# verses

text:
 David said to Saul, "Your Majesty, no one should be afraid of this Philistine! I will go and fight him."


text:
 "No," answered Saul. "How could you fight him? You're just a boy, and he has been a soldier all his life!"


text:
 "Your Majesty," David said, "I take care of my father's sheep. Any time a lion or a bear carries off a lamb,


text:
 I go after it, attack it, and rescue the lamb. And if the lion or bear turns on me, I grab it by the throat and beat it to death.


text:
 I have killed lions and bears, and I will do the same to this heathen Philistine, who has defied the army of the living God.


text:
 The LORD has saved me from lions and bears; he will save me from this Philistine." "All right," Saul answered. "Go, and the LORD be with you."


text:
 He gave his own armor to David for him to wear: a bronze helmet, which he put on David's head, and a coat of armor.


text:
 David strapped Saul's sword over the armor and tried to walk, but he couldn't, because he wasn't used to wearing them. "I can't fight with all this," he said to Saul. "I'm not used to it." So he took it all off.


text:
 He took his shepherd's stick and then picked up five smooth stones from the stream and put them in his bag. With his sling ready, he went out to meet Goliath.


text:
 The Philistine started walking toward David, with his shield bearer walking in front of him. He kept coming closer,


text:
 and when he got a good look at David, he was filled with scorn for him because he was just a nice, good-looking boy.


text:
 He said to David, "What's that stick for? Do you think I'm a dog?" And he called down curses from his god on David.


text:
 David answered, "You are coming against me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the Israelite armies, which you have defied.


text:
 This very day the LORD will put you in my power; I will defeat you and cut off your head. And I will give the bodies of the Philistine soldiers to the birds and animals to eat. Then the whole world will know that Israel has a God,


text:
 and everyone here will see that the LORD does not need swords or spears to save his people. He is victorious in battle, and he will put all of you in our power."


text:
 Goliath started walking toward David again, and David ran quickly toward the Philistine battle line to fight him.


text:
 He reached into his bag and took out a stone, which he slung at Goliath. It hit him on the forehead and broke his skull, and Goliath fell face downward on the ground.


text:
 He ran to him, stood over him, took Goliath's sword out of its sheath, and cut off his head and killed him. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they ran away.


text:
 The men of Israel and Judah shouted and ran after them, pursuing them all the way to Gath and to the gates of Ekron. The Philistines fell wounded all along the road that leads to Shaaraim, as far as Gath and Ekron.


text:
 When Saul saw David going out to fight Goliath, he asked Abner, the commander of his army, "Abner, whose son is he?" "I have no idea, Your Majesty," Abner answered.


text:
 So when David returned to camp after killing Goliath, Abner took him to Saul. David was still carrying Goliath's head.


text:
 Saul asked him, "Young man, whose son are you?" "I am the son of your servant Jesse from Bethlehem," David answered.


text:
 Saul and David finished their conversation. After that, Saul's son Jonathan was deeply attracted to David and came to love him as much as he loved himself.


text:
 He took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, together with his armor and also his sword, bow, and belt.


text:
 David was successful in all the missions on which Saul sent him, and so Saul made him an officer in his army. This pleased all of Saul's officers and men.


text:
 As David was returning after killing Goliath and as the soldiers were coming back home, women from every town in Israel came out to meet King Saul. They were singing joyful songs, dancing, and playing tambourines and lyres.


text:
 Saul did not like this, and he became very angry. He said, "For David they claim tens of thousands, but only thousands for me. They will be making him king next!"


text:
 The next day an evil spirit from God suddenly took control of Saul, and he raved in his house like a madman. David was playing the harp, as he did every day, and Saul was holding a spear.


text:
 "I'll pin him to the wall," Saul said to himself, and he threw the spear at him twice; but David dodged each time.


text:
 Then Saul said to David, "Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you as your wife on condition that you serve me as a brave and loyal soldier, and fight the LORD's battles." (Saul was thinking that in this way the Philistines would kill David, and he would not have to do it himself.)


text:
 But when the time came for Merab to be given to David, she was given instead to a man named Adriel from Meholah.


text:
 Saul's daughter Michal, however, fell in love with David, and when Saul heard of this, he was pleased.


text:
 He said to himself, "I'll give Michal to David; I will use her to trap him, and he will be killed by the Philistines." So for the second time Saul said to David, "You will be my son-in-law."


text:
 He ordered his officials to speak privately with David and tell him, "The king is pleased with you and all his officials like you; now is a good time for you to marry his daughter."


text:
 So they told this to David, and he answered, "It's a great honor to become the king's son-in-law, too great for someone poor and insignificant like me."


text:
 and Saul ordered them to tell David: "All the king wants from you as payment for the bride are the foreskins of a hundred dead Philistines, as revenge on his enemies." (This was how Saul planned to have David killed by the Philistines.)


text:
 Saul's officials reported to David what Saul had said, and David was delighted with the thought of becoming the king's son-in-law. Before the day set for the wedding,


text:
 David and his men went and killed two hundred Philistines. He took their foreskins to the king and counted them all out to him, so that he might become his son-in-law. So Saul had to give his daughter Michal in marriage to David.


text:
 The Philistine armies would come and fight, but in every battle David was more successful than any of Saul's other officers. As a result David became very famous.


text:
 Saul told his son Jonathan and all his officials that he planned to kill David. But Jonathan was very fond of David,


text:
 and so he told him, "My father is trying to kill you. Please be careful tomorrow morning; hide in some secret place and stay there.


text:
 I will go and stand by my father in the field where you are hiding, and I will speak to him about you. If I find out anything, I will let you know."


text:
 Jonathan praised David to Saul and said, "Sir, don't do wrong to your servant David. He has never done you any wrong; on the contrary, everything he has done has been a great help to you.


text:
 He risked his life when he killed Goliath, and the LORD won a great victory for Israel. When you saw it, you were glad. Why, then, do you now want to do wrong to an innocent man and kill David for no reason at all?"


text:
 Saul was convinced by what Jonathan said and made a vow in the LORD's name that he would not kill David.


text:
 So Jonathan called David and told him everything; then he took him to Saul, and David served the king as he had before.


text:
 War with the Philistines broke out again. David attacked them and defeated them so thoroughly that they fled.


text:
 One day an evil spirit from the LORD took control of Saul. He was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand, and David was there, playing his harp.


text:
 Saul tried to pin David to the wall with his spear, but David dodged, and the spear stuck in the wall. David ran away and escaped.


text:
 That same night Saul sent some men to watch David's house and kill him the next morning. Michal, David's wife, warned him, "If you don't get away tonight, tomorrow you will be dead."


text:
 Then she took the household idol, laid it on the bed, put a pillow made of goats' hair at its head, and put a cover over it.


text:
 But Saul sent them back to see David for themselves. He ordered them, "Carry him here in his bed, and I will kill him."


text:
 Saul asked Michal, "Why have you tricked me like this and let my enemy escape?" She answered, "He said he would kill me if I didn't help him escape."


text:
 David escaped and went to Samuel in Ramah and told him everything that Saul had done to him. Then he and Samuel went to Naioth and stayed there.


text:
 so he sent some men to arrest him. They saw the group of prophets dancing and shouting, with Samuel as their leader. Then the spirit of God took control of Saul's men, and they also began to dance and shout.


text:
 When Saul heard of this, he sent more messengers, and they also began to dance and shout. He sent messengers the third time, and the same thing happened to them.


text:
 Then he himself started out to Ramah. When he came to the large well in Secu, he asked where Samuel and David were and was told that they were at Naioth.


text:
 As he was going there, the spirit of God took control of him also, and he danced and shouted all the way to Naioth.


text:
 He took off his clothes and danced and shouted in Samuel's presence, and lay naked all that day and all that night. (This is how the saying originated, "Has even Saul become a prophet?")


text:
 Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and went to Jonathan. "What have I done?" he asked. "What crime have I committed? What wrong have I done to your father to make him want to kill me?"


text:
 Jonathan answered, "God forbid that you should die! My father tells me everything he does, important or not, and he would not hide this from me. It just isn't so!"


text:
 But David answered, "Your father knows very well how much you like me, and he has decided not to let you know what he plans to do, because you would be deeply hurt. I swear to you by the living LORD that I am only a step away from death!"


text:
 "Tomorrow is the New Moon Festival," David replied, "and I am supposed to eat with the king. But if it's all right with you, I will go and hide in the fields until the evening of the day after tomorrow.


text:
 If your father notices that I am not at the table, tell him that I begged your permission to hurry home to Bethlehem, since it's the time for the annual sacrifice there for my whole family.


text:
 If he says, 'All right,' I will be safe; but if he becomes angry, you will know that he is determined to harm me.


text:
 Please do me this favor, and keep the sacred promise you made to me. But if I'm guilty, kill me yourself ! Why take me to your father to be killed?"


text:
 "Don't even think such a thing!" Jonathan answered. "If I knew for sure that my father was determined to harm you, wouldn't I tell you?"


text:
 and Jonathan said to David, "May the LORD God of Israel be our witness! At this time tomorrow and on the following day I will question my father. If his attitude toward you is good, I will send you word.


text:
 If he intends to harm you, may the LORD strike me dead if I don't let you know about it and get you safely away. May the LORD be with you as he was with my father!


text:
 show the same kind of loyalty to my family forever. And when the LORD has completely destroyed all your enemies,


text:
 Once again Jonathan made David promise to love him, for Jonathan loved David as much as he loved himself.


text:
 Then Jonathan said to him, "Since tomorrow is the New Moon Festival, your absence will be noticed if you aren't at the meal.


text:
 The day after tomorrow your absence will be noticed even more; so go to the place where you hid yourself the other time, and hide behind the pile of stones there.


text:
 Then I will tell my servant to go and find them. And if I tell him, 'Look, the arrows are on this side of you; get them,' that means that you are safe and can come out. I swear by the living LORD that you will be in no danger.


text:
 But if I tell him, 'The arrows are on the other side of you,' then leave, because the LORD is sending you away.


text:
 As for the promise we have made to each other, the LORD will make sure that we will keep it forever."


text:
 and sat in his usual place by the wall. Abner sat next to him, and Jonathan sat across the table from him. David's place was empty,


text:
 but Saul said nothing that day, because he thought, "Something has happened to him, and he is not ritually pure."


text:
 On the following day, the day after the New Moon Festival, David's place was still empty, and Saul asked Jonathan, "Why didn't David come to the meal either yesterday or today?"


text:
 'Please let me go,' he said, 'because our family is celebrating the sacrificial feast in town, and my brother ordered me to be there. So then, if you are my friend, let me go and see my relatives.' That is why he isn't in his place at your table."


