And he said unto me, I pray thee, take thy stand by me, and put me to death, for the cramp hath seized me, - even for as long as my life shall be in me.

And David said unto him, - How wast thou not afraid to thrust forth thy hand, to destroy the Anointed of Yahweh?

And David said unto him, Thy blood, be upon thine own head, - for, thine own mouth, hath testified against thee, saying, I myself, put to death the Anointed of Yahweh.

The beauty of Israel! on thy high plumes - slain! How have fallen - the mighty!

How have fallen the mighty, in the midst of the battle! Jonathan, on thy high places, slain!

I am distressed for thee, my brother, Jonathan! Delightful to me, exceedingly, - Wonderful, was thy love to me, passing the love of women.

Then Abner said to him - Turn thee aside, to thy right hand, or to thy left, and lay thee hold on one of the young men, and take thee his armour. But Asahel would not turn aside from pursuing him.

And Abner said, yet again, unto Asahel, Turn thee aside from pursuing me, - wherefore should I smite thee to the earth? how then should I lift up my face unto Joab, thy brother?

And it provoked Abner greatly, on account of the words of Ish-bosheth, and he said - Am I, the head of the dogs, that pertain unto Judah? To-day, would I deal in lovingkindness with the house of Saul thy father, towards his brethren, and towards his friends, and have not delivered thee into the hand of David, - and yet thou hast charged upon me the transgression of the woman, today.

So Abner sent messengers unto David, on the spot, saying - Whose, is the land? Saying also - Solemnise thy covenant with me; and lo! my hand, shall be with thee, to bring round unto thee, all Israel.

Then said Abner unto David - I will verily arise and go, and gather together unto my lord the king, all Israel - that they may solemnise with thee a covenant, so shalt thou reign over all that thy soul desireth. And David let Abner go, and he departed in peace.

Thou knowest Abner son of Ner, that, to deceive thee, he came, - and to take knowledge of thy going out, and thy coming in, and to take knowledge of all that thou art doing.

Thy hands, were not bound, And, thy feet, near to fetters, were not brought, As one falleth before assassins, so didst thou fall! And again all the people wept over him.

and brought in the head of Ish-bosheth unto David, at Hebron, and said unto the king, Lo! the head of Ish-bosheth son of Saul, thine enemy, who sought thy life: so hath Yahweh given to my lord the king, avengement this day, on Saul and on his seed.

Then came all the tribes of Israel unto David, in Hebron, - and spake, saying - Behold us! thy bone and thy flesh, we are.

So then David enquired of Yahweh, saying, - Shall I go up against the Philistines? Wilt thou deliver them into my hand? And Yahweh said unto David - Go up; for I, will surely deliver, the Philistines into thy hand.

And David said unto Michal, Before Yahweh, I will dance, - blessed, be Yahweh, who made choice of me above thy father, and above all his house, putting me in charge as leader over the people of Yahweh, over Israel, - therefore will I dance before Yahweh;

And Nathan said unto the king, All that is in thy heart, go - do, - for Yahweh is with thee.

And it shall be that, when thy days shall be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, then will I raise up thy seed after thee, which proceedeth from thine own body, - and I will establish his kingdom.

So shall thy house and thy kingdom be made steadfast unto times age-abiding, before thee, - thy throne, shall be established unto times age-abiding.

and hast yet further made this seem little in thine eyes, My Lord, Yahweh, in that thou hast spoken, even of the house, of thy servant, for a great while to come? This, then is the law of manhood, O My Lord, Yahweh!

What more, then, can David yet further speak unto thee, - seeing that, thou thyself knowest thy servant, O My Lord Yahweh?

For the sake of thine own word, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all this great thing, - making it known unto thy servant.

Who, then, is like thy people, like Israel, a nation alone in the earth? whom God went to redeem for himself as a people, so to make himself a name, and to do for you the great deed, fearful things also for thy land, to make way for thy people, whom thou hadst redeemed for thyself, out of Egypt, dealing with nations and their god's;

and hast established for thyself thy people Israel - for thyself as a people, unto times age-abiding, - thou thyself, also, O Yahweh, becoming their God.

Now, therefore, O Yahweh Elohim, the word which thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, confirm thou, unto times age-abiding, - and do, as thou hast spoken:

that thy name may be age-abidingly magnified, saying, Yahweh of hosts, is God over Israel, and so, the house of thy servant David, be established before thee.

