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2 Samuel 20

1

Now a worthless fellow happened to be there whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite; and he blew the trumpet and said, " We have no portion in David, Nor do we have inheritance in the son of Jesse; Every man to his tents, O Israel!'

2

So all the men of Israel withdrew from following David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri; but the men of Judah remained steadfast to their king, from the Jordan even to Jerusalem.

3

Then David came to his house at Jerusalem, and the king took the ten women, the concubines whom he had left to keep the house, and placed them under guard and provided them with sustenance, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up until the day of their death, living as widows.

4

Then the king said to Amasa, "Call out the men of Judah for me within three days, and be present here yourself.'

5

So Amasa went to call out the men of Judah, but he delayed longer than the set time which he had 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, so that he does not find for himself fortified cities and escape from our sight.'

7

So Joab's men went out after him, along with the Cherethites and the Pelethites and all the mighty men; and they went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.

8

When they were at the large stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Now Joab was dressed in his military attire, and over it was a belt with a sword in its sheath fastened at his waist; and as he went forward, it fell out.

9

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 was not on guard against the sword which was in Joab's hand so he struck him in the belly with it and poured out his inward parts on the ground, and did not strike him again, and he died. Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri.

11

Now there stood by him one of Joab's young men, and said, "Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab.'

12

But Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the middle of the highway. And when the man saw that all the people stood still, he removed Amasa from the highway into the field and threw a garment over him when he saw that everyone who came by him stood still.

13

As soon as he was removed from the highway, all the men passed on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.

14

Now he went through all the tribes of Israel to Abel, even Beth-maacah, and all the Berites; and they were gathered together and also went after him.

15

They came and besieged him in Abel Beth-maacah, and they cast up a siege ramp against the city, and it stood by the rampart; and all the people who were with Joab were wreaking destruction in order to topple the wall.

16

Then a wise woman called from the city, "Hear, hear! Please tell Joab, "Come here that I may speak with you.'

17

So he approached her, and the woman said, "Are you Joab?' And he answered, "I am.' Then she said to him, "Listen to the words of your maidservant.' And he answered, "I am listening.'

18

Then she spoke, saying, "Formerly they used to say, "They will surely ask advice at Abel,' and thus they ended the dispute.

19

"I am of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. You are seeking to destroy a city, even a mother in Israel. Why would you swallow up the inheritance of the LORD?'

20

Joab replied, "Far be it, far be it from me that I should swallow up or destroy!

21

"Such is not the case. But a man from the hill country of Ephraim, Sheba the son of Bichri by name, has lifted up his hand against King David. Only hand him over, and I will depart from the city.' And the woman said to Joab, "Behold, his head will be thrown to you over the wall.'

22

Then the woman wisely came to all the people. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri and threw it to Joab. So he blew the trumpet, and they were dispersed from the city, each to his tent. Joab also returned to the king at Jerusalem.

23

Now Joab was over the whole army of Israel, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites;

24

and Adoram was over the forced labor, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder;

25

and Sheva was scribe, and Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

26

and Ira the Jairite was also a priest to David. 21

2 Samuel 21

1

Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David sought the presence of the LORD. And the LORD said, "It is for Saul and his bloody 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 sons of Israel but of the remnant of the Amorites, and the sons of Israel made a covenant with them, but Saul had sought to kill them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah).

3

Thus David said to the Gibeonites, "What should I do for you? And how can I make atonement that you may bless the inheritance 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, "I will do for you whatever you say.'

5

So they said to the king, " The man who consumed us and who planned to exterminate us from remaining within any border of Israel,

6

let seven men from his sons be given to us, and we will hang them before the LORD in 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 Jonathan the son of Saul, because of the oath of the LORD which was between them, between David and Saul's son Jonathan.

8

So the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, Armoni and Mephibosheth whom she had born to Saul, and the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she had born to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite.

9

Then he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them in the mountain before the LORD, so that the seven of them fell together; and they were put to death in the first days of harvest at the beginning of barley harvest.

10

And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until it rained on them from the sky; and she allowed neither the birds of the sky to rest on them by day nor the beasts of the field by night.

11

When it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done,

12

then David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the open square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hanged them on the day the Philistines struck down Saul in Gilboa.

