And it will be after the death of Saul, and David turned back from striking Amalek, and David sat down two days in Ziklag.

And it will be in the third day, and behold, a man came from the camp from Saul, and his garments rent and dust upon his head: and it will be in his coming to David and he will fall to the earth and worship him.

And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead?

And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.

He said to me, ‘Stand up facing me and kill me, for [terrible] agony has come over me, yet I still live [and I will be taken alive].’

So I took my stand by him, and put him to death, for I perceived that he could not survive his fall, - so I took the crown that was on his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them in unto my lord, here.

And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the LORD, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.

And David will call to one of his youths and say, Come near, fall upon him. And he will strike him, and be will die.

And David said unto him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD'S anointed.

(Also he bade them teach the children of Judah the use of the bow: behold, it is written in the book of Jasher.)

Give no news of it in Gath, let it not be said in the streets of Ashkelon; or the daughters of the Philistines will be glad, the daughters of men without circumcision will be uplifted in joy.

Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, neither let there be rain, upon you, nor fields of offerings: for there the shield of the mighty is vilely cast away, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil.

From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, the bow of Jonathan turned not back, and the sword of Saul returned not empty.

O daughters of Israel, have sorrow for Saul, by whom you were delicately clothed in robes of red, with ornaments of gold on your dresses.

And it will be after this, and David will ask in Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah? and Jehovah will say to him, Go up. And David will say, Whither shall I go up? and he will say, To Hebron.

David brought his army with him, each soldier accompanied by his household, and they settled in the cities of Hebron.

Then came the men of Judah, and anointed David there, to be king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, Men of Jabesh-gilead, were they who buried Saul.

And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabeshgilead, and said unto them, Blessed be ye of the LORD, that ye have shewed this kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried him.

Now may the Lord show lovingkindness and truth and faithfulness to you. I too will show this goodness to you, because you have done this thing.

Therefore now let your hands be strengthened, and be ye valiant: for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.

And the number of days which David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah, will be seven years and six months.

And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out, and met together by 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.

Abner said to Joab, "Let the soldiers get up and fight before us." Joab said, "So be it!"

Then there arose and went over by number twelve of Benjamin, which pertained to Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.

And they caught every one his fellow by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow's side; so they fell down together: wherefore that place was called Helkathhazzurim, which is in Gibeon.

The battle that day was extremely fierce, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David’s soldiers.

And there will be there three sons of Zeruiah, Joab and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was swift in his feet as one of the roes which are in the field.

And Abner said, Then go to the right or to the left and put your hands on one of the fighting-men and take his arms. But Asahel would not be turned away from going after Abner.

Abner repeated again, “Turn away from following me. Why should I have to strike you to the ground? How would I be able to face Joab your brother [and look him in the eye]?”

And he will refuse to turn aside: and Abner will strike him with the extremity of the spear in the belly, and the spear will come forth from behind him, and he will fall there and die in his place: and it will be, all coming to the place where Asahel fell there and he will die, and they will stand.

Joab also and Abishai pursued after Abner: and the sun went down when they were come to the hill of Ammah, that lieth before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.

And the sons of Benjamin will gather together after Abner, and they will be for one band, and they will stand upon the head of one hill.

Then Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren?

And Joab said, By the living God, if you had not given the word, the people would have gone on attacking their countrymen till the morning.

Abner and his army traveled through the Arabah by night, crossed the Jordan, and arrived at Mahanaim after marching all morning.

They took Asahel's body and buried him in his father's tomb at Bethlehem. Joab and his men then traveled all that night and reached Hebron by dawn.

And long war will be between the house of Saul and between the house of David: and David went and was strengthened, and the house of Saul went and was weakened.

Sons were born to David in Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam of Jezreel;

his second, Chileab, by Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; the third, Absalom the son of [his wife] Maacah, daughter of Talmai the king of Geshur;

his fourth was Adonijah by Haggith, his fifth was Shephatiah by Abital,

And the sixth, Ithream, by Eglah David's wife. These were born to David in Hebron.

And it will be in there being war between the house of Saul and between the house of David, and Abner was strong for the house of Saul.

May God's punishment be on Abner, if I do not for David as the Lord in his oath has said,

by turning over the kingdom from the house of Saul, - and establishing the throne of David, over Israel and over Judah, from Dan, even unto Beer-sheba.

And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose is the land? saying also, Make thy league with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with thee, to bring about all Israel unto thee.

David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, Saul's son, saying, "Deliver me my wife Michal, whom I pledged to be married to me for one hundred foreskins of the Philistines."

So Ish-bosheth ordered that she be taken away from her husband, Laish's son Paltiel.

And Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying, Ye sought for David in times past to be king over you:

Now then do it: for the LORD hath spoken of David, saying, By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies.

Abner also informed the Benjaminites and went to Hebron to inform David about all that was agreed on by Israel and the whole house of Benjamin.

When Abner, accompanied by twenty men, came to David in Hebron, David prepared a banquet for Abner and the men who were with him.

