David, Nabal and Abigail

       Now Samuel died, and all Israel assembled and mourned for him; and they buried him at his home in Ramah.

       Then David moved down into the Desert of Maon. A certain man in Maon, who had property there at Carmel, was very wealthy. He had a thousand goats and three thousand sheep, which he was shearing in Carmel. His name was Nabal and his wife's name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was surly and mean in his dealings.

       While David was in the desert, he heard that Nabal was shearing sheep. So he sent ten young men and said to them, "Go up to Nabal at Carmel and greet him in my name. Say to him: 'Long life to you! Good health to you and your household! And good health to all that is yours!

       " 'Now I hear that it is sheep-shearing time. When your shepherds were with us, we did not mistreat them, and the whole time they were at Carmel nothing of theirs was missing. Ask your own servants and they will tell you. Therefore be favorable toward my young men, since we come at a festive time. Please give your servants and your son David whatever you can find for them.' "

       When David's men arrived, they gave Nabal this message in David's name. Then they waited.

       Nabal answered David's servants, "Who is this David? Who is this son of Jesse? Many servants are breaking away from their masters these days. Why should I take my bread and water, and the meat I have slaughtered for my shearers, and give it to men coming from who knows where?"

       David's men turned around and went back. When they arrived, they reported every word. David said to his men, "Put on your swords!" So they put on their swords, and David put on his. About four hundred men went up with David, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.

       One of the servants told Nabal's wife Abigail: "David sent messengers from the desert to give our master his greetings, but he hurled insults at them. Yet these men were very good to us. They did not mistreat us, and the whole time we were out in the fields near them nothing was missing. Night and day they were a wall around us all the time we were herding our sheep near them. Now think it over and see what you can do, because disaster is hanging over our master and his whole household. He is such a wicked man that no one can talk to him."

       Abigail lost no time. She took two hundred loaves of bread, two skins of wine, five dressed sheep, five seahs of roasted grain, a hundred cakes of raisins and two hundred cakes of pressed figs, and loaded them on donkeys. Then she told her servants, "Go on ahead; I'll follow you." But she did not tell her husband Nabal.

       As she came riding her donkey into a mountain ravine, there were David and his men descending toward her, and she met them. David had just said, "It's been useless--all my watching over this fellow's property in the desert so that nothing of his was missing. He has paid me back evil for good. May GOD deal with David, be it ever so severely, if by morning I leave alive one male of all who belong to him!"

       When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey and bowed down before David with her face to the ground. She fell at his feet and said: "My lord, let the blame be on me alone. Please let your servant speak to you; hear what your servant has to say. May my lord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name--his name is Fool, and folly goes with him. But as for me, your servant, I did not see the men my master sent.

       "Now since THE LORD has kept you, my master, from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, as surely as THE LORD lives and as you live, may your enemies and all who intend to harm my master be like Nabal. And let this gift, which your servant has brought to my master, be given to the men who follow you. Please forgive your servant's offense, for THE LORD will certainly make a lasting dynasty for my master, because he fights THE LORD'S battles. Let no wrongdoing be found in you as long as you live. Even though someone is pursuing you to take your life, the life of my master will be bound securely in the bundle of the living by THE LORD your GOD. But the lives of your enemies HE will hurl away as from the pocket of a sling. When THE LORD has done for my master every good thing HE promised concerning him and has appointed him leader over Israel, my master will not have on his conscience the staggering burden of needless bloodshed or of having avenged himself. And when THE LORD has brought my master success, remember your servant."

       David said to Abigail, "Praise be to THE LORD, THE GOD OF ISRAEL, who has sent you today to meet me. May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. Otherwise, as surely as THE LORD, THE GOD OF ISRAEL, lives, who has kept me from harming you, if you had not come quickly to meet me, not one male belonging to Nabal would have been left alive by daybreak."

       Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him and said, "Go home in peace. I have heard your words and granted your request."

       When Abigail went to Nabal, he was in the house holding a banquet like that of a king. He was in high spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing until daybreak. Then in the morning, when Nabal was sober, his wife told him all these things, and his heart failed him and he became like a stone. About ten days later, THE LORD struck Nabal and he died.

       When David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Praise be to THE LORD, who has upheld my cause against Nabal for treating me with contempt. HE has kept his servant from doing wrong and has brought Nabal's wrongdoing down on his own head."

