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2 Samuel 20

1

Now there happened to be there a worthless fellow, 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 Ama'sa, "Call the men of Judah together to me within three days, and be here yourself."

5

So Ama'sa went to summon Judah; but he delayed beyond the set time which had been appointed him.

6

And David said to Abi'shai, "Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Ab'salom; take your lord's servants and pursue him, lest he get himself fortified cities, and cause us trouble."

7

And there went out after Abi'shai, Jo'ab and the Cher'ethites and the Pel'ethites, 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 which is in Gibeon, Ama'sa came to meet them. Now Jo'ab was wearing a soldier's garment, and over it was a girdle with a sword in its sheath fastened upon his loins, and as he went forward it fell out.

9

And Jo'ab said to Ama'sa, "Is it well with you, my brother?" And Jo'ab took Ama'sa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.

10

But Ama'sa did not observe the sword which was in Jo'ab's hand; so Jo'ab struck him with it in the body, and shed his bowels to the ground, without striking a second blow; and he died. Then Jo'ab and Abi'shai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri.

11

And one of Jo'ab's men took his stand by Ama'sa, and said, "Whoever favors Jo'ab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Jo'ab."

12

And Ama'sa lay wallowing in his blood in the highway. And any one who came by, seeing him, stopped; and when the man saw that all the people stopped, he carried Ama'sa out of the highway into the field, and threw a garment over him.

13

When he was taken out of the highway, all the people went on after Jo'ab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.

14

And Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of Beth-ma'acah; and all the Bichrites assembled, and followed him in.

15

And all the men who were with Jo'ab came and besieged him in Abel of Beth-ma'acah; 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, "Hear! Hear! Tell Jo'ab, 'Come here, that I may speak to you.'"

17

And he came near her; and the woman said, "Are you Jo'ab?" 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 said, "They were wont to say in old time, '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 which is a mother in Israel; why will you swallow up the heritage of the LORD?"

20

Jo'ab 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 E'phraim, 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 Jo'ab, "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 Jo'ab. So he blew the trumpet, and they dispersed from the city, every man to his home. And Jo'ab returned to Jerusalem to the king.

23

Now Jo'ab was in command of all the army of Israel; and Benai'ah the son of Jehoi'ada was in command of the Cher'ethites and the Pel'ethites;

24

and Ador'am was in charge of the forced labor; and Jehosh'aphat the son of Ahi'lud was the recorder;

25

and Sheva was secretary; and Zadok and Abi'athar were priests;

26

and Ira the Ja'irite was also David's priest.

2 Samuel 21

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 Gib'eonites to death."

2

So the king called the Gib'eonites. Now the Gib'eonites 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 slay them in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah.

3

And David said to the Gib'eonites, "What shall I do for you? And how shall I make expiation, that you may bless the heritage of the LORD?"

4

The Gib'eonites said to him, "It is not a matter of silver or gold between us and Saul or his house; neither 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 up before the LORD at Gibeon on the mountain of the LORD." And the king said, "I will give them."

7

But the king spared Mephib'osheth, the son of Saul's son Jonathan, because of the oath of the LORD which was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.

8

The king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Ai'ah, whom she bore to Saul, Armo'ni and Mephib'osheth; and the five sons of Merab the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to A'dri-el the son of Barzil'lai the Meho'lathite;

9

and he gave them into the hands of the Gib'eonites, and they hanged them on the mountain before the LORD, and the seven of them perished together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest.

10

Then Rizpah the daughter of Ai'ah took sackcloth, and spread it for herself on the rock, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell upon them from the heavens; and she did not allow the birds of the air to come upon them by day, or the beasts of the field by night.

11

When David was told what Rizpah the daughter of Ai'ah, the concubine of Saul, had done,

12

David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the men of Ja'besh-gil'ead, 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 Gilbo'a;

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 heeded supplications for the land.

15

The Philistines had war again with Israel, and David went down together with his servants, and they fought against the Philistines; and David grew weary.

16

And Ish'bi-be'nob, one of the descendants of the giants, whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of bronze, and who was girded with a new sword, thought to kill David.

17

But Abi'shai the son of Zeru'iah came to his aid, and attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then David's men adjured him, "You shall no more go out with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel."

18

After this there was again war with the Philistines at Gob; then Sib'becai the Hu'shathite slew Saph, who was one of the descendants of the giants.

19

And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob; and Elha'nan the son of Ja'areor'egim, the Bethlehemite, slew 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 taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shim'e-i, David's brother, slew him.

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

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; thou savest 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 perdition assailed me;

6

the cords of Sheol entangled me, the snares of death confronted me.

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 rode on a cherub, and flew; he was seen upon the wings of the wind.

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 reached 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 mighty for me.

19

They came upon me in the day of my calamity; but the LORD was my stay.

20

He brought me forth into a broad place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

21

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

22

For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

23

For all his ordinances were before me, and from his statutes I did not turn aside.

24

I was blameless before him, and I kept myself from guilt.

25

Therefore the LORD has recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to my cleanness in his sight.

26

"With the loyal thou dost show thyself loyal; with the blameless man thou dost show thyself blameless;

27

with the pure thou dost show thyself pure, and with the crooked thou dost show thyself perverse.

