Study Desk

Now ^(a)there was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; and David grew steadily stronger, but the house of Saul grew weaker continually.

^(b)Sons were born to David at Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, by ^(c)Ahinoam the Jezreelitess;

and his second, Chileab, by Abigail the ^[a]widow of Nabal the Carmelite; and the third, Absalom the son of ^(d)Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of ^(e)Geshur;

and the fourth, ^(f)Adonijah the son of Haggith; and the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;

and the sixth, Ithream, by David's wife Eglah. These were born to David at Hebron.

It came about while there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David that ^(g)Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul.

Now Saul had a concubine whose name was ^(h)Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah; and ^[b]Ish-bosheth said to Abner, "Why have you gone in to my father's concubine?"

Then Abner was very angry over the words of Ish-bosheth and said, "⁽ⁱ⁾Am I a dog's head that belongs to Judah? Today I show kindness to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hands of David; and yet today you charge me with a guilt concerning the woman.

^(j)May God do so to Abner, and more also, if ^(k)as the Lord has sworn to David, I do not accomplish this for him,

^(l)to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, ^(m)from Dan even to Beersheba."

And he could no longer answer Abner a word, because he was afraid of him.

Then Abner sent messengers to David in his place, saying, "Whose is the land? Make your covenant with me, and behold, my hand shall be with you to bring all Israel over to you."

He said, "Good! I will make a covenant with you, but I demand one thing of you, ^[c]namely, ⁽ⁿ⁾you shall not see my face unless you ^(o)first bring Michal, Saul's daughter, when you come to see ^[d]me."

So David sent messengers to Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, saying, "Give me my wife Michal, to whom I was betrothed ^(p)for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines."

Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband, from ^[e]Paltiel the son of Laish.

But her husband went with her, weeping as he went, and followed her as far as ^(q)Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, "Go, return." So he returned.

Now Abner had ^[f]consultation with ^(r)the elders of Israel, saying, "In times past you were seeking for David to be king over you.

Now then, do it! For the Lord has spoken of David, saying, ‘^(s)By the hand of My servant David ^[g]I will save My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.'"

Abner also spoke in the hearing of Benjamin; and in addition Abner went to speak in the hearing of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel and to ^(t)the whole house of Benjamin.

Then Abner and twenty men with him came to David at Hebron. And David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him.

Abner said to David, "Let me arise and go and ^(u)gather all Israel to my lord the king, that they may make a covenant with you, and that ^(v)you may be king over all that your soul desires." So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.

And behold, ^(w)the servants of David and Joab came from a raid and brought much spoil with them; but Abner was not with David in Hebron, for he had sent him away, and he had gone in peace.

When Joab and all the army that was with him arrived, they told Joab, saying, "Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has sent him away, and he has gone in peace."

Then Joab came to the king and said, "What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you; why then have you sent him away and he is already gone?

You know Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive you and to learn of ^(x)your going out and coming in and to find out all that you are doing."

When Joab came out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah; but David did not know it.

So when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the middle of the gate to speak with him privately, and there ^(y)he struck him in the belly so that he died on account of the blood of Asahel his brother.

Afterward when David heard it, he said, "I and my kingdom are innocent before the Lord forever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner.

^(z)May it ^[h]fall on the head of Joab and on all his father's house; and may there not fail from the house of Joab ^(aa)one who has a discharge, or who is a leper, or who takes hold of a distaff, or who falls by the sword, or who lacks bread."

So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner ^(ab)because he had put their brother Asahel to death in the battle at Gibeon.

Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, "^(ac)Tear your clothes and gird on sackcloth and lament before Abner." And King David walked behind the bier.

Thus they buried Abner in Hebron; and the king lifted up his voice and wept at ^(ad)the grave of Abner, and all the people wept.

^(ae)The king chanted a lament for Abner and said, "Should Abner die as a fool dies?

"Your hands were not bound, nor your feet put in fetters; As one falls before the ^[i]wicked, you have fallen." And all the people wept again over him.

Then all the people came ^(af)to ^[j]persuade David to eat bread while it was still day; but David vowed, saying, "^(ag)May God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else ^(ah)before the sun goes down."

Now all the people took note of it, and it ^[k]pleased them, just as everything the king did ^[l]pleased all the people.

So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it had not been the will of the king to put Abner the son of Ner to death.

Then the king said to his servants, "Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel?

I am ^(ai)weak today, though anointed king; and these men ^(aj)the sons of Zeruiah are too difficult for me. ^(ak)May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his evil."

Now when ^[a]Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, heard that ^(a)Abner had died in Hebron, ^[b](b)he lost courage, and all Israel was disturbed.