13

He brought up the bones of Saul and the bones of Jonathan his son from there, and they gathered the bones of those who had been hanged.

14

They buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the grave of Kish his father; thus they did all that the king commanded, and after that God was moved by prayer for the land.

15

Now when the Philistines were at war again with Israel, David went down and his servants with him; and as they fought against the Philistines, David became weary.

16

Then Ishbi-benob, who was among the descendants of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred shekels of bronze in weight, was girded with a new sword, and he intended to kill David.

17

But Abishai the son of Zeruiah helped him, and struck the Philistine and killed him. Then the men of David swore to him, saying, " You shall not go out again with us to battle, so that you do not extinguish the lamp of Israel.'

18

Now it came about after this that there was war again with the Philistines at Gob; then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Saph, who was among the descendants of the giant.

19

There was war with the Philistines again at Gob, and Elhanan the son of Jaare-oregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

20

There was war at Gath again, 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 had been born to the giant.

21

When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimei, David's brother, struck him down.

22

These four were born to the giant in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants. 22

2 Samuel 22

1

And David spoke the words of this song to the LORD in the day that 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 overwhelmed me;

6

The cords of Sheol surrounded me; The snares of death confronted me.

7

" In my distress I called upon the LORD, Yes, I cried to my God; And from His temple He heard my voice, And my cry for help came into His ears.

8

"Then the earth shook and quaked, The foundations of heaven were trembling And were shaken, because He was angry.

9

"Smoke went up out of His nostrils, Fire from His mouth devoured; Coals were kindled by it.

10

"He bowed the heavens also, and came down With thick darkness under His feet.

11

" And He rode on a cherub and flew; And He appeared on the wings of the wind.

12

" And He made darkness canopies around Him, A mass of waters, thick clouds of the sky.

13

"From the brightness before Him Coals of fire were kindled.

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 appeared, The foundations of the world were laid bare By 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 delivered me from my strong enemy, From those who hated me, for they were too strong for me.

19

"They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the LORD was my support.

20

" He also brought me forth into a broad place; He rescued me, because He delighted in me.

21

" The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; According to the cleanness of my hands He has recompensed me.

22

" For I have kept the ways of the LORD, And have not acted wickedly against my God.

23

" For all His ordinances were before me, And as for His statutes, I did not depart from them.

24

" I was also blameless toward Him, And I kept myself from my iniquity.

25

" Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, According to my cleanness before His eyes.

26

" With the kind You show Yourself kind, With the blameless You show Yourself blameless;

27

With the pure You show Yourself pure, And with the perverted You show Yourself astute.

28

" And You save an afflicted people; But Your eyes are on the haughty whom You abase.

29

" For You are my lamp, O LORD; And the LORD illumines my darkness.

30

" For by You I can run upon a troop; By my God I can leap over a wall.

31

" As for God, His way is blameless; The word of the LORD is tested; He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.

32

" For who is God, besides the LORD? And who is a rock, besides our God?

33

" God is my strong fortress; And He sets the blameless in His way.

34

" He makes my feet like hinds' feet, And sets me on my high places.

35

" He trains my hands for battle, So that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

36

"You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, And Your help makes me great.

37

" You enlarge my steps under me, And my feet have not slipped.

38

"I pursued my enemies and destroyed them, And I did not turn back until they were consumed.

39

"And I have devoured them and shattered them, so that they did not rise; And they fell under my feet.

40

"For You have girded me with strength for battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

41

"You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me, And I destroyed those who hated me.

42

" They looked, but there was none to save; Even to the LORD, but He did not answer them.

43

" Then I pulverized them as the dust of the earth; I crushed and stamped them as the mire of the streets.

44

" You have also delivered me from the contentions of my people; You have kept me as head of the nations; A people whom I have not known serve me.

45

" Foreigners pretend obedience to me; As soon as they hear, they obey me.

46

"Foreigners lose heart, And come trembling out of their fortresses.

47

"The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock; And exalted be God, the rock of my salvation,

48

The God who executes vengeance for me, And brings down peoples under me,

49

Who also brings me out from my enemies; You even lift me above those who rise up against me; You rescue me from the violent man.