28

Thou dost deliver a humble people, but thy eyes are upon the haughty to bring them down.

29

Yea, thou art my lamp, O LORD, and my God lightens my darkness.

30

Yea, by thee I can crush a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall.

31

This God--his way is perfect; the promise 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 safe.

34

He made my feet like hinds' feet, 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

Thou hast given me the shield of thy salvation, and thy help made me great.

37

Thou didst give 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 thrust them through, so that they did not rise; they fell under my feet.

40

For thou didst gird me with strength for the battle; thou didst make my assailants sink under me.

41

Thou didst make 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

"Thou didst deliver me from strife with the peoples; thou didst keep me as the head of the nations; people whom I had not known served me.

45

Foreigners came cringing to me; as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.

46

Foreigners lost heart, and came trembling out of their fastnesses.

47

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

48

the God who gave me vengeance and brought down peoples under me,

49

who brought me out from my enemies; thou didst exalt me above my adversaries, thou didst deliver me from men of violence.

50

"For this I will extol thee, O LORD, among the nations, and sing praises to thy name.

51

Great triumphs he gives to his king, and shows steadfast love to his anointed, to David, and his descendants for ever."

2 Samuel 23

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 upon 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 upon a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.

5

Yea, 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 godless men are all like thorns that are thrown away; for they cannot be taken with the hand;

7

but the man who touches them arms himself with iron and the shaft of a spear, and they are utterly consumed with fire."

8

These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshe'beth a Tah-che'monite; he was chief of the three; he wielded his spear against eight hundred whom he slew at one time.

9

And next to him among the three mighty men was Elea'zar the son of Dodo, son of Aho'hi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel withdrew.

10

He rose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand cleaved to the sword; and the LORD wrought a great victory that day; and the men returned after him only to strip the slain.

11

And next to him was Shammah, the son of Agee the Har'arite. 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 slew the Philistines; and the LORD wrought a great victory.

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 Reph'aim.

14

David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem.

15

And David said longingly, "O that some one would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem which 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 which was by the gate, and took and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it; he poured it out to the LORD,

17

and said, "Far be it from me, O LORD, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?" Therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men.

18

Now Abi'shai, the brother of Jo'ab, the son of Zeru'iah, was chief of the thirty. And he wielded his spear against three hundred men and slew them, and won a name beside the three.

19

He was the most renowned of the thirty, and became their commander; but he did not attain to the three.

20

And Benai'ah the son of Jehoi'ada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds; he smote two ariels of Moab. He also went down and slew a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen.

21

And he slew an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but Benai'ah went down to him with a staff, and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear.

22

These things did Benai'ah the son of Jehoi'ada, 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

As'ahel the brother of Jo'ab was one of the thirty; Elha'nan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

25

Shammah of Harod, Eli'ka of Harod,

26

Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh of Teko'a,

27

Abi-e'zer, of An'athoth, Mebun'nai the Hu'shathite,

28

Zalmon the Aho'hite, Ma'harai of Netoph'ah,

29

Heleb the son of Ba'anah of Netoph'ah, It'tai the son of Ri'bai of Gib'e-ah of the Benjaminites,

30

Benai'ah of Pira'thon, Hid'dai of the brooks of Ga'ash,

31

Abi-al'bon the Ar'bathite, Az'maveth of Bahu'rim,

32

Eli'ahba of Sha-al'bon, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan,

33

Shammah the Har'arite, Ahi'am the son of Sharar the Har'arite,

34

Eliph'elet the son of Ahas'bai of Ma'acah, Eli'am the son of Ahith'ophel of Gilo,

35

Hezro of Carmel, Pa'arai the Arbite,

36

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

37

Zelek the Ammonite, Na'harai of Be-er'oth, the armor-bearer of Jo'ab the son of Zeru'iah,

38

Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,

39

Uri'ah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all.

2 Samuel 24

1

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 Jo'ab and the commanders of the army, who were with him, "Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beer-sheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people."

3

But Jo'ab 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 Jo'ab and the commanders of the army. So Jo'ab 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 Aro'er, 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, and from Dan they went around to Sidon,

7

and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites; and they went out to the Negeb of Judah at Beer-sheba.

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 Jo'ab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to the king: in Israel there were eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand.

10

But David's heart smote 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, I pray thee, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly."

11

And when David arose in the morning, the word of the LORD came 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 upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time; and there died of the people from Dan to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men.

16

And when the angel stretched forth his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented of the evil, 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 Arau'nah the Jeb'usite.

17

Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was smiting the people, and said, "Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let thy hand, I pray thee, be against me and against my father's house."

18

And Gad came that day to David, and said to him, "Go up, rear an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Arau'nah the Jeb'usite."

19

So David went up at Gad's word, as the LORD commanded.

20

And when Arau'nah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him; and Arau'nah went forth, and did obeisance to the king with his face to the ground.

21

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

22

Then Arau'nah 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.

23

All this, O king, Arau'nah gives to the king." And Arau'nah said to the king, "The LORD your God accept you."

24

But the king said to Arau'nah, "No, but I will buy it of you for a price; 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

And David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD heeded supplications for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.

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