# verses

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Samuel asked the people, "Do you see whom the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people." Then all the people shouted, "Long live the king!"


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Samuel explained the laws concerning kingship to the people. He wrote the laws on a scroll, which he placed in front of the Lord. Then Samuel sent the people back to their homes.


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However, some good-for-nothing people asked, "How can this man save us?" They despised him and wouldn't bring him presents, but he didn't respond.


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King Nahash of Ammon was severely oppressing the tribes of Gad and Reuben. He would poke out everyone's right eye and allow no one to rescue Israel. There was no one among the Israelites east of the Jordan River whose right eye King Nahash of Ammon had not poked out. However, seven thousand men had escaped from the Ammonites and gone to Jabesh Gilead. About a month later Nahash the Ammonite blockaded Jabesh Gilead. All the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a treaty with us, and we'll serve you."


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Nahash the Ammonite responded, "I'll make a treaty with you on this one condition: I'll poke out everyone's right eye and bring disgrace on all Israel."


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The leaders of Jabesh told him, "Give us seven days so that we can send messengers throughout the territory of Israel. And if there's no one to save us, we'll surrender to you."


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The messengers came to Saul's town, Gibeah. When they told the people the news, the people cried loudly.


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Just then Saul was coming from the field behind some oxen. "Why are these people crying?" Saul asked. So they told him the news about the men of Jabesh.


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Saul took a pair of oxen, cut them in pieces, and sent them by messengers throughout the territory of Israel with the following message: "This is what will be done to the oxen of anyone who doesn't follow Saul and Samuel {into battle}." So the people became terrified by the Lord, and they came out united {behind Saul}.


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When Saul counted them at Bezek, there were 300,000 troops from Israel and 30,000 troops from Judah.


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They told the messengers who had come, "This is what you are to say to the men of Jabesh Gilead: 'Tomorrow, by the time the sun gets hot, you will be rescued.' " When the men of Jabesh received the message, they were overjoyed.


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They said {to Nahash}, "Tomorrow we'll surrender to you, and you may do to us whatever you think is right."


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The next day Saul arranged the army in three divisions. They came into the {Ammonite} camp during the morning hours and continued to defeat the Ammonites until it got hot that day. The survivors were so scattered that no two of them were left together.


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Then the people asked Samuel, "Who said that Saul shouldn't rule us? Let us have them, and we'll kill them."


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Then all the troops went to Gilgal, and there in the Lord's presence, they confirmed Saul as their king. There they sacrificed fellowship offerings to the Lord. Saul and all of Israel's soldiers celebrated.


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Then Samuel said to all Israel, "I have listened to everything you have said to me and appointed a king over you.


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And now, here is the king who will lead you. I am old and gray, but my sons are with you. I have led you from my youth until this day.


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Here I am. Testify against me in front of the Lord and in front of his anointed king. Did I take anyone's ox? Did I take anyone's donkey? Did I cheat or oppress anyone? Did I take a bribe from anyone to look the other way? {If so,} I will give it all back."


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Samuel told them, "The Lord is a witness to what you've said, and his anointed king is a witness today that you've found nothing in my hands." "He is a witness," they answered.


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Samuel told the people, "The Lord appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors out of Egypt.


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Now, stand up while I put you on trial in front of the Lord and cite all the righteous things the Lord did for you and your ancestors.


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When your ancestors went with Jacob to Egypt {and were oppressed}, they cried out to the Lord, who sent Moses and Aaron to bring them out of Egypt. The Lord settled them in this place.


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But they forgot the Lord their God. So he handed them over to Sisera, who was the commander of the army of Hazor, to the Philistines, and to the king of Moab. All of them fought against your ancestors.


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Then they cried out to the Lord and said, 'We have sinned. We have abandoned the Lord and served other gods and goddesses—the Baals and the Astartes. But rescue us from our enemies now, and we will serve you.'


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"Then the Lord sent Jerubbaal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel and rescued you from your enemies on every side so that you could live securely.


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But when you saw King Nahash of Ammon coming to attack you, you told me, 'No, a king should rule over us,' though the Lord your God was your king.


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"Now, here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for. See, the Lord has put a king over you.


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If you fear the Lord, serve him, obey him, and don't rebel against what he says, then you and your king will follow the Lord your God.


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But if you don't obey the Lord, if you rebel against what he says, then the Lord will be against you as he was against your ancestors.


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Isn't the wheat being harvested today? I will call on the Lord, and he'll send thunder and rain. Then you will realize what a wicked thing you did in the Lord's presence when you asked for a king."


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Then Samuel called on the Lord. That day the Lord sent thunder and rain so that all the people feared the Lord and Samuel very much.


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All the people pleaded with Samuel, "Pray to the Lord your God for us so that we will not die. We have added {another} evil thing to all our other sins by asking for a king."


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"Don't be afraid," Samuel told the people. "You did do all these evil things. But don't turn away from the Lord. Instead, serve the Lord wholeheartedly.


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For the sake of his great name, the Lord will not abandon his people, because the Lord wants to make you his people.


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It would be unthinkable for me to sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. I will go on teaching you the way that is good and right.


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Saul chose 3,000 men from Israel; 2,000 of them were stationed with Saul at Michmash and in the mountains of Bethel, and 1,000 were stationed with Jonathan at Gibeah in Benjamin. But the rest of the people he sent home.


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Jonathan defeated the Philistine troops at Geba, and the Philistines heard about it. With the sounding of the ram's horn throughout the land, Saul announced, "Listen, Hebrews!"


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(So all Israel listened.) "I, Saul, have defeated the Philistine troops, and now Israel has become offensive to the Philistines!" All the troops rallied behind Saul at Gilgal.


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The Philistines assembled to fight against Israel. They had 30,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen, and as many soldiers as the sand on the seashore. They camped at Michmash, east of Beth Aven.


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When the Israelites saw they were in trouble because the army was hard-pressed, they hid in caves, in thorny thickets, among rocks, in pits, and in cisterns.


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Some Hebrews crossed the Jordan River into the territory of Gad and Gilead. But Saul remained in Gilgal, and all the people who followed him trembled {in fear}.


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He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel. But Samuel had not come to Gilgal, and the troops began to scatter.


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Then Saul said, "Bring me the animals for the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings." So he sacrificed the burnt offering.


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Samuel asked, "What have you done?" Saul replied, "I saw the troops were scattering. You didn't come when you said you would, and the Philistines were assembling at Michmash.


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So I thought, 'Now, the Philistines will come against me at Gilgal, but I haven't sought the Lord's favor.' I felt pressured into sacrificing the burnt offering."


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"You did a foolish thing," Samuel told Saul. "You didn't follow the command of the Lord your God. {If you had,} the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel permanently.


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But now your kingdom will not last. The Lord has searched for a man after his own heart. The Lord has appointed him as ruler of his people, because you didn't follow the command of the Lord."


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Samuel left Gilgal. The rest of the people followed Saul to meet the soldiers. They went from Gilgal to Gibeah in Benjamin, where Saul counted the troops who were still with him—about 600 men.


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Saul, his son Jonathan, and the troops who were with them stayed at Geba in Benjamin while the Philistines camped at Michmash.


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Raiding parties left the Philistine camp in three columns. One column turned onto the road to Ophrah to the region of Shual.


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Another column turned onto the road to Beth Horon. And one turned onto the road toward the region that overlooks the valley of Zeboim and the desert.


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No blacksmith could be found in the entire land of Israel. In this way the Philistines kept the Hebrews from making swords and spears.


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Everyone in Israel had to go to the Philistines to sharpen the blade of his plow, his mattock, ax, or sickle.


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The price was a pim for plow blades and mattocks, and one-tenth of an ounce of silver to sharpen a mattock or set a metal point on a cattle-prod.


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So on the day of battle, not one sword or spear could be found among all the troops who were with Saul and Jonathan. But Saul and his son Jonathan had them.


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One day Saul's son Jonathan said to his armorbearer, "Let's go to the Philistine military post on the other side." But Jonathan didn't tell his father {he was going}.


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Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree at Migron. He had with him about 600 men


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in addition to Ahijah, the son of Ichabod's brother Ahitub, who was the son of Phinehas and the grandson of Eli, the Lord's priest at Shiloh. Ahijah was wearing the priestly ephod. The troops didn't know Jonathan had left.


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There was a cliff on each side of the mountain pass where Jonathan searched for a way to cross over to attack the Philistine military post. The name of one {cliff} was Bozez, and the name of the other was Seneh.


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Jonathan said to his armorbearer, "Let's go to the military post of these uncircumcised people. Maybe the Lord will act on our behalf. The Lord can win a victory with a few men as well as with many."


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If they say to us, 'Stay where you are until we come to you,' then we'll stay where we are and not go up to them.


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But if they say to us, 'Come up here,' then we'll go up, because that will be our sign that the Lord has handed them over to us."


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So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine troops. The Philistines said, "Look, some Hebrews are coming out of the holes they were hiding in."


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"Come up here," the men of the military post said to Jonathan and his armorbearer. "We have something to show you." Jonathan told his armorbearer, "Follow me up {to the military post} because the Lord has handed the troops over to Israel."


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Jonathan climbed up {the cliff}, and his armorbearer followed him. Jonathan struck down the Philistines. His armorbearer, who was behind him, finished killing them.


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In their first slaughter Jonathan and his armorbearer killed about twenty men within about a hundred yards.


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There was panic among the army in the field and all the troops in the military post. The raiding party also trembled {in fear}. The earth shook, and there was a panic sent from God.


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Saul's watchmen at Gibeah in Benjamin could see the crowd {in the Philistine camp} dispersing in all directions.


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"Look around," Saul told the troops who were with him, "and see who has left {our camp}." They looked and found that Jonathan and his armorbearer were not there.


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Then Saul said to Ahijah, "Bring the priestly ephod," because Ahijah carried the ephod in front of Israel that day.


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While Saul was talking to the priest, the confusion in the Philistine camp grew worse and worse. Then Saul said to the priest, "Remove your hand {from the ephod}."


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Saul and all the troops with him assembled and went into battle. They found Philistine soldiers killing their fellow soldiers in wild confusion.


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The Hebrews who had been with the Philistines before this and had been stationed in the camp now joined the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.


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When all the men of Israel who had been hiding in the mountains of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were fleeing, they also pursued the Philistines in battle.


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Israel's soldiers were driven hard that day. Saul made the troops swear, "Cursed is anyone who eats food before the evening comes and before I've gotten revenge on my enemies." So none of his troops tasted any food.


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When the troops entered the woods, the honey was flowing. But no one put his hand to his mouth, because the troops were afraid of violating their oath.


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Jonathan hadn't heard that his father forced the troops to take an oath. So he stretched out the tip of the staff he had in his hand and dipped it in the honeycomb. When he put it to his mouth, his eyes lit up.


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Then one of the soldiers told him, "Your father forced the troops to take a solemn oath: 'Cursed is anyone who eats food today.' " Now, the army was exhausted.


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Jonathan answered, "My father has brought trouble to the country. See how my eyes lit up when I tasted a little of this honey?


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If only the troops had eaten some of the enemies' food, which they found today. We would have killed more Philistines."


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That day they struck down the Philistines from Michmash to Aijalon, but the troops were thoroughly exhausted.


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So the troops seized the Philistines' belongings. They took sheep, cows, and calves, and butchered them on the ground. The troops ate the meat with blood still in it.


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Some {soldiers} told Saul, "The troops are sinning against the Lord by eating meat with blood in it." Saul replied, "You have been unfaithful. Roll a large rock over to me now."


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Then Saul said, "Spread out through the troops, and tell them, 'Each of you, bring me your ox or your sheep, and butcher it here, and eat. But don't sin against the Lord by eating meat with blood in it.' " So each of the soldiers brought his ox with him that night and butchered it there.


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Saul said {to his men}, "Let's attack the Philistines tonight and take their possessions until the light of dawn. And let's not leave any of them {alive}." "Do whatever you think is best," they responded. But the priest said, "Let's consult God first."


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Then Saul asked God, "Should I attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to Israel?" But he received no answer that day.


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I solemnly swear, as the Lord and Savior of Israel lives, even if it is my son Jonathan {who did it}, he must die." But not one of the soldiers replied.


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Saul told all Israel, "You stand on one side, and my son Jonathan and I will stand on the other side." "Do whatever you think is best," the troops responded to Saul.


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Then Saul said to the Lord, "O God of Israel, why didn't you answer me today? If this sin is mine or my son Jonathan's, Lord God of Israel, {let the priest} draw Urim. But if it is in your people Israel, {let him} draw Thummim." Jonathan and Saul were chosen, and the people were freed {from guilt}.


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"Tell me," Saul asked Jonathan. "What did you do?" So Jonathan told him, "I tasted a little honey on the tip of the staff I had in my hand. And for that I am to die?"


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The troops asked Saul, "Should Jonathan die after he has won this great victory in Israel? That would be unthinkable! We solemnly swear, as the Lord lives, not a single hair of his head will fall to the ground, because he has done this with God's help today." So the troops rescued Jonathan from death.


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When Saul had taken over the kingdom of Israel, he fought against his enemies on every side—against Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the kings of Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he was victorious.


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He acted forcefully and defeated Amalek. He rescued Israel from the enemies who looted their possessions.


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Saul's sons were Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malchishua. The names of his two daughters were Merab (the firstborn daughter) and Michal (the younger daughter).


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The name of Saul's wife was Ahinoam, the daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the commander of his army was Abner, the son of Saul's uncle Ner.


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There was intense warfare with the Philistines as long as Saul lived. Whenever any warrior or any skilled fighting man came to Saul's attention, Saul would enlist him in the army.


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Samuel told Saul, "The Lord sent me to anoint you king of his people Israel. Now listen to the Lord's words.


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This is what the Lord of Armies says: I will punish Amalek for what they did to Israel. They blocked Israel's way after the Israelites came from Egypt.


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Now go and attack Amalek. Claim everything they have for God by destroying it. Don't spare them, but kill men and women, infants and children, cows and sheep, camels and donkeys."


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Saul organized the troops, and he counted them at Telaim: 200,000 foot soldiers and 10,000 men from Judah.


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Then Saul said to the Kenites, "Get away from the Amalekites so that I won't destroy you with them. You were kind to all the Israelites when they came from Egypt." So the Kenites left the Amalekites.


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Saul and the army spared Agag and the best sheep and cows, the fattened animals, the lambs, and all the best {property}. The army refused to claim them for God by destroying them. But everything that was worthless and weak the army did claim for God and destroy.


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"I regret that I made Saul king. He turned away from me and did not carry out my instructions." Samuel was angry, and he prayed to the Lord all night.


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Early in the morning he got up to meet Saul. Samuel was told, "Saul went to Carmel to set up a monument in his honor. Then he left there and went to Gilgal."


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However, Samuel asked, "But what is this sound of sheep in my ears and this sound of cows that I hear?"


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Saul answered, "The army brought them from the Amalekites. They spared the best sheep and cows to sacrifice to the Lord your God. But the rest they claimed for God and destroyed."


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"Be quiet," Samuel told Saul, "and let me tell you what the Lord told me last night." "Speak," Saul replied.


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Samuel said, "Even though you don't consider yourself great, you were the head of Israel's tribes. The Lord anointed you king of Israel.


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And the Lord sent you on a mission. He said, 'Claim those sinners, the Amalekites, for me by destroying them. Wage war against them until they're wiped out.'


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Why didn't you obey the Lord? Why have you taken their belongings and done what the Lord considers evil?"


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"But I did obey the Lord," Saul told Samuel. "I went where the Lord sent me, brought {back} King Agag of Amalek, and claimed the Amalekites for God.


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The army took some of their belongings—the best sheep and cows were claimed for God—in order to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal."


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Then Samuel said, "Is the Lord as delighted with burnt offerings and sacrifices as he would be with your obedience? To follow instructions is better than to sacrifice. To obey is better than sacrificing the fat of rams.


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The sin of black magic is rebellion. Wickedness and idolatry are arrogance. Because you rejected the word of the Lord, he rejects you as king."


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Then Saul told Samuel, "I have sinned by not following the Lord's command or your instructions. I was afraid of the people and listened to them.


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Samuel told Saul, "I will not go back with you because you rejected what the Lord told you. So the Lord rejects you as king of Israel."


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Samuel told him, "The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today. He has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.


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In addition, the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind, because he is not a mortal who changes his mind."


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Saul replied, "I have sinned! Now please honor me in front of the leaders of my people and in front of Israel. Come back with me, and let me worship the Lord your God."


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"Bring me King Agag of Amalek," Samuel said. Agag came to him trembling. "Surely, the bitterness of death is past," Agag said.


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But Samuel said, "As your sword made women childless, so your mother will be made childless among women." And Samuel cut Agag in pieces in the presence of the Lord at Gilgal.


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Samuel didn't see Saul again before he died, though Samuel mourned over Saul. And the Lord regretted that he had made Saul king of Israel.


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The Lord asked Samuel, "How long are you going to mourn for Saul now that I have rejected him as king of Israel? Fill a flask with olive oil and go. I'm sending you to Jesse in Bethlehem because I've selected one of his sons to be king."


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"How can I go?" Samuel asked. "When Saul hears about it, he'll kill me." The Lord said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I've come to sacrifice to the Lord.'


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Invite Jesse to the sacrifice. I will reveal to you what you should do, and you will anoint for me the one I point out to you."


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Samuel did what the Lord told him. When he came to Bethlehem, the leaders of the city, trembling with fear, greeted him and said, "May peace be with you."


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"Greetings," he replied, "I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Perform the ceremonies to make yourselves holy, and come with me to the sacrifice." He performed the ceremonies for Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.


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When they came, he saw Eliab and thought, "Certainly, here in the Lord's presence is his anointed king."


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But the Lord told Samuel, "Don't look at his appearance or how tall he is, because I have rejected him. God does not see as humans see. Humans look at outward appearances, but the Lord looks into the heart."


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Then Jesse called Abinadab and brought him to Samuel. But Samuel said, "The Lord has not chosen this one either."


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So Jesse brought seven {more} of his sons to Samuel, but Samuel told Jesse, "The Lord has not chosen {any of} these.


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Are these all the sons you have?" "There's still the youngest one," Jesse answered. "He's tending the sheep." Samuel told Jesse, "Send someone to get him. We won't continue until he gets here."


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So Jesse sent for him. He had a healthy complexion, attractive eyes, and a handsome appearance. The Lord said, "Go ahead, anoint him. He is the one."


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Samuel took the flask of olive oil and anointed David in the presence of his brothers. The Lord's Spirit came over David and stayed with him from that day on. Then Samuel left for Ramah.


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Your Majesty, why don't you command us to look for a man who can play the lyre well? When the evil spirit from God comes to you, he'll strum a tune, and you'll feel better."


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One of the officials said, "I know one of Jesse's sons from Bethlehem who can play well. He's a courageous man and a warrior. He has a way with words, he is handsome, and the Lord is with him."


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Jesse took six bushels of bread, a full wineskin, and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul.


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Saul sent {this message} to Jesse, "Please let David stay with me because I have grown fond of him."


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Whenever God's spirit came to Saul, David took the lyre and strummed a tune. Saul got relief {from his terror} and felt better, and the evil spirit left him.


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The Philistines assembled their armies for war. They assembled at Socoh, which is in Judah, and camped between Socoh and Azekah at Ephes Dammim.


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So Saul and the army of Israel assembled and camped in the Elah Valley. They formed a battle line to fight the Philistines.


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The Philistines were stationed on a hill on one side, and the Israelites were stationed on a hill on the other side. There was a ravine between the two of them.


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The Philistine army's champion came out of their camp. His name was Goliath from Gath. He was ten feet tall.


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The shaft of his spear was like the beam used by weavers. The head of his spear was made of 15 pounds of iron. The man who carried his shield walked ahead of him.


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Goliath stood and called to the Israelites, "Why do you form a battle line? Am I not a Philistine, and aren't you Saul's servants? Choose a man, and let him come down to {fight} me.


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If he can fight me and kill me, then we will be your slaves. But if I overpower him and kill him, then you will be our slaves and serve us."


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The Philistine added, "I challenge the Israelite battle line today. Send out a man so that we can fight each other."


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David was a son of a man named Jesse from the region of Ephrath and the city of Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul's day he was an old man.


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Jesse's three oldest sons joined Saul's army for the battle. The firstborn was Eliab, the second was Abinadab, the third was Shammah,


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Jesse told his son David, "Take this half-bushel of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread to your brothers. Take them to your brothers in the camp right away.


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And take these ten cheeses to the captain of the regiment. See how your brothers are doing, and bring back some news about them.


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They, along with Saul and all the soldiers of Israel, are in the Elah Valley fighting the Philistines."


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David got up early in the morning and had someone else watch {the sheep}. He took {the food} and went, as Jesse ordered him. He went to the camp as the army was going out to the battle line shouting their war cry.


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David left the supplies behind in the hands of the quartermaster, ran to the battle line, and greeted his brothers.


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While he was talking to them, the Philistine champion, Goliath from Gath, came from the battle lines of the Philistines. He repeated his words, and David heard them.


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The men of Israel said, "Did you see that man coming {from the Philistine lines}? He keeps coming to challenge Israel. The king will make the man who kills this Philistine very rich. He will give his daughter to that man to marry and elevate the social status of his family."


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David asked the men who were standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and gets rid of Israel's disgrace? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should challenge the army of the living God?"


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Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard David talking to the men. Then Eliab became angry with David. "Why did you come here," he asked him, "and with whom did you leave those few sheep in the wilderness? I know how overconfident and headstrong you are. You came here just to see the battle."


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He turned to face another man and asked the same question, and the other soldiers gave him the same answer.


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David told Saul, "No one should be discouraged because of this. I will go and fight this Philistine."


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Saul responded to David, "You can't fight this Philistine. You're just a boy, but he's been a warrior since he was your age."


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David replied to Saul, "I am a shepherd for my father's sheep. Whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock,


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I went after it, struck it, and rescued the sheep from its mouth. If it attacked me, I took hold of its mane, struck it, and killed it.


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I have killed lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them because he has challenged the army of the living God."


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David added, "The Lord, who saved me from the lion and the bear, will save me from this Philistine." "Go," Saul told David, "and may the Lord be with you."


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Saul put his battle tunic on David; he put a bronze helmet on David's head and dressed him in armor.


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David fastened Saul's sword over his clothes and tried to walk, but he had never practiced doing this. "I can't walk in these things," David told Saul. "I've never had any practice doing this." So David took all those things off.


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He took his stick with him, picked out five smooth stones from the riverbed, and put them in his shepherd's bag. With a sling in his hand, he approached the Philistine.


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When the Philistine got a good look at David, he despised him. After all, David was a young man with a healthy complexion and good looks.


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The Philistine asked David, "Am I a dog that you come to {attack} me with sticks?" So the Philistine called on his gods to curse David.


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David told the Philistine, "You come to me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of Armies, the God of the army of Israel, whom you have insulted.


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Today the Lord will hand you over to me. I will strike you down and cut off your head. And this day I will give the dead bodies of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals. The whole world will know that Israel has a God.


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Then everyone gathered here will know that the Lord can save without sword or spear, because the Lord determines every battle's outcome. He will hand all of you over to us."


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When the Philistine moved closer in order to attack, David quickly ran toward the opposing battle line to attack the Philistine.


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Then David reached into his bag, took out a stone, hurled it from his sling, and struck the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank into Goliath's forehead, and he fell to the ground on his face.


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So using {only} a sling and a stone, David proved to be stronger than the Philistine. David struck down and killed the Philistine, even though David didn't have a sword in his hand.


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David ran and stood over the Philistine. He took Goliath's sword, pulled it out of its sheath, and made certain the Philistine was dead by cutting off his head. When the Philistines saw their hero had been killed, they fled.


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Then the soldiers of Israel and Judah rose up, shouted a battle cry, and pursued the Philistines as far as Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Wounded Philistines lay on the road to Shaaraim and all the way to Gath and Ekron.


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When the Israelites came back from their pursuit of the Philistines, they looted all the goods in the Philistine camp.


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David took the Philistine's head and brought it to Jerusalem, but he kept Goliath's armor in his tent.


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As Saul watched David going out against the Philistine, he asked Abner, the commander of the army, "Abner, whose son is this young man?" Abner answered, "I solemnly swear, as you live, Your Majesty, I don't know."


text:
When David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner brought him to Saul. David had the Philistine's head in his hand.


text:
Saul asked him, "Whose son are you, young man?" "The son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem," David answered.


text:
David finished talking to Saul. After that, Jonathan became David's closest friend. He loved David as much as {he loved} himself.


text:
So Jonathan made a pledge of mutual loyalty with David because he loved him as much as {he loved} himself.


text:
Jonathan took off the coat he had on and gave it to David along with his battle tunic, his sword, his bow, and his belt.


text:
David was successful wherever Saul sent him. Saul put him in charge of the fighting men. This pleased all the people, including Saul's officials.


text:
As they arrived, David was returning from a campaign against the Philistines. Women from all of Israel's cities came to meet King Saul. They sang and danced, accompanied by tambourines, joyful music, and triangles.


text:
Saul became very angry because he considered this saying to be insulting. "To David they credit tens of thousands," he said, "but to me they credit {only} a few thousand. The only thing left for David is my kingdom."


text:
The next day an evil spirit from God seized Saul. He began to prophesy in his house while David strummed a tune on the lyre as he did every day. Now, Saul had a spear in his hand.


text:
So he kept David away. He made David captain of a regiment. David led the troops out {to battle} and back again.


text:
Finally, Saul said to David, "Here is my oldest daughter Merab. I will give her to you as your wife if you prove yourself to be a warrior for me and fight the Lord's battles." (Saul thought, "I must not lay a hand on him. Let the Philistines do that.")


text:
"Who am I?" David asked Saul. "And how important are my relatives or my father's family in Israel that I should be the king's son-in-law?"


text:
But when the time came to give Saul's daughter Merab to David, she was married to Adriel from Meholah.


text:
However, Saul's daughter Michal fell in love with David. When Saul was told about it, the news pleased him.


text:
Saul thought, "I'll give her to David. She will trap him, and the Philistines will get him." So he said to David a second time, "You will now be my son-in-law."


text:
Saul ordered his officers, "Talk to David in private. Tell him, 'The king likes you, and all his officers are fond of you. Become the king's son-in-law.' "


text:
When Saul's officers made it a point to say this, David asked, "Do you think it's easy to become the king's son-in-law? I am a poor and unimportant person."


text:
Saul replied, "Tell David, 'The king doesn't want any payment for the bride except 100 Philistine foreskins so that he can get revenge on his enemies.' " In this way Saul planned to have David fall into the hands of the Philistines.


text:
When his officers told David this, David concluded that it was acceptable to become the king's son-in-law. Before the time was up,


text:
David and his men went out and struck down 200 Philistines. David brought the foreskins, and they counted them out for the king so that David could become the king's son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal as his wife.


text:
The Philistine generals still went out {to fight Israel}. But whenever they went out {to fight}, David was more successful than the rest of Saul's officers. So David gained a good reputation.


text:
Saul told his son Jonathan and all his officers to kill David. But Saul's son Jonathan was very fond of David,


text:
so he reported to David, "My father Saul is trying to kill you. Please be careful tomorrow morning. Go into hiding, and stay out of sight.


text:
I'll go out and stand beside my father in the field where you'll be. I'll speak with my father about you. If I find out anything, I'll tell you."


text:
So Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul. "You should not commit a sin against your servant David," he said. "He hasn't sinned against you. Instead, he has done some very fine things for you:


text:
He risked his life and killed the Philistine Goliath, and the Lord gave all Israel a great victory. When you saw it, you rejoiced. Why then should you sin by shedding David's innocent blood for no reason?"


text:
Saul listened to Jonathan, and he promised, "I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives, he will not be killed."


text:
Jonathan told David all of this. Then Jonathan took David to Saul. So David was returned to his former status in Saul's court.


text:
When war broke out again, David went to fight the Philistines. He defeated them so decisively that they fled from him.


text:
Then an evil spirit from the Lord came over Saul while he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. David was strumming a tune.


text:
Saul tried to nail David to the wall with his spear. But David dodged it, and Saul's spear struck the wall. David fled, escaping {from Saul} that night.


text:
Saul sent messengers to watch David's house and kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, advised him, "If you don't save yourself tonight, you'll be dead tomorrow!"


text:
Then Michal took some idols, laid them in the bed, put a goat-hair blanket at its head, and covered the idols with a garment.


text:
Then Saul sent the messengers back to see David themselves. Saul told them, "Bring him here to me in his bed so that I can kill him."


text:
Saul asked Michal, "Why did you betray me by sending my enemy away so that he could escape?" Michal answered, "He told me, 'Let me go! Why should I kill you?' "


text:
David escaped and went to Samuel at Ramah. He told Samuel everything Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to the pastures and lived there.


text:
Saul sent messengers to get David. But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying with Samuel serving as their leader, God's Spirit came over Saul's messengers so that they also prophesied.


text:
When they told Saul {about this}, he sent other messengers, but they also prophesied. Saul even sent a third group of messengers, but they also prophesied.


text:
Then he went to Ramah himself. He went as far as the big cistern in Secu and asked {the people}, "Where are Samuel and David?" He was told, "Over there in the pastures at Ramah."


text:
As he went toward the pastures at Ramah, God's Spirit came over him too. He continued his journey, prophesying until he came to the pastures at Ramah.


text:
He even took off his clothes as he prophesied in front of Samuel and lay there naked all day and all night. This is where the saying, "Is Saul one of the prophets?" came from.


text:
David fled from the pastures at Ramah, came to Jonathan, and asked, "What have I done? What crime am I guilty of? What sin have I committed against your father that he's trying to kill me?"


text:
Jonathan answered, "That's unthinkable! You're not going to die! My father does nothing without telling me, whether it's important or not. Why should my father hide this from me? It's just not that way."


text:
But David took an oath, saying, "Your father certainly knows that you support me, so he said {to himself}, 'Jonathan must not know about this. It will bring him distress.' But I solemnly swear, as the Lord and you live, I'm only one step away from death."


text:
David replied, "Tomorrow is the New Moon Festival, when I should sit and eat at the king's {table}. But let me go and hide in the countryside for two more nights.


text:
If your father really misses me, tell him, 'David repeatedly begged me to let him run to Bethlehem, his hometown, because his relatives are offering the annual sacrifice there.'


text:
If he says, 'Good!' then I will be safe. But if he gets really angry, then you'll know for sure that he has decided to harm me.


text:
Now, be kind to me. After all, you forced me into an agreement with the Lord. If I have committed any crime, kill me yourself. Why bother taking me to your father?"


text:
Jonathan answered, "That's unthinkable! If I knew for sure that my father had decided to harm you, I would have told you about it."


text:
"As the Lord God of Israel {is my witness}," Jonathan continued, "I'll find out in the next two or three days how my father feels about you. If he does feel kindly toward you, then I will send someone to tell you.


text:
If my father plans to harm you and I fail to tell you and send you away safely, may the Lord harm me even more. May the Lord be with you as he used to be with my father.


text:
But as long as I live, {promise me that you will} show me kindness because of the Lord. And even when I die,


text:
never stop being kind to my family. The Lord will wipe each of David's enemies off the face of the earth.


text:
At that time, if Jonathan's name is cut off from David's family, then may the Lord punish David's house."


text:
Once again Jonathan swore an oath to David because of his love for David. He loved David as much as {he loved} himself.


text:
"Tomorrow is the New Moon Festival," Jonathan told him, "and you will be missed when your seat is empty.


text:
The day after tomorrow you will be missed even more. So go to the place where you hid on that other occasion, and stay by the rock.


text:
Then I will send out a boy and say, 'Go, find the arrows.' Now, if I tell the boy, 'Look, the arrows are next to you; get them,' then come {back with me}. You will be safe, and there will be no trouble. I swear it, as the Lord lives.


text:
So David hid in the countryside. When the New Moon Festival came, King Saul sat down to eat the festival meal.


text:
He sat in his usual seat by the wall, while Jonathan stood. Abner sat beside Saul, but David's place was empty.


text:
Saul didn't say anything that day, thinking, "Something has happened to him so that he's unclean. He must be unclean."


text:
But on the second day of the month, David's place was still empty. Saul asked his son Jonathan, "Why hasn't Jesse's son come to the meal either yesterday or today?"


text:
David said to me 'Please let me go. Our relatives will offer a sacrifice in the city, and my brother ordered me to be there. If you will permit it, please let me go to see my brothers.' This is why he hasn't come to your banquet."


text:
Then Saul got angry with Jonathan. "Son of a crooked and rebellious woman!" he called Jonathan. "I know you've sided with Jesse's son. You have no shame. {You act} as if you are your mother's son but not mine.


text:
As long as Jesse's son lives on earth, neither you nor your right to be king is secure. Now, send some men to bring him to me. He's a dead man!"


text:
Jonathan got up from the table very angry and ate nothing that second day of the month. He was worried sick about David because Jonathan had been humiliated by his own father.


text:
In the morning Jonathan went out to the country to the place he and David had agreed on. Jonathan had a young boy with him.


text:
"Run," he told the boy, "please find the arrows I shoot." The boy ran, and Jonathan shot the arrow over him.


text:
When the boy reached the place where Jonathan's arrow {had landed}, Jonathan called after him, "The arrows are next to you!"


text:
Jonathan added, "Quick! Hurry up! Don't stand there!" Jonathan's young servant gathered the arrows and came to his master.


text:
When the boy had left, David came out from the south side {of the rock} and quickly bowed down three times with his face touching the ground. Then they kissed each other and cried together, but David cried the loudest.


text:
"Go in peace!" Jonathan told David. "We have both taken an oath in the Lord's name, saying, 'The Lord will be {a witness} between me and you and between my descendants and your descendants forever.' " So David left, and Jonathan went into the city.


text:
David went to the priest Ahimelech at Nob. Ahimelech was trembling as he went to meet David. "Why are you alone?" he asked David. "Why is no one with you?"


text:
"The king ordered me to do something," David answered the priest Ahimelech, "and he told me, 'No one must know anything about this mission I'm sending you on and about the orders I've given you. I've stationed my young men at a certain place.' "


text:
{David added,} "Now, what do you have {to eat}? Give me five loaves of bread or whatever you can find."


text:
"I don't have any ordinary bread," the chief priest answered David. "But there is holy bread for the young men if they haven't had sexual intercourse {today}."


text:
David answered the priest, "Of course women have been kept away from us as usual when we go {on a mission}. The young men's bodies are kept holy even on ordinary campaigns. How much more then will their bodies be holy today?"


text:
So the priest gave him holy {bread} because he only had the bread of the presence which had been taken from the Lord's presence and replaced with warm bread that day.


text:
That same day one of Saul's servants who was obligated to stay in the Lord's presence was there. His name was Doeg. A foreman for Saul's shepherds, he was from Edom.


text:
David asked Ahimelech, "Don't you have a spear or a sword here? I didn't take either my spear or any other weapon because the king's business was urgent."


text:
The chief priest answered, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Elah Valley, is here. It is wrapped in a cloth behind the priestly ephod. If you want to take it, take it. There's no other weapon here." David said, "There's none like it. Let me have the sword."


text:
Achish's officers asked, "Isn't this David, the king of {his} country? He's the one they used to sing about in the dances: 'Saul has defeated thousands but David tens of thousands.' "


text:
So he changed his behavior {when he was} in their presence and acted insane {as long as he was} under their authority. He scribbled on the doors of the city gate and let his spit run down his beard.


text:
Do I have such a shortage of lunatics that you bring this man so that he can show me he is insane? Does this man have to come into my house?"


text:
So David escaped from that place and fled to the cave at Adullam. When his brothers and all {the rest} of his family heard about it, they went to him.


text:
Then everyone who was in trouble, in debt, or bitter about life joined him, and he became their commander. There were about four hundred men with him.


text:
From there David went to Mizpah in Moab. He asked the king of Moab, "Please let my father and mother stay with you until I know what God is going to do for me."


text:
He brought them to the king of Moab, and they stayed with him as long as David was living in his fortified camp.


text:
"Don't live in your fortified camp," the prophet Gad told David. "Go to the land of Judah." So David went to the forest of Hereth.


text:
Saul heard that David and his men had been found. Saul was staying in Gibeah under the tamarisk tree at the worship site with his spear in his hand and all his officials standing around him.


text:
He said to his officials, "Listen here, men of Benjamin! Will Jesse's son give every one of you fields and vineyards? Will he make you all officers over a regiment or a battalion of soldiers?


text:
All of you are plotting against me, and no one informed me when my son entered into a loyalty pledge with Jesse's son. No one felt sorry for me and informed me that my son has encouraged my servant David to ambush me, as he's doing now."


text:
Then Doeg from Edom, standing with Saul's officials, answered him, "I saw Jesse's son when he came to Ahimelech, Ahitub's son, in Nob.


text:
Then the king sent for the priest Ahimelech, who was Ahitub's son, and his entire family who were the priests in Nob. All of them came to the king.


text:
Saul asked him, "Why did you and Jesse's son plot against me? You gave him bread and a sword and prayed to God for him so that he can rise up against me and ambush me, as he's doing now."


text:
Ahimelech asked the king, "But whom among all your officials can you trust like David? Your Majesty, he's your son-in-law, the commander of your bodyguard. He's honored in your own household.


text:
Is this the first time I have prayed to God for him? Not at all! You shouldn't blame me or anyone in my family for this. I knew nothing at all about this."


text:
"Turn and kill the Lord's priests because they support David," the king said to the runners standing around him. "When they knew David was fleeing, they didn't inform me." But the king's men refused to attack the Lord's priests.


text:
So the king said to Doeg, "You turn and attack the priests." Doeg from Edom turned and attacked the priests, and that day he killed 85 men wearing the linen priestly ephod.


text:
He also killed the people of Nob, the city of the priests. Using {his} sword, he killed men and women, children and infants, cows, donkeys, and sheep.


text:
David told Abiathar, "I knew that day when Doeg from Edom was there that he would be certain to tell Saul. I am the one responsible for all the lives of your family.


text:
Stay with me. Don't be afraid. The one who is seeking my life is {also} seeking your life. However, you will be under my protection."


text:
David was asked, "Did you know that the Philistines are fighting against Keilah? They are robbing the threshing floors."


text:
David asked the Lord, "Should I go and attack these Philistines?" "Go," the Lord told David, "attack the Philistines, and save Keilah."


text:
David's men told him, "We're afraid of staying here in Judah. How much more {afraid do you think we'll be} if we go to Keilah against the Philistine army?"


text:
David asked the Lord again, and the Lord answered him. He said, "Go to Keilah. I'm giving you the power to defeat the Philistines."


text:
David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines, drove off their livestock, and decisively defeated them. So David rescued the people who lived in Keilah.


