2 Samuel

2 Kingdoms in Greek

Name and Location in Canon

First and Second Samuel were originally a single work, so that much of the information in the Introduction to 1 Samuel (pp. 405‐06) pertains to 2 Samuel as well. The name of the book (as relating to the prophet Samuel) is even less appropriate for 2 Samuel, since Samuel dies in 1 Sam 25.1 and is never mentioned in 2 Samuel.

The division between 1 and 2 Samuel is artificial and was apparently based on considerations of length when it was first made in the LXX, where 2 Samuel bears the title 2 Kingdoms or 2 Reigns. Following a pattern found in the Torah/Pentateuch and Joshua, the book division was determined by the death of a main character—in this case, King Saul.

Literary History

Many major critical issues in 2 Samuel revolve around chs 9–20. These chapters (or in some views chs 13–20), together with 1 Kings 1–2, have been named the “Court History” or “Succession Narrative,” after their perceived intention of dealing with the question of who would succeed David as king. Many scholars have viewed this proposed source document as almost contemporaneous with the events it narrates. However, the extent and early date of this hypothetical source have been called into question because it is impossible to extract these chapters cleanly from the surrounding narrative and to see them as a separate source; there are, for example, ties between chs 9–20 and chs 2–4, such as the description of Mephibosheth’s (Meribbaal’s) injury in 4.4 and 9.3 and the importance of the “sons of Zeruiah,” Joab and his brothers outside of this unit. In general, many scholars are now skeptical that any part of 2 Samuel was written close to the time of the events that it putatively describes. Questions of literary history also loom large in the consideration of ch 7, with its unconditional promise of a dynasty made to David. While scholars generally recognize this as a Deuteronomistic composition as it now stands, many think that underlying it is an older version of God’s promise to David.

Structure and Contents

Second Samuel can be divided into four sections.

Section one (1.1–5.5) describes how, after Saul’s death (ch 1), David becomes king first of Judah (2.1–4a) and then, after a civil war that included the assassinations of Saul’s relatives Abner (ch 3) and Ishbaal (ch 4), king of all Israel (5.1–5).

Section two (5.6–12.31) tells of David’s annexation of Jerusalem (5.5–6.23), his interest in building a temple there resulting in the divine promise of a dynasty (ch 7), and his victories over surrounding peoples (chs 8–12), which are interrupted by the story of his affair with Bathsheba (11.2–12.25).

Section three (chs 13–20) recounts Absalom’s revolt and that led by Sheba (ch 20).

Section four (chs 21–24), often considered an appendix, is a miscellaneous collection of narratives, military lists, and poems.

Interpretation

Scholars and other readers disagree about the perspective on David in these chapters. Some contend that the pro‐Davidic, apologetic character of 1 Samuel continues, as those who stand in David’s way perish, though never by his own hand or order. Joab and the “sons of Zeruiah” are often blamed for the murders of David’s enemies—Abner (3.26–30), Absalom (18.1–15), and Amasa (20.4–10)—while David is too tender for such deeds (3.39; 16.10; 19.22) and is deeply grieved by their deaths (3.31–37; 18.22–19.8). In this reading, the annihilation of Saul’s line (recounted apologetically in 21.1–14, which once preceded ch 9) secures David’s hold on the throne. Only Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s crippled disabled son, remains alive, and David keeps a watchful eye on him by bringing him to the royal court (ch 9). Even when David commits adultery with Bathsheba and arranges for the death of her husband, it has been argued, David’s repentance is exemplary and is immediately accepted (12.13). However, other readers point precisely to David’s adultery and his inability to control his children as evidence that the Court History paints both David and the monarchy in a very negative light. It is fair to say that 2 Samuel in its current form depicts David as a complex, highly ambiguous character who is nevertheless blessed by the Lord.

Characterization exemplified by deeds and speeches is even more significant in 2 Samuel than in 1 Samuel. The array of characters can bewilder new readers, so that keeping tabs on the identities of characters and their relationship to David can be useful. Minute, seemingly insignificant details in the narrative often signal points of ideological or literary significance beneath the surface. Readers do well to ask which characters—especially David—benefit from events that are reported and whether those characters may have been responsible for bringing them about. As in 1 Samuel, a narrative that “protests too much” may lead the critical reader to question whether apologetic interest has replaced historical accuracy. For example, David benefits from Abner’s death (3.20–39), and the narrative’s repeated assertion that David dismissed Abner in peace and knew nothing about Joab’s plan to murder him may lead one to suspect that the narrator is trying to counter just such a charge and even to speculate that David had some role in Abner’s death.

The final four chapters of 2 Samuel contain six passages arranged in symmetrical order: narrative, list, poem, poem, list, narrative. The list poem in (23.1–7) provides David’s “last words,” in the tradition of other leading biblical characters.

Steven L. McKenzie

¹ After the death of Saul, when David had returned from defeating the Amalekites, David remained two days in Ziklag. ²On the third day, a man came from Saul’s camp, with his clothes torn and dirt on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground and did obeisance. ³David said to him, “Where have you come from?” He said to him, “I have escaped from the camp of Israel.” ⁴David said to him, “How did things go? Tell me!” He answered, “The army fled from the battle, but also many of the army fell and died; and Saul and his son Jonathan also died.” ⁵Then David asked the young man who was reporting to him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan died?” ⁶The young man reporting to him said, “I happened to be on Mount Gilboa; and there was Saul leaning on his spear, while the chariots and the horsemen drew close to him. ⁷When he looked behind him, he saw me, and called to me. I answered, ‘Here sir.’ ⁸And he said to me, ‘Who are you?’ I answered him, ‘I am an Amalekite.’ ⁹He said to me, ‘Come, stand over me and kill me; for convulsions have seized me, and yet my life still lingers.’ ¹⁰So I stood over him, and killed him, for I knew that he could not live after he had fallen. I took the crown that was on his head and the armlet that was on his arm, and I have brought them here to my lord.”

¹¹Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them; and all the men who were with him did the same. ¹²They mourned and wept, and fasted until evening for Saul and for his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. ¹³David said to the young man who had reported to him, “Where do you come from?” He answered, “I am the son of a resident alien, an Amalekite.” ¹⁴David said to him, “Were you not afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” ¹⁵Then David called one of the young men and said, “Come here and strike him down.” So he struck him down and he died. ¹⁶David said to him, “Your blood be on your head; for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, ‘I have killed the Lord’s anointed.’”

¹⁷David intoned this lamentation over Saul and his son Jonathan. ¹⁸(He ordered that The Song of the Bow^a be taught to the people of Judah; it is written in the Book of Jashar.) He said:

¹⁹Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your high places!

 How the mighty have fallen!

²⁰Tell it not in Gath,

 proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon;

or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice,

 the daughters of the uncircumcised will exult.

²¹You mountains of Gilboa,

 let there be no dew or rain upon you,

 nor bounteous fields!^b

For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,

 the shield of Saul, anointed with oil no more.

²²From the blood of the slain,

 from the fat of the mighty,

the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,

 nor the sword of Saul return empty.

²³Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!

 In life and in death they were not divided;

they were swifter than eagles,

 they were stronger than lions.

²⁴O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,

 who clothed you with crimson, in luxury,

 who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.

²⁵How the mighty have fallen

 in the midst of the battle!

Jonathan lies slain upon your high places.

 ²⁶I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;

greatly beloved were you to me;

 your love to me was wonderful,

 passing the love of women.

²⁷How the mighty have fallen,

 and the weapons of war perished!

² After this David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” The Lord said to him, “Go up.” David said, “To which shall I go up?” He said, “To Hebron.” ²So David went up there, along with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. ³David brought up the men who were with him, every one with his household; and they settled in the towns of Hebron. ⁴Then the people of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah.

When they told David, “It was the people of Jabesh‐gilead who buried Saul,” ⁵David sent messengers to the people of Jabeshgilead, and said to them, “May you be blessed by the Lord, because you showed this loyalty to Saul your lord, and buried him! ⁶Now may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you! And I too will reward you because you have done this thing. ⁷Therefore let your hands be strong, and be valiant; for Saul your lord is dead, and the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

⁸But Abner son of Ner, commander of Saul’s army, had taken Ishbaal^a son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim. ⁹He made him king over Gilead, the Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and over all Israel. ¹⁰Ishbaal,^a Saul’s son, was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David. ¹¹The time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

¹²Abner son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbaal^a son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. ¹³Joab son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat on one side of the pool, while the other sat on the other side of the pool. ¹⁴Abner said to Joab, “Let the young men come forward and have a contest before us.” Joab said, “Let them come forward.” ¹⁵So they came forward and were counted as they passed by, twelve for Benjamin and Ishbaal^a son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. ¹⁶Each grasped his opponent by the head, and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side; so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath‐hazzurim,^b which is at Gibeon. ¹⁷The battle was very fierce that day; and Abner and the men of Israel were beaten by the servants of David.

¹⁸The three sons of Zeruiah were there, Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as swift of foot as a wild gazelle. ¹⁹Asahel pursued Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he followed him. ²⁰Then Abner looked back and said, “Is it you, Asahel?” He answered, “Yes, it is.” ²¹Abner said to him, “Turn to your right or to your left, and seize one of the young men, and take his spoil.” But Asahel would not turn away from following him. ²²Abner said again to Asahel, “Turn away from following me; why should I strike you to the ground? How then could I show my face to your brother Joab?” ²³But he refused to turn away. So Abner struck him in the stomach with the butt of his spear, so that the spear came out at his back. He fell there, and died where he lay. And all those who came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died, stood still.

²⁴But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner. As the sun was going down they came to the hill of Ammah, which lies before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon. ²⁵The Benjaminites rallied around Abner and formed a single band; they took their stand on the top of a hill. ²⁶Then Abner called to Joab, “Is the sword to keep devouring forever? Do you not know that the end will be bitter? How long will it be before you order your people to turn from the pursuit of their kinsmen?” ²⁷Joab said, “As God lives, if you had not spoken, the people would have continued to pursue their kinsmen, not stopping until morning.” ²⁸Joab sounded the trumpet and all the people stopped; they no longer pursued Israel or engaged in battle any further.

²⁹Abner and his men traveled all that night through the Arabah; they crossed the Jordan, and, marching the whole forenoon,^a they came to Mahanaim. ³⁰Joab returned from the pursuit of Abner; and when he had gathered all the people together, there were missing of David’s servants nineteen men besides Asahel. ³¹But the servants of David had killed of Benjamin three hundred sixty of Abner’s men. ³²They took up Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was at Bethlehem. Joab and his men marched all night, and the day broke upon them at Hebron.

³ There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David; David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul became weaker and weaker.

²Sons were born to David at Hebron: his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam of Jezreel; ³his second, Chileab, of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel; the third, Absalom son of Maacah, daughter of King Talmai of Geshur; ⁴the fourth, Adonijah son of Haggith; the fifth, Shephatiah son of Abital; ⁵and the sixth, Ithream, of David’s wife Eglah. These were born to David in Hebron.

⁶While there was war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was making himself strong in the house of Saul. ⁷Now Saul had a concubine whose name was Rizpah daughter of Aiah. And Ishbaal^b said to Abner, “Why have you gone in to my father’s concubine?” ⁸The words of Ishbaal^c made Abner very angry; he said, “Am I a dog’s head for Judah? Today I keep showing loyalty to the house of your father Saul, to his brothers, and to his friends, and have not given you into the hand of David; and yet you charge me now with a crime concerning this woman. ⁹So may God do to Abner and so may he add to it! For just what the Lord has sworn to David, that will I accomplish for him, ¹⁰to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul, and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah, from Dan to Beer‐sheba.” ¹¹And Ishbaal^b could not answer Abner another word, because he feared him.

¹²Abner sent messengers to David at Hebron,^d saying, “To whom does the land belong? Make your covenant with me, and I will give you my support to bring all Israel over to you.” ¹³He said, “Good; I will make a covenant with you. But one thing I require of you: you shall never appear in my presence unless you bring Saul’s daughter Michal when you come to see me.” ¹⁴Then David sent messengers to Saul’s son Ishbaal,^a saying, “Give me my wife Michal, to whom I became engaged at the price of one hundred foreskins of the Philistines.” ¹⁵Ishbaal^a sent and took her from her husband Paltiel the son of Laish. ¹⁶But her husband went with her, weeping as he walked behind her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, “Go back home!” So he went back.

¹⁷Abner sent word to the elders of Israel, saying, “For some time past you have been seeking David as king over you. ¹⁸Now then bring it about; for the Lord has promised David: Through my servant David I will save my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines, and from all their enemies.” ¹⁹Abner also spoke directly to the Benjaminites; then Abner went to tell David at Hebron all that Israel and the whole house of Benjamin were ready to do.

²⁰When Abner came with twenty men to David at Hebron, David made a feast for Abner and the men who were with him. ²¹Abner said to David, “Let me go and rally all Israel to my lord the king, in order that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may reign over all that your heart desires.” So David dismissed Abner, and he went away in peace.

²²Just then the servants of David arrived with Joab from a raid, bringing much spoil with them. But Abner was not with David at Hebron, for David^b had dismissed him, and he had gone away in peace. ²³When Joab and all the army that was with him came, it was told Joab, “Abner son of Ner came to the king, and he has dismissed him, and he has gone away in peace.” ²⁴Then Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Abner came to you; why did you dismiss him, so that he got away? ²⁵You know that Abner son of Ner came to deceive you, and to learn your comings and goings and to learn all that you are doing.”

²⁶When Joab came out from David’s presence, he sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern of Sirah; but David did not know about it. ²⁷When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gateway to speak with him privately, and there he stabbed him in the stomach. So he died for shedding^c the blood of Asahel, Joab’s^d brother. ²⁸Afterward, when David heard of it, he said, “I and my kingdom are forever guiltless before the Lord for the blood of Abner son of Ner. ²⁹May the guilt^e fall on the head of Joab, and on all his father’s house; and may the house of Joab never be without one who has a discharge, or who is leprous,^f or who holds a spindle, or who falls by the sword, or who lacks food!” ³⁰So Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.

³¹Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes, and put on sackcloth, and mourn over Abner.” And King David followed the bier. ³²They buried Abner at Hebron. The king lifted up his voice and wept at the grave of Abner, and all the people wept. ³³The king lamented for Abner, saying,

“Should Abner die as a fool dies?

³⁴Your hands were not bound,

 your feet were not fettered;

as one falls before the wicked

 you have fallen.”

And all the people wept over him again. ³⁵Then all the people came to persuade David to eat something while it was still day; but David swore, saying, “So may God do to me, and more, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun goes down!” ³⁶All the people took notice of it, and it pleased them; just as everything the king did pleased all the people. ³⁷So all the people and all Israel understood that day that the king had no part in the killing of Abner son of Ner. ³⁸And the king said to his servants, “Do you not know that a prince and a great man has fallen this day in Israel? ³⁹Today I am powerless, even though anointed king; these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too violent for me. The Lord pay back the one who does wickedly in accordance with his wickedness!”

⁴ When Saul’s son Ishbaal^a heard that Abner had died at Hebron, his courage failed, and all Israel was dismayed. ²Saul’s son had two captains of raiding bands; the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab. They were sons of Rimmon a Benjaminite from Beeroth—for Beeroth is considered to belong to Benjamin. ³(Now the people of Beeroth had fled to Gittaim and are there as resident aliens to this day).

⁴Saul’s son Jonathan had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled; and, in her haste to flee, it happened that he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.^b

⁵Now the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out, and about the heat of the day they came to the house of Ishbaal,^c while he was taking his noonday rest. ⁶They came inside the house as though to take wheat, and they struck him in the stomach; then Rechab and his brother Baanah escaped.^{d 7}Now they had come into the house while he was lying on his couch in his bedchamber; they attacked him, killed him, and beheaded him. Then they took his head and traveled by way of the Arabah all night long. ⁸They brought the head of Ishbaal^c to David at Hebron and said to the king, “Here is the head of Ishbaal,^c son of Saul, your enemy, who sought your life; the Lord has avenged my lord the king this day on Saul and on his offspring.”

⁹David answered Rechab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity, ¹⁰when the one who told me, ‘See, Saul is dead,’ thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag—this was the reward I gave him for his news. ¹¹How much more then, when wicked men have killed a righteous man on his bed in his own house! And now shall I not require his blood at your hand, and destroy you from the earth?” ¹²So David commanded the young men, and they killed them; they cut off their hands and feet, and hung their bodies beside the pool at Hebron. But the head of Ishbaal^c they took and buried in the tomb of Abner at Hebron.

⁵ Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and said, “Look, we are your bone and flesh. ²For some time, while Saul was king over us, it was you who led out Israel and brought it in. The Lord said to you: It is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler over Israel.” ³So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. ⁴David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. ⁵At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months; and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty‐three years.

