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David Hears of Saul's Death
After the death of Saul, when David had returned from striking down the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag.
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And on the third day, behold, 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.
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David said to him, “Where do you come from?” And he said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.”
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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.”
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Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?”
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Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so did all the men who were with him.
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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.”
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David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to put out your hand to destroy the Lord's anointed?”
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Then David called one of the young men and said, “Go, execute him.” And he struck him down so that he died.
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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.’”
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David's Lament for Saul and Jonathan
And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son,
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David Anointed King of Judah
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.”
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So David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel.
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And David brought up his men who were with him, everyone with his household, and they lived in the towns of Hebron.
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And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. When they told David, “It was the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul,”
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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.
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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.
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And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.
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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.
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Then they arose and passed over by number, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.
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And the battle was very fierce that day. And Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.
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Joab returned from the pursuit of Abner. And when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing from David's servants nineteen men besides Asahel.
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But the servants of David had struck down of Benjamin 360 of Abner's men.
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Abner Joins David
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.
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And sons were born to David at Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam of Jezreel;
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and the sixth, Ithream, of Eglah, David's wife. These were born to David in Hebron.
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While there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul.
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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.
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God do so to Abner and more also, if I do not accomplish for David what the Lord has sworn to him,
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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.”
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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.”
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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.”
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And Abner conferred with the elders of Israel, saying, “For some time past you have been seeking David as king over you.
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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.’”
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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.
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When Abner came with twenty men to David at Hebron, David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him.
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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.
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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.
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Joab Murders Abner
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.
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Afterward, 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.
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David Mourns Abner
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.
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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!”
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and brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron. And they 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.”
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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,
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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.
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David Anointed King of Israel
Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh.
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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.
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David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
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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.”
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Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David.
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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.”
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And David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. And David built the city all around from the Millo inward.
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And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.
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And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also carpenters and masons who built David a house.
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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.
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And David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron, and more sons and daughters were born to David.
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David Defeats the Philistines
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.
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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.”
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And 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.” Therefore the name of that place is called Baal-perazim.
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And the Philistines left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.
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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.
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And David did as the Lord commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.
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The Ark Brought to Jerusalem
David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.
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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.
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Uzzah and the Ark
And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.
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And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day.
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And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?”
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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.
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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.
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And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod.
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So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn.
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David and Michal
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.
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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.
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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
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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!”
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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 celebrate before the Lord.
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The Lord's Covenant with David
Now when the king lived in his house and the Lord had given him rest from all his surrounding enemies,
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“Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Would you build me a house to dwell in?
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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.
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In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.
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David's Prayer of Gratitude
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?
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And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God!
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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.
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David's Victories
After this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and David took Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines.
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And he defeated Moab and he 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.
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David also defeated Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to restore his power at the river Euphrates.
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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.
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And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down 22,000 men of the Syrians.
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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.
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And David took the shields of gold that were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.
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And from Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David took very much bronze.
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When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer,
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Toi sent his son Joram 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.
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These also King David dedicated to the Lord, together with the silver and gold that he dedicated from all the nations he subdued,
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And David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
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Then 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.
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David's Officials
So David reigned over all Israel. And David administered justice and equity to all his people.
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and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and David's sons were priests.
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David's Kindness to Mephibosheth
And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?”
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Now 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.”