text:
When Saul was told that David went to Keilah, Saul said, "God has delivered him into my hands. He has trapped himself by going into a city which has {a gate with} a double door {held shut by} a bar."


text:
So Saul called together all the troops to go to war and blockade Keilah, where David and his men were.


text:
When David learned that Saul was planning to harm him, he told the priest Abiathar, "Bring the ephod."


text:
Then David said, "Lord God of Israel, I have actually heard that Saul is going to come to Keilah and destroy the city on account of me.


text:
Will the citizens of Keilah hand me over to him? Will Saul come here as I have heard? Lord God of Israel, please tell me." "He will come," the Lord answered.


text:
"Will the citizens of Keilah hand me and my men over to Saul?" David asked. "They will hand you over," the Lord answered.


text:
So David and his men, about six hundred in all, left Keilah. They went wherever they could go. Then Saul was told, "David has escaped from Keilah!" So he gave up the campaign.


text:
David lived in fortified camps in the desert, and he lived in fortified camps in the mountains of the desert of Ziph. Saul was always searching for him, but God didn't let him capture David.


text:
"Don't be afraid," he told David, "my father Saul won't find you. You will rule Israel, and I will be your second-in-command. Even my father Saul knows this."


text:
Then the men of Ziph went to Saul in Gibeah. They said, "David is hiding with us in fortified camps at Horesh on the hills of Hachilah, south of Jeshimon.


text:
Watch and learn about all the hiding places where he may be hiding, and come back to me with the facts. Then I'll go with you, and if he's in the country, I'll search for him among all the families of Judah."


text:
They left for Ziph ahead of Saul. David and his men were in the desert of Maon, in the plains south of Jeshimon.


text:
When Saul and his men came to look for him, David was told the news. So he went to his mountain stronghold in the desert of Maon. Saul heard about it and pursued David into the desert of Maon.


text:
Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men went on the other side of the mountain. David was hurrying to get away from Saul, and Saul and his men were going around {the mountain} toward David and his men, trying to capture them.


text:
Saul gave up pursuing David and went to fight the Philistines. So that place was called Slippery Rock.


text:
When Saul came back from {fighting} the Philistines, he was told "Now David is in the desert near En Gedi."


text:
Then Saul took 3,000 of the best-trained men from all Israel and went to search for David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats.


text:
He came to some sheep pens along the road where there was a cave. Saul went into {it} to relieve himself while David and his men were sitting further back in the cave.


text:
David's men told him, "Today is the day the Lord referred to when he said, 'I'm going to hand your enemy over to you. You will do to him whatever you think is right.' " David quietly got up and cut off the border of Saul's robe.


text:
He said to his men, "It would be unthinkable for me to raise my hand against His Majesty, the Lord's anointed king, since he is the Lord's anointed."


text:
So David stopped his men by saying this to them and didn't let them attack Saul. Saul left the cave and went out onto the road.


text:
Later, David got up, left the cave, and called to Saul, "Your Majesty!" When Saul looked back, David knelt down with his face touching the ground.


text:
Today you saw how the Lord handed you over to me in the cave. Although I was told to kill you, I spared you, saying, 'I will not raise my hand against Your Majesty because you are the Lord's anointed.'


text:
My master, look at this! The border of your robe is in my hand! Since I cut off the border of your robe and didn't kill you, you should know and be able to see I mean no harm or rebellion. I haven't sinned against you, but you are trying to ambush me in order to take my life.


text:
May the Lord decide between you and me. May the Lord take revenge on you for what you did to me. However, I will not lay a hand on you.


text:
It's like people used to say long ago, 'Wickedness comes from wicked people.' But I will not lay a hand on you.


text:
So the Lord must be the judge. He will decide between you and me. He will watch and take my side in {this} matter and set me free from you."


text:
When David finished saying this, Saul asked, "Is that you speaking, my servant David?" and Saul cried loudly.


text:
Today you have proved how good you've been to me. When the Lord handed me over to you, you didn't kill me.


text:
When a person finds an enemy, does he send him away unharmed? The Lord will repay you completely for what you did for me today.


text:
Now I know that you certainly will rule as king, and under your guidance the kingdom of Israel will prosper.


text:
Swear an oath to the Lord for me that you will not wipe out my descendants or destroy my name in my father's family."


text:
Samuel died, and all Israel gathered to mourn for him. They buried him at his home in Ramah. Then David went to the desert of Paran.


text:
Now, there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. He was a very rich man. He had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.


text:
This man's name was Nabal, and his wife's name was Abigail. She was sensible and beautiful, but he was harsh and mean. He was a descendant of Caleb.


text:
I hear that your sheepshearers are with you. Your shepherds have been with us, {and} we have not mistreated them. Nothing of theirs has been missing as long as they've been in Carmel.


text:
Ask your young men, and let them tell you. Be kind to my young men, since we have come on a special occasion. Please give us and your son David anything you can {spare}.' "


text:
When David's young men came to Nabal, they repeated all of this to him for David, and then they waited.


text:
"Who is David?" Nabal answered David's servants. "Who is Jesse's son? So many servants nowadays are leaving their masters.


text:
Should I take my bread, my water, and my meat that I butchered for my shearers and give them to men coming from who knows where?"


text:
"Each of you put on your swords!" David told his men. And everyone, including David, put on his sword. About four hundred men went with David, while two hundred men stayed with the supplies.


text:
One of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, "David sent messengers from the desert to greet our master, who yelled at them.


text:
Those men were very good to us. They didn't mistreat us, and we found that nothing was missing wherever we went with them when we were in the fields.


text:
Now, consider what you should do because our master and his whole household are doomed. And he's such a worthless man that it's useless to talk to him."


text:
So Abigail quickly took 200 loaves of bread, 2 full wineskins, 5 butchered sheep, a bushel of roasted grain, 100 bunches of raisins, and 200 fig cakes and loaded them on donkeys.


text:
"Go on ahead," she told her young men, "and I'll follow you." But she didn't tell her husband Nabal about it.


text:
She was riding on her donkey down a hidden mountain path when she met David and his men coming toward her.


text:
David had thought, "I guarded this man's stuff in the desert for nothing! Not one of his possessions was missing. Yet, he has paid me back with evil when I was good to him.


text:
When Abigail saw David, she quickly got down from her donkey. She immediately bowed down in front of David with her face touching the ground.


text:
After she bowed at his feet, she said, "Sir, let me be held responsible for this wrong. Please let me speak with you. Please listen to my words.


text:
You shouldn't take this worthless person Nabal seriously. He is like his name. His name is Nabal Godless Fool, and he's foolish. But I didn't see the young men you sent.


text:
"The Lord has kept you from spilling innocent blood and from getting a victory by your own efforts. Now, sir, I solemnly swear, as the Lord and you live, may your enemies and those who are trying to harm you end up like Nabal.


text:
Please forgive my offense. The Lord will certainly give you, sir, a lasting dynasty, because you are fighting the Lord's battles. May evil never be found in you as long as you live.


text:
Even though someone pursued you and sought your life, your life is wrapped in the bundle of life which comes from the Lord your God. But he will dispose of the lives of your enemies like stones thrown from a sling.


text:
you shouldn't have a troubled conscience because you spilled blood for no good reason and claimed your own victory. When the Lord has given you success, remember me."


text:
May your good judgment be blessed. Also, may you be blessed for keeping me from slaughtering people today and from getting a victory by my own efforts.


text:
But I solemnly swear—as the Lord God of Israel, who has kept me from harming you, lives—if you hadn't come to meet me quickly, Nabal certainly wouldn't have had one of his men left at dawn."


text:
Then David accepted what she brought him and told her, "Go home in peace. I've listened to what you've said and granted your request."


text:
When Abigail came to Nabal, he was holding a banquet in his home. It was like a king's banquet. He was in a good mood and very drunk, so she didn't tell him anything until dawn.


text:
But in the morning, when the effects of the wine had worn off, his wife told him what had happened. Nabal's heart failed, and he could not move.


text:
When David heard Nabal was dead, he said, "Blessed be the Lord, who defended me against the insults of Nabal and kept me from doing wrong. The Lord has turned Nabal's own wickedness back on him." Then David sent men {on his behalf} to propose marriage to Abigail.


text:
When David's servants came to Abigail at Carmel, they told her, "David has sent us to you so that we can take you to him to be his wife."


text:
She bowed down with her face touching the ground. "I am ready to serve," she said. "I am ready to wash the feet of my master's servants."


text:
Then Abigail quickly got up and rode on a donkey with five of her female servants following her. So she went with David's messengers and became his wife.


text:
The people of Ziph came to Saul at Gibeah. "David is hiding at the hill of Hachilah near Jeshimon," they said.


text:
Saul went to the desert of Ziph, taking with him 3,000 of Israel's best-trained men to search for David.


text:
Saul camped by the road at the hill of Hachilah near Jeshimon, but David stayed in the desert. When he realized Saul had come to the desert for him,


text:
Then David went to the place where Saul had camped. David saw the place where Saul and Ner's son Abner, the commander of the army, were lying. Saul was lying in the camp, and the troops were camped around him.


text:
David asked Ahimelech the Hittite and Abishai, who was Zeruiah's son and Joab's brother, "Who will go with me to Saul in the camp?" Abishai answered, "I'll go with you."


text:
So David and Abishai went among {Saul's} troops that night. Saul was lying asleep inside the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the soldiers were lying around him.


text:
Abishai said to David, "Today God has turned your enemy over to you. Please let me nail him to the ground with one stab of the spear. I won't have to do it twice!"


text:
"Don't kill him!" David told Abishai. "No one has ever attacked the Lord's anointed king and remained free of guilt.


text:
I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives," David added, "the Lord will strike him. Either his time will come when he'll die {naturally}, or he'll go into battle and be swept away.


text:
It would be unthinkable for me to attack the Lord's anointed king. But please take that spear near his head and that jar of water, and let's go."


text:
David took the spear and the jar of water near Saul's head, and they left. All of them were asleep. No one saw them, knew about it, or woke up. The Lord had made them fall into a deep sleep.


text:
David went over to the other side and stood on top of the hill some distance away. (There was a wide space between them.)


text:
Then David called to the troops and to Ner's son Abner. "Won't you answer, Abner?" he asked. "Who is calling the king?" Abner asked.


text:
David asked Abner, "Aren't you a man? Is there anyone like you in Israel? Then why didn't you guard your master, the king? Someone came to kill His Royal Majesty.


text:
What you've done isn't good. I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives, you are dead men. You didn't guard your master, the Lord's anointed king. Look at the king's spear and the jar of water that were near his head."


text:
Saul recognized David's voice. "Is that your voice, my servant David?" he asked. "It is my voice, Your Royal Majesty," David answered.


text:
Your Majesty, please listen to my words. If the Lord has turned you against me, let him be satisfied with an offering. But if mere mortals {have turned you against me}, let them be cursed by the Lord. They have prevented me from having a share of the Lord's inheritance. 'Go and serve other gods,' they tell me.


text:
Don't let my blood fall to the ground, away from the Lord's presence. The king of Israel has come to search for one flea like someone hunting a partridge in the hills."


text:
"My servant David," Saul said, "I have sinned. Come back. I will not harm you again, because you valued my life today. I've acted like a fool and made a terrible mistake."


text:
The Lord will reward any person who is righteous and faithful. The Lord handed you over to me today, but I refused to attack the Lord's anointed king.


text:
As I placed great value on your life today, may the Lord place great value on my life and rescue me from all trouble."


text:
Then Saul said, "Blessed are you, my servant David. You will accomplish many things and certainly will succeed." So David went his way, while Saul returned home.


text:
David said to himself, "One of these days Saul will sweep me away. The best thing for me to do is to make sure that I escape to Philistine territory. Then Saul will give up looking all over Israel for me, and I'll escape from him."


text:
David and his men stayed with Achish in Gath. Each one had his family, and David had his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail (who had been Nabal's wife) from Carmel.


text:
David said to Achish, "If you will permit me, let me have a place in one of the outlying towns so that I can live there. Why should I live in the royal city with you?"


text:
So Achish immediately gave him Ziklag. (This is why Ziklag still belongs to the kings of Judah today.)


text:
Then David and his men went to raid the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. (They lived in the territory which extends from Telaim to Shur and Egypt.)


text:
Whenever David attacked the territory, he left no man or woman alive. He also took sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing and returned to Achish.


text:
Achish would ask, "Whom did you raid today?" And David would answer, "the Negev in Judah," or "the portion of the Negev where the descendants of Jerahmeel live," or "the portion of the Negev where the Kenites live."


text:
He did not bring a single man or woman back to Gath alive. He thought, "They could tell Achish what I {really} did." This was his practice as long as he lived in Philistine territory.


text:
And Achish believed David. Achish thought, "He has definitely made his own people in Israel despise him. He'll be my servant from now on."


text:
At that time the Philistines had gathered their army to fight against Israel. Then Achish said to David, "You need to know that you and your men will be going with me into battle."


text:
"Very well," David responded to Achish, "you will then know what I can do." "Very well," Achish told David, "I will make you my bodyguard for life."


text:
Meanwhile, Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his hometown Ramah. (Saul had rid the land of mediums and psychics.)


text:
The Philistines assembled and camped in Shunem. Saul also assembled the whole Israelite army, and they camped at Gilboa.


text:
Saul told his officers, "Find me a woman who conjures up the dead. Then I'll go to her and ask for her services." His officers told him, "There is a woman at Endor who conjures up the dead."


text:
After disguising himself by putting on other clothes, Saul left with two men and came to the woman that night. He said to her, "Please consult with a dead person for me. Conjure up the person I request."


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The woman told him, "You know that Saul rid the land of mediums and psychics. Why are you trying to trap me and have me killed?"


text:
But Saul took an oath in the Lord's name, "I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives, you will not be harmed if you do this."


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"Don't be afraid," the king said to her. "What do you see?" "I see a god rising from the ground," the woman answered.


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"In what form?" he asked her. She answered, "An old man is coming up, and he's wearing a robe." Then Saul knew it was Samuel. Saul knelt down with his face touching the ground.


text:
Samuel asked Saul, "Why did you disturb me by conjuring me up?" Saul answered, "I'm in serious trouble. The Philistines are at war with me, and God has turned against me and doesn't answer me anymore—either by the prophets or in dreams. So I've called on you to tell me what to do."


text:
The Lord has done to you {exactly} what he spoke through me: The Lord has torn the kingship out of your hands and given it to your fellow Israelite David.


text:
The Lord is doing this to you today because you didn't listen to him or unleash his burning anger on Amalek.


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For the same reasons the Lord will hand you and Israel over to the Philistines. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. And then the Lord will hand Israel's army over to the Philistines."


text:
Immediately, Saul fell flat on the ground. He was frightened by Samuel's words. He also had no strength left, because he hadn't eaten anything all day or all night.


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The woman came over to Saul and saw that he was terrified. "I listened to you," she told him, "and I took my life in my hands when I did what you told me to do.


text:
Now please listen to me. I will serve you something to eat. Eat it so that you will have strength when you leave."


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But he refused. "I don't want to eat," he said. Nevertheless, his officers and the woman kept urging him until he listened to them. So he got up from the ground and sat on the bed.


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The woman immediately butchered a fattened calf that she owned. She took flour, kneaded it, and baked some unleavened bread.


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The Philistine leaders were marching by with their companies and regiments. David and his men were marching in the rear with Achish.


text:
The Philistine officers asked, "What are these Hebrews doing here?" Achish asked the Philistine officers, "Isn't this David, the servant of King Saul of Israel, who has been with me now for a year or two? I've found nothing wrong with him from the day he defected until now."


text:
But the Philistine officers were angry with Achish. "Send the man back," the Philistine officers told him. "Return him to the place you assigned him. He shouldn't go with us into battle. He shouldn't {be allowed to} become our enemy during the battle. Is this man going to try to regain his master's favor? He'll do it with the lives of our men!


text:
Isn't this David of whom people sing in dances: 'Saul has defeated thousands but David tens of thousands'?"


text:
Then Achish called David and told him, "I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives, you are a dependable man. I consider your campaigning with me a good thing, because I've never found anything wrong with you from the day you came to me until now. But the rulers don't approve of you.


text:
"What have I done?" David asked Achish. "What have you learned about me from the time I came to you until now? Why shouldn't I fight your enemies, Your Majesty?"


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Achish answered David, "I admit that in my judgment you're as good as God's Messenger. However, the Philistine officers said, 'He shouldn't go into battle with us.'


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Get up early in the morning with Saul's servants who came with you, and go to the place I have assigned to you. Don't worry about the unkind words, because I still approve of you. Get up in the morning, and leave when it's light."


text:
Early the next morning David and his men returned to Philistine territory, while the Philistines went to Jezreel.


text:
Two days later, when David and his men came to Ziklag, the Amalekites had raided the Negev, including Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it.


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Although they captured the young and old women who were there, they killed no one. Instead, they had taken {the women and other prisoners} and gone away.


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By the time David and his men came to the town, it had been burned down, and their wives, sons, and daughters had been taken captive.


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The Amalekites also captured David's two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail (who had been Nabal's wife) from Carmel.


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David was in great distress because the people in their bitterness said he should be stoned. (They were thinking of their sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God.)


text:
David told the priest Abiathar, Ahimelech's son, "Please bring me the priestly ephod." So Abiathar brought David the ephod.


text:
Then David asked the Lord, "Should I pursue these troops? Will I catch up with them?" "Pursue them," the Lord told him. "You will certainly catch up with them and rescue the captives."


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David and 400 men went in pursuit, while 200 men who were too exhausted to cross the Besor Valley stayed behind.


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David's men found an Egyptian in the open country and took him to David. They gave him food to eat and water to drink.


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They gave him a slice of fig cake and two bunches of raisins. After he had eaten, he revived. (He hadn't eaten any food or drunk any water for three whole days.)


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David asked him, "To whom do you belong? Where do you come from?" "I'm an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite," the young man answered. "My master left me behind because I got sick three days ago.


text:
We raided the portion of the Negev where the Cherethites live, the territory of Judah, the portion of the Negev where Caleb settled, and we burned down Ziklag."


text:
"Will you lead me to these troops?" David asked him. He answered, "Take an oath in front of God that you won't kill me or hand me over to my master, and I'll lead you to these troops."


text:
The Egyptian led him {to them}. They were spread out all over the land, eating, and drinking. They were celebrating because they had taken so much loot from Philistine territory and from the land of Judah.


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From dawn until evening the next day, David attacked them. No one escaped except 400 young men who rode away on camels.


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Nothing was missing—young or old, sons or daughters, the loot or anything else they had taken with them. David brought back everything.


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He took all the sheep and the cattle. His men drove the animals ahead of him and said, "This is David's loot."


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David came to the 200 men who had been too exhausted to go with him and had stayed in the Besor Valley. They came to meet David and the people with him. As David approached the men, he greeted them.


text:
Then every wicked and worthless man who had gone with David said, "Since they didn't go with us, they shouldn't be given any of the loot we recovered. Each of them should take only his wife and children and leave."


text:
But David said, "My brothers, don't do that with the things which the Lord has given us. He has protected us and handed the troops that attacked us over to us.


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Besides, who is going to pay attention to what you have to say in this matter? Certainly, the share of those who go into battle must be like the share of those who stay with the supplies. They will all share alike."


text:
When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the loot to his friends, the leaders of Judah. He said, "Here is a gift for you from the loot {taken from} the Lord's enemies."


text:
When the Philistines were fighting against Israel, the men of Israel fled from the Philistines and were killed in battle on Mount Gilboa.


text:
The Philistines caught up to Saul and his sons. They killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons.


text:
The heaviest fighting was against Saul. When the archers got him in their range, he was badly wounded by them.


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Saul told his armorbearer, "Draw your sword! Stab me, or these godless men will come, stab me, and make fun of me." But his armorbearer refused because he was terrified. So Saul took the sword and fell on it.


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When the people of Israel on the other side of the valley and across the Jordan River saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities. So the Philistines came to live in these cities.


text:
The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons lying on Mount Gilboa.


text:
They cut off his head and stripped off his armor. Then they sent men throughout Philistine territory to tell the people this good news in their idols' temples.


text:
They put his armor in the temple of their goddesses—the Asherahs—and fastened his corpse to the wall of Beth Shan.


text:
all the fighting men marched all night and took the dead bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan. They came back to Jabesh and burned the bodies there.


text:
On the third day a man came from Saul's camp. His clothes were torn, and he had dirt on his head. When he came to David, he immediately bowed down with his face touching the ground.


text:
"What happened?" David asked him. "Please tell me." The man answered, "The army fled from the battle, and many of the soldiers died. Saul and his son Jonathan are dead too."


text:
"How do you know Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?" David asked the young man who had brought him the news.


text:
The young man answered, "I happened to be on Mount Gilboa. Saul was there leaning on his spear, and the chariots and horsemen were catching up with him.


text:
"So I stood over him and killed him, since I knew he couldn't survive after he had been wounded. And I took the crown that was on his head and the band that was on his arm and brought them here to you, sir."


text:
They mourned, cried, and fasted until evening because Saul, his son Jonathan, the Lord's army, and the nation of Israel had been defeated in battle.


text:
David asked the young man who had brought him the news, "Where are you from?" And the young man answered, "I'm an Amalekite, the son of a foreign resident."


text:
Then David called one of {his} young men and told him, "Come here and attack him." David's young man executed him


text:
while David said, "You are responsible for spilling your own blood. You testified against yourself when you said, 'I killed the Lord's anointed king.' "


text:
Don't tell the news in Gath. Don't announce the victory in the streets of Ashkelon, or the daughters of the Philistines will be glad, and the daughters of godless men will celebrate.


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You mountains in Gilboa, may there be no dew or rain on you or on your slopes, because warriors' shields were tarnished there. Saul's shield was never rubbed with olive oil.


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From the blood of those killed and the fat of the warriors, Jonathan's bow did not turn away, nor did Saul's sword return unused.


text:
Saul and Jonathan were loved and well-liked while they were living. They were not separated even when they died. They were swifter than eagles and stronger than lions.


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Daughters of Israel, cry over Saul, who dressed you in decorated, red clothes, who put gold jewelry on your clothes.


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I am heartbroken over you, my brother Jonathan. You were my great delight. Your love was more wonderful to me than the love of women.


text:
After this, David asked the Lord, "Should I go to one of the cities of Judah?" "Go," the Lord answered him. "Where should I go?" David asked. "To Hebron," the Lord replied.


text:
David went there with his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail (who had been Nabal's wife) from Carmel.


text:
Then the people of Judah came to Hebron and anointed David to be king over the tribe of Judah. They told David, "The people of Jabesh Gilead were the ones who buried Saul."


text:
So David sent messengers to the people of Jabesh Gilead. He said to them, "May the Lord bless you because you showed kindness to your master Saul by burying him.


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Now, be strong and courageous. Because your master Saul is dead, the tribe of Judah has anointed me to be their king."


text:
Saul's son Ishbosheth was 40 years old when he became king of Israel. He ruled for two years, but the tribe of Judah followed David.


text:
Zeruiah's son Joab and David's officers also left {Hebron}. Both groups met at the pool of Gibeon. They sat down there, one group on one side of the pool and the other group on the other side of the pool.


text:
The men got up and were counted as they passed by. Twelve were from the tribe of Benjamin (representing Saul's son Ishbosheth), and twelve were from David's officers.


text:
Each one grabbed his opponent by the head, stuck his sword into his opponent's side, and they fell down together. Therefore, that place in Gibeon is called the Field of Enemies.


text:
Zeruiah's three sons were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel was as fast on his feet as a wild gazelle.


text:
Abner told him, "Leave me alone! Catch one of the young men, and take his weapon." But Asahel refused to turn away from him.


text:
So Abner spoke again to Asahel. "Stop following me," he said. "Why should I kill you? How could I look your brother Joab in the face again?"


text:
But Asahel refused to turn away. So Abner struck him with the butt of the spear. The spear went into his belly and came out his back. He fell down there and died on the spot. And everyone who came to the place where Asahel fell and died stopped there.


text:
But Joab and Abishai chased Abner. When the sun went down, they came to the hill of Ammah, opposite Giah on the road from Gibeon to the desert.


text:
The men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner, banding together and taking their position on top of a hill.


text:
Then Abner called to Joab, "Should this slaughter go on forever? Don't you know this will end in bitterness? How long will it be before you will call off your troops from chasing their relatives?"


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Joab answered, "I solemnly swear, as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would not have stopped chasing their relatives until morning."


text:
Abner and his men marched through the plains all that night. They crossed the Jordan River and passed through the entire Bithron until they came to Mahanaim.


text:
Joab returned from chasing Abner. When he had gathered all the troops, {only} 19 of David's officers and Asahel were missing.


text:
They took Asahel and buried him in his father's tomb in Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak.


text:
As the war between the royal families of Saul and David dragged on, David's family became stronger and stronger, and Saul's family became weaker and weaker.


text:
Sons were born to David while he was in Hebron. His first son was Amnon, {born} to Ahinoam from Jezreel.


text:
The second was Chileab, {born} to Abigail (who had been Nabal's wife) from Carmel. The third was Absalom, whose mother was Maacah (the daughter of King Talmai) from Geshur.


text:
The fourth was Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith. The fifth was Shephatiah, whose mother was Abital.


text:
The sixth was Ithream, {born} to David's wife Eglah. These sons were born to David while he was in Hebron.


text:
During the war between the families of Saul and David, Abner strengthened his position in Saul's royal family.


text:
Saul had a concubine named Rizpah (Aiah's daughter). Ishbosheth asked Abner, "Why did you have sex with my father's concubine?"


text:
Ishbosheth's question made Abner very angry. "Have I been behaving like some Judean dog?" he asked. "Until now I've been faithful to your father Saul's family, to his relatives and friends, and I haven't handed you over to David. But now you charge me with a crime because of this woman.


text:
'I, the Lord, will transfer the kingship from Saul's family and establish David's throne over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beersheba.' "


text:
Then Abner sent messengers to David to speak on his behalf. "Who owns this country?" he asked. "Make an agreement with me," he said. "I'll support you and bring all Israel to you."


text:
"Good!" David answered. "I'll make an agreement with you. But there's one condition: You can't come to see me unless you bring Michal, Saul's daughter, when you come."


text:
Then David sent messengers to Saul's son Ishbosheth to say, "Give me my wife Michal. I made a payment of 100 Philistine foreskins for her."


text:
Her husband went with her and cried over her all the way to Bahurim. "Go home," Abner told him. So he went home.


text:
Meanwhile, Abner sent the following message to the leaders of Israel: "For some time now you've wanted to make David your king.


text:
Do it now, because the Lord said about David: 'I will save my people Israel from the Philistines and all their other enemies through my servant David.' "


text:
Abner also spoke specifically to the people of Benjamin. Then Abner went directly to David in Hebron to tell him everything Israel and the entire tribe of Benjamin had approved.


text:
Abner told David, "I must go now so that I can gather all Israel for you, Your Majesty. They will make a treaty with you, and you will rule everything your heart desires." Then David dismissed Abner, who left peacefully.


text:
Just then David's men and Joab were coming home from a raid with a lot of goods. Abner had been dismissed, so he was no longer with David in Hebron.


text:
When Joab came back with the whole army, he was told, "Ner's son Abner came to the king, but David dismissed him, and Abner left peacefully."


text:
Then Joab went to the king and asked, "What have you done? Abner came to see you. Why did you dismiss him and let him get away?


text:
Certainly you must know that Ner's son Abner came to deceive you, to find out about your movements and learn everything you're doing!"


text:
After leaving David, Joab sent messengers after Abner. They brought him back from the cistern of Sirah without David knowing about it.


text:
When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside in the gateway as if to talk to him privately. There he stabbed Abner in the belly. Abner died because he spilled the blood of Joab's brother Asahel.


text:
Later when David heard about it, he said, "As far as the Lord is concerned, my kingdom and I are forever innocent of spilling the blood of Ner's son Abner.


text:
May the blame fall on the head of Joab and all of his family. May there always be members of Joab's family who have oozing sores and skin diseases, who can only work a spindle, who die in battle, and who never have any food."


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


text:
David told Joab and all the people with him, "Tear your clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourn for Abner." King David followed the open casket.


text:
Your hands were not tied. Your feet were not chained. You fell as one falls in front of wicked men. And all the people continued to cry for him.


text:
That entire day all the people tried to get David to eat some food. But David had taken an oath: "May God strike me dead if I taste any food or anything else before the sun goes down."


text:
Then all the people understood and approved of this, as all the people approved of everything the king did.


text:
The king said to his officers, "Don't you know that today a leader, a great man, has fallen in Israel?


text:
Today I'm weak, though I'm the anointed king. These men, Zeruiah's sons, are too cruel for me. May the Lord repay this evildoer as his evil deeds deserve."


text:
When Saul's son Ishbosheth heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost his courage, and all Israel was alarmed.


text:
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,


text:
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.)


text:
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


text:
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.


text:
(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.


text:
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."


text:
"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.


text:
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, I'll now seek revenge for his murder and rid the land of you."


text:
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.


text:
"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.' "


text:
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.


text:
In Hebron he ruled Judah for seven years and six months. In Jerusalem he ruled for 33 years over all Israel and Judah.


text:
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).


text:
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."


text:
David lived in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built the city {of Jerusalem} around it from the Millo to the palace.


text:
Then King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedarwood, carpenters, and stonemasons. They built a palace for David.


text:
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.


text:
David married more concubines and wives from Jerusalem after he had come there from Hebron, and he fathered more sons and daughters.


text:
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.


text:
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."


text:
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.


text:
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.


text:
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."


text:
He and all the people with him left Baalah in Judah to bring God's ark {to Jerusalem}. (The ark is called by the name of the Lord of Armies, who is enthroned over the angels.)


text:
David and his men put God's ark on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab's home on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab's sons, were guiding the new cart.


text:
David and the entire nation of Israel were celebrating in the Lord's presence with all kinds of instruments made from cypress wood and with lyres, harps, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals.


text:
But when they came to Nacon's threshing floor, the oxen stumbled. So Uzzah reached out for the ark of God and grabbed it.


text:
The Lord became angry with Uzzah, so God killed him there for his lack of respect. He died beside the ark of God.


text:
David was angry because the Lord had struck Uzzah so violently. (That place is still called Perez Uzzah The Striking of Uzzah today.)


text:
So David wouldn't bring the ark of the Lord with him to the City of David. Instead, he rerouted it to the home of Obed Edom, who was from Gath.


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The ark of the Lord stayed at the home of Obed Edom from Gath for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed Edom and his whole family.


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King David was told, "The Lord has blessed Obed Edom's home and everything he owns because of the ark of God." Then David joyfully went to get the ark of God from Obed Edom's house and bring it to the City of David.


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When those who carried the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, David sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf.


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He and the entire nation of Israel brought the ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and the sounding of rams' horns.


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When the ark of the Lord came to the City of David, Saul's daughter Michal looked out of a window and saw King David leaping and dancing in the Lord's presence, so she despised him.


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The men carrying the ark set it in its place inside the tent David had put up for it. David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings in the Lord's presence.


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When David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of Armies.


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He also distributed to all the people—to the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women—one loaf of bread, one date cake, and one raisin cake. Then all the people went home.


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When David returned to bless his family, Saul's daughter Michal came out to meet him. "How dignified Israel's king was today! He was exposing himself before the eyes of the slave girls of his palace staff—like a mindless fool might expose himself!"


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David answered Michal, "{I didn't dance in front of the slave girls but} in front of the Lord. He chose me rather than your father or anyone in your father's house, and he appointed me leader of Israel, the Lord's people. I will celebrate in the Lord's presence,


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and I will degrade myself even more than this. Even if I am humiliated in your eyes, I will be honored by these slave girls you speak about."


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So the king said to the prophet Nathan, "Look, I'm living in a house made of cedar, while the ark of God remains in the tent."


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"Say to my servant David, 'This is what the Lord says: Are you the one who will build me a house to live in?


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I haven't lived in a house from the day I took Israel out of Egypt to this day. Instead, I moved around in a tent, the tent {of meeting}.


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In all the places I've moved with all the Israelites, did I ever ask any of the judges of Israel whom I ordered to be shepherds of my people Israel why they didn't build me a house of cedar?'


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"Now this is what you will say to my servant David: 'This is what the Lord of Armies says: I took you from the pasture where you followed sheep so that you could be the leader of my people Israel.


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I was with you wherever you went, and I destroyed all your enemies in front of you. I will make your name famous like the names of the greatest people on earth.


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I will make a place for my people Israel and plant them there. They will live in their own place and not be troubled anymore. The wicked will no longer oppress them as they used to do


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ever since I appointed judges to rule my people Israel. So I will give you peace with all your enemies. I, the Lord, tell you that I will make a house for you.


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"'When the time comes for you to lie down in death with your ancestors, I will send one of your descendants, {one} who will come from you. I will establish his kingdom.


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I will be his Father, and he will be my Son. If he sins, I will punish him with a rod and with blows inflicted by people.


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King David went into the tent and sat in front of the Lord. "Who am I, Almighty Lord," he asked, "and why is my house so important that you have brought me this far?


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And even this you consider to be a small act, Almighty Lord. You've also spoken about the distant future of my house. Almighty Lord, this is the teaching about the man.


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"That is why you are great, Lord God. There is no one like you, and there is no other god except you, as we have heard with our own ears.


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Who is like your people Israel? It is the one nation on earth that God came to free in order to make its people his own, to make his name known, and to do great and wonderful things for them. You forced nations and their gods out of the way of your people, whom you freed from Egypt to be your own.


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Your name will be respected forever when {people} say, 'The Lord of Armies is God over Israel.' And the house of your servant David will be established in your presence.


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You, Lord of Armies, God of Israel, have revealed it especially to me, saying, 'I will build a house for you.' That is why I have found the courage to offer this prayer to you.


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Now, please bless my house so that it may continue in your presence forever. Indeed, you, Almighty Lord, have promised it. With your blessing my house will be blessed forever."


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After this, David defeated and crushed the Philistines. He took control of the main Philistine city from them.


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He also defeated Moab, made the Moabites lie down on the ground, and measured them with a rope. He measured two lengths which were to be killed, and one length which was to be spared. So the Moabites became David's subjects and paid taxes {to him}.


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When David went to restore his control {over the territory} along the Euphrates River, he defeated Zobah's King Hadadezer, son of Rehob.


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David took 1,700 horsemen and 20,000 foot soldiers from him. David also disabled all but 100 of their horses so that they couldn't pull chariots.


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David put troops in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became his subjects and paid taxes {to him}. Everywhere David went, the Lord gave him victories.


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David took the gold shields that belonged to Hadadezer's servants, and he brought them to Jerusalem.


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he sent his son Joram to greet King David and congratulate him for fighting and defeating Hadadezer. (There had often been war between Hadadezer and Toi.) Joram brought articles of gold, silver, and bronze with him.


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King David dedicated these articles to the Lord, along with the silver and gold he had dedicated from all the nations he conquered—


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from Edom, Moab, Ammon, the Philistines, Amalek, and from the goods taken from Zobah's King Hadadezer, son of Rehob.


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David made a name for himself by killing 18,000 Edomites in the Dead Sea region as he returned {to Jerusalem}.


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He put troops everywhere in Edom, and all the Edomites were David's subjects. Everywhere David went, the Lord gave him victories.


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Jehoiada's son Benaiah was commander of the Cherethites and the Pelethites. And David's sons were priests.


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David asked, "Is there anyone left in Saul's family to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan's sake?"


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Now, Saul's family had a servant whose name was Ziba. He was summoned to {come to} David. "Are you Ziba?" the king asked him. "{Yes,} I am," he answered.


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David asked, "Is there someone left in Saul's family to whom I can show God's kindness?" "Jonathan has a son who is disabled," Ziba answered.


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"Where is he?" the king asked. Ziba replied, "He is at the home of Machir, Ammiel's son, in Lo Debar."


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When Mephibosheth (son of Jonathan and grandson of Saul) came to David, he quickly bowed down with his face touching the ground. "Mephibosheth!" David said to him. "Yes, sir," he answered.


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"Don't be afraid," David told him, "I will certainly show you kindness for your father Jonathan's sake. I will give back to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table."


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Then the king called for Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, "I have given your master's grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family.


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You, your sons, and your servants should farm the land for him and harvest {the crops} so that your master's family will have food to eat. However, your master's grandson Mephibosheth will always eat at my table." (Ziba had 15 sons and 20 servants.)


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Ziba responded, "I will do everything you've commanded, Your Majesty." From then on, Mephibosheth ate at David's table as one of the king's sons.


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Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. Everyone who lived at Ziba's home became Mephibosheth's servant.


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David thought, "I will show kindness to Hanun as his father Nahash showed me kindness." So David sent his servants to comfort Hanun after his father's {death}. But when David's servants entered Ammonite territory,


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the Ammonite princes asked their master Hanun, "Do you think David is honoring your father because he sent men to comfort you? Hasn't David sent his men to explore the city, spy on it, and destroy it?"


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So Hanun took David's men, shaved off half of each man's beard, cut off their clothes from the waist down, and sent them away.


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After David was told {what had happened}, he sent {someone} to meet them because they were deeply humiliated. The king said to them, "Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown back, and then return {to Jerusalem}."


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The Ammonites realized that they had made themselves offensive to David. So they hired the Arameans from Beth Rehob and Zobah (20,000 foot soldiers), {the army of} the king of Maacah (1,000 men), and the men of Tob (12,000 men).


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The Ammonites formed a battle line at the entrance of the {city} gate, while the Arameans from Zobah and Rehob and the men from Tob and Maacah remained by themselves in the open country.


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When Joab saw he was under attack in front and behind, he took the select troops of Israel and organized them for combat against the Arameans.


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He put his brother Abishai in charge of the rest of the troops. Abishai organized them for combat against the Ammonites.


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Joab said, "If the Arameans are too strong for my {troops}, be ready to help me. And if the Ammonites are too strong for your {troops}, I'll come to help you.


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Be strong! Let's prove ourselves strong for our people and for the cities of our God, and the Lord will do what he considers right."


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When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, the Ammonites fled from Abishai and went into the city. So Joab stopped his campaign against the Ammonites and returned to Jerusalem.


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Hadadezer sent {messengers} to get Arameans from beyond the Euphrates River. The Arameans came to Helam with Shobach, the commander of Hadadezer's army, leading them.


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When David was told {about this}, he assembled Israel's army, crossed the Jordan River, and came to Helam. The Arameans formed a battle line against David's {troops} and fought him.


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The Arameans fled from Israel, and David killed 700 chariot drivers and 40,000 horsemen. David struck Shobach dead.


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When all the kings who were subject to Hadadezer saw that Israel had defeated them, they made peace with Israel and became their subjects. And the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.