text:
 Saul became furious with Jonathan and said to him, "How rebellious and faithless your mother was! Now I know you are taking sides with David and are disgracing yourself and that mother of yours!


text:
 Don't you realize that as long as David is alive, you will never be king of this country? Now go and bring him here---he must die!"


text:
 At that, Saul threw his spear at Jonathan to kill him, and Jonathan realized that his father was really determined to kill David.


text:
 Jonathan got up from the table in a rage and ate nothing that day---the second day of the New Moon Festival. He was deeply distressed about David, because Saul had insulted him.


text:
 The following morning Jonathan went to the fields to meet David, as they had agreed. He took a young boy with him


text:
 and said to him, "Run and find the arrows I'm going to shoot." The boy ran, and Jonathan shot an arrow beyond him.


text:
 When the boy reached the place where the arrow had fallen, Jonathan shouted to him, "The arrow is farther on!


text:
 After the boy had left, David got up from behind the pile of stones, fell on his knees and bowed with his face to the ground three times. Both he and Jonathan were crying as they kissed each other; David's grief was even greater than Jonathan's.


text:
 Then Jonathan said to David, "God be with you. The LORD will make sure that you and I, and your descendants and mine, will forever keep the sacred promise we have made to each other." Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.


text:
 David went to the priest Ahimelech in Nob. Ahimelech came out trembling to meet him and asked, "Why did you come here all by yourself ?"


text:
 "I am here on the king's business," David answered. "He told me not to let anyone know what he sent me to do. As for my men, I have told them to meet me at a certain place.


text:
 The priest said, "I don't have any ordinary bread, only sacred bread; you can have it if your men haven't had sexual relations recently."


text:
 "Of course they haven't," answered David. "My men always keep themselves ritually pure even when we go out on an ordinary mission; how much more this time when we are on a special mission!"


text:
 So the priest gave David the sacred bread, because the only bread he had was the loaves offered to God, which had been removed from the sacred table and replaced by fresh bread.


text:
 (Saul's chief herdsman, Doeg, who was from Edom, happened to be there that day, because he had to fulfill a religious obligation.)


text:
 David said to Ahimelech, "Do you have a spear or a sword you can give me? The king's orders made me leave in such a hurry that I didn't have time to get my sword or any other weapon."


text:
 Ahimelech answered, "I have the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in Elah Valley; it is behind the ephod, wrapped in a cloth. If you want it, take it---it's the only weapon here." "Give it to me," David said. "There is not a better sword anywhere!"


text:
 The king's officials said to Achish, "Isn't this David, the king of his country? This is the man about whom the women sang, as they danced, 'Saul has killed thousands, but David has killed tens of thousands.' "


text:
 So whenever David was around them, he pretended to be insane and acted like a madman when they tried to restrain him; he would scribble on the city gates and let spit drool down his beard.


text:
 Don't I have enough madmen already? Why bring another one to bother me with his crazy actions right here in my own house?"


text:
 David fled from the city of Gath and went to a cave near the town of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of the family heard that he was there, they joined him.


text:
 People who were oppressed or in debt or dissatisfied went to him, about four hundred men in all, and he became their leader.


text:
 David went on from there to Mizpah in Moab and said to the king of Moab, "Please let my father and mother come and stay with you until I find out what God is going to do for me."


text:
 So David left his parents with the king of Moab, and they stayed there as long as David was hiding out in the cave.


text:
 Then the prophet Gad came to David and said, "Don't stay here; go at once to the land of Judah." So David left and went to the forest of Hereth.


text:
 One day Saul was in Gibeah, sitting under a tamarisk tree on a hill, with his spear in his hand, and all his officers were standing around him. He was told that David and his men had been located,


text:
 and he said to his officers, "Listen, men of Benjamin! Do you think that David will give fields and vineyards to all of you, and make you officers in his army?


text:
 Is that why you are plotting against me? Not one of you told me that my own son had made an alliance with David. No one is concerned about me or tells me that David, one of my own men, is right now looking for a chance to kill me, and that my son has encouraged him!"


text:
 Doeg was standing there with Saul's officers, and he said, "I saw David when he went to Ahimelech son of Ahitub in Nob.


text:
 Ahimelech asked the LORD what David should do, and then he gave David some food and the sword of Goliath the Philistine."


text:
 So King Saul sent for the priest Ahimelech and all his relatives, who were also priests in Nob, and they came to him.


text:
 Saul asked him, "Why are you and David plotting against me? Why did you give him some food and a sword, and consult God for him? Now he has turned against me and is waiting for a chance to kill me!"


text:
 Ahimelech answered, "David is the most faithful officer you have! He is your own son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard, and highly respected by everyone in the royal court.


text:
 Yes, I consulted God for him, and it wasn't the first time. As for plotting against you, Your Majesty must not accuse me or anyone else in my family. I don't know anything about this matter!"


text:
 Then he said to the guards standing near him, "Kill the LORD's priests! They conspired with David and did not tell me that he had run away, even though they knew it all along." But the guards refused to lift a hand to kill the LORD's priests.


text:
 So Saul said to Doeg, "You kill them!"---and Doeg killed them all. On that day he killed eighty-five priests who were qualified to carry the ephod.


text:
 Saul also had all the other inhabitants of Nob, the city of priests, put to death: men and women, children and babies, cattle, donkeys, and sheep---they were all killed.


text:
 David said to him, "When I saw Doeg there that day, I knew that he would be sure to tell Saul. So I am responsible for the death of all your relatives.


text:
 Stay with me and don't be afraid. Saul wants to kill both you and me, but you will be safe with me."


text:
 David heard that the Philistines were attacking the town of Keilah and were stealing the newly harvested grain.


text:
 So he asked the LORD, "Shall I go and attack the Philistines?" "Yes," the LORD answered. "Attack them and save Keilah."


text:
 But David's men said to him, "We have enough to be afraid of here in Judah; it will be much worse if we go to Keilah and attack the Philistine forces!"


text:
 So David consulted the LORD again, and the LORD said to him, "Go and attack Keilah, because I will give you victory over the Philistines."


text:
 So David and his men went to Keilah and attacked the Philistines; they killed many of them and took their livestock. And so it was that David saved the town.


text:
 Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, and he said, "God has put him in my power. David has trapped himself by going into a walled town with fortified gates."


text:
 When David heard that Saul was planning to attack him, he said to the priest Abiathar, "Bring the ephod here."


text:
 Then David said, " LORD, God of Israel, I have heard that Saul is planning to come to Keilah and destroy it on account of me, your servant.


text:
 Will the citizens of Keilah hand me over to Saul? Will Saul really come, as I have heard? LORD, God of Israel, I beg you to answer me!" The LORD answered, "Saul will come."


text:
 "And will the citizens of Keilah hand my men and me over to Saul?" David asked again. "They will," the LORD answered.


text:
 So David and his men---about six hundred in all---left Keilah at once and kept on the move. When Saul heard that David had escaped from Keilah, he gave up his plan.


text:
 David stayed in hiding in the hill country, in the wilderness near Ziph. Saul was always trying to find him, but God did not turn David over to him.


text:
 saying to him, "Don't be afraid. My father Saul won't be able to harm you. He knows very well that you are the one who will be the king of Israel and that I will be next in rank to you."


text:
 The two of them made a sacred promise of friendship to each other. David stayed at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.


text:
 Some people from Ziph went to Saul at Gibeah and said, "David is hiding out in our territory at Horesh on Mount Hachilah, in the southern part of the Judean wilderness.


text:
 We know, Your Majesty, how much you want to capture him; so come to our territory, and we will make sure that you catch him."


text:
 Go and make sure once more; find out for certain where he is and who has seen him there. I hear that he is very cunning.


text:
 Find out exactly the places where he hides, and be sure to bring back a report to me right away. Then I will go with you, and if he is still in the region, I will hunt him down, even if I have to search the whole land of Judah."


text:
 So they left and returned to Ziph ahead of Saul. David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon, in a desolate valley in the southern part of the Judean wilderness.


text:
 Saul and his men set out to look for David, but he heard about it and went to a rocky hill in the wilderness of Maon and stayed there. When Saul heard about this, he went after David.


text:
 Saul and his men were on one side of the hill, separated from David and his men, who were on the other side. They were hurrying to get away from Saul and his men, who were closing in on them and were about to capture them.


text:
 Just then a messenger arrived and said to Saul, "Come back at once! The Philistines are invading the country!"


text:
 So Saul stopped pursuing David and went to fight the Philistines. That is why that place is called Separation Hill.


text:
 When Saul came back from fighting the Philistines, he was told that David was in the wilderness near Engedi.


text:
 Saul took three thousand of the best soldiers in Israel and went looking for David and his men east of Wild Goat Rocks.


text:
 He came to a cave close to some sheep pens by the road and went in to relieve himself. It happened to be the very cave in which David and his men were hiding far back in the cave.


text:
 They said to him, "This is your chance! The LORD has told you that he would put your enemy in your power and you could do to him whatever you wanted to." David crept over and cut off a piece of Saul's robe without Saul's knowing it.


text:
 and he said to his men, "May the LORD keep me from doing any harm to my master, whom the LORD chose as king! I must not harm him in the least, because he is the king chosen by the LORD!"


text:
 So David convinced his men that they should not attack Saul. Saul got up, left the cave, and started away.


text:
 Then David went out after him and called to him, "Your Majesty!" Saul turned around, and David bowed down to the ground in respect


text:
 You can see for yourself that just now in the cave the LORD put you in my power. Some of my men told me to kill you, but I felt sorry for you and said that I would not harm you in the least, because you are the one whom the LORD chose to be king.


text:
 Look, my father, look at the piece of your robe I am holding! I could have killed you, but instead I only cut this off. This should convince you that I have no thought of rebelling against you or of harming you. You are hunting me down to kill me, even though I have not done you any wrong.


text:
 May the LORD judge which one of us is wrong! May he punish you for your action against me, for I will not harm you in the least.


text:
 The LORD will judge, and he will decide which one of us is wrong. May he look into the matter, defend me, and save me from you."


text:
 When David had finished speaking, Saul said, "Is that really you, David my son?" And he started crying.


text:
 Then he said to David, "You are right, and I am wrong. You have been so good to me, while I have done such wrong to you!


text:
 Today you have shown how good you are to me, because you did not kill me, even though the LORD put me in your power.


text:
 How often does someone catch an enemy and then let him get away unharmed? The LORD bless you for what you have done to me today!


text:
 But promise me in the LORD's name that you will spare my descendants, so that my name and my family's name will not be completely forgotten."


text:
 David promised that he would. Then Saul went back home, and David and his men went back to their hiding place.


