The next day, a man escaped from Saul's camp! With torn clothes and dirty hair, he approached David, fell to the ground, and bowed down to him.

David asked him, "Where did you come from? He answered him, "I just escaped from Israel's encampment."

Saul glanced behind him, saw me, and called out to me, so I replied, "Here I am!'

He asked me, "Who are you?' So I answered him, "I'm an Amalekite!'

So I stood next to him and killed him, because I knew that he wouldn't live after he had fallen. I took the crown that had been on his head, along with the bracelet that had been on his arm, and I have brought them to your majesty."

At this David asked him, "How is it that you weren't afraid to raise your hand to strike the LORD's anointed?"

Then David called out to one of his young men and ordered him, "Go up to him and cut him down!" So he attacked him and killed him.

David told him, "Your blood is on your own head, because your own words testified against you! After all, you said, "I myself have killed the LORD's anointed!'"

So David intoned this song of lament about Saul and his son Jonathan,

From the blood of the slain, from the blood of the valiant, Jonathan's bow would not retreat nor would Saul's sword return empty.

Some time later, David inquired of the LORD to ask, "Am I to move to any one of the cities of Judah?" The LORD told him, "Go." So David asked, "To which one?" He replied, "To Hebron."

So David went there, along with his two wives Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail, widow of Nabal from Carmel.

So David sent messengers to the people of Jabesh-gilead and told them, "May the LORD bless you, because you showed gracious love like this to your lord Saul by burying him.

So strengthen yourselves, and be valiant in heart, because your lord Saul has died, and the household of Judah has anointed me to be king over them."

Meanwhile, Ner's son Abner, the commander of Saul's army, had taken Saul's son Ish-bosheth and brought him to Mahanaim.

Ish-bosheth began to reign over Israel at the age of 40 years, and he reigned for two years, even though Judah's lineage followed David.

The period of David's kingship in Hebron lasted seven years and six months.

Ner's son Abner and the servants of Saul's son Ish-bosheth set out from Mahanaim for Gibeon.

Zeruiah's son Joab and some of David's staff went out to meet them at the pool of Gibeon. One side encamped on one side of the pool while the other encamped on the other side of the pool.

Abner told Joab, "Let's have the young men get up and fight in our presence." Joab replied, "Let them come."

So they got up and twelve were counted to represent Benjamin and Saul's son Ish-bosheth and twelve to represent members of David's staff.

Each man grabbed his opponent by the head, plunged his sword into his opponent's side, and then they both fell together. That's why the place at Gibeon was named The Field of Swords.

The battle was very violent that day, with Abner and the men of Israel being defeated in the presence of David's servants.

Zeruiah's three sons Joab, Abishai, and Asahel were there. As a runner, Asahel was fast, like one of the wild gazelles.

So Asahel ran straight after Abner, following him.

so Abner told Asahel again, "Stop following me. Why should I strike you down? How could I show my face to your brother Joab?"

But Asahel refused to turn away, so Abner struck Asahel in the abdomen with the butt end of his spear, and the spear protruded through his back. He collapsed to the ground and died where he fell. Everyone gathered round the place where Asahel had collapsed and died, and stood still there.

So Joab sounded his battle trumpet, his entire army stopped pursuing Israel any longer, and they quit fighting.

Joab returned from his pursuit of Abner, and when he had mustered his entire army, nineteen of David's soldiers were missing besides Asahel.

Meanwhile, other soldiers of David had killed 360 of Abner's men from the tribe of Benjamin.

They retrieved Asahel's body and buried him in his father's tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night until daybreak and arrived back in Hebron.

After this, a state of protracted war existed between Saul's dynasty and David's dynasty, and the dynasty of David continued to grow and become strong while the dynasty of Saul continued to grow weaker.

and his sixth was Ithream by David's wife Eglah. They were all born to David in Hebron.

Meanwhile, Saul had a mistress named Rizpah, who was the daughter of Aiah. Ish-bosheth asked Abner, "Why did you have sex with my father's mistress?"

What Ish-bosheth said made Abner furious, so he replied, "A dog's head for Judah is that what I am? Up until today I've kept on showing loyalty to your father Saul's dynasty, to his relatives and friends, and I haven't turned you over to David, but you're charging me today with moral guilt regarding this woman!