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In the spring, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, his mercenaries, and Israel's army {to war}. They destroyed the Ammonites and attacked Rabbah, while David stayed in Jerusalem.


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Now, when evening came, David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the royal palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing, and she was very pretty.


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David sent someone to ask about the woman. The man said, "She's Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam and wife of Uriah the Hittite."


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So David sent messengers and took her. She came to him, and he went to bed with her. (She had just cleansed herself after her monthly period.) Then she went home.


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Then David sent a messenger to Joab, saying, "Send me Uriah the Hittite." So Joab sent Uriah to David.


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"Go home," David said to Uriah, "and wash your feet." Uriah left the royal palace, and the king sent a present to him.


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But Uriah slept at the entrance of the royal palace among his superior's mercenaries. He didn't go home.


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When they told David, "Uriah didn't go home," David asked Uriah, "Didn't you just come from a journey? Why didn't you go home?"


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Uriah answered David, "The ark and {the army of} Israel and Judah are in temporary shelters, and my commander Joab and Your Majesty's mercenaries are living in the field. Should I then go to my house to eat and drink and go to bed with my wife? I solemnly swear, as sure as you're living, I won't do this!"


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David said to Uriah, "Then stay here today, and tomorrow I'll send you back." So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day and the next.


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David summoned him, ate and drank with him, and got him drunk. But that evening Uriah went to lie down on his bed among his superior's mercenaries. He didn't go home.


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In the letter he wrote, "Put Uriah on the front line where the fighting is heaviest. Then abandon him so that he'll be struck down and die."


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Since Joab had kept the city under observation, he put Uriah at the place where he knew the experienced warriors were.


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The men of the city came out and fought Joab. Some of the people, namely, some of David's mercenaries, fell and died—including Uriah the Hittite.


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the king may become angry. He might ask you, 'Why did you go so close to the city to fight? Didn't you know they would shoot from the wall?


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Who killed Jerubbesheth's son Abimelech? Didn't a woman on the wall of Thebez throw a small millstone at him and kill him? Why did you go so close to the wall?' If the king asks this, then say, 'Your man Uriah the Hittite is also dead.' "


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The messenger said, "Their men overpowered us and came to attack us in the field. Then we forced them back to the entrance of the city gate.


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The archers on the wall shot down at your mercenaries, and some of Your Majesty's mercenaries died. Your man Uriah the Hittite also is dead."


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David said to the messenger, "This is what you are to say to Joab, 'Don't let this thing trouble you, because a sword can kill one person as easily as another. Strengthen your attack against the city, and destroy it.' Say this to encourage him."


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When her mourning was over, David sent for her and brought her to his home, and she became his wife. Then she gave birth to a son. But the Lord considered David's actions evil.


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So the Lord sent Nathan to David. Nathan came to him and said, "There were two men in a certain city. One was rich, and the other was poor.


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but the poor man had only one little female lamb that he had bought. He raised her, and she grew up in his home with his children. She would eat his food and drink from his cup. She rested in his arms and was like a daughter.


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"Now, a visitor came to the rich man. The rich man thought it would be a pity to take one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler. So he took the poor man's lamb and prepared her for the traveler."


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David burned with anger against the man. "I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives," he said to Nathan, "the man who did this certainly deserves to die!


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"You are the man!" Nathan told David. "This is what the Lord God of Israel says: I anointed you king over Israel and rescued you from Saul.


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I gave you your master Saul's house and his wives. I gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if this weren't enough, I would have given you even more.


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Why did you despise my word by doing what I considered evil? You had Uriah the Hittite killed in battle. You took his wife as your wife. You used the Ammonites to kill him.


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So warfare will never leave your house because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.


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"This is what the Lord says: I will stir up trouble against you within your own household, and before your own eyes I will take your wives and give them to someone close to you. He will go to bed with your wives in broad daylight.


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Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." Nathan replied, "The Lord has taken away your sin; you will not die.


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But since you have shown total contempt for the Lord by this affair, the son that is born to you must die."


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Then Nathan went home. The Lord struck the child that Uriah's wife had given birth to for David so that the child became sick.


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The older leaders in his palace stood beside him to raise him up from the ground, but he was unwilling. And he wouldn't eat with them.


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On the seventh day the child died. But David's officials were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. They thought, "While the child was alive, we talked to him, and he wouldn't listen to us. How can we tell him the child is dead? He may harm {himself}."


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But when David saw that his officials were whispering to one another, he realized that the child was dead. "Is the child dead?" David asked them. "{Yes,} he is dead," they answered.


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So David got up from the ground, bathed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes. He went into the Lord's house and worshiped. Then he went home and asked for food. They placed food in front of him, and he ate.


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His officials asked him, "Why are you acting this way? You fasted and cried over the child when he was alive. But as soon as the child died, you got up and ate."


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David answered, "As long as the child was alive, I fasted and cried. I thought, 'Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.'


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But why should I fast now that he's dead? Can I bring him back? {Someday} I'll go to him, but he won't come back to me."


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Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba. He went to bed with her, and she later gave birth to a son. David named him Solomon. The Lord loved the child


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So he sent messengers to tell David, "I fought against Rabbah and captured the fortress guarding its water supply.


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Gather the rest of the troops, surround the city, and capture it. Otherwise, I will capture the city, and it will be named after me."


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He took the gold crown from the head of Rabbah's king and put it on his own head. (The crown weighed 75 pounds and contained a precious stone.) David also took a lot of goods from the city.


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He brought out the troops who were there and put them to work with saws, hoes, and axes. He did the same to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all the troops returned to Jerusalem.


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Amnon was so obsessed with his half sister Tamar that he made himself sick. It seemed impossible for him to be alone with her because she was a virgin.


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Amnon had a friend by the name of Jonadab, a son of David's brother Shimea. Jonadab was a very clever man.


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He asked Amnon, "Why are you, the king's son, so worn out morning after morning? Won't you tell me?" "I'm in love with Absalom's sister Tamar," he answered.


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Then Jonadab told him, "Lie down on your bed. Act sick, and when your father comes to see you, say to him, 'Please let my sister Tamar come to feed me. She can prepare a meal in front of me as I watch her, and she can feed me.' "


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So Amnon lay down and acted sick, and the king came to see him. Amnon asked the king, "Please let my sister Tamar come and make some bread in front of me, and she can feed me."


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David sent for Tamar at the palace. "Please go to your brother Amnon's home," he said, "and prepare some food for him."


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So Tamar went to her brother Amnon's home. He was lying down. She took dough, kneaded it, made flat bread in front of him, and cooked it.


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Then she took the pan and served him {the bread}. But he refused to eat. "Have everyone leave me," he said. So everyone left him.


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Amnon told Tamar, "Bring the food into the bedroom so that you can feed me." Tamar took the bread she had prepared and brought it to her brother Amnon in the bedroom.


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Where could I go in my disgrace? And you will be considered one of the godless fools in Israel! Speak to the king. He won't refuse your request to marry me."


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Now, Amnon developed an intense hatred for her. His hatred for her was greater than the lust he had felt for her. "Get out of here," he told her.


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She said to him, "No, sending me away is a greater wrong than the other thing you did to me!" But he wouldn't listen to her.


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Then he called his personal servant and said, "Get rid of her. Put her out, and bolt the door behind her."


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(She was wearing a long-sleeved gown. The king's virgin daughters wore this kind of robe.) So his servant took her out and bolted the door behind her.


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Tamar put ashes on her head, tore the long-sleeved gown she had on, put her hands on her head, and went away crying.


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Her brother Absalom asked her, "Has your brother Amnon been with you? Sister, be quiet for now. He's your brother. Don't dwell on this matter." So Tamar stayed there at the home of her brother Absalom and was depressed.


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When King David heard about this, he became very angry. But David didn't punish his son Amnon. He favored Amnon because he was his firstborn son.


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Two years later Absalom had sheepshearers at Baal Hazor near Ephraim. He invited all the king's sons.


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Absalom went to the king and said, "Since I have sheepshearers, Your Majesty and your officials are invited {to feast} with me."


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"No, Son," the king answered Absalom. "If we all go, we'll be a burden to you." Even when Absalom continued to urge him, David did not want to go, though he did give Absalom his blessing.


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So Absalom said, "If you won't go, then please let my brother Amnon go with us." "Why should he go with you?" the king asked him.


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Then Absalom gave an order to his servants. "Watch now," he said. "When Amnon begins to feel good from drinking {too much} wine, I'll tell you, 'Attack Amnon.' Then kill him. Don't be afraid. I've given you the order, haven't I? Be strong and courageous."


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Absalom's servants did to Amnon as Absalom had ordered. Then all the king's sons got up, mounted their mules, and fled.


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While they were on their way, David heard this rumor: "Absalom has killed all the king's sons, and not a single one is left."


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The king stood up, tore his clothes, and lay down on the ground. All his servants were standing beside him with their clothes torn {to show their grief}.


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Then Jonadab, the son of David's brother Shimea, said, "Sir, don't think that all the young men, all the king's sons, have been killed. Only Amnon is dead. Absalom decided to do this the day his half brother raped his sister Tamar.


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You shouldn't burden your heart with the idea that all the king's sons are dead, Your Majesty. Only Amnon is dead.


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Absalom has fled." When the servant who kept watch looked up, he saw many people coming down the road beside the mountain west of him.


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When he finished speaking, the king's sons arrived and cried loudly. The king and all his men also cried very bitterly.


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Absalom, however, fled to Geshur's King Talmai, Ammihud's son. But the king mourned for his son Amnon every day.


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So Joab sent {someone} to Tekoa to get a clever woman from there. He told her, "Please act like a mourner, and dress in mourning clothes. Don't rub olive oil on yourself, but act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for a long time.


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The woman from Tekoa came to the king and immediately bowed down with her face touching the ground. "Help {me}, Your Majesty," she said.


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I had two sons who quarreled in the field, and there was no one to separate them. One killed the other.


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Then the entire family turned against me. They said, 'Give us the man who killed his brother so that we can kill him because he took his brother's life. We're going to destroy the one who {now} would be the heir.' In this way they wish to extinguish the {one} burning coal that is left for me. They will not let my husband's name or descendants remain on the face of the earth."


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The woman from Tekoa said to the king, "Let me be held responsible for the sin, Your Majesty. Let my father's family be held responsible. Your Majesty and your throne are innocent."


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She said, "Your Majesty, please pray to the Lord your God in order to keep an avenger from doing more harm by destroying my son." "I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives," he said, "not a hair on your son's head will fall to the ground."


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"Why have you devised something like this against God's people?" she said. "When you say this, you condemn yourself because you haven't brought back the one you banished!


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We are all going to die; we are all like water that is poured on the ground and can't be gathered up. But doesn't God forgive a person? He never plans to keep a banished person in exile.


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"I've come to say this to you because the people have frightened me. So I thought, 'I will speak to the king about this. Maybe the king will do something for me, his subject.


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Maybe the king will listen and rescue me, his subject, from the man who wants to cut off both me and my son from {our} God-given inheritance.'


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I thought that you would reassure me. You are like God's Messenger, who is able to distinguish right from wrong. May the Lord your God be with you!"


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The king said to the woman, "Please don't refuse to answer the question I'm going to ask you." The woman responded, "Please speak, Your Majesty."


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"Did Joab put you up to this?" the king asked. The woman answered, "I solemnly swear on your life, Your Majesty, you are absolutely right. Yes, your servant Joab ordered me {to do this}. He told me to say exactly what I said.


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Your servant Joab has done this to portray the matter in a different light. You are as wise as God's Messenger, who knows everything on earth."


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Joab quickly bowed down with his face touching the ground, and he blessed the king. He said, "Today I know that you have been kind to me because you have done what I wanted."


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But the king said, "Absalom should return to his own house. He will not see me." So Absalom returned to his house and didn't see the king.


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Now, no one in all Israel was praised for his good looks as much as Absalom was. He had no blemish from head to toe.


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At the end of every year, he used to cut his hair because it became heavy for him. When he cut the hair on his head and weighed it, it weighed five pounds according to the royal standard.


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So Absalom sent for Joab in order to send him to the king, but Joab refused to come. Absalom sent for him a second time, but he still refused to come.


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So Absalom said to his servants, "Look, Joab's field is next to mine. He has barley in it. Go and set it on fire." So Absalom's servants set it on fire. Joab's servants came to him {in grief} and said, "Absalom's servants have set {your} field on fire."


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Then Joab immediately went to Absalom at his home. "Why did your servants set my field on fire?" he asked.


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Absalom answered Joab, "I sent someone to tell you to come here because I wanted to send you to the king to ask him why I had to come from Geshur. It would be better for me if I were still there. Let me see the king now! If I'm guilty of a sin, he should kill me."


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Joab went to the king and told him this. The king then called for Absalom, who came to the king and bowed down with his face touching the ground. And the king kissed Absalom.


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Absalom used to get up early and stand by the road leading to the city gate. When anyone had a case to be tried by King David, Absalom would ask, "Which city are you from?" After the person had told him which tribe in Israel he was from,


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He would add, "I wish someone would make me judge in the land. Then anyone who had a case to be tried could come to me, and I would make sure that he got justice."


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This is what he did for all Israelites who came to the king to have him try their case. So Absalom stole the hearts of the people of Israel.


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Four years later Absalom said to the king, "Let me go to Hebron and keep the vow I made to the Lord.


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I made a vow while I was living at Geshur in Aram. I said, 'If the Lord will bring me back to Jerusalem, I will serve the Lord.' "


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But Absalom sent his loyal supporters to all the tribes of Israel and said, "When you hear the sound of the ram's horn, say, 'Absalom has become king in Hebron.' "


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Two hundred men invited from Jerusalem went with Absalom. They went innocently, knowing nothing {about Absalom's plans}.


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While Absalom was offering sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel, David's adviser, to come from his home in Giloh. Meanwhile, the conspiracy grew stronger, and the number of people siding with Absalom kept getting larger.


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David told all his men who were with him in Jerusalem, "Let's flee immediately, or none of us will escape from Absalom. Let's leave right away, or he'll catch up to us and bring disaster on us when he massacres the city."


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The king left on foot, and his whole household followed him except ten concubines whom the king left behind to take care of the palace.


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All his mercenaries passed by him; all the Cherethites, all the Pelethites, Ittai, and all 600 men who had followed him from Gath were marching past the king.


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The king asked Ittai from Gath, "Why should you go with us? Go back, and stay with King Absalom. You are a foreigner, an exile from your homeland.


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You came to us just yesterday. Should I make you wander around with me when I don't even know where I'm going? Go back, and take your countrymen with you. {May the Lord} always show you kindness."


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But Ittai answered the king, "I solemnly swear, as the Lord and the king live: Wherever you are, whether you're dead or alive, I'll be there."


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So David told Ittai, "Go ahead and keep marching." So Ittai from Gath marched on with all his men and all the families who were with him.


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The whole country was crying loudly as all the troops were passing by. The king was crossing the Kidron Valley, and all the people were moving down the road toward the desert.


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Zadok and all the Levites with him were carrying the ark of God's promise. They set down the ark of God beside Abiathar until all the troops had withdrawn from the city.


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The king told Zadok, "Take God's ark back to the city. If the Lord looks favorably on me, he will allow me to come back and see both it and its dwelling place again.


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"Aren't you a seer?" the king asked Zadok the priest. "Go back to the city peacefully, and take your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar's son Jonathan with you.


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David cried as he went up the Mount of Olives. He covered his head and walked barefoot. And all of the troops with him covered their heads and cried as they went.


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Then David was told, "Ahithophel is among those conspiring with Absalom." So David prayed, "Lord, make Ahithophel's advice foolish."


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When David came to the top {of the Mount of Olives} where people worshiped God, Hushai from Archi's family was there to meet him. His clothes were torn, and he had dirt on his head.


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But if you go back to the city and say to Absalom, 'Your Majesty, I'll be your servant. I was your father's servant in the past, but now I'll be your servant,' then you'll {help me by} undoing Ahithophel's advice.


text:
The priests Zadok and Abiathar will be with you there. When you hear anything from the royal palace, tell it to the priests Zadok and Abiathar.


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They have two sons with them: Zadok has Ahimaaz, and Abiathar has Jonathan. Send them to report to me anything you hear."


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When David had gone over the top {of the Mount of Olives}, Ziba, Mephibosheth's servant, met him with a pair of saddled donkeys. They were loaded with 200 loaves of bread, 100 bunches of raisins, 100 pieces of ripened fruit, and a full wineskin.


text:
"Why did you bring these?" David asked Ziba. "The donkeys are for the king's family to ride on," Ziba answered. "The bread and the ripe fruit are for {your} servants to eat. The wine is for those who become tired and thirsty in the desert."


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"Where is your master Saul's grandson?" the king asked. "He's staying in Jerusalem," Ziba answered the king. "He said, 'Today the house of Israel will give me back my grandfather's kingdom.' "


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The king told Ziba, "In that case everything that belonged to Mephibosheth now belongs to you." "I sincerely thank you," said Ziba. "I hope to remain in your good graces, Your Majesty."


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When King David came to Bahurim, a man who was a distant cousin of Saul came out cursing. His name was Shimei, son of Gera.


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He threw stones at David and David's servants, although all the people and all the warriors were shielding David.


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The Lord is paying you back for all the blood you spilled in the family of Saul, whom you succeeded as king. The Lord is giving the kingship to your son Absalom. Now you're in trouble because you're a bloodthirsty man."


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Abishai, Zeruiah's son, asked the king, "Why should this dead dog curse you, Your Majesty? Let me go over there and tear off his head."


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But the king said, "You don't think like me at all, sons of Zeruiah. Let him curse. If the Lord has told him, 'Curse David,' should anyone ask, 'Why do you do that?' "


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David told Abishai and all his servants, "My own son, my own flesh and blood, is trying to kill me. Why, then, shouldn't this Benjaminite do this? Leave him alone. Let him curse, since the Lord has told him to do it.


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As David and his men went along the road, Shimei was walking along the hillside parallel to him. Shimei cursed, hurled stones, and threw dirt at David.


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When David's friend Hushai from Archi's family came to Absalom, he said, "Long live the king! Long live the king!"


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Hushai answered Absalom, "No, I want to be with the one whom the Lord, these people, and all Israel have chosen. I will be his {friend} and stay with him.


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And besides, whom should I serve? Shouldn't it be his son? As I served your father, so I'll serve you."


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Ahithophel told Absalom, "Sleep with your father's concubines whom he left to take care of the palace. Then all Israel will hear about how you have made your father despise you. Everyone who is with you will support you even more."


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So a tent was put up on the roof for Absalom, and he slept with his father's concubines in plain sight of Israel.


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In those days both David and Absalom thought that Ahithophel's advice was like getting an answer from God.


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I'll attack him while he's tired and weak, and I'll cause him to panic. All the people with him will flee, but I'll kill only him.


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I'll return all the people to you as a bride is returned to her husband. Since you will be seeking the life of only one man, all the people will have peace."


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Absalom said, "Please call Hushai, who is descended from Archi's family, and let us hear what he, too, has to say."


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When Hushai arrived, Absalom said to him, "Ahithophel has told us his plan. Should we do what he says? If not, tell us."


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"You know your father and his men. They are warriors as fierce as a wild bear whose cubs have been stolen. Your father is an experienced soldier. He will not camp with the troops tonight.


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He has already hidden in one of the ravines or some other place. If some of our soldiers are killed in the initial attack, others will definitely hear about it and say, 'The troops that support Absalom have been defeated.'


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Even the bravest man with a heart like a lion would lose his courage, because all Israel knows that your father is a warrior and the men with him are brave.


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So my advice is to gather all Israel's troops from Dan to Beersheba, since they are as numerous as the sand on the seashore. Lead them into battle yourself.


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Then we'll attack him wherever we find him. We'll fall on him as dew falls on the ground. Neither he nor any of his men will be left {alive}.


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If he retreats into a city, all Israel will bring ropes to that city and drag it into a valley so that not even a pebble will be found there."


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Absalom and all the people of Israel said, "The advice of Hushai from Archi's family is better than Ahithophel's advice." (The Lord had commanded Ahithophel's good advice to be defeated in order to ruin Absalom.)


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Then Hushai told the priests Zadok and Abiathar, "Ahithophel advised Absalom and the leaders of Israel to do one thing, but I advised them to do something else.


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Now send messengers quickly to tell David, 'Don't rest tonight in the river crossings in the desert, but make sure you cross {the river}, or Your Majesty and all the troops with him will be wiped out.' "


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Jonathan and Ahimaaz were waiting at En Rogel. They could not risk being seen coming into the city, so a servant girl was to go and tell them, and they were to go and tell King David.


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But a young man saw Jonathan and Ahimaaz and told Absalom. So both of them left quickly and came to the home of a man in Bahurim who had a cistern in his courtyard, and they went down into it.


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The man's wife took a cover, spread it over the top of the cistern, and scattered some grain over it so that no one could tell it was there.


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Absalom's servants came to the woman at her home. "Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" they asked. The woman said, "They've crossed the stream." The servants looked for them but did not find them. So Absalom's servants returned to Jerusalem.


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After Absalom's servants left, both men came out of the cistern and went and told King David. "Leave right away," they told David. "Cross the river quickly because this is what Ahithophel has advised against you ."


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David and all the troops with him left to cross the Jordan River. When the dawn came, everyone had crossed the Jordan River.


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When Ahithophel saw that his advice hadn't been followed, he saddled his donkey, left, and went home to his own city. He gave instructions to his family. Then he hanged himself, died, and was buried in his father's tomb.


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David had {already} come to Mahanaim by the time Absalom and all the men of Israel with him crossed the Jordan River.


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Absalom appointed Amasa to take Joab's place as commander of the army. (Amasa was the son of a man named Ithra, a descendant of Ishmael. His mother was Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and sister of Joab's mother Zeruiah.)


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When David came to Mahanaim, Shobi, son of Nahash from Rabbah in Ammon, and Machir, son of Ammiel from Lo Debar, and Barzillai from Rogelim in Gilead


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brought {supplies} and food for David and his troops: bedding, bowls, pots, wheat, barley, flour, roasted grain, beans, lentils,


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honey, buttermilk, sheep, and calves. They brought these things because they thought, "The troops in the desert are hungry, exhausted, and thirsty."


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David called together the troops that were with him. He appointed commanders in charge of regiments and battalions.


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David put a third of the troops under Joab's command, another third under Joab's brother Abishai (Zeruiah's son), and the last third under Ittai from Gath. "I am going {into battle} with you," the king said to the troops.


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"You're not going {with us}," the troops said. "If we flee, they won't care about us, and if half of us die, they won't care either. But you're worth 10,000 of us. It's better for you to be ready to send us help from the city."


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"I'll do what you think best," the king responded. So the king stood by the gate while all the troops marched out by battalions and regiments.


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The king ordered Joab, Abishai, and Ittai, "Treat the young man Absalom gently for my sake." All the troops heard him give all the commanders this order regarding Absalom.


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The fighting spread over the whole country. That day the woods devoured more people than the battle.


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Absalom happened to come face to face with some of David's men. He was riding on a mule, and the mule went under the tangled branches of a large tree. Absalom's head became caught in the tree. So he was left hanging in midair when the mule that was under him ran away.


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"What! You saw that!" Joab said to the man who told him. "Why didn't you strike him to the ground? Then I would have felt obligated to give you four ounces of silver and a belt."


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But the man told Joab, "Even if I felt the weight of 25 pounds of silver in my hand, I wouldn't raise my hand against the king's son. We heard the order the king gave you, Abishai, and Ittai: 'Protect the young man Absalom for my sake.'


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If I had done something treacherous to him, would you have stood by me? Like everything else, it wouldn't stay hidden from the king."


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Then Joab said, "I shouldn't waste time with you like this." He took three sharp sticks and plunged them into Absalom's heart while he was still alive in the tree.


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They took Absalom, threw him into a huge pit in the forest, and piled a large heap of stones over him. Meanwhile, all Israel fled and went back to their homes.


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({While he was still living,} Absalom had taken a rock and set it up for himself in the king's valley. He said, "I have no son to keep the memory of my name alive." He called the rock by his name, and it is still called Absalom's Monument today.)


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Then Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, said, "Let me run and bring the king the good news that the Lord has freed him from his enemies."


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But Joab told him, "You won't be the man carrying good news today. You can carry the news some other day. You must not deliver the news today because the king's son is dead."


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Then Joab said to a man from Sudan, "Go, tell the king what you saw." The messenger bowed down with his face touching the ground in front of Joab and then ran off.


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Ahimaaz, Zadok's son, spoke to Joab again, "Whatever may happen, I also want to run after the Sudanese messenger." "Now, son, why should you deliver the message?" Joab asked. "You won't be rewarded for this news."


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"Whatever happens, I'd like to run," {replied Ahimaaz.} "Run," Joab told him. So Ahimaaz ran along the valley road and got ahead of the Sudanese messenger.


text:
David was sitting between the two gates while the watchman walked along the roof of the gate by the wall. As he looked, he saw a man running alone.


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The watchman called and alerted the king. "If he's alone," the king said, "he has good news to tell." The runner continued to come closer.


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When the watchman saw another man running, the watchman called, "There's {another} man running alone." The king said, "This one is also bringing good news."


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The watchman said, "It seems to me that the first one runs like Ahimaaz, Zadok's son." "He's a good man," the king said. "He must be coming with good news."


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Then Ahimaaz came up to the king, greeted him, and bowed down in front of him. Ahimaaz said, "May the Lord your God be praised. He has handed over the men who rebelled against Your Majesty."


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"Is the young man Absalom alright?" the king asked. Ahimaaz answered, "I saw a lot of confusion when Joab sent me away, but I didn't know what it meant."


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Then the Sudanese messenger came. "Good news for Your Majesty!" he said. "Today the Lord has freed you from all who turned against you."


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"Is the young man Absalom alright?" the king asked. The Sudanese messenger answered, "May your enemies and all who turned against you be like that young man!"


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The king was shaken {by the news}. He went to the room above the gate and cried. "My son Absalom!" he said as he went. "My son, my son Absalom! I wish I had died in your place! Absalom, my son, my son!"


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The victory of that day was turned into mourning because all the troops heard that the king was grieving for his son.


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Then Joab came into the house. "Today you have made all your men feel ashamed," he said. "They saved your life and the lives of your sons, daughters, wives, and concubines today.


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You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. Today, you have made it clear that your commanders and servants mean nothing to you. I think you would be pleased if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead.


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Now, get up, go out, and encourage your men. I swear to you by the Lord that if you don't go out, no one will stay with you tonight, and that will be worse than all the trouble you've had in your entire life."


text:
The king sat in the gateway. When all the troops were told, "The king is sitting in the gateway," they came to the king. Meanwhile, Israel had fled and went back to their own homes.


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All the people in all the tribes of Israel were arguing with one another, saying, "The king rescued us from our enemies and saved us from the Philistines, but now he has fled from Absalom and left the country.


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However, Absalom, whom we anointed to rule us, has died in battle. Why is no one talking about bringing back the king?"


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What all Israel was saying reached the king at his house. So King David sent {this message} to the priests Zadok and Abiathar: "Ask the leaders of Judah, 'Why should you be the last {tribe} to bring the king back to his palace?


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And tell Amasa, 'Aren't you my flesh and blood? May God strike me dead unless you are given Joab's place to serve me always as the commander of the army.' "


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All the people of Judah were in total agreement. So they sent the king this message: "Come back with all your servants."


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The king came back to the Jordan River, and the people of Judah came to Gilgal to meet the king and bring him across the Jordan River.


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Shimei, Gera's son from the tribe of Benjamin and the town of Bahurim, hurried down with the people of Judah to meet King David.


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One thousand people from Benjamin were with him. And Ziba, the servant of Saul's family, rushed to the Jordan River across from the king. Ziba brought his 15 sons and 20 servants.


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They crossed the river to bring over the king's family and to do anything else the king wanted. Shimei, Gera's son, bowed down in front of the king as he was going to cross the Jordan River.


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He pleaded with the king, "Don't remember the crime I committed the day you left Jerusalem. Don't hold it against me or even think about it, Your Majesty.


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But Abishai, Zeruiah's son, replied, "Shouldn't Shimei be put to death for cursing the Lord's anointed king?"


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David responded, "Are you sure we're from the same family, sons of Zeruiah? You are my enemies today. Should anyone in Israel be killed today? Don't I know that I'm king of Israel again?"


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Mephibosheth, Saul's grandson, went to meet the king. He had not tended to his feet, trimmed his mustache, or washed his clothes from the day the king left until he came home safely.


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When he came from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king asked him, "Why didn't you go with me, Mephibosheth?"


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He answered, "My servant deceived me, Your Majesty. Since I am disabled, I said, 'Saddle the donkey for me, and I'll ride on it and go with the king.'


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He told you lies about me, Your Majesty. However, you are like God's Messenger. Do what you think is right.


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You could have killed anyone in my entire family, Your Majesty. Instead, you've seated me with those who eat at your table. So I no longer have the right to complain to the king."


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The king asked him, "Why do you keep talking about it? I've said that you and Ziba should divide the land."


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"Let him take it all," Mephibosheth told the king. "It's enough for me that you've come home safely."


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Barzillai, the man from Gilead, came from Rogelim with the king to the Jordan River to send him on his way.


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Barzillai was an elderly man, 80 years old. Because he was a very rich man, he had provided the king with food while he was staying at Mahanaim.


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Barzillai replied, "I don't have much longer to live. I shouldn't go with Your Majesty to Jerusalem.


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I'm 80 years old now. How can I tell what is pleasant and what is not? Can I taste what I eat or drink? Can I still hear the singing of men and women? Why should I now become a burden to you, Your Majesty?


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Please let me go back so that I can die in my city near the grave of my father and mother. But here is Chimham. Let him go across with you. And do for him what you think is right."


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"Chimham will go across with me," the king said. "I will do for him whatever you want. Anything you wish I'll do for you."


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All the troops crossed the Jordan River, and then the king crossed. The king kissed Barzillai and blessed him. Then Barzillai went back home.


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The king crossed the river to Gilgal, and Chimham went with him. All the troops from Judah and half of the troops from Israel brought the king across.


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Then all the people of Israel kept coming to the king. They asked, "Why did our cousins, the people of Judah, kidnap you and bring Your Majesty and your family and men across the Jordan River?"


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All the people of Judah answered the people of Israel, "Because the king is our relative. Why are you angry about this? Did we eat the king's food, or did he give us any gifts?"


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The people of Israel answered the people of Judah, "We have ten times your interest in the king and a greater claim on David than you have. Why, then, do you despise us? Weren't we the first to suggest bringing back our king?" But the people of Judah spoke {even} more harshly than the people of Israel.


text:
A good-for-nothing man by the name of Sheba, Bichri's son, from the tribe of Benjamin happened to be at Gilgal. He blew a ram's horn {to announce}, "We have no share in David's kingdom. We won't receive an inheritance from Jesse's son. Everyone to his own tent, Israel!"


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So all the people of Israel left David to follow Sheba, Bichri's son. But the people of Judah remained loyal to their king {on his way} from the Jordan River to Jerusalem.


text:
When David came to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to look after the palace and put them in a house under guard. He provided for them but no longer slept with them. So they lived like widows in confinement until they died.


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The king told Amasa, "Call the people of Judah together for me, and in three days be here yourself."


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David then told Abishai, "Sheba, son of Bichri, will do us more harm than Absalom. Take my men and go after him, or he will find some fortified cities and take the best ones for himself."


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So Joab's men, the Cherethites, Pelethites, and all the soldiers went with Abishai. They left Jerusalem to pursue Sheba, Bichri's son.


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When they were at the large rock in Gibeon, Amasa met them there. Joab wore a military uniform, and strapped over it at his hip was a sword in a scabbard. As he stepped forward, the sword dropped {into his hand}.


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"How are you, my brother?" Joab asked Amasa. He took hold of Amasa's beard with his right hand to kiss him.


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Amasa wasn't on his guard against the sword in Joab's {left} hand. Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and his intestines poured out on the ground. (He died without being stabbed again.) Then Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba, son of Bichri.


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One of Joab's young men stood beside Amasa and said, "Anyone who favors Joab and is on David's side should follow Joab."


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Amasa was wallowing in his blood in the middle of the road. When the man saw that all the troops stopped as they came to the body, he carried Amasa from the road to the field and threw a sheet over him.


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Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel (Beth Maacah). All the Berites were gathered together and followed him to the city.


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Joab's army came and attacked him in Abel (Beth Maacah). They put up a dirt ramp against the city, and it stood level with the outer wall. All the troops with Joab were trying to destroy the wall and tear it down.


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Then a clever woman called from the city, "Listen, listen! Tell Joab to come here so that I can talk to him."


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He came near, and she asked, "Are you Joab?" "I am," he answered. "Listen to what I have to say," she told him. "I'm listening," he answered.


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So she said, "There's an old saying: 'Be sure to ask at Abel {before doing anything}. That's the way they settle matters.'


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We are peaceful and faithful Israelites. Are you trying to destroy a mother city in Israel? Why should you swallow up what belongs to the Lord?"


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That isn't the case. A man from the mountains of Ephraim by the name of Sheba, son of Bichri, has rebelled against King David. Give him to me, and I'll withdraw from the city." "That's fine," the woman told Joab. "His head will be thrown to you from the wall."


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Then the woman went to all the people with her clever plan. They cut off Sheba's head and threw it to Joab. He blew the ram's horn, and everyone scattered and withdrew from the city and went home. Joab went back to the king in Jerusalem.


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Now, Joab was put in charge of Israel's whole army. Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, was in charge of the Cherethites and Pelethites.


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In the time of David, there was a famine for three successive years, and David asked the Lord's advice about it. The Lord answered, "It's because of Saul and his family. They are guilty of murder because they killed the people of Gibeon."


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(The Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were left over from the Amorites. Although the Israelites had sworn {to spare them}, Saul, in his eagerness, tried to destroy them for Israel and Judah.) The king called the Gibeonites


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and asked them, "What can I do for you? What should I {give you} to make peace with you so that you will bless what belongs to the Lord?"


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"We do not want silver or gold from Saul's family," the Gibeonites answered him. "And none of us wants to kill {anyone} in Israel." The king asked, "What are you saying that I should do for you?"


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They answered the king, "Give us seven of the male descendants of the man who wanted to finish us off. He planned to wipe us out to keep us from staying anywhere in Israel's territory.


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We will execute them in the Lord's presence at Saul's town Gibeah." (It was Saul whom the Lord had chosen.) "I will give them {to you}," the king said.


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But the king spared Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son and Saul's grandson, because of the oath in the Lord's name between David and Jonathan, son of Saul.


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The king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons whom Rizpah (Aiah's daughter) gave birth to for Saul, and five sons whom Merab (Saul's daughter) gave birth to for Adriel, son of Barzillai from Meholah.


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The king handed them over to the Gibeonites, who executed them on the mountain in the Lord's presence. All seven died together. They were killed at the beginning of the harvest, when people started harvesting barley.


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Rizpah (Aiah's daughter) took sackcloth and stretched it out on the rock for herself from the beginning of the harvest until the sky rained on the dead bodies. She wouldn't let any birds land on them during the day or any wild animals come near them during the night.


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David went and took the bones of Saul and of his son Jonathan from the citizens of Jabesh Gilead. They had stolen them from the public square of Beth Shean, where the Philistines had hung them the day they killed Saul at Gilboa.


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When David brought up the bones of Saul and Jonathan, his men gathered the bones of those who had been executed.


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Then they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in the land of Benjamin, in Zela, in the tomb of Saul's father Kish. They did everything the king ordered. After that, God answered the prayers for the land.


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Once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. So David and his men went to fight the Philistines, but David became exhausted.


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A descendant of Haraphah named Benob, who had a bronze spear weighing 7 1/2 pounds which he wore on a new belt, captured David and intended to kill him.


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But Abishai, son of Zeruiah, came to help David. He attacked the Philistine and killed him. Then David's men swore an oath, saying, "You'll never go into battle with us again. The lamp of Israel must never be extinguished."


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After this, there was another battle with the Philistines at Gob. Then Sibbecai from Hushah killed Saph, another descendant of Haraphah.


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When more fighting broke out with the Philistines at Gob, Elhanan, son of Jaare Oregim from Bethlehem, killed Goliath of Gath. (The shaft of Goliath's spear was like a beam used by weavers.)


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In another battle at Gath, there was a tall man who had a total of 24 fingers and toes: six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. He also was a descendant of Haraphah.


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David sang this song to the Lord when the Lord rescued him from all his enemies, especially from Saul.


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my God, my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, the strength of my salvation, my stronghold, my refuge, and my Savior who saved me from violence.


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I called on the Lord in my distress. I called to my God for help. He heard my voice from his temple, and my cry for help reached his ears.


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Then the earth shook and quaked. Even the foundations of the heavens trembled. They shook violently because he was angry.


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Smoke went up from his nostrils, and a raging fire came out of his mouth. Glowing coals flared up from it.


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Then the ocean floor could be seen. The foundations of the earth were laid bare at the Lord's stern warning, at the blast of the breath from his nostrils.


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He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, because they were too strong for me.


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God's way is perfect! The promise of the Lord has proven to be true. He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.


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They looked, but there was no one to save them. They looked to the Lord, but he did not answer them.


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I beat them into a powder as fine as the dust on the ground. I crushed them and stomped on them like the dirt on the streets.


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You rescued me from my conflicts with my people. You kept me as the leader of nations. A people I did not know will serve me.


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That is why I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the nations and make music to praise your name.


text:
He gives great victories to his king. He shows mercy to his anointed, to David, and to his descendant forever.


text:
These are the last words of David: "Here is the declaration by David, son of Jesse— the declaration by the man whom God raised up, whom the God of Jacob anointed, the singer of Israel's psalms:


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The God of Israel spoke to them. The rock of Israel told me, 'The one who rules humans with justice rules with the fear of God.


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He is like the morning light as the sun rises, like a morning without clouds, like the brightness after a rainstorm. The rain makes the grass grow from the earth.'


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"Truly, God considers my house to be that way, because he has made a lasting promise to me, with every detail arranged and assured. {He promised} everything that helps me, everything that pleases me. Truly, he makes these things happen.


text:
"Worthless people are like thorns. All of them are thrown away, because they cannot be picked by hand.