⁶The king and his men marched to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, “You will not come in here, even the blind and the lame will turn you back”—thinking, “David cannot come in here.” ⁷Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion, which is now the city of David. ⁸David had said on that day, “Whoever would strike down the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack the lame and the blind, those whom David hates.”^a Therefore it is said, “The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.” ⁹David occupied the stronghold, and named it the city of David. David built the city all around from the Millo inward. ¹⁰And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.

¹¹King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar trees, and carpenters and masons who built David a house. ¹²David then perceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

¹³In Jerusalem, after he came from Hebron, David took more concubines and wives; and more sons and daughters were born to David. ¹⁴These are the names of those who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ¹⁵Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ¹⁶Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

¹⁷When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, all the Philistines went up in search of David; but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold. ¹⁸Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the valley of Rephaim.

The kingdom of David according to Second Samuel. The dashed line shows the approximate boundary of the kingdom at its greatest extent.

¹⁹David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you give them into my hand?” The Lord said to David, “Go up; for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.” ²⁰So David came to Baalperazim, and David defeated them there. He said, “The Lord has burst forth against^a my enemies before me, like a bursting flood.” Therefore that place is called Baal‐perazim.^{b 21}The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.

²²Once again the Philistines came up, and were spread out in the valley of Rephaim. ²³When David inquired of the Lord, he said, “You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come upon them opposite the balsam trees. ²⁴When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then be on the alert; for then the Lord has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.” ²⁵David did just as the Lord had commanded him; and he struck down the Philistines from Geba all the way to Gezer.

⁶ David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. ²David and all the people with him set out and went from Baale‐judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who is enthroned on the cherubim. ³They carried the ark of God on a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio,^c the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart ⁴with the ark of God;^d and Ahio^c went in front of the ark. ⁵David and all the house of Israel were dancing before the Lord with all their might, with songs^e and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals.

⁶When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen shook it. ⁷The anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God struck him there because he reached out his hand to the ark;^f and he died there beside the ark of God. ⁸David was angry because the Lord had burst forth with an outburst upon Uzzah; so that place is called Perez‐uzzah,^g to this day. ⁹David was afraid of the Lord that day; he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come into my care?” ¹⁰So David was unwilling to take the ark of the Lord into his care in the city of David; instead David took it to the house of Obed‐edom the Gittite. ¹¹The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed‐edom the Gittite three months; and the Lord blessed Obed‐edom and all his household.

¹²It was told King David, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed‐edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed‐edom to the city of David with rejoicing; ¹³and when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. ¹⁴David danced before the Lord with all his might; David was girded with a linen ephod. ¹⁵So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.

¹⁶As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart.

¹⁷They brought in the ark of the Lord, and set it in its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and offerings of well‐being before the Lord. ¹⁸When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the offerings of well‐being, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts, ¹⁹and distributed food among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, to each a cake of bread, a portion of meat,^a and a cake of raisins. Then all the people went back to their homes.

²⁰David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ maids, as any vulgar fellow might shamelessly uncover himself!” ²¹David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me in place of your father and all his household, to appoint me as prince over Israel, the people of the Lord, that I have danced before the Lord. ²²I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in my own eyes; but by the maids of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.” ²³And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

⁷ Now when the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, ²the king said to the prophet Nathan, “See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.” ³Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that you have in mind; for the Lord is with you.”

⁴But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: ⁵Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: Are you the one to build me a house to live in? ⁶I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. ⁷Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders^a of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?” ⁸Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep to be prince over my people Israel; ⁹and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. ¹⁰And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may live in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and evildoers shall afflict them no more, as formerly, ¹¹from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. ¹²When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ¹⁴I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. When he commits iniquity, I will punish him with a rod such as mortals use, with blows inflicted by human beings. ¹⁵But I will not take^b my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. ¹⁶Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me;^c your throne shall be established forever. ¹⁷In accordance with all these words and with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

¹⁸Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? ¹⁹And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God; you have spoken also of your servant’s house for a great while to come. May this be instruction for the people,^d O Lord God! ²⁰And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God! ²¹Because of your promise, and according to your own heart, you have wrought all this greatness, so that your servant may know it. ²²Therefore you are great, O Lord God; for there is no one like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. ²³Who is like your people, like Israel? Is there another^e nation on earth whose God went to redeem it as a people, and to make a name for himself, doing great and awesome things for them,^f by driving out^g before his people nations and their gods?^{h 24}And you established your people Israel for yourself to be your people forever; and you, O Lord, became their God. ²⁵And now, O Lord God, as for the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house, confirm it forever; do as you have promised. ²⁶Thus your name will be magnified forever in the saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel’; and the house of your servant David will be established before you. ²⁷For you, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, have made this revelation to your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house’; therefore your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. ²⁸And now, O Lord God, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant; ²⁹now therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, so that it may continue forever before you; for you, O Lord God, have spoken, and with your blessing shall the house of your servant be blessed forever.”

⁸ Some time afterward, David attacked the Philistines and subdued them; David took Metheg‐ammah out of the hand of the Philistines.

²He also defeated the Moabites and, making them lie down on the ground, measured them off with a cord; he measured two lengths of cord for those who were to be put to death, and one length^a for those who were to be spared. And the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute.

³David also struck down King Hadadezer son of Rehob of Zobah, as he went to restore his monument^b at the river Euphrates. ⁴David took from him one thousand seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but left enough for a hundred chariots. ⁵When the Arameans of Damascus came to help King Hadadezer of Zobah, David killed twenty‐two thousand men of the Arameans. ⁶Then David put garrisons among the Arameans of Damascus; and the Arameans became servants to David and brought tribute. The Lord gave victory to David wherever he went. ⁷David took the gold shields that were carried by the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸From Betah and from Berothai, towns of Hadadezer, King David took a great amount of bronze.

⁹When King Toi of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer, ¹⁰Toi sent his son Joram to King David, to greet him and to congratulate him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him. Now Hadadezer had often been at war with Toi. Joram brought with him articles of silver, gold, and bronze; ¹¹these also King David dedicated to the Lord, together with the silver and gold that he dedicated from all the nations he subdued, ¹²from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, Amalek, and from the spoil of King Hadadezer son of Rehob of Zobah.

¹³David won a name for himself. When he returned, he killed eighteen thousand Edomites^c in the Valley of Salt. ¹⁴He put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom he put garrisons, and all the Edomites became David’s servants. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.

¹⁵So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered justice and equity to all his people. ¹⁶Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder; ¹⁷Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests; Seraiah was secretary; ¹⁸Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over^a the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were priests.

⁹ David asked, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul to whom I may show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” ²Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and he was summoned to David. The king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” And he said, “At your service!” ³The king said, “Is there anyone remaining of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?” Ziba said to the king, “There remains a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.” ⁴The king said to him, “Where is he?” Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir son of Ammiel, at Lo‐debar.” ⁵Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir son of Ammiel, at Lo‐debar. ⁶Mephibosheth^b son of Jonathan son of Saul came to David, and fell on his face and did obeisance. David said, “Mephibosheth!”^b He answered, “I am your servant.” ⁷David said to him, “Do not be afraid, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan; I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you yourself shall eat at my table always.” ⁸He did obeisance and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon a dead dog such as I?”

⁹Then the king summoned Saul’s servant Ziba, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. ¹⁰You and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him, and shall bring in the produce, so that your master’s grandson may have food to eat; but your master’s grandson Mephibosheth^b shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. ¹¹Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so your servant will do.” Mephibosheth^b ate at David’s^c table, like one of the king’s sons. ¹²Mephibosheth^b had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house became Mephibosheth’s^d servants. ¹³Mephibosheth^b lived in Jerusalem, for he always ate at the king’s table. Now he was lame in both his feet.

¹⁰ Some time afterward, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun succeeded him. ²David said, “I will deal loyally with Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father dealt loyally with me.” So David sent envoys to console him concerning his father. When David’s envoys came into the land of the Ammonites, ³the princes of the Ammonites said to their lord Hanun, “Do you really think that David is honoring your father just because he has sent messengers with condolences to you? Has not David sent his envoys to you to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it?” ⁴So Hanun seized David’s envoys, shaved off half the beard of each, cut off their garments in the middle at their hips, and sent them away. ⁵When David was told, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. The king said, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return.”

⁶When the Ammonites saw that they had become odious to David, the Ammonites sent and hired the Arameans of Beth‐rehob and the Arameans of Zobah, twenty thousand foot soldiers, as well as the king of Maacah, one thousand men, and the men of Tob, twelve thousand men. ⁷When David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army with the warriors. ⁸The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle array at the entrance of the gate; but the Arameans of Zobah and of Rehob, and the men of Tob and Maacah, were by themselves in the open country.

⁹When Joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the picked men of Israel, and arrayed them against the Arameans; ¹⁰the rest of his men he put in the charge of his brother Abishai, and he arrayed them against the Ammonites. ¹¹He said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you. ¹²Be strong, and let us be courageous for the sake of our people, and for the cities of our God; and may the Lord do what seems good to him.” ¹³So Joab and the people who were with him moved forward into battle against the Arameans; and they fled before him. ¹⁴When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans fled, they likewise fled before Abishai, and entered the city. Then Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites, and came to Jerusalem.

¹⁵But when the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together. ¹⁶Hadadezer sent and brought out the Arameans who were beyond the Euphrates; and they came to Helam, with Shobach the commander of the army of Hadadezer at their head. ¹⁷When it was told David, he gathered all Israel together, and crossed the Jordan, and came to Helam. The Arameans arrayed themselves against David and fought with him. ¹⁸The Arameans fled before Israel; and David killed of the Arameans seven hundred chariot teams, and forty thousand horsemen,^a and wounded Shobach the commander of their army, so that he died there. ¹⁹When all the kings who were servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel, and became subject to them. So the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites any more.

¹¹ In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab with his officers and all Israel with him; they ravaged the Ammonites, and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

²It happened, late one afternoon, when David rose from his couch and was walking about on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; the woman was very beautiful. ³David sent someone to inquire about the woman. It was reported, “This is Bathsheba daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” ⁴So David sent messengers to get her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. (Now she was purifying herself after her period.) Then she returned to her house. ⁵The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.”

⁶So David sent word to Joab, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David. ⁷When Uriah came to him, David asked how Joab and the people fared, and how the war was going. ⁸Then David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house, and wash your feet.” Uriah went out of the king’s house, and there followed him a present from the king. ⁹But Uriah slept at the entrance of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house. ¹⁰When they told David, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “You have just come from a journey. Why did you not go down to your house?” ¹¹Uriah said to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah remain in booths;^a and my lord Joab and the servants of my lord are camping in the open field; shall I then go to my house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do such a thing.” ¹²Then David said to Uriah, “Remain here today also, and tomorrow I will send you back.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day. On the next day, ¹³David invited him to eat and drink in his presence and made him drunk; and in the evening he went out to lie on his couch with the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.

¹⁴In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. ¹⁵In the letter he wrote, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, so that he may be struck down and die.” ¹⁶As Joab was besieging the city, he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew there were valiant warriors. ¹⁷The men of the city came out and fought with Joab; and some of the servants of David among the people fell. Uriah the Hittite was killed as well. ¹⁸Then Joab sent and told David all the news about the fighting; ¹⁹and he instructed the messenger, “When you have finished telling the king all the news about the fighting, ²⁰then, if the king’s anger rises, and if he says to you, ‘Why did you go so near the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall? ²¹Who killed Abimelech son of Jerubbaal?^b Did not a woman throw an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?’ then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead too.’”

²²So the messenger went, and came and told David all that Joab had sent him to tell.

The sons of David. According to 2 Sam 3.2–5 (see also 1 Chr 3.1–4) and 2 Sam 5.13–14 (1 Chr 3.5–9; 14.3–7), David had many children, at least twenty of whom are named. In the narrative of the struggle for succession in 2 Samuel 13–18 and 1 Kings 1–2, the principal sons in the order of their birth are: Amnon, Absalom, Adonijah, and Solomon. Dashed lines show wives; solid lines show sons.

²³The messenger said to David, “The men gained an advantage over us, and came out against us in the field; but we drove them back to the entrance of the gate. ²⁴Then the archers shot at your servants from the wall; some of the king’s servants are dead; and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.” ²⁵David said to the messenger, “Thus you shall say to Joab, ‘Do not let this matter trouble you, for the sword devours now one and now another; press your attack on the city, and overthrow it.’ And encourage him.”

²⁶When the wife of Uriah heard that her husband was dead, she made lamentation for him. ²⁷When the mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son.

¹² But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord, ¹and the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. ²The rich man had very many flocks and herds; ³but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. He brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children; it used to eat of his meager fare, and drink from his cup, and lie in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him. ⁴Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was loath to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb, and prepared that for the guest who had come to him.” ⁵Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man. He said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die; ⁶he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

⁷Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I anointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you from the hand of Saul; ⁸I gave you your master’s house, and your master’s wives into your bosom, and gave you the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would have added as much more. ⁹Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. ¹⁰Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, for you have despised me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife. ¹¹Thus says the Lord: I will raise up trouble against you from within your own house; and I will take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this very sun. ¹²For you did it secretly; but I will do this thing before all Israel, and before the sun.” ¹³David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan said to David, “Now the Lord has put away your sin; you shall not die. ¹⁴Nevertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord,^a the child that is born to you shall die.” ¹⁵Then Nathan went to his house.

The Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became very ill. ¹⁶David therefore pleaded with God for the child; David fasted, and went in and lay all night on the ground. ¹⁷The elders of his house stood beside him, urging him to rise from the ground; but he would not, nor did he eat food with them. ¹⁸On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead; for they said, “While the child was still alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us; how then can we tell him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” ¹⁹But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, he perceived that the child was dead; and David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.”

²⁰Then David rose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes. He went into the house of the Lord, and worshiped; he then went to his own house; and when he asked, they set food before him and he ate. ²¹Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while it was alive; but when the child died, you rose and ate food.” ²²He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept; for I said, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me, and the child may live.’ ²³But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”

²⁴Then David consoled his wife Bathsheba, and went to her, and lay with her; and she bore a son, and he named him Solomon. The Lord loved him, ²⁵and sent a message by the prophet Nathan; so he named him Jedidiah,^b because of the Lord.

²⁶Now Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites, and took the royal city. ²⁷Joab sent messengers to David, and said, “I have fought against Rabbah; moreover, I have taken the water city. ²⁸Now, then, gather the rest of the people together, and encamp against the city, and take it; or I myself will take the city, and it will be called by my name.” ²⁹So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah, and fought against it and took it. ³⁰He took the crown of Milcom^c from his head; the weight of it was a talent of gold, and in it was a precious stone; and it was placed on David’s head. He also brought forth the spoil of the city, a very great amount. ³¹He brought out the people who were in it, and set them to work with saws and iron picks and iron axes, or sent them to the brickworks. Thus he did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

¹³ Some time passed. David’s son Absalom had a beautiful sister whose name was Tamar; and David’s son Amnon fell in love with her. ²Amnon was so tormented that he made himself ill because of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her. ³But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah; and Jonadab was a very crafty man. ⁴He said to him, “O son of the king, why are you so haggard morning after morning? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.” ⁵Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed, and pretend to be ill; and when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Let my sister Tamar come and give me something to eat, and prepare the food in my sight, so that I may see it and eat it from her hand.’” ⁶So Amnon lay down, and pretended to be ill; and when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my sight, so that I may eat from her hand.”

⁷Then David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Go to your brother Amnon’s house, and prepare food for him.” ⁸So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house, where he was lying down. She took dough, kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes. ⁹Then she took the pan and set them^a out before him, but he refused to eat. Amnon said, “Send out everyone from me.” So everyone went out from him. ¹⁰Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the chamber, so that I may eat from your hand.” So Tamar took the cakes she had made, and brought them into the chamber to Amnon her brother. ¹¹But when she brought them near him to eat, he took hold of her, and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.” ¹²She answered him, “No, my brother, do not force me; for such a thing is not done in Israel; do not do anything so vile! ¹³As for me, where could I carry my shame? And as for you, you would be as one of the scoundrels in Israel. Now therefore, I beg you, speak to the king; for he will not withhold me from you.” ¹⁴But he would not listen to her; and being stronger than she, he forced her and lay with her.

¹⁵Then Amnon was seized with a very great loathing for her; indeed, his loathing was even greater than the lust he had felt for her. Amnon said to her, “Get out!” ¹⁶But she said to him, “No, my brother;^b for this wrong in sending me away is greater than the other that you did to me.” But he would not listen to her. ¹⁷He called the young man who served him and said, “Put this woman out of my presence, and bolt the door after her.” ¹⁸(Now she was wearing a long robe with sleeves; for this is how the virgin daughters of the king were clothed in earlier times.^a) So his servant put her out, and bolted the door after her. ¹⁹But Tamar put ashes on her head, and tore the long robe that she was wearing; she put her hand on her head, and went away, crying aloud as she went.