Ish-bosheth couldn't say another word in response to Abner, because he was terrified of him.

So Abner sent messengers to David at Hebron to ask him, "Who owns this land? Cut a deal with me, and look! I'll lend my hand in bringing all of Israel over to you!"

David replied, "Sounds good to me! I'll cut a deal with you under one condition: you're not to show yourself in my presence unless you bring Saul's daughter with you when you come to see me."

Then David sent a delegation to Saul's son Ish-bosheth to say, "Give me my wife Michal, to whom I was engaged with a dowry of 100 Philistine foreskins."

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

Her husband accompanied her, crying as he followed after her all the way to Bahurim, where Abner told him, "Leave! Go back!" So he went back.

Later, Abner had a talk with the elders of Israel. He said, "In the past you were looking to see David made king over you.

So do it, then! Because the LORD has said this about David: "Through my servant David I will save my people Israel from the control of the Philistines and from all of their enemies.'"

Abner also addressed the tribe of Benjamin. Furthermore, with David's permission, Abner said anything that seemed like it would be good for Israel and for the entire tribe of Benjamin.

So Abner told David, "Give me permission to go out and rally all of Israel to your majesty the king so they can enter into a formal agreement with you to reign over everything that your heart desires." So David sent Abner off, and he went away in peace.

Right about then, David's servants returned from a raid, bringing plenty of war booty with them, but Abner wasn't in Hebron with David, since David had sent him away and Abner had left in peace.

When Joab returned with his entire army, Joab was informed, "Ner's son Abner visited the king, and he has dismissed him. He has left in peace."

So Joab approached the king and asked him, "What have you done? Look, Abner came to you! What's this? You sent him away? He's long gone now!

You know Ner's son Abner came to mislead you, to learn your troop movements, and to learn everything you're doing!"

When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab brought him aside within the gateway to talk to him alone and then stabbed him in the abdomen. So he died for shedding the blood of Joab's brother Asahel.

Later on, David found out about it and proclaimed, "Let me and my kingdom remain guiltless forever in the LORD's presence for the death of Ner's son Abner.

May judgment rest on Joab's head and on his father's entire household. May Joab's dynasty never be without one who has a discharge, who is a leper, who walks with a cane, who commits suicide, or who lacks food!"

and they buried Abner at Hebron. The king wept loudly at Abner's grave, and all the people wept, too.

The king composed this mourning song for Abner: "Should Abner's death be like a fool's?

As a result, the entire army and all of Israel understood that day that the king had nothing to do with the murder of Ner's son Abner.

When Saul's son heard that Abner had died in Hebron, his courage failed and all of Israel was disturbed.

Now Saul's son had two officers in charge of some raiding parties. One was named Baanah and the other was named Rechab. They were sons of Rimmon, a descendant of Benjamin from Beeroth, which was considered to belong to the tribe of Benjamin.

Meanwhile, Saul's son Jonathan had a son whose feet were crippled. When he was five years old, news had arrived about Saul and Jonathan from Jezreel, and his nurse picked him up to flee, but in her hurry to leave, he happened to fall and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.

They brought Ish-bosheth's head to David at Hebron and told the king, "Look! Here's the head of your enemy Ish-bosheth, Saul's son, who sought your life. Today the LORD has given your majesty the king vengeance on Saul and his descendants."

So David commanded his personal guards, and they killed Rechab and Baanah, cut off their hands and feet, and hung up their bodies beside the pool at Hebron. They took Ish-bosheth's head and buried it in Abner's tomb at Hebron.

So all the elders of Israel approached the king at Hebron, where King David entered into a covenant with them in the presence of the LORD. Then they anointed David to be king over Israel.

Even so, David captured the stronghold of Zion, which is now known as the City of David.

Therefore they say, "The blind and lame are never to come into the house." David occupied the fortress, naming it the City of David. He built up the surroundings from the terrace ramparts inward.

So David concluded that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and that he had exalted his kingdom in order to benefit his people Israel.

so David asked the LORD, "Am I to go attack the Philistines? Will you give me victory over them?" "Go get them," the LORD replied to David, "because I'm going to put the Philistines right into your hand!"

So David went to Baal-perazim and defeated them there. He called the place Baal-perazim, because he said, "Like a bursting flood, the LORD has jumped out in front of me to fight my enemies."

