And it happened after the death of Saul, David returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David stayed two days in Ziklag,

on the third day, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes torn and earth upon his head. And it happened when he came to David, he fell to the earth and bowed to him.

And David said to him, Where do you come from? And he said to him, I have escaped out of the camp of Israel.

And David said to him, How did the matter go? Please tell me. And he answered, The people have fled from the battle, and many of the people also have fallen and are dead. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead also.

And David said to the young man who told him, How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?

And the young man who told him said, As I happened to be upon Mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear. And, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.

And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. And I answered, Here am I.

And he said to me, Who are you? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite.

He said to me again, Please stand over me and kill me, for anguish has come upon me, because all my life is still in me.

And I stood over him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown on his head, and the bracelet on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord.

And David said to the young man who told him, From where are you? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.

And David said, Why were you not afraid to stretch forth your hand to destroy Jehovah's anointed?

And David said to him, Your blood be upon your head, for your mouth has testified against you, saying, I have slain Jehovah's anointed.

And he said to teach the sons of Judah The Song of the Bow. Behold, it is written in the Book of Jasher:

Tell it not in Gath, do not let it be known in the streets of Askelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.

Mountains of Gilboa, let not dew or rain be on you, nor fields of offerings. For there the shield of the mighty has been evilly cast away, the shield of Saul not being anointed with oil.

I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan. Very pleasant you have been to me. Your love to me was wonderful, more than the love of women.

And it happened after this, David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And Jehovah said to him, Go up! And David said, Where shall I go? And He said, To Hebron.

And David went up there, and his two wives also, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal's wife.

And David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead. And he said to them, Blessed are you of Jehovah, that you have shown this kindness to your lord, to Saul, and have buried him.

And now may Jehovah do kindness and truth to you. And I also do good to you, because you have done this thing.

But Abner the son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim.

Ishbosheth, Saul's son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.

And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon.

And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now arise and play before us. And Joab said, Let them arise.

And there was a very grievous battle that day. And Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.

And Asahel ran after Abner, and in going he did not turn to the right hand nor to the left from following Abner.

And Abner said to him, Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and lay hold on one of the young men, and take for yourself. But Asahel would not turn aside from following him.

And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn aside from following me. Why should I strike you to the ground? How then should I hold up my face to Joab your brother?

However he refused to turn aside. Therefore Abner struck him with the blunt end of the spear in the belly, and the spear came out behind him. And he fell down there, and died in the same place. And it happened that everyone who came to the place where Asahel fell down and died, stood still.

And Joab and Abishai ran after Abner. And the sun went down when they had come to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah by the way of the wilderness of Gibeon.

Then Abner called to Joab and said, Shall the sword devour forever? Do you not know that it will be bitter in the end? How long shall it be then before you command the people to return from chasing their brothers?

And Abner and his men went all that night through the plain and passed over Jordan, and went all the forenoon and came to Mahanaim.

And they took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at the break of day.

And sons were born to David in Hebron. And his first-born was Amnon, the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel.

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

And Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah. And Ishbosheth said to Abner, Why have you gone in to my father's concubine?

And Abner was very angry over the words of Ishbosheth, and said, Am I a dog's head, who shows kindness against Judah this day to the house of Saul your father, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not delivered you into the hand of David? Am I a dog's head that you charge me today with a fault concerning this woman today?

So may God do to Abner, and more also, if I do not do to David as Jehovah has sworn,

to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan even to Beer-sheba.

And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose is the land? He said, Cut your covenant with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with you, to bring about all Israel to you.

And he said, Good! I will cut a covenant with you, but one thing I ask of you, saying, You shall not see my face unless you first bring Michal, Saul's daughter, when you come to see my face.

And David sent messengers to Ishbosheth, Saul's son, saying, Deliver my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to me for a hundred foreskins of the Philistines.

And her husband went along with her, weeping behind her, to Bahurim. And Abner said to him, Go, return! And he returned.

The word of Abner was with the elders of Israel, saying, You sought for David in times past to be king over you.

And then do it, for Jehovah has 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.

And Abner also spoke in the ears of Benjamin. And Abner went also to speak in the ears of David in Hebron all that seemed good to Israel, and all that seemed good to the whole house of Benjamin.

And Abner came to David at Hebron, and twenty men came with him. And David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him.

And Abner said to David, I will arise and go, and will gather all Israel to my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, and so that you may reign over all that your heart desires. And David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.

And Joab and all the army with him came, and they told Joab, saying, Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he has sent him away, and he has gone in peace.

And Joab came to the king and said, What have you done? Behold, Abner came to you. Why is this, that you have sent him away, and he has already gone?

You know Abner the son of Ner, that he came to deceive you, and to know your going out and your coming in, and to know all that you do.