²⁰Her brother Absalom said to her, “Has Amnon your brother been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister; he is your brother; do not take this to heart.” So Tamar remained, a desolate woman, in her brother Absalom’s house. ²¹When King David heard of all these things, he became very angry, but he would not punish his son Amnon, because he loved him, for he was his firstborn.^{b 22}But Absalom spoke to Amnon neither good nor bad; for Absalom hated Amnon, because he had raped his sister Tamar.

²³After two full years Absalom had sheepshearers at Baal‐hazor, which is near Ephraim, and Absalom invited all the king’s sons. ²⁴Absalom came to the king, and said, “Your servant has sheepshearers; will the king and his servants please go with your servant?” ²⁵But the king said to Absalom, “No, my son, let us not all go, or else we will be burdensome to you.” He pressed him, but he would not go but gave him his blessing. ²⁶Then Absalom said, “If not, please let my brother Amnon go with us.” The king said to him, “Why should he go with you?” ²⁷But Absalom pressed him until he let Amnon and all the king’s sons go with him. Absalom made a feast like a king’s feast.^{c 28}Then Absalom commanded his servants, “Watch when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon,’ then kill him. Do not be afraid; have I not myself commanded you? Be courageous and valiant.” ²⁹So the servants of Absalom did to Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king’s sons rose, and each mounted his mule and fled.

³⁰While they were on the way, the report came to David that Absalom had killed all the king’s sons, and not one of them was left. ³¹The king rose, tore his garments, and lay on the ground; and all his servants who were standing by tore their garments. ³²But Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah, said, “Let not my lord suppose that they have killed all the young men the king’s sons; Amnon alone is dead. This has been determined by Absalom from the day Amnon^d raped his sister Tamar. ³³Now therefore, do not let my lord the king take it to heart, as if all the king’s sons were dead; for Amnon alone is dead.”

³⁴But Absalom fled. When the young man who kept watch looked up, he saw many people coming from the Horonaim road^e by the side of the mountain. ³⁵Jonadab said to the king, “See, the king’s sons have come; as your servant said, so it has come about.” ³⁶As soon as he had finished speaking, the king’s sons arrived, and raised their voices and wept; and the king and all his servants also wept very bitterly.

³⁷But Absalom fled, and went to Talmai son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. David mourned for his son day after day. ³⁸Absalom, having fled to Geshur, stayed there three years. ³⁹And the heart of ^a the king went out, yearning for Absalom; for he was now consoled over the death of Amnon.

¹⁴ Now Joab son of Zeruiah perceived that the king’s mind was on Absalom. ²Joab sent to Tekoa and brought from there a wise woman. He said to her, “Pretend to be a mourner; put on mourning garments, do not anoint yourself with oil, but behave like a woman who has been mourning many days for the dead. ³Go to the king and speak to him as follows.” And Joab put the words into her mouth.

⁴When the woman of Tekoa came to the king, she fell on her face to the ground and did obeisance, and said, “Help, O king!” ⁵The king asked her, “What is your trouble?” She answered, “Alas, I am a widow; my husband is dead. ⁶Your servant had two sons, and they fought with one another in the field; there was no one to part them, and one struck the other and killed him. ⁷Now the whole family has risen against your servant. They say, ‘Give up the man who struck his brother, so that we may kill him for the life of his brother whom he murdered, even if we destroy the heir as well.’ Thus they would quench my one remaining ember, and leave to my husband neither name nor remnant on the face of the earth.”

⁸Then the king said to the woman, “Go to your house, and I will give orders concerning you.” ⁹The woman of Tekoa said to the king, “On me be the guilt, my lord the king, and on my father’s house; let the king and his throne be guiltless.” ¹⁰The king said, “If anyone says anything to you, bring him to me, and he shall never touch you again.” ¹¹Then she said, “Please, may the king keep the Lord your God in mind, so that the avenger of blood may kill no more, and my son not be destroyed.” He said, “As the Lord lives, not one hair of your son shall fall to the ground.”

¹²Then the woman said, “Please let your servant speak a word to my lord the king.” He said, “Speak.” ¹³The woman said, “Why then have you planned such a thing against the people of God? For in giving this decision the king convicts himself, inasmuch as the king does not bring his banished one home again. ¹⁴We must all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up. But God will not take away a life; he will devise plans so as not to keep an outcast banished forever from his presence.^{b 15}Now I have come to say this to my lord the king because the people have made me afraid; your servant thought, ‘I will speak to the king; it may be that the king will perform the request of his servant. ¹⁶For the king will hear, and deliver his servant from the hand of the man who would cut both me and my son off from the heritage of God.’ ¹⁷Your servant thought, ‘The word of my lord the king will set me at rest’; for my lord the king is like the angel of God, discerning good and evil. The Lord your God be with you!”

¹⁸Then the king answered the woman, “Do not withhold from me anything I ask you.” The woman said, “Let my lord the king speak.” ¹⁹The king said, “Is the hand of Joab with you in all this?” The woman answered and said, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, one cannot turn right or left from anything that my lord the king has said. For it was your servant Joab who commanded me; it was he who put all these words into the mouth of your servant. ²⁰In order to change the course of affairs your servant Joab did this. But my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the angel of God to know all things that are on the earth.”

²¹Then the king said to Joab, “Very well, I grant this; go, bring back the young man Absalom.” ²²Joab prostrated himself with his face to the ground and did obeisance, and blessed the king; and Joab said, “Today your servant knows that I have found favor in your sight, my lord the king, in that the king has granted the request of his servant.” ²³So Joab set off, went to Geshur, and brought Absalom to Jerusalem. ²⁴The king said, “Let him go to his own house; he is not to come into my presence.” So Absalom went to his own house, and did not come into the king’s presence.

²⁵Now in all Israel there was no one to be praised so much for his beauty as Absalom; from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him. ²⁶When he cut the hair of his head (for at the end of every year he used to cut it; when it was heavy on him, he cut it), he weighed the hair of his head, two hundred shekels by the king’s weight. ²⁷There were born to Absalom three sons, and one daughter whose name was Tamar; she was a beautiful woman.

²⁸So Absalom lived two full years in Jerusalem, without coming into the king’s presence. ²⁹Then Absalom sent for Joab to send him to the king; but Joab would not come to him. He sent a second time, but Joab would not come. ³⁰Then he said to his servants, “Look, Joab’s field is next to mine, and he has barley there; go and set it on fire.” So Absalom’s servants set the field on fire. ³¹Then Joab rose and went to Absalom at his house, and said to him, “Why have your servants set my field on fire?” ³²Absalom answered Joab, “Look, I sent word to you: Come here, that I may send you to the king with the question, ‘Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still.’ Now let me go into the king’s presence; if there is guilt in me, let him kill me!” ³³Then Joab went to the king and told him; and he summoned Absalom. So he came to the king and prostrated himself with his face to the ground before the king; and the king kissed Absalom.

¹⁵ After this Absalom got himself a chariot and horses, and fifty men to run ahead of him. ²Absalom used to rise early and stand beside the road into the gate; and when anyone brought a suit before the king for judgment, Absalom would call out and say, “From what city are you?” When the person said, “Your servant is of such and such a tribe in Israel,” ³Absalom would say, “See, your claims are good and right; but there is no one deputed by the king to hear you.” ⁴Absalom said moreover, “If only I were judge in the land! Then all who had a suit or cause might come to me, and I would give them justice.” ⁵Whenever people came near to do obeisance to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of them, and kiss them. ⁶Thus Absalom did to every Israelite who came to the king for judgment; so Absalom stole the hearts of the people of Israel.

⁷At the end of four^a years Absalom said to the king, “Please let me go to Hebron and pay the vow that I have made to the Lord. ⁸For your servant made a vow while I lived at Geshur in Aram: If the Lord will indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will worship the Lord in Hebron.”^{b 9}The king said to him, “Go in peace.” So he got up, and went to Hebron. ¹⁰But Absalom sent secret messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “As soon as you hear the sound of the trumpet, then shout: Absalom has become king at Hebron!” ¹¹Two hundred men from Jerusalem went with Absalom; they were invited guests, and they went in their innocence, knowing nothing of the matter. ¹²While Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for^c Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, from his city Giloh. The conspiracy grew in strength, and the people with Absalom kept increasing.

¹³A messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the Israelites have gone after Absalom.” ¹⁴Then David said to all his officials who were with him at Jerusalem, “Get up! Let us flee, or there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Hurry, or he will soon overtake us, and bring disaster down upon us, and attack the city with the edge of the sword.” ¹⁵The king’s officials said to the king, “Your servants are ready to do whatever our lord the king decides.” ¹⁶So the king left, followed by all his household, except ten concubines whom he left behind to look after the house. ¹⁷The king left, followed by all the people; and they stopped at the last house. ¹⁸All his officials passed by him; and all the Cherethites, and all the Pelethites, and all the six hundred Gittites who had followed him from Gath, passed on before the king.

¹⁹Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why are you also coming with us? Go back, and stay with the king; for you are a foreigner, and also an exile from your home. ²⁰You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us, while I go wherever I can? Go back, and take your kinsfolk with you; and may the Lord show^d steadfast love and faithfulness to you.” ²¹But Ittai answered the king, “As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, wherever my lord the king may be, whether for death or for life, there also your servant will be.” ²²David said to Ittai, “Go then, march on.” So Ittai the Gittite marched on, with all his men and all the little ones who were with him. ²³The whole country wept aloud as all the people passed by; the king crossed the Wadi Kidron, and all the people moved on toward the wilderness.

²⁴Abiathar came up, and Zadok also, with all the Levites, carrying the ark of the covenant of God. They set down the ark of God, until the people had all passed out of the city. ²⁵Then the king said to Zadok, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back and let me see both it and the place where it stays. ²⁶But if he says, ‘I take no pleasure in you,’ here I am, let him do to me what seems good to him.” ²⁷The king also said to the priest Zadok, “Look,^a go back to the city in peace, you and Abiathar,^b with your two sons, Ahimaaz your son, and Jonathan son of Abiathar. ²⁸See, I will wait at the fords of the wilderness until word comes from you to inform me.” ²⁹So Zadok and Abiathar carried the ark of God back to Jerusalem, and they remained there.

³⁰But David went up the ascent of the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went, with his head covered and walking barefoot; and all the people who were with him covered their heads and went up, weeping as they went. ³¹David was told that Ahithophel was among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, “O Lord, I pray you, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.”

³²When David came to the summit, where God was worshiped, Hushai the Archite came to meet him with his coat torn and earth on his head. ³³David said to him, “If you go on with me, you will be a burden to me. ³⁴But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king; as I have been your father’s servant in time past, so now I will be your servant,’ then you will defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel. ³⁵The priests Zadok and Abiathar will be with you there. So whatever you hear from the king’s house, tell it to the priests Zadok and Abiathar. ³⁶Their two sons are with them there, Zadok’s son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan; and by them you shall report to me everything you hear.” ³⁷So Hushai, David’s friend, came into the city, just as Absalom was entering Jerusalem.

¹⁶ When David had passed a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth^c met him, with a couple of donkeys saddled, carrying two hundred loaves of bread, one hundred bunches of raisins, one hundred of summer fruits, and one skin of wine. ²The king said to Ziba, “Why have you brought these?” Ziba answered, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride, the bread and summer fruit for the young men to eat, and the wine is for those to drink who faint in the wilderness.” ³The king said, “And where is your master’s son?” Ziba said to the king, “He remains in Jerusalem; for he said, ‘Today the house of Israel will give me back my grandfather’s kingdom.’” ⁴Then the king said to Ziba, “All that belonged to Mephibosheth^a is now yours.” Ziba said, “I do obeisance; let me find favor in your sight, my lord the king.”

⁵When King David came to Bahurim, a man of the family of the house of Saul came out whose name was Shimei son of Gera; he came out cursing. ⁶He threw stones at David and at all the servants of King David; now all the people and all the warriors were on his right and on his left. ⁷Shimei shouted while he cursed, “Out! Out! Murderer! Scoundrel! ⁸The Lord has avenged on all of you the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned; and the Lord has given the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, disaster has overtaken you; for you are a man of blood.”

⁹Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and take off his head.” ¹⁰But the king said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah? If he is cursing because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David,’ who then shall say, ‘Why have you done so?’” ¹¹David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “My own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite! Let him alone, and let him curse; for the Lord has bidden him. ¹²It may be that the Lord will look on my distress,^b and the Lord will repay me with good for this cursing of me today.” ¹³So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went, throwing stones and flinging dust at him. ¹⁴The king and all the people who were with him arrived weary at the Jordan;^c and there he refreshed himself.

¹⁵Now Absalom and all the Israelites^d came to Jerusalem; Ahithophel was with him. ¹⁶When Hushai the Archite, David’s friend, came to Absalom, Hushai said to Absalom, “Long live the king! Long live the king!” ¹⁷Absalom said to Hushai, “Is this your loyalty to your friend? Why did you not go with your friend?” ¹⁸Hushai said to Absalom, “No; but the one whom the Lord and this people and all the Israelites have chosen, his I will be, and with him I will remain. ¹⁹Moreover, whom should I serve? Should it not be his son? Just as I have served your father, so I will serve you.”

²⁰Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give us your counsel; what shall we do?” ²¹Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Go in to your father’s concubines, the ones he has left to look after the house; and all Israel will hear that you have made yourself odious to your father, and the hands of all who are with you will be strengthened.” ²²So they pitched a tent for Absalom upon the roof; and Absalom went in to his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel. ²³Now in those days the counsel that Ahithophel gave was as if one consulted the oracle^e of God; so all the counsel of Ahithophel was esteemed, both by David and by Absalom.

¹⁷ Moreover Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me choose twelve thousand men, and I will set out and pursue David tonight. ²I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged, and throw him into a panic; and all the people who are with him will flee. I will strike down only the king, ³and I will bring all the people back to you as a bride comes home to her husband. You seek the life of only one man,^a and all the people will be at peace.” ⁴The advice pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel.

⁵Then Absalom said, “Call Hushai the Archite also, and let us hear too what he has to say.” ⁶When Hushai came to Absalom, Absalom said to him, “This is what Ahithophel has said; shall we do as he advises? If not, you tell us.” ⁷Then Hushai said to Absalom, “This time the counsel that Ahithophel has given is not good.” ⁸Hushai continued, “You know that your father and his men are warriors, and that they are enraged, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. Besides, your father is expert in war; he will not spend the night with the troops. ⁹Even now he has hidden himself in one of the pits, or in some other place. And when some of our troops^b fall at the first attack, whoever hears it will say, ‘There has been a slaughter among the troops who follow Absalom.’ ¹⁰Then even the valiant warrior, whose heart is like the heart of a lion, will utterly melt with fear; for all Israel knows that your father is a warrior, and that those who are with him are valiant warriors. ¹¹But my counsel is that all Israel be gathered to you, from Dan to Beer‐sheba, like the sand by the sea for multitude, and that you go to battle in person. ¹²So we shall come upon him in whatever place he may be found, and we shall light on him as the dew falls on the ground; and he will not survive, nor will any of those with him. ¹³If he withdraws into a city, then all Israel will bring ropes to that city, and we shall drag it into the valley, until not even a pebble is to be found there.” ¹⁴Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.” For the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring ruin on Absalom.

¹⁵Then Hushai said to the priests Zadok and Abiathar, “Thus and so did Ahithophel counsel Absalom and the elders of Israel; and thus and so I have counseled. ¹⁶Therefore send quickly and tell David, ‘Do not lodge tonight at the fords of the wilderness, but by all means cross over; otherwise the king and all the people who are with him will be swallowed up.’” ¹⁷Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En‐rogel; a servant‐girl used to go and tell them, and they would go and tell King David; for they could not risk being seen entering the city. ¹⁸But a boy saw them, and told Absalom; so both of them went away quickly, and came to the house of a man at Bahurim, who had a well in his courtyard; and they went down into it. ¹⁹The man’s wife took a covering, stretched it over the well’s mouth, and spread out grain on it; and nothing was known of it. ²⁰When Absalom’s servants came to the woman at the house, they said, “Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” The woman said to them, “They have crossed over the brook^c of water.” And when they had searched and could not find them, they returned to Jerusalem.

²¹After they had gone, the men came up out of the well, and went and told King David. They said to David, “Go and cross the water quickly; for thus and so has Ahithophel counseled against you.” ²²So David and all the people who were with him set out and crossed the Jordan; by daybreak not one was left who had not crossed the Jordan.

²³When Ahithophel saw that his counsel was not followed, he saddled his donkey and went off home to his own city. He set his house in order, and hanged himself; he died and was buried in the tomb of his father.

