And Amnon was so frustrated that he fell sick because of his sister Tamar. For she was a virgin, and it seemed hard to Amnon to do anything to her.

But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David's brother. And Jonadab was a very sly man.

So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's house, and he was laid down. And she took dough, and kneaded it, and made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes.

Then Amnon hated her with exceedingly great hatred, for the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, Arise, be gone.

And Tamar put ashes on her head, and tore her garment of various colors that was on her. And she laid her hand on her head, and went her way, crying aloud as she went.

But when king David heard of all these things, he was very angry.

So Absalom fled, and went to Geshur, and was there three years.

And [the soul of] king David longed to go forth to Absalom, for he was comforted concerning Amnon, seeing he was dead.

Now Joab the son of Zeruiah perceived that the king's heart was toward Absalom.

And thy handmaid had two sons, and they two strove together in the field, and there was none to part them, but the one smote the other, and killed him.

Now in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty; from the sole of his foot even to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him.

And when he cut the hair of his head (now it was at every year's end that he cut it, because it was heavy on him, therefore he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels, after the king's weight.

And to Absalom there were born three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar. She was a woman of a fair countenance.

And Absalom rose up early, and stood beside the way of the gate. And it was so, that, when any man had a suit which should come to the king for judgment, then Absalom called to him, and said, Of what city are thou? And he said, Thy

And it was so, that, when any man came near to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took hold of him, and kissed him.

And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he was offering the sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong, for the people increased continually with Absalom.

And it was told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.

And it came to pass, that, when David came to the top [of the ascent], where God was worshipped, behold, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn, and dirt upon his head.

And when David was a little past the top [of the ascent], behold, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth met him with a couple of saddled donkeys, and upon them two hundred loaves of bread, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and a hundre

And when king David came to Bahurim, behold, there came out from there a man of the family of the house of Saul whose name was Shimei, the son of Gera. He came out, cursing as he came.

And the counsel of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if a man inquired at the oracle of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.

And the woman took and spread the covering over the well's mouth, and spread ground grain on it. And nothing was known.

Then David arose, and all the people who were with him, and they passed over the Jordan. By the morning light there lacked not one of them who was not gone over the Jordan.

And when Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey, and arose, and got home to his city, and set his house in order, and hanged himself. And he died, and was buried in the sepulcher of his father.

And Absalom set Amasa over the army instead of Joab. Now Amasa was the son of a man, whose name was Ithra the Israelite, who went in to Abigal the daughter of Nahash, sister to Zeruiah, Joab's mother.

So the people went out into the field against Israel, and the battle was in the forest of Ephraim.

And the people of Israel were smitten there before the servants of David, and there was a great slaughter there that day of twenty thousand men.

For the battle was there spread over the face of all the country, and the forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured.

And Absalom chanced to meet the servants of David. And Absalom was riding upon his mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak. And he was taken up between sky and earth, and t

Then Joab said, I will not delay thus with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak.

Now David was sitting between the two gates. And the watchman went up to the roof of the gate to the wall, and lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, a man running alone.

And the king said, Is it well with the young man Absalom? And Ahimaaz answered, When Joab sent the king's servant, even me thy servant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what it was.

And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept. And as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!

And it was told Joab, Behold, the king weeps and mourns for Absalom.

And the victory that day was turned into mourning to all the people, for the people heard say that day, The king grieves for his son.

And Shimei the son of Gera, the Benjamite, who was of Bahurim, hastened and came down with the men of Judah to meet king David.

Now Barzillai was a very aged man, even eighty years old. And he had provided the king with sustenance while he lay at Mahanaim, for he was a very great man [of wealth].

And there happened to be there a base fellow whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite. And he blew the trumpet, and said, We have no portion in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse. Every man to his te

When they were at the great stone which is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. And Joab was girded with his apparel of war that he had put on, and on it was a belt with a sword fastened upon his loins in the sheath of it. And as he

But Amasa took no heed to the sword that was in Joab's hand. So he smote him with it in the body, and shed out his bowels to the ground, and struck him not again, and he died. And Joab and Abishai his brother pursued after Sheba th

When he was removed out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab to pursue after Sheba the son of Bichri.

Now Joab was over all the army of Israel, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and over the Pelethites,

and Adoram was over the men subject to task work, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the recorder,

and Sheva was scribe, and Zadok and Abiathar were priests,

and also Ira the Jairite was chief minister to David.

And there was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year; and David sought the face of LORD. And LORD said, It is for Saul, and for his bloody house, because he put to death the Gibeonites.