text:
 Samuel died, and all the Israelites came together and mourned for him. Then they buried him at his home in Ramah. After this, David went to the wilderness of Paran.


text:
 There was a man of the clan of Caleb named Nabal, who was from the town of Maon, and who owned land near the town of Carmel. He was a very rich man, the owner of three thousand sheep and one thousand goats. His wife Abigail was beautiful and intelligent, but he was a mean, bad-tempered man. Nabal was shearing his sheep in Carmel,


text:
 He instructed them to say to Nabal: "David sends you greetings, my friend, with his best wishes for you, your family, and all that is yours.


text:
 He heard that you were shearing your sheep, and he wants you to know that your shepherds have been with us and we did not harm them. Nothing that belonged to them was stolen all the time they were at Carmel.


text:
 Just ask them, and they will tell you. We have come on a feast day, and David asks you to receive us kindly. Please give what you can to us your servants and to your dear friend David."


text:
 and Nabal finally answered, "David? Who is he? I've never heard of him! The country is full of runaway slaves nowadays!


text:
 I'm not going to take my bread and water, and the animals I have butchered for my sheepshearers, and give them to people who come from I don't know where!"


text:
 "Buckle on your swords!" he ordered, and they all did. David also buckled on his sword and left with about four hundred of his men, leaving two hundred behind with the supplies.


text:
 One of Nabal's servants said to Nabal's wife Abigail, "Have you heard? David sent some messengers from the wilderness with greetings for our master, but he insulted them.


text:
 Yet they were very good to us; they never bothered us, and all the time we were with them in the fields, nothing that belonged to us was stolen.


text:
 Please think this over and decide what to do. This could be disastrous for our master and all his family. He is so mean that he won't listen to anybody!"


text:
 Abigail quickly gathered two hundred loaves of bread, two leather bags full of wine, five roasted sheep, two bushels of roasted grain, a hundred bunches of raisins, and two hundred cakes of dried figs, and loaded them on donkeys.


text:
 Then she said to the servants, "You go on ahead and I will follow you." But she said nothing to her husband.


text:
 She was riding her donkey around a bend on a hillside when suddenly she met David and his men coming toward her.


text:
 David had been thinking, "Why did I ever protect that fellow's property out here in the wilderness? Not a thing that belonged to him was stolen, and this is how he pays me back for the help I gave him!


text:
 Please, don't pay any attention to Nabal, that good-for-nothing! He is exactly what his name means---a fool! I wasn't there when your servants arrived, sir.


text:
 It is the LORD who has kept you from taking revenge and killing your enemies. And now I swear to you by the living LORD that your enemies and all who want to harm you will be punished like Nabal.


text:
 Please forgive me, sir, for any wrong I have done. The LORD will make you king, and your descendants also, because you are fighting his battles; and you will not do anything evil as long as you live.


text:
 If anyone should attack you and try to kill you, the LORD your God will keep you safe, as someone guards a precious treasure. As for your enemies, however, he will throw them away, as someone hurls stones with a sling.


text:
 And when the LORD has done all the good things he has promised you and has made you king of Israel,


text:
 then you will not have to feel regret or remorse, sir, for having killed without cause or for having taken your own revenge. And when the LORD has blessed you, sir, please do not forget me."


text:
 Thank God for your good sense and for what you have done today in keeping me from the crime of murder and from taking my own revenge.


text:
 The LORD has kept me from harming you. But I swear by the living God of Israel that if you had not hurried to meet me, all of Nabal's men would have been dead by morning!"


text:
 Then David accepted what she had brought him and said to her, "Go back home and don't worry. I will do what you want."


text:
 Abigail went back to Nabal, who was at home having a feast fit for a king. He was drunk and in a good mood, so she did not tell him anything until the next morning.


text:
 Then, after he had sobered up, she told him everything. He suffered a stroke and was completely paralyzed.


text:
 When David heard that Nabal had died, he said, "Praise the LORD! He has taken revenge on Nabal for insulting me and has kept me his servant from doing wrong. The LORD has punished Nabal for his evil." Then David sent a proposal of marriage to Abigail.


text:
 His servants went to her at Carmel and said to her, "David sent us to take you to him to be his wife."


text:
 Abigail bowed down to the ground and said, "I am his servant, ready to wash the feet of his servants."


text:
 She rose quickly and mounted her donkey. Accompanied by her five maids, she went with David's servants and became his wife.


text:
 Meanwhile, Saul had given his daughter Michal, who had been David's wife, to Palti son of Laish, who was from the town of Gallim.


text:
 Some men from Ziph came to Saul at Gibeah and told him that David was hiding on Mount Hachilah at the edge of the Judean wilderness.


text:
 Saul went at once with three thousand of the best soldiers in Israel to the wilderness of Ziph to look for David,


text:
 and camped by the road on Mount Hachilah. David was still in the wilderness, and when he learned that Saul had come to look for him,


text:
 He went at once and located the exact place where Saul and Abner son of Ner, commander of Saul's army, slept. Saul slept inside the camp, and his men camped around him.


text:
 Then David asked Ahimelech the Hittite, and Abishai the brother of Joab (their mother was Zeruiah), "Which of you two will go to Saul's camp with me?" "I will," Abishai answered.


text:
 So that night David and Abishai entered Saul's camp and found Saul sleeping in the center of the camp with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. Abner and the troops were sleeping around him.


text:
 Abishai said to David, "God has put your enemy in your power tonight. Now let me plunge his own spear through him and pin him to the ground with just one blow---I won't have to strike twice!"


text:
 But David said, "You must not harm him! The LORD will certainly punish whoever harms his chosen king.


text:
 By the living LORD," David continued, "I know that the LORD himself will kill Saul, either when his time comes to die a natural death or when he dies in battle.


text:
 The LORD forbid that I should try to harm the one whom the LORD has made king! Let's take his spear and his water jar, and go."


text:
 So David took the spear and the water jar from right beside Saul's head, and he and Abishai left. No one saw it or knew what had happened or even woke up---they were all sound asleep, because the LORD had sent a heavy sleep on them all.


text:
 Then David crossed over to the other side of the valley to the top of the hill, a safe distance away,


text:
 and shouted to Saul's troops and to Abner, "Abner! Can you hear me?" "Who is that shouting and waking up the king?" Abner asked.


text:
 David answered, "Abner, aren't you the greatest man in Israel? So why aren't you protecting your master, the king? Just now someone entered the camp to kill your master.


text:
 You failed in your duty, Abner! I swear by the living LORD that all of you deserve to die, because you have not protected your master, whom the LORD made king. Look! Where is the king's spear? Where is the water jar that was right by his head?"


text:
 Saul recognized David's voice and asked, "David, is that you, my son?" "Yes, Your Majesty," David answered.


text:
 And he added, "Why, sir, are you still pursuing me, your servant? What have I done? What crime have I committed?


text:
 Your Majesty, listen to what I have to say. If it is the LORD who has turned you against me, an offering to him will make him change his mind; but if some people have done it, may the LORD's curse fall on them. For they have driven me out from the LORD's land to a country where I can only worship foreign gods.


text:
 Don't let me be killed on foreign soil, away from the LORD. Why should the king of Israel come to kill a flea like me? Why should he hunt me down like a wild bird?"


text:
 Saul answered, "I have done wrong. Come back, David, my son! I will never harm you again, because you have spared my life tonight. I have been a fool! I have done a terrible thing!"


text:
 The LORD rewards those who are faithful and righteous. Today he put you in my power, but I did not harm you, whom the LORD made king.


text:
 Just as I have spared your life today, may the LORD do the same to me and free me from all troubles!"


text:
 Saul said to David, "God bless you, my son! You will succeed in everything you do!" So David went on his way, and Saul returned home.


text:
 David said to himself, "One of these days Saul will kill me. The best thing for me to do is to escape to Philistia. Then Saul will give up looking for me in Israel, and I will be safe."


text:
 David and his men settled there in Gath with their families. David had his two wives with him, Ahinoam from Jezreel, and Abigail, Nabal's widow, from Carmel.


text:
 David said to Achish, "If you are my friend, let me have a small town to live in. There is no need, sir, for me to live with you in the capital city."


text:
 So Achish gave him the town of Ziklag, and for this reason Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah ever since.


text:
 During that time David and his men would attack the people of Geshur, Girzi, and Amalek, who had been living in the region a very long time. He would raid their land as far as Shur, all the way down to Egypt,


text:
 killing all the men and women and taking the sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and even the clothes. Then he would come back to Achish,


text:
 who would ask him, "Where did you go on a raid this time?" and David would tell him that he had gone to the southern part of Judah or to the territory of the clan of Jerahmeel or to the territory where the Kenites lived.


text:
 David would kill everyone, men and women, so that no one could go back to Gath and report what he and his men had really done. This is what David did the whole time he lived in Philistia.


text:
 But Achish trusted David and said to himself, "He is hated so much by his own people the Israelites that he will have to serve me all his life."


text:
 Some time later the Philistines gathered their troops to fight Israel, and Achish said to David, "Of course you understand that you and your men are to fight on my side."


text:
 "Of course," David answered. "I am your servant, and you will see for yourself what I can do." Achish said, "Good! I will make you my permanent bodyguard."


text:
 Now Samuel had died, and all the Israelites had mourned for him and had buried him in his hometown of Ramah. Saul had forced all the fortunetellers and mediums to leave Israel.


text:
 The Philistine troops assembled and camped near the town of Shunem; Saul gathered the Israelites and camped at Mount Gilboa.


text:
 and so he asked the LORD what to do. But the LORD did not answer him at all, either by dreams or by the use of Urim and Thummim or by prophets.


text:
 Then Saul ordered his officials, "Find me a woman who is a medium, and I will go and consult her." "There is one in Endor," they answered.


text:
 So Saul disguised himself; he put on different clothes, and after dark he went with two of his men to see the woman. "Consult the spirits for me and tell me what is going to happen," he said to her. "Call up the spirit of the man I name."


text:
 The woman answered, "Surely you know what King Saul has done, how he forced the fortunetellers and mediums to leave Israel. Why, then, are you trying to trap me and get me killed?"


text:
 Then Saul made a sacred vow. "By the living LORD I promise that you will not be punished for doing this," he told her.


text:
 When the woman saw Samuel, she screamed and said to Saul, "Why have you tricked me? You are King Saul!"


text:
 "Don't be afraid!" the king said to her. "What do you see?" "I see a spirit coming up from the earth," she answered.


text:
 "What does it look like?" he asked. "It's an old man coming up," she answered. "He is wearing a cloak." Then Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed to the ground in respect.


text:
 Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me? Why did you make me come back?" Saul answered, "I am in great trouble! The Philistines are at war with me, and God has abandoned me. He doesn't answer me any more, either by prophets or by dreams. And so I have called you, for you to tell me what I must do."