²⁴Then David came to Mahanaim, while Absalom crossed the Jordan with all the men of Israel. ²⁵Now Absalom had set Amasa over the army in the place of Joab. Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra the Ishmaelite,^a who had married Abigal daughter of Nahash, sister of Zeruiah, Joab’s mother. ²⁶The Israelites and Absalom encamped in the land of Gilead.

²⁷When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and Machir son of Ammiel from Lo‐debar, and Barzillai the Gileadite from Rogelim, ²⁸brought beds, basins, and earthen vessels, wheat, barley, meal, parched grain, beans and lentils,^{b 29}honey and curds, sheep, and cheese from the herd, for David and the people with him to eat; for they said, “The troops are hungry and weary and thirsty in the wilderness.”

¹⁸ Then David mustered the men who were with him, and set over them commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds. ²And David divided the army into three groups:^c one third under the command of Joab, one third under the command of Abishai son of Zeruiah, Joab’s brother, and one third under the command of Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the men, “I myself will also go out with you.” ³But the men said, “You shall not go out. For if we flee, they will not care about us. If half of us die, they will not care about us. But you are worth ten thousand of us;^d therefore it is better that you send us help from the city.” ⁴The king said to them, “Whatever seems best to you I will do.” So the king stood at the side of the gate, while all the army marched out by hundreds and by thousands. ⁵The king ordered Joab and Abishai and Ittai, saying, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man Absalom.” And all the people heard when the king gave orders to all the commanders concerning Absalom.

⁶So the army went out into the field against Israel; and the battle was fought in the forest of Ephraim. ⁷The men of Israel were defeated there by the servants of David, and the slaughter there was great on that day, twenty thousand men. ⁸The battle spread over the face of all the country; and the forest claimed more victims that day than the sword.

⁹Absalom happened to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding on his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak. His head caught fast in the oak, and he was left hanging^a between heaven and earth, while the mule that was under him went on. ¹⁰A man saw it, and told Joab, “I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.” ¹¹Joab said to the man who told him, “What, you saw him! Why then did you not strike him there to the ground? I would have been glad to give you ten pieces of silver and a belt.” ¹²But the man said to Joab, “Even if I felt in my hand the weight of a thousand pieces of silver, I would not raise my hand against the king’s son; for in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, saying: For my sake protect the young man Absalom! ¹³On the other hand, if I had dealt treacherously against his life^b (and there is nothing hidden from the king), then you yourself would have stood aloof.” ¹⁴Joab said, “I will not waste time like this with you.” He took three spears in his hand, and thrust them into the heart of Absalom, while he was still alive in the oak. ¹⁵And ten young men, Joab’s armor‐bearers, surrounded Absalom and struck him, and killed him.

¹⁶Then Joab sounded the trumpet, and the troops came back from pursuing Israel, for Joab restrained the troops. ¹⁷They took Absalom, threw him into a great pit in the forest, and raised over him a very great heap of stones. Meanwhile all the Israelites fled to their homes. ¹⁸Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself a pillar that is in the King’s Valley, for he said, “I have no son to keep my name in remembrance”; he called the pillar by his own name. It is called Absalom’s Monument to this day.

¹⁹Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, “Let me run, and carry tidings to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the power of his enemies.” ²⁰Joab said to him, “You are not to carry tidings today; you may carry tidings another day, but today you shall not do so, because the king’s son is dead.” ²¹Then Joab said to a Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed before Joab, and ran. ²²Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said again to Joab, “Come what may, let me also run after the Cushite.” And Joab said, “Why will you run, my son, seeing that you have no reward^c for the tidings?” ²³“Come what may,” he said, “I will run.” So he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Plain, and outran the Cushite.

²⁴Now David was sitting between the two gates. The sentinel went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he looked up, he saw a man running alone. ²⁵The sentinel shouted and told the king. The king said, “If he is alone, there are tidings in his mouth.” He kept coming, and drew near. ²⁶Then the sentinel saw another man running; and the sentinel called to the gatekeeper and said, “See, another man running alone!” The king said, “He also is bringing tidings.” ²⁷The sentinel said, “I think the running of the first one is like the running of Ahimaaz son of Zadok.” The king said, “He is a good man, and comes with good tidings.”

²⁸Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, “All is well!” He prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground, and said, “Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.” ²⁹The king said, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent your servant,^d I saw a great tumult, but I do not know what it was.” ³⁰The king said, “Turn aside, and stand here.” So he turned aside, and stood still.

³¹Then the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, “Good tidings for my lord the king! For the Lord has vindicated you this day, delivering you from the power of all who rose up against you.” ³²The king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” The Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up to do you harm, be like that young man.”

^33aThe king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

¹⁹ It was told Joab, “The king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.” ²So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the troops; for the troops heard that day, “The king is grieving for his son.” ³The troops stole into the city that day as soldiers steal in who are ashamed when they flee in battle. ⁴The king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud voice, “O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!” ⁵Then Joab came into the house to the king, and said, “Today you have covered with shame the faces of all your officers who have saved your life today, and the lives of your sons and your daughters, and the lives of your wives and your concubines, ⁶for love of those who hate you and for hatred of those who love you. You have made it clear today that commanders and officers are nothing to you; for I perceive that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased. ⁷So go out at once and speak kindly to your servants; for I swear by the Lord, if you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night; and this will be worse for you than any disaster that has come upon you from your youth until now.” ⁸Then the king got up and took his seat in the gate. The troops were all told, “See, the king is sitting in the gate”; and all the troops came before the king.

Meanwhile, all the Israelites had fled to their homes. ⁹All the people were disputing throughout all the tribes of Israel, saying, “The king delivered us from the hand of our enemies, and saved us from the hand of the Philistines; and now he has fled out of the land because of Absalom. ¹⁰But Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle. Now therefore why do you say nothing about bringing the king back?”

¹¹King David sent this message to the priests Zadok and Abiathar, “Say to the elders of Judah, ‘Why should you be the last to bring the king back to his house? The talk of all Israel has come to the king.^{b 12}You are my kin, you are my bone and my flesh; why then should you be the last to bring back the king?’ ¹³And say to Amasa, ‘Are you not my bone and my flesh? So may God do to me, and more, if you are not the commander of my army from now on, in place of Joab.’” ¹⁴Amasa^c swayed the hearts of all the people of Judah as one, and they sent word to the king, “Return, both you and all your servants.” ¹⁵So the king came back to the Jordan; and Judah came to Gilgal to meet the king and to bring him over the Jordan.

¹⁶Shimei son of Gera, the Benjaminite, from Bahurim, hurried to come down with the people of Judah to meet King David; ¹⁷with him were a thousand people from Benjamin. And Ziba, the servant of the house of Saul, with his fifteen sons and his twenty servants, rushed down to the Jordan ahead of the king, ¹⁸while the crossing was taking place,^a to bring over the king’s household, and to do his pleasure.

Shimei son of Gera fell down before the king, as he was about to cross the Jordan, ¹⁹and said to the king, “May my lord not hold me guilty or remember how your servant did wrong on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem; may the king not bear it in mind. ²⁰For your servant knows that I have sinned; therefore, see, I have come this day, the first of all the house of Joseph to come down to meet my lord the king.” ²¹Abishai son of Zeruiah answered, “Shall not Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the Lord’s anointed?” ²²But David said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should today become an adversary to me? Shall anyone be put to death in Israel this day? For do I not know that I am this day king over Israel?” ²³The king said to Shimei, “You shall not die.” And the king gave him his oath.

²⁴Mephibosheth^b grandson of Saul came down to meet the king; he had not taken care of his feet, or trimmed his beard, or washed his clothes, from the day the king left until the day he came back in safety. ²⁵When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, “Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?”^b26He answered, “My lord, O king, my servant deceived me; for your servant said to him, ‘Saddle a donkey for me,^c so that I may ride on it and go with the king.’ For your servant is lame. ²⁷He has slandered your servant to my lord the king. But my lord the king is like the angel of God; do therefore what seems good to you. ²⁸For all my father’s house were doomed to death before my lord the king; but you set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right have I, then, to appeal to the king?” ²⁹The king said to him, “Why speak any more of your affairs? I have decided: you and Ziba shall divide the land.” ³⁰Mephibosheth^b said to the king, “Let him take it all, since my lord the king has arrived home safely.”

³¹Now Barzillai the Gileadite had come down from Rogelim; he went on with the king to the Jordan, to escort him over the Jordan. ³²Barzillai was a very aged man, eighty years old. He had provided the king with food while he stayed at Mahanaim, for he was a very wealthy man. ³³The king said to Barzillai, “Come over with me, and I will provide for you in Jerusalem at my side.” ³⁴But Barzillai said to the king, “How many years have I still to live, that I should go up with the king to Jerusalem? ³⁵Today I am eighty years old; can I discern what is pleasant and what is not? Can your servant taste what he eats or what he drinks? Can I still listen to the voice of singing men and singing women? Why then should your servant be an added burden to my lord the king? ³⁶Your servant will go a little way over the Jordan with the king. Why should the king recompense me with such a reward? ³⁷Please let your servant return, so that I may die in my own town, near the graves of my father and my mother. But here is your servant Chimham; let him go over with my lord the king; and do for him whatever seems good to you.” ³⁸The king answered, “Chimham shall go over with me, and I will do for him whatever seems good to you; and all that you desire of me I will do for you.” ³⁹Then all the people crossed over the Jordan, and the king crossed over; the king kissed Barzillai and blessed him, and he returned to his own home. ⁴⁰The king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went on with him; all the people of Judah, and also half the people of Israel, brought the king on his way.

⁴¹Then all the people of Israel came to the king, and said to him, “Why have our kindred the people of Judah stolen you away, and brought the king and his household over the Jordan, and all David’s men with him?” ⁴²All the people of Judah answered the people of Israel, “Because the king is near of kin to us. Why then are you angry over this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king’s expense? Or has he given us any gift?” ⁴³But the people of Israel answered the people of Judah, “We have ten shares in the king, and in David also we have more than you. Why then did you despise us? Were we not the first to speak of bringing back our king?” But the words of the people of Judah were fiercer than the words of the people of Israel.

²⁰ Now a scoundrel named Sheba son of Bichri, a Benjaminite, happened to be there. He sounded the trumpet and cried out,

“We have no portion in David,

no share in the son of Jesse!

Everyone to your tents, O Israel!”

²So all the people of Israel withdrew from David and followed Sheba son of Bichri; but the people of Judah followed their king steadfastly from the Jordan to Jerusalem.

³David came to his house at Jerusalem; and the king took the ten concubines whom he had left to look after the house, and put them in a house under guard, and provided for them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up until the day of their death, living as if in widowhood.

⁴Then the king said to Amasa, “Call the men of Judah together to me within three days, and be here yourself.” ⁵So Amasa went to summon Judah; but he delayed beyond the set time that had been appointed him. ⁶David said to Abishai, “Now Sheba son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom; take your lord’s servants and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities for himself, and escape from us.” ⁷Joab’s men went out after him, along with the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the warriors; they went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bichri. ⁸When they were at the large stone that is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Now Joab was wearing a soldier’s garment and over it was a belt with a sword in its sheath fastened at his waist; as he went forward it fell out. ⁹Joab said to Amasa, “Is it well with you, my brother?” And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him. ¹⁰But Amasa did not notice the sword in Joab’s hand; Joab struck him in the belly so that his entrails poured out on the ground, and he died. He did not strike a second blow.

Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bichri. ¹¹And one of Joab’s men took his stand by Amasa, and said, “Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab.” ¹²Amasa lay wallowing in his blood on the highway, and the man saw that all the people were stopping. Since he saw that all who came by him were stopping, he carried Amasa from the highway into a field, and threw a garment over him. ¹³Once he was removed from the highway, all the people went on after Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bichri.

¹⁴Sheba^a passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of Beth‐maacah;^b and all the Bichrites^c assembled, and followed him inside. ¹⁵Joab’s forces^d came and besieged him in Abel of Beth‐maacah; they threw up a siege ramp against the city, and it stood against the rampart. Joab’s forces were battering the wall to break it down. ¹⁶Then a wise woman called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab, ‘Come here, I want to speak to you.’” ¹⁷He came near her; and the woman said, “Are you Joab?” He answered, “I am.” Then she said to him, “Listen to the words of your servant.” He answered, “I am listening.” ¹⁸Then she said, “They used to say in the old days, ‘Let them inquire at Abel’; and so they would settle a matter. ¹⁹I am one of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel; you seek to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel; why will you swallow up the heritage of the Lord?” ²⁰Joab answered, “Far be it from me, far be it, that I should swallow up or destroy! ²¹That is not the case! But a man of the hill country of Ephraim, called Sheba son of Bichri, has lifted up his hand against King David; give him up alone, and I will withdraw from the city.” The woman said to Joab, “His head shall be thrown over the wall to you.” ²²Then the woman went to all the people with her wise plan. And they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bichri, and threw it out to Joab. So he blew the trumpet, and they dispersed from the city, and all went to their homes, while Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.

²³Now Joab was in command of all the army of Israel;^e Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in command of the Cherethites and the Pelethites; ²⁴Adoram was in charge of the forced labor; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder; ²⁵Sheva was secretary; Zadok and Abiathar were priests; ²⁶and Ira the Jairite was also David’s priest.

²¹ Now there was a famine in the days of David for three years, year after year; and David inquired of the Lord. The Lord said, “There is bloodguilt on Saul and on his house, because he put the Gibeonites to death.” ²So the king called the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not of the people of Israel, but of the remnant of the Amorites; although the people of Israel had sworn to spare them, Saul had tried to wipe them out in his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah.) ³David said to the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? How shall I make expiation, that you may bless the heritage of the Lord?” ⁴The Gibeonites said to him, “It is not a matter of silver or gold between us and Saul or his house; neither is it for us to put anyone to death in Israel.” He said, “What do you say that I should do for you?” ⁵They said to the king, “The man who consumed us and planned to destroy us, so that we should have no place in all the territory of Israel— ⁶let seven of his sons be handed over to us, and we will impale them before the Lord at Gibeon on the mountain of the Lord.”^a The king said, “I will hand them over.”

⁷But the king spared Mephibosheth,^b the son of Saul’s son Jonathan, because of the oath of the Lord that was between them, between David and Jonathan son of Saul. ⁸The king took the two sons of Rizpah daughter of Aiah, whom she bore to Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth;^b and the five sons of Merab^c daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite; ⁹he gave them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they impaled them on the mountain before the Lord. The seven of them perished together. They were put to death in the first days of harvest, at the beginning of barley harvest.

¹⁰Then Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it on a rock for herself, from the beginning of harvest until rain fell on them from the heavens; she did not allow the birds of the air to come on the bodies^d by day, or the wild animals by night. ¹¹When David was told what Rizpah daughter of Aiah, the concubine of Saul, had done, ¹²David went and took the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan from the people of Jabesh‐gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth‐shan, where the Philistines had hung them up, on the day the Philistines killed Saul on Gilboa. ¹³He brought up from there the bones of Saul and the bones of his son Jonathan; and they gathered the bones of those who had been impaled. ¹⁴They buried the bones of Saul and of his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin in Zela, in the tomb of his father Kish; they did all that the king commanded. After that, God heeded supplications for the land.

¹⁵The Philistines went to war again with Israel, and David went down together with his servants. They fought against the Philistines, and David grew weary. ¹⁶Ishbibenob, one of the descendants of the giants, whose spear weighed three hundred shekels of bronze, and who was fitted out with new weapons,^a said he would kill David. ¹⁷But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to his aid, and attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, “You shall not go out with us to battle any longer, so that you do not quench the lamp of Israel.”

¹⁸After this a battle took place with the Philistines, at Gob; then Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Saph, who was one of the descendants of the giants. ¹⁹Then there was another battle with the Philistines at Gob; and Elhanan son of Jaare‐oregim, the Bethlehemite, killed Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. ²⁰There was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great size, who had six fingers on each hand, and six toes on each foot, twenty‐four in number; he too was descended from the giants. ²¹When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of David’s brother Shimei, killed him. ²²These four were descended from the giants in Gath; they fell by the hands of David and his servants.

²² David spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. ²He said:

The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer,

 ³my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,

my shield and the horn of my salvation,

 my stronghold and my refuge,

 my savior; you save me from violence.

⁴I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised,

 and I am saved from my enemies.

⁵For the waves of death encompassed me,

 the torrents of perdition assailed me;

⁶the cords of Sheol entangled me,

 the snares of death confronted me.

⁷In my distress I called upon the Lord;

 to my God I called.

From his temple he heard my voice,

 and my cry came to his ears.

⁸Then the earth reeled and rocked;

 the foundations of the heavens trembled

 and quaked, because he was angry.

⁹Smoke went up from his nostrils,

 and devouring fire from his mouth;

 glowing coals flamed forth from him.