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A person who touches them uses iron {tools} or the shaft of a spear. Fire will burn them up completely wherever they are."


text:
These are the names of David's fighting men: Josheb Basshebeth from Tahkemon's family was leader of the three. He used a spear to kill 800 men on one occasion.


text:
Next in rank to him was Eleazar, another one of the three fighting men. He was the son of Dodo and grandson of Aho. Eleazar was with David at Pas Dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. When the soldiers from Israel retreated,


text:
he attacked and killed Philistines until his hand got tired and stuck to his sword. So the Lord won an impressive victory that day. The army returned to Eleazar, but they only returned to strip the dead.


text:
Next in rank to him was Shammah, the son of Agee from Harar. The Philistines had gathered at Lehi, where there was a field of ripe lentils. When the troops fled from the Philistines,


text:
he stood in the middle of the field and defended it by killing Philistines. So the Lord won an impressive victory.


text:
At harvest time three of the thirty leading men came to David at the cave of Adullam when a troop from the Philistine army was camping in the valley of Rephaim.


text:
When David became thirsty, he said, "I wish I could have a drink of water from the well at the city gate of Bethlehem."


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So the three fighting men burst into the Philistine camp and drew water from the well. They brought it to David, but he refused to drink it. He poured it out {as an offering} to the Lord and said,


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"It's unthinkable that I would do this, Lord. This is the blood of men who risked their lives!" So he refused to drink it. These are the things which the three fighting men did.


text:
Joab's brother Abishai, Zeruiah's son, was the leader of the thirty. He used his spear to kill 300 men. He was as famous as the three


text:
and was honored more than they were. So he became their captain, but he didn't become a member of the three.


text:
Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, was from Kabzeel and was a brave man who did many things. He killed two distinguished soldiers from Moab. He also went into a pit and killed a lion on the day it snowed.


text:
And he killed a handsome Egyptian. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand. Benaiah went to him with a club, grabbed the spear from him, and killed him with it.


text:
These are the things that Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, did. He was as famous as the three fighting men.


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He was honored more than the thirty, but he was not a member of the three. David put him in charge of his bodyguards.


text:
One of the thirty was Joab's brother Asahel. {The thirty leading men were} Elhanan (son of Dodo) from Bethlehem,


text:
The Lord became angry with Israel again, so he provoked David to turn against Israel. He said, "Go, count Israel and Judah."


text:
King David said to Joab, the commander of the army who was with him, "Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and count the people. That way I will know how many there are."


text:
Joab responded to the king, "May the Lord your God multiply the people a hundred times over, and may Your Majesty {live} to see it. But why does Your Majesty wish to do this?"


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However, the king overruled Joab and the commanders of the army. So they left the king {in order} to count the people of Israel.


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They crossed the Jordan River and camped at Aroer, south of the city in the middle of the valley. Then they went to Gad and to Jazer.


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They went to the fortified city of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah.


text:
Joab reported the census figures to the king: In Israel there were 800,000 able-bodied men who could serve in the army, and in Judah there were 500,000.


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After David counted the people, his conscience troubled him. David said to the Lord, "I have committed a terrible sin by what I have done. Lord, please forgive me because I have acted very foolishly."


text:
"Go and tell David, 'This is what the Lord says: I'm offering you three choices. Choose the one you want me to do to you.' "


text:
When Gad came to David, he told David this and asked, "Should seven years of famine come to you and your land, or three months during which you flee from your enemies as they pursue you, or should there be a three-day plague in your land? Think it over, and decide what answer I should give the one who sent me."


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"I'm in a desperate situation," David told Gad. "Please let us fall into the Lord's hands because he is very merciful. But don't let me fall into human hands."


text:
So the Lord sent a plague among the Israelites from that morning until the time he had chosen. Of the people from Dan to Beersheba, 70,000 died.


text:
But when the Messenger stretched out his arm to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord changed his mind about the disaster. "Enough!" he said to the Messenger who was destroying the people. "Put down your weapon." The Messenger of the Lord was at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.


text:
When David saw the Messenger who had been killing the people, he said to the Lord, "I've sinned. I've done wrong. What have these sheep done? Please let your punishment be against me and against my father's family."


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That day Gad came to David and said to him, "Go, set up an altar for the Lord at Araunah the Jebusite's threshing floor."


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When Araunah looked down and saw the king and his men coming toward him, he went out and bowed down with his face touching the ground in front of the king.


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"Why has Your Majesty come to me?" Araunah asked. David answered, "To buy the threshing floor from you and to build an altar for the Lord. Then the plague on the people will stop."


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Araunah said to David, "Take it, Your Majesty, and offer whatever you think is right. There are oxen for the burnt offering, and there are threshers and oxen yokes for firewood."


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"No!" the king said to Araunah. "I must buy it from you at a {fair} price. I won't offer the Lord my God burnt sacrifices that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 1 1/4 pounds of silver.


text:
David built an altar for the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. So the Lord heard the prayers for the country, and the plague on Israel stopped.


text:
His officials told him, "Your Majesty, let us search for a young woman who has never been married. She can stay with you and be your servant. She can lie in your arms and keep you warm."


text:
So they searched throughout Israel for a beautiful, young woman. They found Abishag from Shunem and brought her to the king.


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The woman was very beautiful. She became the king's servant and took care of him, but the king did not make love to her.


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Adonijah, son of Haggith, was very handsome. His mother gave birth to him after Maacah had Absalom. Adonijah was boasting that he was king. So he got a chariot and horses and 50 men to run ahead of him.


text:
But Adonijah had discussed his actions with Joab (son of Zeruiah) and with the priest Abiathar, so they supported him.


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But the priest Zadok, Benaiah (son of Jehoiada), the prophet Nathan, Shimei, Rei, and David's {thirty} fighting men did not join Adonijah.


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Adonijah sacrificed sheep, cattle, and fattened calves at Zoheleth Rock near En Rogel. He had invited all his brothers, the king's {other} sons, all the men of Judah, and the king's officials.


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Then Nathan asked Solomon's mother Bathsheba, "Haven't you heard that Adonijah, Haggith's son, has become king, and our master David doesn't {even} know about it?


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Go to King David and ask him, 'Your Majesty, didn't you swear to me that my son Solomon will be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne? Why is Adonijah acting as king?'


text:
Bathsheba went to the king in his private room. The king was very old, and Abishag from Shunem was taking care of him.


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"Sir," she answered, "You took an oath to the Lord your God. You said that my son Solomon will be king after you, and that he will sit on your throne.


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But now, you see, Adonijah has become king, and you don't {even} know anything about it, Your Majesty.


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He has sacrificed many fattened calves, bulls, and sheep. He has invited all the king's sons, Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of the army {to his feast}. But he hasn't invited your servant Solomon.


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Otherwise, my son Solomon and I will be treated like criminals when you lie down in death with your ancestors."


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The servants told the king, "The prophet Nathan is here." When he came to the king, he bowed down in front of him.


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Nathan said, "Your Majesty, you must have said that Adonijah will be king after you and that he will sit on your throne,


text:
because today he went and sacrificed many bulls, fattened calves, and sheep. He invited all the king's sons, the army's commanders, and the priest Abiathar {to his feast}. They are eating and drinking with him and saying, 'Long live King Adonijah!'


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But he didn't invite me or the priest Zadok or Benaiah, who is Jehoiada's son, or your servant Solomon.


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and he swore an oath. He said, "I solemnly swear, as the Lord who has saved my life from all trouble lives,


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I will do today exactly what I swore to you by the Lord God of Israel. Your son Solomon will be king after me. He will sit on my throne."


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Then Bathsheba bowed down with her face touching the ground in front of the king. "May Your Majesty, King David, live forever!" she said.


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King David said, "Summon the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, and Benaiah, son of Jehoiada." So they came to the king,


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Have the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan anoint him king of Israel there. Then blow the ram's horn and say, 'Long live King Solomon!'


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Follow him {back} here when he comes to sit on my throne. He will be king in place of me. I have appointed him to be the leader of Israel and Judah."


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As the Lord has been with you, so may he be with Solomon. May Solomon be an even greater king than you, King David."


text:
Then the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah (son of Jehoiada), the Cherethites, and the Pelethites put Solomon on King David's mule and brought him to Gihon.


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The priest Zadok took the container of olive oil from the tent and anointed Solomon. They blew the ram's horn, and all the people said, "Long live King Solomon!"


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All the people followed him, blew flutes, and celebrated so loudly that their voices shook the ground.


text:
Adonijah and all his guests heard this as they finished eating. When Joab heard the sound of the horn, he asked, "What's the reason for the noise in the city?"


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He was still speaking when Jonathan, son of the priest Abiathar, arrived. "Come in," Adonijah said. "You're an honorable man, so you must be bringing good news."


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The king has sent the priest Zadok, the prophet Nathan, Benaiah (son of Jehoiada), the Cherethites, and the Pelethites with him. They have put him on the king's mule.


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The priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan have anointed him king at Gihon. They have come from there celebrating, so the city is excited. That is the sound you heard.


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Furthermore, the royal officials have come {to congratulate} His Majesty King David, saying, 'May your God make Solomon's name more famous than yours and his reign greater than your reign.' The king himself bowed down on his bed


text:
Adonijah was afraid of Solomon. He got up, went {to the tent of meeting,} and took hold of the horns of the altar.


text:
Someone told Solomon, "Adonijah is afraid of you, King Solomon. He is holding on to the horns of the altar and saying, 'Make King Solomon swear to me today that he will not have me killed.' "


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Solomon said, "If he will behave like an honorable man, not one hair on his head will fall to the ground. But if he does {anything} wrong, he will die."


text:
King Solomon sent men to take him from the altar. Adonijah bowed down in front of King Solomon. "Go home," Solomon told him.


text:
Fulfill your duty to the Lord your God. Obey his directions, laws, commands, rules, and written instructions as they are recorded in Moses' Teachings. Then you'll succeed in everything you do wherever you may go.


text:
{You'll succeed} because the Lord will keep the promise he made to me: 'If your descendants are faithful to me with all their hearts and lives, you will never fail to have an heir on the throne of Israel.'


text:
"You know what Joab (Zeruiah's son) did to me and to the two commanders of Israel's army—Abner, son of Ner, and Amasa, son of Jether. Joab killed them. When there was peace, he shed blood as if it were wartime. With their blood he stained the belt around his waist and the shoes on his feet.


text:
"Be kind to the sons of Barzillai from Gilead. Let them eat at your table. They helped me when I was fleeing from your brother Absalom.


text:
"Shimei, son of Gera from Bahurim in Benjamin, is still with you. He cursed me repeatedly when I went to Mahanaim. But when he came to meet me at the Jordan River, I took an oath by the Lord and said, 'As long as I'm king, I won't have you killed.'


text:
Now, don't let him go unpunished. You are wise and know what to do to him: Put that gray-haired, old man into his grave by slaughtering him."


text:
He ruled as king of Israel for 40 years. He ruled for 7 years in Hebron and for 33 years in Jerusalem.


text:
Then Adonijah, son of Haggith, went to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother. "Is this a friendly visit?" she asked. "Yes," he answered.


text:
He said, "You know the kingship was mine. All Israel expected me to be their king. But the kingship has been turned over to my brother because the Lord gave it to him.


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He said, "Please ask King Solomon to give me Abishag from Shunem as my wife. He will not refuse you."


text:
Bathsheba went to King Solomon to talk to him on Adonijah's behalf. The king got up to meet her and bowed down in front of her. Then he sat on his throne. He had a throne brought for his mother, and she sat at his right side.


text:
"I'm asking you for one little thing," she said. "Don't refuse me." "Ask, Mother," the king told her. "I won't refuse you."


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King Solomon then said, "Why do you ask that Abishag from Shunem be given to Adonijah? That would be the same as giving him the kingship. After all, he is my older brother. The priest Abiathar and Joab (Zeruiah's son) are supporting him."


text:
King Solomon took an oath by the Lord and said, "May God strike me dead if Adonijah doesn't pay with his life for this request!


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The Lord set me on my father David's throne and gave me a dynasty as he promised. So I solemnly swear, as the Lord who has established me lives, that Adonijah will be put to death today."


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The king told the priest Abiathar, "Go to your land in Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I won't kill you at this time because you carried the ark of the Almighty Lord ahead of my father David and because you shared all my father's sufferings."


text:
So Solomon removed Abiathar as the Lord's priest and fulfilled the Lord's word spoken at Shiloh about Eli's family.


text:
The news reached Joab. (He had supported Adonijah, although he hadn't supported Absalom.) So Joab fled to the Lord's tent and clung to the horns of the altar.


text:
After King Solomon heard that Joab had fled to the altar in the tent of the Lord, Solomon sent Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, to kill Joab.


text:
When Benaiah came to the tent of the Lord, he told Joab, "The king says, 'Come out.' " "No," Joab answered, "I'll die here." So Benaiah reported to the king what Joab had said and how he had answered.


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The king answered, "Do as he said. Kill him, and bury him. You can remove the innocent blood—the blood which Joab shed—from me and my father's family.


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The Lord will repay him for the slaughter he caused. Joab killed two honorable men who were better than he was. He used his sword to kill Abner (who was the son of Ner and the commander of Israel's army) and Amasa (who was the son of Jether and the commander of Judah's army). Joab did this without my father's knowledge.


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The responsibility for their blood will fall on Joab and his descendants forever. But may David, his descendants, family, and throne always receive peace from the Lord."


text:
Then Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, went and attacked Joab, killed him, and buried him at his home in the desert.


text:
The king then appointed Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, to replace Joab as commander of the army. King Solomon also replaced Abiathar with the priest Zadok.


text:
The king summoned Shimei and said to him, "Build a house for yourself in Jerusalem, and stay there. Don't leave {the city} to go anywhere else.


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But the day you leave and cross the brook in the Kidron Valley, you can be certain that you will die. You will be responsible for your own death."


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"Very well," Shimei answered. "I'll do just what Your Majesty said." So Shimei stayed in Jerusalem for a long time.


text:
But after three years, two of Shimei's slaves fled to Gath's King Achish, son of Maacah. Shimei was told that his slaves were in Gath,


text:
so he saddled his donkey and went to Achish in Gath to search for his slaves. Shimei went to Gath and got his slaves.


text:
he summoned Shimei. Solomon asked him, "Didn't I make you take an oath by the Lord? Didn't I warn you that if you left {the city} to go anywhere, you could be certain that you would die? Didn't you say to me, 'Very well. I'll do just what you said'?


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Shimei, you know in your heart all the evil that you did to my father David. The Lord is going to pay you back for the evil you have done.


text:
Then the king gave orders to Benaiah, son of Jehoiada. He went to attack and kill Shimei. Solomon's power as king was now firmly established.


text:
Solomon became the son-in-law of Pharaoh (the king of Egypt). After marrying Pharaoh's daughter, Solomon brought her to the City of David until he finished building his own house, the Lord's house, and the wall around Jerusalem.


text:
The people were still sacrificing at other worship sites because a temple for the name of the Lord had not yet been built.


text:
Solomon loved the Lord and lived by his father David's rules. However, he still sacrificed and burned incense at these other worship sites.


text:
King Solomon went to Gibeon to sacrifice because it was the most important place of worship. Solomon sacrificed 1,000 burnt offerings on that altar.


text:
Solomon responded, "You've shown great love to my father David, who was your servant. He lived in your presence with truth, righteousness, and commitment. And you continued to show him your great love by giving him a son to sit on his throne today.


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"Lord my God, although I'm young and inexperienced, you've made me king in place of my father David.


text:
Give me a heart that listens so that I can judge your people and tell the difference between good and evil. After all, who can judge this great people of yours?"


text:
God replied, "You've asked for this and not for a long life, or riches for yourself, or the death of your enemies. Instead, you've asked for understanding so that you can do what is right.


text:
So I'm going to do what you've asked. I'm giving you a wise and understanding heart so that there will never be anyone like you.


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I'm also giving you what you haven't asked for—riches and honor—so that no other king will be like you as long as you live.


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And if you follow me and obey my laws and commands as your father David did, then I will also give you a long life."


text:
Solomon woke up and realized it had been a dream. He went to Jerusalem and stood in front of the ark of the Lord's promise. He sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings and held a banquet for all his officials.


text:
One woman said to him, "Sir, this woman and I live in the same house. I gave birth {to a son} while she was with me in the house.


text:
Two days later this woman also gave birth {to a son}. We were alone. No one else was with us. Just the two of us were in the house.


text:
So she got up during the night and took my son, who was beside me, while I was asleep. She held him in her arms. Then she laid her dead son in my arms.


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When I got up in the morning to nurse my son, he was dead! I took a good look at him and realized that he wasn't my son at all!"


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The other woman said, "No! My son is alive—your son is dead." The first woman kept on saying, "No! Your son is dead—my son is alive." So they argued in front of the king.


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The king said, "This one keeps saying, 'My son is alive—your son is dead,' and that one keeps saying, 'No! Your son is dead—my son is alive.' "


text:
Then the woman whose son was still alive was deeply moved by her love for the child. She said to the king, "Please, sir, give her the living child. Please don't kill him!" But the other woman said, "He won't be mine or yours. Cut him {in two}."


text:
All Israel heard about the decision the king made. They respected the king very highly, because they saw he possessed wisdom from God to do what was right.


text:
Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, were scribes. Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, was the royal historian.


text:
Azariah, son of Nathan, was in charge of the district governors. Zabud, son of Nathan, was the king's adviser.


text:
Solomon appointed 12 district governors in Israel. They were to provide food for the king and his palace. Each one had to supply food for one month every year.


text:
Baana, son of Ahilud, had Taanach, Megiddo, and all of Beth Shean. (This was near Zarethan, below Jezreel, from Beth Shean to Abel Meholah and over to Jokmeam.)


text:
Bengeber was in charge of Ramoth Gilead; he had the settlements of Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, in Gilead. He {also} had the territory of Argob in Bashan, 60 large cities with walls and bronze bars across their gates.


text:
Geber, son of Uri, was in charge of Gilead, the territory of King Sihon the Amorite and King Og of Bashan. (There was only one governor in that territory.)


text:
The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They ate and drank and lived happily.


text:
Solomon ruled all the kingdoms from the Euphrates River to the country of the Philistines and as far as the Egyptian border. These kingdoms paid taxes and were subject to Solomon as long as he lived.


text:
10 fattened cows, 20 cows from the pasture, and 100 sheep in addition to deer, gazelles, fallow deer, and fattened birds.


text:
He controlled all the territory west of the Euphrates River from Tiphsah to Gaza and all of its kings. So he lived in peace with all the neighboring countries.


text:
As long as Solomon lived, Judah and Israel (from Dan to Beersheba) lived securely, everyone under his own vine and fig tree.


text:
Each of the governors provided food for one month every year for King Solomon and all who ate at his table. The governors saw to it that nothing was in short supply.


text:
Solomon's wisdom was greater than that of all the eastern people and all the wisdom of the Egyptians.


text:
He was wiser than anyone, than Ethan the Ezrahite, or Heman, Calcol, or Darda, Mahol's sons. His fame spread to all the nations around him.


text:
He described and classified trees—from the cedar in Lebanon to the hyssop growing out of the wall. He described and classified animals, birds, reptiles, and fish.


text:
People came from every nation to hear his wisdom; they came from all the kings of the earth who had heard about his wisdom.


text:
King Hiram of Tyre sent his officials to Solomon when he heard that Solomon had been anointed king to succeed his father. Hiram had always been David's friend.


text:
"You know that my father David was surrounded by war. He couldn't build a temple for the name of the Lord our God until the Lord let him defeat his enemies.


text:
Now I'm thinking of building a temple for the name of the Lord my God as the Lord spoke to my father David: 'Your son, whom I will put on your throne to succeed you, will build a temple for my name.'


text:
So order men to cut down cedars from Lebanon for me. My workers will work with your workers. I will pay you whatever wages you ask for your workers. You know we don't have any skilled lumberjacks like those from Sidon."


text:
Hiram was very glad to hear what Solomon had said. Hiram responded, "May the Lord be praised today. He has given David a wise son to rule this great nation."


text:
Hiram sent men to Solomon to say, "I've received the message you sent me. I will do everything you want in regard to the cedar and cypress logs.


text:
My workers will bring logs from Lebanon to the sea, and I will have them make them into rafts to go by sea to any place you specify. There I will have them taken apart, and you can use them. You can pay me by providing food for my palace."


text:
Solomon gave Hiram 120,000 bushels of wheat and 120,000 gallons of pure olive oil. Solomon paid Hiram this much every year.


text:
The Lord gave Solomon wisdom as he had promised. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and they made a treaty with one another.


text:
He sent a shift of 10,000 men to Lebanon for a month. They would spend one month in Lebanon and two months at home. Adoniram was in charge of forced labor.


text:
The king commanded them to quarry large, expensive blocks of stone in order to provide a foundation of cut stone for the temple.


text:
Solomon's workmen, Hiram's workmen, and men from Gebal quarried the stone and prepared the logs and stone to build the temple.


text:
Solomon began to build the Lord's temple 480 years after Israel left Egypt. He began building in the month of Ziv (the second month) of the fourth year of his reign over Israel.


text:
The entrance hall in front of the main room of the temple was the same length as the shorter side of the temple. It extended 15 feet in front of the temple.


text:
He built an annex containing side rooms all around the temple. This annex was next to the walls of the main building and the inner sanctuary.


text:
The {interior of} the lowest story of the annex was 7 1/2 feet wide, the second story was 9 feet wide, and the third story was 10 1/2 feet wide. Solomon made ledges all around the temple so that this annex would not be fastened to the walls of the temple.


text:
The temple was built with stone blocks that were finished at the quarry. No hammer, chisel, or any other iron tool made a sound at the temple construction site.


text:
The entrance to the first story was on the south side of the temple. A staircase went up to the middle story and then to the third story.


text:
He built {each story of the} annex 7 1/2 feet high alongside the entire temple. Its cedar beams were attached to the temple.


text:
"This concerns the temple you are building: If you live by my laws, follow my rules, and keep my commands, I will fulfill the promise I made about you to your father David.


text:
he began to line the inside walls of the temple with cedar boards. He paneled the inside of the temple with wood from floor to ceiling. He covered the floor of the temple with cypress planks.


text:
He sectioned off a 30-foot-long room at the rear of the temple with cedar boards from the floor to the rafters. He built it to serve as an inner room, the most holy place.


text:
Gourds and flowers were carved into the cedar paneling inside the temple. Everything was {covered with} cedar. No stone could be seen.


text:
The inner room was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high. Solomon covered it and the cedar altar with pure gold.


text:
He covered the inside of the temple with pure gold. He put golden chains across the front of the inner room which was covered with gold.


text:
He covered the entire inside of the temple with gold. He also covered the entire altar in the inner room with gold.


text:
Each wing of the angels was 7 1/2 feet long. The distance from the tip of one wing to the tip of the other was 15 feet.


text:
Solomon put the angels in the inner room of the temple. The wings of the angels extended so that the wing of one of the angels touched the one wall, and the wing of the other touched the other wall. Their remaining wings touched each other in the center of the room.


text:
He carved angels, palm trees, and flowers into the walls all around the inner and outer rooms of the temple.


text:
The two doors were {made out of} olive wood. He carved angels, palm trees, and flowers into them and covered them with gold. The gold was hammered onto the angels and the palm trees.


text:
He built the inner courtyard with three courses of finished stones and a course of finished cedar beams.


text:
In the month of Ziv of the fourth year of Solomon's reign, the foundation of the Lord's temple was laid.


text:
In the month of Bul (the eighth month) of the eleventh year {of his reign}, the temple was finished according to all its plans and specifications. He spent seven years building it.


text:
He built a hall {named} the Forest of Lebanon. It was 150 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. It had four rows of cedar pillars supporting cedar beams.


text:
The hall was covered with cedar above the side rooms, which were supported by 45 pillars (15 per row).


text:
All the doors and doorframes were square. There were three doors facing each other on opposite sides {of the palace}.


text:
Solomon made the Hall of Pillars 75 feet long and 45 feet wide. In front of the hall was an entrance hall with pillars.


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He made the Hall of Justice, where he sat on his throne and served as judge. The hall was covered with cedar from floor to ceiling.


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His own private quarters were in a different location than the Hall of Justice, but they were similar in design. Solomon also built private quarters like this for his wife, Pharaoh's daughter.


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From the foundation to the roof, all these buildings, including the large courtyard, were built with high-grade stone blocks. The stone blocks were cut to size and trimmed with saws on their inner and outer faces.


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The large courtyard had three layers of cut stone blocks and a layer of cedar beams, like the inner courtyard of the Lord's temple and the entrance hall.


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Hiram was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali. His father, a native of Tyre, was a skilled bronze craftsman. Hiram was highly skilled, resourceful, and knowledgeable about all kinds of bronze craftsmanship. He came to King Solomon and did all his {bronze} work.


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After he made the pillars, he made two rows {of decorations} around the filigree to cover the capitals which were above the pillars. He made the capitals identical to each other.


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Two hundred pomegranates in rows were directly above the bowl-shaped parts around the filigree on the capitals on both pillars.


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Hiram set up the pillars in the temple's entrance hall. He set up the pillar on the right and named it Jachin He Establishes. Then he set up the pillar on the left and named it Boaz In Him Is Strength.


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Hiram made a pool from cast metal. It was 15 feet in diameter. It was round, 7 1/2 feet high, and had a circumference of 45 feet.


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Under the rim were two rows of gourds all around the 45-foot circumference of the pool. They were cast in metal when the pool was cast.


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The pool was set on 12 metal bulls. Three bulls faced north, three faced west, three faced south, and three faced east. The pool was set on them, and their hindquarters were toward the center {of the pool}.


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The pool was three inches thick. Its rim was like the rim of a cup, shaped like a lily's bud. It held 12,000 gallons.


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On the panels set in frames were lions, oxen, and angels. These were also on the frames. Above and below the lions and the cattle were engraved designs.


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Each stand had four bronze wheels on bronze axles and four supports beneath the basin. The supports were made of cast metal with designs on the sides.


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Each had a 1 1/2-foot-deep opening in the center to the circular frame on top. The opening was round, formed like a pedestal, and was two feet {wide}. Around the opening there were engravings. But the panels were square, not round.


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The four wheels were under the panels, and the axles were attached to the stand. Each wheel was two feet high.


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The top of each stand had a round, nine-inch-high band. Above the stand were supports which were part of the panels.


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Hiram engraved angels, lions, palm trees, and designs in every available space on the supports and panels.


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This is the way he made the ten stands. All of them were cast in the same mold, identical in size and shape.


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Hiram also made ten bronze basins. Each basin held 240 gallons. Every basin was six feet {wide}. There was one basin on each of the ten stands.


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He put five stands on the south side of the temple and five on the north side of the temple. He set the pool on the south side of the temple in the southeast {corner}.


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Hiram also made pots, shovels, and bowls. So Hiram finished all the work for King Solomon on the Lord's temple:


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2 pillars, the bowl-shaped capitals on top of the 2 pillars, and 2 sets of filigree to cover the 2 bowl-shaped capitals on top of the pillars,


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400 pomegranates for the 2 sets of filigree (2 rows of pomegranates for each filigree to cover the 2 bowl-shaped capitals on the pillars),


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pots, shovels, and bowls. Hiram made all these utensils out of polished bronze for the Lord's temple at King Solomon's request.


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Solomon left all the products unweighed because so much bronze was used. No one tried to determine how much the bronze weighed.


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Solomon made all the furnishings for the Lord's temple: the gold altar, the gold table on which the bread of the presence was placed,


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lamp stands of pure gold (five on the south side and five on the north in front of the inner room), flowers, lamps, gold tongs,


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dishes, snuffers, bowls, saucers, incense burners of pure gold, the gold sockets for the doors of the inner {room} (the most holy place), and the doors of the temple.


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All the work King Solomon did on the Lord's temple was finished. He brought the holy things that had belonged to his father David—the silver, gold, and utensils—and put them in the storerooms of the Lord's temple.


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Then Solomon assembled the respected leaders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes, and the leaders of the Israelite families. They came to King Solomon in Jerusalem to take the ark of the Lord's promise from the City of David (that is, Zion).


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All the people of Israel gathered around King Solomon at the Festival {of Booths} in the month of Ethanim, the seventh month.


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They brought the ark, the tent of meeting, and all the holy utensils in it {to the temple}. The priests and the Levites carried them


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while King Solomon with the whole assembly from Israel were offering countless sheep and cattle sacrifices in front of the ark.


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The priests brought the ark of the Lord's promise to its place in the inner room of the temple (the most holy place) under the wings of the angels.


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When the angels' outstretched wings were over the place where the ark {rested}, the angels became a covering above the ark and its poles.


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The poles were so long that their ends could be seen in the holy place by anyone standing in front of the inner room, but they couldn't be seen outside. (They are still there today.)


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There was nothing in the ark except the two stone tablets Moses put there at Horeb, where the Lord made a promise to the Israelites after they left Egypt.


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"Thanks be to the Lord God of Israel. With his mouth he made a promise to my father David; with his hand he carried it out. He said,


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'Ever since I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I didn't choose any city in any of the tribes of Israel as a place to build a temple for my name. But now I've chosen David to rule my people Israel.'


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However, the Lord said to my father David, 'Since you had your heart set on building a temple for my name, your intentions were good.


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The Lord has kept the promise he made. I have taken my father David's place, and I sit on the throne of Israel as the Lord promised. I've built the temple for the name of the Lord God of Israel.


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I've made a place there for the ark which contains the Lord's promise that he made to our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt."


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In the presence of the entire assembly of Israel, Solomon stood in front of the Lord's altar. He stretched out his hands toward heaven


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and said, "Lord God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven above or on earth below. You keep your promise of mercy to your servants, who obey you wholeheartedly.


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You have kept your promise to my father David, your servant. With your mouth you promised it. With your hand you carried it out as it is today.


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"Now, Lord God of Israel, keep your promise to my father David, your servant. You said, 'You will never fail to have an heir sitting in front of me on the throne of Israel if your descendants are faithful to me as you have been faithful to me.'


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"Does God really live on earth? If heaven itself, the highest heaven, cannot hold you, then how can this temple that I have built?


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Nevertheless, my Lord God, please pay attention to my prayer for mercy. Listen to my cry for help as I pray to you today.


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Night and day may your eyes be on this temple, the place about which you said, 'My name will be there.' Listen to me as I pray toward this place.


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Hear the plea for mercy that your people Israel and I pray toward this place. Hear us {when we pray} to heaven, the place where you live. Hear and forgive.


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"If anyone sins against another person and is required to take an oath and comes to take the oath in front of your altar in this temple,


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then hear {that person} in heaven, take action, and make a decision. Condemn the guilty person with the proper punishment, but declare the innocent person innocent.


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"An enemy may defeat your people Israel because they have sinned against you. But when your people turn to you, praise your name, pray, and plead with you in this temple,


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then hear {them} in heaven, forgive the sins of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land that you gave to their ancestors.


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"When the sky is shut and there's no rain because they are sinning against you, and they pray toward this place, praise your name, and turn away from their sin because you made them suffer,


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then hear {them} in heaven. Forgive the sins of your servants, your people Israel. Teach them the proper way to live. Then send rain on the land, which you gave to your people as an inheritance.


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"There may be famine in the land. Plant diseases, heat waves, funguses, locusts, or grasshoppers may destroy crops. Enemies may blockade Israel's city gates. During every plague or sickness


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{hear} every prayer for mercy, made by one person or by all the people in Israel, whose consciences bother them, who stretch out their hands toward this temple.


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Hear {them} in heaven, where you live. Forgive {them}, and take action. Give each person the proper reply. (You know what is in their hearts, because you alone know what is in the hearts of all people.)


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"People will hear about your great name, mighty hand, and powerful arm. So when people who are not Israelites come from distant countries because of your name


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hear {them} in heaven, the place where you live. Do everything they ask you so that all the people of the world may know your name and fear you like your people Israel and learn also that this temple which I built bears your name.


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"When your people go to war against their enemies (wherever you may send them) and they pray to you, O Lord, toward the city you have chosen and the temple I built for your name,


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"They may sin against you. (No one is sinless.) You may become angry with them and hand them over to an enemy who takes them to {another} country as captives, {whether it is} far or near.


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If they come to their senses, are sorry for what they've done, and plead with you in the land where they are captives, saying, 'We have sinned. We have done wrong. We have been wicked,'


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if they change their attitude toward you in the land of their enemies where they are captives, if they pray to you toward the land that you gave their ancestors, and the city you have chosen, and the temple I have built for your name,


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Forgive your people, who have sinned against you. {Forgive} all their wrongs when they rebelled against you, and cause those who captured them to have mercy on them


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"May your eyes always see my plea and your people Israel's plea so that you will listen to them whenever they call on you.


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After all, you, Lord God, set them apart from all the people of the world to be your own as you promised through your servant Moses when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt."


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When Solomon finished praying this prayer for mercy to the Lord, he stood in front of the Lord's altar, where he had been kneeling with his hands stretched out toward heaven.


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"Thanks be to the Lord! He has given his people Israel rest, as he had promised. None of the good promises he made through his servant Moses has failed to come true.


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May he bend our hearts toward him. Then we will follow him and keep his commands, laws, and rules, which he commanded our ancestors {to keep}.


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May these words which I have prayed to the Lord be near the Lord our God day and night. Then he will give me and his people Israel justice every day as it is needed.


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May your hearts be committed to the Lord our God. Then you will live by his laws and keep his commands as you have today."


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Solomon sacrificed 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep as fellowship offerings to the Lord. So the king and all the people of Israel dedicated the Lord's temple.


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On that day the king designated the courtyard in front of the Lord's temple as a holy place. He sacrificed the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat from the fellowship offerings because the bronze altar in front of the Lord was too small to hold all of them.


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At that time Solomon and all Israel celebrated the Festival {of Booths}. A large crowd had come from {the territory between} the border of Hamath and the River of Egypt to be near the Lord our God for seven days.


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On the eighth day he dismissed the people. They blessed the king and went to their tents. They rejoiced with cheerful hearts for all the blessings the Lord had given his servant David and his people Israel.


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Solomon finished building the Lord's temple, the royal palace, and everything {else} he wanted to build.


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The Lord said to him, "I have heard your prayer for mercy that you made to me. I have declared that this temple which you have built is holy so that my name may be placed there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.


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"If you will be faithful to me as your father David was (with a sincere and upright heart), do everything I command, and keep my laws and rules, 'You will never fail to have an heir on the throne of Israel.'


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But if you and your descendants dare to turn away from me and do not keep my commands and laws that I gave to you, and follow and serve other gods and worship them,


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then I will cut Israel out of the land I gave them. I will reject this temple that I declared holy for my name. Israel will be an example and an object of ridicule for all the people of the world.


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Everyone passing by this temple, as impressive as it is, will be appalled. They will gasp and ask, 'Why did the Lord do these things to this land and this temple?'


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They will answer {themselves}, 'They abandoned the Lord their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt. They adopted other gods, worshiped, and served them. That is why the Lord brought this disaster on them.' "


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{When King Solomon had finished,} he gave King Hiram of Tyre 20 cities in Galilee. (Hiram had supplied Solomon with as much cedar and cypress lumber and gold as he wanted.)


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"What kind of cities have you given me, brother?" he asked. So he named it the region of Cabul Good for Nothing. ({They're} still {called} that today.)


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This is the record of the forced laborers whom King Solomon drafted to build the Lord's house, his own house, the Millo, the walls of Jerusalem, and {the cities of} Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.


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(The king of Egypt captured Gezer, burned it down, and killed the Canaanites living there. Then he gave it to his daughter, Solomon's wife, as a wedding present.)


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all the storage cities that he owned. He also built cities for his chariots, cities for his war horses, and whatever {else} he wanted to build in Jerusalem, Lebanon, or the entire territory that he governed.


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The Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites had been left {in the land} because the Israelites had not been able to claim them for God by destroying them. They were not Israelites,


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but they had descendants who were still in the land. Solomon drafted them for slave labor. (They are still {slaves} today.)


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But Solomon didn't make any of the Israelites slaves. Instead, they were soldiers, officials, officers, generals, and commanders of his chariot and cavalry units.


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These were the officers in charge of Solomon's projects: 550 foremen for the people who did the work.


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Pharaoh's daughter moved from the City of David to the palace that Solomon had built for her. Then he built the Millo.


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Three times a year Solomon sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar he built for the Lord. He burnt them on the altar that was in the Lord's presence. And he finished the temple.


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Hiram sent his own servants {who were} experienced seamen with the fleet. Along with Solomon's servants


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The queen of Sheba heard about Solomon's reputation. (He owed his reputation to the name of the Lord.) So she came to test him with riddles.


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She arrived in Jerusalem with a large group of servants, with camels carrying spices, a very large quantity of gold, and precious stones. When she came to Solomon, she talked to him about everything she had on her mind.


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the food on his table, his officers' seating arrangement, the organization of his officials and the uniforms they wore, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings that he sacrificed at the Lord's temple, she was breathless.


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But I didn't believe the reports until I came and saw it with my own eyes. I wasn't even told half of it. Your wisdom and wealth surpass the stories I've heard.


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How blessed your men must be! How blessed these servants of yours must be because they are always stationed in front of you, listening to your wisdom!


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Thank the Lord your God, who is pleased with you. He has put you on the throne of Israel. Because of your God's eternal love for the people of Israel, he has made you king so that you would maintain justice and righteousness."


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She gave the king 9,000 pounds of gold, a very large quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never again was such a large quantity of spices brought {into Israel} as those that the queen of Sheba gave King Solomon.


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Hiram's fleet that brought gold from Ophir also brought a large quantity of sandalwood and precious stones from Ophir.


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With the sandalwood the king made supports for the Lord's temple and the royal palace, and lyres and harps for the singers. Never again was sandalwood like this imported {into Israel}, nor has any been seen {there} to this day.


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King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba anything she wanted, whatever she asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal generosity. Then she and her servants went back to her country.


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not counting {the gold} which came from the merchants, the traders' profits, all the Arab kings, and the governors of the country.


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He also made 300 small shields of hammered gold, using four pounds of gold on each shield. The king put them in the hall {which he called} the Forest of Lebanon.


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Six steps led to the throne. Carved into the back of the throne was a calf's head. There were armrests on both sides of the seat. Two lions stood beside the armrests.


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Twelve lions stood on six steps, one on each side. Nothing like this had been made for any other kingdom.


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All King Solomon's cups were gold, and all the utensils for the hall {which he called} the Forest of Lebanon were fine gold. (Nothing was silver, because it wasn't considered valuable in Solomon's time.)


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The king had a fleet headed for Tarshish with Hiram's fleet. Once every three years the Tarshish fleet would bring gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys.


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So everyone who came brought him gifts: articles of silver and gold, clothing, weapons, spices, horses, and mules. This happened year after year.


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Solomon built up {his army} with chariots and war horses. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 war horses. He stationed {some} in chariot cities and {others} with himself in Jerusalem.


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The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones, and he made cedars as plentiful as fig trees in the foothills.


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Solomon's horses were imported from Egypt and Kue. The king's traders bought them from Kue for a fixed price.


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Each chariot was imported from Egypt for 15 pounds of silver and each horse for 6 ounces of silver. For the same price they obtained horses to export to all the Hittite and Aramean kings.