text:
 The LORD has done to you what he told you through me: he has taken the kingdom away from you and given it to David instead.


text:
 You disobeyed the LORD's command and did not completely destroy the Amalekites and all they had. That is why the LORD is doing this to you now.


text:
 He will give you and Israel over to the Philistines. Tomorrow you and your sons will join me, and the LORD will also give the army of Israel over to the Philistines."


text:
 At once Saul fell down and lay stretched out on the ground, terrified by what Samuel had said. He was weak, because he had not eaten anything all day and all night.


text:
 The woman went over to him and saw that he was terrified, so she said to him, "Please, sir, I risked my life by doing what you asked.


text:
 Now please do what I ask. Let me fix you some food. You must eat so that you will be strong enough to travel."


text:
 Saul refused and said he would not eat anything. But his officers also urged him to eat. He finally gave in, got up from the ground, and sat on the bed.


text:
 The woman quickly killed a calf which she had been fattening. Then she took some flour, prepared it, and baked some bread without yeast.


text:
 The Philistines brought all their troops together at Aphek, while the Israelites camped at the spring in Jezreel Valley.


text:
 The five Philistine kings marched out with their units of a hundred and of a thousand men; David and his men marched in the rear with King Achish.


text:
 The Philistine commanders saw them and asked, "What are these Hebrews doing here?" Achish answered, "This is David, an official of King Saul of Israel. He has been with me for quite some time now. He has done nothing I can find fault with since the day he came over to me."


text:
 But the Philistine commanders were angry with Achish and said to him, "Send that fellow back to the town you gave him. Don't let him go into battle with us; he might turn against us during the fighting. What better way is there for him to win back his master's favor than by the death of our men?


text:
 After all, this is David, the one about whom the women sang, as they danced, 'Saul has killed thousands, but David has killed tens of thousands.' "


text:
 Achish called David and said to him, "I swear by the living God of Israel that you have been loyal to me; and I would be pleased to have you go with me and fight in this battle. I have not found any fault in you from the day you came over to me. But the other kings don't approve of you.


text:
 David answered, "What have I done wrong, sir? If, as you say, you haven't found any fault in me since the day I started serving you, why shouldn't I go with you, my master and king, and fight your enemies?"


text:
 "I agree," Achish replied. "I consider you as loyal as an angel of God. But the other kings have said that you can't go with us into battle.


text:
 So then, David, tomorrow morning all of you who left Saul and came over to me will have to get up early and leave as soon as it's light."


text:
 So David and his men started out early the following morning to go back to Philistia, and the Philistines went on to Jezreel.


text:
 Two days later David and his men arrived back at Ziklag. The Amalekites had raided southern Judah and attacked Ziklag. They had burned down the town


text:
 and captured all the women; they had not killed anyone, but had taken everyone with them when they left.


text:
 When David and his men arrived, they found that the town had been burned down and that their wives, sons, and daughters had been carried away.


text:
 David was now in great trouble, because his men were all very bitter about losing their children, and they were threatening to stone him; but the LORD his God gave him courage.


text:
 David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, "Bring me the ephod," and Abiathar brought it to him.


text:
 David asked the LORD, "Shall I go after those raiders? And will I catch them?" He answered, "Go after them; you will catch them and rescue the captives."


text:
 So David and his six hundred men started out, and when they arrived at Besor Brook, some of them stayed there.


text:
 David continued on his way with four hundred men; the other two hundred men were too tired to cross the brook and so stayed behind.


text:
 The men with David found a young Egyptian out in the country and brought him to David. They gave him some food and water,


text:
 some dried figs, and two bunches of raisins. After he had eaten, his strength returned; he had not had anything to eat or drink for three full days.


text:
 David asked him, "Who is your master, and where are you from?" "I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite," he answered. "My master left me behind three days ago because I got sick.


text:
 We had raided the territory of the Cherethites in the southern part of Judah and the territory of the clan of Caleb, and we burned down Ziklag."


text:
 "Will you lead me to those raiders?" David asked him. He answered, "I will if you promise me in God's name that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master."


text:
 And he led David to them. The raiders were scattered all over the place, eating, drinking, and celebrating because of the enormous amount of loot they had captured from Philistia and Judah.


text:
 At dawn the next day David attacked them and fought until evening. Except for four hundred young men who mounted camels and got away, none of them escaped.


text:
 nothing at all was missing. David got back all his men's sons and daughters, and all the loot the Amalekites had taken.


text:
 He also recovered all the flocks and herds; his men drove all the livestock in front of them and said, "This belongs to David!"


text:
 Then David went back to the two hundred men who had been too weak to go with him and had stayed behind at Besor Brook. They came forward to meet David and his men, and David went up to them and greeted them warmly.


text:
 But some mean and worthless men who had gone with David said, "They didn't go with us, and so we won't give them any of the loot. They can take their wives and children and go away."


text:
 But David answered, "My brothers, you can't do this with what the LORD has given us! He kept us safe and gave us victory over the raiders.


text:
 No one can agree with what you say! All must share alike: whoever stays behind with the supplies gets the same share as the one who goes into battle."


text:
 When David returned to Ziklag, he sent part of the loot to his friends, the leaders of Judah, with the message, "Here is a present for you from the loot we took from the LORD's enemies."


text:
 He sent it to the people in Bethel, to the people in Ramah in the southern part of Judah, and to the people in the towns of Jattir,


text:
 The Philistines fought a battle against the Israelites on Mount Gilboa. Many Israelites were killed there, and the rest of them, including King Saul and his sons, fled.


text:
 But the Philistines caught up with them and killed three of Saul's sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.


text:
 He said to the young man carrying his weapons, "Draw your sword and kill me, so that these godless Philistines won't gloat over me and kill me." But the young man was too terrified to do it. So Saul took his own sword and threw himself on it.


text:
 When the Israelites on the other side of Jezreel Valley and east of the Jordan River heard that the Israelite army had fled and that Saul and his sons had been killed, they abandoned their towns and fled. Then the Philistines came and occupied the towns.


text:
 The day after the battle the Philistines went to plunder the corpses, and they found the bodies of Saul and his three sons lying on Mount Gilboa.


text:
 They cut off Saul's head, stripped off his armor, and sent messengers with them throughout Philistia to tell the good news to their idols and to their people.


text:
 Then they put his weapons in the temple of the goddess Astarte, and they nailed his body to the wall of the city of Beth Shan.


text:
 the bravest men started out and marched all night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall, brought them back to Jabesh, and burned them there.


text:
 Then they took the bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in town, and fasted for seven days.


text:
 After Saul's death David came back from his victory over the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag for two days.


text:
 The next day a young man arrived from Saul's camp. To show his grief, he had torn his clothes and put dirt on his head. He went to David and bowed to the ground in respect.


text:
 David asked him, "Where have you come from?" "I have escaped from the Israelite camp," he answered.


text:
 "Tell me what happened," David said. "Our army ran away from the battle," he replied, "and many of our men were killed. Saul and his son Jonathan were also killed."


text:
 He answered, "I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and I saw that Saul was leaning on his spear and that the chariots and cavalry of the enemy were closing in on him.


text:
 So I went up to him and killed him, because I knew that he would die anyway as soon as he fell. Then I took the crown from his head and the bracelet from his arm, and I have brought them to you, sir."


text:
 They grieved and mourned and fasted until evening for Saul and Jonathan and for Israel, the people of the LORD, because so many had been killed in battle.


text:
 David asked the young man who had brought him the news, "Where are you from?" He answered, "I'm an Amalekite, but I live in your country."


text:
 Then David called one of his men and said, "Kill him!" The man struck the Amalekite and mortally wounded him,


text:
 and David said to the Amalekite, "You brought this on yourself. You condemned yourself when you confessed that you killed the one whom the LORD chose to be king."


text:
 Do not announce it in Gath or in the streets of Ashkelon. Do not make the women of Philistia glad; do not let the daughters of pagans rejoice.


text:
 "May no rain or dew fall on Gilboa's hills; may its fields be always barren! For the shields of the brave lie there in disgrace; the shield of Saul is no longer polished with oil.


text:
 Jonathan's bow was deadly, the sword of Saul was merciless, striking down the mighty, killing the enemy.


text:
 "Saul and Jonathan, so wonderful and dear; together in life, together in death; swifter than eagles, stronger than lions.


text:
 "Women of Israel, mourn for Saul! He clothed you in rich scarlet dresses and adorned you with jewels and gold.


text:
 "I grieve for you, my brother Jonathan; how dear you were to me! How wonderful was your love for me, better even than the love of women.


text:
 After this, David asked the LORD, "Shall I go and take control of one of the towns of Judah?" "Yes," the LORD answered. "Which one?" David asked. "Hebron," the LORD said.


text:
 So David went to Hebron, taking with him his two wives: Ahinoam, who was from Jezreel, and Abigail, Nabal's widow, who was from Carmel.


text:
 Then the men of Judah came to Hebron and anointed David as king of Judah. When David heard that the people of Jabesh in Gilead had buried Saul,


text:
 he sent some men there with the message: "May the LORD bless you for showing your loyalty to your king by burying him.


text:
 And now may the LORD be kind and faithful to you. I too will treat you well because of what you have done.


text:
 Be strong and brave! Saul your king is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me as their king."


text:
 The commander of Saul's army, Abner son of Ner, had fled with Saul's son Ishbosheth across the Jordan to Mahanaim.


text:
 There Abner made Ishbosheth king of the territories of Gilead, Asher, Jezreel, Ephraim, and Benjamin, and indeed over all Israel.


text:
 He was forty years old when he was made king of Israel, and he ruled for two years. But the tribe of Judah was loyal to David,


text:
 Joab, whose mother was Zeruiah, and David's other officials met them at the pool, where they all sat down, one group on one side of the pool and the other group on the opposite side.


text:
 Abner said to Joab, "Let's have some of the young men from each side fight an armed contest." "All right," Joab answered.


text:
 Each man caught his opponent by the head and plunged his sword into his opponent's side, so that all twenty-four of them fell down dead together. And so that place in Gibeon is called "Field of Swords."


text:
 The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Asahel, who could run as fast as a wild deer,


text:
 "Stop chasing me!" Abner said. "Run after one of the soldiers and take what he has." But Asahel kept on chasing him.


text:
 Once more Abner said to him, "Stop chasing me! Why force me to kill you? How could I face your brother Joab?"


text:
 But Asahel would not quit; so Abner, with a backward thrust of his spear, struck him through the stomach so that the spear came out at his back. Asahel dropped to the ground dead, and everyone who came to the place where he was lying stopped and stood there.