¹⁰He bowed the heavens, and came down;

 thick darkness was under his feet.

¹¹He rode on a cherub, and flew;

 he was seen upon the wings of the wind.

¹²He made darkness around him a canopy,

 thick clouds, a gathering of water.

¹³Out of the brightness before him

 coals of fire flamed forth.

¹⁴The Lord thundered from heaven;

 the Most High uttered his voice.

¹⁵He sent out arrows, and scattered them

 —lightning, and routed them.

¹⁶Then the channels of the sea were seen,

 the foundations of the world were laid bare

at the rebuke of the Lord,

 at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.

¹⁷He reached from on high, he took me,

 he drew me out of mighty waters.

¹⁸He delivered me from my strong enemy,

 from those who hated me;

 for they were too mighty for me.

¹⁹They came upon me in the day of my calamity,

 but the Lord was my stay.

²⁰He brought me out into a broad place;

 he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

²¹The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness;

 according to the cleanness of my hands he recompensed me.

²²For I have kept the ways of the Lord,

 and have not wickedly departed from my God.

²³For all his ordinances were before me,

 and from his statutes I did not turn aside.

²⁴I was blameless before him,

 and I kept myself from guilt.

²⁵Therefore the Lord has recompensed me according to my righteousness,

 according to my cleanness in his sight.

²⁶With the loyal you show yourself loyal;

 with the blameless you show yourself blameless;

²⁷with the pure you show yourself pure,

 and with the crooked you show yourself perverse.

²⁸You deliver a humble people,

 but your eyes are upon the haughty to bring them down.

²⁹Indeed, you are my lamp, O Lord,

 the Lord lightens my darkness.

³⁰By you I can crush a troop,

 and by my God I can leap over a wall.

³¹This God—his way is perfect;

 the promise of the Lord proves true;

 he is a shield for all who take refuge in him.

³²For who is God, but the Lord?

 And who is a rock, except our God?

³³The God who has girded me with strength^a

 has opened wide my path.^b

³⁴He made my^c feet like the feet of deer,

 and set me secure on the heights.

³⁵He trains my hands for war,

 so that my arms can bend a bow of bronze.

³⁶You have given me the shield of your salvation,

 and your help^d has made me great.

³⁷You have made me stride freely,

 and my feet do not slip;

³⁸I pursued my enemies and destroyed them,

and did not turn back until they were consumed.

³⁹I consumed them; I struck them down, so that they did not rise;

 they fell under my feet.

⁴⁰For you girded me with strength for the battle;

 you made my assailants sink under me.

⁴¹You made my enemies turn their backs to me,

 those who hated me, and I destroyed them.

⁴²They looked, but there was no one to save them;

 they cried to the Lord, but he did not answer them.

⁴³I beat them fine like the dust of the earth,

 I crushed them and stamped them down like the mire of the streets.

⁴⁴You delivered me from strife with the peoples;^a

 you kept me as the head of the nations;

 people whom I had not known served me.

⁴⁵Foreigners came cringing to me;

 as soon as they heard of me, they obeyed me.

⁴⁶Foreigners lost heart,

 and came trembling out of their strongholds.

⁴⁷The Lord lives! Blessed be my rock,

 and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation,

⁴⁸the God who gave me vengeance

 and brought down peoples under me,

⁴⁹who brought me out from my enemies;

 you exalted me above my adversaries,

 you delivered me from the violent.

⁵⁰For this I will extol you, O Lord, among the nations,

 and sing praises to your name.

⁵¹He is a tower of salvation for his king,

 and shows steadfast love to his anointed,

 to David and his descendants forever.

²³ Now these are the last words of David: The oracle of David, son of Jesse, the oracle of the man whom God exalted,^b

the anointed of the God of Jacob,

 the favorite of the Strong One of Israel:

²The spirit of the Lord speaks through me,

 his word is upon my tongue.

³The God of Israel has spoken,

 the Rock of Israel has said to me:

One who rules over people justly,

 ruling in the fear of God,

⁴is like the light of morning,

 like the sun rising on a cloudless morning,

 gleaming from the rain on the grassy land.

⁵Is not my house like this with God?

 For he has made with me an everlasting covenant,

 ordered in all things and secure.

Will he not cause to prosper

 all my help and my desire?

⁶But the godless are^a all like thorns that are thrown away;

 for they cannot be picked up with the hand;

⁷to touch them one uses an iron bar

 or the shaft of a spear.

 And they are entirely consumed in fire on the spot.^b

⁸These are the names of the warriors whom David had: Josheb‐basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was chief of the Three;^c he wielded his spear^d against eight hundred whom he killed at one time.

⁹Next to him among the three warriors was Eleazar son of Dodo son of Ahohi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle. The Israelites withdrew, ¹⁰but he stood his ground. He struck down the Philistines until his arm grew weary, though his hand clung to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. Then the people came back to him—but only to strip the dead.

¹¹Next to him was Shammah son of Agee, the Hararite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils; and the army fled from the Philistines. ¹²But he took his stand in the middle of the plot, defended it, and killed the Philistines; and the Lord brought about a great victory.

¹³Towards the beginning of harvest three of the thirty^e chiefs went down to join David at the cave of Adullam, while a band of Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁴David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. ¹⁵David said longingly, “O that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” ¹⁶Then the three warriors broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it; he poured it out to the Lord, ¹⁷for he said, “The Lord forbid that I should do this. Can I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. The three warriors did these things.

¹⁸Now Abishai son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, was chief of the Thirty.^f With his spear he fought against three hundred men and killed them, and won a name beside the Three. ¹⁹He was the most renowned of the Thirty,^g and became their commander; but he did not attain to the Three.

²⁰Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant warrior^h from Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds; he struck down two sons of Arielⁱ of Moab. He also went down and killed a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. ²¹And he killed an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but Benaiah went against him with a staff, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear. ²²Such were the things Benaiah son of Jehoiada did, and won a name beside the three warriors. ²³He was renowned among the Thirty, but he did not attain to the Three. And David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

²⁴Among the Thirty were Asahel brother of Joab; Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem; ²⁵Shammah of Harod; Elika of Harod; ²⁶Helez the Paltite; Ira son of Ikkesh of Tekoa; ²⁷Abiezer of Anathoth; Mebunnai the Hushathite; ²⁸Zalmon the Ahohite; Maharai of Netophah; ²⁹Heleb son of Baanah of Netophah; Ittai son of Ribai of Gibeah of the Benjaminites; ³⁰Benaiah of Pirathon; Hiddai of the torrents of Gaash; ³¹Abi‐albon the Arbathite; Azmaveth of Bahurim; ³²Eliahba of Shaalbon; the sons of Jashen: Jonathan ³³son of ^a Shammah the Hararite; Ahiam son of Sharar the Hararite; ³⁴Eliphelet son of Ahasbai of Maacah; Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite; ³⁵Hezro^b of Carmel; Paarai the Arbite; ³⁶Igal son of Nathan of Zobah; Bani the Gadite; ³⁷Zelek the Ammonite; Naharai of Beeroth, the armor‐bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah; ³⁸Ira the Ithrite; Gareb the Ithrite; ³⁹Uriah the Hittite—thirty‐seven in all.

²⁴ Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, count the people of Israel and Judah.” ²So the king said to Joab and the commanders of the army,^c who were with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beer‐sheba, and take a census of the people, so that I may know how many there are.” ³But Joab said to the king, “May the Lord your God increase the number of the people a hundredfold, while the eyes of my lord the king can still see it! But why does my lord the king want to do this?” ⁴But the king’s word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to take a census of the people of Israel. ⁵They crossed the Jordan, and began from^d Aroer and from the city that is in the middle of the valley, toward Gad and on to Jazer. ⁶Then they came to Gilead, and to Kadesh in the land of the Hittites;^e and they came to Dan, and from Dan^f they went around to Sidon, ⁷and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites; and they went out to the Negeb of Judah at Beer‐sheba. ⁸So when they had gone through all the land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. ⁹Joab reported to the king the number of those who had been recorded: in Israel there were eight hundred thousand soldiers able to draw the sword, and those of Judah were five hundred thousand.

¹⁰But afterward, David was stricken to the heart because he had numbered the people. David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, I pray you, take away the guilt of your servant; for I have done very foolishly.” ¹¹When David rose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, ¹²“Go and say to David: Thus says the Lord: Three things I offer^a you; choose one of them, and I will do it to you.” ¹³So Gad came to David and told him; he asked him, “Shall three^b years of famine come to you on your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to the one who sent me.” ¹⁴Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress; let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into human hands.”

¹⁵So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from that morning until the appointed time; and seventy thousand of the people died, from Dan to Beer‐sheba. ¹⁶But when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented concerning the evil, and said to the angel who was bringing destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” The angel of the Lord was then by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. ¹⁷When David saw the angel who was destroying the people, he said to the Lord, “I alone have sinned, and I alone have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father’s house.”

¹⁸That day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” ¹⁹Following Gad’s instructions, David went up, as the Lord had commanded. ²⁰When Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming toward him; and Araunah went out and prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground. ²¹Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you in order to build an altar to the Lord, so that the plague may be averted from the people.” ²²Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him; here are the oxen for the burnt offering, and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. ²³All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God respond favorably to you.”

²⁴But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy them from you for a price; I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. ²⁵David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and offerings of well‐being. So the Lord answered his supplication for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.

1.1–16: David learns of the death of Saul and Jonathan. Some scholars think this is a separate tradition of the account in 1 Sam 31, with which it disagrees. Alternatively, the man who brings the news to David changes the story for his own benefit. 1.2: Tearing clothes and scattering dust on the head were conventional signs of mourning. Fell to the ground and did obeisance, prostrating oneself was a sign of submission to God or the king. 6: The young man’s claim that he happened to be on Mount Gilboa in the heat of battle is probably a lie (see v. 10). 8: Amalekite, David has just come from successfully pursuing Amalekites (1 Sam 30), who are depicted as scavengers. It is ironic that an Amalekite killed Saul, who (according to 1 Sam 15) lost his kingship because he did not kill off the Amalekites. The young man’s Amalekite identity also makes it easy for David to order his execution (v. 15). 10: The Amalekite stripped Saul’s corpse and brought the crown and armlet, symbols of kingship, to David hoping for a reward. 12: Fasting was another sign of mourning. 13–16: As a resident alien, the Amalekite was subject to the same laws as an Israelite citizen, and therefore David holds him responsible for killing the Lord’s anointed.

1.17–27: David’s elegy over Saul and Jonathan. Some scholars consider plausible the text’s attribution of authorship to David himself. 18: Song of the Bow, the Hebrew has simply “bow.” If not a copyist’s mistake, this may refer to a type of song or a title. Book of Jashar, a collection of poems no longer extant (see Josh 10.13). 19: Your glory, an allusion to Saul and Jonathan. 20: Gath, Ashkelon, Philistine cities. Uncircumcised, a disparaging term for the Philistines. 21: Mountains of Gilboa, the site of the battle where Saul and Jonathan were killed. Shields were made of leather and were anointed with oil to keep them battle‐ready. 24: Saul’s reign brought prosperity to Israel. 26: Greatly beloved were you to me; your love for me was wonderful, passing the love of women expresses the closeness of David’s relationship to Jonathan, but does not necessarily imply a sexual relationship.

2.1–11: David becomes king of Judah. 1: Inquired, probably by means of the ephod and Urim and Thummim (1 Sam 14.3,41; 28.6; 30.7–8). Hebron, principal city of the Calebites (see Josh 14.13; Judg 1.20), the leading clan in Judah and also the traditional site of the tombs of Israel’s ancestors (Gen 23.19; 25.9; 49.29–32). 2: Ahinoam of Jezreel, Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel, see 1 Sam 25, esp. v. 43. Both women were from the Calebite region. Nabal had been a leading Calebite, and marriage to his wife strengthened David’s claims to the throne of Judah. 4: David’s earlier gifts to the elders of Judah (1 Sam 30.26–31) further helped his bid to be their king. Anointed, see 1 Sam 10.1n. Jabesh‐gilead, see 1 Sam 11; 31.11–13. 5–7: In wooing Jabesh‐gilead, David is seeking to win over the strongest enclave of support for Saul. His overture to Jabesh is likely what sparked the military response by Abner (v. 12). 8: Ishbaal (Heb “Ish‐bosheth”), pious scribes substituted the word “boshet,” meaning “shame,” for the name of the Canaanite god Baal. But Heb “ba˓al” can also simply mean “lord” and might have been an epithet for Yahweh. The original form of the name, Ishbaal, is preserved in 1 Chr 8.33; 9.39 and in some early Greek translations. Mahanaim was east of the Jordan in Gilead. Abner was forced to go there because the Philistines controlled much of the territory west of the Jordan. 9: This list of Ishbaal’s domains is idealistic at best considering the Philistine domination. “Ashurites” should probably read “Geshurites.” Geshur was the region north of Gilead. Israel, an ambiguous term that may or may not have included Judah. It is also anachronistic, reflecting a much later understanding of the tribes and territories in Israel, which may not have been included in Saul’s kingdom, assuming that Saul was a historical figure.

2.12–32: War between Israel and Judah. 14–17: This contest, the exact nature of which is unclear, quickly turned to war. 18: Zeruiah, David’s sister, according to 1 Chr 2.16. 19–23: Asahel’s death provides the motive for Joab’s murder of Abner in 3.26–30. 29: Arabah, the extensive rift valley of which the Jordan Valley is a part.

3.1–5: David’s sons. 1: The suggestion that there was a long war indicates that Saul and his family had more popular support than Saul’s negative depiction in the second half of 1 Samuel might imply. 2: Amnon, see ch 13. Ahinoam, see 1 Sam 25.43; 2 Sam 2.2. 3: Nothing more is known of Chileab, who apparently died young; in the LXX his name is Dalouia, and in 1 Chr 3.1 he is called Daniel. Abigail, see 1 Sam 25. Absalom, see chs 13–18. Geshur, see 2.9n. David’s marriage to Maacah indicates that he had a political alliance with her father, King Talmai. 4–5: Adonijah, see Kings 1. Shephatiah and Ithream are mentioned only here and in 1 Chr 3.3.

3.6–39: Abner’s death. 7: Concubine, a secondary wife. To sleep with a member of the royal harem was to claim the throne (see 16.21–22; 1 Kings 2.13–25). Hence, Ishbaal’s question is tantamount to an accusation of treason. 8: Dog’s head, used only here in the Bible, this expression is obviously reproachful (cf. 9.8; 2 Kings 18.3). Abner does not deny Ishbaal’s accusation but is contemptuous. Although the power is his (2.8–9), he has been loyal to Ishbaal. 10: From Dan to Beer‐sheba, the traditional northern and southern limits of Israel. 12: Abner offers to join David and bring the army with him. The author thereby shows that David had no motive for killing Abner. 13: David demands the return of Saul’s daughter Michal because it is through her that he claims a right to Saul’s kingdom. 14: See 1 Sam 18.20–29. 15: It is not clear why Ishbaal returns Michal to David. Some scholars have suggested that he was under legal obligation. Paltiel, or Palti (1 Sam 25.44). 16: Paltiel’s emotional expression of love for his wife is unusual in the Bible. 17: The elders of Israel, the tribal leaders. 18: The Philistines, Israel’s principal enemy in 1 Samuel, whose defeat of Saul (1 Sam 31) meant that they were still a problem for David, which he will resolve in 5.17–25; cf. 21.15–22. 19: Benjamin, the tribe of both Saul and Abner; they would be the most reluctant to make David, a non‐Benjaminite, king. 21: In peace, repeated in the following verses; the writer emphasizes (perhaps too much) David’s noninvolvement in Abner’s death. 25: Comings and goings, military maneuvers. Joab accuses Abner of spying. 26–27: The writer stresses that Joab, seeking to avenge his brother (2.18–23), acted alone. Some have suggested that Joab also feared losing his position as army commander to Abner (see 19.13; 20.8–10). 29: While David curses Joab, he does not now punish him (but see 1 Kings 2.5–6). Spindle, better “crutch.” 30: Abishai is not mentioned in the story but may have helped Joab plan Abner’s murder. 31: Sackcloth, material worn by mourners. 33: Fool (Heb “nabal”) recalls the story in 1 Sam 25. 35–39: These verses continue to stress (perhaps too strongly) David’s lack of involvement in Abner’s death. 35: Fasting was a way of showing sadness and mourning.

4.1–12: The assassination of Ishbaal. Here too the author stresses that David was in no way involved in the death of his enemy. 3: An explanation of how Beeroth came to be considered a Benjaminite city; the event referred to here is otherwise unknown. 4: Mephibosheth, the original form of the name was Merib‐baal (1 Chr 8.34; 9.40); cf. 2.8n. Mephibosheth’s disability seems to have disqualified him from becoming king, and this is likely the reason that David did not have him executed with the rest of Saul’s sons (21.7). 7: Arabah, see 2.29n. 8: The assassins bring Ishbaal’s head to David, expecting a reward for killing his enemy. 9–10: See 1.1–16. 11: A righteous man, David does not recognize Ishbaal’s kingship and therefore does not call him the Lord’s anointed.

