¹⁸ and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and David’s sons were priests.

2 Samuel 9:1-13: ¹ And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
² And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba. And they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “I am your servant.”
³ And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?” Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.”
⁴ And the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.”
⁵ Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.
⁶ And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!” And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.”
⁷ And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.”
⁸ And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”
⁹ Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson.
¹⁰ And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
¹¹ Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so will your servant do.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table, like one of the king’s sons.
¹² And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house became Mephibosheth’s servants.
¹³ So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate always at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.

2 Samuel 10:1-19: ¹ After this the king of the Ammonites died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place.
² And David said, “I will deal loyally with Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father dealt loyally with me.” So David sent by his servants to console him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the Ammonites.
³ But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it?”
⁴ So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half the beard of each and cut off their garments in the middle, at their hips, and sent them away.
⁵ When they told it to David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown and then return.”
⁶ When the Ammonites saw that they had become a stench to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Syrians of Beth-rehob, and the Syrians of Zobah, 20,000 foot soldiers, and the king of Maacah with 1,000 men, and the men of Tob, 12,000 men.
⁷ And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the host of the mighty men.
⁸ The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle array at the entrance of the gate, and the Syrians of Zobah and of Rehob, and the men of Tob and Maacah, were by themselves in the open country.
⁹ When Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Syrians.
¹⁰ But the rest of the men he put in the charge of Abishai his brother, and he arrayed them against the Ammonites.
¹¹ And he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you.
¹² Be of good courage, and let us be courageous for our people, and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him.”
¹³ So Joab and the people who were with him drew near to battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him.
¹⁴ And when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians fled, they likewise fled before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.
¹⁵ And when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians fled, they likewise fled before Abishai and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.
¹⁶ And Hadadezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond the Euphrates. They came to Helam, with Shobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer leading them.
¹⁷ And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan and came to Helam. The Syrians arrayed themselves against David and fought with him.
¹⁸ And the Syrians fled before Israel, and David killed of the Syrians the men of 700 chariots, and 40,000 horsemen, and wounded Shobach the commander of their army, so that he died there.
¹⁹ And when all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. So the Syrians were afraid to save the Ammonites anymore.

2 Samuel 11:1-27: ¹ In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.
² It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful.
³ And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”
⁴ So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she had been purifying herself from her uncleanness.) Then she returned to her house.
⁵ And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”
⁶ So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David.
⁷ When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab was doing and how the people were doing and how the war was going.
⁸ Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and wash your feet.” And Uriah went out of the king’s house, and there followed him a present from the king.
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.
¹⁰ When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Have you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?”
¹¹ Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah dwell in booths, and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field. Shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.”
¹² Then David said to Uriah, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next.
¹³ And David invited him, and he ate in his presence and drank, so that he made him drunk. And in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.
¹⁴ In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
¹⁵ In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.”
¹⁶ And as Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant men.
¹⁷ And the men of the city went out and fought with Joab, and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the Hittite also died.
¹⁸ Then Joab sent and told David all the news about the fighting.
¹⁹ and charged the messenger, “As soon as you see David, tell him, ‘All is well with me from the battle.’ Then, in the morning, send him away.”
²⁰ and if the king’s anger rises and he says to you, ‘Why did you go so near the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall?
²¹ Who struck down Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did not a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?’ then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.’”
²² So the messenger went and came and told David all that Joab had sent him to tell.
²³ The messenger said to David, “The men gained an advantage over us and came out against us in the field, but we drove them back to the entrance of the gate.
²⁴ Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall. Some of the king’s servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.”
²⁵ Then David said to the messenger, “Thus shall you say to Joab, ‘Do not let this matter displease you, for the sword devours now one and now another. Strengthen your attack against the city and overthrow it.’ And encourage him.”
²⁶ When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she lamented over her husband.
²⁷ And when the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.

2 Samuel 12:1-31: ¹ And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor.
² The rich man had very many flocks and herds,
³ But the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. And he brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children. It used to eat of his morsel and drink from his cup and lie in his arms, and it was like a daughter to him.
⁴ Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was unwilling to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the guest who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”
⁵ Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die,
⁶ He shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”
⁷ Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul.
⁸ And I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your arms and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah. And if this were too little, I would add to you as much more.
¹¹ Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.
¹⁰ Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.
¹¹ Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.
¹² For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.’”
¹³ David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.
¹⁴ Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die.”
¹⁵ Then Nathan went to his house.
¹⁶ David therefore sought God on behalf of the child. And David fasted and went in and lay all night on the ground.
¹⁷ And the elders of his house stood beside him, to raise him from the ground, but he would not, nor did he eat food with them.
¹⁸ On the seventh day the child died. But the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.”
¹⁹ But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead.
²⁰ Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate.
²¹ Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food.”
²² He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the Lord will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’
²³ But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”
²⁴ Then David comforted his wife, Bathsheba, and went in to her and lay with her, and she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon. And the Lord loved him
²⁵ and he sent a message by Nathan the prophet. So he called his name Jedidiah, because of the Lord.
²⁶ Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and took the royal city.
²⁷ And Joab sent messengers to David and said, “I have fought against Rabbah; moreover, I have taken the city of waters.
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 by my name.
²⁹ So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah and fought against it and took it.
³⁰ And he took the crown of their king from his head. The weight of it was a talent of gold, and in it was a precious stone, and it was placed on David’s head. And he brought out the spoil of the city, a very great amount.
³¹ And he brought out the people who were in it and set them to labor with saws and iron picks and iron axes and made them toil at the brick kilns. And thus he did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 13:1-39: ¹ Now Absalom, David’s son, had a beautiful sister, whose name was Tamar. And after a time Amnon, David’s son, loved her.
² And Amnon was so tormented that he made himself ill because of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her.
³ But Amnon had a friend, whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother. And Jonadab was a very crafty man.
⁴ And he said to him, “O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”
⁵ But Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Let my sister Tamar come and give me bread to eat, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’”
⁶ So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. And when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.”
⁷ Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Go to your brother Amnon’s house and prepare food for him.”
⁸ So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house, where he was lying down. And she took dough and kneaded it and made cakes in his sight and baked the cakes.
⁹ Then she took a pan and baked them before him, and he ate.
¹⁰ Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the chamber, that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes she had made and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother.
¹¹ But when she brought them near him to eat, he took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.”
¹² But she said to him, “No, my brother, for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me.” But he would not listen to her.
¹³ But he would not listen to her, and being stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her.
¹⁴ But he would not listen to her, and being stronger than she, he violated her and lay with her.
¹⁵ Then Amnon hated her with very great hatred, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Get up! Go!”
¹⁶ But she said to him, “No, my brother, for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me.” But he would not listen to her.
¹⁷ Then he called his young man who served him and said, “Put this woman out of my presence and bolt the door after her.”
¹⁸ Now she was wearing a long robe with sleeves, for thus were the virgin daughters of the king dressed. So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her.
¹⁹ And Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the long robe that she wore. And she laid her hand on her head and went away, crying aloud as she went.
²⁰ And her brother Absalom said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? Now hold your peace, my sister. He is your brother; do not take this to heart.” So Tamar lived, a desolate woman, in her brother Absalom’s house.
²¹ But when King David heard of all these things, he was very angry.
²² But Absalom spoke to Amnon neither good nor bad, for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had violated his sister Tamar.
²³ After two full years Absalom had sheepshearers at Baal-hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king’s sons.
²⁴ And Absalom came to the king and said, “Behold, your servant has sheepshearers. Please let the king and his servants go with your servant.”
²⁵ But the king would not listen to all the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by the Lord that he might fulfill his word, which the Lord spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
²⁶ Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.” And the king said to him, “Why should he go with you?”
²⁷ But Absalom pressed him until he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him.
²⁸ Then Absalom commanded his servants, “Mark when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon,’ then kill him. Fear not; have I not commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant.”
²⁹ And the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons arose, and each mounted his mule and fled.
³⁰ But Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, “Mark when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon,’ then kill him. Do not fear; have I not commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant.”
³¹ Then the king arose and tore his garments and lay on the earth. And all his servants who were standing by tore their garments.
³² But Jonadab the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, said, “Let not my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men the king’s sons, for Amnon alone is dead.
³³ Now therefore let not my lord the king so take it to heart as to suppose that all the king’s sons are dead, for Amnon alone is dead.”
³⁴ But Absalom fled. And the young man who kept the watch lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, many people were coming from the road behind him by the side of the mountain.
³⁵ And Jonadab said to the king, “Behold, the king’s sons have come; as your servant said, so it has come to pass.”
³⁶ While he was yet speaking, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. And Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are a worthy man and bring good news.”
³⁷ But Absalom fled and went to Talmai the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son day after day.
³⁸ So Absalom fled and went to Geshur, and was there three years.
³⁹ And the spirit of the king longed to go out to Absalom, because he was comforted about Amnon, since he was dead.

2 Samuel 14:1-33: ¹ Now Joab the son of Zeruiah knew that the king’s heart went out to Absalom.
² And Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman and said to her, “Pretend to be a mourner and put on mourning garments. Do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead.
³ And go to the king and speak thus to him.” So Joab put the words in her mouth.
⁴ When the woman of Tekoa came to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and paid homage and said, “Save me, O king.”
⁵ And the king said to her, “What is your trouble?” She answered, “Alas, I am a widow; my husband is dead.
⁶ Your servant had two sons, and they quarreled with one another in the field. There was no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him.
⁷ And now the king, my lord, the word that I speak to you is in fact: for the king is like an angel of God in discerning good and evil. The Lord your God be with you.”
⁸ Then the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.”
⁹ And the woman of Tekoa said to the king, “On me be the guilt, my lord the king, and on my father’s house; let the king and his throne be guiltless.”
¹⁰ But the king said, “If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall never touch you again.”
¹¹ Then she said, “Please let the king invoke the Lord your God, that the avenger of blood kill no more, and my son be not destroyed.” He said, “As the Lord lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.”
¹² But the woman said, “Let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.” And he said, “Speak.”
¹³ And the woman said, “Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in giving this decision the king convicts himself, inasmuch as the king does not bring his banished one home again.
¹⁴ For we will all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life, and he devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast.
¹⁵ Now I have come to speak of this matter to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid, and your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant.
¹⁶ For the king will hear and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would destroy me and my son together from the heritage of God.
¹⁷ Your servant thought, ‘The word of my lord the king will set me at rest,’ for my lord the king is like the angel of God to discern good and evil. The Lord your God be with you!”
¹⁸ Then the king answered the woman, “Do not hide from me anything I ask you.” And the woman said, “Let my lord the king speak.”
¹⁹ And the king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” The woman answered and said, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, one cannot turn to the right hand or to the left from anything that my lord the king has said. It was your servant Joab who commanded me; it was he who put all these words in the mouth of your servant.
²⁰ In order to change the course of things your servant Joab did this. But my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God to know all things that are on the earth.”
²¹ Then the king said to Joab, “Behold now, I grant this; go, bring back the young man Absalom.”
²² Joab fell on his face to the ground and paid homage and blessed the king. And Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord the king, in that the king has granted the request of his servant.”
²³ So Joab arose and went to Geshur and brought Absalom to Jerusalem.
²⁴ And the king said, “Let him dwell apart in his own house; he is not to come into my presence.” So Absalom lived apart in his own house and did not come into the king’s presence.
²⁵ Now in all Israel there was no one so much to be praised for his handsome appearance as Absalom. From the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.
²⁶ And when he cut the hair of his head (for at the end of every year he used to cut it; when it was heavy on him, he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head, two hundred shekels by the king’s weight.
²⁷ And to Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a beautiful woman.
²⁸ And Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, without coming into the king’s presence.
²⁹ Then Absalom sent for Joab, to send him to the king, but Joab would not come to him. And he sent a second time, but Joab would not come.
³⁰ Then he said to his servants, “See, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire.” So Absalom’s servants set the field on fire.
³¹ Then Joab arose and went to Absalom at his house and said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?”
³² Absalom answered Joab, “Behold, I sent word to you, ‘Come here, that I may send you to the king, to ask, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still.” Now therefore let me go into the presence of the king, and if there is guilt in me, let him put me to death.”
³³ Then Joab went to the king and told him, and he summoned Absalom. So he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king, and the king kissed Absalom.