       Then David sent word to Abigail, asking her to become his wife. His servants went to Carmel and said to Abigail, "David has sent us to you to take you to become his wife."

       She bowed down with her face to the ground and said, "Here is your maidservant, ready to serve you and wash the feet of my master's servants." Abigail quickly got on a donkey and, attended by her five maids, went with David's messengers and became his wife. David had also married Ahinoam of Jezreel, and they both were his wives. But Saul had given his daughter Michal, David's wife, to Paltiel son of Laish, who was from Gallim.

The Book of 1 Samuel: chapter 25

David Again Spares Saul's Life

       The Ziphites went to Saul at Gibeah and said, "Is not David hiding on the hill of Hakilah, which faces Jeshimon?"

       So Saul went down to the Desert of Ziph, with his three thousand chosen men of Israel, to search there for David. Saul made his camp beside the road on the hill of Hakilah facing Jeshimon, but David stayed in the desert. When he saw that Saul had followed him there, he sent out scouts and learned that Saul had definitely arrived.

       Then David set out and went to the place where Saul had camped. He saw where Saul and Abner son of Ner, the commander of the army, had lain down. Saul was lying inside the camp, with the army encamped around him.

       David then asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, "Who will go down into the camp with me to Saul?"

       "I'll go with you," said Abishai.

       So David and Abishai went to the army by night, and there was Saul, lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him.

       Abishai said to David, "Today GOD has delivered your enemy into your hands. Now let me pin him to the ground with one thrust of my spear; I won't strike him twice."

       But David said to Abishai, "Don't destroy him! Who can lay a hand on THE LORD'S anointed and be guiltless? As surely as THE LORD lives," he said, "THE LORD HIMSELF will strike him; either his time will come and he will die, or he will go into battle and perish. But THE LORD forbid that I should lay a hand on THE LORD'S anointed. Now get the spear and water jug that are near his head, and let's go."

       So David took the spear and water jug near Saul's head, and they left. No one saw or knew about it, nor did anyone wake up. They were all sleeping, because THE LORD had put them into a deep sleep.

       Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the hill some distance away; there was a wide space between them. He called out to the army and to Abner son of Ner, "Aren't you going to answer me, Abner?"

       Abner replied, "Who are you who calls to the king?"

       David said, "You're a man, aren't you? And who is like you in Israel? Why didn't you guard your lord the king? Someone came to destroy your lord the king. Wat you have done is not good. As surely as THE LORD lives, you and your men deserve to die, because you did not guard your master, THE LORD'S anointed. Look around you. Where are the king's spear and water jug that were near his head?"

       Saul recognized David's voice and said, "Is that your voice, David my son?"

       David replied, "Yes it is, my lord the king." And he added, "Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done, and what wrong am I guilty of? Now let my lord the king listen to his servant's words. If THE LORD has incited you against me, then may HE accept an offering. If, however, men have done it, may they be cursed before THE LORD! They have now driven me from my share in THE LORD'S inheritance and have said, 'Go, serve other gods.' Now do not let my blood fall to the ground far from the presence of THE LORD. The king of Israel has come out to look for a flea--as one hunts a partridge in the mountains."

       Then Saul said, "I have sinned. Come back, David my son. Because you considered my life precious today, I will not try to harm you again. Surely I have acted like a fool and have erred greatly."

       "Here is the king's spear," David answered. "Let one of your young men come over and get it. THE LORD rewards every man for his righteousness and faithfulness. THE LORD delivered you into my hands today, but I would not lay a hand on THE LORD'S anointed. As surely as I valued your life today, so may THE LORD value my life and deliver me from all trouble."

       Then Saul said to David, "May you be blessed, my son David; you will do great things and surely triumph."

       So David went on his way, and Saul returned home.

The Book of 1 Samuel: chapter 26

David Among the Philistines

       But David thought to himself, "One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand."

       So David and the six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maoch king of Gath. David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal. When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.

       Then David said to Achish, "If I have found favor in your eyes, let a place be assigned to me in one of the country towns, that I may live there. Why should your servant live in the royal city with you?"

       So on that day Achish gave him Ziklag, and it has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since. David lived in Philistine territory a year and four months.

       Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amalekites. (From ancient times these peoples had lived in the land extending to Shur and Egypt.) Whenever David attacked an area, he did not leave a man or woman alive, but took sheep and cattle, donkeys and camels, and clothes. Then he returned to Achish.

       When Achish asked, "Where did you go raiding today?" David would say, "Against the Negev of Judah" or "Against the Negev of Jerahmeel" or "Against the Negev of the Kenites." He did not leave a man or woman alive to be brought to Gath, for he thought, "They might inform on us and say, 'This is what David did.' " And such was his practice as long as he lived in Philistine territory. Achish trusted David and said to himself, "He has become so odious to his people, the Israelites, that he will be my servant forever."

The Book of 1 Samuel: chapter 27

Saul and the Witch of Endor

       In those days the Philistines gathered their forces to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, "You must understand that you and your men will accompany me in the army."

       David said, "Then you will see for yourself what your servant can do."

       Achish replied, "Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life."

       Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.

       The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all the Israelites and set up camp at Gilboa. When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. He inquired of THE LORD, but THE LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. Saul then said to his attendants, "Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her."

       "There is one in Endor," they said.

       So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. "Consult a spirit for me," he said, "and bring up for me the one I name."

       But the woman said to him, "Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?"

       Saul swore to her by THE LORD, "As surely as THE LORD lives, you will not be punished for this."

       Then the woman asked, "Whom shall I bring up for you?"

       "Bring up Samuel," he said.

       When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, "Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!"

       The king said to her, "Don't be afraid. What do you see?"

       The woman said, "I see a spirit coming up out of the ground."

       "What does he look like?" he asked.

       "An old man wearing a robe is coming up," she said.

       Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.

       Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?"

       "I am in great distress," Saul said. "The Philistines are fighting against me, and GOD has turned away from me. HE no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do."

       Samuel said, "Why do you consult me, now that THE LORD has turned away from you and become your enemy? THE LORD has done what HE predicted through me. THE LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors--to David. Because you did not obey THE LORD or carry out HIS fierce wrath against the Amalekites, THE LORD has done this to you today. THE LORD will handover both Israel and you to the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. THE LORD will also hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines."

       Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel's words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and night.

       When the woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken, she said, "Look, your maidservant has obeyed you. I took my life in my hands and did what you told me to do. Now please listen to your servant and let me give you some food so you may eat and have the strength to go on your way."

       He refused and said, "I will not eat."

       But his men joined the woman in urging him, and he listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the couch.

       The woman had a fattened calf at the house, which she butchered at once. She took some flour, kneaded it and baked bread without yeast. Then she set it before Saul and his men, and they ate. That same night they got up and left.

The Book of 1 Samuel: chapter 28

Achish Sends David Back to Ziklag

       The Philistines gathered all their forces at Aphek, and Israel camped by the spring in Jezreel. As the Philistine rulers marched with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men were marching at the rear with Achish. The commanders of the Philistines asked, "What about these Hebrews?"

       Achish replied, "Is this not David, who was an officer of Saul king of Israel? He has already been with me for over a year, and from the day he left Saul until now, I have found no fault in him."

       But the Philistine commanders were angry with him and said, "Send the man back, that he may return to the place you assigned him. He must not go with us into battle, or he will turn against us during the fighting. How better could he regain his master's favor than by taking the heads of our own men? Isn't this the David they sang about in their dances:

       " 'Saul has slain his thousands,

          and David his tens of thousands'?"

       So Achish called David and said to him, "As surely as THE LORD lives, you have been reliable, and I would be pleased to have you serve with me in the army. From the day you came to me until now, I have found no fault in you, but the rulers don't approve of you. Turn back and go in peace; do nothing to displease the Philistine rulers."

       "But what have I done?" asked David. "What have you found against your servant from the day I came to you until now? Why can't I go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?"

       Achish answered, "I know that you have been as pleasing in my eyes as an angel of GOD; nevertheless, the Philistine commanders have said, 'He must not go up with us into battle.' Now get up early, along with your master's servants who have come with you, and leave in the morning as soon as it is light."

       So David and his men got up early in the morning to go back to the land of the Philistines, and the Philistines went up to Jezreel.

The Book of 1 Samuel: chapter 29

David Destroys the Amalekites

       David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, and had taken captive the women and all who were in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way.