text:
 But Joab and Abishai started out after Abner, and at sunset they came to the hill of Ammah, which is to the east of Giah on the road to the wilderness of Gibeon.


text:
 The men from the tribe of Benjamin gathered around Abner again and took their stand on the top of a hill.


text:
 Abner called out to Joab, "Do we have to go on fighting forever? Can't you see that in the end there will be nothing but bitterness? We are your relatives. How long will it be before you order your men to stop chasing us?"


text:
 "I swear by the living God," Joab answered, "that if you had not spoken, my men would have kept on chasing you until tomorrow morning."


text:
 Then Joab blew the trumpet as a signal for his men to stop pursuing the Israelites; and so the fighting stopped.


text:
 Abner and his men marched through the Jordan Valley all that night; they crossed the Jordan River, and after marching all the next morning, they arrived back at Mahanaim.


text:
 When Joab gave up the chase, he gathered all his men and found that nineteen of them were missing, in addition to Asahel.


text:
 Joab and his men took Asahel's body and buried it in the family tomb at Bethlehem. Then they marched all night and at dawn arrived back at Hebron.


text:
 The fighting between the forces supporting Saul's family and those supporting David went on for a long time. As David became stronger and stronger, his opponents became weaker and weaker.


text:
 The following six sons, in order of their birth, were born to David at Hebron: Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam, from Jezreel;


text:
 Chileab, whose mother was Abigail, Nabal's widow, from Carmel; Absalom, whose mother was Maacah, the daughter of King Talmai of Geshur;


text:
 As the fighting continued between David's forces and the forces loyal to Saul's family, Abner became more and more powerful among Saul's followers.


text:
 One day Ishbosheth son of Saul accused Abner of sleeping with Saul's concubine Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah.


text:
 This made Abner furious. "Do you think that I would betray Saul? Do you really think I'm serving Judah?" he exclaimed. "From the very first I have been loyal to the cause of your father Saul, his brothers, and his friends, and I have kept you from being defeated by David; yet today you find fault with me about a woman!


text:
 The LORD promised David that he would take the kingdom away from Saul and his descendants and would make David king of both Israel and Judah, from one end of the country to the other. Now may God strike me dead if I don't make this come true!"


text:
 Abner sent messengers to David, who at that time was at Hebron, to say, "Who is going to rule this land? Make an agreement with me, and I will help you win all Israel over to your side."


text:
 "Good!" David answered. "I will make an agreement with you on one condition: you must bring Saul's daughter Michal to me when you come to see me."


text:
 And David also sent messengers to Ishbosheth to say, "Give me back my wife Michal. I paid a hundred Philistine foreskins in order to marry her."


text:
 Paltiel followed her all the way to the town of Bahurim, crying as he went. But when Abner said, "Go back home," he did.


text:
 Abner went to the leaders of Israel and said to them, "For a long time you have wanted David to be your king.


text:
 Now here is your chance. Remember that the LORD has said, 'I will use my servant David to rescue my people Israel from the Philistines and from all their other enemies.' "


text:
 Abner spoke also to the people of the tribe of Benjamin and then went to Hebron to tell David what the people of Benjamin and of Israel had agreed to do.


text:
 Abner told David, "I will go now and win all Israel over to Your Majesty. They will accept you as king, and then you will get what you have wanted and will rule over the whole land." David gave Abner a guarantee of safety and sent him on his way.


text:
 Later on Joab and David's other officials returned from a raid, bringing a large amount of loot with them. Abner, however, was no longer there at Hebron with David, because David had sent him away with a guarantee of safety.


text:
 When Joab and his men arrived, he was told that Abner had come to King David and had been sent away with a guarantee of safety.


text:
 So Joab went to the king and said to him, "What have you done? Abner came to you---why did you let him go like that?


text:
 He came here to deceive you and to find out everything you do and everywhere you go. Surely you know that!"


text:
 After leaving David, Joab sent messengers to get Abner, and they brought him back from Sirah Well; but David knew nothing about it.


text:
 When Abner arrived in Hebron, Joab took him aside at the gate, as though he wanted to speak privately with him, and there he stabbed him in the stomach. And so Abner was murdered because he had killed Joab's brother Asahel.


text:
 When David heard the news, he said, "The LORD knows that my subjects and I are completely innocent of the murder of Abner.


text:
 May the punishment for it fall on Joab and all his family! In every generation may there be some man in his family who has gonorrhea or a dreaded skin disease or is fit only to do a woman's work or is killed in battle or doesn't have enough to eat!"


text:
 So Joab and his brother Abishai took revenge on Abner for killing their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.


text:
 Then David ordered Joab and his men to tear their clothes, wear sackcloth, and mourn for Abner. And at the funeral King David himself walked behind the coffin.


text:
 His hands were not tied, And his feet were not bound; He died like someone killed by criminals!" And the people wept for him again.


text:
 All day long the people tried to get David to eat something, but he made a solemn promise, "May God strike me dead if I eat anything before the day is over!"


text:
 All of David's people and all the people in Israel understood that the king had no part in the murder of Abner.


text:
 The king said to his officials, "Don't you realize that this day a great leader in Israel has died?


text:
 Even though I am the king chosen by God, I feel weak today. These sons of Zeruiah are too violent for me. May the LORD punish these criminals as they deserve!"


text:
 When Saul's son Ishbosheth heard that Abner had been killed in Hebron, he was afraid, and all the people of Israel were alarmed.


text:
 Ishbosheth had two officers who were leaders of raiding parties, Baanah and Rechab, sons of Rimmon, from Beeroth in the tribe of Benjamin. (Beeroth is counted as part of Benjamin.


text:
 Another descendant of Saul was Jonathan's son Mephibosheth, who was five years old when Saul and Jonathan were killed. When the news about their death came from the city of Jezreel, his nurse picked him up and fled; but she was in such a hurry that she dropped him, and he became crippled.


text:
 Rechab and Baanah set out for Ishbosheth's house and arrived there about noon, while he was taking his midday rest.


text:
 The woman at the door had become drowsy while she was sifting wheat and had fallen asleep, so Rechab and Baanah slipped in.


text:
 Once inside, they went to Ishbosheth's bedroom, where he was sound asleep, and killed him. Then they cut off his head, took it with them, and walked all night through the Jordan Valley.


text:
 They presented the head to King David at Hebron and said to him, "Here is the head of Ishbosheth, the son of your enemy Saul, who tried to kill you. Today the LORD has allowed Your Majesty to take revenge on Saul and his descendants."


text:
 The messenger who came to me at Ziklag and told me of Saul's death thought he was bringing good news. I seized him and had him put to death. That was the reward I gave him for his good news!


text:
 How much worse it will be for evil men who murder an innocent man asleep in his own house! I will now take revenge on you for murdering him and will wipe you off the face of the earth!"


text:
 David gave the order, and his soldiers killed Rechab and Baanah and cut off their hands and feet, which they hung up near the pool in Hebron. They took Ishbosheth's head and buried it in Abner's tomb there at Hebron.


text:
 Then all the tribes of Israel went to David at Hebron and said to him, "We are your own flesh and blood.


text:
 In the past, even when Saul was still our king, you led the people of Israel in battle, and the LORD promised you that you would lead his people and be their ruler."


text:
 So all the leaders of Israel came to King David at Hebron. He made a sacred alliance with them, they anointed him, and he became king of Israel.


text:
 He ruled in Hebron over Judah for seven and a half years, and in Jerusalem over all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years.


text:
 The time came when King David and his men set out to attack Jerusalem. The Jebusites, who lived there, thought that David would not be able to conquer the city, and so they said to him, "You will never get in here; even the blind and the crippled could keep you out."


text:
 That day David said to his men, "Does anybody here hate the Jebusites as much as I do? Enough to kill them? Then go up through the water tunnel and attack those poor blind cripples." (That is why it is said, "The blind and the crippled cannot enter the LORD's house.")


text:
 After capturing the fortress, David lived in it and named it "David's City." He built the city around it, starting at the place where land was filled in on the east side of the hill.


text:
 King Hiram of Tyre sent a trade mission to David; he provided him with cedar logs and with carpenters and stone masons to build a palace.


text:
 And so David realized that the LORD had established him as king of Israel and was making his kingdom prosperous for the sake of his people.


text:
 After moving from Hebron to Jerusalem, David took more concubines and wives, and had more sons and daughters.


text:
 The Philistines were told that David had been made king of Israel, so their army set out to capture him. When David heard of it, he went down to a fortified place.


text:
 David asked the LORD, "Shall I attack the Philistines? Will you give me the victory?" "Yes, attack!" the LORD answered. "I will give you the victory!"


text:
 So David went to Baal Perazim and there he defeated the Philistines. He said, "The LORD has broken through my enemies like a flood." And so that place is called Baal Perazim.


text:
 Once more David consulted the LORD, who answered, "Don't attack them from here, but go around and get ready to attack them from the other side, near the balsam trees.


text:
 When you hear the sound of marching in the treetops, then attack because I will be marching ahead of you to defeat the Philistine army."


text:
 David did what the LORD had commanded, and was able to drive the Philistines back from Geba all the way to Gezer.


text:
 and led them to Baalah in Judah, in order to bring from there God's Covenant Box, bearing the name of the LORD Almighty, whose throne is above the winged creatures.


text:
 They took it from Abinadab's home on the hill and placed it on a new cart. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the cart,


text:
 David and all the Israelites were dancing and singing with all their might to honor the LORD. They were playing harps, lyres, drums, rattles, and cymbals.


text:
 As they came to the threshing place of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out and took hold of the Covenant Box.


text:
 At once the LORD God became angry with Uzzah and killed him because of his irreverence. Uzzah died there beside the Covenant Box,


text:
 and so that place has been called Perez Uzzah ever since. David was furious because the LORD had punished Uzzah in anger.


text:
 So he decided not to take it with him to Jerusalem; instead, he turned off the road and took it to the house of Obed Edom, a native of the city of Gath.


text:
 King David heard that because of the Covenant Box the LORD had blessed Obed Edom's family and all that he had; so he got the Covenant Box from Obed's house to take it to Jerusalem with a great celebration.


text:
 After the men carrying the Covenant Box had gone six steps, David had them stop while he offered the LORD a sacrifice of a bull and a fattened calf.


text:
 And so he and all the Israelites took the Covenant Box up to Jerusalem with shouts of joy and the sound of trumpets.


text:
 As the Box was being brought into the city, Michal, Saul's daughter, looked out of the window and saw King David dancing and jumping around in the sacred dance, and she was disgusted with him.


text:
 They brought the Box and put it in its place in the Tent that David had set up for it. Then he offered sacrifices and fellowship offerings to the LORD.