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King Solomon loved many foreign women in addition to Pharaoh's daughter. He loved Hittite women and women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon.


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They came from the nations about which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, "Never intermarry with them. They will surely tempt you to follow their gods." But Solomon was obsessed with their love.


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In his old age, his wives tempted him to follow other gods. He was no longer committed to the Lord his God as his father David had been.


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Solomon followed Astarte (the goddess of the Sidonians) and Milcom (the disgusting idol of the Ammonites).


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So Solomon did what the Lord considered evil. He did not wholeheartedly follow the Lord as his father David had done.


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Then Solomon built an illegal worship site on the hill east of Jerusalem for Chemosh (the disgusting idol of Moab) and for Molech (the disgusting idol of the Ammonites).


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So the Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice.


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God had given him commands about this. {He told him} not to follow other gods. But Solomon did not obey God's command.


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The Lord told Solomon, "Because this is your attitude and you have no respect for my promises or my laws that I commanded you to keep, I will certainly tear the kingdom away from you. I will give it to one of your servants.


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But I will not do it in your lifetime because of your father David. I will tear it away from the hands of your son.


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However, I will not tear the whole kingdom away from you. I will give your son one tribe for my servant David's sake and for the sake of Jerusalem, {the city} that I chose."


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The Lord raised up Hadad the Edomite as a rival to Solomon. Hadad was from the Edomite royal family.


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When David had conquered Edom, Joab, the commander of the army, went to bury those killed in battle and killed every male in Edom.


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They left Midian and went to Paran. Taking some men from Paran with them, they went to Pharaoh (the king of Egypt). Pharaoh gave Hadad a home, a food allowance, and land.


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Pharaoh approved of Hadad. So he gave Hadad his sister-in-law, the sister of Queen Tahpenes, to be Hadad's wife.


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Tahpenes' sister had a son {named} Genubath. Tahpenes presented the boy to Pharaoh in the palace, and Genubath lived in the palace among Pharaoh's children.


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When Hadad heard in Egypt that David had lain down in death with his ancestors and that Joab, the commander of the army, had died, he said to Pharaoh, "Let me go to my own country."


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Pharaoh asked him, "What don't you have here that makes you eager to go home?" "Nothing," he said. "But let me leave anyway."


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God also raised up Rezon, son of Eliada, as a rival to Solomon. Rezon fled from his master, King Hadadezer of Zobah,


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after David killed the men of Zobah. Rezon gathered men and became the leader of a troop of warriors. They went to Damascus, settled there, and ruled a kingdom in Damascus.


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In addition to the trouble that Hadad caused, Rezon was Israel's rival as long as Solomon lived. He ruled Aram and despised Israel.


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There was also Jeroboam, who was the son of Nebat and an Ephrathite from Zeredah. His mother Zeruah was a widow. He was one of Solomon's officers, but he rebelled against the king.


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This was the situation when he rebelled against the king: Solomon was building the Millo and repairing a break in the {wall of} the City of David.


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Solomon saw that Jeroboam was a very able and hard-working man. So he put Jeroboam in charge of all forced labor from the tribes of Joseph.


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At that time Jeroboam left Jerusalem. The prophet Ahijah from Shiloh met him on the road. The two of them were alone in the open country, and Ahijah had on new clothes.


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He told Jeroboam, "Take 10 pieces because this is what the Lord God of Israel says: I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon's hands and give ten tribes to you.


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He will have one tribe {left} because of my servant David and Jerusalem, the city I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel.


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I will do this because he has abandoned me and worshiped Astarte (the goddess of the Sidonians), Chemosh (the god of Moab), and Milcom (the god of Ammon). He has not followed my ways. He did not do what I consider right or keep my laws and decrees as his father David did.


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"I will not take the whole kingdom from him. Instead, I will allow him to be ruler as long as he lives because of my servant David whom I chose, who obeyed my commands and laws.


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I will give his son one tribe so that my servant David will always have a lamp in my presence in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to place my name.


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If you will do all I command you, follow my ways, and do what I consider right by obeying my laws and commands as my servant David did, then I will be with you. I will build a permanent dynasty for you as I did for David. And I will give you Israel.


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Then Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam fled to King Shishak of Egypt. He stayed in Egypt until Solomon died.


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Aren't the rest of Solomon's acts—everything he did—and his wisdom written in the records of Solomon?


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Solomon lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. His son Rehoboam succeeded him as king.


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Jeroboam (Nebat's son) was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon. When he heard {about Rehoboam}, he returned from Egypt.


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{Israel} sent for Jeroboam and invited him back. Jeroboam and the entire assembly of Israel went to speak to Rehoboam. They said,


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"Your father made us carry a heavy burden. Reduce the hard work and lighten the heavy burden he put on us, and we will serve you."


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King Rehoboam sought advice from the older leaders who had served his father Solomon while he was still alive. He asked, "What do you advise? How should I respond to these people?"


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They told him, "If you will serve these people today, humble yourself, and speak gently, then they will always be your servants."


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But he ignored the advice the older leaders gave him. He sought advice from the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him.


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He asked them, "What is your advice? How should we respond to these people who are asking me to lighten the burden my father put on them?"


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The young men who had grown up with him answered, "This is what you should tell them: 'My little finger is heavier than my father's whole body.


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If my father put a heavy burden on you, I will add to it. If my father punished you with whips, I will punish you with scorpions.' "


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So Jeroboam and all the people came back to Rehoboam two days later, as the king had instructed them.


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He spoke to them as the young men advised. He said, "If my father made your burden heavy, I will add to it. If my father punished you with whips, I will punish you with scorpions."


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The king refused to listen to the people because the Lord was directing these events to carry out the promise he had made to Jeroboam (Nebat's son) through Ahijah from Shiloh.


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When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, the people answered the king, "What share do we have in David's kingdom? We won't receive an inheritance from Jesse's son. To your own tents, Israel! Now look after your own house, David!" So Israel went home to their own tents.


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Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram to Israel. He was in charge of forced labor, but they stoned him to death. So King Rehoboam got on his chariot as fast as he could and fled to Jerusalem.


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When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent men to invite him to the assembly. They made him king of all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to David's dynasty.


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When Rehoboam came to Jerusalem, he gathered all the people of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 of the best soldiers, to fight against the people of Israel and return the kingdom to Rehoboam, son of Solomon.


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"Speak to Judah's King Rehoboam, son of Solomon, and all the people of Judah and Benjamin, and the rest of the people.


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This is what the Lord says: Don't wage war against your relatives from Israel. Everyone, go home. What has happened is my doing." So they obeyed the word of the Lord. They returned {home}, as the Lord told them.


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Jeroboam rebuilt Shechem in the hills of Ephraim and lived there. Then he left that place and built Penuel.


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King Rehoboam of Judah, the former master of these people, will regain popularity if they go to sacrifice in the Lord's temple in Jerusalem. Then they will kill me and return to King Rehoboam of Judah."


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After seeking advice, the king made two golden calves. He said, "You've been worshiping in Jerusalem long enough. Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt."


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Jeroboam built worship sites on hilltops. He appointed men who were not descended from Levi to be priests.


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Jeroboam appointed a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, just like the festival in Judah. He went to the altar in Bethel to sacrifice to the calves he had made. He appointed priests from the illegal worship sites {to serve} in Bethel.


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He went to his altar in Bethel to burn an offering on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, {the festival} he had invented for the Israelites.


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A man of God from Judah had come to Bethel. When he arrived, Jeroboam was standing at the altar to offer a sacrifice.


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By a command of the Lord, this man condemned the altar. "Altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: There will be a son born in David's family line. His name will be Josiah. Here on you Josiah will sacrifice the priests from the illegal worship sites who offer sacrifices on you. Human bones will be burned on you."


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That day the man of God {also} gave {them} a miraculous sign, saying, "This is the sign that the Lord will give you: You will see the altar torn apart. The ashes on it will be poured {on the ground}."


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When King Jeroboam heard the man of God condemning the altar in Bethel, he pointed to the man across the altar. "Arrest him," he said. But the arm that he used to point to the man of God was paralyzed so that he couldn't pull it back.


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The altar was torn apart, and the ashes from the altar were poured {on the ground}. This was the miraculous sign the man of God performed at the Lord's command.


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Then the king asked the man of God, "Please make an appeal to the Lord your God, and pray for me so that I can use my arm again." So the man of God made an appeal to the Lord, and the king was able to use his arm again, as he had earlier.


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The king told the man of God, "Come home with me; have something to eat and drink, and I will give you a gift."


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The man of God told the king, "Even if you gave me half of your palace, I would never go with you to eat or drink there.


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An old prophet was living in Bethel. His sons told him everything the man of God did in Bethel that day and the exact words he had spoken to the king. When they told their father,


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he said to them, "Which road did he take?" (His sons had seen which road the man of God from Judah had taken.)


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The old prophet told his sons, "Saddle the donkey for me." After they had saddled the donkey for him, he got on it.


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He went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak tree. The old prophet asked him, "Are you the man of God who came from Judah?" "Yes," he answered.


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The man of God said, "I'm not allowed to go back with you. I'm not allowed to eat or drink with you.


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When the Lord spoke to me, he told me not to eat or drink there or go back on the road I took to get there."


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The old prophet said, "I'm also a prophet, like you. An angel spoke the word of the Lord to me. He said, 'Bring him home with you so that he may have something to eat and drink.' " (But the old prophet was lying.)


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When they were sitting at the table, the Lord spoke his word to the old prophet who had brought back the man of God.


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The Lord also called to the man of God. He said, "This is what the Lord says: You rebelled against the words from the Lord's mouth and didn't obey the command that the Lord your God gave you.


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You came back, ate, and drank at this place about which he told you, 'Don't eat or drink there.' That is why your dead body will not be allowed to be placed in the tomb of your ancestors."


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After the old prophet had something to eat and drink, he saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back.


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The man of God left. A lion found him {as he traveled} on the road and killed him. His dead body was thrown on the road. The donkey and the lion were standing by the body.


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People who passed by saw the body lying on the road and the lion standing by the body. They talked about it in the city where the old prophet was living.


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When the old prophet who had brought the man of God back from the road heard about it, he said, "It's the man of God who rebelled against the words from the Lord's mouth! The Lord gave him to the lion. It tore him to pieces and killed him as the word of the Lord had told him."


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He found the body of the man thrown on the road. He also found the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The lion had not eaten the body, nor had it torn the donkey to pieces.


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The old prophet picked up the body of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back. He came to his own city to mourn for him and to bury him.


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He laid the body of the man of God in his own tomb and mourned over the man, saying, "Oh no, my brother, my brother!"


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After he had buried the man of God, he said to his sons, "When I die, bury me in the tomb where the man of God was buried. Lay my bones beside his bones.


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The things that he announced by a command of the Lord against the altar in Bethel and all the illegal worship sites in the cities of Samaria will happen."


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Even after this, Jeroboam didn't change his evil ways, but he once again made some men priests for the illegal worship sites. He took all who were willing and appointed them to be priests at the worship sites.


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Appointing illegal priests became the sin of Jeroboam's family so that it had to be destroyed and wiped off the face of the earth.


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Jeroboam told his wife, "Go to Shiloh, but disguise yourself so that people will not recognize you as my wife. The prophet Ahijah, who told me I would be king of these people, is there.


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Take ten loaves of bread, some raisins, and a jar of honey with you, and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy."


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Jeroboam's wife did this. She left, went to Shiloh, and came to the home of Ahijah. Ahijah couldn't see. His eyesight had failed because he was old.


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However, the Lord had told Ahijah, "Jeroboam's wife is coming to ask you about her son who is sick. When she comes, she will pretend to be someone else." He also told Ahijah what to say to her.


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Ahijah heard her footsteps when she came into the room. He said, "Come in. You're Jeroboam's wife. Why are you pretending to be someone else? I've been told to give you some terrible news.


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Tell Jeroboam, 'This is what the Lord God of Israel says: I picked you out of the people and made you a leader over my people Israel.


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I tore the kingdom away from David's heirs and gave it to you. But you have not been like my servant David. He obeyed my commands and faithfully followed me by doing only what I considered right.


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You have done more evil things than everyone before you. You made other gods, metal idols, for yourself. You made me furious and turned your back to me.


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"'That is why I will bring disaster on Jeroboam's house. I will destroy every male in his house, whether slave or freeman in Israel. I will burn down Jeroboam's house. It will burn like manure until it is gone.


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If anyone from Jeroboam's house dies in the city, dogs will eat him. If anyone dies in the country, birds will eat him.' The Lord has said this!


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All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. He is the only one of Jeroboam's family who will be {properly} buried. He was the only one in Jeroboam's house in whom the Lord God of Israel found anything good.


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The Lord will appoint a king over Israel. That king will destroy Jeroboam's house. This will happen today. It will happen right now.


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"The Lord will strike Israel like cattails which shake in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land which he gave their ancestors. He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River because they dedicated poles to the goddess Asherah and made the Lord furious.


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Jeroboam's wife got up, left, and went to Tirzah. When she walked across the threshold of her home, the boy died.


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All Israel buried him and mourned for him as the Lord had said through his servant, the prophet Ahijah.


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Everything else concerning Jeroboam, his wars, and his reign is written in the official records of the kings of Israel.


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Jeroboam ruled for 22 years. Then he lay down in death with his ancestors. His son Nadab succeeded him as king.


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Rehoboam, son of Solomon, ruled Judah. He was 41 years old when he began to rule. He ruled for 17 years in Jerusalem, the city that the Lord chose from all the tribes of Israel, the city where the Lord put his name. Rehoboam's mother was an Ammonite woman named Naamah.


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The people of Judah did what the Lord considered evil. Their sins made him more angry than anything their ancestors had done.


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They built worship sites for themselves and {put up} large stones and Asherah poles to worship on every high hill and under every large tree.


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There were even male prostitutes in the temples of idols throughout the land. The people of Judah did all the disgusting practices done by the nations that the Lord had forced out of the Israelites' way.


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He took the treasures from the Lord's temple and the royal palace. He took them all. He took all the gold shields Solomon had made.


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So King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and put them by the entrance to the royal palace, where the captains of the guards were stationed.


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Whenever the king went into the Lord's temple, guards carried the shields and then returned them to the guardroom.


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Isn't everything else concerning Rehoboam—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Judah?


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Rehoboam lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. (His mother was an Ammonite woman named Naamah.) His son Abijam succeeded him as king.


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He followed the sinful example his father had set and wasn't committed to the Lord his God as his ancestor David had been.


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But for David's sake the Lord his God made Abijam a lamp in Jerusalem. He appointed David's descendant to rule after him and protected Jerusalem.


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The Lord did this because David did what the Lord considered right: David never failed to do anything the Lord commanded him to do his entire life (except in the matter concerning Uriah the Hittite).


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Isn't everything else about Abijam—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Judah? There was war between Abijam and Jeroboam.


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Abijam lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David. His son Asa succeeded him as king.


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He also removed his grandmother Maacah from the position of queen mother because she made a statue of the repulsive goddess Asherah. Asa cut the statue down and burned it in the Kidron Valley.


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Although the illegal worship sites were not torn down, Asa remained committed to the Lord his entire life.


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He brought into the Lord's temple the silver, the gold, and the utensils he and his father had set apart as holy.


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King Baasha of Israel invaded Judah and fortified Ramah to keep anyone from going to or coming from King Asa of Judah.


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Then Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord's temple and the royal palace and turned them over to his officials. King Asa sent them to Damascus to Aram's King Benhadad, son of Tabrimmon and grandson of Hezion.


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He said, "There's a treaty between you and me {as} there was between your father and my father. I'm sending you a present of silver and gold. Now break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel so that he will leave me alone."


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Benhadad did what King Asa requested. He sent his generals and their armies to attack the cities of Israel. He conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah, and the entire area around Chinneroth with the entire territory of Naphtali.


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Then King Asa drafted everyone in Judah and excused no one. He made them carry the stones and lumber from Ramah. Baasha had been using those to fortify the city. King Asa used the materials to fortify Geba in Benjamin and Mizpah.


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Isn't everything else about Asa—all his heroic acts, everything he did, and the cities he fortified—written in the official records of the kings of Judah? But when he was old, he had a foot disease.


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Asa lay down in death with his ancestors. He was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor, David. His son Jehoshaphat succeeded him as king.


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Nadab, son of Jeroboam, began to rule Israel in Asa's second year as king of Judah. He ruled for two years.


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Then Baasha, son of Ahijah from the tribe of Issachar, plotted against Nadab. Baasha assassinated him in the Philistine city of Gibbethon while Nadab and the Israelite forces were attacking it.


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The assassination happened in Asa's third year as king of Judah. Baasha succeeded Nadab as king of Israel.


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As soon as he was king, he killed everyone else in Jeroboam's family. He did not spare a soul, as the Lord had spoken through his servant Ahijah from Shiloh.


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This was because of Jeroboam's sins and the sins which he led Israel to commit. Those sins made the Lord God of Israel furious.


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Isn't everything else about Nadab—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Israel?


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In Asa's third year as king of Judah, Baasha, son of Ahijah, began to rule Israel in Tirzah. He ruled for 24 years.


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He did what the Lord considered evil. He lived like Jeroboam and led Israel into committing the {same} sins.


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He said, "I raised you from the dust and made you leader of my people Israel. But you have lived like Jeroboam. You have led my people to sin, and their sins make me furious.


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So I will destroy Baasha and his family. I will make his family like the family of Jeroboam (Nebat's son).


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Dogs will eat anyone from Baasha's {family} who dies in the city. Birds will eat anyone from his {family} who dies in the country."


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Isn't everything else about Baasha—what he did and his heroic acts—written in the official records of the kings of Israel?


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Baasha lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah succeeded him as king.


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In addition, the Lord spoke his word to the prophet Jehu, Hanani's son, against Baasha and his family because of all the things Baasha did which the Lord considered evil. Baasha's actions, which made the Lord furious, were like {the sin of} Jeroboam's family. The Lord was also furious because Baasha destroyed Jeroboam's family.


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Elah, son of Baasha, began to rule Israel in Asa's twenty-sixth year as Judah's king. He ruled in Tirzah for two years.


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But Zimri, the general who commanded half of Elah's chariots, plotted against him. Elah was getting drunk in Tirzah at Arza's house. (Arza was in charge of the palace in Tirzah.)


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Zimri entered Arza's house, attacked Elah, and killed him in Asa's twenty-seventh year as king of Judah. Zimri succeeded Elah as king {of Israel}.


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At the beginning of Zimri's reign, as soon as he was on his throne, he killed Baasha's entire family. He didn't spare any of Baasha's male relatives or friends.


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This was for all the sins committed by Baasha and his son Elah. They sinned, led Israel to sin, and made the Lord God of Israel furious because of their worthless idols.


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Isn't everything else about Elah—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Israel?


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In Asa's twenty-seventh year as Judah's king, Zimri ruled for seven days in Tirzah while the army was camped near the Philistine city of Gibbethon.


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When the army heard that Zimri had plotted {against the king} and killed him, the Israelite troops in the camp made Omri, the commander of the army, king of Israel.


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When Zimri saw that the city had been captured, he went into the stronghold in the royal palace and burned down the palace over his own head. He died


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because of the sins he had committed—the things the Lord considered evil. Zimri lived like Jeroboam and led Israel to sin.


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Isn't everything else about Zimri and his plot written in the official records of the kings of Israel?


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Then the army of Israel was divided into two factions. Half of the army followed Tibni, son of Ginath, and wanted to make him king. The {other} half followed Omri.


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But the half which followed Omri was stronger than the half which followed Tibni, Ginath's son. Tibni died, and Omri became king.


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Omri began to rule Israel in Asa's thirty-first year as king of Judah. He ruled for 12 years, 6 of them in Tirzah.


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Omri bought a hill from Shemer for 150 pounds of silver. He fortified the hill and built the city of Samaria on it. He named the city after its former owner, Shemer.


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He lived exactly like Jeroboam (Nebat's son). He sinned and led Israel to sin with worthless idols, and the Israelites made the Lord God of Israel furious.


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Isn't everything else about Omri—what he did and his heroic acts—written in the official records of the kings of Israel?


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Omri lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab succeeded him as king.


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Ahab, son of Omri, began to rule Israel in Asa's thirty-eighth year as king of Judah. He ruled for 22 years in Samaria.


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Ahab, son of Omri, did what the Lord considered evil. He was worse than all {the kings} who were before him.


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It wasn't enough that he committed the same sins as Jeroboam (Nebat's son). He also married Jezebel, daughter of King Ethbaal of Sidon. Ahab then served and worshiped Baal.


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Ahab made poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah. He did more to make the Lord God of Israel furious than all the kings of Israel who came before him.


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In Ahab's time Hiel from Bethel rebuilt Jericho. Laying the foundation cost him his firstborn son, Abiram. Setting up the city doors cost him his youngest son, Segub. The Lord had spoken this through Joshua, son of Nun.


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Elijah, who was from Tishbe but had settled in Gilead, said to Ahab, "I solemnly swear, as the Lord God of Israel whom I serve lives, there will be no dew or rain during the next few years unless I say so."


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Elijah left and did what the word of the Lord {had told him}. He went to live by the Cherith River, which is east of the Jordan River.


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"Get up, go to Zarephath (which belongs to Sidon), and stay there. I've commanded a widow there to feed you."


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He got up and went to Zarephath. As he came to the town's entrance, a widow was gathering wood. He called to her, "Please bring me a drink of water."


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She said, "I solemnly swear, as the Lord your God lives, I didn't bake any bread. I have one handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I'm gathering wood. I'm going to prepare something for myself and my son so that we can eat it and then die."


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Then Elijah told her, "Don't be afraid. Go home, and do as you've said. But first make a small loaf and bring it to me. Then prepare something for yourself and your son.


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This is what the Lord God of Israel says: Until the Lord sends rain on the land, the jar of flour will never be empty and the jug will always contain oil."


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The jar of flour never became empty, and the jug always contained olive oil, as the Lord had promised through Elijah.


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Afterwards, the son of the woman who owned the house got sick. He got so sick that finally no life was left in him.


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The woman asked Elijah, "What do you and I have in common, man of God? Did you come here to remind me of my sin and kill my son?"


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He said to her, "Give me your son." Elijah took him from her arms, carried him to the upstairs room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed.


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Then he called to the Lord, "Lord my God, have you brought misery on the widow I'm staying with by killing her son?"


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Then Elijah stretched himself over the boy three times and called to the Lord, "Lord my God, please make this child's life return to him."


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Elijah took the child, brought him down from the upstairs room of the house, and gave him to his mother. He said, "Look! Your son is alive."


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The woman said to Elijah, "Now I'm convinced that you are a man of God and that the word of the Lord from your mouth is true."


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A while later in the third year of the drought, the Lord spoke his word to Elijah: "Present yourself to Ahab. I will allow rain to fall on the ground."


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(When Jezebel was killing the Lord's prophets, Obadiah had hidden 100 prophets in caves. He put 50 prophets in each cave and kept them alive by providing bread and water for them.)


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Ahab told Obadiah, "Let's go throughout the countryside to every spring and stream. If we can find grass, then we can keep the horses and mules alive and not lose any animals."


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So they split up in order to cover the entire countryside. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went the other way by himself.


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Obadiah was on the road when he met Elijah. Obadiah recognized him and immediately bowed down to the ground. "Is it you, my master Elijah?" he asked.


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I solemnly swear, as the Lord your God lives, my master has searched for you in every region and kingdom. When people would say, 'He isn't here,' my master made that kingdom or region take an oath that they hadn't found you.


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This is what will happen: When I leave you, the Lord's Spirit will take you away to some unknown place. I'll tell Ahab, but he won't be able to find you. Then he will kill me. "I have been faithful to the Lord since I was a child.


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Haven't you heard what I did when Jezebel killed the Lord's prophets? Haven't you heard how I hid 100 of the Lord's prophets in caves? I hid 50 prophets in each cave and provided bread and water for them.


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Elijah said, "I solemnly swear, as the Lord of Armies whom I serve lives, I will present myself to Ahab."


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Elijah answered, "I haven't troubled Israel. You and your father's family have done it by disobeying the Lord's commands and following the various Baal gods.


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Order all Israel to gather around me on Mount Carmel. And bring the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel's table."


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Elijah stood up in front of all the people and asked them, "How long will you try to have it both ways? If the Lord is God, follow him; if Baal is God, follow him." The people didn't say a word.


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So Elijah told the people, "I'm the only surviving prophet of the Lord, but there are 450 prophets of Baal.


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Give us two bulls. Let the prophets of Baal choose one for themselves, cut it into pieces, lay it on the wood, but not set it on fire. I'll do the same with the other bull.


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"You call on the name of your gods, but I will call on the name of the Lord. The god who answers by fire is the real God." All the people answered, "That's fine."


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Elijah told the prophets of Baal, "Choose one bull for yourselves. Prepare yours first, because there are more of you. Call on the name of your god, but don't set the wood on fire."


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They took the bull he gave them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon. They said, "Baal, answer us!" But there wasn't a sound or an answer. So they danced around the altar they had made.


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At noon Elijah started to make fun of them. "Shout louder, since he is a god. Maybe he's thinking, relieving himself, or traveling! Maybe he's sleeping, and you have to wake him!"


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So they shouted louder. They also cut themselves with swords and spears until their blood flowed. (This is what their ritual called for.)


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In the afternoon they continued to rant and rave until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no sound, no answer, no attention given to them.


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Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come over here." So all the people came to him. He rebuilt the Lord's altar that had been torn down.


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Elijah took 12 stones, one for each of the tribes named after Jacob's sons. (The Lord had spoken his word to Jacob: "Your name will be Israel.")


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Elijah built an altar in the Lord's name with those stones. He also made a trench that could hold 12 quarts of grain around the altar.


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He said, "Fill four jars with water. Pour the water on the offering and on the wood." Then he said, "Do it again," and they did it again. Then he said, "Do it a third time," and they did it a third time.


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When it was time to offer the sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward. He said, "Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make known today that you are God in Israel and that I'm your servant and have done all these things by your instructions.


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Answer me, Lord! Answer me! Then these people will know that you, Lord, are God and that you are winning back their hearts."


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So a fire from the Lord fell down and consumed the burnt offering, wood, stones, and dirt. The fire even dried up the water that was in the trench.


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All the people saw it and immediately bowed down to the ground. "The Lord is God!" they said. "The Lord is God!"


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Elijah told them, "Seize the prophets of Baal. Don't let any of them escape." The people seized them, and Elijah took them to the Kishon River and slaughtered them there.


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Ahab got up to eat and drink. Elijah went to the top of Carmel and bowed down on the ground to pray.


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He said to his servant, "Please go back to {Mount Carmel}, and look toward the sea." He went up, looked, {came back,} and said, "There's nothing." Seven times Elijah told him, "Go back."


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After the seventh time the servant said, "A little cloud like a man's hand is coming from the sea." Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab, 'Prepare {your chariot}, and leave before the rain delays you.' "


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Gradually, the sky grew darker with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. Ahab got into his chariot to go back to Jezreel.


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The Lord's power was on Elijah. He hiked up his robe and ran ahead of Ahab until they came to Jezreel.


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Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah. She said, "May the gods strike me dead if by this time tomorrow I don't take your life the way you took the lives of Baal's prophets."


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Then he traveled through the wilderness for a day. He sat down under a broom plant and wanted to die. "I've had enough now, Lord," he said. "Take my life! I'm no better than my ancestors."


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When he looked, he saw near his head some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water. So he ate, drank, and went to sleep again.


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The angel of the Lord came back and woke him up again. The angel said, "Get up and eat, or your journey will be too much for you."


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He got up, ate, and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled for 40 days and nights until he came to Horeb, the mountain of God.


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There he went into a cave and spent the night. Then the Lord spoke his word to Elijah. He asked, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"


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He answered, "Lord God of Armies, I have eagerly served you. The Israelites have abandoned your promises, torn down your altars, and executed your prophets. I'm the only one left, and they're trying to take my life."


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God said, "Go out and stand in front of the Lord on the mountain." As the Lord was passing by, a fierce wind tore mountains and shattered rocks ahead of the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind came an earthquake. But the Lord wasn't in the earthquake.


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After the earthquake there was a fire. But the Lord wasn't in the fire. And after the fire there was a quiet, whispering voice.


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When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his coat, went out, and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then the voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"


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The Lord told him, "Go back to the wilderness near Damascus, the same way you came. When you get there, anoint Hazael as king of Aram.


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Anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, as king of Israel. And anoint Elisha, son of Shaphat, from Abel Meholah as prophet to take your place.


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If anyone escapes from Hazael's sword, Jehu will kill him. And if anyone escapes from Jehu's sword, Elisha will kill him.


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But I still have 7,000 people in Israel whose knees have not knelt to worship Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him."


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Elijah found Elisha, son of Shaphat. Elisha was plowing behind 12 pairs of oxen. He was using the twelfth pair. Elijah took off his coat and put it on Elisha.


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So Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Please let me kiss my father and mother goodbye. Then I will follow you." "Go back," Elijah answered him. "I'm not stopping you."


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Elisha left him, took two oxen, and butchered them. He boiled the meat, using the oxen's yoke {for firewood}. He gave the meat to the people to eat. Then he left to follow and assist Elijah.


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King Benhadad of Aram gathered together his whole army. With him were 32 kings along with their horses and chariots. He went to blockade Samaria and fight against it.


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He sent messengers into the city to King Ahab of Israel. They told Ahab, "This is what Benhadad says:


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But Benhadad sent messengers back {to Ahab}. They said, "Benhadad has sent this message to you: 'Your silver, gold, wives, and children are mine. Give {them to me}.


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At this time tomorrow I'm going to send my servants to search your palace and your servants' houses. They will take anything that you consider valuable.' "


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Then the king of Israel called for all the leaders of the country. He said, "You can see how this man is looking for trouble. When he sent for my wives, children, silver, and gold, I didn't refuse him."


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Ahab told Benhadad's messengers, "Tell His Majesty, 'I did everything your messengers told me the first time, but I can't do this.' " The messengers left to take back his answer.


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Then Benhadad sent Ahab the following message: "May the gods strike me dead if there will be enough dust left from Samaria to give a handful to each soldier who follows me."


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The king of Israel answered, "The saying goes, 'Don't brag about a victory before you have even dressed for battle.' "


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Benhadad heard this as he and his allies were drinking in their tents. He told his officers to get ready. So they got ready {to attack} the city.


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Then a prophet came to King Ahab of Israel and said, "This is what the Lord says: Have you seen this large army? I will hand it over to you today. Then you will know that I am the Lord."


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Ahab asked, "How {will this be done}?" The prophet answered, "This is what the Lord says: by using the young officers of the district governors." "Who will start the battle?" Ahab asked. "You will," the prophet answered.


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Ahab counted the young officers of the district governors. There were 232. After counting them, he counted all the Israelite soldiers. There were 7,000.


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They attacked at noon, when Benhadad was in his tent getting drunk with the 32 kings who were his allies.


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The young officers of the district governors went out first. Benhadad had sent men {to watch the city}. They informed him that some men had come out of Samaria.


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Each officer killed his opponent. The Arameans fled, and Israel pursued them. King Benhadad of Aram escaped on a horse with the cavalry.


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The king of Israel went out and destroyed the horses and chariots and decisively defeated the Arameans.


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Then the prophet came to the king of Israel and said, "Reinforce your army. Consider what you have to do. When spring comes, the king of Aram will attack {again}."


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Meanwhile, the officers of King Benhadad of Aram told him, "Their god is a god of the hills. That is why they were stronger than we were. However, if we fight them on the plain, we will be stronger than they are.


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This is what we must do: Remove all of the kings from their positions, and substitute governors for them.


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Recruit an army with as many horses and chariots as the one which was defeated. Then, if we fight them on the plain, we will be stronger than they are." He took their advice and followed it.


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When the Israelite {troops} had been organized and given provisions, they went to meet the enemy. The Israelites, while camped opposite the Arameans who filled the country, seemed like two newborn goats.


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The man of God came again. He said to the king of Israel, "This is what the Lord says: Because the Arameans said that the Lord is a god of the hills but not a god of the valleys, I will hand over their entire army to you. Then you will know that I am the Lord."


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They camped facing one another for seven days, and on the seventh day the battle started. The Israelites killed 100,000 Aramean foot soldiers in one day.


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The survivors fled to Aphek, the city where the wall fell on 27,000 of them. Benhadad had also fled. He came to the city and hid in an inner room.


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His officers told him, "We have heard that the kings of Israel are merciful. Allow us to dress in sackcloth, put ropes around our necks, and go to the king of Israel. Maybe he'll let you live."


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So they dressed in sackcloth and put ropes around their necks. They went to the king of Israel and said, "Your servant Benhadad says, 'Please let me live.' " Ahab asked, "He's still alive? He's my brother."


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The men, watching for a good sign, were quick to take him at his word. "Benhadad is your brother," they said. Ahab said, "Bring him here." When Benhadad arrived, Ahab had him come up on the chariot with him.


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Benhadad told him, "I will give back the towns my father took from your father. You may set up trading centers in Damascus as my father did in Samaria." Ahab said, "If you will put this into a treaty, I will let you go." So Ahab made a treaty with Benhadad and let him go.


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A disciple of the prophets spoke to a friend as the word of the Lord had told him. {The disciple said,} "Punch me," but the man refused to punch him.


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The disciple said, "Since you didn't obey the Lord, a lion will kill you when you leave me." When the friend left, a lion found him and killed him.


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When the king passed by, the disciple called to him. "I went to fight in the battle. A man turned around and brought a prisoner to me. He said, 'Guard this prisoner. If he gets away, you will pay for his life with your own life or be fined 75 pounds of silver.'


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But while I was busy doing other things, he got away." The king of Israel told him, "That's your own penalty. You have determined it yourself."


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Then he quickly took the bandage off his eyes. The king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.


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The prophet told him, "This is what the Lord says: You let the man go. He was claimed by God and should have been killed. For that reason your life will be taken in place of his life and your people in place of his people."


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This is what happened next. Naboth from Jezreel had a vineyard in Jezreel next to the palace of King Ahab of Samaria.


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Ahab told Naboth, "Give me your vineyard. It will become my vegetable garden because it is near my house. I will give you a better vineyard for it. Or if you prefer, I will pay you a fair price for it."


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Resentful and upset, Ahab went home because of what Naboth from Jezreel had told him. ({Naboth had said,} "I will not give you what I inherited from my ancestors.") So Ahab lay on the couch, turned his face {from everyone}, and refused to eat.


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His wife Jezebel came to him and asked, "Why are you so resentful of everything? Why don't you eat?"


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He told her, "I talked to Naboth from Jezreel. I said to him, 'Sell me your vineyard. Or, if you like, I'll give you another vineyard for it.' But he said, 'I won't give you my vineyard.' "


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His wife Jezebel said to him, "Aren't you king of Israel? Get up, eat, and cheer up. I'll give you the vineyard belonging to Naboth from Jezreel."


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So Jezebel wrote letters, signed them with Ahab's name, and sealed them with his seal. She sent them to the respected leaders and nobles living in Naboth's city.


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Have two good-for-nothing men sit opposite him and accuse him of cursing God and the king. Then stone him to death outside the city."


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The men in Naboth's city—the respected leaders and nobles who lived there—did what Jezebel asked them to do. They did just as she had written in the letters she sent.


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The two good-for-nothing men came in and sat opposite him. In front of the people, these men accused Naboth of cursing God and the king. So the people stoned him to death outside the city.


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Jezebel received the message and said to Ahab, "Get up! Confiscate the vineyard which Naboth from Jezreel refused to sell you. He's dead now."


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Tell him, 'This is what the Lord asks: Have you murdered someone just to confiscate {a vineyard}?' Then tell him, 'This is what the Lord says: At the place where the dogs licked up Naboth's blood, the dogs will lick up your blood.' "


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Ahab asked Elijah, "So you've found me, my enemy?" Elijah answered, "I found you. Because you sold yourself to do what the Lord considers evil.


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So I am going to bring evil on you. I will destroy your descendants. I will destroy every male in Ahab's {house}, whether slave or freeman in Israel.


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I will make your family like the family of Jeroboam (Nebat's son) and like the house of Baasha, son of Ahijah, because you made me furious. You led Israel to sin."


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Then the Lord also spoke {through Elijah} about Jezebel: "The dogs will eat Jezebel inside the walls of Jezreel.


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If anyone from Ahab's {house} dies in the city, dogs will eat him. If anyone dies in the country, birds will eat him."


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There was no one else like Ahab. At the urging of his wife, he sold himself to do what the Lord considered evil.


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He did many disgusting things as a result of worshiping idols as the Amorites had done. (The Lord confiscated their land for Israel.)


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When Ahab heard these things, he tore his clothes {in distress} and dressed in sackcloth. He fasted, lay in sackcloth, and walked around depressed.


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"Do you see how Ahab is humbling himself in my presence? Because he's humbling himself in my presence, I will not let any evil happen to his family while he is alive. I will bring evil on it during his son's lifetime."


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The king of Israel asked his staff, "Do you know that Ramoth in Gilead belongs to us, and we are doing nothing to take it back from the king of Aram?"


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Then he asked Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to fight at Ramoth in Gilead?" Jehoshaphat told the king of Israel, "I will do what you do. My troops will do what your troops do. My horses will do what your horses do."


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Then Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "But first, find out what the word of the Lord is {in this matter}."


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So the king of Israel called 400 prophets together. He asked them, "Should I go to war against Ramoth in Gilead or not?" "Go," they said. "The Lord will hand over Ramoth to you."


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The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, "We can ask the Lord through Micaiah, son of Imlah, but I hate him. He doesn't prophesy anything good about me, only evil." Jehoshaphat answered, "The king must not say that."


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The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were dressed in royal robes and seated on thrones. They were on the threshing floor at the entrance to the gate of Samaria. All the prophets were prophesying in front of them.


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Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, made iron horns and said, "This is what the Lord says: With these horns you will push the Arameans to their destruction."


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All the other prophets made the same prophecy. They said, "Attack Ramoth in Gilead, and you will win. The Lord will hand it over to you."


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The messenger who went to call Micaiah told him, "The prophets have all told the king the same good message. Make your message agree with their message. Say something good."


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Micaiah answered, "I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives, I will tell him whatever the Lord tells me."


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When he came to the king, the king asked him, "Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth in Gilead or not?" Micaiah said to him, "Attack and you will win. The Lord will hand it over to you."


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The king asked him, "How many times must I make you take an oath in the Lord's name to tell me nothing but the truth?"


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So Micaiah said, "I saw Israel's troops scattered in the hills like sheep without a shepherd. The Lord said, 'These {sheep} have no master. Let each one go home in peace.' "


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The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Didn't I tell you he wouldn't prophesy anything good about me, only evil?"