2 Samuel 15:1-37: ¹ After this Absalom got himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run before him.
² And Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the way of the gate. And when any man had a dispute to come before the king for judgment, Absalom would call to him and say, “From what city are you?” And when he said, “Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,”
³ And Absalom would say to him, “See, your claims are good and right, but there is no man designated by the king to hear you.”
⁴ Then Absalom would say, “Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice.”
⁵ And when anyone came near to pay homage to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him.
⁶ And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
⁷ And at the end of four years Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go and pay my vow, which I have vowed to the Lord, in Hebron.
⁸ For your servant vowed a vow while I lived at Geshur in Aram, saying, ‘If the Lord will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will offer worship to the Lord.’”
⁹ And the king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he arose and went to Hebron.
¹⁰ But Absalom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then say, ‘Absalom is king in Hebron.’”
¹¹ With Absalom went two hundred men from Jerusalem who were invited guests, and they went in their innocence and knew nothing.
¹² And while Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city Giloh. And the conspiracy grew strong, and the people with Absalom kept increasing.
¹³ And a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.”
¹⁴ Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”
¹⁵ And the king’s servants said to the king, “Behold, your servants are ready to do whatever my lord the king decides.”
¹⁶ And the king went out, and all his household after him. And the king left ten concubines to keep the house.
¹⁷ And the king went out, and all the people after him, and they halted at the last house.
¹⁸ And all his servants passed by him, and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath, passed on before the king.
¹⁹ Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why do you also go with us? Go back and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile from your home.
²⁰ You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us, since I go I know not where? Go back and take your brothers with you, and may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you.”
²¹ But Ittai answered the king, “As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be.”
²² And David said to Ittai, “Go then, pass on.” So Ittai the Gittite passed on with all his men and all the little ones who were with him.
²³ And all the land wept aloud as all the people passed by, and the king crossed the brook Kidron, and all the people passed on toward the wilderness.
²⁴ And Abiathar came up, and behold, Zadok came also with all the Levites, bearing the ark of the covenant of God. And they set down the ark of God until the people had all passed out of the city.
²⁵ Then the king said to Zadok, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place.
²⁶ But if he says, ‘I have no pleasure in you,’ behold, here I am, let him do to me what seems good to him.”
²⁷ The king also said to Zadok the priest, “Are you not a seer? Go back to the city in peace, with your two sons, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan the son of Abiathar.
²⁸ See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.”
²⁹ So Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they remained there.
³⁰ But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, barefoot and with his head covered. And all the people who were with him covered their heads, and they went up, weeping as they went.
³¹ And it was told David, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O Lord, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.”
³² While David was coming to the summit, where God was worshiped, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn and dirt on his head.
³³ And David said to him, “If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me.
³⁴ But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father’s servant in time past, so now I will be your servant,’ then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel.
³⁵ Are not Zadok and Abiathar the priests with you there? So whatever you hear from the king’s house, tell it to Zadok and Abiathar the priests.
³⁶ Behold, their two sons are with them there, Ahimaaz, Zadok’s son, and Jonathan, Abiathar’s son, and by them you shall send to me everything you hear.”
³⁷ So Hushai, David’s friend, came into the city, just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.

2 Samuel 16:1-23: ¹ When David had passed a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him, with a couple of donkeys saddled, bearing two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred of summer fruits, and a skin of wine.
² And the king said to Ziba, “Why have you brought these?” Ziba answered, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride on, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine for those who faint in the wilderness to drink.”
³ And the king said, “And where is your master’s son?” Ziba said to the king, “Behold, he remains in Jerusalem, for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will give me back the kingdom of my father.’”
⁴ Then the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours.” And Ziba said, “I pay homage; let me ever find favor in your sight, my lord the king.”
⁵ When King David came to Bahurim, there came out a man of the family of the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera, and as he came he cursed continually.
⁶ And he threw 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.
⁷ And Shimei said as he cursed, “Get out, get out, you man of blood, you worthless man!
⁸ The Lord has avenged on you all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, your evil is on you, for you are a man of blood.”
⁹ Then Abishai the son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.”
¹⁰ But the king said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’
¹¹ And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite! Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to.
¹² It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me, and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today.”
¹³ So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust.
¹⁴ And the king, and all the people who were with him, arrived weary at the Jordan. And there he refreshed himself.
¹⁵ Now Absalom and all the people, the men of Israel, came to Jerusalem, and Ahithophel with him.
¹⁶ And when Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!”
¹⁷ And Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?”
¹⁸ And Hushai said to Absalom, “No, for whom the Lord and this people and all the men of Israel have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain.
¹⁹ And again, whom should I serve? Should it not be his son? As I have served your father, so I will serve you.”
²⁰ Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give your counsel. What shall we do?”
²¹ Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s concubines, whom he has left to keep the house, and all Israel will hear that you have made yourself a stench to your father, and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.”
²² So they pitched a tent for Absalom on the roof. And Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel.
²³ Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the word of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel esteemed, both by David and by Absalom.

2 Samuel 17:1-29: ¹ Moreover, Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue David tonight.
² And I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged and throw him into a panic, and all the people who are with him will flee. I will strike down only the king,
³ And I will bring all the people back to you as a bride comes back to her husband. You seek the life of only one man, and all the people will be at peace.”
⁴ And the advice seemed right in the eyes of Absalom and all the elders of Israel.
⁵ Then Absalom said, “Call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear what he has to say.”
⁶ So Hushai came to Absalom, and Absalom said to him, “Thus has Ahithophel spoken; shall we do as he says? If not, you speak.”
⁷ And Hushai said to Absalom, “This time the counsel that Ahithophel has given is not good.”
⁸ Hushai said, “You know that your father and his men are mighty men, and that they are enraged, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. And your father is an expert in war; he will not spend the night with the people.”
⁹ Behold, even now he has hidden himself in one of the pits or in some other place. And as soon as some of the people fall at the first attack, whoever hears it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.’
¹⁰ Then even the valiant man, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will utterly melt with fear, for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man, and that those who are with him are valiant.
¹¹ But my counsel is that all Israel be gathered to you, from Dan to Beersheba, as the sand by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person.
¹² So we shall come upon him in some place where he is found, and we shall light upon him as the dew falls on the ground, and of him and all the men with him not one will be left.
¹³ Moreover, if he is hidden in a pit or in some other place, and as soon as some of the people fall at the first attack, whoever hears it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the people who follow Absalom.’
¹⁴ And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.” For the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom.
¹⁵ Then Hushai said to Zadok and Abiathar the priests, “Thus and so did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel, and thus and so have I counseled.
¹⁶ Now therefore send quickly and tell David, ‘Do not stay tonight at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means pass over, lest the king and all the people who are with him be swallowed up.’”
¹⁷ Now Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En-rogel. A female servant was to go and tell them, and they were to go and tell King David, for they were not to be seen entering the city.
¹⁸ But a young man saw them and told Absalom. So both of them went away quickly and came to the house of a man at Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard. And they went down into it.
¹⁹ And the woman took and spread a covering over the well’s mouth and scattered grain on it, and nothing was known of it.
²⁰ When Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house, they said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” And the woman said to them, “They have gone over the brook of water.” And when they had sought and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.
²¹ After they had gone, the men came up out of the well and went and told King David. They said to David, “Arise, and go quickly over the water, for thus Ahithophel has counseled against you.”
²² Then David arose, and all the people who were with him, and they crossed the Jordan. By daybreak not one was left who had not crossed the Jordan.
²³ When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and went off home to his own city. He set his house in order and hanged himself, and he died and was buried in the tomb of his father.
²⁴ Then David came to Mahanaim. And Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel.
²⁵ Now Absalom had set Amasa over the army instead of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra the Ishmaelite, who had married Abigal the daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother.
²⁶ Israel and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.
²⁷ When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Machir the son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim,
²⁸ brought beds, basins, and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, flour, parched grain, beans and lentils,
²⁹ honey, curds, sheep, and cheese from the herd, for David and the people with him to eat, for they said, “The people are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.”

2 Samuel 18:1-33: ¹ Then David mustered the men who were with him and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds.
² And David sent out the army, one third under the command of Joab, one third under the command of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and one third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the men, “I myself will also go out with you.”
³ But the men said, “You shall not go out. For if we flee, they will not care about us. If half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us. Therefore it is better that you send us help from the city.”
⁴ And the king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So the king stood at the side of the gate, while all the army marched out by hundreds and by thousands.
⁵ And the king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders about Absalom.
⁶ So the army went out into the field against Israel, and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim.
⁷ And the men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the loss there was great on that day, twenty thousand men.
⁸ The men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the loss there was great on that day, twenty thousand men.
⁹ And Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak, and his head caught fast in the oak, and he was suspended between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on.
¹⁰ And a certain man saw it and told Joab, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.”
¹¹ And Joab said to the man who told him, “What, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have been glad to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt.”
¹² But the man said to Joab, “Even if I felt in my hand the weight of a thousand pieces of silver, I would not reach out my hand against the king’s son, for in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘For my sake protect the young man Absalom.’
¹³ And Joab the son of Zeruiah and the servants of David went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. And they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.
¹⁴ Joab said, “I will not waste time like this with you.” And he took three javelins in his hand and thrust them into the heart of Absalom while he was still alive in the oak.
¹⁵ And ten young men, Joab’s armor-bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him and killed him.
¹⁶ Joab blew the trumpet, and the troops came back from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained them.
¹⁷ And they took Absalom and threw him into a great pit in the forest and raised over him a very great heap of stones. And all Israel fled every one to his tent.
¹⁸ Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself the pillar that is in the King’s Valley, for he said, “I have no son to keep my name in remembrance.” He called the pillar after his own name, and it is called Absalom’s monument to this day.
¹⁹ Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me run and carry news to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.”
²⁰ Then Joab said to him, “You will not carry news today. You may carry news another day, but today you shall carry no news, because the king’s son is dead.”
²¹ Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” And the Cushite bowed before Joab and ran.
²² Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me run and carry news to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.”
²³ But whatever happens, he said, I will run.
²⁴ Now David was sitting between the two gates, and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man running alone.
²⁵ And the watchman cried out and told the king. And the king said, “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.” And he drew nearer and nearer.
²⁶ And the watchman saw another man running. And the watchman called to the gate and said, “See, another man running alone!” The king said, “He also brings news.”
²⁷ The watchman said, “I think the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.”
²⁸ Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, “All is well.” And he bowed before the king with his face to the earth and said, “Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.”
²⁹ The king said, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent the king’s servant, your servant, I saw a great commotion, but I do not know what it was.”
³⁰ The king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” So he turned aside and stood still.
³¹ And behold, the Cushite came, and the Cushite said, “Good news for my lord the king! For the Lord has delivered you this day from the hand of all who rose up against you.”
³² The king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” And the Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you for evil be like that young man.”
³³ And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

2 Samuel 19:1-43: ¹ It was told Joab, “Behold, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.”
² And the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people, for the people heard that day, “The king is grieving for his son.”
³ The people stole into the city that day as people steal in who are ashamed when they flee in battle.
⁴ The king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, “O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
⁵ Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, “You have today covered with shame the faces of all your servants, who have this day saved your life and the lives of your sons and your daughters and the lives of your wives and your concubines,
⁶ You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you, for today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased.
⁷ Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the Lord, if you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.”
⁸ Then the king arose and took his seat in the gate. And the people were all told, “Behold, the king is sitting in the gate.” So all the people came before the king.
⁹ And all the people were arguing throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies and saved us from the hand of the Philistines, and now he has fled out of the land from Absalom.
¹⁰ But Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?”
¹¹ And King David sent this message to Zadok and Abiathar the priests: “Say to the elders of Judah, ‘Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his house, when the word of all Israel has come to the king?
¹² And you are my brothers; you are my bone and my flesh. Why then should you be the last to bring back the king?’
¹³ And say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? God do so to me and more also, if you are not commander of my army from now on in place of Joab.’”
¹⁴ And he swayed the heart of all the men of Judah as one man, so that they sent word to the king, “Return, both you and all your servants.”
¹⁵ And the king came back to the Jordan, and Judah came to Gilgal to meet the king and to bring the king over the Jordan.
¹⁶ And Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, from Bahurim, hurried to come down with the men of Judah to meet King David.
¹⁷ And with him were a thousand men from Benjamin. And Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, with his fifteen sons and his twenty servants, rushed down to the Jordan before the king,
¹⁸ And there went over a ferry boat to carry over the king’s household and to do his pleasure.
¹⁹ And said to him, “Let not my lord hold me guilty or remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. Do not let the king take it to heart.
²⁰ For your servant knows that I have sinned. Therefore, behold, I have come this day, the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.”
²¹ But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered, “Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord’s anointed?”
²² But David said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should this day be as an adversary to me? Shall anyone be put to death in Israel this day? For do I not know that I am this day king over Israel?”
²³ And the king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king gave him his oath.
²⁴ And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king. He had neither taken care of his feet nor trimmed his beard nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came back in safety.
²⁵ And when he had come to Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, “Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?”
²⁶ And he answered, “My lord, O king, my servant deceived me, for your servant said to him, ‘Saddle a donkey for me, that I may ride on it and go with the king.’ For your servant is lame.
²⁷ And he has slandered your servant to my lord the king. But my lord the king is like the angel of God; do therefore what seems good to you.
²⁸ For all my father’s house were but men doomed to death before my lord the king, but you set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right have I, then, to cry to the king?”
²⁹ And the king said to him, “Why speak any more of your affairs? I have decided: you and Ziba shall divide the land.”
³⁰ And Mephibosheth said to the king, “Oh, let him take it all, since my lord the king has come safely home.”
³¹ Barzillai the Gileadite had come down from Rogelim, and he went on with the king to the Jordan, to escort him over the Jordan.
³² Now Barzillai was a very aged man, eighty years old. He had provided the king with food while he stayed at Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy man.
³³ And the king said to Barzillai, “Come over with me, and I will provide for you with me in Jerusalem.”
³⁴ Barzillai said to the king, “How many years have I still to live, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem?
³⁵ I am this day eighty years old. Can I discern what is pleasant and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats or what he drinks? Can I still listen to the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king?
³⁶ Your servant will go a little way over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king repay me with such a reward?
³⁷ Please let your servant return, that I may die in my own city near the grave of my father and my mother. But here is your servant Chimham. Let him go over with my lord the king, and do for him whatever seems good to you.
³⁸ And the king answered him, “Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do for him whatever seems good to you, and all that you desire of me I will do for you.”
³⁹ All the people crossed the Jordan, and the king crossed too. And the king kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and he returned to his own home.
⁴⁰ Then the king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went on with him. All the people of Judah, and also half the people of Israel, brought the king on his way.
⁴¹ Then all the men of Israel came to the king and said to the king, “Why have our brothers the men of Judah stolen you away and brought the king and his household over the Jordan, and all David’s men with him?”
⁴² Then all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, “Because the king is our close relative. Why then are you angry over this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king’s expense? Or has he given us any gift?”
⁴³ And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, “We have ten shares in the king, and in David also we have more than you. Why then did you despise us? Was it not our advice first to bring back our king?” Yet the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.