Saul's son had two men who were commanders of bands: the name of the one was Baanah and the name of the other Rechab, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the sons of Benjamin (for ^(c)Beeroth is also considered ^(d)part of Benjamin,

and the Beerothites fled to ^(e)Gittaim and have been aliens there until this day).

Now ^(f)Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the ^(g)report of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled. And it happened that in her hurry to flee, he fell and became lame. And his name was ^[c](h)Mephibosheth.

So the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, departed and came to the house of ⁽ⁱ⁾Ish-bosheth in the heat of the day while he was taking his midday rest.

^[d]They came to the middle of the house as ^[e]if to get wheat, and ^(j)they struck him in the belly; and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

Now when they came into the house, as he was lying on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him and killed him and beheaded him. And they took his head and ^[f](k)traveled by way of the Arabah all night.

Then they brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, "Behold, the head of Ish-bosheth ^(l)the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life; thus the Lord has given my lord the king vengeance this day on Saul and his ^[g]descendants."

David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, "As the Lord lives, ^(m)who has redeemed my life from all distress,

⁽ⁿ⁾when one told me, saying, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,' and ^[h]thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news.

How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now ^(o)require his blood from your hand and ^[i]destroy you from the earth?"

Then ^(p)David commanded the young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and feet and hung them up beside the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth ^(q)and buried it in the grave of Abner in Hebron.

^(a)Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and ^[a]said, "Behold, we are ^(b)your bone and your flesh.

Previously, when Saul was king over us, ^(c)you were the one who led Israel out and in. And the Lord said to you, ‘^(d)You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ^(e)a ruler over Israel.'"

So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David ^(f)made a covenant with them before the Lord at Hebron; then ^(g)they anointed David king over Israel.

David was ^(h)thirty years old when he became king, and ⁽ⁱ⁾he reigned forty years.

At Hebron ^(j)he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

^(k)Now the king and his men went to ^(l)Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, and they said to ^[b]David, "You shall not come in here, but the blind and lame will turn you away"; ^[c]thinking, "David cannot enter here."

Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion, that is ^(m)the city of David.

David said on that day, "Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him reach the lame and the blind, who are hated by David's soul, through the water tunnel." Therefore they say, "The blind or the lame shall not come into the house."

So David lived in the stronghold and called it ⁽ⁿ⁾the city of David. And David built all around from the ^[d](o)Millo and inward.

^(p)David became greater and greater, for the Lord God of hosts was with him.

^(q)Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees and carpenters and stonemasons; and ^(r)they built a house for David.

And David realized that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, and that He had exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

Meanwhile ^(s)David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron; and more sons and daughters were born to David.

Now ^(t)these are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,

Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,

Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.

When the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, ^(u)all the Philistines went up to seek out David; and when David heard of it, he went down to the ^(v)stronghold.

Now the Philistines came and spread themselves out in ^(w)the valley of Rephaim.

Then ^(x)David inquired of the Lord , saying, "Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You give them into my hand?" And ^(y)the Lord said to David, "Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand."

So David came to ^(z)Baal-perazim and ^[e]defeated them there; and he said, "The Lord has broken through my enemies before me like the breakthrough of waters." Therefore he named that place ^[f]Baal-perazim.

They abandoned their idols there, so ^(aa)David and his men carried them away.

Now ^(ab)the Philistines came up once again and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim.

When ^(ac)David inquired of the Lord , He said, "You shall not go directly up; circle around behind them and come at them in front of the ^[g]balsam trees.

It shall be, when ^(ad)you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the ^[h]balsam trees, then you shall act promptly, for then ^(ae)the Lord will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines."

Then David did so, just as the Lord had commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from ^[i](af)Geba ^[j]as far as ^(ag)Gezer.

^(a)Now David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.

And David arose and went with all the people who were with him to ^[a](b)Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the ^(c)Name, the very name of the Lord of hosts who ^(d)is ^[b]enthroned above the cherubim.

They ^[c]placed the ark of God on ^(e)a new cart that they might bring it from the house of Abinadab which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were leading the new cart.

So ^(f)they brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Ahio was walking ahead of the ark.

Meanwhile, David and all the house of Israel ^(g)were celebrating before the Lord ^(h)with all kinds of instruments made of ^[d]fir wood, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets and cymbals.

But when they came to the ⁽ⁱ⁾threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah ^(j)reached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen nearly upset it.

And the anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah, and ^(k)God struck him down there for ^[e]his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God.

David became angry because ^[f]of the Lord's outburst against Uzzah, and that place is called ^[g]Perez-uzzah to this day.

So ^(l)David was afraid of the Lord that day; and he said, "How can the ark of the Lord come to me?"

And David was unwilling to move the ark of the Lord into the city of David with him; but David took it aside to the house of ^(m)Obed-edom the Gittite.

Thus the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and the Lord ⁽ⁿ⁾blessed Obed-edom and all his household.