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

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So Abner came to David to Hebron, and twenty men with him. David made Abner and the men who were with him a feast.

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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 soul desires.” David sent Abner away; and he went in peace.

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Behold, the servants of David and Joab came from a foray, and brought in a great spoil with them: but Abner was not with David in Hebron; for he had sent him away, and he was gone in peace.

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

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Then Joab came to the king, and said, “What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you. Why is it that you have sent him away, and he is quite gone?

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You know Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive you, and to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you do.”

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When Joab had come out from David, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah; but David didn’t know it.

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When Abner was returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him quietly, and struck him there in the body, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.

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Afterward, when David heard it, he said, “I and my kingdom are guiltless before Yahweh forever of the blood of Abner the son of Ner.

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Let it fall on the head of Joab, and on all his father’s house. Let there not fail from the house of Joab one who has an issue, or who is a leper, or who leans on a staff, or who falls by the sword, or who lacks bread.”

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So Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner, because he had killed their brother Asahel at Gibeon in the battle.

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David said to Joab, and to all the people who were with him, Tear your clothes, and clothe yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. King David followed the bier.

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They buried Abner in Hebron: and the king lifted up his voice, and wept at the grave of Abner; and all the people wept.

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The king lamented for Abner, and said, “Should Abner die as a fool dies?

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Your hands were not bound, nor your feet put into fetters. As a man falls before the children of iniquity, so you fell.” All the people wept again over him.

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All the people came to cause 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, until the sun goes down.”

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All the people took notice of it, and it pleased them; as whatever the king did pleased all the people.

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So all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not of the king to kill Abner the son of Ner.

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The king said to his servants, “Don’t you know that there a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel?

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I am this day weak, though anointed king; and these men the sons of Zeruiah are too hard for me. May Yahweh reward the evildoer according to his wickedness.”

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When [Ishbosheth], Saul’s son, heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands became feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled.

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[Ishbosheth], Saul’s son, [had] two men who were captains of bands: the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the children of Benjamin (for Beeroth also is reckoned to Benjamin:

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and the Beerothites fled to Gittaim, and have lived as foreigners there until this day).

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Now Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son who was lame of his feet. He was five years old when the news came of Saul and Jonathan out of Jezreel; and his nurse took him up, and fled: and it happened, as she made haste to flee, that he fell, and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.

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The sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, went, and came about the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth, as he took his rest at noon.

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They came there into the midst of the house, as though they would have fetched wheat; and they struck him in the body: and Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

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Now when they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him, and killed him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and went by the way of the Arabah all night.

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They brought the head of Ishbosheth to David to Hebron, and said to the king, “Behold, the head of Ishbosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life! Yahweh has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul, and of his seed.”

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David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, “As Yahweh lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity,

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when someone told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ thinking to have brought good news, I took hold of him, and killed him in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news.

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How much more, when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood of your hand, and take you away from the earth?”

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David commanded his young men, and they killed them, and cut off their hands and their feet, and hanged them up beside the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ishbosheth, and buried it in the grave of Abner in Hebron.

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Then came all the tribes of Israel to David to Hebron, and spoke, saying, “Behold, we are your bone and your flesh.

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In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. Yahweh said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.’”

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

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

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

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The king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, “Unless you take away the blind and the lame, you shall not come in here;” thinking, “David can’t come in here.”

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Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion; the same is the city of David.

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David said on that day, “Whoever strikes the Jebusites, let him get up to the watercourse, and strike the lame and the blind, who are hated by David’s soul.” Therefore they say, “The blind and the lame can’t come into the house.”

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David lived in the stronghold, and called it the city of David. David built around from Millo and inward.

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David grew greater and greater; for Yahweh, the God of Armies, was with him.

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Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons; and they built David a house.

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David perceived that Yahweh had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel’s sake.

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David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron; and there were yet sons and daughters born to David.

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These are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon,

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and Ibhar, and Elishua, and Nepheg, and Japhia,

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and Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphelet.

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When the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the stronghold.

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Now the Philistines had come and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.

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David inquired of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hand?” Yahweh said to David, “Go up; for I will certainly deliver the Philistines into your hand.”

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David came to Baal Perazim, and David struck them there; and he said, “Yahweh has broken my enemies before me, like the breach of waters.” Therefore he called the name of that place Baal Perazim.

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They left their images there; and David and his men took them away.

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The Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.

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When David inquired of Yahweh, he said, “You shall not go up. Circle around behind them, and attack them over against the mulberry trees.

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It shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then you shall stir yourself up; for then Yahweh has gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.”

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David did so, as Yahweh commanded him, and struck the Philistines from Geba until you come to Gezer.

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David again gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.

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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, even the name of Yahweh of Armies who sits [above] the cherubim.

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They set the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in the hill: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart.

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They brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was in the hill, with the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark.

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David and all the house of Israel played before Yahweh with all kinds of [instruments made of] fir wood, and with harps, and with stringed instruments, and with tambourines, and with castanets, and with cymbals.

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When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put forth [his hand] to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the cattle stumbled.

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The anger of Yahweh was kindled against Uzzah; and God struck him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.

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David was displeased, because Yahweh had broken forth on Uzzah; and he called that place Perez Uzzah, to this day.

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David was afraid of Yahweh that day; and he said, “How shall the ark of Yahweh come to me?”

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So David would not move the ark of Yahweh to be with him in the city of David; but David carried it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.

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The ark of Yahweh remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months: and Yahweh blessed Obed-Edom, and all his house.

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It was told king David, saying, “Yahweh has blessed the house of Obed-Edom, and all that pertains to him, because of the ark of God.” David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom into the city of David with joy.

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It was so, that, when those who bore the ark of Yahweh had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf.

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David danced before Yahweh with all his might; and David was clothed in a linen ephod.

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So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of Yahweh with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.

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It was so, as the ark of Yahweh came into the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out at the window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before Yahweh; and she despised him in her heart.

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They brought in the ark of Yahweh, and set it in its place, in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh.

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When David had made an end of offering the burnt offering and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh of Armies.

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He dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, both to men and women, to everyone a cake of bread, and a portion [of flesh], and a cake of raisins. So all the people departed everyone to his house.

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

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David said to Michal, “It was before Yahweh, who chose me above your father, and above all his house, to appoint me prince over the people of Yahweh, over Israel. Therefore will I celebrate before Yahweh.

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I will be yet more vile than this, and will be base in my own sight. But of the handmaids of whom you have spoken, they shall honor me.”

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Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

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It happened, when the king lived in his house, and Yahweh had given him rest from all his enemies all around,

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that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within curtains.”

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Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart; for Yahweh is with you.”

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It happened the same night, that the word of Yahweh came to Nathan, saying,

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“Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “Shall you build me a house for me to dwell in?

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For I have not lived in a house since the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have moved around in a tent and in a tabernacle.

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In all places in which I have walked with all the children of Israel, did I say a word to any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to be shepherd of my people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’”‘

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Now therefore you shall tell my servant David this, ‘Thus says Yahweh of Armies, “I took you from the sheep pen, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people, over Israel.

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I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you. I will make you a great name, like the name of the great ones who are in the earth.

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I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as at the first,

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and as from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. I will cause you to rest from all your enemies. Moreover Yahweh tells you that Yahweh will make you a house.

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When your days are fulfilled, and you shall sleep with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who shall proceed out of your bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.

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He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

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

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but my loving kindness shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before you.

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Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.”‘”

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

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Then David the king went in, and sat before Yahweh; and he said, “Who am I, Lord Yahweh, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?

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This was yet a small thing in your eyes, Lord Yahweh; but you have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come; and this after the way of men, Lord Yahweh!