5.1–16: David becomes king of all Israel and conquers Jerusalem. Jerusalem’s location between Israel and Judah was ideal for a neutral capital in David’s effort to unite the two. 1: All the tribes of Israel, the northern tribes, excluding Judah where David is already king (2.4). 2: Led out and brought … in are idioms for military leadership. Shepherd, a common metaphor for kings. Ruler, “king designate” (translated “prince” in 7.8). 3: Elders, senior tribal leaders. 4: Forty years, a round number for a generation. The actual length of David’s reign is not certain, but scholars have proposed ca. 1005–965 bce. 6–8: Exactly how David conquered Jerusalem is not clear. The parallel in 1 Chr 11.5–6 leaves out these verses, perhaps indicating that the Chronicler found them confusing. The account may be an etiology for the saying in v. 8. 6: Jebusites, according to the Bible, one group of preIsraelite inhabitants of the land; see, e.g., Gen 15.21; Ex 3.8. 7: Zion, one of the hills on which Jerusalem stood; it becomes a name for the city as a whole. 8: One scholar has argued that get up the water shaft means “strike at the wind pipe” so as to kill the enemy rather than leaving any wounded (blind and lame). The saying may refer to the prohibition reflected in Lev 21.18. 9: Millo, meaning “fill,” apparently refers to a terrace or artificial platform near the stronghold. 11: Tyre, the capital of Phoenicia, northwest of Israel. Cedar, a luxury item for which Lebanon in Phoenician territory was renowned. 13–16: A large harem was a sign of royal prestige. Marriages were also a way of sealing treaties with foreign powers. Solomon is born later (12.24); these verses are an anticipatory summary, suggesting that the material has been organized thematically rather than chronologically. A list of sons born to David in Hebron was given in 2 Sam 3.2–5.

5.17–25: War with the Philistines. 17: If historical, David’s defeat of the Philistines (see 3.18n.) would have preceded his conquest of Jerusalem, since they stood between Hebron and Jerusalem and would have resisted the unification of Israel and Judah. The stronghold, probably Adullam (see 1 Sam 22.1), not Jerusalem. 18: The valley of Rephaim, probably located southwest of Jerusalem. 19: David inquired, see 2.1n. 20: An etiology explaining the name Baal‐perazim (see textual note b); Yahweh and Baal are here equated (see 2.8 n.). 21: A victorious army typically captured the religious symbols that its opponent brought to the battlefield to show the superiority of its own gods; this is an ironic reversal of 1 Sam 4.5–11. 24: The sound of marching is interpreted as the Divine Warrior—the Lord—coming out to fight on Israel’s behalf. 25: From Geba near Jerusalem all the way to Gezer near the border of Philistine territory.

6.1–23: David brings the ark to Jerusalem. This chapter is often taken to be the continuation of the “Ark Narrative”; see 1 Sam 4.1b–7.1n. 1: Thousand probably designates a military unit of much smaller size; see 1 Sam 4.2n. 2: Baale‐judah, another name for Kiriath‐jearim, according to Josh 15.9, where the ark was left in 1 Sam 7.1. The ark of God was viewed as the throne of the Lord. Having it in Jerusalem would make the city the religious as well as the political capital. Cherubim, mythical griffins that often guarded temples and palaces (see 1 Sam 4.4n.). 6–8: Uzzah’s death shows the awesome holiness of the ark, which was not to be touched, except by priests even with the best intentions. The story is also an etiology explaining the name Perez‐uzzah (“Uzzah’s breach”). 10: Obed‐edom the Gittite (i.e., from Gath) was apparently among the Philistines who followed David from his days with Achish (1 Sam 27; 29). 13–14: He sacrificed, David officiates as a priest here, which was not unusual for kings in the ancient Near East (8.18; 1 Kings 3.15; 9.25; Gen 14.18). His sacrifices are intended to placate the Lord in order to avoid another disaster. Linen ephod, an apron typically worn by priests (1 Sam 2.18). Apparently David is wearing little else (see v. 20). 19: As part of the celebration David distributes food items to the people; the items named were probably rarities for most of them. 20: Michal accuses David of fraternizing with the lowest element of society, implying that he is not dignified enough to be king. 21–22: David replies that he has been humbling himself before the Lord and that the Lord was pleased enough with him to make him king in place of her father, Saul. 23: Michal … had no child, probably because David had no relations with her since her children would have been Saul’s heirs and potentially a threat to David’s rule.

7.1–29: A dynasty for David. This chapter with the Lord’s promise to David of an eternal dynasty is a key passage in the Deuteronomistic History, combining its central themes of Jerusalem as the divinely chosen center for worship and the Davidic line as the chosen dynasty in Judah. The chapter’s major theme is the eternity of that dynasty, reflected in expressions for “forever” that occur eight times; scholars debate as to whether the term refers to eternity or a very long time period. In the broader context of the Deuteronomistic History, it explains Judah’s survival in contrast to the destruction of the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 bce. It later provided a foundation for messianic hope for a new Davidic king. The language and style of the chapter are thoroughly Deuteronomistic, although many scholars think that one or more older oracles underlie vv. 1–7. This promise is reflected in various forms in the Deuteronomistic History and in Pss 89 and 132, as well as in Chronicles. Some of these texts temper the unconditional, eternal nature of the promise. 1: The Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, this statement is inconsistent with the accounts of David’s wars in chs 8–20 and with 1 Kings 5.3–4, which say that rest came only to Solomon. It is also inconsistent with v. 11, which indicates that the “rest” lies in the future, and is not in the parallel in 1 Chr 17.1. 2: In a tent, the tabernacle. 4–17: The Lord’s promise to David. 5–7: The house (Heb “bayit”) David proposes to build is a temple. The Lord says instead (v. 11) that he will build David a house (“bayit”), that is, a dynasty. The claim in vv. 6–7 that the Lord has never had a house (i.e., temple) ignores or does not acknowledge the temple in Shiloh (1 Sam 1–3). 8: Following the sheep, see 1 Sam 17.15, 34. Kings in the ancient Near East were often described as shepherds; see 24.17; 1 Chr 11.2; Ps 78.70; Isa 44.28. Prince, “king designate” (translated “ruler” in 5.2). 10: Place (Heb “maqom”) in Hebrew may mean a shrine or place of worship, here probably the Jerusalem Temple. (The second occurrence of “place “is a different Heb word.) 13: David’s son, Solomon, will build the Temple. 14: Father … son, a king could be described as the (adopted) “son” of God; see, e.g., Pss 2.7; 89.26–27. 15: Steadfast love (Heb “ḥesed”), another form of the promise; see Ps 89.1,24. 16: Cf. 1 Sam 25.28. 18–29: David’s prayer to the Lord. Compare Solomon’s prayers in 1 Kings 3.6–9 and 8.22–53. 23: Redeem … driving out refer to the Exodus from Egypt and the conquest of Canaan; the language is Deuteronomistic. 24: Cf. Ex 6.7; Deut 29.10–15. 27–29: Your servant, a way of referring to oneself before a superior.

8.1–18: David’s wars. 1: This verse represents David’s decisive defeat of the Philistines, the archenemies of Saul. They never surface again as enemies during his reign. 2: The Moabites lived east of the Dead Sea. 3: Zobah was an Aramean (Syrian) city‐state. Restore may also mean “leave,” so that David, rather than Hadadezer, was traveling to the Euphrates to erect a monument. 4: Hamstrung, David crippled the hind legs of the horses he could not use to keep someone else from using them against him (see Josh 11.6). Thus the Israelites are portrayed as not yet making extensive use of chariots. 5: Twenty‐two thousand, see 6.1n. 9: Hamath, modern Hama, an important city‐state in central Syria north of Zobah. 10: Joram is an Israelite (Yahwistic) name; 1 Chr 18.18 calls him “Hadoram,” an Aramaic name. 12: Edom, east of the Jordan, south of Moab and, at times, Judah. The kingdom of Ammon was north of Moab, in the vicinity of the modern city of Amman, Jordan. 15: It was viewed as the responsibility of kings in the ancient Near East to ensure the just and equitable treatment of all subjects, especially the poor and disadvantaged. 16–18: Cf. the similar list of David’s officials in 20.23–26. 17: Ahimelech son of Abiathar should probably be changed to “Abiathar son of Ahimelech” as indicated in 20.25 and also throughout 2 Sam. 18: The Cherethites and the Pelethites, perhaps “Cretans” and “Philistines” who composed the royal bodyguard (23.23), probably mercenaries. David’s sons were priests, the restriction of priesthood to the Levites had apparently not yet arisen; see 6.13–14n.

9.1–13: Jonathan’s son. 1: Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul? David’s execution of Saul’s sons and grandsons in 21.1–14 provides background to this question, and the story in 21.1–14 probably originally preceded ch 9. Kindness (Heb “ḥesed”) is covenant faithfulness. David wants to keep the promise of loyalty he made to Jonathan (1 Sam 18.1–4; 20.14–17). 3: Crippled in his feet, see 4.4. This disability made Mephibosheth unable to go to war and therefore unsuitable to be king. 4: Machir became a loyal supporter of David (17.27). Lo‐debar, a northern Israelite city east of the Jordan. 6: Fell on his face and did obeisance, see 1.2n. Mephibosheth, the name was originally Merib‐baal; see 4.4n. 7: Eating at the king’s table was a sign of favor. In this case it also allowed David to keep a close watch on Merib‐baal, who was still heir to Saul’s kingdom and therefore a potential rival (see 16.1–4; 19.24–30). 8: Dead dog, a term of self‐reproach (see 3.8n.). 9–13: Merib‐baal was to receive the income from Saul’s lands, which Ziba and his family would work.

10.1–19: David defeats the Ammonites and Arameans. 2: Nahash, Saul’s enemy in 1 Sam 10.27b–11.15. Ammonites, see 8.12n. Deal loyally … dealt loyally, indicate that David and Nahash had a treaty. Hanun’s actions in the following verses indicate that Israel was the superior partner in the treaty or that David was trying to make Israel the superior partner, and Hanun resisted. 4: The beard was a symbol of masculinity, and cutting off half of it was symbolic emasculation. Ancient Israelite and Judean men were typically bearded. Cutting off their garments below the waist was symbolic castration. 5: Jericho, the closest Israelite city west of the Jordan opposite Ammon. 6: Beth‐rehob, Zobah, Aramean (Syrian) city‐states. Thousand, see 6.1n. Maacah, Tob, small states in northern Transjordan. 8: The gate of the city of Rabbah, capital of the Ammonites (see 11.1; 12.26). Rehob, another Aramean city‐state. 12: The cities of our God were the cities Israel claimed east of the Jordan. 18: Thousand, see 6.1n.

11.1–27: David and Bathsheba. This story is artfully narrated. The writer leaves no doubt that David was in the wrong, but leaves the motives of the other characters unexplained so that the reader may suspect but cannot know for certain what each of the characters knows or when they know it. 1: In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, an alternate translation is: “A year after the kings had gone out to battle.” The story is set a year after the events in ch 10, which was probably spring and the time when kings typically went to war after the rainy season. This does not necessarily mean, though, as some scholars claim, that David was obligated to go to war and that his failure to do so got him into trouble. 2: The roof of the king’s house was breezy and cool in the late afternoon, the ideal place for a nap. From there he was able to look down into the courtyard of surrounding houses, where he saw the woman bathing. 3: Inquire about the woman, David wants to know whether she is married; if not, he can add her to his harem. Eliam, perhaps the son of Ahithophel, David’s adviser (see 23.34; 16.15–17.23). Uriah, one of the “thirty” best soldiers of David (23.39). Thus, Bathsheba was well‐married and came from a distinguished family. The name “Uriah” is Israelite, but his epithet “the Hittite” indicated his non‐Israelite heritage. He may have been a resident alien, a class whose rights kings were especially charged to guard. 4: Bathsheba was purifying herself after her period; hence her bath (see Lev 15.19–28). She was at the most fertile time of her cycle when she slept with David. It is thus clear that David must be her child’s father. 6–7: It was unusual for a soldier to be called back from battle for a personal audience. Since David asked Uriah only the most general questions, Uriah may have thought he was being tested, which in turn motivated him to demonstrate his loyalty to David and the army in the following verses. Alternatively, he may have suspected David of trying to cover up something. The people, the army. 8: Wash your feet, a euphemism for sexual intercourse. Feet can refer to the genitals (see Isa 6.2; 7.20). 9–13: As a pious soldier consecrated for war (see 1 Sam 21.4), Uriah refuses to have sexual relations with his wife, even when David gets him drunk. 14: David trusts Uriah’s loyalty enough to send his death warrant by his own hand, knowing that Uriah, if he could read, would not open it. 16–17: Joab sets Uriah in a dangerous place but does not have time to implement David’s order fully. Uriah is killed along with other soldiers because of Joab’s tactical error. 18–21: Joab uses Uriah’s death to cover up his mistake in allowing the troops to come too close to the city wall. 21: Abimelech son of Jerubbaal, see Judg 9.50–55. An upper millstone, a large stone used for grinding grain. 25: David’s attitude toward Joab changes when he learns of Uriah’s death. 27b: David … displeased the Lord, the author’s moral condemnation links the account of David’s offense in ch 11 with the judgment in ch 12.

12.1–25: David’s punishment. 1–6: The prophet Nathan couches his parable as a legal case to get David to pronounce judgment on himself. As king he was responsible for protecting the rights of the poor. However, the vagueness of the case (“Two men in a certain city”) hints that it is contrived by Nathan. Fourfold (v. 6), as prescribed in Ex 22.1; other textual witnesses have “sevenfold.” 3: Daughter, Heb “bat,” hints at the name of Bathsheba. 8: There is some textual support for reading “daughter” (Heb “bat”) and “daughters” for the two occurrences of house (Heb “bayit” or “beyt”) in this verse. “Daughter(s)” would fit the point that David had many wives, including Saul’s harem and his daughter Michal, but like the rich man in Nathan’s parable, he stole what belonged to his poor neighbor. 10: The sword, a metaphor for violence, alluding to the events in chs 13–20. The persecution by sword forever recalls the promise of a dynasty lasting “forever” in ch. 7. 11–12: An allusion to Absalom’s future revolt, specifically his deed in 16.20–23. 13–18: David’s sin is transferred (not put away) to his newborn son, who dies because of it. This is a clear example of the application of intergenerational punishment by God (see Ex 20.5; 34.7; Deut 5.9), where the sin is perceived as property that may be inherited. 20: House of the Lord, an anachronism, since the Temple in Jerusalem had not yet been built. 24–25: Solomon means “his replacement”; he was a replacement for the dead child. Jedidiah (“beloved of Yahweh”), which does not occur elsewhere for Solomon, hints that he will replace David (whose name means “beloved”) as king.

12.26–31: The conclusion of the Ammonite war. 26–29: Joab captured the citadel and the water supply of Rabbah, the Ammonite capital, so that conquering the rest of the city was fairly simple. This Joab left for David, as the king, to complete. 30: Milcom, the national Ammonite god. A talent, about 75 lb (34 kg).