2 Samuel 20:1-26: ¹ Now there happened to be there a worthless man, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite. And he blew the trumpet and said, “We have no portion in David, and we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; every man to his tents, O Israel!”
² So all the men of Israel withdrew from David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri. But the men of Judah followed their king steadfastly from the Jordan to Jerusalem.
³ And David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the king took the ten concubines whom he had left to care for the house and put them in a house under guard and provided for them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up until the day of their death, living as if in widowhood.
⁴ Then the king said to Amasa, “Call the men of Judah together to me within three days, and be here yourself.”
⁵ Amasa went to summon Judah, but he delayed beyond the set time that had been appointed him.
⁶ And David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your lord’s servants and pursue him, lest he get himself to fortified cities and escape from us.”
⁷ And Joab’s men went out after him, along with the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men. They went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.
⁸ When they were at the great stone that is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Now Joab was wearing a soldier’s garment, and over it was a belt with a sword in its sheath fastened on his thigh, and as he went forward it fell out.
⁹ And Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.
¹⁰ But Amasa did not observe the sword that was in Joab’s hand. So Joab struck him with it in the stomach and spilled his entrails to the ground without striking a second blow, and he died. Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri.
¹¹ And one of Joab’s young men took his stand by Amasa and said, “Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab.”
¹² And Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the highway. And anyone who came by, seeing him, stopped. And when the man saw that all the people stopped, he carried Amasa out of the highway and into the field and threw a garment over him.
¹³ And when he was removed from the highway, all the men passed on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.
¹⁴ And Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of Beth-maacah, and all the Bichrites assembled and followed him in.
¹⁵ And all the men who were with Joab came and besieged him in Abel of Beth-maacah. They cast up a mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart, and they were battering the wall to throw it down.
¹⁶ Then a wise woman called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab, ‘Come here, that I may speak to you.’”
¹⁷ And when he came near her, the woman said, “Are you Joab?” He answered, “I am.” Then she said to him, “Listen to the words of your servant.”
¹⁸ Then she said, “They used to say in former times, ‘Let them but ask counsel at Abel,’ and so they settled a matter.
¹⁹ I am one of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow up the heritage of the Lord?”
²⁰ Joab answered, “Far be it from me, far be it, that I should swallow up or destroy!
²¹ That is not true. But a man of the hill country of Ephraim, called Sheba the son of Bichri, has lifted up his hand against King David. Give up him alone, and I will withdraw from the city.” And the woman said to Joab, “Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall.”
²² Then the woman went to all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri and threw it out to Joab. So he blew the trumpet, and they dispersed from the city, every man to his home. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.
²³ Now Joab was in command of all the army of Israel; and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was in command of the Cherethites and the Pelethites;
²⁴ And Adoram was in charge of the forced labor, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder,
²⁵ and Sheva was secretary; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests;
²⁶ and Ira the Jairite was also David’s priest.

2 Samuel 21:1-22: ¹ Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year. And David sought the face of the Lord. And the Lord said, “There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.”
² So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites. Although the people of Israel had sworn to spare them, Saul had sought to strike them down in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah.)
³ And David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? And how shall I make atonement, that you may bless the heritage of the Lord?”
⁴ Then the Gibeonites said to him, “We have no concern of silver or gold with Saul or his house, nor is it for us to put any man to death in Israel.” And he said, “What do you say that I shall do for you?”
⁵ They said to the king, “The man who consumed us and planned to destroy us, so that we should have no place in all the territory of Israel,
⁶ let seven of his sons be given to us, so that we may hang them before the Lord at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the Lord.” And the king said, “I will give them.”
⁷ But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Saul’s son Jonathan, because of the oath of the Lord that was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.
⁸ But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite.
⁹ and he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the Lord, and the seven of them perished together. And they were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest.
¹⁰ Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell upon them from the heavens.
¹¹ And when David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done,
¹² he went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them on the day the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa.
¹³ And he brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan; and they gathered the bones of those who were hanged.
¹⁴ And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of Kish his father. And they did all that the king commanded. And after that God responded to the plea for the land.
¹⁵ There was war again between the Philistines and Israel, and David went down together with his servants, and they fought against the Philistines. And David grew weary.
¹⁶ And Ishbi-benob, one of the descendants of the giants, whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of bronze, and who was armed with a new sword, thought to kill David.
¹⁷ But Abishai the son of Zeruiah came to his aid and attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, “You shall no longer go out with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel.”
¹⁸ And after this there was again war with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Saph, who was one of the descendants of the giants.
¹⁹ And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim, the Bethlehemite, struck down Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
²⁰ And there was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number, and he also was descended from the giants.
²¹ And when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David’s brother, struck him down.
²² These four were descended from the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

2 Samuel 22:1-51: ¹ And David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul.
² He said, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
³ my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation,
my stronghold and my refuge,
my savior; you save me from violence.
⁴ I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
⁵ “For the waves of death encompassed me, the torrents of destruction assailed me;”
⁶ In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears.
⁷ “In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears.”
⁸ “Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations of the heavens trembled and quaked, because he was angry.”
⁹ Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
¹⁰ He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet.
¹¹ He made darkness around him his canopy,
thick clouds, a gathering of water.
¹² He made darkness around him his canopy,
thick clouds, a gathering of water.
¹³ “Out of the brightness before him
coals of fire flamed forth.”
¹⁴ The Lord thundered from heaven,
and the Most High uttered his voice.
¹⁵ And he sent out arrows and scattered them; lightning, and routed them.
¹⁶ Then the channels of the sea were seen; the foundations of the world were laid bare, at the rebuke of the Lord, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
¹⁷ “He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.”
¹⁸ He rescued me from my strong enemy,
from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
¹⁹ They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
²⁰ He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
²¹ “The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.”
²² For I have kept the ways of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God.
²³ For all his rules were before me, and his statutes I did not put away from me.
²⁴ I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from guilt.
²⁵ And the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to my cleanness in his sight.
²⁶ “With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;”
²⁷ With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
²⁸ You save a humble people,
but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them down.
²⁹ For you are my lamp, O Lord, and my God lightens my darkness.
³⁰ For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.
³¹ “This God—his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.”
³² “For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?”
³³ This God is my strong refuge and has made my way blameless.
³⁴ He made my feet like the feet of a deer and set me secure on the heights.
³⁵ He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
³⁶ You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your gentleness made me great.
³⁷ You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip;
³⁸ I pursued my enemies and destroyed them,
and did not turn back until they were consumed.
³⁹ I consumed them; I struck them down, so that they did not rise; they fell under my feet.
⁴⁰ For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me.
⁴¹ You made my enemies turn their backs to me, those who hated me, and I destroyed them.
⁴² They looked, but there was none to save; they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
⁴³ I beat them fine as the dust of the earth; I crushed them and stamped them down like the mire of the streets.
⁴⁴ “You delivered me from strife with my people;
you kept me as the head of the nations;
people whom I had not known served me.
⁴⁵ Foreigners lost heart
and came trembling out of their fortresses.
⁴⁶ The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation—
⁴⁷ “The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation,”
⁴⁸ It is God who avenges me and subdues the peoples under me;
⁴⁹ who delivered me from my enemies;
you exalted me above those who rose against me;
you rescued me from the man of violence.
⁵⁰ “For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations,
and sing praises to your name.
⁵¹ Great salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his offspring forever.”

2 Samuel 23:1-39: ¹ Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, the son of Jesse, the oracle of the man who was raised on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, the sweet psalmist of Israel:
² “The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me;
his word is on my tongue.”
³ The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me: When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God,
⁴ he dawns on them like the morning light,
like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning,
like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.
⁵ “For does not my house stand so with God? For he has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and secure. For will he not cause to prosper all my help and my desire?”
⁶ But worthless men are all like thorns that are thrown away, for they cannot be taken with the hand;
⁷ But the man who touches them
shall be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear,
and they shall be utterly burned with fire in their place.”
⁸ These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains; he was called Adino the Eznite, because he had killed eight hundred men in one encounter.
⁹ And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar the son of Dodo, son of Ahohi.
¹⁰ He rose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword.
¹¹ And next to him was Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the men fled from the Philistines.
¹² But he took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines, and the Lord worked a great victory.
²³:13 And three of the thirty chief men went down and came about harvest time to David at the cave of Adullam, when a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.
¹⁴ And David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem.
¹⁵ And David said longingly, “Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!”
¹⁶ Then the 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 carried and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it. He poured it out to the Lord,
¹⁷ And he said, “Far be it from me, O Lord, that I should do this. Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.
¹⁸ Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty. And he wielded his spear against three hundred men and killed them and won a name beside the three.
¹⁹ Was he not the most honored of the thirty and did he not become their commander? And he was with David at Pas-dammim when the Philistines were gathered there for battle.
²⁰ And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds. He struck down two ariels of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen.
²¹ And he struck down an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear.
²² These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and won a name beside the three mighty men.
²³ He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard.
²⁴ Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem.
²⁵ Shammah of Harod, Elika of Harod,
²⁶ Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh of Tekoa,
²⁷ Abiezer of Anathoth, Mebunnai the Hushathite,
²⁸ Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai of Netophah,
²⁹ Heleb the son of Baanah of Netophah, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the people of Benjamin,
³⁰ Benaiah of Pirathon, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash.
³¹ Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,
³² Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan
³³ Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite,
³⁴ Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai of Maacah, Eliam the son of Ahithophel of Gilo,
³⁵ Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,
³⁶ Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite
³⁷ Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai of Beeroth, the armor-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah,
³⁸ Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
³⁹ Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.

2 Samuel 24:1-25: ²⁴ Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.”
² So the king said to Joab, the commander of the army, who was with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people.”
³ But Joab said to the king, “May the Lord your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see it, but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?”
⁴ But the king’s word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to number the people of Israel.
⁵ They crossed the Jordan and began from Aroer and from the city that is in the middle of the valley, toward Gad and on to Jazer.
⁶ Then they came to Gilead, and to Kadesh in the land of the Hittites, and they came to Dan.
⁷ and came to the fortress of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites. And they went out to the Negeb of Judah at Beersheba.
⁸ So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
⁹ And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to the king: in Israel there were 800,000 valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000.
¹⁰ But David’s heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”
¹¹ For when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord had come to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying,
¹² “Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the Lord, Three things I offer you. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’”
¹³ So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall three years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.”
¹⁴ Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.”
¹⁵ So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men.
¹⁶ And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
¹⁷ Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father’s house.”
¹⁸ And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, raise an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
¹⁹ So David went up at Gad’s word, as the Lord commanded.
²⁰ Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.”
²¹ Then Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague may be averted from the people.”
²⁴ But Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood.
²⁴ But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
²⁴ But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
²⁵ And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.