       When David and his men came to Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. David's two wives had been captured--Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in THE LORD his GOD.

       Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it to him, and David inquired of THE LORD, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?"

       "Pursue them," HE answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue."

       David and the six hundred men with him came to the Besor Ravine, where some stayed behind, for two hundred men were too exhausted to cross the ravine. But David and four hundred men continued the pursuit.

       They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat--part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights.

       David asked him, "To whom do you belong, and where do you come from?"

       He said, "I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago. We raided the Negev of the Kerethites and the territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag."

       David asked him, "Can you lead me down to this raiding party?"

       He answered, "Swear to me before GOD that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them."

       He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah. David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled. David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back. He took all the flocks and herds, and his men drove them ahead of the other livestock, saying, "This is David's plunder."

       Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow him and who were left behind at the Besor Ravine. They came out to meet David and the people with him. As David and his men approached, he greeted them. But all the evil men and troublemakers among David's followers said, "Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder we recovered. However, each man may take his wife and children and go."

       David replied, "No, my brothers, you must not do that with what THE LORD has given us. HE has protected us and handed over to us the forces that came against us. Who will listen to what you say? The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike." David made this a statute and ordinance for Israel from that day to this.

       When David arrived in Ziklag, he sent some of the plunder to the elders of Judah, who were his friends, saying, "Here is a present for you from the plunder of THE LORD'S enemies."

       He sent it to those who were in Bethel, Ramoth Negev and Jattir; to those in Aroer, Siphmoth, Eshtemoa and Racal; to those in the towns of the Jerahmeelites and the Kenites; to those in Hormah, Bor Ashan, Athach and Hebron; and to those in all the other places where David and his men had roamed.

The Book of 1 Samuel: chapter 30

Saul Takes His Life

       Now the Philistines fought against Israel; the Israelites fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa. The Philistines pressed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed his sons Jonathan, Abinadab and Malki-Shua. The fighting grew fierce around Saul, and when the archers overtook him, they wounded him critically.

       Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and run me through, or these uncircumcised fellows will come and run me through and abuse me."

       But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it; so Saul took his own sword and fell on it. When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died with him. So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died together that same day.

       When the Israelites along the valley and those across the Jordan saw that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and fled. And the Philistines came and occupied them.

       The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. They cut off his head and stripped off his armor, and they sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people. They put his armor in the temple of the Ashtoreths and fastened his body to the wall of Beth Shan.

       When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard of what the Philistines had done to Saul, all their valiant men journeyed through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them. Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

The Book of 1 Samuel: chapter 31

David Hears of Saul's Death

       After the death of Saul, David returned from defeating the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days. On the third day a man arrived from Saul's camp, with his clothes torn and with dust on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him honor.

       "Where have you come from?" David asked him.

       He answered, "I have escaped from the Israelite camp."

       "What happened?" David asked. "Tell me."

       He said, "The men fled from the battle. Many of them fell and died. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead."

       Then David said to the young man who brought him the report, "How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?"

       "I happened to be on Mount Gilboa," the young man said, and there was Saul, leaning on his spear, with the chariots and riders almost upon him. When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me, and I said, 'What can I do?'

       "He asked me, 'Who are you?'

       " 'An Amalekite,' I answered.

       "Then he said to me, 'Stand over me and kill me! I am in the throes of death, but I'm still alive.'

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

       Then David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore them. They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of THE LORD and the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

       David said to the young man who brought him the report, "Where are you from?"

       "I am the son of an alien, an Amalekite," he answered.

       David asked him, "Why were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy THE LORD'S anointed?"

       Then David called one of his men and said, "Go, strike him down!" So he struck him down, and he died. For David had said to him, "Your blood be on your own head. Your own mouth testified against you when you said, 'I killed THE LORD'S anointed.' "

The Book of 2 Samuel: chapter 1, verses 1 - 16

David's Lament for Saul and Jonathan

       David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan, and ordered that the men of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):

       "Your glory, O Israel, lies slain on your heights.

          How the mighty have fallen!

       "Tell it not in Gath,

          proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,

       lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad,

          lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.

       "O mountains of Gilboa,

          may you have neither dew nor rain,

          nor fields that yield offerings of grain.

       For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,

          the shield of Saul--no longer rubbed with oil.

