2 Samuel 4-5

GOD’S WORD Translation

Ishbosheth Is Murdered

4 When Saul’s son Ishbosheth heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost his courage, and all Israel was alarmed. ² Saul’s son had two men who were captains of raiding parties. One was named Baanah, and the other was named Rechab. They were the sons of Rimmon from Beeroth from the tribe of Benjamin.

(Beeroth was considered a part of Benjamin, ³ even though the people of Beeroth had fled to Gittaim. They still live there today. ⁴ In addition, Saul’s son Jonathan had a son who was crippled. When the boy was five years old, the news about ⌞the death of⌟ Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled ⌞to Gittaim⌟. She was in a hurry when she left, and he fell ⌞from her arms⌟ and became disabled. His name was Mephibosheth.)

⁵ Rechab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon from Beeroth, came to Ishbosheth’s home at the hottest time of the day. Ishbosheth was taking his midday nap ⁶ when they came into the house as though they were going to get some flour. Instead, they stabbed him in the belly. Then Rechab and his brother Baanah escaped. ⁷ (They had come into the house while Ishbosheth was sleeping on his bed in his bedroom. They stabbed him, killed him, and cut off his head.) They took his head and traveled all night along the road to the plains.

⁸ They brought Ishbosheth’s head to David at Hebron. “Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of your enemy Saul who tried to kill you,” they told the king. “Today the Lord has given Your Royal Majesty revenge on Saul and his descendants.”

⁹ David responded to Rechab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon from Beeroth, ¹⁰ “I once seized a man who told me that Saul had died. He thought he was bringing good news. I killed him in Ziklag to reward him for his news. ¹¹ How much more ⌞should I reward⌟ wicked men who kill an innocent man on his own bed in his home? The Lord has rescued me from every trouble. I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives,^[a] I’ll now seek revenge for his murder and rid the land of you.” ¹² So David gave an order to his young men, who executed Rechab and Baanah, cut off their hands and feet, and hung their dead bodies by the pond in Hebron. Then they took Ishbosheth’s head and buried it in Abner’s tomb in Hebron.

David Anointed King of Israel^(A)

5 All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron. “We are your own flesh and blood,” they said. ² “Even in the past when Saul ruled us, you were the one who led Israel in battle. The Lord has said to you, ‘You will be shepherd of my people Israel, the leader of Israel.’ ”

³ All the leaders of Israel had come to Hebron. King David made an agreement with them at Hebron in front of the Lord. So they anointed David king of Israel. ⁴ David was 30 years old when he became king, and he ruled for 40 years. ⁵ In Hebron he ruled Judah for seven years and six months. In Jerusalem he ruled for 33 years over all Israel and Judah.

David Captures Jerusalem^(B)

⁶ The king and his men went to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived in that region. The Jebusites told David, “You will never get in here. Even the blind and the lame could turn you away” (meaning that David could never get in there). ⁷ But David captured the fortress Zion (that is, the City of David). ⁸ That day David said, “Whoever wants to defeat the Jebusites must reach the lame and the blind who hate me by using the water shaft.” So there is a saying, “The blind and the lame will not get into the palace.” ^{[b] 9} David lived in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built the city ⌞of Jerusalem⌟ around it from the Millo ^[c] to the palace. ¹⁰ David continued to grow more powerful because the Lord God ^[d] of Armies was with him.

David’s Palace, Wives, and Children in Jerusalem^(C)

¹¹ Then King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedarwood, carpenters, and stonemasons. They built a palace for David. ¹² So David realized that the Lord had established him as king of Israel and made his kingship famous for the sake of Israel, the Lord’s people.

¹³ David married more concubines ^[e] and wives from Jerusalem after he had come there from Hebron, and he fathered more sons and daughters. ¹⁴ These are the names of the children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ¹⁵ Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ¹⁶ Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

David Defeats the Philistines^(D)

¹⁷ When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king of Israel, all of them came to attack David. But David heard about it and went to the fortress. ¹⁸ The Philistines had come and overrun the valley of Rephaim.

¹⁹ David asked the Lord, “Should I attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?”

The Lord answered David, “Attack! I will certainly hand the Philistines over to you.”

²⁰ So David went to Baal Perazim and defeated the Philistines there. He said, “The Lord has overwhelmed my enemies in front of me like an overwhelming flood.” That is why that place is called Baal Perazim [The Lord Overwhelms]. ²¹ The Philistines left their idols there, so David and his men carried the idols away.

²² The Philistines again attacked and overran the valley of Rephaim. ²³ David asked the Lord, and he answered, “Don’t attack now, but circle around behind them, and come at them in front of the balsam trees. ²⁴ When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, act immediately because the Lord has gone ahead of you to defeat the Philistine army.” ²⁵ David did as the Lord ordered him and defeated the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.