1 Kings 1:1-53: ¹ Now King David was old and advanced in years. And although they covered him with clothes, he could not get warm.
² So his servants said to him, “Let a young woman be sought for my lord the king, and let her wait on the king and be in his service. Let her lie in your arms, that my lord the king may be warm.”
³ So they sought for a beautiful young woman throughout all the territory of Israel, and found Abishag the Shunammite, and brought her to the king.
⁴ The young woman was very beautiful, and she was of service to the king and attended to him, but the king knew her not.
⁵ Now Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying, “I will be king.” And he prepared for himself chariots and horsemen, and fifty men to run before him.
⁶ His father had never at any time displeased him by asking, “Why have you done thus and so?”
⁷ He conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah and with Abiathar the priest. And they followed Adonijah and helped him.
⁸ But Zadok the priest and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and Nathan the prophet and Shimei and Rei and David’s mighty men were not with Adonijah.
⁹ Adonijah sacrificed sheep, oxen, and fattened cattle by the Serpent’s Stone, which is beside En-rogel, and he invited all his brothers, the king’s sons, and all the royal officials of Judah.
¹⁰ But he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the mighty men or Solomon his brother.
¹¹ Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it?
¹² Now therefore come, let me give you advice, that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon.
¹³ Go in at once to King David, and say to him, ‘Did you not, my lord the king, swear to your servant, saying, “Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne”? Why then is Adonijah king?’
¹⁴ Then Nathan said to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, “Have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king, and David our lord does not know it?
¹⁵ So Bathsheba went to the king in his chamber (Now the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was attending to the king).
¹⁶ Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and paid homage to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”
¹⁷ She said to him, “My lord, you swore to your servant by the Lord your God, saying, ‘Solomon your son shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne.’
¹⁸ And now, behold, Adonijah is king, although you, my lord the king, do not know it.
¹⁹ He has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the sons of the king, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army, but Solomon your servant he has not invited.
²⁰ And my lord the king, the eyes of all Israel are on you, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my lord the king after him.
²¹ Otherwise it will come to pass, when my lord the king sleeps with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon will be counted offenders.”
²² While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet came in.
²³ Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, “God do so to me and more also if this word does not cost Adonijah his life!
²⁴ And Nathan said, “My lord the king, have you said, ‘Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit on my throne’?
²⁵ For he has gone down this day and has sacrificed oxen, fattened cattle, and sheep in abundance, and has invited all the king’s sons, the commanders of the army, and Abiathar the priest. And behold, they are eating and drinking before him, and saying, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’
²⁶ But me, your servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and your servant Solomon he has not invited.
²⁷ Has this thing been brought about by my lord the king and you have not told your servants who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?”
²⁸ Then King David answered, “Call Bathsheba to me.” So she came into the king’s presence and stood before the king.
²⁹ And the king swore, saying, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of every adversity,
³⁰ Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and paid homage to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”
³¹ Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the ground and paid homage to the king and said, “May my lord King David live forever!”
³² King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” So they came before the king.
³³ The king also said to them, “Take with you the servants of your lord and have Solomon my son ride on my own mule, and bring him down to Gihon.
³⁴ There let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him king over Israel. Then blow the trumpet and say, ‘Long live King Solomon!’
³⁵ Then you shall come up after him, and he shall come and sit on my throne, for he shall be king in my place.
³⁶ Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, “Amen! May the Lord, the God of my lord the king, say so.
³⁷ As the Lord has been with my lord the king, even so may he be with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David.”
³⁸ So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites went down and had Solomon ride on King David’s mule and brought him to Gihon.
³⁹ Zadok the priest took the horn of oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. Then they blew the trumpet, and all the people said, “Long live King Solomon!”
⁴⁰ And all the people went up after him, playing on pipes, and rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth was split by their noise.
⁴¹ Adonijah and all the guests who were with him heard it as they finished feasting. And when Joab heard the sound of the trumpet, he said, “What does this uproar in the city mean?”
⁴² While he was still speaking, behold, Jonathan the son of Abiathar the priest came. And Adonijah said, “Come in, for you are a worthy man and bring good news.”
⁴³ Jonathan answered Adonijah, “No, for our lord King David has made Solomon king.
⁴⁴ The king has sent with him Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and they had him ride on the king’s mule.
⁴⁵ Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet have anointed him king at Gihon, and they have gone up from there rejoicing, so that the city is in an uproar. This is the noise that you have heard.
⁴⁶ And besides, Solomon has taken his seat on the royal throne.
⁴⁷ Moreover, the king’s servants came to congratulate our lord King David, saying, ‘May your God make the name of Solomon more famous than yours, and make his throne greater than your throne.’ And the king bowed himself on the bed.
⁴⁸ And the king also said, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has granted someone to sit on my throne this day in my own eyes.’
⁴⁹ Then all the guests of Adonijah trembled and rose, and each went his own way.
⁵⁰ And Adonijah feared Solomon. So he arose and went and took hold of the horns of the altar.
⁵¹ Then it was told Solomon, “Behold, Adonijah fears King Solomon, for behold, he has laid hold of the horns of the altar, saying, ‘Let King Solomon swear to me first that he will not put his servant to death with the sword.’”
⁵² And Solomon said, “If he will show himself a worthy man, not one of his hairs shall fall to the earth, but if wickedness is found in him, he shall die.”
⁵³ So King Solomon sent, and they brought him down from the altar. And he came and paid homage to King Solomon, and Solomon said to him, “Go to your house.”

1 Kings 2:1-46: ¹ When David’s time to die drew near, he commanded Solomon his son, saying,
² “I am about to go the way of all the earth. Be strong, and show yourself a man,”
³ and keep the charge of the Lord your God, walking in his ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, his rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn,
⁴ that the Lord may establish his word that he spoke concerning me, saying, ‘If your sons pay close attention to their way, to walk before me in faithfulness with all their heart and with all their soul, you shall not lack a man on the throne of Israel.’
⁵ “Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, how he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, Abner the son of Ner, and Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, avenging in time of peace for blood that had been shed in war, and putting the blood of war on the belt around his waist and on the sandals on his feet.”
⁶ Act therefore according to your wisdom, but do not let his gray head go down to Sheol in peace.
⁷ But deal loyally with the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, and let them be among those who eat at your table, for with such loyalty they met me when I fled from Absalom your brother.
⁸ And there is also with you Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjaminite from Bahurim, who cursed me with a grievous curse on the day when I went to Mahanaim. But when he came down to meet me at the Jordan, I swore to him by the Lord, saying, ‘I will not put you to death with the sword.’
⁹ Now therefore do not hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man. You will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down with blood to Sheol.”
¹⁰ Then David slept with his fathers and was buried in the city of David.
¹¹ And the time that David reigned over Israel was forty years. He reigned seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
¹² So Solomon sat on the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was firmly established.
¹³ Then Adonijah the son of Haggith came to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon. And she said, “Do you come peacefully?” He said, “Peacefully.”
¹⁴ Then he said, “Please ask King Solomon—he will not refuse you—to give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”
¹⁵ And he said, “You know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel fully expected me to reign. However, the kingdom has turned about and become my brother’s, for it was his from the Lord.
¹⁶ And now I have one request to make of you; do not refuse me.” She said to him, “Speak.”
¹⁷ He said, “Please speak to Solomon the king, for he will not refuse you, that he may give me Abishag the Shunammite as my wife.”
¹⁸ Bathsheba said, “Very well; I will speak to the king for you.”
¹⁹ So Bathsheba went to King Solomon to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. And the king rose to meet her and bowed down to her. Then he sat on his throne and had a seat brought for the king’s mother, and she sat on his right.
²⁰ Then she said, “I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me.” And the king said to her, “Make your request, my mother, for I will not refuse you.”
²¹ She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as his wife.”
²² King Solomon answered his mother, “And why do you ask Abishag the Shunammite for Adonijah? Ask for him the kingdom also, for he is my older brother, and on his side are Abiathar the priest and Joab the son of Zeruiah.”
²³ Then King Solomon swore by the Lord, saying, “God do so to me and more also if this word does not cost Adonijah his life!
²⁴ Now therefore as the Lord lives, who has established me and placed me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, as he promised, Adonijah shall be put to death today.”
²⁵ So King Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he struck him down, and he died.
²⁶ And to Abiathar the priest the king said, “Go to Anathoth, to your estate, for you deserve death. But I will not at this time put you to death, because you carried the ark of the Lord God before David my father, and because you shared in all my father’s affliction.”
²⁷ So Solomon expelled Abiathar from being priest to the Lord, thus fulfilling the word of the Lord that he had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh.
²⁸ When the news came to Joab—for Joab had supported Adonijah although he had not supported Absalom—Joab fled to the tent of the Lord and caught hold of the horns of the altar.
²⁹ When it was told King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of the Lord and was beside the altar, Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, “Go, strike him down.”
³⁰ Then Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord and said to him, “The king commands, ‘Come out.’” But he said, “No, I will die here.” And Benaiah brought the king word again, saying, “Thus said Joab, and thus he answered me.”
³¹ Then the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck him down, and he died. So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
³² The Lord will bring back his bloody deeds on his own head, because, without the knowledge of my father David, he attacked and killed with the sword two men more righteous and better than himself, Abner the son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa the son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah.
³³ Their blood shall therefore return upon the head of Joab and upon the head of his descendants forever. But for David, and for his descendants, and for his house, and for his throne, there shall be peace from the Lord forevermore.
³⁴ Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up and struck him down and put him to death. And he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.
³⁵ The king put Benaiah the son of Jehoiada over the army in his place, and the king put Zadok the priest in the place of Abiathar.
³⁶ Then the king sent and summoned Shimei and said to him, “Build yourself a house in Jerusalem and dwell there, and do not go out from there to any place whatever.
³⁷ For on the day you go out and cross the brook Kidron, know for certain that you shall die. Your blood shall be on your own head.”
³⁸ And Shimei said to the king, “What you say is good; as my lord the king has said, so will your servant do.” So Shimei lived in Jerusalem many days.
³⁹ But three years later, two of Shimei’s servants ran away to Achish, son of Maacah, king of Gath. And when it was told Shimei, “Behold, your servants are in Gath,”
⁴⁰ So Shimei arose and saddled a donkey and went to Gath to Achish to seek his servants. And Shimei went and brought his servants from Gath.
⁴¹ But the king Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.”
⁴² the king sent and summoned Shimei and said to him, “Did I not make you swear by the Lord and solemnly warn you, saying, ‘Know for certain that on the day you go out and go to any place whatever, you shall die’? And you said to me, ‘What you say is good; I will obey.’
⁴³ Why then have you not kept your oath to the Lord and the commandment with which I commanded you?”
⁴⁴ The king also said to Shimei, “You know in your own heart all the harm that you did to David my father. So the Lord will bring back your harm on your own head.
⁴⁵ But King Solomon shall be blessed, and the throne of David shall be established before the Lord forever.”
⁴⁶ Then the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck him down, and he died. So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.

1 Chronicles 11:1-47: ¹ Then all Israel gathered together to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh.
² In times past, even when Saul was king, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord your God said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over my people Israel.’”
³ Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the Lord by Samuel.
⁴ And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, that is, Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land.
⁵ The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You will not come in here.” Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David.
⁶ David said, “Whoever strikes the Jebusites first shall be chief and commander.” And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, so he became chief.
⁷ And David lived in the stronghold; therefore it was called the city of David.
⁸ And he built the city all around, from the Millo in complete circuit, and Joab repaired the rest of the city.
⁹ And David became greater and greater, for the Lord of hosts was with him.
¹⁰ Now these are the chiefs of David’s mighty men, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel.
¹¹ This is an account of David’s mighty men: Jashobeam, a Hachmonite, was chief of the three. He wielded his spear against 300 whom he killed at one time.
¹² And next to him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men.
¹³ He was with David at Pas-dammim when the Philistines were gathered there for battle. There was a plot of ground full of barley, and the men fled from the Philistines.
¹⁴ And they took their stand in the midst of that plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines, and the Lord saved them by a great victory.
¹⁵ Three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David at the cave of Adullam, when the army of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.
¹⁶ And David was then in the stronghold, while the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem.
¹⁷ And David said longingly, “Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!”
¹⁸ Then the three 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. But David would not drink it. He poured it out to the Lord
¹⁹ And he said, “Far be it from me before my God that I should do this. Shall I drink the lifeblood of these men? For at the risk of their lives they brought it.” Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.
²⁰ And Abishai, the brother of Joab, was chief of the thirty, and he wielded his spear against three hundred men and killed them and won a name beside the three.
²¹ Of the three, he was more renowned than the two, and became their commander. But he did not attain to the three.
²² Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many deeds; he struck down two ariels of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen.
²³ And he struck down an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits tall. The Egyptian had in his hand a spear like a weaver’s beam, but Benaiah went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear.
²⁴ These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and won a name beside the three mighty men.
²⁵ Behold, he was honored above the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard.
²⁶ The mighty men were Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,
²⁷ Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite,
²⁸ Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
²⁹ Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite
³⁰ Maharai of Netophah, Heled the son of Baanah of Netophah,
³¹ Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the people of Benjamin, Benaiah of Pirathon,
³² Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite,
³³ Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite,
³⁴ After him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men.
³⁵ Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,
³⁶ Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai,
³⁷ Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai,
³⁸ Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri,
³⁹ Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai of Beeroth, the armor-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah,
⁴⁰ And Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai
⁴¹ Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai
⁴² Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a leader of the Reubenites, and thirty with him,
⁴³ Hanan the son of Maacah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite,
⁴⁴ Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite,
⁴⁵ Jahleel the son of Zebadiah of Gederah.
⁴⁶ Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai, and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite,
⁴⁷ Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai, and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, and Ithmah the Moabite,