       From the blood of the slain,

          from the flesh of the mighty,

       the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,

          the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied.

       "Saul and Jonathan--

          in life they were loved and gracious,

          and in death they were not parted.

       They were swifter than eagles,

          they were stronger than lions.

       "O daughters of Israel,

          weep for Saul,

       who clothed you in scarlet and finery,

          who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.

       "How the mighty have fallen in battle!

          Jonathan lies slain on your heights.

       I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother;

          you were very dear to me.

       Your love for me was wonderful,

          more wonderful than that of women.

       "How the mighty have fallen!

          The weapons of war have perished!"

The Book of 2 Samuel: chapter 1, verses 17 - 27

David Anointed King Over Judah

   In the course of time, David inquired of THE LORD. "Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?" he asked.

       THE LORD said, "Go up."

       David asked, "Where shall I go?"

       "To Hebron," THE LORD answered.

       So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David also took the men who were with him, each with his family, and they settled in Hebron and its towns. Then the men of Judah came to Hebron and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.

       When David was told that it was the men of Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul, he sent messengers to the men of Jabesh Gilead to say to them, "THE LORD bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him. May THE LORD now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this. Now then, be strong and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them."

The Book of 2 Samuel: chapter 2, verses 1 - 7

War Between the Houses of David and Saul

       Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul's army, had taken Ish-Bosheth son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. He made him king over Gilead, Ashuri and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.

       Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David. The length of time David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

       Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. Joab son of Zeruiah and David's men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side.

       Then Abner said to Joab, "Let's have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us."

       "All right, let them do it," Joab said.

       So they stood up and were counted off--twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David. Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger into his opponent's side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.

       The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David's men.

       The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle. He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him. Abner looked behind him and asked, "Is that you, Asahel?"

       "It is," he answered.

       Then Abner said to him, "Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons." But Asahel would not stop chasing him.

       Again Abner warned Asahel, "Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?"

       But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel's stomach, and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.

       But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and as the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wasteland of Gibeon. Then the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. They formed themselves into a group and took their stand on top of a hill.

       Abner called out to Joab, "Must the sword devour forever? Don't you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their brothers?"

       Joab answered, "As surely as GOD lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued the pursuit of their brothers until morning."

       So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the men came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore.

       All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, continued through the whole Bithron and came to Mahanaim.

       Then Joab returned from pursuing Abner and assembled all his men. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David's men were found missing. But David's men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who were with Abner. They took Asahel and buried him in his father's tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak.

   The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.

Sons were born to David in Hebron:

   His firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel;

   his second, Kileab the son of Abigail the widow of Nabal

   of Carmel;

   the third, Absalom the son of Maacah daughter of Talmai

   king of Geshur;

   the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith;

   the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;

   and the sixth, Ithream the son of David's wife Eglah.

   These were born to David in Hebron.

The Book of 2 Samuel: chapter 2, verses 8 - 32 & chapter 3, verses 1 - 5

Abner Goes Over to David

       During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner had been strengthening his own position in the house of Saul. Now Saul had had a concubine named Rizpah daughter of Aiah. And Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, "Why did you sleep with my father's concubine?"

       Abner was very angry because of what Ish-Bosheth said and he answered, "Am I a dog's head--on Judah's side? This very day I am loyal to the house of your father Saul and to his family and friends. I haven't handed you over to David. Yet now you accuse me of an offense involving this woman! May GOD deal with Abner, be it ever so severely, if I do not do for David what THE LORD promised him on oath and transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish David's throne over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beersheba." Ish-Bosheth did not dare to say another word to Abner, because he was afraid of him.

       Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to say to David, "Whose land is it? Make an agreement with me, and I will help you bring all Israel over to you."

       "Good," said David. "I will make an agreement with you. But I demand one thing of you: Do not come into my presence unless you bring Michal daughter of Saul when you come to see me." Then David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, demanding, "Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for the price of a hundred Philistine foreskins."

       So Ish-Bosheth gave orders and had her taken away from her husband Paltiel son of Laish. Her husband, however, went with her, weeping behind her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, "Go back home!" So he went back.