50

" Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the nations, And I will sing praises to Your name.

51

" He is a tower of deliverance to His king, And shows lovingkindness to His anointed, To David and his descendants forever.' 23

2 Samuel 23

1

Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse declares, The man who was raised on high declares, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel,

2

" The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, And His word was on my tongue.

3

"The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me, " He who rules over men righteously, Who rules in the fear of God,

4

Is as the light of the morning when the sun rises, A morning without clouds, When the tender grass springs out of the earth, Through sunshine after rain.'

5

"Truly is not my house so with God? For He has made an everlasting covenant with me, Ordered in all things, and secured; For all my salvation and all my desire, Will He not indeed make it grow?

6

" But the worthless, every one of them will be thrust away like thorns, Because they cannot be taken in hand;

7

But the man who touches them Must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear, And they will be completely 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 of eight hundred slain by him at one time;

9

and after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there to battle and the men of Israel had withdrawn.

10

He arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary and clung to the sword, and the LORD brought about a great victory that day; and the people returned after him only to strip the slain.

11

Now after him was Shammah the son of Agee a Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered into a troop where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines.

12

But he took his stand in the midst of the plot, defended it and struck the Philistines; and the LORD brought about a great victory.

13

Then three of the thirty chief men went down and came to David in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam, while the troop of the Philistines was camping in the valley of Rephaim.

14

David was then in the stronghold, while the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.

15

David had a craving and said, "Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!'

16

So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water from the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless he would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD;

17

and he said, "Be it far from me, O LORD, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?' Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

18

Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty. And he swung his spear against three hundred and killed them, and had a name as well as the three.

19

He was most honored of the thirty, therefore he became their commander; however, he did not attain to the three.

20

Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, killed the two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in the middle of a pit on a snowy day.

21

He killed an Egyptian, an impressive man. Now the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but he went down to him with a club and snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear.

22

These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and had a name as well as the three mighty men.

23

He was honored among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David appointed him over his guard.

24

Asahel the brother of Joab was among the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

25

Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,

26

Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,

27

Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite,

28

Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,

29

Heleb the son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the sons of Benjamin,

30

Benaiah a Pirathonite, 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 Ararite,

34

Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maacathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,

35

Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,

36

Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite,

37

Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, armor bearers of Joab the son of Zeruiah,

38

Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

39

Uriah the Hittite; thirty-seven in all. 24

2 Samuel 24

1

Now again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and it incited David against them to say, " Go, number Israel and Judah.'

2

The king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, "Go about now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and register the people, that I may know the number of the people.'

3

But Joab said to the king, " Now 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; but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?'

4

Nevertheless, the king's word prevailed against Joab and against the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to register the people of Israel.

5

They crossed the Jordan and camped in Aroer, on the right side of the city that is in the middle of the valley of Gad and toward Jazer.

6

Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim-hodshi, and they came to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon,

7

and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and of the Canaanites, and they went out to the south of Judah, to Beersheba.

8

So when they had gone about through the whole land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

9

And Joab gave the number of the registration of the people to the king; and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

10

Now David's heart troubled him after he had numbered the people. So 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 acted very foolishly.'

11

When David arose in the morning, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,

12

"Go and speak to David, "Thus the LORD says, "I am offering you three things; choose for yourself one of them, which I will do to you.'

13

So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, "Shall seven 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 see what answer I shall return to Him who sent me.'

14

Then David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the LORD for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.'

15

So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand men of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.

16

When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, "It is enough! Now relax 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 down the people, and said, "Behold, it is I who have sinned, and it is I who have done wrong; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let Your hand be against me and against my father's house.'

18

So Gad came to David that day and said to him, " Go up, erect an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.'

19

David went up according to the word of Gad, just as the LORD had commanded.

20

Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him; and Araunah went out and bowed his face to the ground before the king.

21

Then Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?' And David said, "To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be held back from the people.'

22

Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take and offer up what is good in his sight. Look, the oxen for the burnt offering, the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood.

23

"Everything, O king, Araunah gives to the king.' And Araunah said to the king, "May the LORD your God accept you.'

24

However, the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing.' So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

25

David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Thus the LORD was moved by prayer for the land, and the plague was held back from Israel.

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