13.1–39: The rape of Tamar and the murder of Amnon. In its current context, this and the following chapter reflect a measure‐for‐measure punishment of David. He appropriated Bathsheba and arranged for Uriah’s death, so rape and death are unleashed against his house. Originally, though, this story may have been unconnected to the Bathsheba event and served to introduce Absalom’s revolt. 1: Tamar was Absalom’s full sister, Amnon’s half‐sister. Amnon was David’s oldest son and the crown prince. The next oldest had apparently died (perhaps as a child), leaving Absalom as second in line of succession to the throne (cf. 3.2–3). 2: It seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her, as the king’s virgin daughter Tamar may have been guarded. However, the verb translated “seemed impossible” might be translated “seemed wonderful.” 6: Cakes, the Heb word is derived from the word for “heart,” indicating their shape and hinting at the erotic aspect of the story. 10: The chamber, Amnon’s bedroom where he is feigning illness. 11: My sister not only reflects the kinship of Amnon to Tamar but is also a term of endearment and sexual desire in ancient love poetry (i.e., Song 4.9–10; 5.1). 12: Such a thing may refer to incest or rape or both. Anything so vile, lit., “this foolishness”; the same word is used of sexual crimes in Gen 34.7; Deut 22.21; Judg 19.23. 13: He will not withhold me from you, Tamar suggests that David would allow their marriage despite its incestuous nature. Perhaps she is just trying to buy time. 16: Ex 22.16 and Deut 22.28–29 required marriage in such cases. Tamar may have such laws in mind when she says that in sending her away Amnon is committing a greater wrong than the rape itself. 17: This woman, a contemptuous reference. The word “woman” is not in the Heb, so that it might be translated “this thing.” Having robbed Tamar of her virginity, Amnon deprives her of her identity as well. 18: A long robe with sleeves, used also for Joseph’s garment in Gen 37.3; the exact nature of this garment is unknown. 19: Putting ashes on the head and tearing clothes were signs of grief, though Tamar may also have torn the long robe worn by the king’s virgin daughters because it was no longer appropriate. 20: Desolate, because she is unmarried and childless. 21: Because he loved him may be the writer’s way of assuring the reader that David had nothing to do with Amnon’s death. 22: Neither good nor bad means not at all. 23: Sheepshearing was a time of celebration. 24–25: In light of what follows, Absalom’s invitation to David makes the reader wonder whether he already intended to kill his father and assume the throne. 27: The feast was a drinking bout, as indicated by the word’s etymology and the next verse. 29: David and his sons rode on mules, a royal mount (18.9; 1 Kings 1.33). 30–33: David initially thought that Absalom had killed all the king’s sons, which would make sense if he were attempting a coup. But his intention at this point is purely revenge against Amnon. Jonadab appears as a false friend to Amnon (cf. vv. 3–5). 36: The king … wept very bitterly, David’s great love for Amnon and his noninvolvement in Amnon’s death are stressed. 37: Talmai … king of Geshur, Absalom’s maternal grandfather with whom David apparently has a treaty (see 2.9n.). 39: And the heart of the king went out, yearning for Absalom, better: “The king’s spirit for marching out against Absalom was exhausted.” David did not yearn for Absalom but was tired of going out after him. This fits with his reluctance in the next chapter to allow Absalom back into his presence.

14.1–33: Absalom’s return. 1: The king’s mind was on Absalom does not mean that David was now favorably inclined toward Absalom, as this story makes clear; see 13.39n. 2: Tekoa, a village south of Bethlehem (see Am 1.1). Perhaps David took an interest in this case because the woman was from his home territory. Wise in the Hebrew Bible often means skilled as well as clever (see Ex 28.3). This woman was a skilled actress. 4: Fell … to the ground and did obeisance, see 1.2n. 5–7: As in ch 12, a fictional legal case is presented to David in order to get him to pronounce judgment on a matter concerning himself; in both cases David does not catch on until it is too late. Two sons (v. 6), one of whom kills the other, like Amnon and Absalom. Leave to my husband neither name nor remnant (v. 7), this part of the woman’s case, not paralleled in David’s family since he has many other sons, is crucial to her argument, yet does not figure into David’s decision or the outcome of the story. 8–11: David grants the woman’s request and swears by the Lord that her one remaining son will not be harmed. The woman will urge David to apply this oath to his situation with Absalom. Since David’s ruling is contrary to the customary punishment, the woman accepts any guilt that David may incur (v. 9). Avenger of blood, one charged with taking vengeance for the death of a relative. 13: The woman now applies David’s decree to the situation with Absalom. It is not clear how David’s refusal to bring Absalom back is a thing against the people of God. 14: Amnon is dead and cannot be brought to life again, but David can accept Absalom, who is still alive. 15–17: These verses seem out of place and may originally have come after v. 7. The woman continues to plead for her son, but David has already rendered his decision. The man who would cut both me and my son off, the avenger of blood (see v. 11). The heritage of God, the land of Israel and its people.17: Angel of God, here and in v. 20 the expression alludes to wisdom. The same is likely true of 19.27. But see also 1 Sam 29.9. 19: Your servant, a polite form of self‐reference. 21–24: David allows Absalom to return but refuses to see him personally. 25: Good looks were a desirable quality for a king; cf. 1 Sam 9.2; 16.18. 26: Two hundred shekels, ca. 5 lb (2.3 kg), an extraordinary amount of hair. The reference to his hair foreshadows Absalom’s mode of death (18.9–15). 27: Absalom named his daughter after his sister, Tamar (ch 13). The reference to his three sons is contradicted in 18.18, where he says he had no son. 28–33: This episode further shows Absalom’s violent nature and suggests that Joab may have held a grudge against him. The king kissed Absalom, a gesture of recognition and reconciliation, performed only after Absalom did his obeisance to David. This subservience, however, did not last long.

15.1–12: Absalom revolts. 1: Chariot and horses, and fifty men to run ahead, parts of the king’s entourage (1 Kings 1.5). The fifty men were probably a royal bodyguard. Absalom is making a claim to be king. 2: When anyone brought a suit before the king for judgment, one of the king’s roles in the ancient world was to serve as a judge in special cases. David may have been weak in this role, and Absalom took advantage. 5: Do obeisance to him, the proper attitude before a king, but Absalom presented himself as a man of the people. 6: Stole the hearts or “deceived” (cf. Gen 31.20). 7–10: Absalom has made a vow to worship at the local shrine of the Lord in Hebron (v. 8) and must go there to fulfill it. But he has ulterior motives for choosing Hebron: he is deliberately recalling his father’s rise by declaring himself king in Hebron, the capital of Judah, where David had been made king of both Judah and Israel and had ruled Judah for seven years (5.1–7). Absalom probably found supporters in Hebron among those discontent that David had moved the capital. His revolt, however, spread throughout all the tribes of Israel (v. 10). Geshur in Aram (v. 8), where Absalom fled after killing Amnon (13.37–39). 12: Ahithophel was renowned as David’s counselor (see 16.15–23). His presence with Absalom meant that the conspiracy grew in strength.

15.13–16.14: David flees Jerusalem. 15.13: Israelites, perhaps only the residents of the north. But since Absalom began the revolt in Hebron, it has now spread through the entire country. 16: Concubines, see 3.7n. 17: The last house, on the outskirts of Jerusalem. 18: Cherethites and Pelethites, see 8.18n. Gittites, Philistines from Gath. All these groups had followed David from his days with the Philistines (1 Sam 27; 29). 19: Ittai, commander of the Gittites. 20: Yesterday, better, “recently.” David is amazed that these Philistines who only recently joined him are more loyal than his own people. 21: It is striking that Ittai, a Philistine, swears by the Lord (Yahweh) the God of Israel. 23: The Wadi Kidron, the valley between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives. David heads east toward the Jordan River. 24: Abiathar and Zadok, David’s two priests. 25–29: David leaves the ark behind to make sure it is properly cared for, something he cannot do on the run. Besides, the priests could serve as David’s spies in Jerusalem. 30: His head covered and walking barefoot, conventional signs of mourning. 31–37: David was disheartened to learn that his wise adviser, Ahithophel (see 16.23), had joined Absalom. As he walked up the Mount of Olives (v. 31), he prayed for help against Ahithophel. His prayer was answered at the summit when he met Hushai, who would help him defeat Ahithophel’s advice. Where God was worshiped (v. 32), a shrine at the top of the Mount of Olives; such “high places” are outlawed in the Deuteronomistic History once the Temple is built. 37: David’s friend (v. 37), perhaps a title for an intimate adviser. 16.2: Young men, soldiers. 3–4: Your master’s son, Merib‐baal (Mephibosheth), Saul’s grandson (see ch 9). Ziba claims that Merib‐baal is planning to take over his grandfather’s place as king. But Ziba may be lying (19.24–30). David rewards Ziba by giving him Saul’s property; it is unclear if David has the legal right to do this. 5: Shimei belonged not only to Saul’s tribe (Benjamin) but also to his family or clan. 6–8: Shimei accused David of murdering members of Saul’s family and usurping the throne. This indicates that David’s execution of Saul’s sons and grandsons (21.1–14) preceded Absalom’s revolt. 9–10: Abishai, the brother of Joab and Asahel (see 2.18–23). Called the sons of Zeruiah (David’s sister) in 2 Samuel and portrayed as violent men in contrast to gentle David. Dead dog, see 3.8n.; 9.8n. 11: This Benjaminite, a demeaning reference to Shimei.

16.15–17.29: Overcoming Ahithophel. 16.16: David’s friend, see 15.37n. Long live the king, the utterance is duplicitous; for Hushai, David is still king. 18: The one whom the Lord and this people and all the Israelites have chosen, again, Hushai means David. 19: Hushai’s duplicity continues. Should it not be his son? For Hushai, the answer is no. Just as I have served your father, so I will serve you, Hushai is saying that by serving Absalom he is actually serving David. In all cases (vv. 16–19), Absalom is unaware of Hushai’s true meaning. 20–22: By having relations with David’s concubines, Absalom makes his claim to kingship emphatic (see 3.7n.). He also fulfills Nathan’s prophecy (12.12), which was likely written with Absalom’s act in view. 23: Ahithophel may have been Bathsheba’s grandfather (cf. 11.3 and 23.34) and may have held a grudge against David for his treatment of Bathsheba and Uriah. 17.1–4: Ahithophel’s sensible advice is to attack while David’s forces are weak from fleeing. Once David is dead, he says, all who followed him will turn to Absalom. 1: Thousand, see 6.1n. 5–14: Hushai says that David will not be so easy to find or his troops so easy to defeat (vv. 8–10). He advises Absalom to wait, gather the full force of Israel, then attack (vv. 11–13). Hushai is trying to buy time for David to reorganize his forces. Hushai also plays on Absalom’s ego, saying that all the people will follow him, and he can lead them into battle (v. 12). Even though Ahithophel’s advice is better than Hushai’s the Lord had ordained that Absalom would be persuaded to follow Hushai. 15: Hushai sends word to David through the priests Zadok and Abiathar and their sons (see 15.24–29). 16: Hushai has bought David some time but urges him to cross the Jordan quickly and escape. 17: Jonathan and Ahimaaz, the sons of Zadok and Abiathar. En‐rogel, “the spring of the fuller,” in the Kidron Valley south of Jerusalem; a “fuller” prepared cloth by treading on it when it was wet. 18–19: Well, a simple pit whose opening could be covered with a blanket and grain spread over it for camouflage. 23: Ahithophel … hanged himself, perhaps because he knew that the end of Absalom’s reign was imminent. There is no stigma associated with suicide in the Bible; see 1 Sam 31.5n. 24: Mahanaim, the site east of the Jordan where Abner had conducted Ishbaal after making him king (2.8); it was easily defensible. 25: Amasa, David’s nephew, the son of his sister Zeruiah (see 1 Chr 2.16). Zeruiah is called the daughter of Nahash here rather than the daughter of Jesse. This may be a scribal error (note that Nahash occurs in v. 27), or Abigal may have been David’s half‐sister. 27: Nahash, the Ammonite king with whom David had a treaty (10.1–2). His son, Shobi, loyal to the treaty, now helps David in exile. Machir, see 9.4.

18.1–19.10: The defeat and death of Absalom. 18.3: You shall not go out, cf. 21.15–17. 5: Through David’s order concerning Absalom, the writer shows that David was not responsible for Absalom’s death. 6–8: David chooses the rugged forest of Ephraim as the battle site, thereby countering the larger numbers of Absalom’s army. The location of the forest of Ephraim is unknown. The story is set east of the Jordan, but the territory of Ephraim was west of the Jordan. This is another benefit afforded him by the delay that Hushai achieved. 9: Mule, see 13.29n. Thus, Absalom’s unseating from the mule symbolizes his loss of the kingdom. His being caught by the head recalls his glorious hair (14.26) and suggests that his pride was his downfall. 12: In our hearing the king commanded, see v. 5. 14: Spears may also be translated “sticks.” Apparently, Joab stabbed or struck Absalom with them in order to dislodge him from the tree and finish him off (v. 15). 15: Ten young men, hence, no individual could be blamed for the actual killing. 17: A very great heap of stones, this kind of burial was reserved for a cursed person (Josh 7.26). 18: No son, cf. 14.27n. Absalom’s Monument, later identified with a late Hellenistic or Romanperiod tomb in the Kidron Valley. 19–20: Ahimaaz wants to deliver the good news of the victory to David, but Joab refuses because he knows that Absalom’s death will not be welcome news to David. Because the king’s son was dead may be the narrator’s words rather than Joab’s (see v. 29). 21: Cushite, a Nubian or Ethiopian. 27: Good tidings, victory usually constitutes good news. But the writer goes on to depict David as focused on Absalom, whose death will be bad news to David despite the victory. 29: Ahimaaz apparently does not know that Absalom is dead. 32: The Cushite thinks that Absalom’s death is also good news. 18.33–19.8: David is portrayed as very distraught at his son’s death, despite the political gain it means for him. Compare David’s laments over Saul and Jonathan (1.11–27) and Abner (3.31–39), whose deaths also benefited him. 19.6: Love and hate can be political terms for loyalty and disloyalty. Joab’s point is that David shows love to those who are disloyal to him (Absalom) while failing to show love or appreciation toward his loyal subjects. 9: All the tribes of Israel may refer to the northern tribes, not Judah, which is the focus of the subsequent narrative.

19.11–43: David returns to Jerusalem. 11–12: David contacts the tribal leaders or elders of Judah to encourage them to welcome him back as king before all Israel (i.e., the northern tribes) does so. 13: David appoints Amasa as his army commander in place of Joab because of Amasa’s influence in Judah’s army (see 17.25), and perhaps also because David shrewdly calculated that this would gain favor with the troops who had been loyal to Absalom, since Amasa was Absalom’s commander. It may also be intended to express David’s anger at Joab for having disobeyed his instructions regarding Absalom. All of these factors may provide motivation for Joab’s murder of Amasa (20.10). My bone and my flesh, David was Amasa’s uncle (see 17.25). 14: Amasa, in turn, persuades the people (i.e., the army) of Judah to return to David. 15: Gilgal, just west of the Jordan River, was an ancient Israelite shrine where Saul had been made king (1 Sam 11.15). 16–23: Shimei and those with him were from the tribe of Benjamin, Saul’s tribe. Shimei had ridiculed David when he fled from Jerusalem (16.5–13). Now that David is victorious, he asks forgiveness; David grants it, perhaps in part because of the thousand people (soldiers) from Benjamin with Shimei. House of Joseph (v. 20), the northern tribes, Israel as opposed to Judah. Abishai still wants to kill Shimei (16.9), but David refuses. This is part of the author’s portrayal of David as gentle, in contrast to the violent sons of Zeruiah (v. 22). 24: Taken care of his feet may mean trimmed his toenails, since the writer cites it as evidence that Merib‐baal (Mephibosheth) had been mourning David’s exile. 25–30: Ziba had accused Merib‐baal of plotting to take the throne (16.1–4). Merib‐baal here defends himself, saying that Ziba refused to help him to flee with David, and he could not leave on his own accord because of his disability. David’s decision (v. 29) indicates that he does not know which of them is telling the truth. All my father’s house were doomed to death before my lord the king, a new king often executed all the heirs of his predecessor in order to have no rival for the throne. 31–40: Barzillai had helped to provide for David in exile (17.27). David now invites him to come live in his palace in Jerusalem. Barzillai replies that he is too old to enjoy it, but he arranges for the king to take his son Chimham instead. 35: Can I discern …, lit., “Can I know between good and evil?” likely a reference to sexual pleasure. Cf. Gen 2.9; Isa 7.15. 41: Barzillai says that he is too old to enjoy the pleasures of taste, music, or sex that are available at David’s court, but his son is not too old. The army (people) of Judah welcomes David back before the army of Israel. 42: The army of Judah denies that it has received any special favors or bribes from David. 43: Ten shares, the ten northern tribes of Israel.

20.1–26: Sheba’s revolt. 1: Happened to be there, at the scene in Gilgal described in 19.41–43. Ch 20 continues that story. Everyone to your tents, an idiom for military demobilization; Sheba is calling for the army of Israel to withdraw from David; cf. 1 Kings 12.16. 2: All the people of Israel, the northern tribes. The phrase exaggerates the extent of the northern disaffection with David (see v. 21). 3: David no longer had sexual relations with the ten concubines he had left behind, because Absalom had slept with them (16.20–22). 7: The Cherethites and Pelethites, see 8.18n. 8–10: Joab’s assassination of Amasa is similar to his murder of Abner (3.26–39). His implied motive had to do with Amasa having taken Joab’s place as army commander (19.13). His actual motive in the story was more likely political: to rid David of a powerful rival for the leadership of Judah. 13: The people, the army. 14: Abel of Beth‐maacah is in the extreme northern part of Israel. 15: Ancient Israelite cities were surrounded by thick walls that had to be broken through with battering rams, a time‐consuming process that would be followed by the slaughter of the population inside. 16: Wise woman, cf. 14.1–24. She may have held some office in the city; she is certainly intelligent and eloquent and acts on behalf of her city. 18: Let them inquire at Abel implies that Abel was a central city for settling legal disputes or for divination. 19: A mother in Israel, a large city, a metropolis. The heritage of the Lord, the land and people of Israel; see 1 Sam 10.1. 20: The woman pleads for her city based on its antiquity and historical value to Israel. 21: The woman apparently does not know about Sheba, indicating that his revolt did not reach to all Israel but included only part of Benjamin and the hill country of Ephraim. 23–26: This list of officials is similar to that in 8.16–18. It probably came to this location by attachment to 21.1–14, which originally stood directly before 9.1. Alternatively, the two lists are used to frame the section, sometimes called “David under the curse.” The two lists are probably variants, although according to some scholars they reflect different periods in David’s reign. The Cherethites and the Pelethites, see 8.18n. Forced labor, conscripted from the northern tribes by David and Solomon. Adoram or Adoniram (1 Kings 4.6) was later stoned when the Israelites rebelled against the Davidic dynasty (1 Kings 12.18).