       Abner conferred with the elders of Israel and said, "For some time you have wanted to make David your king. Now do it! For THE LORD promised David, 'By MY servant David I will rescue MY people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.' "

       Abner also spoke to the Benjamites in person. Then he went to Hebron to tell David everything that Israel and the whole house of Benjamin wanted to do. When Abner, who had twenty men with him, came to David at Hebron, David prepared a feast for him and his men. Then Abner said to David, "Let me go at once and assemble all Israel for my lord the king, so that they may make a compact with you, and that you may rule over all that your heart desires." So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.

The Book of 2 Samuel: chapter 3, verses 6 - 21

Joab Murders Abner

       Just then David's men and Joab returned from a raid and brought with them a great deal of plunder. But Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, because David had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. When Joab and all the soldiers with him arrived, he was told that Abner son of Ner had come to the king and that the king had sent him away and that he had gone in peace.

       So Joab went to the king and said, "What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he is gone! You know Abner son of Ner; he came to deceive you and observe your movements and find out everything you are doing."

       Joab then left David and sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the well of Sirah. But David did not know it. Now when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the gateway, as though to speak with him privately. And there, to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and he died.

       Later, when David heard about this, he said, "I and my kingdom are forever innocent before THE LORD concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. May his blood fall upon the head of Joab and upon all his father's house! May Joab's house never be without someone who has a running sore or leprosy or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food."

       (Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.)

       Then David said to Joab and all the people with him, "Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and walk in mourning in front of Abner." King David himself walked behind the bier. They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king wept aloud at Abner's tomb. All the people wept also.

       The king sang this lament for Abner:

       "Should Abner have died as the lawless die?

          Your hands were not bound,

          your feet were not fettered.

       You fell as one falls before wicked men."

       And all the people wept over him again.

       Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying, "May GOD deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!"

       All the people took note and were pleased; indeed, everything the king did pleased them. So on that day all the people and all Israel knew that the king had no part in the murder of Abner son of Ner.

       Then the king said to his men, "Do you not realize that a prince and a great man has fallen in Israel this day? And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May THE LORD repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds!"

The Book of 2 Samuel: chapter 3, verses 22 - 39

Ish-Bosheth Murdered

   When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed. Now Saul's son had two men who were leaders of raiding bands. One was named Baanah and the other Recab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite from the tribe of Benjamin--Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin, because the people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim and have lived there as aliens to this day.

       (Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became crippled. His name was Mephibosheth.)

       Now Recab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out for the house of Ish-Bosheth, and they arrived there in the heat of the day while he was taking his noonday rest. They went into the inner part of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Recab and his brother Baanah slipped away.

       They had gone into the house while he was lying on the bed in his bedroom. After they stabbed and killed him, they cut off his head. Taking it with them, they traveled all night by way of the Arabah. They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, "Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, your enemy, who tried to take your life. This day THE LORD has avenged my lord the king against Saul and his offspring."

       David answered Recab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, "As surely as THE LORD lives, who has delivered me out of all trouble, when a man told me, 'Saul is dead,' and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news! How much more--when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed--should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!"

       So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them. They cut off their hands and feet and hung the bodies by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in Abner's tomb at Hebron.

The Book of 2 Samuel: chapter 4

David Becomes King Over Israel

   All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, "We are your own flesh and blood. In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And THE LORD said to you, 'You will shepherd MY people Israel, and you will become their ruler.' "

       When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a compact with them at Hebron before THE LORD, and they anointed David king over Israel.

       David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.

The Book of 2 Samuel: chapter 5, verses 1 - 5

David Conquers Jerusalem

       The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, "You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off." They thought, "David cannot get in here." Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, the City of David.

       On that day, David said, "Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft to reach those 'lame and blind' who are David's enemies." That is why they say, "The 'blind and lame' will not enter the palace."

       David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the supporting terraces inward. And he became more and more powerful, because THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY was with him.

       Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David. And David knew that THE LORD had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of HIS people Israel.

       After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him. These are the names of the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.

The Book of 2 Samuel: chapter 5, verses 6 - 16

David Defeats the Philistines

       When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold. Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of THE LORD, "Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will YOU hand them over to me?"

       THE LORD answered him, "Go, for I will surely hand the Philistines over to you."

       So David went to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, "As waters break out, THE LORD has broken out against my enemies before me." So that place was called Baal Perazim. The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them off.

       Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; so David inquired of THE LORD, and HE answered, "Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move quickly, because that will mean THE LORD has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army." So David did as THE LORD commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.