1 Chronicles 12:1-40: ¹²:1 Now these are the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he could not move about freely because of Saul the son of Kish. And they were among the mighty men who helped him in war.
² They were bowmen and could shoot arrows and sling stones with either the right or the left hand; they were Benjaminites, Saul’s kinsmen.
³ The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, both sons of Shemaah of Gibeah; also Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth;
⁴ and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty and a leader over them, offered his help to David.
⁵ From the Gadites there went over to David at the stronghold in the wilderness mighty and experienced warriors, expert with shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions and who were swift as gazelles upon the mountains.
⁶ Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, Jashobeam, the Korahites,
⁷ Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri,
⁸ From the Gadites there went over to David at the stronghold in the wilderness mighty and experienced warriors, expert with shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions and who were swift as gazelles upon the mountains.
⁹ Ezer the chief, Obadiah second, Eliab third,
¹⁰ they were bowmen and could shoot arrows and sling stones with either the right or the left hand; they were Benjaminites, Saul’s kinsmen.
¹¹ They were Benjaminites, Saul’s kinsmen, and their chief was Ahiezer the son of Shemaah, of Gibeah.
¹² Of the Gadites there went over to David at the stronghold in the wilderness mighty and experienced warriors, expert with shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions and who were swift as gazelles upon the mountains.
¹³ Jeremiah the tenth, Machbannai the eleventh.
¹⁴ These Gadites were officers of the army; the least was a match for a hundred men and the greatest for a thousand.
¹⁵ These are the men who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it was overflowing all its banks, and put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.
¹⁶ Some Benjaminites and Judahites came to the stronghold to David.
¹⁷ David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in friendship to help me, my heart will be joined to you; but if to betray me to my adversaries, although there is no wrong in my hands, then may the God of our fathers see and rebuke you.”
¹⁸ Then the Spirit clothed Amasai, chief of the thirty, and he said, “We are yours, O David, and with you, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers! For your God helps you.” Then David received them and made them officers of his troops.
¹⁹ Some of the men of Manasseh deserted to David when he came with the Philistines for the battle against Saul. (Yet he did not help them, for the rulers of the Philistines took counsel and sent him away, saying, “At peril to our heads he will desert to his master Saul.”)
²⁰ As he went to Ziklag, these men of Manasseh deserted to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of the thousands in Manasseh.
²¹ They helped David against the band of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor and were commanders in the army.
²² For day by day men came to David to help him, until there was a great army, like an army of God.
²³ These are the numbers of the divisions of the armed troops who came to David in Hebron to turn the kingdom of Saul over to him, according to the word of the Lord.
²⁴ The men of Judah bearing shield and spear were 6,800 armed troops.
²⁵ From Simeon, mighty men of valor for war, 7,100.
²⁶ Of the Simeonites, mighty men of valor for war, 26,000.
²⁷ Jehoiada, the leader of the house of Aaron, and with him 3,700,
²⁸ and Zadok, a young man mighty in valor, and twenty-two commanders from his own fathers’ house.
²⁹ And from the Benjaminites, the kinsmen of Saul, 3,000, of whom the majority had to that point kept their allegiance to the house of Saul.
³⁰ From Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command.
³¹ Of the half-tribe of Manasseh 18,000, who were expressly named to come and make David king.
³² Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command.
³³ Of Zebulun 50,000 seasoned troops, equipped for battle with all the weapons of war, to help David with singleness of purpose.
³⁴ Of Naphtali 1,000 commanders with 37,000 men armed with shield and spear.
³⁵ From the Danites who could draw up an army, there were 28,600 men.
³⁶ From Naphtali 1,000 commanders with 37,000 men armed with shield and spear.
³⁷ From the other side of the Jordan, of the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh with all kinds of instruments of war for the battle, 120,000.
³⁸ All these, men of war, arrayed in battle order, came to Hebron with a whole heart to make David king over all Israel. And all the rest of Israel were of a single mind to make David king.
³⁹ They were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their brothers had made preparation for them.
⁴⁰ Moreover those who were near to them, even as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen, abundant provisions of flour, cakes of figs, clusters of raisins, wine, oil, oxen, and sheep, for there was joy in Israel.

1 Chronicles 13:1-14: ² And David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and from the Lord our God, let us send abroad to our brothers who remain in all the lands of Israel, as well as to the priests and Levites in the cities that have pasturelands, that they may be gathered to us.
² And David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and from the Lord our God, let us send abroad to our brothers who remain in all the lands of Israel, as well as to the priests and Levites in the cities that have pasturelands, that they may be gathered to us.
³ Then let us bring again the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul.
⁴ And all the assembly agreed to do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.
⁵ So David assembled all Israel from the Nile of Egypt to Lebo-hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.
⁶ And David and all Israel went up to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim that belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim.
⁷ And they carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzzah and Ahio were driving the cart.
⁸ And David and all Israel were rejoicing before God with all their might, with song and lyres and harps and tambourines and cymbals and trumpets.
⁹ And when they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah put out his hand to take hold of the ark, for the oxen stumbled.
¹⁰ And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark, and he died there before God.
¹¹ And David was angry because the Lord had burst forth against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah, to this day.
¹² And David was afraid of God that day, and he said, “How can I bring the ark of God home to me?”
¹³ And David was afraid of God that day, and he said, “How can I bring the ark of God home to me?”
¹⁴ And the ark of God remained with the household of Obed-edom in his house three months. And the Lord blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that he had.

1 Chronicles 14:1-17: ¹ And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also masons and carpenters to build a house for him.
² And David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, and that his kingdom was highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel.
³ And David took more wives in Jerusalem, and David fathered more sons and daughters.
⁴ These are the names of the children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,
⁵ And Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet,
⁶ And David went up with all his men to Jerusalem, the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said, “You will not come in here.” But the blind and the lame will ward you off”—thinking, “David cannot come in here.”
⁷ And the fame of David went out into all lands, and the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations.
⁸ When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. But David heard of it and went out against them.
⁹ Now the Philistines had come and made a raid in the Valley of Rephaim.
¹⁰ And David inquired of God, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up, and I will give them into your hand.”
¹¹ So David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army from Gibeon to Gezer.
¹² And when they had fled, David sent and took them out of the land of the Philistines, and they lived in Judah and made raids against the inhabitants of the land, the Philistines.
¹³ And the Philistines yet again made a raid in the valley.
¹⁴ And when David inquired of God, God said to him, “You shall not go up after them; go around and come against them opposite the balsam trees.
¹⁵ And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then go out to battle, for God has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.
¹⁶ And David did as God commanded him, and they struck down the Philistine army from Gibeon to Gezer.
¹⁷ And the fame of David went out into all lands, and the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations.

1 Chronicles 15:1-29: ¹ David built houses for himself in the city of David.
² Then David said, “No one is to carry the ark of God but the Levites, for the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister to him forever.”
³ And David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to its place, which he had prepared for it.
⁴ David assembled the sons of Aaron and the Levites:
⁵ From the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, with 120 of his brothers;
⁶ And David and all Israel went up to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim that belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim.
⁷ And the sons of Jeiel, the father of Gibeon, were Eliezer the chief, and 1Chronicles 15:7with his brothers two hundred;
⁸ And David and all Israel were rejoicing before God with all their might, with song and lyres and harps and tambourines and cymbals and trumpets.
⁹ And Chenaniah, leader of the Levites in music, should direct the music, for he understood it.
¹⁰ of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, with 112 of his brothers.
¹¹ Then David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar, and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab,
¹² and said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites. Consecrate yourselves, you and your brothers, so that you may bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place that I have prepared for it.
¹³ Because you did not carry it the first time, the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not seek him according to the rule.
¹⁴ So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel.
¹⁵ And the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord.
¹⁶ David also commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brothers as the singers who should play loudly on musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise sounds of joy.
¹⁷ So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; and of his brothers Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of the sons of Merari, their brothers, Ethan the son of Kushaiah;
¹⁸ and with them their brothers of the second order, Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and the gatekeepers Obed-edom and Jeiel.
¹⁹ The singers Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were to sound bronze cymbals;
²⁰ Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play harps according to Alamoth;
²¹ but Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead with lyres according to the Sheminith.
²² Chenaniah, leader of the Levites in music, should direct the music, for he understood it.
²³ Berechiah and Elkanah were to be gatekeepers for the ark.
²⁴ Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, should blow the trumpets before the ark of God. And Obed-edom and Jehiah were to be gatekeepers for the ark.
²⁵ So David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-edom with rejoicing.
²⁶ And because God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.
²⁷ David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as also were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers and Chenaniah the leader of the music of the singers. And David wore a linen ephod.
²⁸ Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting, to the sound of the horn, trumpets, and cymbals, and made loud music on harps and lyres.
²⁹ And as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David dancing and rejoicing, and she despised him in her heart.

1 Chronicles 16:1-43: ¹ And they brought in the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.
² And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord.
³ and offer burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of burnt offering regularly morning and evening, according to all that is written in the Law of the Lord that he commanded Israel.
⁴ Then he appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the Lord, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel.
⁵ Asaph was the chief, and second to him were Zechariah, Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, who were to play harps and lyres; Asaph was to sound the cymbals,
⁶ and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God.
⁷ Then on that day David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the Lord by Asaph and his brothers.
⁸ Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!
⁹ Sing to him, sing praises to him; tell of all his wondrous works!
¹⁰ Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
¹¹ Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!
¹² Remember the wondrous works that he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he uttered,
²⁹ Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;
¹⁴ He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth.
¹⁵ Remember his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
¹⁶ the covenant that he made with Abraham,
his sworn promise to Isaac,
¹⁷ Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.
¹⁸ saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as your portion for an inheritance.”
¹⁹ When you were few in number, and of little account, and sojourners in it,
²⁰ they wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another people,
²¹ He allowed no one to oppress them; he rebuked kings on their account,
²² “Touch not my anointed ones, do my prophets no harm!”
²³ Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Tell of his salvation from day to day.
²⁴ Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples!
²⁵ For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and he is to be feared above all gods.
²⁶ For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.
²⁷ Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his place.
²⁸ Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
²⁹ Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;
³⁰ Tremble before him, all the earth; yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
³¹ Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice,
and let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!”
³² Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it!
³³ then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.
³⁴ Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!
³⁵ Say also: “Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather and deliver us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.”
³⁶ Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! And all the people said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord.
³⁷ So David left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister regularly before the ark as each day required,
³⁸ And Obed-edom with their brothers, sixty-eight, Obed-edom also the son of Jeduthun, and Hosah were to be gatekeepers.
³⁹ And Zadok the priest and his brothers the priests before the tabernacle of the Lord in the high place that was at Gibeon
⁴⁰ to offer burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of burnt offering regularly morning and evening, to do all that is written in the Law of the Lord that he commanded Israel.
⁴¹ and with them Heman and Jeduthun and the rest who were chosen and expressly named to give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever.
⁴² and with them Heman and Jeduthun and the rest who were chosen and expressly named to give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures forever.
⁴³ Then all the people departed each to his house, and David went home to bless his household.

1 Chronicles 17:1-27: ¹ Now when David lived in his house, David said to Nathan the prophet, “Behold, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.”
² Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”
³ But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan,
⁴ “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: It is not you who will build me a house to dwell in.’”
⁵ For I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up Israel to this day, but I have gone from tent to tent and from dwelling to dwelling.
⁶ In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”
⁷ Now, therefore, thus shall you say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be prince over my people Israel.
⁸ and I have been with you wherever you have gone and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.
⁹ And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall waste them no more, as formerly,
¹⁰ from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover, I declare to you that the Lord will build you a house.
¹¹ When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom.
¹² He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever.
¹³ I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you,
¹⁴ but I will settle him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.”
¹⁵ According to all these words and according to all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.
¹⁶ Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?
¹⁷ And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O God. You have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have shown me future generations, O Lord God!
¹⁸ What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant.
¹⁹ For your servant’s sake, O Lord, and according to your own heart, you have done all this greatness, in making known all these great things.
²⁰ O Lord, there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
²¹ And what one nation on earth is like your people Israel, whom God went to redeem to be his people, making for yourself a name for great and awesome things, in driving out nations before your people whom you redeemed from Egypt?
²² For you have made your people Israel your very own people forever, and you, O Lord, have become their God.
²³ And now, O Lord, let the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house be established forever, and do as you have spoken.
²⁴ Let your name be established and magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, is Israel’s God,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you.
²⁵ For you, O my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him.
²⁶ And now, O Lord, you are God, and you have promised this good thing to your servant.
²⁷ Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever before you. For you, O Lord, have blessed, and it is blessed forever.”