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Micaiah added, "Then hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and the entire army of heaven was standing near him on his right and his left.


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The Lord asked, 'Who will deceive Ahab so that he will attack and be killed at Ramoth in Gilead?' Some answered one way, while others said something else.


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"Then the Spirit stepped forward, stood in front of the Lord, and said, 'I will deceive him.' "'How?' the Lord asked.


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"The Spirit answered, 'I will go out and be a spirit that tells lies through the mouths of all of Ahab's prophets.' "The Lord said, 'You will succeed in deceiving him. Go and do it.'


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"So, the Lord has put into the mouths of all these prophets of yours a spirit that makes them tell lies. The Lord has spoken evil about you."


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Then Zedekiah, son of Chenaanah, went to Micaiah and struck him on the cheek. "How did the Lord's Spirit leave me to talk to you?" he asked.


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The king of Israel then said, "Send Micaiah back to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Joash, the prince.


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Say, 'This is what the king says: Put this man in prison, and feed him nothing but bread and water until I come home safely.' "


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Micaiah said, "If you really do come back safely, then the Lord wasn't speaking through me. Pay attention to this, everyone!"


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The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you should wear your royal robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle.


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The king of Aram had given orders to the 32 chariot commanders. He said, "Don't fight anyone except the king of Israel."


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When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, "He must be the king of Israel." So they turned to fight him. But when Jehoshaphat cried out,


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One man aimed his bow at random and hit the king of Israel between his scale armor and his breastplate. Ahab told his chariot driver, "Turn around, and get me away from these troops. I'm badly wounded."


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But the battle got worse that day, and the king was kept propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. He died that evening. The blood from the wound had flowed into the chariot.


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His chariot was washed at the pool of Samaria, where the prostitutes bathed. The dogs licked up his blood, as the Lord had predicted.


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Isn't everything else about Ahab—everything he did, the ivory palace he built, and all the cities he fortified—written in the official records of the kings of Israel?


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Jehoshaphat was 35 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for 25 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah, daughter of Shilhi.


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Jehoshaphat carefully followed the example his father Asa had set and did what the Lord considered right.


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But the illegal worship sites were not torn down. The people continued to sacrifice and burn incense at these worship sites. Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.


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Isn't everything else about Jehoshaphat—the heroic acts he did and {the wars} he fought—written in the official records of the kings of Judah?


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Jehoshaphat made Tarshish-style ships to go to Ophir for gold. But they didn't go because the ships were wrecked at Ezion Geber.


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Then Ahaziah, son of Ahab, said to Jehoshaphat, "Let my servants go with your servants in the ships." But Jehoshaphat refused.


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Jehoshaphat lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of his ancestor David. His son Jehoram succeeded him as king.


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Ahaziah, son of Ahab, became king of Israel in Samaria during Jehoshaphat's seventeenth year as king of Judah. Ahaziah ruled Israel for two years.


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He did what the Lord considered evil. He followed the example of his father and mother and of Jeroboam (Nebat's son) who led Israel to sin.


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Ahaziah served Baal, worshiped him, and made the Lord God of Israel furious, as his father had done.


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During the rebellion King Ahaziah fell through a window lattice in his upstairs room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers {to Ekron}. He had told them, "Go ask Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, if I will recover from this injury."


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Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah from Tishbe, "Meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and ask them, 'Do you seek advice from Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, because {you think} there is no God in Israel?


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This is what the Lord says: You will not get up from the bed you are lying on. Instead, you will die there.' " Then Elijah left.


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They told him that a man came to meet them and said to them, "Go back to the king who sent you. Tell him, 'This is what the Lord says: Do you send messengers to seek advice from Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, because {you think} there is no God in Israel? You will not get up from the bed you are lying on. Instead, you will die there.' "


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They replied, "He was hairy and had a leather belt around his waist." "That's Elijah from Tishbe," the king answered.


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The king sent an army officer with 50 men to Elijah. When the officer found Elijah sitting on top of a hill, he told Elijah, "Man of God, the king says, 'Come down.' "


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Elijah answered the officer, "If I'm a man of God, fire will come from heaven and burn up you and your 50 men." Then fire came from heaven and burned up the officer and his 50 men.


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The king sent another officer with 50 men to Elijah. The officer said, "Man of God, this is what the king says: Come here right away!"


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Elijah answered the officer, "If I'm a man of God, fire will come from heaven and burn up you and your 50 men." Then God's fire came from heaven and burned up the officer and his 50 men.


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The king sent a third officer with 50 men. The officer of the third group went up the hill and knelt in front of Elijah. The officer begged him, "Man of God, please treat my life and the lives of these 50 servants of yours as something precious.


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Fire has come from heaven and burned up the first two officers and their 100 men. But treat my life as something precious."


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The angel of the Lord told Elijah, "Go with him. Don't be afraid of him." So Elijah got up and went with him to the king.


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Elijah told the king, "This is what the Lord says: You sent messengers to seek advice from Baalzebub, the god of Ekron. Is this because {you think} there is no God in Israel whose word you can seek? You will not get up from the bed you are lying on. Instead, you will die there."


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So Ahaziah died as the Lord had predicted through Elijah. Joram succeeded him as king because Ahaziah had no son.


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Isn't everything else about Ahaziah—the things he did—written in the official records of the kings of Israel?


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Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here because the Lord is sending me to Bethel." Elisha answered, "I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not abandon you." So they went to Bethel.


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Some of the disciples of the prophets at Bethel came to Elisha. They asked him, "Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?" He answered, "Yes, I know. Be quiet."


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Elijah said, "Elisha, please stay here because the Lord is sending me to Jericho." Elisha answered, "I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not abandon you." So they went to Jericho.


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Then some of the disciples of the prophets who were in Jericho approached Elisha. They asked, "Do you know that the Lord is going to take your master from you today?" He answered, "Yes, I know. Be quiet."


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Elijah said to Elisha, "Please stay here because the Lord is sending me to the Jordan River." Elisha answered, "I solemnly swear, as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not abandon you."


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Elijah took his coat, rolled it up, and struck the water with it. The water divided to their left and their right, and the two men crossed {the river} on dry ground.


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While they were crossing, Elijah asked Elisha, "What should I do for you before I'm taken from you?" Elisha answered, "Let me inherit a double share of your spirit."


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Elijah said, "You have asked for something difficult. If you see me taken from you, it will be yours. Otherwise, it will not."


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As they continued walking and talking, a fiery chariot with fiery horses separated the two of them, and Elijah went to heaven in a windstorm.


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When Elisha saw this, he cried out, "Master! Master! Israel's chariot and horses!" When he couldn't see Elijah anymore, he grabbed his own garment and tore it in two {to show his grief}.


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Then he picked up Elijah's coat (which had fallen off Elijah), went back, and stood on the bank of the Jordan River.


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He took the coat and struck the water with it. He asked, "Where is the Lord God of Elijah?" As he struck the water, it divided to his left and his right, and Elisha crossed {the river}.


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The disciples of the prophets who were at Jericho saw him from a distance. They said, "Elijah's spirit rests on Elisha!" Then they went to meet him and bowed in front of him with their faces touching the ground.


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They said to him, "There are 50 strong men here with us. Please let them go and search for your master. Maybe the Lord's Spirit lifted him up and dropped him on one of the hills or in one of the valleys." Elisha answered, "Don't send them {to look}."


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But the disciples kept urging him {to send the men} until he was embarrassed. So he said, "Send them." They sent 50 men who searched for three days without finding him.


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The people of the city {of Jericho} told Elisha, "This city's location is as good as you will ever find. But the water is bad, and the land cannot grow crops."


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He went to the spring and threw the salt into it. Then he said, "This is what the Lord says: I have purified this water. No more deaths or crop failures will come from this water."


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From there he went to Bethel. As he walked along the road, some boys came out of the city and mocked him. They said, "Go away, baldy! Go away!"


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Looking back, he saw them and cursed them in the Lord's name. Two bears came out of the woods and tore 42 of these youths apart.


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Joram, son of Ahab, became king of Israel in Samaria during Jehoshaphat's eighteenth year as king of Judah. He ruled for 12 years.


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He did what the Lord considered evil, but he didn't do what his father or mother had done. He put away the sacred stone that his father had set up and dedicated to Baal.


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But he would not give up the sins that Jeroboam (Nebat's son) led Israel to commit. Joram would not turn away from those sins.


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King Mesha of Moab raised sheep. {Each year} he had to pay the king of Israel 100,000 male lambs and the wool from 100,000 rams.


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He sent this message to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: "The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you fight Moab with me?" Jehoshaphat answered, "I'll go. I will do what you do. My troops will do what your troops do. My horses will do what your horses do."


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Joram asked, "Which road should we take?" Jehoshaphat answered, "The road through the desert of Edom."


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So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom took an indirect route {to Moab}. After seven days they ran out of water for the army and the animals.


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The king of Israel said, "Oh no! The Lord has put the three of us at the mercy of {the people of} Moab."


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But Jehoshaphat asked, "Isn't there a prophet of the Lord whom we could ask?" One of the officials of the king of Israel answered, "Elisha, the son of Shaphat, is here. He used to be Elijah's assistant."


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Jehoshaphat said, "The Lord's word is with him." So King Jehoshaphat of Judah, the king of Israel, and the king of Edom went to Elisha.


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Elisha asked the king of Israel, "Why did you come to me? Go to your father's prophets or your mother's prophets." The king of Israel answered him, "No. The Lord has called the three of us in order to put us at Moab's mercy."


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Elisha answered, "I solemnly swear, as the Lord of Armies whom I serve lives, I wouldn't even bother to look at you or notice you if it weren't for my respect for King Jehoshaphat of Judah.


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But get me someone to play some music." While the musician was playing, the Lord's power came over Elisha.


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You will not see wind or rain, but this valley will be filled with water. You, your cattle, and your other animals will drink.


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You will defeat every walled city and every important city. You will cut down every good tree, seal all the wells, and use rocks to ruin every good piece of land."


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That is what happened in the morning. At the time of the grain offering, water flowed from Edom and filled the countryside.


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All the people of Moab heard that the kings had come to fight them. So all men old enough to bear arms were called to fight. They stood at the border.


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When the Moabites got up early in the morning as the sun was rising over the water, they saw the water from a distance. It was as red as blood.


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They said, "It's blood! The kings have been fighting one another and have killed each other. Now, Moabites, let's take their goods!"


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So when the Moabites came to Israel's camp, the Israelites attacked them, and they fled from the Israelites. Israel went after the Moabites and defeated them.


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Then Israel tore down the cities, each man throwing rocks on every good field until it was covered. They sealed every well and cut down every good tree. Only the stones {in the walls} of Kir Hareseth were left. Soldiers surrounded Kir Hareseth and attacked it with slings and stones.


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When the king of Moab saw he was losing the battle, he took 700 swordsmen to try to break through to the king of Edom. But they couldn't do it.


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Then he took his firstborn son, who would have succeeded him as king, and sacrificed him on the wall as a burnt offering. There was bitter anger against the Israelites. So they went home to their own country.


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One of the wives of a disciple of the prophets called to Elisha, "Sir, my husband is dead! You know how he feared the Lord. Now a creditor has come to take my two children as slaves."


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Elisha asked her, "What should I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?" She answered, "I have nothing in the house except a jar of olive oil."


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Then close the door behind you and your children, and pour oil into all those containers. When one is full, set it aside."


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So she left him and closed the door behind her and her children. The children kept bringing containers to her, and she kept pouring.


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When the containers were full, she told her son, "Bring me another container." He told her, "There are no more containers." So the olive oil stopped flowing.


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She went and told the man of God. He said, "Sell the oil, and pay your debt. The rest is for you and your children."


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One day Elisha was traveling through Shunem, where a rich woman lived. She had invited him to eat {with her}. So whenever he was in the area, he stopped in to eat.


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Let's make a small room on the roof and put a bed, table, chair, and lamp stand there for him. He can stay there whenever he comes to visit us."


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He told his servant Gehazi, "Call this Shunem woman." Gehazi called her, and she stood in front of him.


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Elisha said to Gehazi, "Ask her what we can do for her, since she has gone to a lot of trouble for us. Maybe she would like us to speak to the king or the commander of the army for her." She answered, "I'm already living among my own people."


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"What should we do for her?" Elisha asked. Gehazi answered, "Well, she has no son, and her husband is old."


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Elisha said, "At this time next spring, you will hold a baby boy in your arms." She answered, "Don't say that, sir. Don't lie to me. You're a man of God."


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{Suddenly,} he said to his father, "My head! My head!" The father told his servant, "Carry him to his mother."


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The servant picked him up and brought him to his mother. The boy sat on her lap until noon, when he died.


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She took him upstairs and laid him on the bed of the man of God, left {the room}, and shut the door behind her.


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She called her husband and said, "Please send me one of the servants and one of the donkeys. I will go quickly to the man of God and come back again."


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Her husband asked, "Why are you going to him today? It isn't a New Moon Festival or a day of worship." But she said goodbye to him.


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So she came to the man of God at Mount Carmel. When he saw her coming at a distance, he told his servant Gehazi, "There is the woman from Shunem.


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Run to meet her and ask her how she, her husband, and the boy are doing." "Everyone's fine," she answered.


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When she came to the man of God at the mountain, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi went to push her away. But the man of God said, "Leave her alone. She is bitter. The Lord has hidden the reason from me. He hasn't told me."


text:
The man of God told Gehazi, "Put on a belt, take my shepherd's staff in your hand, and go. Whenever you meet anyone, don't stop to greet him. If he greets you, don't stop to answer him. Lay my staff on the boy's face."


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The boy's mother said, "I solemnly swear, as the Lord and you live, I will not leave without you." So Elisha got up and followed her.


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Gehazi went ahead of them and put the staff on the boy's face, but there was no sound or sign of life. So Gehazi came back to meet the man of God. Gehazi told him, "The boy didn't wake up."


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Then he lay on the boy, putting his mouth on the boy's mouth, his eyes on the boy's eyes, his hands on the boy's hands. He crouched over the boy's body, and it became warm.


text:
Elisha got up, walked across the room and came back, and then got back on the bed and crouched over him. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.


text:
Elisha called Gehazi and said, "Call the Shunem woman." Gehazi called her. When she came to him, he said, "Take your son."


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When Elisha went back to Gilgal, there was a famine in the country. {One day,} while the disciples of the prophets were meeting with him, he told his servant, "Put a large pot on the fire, and cook some stew for the disciples of the prophets."


text:
One of them went into the field to gather vegetables and found a wild vine. He filled his clothes with wild gourds. Then he cut them into the pot of stew without knowing what they were.


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They dished out the food for the men to eat. As they were eating the stew, they cried out, "There's death in the pot, man of God!" So they couldn't eat it.


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Elisha said, "Bring some flour." He threw it into the pot and said, "Dish it out for the people to eat." Then there was nothing harmful in the pot.


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A man from Baal Shalisha brought bread made from the first harvested grain, 20 barley loaves, and fresh grain to the man of God. The man of God said, "Give it to the people to eat."


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But his servant asked, "How can I set this in front of a hundred people?" "Give it to the people to eat," the man of God said. "This is what the Lord says: They will eat and even have some left over."


text:
Naaman, the commander of the Aramean king's army, was respected and highly honored by his master. The Lord had given Aram a victory through Naaman. This man was a good soldier, but he had a skin disease.


text:
Once, when the Arameans went on raids, they had brought back a little girl from Israel. She became the servant of Naaman's wife.


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The girl told her mistress, "If only my master were with the prophet in Samaria. Then the prophet could cure him of his skin disease."


text:
The king of Aram said, "You may go. I will also send a letter to the king of Israel." When Naaman left, he took 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and 10 sets of clothing with him.


text:
He brought the letter to the king of Israel. It read, "I'm sending my officer Naaman with this letter. Cure him of his skin disease."


text:
When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes{in distress}. He asked, "Am I God? Can I kill someone and then bring him back to life? This man sends someone to me so that I can cure his skin disease! All of you should realize and understand that he's trying to pick a fight with me."


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But when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a messenger to the king. He asked, "Why did you tear your clothes? Please let Naaman come to me and find out that there is a prophet in Israel."


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Elisha sent a messenger to him. He said, "Wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River, and your skin will be healthy and clean."


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But Naaman became angry and left. He said, "I thought he would at least come out{of his house}, stand somewhere, call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the{infected} place, and heal the skin disease.


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The Abana and Pharpar Rivers in Damascus have better water than any of the rivers in Israel. Couldn't I wash in them and be clean?" So he turned around and left in anger.


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But Naaman's servants went to him and said, "Master, if the prophet had asked you to do some extraordinary act, wouldn't you have done it? Why shouldn't you do as he said: 'Wash and be clean'?"


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So he went to dip himself in the Jordan River seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. His skin became healthy again like a little child's skin.


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Then he and all his men returned to the man of God. Naaman stood in front of Elisha and said, "Now I know that there's no god in the whole world, except the God of Israel. So please accept a present from me."


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Elisha said, "I solemnly swear, as the Lord whom I serve lives, I will not accept it." Naaman urged him to take it, but he refused.


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So Naaman said, "If you won't take it, please have someone give me as much dirt as a pair of mules can carry. From now on I will sacrifice to the Lord alone. I will not offer any burnt offering or sacrifice to any other gods.


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May the Lord forgive me when my master goes to the temple of Rimmon to worship, leans on my arm, and I have to bow down in the temple of Rimmon. When I do this, may the Lord forgive me for this one thing."


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Gehazi, the servant of Elisha (the man of God), thought, "My master let this Aramean Naaman go without accepting what he had brought. As sure as the Lord lives, I'll run after Naaman and get something from him."


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So Gehazi went after Naaman. When Naaman saw Gehazi running after him, he got down from his chariot to speak to him. "Is something wrong?" he asked.


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Gehazi answered, "No. My master has sent me. He says, 'Just now two young men from the disciples of the prophets in the hills of Ephraim have arrived. Please give them 75 pounds of silver and two sets of clothing.' "


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Naaman replied, "Please let me give you 150 pounds of silver." Naaman urged him {to take the silver}. Naaman tied up 150 pounds of silver in two bags with two sets of clothing. He gave them to a couple of his own servants to carry in front of Gehazi.


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When Gehazi came to the Ophel in Samaria, he took these things and put them away in the house. Then he dismissed the men, and they left.


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He went and stood in front of his master. Elisha asked him, "Where were you, Gehazi?" "I didn't go anywhere," he answered.


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Then Elisha said to him, "I went with you in spirit when the man turned around in his chariot to speak to you. How could you accept silver, clothes, olive orchards, vineyards, sheep, cattle, or slaves?


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Naaman's skin disease will cling to you and your descendants permanently!" When he left Elisha, Gehazi had a disease that made his skin as flaky as snow.


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Let's go to the Jordan River. Each of us can get some logs and make a place for us to live there." Elisha said, "Go ahead."


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As one of them was cutting down a tree, the ax head fell into the water. He cried out, "Oh no, master! It was borrowed!"


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The man of God asked, "Where did it fall?" When he showed Elisha the place, Elisha cut off a piece of wood. He threw it into the water at that place and made the ax head float.


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Whenever the king of Aram was fighting against Israel, he asked for advice from his officers about where they were to camp.


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So the man of God would send a message to the king of Israel, "Be careful not to go by that place. The Arameans are hiding there."


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Then the king of Israel would send someone to the place that the man of God told him about. Elisha warned them so that they would be on their guard. He did this repeatedly.


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The king of Aram was very angry about this. He called his officers and asked them, "Won't you tell me who among us is {a spy} for the king of Israel?"


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One of his officers answered, "No one, Your Majesty. Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel everything you say—even what you say in your bedroom."


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The king said, "Find out where he is. Then I will send men to capture him." The king was told, "He is in Dothan."


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So the king sent horses and chariots and a large fighting unit there. They came at night and surrounded the city.


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When the servant of the man of God got up in the morning and went outside, he saw troops, horses, and chariots surrounding the city. Elisha's servant asked, "Master, what should we do?"


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Then Elisha prayed, "Lord, please open his eyes so that he may see." The Lord opened the servant's eyes and let him see. The mountain around Elisha was full of fiery horses and chariots.


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As the Arameans came down to get him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, "Please strike these people with blindness." The Lord struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked.


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Elisha told them, "This isn't the way! This isn't the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you're looking for." So he led them into Samaria.


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When they came into Samaria, Elisha said, "Lord, open the eyes of these men, and let them see." The Lord opened their eyes and let them see that they were in the middle of Samaria.


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When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, "Master, should I kill them? Should I kill them?"


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Elisha answered, "Don't kill them. Do you kill everyone you take captive in combat? Give them food and water. Let them eat and drink. Then let them go back to their master."


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So the king prepared a great feast for them. They ate and drank, and then he sent them back to their master. After this, Aramean troops didn't raid Israel's territory anymore.


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The shortages caused by the blockade of Samaria became so severe that a donkey's head sold for two pounds of silver and a half-pint of dove manure for two ounces of silver.


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He answered, "If the Lord doesn't help you, how can I help you? I can't give you something from the threshing floor or the winepress."


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Then the king asked her, "What's the matter?" She answered, "This woman told me, 'Give up your son. Let's eat him today. We'll eat my son tomorrow.'


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So we boiled my son and ate him. The next day I told her, 'Give up your son. We'll eat him,' but she hid her son."


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When the king heard the woman say this, he tore his clothes {in distress}. As he was walking on the city wall, the people saw that he was wearing sackcloth under his clothes.


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Elisha was sitting in his home with the {city's} leaders. The king had sent one of his men ahead of him {to Elisha's house}. But before the messenger arrived, Elisha asked the leaders, "Do you see how this murderer has sent someone to tear off my head? When the messenger comes, close the door. Hold it shut because the king will be following him."


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While he was still talking to them, the messenger arrived. He said to Elisha, "This severe famine is from the Lord. Why should I wait any longer for the Lord {to help us}?"


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Elisha answered, "Listen to the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord says: About this time tomorrow 24 cups of the best flour will sell for half an ounce of silver in the gateway to Samaria. And 48 cups of barley will sell for half an ounce of silver."


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The servant on whose arm the king was leaning answered the man of God, "Could this happen even if the Lord poured rain through windows in the sky?" Elisha replied, "You will see it with your own eyes, but you won't eat any of it."


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Four men with skin diseases were at the entrance of the city gate. One of them asked, "Why are we sitting here waiting to die?


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If we go into the city, the famine is also there, and we'll still die. But if we stay here, we'll die. So let's go to the Aramean camp. If they give us something to keep us alive, we'll live. But if they kill us, we'll die anyway."


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So they started out at dusk to go into the Aramean camp. When they came to the edge of the camp, no one was there.


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(The Lord had made the Aramean army hear what sounded like chariots, horses, and a large army. The Aramean soldiers said to one another, "The king of Israel has hired the Hittite and Egyptian kings to attack us!"


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So at dusk they fled. They abandoned the camp as it was with its tents, horses, and donkeys and ran for their lives.)


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When the men with skin diseases came to the edge of the camp, they went into a tent, ate and drank, and carried off the silver, gold, and clothes they found in that tent. They went away and hid them. Then they came back, went into another tent, carried off its contents, went away, and hid them.


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Then they said to one another, "What we're doing is not right. This is a day of good news, and we're not telling anyone about it. If we wait until morning when it's light out, we'll be punished. Let's bring the news to the royal palace."


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So they called the city gatekeepers and told them, "We went into the Aramean camp, and we didn't see or hear anyone. The horses and donkeys were still tied up. Even the tents were left exactly as they were."


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So the king got up at night and told his officers what the Arameans had planned for them. He said, "They know we're starving, so they've left the camp to hide in the countryside. They're thinking, 'When they've left the city, we'll capture them alive and get into the city.' "


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One of his officers replied, "Please let some men take five of the horses that are left here. Those men will be no worse off than the rest of the Israelites who are dying. Let's send them to take a look."


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So they took two chariots with horses, and the king sent them to follow the Aramean army and told them to find out what happened.


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They followed them as far as the Jordan River and saw how the whole road was littered with clothes and equipment that the Arameans had thrown away in their hurry. The messengers returned and told the king about it.


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So the people went out and looted the Aramean camp. Then 24 cups of the best flour sold for half an ounce of silver, and 48 cups of barley sold for half an ounce of silver, as the Lord had predicted.


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The king appointed the servant on whose arm he used to lean to be in charge of the gate. But the people trampled him to death in the gateway, as the man of God had predicted when the king came to him.


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(It happened exactly as the man of God told the king, "Forty-eight cups of barley will sell for half an ounce of silver. And twenty-four cups of the best flour will sell for half an ounce of silver. This will happen about this time tomorrow in the gateway to Samaria."


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Then the servant answered the man of God, "Could this happen even if the Lord poured rain through windows in the sky?" Elisha answered, "You will see it with your own eyes, but you won't eat any of it.")


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Elisha had told the woman whose son he had brought back to life, "Go away with your family. Stay wherever you can. The Lord has decided to send a famine on this country, and it will last seven years."


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The woman did what the man of God told her. She and her family went to live in Philistine territory for seven years.


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At the end of seven years, the woman came home from Philistine territory but left again to make an appeal to the king about her house and land.


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The king was talking to Gehazi, the servant of the man of God. He said, "Please tell me about all the great things Elisha has done."


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While Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha brought a dead child back to life, the mother {came to} make an appeal to the king about her house and land. Gehazi said, "Your Majesty, this is the woman, and this is her son whom Elisha brought back to life."


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When the king asked the woman {about this}, she told him the story. So the king assigned to her an attendant to whom he said, "Restore all that is hers, including whatever her property produced from the day she left the country until now."


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Elisha went to Damascus. King Benhadad of Aram, who was sick, was told, "The man of God has come here."


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The king told Hazael, "Take a present, and meet the man of God. Ask the Lord through him, 'Will I recover from this illness?' "


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Hazael went to meet Elisha. He took with him a present and all kinds of goods from Damascus. He had loaded the goods on 40 camels. He stood in front of Elisha and said, "Your humble servant King Benhadad of Aram has sent me to you. He asks whether he will recover from this illness."


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Elisha replied, "Tell him that he will get better, although the Lord has shown me that he is actually going to die."


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"Sir, why are you crying?" Hazael asked. Elisha answered, "I know the evil you will do to the Israelites: You will set their fortresses on fire, kill their best young men, smash their little children, and rip open their pregnant women."


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But Hazael asked, "How can a dog like me do such a significant thing?" Elisha answered, "The Lord has shown me that you will become king of Aram."


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Hazael left Elisha and went to his master Benhadad, who asked him what Elisha had said. Hazael answered, "He told me that you will get better."


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But the next day Hazael took a blanket, soaked it in water, and smothered the king with it. Hazael ruled as king in his place.


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Joram (Ahab's son) was in his fifth year as king of Israel when Jehoram, son of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, began to rule. Jehoram ruled while Jehoshaphat was still king of Judah.


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He followed the ways of the kings of Israel, as Ahab's family had done, because his wife was Ahab's daughter. So he did what the Lord considered evil.


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But for David's sake the Lord didn't want to destroy Judah. The Lord had told David that he would always give him and his descendants a {shining} lamp.


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Jehoram took all his chariots to attack Zair. The Edomites and their chariot commanders surrounded him, but he got up at night, broke through their lines, and his troops fled home.


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So Edom rebelled against Judah's rule and is still independent today. At that time Libnah also rebelled.


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Isn't everything else about Jehoram—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Judah?


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Jehoram lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. His son Ahaziah succeeded him as king.


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Joram (Ahab's son) was in his twelfth year as king of Israel when Jehoram's son Ahaziah became king of Judah.


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Ahaziah was 22 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for one year in Jerusalem. His mother was Athaliah, the granddaughter of King Omri of Israel.


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Ahaziah followed the ways of Ahab's family. He did what the Lord considered evil, as Ahab's family had done, because he was related to Ahab's family by marriage.


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Ahaziah went with Ahab's son Joram to fight against King Hazael of Aram at Ramoth Gilead. There the Arameans wounded Joram.


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King Joram returned to Jezreel to let his wounds heal. (He had been wounded by the Arameans at Ramah when he fought against King Hazael of Aram.) Then Jehoram's son Ahaziah went to Jezreel to see Ahab's son Joram, who was sick.


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The prophet Elisha called one of the disciples of the prophets. He said, "Put on your belt. Take this flask of olive oil, and go to Ramoth Gilead.


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When you arrive there, look for Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat and grandson of Nimshi. Go inside, and have him get up and leave his companions. Take him into an inner room.


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Take the flask of oil, pour it on his head, and say, 'This is what the Lord says: I have anointed you king of Israel.' Then open the door and leave immediately."


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When he arrived there, the army's generals were sitting together. He said, "I have something to tell you, General." Jehu asked, "Which one of us?" He answered, "You, General!"


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Jehu got up and went into the house. The prophet poured olive oil on his head and told him, "This is what the Lord God of Israel says: I have anointed you king of the Lord's people, {king} of Israel.


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You will destroy the family of your master Ahab. I will get revenge on Jezebel for shedding the blood of my servants the prophets and all the Lord's {other} servants.


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Ahab's entire family will die. I will destroy every male from Ahab's family, whether slave or freeman in Israel.


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I will make Ahab's family like the family of Jeroboam (Nebat's son) and like the family of Baasha, son of Ahijah.


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Dogs will eat Jezebel inside the walls of Jezreel, and no one will bury her." Then he opened the door and left.


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Jehu came out to his master's officials. One of them asked him, "Is everything alright? Why did this lunatic come to you?" He answered, "You know the man and the kind of things he says."


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They said, "That's not an answer. Please tell us." Jehu replied, "We talked for a while, and he said to me, 'This is what the Lord says: I have anointed you king of Israel.' "


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Then each one of them immediately took off his coat and laid it on the stairs below him. They blew a ram's horn and said, "Jehu is king!"


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So Jehu, son of Jehoshaphat and grandson of Nimshi, plotted against Joram. (Joram and all Israel were guarding Ramoth Gilead against King Hazael of Aram.


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But King Joram had returned to Jezreel to recover from the wounds he received while fighting King Hazael of Aram.) Then Jehu said, "If you want me to be king, don't let anyone escape from the city to take the news to Jezreel."


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So Jehu got on his chariot and drove to Jezreel because Joram was lying in bed there. (King Ahaziah of Judah had come to see Joram.)


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The watchman standing on the tower in Jezreel saw Jehu's troops coming. He said, "I see some troops." So Joram said, "Take a chariot driver, send him to meet them, and ask, 'Is everything alright?' "


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So a chariot driver rode off, met Jehu, and said, "The king asks, 'Is everything alright?' " Jehu replied, "Why should that matter to you? Follow me." So the watchman announced, "The messenger you sent has reached them, but he isn't coming back."


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Then Joram sent out a second driver. When he came to them, he said, "The king asks, 'Is everything alright?' " Jehu replied, "Why should that matter to you? Follow me."


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So the watchman announced, "He has reached them, but he isn't coming back. The troop's leader is driving like a lunatic, like Jehu, grandson of Nimshi."


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"Hitch the horses to the chariot," Joram ordered. When that was done, King Joram of Israel and King Ahaziah of Judah went to meet Jehu, each in his own chariot. They found him in the field that belonged to Naboth from Jezreel.


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When Joram saw Jehu, he asked, "Is everything alright, Jehu?" Jehu answered, "How can everything be alright as long as your mother continues her idolatry and witchcraft?"


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But Jehu took his bow and shot Joram between the shoulders. The arrow came out of his chest, and he slumped over in his chariot.


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Then Jehu said to his attendant Bidkar, "Take him away, and throw him into the field that belonged to Naboth from Jezreel. Remember when you and I were driving our chariots behind his father Ahab? The Lord revealed this prophecy about him:


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'Just as I saw the blood of Naboth and his sons yesterday, I will pay you back in this field,' declares the Lord. Now take him and throw him into the field as the Lord predicted."


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When King Ahaziah of Judah saw this, he fled on the road leading to Beth Haggan. Jehu pursued him and ordered, "Shoot him down in his chariot." They shot him at Gur Pass, which is near Ibleam. Ahaziah continued to flee until he got to Megiddo, where he died.


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His servants brought him in a chariot to Jerusalem. They buried him in a tomb with his ancestors in the City of David.


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When Jehu arrived in Jezreel, Jezebel heard about it. She put on eye shadow, fixed her hair, and looked out of a second-story window.


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Looking up at the window, he asked, "Is anyone on my side? Anyone?" Then two or three eunuchs looked out at him.


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He said, "Throw her down." They threw her down, and some of her blood splattered on the wall and the horses. The horses trampled her.


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He went inside, ate, and drank. Then he said, "Take care of this woman who had a curse on her. After all, she was a king's daughter."


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But when they went out to bury her, they couldn't find any of her body except her skull, feet, and hands.


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They came back and told him. Jehu said, "The Lord spoke through his servant Elijah from Tishbe. He said, 'Dogs will eat Jezebel's body inside the walls of Jezreel.


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Jezebel's corpse will be like manure on the ground in the fields surrounding Jezreel so that no one will be able to say that this is Jezebel.' "


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Ahab had 70 male heirs in Samaria. So Jehu wrote letters to the officials of Jezreel, the respected leaders, and the guardians of Ahab's descendants in Samaria. The letters read,


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"Your master's heirs are with you, and you have chariots, horses, fortified cities, and weapons. As soon as this letter reaches you,


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choose the best and most honest of your master's heirs, and put him on Ahab's throne. Fight for your master's family."


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So the official in charge of the palace, the mayor of the city, the respected leaders, and the guardians sent this message to Jehu: "We are your servants. We'll do everything you tell us. We won't make anyone king. Do what you think is best."


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So he wrote them a second letter. It read, "If you are on my side and ready to listen to me, bring the heads of your master's heirs to me in Jezreel about this time tomorrow." The 70 male heirs were staying with the city's most powerful men. These men had raised them.


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When the letter came to the men, they slaughtered all 70 heirs. They put the heads in baskets and sent them to Jehu in Jezreel.


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A messenger told him, "They've brought the heads of the king's heirs." Jehu said, "Put them in two piles at the entrance to the gateway until morning."


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In the morning he stood there. He told the people, "You are innocent. I plotted against my master and killed him. But who killed all these men?


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You can be sure that the word of the Lord spoken about Ahab's family will be fulfilled. The Lord will do what he said through his servant Elijah."


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Jehu also killed every member of Ahab's household who was left in Jezreel: all the most powerful men, friends, and priests. Not one of them was left.


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he found some relatives of King Ahaziah of Judah. "Who are you?" he asked. They answered, "We're Ahaziah's relatives. We've come to greet the families of the king and the queen mother."


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Jehu ordered, "Capture them!" {Jehu's men} captured and slaughtered 42 of them at a cistern near Beth Eked. They didn't leave any survivors.


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When he left that place, he met Jehonadab, son of Rechab, who was coming to meet him. Jehu greeted him and asked, "Are you as loyal to me as I am to you?" "I am," Jehonadab answered. {So Jehu said,} "If you are, give me your hand." When he gave Jehu his hand, Jehu helped him up into the chariot.


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Jehu said, "Come with me. See how devoted I am to the Lord." So he had Jehonadab ride on his chariot.


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When they arrived in Samaria, Jehu killed the rest of Ahab's family, every member who was left in Samaria. He wiped them out, as the Lord had told Elijah.


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Then Jehu brought all the people together. He said, "Ahab served Baal a little, but Jehu will serve him a lot.


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Summon all the prophets, servants, and priests of Baal. Make sure no one is missing because I have a great sacrifice to offer Baal. Whoever is missing will not live." (Jehu was deceiving {them}. He actually wanted to destroy those who worshiped Baal.)


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Jehu sent messengers to all the Israelites. All the worshipers of Baal came, and there wasn't one who didn't come. They went into the temple of Baal and filled it from one end to the other.


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Then Jehu told the man in charge of the priests' robes, "Bring out the robes for all the worshipers of Baal." So he brought out robes for them.


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Jehu and Jehonadab, son of Rechab, went into the temple of Baal and said to the worshipers of Baal, "Make sure that there are no worshipers of the Lord here with you. Only the worshipers of Baal should be here."


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So they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. But Jehu had stationed 80 of his men outside. He said{to them}, "If any of the people I'm putting in your hands escape, you will pay for their lives with yours."


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When the burnt offerings had been made, Jehu said to the guards and attendants, "Kill them. Don't let anyone get away." So they used swords to kill the Baal worshipers and threw out the bodies until the guards and attendants came to the stronghold in the temple of Baal.


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They destroyed the sacred stone of Baal and the temple of Baal and made it into a latrine. It is still a latrine today.


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But Jehu did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam (Nebat's son) led Israel to commit—{the worship of} the golden calves that were at Bethel and Dan.


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The Lord said to Jehu, "You did what I consider right, and you did it well. You did everything I wanted done to Ahab's family. That is why four generations of your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel."


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But Jehu didn't wholeheartedly obey the teachings of the Lord God of Israel. He didn't turn away from the sins that Jeroboam led Israel to commit.


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So in those days the Lord began to take away some of Israel's territory. Hazael defeated Jehu's army throughout Israel's territory


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east of the Jordan River: the entire region of Gilead (the territory belonging to Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh) from Aroer, which is near the Arnon River, to Gilead and Bashan.


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Isn't everything else about Jehu—everything he did, all his heroic acts—written in the official records of the kings of Israel?


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Jehu lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. His son Jehoahaz succeeded him as king.


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When Ahaziah's mother, Athaliah, saw that her son was dead, she began to destroy the entire royal family.


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But Jehosheba, daughter of King Jehoram and sister of Ahaziah, took Ahaziah's son Joash. She saved him from being killed with the king's other sons, and in a bedroom she hid him and his nurse from Athaliah. So Joash wasn't killed


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In the seventh year of Athaliah's reign, Jehoiada sent for the company commanders of the Carites and the guards and had them come to him in the Lord's temple. He made an agreement with them, put them under oath in the Lord's temple, and showed them the king's son.


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He ordered them, "This is what you must do: One third of you, those who are on duty on the day of worship, must guard the royal palace.


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Another third must be at Sur Gate. And another third must be at the gate behind the guards. You will guard the king's residence.


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Then your two groups who {normally} go off duty on the day of worship must guard the king at the Lord's temple.


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Surround the king. Each man should have his weapons in his hand. Kill anyone who tries to break through your ranks. Stay with the king wherever he goes."


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The company commanders did as the priest Jehoiada had ordered them. Each commander took his men who were coming on duty on the day of worship as well as those who were about to go off duty and came to the priest Jehoiada.


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He gave the commanders the spears and the shields that had belonged to King David but were now in the Lord's temple.