For, thou, O Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, hast unveiled the ear of thy servant, saying - A house, will I build for thee. For this cause, hath thy servant found in his heart, to pray unto thee, this prayer.

Now, therefore, O My Lord, Yahweh, thou, art God, and, thy words, shall prove true, - therefore hast thou spoken unto thy servant this goodness.

Now, therefore, be pleased to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue age-abidingly before thee, - for, thou, O My Lord, Yahweh, hast spoken, therefore, with thine own blessing, shall the house of thy servant be age-abidingly blessed.

Now, unto the house of Saul, belonged a servant, whose name, was Ziba, and, when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him - Art, thou, Ziba? And he said - Thy servant!

Now, when Mephibosheth, son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came in unto David, he fell on his face and did homage. And David said, Mephibosheth? And he said, Lo! thy servant.

And David said to him - Do not fear, for I will, indeed shew, thee lovingkindness, for the sake of Jonathan thy father, and will restore unto thee all the land of Saul thy father, - but, thou thyself, shall eat bread at my table, continually.

And he did homage, and said - What is thy servant, - that thou hast turned towards such a dead dog as I?

Then the king called for Ziba, Saul's servant, and said unto him, - All that pertained unto Saul and unto all his house, have I given unto the son of thy lord:

therefore shalt thou till for him the ground, thou, and thy sons, and thy servants, and shalt bring in, so that thy lord's son may have bread to eat, but, Mephibosheth, thy lord's son, shall continually eat bread at my table. Now, Ziba, had fifteen sons, and twenty servants.

Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my lord the king shall command his servant, so, will thy servant do, - but, Mephibosheth, is to eat at the table of David, as one of the sons of the king.

Then said the rulers of the sons of Ammon unto Hanun their lord - Is David honouring thy father, in thine eyes, that he hath sent unto thee comforters? Is it not, for the sake of exploring the city, and spying it out, and overthrowing it, that David hath sent his servants unto thee?

Then said David unto Uriah, Go down unto thy house, and bathe thy feet. And, when Uriah went out of the house of the king, there followed him, a present from the king.

And Uriah said unto David - The ark, and Israel and Judah, are dwelling in huts and, my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, on the face of the field, are encamped, Was, I, then, to enter my own house, to eat and to drink and to lie with my wife? By thy life, yea by the life of thy soul, I could not do this thing.

Who smote Abimelech son of Jerubbaal? Did not, a woman, cast on him an upper millstone from off the wall, that he died, in Thebez? Wherefore came ye near unto the wall? Then shalt thou say - Moreover, thy servant, Uriah the Hittite, died.

Then did the archers shoot upon thy servants, from off the wall, and there died some of the servants of the king, - moreover also, thy servant, Uriah the Hittite, died.

Then said David unto the messenger - Thus, shalt thou say unto Joab, - Let not this thing be grievous in thine eyes, for, now this one, and then that one, doth the sword devour, - make hot thy battle against the city, and overthrow it; Thus embolden thou him.

and gave unto thee the household of thy lord, and the wives of thy lord, into thy bosom, and gave unto thee the house of Israel and Judah. And, if this had been too little, I could have further given thee more and more of such things.

Now, therefore, the sword shall not depart from thy house, unto age-abiding times, - because thou hast despised me, and taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

Thus, saith Yahweh, - Behold me! raising up over thee calamity out of thine own household, and I will take thy wives, before thine eyes, and give unto thy neighbour, and he will lie with thy wives, in the eyes of this sun.

And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against Yahweh. Then said Nathan unto David, - Yahweh also, hath put away thy sin, thou shalt not die!

And Jonadab said unto him: Take to thy bed, and feign thyself ill, - and, when thy father cometh in to see thee, then shalt thou say unto him - I pray thee, let Tamar my sister come, that she may give me food, and let her prepare, before mine eyes, some delicacy, to the end that I may see it made , and so eat at her hand.

So David sent unto Tamar, in the house - saying, - Come, I pray thee, to the house of Amnon thy brother, and prepare him enticing food.

And Absolom her brother said unto her - Hath, Amnon thy brother, been with thee? Now, therefore, my sister, hold thy peace - thy brother, he is, do not lay to thy heart, this thing. But Tamar remained, and was desolate in the house of Absolom her brother.

Absolom came also unto the king, and said, See, I pray thee, thy servant hath, sheepshearers, - I pray thee, let the king and his servants go with thy servant.