1 Chronicles 18:1-17: ¹ After this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Gath and its villages out of the hand of the Philistines.
² And he defeated Moab, and the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute.
³ And David defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah-Hamath, as he went to set up his monument at the river Euphrates.
⁴ And David took from him 1,000 chariots, 7,000 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers. And David hamstrung all the chariot horses but left enough for 100 chariots.
⁵ And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down 22,000 men of the Syrians.
⁶ Then David put garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Syrians became servants to David and brought tribute. The Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.
⁷ And David took the shields of gold that were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.
⁸ Likewise from Tibhath and from Chun, cities of Hadadezer, David took a large amount of bronze. With it Solomon made the bronze sea and the pillars and the vessels of bronze.
⁹ When Tou king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer, king of Zobah,
¹⁰ he sent his son Hadoram to King David, to ask about his health and to bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Hadadezer had often been at war with Tou. And Joram brought with him articles of silver, of gold, and of bronze.
¹¹ King David also dedicated these to the Lord, together with the silver and gold that he had carried off from all the nations, from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek.
¹² And Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, killed 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
¹³ And he made silver and gold as common in Jerusalem as stone, and he made cedar as plentiful as the sycamore of the Shephelah.
¹⁴ So David reigned over all Israel, and he administered justice and equity to all his people.
¹⁵ And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder;
¹⁶ And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder;
¹⁷ And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and David’s sons were the chief officials in the service of the king.

1 Chronicles 19:1-19: ¹⁹ Now after this Nahash the king of the Ammonites died, and his son reigned in his place.
² And David said, “I will deal kindly with Hanun the son of Nahash, for his father dealt kindly with me.” So David sent messengers to console him concerning his father. And David’s servants came to the land of the Ammonites to Hanun to console him.
³ But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun, “Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? Have not his servants come to you to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?”
⁴ So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved them and cut off their garments in the middle, at their hips, and sent them away;
⁵ Then certain persons went and told David how the men were served. And he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown and then return.”
⁶ When the Ammonites saw that they had become a stench to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent 1,000 talents of silver to hire chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia, from Aram-maacah, and from Zobah.
⁷ And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men.
⁸ And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men.
⁹ And the Ammonites came out and drew up in battle array at the entrance of the city, and the kings who had come were by themselves in the open country.
¹⁰ When Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Syrians.
¹¹ And the rest of the people he put in the charge of Abishai his brother, and they were arrayed against the Ammonites.
¹² And he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will help you.
¹³ Be strong, and let us use our strength for our people and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what seems good to him.”
¹⁴ So Joab and the men who were with him marched against the Ammonites for battle, and they fled before him.
¹⁵ And when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians fled, they likewise fled before Abishai his brother and entered the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.
¹⁶ And when the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers and brought out the Syrians who were beyond the Euphrates, with Shophach the commander of the army of Hadadezer leading them.
¹⁷ And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan and came to them and drew up his forces against them. When David set the battle in array against the Syrians, they fought with him.
¹⁸ But the Syrians fled before Israel, and David killed of the Syrians 7,000 charioteers and 40,000 foot soldiers, and put to death also Shophach the commander of their army.
¹⁹ And when the servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became subject to him. So the Syrians were not willing to save the Ammonites anymore.

1 Chronicles 20:1-8: ¹ In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, Joab led out the army and ravaged the country of the Ammonites and came and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. And Joab struck down Rabbah and overthrew it.
² And David took the crown of their king from his head. He found that it weighed a talent of gold, and in it was a precious stone. And it was placed on David’s head. And he brought out the spoil of the city, a very great amount.
³ And he brought out the people who were in it and set them to labor with saws and iron picks and axes. And thus David did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
⁴ And after this there arose war with the Philistines at Gezer. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Sippai, who was one of the descendants of the giants, and the Philistines were subdued.
⁵ And there was war with the Philistines again, and Elhanan the son of Jair struck down Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
⁶ And there was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number, and he also was descended from the giants.
⁷ And when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying,
⁸ In Gath, there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number, and he also was descended from the giants.

1 Chronicles 21:1-30: ¹ Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel.
² So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Go, number Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me a report, that I may know their number.”
³ But Joab said, “May the Lord add to his people a hundred times as many as they are! Are they not, my lord the king, all of them my lord’s servants? Why then should my lord require this? Why should it be a cause of guilt for Israel?”
⁴ But the king’s word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came back to Jerusalem.
⁵ And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to David. In all Israel there were 1,100,000 men who drew the sword, and in Judah 470,000 who drew the sword.
⁶ But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, for the king’s command was abhorrent to Joab.
⁷ But God was displeased with this thing, and he struck Israel.
⁸ And David said to God, “I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing. But now, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
⁹ And the Lord spoke to Gad, David’s seer, saying,
¹⁰ Now I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall be born to you, and I will establish his kingdom.
¹¹ So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Choose what you will:
¹² either three years of famine, or three months of devastation by your foes while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of the Lord, pestilence on the land, with the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ Now decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.”
¹³ David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is very great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”
¹⁴ So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel, and 70,000 men of Israel fell.
¹⁵ And God sent the angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but as he was about to destroy it, the Lord saw, and he relented from the calamity.
¹⁶ And David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, and in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.
¹⁷ And David said to God, “Was it not I who gave command to number the people? It is I who have sinned and done great evil. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand, O Lord my God, be against me and against my father’s house.
¹⁸ Now the angel of the Lord had commanded Gad to say to David that David should go up and raise an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
¹⁹ So David went up at Gad’s word, which he had spoken in the name of the Lord.
²⁰ And Ornan turned back and saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves.
²¹ And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David and went out from the threshing floor and paid homage to David with his face to the ground.
²² Then David said to Ornan, “Grant me the site of the threshing floor that I may build an altar on it to the Lord; grant it to me at its full price, that the plague may be averted from the people.”
²³ Then Ornan said to David, “Take it, and let my lord the king do what seems good to him. See, I give the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for the wood and the wheat for a grain offering; I give it all.”
²⁴ But King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”
²⁵ So David paid Ornan 600 shekels of gold by weight for the site.
²⁶ And David built there an altar to the Lord and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings and called on the Lord, and the Lord answered him with fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering.
²⁷ And the Lord commanded the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.
²⁸ At that time, when David saw that the Lord had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there.
²⁹ For the tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time in the high place at Gibeon,
³⁰ But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord.

1 Chronicles 22:1-19: ² David commanded to gather together the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, and he set stonecutters to prepare dressed stones for building the house of God.
² David commanded to gather together the resident aliens who were in the land of Israel, and he set stonecutters to prepare dressed stones for building the house of God.
³ David provided great quantities of iron for nails for the doors of the gates and for clamps, as well as bronze in quantities beyond weighing,
⁴ and cedar timbers without number, for the Sidonians and Tyrians brought great quantities of cedar to David.
⁵ For David said, “Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory throughout all lands. I will therefore make preparation for it.” So David provided materials in great quantity before his death.
⁶ Then he called for Solomon his son and charged him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel.
⁷ David said to Solomon, “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the Lord my God.
⁸ But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth.
⁹ Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest.
¹⁰ He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.
¹¹ “Now, my son, the Lord be with you, so that you may succeed in building the house of the Lord your God, as he has spoken concerning you.”
¹² Only, may the Lord grant you discretion and understanding, that when he gives you charge over Israel you may keep the law of the Lord your God.
¹³ Then you will prosper if you are careful to observe the statutes and the rules that the Lord commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Fear not; do not be dismayed.
¹⁴ With great pains I have provided for the house of the Lord 100,000 talents of gold, a million talents of silver, and bronze and iron beyond weighing, for there is so much of it; and timber and stone, too, I have provided.
¹⁵ You have an abundance of workmen: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and all kinds of craftsmen without number, skilled in working
¹⁶ gold, silver, bronze, and iron. Arise and work! The Lord be with you!
¹⁷ David also commanded all the leaders of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying,
¹⁸ “Is not the Lord your God with you? And has he not given you peace on every side? For he has delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the Lord and his people.”
¹⁹ Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God.

1 Chronicles 23:1-32: ²³ When David was old and full of days, he made Solomon his son king over Israel.
² David assembled all the leaders of Israel and the priests and the Levites.
³ The Levites, thirty years old and upward, were numbered, and the total was 38,000 men.
⁴ “Of these, 24,000 were to have charge of the work in the house of the Lord, 6,000 were officers and judges,
⁵ and 4,000 gatekeepers, and 4,000 shall offer praises to the Lord with the instruments that I have made for praise.”
⁶ And David organized them in divisions corresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
⁷ The sons of Gershon were Ladan and Shimei.
⁸ The sons of Ladan: Jehiel the chief, and Zetham, and Joel, three.
⁹ The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the fathers’ houses of Ladan.
¹⁰ And the sons of Shimei were Jahath, Zina, and Jeush and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei.
¹¹ Thus they were divided by lot, one as well as another, for there were sacred officers and officers of God among both the sons of Eleazar and the sons of Ithamar.
¹² The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four.
¹³ The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set apart to dedicate the most holy things, that he and his sons forever should make offerings before the Lord and minister to him and pronounce blessings in his name forever.
¹⁴ But as for Moses the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi.
¹⁵ The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.
¹⁶ The sons of Gershom: Shebuel the chief.
¹⁷ The sons of Eliezer: Rehabiah the chief. Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many.
¹⁸ But the sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set apart to dedicate the most holy things, that he and his sons forever should make offerings before the Lord and minister to him and pronounce blessings in his name forever.
¹⁹ The sons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth.
²⁰ The sons of Uzziel: Micah the chief, and Isshiah the second.
²¹ The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.
²² Eleazar died having no sons, but only daughters; their kinsmen, the sons of Kish, married them.
²³ The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth, three.
²⁴ These were the sons of Levi by their fathers’ houses, the heads of fathers’ houses as they were listed according to the number of the names of the individuals from twenty years old and upward who were to do the work for the service of the house of the Lord.
²⁵ For David said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever.
²⁶ So the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the things for its service.”
²⁷ For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered from twenty years old and upward.
²⁸ For their duty was to assist the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the Lord, having the care of the courts and the chambers, the cleansing of all that is holy, and any work for the service of the house of God.
²⁹ For both the sons of Aaron, the priests, and the Levites shall have a portion before the Lord in all the towns, the pasturelands of the cities.
³⁰ And they were to stand every morning, thanking and praising the Lord, and likewise at evening,
³¹ and whenever burnt offerings were offered to the Lord on Sabbaths, new moons, and feast days, according to the number required of them, regularly before the Lord.
³² Thus they were to keep charge of the tent of meeting and the sanctuary, and to attend the sons of Aaron, their brothers, for the service of the house of the Lord.

1 Chronicles 24:1-31: ¹ The divisions of the sons of Aaron were these. The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
² But Nadab and Abihu died before their father and had no children, so Eleazar and Ithamar became the priests.
³ With the help of Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, David organized them according to the appointed duties in their service.
⁴ Since more chief men were found among the sons of Eleazar than among the sons of Ithamar, they organized them under sixteen heads of fathers’ houses of the sons of Eleazar, and eight of the sons of Ithamar.
⁵ Thus they were divided by lot, one as well as the other, for there were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God among the sons of Eleazar and among the sons of Ithamar.
⁶ And the scribe Shemaiah, the son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded them in the presence of the king and the princes and Zadok the priest and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and of the Levites, one father’s house being chosen for Eleazar and one chosen for Ithamar.
⁷ The first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the second to Jedaiah,
⁸ the third to Harim, the fourth to Seorim,
⁹ the fifth to Malchijah, the sixth to Mijamin,
¹⁰ the seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah,
¹¹ the ninth to Jeshua, the tenth to Shecaniah,
¹² the eleventh to Eliashib, the twelfth to Jakim,
¹³ the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,
¹⁴ The fifteenth to Bilgah, the sixteenth to Immer,
¹⁵ The seventeenth to Hezir, the eighteenth to Happizzez
¹⁶ The nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel,
¹⁷ the twenty-third to Delaiah, the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.
¹⁸ the twenty-third to Delaiah, the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.
¹⁹ These had as their appointed duty in their service to come into the house of the Lord according to the procedure established for them by Aaron their father, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded him.
²⁰ And the rest of the sons of Levi: of the sons of Amram, Shubael; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah.
²¹ The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.
²² As for the Izharites: Shelomoth and his sons.
²³ As for the rest of the sons of Kohath, their duties involved the care of the sanctuary: they were in charge of the bread of the Presence.
²⁴ These had the sons of Levi: the sons of Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.
²⁵ The brother of Michah, Isshiah; of the sons of Isshiah, Zechariah.
²⁶ The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and Kish.
²⁷ the twenty-first to Jachin, the twenty-second to Gamul,
²⁸ The duty of the Levites was to help Aaron the priest in the service of the house of the Lord, to care for the courts and the chambers, the cleansing of all that is holy, and any work for the service of the house of God.
²⁹ As for the Izharites: Chenaniah and his sons were appointed to external duties for Israel, as officers and judges.
³⁰ The twenty-third to Delaiah, the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.
³¹ These also, the head of each father’s house and his younger brother alike, cast lots, just as their brothers the sons of Aaron, in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of fathers’ houses of the priests and of the Levites. The fathers’ houses of the chief as well as those of his younger brother.