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The guards stood with their weapons in their hands. They were stationed around the king and around the altar and the temple (from the south side to the north side of the temple).


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Then Jehoiada brought out the king's son, gave him the crown and the religious instructions, and made him king by anointing him. As the guards clapped their hands, they said, "Long live the king!"


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When Athaliah heard the noise made by the guards and the other people, she went into the Lord's temple, where the people were.


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She looked, and the king was standing by the pillar according to custom. The commanders and the trumpeters were by his side. All the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. As Athaliah tore her clothes {in distress}, she cried, "Treason, treason!"


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Then the priest Jehoiada ordered the company commanders who were in charge of the army, "Take her out of the temple. Use your sword to kill anyone who follows her." (The priest had said, "She must not be killed in the Lord's temple.")


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So they arrested her as she came to the street where the horses enter the royal palace, and there she was killed.


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Jehoiada made a promise to the Lord on behalf of the king and his people that they would be the Lord's people. He made other promises between the king and the people.


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Then all the people of the land went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed Baal's altars and his statues and killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars. Next, the priest appointed officials to be in charge of the Lord's temple.


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He took the company commanders of the Carites and the guards and all the people of the land, and they brought the king from the Lord's temple. They went down the street that goes through Guards' Gate to the royal palace. Then Joash sat on the royal throne.


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All the people of the land were celebrating. But the city was quiet because they had killed Athaliah with a sword at the royal palace.


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Joash began to rule in Jehu's seventh year as king of Israel, and he ruled for 40 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Zibiah from Beersheba.


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But the illegal places of worship weren't torn down. The people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense at these worship sites.


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Joash told the priests, "{Collect} all the holy contributions that are brought into the Lord's temple—the money each person is currently required to bring and all the money brought voluntarily to the Lord's temple.


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Each of the priests should receive it from the donors and use it to make repairs on the temple where they are needed."


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So King Joash called for Jehoiada and the other priests and asked them, "Why aren't you repairing the damage in the temple? Don't take any more money from the donors {for your own use}. Instead, use it to make repairs on the temple."


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The priests agreed neither to receive money from the people {for personal use} nor to be responsible for repairing the temple.


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Then the priest Jehoiada took a box, drilled a hole in its lid, and put it at the right side of the altar as one comes into the Lord's temple. The priests who guarded the entrance put the money that was brought to the Lord's temple in the box.


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Whenever they saw a lot of money in the box, the king's scribe and the chief priest would collect and count the money that was donated in the Lord's temple.


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Then they would give the money that had been weighed to the men who had been appointed to work on the Lord's temple. They used it to pay the carpenters, builders,


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masons, and stonecutters. They also used it to buy wood and cut stones to make repairs on the Lord's temple and to buy anything else that they needed for the temple repairs.


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But no silver bowls, snuffers, dishes, trumpets, or any other gold and silver utensils were made for the Lord's temple with the money that was brought.


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They didn't require the men who were entrusted with the money for the workers to give an account, because they were honest people.


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The money from the guilt offerings and the offerings for sin was not brought into the Lord's temple. It belonged to the priests.


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At this time King Hazael of Aram fought against Gath and conquered it. He was also determined to attack Jerusalem.


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So King Joash of Judah took all the gifts his ancestors Kings Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah of Judah, had dedicated to the Lord, the things he had dedicated to the Lord, and all the gold that could be found in the storerooms of the Lord's temple and the royal palace. He sent these things to King Hazael of Aram, who called off the attack on Jerusalem.


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Isn't everything else about Joash—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Judah?


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His own officials plotted against him and killed him at Beth Millo on the road that goes down to Silla.


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Joash's officials Jozacar, son of Shimeath, and Jehozabad, son of Shomer, executed him. They buried him with his ancestors in the City of David. His son Amaziah succeeded him as king.


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Ahaziah's son King Joash of Judah was in his twenty-third year as king of Judah when Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, began to rule in Samaria as king of Israel. He ruled for 17 years.


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He did what the Lord considered evil. He continued to commit the sins that Jeroboam (Nebat's son) led Israel to commit. He never gave up committing those sins.


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So the Lord became angry with Israel and put it at the mercy of King Hazael of Aram and Hazael's son Benhadad as long as they lived.


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Then Jehoahaz pleaded with the Lord, and the Lord heard him because he saw how the Aramean king was oppressing Israel.


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So the Lord gave the Israelites someone to save them, and they were freed from Aram's power. They were able to live in their homes again as they had done before.


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But they didn't turn away from the sins that Jeroboam and his dynasty led Israel to commit. They continued to commit those sins. In addition, the pole dedicated to the goddess Asherah remained standing in Samaria.


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Jehoahaz had no army left except for 50 horses, 10 chariots, and 10,000 foot soldiers because the king of Aram had destroyed the rest. He had made them like dust that people trample.


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Isn't everything else about Jehoahaz—everything he did, his heroic acts—written in the official records of the kings of Israel?


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Jehoahaz lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried in Samaria. His son Jehoash ruled as king in his place.


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In Joash's thirty-seventh year as king of Judah, Jehoahaz's son Jehoash began to rule Israel in Samaria. He ruled for 16 years.


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He did what the Lord considered evil and never gave up committing the sins that Jeroboam led Israel to commit. He continued to commit them.


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Isn't everything else about Jehoash—everything he did, his heroic acts when he fought against King Amaziah of Judah—written in the official records of the kings of Israel?


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Jehoash lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried with the kings of Israel in Samaria. Then Jeroboam claimed the throne.


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Elisha became fatally ill. King Jehoash of Israel visited him, cried over him, and said, "Master! Master! Israel's chariot and horses!"


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Then Elisha told the king of Israel, "Take the bow in your hand." So the king picked up the bow. Elisha laid his hands on the king's hands.


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Elisha said, "Open the window that faces east." So the king opened it. "Shoot," Elisha said, and the king shot. Then Elisha said, "That is the arrow of the Lord's victory, the arrow of victory against Aram. You will completely defeat the Arameans at Aphek."


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Then Elisha said, "Take the arrows." So the king took them. "Stomp on them," he told the king of Israel. The king stomped three times and stopped.


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Then the man of God became angry with him. "You should have stomped five or six times!" he said. "Then you would have completely defeated the Arameans. But now you will only defeat the Arameans three times."


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One day some people who were burying a man saw one of these raiding parties. So they quickly put the man into Elisha's tomb. But when the body touched Elisha's bones, the man came back to life and stood up.


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But the Lord was kind and merciful to the Israelites because of his promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He didn't want to destroy the Israelites, and even now he hasn't turned away from them.


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Then Jehoash, son of Jehoahaz, reconquered the cities that Benhadad had taken from his father Jehoahaz. Jehoash defeated Benhadad three times and recovered those cities of Israel.


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Jehoahaz's son King Jehoash was in his second year as king of Israel when King Amaziah, son of Joash of Judah, began to rule.


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Amaziah was 25 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jehoaddin from Jerusalem.


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He did what the Lord considered right, but not exactly what his ancestor David had done. He did everything his father Joash had done.


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But the illegal places of worship were still not torn down. The people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense at these worship sites.


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As soon as he had a firm control over the kingdom, he executed the officials who had killed his father, the former king.


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But he didn't execute their children. He obeyed the Lord's command written in the Book of Moses' Teachings: "Parents must never be put to death for the crimes of their children, and children must never be put to death for the crimes of their parents. Each person must be put to death for his own crime."


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Amaziah killed 10,000 Edomites in the Dead Sea region and took the city of Sela in battle. He gave it the name Joktheel, which is still its name today.


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Then Amaziah sent messengers to King Jehoash, son of Jehoahaz and grandson of Jehu of Israel, to declare war on Israel.


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King Jehoash of Israel sent this message to King Amaziah of Judah: "A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon. It said, 'Let your daughter marry my son,' but a wild animal from Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle.


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You certainly defeated Edom, and now you have become arrogant. Enjoy your fame, but stay home. Why must you invite disaster and your own defeat and take Judah with you?"


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But Amaziah wouldn't listen. So King Jehoash of Israel attacked, and King Amaziah of Judah met him in battle at Beth Shemesh in Judah.


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King Jehoash of Israel captured King Amaziah, son of Joash and grandson of Ahaziah of Judah, at Beth Shemesh and went to Jerusalem. He tore down a 600-foot section of the wall around Jerusalem from Ephraim Gate to Corner Gate.


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He took all the gold, silver, and all the utensils he found in the Lord's temple and in the royal palace treasury. He also took hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.


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Isn't everything else about Jehoash—what he did, his heroic acts when he fought against King Amaziah of Judah—written in the official records of the kings of Israel?


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Jehoash lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried with the kings of Israel in Samaria. His son Jeroboam succeeded him as king.


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Joash's son King Amaziah of Judah lived 15 years after the death of Jehoahaz's son King Jehoash of Israel.


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Conspirators in Jerusalem plotted against him, so he fled to Lachish. But they sent men to Lachish after him and killed him there.


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They brought him back by horse, and he was buried in Jerusalem, in the City of David, with his ancestors.


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All the people of Judah took Azariah, who was 16 years old, and made him king in place of his father Amaziah.


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Azariah rebuilt Elath and returned it to Judah after King Amaziah lay down in death with his ancestors.


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Joash's son Amaziah was in his fifteenth year as king of Judah when Jehoash's son King Jeroboam of Israel began to rule in Samaria. Jeroboam ruled for 41 years.


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He did what the Lord considered evil. He didn't turn away from any of the sins that Jeroboam (Nebat's son) led Israel to commit.


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He restored Israel's boundaries from the border of Hamath to the Dead Sea as the Lord God of Israel predicted through his servant Jonah, the prophet from Gath Hepher and the son of Amittai.


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The Lord did this because he saw how bitterly everyone in Israel was suffering. No slave or free person could help Israel.


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Since the Lord had said he was not going to wipe out Israel's name completely, he saved them through Jeroboam, son of Jehoash.


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Isn't everything else about Jeroboam—everything he did, his heroic acts when he fought, how he recovered Damascus and Hamath for Israel—written in the official records of the kings of Israel?


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Jeroboam lay down in death with his ancestors, the kings of Israel. His son Zechariah succeeded him as king.


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In Jeroboam's twenty-seventh year as king of Israel, Amaziah's son Azariah began to rule as king of Judah.


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He was 16 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for 52 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem.


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The Lord inflicted the king with a skin disease that lasted until the day the king died. So the king lived in a separate house. The king's son Jotham was in charge of the palace and governed the country.


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Isn't everything else about Azariah—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Judah?


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Azariah lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. His son Jotham succeeded him as king.


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In Azariah's thirty-eighth year as king of Judah, Jeroboam's son Zechariah was king of Israel in Samaria for six months.


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He did what the Lord considered evil, as his ancestors had done. He didn't turn away from the sins that Jeroboam (Nebat's son) led Israel to commit.


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Shallum, son of Jabesh, plotted against Zechariah, attacked him at Kabal Am, killed him, and succeeded him as king.


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It happened exactly as the Lord had told Jehu: "Four generations of your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel."


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Shallum, son of Jabesh, became king in Azariah's thirty-ninth year as king of Judah. Shallum ruled for an entire month in Samaria.


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Then Menahem, son of Gadi, came from Tirzah to Samaria, attacked Shallum (son of Jabesh), killed him, and succeeded him as king.


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Everything else about Shallum—all about his conspiracy—is written in the official records of the kings of Israel.


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Then Menahem attacked Tiphsah, everyone there, and its territory. Because the city didn't open its gates for him, he attacked it and ripped open all its pregnant women.


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In Azariah's thirty-ninth year as king of Judah, Menahem, son of Gadi, began to rule as king of Israel. He ruled for 10 years in Samaria.


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He did what the Lord considered evil. During his entire life he never turned away from the sins that Jeroboam (Nebat's son) led Israel to commit.


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King Pul of Assyria came to {attack} the country. So Menahem gave Pul 75,000 pounds of silver to gain his support and help strengthen his hold on the kingdom.


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Menahem raised the money from all the wealthy men in Israel. Each gave 20 ounces of silver for the king of Assyria. Then the king of Assyria left the country.


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Isn't everything else about Menahem—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Israel?


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In Azariah's fiftieth year as king of Judah, Menahem's son Pekahiah began to rule. Pekahiah was king of Israel in Samaria for two years.


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He did what the Lord considered evil. He didn't turn away from the sins that Jeroboam (Nebat's son) led Israel to commit.


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His officer Pekah, son of Remaliah, plotted against him. With 50 men from Gilead, Pekah attacked Pekahiah, Argob, and Arieh in the fortress of the royal palace in Samaria. Pekah killed him and succeeded him as king.


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Everything else about Pekahiah—everything he did—is written in the official records of the kings of Israel.


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In Azariah's fifty-second year as king of Judah, Pekah, son of Remaliah, began to rule Israel in Samaria. He ruled for 20 years.


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He did what the Lord considered evil. He did not turn away from the sins that Jeroboam (Nebat's son) led Israel to commit.


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In the days of King Pekah of Israel, King Tiglath Pileser of Assyria took Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, Gilead, Galilee, and the entire territory of Naphtali. He also took the people away to Assyria as captives.


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Hoshea, son of Elah, plotted against Pekah, son of Remaliah. Hoshea attacked him and killed him. Hoshea began to rule as king in his place in the twentieth year that Jotham, son of Azariah, was king of Judah.


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Everything else about Pekah—everything he did—is written in the official records of the kings of Israel.


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In the second year that King Pekah, son of Remaliah, ruled Israel, Jotham, son of Azariah, began to rule as king of Judah.


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He was 25 years old when he began to rule. He ruled for 16 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jerusha, daughter of Zadok.


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But the illegal places of worship were not torn down. The people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense at these worship sites. Jotham built the Upper Gate of the Lord's temple.


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Isn't everything else about Jotham—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Judah?


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Jotham lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried with them in the city of his ancestor David. His son Ahaz succeeded him as king.


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Pekah, son of Remaliah, was in his seventeenth year as king of Israel when King Ahaz, son of Jotham, began to rule as king of Judah.


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Ahaz was 20 years old when he began to rule. He ruled for 26 years in Jerusalem. He didn't do what the Lord his God considered right, as his ancestor David had done.


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He followed the example of the kings of Israel and even sacrificed his son by burning him alive. Sacrificing {children} was one of the disgusting things done by the nations that the Lord had forced out of the Israelites' way.


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He offered sacrifices and burned incense as an offering at the illegal worship sites, which were on hills and under every large tree.


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Then King Rezin of Aram and King Pekah, son of Remaliah of Israel, came to wage war against Jerusalem. They blockaded Ahaz but couldn't get him to fight.


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At that time King Rezin of Aram drove the Judeans out of Elath and gave it back to Edom. The Edomites came to Elath and still live there today.


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Ahaz sent messengers to King Tiglath Pileser of Assyria to say, "I'm your servant, your son. Come and save me from the kings of Aram and Israel who are attacking me."


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Ahaz took the silver and gold he found in the Lord's temple and in the treasury in the royal palace and sent them to the king of Assyria as a present.


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The king of Assyria listened to him and attacked Damascus. He captured it, took the people to Kir as captives, and killed Rezin.


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Then King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet King Tiglath Pileser of Assyria. He saw an altar there in Damascus. So King Ahaz sent the priest Urijah a model of the altar and a set of detailed plans.


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Urijah built an altar exactly like the model King Ahaz sent from Damascus. He finished it before Ahaz returned home from Damascus.


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When the king came from Damascus, he saw the altar. The king approached the altar and went up to it.


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He sacrificed his burnt offering and grain offering, poured out his wine offering, and sprinkled the blood of his fellowship offering on the altar.


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But he moved the bronze altar dedicated to the Lord. It had been in front of the temple between his altar and the Lord's temple. Ahaz put it on the north side of his altar.


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King Ahaz gave this command to the priest Urijah: "On this great altar you must burn the morning burnt offerings and the evening grain offering, the king's burnt offerings and grain offerings, and the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and wine offerings of all the people of the land. Sprinkle all the blood of the burnt offerings and {other} sacrifices on it. I will use the bronze altar for prayer."


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King Ahaz cut off the side panels of the {bronze} stands {used in the temple} and removed the basin from each of them. He took the bronze pool down from the bronze bulls that were under it and set it on a stone base.


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Ahaz removed the covered walkway used on the day of worship. This walkway had been built in the temple. He also removed the outer entrance for the king from the Lord's temple. He did this to please the king of Assyria.


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Isn't everything else about Ahaz—the things he did—written in the official records of the kings of Judah?


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Ahaz lay down in death with his ancestors and was buried with them in the City of David. His son Hezekiah succeeded him as king.


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In Ahaz's twelfth year as king of Judah, Hoshea, son of Elah, began to rule as king of Israel in Samaria. He ruled for nine years.


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He did what the Lord considered evil, but he didn't do what the kings of Israel before him had done.


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King Shalmaneser of Assyria defeated Hoshea, who became his servant and was required to make annual payments to him.


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The king of Assyria found Hoshea to be a traitor. (Hoshea had sent messengers to King Dais of Egypt and had stopped making annual payments to the king of Assyria.) So the king of Assyria arrested him and put him in prison.


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Then the king of Assyria attacked the entire country. He attacked Samaria and blockaded it for three years.


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In Hoshea's ninth year as king of Israel, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and took the Israelites to Assyria as captives. He settled them in Halah, along the Habor River in Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.


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The Israelites sinned against the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt {and rescued them} from the power of Pharaoh (the king of Egypt). They worshiped other gods


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and lived by the customs of the nations that the Lord had forced out of the Israelites' way. They also did what their kings wanted them to do.


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The Israelites secretly did things against the Lord their God that weren't right: They built for themselves illegal places of worship in all of their cities, from the {smallest} watchtower to the {largest} fortified city.


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They set up sacred stones and poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah on every high hill and under every large tree.


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At all the illegal places of worship, they sacrificed in the same way as the nations that the Lord had removed from the land ahead of them. They did evil things and made the Lord furious.


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The Lord had warned Israel and Judah through every kind of prophet and seer, "Turn from your evil ways, and obey my commands and decrees as I commanded your ancestors in all my teachings, the commands I sent to you through my servants the prophets."


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But they refused to listen. They became as impossible to deal with as their ancestors who refused to trust the Lord their God.


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They rejected his decrees, the promise he made to their ancestors, and the warnings he had given them. They went after worthless idols and became as worthless as the idols. They behaved like the nations around them, although the Lord had commanded them not to do that.


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They abandoned all the commands of the Lord their God: They made two calves out of cast metal. They made a pole dedicated to the goddess Asherah. They prayed to the entire army of heaven. They worshiped Baal.


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They sacrificed their sons and daughters by burning them alive. They practiced black magic and cast evil spells. They sold themselves by doing what the Lord considered evil, and they made him furious.


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The Lord became so angry with Israel that he removed them from his sight. Only the tribe of Judah was left.


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So the Lord rejected all of Israel's descendants, made them suffer, handed them over to those who looted their property, and finally turned away from Israel.


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When he tore Israel away from the family of David, the people of Israel made Jeroboam (Nebat's son) king. Jeroboam forced Israel away from the Lord and led them to commit a serious sin.


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Finally, the Lord turned away from Israel as he had said he would through all his servants, the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their land to Assyria as captives, and they are still there today.


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The king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the Israelites. They took over Samaria and lived in its cities.


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When they first came to live there, they didn't worship the Lord. So the Lord sent lions to kill some of them.


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Then someone said to the king of Assyria, "The people you took as captives and settled in the cities of Samaria don't know the customs of the god of that country, so he sent lions. Now the lions are killing them because they don't know the customs of the god of this country."


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The king of Assyria gave this command: "Bring one of the priests you captured from there. Let him go back to teach them the customs of the god of that country."


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So one of the priests who had been taken prisoner from Samaria went to live in Bethel. He taught them how to worship the Lord.


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But each group {that settled in Samaria} continued to make its own gods. They put them at the illegal places of worship, which the people of Samaria had made. Each group did this in the cities where they lived:


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The people from Babylon made Succoth Benoth. The people from Cuth made Nergal. The people from Hamath made Ashima.


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The people from Avva made Nibhaz and Tartak. The people from Sepharvaim burned their children for Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim.


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So while these people were worshiping the Lord, they also appointed all kinds of people to serve as priests for the shrines at their illegal places of worship.


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They worshiped the Lord but also served their own gods according to the customs of the nations from which they had come.


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Today they are still following their customs, as they've done from the beginning. They don't fear the Lord or live by the decrees, customs, teachings, or commands that the Lord gave to the descendants of Jacob (whom he named Israel).


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When the Lord made a promise to Israel, he commanded, "Never worship other gods, bow down to them, serve them, or sacrifice to them.


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Instead, worship the Lord, who used his great power and a mighty arm to bring you out of Egypt. Bow down to the Lord, and sacrifice to him.


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Faithfully obey the laws, rules, teachings, and commands that he wrote for you: 'Never worship other gods.


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The people of Israel had refused to listen and made up their own rules, as they had done from the beginning.


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These {other} nations worshiped the Lord but also served their own idols. So did their children and their grandchildren. They still do whatever their ancestors did.


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King Hoshea, son of Elah, had been king in Israel for three years when King Hezekiah, son of Ahaz of Judah, began to rule as king.


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Hezekiah was 25 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Abi, daughter of Zechariah.


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He got rid of the illegal places of worship, crushed the sacred stones, and cut down the poles dedicated to the goddess Asherah. He even crushed the bronze snake that Moses had made because up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. They called it Nehushtan.


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He was loyal to the Lord and never turned away from him. He obeyed the commands that the Lord had given through Moses,


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so the Lord was with him. He succeeded in everything he tried: He rebelled against the king of Assyria and wouldn't serve him anymore.


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He conquered the Philistines from the {smallest} watchtower to the {largest} fortified city all the way to Gaza and its territory.


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In Hezekiah's fourth year as king (which was the seventh year in the reign of King Hoshea, son of Elah of Israel) King Shalmaneser of Assyria attacked Samaria, blockaded it,


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and captured it at the end of three years. Samaria was taken in Hezekiah's sixth year as king (which was Hoshea's ninth year as king of Israel).


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The king of Assyria took the Israelites to Assyria as captives. He put them in Halah, along the Habor River in Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.


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This happened because they refused to obey the Lord their God and disregarded the conditions of the promise he made to them. They refused to obey everything that Moses, the Lord's servant, had commanded.


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In Hezekiah's fourteenth year as king, King Sennacherib of Assyria attacked all the fortified cities of Judah and captured them.


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Then King Hezekiah of Judah sent this message to the king of Assyria at Lachish: "I have done wrong. Go away, and leave me alone. I'll pay whatever penalty you give me." So the king of Assyria demanded that King Hezekiah of Judah pay 22,500 pounds of silver and 2,250 pounds of gold.


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Hezekiah gave him all the silver that could be found in the Lord's temple and in the royal palace treasury.


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At that time Hezekiah stripped {the gold} off the doors and doorposts of the Lord's temple. ({Earlier} Hezekiah had them covered {with gold}.) He gave the gold to the king of Assyria.


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Then the king of Assyria sent his commander-in-chief, his quartermaster, and his field commander with a large army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. They came there and stood at the channel for the Upper Pool on the road to the Laundryman's Field.


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When they called for King Hezekiah, Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace and was the son of Hilkiah, Shebnah the scribe, and Joah, who was the royal historian and the son of Asaph, went out to the field commander.


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He said to them, "Tell Hezekiah, 'This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: What makes you so confident?


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You give useless advice about getting ready for war. Whom, then, do you trust for support in your rebellion against me?


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Now, look! When you trust Egypt, you're trusting a broken stick for a staff. If you lean on it, it stabs your hand and goes through it. This is what Pharaoh (the king of Egypt) is like for everyone who trusts him.


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Suppose you tell me, "We're trusting the Lord our God." He's the god whose places of worship and altars Hezekiah got rid of. He told Judah and Jerusalem, "Worship at this altar in Jerusalem." '


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"Now, make a deal with my master, the king of Assyria. I'll give you 2,000 horses if you can put riders on them.


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How can you defeat my master's lowest-ranking officers when you trust Egypt for chariots and horses?


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"Have I come to destroy this place without the Lord on my side? The Lord said to me, 'Attack this country, and destroy it.' "


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Then Eliakim (son of Hilkiah), Shebnah, and Joah said to the field commander, "Speak to us in Aramaic, since we understand it. Don't speak to us in the Judean language as long as there are people on the wall listening."


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But the field commander asked them, "Did my master send me to tell these things only to you and your master? Didn't he send me to the men sitting on the wall who will have to eat their own excrement and drink their own urine with you?"


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Then the field commander stood and shouted loudly in the Judean language, "Listen to the great king, the king of Assyria.


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Don't let Hezekiah get you to trust the Lord by saying, 'The Lord will certainly rescue us, and this city will not be put under the control of the king of Assyria.'


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Don't listen to Hezekiah, because this is what the king of Assyria says: Make peace with me! Come out and give yourselves up to me! Everyone will eat from his own grapevine and fig tree and drink from his own cistern.


text:
Then I will come and take you away to a country like your own. It's a country with grain and new wine, a country with bread and vineyards, a country with olive trees, olive oil, and honey. Live! Don't die! Don't listen to Hezekiah when he tries to mislead you by saying to you, 'The Lord will rescue us.'


text:
Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Did they rescue Samaria from my control?


text:
Did the gods of those countries rescue them from my control? Could the Lord then rescue Jerusalem from my control?"


text:
But the people were silent and didn't say anything to him because the king commanded them not to answer him.


text:
Then Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace and was the son of Hilkiah, Shebna the scribe, and Joah, who was the royal historian and the son of Asaph, went to Hezekiah with their clothes torn in grief. They told him the message from the field commander.


text:
When King Hezekiah heard the message, he tore his clothes in grief, covered himself with sackcloth, and went into the Lord's temple.


text:
Then he sent Eliakim, who was in charge of the palace, Shebna the scribe, and the leaders of the priests, clothed in sackcloth, to the prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz.


text:
They said to him, "This is what Hezekiah says: Today is a day filled with misery, punishment, and disgrace. We are like a woman who is about to give birth but doesn't have the strength to do it.


text:
The Lord your God may have heard all the words of the field commander. His master, the king of Assyria, sent him to defy the living God. The Lord your God may punish him because of the message that the Lord your God heard. Pray for the few people who are left."


text:
Isaiah answered them, "Say this to your master, 'This is what the Lord says: Don't be afraid of the message that you heard when the Assyrian king's assistants slandered me.


text:
I'm going to put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own country. I'll have him assassinated in his own country.' "


text:
The field commander returned and found the king of Assyria fighting against Libnah. He had heard that the king left Lachish.


text:
Now, Sennacherib heard that King Tirhakah of Sudan was coming to fight him. Sennacherib sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,


text:
"Tell King Hezekiah of Judah, 'Don't let the god whom you trust deceive you by saying that Jerusalem will not be put under the control of the king of Assyria.


text:
You heard what the kings of Assyria did to all countries, how they totally destroyed them. Will you be rescued?


text:
Did the gods of the nations which my ancestors destroyed rescue Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the people of Eden who were in Telassar?


text:
Where is the king of Hamath, the king of Arpad, and the king of the cities of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah?' "


text:
Hezekiah took the letters from the messengers, read them, and went to the Lord's temple. He spread them out in front of the Lord


text:
and prayed to the Lord, "Lord of Armies, God of Israel, you are enthroned over the angels. You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the world. You made heaven and earth.


text:
Turn your ear toward me, Lord, and listen. Open your eyes, Lord, and see. Listen to the message that Sennacherib sent to defy the living God.


text:
They have thrown the gods from these countries into fires because these gods aren't real gods. They're only wooden and stone statues made by human hands. So the Assyrians have destroyed them.


text:
Now, Lord our God, rescue us from Assyria's control so that all the kingdoms on earth will know that you alone are the Lord God."


text:
Then Isaiah, son of Amoz, sent a message to Hezekiah, "This is what the Lord God of Israel says: You prayed to me about King Sennacherib of Assyria. I have heard you.


text:
This is the message that the Lord speaks to him, 'My dear people in Zion despise you and laugh at you. My people in Jerusalem shake their heads behind your back.


text:
Whom are you defying and slandering? Against whom are you shouting? Who are you looking at so arrogantly? It is the Holy One of Israel!


text:
Through your servants you defy the Lord and say, "With my many chariots I'll ride up the high mountains, up the slopes of Lebanon. I'll cut down its tallest cedars and its finest cypresses. I'll come to its most distant borders and its most fertile forests.


text:
I'll dig wells and drink foreign water. I'll dry up all the streams of Egypt with the trampling of my feet."


text:
'Haven't you heard? I did this long ago. I planned it in the distant past. Now I make it happen so that you will turn fortified cities into piles of rubble.


text:
Those who live in these cities are weak, discouraged, and ashamed. They will be like plants in the field, like fresh, green grass on the roofs, scorched before it sprouted.


text:
Since you rage against me and your boasting has reached my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bridle in your mouth. I will make you go back the way you came.


text:
"'And this will be a sign for you, Hezekiah: You will eat what grows by itself this year and next year. But in the third year you will plant and harvest, plant vineyards, and eat what is produced.


text:
Those few people will go out from Jerusalem, and those who escape will go out of Mount Zion. The Lord is determined to do this.'


text:
"This is what the Lord says about the king of Assyria: He will never come into this city, shoot an arrow here, hold a shield in front of it, or put up dirt ramps to attack it.


text:
It happened that night. The Lord's angel went out and killed 185,000 {soldiers} in the Assyrian camp. When the Judeans got up early in the morning, they saw all the corpses.


text:
While he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, Adrammelech and Sharezer assassinated him and escaped to the land of Ararat. His son Esarhaddon succeeded him as king.


text:
In those days Hezekiah became sick and was about to die. The prophet Isaiah, son of Amoz, came to him and said, "This is what the Lord says: Give final instructions to your household, because you're about to die. You won't get well."


text:
"Please, Lord, remember how I've lived faithfully and sincerely in your presence. I've done what you consider right." And he cried bitterly.


text:
"Go back and say to Hezekiah, leader of my people, 'This is what the Lord God of your ancestor David says: I've heard your prayer. I've seen your tears. Now I'm going to heal you. The day after tomorrow you will go to the Lord's temple.


text:
I'll give you 15 more years to live. I'll rescue you and defend this city from the control of the king of Assyria for my sake and for the sake of my servant David.' "


text:
Hezekiah asked Isaiah, "What is the sign that the Lord will heal me and that I'll go to the Lord's temple the day after tomorrow?"


text:
Isaiah said, "This is your sign from the Lord that he will do what he promises. Do you want the shadow to go forward ten steps or come back ten steps?"


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Hezekiah replied, "It's easy for the shadow to extend ten {more} steps forward. No, let it come back ten steps."


text:
Then the prophet Isaiah called on the Lord, and the Lord made the shadow that had gone down on Ahaz's stairway go back up ten steps.


text:
At that time Baladan's son, King Merodach Baladan of Babylon, sent letters and a present to Hezekiah because he heard that Hezekiah had been sick.


text:
Hezekiah was so happy with them that he showed the messengers his warehouse: the silver, gold, balsam, fine olive oil, his entire armory, and everything in his treasury. Hezekiah showed them everything in his palace and every corner of his kingdom.


text:
Then the prophet Isaiah came to King Hezekiah and asked, "What did these men say? And where did they come from?" Hezekiah answered, "They came to me from the distant country of Babylon."


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Isaiah asked, "What did they see in your palace?" Hezekiah answered, "They saw everything in my palace, and I showed them everything in my treasury."


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The Lord says, 'The days are going to come when everything in your palace, everything your ancestors have stored up to this day, will be taken away to Babylon. Nothing will be left.


text:
Some of your own descendants will be taken away. They will become officials in the palace of the king of Babylon.' "


text:
Hezekiah said to Isaiah, "The Lord's word that you have spoken is good." He added, "Isn't it enough if there is peace and security as long as I live?"


text:
Isn't everything else about Hezekiah, all his heroic acts and how he made the pool and tunnel to bring water into the city, written in the official records of the kings of Judah?


text:
Manasseh was 12 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for 55 years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah.


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He did what the Lord considered evil by copying the disgusting things done by the nations that the Lord had forced out of the Israelites' way.


text:
He rebuilt the illegal places of worship that his father Hezekiah had destroyed. He set up altars dedicated to Baal and made a pole dedicated to the goddess Asherah as King Ahab of Israel had done. Manasseh, like Ahab, worshiped and served the entire army of heaven.


text:
He burned his son as a sacrifice, consulted fortunetellers, cast evil spells, and appointed {royal} mediums and psychics. He did many things that made the Lord furious.


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Manasseh had an idol of Asherah made. Then he set it up in the temple, where the Lord had said to David and his son Solomon, "I have chosen this temple and Jerusalem from all the tribes of Israel. I will put my name here forever.


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I will never again make Israel's feet wander from the land that I gave to their ancestors if they will obey all the commands and all the Teachings that my servant Moses gave them."


text:
(But they wouldn't obey.) Manasseh misled Israel so that they did more evil things than the nations that the Lord had destroyed when the Israelites arrived in the land.


text:
"King Manasseh of Judah has done disgusting things, things more evil than what the Amorites who {were here} before him had done. Manasseh has also made Judah sin by {worshiping} his idols.


text:
So this is what I, the Lord God of Israel, said: I'm going to bring such a disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that the ears of everyone who hears about it will ring.


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I will measure Jerusalem with the measuring line used for Samaria and the plumb line used for Ahab's dynasty. I will wipe out Jerusalem in the same way that a dish is wiped out and turned upside down.


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I will abandon the rest of my people. I will put them under the control of their enemies, and they will become property that their enemies capture.


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I will do this because they have done what I consider evil and have been making me furious from the time their ancestors left Egypt until this day."


text:
In addition to his sin that he led Judah to commit in front of the Lord, Manasseh also killed a lot of innocent people from one end of Jerusalem to the other.


text:
Isn't everything else about Manasseh—everything he did, the sins he committed—written in the official records of the kings of Judah?


text:
Manasseh lay down in death with his ancestors. He was buried in the garden of his own palace, in the garden of Uzza. His son Amon succeeded him as king.


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Amon was 22 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for 2 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Meshullemeth, daughter of Haruz from Jotbah.


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He lived like his father in every way and worshiped and prayed to the idols his father had worshiped.


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Then the people of the land killed everyone who had plotted against King Amon. They made his son Josiah king in his place.


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Isn't everything else about Amon—the things he did—written in the official record of the kings of Judah?


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Josiah was 8 years old when he began to rule, and he was king for 31 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Jedidah, daughter of Adaiah from Bozkath.


text:
Josiah did what the Lord considered right. He lived in the ways of his ancestor David and never stopped.


text:
In Josiah's eighteenth year as king of Judah, he sent the scribe Shaphan, son of Azaliah and grandson of Meshullam, to the Lord's temple with these instructions:


text:
"Go to the chief priest Hilkiah. Have him count the money that has been brought into the Lord's temple, {the money} that the doorkeepers have collected from the people.


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Give {some of} it to the foremen who are in charge of the Lord's temple. They should give it to the workmen who are making repairs on the Lord's temple.


text:
(These workers include the carpenters, builders, and masons.) Also, use {the rest of} the money to buy lumber and quarried stones to repair the temple.


text:
The chief priest Hilkiah told the scribe Shaphan, "I have found the Book of Moses' Teachings in the Lord's temple." Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, who then read it.


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The scribe Shaphan went to the king and reported, "We have taken the money donated in the temple and have given it to the workmen who are in charge of the Lord's temple."


text:
Then the scribe Shaphan told the king, "The priest Hilkiah has given me a book." And Shaphan read it to the king.


text:
Then the king gave an order to the priest Hilkiah, to Ahikam (son of Shaphan), Achbor (son of Micaiah), the scribe Shaphan, and the royal official Asaiah. He said,


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"On behalf of the people, all of Judah, and me, ask the Lord about the words in this book that has been found. The Lord's fierce anger is directed towards us because our ancestors did not obey the things in this book or do everything written {in it}."


text:
So the priest Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to talk to the prophet Huldah. She was the wife of Shallum, son of Tikvah and grandson of Harhas. Shallum was in charge of the {royal} wardrobe. Huldah was living in the Second Part of Jerusalem.