And Abner said to David, Now I will go, and make all Israel come to my lord the king, so that they may make an agreement with you, and your kingdom may be as wide as your heart's desire. Then David sent Abner away and he went in peace.

And when Abner was back in Hebron, Joab took him on one side by the doorway of the town to have a word with him quietly, and there he gave him a wound in the stomach, causing his death in payment for the death of his brother Asahel.

And David heareth afterwards and saith, 'Acquitted am I, and my kingdom, by Jehovah, unto the age, from the blood of Abner son of Ner;

let it fall upon the head of Joab, and upon all his father's house; and let there not fail from the house of Joab one that hath an issue, or that is a leper, or that leaneth on a staff, or that falleth by the sword, or that lacketh bread.

And Joab and Abishai his brother killed Abner because be slew Asahel their brother in Gibeon in war.

And David said to Joab, and to all the people that were with him, Rend your clothes, and gird you with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And king David himself followed the bier.

And they put Abner's body to rest in Hebron; and the king and all the people were weeping loudly by the resting-place of Abner's body.

And the king made a song of grief for Abner and said, Was the death of Abner to be like the death of a foolish man?

And when all the people came to cause David to eat meat while it was yet day, David sware, saying, So do God to me, and more also, if I taste bread, or ought else, till the sun be down.

And all the people knew, and it will be good in their eyes, as all the king did was good in the eyes of all the people.

And I am this day weak, though anointed king; and these men the sons of Zeruiah be too hard for me: the LORD shall reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness.

And Saul's son will hear that Abner died in Hebron, and his hands will be relaxed, and all Israel trembled.

And Saul's son had two men, captains of bands, one named Baanah and the other Rechab, sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, of the tribe of Benjamin; (for Beeroth was at one time taken to be part of Benjamin:

And the Beerothites will flee to Gittaim, and they will be sojourners there till this day.

Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son whose feet were crippled. He was five years old when the news [of the deaths] of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. And the boy’s nurse picked him up and fled; but it happened that while she was hurrying to flee, he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.

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

And they brought the head of Ishbosheth to David in Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, thine enemy who sought thy life; and Jehovah has given to my lord the king to be avenged this day of Saul and of his seed.

And David made answer to Rechab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, and said to them, By the living Lord, who has kept me safe from all my trouble,

When one came to me with the news of Saul's death, in the belief that it would be good news, I took him and put him to death in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news:

How much worse will it be, then, when evil men kill an innocent man on his own bed in his own house! Shouldn't I avenge his blood which you are responsible for shedding by removing you from the earth?"

So David gave orders to the young men, and they killed Rechab and Baanah. They cut off their hands and feet and hung their bodies by the pool in Hebron, but they took Ish-bosheth’s head and buried it in Abner’s tomb in Hebron.

Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel.

So all the elders of Israel came unto the king, in Hebron, and King David solemnised to them a covenant in Hebron, before Yahweh, - and they anointed David to be king over Israel.

And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the people of the land: and they said to David, You will not come in here, but the blind and the feeble-footed will keep you out; for they said, David will not be able to come in here.

And David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David's soul, he shall be chief and captain. Wherefore they said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.

Later, King Hiram of Tyre sent a delegation to David, accompanied by cedar logs, carpenters, and stone masons. They built a palace for David.

So David perceived that Yahweh had established him to be king over Israel, - and that he had exalted his kingdom, for the sake of his people Israel.

And David will take yet concubines and wives from Jerusalem after his coming from Hebron, and there will be yet born to David sons and daughters.

And these be the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon,

And, when the Philistine heard that they had anointed David to be king over Israel, then came up all the Philistines to seek to secure David, and David heard of it, and went down into the citadel.

And the rovers came and they will be dispersed in the valley of Rephaim.

And David went to Baal-perazim, and overcame them there; and he said, The Lord has let the forces fighting against me be broken before me as a wall is broken by rushing waters. So that place was named Baal-perazim.

And the rovers will add yet to come up, and they will be dispersed in the valley of Rephaim.

And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines.

And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims.

And Uzzah went by the side of the ark, while Ahio went before it.

David and the entire assembly of Israel were dancing in the presence of the LORD with all of their strength, accompanied by all sorts of wood instruments, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God.

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.

And it will be announced to king David, saying, Jehovah blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all which is to him, on account of the ark of God. And David will go and bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the city of David with joy.

And it will be when they lifting up the ark of Jehovah went six steps, and he will sacrifice oxen and fat things.

When David returned to bless his household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David. She said, "How the king of Israel honored himself today {by uncovering himself} before the eyes of the maids of his servants, {as the total exposure of a worthless one}."

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 I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.

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

And it will be when the king sat in his house, and Jehovah gave rest to him from round about from all his enemies.

And it will be in that night, and the word of Jehovah will be to Nathan, saying,

Go and say to my servant David, The Lord says, Are you to be the builder of a house, a living-place for me?

For I dwelt not in a house from the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt even to this day, and I shall be going in a tent and in a dwelling.