1 Chronicles 25:1-31: ¹ David and the chiefs of the service also set apart for the service the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who prophesied with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals.
² Of the sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah, sons of Asaph, under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied under the direction of the king.
³ They were all under the direction of their father in the music in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of the house of God.
⁴ Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel and Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, and Romamti-ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth.
⁵ All these were the sons of Heman the king’s seer, according to the promise of God to exalt him, for God had given Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.
⁶ They were all under the direction of their father in the music in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of the house of God.
⁷ The number of them along with their brothers, who were trained in singing to the Lord, all who were skillful, was 288.
⁸ And they cast lots for their duties, small and great, teacher and pupil alike.
⁹ The first lot fell for Asaph to Joseph; the second to Gedaliah, to him and his brothers and his sons, twelve;
¹⁰ the third to Zaccur, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
¹¹ the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,
¹² the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
¹³ the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
¹⁴ The twenty-fourth to Romamti-ezer, his sons, and his brothers, twelve.
¹⁵ The eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
¹⁶ The nineteenth to Pethahiah, the twentieth to Jehezkel,
¹⁷ the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
¹⁸ the thirteenth to Shuppim, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
¹⁹ These were the divisions of the gatekeepers among the Korahites and the sons of Merari.
²⁰ the thirteenth to Shubael, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
²¹ the thirteenth to Shubael, his sons and his brothers, twelve;
²² The twenty-third to Delaiah, the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.
²³ As for the rest of the Kohathites: their duty was to assist the musicians with the service of the house of God.
²⁴ The twenty-third to Delaiah, the twenty-fourth to Maaziah.
²⁵ They were all under the direction of their father in the music in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of the house of God.
²⁶ the thirteenth to Huppah, the fourteenth to Jeshebeab,
²⁷ The twenty-first to Hothir, the twenty-second to Giddalti,
²⁸ The twenty-fifth to Mahazioth, the twenty-sixth to Eden.
²⁹ As for the Izharites: Chenaniah and his sons were appointed to external duties for Israel, as officers and judges.
³⁰ The twenty-fourth to Romamti-ezer, his sons, and his brothers, twelve.
³¹ The twenty-fourth to Romamti-ezer, his sons, and his brothers, twelve.

1 Chronicles 26:1-32: ¹ As for the divisions of the gatekeepers: of the Korahites, Meshelemiah the son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph.
² And Meshelemiah had sons: Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth,
³ Elam the fifth, Johanan the sixth, Eliehoenai the seventh.
⁴ And Obed-edom had sons: Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sachar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth,
⁵ Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, Peullethai the eighth, for God blessed him.
⁶ Also to his son Shemaiah were sons born who were rulers in their fathers’ houses, for they were men of great ability.
⁷ The sons of Shemaiah: Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad; his brothers, Elihu and Semachiah, were able men.
⁸ All these were the sons of Obed-edom with their sons and brothers, able men qualified for the service, sixty-two of Obed-edom.
⁹ And Meshelemiah had sons: Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth,
¹⁰ Also Hosah, of the sons of Merari, had sons: Shimri the chief (for though he was not the firstborn, his father made him chief),
¹¹ They also cast lots, just as their brothers the sons of Aaron did, in the presence of King David and Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of fathers’ houses of the priests and of the Levites. The fathers’ houses of the chief as well as those of his younger brother.
¹² These divisions of the gatekeepers, corresponding to their chief men, had duties, just as their brothers did, ministering in the house of the Lord.
¹³ And they cast lots by fathers’ houses, small and great alike, for their gates.
¹⁴ And the lot for the east fell to Shelemiah. They cast lots also for his son Zechariah, a shrewd counselor, and his lot came out for the north.
¹⁵ The lot for the south fell to Obed-edom, and to his sons and for the storehouses.
¹⁶ And Obadiah the son of Shemaiah, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun, and Berechiah the son of Asa, son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.
¹⁷ On the east there were six each day, on the north four each day, on the south four each day, as well as two and two at the gatehouse.
¹⁸ for Parbar westward, four at the road and two at Parbar.
¹⁹ These were the divisions of the gatekeepers among the Korahites and the sons of Merari.
²⁰ And of the Levites, Ahijah had charge of the treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries of the dedicated gifts.
²¹ The sons of Ladan, the sons of the Gershonites belonging to Ladan, the heads of the fathers’ houses belonging to Ladan the Gershonite: Jehieli.
²² The sons of Jehieli, Zetham, and Joel his brother, were in charge of the treasuries of the house of the Lord.
²³ As for the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites,
²⁴ and Shebuel the son of Gershom, son of Moses, was chief officer in charge of the treasuries.
²⁵ his brothers, Eliezer for his son Rehabiah, and Jeshaiah for his son Joram, and Jachin for Shimei,
²⁶ This Shelomoth and his brothers were in charge of all the treasuries of the dedicated gifts that David the king and the heads of the fathers’ houses and the officers of the thousands and the hundreds and the commanders of the army had dedicated.
²⁷ They dedicated part of the spoil won in battles to repair the house of the Lord.
²⁸ Also all that Samuel the seer and Saul the son of Kish and Abner the son of Ner and Joab the son of Zeruiah had dedicated—all dedicated things were in the care of Shelomoth and his brothers.
²⁹ For the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons were appointed to external duties for Israel, as officers and judges.
³⁰ And of the Hebronites, Hashabiah and his brothers, 1,700 men of ability, had the oversight of Israel westward of the Jordan for all the work of the Lord and for the service of the king.
³¹ Among the Hebronites Hashabiah and his brothers, 1,700 men of ability, had the oversight of Israel westward of the Jordan for all the work of the Lord and for the service of the king.
³² And his brothers, men of valor, were two thousand seven hundred, heads of fathers’ houses. And King David appointed them over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of the Manassites for every matter pertaining to God and affairs of the king.

1 Chronicles 27:1-34: ¹ This is the number of the people of Israel, the heads of fathers’ houses, the commanders of thousands and hundreds, and their officers who served the king in all matters concerning the divisions that came and went, month after month throughout the year, each division numbering 24,000.
² Over the first division for the first month was Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel. And in his division were twenty-four thousand.
³ He was from the sons of Perez, and was chief of all the commanders of the army for the first month.
⁴ Dodai the Ahohite was in charge of the division of the second month; in his division were 24,000.
⁵ The third commander, for the third month, was Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada the chief priest; and in his division were 24,000.
⁶ This is the Benaiah who was a mighty man of the thirty and in command of the thirty; Ammizabad his son was in charge of his division.
⁷ The fourth for the fourth month was Asahel the brother of Joab, and Zebadiah his son after him; and in his division were twenty-four thousand.
⁸ The fifth commander, for the fifth month, was Shamhuth the Izrahite.
⁹ The sixth for the sixth month was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite.
¹⁰ The seventh for the seventh month was Helez the Pelonite, of the sons of Ephraim.
¹¹ The eighth for the eighth month was Sibbecai the Hushathite of the Zerahites.
¹² The ninth for the ninth month was Abiezer of Anathoth, a Benjaminite; and in his division were twenty-four thousand.
¹³ The tenth for the tenth month was Maharai of Netophah, of the Zerahites; and in his division were 24,000.
¹⁴ The eleventh commander, for the eleventh month, was Benaiah of Pirathon, an Ephraimite.
¹⁵ The twelfth for the twelfth month was Heldai the Netophathite, of Othniel; and in his division were 24,000.
¹⁶ Over the tribes of Israel, for the Reubenites, Eliezer the son of Zichri was chief officer; for the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maacah;
¹⁷ Over the tribes of Israel, for the Reubenites, Eliezer the son of Zichri was chief officer; for the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maacah;
¹⁸ for Judah, Elihu, one of David’s brothers; for Issachar, Omri the son of Michael;
¹⁹ Over Ephraim was Hoshea the son of Azaziah.
²⁰ Over the tribes of Israel: the chief of the Reubenites was Eliezer the son of Zichri. Of the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maacah.
²¹ the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo the son of Zechariah;
²² Adah’s son was Shamhuth. Shimei’s son was Jahath.
²³ David did not count those below twenty years of age, for the Lord had promised to make Israel as many as the stars of heaven.
²⁴ Joab the son of Zeruiah began to count, but did not finish. Yet wrath came upon Israel for this, and the number was not entered in the chronicles of King David.
²⁵ And over the king’s treasuries was Azmaveth the son of Adiel. Then Jonathan the son of Uzziah was over the storehouses in the country, in the cities, in the villages, and in the towers.
²⁶ Ezri the son of Chelub, the ruler of the Reubenites, also as commander in the army.
²⁷ And over the vineyards was Shimei the Ramathite; and over the produce of the vineyards for the wine cellars was Zabdi the Shiphmite.
²⁸ Baal-hanan the Gederite was in charge of the olive and sycamore trees in the Shephelah; and Joash was in charge of the stores of oil.
²⁹ Shitrai the Sharonite was over the herds that pastured in Sharon, and Shaphat the son of Adlai was over the herds in the valleys.
³⁰ Over the camels also was Obil the Ishmaelite; and over the donkeys was Jehdeiah the Meronothite.
³¹ Over the herds that pastured in Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite; over the herds in the valleys, Shaphat the son of Adlai.
³² Jonathan, David’s uncle, was a counselor, being a man of understanding and a scribe. He and Jehiel the son of Hachmoni attended the king’s sons.
³³ And Ahithophel was the king’s counselor, and Hushai the Archite was the king’s friend.
³⁴ And after Ahithophel was Jehoiada the son of Benaiah, and Abiathar. And the commander of the king’s army was Joab.

1 Chronicles 28:1-21: ¹ David assembled at Jerusalem all the officials of Israel, the officials of the tribes, the officers of the divisions that served the king, the commanders of thousands, the commanders of hundreds, the stewards of all the property and livestock of the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the mighty men and all the seasoned warriors.
² Then King David rose to his feet and said: “Hear me, my brothers and my people. I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord and for the footstool of our God, and I made preparations for building.
³ But God said to me, ‘You may not build a house for my name, for you are a man of war and have shed blood.’
⁴ Yet the Lord God of Israel chose me from all my father’s house to be king over Israel forever. For he chose Judah as leader, and in the house of Judah my father’s house, and among my father’s sons he took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel.
⁵ And of all my sons (for the Lord has given me many sons) he has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel.
⁶ He said to me, ‘It is Solomon your son who shall build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.
⁷ I will establish his kingdom forever if he continues strong in keeping my commandments and my rules, as he is today.
⁸ Now therefore in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God, observe and seek out all the commandments of the Lord your God, that you may possess this good land and leave it for an inheritance to your children after you forever.
⁹ “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.”
¹⁰ Consider now, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as the sanctuary; be strong and do it.
¹¹ Then David gave Solomon his son the plan of the vestibule of the temple, and of its houses, its treasuries, its upper rooms, and its inner chambers, and of the room for the mercy seat;
¹² and the plan of all that he had in mind for the courts of the house of the Lord, all the surrounding chambers, the treasuries of the house of God, and the treasuries for dedicated gifts;
¹³ For the weight of the golden lampstands and their lamps, the weight of gold for each lampstand and its lamps, the weight of silver for a lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand in the service,
¹⁴ He gave him the plan of all that he had in mind for the courts of the house of the Lord, all the surrounding chambers, the treasuries of the house of God, and the treasuries for dedicated gifts;
¹⁵ the weight of gold for the golden lampstands and their lamps, with the weight of each lampstand and its lamps, and the weight of silver for a lampstand and its lamps, according to the use of each lampstand in the service
¹⁶ and by weight all the vessels of silver for all kinds of service; also the weight for each lampstand of silver, and for its lamps of silver, according to the weight of each lampstand and its lamps; and for the lampstands of gold, according to the weight of each lampstand and its lamps; and for the lampstand of gold, according to the weight of each lampstand and its lamps;
¹⁷ and pure gold for the forks, the basins and the cups; for the golden bowls and the weight of each; for the silver bowls and the weight of each;
¹⁸ and for the altar of incense refined gold by weight; and gold for the model of the chariot, even the cherubim that spread out their wings and covered the ark of the covenant of the Lord.
¹⁹ All this he made clear to me in writing from the hand of the Lord, all the work to be done according to the plan.
²⁰ Then David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished.
²¹ And behold, the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God; and with you in all the work will be every willing man who has skill for any kind of service; also the officers and all the people will be wholly at your command.”