text:
 When he had finished offering the sacrifices, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD Almighty


text:
 and distributed food to them all. He gave each man and woman in Israel a loaf of bread, a piece of roasted meat, and some raisins. Then everyone went home.


text:
 Afterward, when David went home to greet his family, Michal came out to meet him. "The king of Israel made a big name for himself today!" she said. "He exposed himself like a fool in the sight of the servant women of his officials!"


text:
 David answered, "I was dancing to honor the LORD, who chose me instead of your father and his family to make me the leader of his people Israel. And I will go on dancing to honor the LORD,


text:
 and will disgrace myself even more. You may think I am nothing, but those women will think highly of me!"


text:
 Then the king said to the prophet Nathan, "Here I am living in a house built of cedar, but God's Covenant Box is kept in a tent!"


text:
 "Go and tell my servant David that I say to him, 'You are not the one to build a temple for me to live in.


text:
 From the time I rescued the people of Israel from Egypt until now, I have never lived in a temple; I have traveled around living in a tent.


text:
 In all my traveling with the people of Israel I never asked any of the leaders that I appointed why they had not built me a temple made of cedar.'


text:
 "So tell my servant David that I, the LORD Almighty, say to him, 'I took you from looking after sheep in the fields and made you the ruler of my people Israel.


text:
 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have defeated all your enemies as you advanced. I will make you as famous as the greatest leaders in the world.


text:
 I have chosen a place for my people Israel and have settled them there, where they will live without being oppressed any more. Ever since they entered this land, they have been attacked by violent people, but this will not happen again. I promise to keep you safe from all your enemies and to give you descendants.


text:
 When you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will make one of your sons king and will keep his kingdom strong.


text:
 He will be the one to build a temple for me, and I will make sure that his dynasty continues forever.


text:
 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him as a father punishes his son.


text:
 But I will not withdraw my support from him as I did from Saul, whom I removed so that you could be king.


text:
 You will always have descendants, and I will make your kingdom last forever. Your dynasty will never end.' "


text:
 Then King David went into the Tent of the LORD's presence, sat down and prayed, "Sovereign LORD, I am not worthy of what you have already done for me, nor is my family.


text:
 Yet now you are doing even more, Sovereign LORD; you have made promises about my descendants in the years to come. And you let a man see this, Sovereign LORD!


text:
 It was your will and purpose to do this; you have done all these great things in order to instruct me.


text:
 How great you are, Sovereign LORD! There is none like you; we have always known that you alone are God.


text:
 There is no other nation on earth like Israel, whom you rescued from slavery to make them your own people. The great and wonderful things you did for them have spread your fame throughout the world. You drove out other nations and their gods as your people advanced, the people whom you set free from Egypt to be your own.


text:
 "And now, LORD God, fulfill for all time the promise you made about me and my descendants, and do what you said you would.


text:
 Your fame will be great, and people will forever say, 'The LORD Almighty is God over Israel.' And you will preserve my dynasty for all time.


text:
 LORD Almighty, God of Israel! I have the courage to pray this prayer to you, because you have revealed all this to me, your servant, and have told me that you will make my descendants kings.


text:
 "And now, Sovereign LORD, you are God; you always keep your promises, and you have made this wonderful promise to me.


text:
 I ask you to bless my descendants so that they will continue to enjoy your favor. You, Sovereign LORD, have promised this, and your blessing will rest on my descendants forever."


text:
 Some time later King David attacked the Philistines again, defeated them, and ended their control over the land.


text:
 Then he defeated the Moabites. He made the prisoners lie down on the ground and put two out of every three of them to death. So the Moabites became his subjects and paid taxes to him.


text:
 Then he defeated the king of the Syrian state of Zobah, Hadadezer son of Rehob, as Hadadezer was on his way to restore his control over the territory by the upper Euphrates River.


text:
 David captured seventeen hundred of his cavalry and twenty thousand of his foot soldiers. He kept enough horses for a hundred chariots and crippled all the rest.


text:
 When the Syrians of Damascus sent an army to help King Hadadezer, David attacked it and killed twenty-two thousand men.


text:
 Then he set up military camps in their territory, and they became his subjects and paid taxes to him. The LORD made David victorious everywhere.


text:
 So he sent his son Joram to greet King David and congratulate him for his victory over Hadadezer, against whom Toi had fought many times. Joram took David presents made of gold, silver, and bronze.


text:
 King David dedicated them for use in worship, along with the silver and gold he took from the nations he had conquered---


text:
 Edom, Moab, Ammon, Philistia, and Amalek---as well as part of the loot he had taken from Hadadezer.


text:
 David became even more famous when he returned from killing eighteen thousand Edomites in Salt Valley.


text:
 He set up military camps throughout Edom, and the people there became his subjects. The LORD made David victorious everywhere.


text:
 David ruled over all of Israel and made sure that his people were always treated fairly and justly.


text:
 Joab, whose mother was Zeruiah, was the commander of the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was in charge of the records;


text:
 One day David asked, "Is there anyone left of Saul's family? If there is, I would like to show him kindness for Jonathan's sake."


text:
 There was a servant of Saul's family named Ziba, and he was told to go to David. "Are you Ziba?" the king asked. "At your service, sir," he answered.


text:
 The king asked him, "Is there anyone left of Saul's family to whom I can show loyalty and kindness, as I promised God I would?" Ziba answered, "There is still one of Jonathan's sons. He is crippled."


text:
 When Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan and grandson of Saul, arrived, he bowed down before David in respect. David said, "Mephibosheth," and he answered, "At your service, sir."


text:
 "Don't be afraid," David replied. "I will be kind to you for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will give you back all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always be welcome at my table."


text:
 Mephibosheth bowed again and said, "I am no better than a dead dog, sir! Why should you be so good to me?"


text:
 Then the king called Ziba, Saul's servant, and said, "I am giving Mephibosheth, your master's grandson, everything that belonged to Saul and his family.


text:
 You, your sons, and your servants will farm the land for your master Saul's family and bring in the harvest, to provide food for them. But Mephibosheth himself will always be a guest at my table." (Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)


text:
 Ziba answered, "I will do everything Your Majesty commands." So Mephibosheth ate at the king's table, just like one of the king's sons.


text:
 Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica. All the members of Ziba's family became servants of Mephibosheth.


text:
 So Mephibosheth, who was crippled in both feet, lived in Jerusalem, eating all his meals at the king's table.


text:
 King David said, "I must show loyal friendship to Hanun, as his father Nahash did to me." So David sent messengers to express his sympathy. When they arrived in Ammon,


text:
 the Ammonite leaders said to the king, "Do you think that it is in your father's honor that David has sent these men to express sympathy to you? Of course not! He has sent them here as spies to explore the city, so that he can conquer us!"


text:
 Hanun seized David's messengers, shaved off one side of their beards, cut off their clothes at the hips, and sent them away.


text:
 They were too ashamed to return home. When David heard about what had happened, he sent word for them to stay in Jericho and not return until their beards had grown again.


text:
 The Ammonites realized that they had made David their enemy, so they hired twenty thousand Syrian soldiers from Bethrehob and Zobah, twelve thousand men from Tob, and the king of Maacah with a thousand men.


text:
 The Ammonites marched out and took up their position at the entrance to Rabbah, their capital city, while the others, both the Syrians and the men from Tob and Maacah, took up their position in the open countryside.


text:
 Joab saw that the enemy troops would attack him in front and from the rear, so he chose the best of Israel's soldiers and put them in position facing the Syrians.


text:
 He placed the rest of his troops under the command of his brother Abishai, who put them in position facing the Ammonites.


text:
 Joab said to him, "If you see that the Syrians are defeating me, come and help me, and if the Ammonites are defeating you, I will go and help you.


text:
 Be strong and courageous! Let's fight hard for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the LORD's will be done!"


text:
 When the Ammonites saw the Syrians running away, they fled from Abishai and retreated into the city. Then Joab turned back from fighting the Ammonites and went back to Jerusalem.


text:
 The Syrians realized that they had been defeated by the Israelites, and so they called all their troops together.


text:
 King Hadadezer sent for the Syrians who were on the east side of the Euphrates River, and they came to Helam under the command of Shobach, commander of the army of King Hadadezer of Zobah.


text:
 When David heard of it, he gathered the Israelite troops, crossed the Jordan River, and marched to Helam, where the Syrians took up their position facing him. The fighting began,


text:
 and the Israelites drove the Syrian army back. David and his men killed seven hundred Syrian chariot drivers and forty thousand cavalry, and they wounded Shobach, the enemy commander, who died on the battlefield.


text:
 When the kings who were subject to Hadadezer realized that they had been defeated by the Israelites, they made peace with them and became their subjects. And the Syrians were afraid to help the Ammonites any more.


text:
 The following spring, at the time of the year when kings usually go to war, David sent out Joab with his officers and the Israelite army; they defeated the Ammonites and besieged the city of Rabbah. But David himself stayed in Jerusalem.


text:
 One day, late in the afternoon, David got up from his nap and went to the palace roof. As he walked around up there, he saw a woman taking a bath in her house. She was very beautiful.


text:
 So he sent a messenger to find out who she was, and learned that she was Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.


text:
 David sent messengers to get her; they brought her to him and he made love to her. (She had just finished her monthly ritual of purification.) Then she went back home.


text:
 When Uriah arrived, David asked him if Joab and the troops were well, and how the fighting was going.


text:
 Then he said to Uriah, "Go on home and rest a while." Uriah left, and David had a present sent to his home.


text:
 When David heard that Uriah had not gone home, he asked him, "You have just returned after a long absence; why didn't you go home?"


text:
 Uriah answered, "The men of Israel and Judah are away in battle, and the Covenant Box is with them; my commander Joab and his officers are camping out in the open. How could I go home, eat and drink, and sleep with my wife? By all that's sacred, I swear that I could never do such a thing!"