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'This is what the Lord says: I'm going to bring disaster on this place and on the people living here according to everything written in the book that the king of Judah has read.


text:
I will do this because they have abandoned me and sacrificed to other gods in order to make me furious. Therefore, my burning anger directed at this place will never be extinguished.' "


text:
{Huldah added,} "But tell Judah's king who sent you to me to ask the Lord a question, 'This is what the Lord God of Israel says about the words you heard:


text:
You had a change of heart and humbled yourself in front of the Lord when you heard my words against this place and those who live here. I had said that those who live here will be destroyed and cursed. You also tore your clothes {in distress} and cried in front of me. So I will listen {to you}, declares the Lord.


text:
That is why I'm going to bring you to your ancestors. I'm going to bring you to your grave in peace, and your eyes will not see any of the disaster I'm going to bring on this place.' " So they reported this to the king.


text:
The king, everyone in Judah, everyone living in Jerusalem, the priests, the prophets, and all the people (young and old) went to the Lord's temple. Josiah read everything written in the Book of the Promise found in the Lord's temple so that they could hear it.


text:
The king stood beside the pillar and made a promise to the Lord that he would follow the Lord and obey his commands, instructions, and laws with all his heart and soul. He confirmed the terms of the promise written in this book. And all the people joined in the promise.


text:
Then the king ordered the chief priest Hilkiah, the priests who served under Hilkiah, and the doorkeepers to take out of the Lord's temple all the utensils that had been made for Baal, Asherah, and the entire army of heaven. Josiah burned the utensils outside Jerusalem in an open field near the Kidron Brook. Then he carried their ashes to Bethel.


text:
He got rid of the pagan priests whom the kings of Judah had appointed to sacrifice at the illegal places of worship in the cities of Judah and all around Jerusalem. They had been sacrificing to Baal, the sun god, the moon god, the zodiac, and the entire army of heaven.


text:
He took the pole dedicated to the goddess Asherah from the temple to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem. He burned it in the Kidron Valley, ground it to dust, and threw its ashes on the tombs of the common people.


text:
He tore down the houses of the male temple prostitutes who were in the Lord's temple, where women did weaving for Asherah.


text:
He brought all the priests out of the cities of Judah from Geba to Beersheba and made the places where those priests sacrificed unclean. He tore down the worship site at the entrance of the Gate of Joshua, the gate named after the mayor of the city. (The worship site was to the left of anyone going through the city gate.)


text:
The priests of the illegal worship sites had never gone to the Lord's altar in Jerusalem. Instead, they ate their unleavened bread among the other worshipers.


text:
Josiah also made Topheth in the valley of Ben Hinnom unclean so that people would never again sacrifice their sons or daughters by burning them to the god Molech.


text:
He removed the horses that Judah's kings had dedicated to the sun god at the entrance of the Lord's temple. They were in the temple courtyard near the room of the eunuch Nathan Melech. He also burned the chariots of the sun god,


text:
the altars that Judah's kings had made and placed on the roof of Ahaz's upstairs room, and the altars Manasseh had made in the two courtyards of the Lord's temple. The king tore them down from there, crushed them, and dumped their rubble in the Kidron Valley.


text:
The king made the illegal places of worship east of Jerusalem unclean. They were on the southern part of the Hill of Destruction. King Solomon of Israel had built them for Astarte (the disgusting goddess of the Sidonians), Chemosh (the disgusting god of Moab), and Milcom (the disgusting god of the Ammonites).


text:
Josiah crushed the sacred stones, cut down the poles dedicated to Asherah, and filled their places with human bones.


text:
He also tore down the altar at Bethel—the place of worship made by Jeroboam (Nebat's son), who had made Israel sin. He tore down both the altar and the place of worship. They burned the worship site, crushing it to powder and burning the pole dedicated to Asherah.


text:
When Josiah turned and saw the tombs on the hill there, he sent men to take the bones out of the tombs and burn them on the altar to make it unclean. This fulfilled the word of the Lord announced by the man of God.


text:
Then he asked, "What is this monument that I see?" The people of the city answered him, "It's the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah to announce that you would do these things to the altar of Bethel."


text:
So Josiah said, "Let him rest. Don't disturb his bones." So they left his bones with the bones of the prophet who had come from Samaria.


text:
Josiah also got rid of all the temples at the illegal places of worship in the cities of Samaria. The kings of Israel had built these places to make the Lord furious. He did to them everything that he had done to the worship places at Bethel.


text:
He slaughtered all the priests of the illegal worship sites on their altars and then burned human bones on them. He went back to Jerusalem.


text:
The king ordered all the people to celebrate the Passover for the Lord their God as it is written in this Book of the Promise.


text:
The Passover had never been celebrated like this during the time of the judges who governed Israel or during the entire time of the kings of Israel and Judah.


text:
But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah's reign, this Passover was celebrated in Jerusalem for the Lord.


text:
Josiah also got rid of the mediums, psychics, family idols, other idols, and disgusting gods that could be seen in the land of Judah and in Jerusalem. He did this to confirm the words of the Teachings written in the book that the priest Hilkiah found in the Lord's temple.


text:
No king before Josiah had turned to the Lord with all his heart, soul, and strength, as directed in Moses' Teachings. No other {king} was like Josiah.


text:
But the Lord still didn't turn his hot, burning anger from Judah. After all, Manasseh had done all these things to make him furious.


text:
The Lord had said, "I will put Judah out of my sight as I put Israel out of my sight. I will reject Jerusalem, the city that I chose, and I will reject the temple where I said my name would be."


text:
Isn't everything else about Josiah—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Judah?


text:
In Josiah's days Pharaoh Necoh (the king of Egypt) came to help the king of Assyria at the Euphrates River. King Josiah went to attack Necoh. When Pharaoh saw him at Megiddo, Pharaoh killed him.


text:
His officers put his dead body in a chariot and brought it from Megiddo to Jerusalem. They buried Josiah in his tomb. Then the people of the land took Josiah's son Jehoahaz, anointed him, and made him king in place of his father.


text:
Jehoahaz was 23 years old when he became king, and he was king for 3 months in Jerusalem. His mother was Hamutal, daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah.


text:
Pharaoh Necoh made him a prisoner at Riblah in the territory of Hamath during his reign in Jerusalem and fined the country 7,500 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of gold.


text:
Then Pharaoh Necoh made Josiah's son Eliakim king in place of his father Josiah and changed Eliakim's name to Jehoiakim. He took Jehoahaz away to Egypt, where he died.


text:
Jehoiakim gave Pharaoh the silver and the gold. But he had to tax the country to pay the silver Pharaoh had demanded. He taxed each person according to his wealth so that he could get the silver and gold from the people of the land and give it to Pharaoh Necoh.


text:
Jehoiakim was 25 years old when he began to rule, and he was king for 11 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Zebidah, daughter of Pedaiah from Rumah.


text:
During Jehoiakim's reign King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked {Judah}, and Jehoiakim became subject to him for three years. Then Jehoiakim turned against him and rebelled.


text:
The Lord sent raiding parties of Babylonians, Arameans, Moabites, and Ammonites against Jehoiakim to destroy Judah as the Lord had predicted through his servants the prophets.


text:
Without a doubt, this happened to Judah because the Lord had commanded it to happen. He wanted to remove the people of Judah from his sight because of Manasseh's sins—everything he had done,


text:
including the innocent blood he had shed. He had a lot of innocent people in Jerusalem killed, and the Lord refused to forgive him.


text:
Isn't everything else about Jehoiakim—everything he did—written in the official records of the kings of Judah?


text:
The king of Egypt didn't leave his own country again because the king of Babylon had taken all the territory from the River of Egypt to the Euphrates River. This territory had belonged to the king of Egypt.


text:
Jehoiakin was 18 years old when he began to rule as king. He was king for three months in Jerusalem. His mother was Nehushta, daughter of Elnathan from Jerusalem.


text:
At that time the officers of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Jerusalem. (The city was blockaded.)


text:
King Jehoiakin of Judah, his mother, officials, generals, and eunuchs surrendered to the king of Babylon. In the eighth year of his reign, the king of Babylon captured Jehoiakin.


text:
He also took away all the treasures in the Lord's temple and the royal palace. As the Lord had predicted, Nebuchadnezzar stripped the gold off all the furnishings that King Solomon of Israel had made for the Lord's temple.


text:
He captured all Jerusalem, all the generals, all the soldiers (10,000 prisoners), and all the craftsmen and smiths. Only the poorest people of the land were left.


text:
He took Jehoiakin to Babylon as a captive. He also took the king's mother, wives, eunuchs, and the leading citizens of the land from Jerusalem as captives to Babylon.


text:
The king of Babylon brought all 7,000 of the prominent landowners, 1,000 craftsmen and smiths, and all the men who could fight in war as captives to Babylon.


text:
The king of Babylon made King Jehoiakin's Uncle Mattaniah king in his place and changed Mattaniah's name to Zedekiah.


text:
Zedekiah was 21 years old when he began to rule, and he ruled for 11 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Hamutal, daughter of Jeremiah from Libnah.


text:
The Lord became angry with Jerusalem and Judah and threw the people out of his sight. Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.


text:
On the tenth day of the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Jerusalem with his entire army. They set up camp and built dirt ramps around the city walls.


text:
On the ninth day of the fourth month, the famine in the city became so severe that the common people had no food.


text:
The enemy broke through the city walls that night. All Judah's soldiers left on the road of the gate between the two walls beside the king's garden. While the Babylonians were attacking the city from all sides, the king took the road to the plain {of Jericho}.


text:
The Babylonian army pursued King Zedekiah and caught up with him in the plain of Jericho. His entire army had deserted him.


text:
The Babylonians captured the king, brought him to the king of Babylon at Riblah, and passed sentence on him.


text:
They slaughtered Zedekiah's sons as he watched, and then they blinded Zedekiah. They put him in bronze shackles and took him to Babylon.


text:
On the seventh day of the fifth month of Nebuchadnezzar's nineteenth year as king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, who was the captain of the guard and an officer of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.


text:
He burned down the Lord's temple, the royal palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem. Every important building was burned down.


text:
The entire Babylonian army that was with the captain of the guard tore down the walls around Jerusalem.


text:
Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, captured the few people left in the city, those who surrendered to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the population.


text:
The captain of the guard left some of the poorest people in the land to work in the vineyards and on the farms.


text:
The Babylonians broke apart the bronze pillars of the Lord's temple, the stands, and the bronze pool in the Lord's temple. They shipped the bronze to Babylon.


text:
They took the pots, shovels, snuffers, dishes, and all the bronze utensils used in the temple service.


text:
The captain of the guard took all of the incense burners and bowls that were made of gold or silver.


text:
The bronze from the two pillars, the pool, and the stands that Solomon had made for the Lord's temple couldn't be weighed.


text:
One pillar was 27 feet high and had a bronze capital on it that was 4 1/2 feet high. The filigree and the pomegranates around the capital were all made of bronze. The second pillar and its filigree were the same.


text:
The captain of the guard took the chief priest Seraiah, the second priest Zephaniah, and the 3 doorkeepers.


text:
From the city he also took an army commander, 5 men who had access to the king whom he found in the city, the scribe who was in charge of the militia, and 60 of the common people whom he found in the city.


text:
The king of Babylon executed them at Riblah in the territory of Hamath. So the people of Judah were captives when they left their land.


text:
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon appointed Gedaliah, son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, to govern the remaining people in the land of Judah.


text:
When all the army commanders and their men heard that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah, they went to Gedaliah at Mizpah. They were Ishmael (son of Nethaniah), Johanan (son of Kareah), Seraiah (son of Tanhumeth from Netophah), and Jaazaniah from Beth Maacah and their men.


text:
Gedaliah swore an oath to them and their men. He said, "Don't be afraid of the Babylonian officers. Live in this country, serve the king of Babylon, and you will prosper."


text:
In the seventh month Ishmael (son of Nethaniah and grandson of Elishama, a descendant of the kings) went with ten men to kill Gedaliah and the Judeans and Babylonians who were with him at Mizpah.


text:
Then people of all classes and the army commanders left for Egypt because they were afraid of the Babylonians.


text:
On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the imprisonment of King Jehoiakin of Judah, King Evil Merodach of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, freed King Jehoiakin of Judah from prison.


text:
He treated him well and gave him a special position higher than the other kings who were with him in Babylon.


text:
Jehoiakin no longer wore prison clothes, and he ate his meals in the king's presence as long as he lived.


text:
Cush's descendants were Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raama, and Sabteca. Raama's descendants were Sheba and Dedan.


text:
Two sons were born to Eber. The name of the one was Peleg Division, because in his day the earth was divided. His brother's name was Joktan.


text:
Keturah, Abraham's concubine, gave birth to the following sons: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan's sons were Sheba and Dedan.


text:
The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.


text:
These were the kings who ruled Edom before any king ruled the people of Israel: Bela, son of Beor, and the name of his {capital} city was Dinhabah.


text:
After Husham died, Hadad, son of Bedad, who defeated the Midianites in the country of Moab, succeeded him as king, and the name of his {capital} city was Avith.


text:
After Baal Hanan died, Hadad succeeded him as king, and the name of his {capital} city was Pai. His wife's name was Mehetabel, daughter of Matred and granddaughter of Mezahab.


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Judah's sons were Er, Onan, and Shelah. These three were born to him by Bathshua, a Canaanite woman. The Lord considered Er, Judah's firstborn, evil, so the Lord killed Er.


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Tamar, Judah's daughter-in-law, gave birth to Judah's sons Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all.


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Hezron's son was Caleb. Caleb and his wife Azubah had a son named Jerioth. Her other sons were Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon.


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Afterwards, Hezron slept with the daughter of Machir, the man who first settled Gilead. Hezron had married her when he was 60 years old. She gave birth to Segub.


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Geshur and Aram captured Havvoth Jair with Kenath and its villages (60 cities in all). All of these people were descendants of Machir, the man who first settled Gilead.


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After Hezron died in Caleb Ephrathah, Hezron's wife Abijah gave birth to Ashhur, who first settled Tekoa.


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Jerahmeel (the firstborn son of Hezron) fathered Ram (his firstborn), then Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah.


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The descendants of Caleb (Jerahmeel's brother) were his firstborn son Mesha, who first settled Ziph, and the sons of Mareshah, who first settled Hebron.


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Also, she was the mother of Shaaph, who first settled Madmannah, and of Sheva, who first settled Machbenah and Gibea. Caleb's daughter was Achsah.


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These people were the descendants of Caleb. The sons of Hur, the firstborn son of Ephrath, were Shobal, who first settled Kiriath Jearim,


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the families of Kiriath Jearim, the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites. From these people came the Zorahites and Eshtaolites.


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The descendants of Salma, {who first settled} Bethlehem, were the Netophathites, Atroth, {who first settled} Beth Joab, half of the Manahathites, the Zorites,


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and the families of scribes who lived at Jabez. These families were the people of Tira, Shimea, and Sucah. These people are the Kenites who came from Hammath. They first settled Beth Rechab.


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These were David's sons who were born to him while he was in Hebron: His first son was Amnon, {born} to Ahinoam from Jezreel. The second was Daniel, {born} to Abigail from Carmel.


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The third was Absalom, {born} to Maacah (the daughter of King Talmai) from Geshur. The fourth was Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith.


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Six sons were born to him in Hebron, where he ruled for seven years and six months. He ruled for 33 years in Jerusalem.


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These {children} were born to David in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon (the mother of these four was Ammiel's daughter Bathshua) and


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All of these were David's sons. Besides these, there were the sons of the concubines. Tamar was their sister.


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Solomon's son was Rehoboam. Rehoboam's son was Abijah. Abijah's son was Asa. Asa's son was Jehoshaphat.


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Josiah's firstborn son was Johanan, the second was Jehoiakim, the third was Zedekiah, and the fourth was Shallum.


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Pedaiah's sons were Zerubbabel and Shimei. Zerubbabel's sons were Meshullam and Hananiah, and Shelomith was their sister.


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Hananiah's sons were Pelatiah and Jeshaiah. Jeshaiah's son was Rephaiah. Rephaiah's son was Arnan. Arnan's son was Obadiah. Obadiah's son was Shecaniah.


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Reaiah, son of Shobal, was the father of Jahath. Jahath was the father of Ahumai and Lahad. These were the families of the Zorathites.


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These were the first settlers in Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash. Their sister's name was Hazelelponi.


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Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah. These were the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, who first settled Bethlehem.


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Koz was the father of Anub and Zobebah, and he was the ancestor of the families of Aharhel, son of Harum.


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Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez Painful, because she said that his birth was painful.


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Jabez prayed to the God of Israel, "Please bless me and give me more territory. May your power be with me and free me from evil so that I will not be in pain." God gave him what he prayed for.


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Eshton was the first to settle Beth Rapha. He was the father of Paseah and Tehinnah, who first settled the city of Nahash. These were the men from Recah.


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Meonothai was the father of Ophrah. Seraiah was the father of Joab, who first settled the valley of Craftsmen. (It was named this because they were craftsmen.)


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Ezrah's sons were Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. His wife gave birth to Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah, who first settled Eshtemoa.


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His Judean wife was the mother of Jered, who first settled Gedor, Heber, who first settled Soco, and Jekuthiel, who first settled Zanoah.


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The sons of Hodiah's wife, the sister of Naham, first settled Keilah of the Garmites and Eshtemoa of the Maacathites.


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The descendants of Shelah, son of Judah, were Er, who first settled Lecah, Laadah, who first settled Mareshah, families of the guild of linen workers at Beth Ashbea,


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Jokim, Joash, Saraph, and the men of Cozeba. Saraph ruled Moab and Jashubi Lehem (according to ancient records).


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They were the potters who lived at Netaim and Gederah. They lived there with the king and did his work.


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Shimei had 16 sons and 6 daughters. But his brothers didn't have many children, so their entire family didn't become as large as the people of Judah.


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Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri, and Shaaraim. These were their cities until David became king.


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They also had all the villages around these cities as far as the city of Baal. These places were where they lived, and they had their own genealogical records:


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Ziza (son of Shiphi, grandson of Allon, great-grandson of Jedaiah, a descendant of Shimri and Shemaiah).


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These who are mentioned by name were leaders in their families, and the number of people in their households increased.


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They moved to the outskirts of Gedor, on the east side of the valley, to find pasture for their flocks.


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They found pasture that was rich and good. The land was vast, peaceful, and quiet because the Hamites used to live there.


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In the days of King Hezekiah of Judah, the men listed here knocked down tents and killed the Meunites. They claimed the Meunites for God and destroyed them. (Even today no Meunites live there.) They lived in that land in place of the Meunites in order to have pasture for their flocks.


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Ishi's sons Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel led 500 of Simeon's male descendants to Mount Seir.


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These are the sons of Reuben, Israel's firstborn. (Although he was the firstborn, his rights as firstborn were given to his nephews, Joseph's sons, because he dishonored his father's bed. However, Joseph couldn't be listed in the genealogy as the firstborn son.


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Even though Judah was more prominent than his brothers and the prince was to come from him, Joseph received the rights as firstborn.)


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Baal's son was Beerah. King Tiglath Pilneser of Assyria took him away as a captive. He was leader of the tribe of Reuben.


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Beerah's brothers according to their families, when they were enrolled in the genealogical records according to their ancestry, were as follows: The first was Jeiel, then Zechariah


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and Bela (son of Azaz, grandson of Shema, and great-grandson of Joel). Reuben's descendants lived in Aroer as far as Nebo and Baal Meon.


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Some of them lived eastward as far as the edge of the desert that extends to the Euphrates River, because they had so much livestock in Gilead.


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In Saul's day they fought a war against the Hagrites, defeated them, and lived in their tents throughout the entire region east of Gilead.


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One family descended from Gad's first son Joel. Another family descended from Gad's second son Shapham. Other families descended from Gad's sons Janai and Shaphat in Bashan.


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These were the sons of Abihail, who was the son of Huri, grandson of Jaroah, and great-grandson of Gilead. Gilead was the son of Michael, grandson of Jeshishai, great-grandson of Jahdo, and great-great-grandson of Buz.


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They lived in Gilead, in Bashan and its villages, and in the entire pastureland of Sharon to its extreme edges.


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All these people were recorded in genealogical records in the days of King Jotham of Judah and King Jeroboam of Israel.


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The descendants of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 soldiers ready to go to war. They were skilled fighters who could carry shields and swords and shoot arrows.


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and received help while fighting them. Hagar's descendants and the nations with them were handed over to Reuben's descendants. They had called out to God during the battle, and he answered their prayers because they trusted him.


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They confiscated the Hagrites' livestock: 50,000 of their camels, 250,000 sheep and goats, and 2,000 donkeys. They captured 100,000 people.


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Many were killed in battle because this was God's war. Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh lived in the Hagrites' land until the Assyrians captured them.


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Half of the tribe of Manasseh lived in the land from Bashan to Baal Hermon, Senir, and Mount Hermon. The tribe members were numerous.


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These were the heads of Manasseh's families: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were soldiers who were famous heads of their families.


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But Gad, Reuben, and half of the tribe of Manasseh were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors. They chased after the gods of the people of the land as if they were prostitutes. God had destroyed these people as the Israelites arrived.


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Then the God of Israel led King Pul of Assyria (King Tiglath Pilneser of Assyria) to take Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh into captivity. He brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the Gozan River. They are still there today.


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Amram's children were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. Aaron's sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.


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Johanan was the father of Azariah. (He was the one who served as priest in the temple Solomon built in Jerusalem.)


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Jehozadak was taken captive when the Lord used Nebuchadnezzar to take Judah and Jerusalem away into captivity.


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Merari's sons were Mahli and Mushi. These are the descendants of Levi's sons. They are grouped by families:


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These were Kohath's descendants: Kohath's son was Amminadab. Amminadab's son was Korah. Korah's son was Assir.


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These were Merari's descendants: Merari's son was Mahli. Mahli's son was Libni. Libni's son was Shimei. Shimei's son was Uzzah.


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David put men in charge of the music in the Lord's temple after the ark was placed there permanently.


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They served as musicians in the courtyard in front of the tent of meeting until Solomon built the Lord's temple in Jerusalem. They performed their duties according to the regulations set down for them.


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These are the men who served (their descendants also served): The musician Heman was from Kohath's family line. Heman was the son of Joel, who was the son of Samuel,


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who was the son of Elkanah, who was the son of Jeroham, who was the son of Eliel, who was the son of Toah,


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who was the son of Zuph, who was the son of Elkanah, who was the son of Mahath, who was the son of Amasai,


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who was the son of Elkanah, who was the son of Joel, who was the son of Azariah, who was the son of Zephaniah,


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who was the son of Tahath, who was the son of Assir, who was the son of Ebiasaph, who was the son of Korah,


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who was the son of Izhar, who was the son of Kohath, who was the son of Levi, who was the son of Israel.


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On the left was Ethan, one of Heman's relatives descended from Merari. Ethan was the son of Kishi, who was the son of Abdi, who was the son of Malluch,


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who was the son of Mahli, who was the son of Mushi, who was the son of Merari, who was the son of Levi.


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Aaron and his descendants offered sacrifices on the altar for burnt offerings and on the altar for incense. They did all the work in the most holy place and removed Israel's sins to make Israel acceptable to God. They did exactly what God's servant Moses had commanded.


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These were Aaron's descendants: His son was Eleazar. Eleazar's son was Phinehas. Phinehas' son was Abishua.


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These are the places where Levi's descendants lived, the places where they settled in the territory chosen for them when lots were drawn: The {first} lot was drawn for the descendants of Aaron from the family descended from Kohath.


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Aaron's descendants were given Hebron as a city of refuge, Libnah with its pastureland, Jattir, Eshtemoa with its pastureland,


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From the tribe of Benjamin, Aaron's descendants received Geba with its pastureland, Alemeth with its pastureland, and Anathoth with its pastureland. There was a total of 13 cities for their families.


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The rest of Kohath's descendants received 10 cities chosen by lot from the families of half of the tribe of Manasseh.


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The families of Gershom's descendants were given 13 cities chosen by lot from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and {the part of} the tribe of Manasseh that lived in Bashan.


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The families of Merari's descendants were given 12 cities chosen by lot from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun.


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They gave {them} the cities chosen by lot and mentioned here by name from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.


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They were given these cities of refuge: Shechem with its pastureland in the hills of Ephraim, Gezer with its pastureland,


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From half of the tribe of Manasseh, they were given Aner with its pastureland and Bileam with its pastureland for the families of the rest of Kohath's descendants.


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Gershom's descendants received Golan in Bashan with its pastureland and Ashtaroth with its pastureland from the families of half of the tribe of Manasseh.


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From the tribe of Issachar, they received Kedesh with its pastureland, Daberath with its pastureland,


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From the tribe of Naphtali, they received Kedesh in Galilee with its pastureland, Hammon with its pastureland, and Kiriathaim with its pastureland.


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The rest of Merari's descendants received Rimmono with its pastureland and Tabor with its pastureland from the tribe of Zebulun.


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From the tribe of Reuben, Merari's descendants received land east of the Jordan River and across from Jericho: Bezer in the wilderness with its pastureland, Jahzah with its pastureland,


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From the tribe of Gad, they received Ramoth in Gilead with its pastureland, Mahanaim with its pastureland,


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Tola's sons were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel. These men were heads of the families of Tola. They were soldiers grouped according to their ancestry. In David's day there were 22,600 of them.


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The five descendants of Uzzi were Izrahiah and Izrahiah's sons Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah. All of them were heads {of families}.


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They had many wives and children. So in addition to these men grouped according to their ancestry and families, there were 36,000 soldiers.


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Their relatives (that is, all of Issachar's families) were fighting men. A total of 87,000 of them was recorded in the genealogy.


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Bela's five sons were Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri. They were heads of families and fighting men. In the genealogy 22,034 of them were recorded.


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Becher's sons were Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth. These were all of Becher's sons.


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In the genealogy 22,200 of them were recorded according to their ancestry (the heads of their families and fighting men).


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Jediael's son was Bilhan. Bilhan's sons were Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar.


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All of these men were Jediael's descendants. They headed families that produced 17,200 fighting men who could go to war.


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Manasseh's sons were Asriel and Machir. Their mother was Manasseh's Aramean concubine. Machir was the first to settle Gilead.


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He married a wife from the Huppites and Shuppites. His wife's name was Maacah. The name of his second son was Zelophehad. Zelophehad had only daughters.


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Maacah, Machir's wife, had a son, and she named him Peresh. His brother's name was Sheresh, whose sons were Ulam and Rakem.


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Ephraim's son was Shuthelah. Shuthelah's son was Bered. Bered's son was Tahath. Tahath's son was Eleadah. Eleadah's son was Tahath.


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Tahath's son was Zabad. Zabad's son was Shuthelah. Ephraim's sons Ezer and Elead were killed by the men of Gath when they came to take their livestock.


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Then he slept with his wife, and she became pregnant. She gave birth to a son, and Ephraim named him Beriah Tragedy, because tragedy had come to his home.


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The land and homes of Ephraim's descendants were in Bethel and its villages, Naaran to the east, Gezer with its villages to the west, Shechem and its villages, and as far as Gaza and its villages.


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Next to Manasseh were Beth Shean and its villages, Taanach and its villages, Megiddo and its villages, and Dor and its villages. The descendants of Joseph, son of Israel, live in these cities.


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All of these men were Asher's descendants—heads of their families, outstanding men, soldiers, and distinguished leaders. Their military roster had 26,000 recorded in it.


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These were Ehud's sons, who were heads of the families living in Geba and who were taken away as captives to Manahath:


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Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera. Gera led the rest of them away as captives. He was the father of Uzza and Ahihud.


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Beriah and Shema were the heads of the families who lived in Aijalon. They forced out the people living in Gath.


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These were the heads of families listed by their ancestry. They were the heads of families. They lived in Jerusalem.


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Ner was the father of Kish. Kish was the father of Saul. Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.


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Ahaz was the father of Jehoaddah. Jehoaddah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri was the father of Moza.


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Moza was the father of Binea. Binea's son was Raphah. Raphah's son was Eleasah. Eleasah's son was Azel.


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Azel had six sons. Their names were Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. All of these men were Azel's sons.


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His brother Eshek's sons were Ulam (the firstborn), Jeush (the second son), and Eliphelet (the third son).


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Ulam's sons were soldiers, skilled archers. They had many sons and grandsons, 150 in all. All of these men were Benjamin's descendants.


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All Israel was recorded in the genealogies in the Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah. The Israelites were taken away to Babylon as captives because they had sinned.


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The first to settle again on their property in their own cities were {some} Israelites, the priests, the Levites, and the temple servants.


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From the descendants of Perez, son of Judah, was Uthai, who was the son of Ammihud, grandson of Omri, and great-grandson of Imri. (Imri's father was Bani.)


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From the descendants of Benjamin were Sallu (son of Meshullam, grandson of Hodaviah, and great-grandson of Hassenuah),


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Ibneiah (son of Jeroham), Elah (son of Uzzi and grandson of Michri), and Meshullam (son of Shephatiah, grandson of Reuel, and great-grandson of Ibniah),


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and their relatives according to their ancestry. All of these men were heads of their families. A total of 956 of them lived in Jerusalem.


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and Azariah. Azariah was the son of Hilkiah, grandson of Meshullam, and great-grandson of Zadok. Zadok's father was Meraioth, the son of Ahitub (the official in charge of God's temple).


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Also from the priests were Adaiah (son of Jeroham, grandson of Pashhur, and great-grandson of Malchiah) and Maasai (son of Adiel, grandson of Jahzerah, and great-grandson of Meshullam, whose father was Meshillemith, son of Immer).


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Their relatives who were heads of their families totaled 1,760 soldiers. They served in God's temple and settled in Jerusalem.


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From the Levites descended from Merari were Shemaiah (son of Hasshub, grandson of Azrikam, and great-grandson of Hashabiah),


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Obadiah (son of Shemaiah, grandson of Galal, and great-grandson of Jeduthun), and Berechiah (son of Asa and grandson of Elkanah, who lived in the villages belonging to the Netophathites).


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Formerly, they were stationed at the king's gate on the east side. They were the gatekeepers for the Levite quarters.


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Shallum (son of Kore, grandson of Ebiasaph, great-grandson of Korah) and the members of his family (Korah's descendants) were responsible for serving as watchmen at the entrances to the tent, as their ancestors had been in charge of guarding the entrances to the Lord's camp.


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(Phinehas, Eleazar's son, had been the official in charge of the gatekeepers, and the Lord was with him.)


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The men chosen to be gatekeepers at the entrances totaled 212. Their genealogies were recorded in their villages. David and the seer Samuel appointed them to these positions because they were trustworthy.


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So they and their descendants were assigned to be gatekeepers for the Lord's house, that is, the tent.


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Their relatives had to come from their villages from time to time. They would come to serve under the gatekeepers' supervision for a period of seven days.


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The four chief Levite gatekeepers were in charge of the rooms and treasures in God's temple because of their faithfulness.


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They would spend the night stationed around God's temple because they had to guard it and open it every morning.


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Some of them were in charge of the utensils for worship. They would count them when they brought them in and when they took them out.


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Other descendants of Korah were placed in charge of the utensils, the holy utensils, the flour, wine, olive oil, incense, and spices.


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Mattithiah, a Levite, the firstborn son of Shallum, Korah's descendant, was entrusted with preparing the flat bread.


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Some of their Kohathite relatives were responsible for setting the bread out in rows every day of worship.


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These were the musicians who were the heads of the Levite families. They lived in rooms in the temple and were free from other duties because they were on duty day and night.


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They were the heads of the Levite families according to their ancestry. These head Levites lived in Jerusalem.


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Ahaz was the father of Jarah. Jarah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri was the father of Moza.


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Moza was the father of Binea. Binea's son was Rephaiah. Rephaiah's son was Eleasah. Eleasah's son was Azel.


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When the Philistines fought against Israel, the men of Israel fled from the Philistines and were killed in battle on Mount Gilboa.


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The heaviest fighting was against Saul. When the archers got him in their range, he was wounded by them.


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Saul told his armorbearer, "Draw your sword! Stab me, or these godless men will come and make fun of me." But his armorbearer refused because he was terrified. So Saul took the sword and fell on it.


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When all the people of Israel in the valley saw that {their army} had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities. So the Philistines came to live in these cities.


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The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his sons lying on Mount Gilboa.


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They stripped him and took his head and his armor. Then they sent men throughout Philistine territory to tell their idols and the people this good news.


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all the fighting men came and took away the dead bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. They buried the bones under the oak tree in Jabesh. Then they fasted seven days.


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So Saul died because of his unfaithfulness to the Lord: He did not obey the word of the Lord. He asked a medium to request information {from a dead person}.


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He didn't request information from the Lord. So the Lord killed him and turned the kingship over to David, Jesse's son.


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"Even in the past when Saul ruled, you were the one who led Israel on its campaigns to war. The Lord your God has said to you, 'You will be shepherd of my people Israel, the leader of my people Israel.' "


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All the leaders of Israel had come to Hebron. David made an agreement with them at Hebron in front of the Lord. So they anointed David king of Israel, as the Lord had spoken through Samuel.


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They told David, "You will never get in here." But David captured the fortress Zion (that is, the City of David).


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Now, David said, "Whoever is the first to kill a Jebusite will be made a general and a prince." Zeruiah's son Joab was the first to go {into Jerusalem}, so he became the general.


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He built the city {of Jerusalem} around it, starting from the Millo and making a complete circuit. Joab rebuilt the rest of the city.


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Now, these were the commanders of David's fighting men, who exercised power with him in his kingdom, and with all Israel they made him king according to the Lord's word to Israel.


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The first of David's fighting men was Jashobeam, son of Hachmon, the leader of the three. He used his spear to kill 300 men on one occasion.


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Next in rank to him was Eleazar, another one of the three fighting men. He was the son of Dodo and grandson of Aho.


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Eleazar was with David at Pas Dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. There was a field of ripe barley. When the troops fled from the Philistines,


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they stood in the middle of the field and defended it by killing Philistines. So the Lord saved {them} with an impressive victory.


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Once three of the thirty leading men went down to David's rock at the cave of Adullam when the army of the Philistines was camping in the valley of Rephaim.


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David was thirsty and said, "I wish I could have a drink of water from the cistern at the city gate of Bethlehem."


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So the three burst into the Philistine camp and drew water from the cistern. They brought it to David, but he refused to drink it. He poured it out {as an offering} to the Lord


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and said, "It's unthinkable that I would do this, God. Should I drink the blood of these men who risked their lives? They had to risk their lives to get this water." So he refused to drink it. These are the things which the three fighting men did.


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Joab's brother Abishai was the leader of the thirty. He used his spear to kill 300 men, but he was not one of the three,


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although he was honored more than they were. So he became their captain but didn't become a member of the three.


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Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, was from Kabzeel and was a brave man who did many things. He killed two distinguished soldiers from Moab. He also went into a cistern and killed a lion on the day it snowed.


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He killed an eight-foot-tall Egyptian. The Egyptian had a spear like a weaver's beam in his hand. But Benaiah went to him with a club, grabbed the spear away from him, and killed him with it.


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Adina (son of Shiza) from the tribe of Reuben (who was leader of the tribe of Reuben and had his own group of thirty soldiers),


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These are the men who came to David at Ziklag when he was banished by Saul, son of Kish. They were among the soldiers who went into battle with David.


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They were armed with bows and could sling stones or shoot arrows with either their right or their left hands. They were Saul's relatives, {from the tribe of} Benjamin.


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Ahiezer was the leader, then Joash (they were the sons of Shemaah from Gibeah), Azmaveth's sons Jeziel and Pelet, Beracah and Jehu from Anathoth,


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Ishmaiah from Gibeon (one of the thirty fighting men and one of their leaders), Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad from Gederah,


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Some men left Gad to join David at the fortified camp in the desert. They were warriors, trained soldiers, able to fight with shields and spears. They looked like lions and were as fast as gazelles on the hills.


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These descendants of Gad were army officers. The least able one was in command of 100 men, and the best one was in command of 1,000.


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In the first month of the year, these men crossed the Jordan River when it was flooding its banks. They chased away all the people in the valleys to the east and west.


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David went to meet them. He told them, "If you've come to help me as friends would, then you may join me. But if you've come to betray me to my enemies, even though I haven't committed a crime, may the God of our ancestors see this and judge you."


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Then the Spirit gave Amasai, the leader of the thirty, the strength {to say}, "We are yours, David. We are with you, son of Jesse. Success, success to you! Success to those who help you, because your God is helping you." So David welcomed them and made them officers over his troops.


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Some men from Manasseh had deserted {Saul's army} to join David when he went with the Philistines to attack Saul. (However, David didn't help the Philistines because their rulers sent him away after considering the matter. They said, "It will cost us our heads when he deserts and joins his master Saul.")


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When David went to Ziklag, these men from Manasseh deserted to join him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai. Each one was an officer over 1,000 men in Manasseh.


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These are the numbers of the men equipped for war. The men joined David at Hebron to turn Saul's kingship over to David, as the Lord had said.


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From Benjamin's descendants, Saul's relatives, there were 3,000 men, though most of them remained loyal to Saul's family.


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From half of the tribe of Manasseh there were 18,000 who had been designated by name to make David king.


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From Issachar's descendants there were 200 leaders who understood the times and knew what Israel should do. Their relatives were under their command.


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From Zebulun there were 50,000 experienced soldiers. They were equipped for battle with every kind of weapon. Their loyalty was unquestioned.


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From Naphtali there were 1,000 commanders. With them were 37,000 who fought with shields and spears.


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From the east side of the Jordan River, from Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh, there were 120,000 soldiers ready to fight with all kinds of weapons.


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All of these soldiers, who were prepared for battle, came with a single purpose to Hebron—to make David king of all Israel. The rest of Israel also had agreed to make David king.


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They ate and drank with David for three days because their relatives {in Judah} had provided enough for them.


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Also, their neighbors as far as the territories of Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali brought food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen. There was plenty of flour, fig cakes, raisins, wine, olive oil, cattle, and sheep, because Israel was celebrating.


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Then he told the whole assembly of Israel, "If you approve and if the Lord our God has consented, we will send {an invitation} to the rest of our relatives in every region of Israel and to the priests and Levites in their cities and pasturelands so that they may join us.


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So David gathered all Israel from the Shihor River near Egypt to the border of Hamath in order to bring God's ark from Kiriath Jearim.


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David and all Israel went to Baalah in Kiriath Jearim, which is in Judah, to bring God's ark {to Jerusalem}. (The Lord is enthroned over the angels {on the ark} where his name is used.)


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David and all Israel were celebrating in God's presence with all their might, with songs, with lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.


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But when they came to Chidon's threshing floor, the oxen stumbled. So Uzzah reached out to grab the ark.


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The Lord became angry with Uzzah and killed him for reaching for the ark. He died in God's presence.


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So he didn't bring God's ark to his {home}, the City of David. Instead, he rerouted it to the home of Obed Edom, who was from Gath.


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God's ark stayed at the home of Obed Edom with his family for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed Edom's family and everything he owned.


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King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedarwood, masons, and carpenters to build a palace for David.


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So David realized that the Lord had established him as king of Israel and that his kingdom was made famous for the sake of Israel, the Lord's people.


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These are the names of the children who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,


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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 out to meet them.


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David asked God, "Should I attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?" The Lord answered him, "Attack! I will hand them over to you."


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So David {and his men} attacked and defeated the Philistines at Baal Perazim. David said, "Using my power like an overwhelming flood, God has overwhelmed my enemies." That is why they call that place Baal Perazim The Lord Overwhelms.


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Once more David asked God. God answered him, "Don't go after them. Circle around, and come at them in front of the balsam trees.


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As you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then go out and fight because God has gone ahead of you to defeat the Philistine army."


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After David constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, he prepared a place for God's ark and set up a tent for it.


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Then David insisted that only the Levites carry God's ark because the Lord had chosen them to carry his ark and to serve him forever.


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David called together all Israel at Jerusalem to bring the Lord's ark to the place he had prepared for it.


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David called for the priests Zadok and Abiathar and for the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.


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He said to them, "You are the heads of the Levite families. You and your relatives must perform the ceremonies to make yourselves holy. Then bring the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place I prepared for it.


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Because you weren't there the first time, the Lord our God struck us. We hadn't dedicated our lives to serving him in the way {he} designated."


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So the priests and the Levites made themselves holy in order to move the ark of the Lord God of Israel.


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The Levites carried God's ark on their shoulders. They used poles as Moses had commanded according to the Lord's instructions.


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David told the Levite leaders to appoint some of their relatives to serve as musicians. They were expected to play music on harps, lyres, and cymbals to produce joyful music for singing.


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So the Levites appointed Heman, son of Joel, and from his relatives they appointed Asaph, Berechiah's son. From their own relatives, Merari's descendants, they appointed Ethan, son of Kushaiah.


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In addition, they appointed their relatives from the second division: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah. Obed Edom and Jeiel were appointed gatekeepers.


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Zechariah, Jaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were appointed to play harps according to alamoth.


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Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were appointed to play lyres and to conduct the sheminith.


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Chenaniah, a Levite leader, instructed others how to sing prophetic songs because he was skilled at it.


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The priests Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer blew trumpets in front of God's ark. Obed Edom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark.