1 Chronicles 29:1-30: ²⁹ And David the king said to all the assembly, “Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is young and inexperienced, and the work is great, for the palace will not be for man but for the Lord God.
² So I have provided for the house of my God, so far as I was able, the gold for the things of gold, the silver for the things of silver, and the bronze for the things of bronze, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood, besides great quantities of onyx and stones for setting, antimony, colored stones, all sorts of precious stones and marble.
³ Moreover, in addition to all that I have provided for the holy house, I have a treasure of my own of gold and silver, and because of my devotion to the house of my God I give it to the house of my God.
⁴ three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, for overlaying the walls of the house
⁵ the gold for the things of gold and the silver for the things of silver, for all the work to be done by craftsmen. Now who will offer willingly, consecrating himself today to the Lord?”
⁶ Then the leaders of fathers’ houses made their freewill offerings, as did also the leaders of the tribes, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the officers over the king’s work.
⁷ They gave for the service of the house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze and one hundred thousand talents of iron.
⁸ And they with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, in the care of Jehiel the Gershonite.
⁹ Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord.
¹⁰ Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever.
¹¹ Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.
¹² Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.
¹³ And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.
¹⁴ “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.”
¹⁵ For we are strangers before you and sojourners, as all our fathers were. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no abiding.
¹⁶ O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have provided for building you a house for your holy name comes from your hand and is all your own.
¹⁷ I know, my God, that you test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things, and now I have seen your people, who are present here, offering freely and joyously to you.
¹⁸ O Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the hearts of your people, and direct their hearts toward you.
¹⁹ Grant to Solomon my son a whole heart that he may keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, performing all, and that he may build the palace for which I have made provision.”
²⁰ Then David said to all the assembly, “Bless the Lord your God.” And all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers, and bowed their heads and paid homage to the Lord and to the king.
²¹ And they offered sacrifices to the Lord, and on the next day offered burnt offerings to the Lord, 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, and 1,000 lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel.
²² And they ate and drank before the Lord on that day with great gladness.
²³ Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king in place of David his father. And he prospered, and all Israel obeyed him.
²⁴ All the leaders and mighty men, and also all the sons of King David pledged their allegiance to King Solomon.
²⁵ And the Lord made Solomon very great in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.
²⁶ And David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel.
²⁷ And the time that he reigned over Israel was forty years.
²⁸ Then he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor. And Solomon his son reigned in his place.
Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the Chronicles of Samuel the seer, and in the Chronicles of Nathan the prophet, and in the Chronicles of Gad the seer, (1 Chronicles 29:29)
²⁹ And he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor. And Solomon his son reigned in his place.

Psalms 18:1-50: ¹ I love you, O Lord, my strength.
² The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
³ I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,
and I am saved from my enemies.
⁴ The cords of death encompassed me; the torrents of destruction assailed me;
⁵ The cords of Sheol entangled me;
the snares of death confronted me.
⁶ In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.
⁷ Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry.
⁸ Smoke went up from his nostrils,
and devouring fire from his mouth;
glowing coals flamed forth from him.
⁹ He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet.
¹⁰ He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
¹¹ He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water.
¹² Out of the brightness before him
hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
¹³ The Lord also thundered in the heavens,
and the Most High uttered his voice,
hailstones and coals of fire.
¹⁴ And he sent out his arrows and scattered them; he flashed forth lightnings and routed them.
¹⁵ Then the channels of the sea were seen, and the foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.
¹⁶ He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters.
¹⁷ He rescued me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
¹⁸ They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
¹⁹ He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me.
²⁰ The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.
²¹ For I have kept the ways of the Lord,
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
²² For all his rules were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away.
²³ For all his rules were before me,
and his statutes I did not put away from me.
²⁴ So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,
according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.
²⁵ With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
²⁶ With the merciful you show yourself merciful;
with the blameless man you show yourself blameless;
²⁷ For you save a humble people,
but the haughty eyes you bring down.
²⁸ For it is you who light my lamp; the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
²⁹ For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.
³⁰ This God—his way is perfect;
the word of the Lord proves true;
he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.
³¹ For who is God, but the Lord?
And who is a rock, except our God—
³² the God who equipped me with strength
and made my way blameless.
³³ He made my feet like the feet of a deer
and set me secure on the heights.
³⁴ He trains my hands for war, so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.
³⁵ You have given me the shield of your salvation,
and your right hand supported me,
and your gentleness made me great.
³⁶ You gave a wide place for my steps under me,
and my feet did not slip.
³⁷ I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
and did not turn back till they were consumed.
³⁸ I pursued my enemies and overtook them,
and did not turn back till they were consumed.
³⁹ For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me.
⁴⁰ You made my enemies turn their backs to me, and those who hated me I destroyed.
⁴¹ They cried for help, but there was none to save; they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.
⁴² I beat them fine as dust before the wind; I cast them out like the mire of the streets.
⁴³ You delivered me from strife with the people; you made me the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me.
⁴⁴ As soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me;
foreigners came cringing to me.
⁴⁵ The foreigners lost heart
and came trembling out of their fortresses.
⁴⁶ The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation—
⁴⁷ The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock,
and exalted be the God of my salvation—
⁴⁸ who delivered me from my enemies; yes, you exalted me above those who rose against me; you rescued me from the man of violence.
⁴⁹ For this I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations, and sing to your name.
⁵⁰ Great salvation he brings to his king,
and shows steadfast love to his anointed,
to David and his offspring forever.

Psalms 23:1-6: ¹ The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
² He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
³ He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
⁵ You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Psalms 51:1-19: ¹ Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
² Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin!
³ For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is ever before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
and blameless in your judgment.
⁵ Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
⁶ Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
⁷ Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins,
and blot out all my iniquities.
¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
¹¹ Cast me not away from your presence,
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and uphold me with a willing spirit.
¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
¹⁴ Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
¹⁵ O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
¹⁶ For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
¹⁸ Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
build up the walls of Jerusalem;
¹⁹ then will you delight in right sacrifices,
in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Psalms 89:1-52: ¹ I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever;
with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness to all generations.
² For I have said, “Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness.”
³ You have said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant:
⁴ ‘I will establish your offspring forever,
and build your throne for all generations.’”
⁵ Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
⁶ For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?
Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord,
⁷ a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him.
⁸ O Lord God of hosts,
who is mighty as you are, O Lord,
with your faithfulness all around you?
⁹ You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.
¹⁰ You crushed Rahab like a carcass; you scattered your enemies with your mighty arm.
¹¹ The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them.
¹² The north and the south, you have created them;
Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.
¹³ You have a mighty arm; strong is your hand, high your right hand.
¹⁴ Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
¹⁵ Blessed are the people who know the festal shout, who walk, O Lord, in the light of your face,
¹⁶ In your name they exult all day long
and in your righteousness they are exalted.
¹⁷ For you are the glory of their strength; by your favor our horn is exalted.
¹⁸ For our shield belongs to the Lord, our king to the Holy One of Israel.
¹⁹ Of old you spoke in a vision to your godly one, and said: “I have granted help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people.
²⁰ I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him,
²¹ so that my hand shall be established with him; my arm also shall strengthen him.
²² The enemy shall not outwit him; the wicked shall not humble him.
²³ I will crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.
²⁴ My faithfulness and my steadfast love shall be with him,
and in my name shall his horn be exalted.
²⁵ I will set his hand on the sea and his right hand on the rivers.
²⁶ He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’
²⁷ And I will make him the firstborn,
the highest of the kings of the earth.
²⁸ My steadfast love I will keep for him forever,
and my covenant will stand firm for him.
²⁹ I will establish his offspring forever and his throne as the days of the heavens.
³⁰ If his children forsake my law
and do not walk according to my rules,
³¹ if they violate my statutes and do not keep my commandments,
³² then I will punish their transgression with the rod
and their iniquity with stripes,
³³ but I will not remove from him my steadfast love or be false to my faithfulness.
³⁴ I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips.
³⁵ Once for all I have sworn by my holiness;
I will not lie to David.
³⁶ His offspring shall endure forever, his throne as long as the sun before me.
³⁷ Like the moon it shall be established forever, a faithful witness in the skies.”
³⁸ But now you have cast off and rejected; you are full of wrath against your anointed.
³⁹ You have renounced the covenant with your servant; you have defiled his crown in the dust.
⁴⁰ You have breached all his walls;
you have laid his strongholds in ruins.
⁴¹ All who pass by plunder him;
he has become the scorn of his neighbors.
⁴² You have exalted the right hand of his foes;
you have made all his enemies rejoice.
⁴³ You have also turned back the edge of his sword,
and you have not made him stand in battle.
⁴⁴ You have made his splendor to cease and cast his throne to the ground.
⁴⁵ You have cut short the days of his youth;
you have covered him with shame. Selah
⁴⁶ How long, O Lord? Will you hide yourself forever?
How long will your wrath burn like fire?
⁴⁷ Remember how short my time is!
For what vanity you have created all the children of man!
⁴⁸ What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol?
⁴⁹ Lord, where is your steadfast love of old,
which by your faithfulness you swore to David?
⁵⁰ Remember, O Lord, how your servants are mocked,
and how I bear in my heart the insults of all the many nations,
⁵¹ with which your enemies taunt, O Lord,
with which they mock the footsteps of your anointed.
⁵² Blessed be the Lord forever! Amen and Amen.

Psalms 132:1-18: ¹ Remember, O Lord, in David’s favor,
all the hardships he endured,
² How he swore to the Lord
and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob,
³ “I will not enter my house or get into my bed,”
⁴ I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids,
⁵ until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
⁶ Behold, we heard of it in Ephrathah; we found it in the fields of Jaar.
⁷ Let us go to his dwelling place;
let us worship at his footstool!
⁸ Arise, O Lord, and go to your resting place, you and the ark of your might.
⁹ Let your priests be clothed with righteousness,
and let your saints shout for joy.
¹⁰ For the sake of your servant David, do not turn away the face of your anointed one.
¹¹ The Lord swore to David a sure oath
from which he will not turn back:
“One of the sons of your body
I will set on your throne.
¹² If your sons keep my covenant
and my testimonies that I shall teach them,
their sons also forever
shall sit on your throne.”
¹³ For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for his dwelling place:
¹⁴ “This is my resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.”
¹⁵ I will abundantly bless her provisions;
I will satisfy her poor with bread.
¹⁶ Her priests I will clothe with salvation,
and her saints will shout for joy.
¹⁷ There I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed.
¹⁸ His enemies I will clothe with shame,
but on him his crown will shine.”

Acts 13:16-41: ¹⁶ So Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said: “Men of Israel and you who fear God, listen.
¹⁷ The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it.
¹⁸ And for about forty years he put up with them in the wilderness.
¹⁹ And after destroying seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance.
²⁰ All this took about 450 years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet.
²¹ Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.
²² And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’
²³ Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.
²⁴ Before his coming, John had proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
²⁵ And as John was finishing his course, he said, ‘What do you suppose that I am? I am not he. No, but behold, after me one is coming, the sandals of whose feet I am not worthy to untie.’
²⁶ “Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation.”
²⁷ For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him.
²⁸ And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed.
²⁹ And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.
³⁰ But God raised him from the dead,
³¹ and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people.
³² And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers,
³³ this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm, “‘You are my Son, today I have begotten you.’
³⁴ And as for the fact that he raised him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, he has spoken in this way, “‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.’
³⁵ Therefore he says also in another psalm, “You will not let your Holy One see corruption.”
³⁶ For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep and was laid with his fathers and saw corruption,
³⁷ but he whom God raised up did not see corruption.
³⁸ Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.
³⁹ and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.
⁴⁰ Beware, therefore, lest what is said in the Prophets should come about:
⁴¹ “‘Look, you scoffers,
be astounded and perish;
for I am doing a work in your days,
a work that you will not believe, even if one tells it to you.’”