The Book of 2 Samuel: chapter 5, verses 17 - 25

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem

   David again brought together out of Israel chosen men, thirty thousand in all. He and all his men set out from Baalah of Judah to bring up from there the ark of GOD, which is called by the Name, the name of THE LORD ALMIGHTY, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on the ark. They set the ark of GOD on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart with the ark of GOD on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before THE LORD, with songs and with harps, lyres, tambourines, sistrums and cymbals.

       When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of GOD, because the oxen stumbled. THE LORD'S anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore GOD struck him down and he died there beside the ark of GOD.

       Then David was angry because THE LORD'S wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.

       David was afraid of THE LORD that day and said, "How can the ark of THE LORD ever come to me?" He was not willing to take the ark of THE LORD to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. The ark of THE LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and THE LORD blessed him and his entire household.

       Now King David was told, "THE LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of GOD." So David went down and brought up the ark of GOD from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. When those who were carrying the ark of THE LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before THE LORD with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of THE LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.

       As the ark of THE LORD was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before THE LORD, she despised him in her heart.

       They brought the ark of THE LORD and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before THE LORD. After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of THE LORD ALMIGHTY. Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.

       When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!"

       David said to Michal, "It was before THE LORD, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over THE LORD'S people Israel--I will celebrate before THE LORD. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor."

       And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.

The Book of 2 Samuel: chapter 6

GOD'S Promise to David

   After the king was settled in his palace and THE LORD had given him rest from all his enemies around him, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a palace of cedar, while the ark of GOD remains in a tent."

       Nathan replied to the king, "Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for THE LORD is with you."

       That night the word of THE LORD came to Nathan, saying:

       "Go and tell MY servant David, 'This is what THE LORD says: Are you the one to build ME a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as MY dwelling. Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd MY people Israel, "Why have you not built ME a house of cedar?" '

       "Now then, tell MY servant David, 'This is what THE LORD ALMIGHTY says: I took you from the pasture and from following the flock to be ruler over MY people Israel. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men of the earth. And I will provide a place for MY people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders over MY people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.

       " 'THE LORD declares to you that THE LORD HIMSELF will establish a house for you: When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for MY Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be MY son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod of men, with floggings inflicted by men. But MY love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before ME; your throne will be established forever.' "

       Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.

The Book of 2 Samuel: chapter 7, verses 1 - 17

David's Prayer

       Then King David went in and sat before THE LORD, and he said:

       "Who am I, O SOVEREIGN LORD, and what is my family, that YOU have brought me this far? And as if this were not enough in YOUR sight, O SOVEREIGN LORD, YOU have also spoken about the future of the house of YOUR servant. Is this YOUR usual way of dealing with man, O SOVEREIGN LORD?

       "What more can David say to YOU? For YOU know YOUR servant, O SOVEREIGN LORD. For the sake of YOUR word and according to YOUR will, YOU have done this great thing and made it known to YOUR servant.

       "How great YOU are, O SOVEREIGN LORD! There is no one like YOU, and there is no GOD but YOU, as we have heard with our own ears. And who is like YOUR people Israel--the one nation on earth that GOD went out to redeem as a people for HIMSELF, and to make a name for HIMSELF, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before YOUR people, whom YOU redeemed from Egypt? YOU have established YOUR people Israel as YOUR very own forever, and YOU, O LORD, have become their GOD.

       "And now, LORD GOD, keep forever the promise YOU have made concerning YOUR servant and his house. Do as YOU promised, so that YOUR name will be great forever. Then men will say, 'THE LORD ALMIGHTY is GOD over Israel!' And the house of YOUR servant David will be established before YOU.

       "O LORD ALMIGHTY, GOD OF ISRAEL, YOU have revealed this to YOUR servant, saying, 'I will build a house for you.' So YOUR servant has found courage to offer YOU this prayer. O SOVEREIGN LORD, YOU are GOD! YOUR words are trustworthy, and YOU have promised these good things to YOUR servant. Now be pleased to bless the house of YOUR servant, that it may continue forever in YOUR sight; for YOU, O SOVEREIGN LORD, have spoken, and with YOUR blessing the house of YOUR servant will be blessed forever."

The Book of 2 Samuel: chapter 7, verses 18 - 29