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

And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water was poured upon them from heaven. And she neither allowed the birds of the heaven to rest on them by day

And it was told David what Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done.

And they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan his son in the country of Benjamin in Zela, in the sepulcher of Kish his father. And they performed all that the king commanded. And after that God was appealed for the land.

and Ishbibenob, who was of the sons of the giant, the weight of whose spear was three hundred [shekels] of brass in weight, he being girded with a new [sword], thought to have slain David.

And it came to pass after this, that there was again war with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was of the sons of the giant.

And there was again war with the Philistines at Gob. And Elhanan the son of Jaareoregim the Bethlehemite killed Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam.

And there was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature who had on every hand six fingers, and on every foot six toes, twenty-four in number, and he also was born to the giant.

Then the earth shook and trembled, the foundations of heaven quaked and were shaken, because he was angry.

He bowed the heavens also, and came down, and thick darkness was under his feet.

And he rode upon a cherub, and flew. Yea, he was seen upon the wings of the wind.

They came upon me in the day of my calamity, but LORD was my support.

I was also perfect toward him, and I kept myself from my iniquity.

They looked, but there was none to save; even to LORD, but he did not answer them.

Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse says, and the man who was raised on high says, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel:

The Spirit of LORD spoke by me, and his word was upon my tongue.

These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains, the same was Adino the Eznite, against eight hundred slain at one time.

And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodai the son of an Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel were gone away.

He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clung to the sword. And LORD wrought a great victory that day, and the people returned after him only to take spoil.

And after him was Shammah the son of Agee a Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop where was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the people fled from the Philistines.

And three of the thirty chief men went down, and came to David in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam, and the troop of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim.

And David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.

And the three mighty men broke through the army of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it, but poured it out to LORD.

And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred and killed them, and had a name among the three.

Was he not most honorable of the three? Therefore he was made their captain. However he did not attain to the [first] three.

He was more honorable than the thirty, but he did not attain to the [first] three. And David set him over his guard.

Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty, [also] Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

And again the anger of LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Judah.

And the king said to Joab the captain of the army, who was with him, Go now to and fro through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the sum of the people.

And when the [heavenly] agent stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, LORD relented of the evil, and said to the agent who destroyed the people, It is enough. Now stay thy hand. And the agent of LORD was by the thres

And David built there an altar to LORD, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. So LORD was entreated for the land, and the plague was halted from Israel.

Now king David was old and stricken in years, and they covered him with clothes, but he did not get warm.

And the damsel was very fair. And she took care of the king, and ministered to him, but the king knew her not.

And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why have thou done so? And he was also a very handsome man. And he was born after Absalom.

And Bathsheba went in to the king into the chamber. And the king was very old, and Abishag the Shunammite was ministering to the king.

And it was told Solomon, saying, Behold, Adonijah fears king Solomon, for, lo, he has laid hold on the horns of the altar, saying, Let king Solomon swear to me first that he will not kill his servant with the sword.

And David slept with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David.

And Solomon sat upon the throne of David his father, and his kingdom was established greatly.

And he said, Thou know that the kingdom was mine, and that all Israel set their faces on me, that I should reign. However the kingdom is turned about, and has become my brother's, for it was his from LORD.

And it was told king Solomon, Joab has fled to the tent of LORD, and, behold, he is by the altar. Then Solomon sent Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, saying, Go, fall upon him.

Then Benaiah the son of Jehoiada went up, and fell upon him, and killed him. And he was buried in his own house in the wilderness.

And it was told Solomon that Shimei had gone from Jerusalem to Gath, and was come again.

So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And he went out, and fell upon him so that he died. And the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.

Only the people sacrificed in the high places, because there was no house built for the name of LORD until those days.

And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place. Solomon offered a thousand burnt-offerings upon that altar.

And Solomon awoke, and, behold, it was a dream. And he came to Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of LORD, and offered up burnt-offerings, and offered peace-offerings, and made a feast to all his servants.

And the one woman said, Oh, my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house. And I was delivered of a child with her in the house.

And it came to pass the third day after I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also. And we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, except we two in the house.

And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead. But when I had looked at it in the morning, behold, it was not my son whom I bore.

Then the woman whose the living child was spoke to the king, for her heart yearned over her son, and she said, Oh, my lord, give her the living child, and by no means kill it. But the other said, It shall be neither mine nor thine.

And all Israel heard of the judgment which the king had judged. And they feared the king, for they saw that the wisdom of God was in him, to do justice.

And king Solomon was king over all Israel.

and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the army; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

and Azariah the son of Nathan was over the officers; and Zabud the son of Nathan was chief minister, [and] the king's friend;