So Jonadab said unto the king, Lo! the king's sons, are come, - according to the word of thy servant, so hath it come to pass.

Now, thy maidservant, had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, with none to tear them apart, - so the one smote the other, and slew him.

Lo! therefore, all the family hath risen up against thy maidservant, and have said: Give up him that hath smitten his brother, that we may put him to death, for the life of his brother, whom he hath slain, that we may destroy, the heir also. So will they quench my ember that is left, and make my husband without name or remainder, on the face of the ground.

And the king said unto the woman - Go to thy house, and, I, will give command concerning thee.

Then said she: Let the king, I pray thee, remember Yahweh thy God; so that the blood-redeemer may not make utter ruin, and that they destroy not my son. And he said - By the life of Yahweh, not one hair of thy son shall fall to the earth.

Then said the woman, Pray let thy maidservant speak unto my lord the king, a word. And he said - Speak.

Now, therefore, is it that I have come to speak unto the king my lord this word, because the people kept putting me in fear, - so thy maidservant said - Do let me, I pray you, speak unto the king! peradventure the king will fulfil the request of his handmaid.

So thy maidservant said, Pray let the word of my lord the king be comforting, - for, as the messenger of God, so is my lord the king, in hearing the good and the bad, Yahweh thy God, then, be with thee.

Then said the king, Is, the hand of Joab, with thee, in all this? And the woman answered and said - By the life of thy soul, my lord, O king, there is no way to the right or to the left, of anything that my lord the king hath spoken, for, thy servant Joab himself, charged me, and, himself, put, in the mouth of thy maidservant, all these words:

for the purpose of turning round the face of the matter, hath thy servant Joab done this thing, - my lord being wise, as with the wisdom of a messenger of God, in knowing all that is done in the land.

So Joab fell with his face to the earth, and did homage, and blessed the king, - and Joab said - To-day, doth thy servant know, that I have found favour in thine eyes, my lord O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the request of thy servant.

Then rose Joab, and went unto Absolom, in his house, - and said unto him, Wherefore, have thy servants set the portion that pertaineth to me, on fire?

And Absolom used to rise up early, and take his stand beside the way of the gate, - and so it was - when any man who had a controversy would come unto the king for judgment, then Absalom called unto him, and said: Of what city, art, thou? And he said, Of one of the tribes of Israel, is thy servant. And Absolom said unto him,

See! thy cause, is good and right, - but, to hear it, thou hast no one, from the king.

for thy servant vowed, a vow, while I abode in Geshur in Syria, saying, - If Yahweh, will but bring me back, unto Jerusalem, then will I serve Yahweh,

And the king's servants said unto the king, - According to all that my lord the king shall choose, here are thy servants.

Only yesterday, camest thou, and, today, shall I let thee wander with us, on our journey, seeing that, I, am going, whithersoever I may? Return and take back thy brethren with thee, and may Yahweh deal with thee in lovingkindness and faithfulness.

But Ittai answered the king, and said, - By the life of Yahweh, and by the life of my lord the king, surely, in whatsoever place, my lord the king, may be, whether for death or for life, there will, thy servant, be.

but, if, to the city, thou return, then canst thou say unto Absolom - Thy servant, I, O king, will be, as, the servant of thy father, I was formerly, so will I, now, be thy servant: thus shalt thou frustrate for me the counsel of Ahithophel.

Then said the king, And where is thy lord's son? And Ziba said unto the king - Lo! abiding in Jerusalem, for he said, To-day, will the house of Israel, restore unto me, the kingdom of my father.

Yahweh, hath brought back upon thee, all the shed-blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned, and Yahweh hath delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absolom thy son, - and, here thou art, in thy ruin, for that, a man of bloodshed, thou art.

Then said Absolom unto Hushai, Is, this, thy lovingkindness unto thy friend? Wherefore wentest thou not with thy friend?

And, again, whom, should, I serve? Should it not be in presence of his son? as I served in presence of thy father, so, will I continue thy presence.

And Ahithophel said unto Absolom, Go in unto thy father's concubines, whom he hath left to keep the house, - so shall all Israel hear that thou hast made thyself odious unto thy father, and the hands of all that are with thee, shall be strengthened.

And Hushai said - Thou, knowest thy father and his men - that, men of might, they are, and, embittered in soul, they are, like a bear bereaved of her young, in the field, - thy father also, is a man of war, and will not lodge with the people.

then will, even the son of valour himself, whose heart is as the heart of a lion, utterly melt, - for all Israel do know that, a man of might, is thy father, and that, sons of valour, are they who are with him.