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


text:
 David invited him to supper and got him drunk. But again that night Uriah did not go home; instead he slept on his blanket in the palace guardroom.


text:
 He wrote: "Put Uriah in the front line, where the fighting is heaviest, then retreat and let him be killed."


text:
 The enemy troops came out of the city and fought Joab's forces; some of David's officers were killed, and so was Uriah.


text:
 he may get angry and ask you, 'Why did you go so near the city to fight them? Didn't you realize that they would shoot arrows from the walls?


text:
 Don't you remember how Abimelech son of Gideon was killed? It was at Thebez, where a woman threw a millstone down from the wall and killed him. Why, then, did you go so near the wall?' If the king asks you this, tell him, 'Your officer Uriah was also killed.' "


text:
 He said, "Our enemies were stronger than we were and came out of the city to fight us in the open, but we drove them back to the city gate.


text:
 Then they shot arrows at us from the wall, and some of Your Majesty's officers were killed; your officer Uriah was also killed."


text:
 David said to the messenger, "Encourage Joab and tell him not to be upset, since you never can tell who will die in battle. Tell him to launch a stronger attack on the city and capture it."


text:
 When the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to the palace; she became his wife and bore him a son. But the LORD was not pleased with what David had done.


text:
 The LORD sent the prophet Nathan to David. Nathan went to him and said, "There were two men who lived in the same town; one was rich and the other poor.


text:
 while the poor man had only one lamb, which he had bought. He took care of it, and it grew up in his home with his children. He would feed it some of his own food, let it drink from his cup, and hold it in his lap. The lamb was like a daughter to him.


text:
 One day a visitor arrived at the rich man's home. The rich man didn't want to kill one of his own animals to fix a meal for him; instead, he took the poor man's lamb and prepared a meal for his guest."


text:
 David became very angry at the rich man and said, "I swear by the living LORD that the man who did this ought to die!


text:
 "You are that man," Nathan said to David. "And this is what the LORD God of Israel says: 'I made you king of Israel and rescued you from Saul.


text:
 I gave you his kingdom and his wives; I made you king over Israel and Judah. If this had not been enough, I would have given you twice as much.


text:
 Why, then, have you disobeyed my commands? Why did you do this evil thing? You had Uriah killed in battle; you let the Ammonites kill him, and then you took his wife!


text:
 Now, in every generation some of your descendants will die a violent death because you have disobeyed me and have taken Uriah's wife.


text:
 I swear to you that I will cause someone from your own family to bring trouble on you. You will see it when I take your wives from you and give them to another man; and he will have intercourse with them in broad daylight.


text:
 "I have sinned against the LORD," David said. Nathan replied, "The LORD forgives you; you will not die.


text:
 Then Nathan went home. The LORD caused the child that Uriah's wife had borne to David to become very sick.


text:
 David prayed to God that the child would get well. He refused to eat anything, and every night he went into his room and spent the night lying on the floor.


text:
 His court officials went to him and tried to make him get up, but he refused and would not eat anything with them.


text:
 A week later the child died, and David's officials were afraid to tell him the news. They said, "While the child was living, David wouldn't answer us when we spoke to him. How can we tell him that his child is dead? He might do himself some harm!"


text:
 When David noticed them whispering to each other, he realized that the child had died. So he asked them, "Is the child dead?" "Yes, he is," they answered.


text:
 David got up from the floor, took a bath, combed his hair, and changed his clothes. Then he went and worshiped in the house of the LORD. When he returned to the palace, he asked for food and ate it as soon as it was served.


text:
 "We don't understand this," his officials said to him. "While the child was alive, you wept for him and would not eat; but as soon as he died, you got up and ate!"


text:
 "Yes," David answered, "I did fast and weep while he was still alive. I thought that the LORD might be merciful to me and not let the child die.


text:
 But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Could I bring the child back to life? I will some day go to where he is, but he can never come back to me."


text:
 Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba. He had intercourse with her, and she bore a son, whom David named Solomon. The LORD loved the boy


text:
 Meanwhile Joab continued his campaign against Rabbah, the capital city of Ammon, and was about to capture it.


text:
 Now gather the rest of your forces, attack the city and take it yourself. I don't want to get the credit for capturing it."


text:
 From the head of the idol of the Ammonite god Molech David took a gold crown which weighed about seventy-five pounds and had a jewel in it. David took the jewel and put it in his own crown. He also took a large amount of loot from the city


text:
 and put its people to work with saws, iron hoes, and iron axes, and forced them to work at making bricks. He did the same to the people of all the other towns of Ammon. Then he and his men returned to Jerusalem.


text:
 David's son Absalom had a beautiful unmarried sister named Tamar. Amnon, another of David's sons, fell in love with her.


text:
 He was so much in love with her that he became sick, because it seemed impossible for him to have her; as a virgin, she was kept from meeting men.


text:
 Jonadab said to Amnon, "You are the king's son, yet day after day I see you looking sad. What's the matter?" "I'm in love with Tamar, the sister of my half brother Absalom," he answered.


text:
 Jonadab said to him, "Pretend that you are sick and go to bed. When your father comes to see you, say to him, 'Please ask my sister Tamar to come and feed me. I want her to fix the food here where I can see her, and then serve it to me herself.' "


text:
 So Amnon pretended that he was sick and went to bed. King David went to see him, and Amnon said to him, "Please let Tamar come and make a few cakes here where I can see her, and then serve them to me herself."


text:
 She went there and found him in bed. She took some dough, prepared it, and made some cakes there where he could see her. Then she baked the cakes


text:
 and emptied them out of the pan for him to eat, but he wouldn't. He said, "Send everyone away"---and they all left.


text:
 Then he said to her, "Bring the cakes here to my bed and serve them to me yourself." She took the cakes and went over to him.


text:
 How could I ever hold up my head in public again? And you---you would be completely disgraced in Israel. Please, speak to the king, and I'm sure that he will give me to you."


text:
 But he would not listen to her; and since he was stronger than she was, he overpowered her and raped her.


text:
 Then Amnon was filled with a deep hatred for her; he hated her now even more than he had loved her before. He said to her, "Get out!"


text:
 "No," she answered. "To send me away like this is a greater crime than what you just did!" But Amnon would not listen to her;


text:
 he called in his personal servant and said, "Get this woman out of my sight! Throw her out and lock the door!"


text:
 The servant put her out and locked the door. Tamar was wearing a long robe with full sleeves, the usual clothing for an unmarried princess in those days.


text:
 She sprinkled ashes on her head, tore her robe, and with her face buried in her hands went away crying.


text:
 When her brother Absalom saw her, he asked, "Has Amnon molested you? Please, sister, don't let it upset you so much. He is your half brother, so don't tell anyone about it." So Tamar lived in Absalom's house, sad and lonely.


text:
 And Absalom hated Amnon so much for having raped his sister Tamar that he would no longer even speak to him.


text:
 Two years later Absalom was having his sheep sheared at Baal Hazor, near the town of Ephraim, and he invited all the king's sons to be there.


text:
 He went to King David and said, "Your Majesty, I am having my sheep sheared. Will you and your officials come and take part in the festivities?"


text:
 "No, my son," the king answered. "It would be too much trouble for you if we all went." Absalom insisted, but the king would not give in, and he asked Absalom to leave.


text:
 But Absalom said, "Well, then, will you at least let my brother Amnon come?" "Why should he?" the king asked.


text:
 But Absalom kept on insisting until David finally let Amnon and all his other sons go with Absalom. Absalom prepared a banquet fit for a king


text:
 and instructed his servants: "Notice when Amnon has had too much to drink, and then when I give the order, kill him. Don't be afraid. I will take the responsibility myself. Be brave and don't hesitate!"


text:
 So the servants followed Absalom's instructions and killed Amnon. All the rest of David's sons mounted their mules and fled.


text:
 While they were on their way home, David was told: "Absalom has killed all your sons---not one of them is left!"


text:
 The king stood up, tore his clothes in sorrow, and threw himself to the ground. The servants who were there with him tore their clothes also.


text:
 But Jonadab, the son of David's brother Shammah, said, "Your Majesty, they haven't killed all your sons. Only Amnon is dead. You could tell by looking at Absalom that he had made up his mind to do this from the time that Amnon raped his sister Tamar.


text:
 In the meantime Absalom had fled. Just then the soldier on sentry duty saw a large crowd coming down the hill on the road from Horonaim. He went to the king and reported what he had seen.


text:
 As soon as he finished saying this, David's sons came in; they started crying, and David and his officials also cried bitterly.


text:
 Absalom fled and went to the king of Geshur, Talmai son of Ammihud, and stayed there three years. David mourned a long time for his son Amnon;


text:
 so he sent for a clever woman who lived in Tekoa. When she arrived, he said to her, "Pretend that you are in mourning; put on your mourning clothes, and don't comb your hair. Act like a woman who has been in mourning for a long time.


text:
 The woman went to the king, bowed down to the ground in respect, and said, "Help me, Your Majesty!"


text:
 Sir, I had two sons, and one day they got into a quarrel out in the fields, where there was no one to separate them, and one of them killed the other.


text:
 And now, sir, all my relatives have turned against me and are demanding that I hand my son over to them, so that they can kill him for murdering his brother. If they do this, I will be left without a son. They will destroy my last hope and leave my husband without a son to keep his name alive."


text:
 "Your Majesty," she said, "whatever you do, my family and I will take the blame; you and the royal family are innocent."


text:
 She said, "Your Majesty, please pray to the LORD your God, so that my relative who is responsible for avenging the death of my son will not commit a greater crime by killing my other son." "I promise by the living LORD," David replied, "that your son will not be harmed in the least."


text:
 She said to him, "Why have you done such a wrong to God's people? You have not allowed your own son to return from exile, and so you have condemned yourself by what you have just said.


text:
 We will all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which can't be gathered again. Even God does not bring the dead back to life, but the king can at least find a way to bring a man back from exile.


text:
 Now, Your Majesty, the reason I have come to speak to you is that the people threatened me, and so I said to myself that I would speak to you in the hope that you would do what I ask.


text:
 I thought you would listen to me and save me from the one who is trying to kill my son and me and so remove us from the land God gave his people.


text:
 I said to myself that your promise, sir, would make me safe, because the king is like God's angel and can distinguish good from evil. May the LORD your God be with you!"


text:
 The king answered, "I'm going to ask you a question, and you must tell me the whole truth." "Ask me anything, Your Majesty," she answered.


text:
 "Did Joab put you up to this?" he asked her. She answered, "I swear by all that is sacred, Your Majesty, that there is no way to avoid answering your question. It was indeed your officer Joab who told me what to do and what to say.


text:
 But he did it in order to straighten out this whole matter. Your Majesty is as wise as the angel of God and knows everything that happens."


text:
 Later on the king said to Joab, "I have decided to do what you want. Go and get the young man Absalom and bring him back here."


text:
 Joab threw himself to the ground in front of David in respect, and said, "God bless you, Your Majesty! Now I know that you are pleased with me, because you have granted my request."


text:
 The king, however, gave orders that Absalom should not live in the palace. "I don't want to see him," the king said. So Absalom lived in his own house and did not appear before the king.


text:
 There was no one in Israel as famous for his good looks as Absalom; he had no defect from head to toe.


text:
 His hair was very thick, and he had to cut it once a year, when it grew too long and heavy. It would weigh about five pounds according to the royal standard of weights.


text:
 Then he sent for Joab, to ask him to go to the king for him; but Joab would not come. Again Absalom sent for him, and again Joab refused to come.