And Abner returned to Hebron. And Joab took him aside in the gate to speak with him privately. And he struck him there in the belly, and he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother.

And David said to Joab and to all the people with him, Tear your clothes and gird yourselves with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And King David followed the bier.

And the king mourned over Abner and said, Did Abner die like a fool dies?

And all the people came to cause David to eat food while it was still day; David swore, saying, So let God do to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else until the sun is down.

For all the people and all Israel understood that day that it was not of the king to kill Abner the son of Ner.

And the king said to his servants, Do you not know that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel?

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

And Saul's son had two men that were captains of bands. The name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other was Rechab, the sons of Rimmon of Beeroth, of the sons of Benjamin. For Beeroth also was counted to Benjamin;

and the men of Beeroth fled to Gittaim and were strangers there until this day.

And Jonathan, Saul's son, had a son who was lame in his feet. He was five years old when the news of Saul and Jonathan came out of Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled. And as she made haste to flee he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.

And the sons of Rimmon of Beeroth, Rechab and Baanah, came at the heat of the day to the house of Ishbosheth. And he was lying on his bed at noon.

And they came to the midst of the house, bringing wheat. And they struck him in the belly. And Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped.

And they brought the head of Ishbosheth to David at Hebron, and said to the king, Behold the head of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, your enemy who sought your life. And Jehovah has avenged my lord the king this day of Saul and of his seed.

And David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon of Beeroth, and said to them, As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my soul out of all adversity,

when one told me, saying, Behold, Saul is dead, thinking to have brought good news, I took hold of him and killed him in Ziklag. I gave that to him as a reward.

And all the tribes of Israel came to David, to Hebron, and spoke, saying, Behold, we are your bone and your flesh.

Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, you were he who led Israel out and brought them in. And Jehovah said to you, You shall feed My people Israel, and you shall be a leader over Israel.

And all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron. And King David made a covenant with them in Hebron before Jehovah. And they anointed David king over Israel.

David was thirty years old when he began to reign. He reigned forty years.

And the king and his men went to Jerusalem to the Jebusites, the people of the land. And one spoke to David saying, You shall not come in here, except the blind and the lame will turn you away; also saying, David cannot come in here.

And David said on that day, Anyone who strikes the Jebusite, let him go by the water-shaft and take the lame and the blind, the hated of David's soul. On account of this they say, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.

And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons to David. And they built David a house.

And David took more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he had come from Hebron. And there were still more sons and daughters born to David.

These are the names of those to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon,

And the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel. And all the Philistines came up to seek David. And David heard, and went down to the stronghold.

And David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand? And Jehovah said to David, Go up! For I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hand.

And David came to Baal-perazim, and David struck them there, and said, Jehovah has broken forth on my enemies before me, like the breaking forth of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place The Breaking of Baal.

And it shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the weeping trees, then you shall strike. For then Jehovah shall go out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.

And David did so, as Jehovah had commanded him. And he struck the Philistines from Geba until you come to Gezer.

And David arose and went with all the people with him from beyond Baale of Judah, to bring up the ark of God from there, which is called by the Name, the Name of Jehovah of Hosts who dwells above the cherubs.

And when they came to Nachon's threshing-floor, Uzzah reached out to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen upset it.

And David was displeased because Jehovah had broken forth upon Uzzah. And he called the name of the place The Break of Uzzah to this day.

And David was afraid of Jehovah that day, and said, How shall the ark of Jehovah come to me?

And David was not willing to bring the ark of Jehovah to him into the city of David. But David carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite, the Levite.

And they told King David, saying, Jehovah has blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God. And David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness.

And it happened as the ark of Jehovah came to the city of David, Michal, Saul's daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and dancing before Jehovah. And she despised him in her heart.

And he gave out among all the people, among all the multitude of Israel, to the women as well as men, to each one a cake of bread and one raisin-cake. And all the people departed, each one to his house.

And David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, How glorious was the king of Israel today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!

And David said to Michal, It was before Jehovah, who chose me before your father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of Jehovah, over Israel. And I danced before Jehovah.

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

the king said to Nathan the prophet, See now, I live in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells within curtains.

And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in your heart, for Jehovah is with you.

And that night the Word of Jehovah came to Nathan saying,

For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up the sons of Israel out of Egypt until this day, but have walked in a tent, even in a tabernacle.

In all places in which I have walked with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the tribes of Israel, those I commanded to feed My people Israel, saying, Why do you not build Me a house of cedars?

And now so shall you say to My servant David, So says Jehovah of Hosts: I took you from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel.

And even from the time that I commanded judges to be over My people of Israel, so will I cause you to rest from all your enemies. Also Jehovah tells you that He will make you a house.

According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.