So David did exactly what the LORD ordered him to do, and he struck down the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.

They mounted the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab's home in Gibeah, with Abinadab's sons Uzzah and Ahio driving the new cart.

As they left Abinadab's house in Gibeah accompanied by the Ark of God, Ahio was walking ahead of the ark.

When they arrived at Nacon's threshing floor, Uzzah reached out and grabbed the Ark of God because the oxen had stumbled.

David flew into a rage because the LORD had killed Uzzah. That's why that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day.

So the ark of the LORD remained for three months in the household of Obed-edom the Gittite while the LORD blessed Obed-edom and his entire household.

Later on, David was informed, "The LORD has blessed the home of Obed-edom and everything he has since he's in possession of the Ark of God." So David went out joyfully and brought up the Ark of God to the City of David from Obed-edom's home.

So David and the entire assembly of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and trumpet blasts.

As the ark of the LORD was coming into the City of David, Saul's daughter Michal was peering out a window, watching King David jumping and dancing in the LORD's presence, and she despised him in her heart.

When David returned to bless his household, Saul's daughter Michal came out to meet him and called out, "How the king of Israel honored himself today by undressing himself right in front of his women staff members, just like any pervert would dare to expose himself!"

And Saul's daughter Michal bore no children from that day on until the day she died.

I will establish a homeland for my people for Israel planting them so they may live in a secure location where they will never be disturbed anymore. Wicked people will no longer afflict them, as happened in the past

"Who am I, Lord GOD, and what is my family, that you have brought me to this? And this is still a small thing to you, Lord GOD you also have spoken about the future of your servant's house, and this is the charter for mankind, O Lord GOD!

"What more can David say to you, and you surely know your servant, Lord GOD.

For you, LORD of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, have revealed this to your servant, telling him, "I will build a dynasty for you,' so that your servant has found fortitude to pray this prayer to you.

So may it please you to bless the household of your servant, so that it might remain forever in your presence, because you, Lord GOD, have spoken, and from your blessing may the household of your servant be blessed forever."

David also attacked King Hadadezer, Rehob's son from Zobah, when he was attempting to restore his hegemony over the Euphrates River.

David also confiscated the gold shields that belonged to Hadadezer's officers and took them to Jerusalem.

He also confiscated a vast quantity of bronze from Betah and Berothai, cities under Hadadezer's control.

including from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, Amalek, and spoil from King Hadadezer, Rehob's son from Zobah.

Zeruiah's son Joab served in charge of the army, Ahilud's son Jehoshaphat was his personal archivist,

Ahitub's son Zadok and Abiathar's son Ahimelech were priests, Seraiah was his personal secretary,

Jehoida's son Benaiah supervised the special forces and mercenaries, and David's sons were priests.

Later on, David asked, "Is there anyone left alive from Saul's household to whom I can show gracious love in memory of Jonathan?"

At this the king asked, "Isn't there still someone left from Saul's household to whom I may show God's gracious love?" "There's Jonathan's son. He has maimed feet," Ziba answered.

So David asked, "Where is he?" Ziba responded, "He's in Lo-debar at the home of Ammiel's son Makir."

At this, King David sent for him and brought him from the home of Ammiel's son Makir in Lo-debar.

When Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son and a grandson of Saul, approached David, he threw himself on his face out of respect. "Mephibosheth!" David said as he greeted him. "Hello! I am your servant," he replied.

At this, the king called for Saul's servant Ziba and told him, "I'm restoring to your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family.

You and your servants are to farm the land on his behalf and bring in the crops in order to provide for your master's grandson. Meanwhile, Mephibosheth, your master's grandson, will always have a place at my table." (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and 20 servants.)

Later, Ziba told the king, "Your servant will do everything that your majesty the king commands him." So Mephibosheth ate at David's table like one of the king's sons.

Mephibosheth fathered a son named Mica, and everyone who lived in Ziba's house became Mephibosheth's servants.

Mephibosheth continued to live in Jerusalem, always eating at the king's table, since he was maimed in both feet.

so David told himself, "I will be loyal to Nahash's son Hanun, since in his loyalty his father showed gracious love to me." So David sent a delegation to Hanun to console him about his loss of his father.