David Made King over Judah

Then it came about afterward that (A)David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up to one of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” So David said, “Where shall I go up?” And He said, “(B)To Hebron.” So David went up there, and (C)his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess and Abigail the [a]widow of Nabal the Carmelite. And (D)David brought up his men who were with him, each with his household; and they settled in the cities of Hebron. Then the men of Judah came, and there they (E)anointed David king over the house of Judah.

And they told David, saying, “It was (F)the men of Jabesh-gilead who buried Saul.” So David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said to them, “(G)May you be blessed of the Lord because you have [b]shown this kindness to Saul your lord, and have buried him. And now (H)may the Lord [c]show kindness and truth to you; and I also will [d]show this goodness to you, because you have done this thing. Now then, let your hands be strong and be [e]valiant, since Saul your lord is dead, and also the house of Judah has anointed me king over them.”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 2:2 Lit wife
  2. 2 Samuel 2:5 Lit done
  3. 2 Samuel 2:6 Lit do
  4. 2 Samuel 2:6 Lit do
  5. 2 Samuel 2:7 Lit sons of valor

And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the Lord said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron.

So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail Nabal's wife the Carmelite.

And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his household: and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.

And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, That the men of Jabeshgilead were they that buried Saul.

And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabeshgilead, and said unto them, Blessed be ye of the Lord, that ye have shewed this kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried him.

And now the Lord shew kindness and truth unto you: and I also will requite you this kindness, because ye have done this thing.

Therefore now let your hands be strengthened, and be ye valiant: for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.

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David then asked the Lord, “Shall I move back to Judah?”

And the Lord replied, “Yes.”

“Which city shall I go to?”

And the Lord replied, “Hebron.”

So David and his wives—Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail the widow of Nabal from Carmel— and his men and their families all moved to Hebron. Then the leaders of Judah came to David and crowned him king of the Judean confederacy.

When David heard that the men of Jabesh-gilead had buried Saul, he sent them this message: “May the Lord bless you for being so loyal to your king and giving him a decent burial. May the Lord be loyal to you in return and reward you with many demonstrations of his love! And I too will be kind to you because of what you have done. And now I ask you to be my strong and loyal subjects, now that Saul is dead. Be like the tribe of Judah who have appointed me as their new king.”

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