Then called out Ahimaaz, and said unto the king, Peace! And he bowed himself down to the king, with his face to the earth, - and said - Blessed, be Yahweh thy God, who hath surrendered the men who were lifting up their hand, against my lord the king.

And the king said, Is it, well, with the young man - Absolom? Then said Ahimaaz - I saw a great crowd, when Joab sent the king's servant and me thy servant, but I knew not what it meant .

Then was the king deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept, - and, thus, he said as he went - O my son Absolom, my son - my son - Absolom! could, I, but have died in thy stead, O Absolom, my son - my son!

Then came Joab unto the king, in the house, - and said - Thou hast, to-day, covered with shame the faces of all thy servants, who have rescued thy life to-day, and the lives of thy sons and thy daughters, and the lives of thy wives, and the lives of thy concubines;

Now, therefore, rise - go forth, and speak unto the heart of thy servants, - for, by Yahweh, have I sworn, that, if thou do not go forth, not a man shall tarry with thee to-night, and this will be to thee, a greater misfortune, than all the misfortune that hath come upon thee from thy youth until now.

Thus bowed he the heart of all the men of Judah, as one man, - and they sent unto the king, Return, thou, and all thy servants.

and he said unto the king - Let not my lord impute to me iniquity, neither do thou remember the perverseness of thy servant, on the day that thou wentest out, my lord O king, from Jerusalem, that the king should lay it upon his heart.

For thy servant doth know, that, I, sinned, - lo! therefore, I have arrived to-day, as the first of all the house of Joseph, to come down to meet my lord the king.

And he said, My lord, O king, my servant, betrayed me, - for thy servant said - I will even saddle me mine ass, that I may ride thereon, and go with the king, for, lame, is thy servant.

And he hath slandered thy servant, unto my lord the king, - but, my lord the king, is as a messenger of God, do therefore what is good in thine own eyes.

For, when all the house of my father were nothing better than dead men, unto my lord the king, then didst thou set thy servant among them that used to eat at thy table, - what then have I further, by way of right, or to cry out any further unto the king?

Eighty years old, am I to-day - could I discern between good and bad? or could thy servant taste what I might eat, and what I might drink? or could I hearken any more to the voice of singing men and singing women? Wherefore, then, should thy servant yet be a burden unto my lord the king?

Just a little way, will thy servant pass over the Jordan with the king, - but wherefore should the king recompense me with this reward?

Let thy servant, I pray thee, turn back again, that I may die in mine own city, by the grave of my father, and my mother. But here is thy servant Chimham - let him pass over with my lord the king, and do unto him that which may be good in thine eyes.

Then said the king unto Amasa, Assemble me the men of Judah, within three days, - and, thou, here, take thy stand!

Then said David unto Abishai, Now, shall Sheba son of Bichri, do us more harm than Absolom, - thou, take the servants of thy lord, and pursue him, lest he have got him into fortified cities, and so have escaped our eye.

So he came near unto her, and the woman said, - Art thou Joab? And he said, - I am. And she said unto him, - Hear thou the words of thy handmaid. And he said, I do hear.

Thus didst thou grant me, as a shield, thy salvation, - and, thy condescension, made me great.

For this cause, will I praise thee, O Yahweh, among the nations, - and, to thy name, will I touch the strings: -

Then said Joab unto the king - Yea, Yahweh thy God add unto the people, how many soever they be, a hundredfold, and suffer the eyes of my lord the king, to see it, - but, my lord the king, wherefore doth he find pleasure in this thing?

And the heart of David smote him, after he had reckoned up the people, - and David said unto Yahweh - I have sinned greatly, in what I have done, Now, therefore, O Yahweh, take away, I beseech thee, the iniquity of thy servant, for I have done very foolishly.

So Gad came in unto David, and told him, - and said to him: Shall there come unto thee seven years of famine in thy land? Or, for three months, wilt thou flee before thine enemies while, they, pursue thee? Or shall there be, for three days, pestilence in thy land? Now, consider and see, what, answer, I shall return to him that sent me.

But, when the messenger stretched out his hand towards Jerusalem, to destroy it, then relented Yahweh as to the evil, and he said to the messenger who was destroying the people - Enough! now, stay thy hand. And, the messenger of Yahweh, was by the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.