Chs 21–24: An appendix of miscellaneous stories and poems. The final four chapters of 2 Samuel contain six passages arranged in chiastic order: narrative (21.1–14), list (21.15–22), poem (22.1–51), poem (23.1–7), list (23.8–38), narrative (24.1–25). The accumulation of these passages may have come about as follows. 21.1–14 was moved from its original place before ch 9. The motive was likely to lessen the impression that David had Saul’s heirs killed for political reasons. The story in 24.1–25 was added to 21.1–14 (see 24.1) and placed as the final episode in David’s life before the account of his death in 1 Kings 1–2 because it anticipated the founding of the Temple under Solomon. The lists may have been added next, separating the two narratives. The two psalms were then inserted. Ch 22 is a song of deliverance and praise for victory. It is appropriate following the list of victories in 21.15–22. Then 23.1–7 was added to provide David’s “last words,” in the tradition of other leading biblical characters.

21.1–14: The execution of Saul’s heirs. 1–2: This story builds upon Josh 9, where the Gibeonites had a special treaty with Israel; this story assumes that the violation of that treaty brought divine wrath. The Bible nowhere recounts Saul’s attempted extermination of the Gibeonites. Amorites, one of several groups of pre‐Israelite residents of the land of Canaan, often used in the Deuteronomistic History for all of them. 3: The heritage of the Lord, the land and people of Israel; see 1 Sam 10.1n. 4: The Gibeonites regard this as a matter for blood vengeance, but as resident aliens in Israel they do not have the right to seek direct vengeance by execution. 5–9: Typically, the founder of a new dynasty annihilated the potential claimants from the previous dynasty as David does here. Saul’s alleged offense provides a religious legitimation for this political act. Only Merib‐baal is spared (v. 7), probably because he is disabled and therefore cannot be king, though it is also explained as a reflection of David’s relationship with Jonathan (see 1 Sam 18.1–3; 20.17,41–42). On the other hand, the theme of David’s affection for and covenant with Jonathan may have developed in conjunction with David’s preservation of Merib‐baal. This event took place early in David’s reign and originally came before 9.1, where David asks if anyone is left in Saul’s house. 6: Sons also includes grandsons. 8: Mephibosheth, not Jonathan’s son, Merib‐baal, who was spared. 9: The barley harvest was in April‐May. 10: Rizpah was Saul’s concubine (3.7–11). 11–14: As a result of Rizpah’s courageous action, David honors the memory of Saul and Jonathan; see 1 Sam 31.12–13.

21.15–22: Stories from the Philistine wars. The stories recounted here come from the battles with the Philistines earlier in David’s reign. 16: Three hundred shekels, ca. 8 lb (3.5 kg). 17: The insistence of David’s men that he not go to battle may lie behind 11.1; 18.3. 19: An alternate tradition concerning the death of Goliath: the otherwise unknown Elhanan, rather than David, slays him. The story in 1 Sam 17 is an elaboration and reworking of this tradition, attributing the victory to the better‐known David; cf. 1 Chr 20.5.

22.1–51: A psalm of praise. This psalm, which is essentially the same as Psalm 18, was written long after David’s time but is inserted here as appropriate to his sentiments. Variants between this version and the one in Psalms illustrate how larger and smaller changes occurred as texts were copied and transmitted over time. The psalm praises the Lord for appearing to rescue the psalmist (vv. 1–20) and for continued support of the psalmist’s military activities (vv. 21–51). Its placement following the exploits of David’s heroes in 21.15–22 and David’s own rescue (vv. 15–17) is appropriate. 2–3: Rock, a metaphor for the Lord as protector. 5–6: Perdition, the underworld, the abode of the dead, also called Sheol. 7: Temple suggests that this psalm was written after David’s time, since the Temple was built by Solomon, although it may refer to God’s heavenly abode (see Ps 11.4). 8: The Lord’s appearance is accompanied by earthquake. 9: The Lord is pictured here as a fire‐breathing dragon. 11–16: The Lord is depicted here as a storm god. 11: Cherub, a mythical, griffinlike creature. 14–15: God’s voice is thunder (Job 40.9; Ps 29.3), and he throws lightning bolts at his enemies. Most High, a title of El, the head of the Canaanite pantheon. The title is later appropriated for the Lord. 16: The psalmist envisions the world as flat; he is trapped in the underworld beneath the foundations of the world, which the Lord’s roar uncovers. 32: This is a monotheistic claim; the Lord (Yahweh) alone is God. Such claims are rare in the Bible, especially in early texts (contrast Ex 15.11). 33–43: The Lord equips the psalmist for battle. 47: Rock, see vv. 2–3n. 50: Compare, e.g., Ps 117.1. 51: Steadfast love (Heb “ḥesed”), covenant loyalty. This verse alludes to the Lord’s promise to David of an enduring dynasty (2 Sam 7). Anointed, Heb “mashiaḥ” (“messiah”), a royal title (see 1 Sam 2.10n.). David and his descendants, if original, suggests that the psalm comes from royal circles in Judah.

23.1–7: The last words of David. There may have been a literary tradition in the Bible of ascribing poems to leading characters as their “last words”; compare the poems attributed to Jacob in Gen 49 and to Moses in Deut 33. David’s last words, though, do not consist of a blessing of Israel. Like Moses, however, David is portrayed as a prophet pronouncing an oracle (23.1–2). The actual date of David’s “last words” is uncertain. In contrast to ch 22, 23.1–7 has no parallel in Psalms. 1: Anointed, a royal title, here referring to David, echoing 22.51. Strong One of Israel, probably an epithet for the Lord, as in the NRSV, but it could be rendered “(the favorite of) Israel’s songs.” 2: David portrays himself as a spokesman for God, i.e., a prophet. 3: Rock, see 22.3,47. 4: The image of the king as the sun was common in the ancient Near East, especially in Egypt, although less so in Israel. 5: House, the king’s (David’s) dynasty. Everlasting covenant, the Lord’s promise of a dynasty for David in 7.16; cf. Ps 89.28–29. 6–7: These verses continue the image of vv. 3–4. The godless are like thorns, quickly consumed by fire.

23.8–39: David’s heroes. This passage is a list of legendary heroes from David’s army with some of the exploits that brought them renown. 8–12: Nothing more is known about the Three greatest warriors in David’s army. 13–17: This story is not about the three warriors just listed but about three anonymous members of the honor guard of the thirty. 13: The beginning of harvest, the weather was hot and dry, which is why David became thirsty. Cave, see 1 Sam 22.1n. Adullam was David’s headquarters and hideout when he fled from Saul. 14: Stronghold, the fortress at Adullam. Since a garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem, this must have been early in David’s reign or even before he became king. Bethlehem, David’s hometown, hence his fond remembrance of the water there. 16–17: He poured it out to the Lord, some interpreters think David is angry that the men risked their lives foolishly, while others suggest that this was a libation or sacrifice to God, a great honor to the three men. 20–23: Benaiah, the commander of David’s bodyguard and later of the army under Solomon (1 Kings 4.4). 24: Asahel seems to be a young warrior aspiring to greatness in the story of his death (2.18–23). It is surprising to find his name in this list of soldiers who distinguished themselves in David’s army. This may indicate that the story in ch 2 was invented to give Joab a personal motive, rather than the political one of following David’s order, for killing Abner. Elhanan killed Goliath (21.19). 30: Benaiah, a different man from the Benaiah in vv. 20–23. 39: Uriah, Bathsheba’s husband (ch 11). It is uncertain how the count of thirty‐seven is achieved; the list in vv. 24–39 has thirty names in it, while adding the “Three” plus Abishai and Benaiah brings the number to thirty‐five. Joab may have been counted as a member of this elite group, though his name is not specifically mentioned. In some textual variations in vv. 24–39 an additional name is present.

24.1–25: David’s census. The final narrative in 2 Samuel. Because 2 Samuel and 1 Kings were originally part of a larger work and not separate books, this chapter was not written as a conclusion to 2 Samuel but anticipates the building of the Temple under Solomon (vv. 18–25; see 1 Kings chs 5–6; 8) and thus looks forward to the sequel of David’s reign. 1: Again implies that this story follows an earlier one, perhaps 21.1–14. A revised version of this story is found in 1 Chronicles 21, which attributes the pestilence to “a satan” (lit., “an adversary”). There is no “devil” in the Hebrew Bible; both texts reflect the belief that natural calamity is the result of human sin, although it is unclear why taking a census was sinful; some scholars suggest it was a sign of David’s inordinate pride or that the census was meant to bring about unacceptable changes in Israelite society. (A census usually provided the basis for conscription and taxation.) Another interpretation is that some rule of ritual purity was violated. 2: From Dan to Beer‐sheba, see 3.10n. 3–4: These potential dangers may explain Joab’s reluctance to carry out the census. 5–7: The census takers began at Aroer east of the Dead Sea and moved north as far as Dan, then crossed over the Jordan and went south through traditional Israel until they reached Beer‐sheba (see map on p. 461). 9: The count is limited to men of military age. Thousand, see 6.1n. Israel and Judah are numbered separately because Judah, as David’s native tribe, was exempted from taxation. 10–14: Stricken to the heart, conscience‐stricken. The language David uses is similar to 2 Sam 12.13; here, as well, take away is better rendered “transfer.” David is given a choice of three punishments that will befall others; he chooses the hand of the Lord, an idiom for plague, perhaps trusting in the Lord’s mercy. 15–16: David’s strategy works. The plague is stopped after only one day and Jerusalem is spared. 15: The appointed time may be the time of the evening meal. Thousand, see 6.1n. 16: Angel: Cf. Ex 12.23. Angels sometimes occur in the Bible as surrogates for the Lord where misfortunes occur. Evil, not moral evil but destruction. Araunah, called Ornan in 1 Chr 21. Jebusite, a pre‐Israelite native of Jerusalem (5.6–10). Threshing floor, a flat, high area where grain was separated from the chaff. God also appears to people at threshing floors elsewhere in the Bible (Judg 6.11–12). 17: Sheep, the people of Jerusalem with David, as king, imagined as their shepherd; see 7.8n. 18–25: These verses indicate that the plague was stopped after David built his altar and made his offerings rather than by the Lord’s free will as in v. 16. 1 Chr 22.1 explicitly identifies this as the site where the altar of the Temple would be built. Fifty shekels, ca. 1.25 lb (.57 kg).

^a Heb that The Bow

^b Meaning of Heb uncertain

^a Gk Compare 1 Chr 8.33; 9.39: Heb Ish‐bosheth, “man of shame”

^b That is Field of Sword‐edges

^a Meaning of Heb uncertain

^b Heb And he

^c Gk Compare 1 Chr 8.33; 9.39: Heb Ish‐bosheth, “man of shame”

^d Gk: Heb where he was

^a Heb Ish‐bosheth

^b Heb he

^c Heb lacks shedding

^d Heb his

^e Heb May it

^f A term for several skin diseases; precise meaning uncertain

^a Heb lacks Ishbaal

^b In 1 Chr 8.34 and 9.40, Merib‐baal

^c Heb Ish‐bosheth

^d Meaning of Heb of verse 6 uncertain

^a Another reading is those who hate David

^a Heb paraz

^b That is Lord of Bursting Forth

^c Or and his brother

^d Compare Gk: Heb and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill with the ark of God

^e Q Ms Gk 1 Chr 13.8: Heb fir trees

^f 1 Chr 13.10 Compare Q Ms: Meaning of Heb uncertain

^g That is Bursting Out Against Uzzah

^a Vg: Meaning of Heb uncertain

^a Or any of the tribes

^b Gk Syr Vg 1 Chr 17.13: Heb shall not depart

^c Gk Heb Mss: MT before you; Compare 2 Sam 7.26, 29

^d Meaning of Heb uncertain

^e Gk: Heb one

^f Heb you

^g Gk 1 Chr 17.21: Heb for your land

^h Cn: Heb before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt, nations and its gods

^a Heb one full length

^b Compare 1 Sam 15.12 and 2 Sam 18.18

^c Gk: Heb returned from striking down eighteen thousand Arameans

^a Syr Tg Vg 20.23; 1 Chr 18.17: Heb lacks was over

^b Or Merib‐baal: See 4.4 note

^c Gk: Heb my

^d Or Merib‐baal’s: See 4.4 note

^a 1 Chr 19.18 and some Gk Mss read foot soldiers

^a Or at Succoth

^b Gk Syr Judg 7.1: Heb Jerubbesheth

^a Ancient scribal tradition: Compare 1 Sam 25.22 note: Heb scorned the enemies of the Lord

^b That is Beloved of the Lord

^c Gk See 1 Kings 11.5, 33: Heb their kings

^a Heb and poured

^b Cn Compare Gk Vg: Meaning of Heb uncertain

^a Cn: Heb were clothed in robes

^b Q Ms Gk: MT lacks but he would not punish . . . firstborn

^c Gk Compare Q Ms: MT lacks Absalom made a feast like a king’s feast

^d Heb he

^e Cn Compare Gk: Heb the road behind him

^a Q Ms Gk: MT And David

^b Meaning of Heb uncertain

^a Gk Syr: Heb forty

^b Gk Mss: Heb lacks in Hebron

^c Or he sent

^d Gk Compare 2.6: Heb lacks may the Lord show

^a Gk: Heb Are you a seer or Do you see?

^b Cn: Heb lacks and Abiathar

^c Or Merib‐baal: See 4.4 note

^a Or Merib‐baal: See 4.4 note

^b Gk Vg: Heb iniquity

^c Gk: Heb lacks at the Jordan

^d Gk: Heb all the people, the men of Israel

^e Heb word

^a Gk: Heb like the return of the whole (is) the man whom you seek

^b Gk Mss: Heb some of them

^c Meaning of Heb uncertain

^a 1 Chr 2.17: Heb Israelite

^b Heb and lentils and parched grain

^c Gk: Heb sent forth the army

^d Gk Vg Symmachus: Heb for now there are ten thousand such as we

^a Gk Syr Tg: Heb was put

^b Another reading is at the risk of my life

^c Meaning of Heb uncertain

^d Heb the king’s servant, your servant

^a Ch 19.1 in Heb

^b Gk: Heb to the king, to his house

^c Heb He

^a Cn: Heb the ford crossed

^b Or Merib‐baal: See 4.4 note

^c Gk Syr Vg: Heb said, ‘I will saddle a donkey for myself

^a Heb He

^b Compare 20.15: Heb and Beth‐maacah

^c Compare Gk Vg: Heb Berites

^d Heb They

^e Cn: Heb Joab to all the army, Israel

^a Cn Compare Gk and 21.9: Heb at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the Lord

^b Or Merib‐baal: See 4.4 note

^c Two Heb Mss Syr Compare Gk: MT Michal

^d Heb them

^a Heb was belted anew

^a Q Ms Gk Syr Vg Compare Ps 18.32: MT God is my strong refuge

^b Meaning of Heb uncertain

^c Another reading is his

^d Q Ms: MT your answering

^a Gk: Heb from strife with my people

^b Q Ms: MT who was raised on high

^a Heb But worthlessness

^b Heb in sitting

^c Gk Vg Compare 1 Chr 11.11: Meaning of Heb uncertain

^d 1 Chr 11.11: Meaning of Heb uncertain

^e Heb adds head

^f Two Heb Mss Syr: MT Three

^g Syr Compare 1 Chr 11.25: Heb Was he the most renowned of the Three?

^h Another reading is the son of Ish‐hai

ⁱ Gk: Heb lacks sons of

^a Gk: Heb lacks son of

^b Another reading is Hezrai

^c 1 Chr 21.2 Gk: Heb to Joab the commander of the army

^d Gk Mss: Heb encamped in Aroer south of

^e Gk: Heb to the land of Tahtim‐hodshi

^f Cn Compare Gk: Heb they came to Dan‐jaan and

^a Or hold over

^b 1 Chr 21.12 Gk: Heb seven