text:
 So Absalom said to his servants, "Look, Joab's field is next to mine, and it has barley growing in it. Go and set fire to it." So they went and set the field on fire.


text:
 Absalom answered, "Because you wouldn't come when I sent for you. I wanted you to go to the king and ask for me: 'Why did I leave Geshur and come here? It would have been better for me to have stayed there.' " And Absalom went on, "I want you to arrange for me to see the king, and if I'm guilty, then let him put me to death."


text:
 So Joab went to King David and told him what Absalom had said. The king sent for Absalom, who went to him and bowed down to the ground in front of him. The king welcomed him with a kiss.


text:
 He would get up early and go and stand by the road at the city gate. Whenever someone came there with a dispute that he wanted the king to settle, Absalom would call him over and ask him where he was from. And after the man had told him what tribe he was from,


text:
 Absalom would say, "Look, the law is on your side, but there is no representative of the king to hear your case."


text:
 And he would add, "How I wish I were a judge! Then anyone who had a dispute or a claim could come to me, and I would give him justice."


text:
 When the man would approach Absalom to bow down before him, Absalom would reach out, take hold of him, and kiss him.


text:
 Absalom did this with every Israelite who came to the king for judgment, and so he won their loyalty.


text:
 After four years Absalom said to King David, "Sir, let me go to Hebron and keep a promise I made to the LORD.


text:
 While I was living in Geshur in Syria, I promised the LORD that if he would take me back to Jerusalem, I would worship him in Hebron."


text:
 But he sent messengers to all the tribes of Israel to say, "When you hear the sound of trumpets, shout, 'Absalom has become king at Hebron!' "


text:
 There were two hundred men who at Absalom's invitation had gone from Jerusalem with him; they knew nothing of the plot and went in all good faith.


text:
 And while he was offering sacrifices, Absalom also sent to the town of Gilo for Ahithophel, who was one of King David's advisers. The plot against the king gained strength, and Absalom's followers grew in number.


text:
 So David said to all his officials who were with him in Jerusalem, "We must get away at once if we want to escape from Absalom! Hurry! Or else he will soon be here and defeat us and kill everyone in the city!"


text:
 So the king left, accompanied by all his family and officials, except for ten concubines, whom he left behind to take care of the palace.


text:
 All his officials stood next to him as the royal bodyguards passed by in front of him. The six hundred soldiers who had followed him from Gath also passed by,


text:
 and the king said to Ittai, their leader, "Why are you going with us? Go back and stay with the new king. You are a foreigner, a refugee away from your own country.


text:
 You have lived here only a short time, so why should I make you wander around with me? I don't even know where I'm going. Go back and take all your people with you---and may the LORD be kind and faithful to you."


text:
 But Ittai answered, "Your Majesty, I swear to you in the LORD's name that I will always go with you wherever you go, even if it means death."


text:
 The people cried loudly as David's followers left. The king crossed Kidron Brook, followed by his men, and together they went out toward the wilderness.


text:
 Zadok the priest was there, and with him were the Levites, carrying the sacred Covenant Box. They set it down and didn't pick it up again until all the people had left the city. The priest Abiathar was there too.


text:
 Then the king said to Zadok, "Take the Covenant Box back to the city. If the LORD is pleased with me, some day he will let me come back to see it and the place where it stays.


text:
 And he went on to say to Zadok, "Look, take your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar's son Jonathan and go back to the city in peace.


text:
 David went on up the Mount of Olives crying; he was barefoot and had his head covered as a sign of grief. All who followed him covered their heads and cried also.


text:
 When David was told that Ahithophel had joined Absalom's rebellion, he prayed, "Please, LORD, turn Ahithophel's advice into nonsense!"


text:
 When David reached the top of the hill, where there was a place of worship, his trusted friend Hushai the Archite met him with his clothes torn and with dirt on his head.


text:
 but you can help me by returning to the city and telling Absalom that you will now serve him as faithfully as you served his father. And do all you can to oppose any advice that Ahithophel gives.


text:
 They have their sons Ahimaaz and Jonathan with them, and you can send them to me with all the information you gather."


text:
 When David had gone a little beyond the top of the hill, he was suddenly met by Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, who had with him a couple of donkeys loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred bunches of raisins, a hundred bunches of fresh fruit, and a leather bag full of wine.


text:
 King David asked him, "What are you going to do with all that?" Ziba answered, "The donkeys are for Your Majesty's family to ride, the bread and the fruit are for the men to eat, and the wine is for them to drink when they get tired in the wilderness."


text:
 "Where is Mephibosheth, the grandson of your master Saul?" the king asked him. "He is staying in Jerusalem," Ziba answered, "because he is convinced that the Israelites will now restore to him the kingdom of his grandfather Saul."


text:
 The king said to Ziba, "Everything that belonged to Mephibosheth is yours." "I am your servant," Ziba replied. "May I always please Your Majesty!"


text:
 When King David arrived at Bahurim, one of Saul's relatives, Shimei son of Gera, came out to meet him, cursing him as he came.


text:
 Shimei started throwing stones at David and his officials, even though David was surrounded by his men and his bodyguards.


text:
 You took Saul's kingdom, and now the LORD is punishing you for murdering so many of Saul's family. The LORD has given the kingdom to your son Absalom, and you are ruined, you murderer!"


text:
 Abishai, whose mother was Zeruiah, said to the king, "Your Majesty, why do you let this dog curse you? Let me go over there and cut off his head!"


text:
 "This is none of your business," the king said to Abishai and his brother Joab. "If he curses me because the LORD told him to, who has the right to ask why he does it?"


text:
 And David said to Abishai and to all his officials, "My own son is trying to kill me; so why should you be surprised at this Benjaminite? The LORD told him to curse; so leave him alone and let him do it.


text:
 So David and his men continued along the road. Shimei kept up with them, walking on the hillside; he was cursing and throwing stones and dirt at them as he went.


text:
 When Hushai, David's trusted friend, met Absalom, he shouted, "Long live the king! Long live the king!"


text:
 "What has happened to your loyalty to your friend David?" Absalom asked him. "Why didn't you go with him?"


text:
 Hushai answered, "How could I? I am for the one chosen by the LORD, by these people, and by all the Israelites. I will stay with you.


text:
 After all, whom should I serve, if not my master's son? As I served your father, so now I will serve you."


text:
 Ahithophel answered, "Go and have intercourse with your father's concubines whom he left behind to take care of the palace. Then everyone in Israel will know that your father regards you as his enemy, and your followers will be greatly encouraged."


text:
 So they set up a tent for Absalom on the palace roof, and in the sight of everyone Absalom went in and had intercourse with his father's concubines.


text:
 Any advice that Ahithophel gave in those days was accepted as though it were the very word of God; both David and Absalom followed it.


text:
 Not long after that, Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Let me choose twelve thousand men, and tonight I will set out after David.


text:
 I will attack him while he is tired and discouraged. He will be frightened, and all his men will run away. I will kill only the king


text:
 and then bring back all his men to you, like a bride returning to her husband. You want to kill only one man; the rest of the people will be safe."


text:
 When Hushai arrived, Absalom said to him, "This is the advice that Ahithophel has given us; shall we follow it? If not, you tell us what to do."


text:
 You know that your father David and his men are hard fighters and that they are as fierce as a mother bear robbed of her cubs. Your father is an experienced soldier and does not stay with his men at night.


text:
 Right now he is probably hiding in a cave or some other place. As soon as David attacks your men, whoever hears about it will say that your men have been defeated.


text:
 Then even the bravest men, as fearless as lions, will be afraid because everyone in Israel knows that your father is a great soldier and that his men are hard fighters.


text:
 My advice is that you bring all the Israelites together from one end of the country to the other, as many as the grains of sand on the seashore, and that you lead them personally in battle.


text:
 We will find David wherever he is, and attack him before he knows what's happening. Neither he nor any of his men will survive.


text:
 If he retreats into a city, our people will all bring ropes and just pull the city into the valley below. Not a single stone will be left there on top of the hill."


text:
 Absalom and all the Israelites said, "Hushai's advice is better than Ahithophel's." The LORD had decided that Ahithophel's good advice would not be followed, so that disaster would come on Absalom.


text:
 Then Hushai told the priests Zadok and Abiathar what advice he had given to Absalom and the Israelite leaders and what advice Ahithophel had given.


text:
 Hushai added, "Quick, now! Send a message to David not to spend the night at the river crossings in the wilderness, but to cross the Jordan at once, so that he and his men won't all be caught and killed."


text:
 Abiathar's son Jonathan and Zadok's son Ahimaaz were waiting at the spring of Enrogel, on the outskirts of Jerusalem, because they did not dare be seen entering the city. A servant woman would regularly go and tell them what was happening, and then they would go and tell King David.


text:
 But one day a boy happened to see them, and he told Absalom; so they hurried off to hide in the house of a certain man in Bahurim. He had a well near his house, and they got down in it.


text:
 The man's wife took a covering, spread it over the opening of the well and scattered grain over it, so that no one would notice anything.


text:
 Absalom's officials came to the house and asked the woman, "Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?" "They crossed the river," she answered. The men looked for them but could not find them, and so they returned to Jerusalem.


text:
 After they left, Ahimaaz and Jonathan came up out of the well and went and reported to King David. They told him what Ahithophel had planned against him and said, "Hurry up and cross the river."


text:
 When Ahithophel saw that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey and went back to his hometown. After putting his affairs in order, he hanged himself. He was buried in the family grave.


text:
 David had reached the town of Mahanaim by the time Absalom and the Israelites had crossed the Jordan.


text:
 (Absalom had put Amasa in command of the army in the place of Joab. Amasa was the son of Jether the Ishmaelite; his mother was Abigail, the daughter of Nahash and the sister of Joab's mother Zeruiah.)


text:
 When David arrived at Mahanaim, he was met by Shobi son of Nahash, from the city of Rabbah in Ammon, and by Machir son of Ammiel, from Lodebar, and by Barzillai, from Rogelim in Gilead.


text:
 They brought bowls, clay pots, and bedding, and also food for David and his men: wheat, barley, meal, roasted grain, beans, peas, honey, cheese, cream, and some sheep. They knew that David and his men would get hungry, thirsty, and tired in the wilderness.


text:
 King David brought all his men together, divided them into units of a thousand and of a hundred, and placed officers in command of them.


text:
 Then he sent them out in three groups, with Joab and Joab's brother Abishai and Ittai from Gath, each in command of a group. And the king said to his men, "I will go with you myself."


text:
 "You mustn't go with us," they answered. "It won't make any difference to the enemy if the rest of us turn and run, or even if half of us are killed; but you are worth ten thousand of us. It will be better if you stay here in the city and send us help."


text:
 "I will do whatever you think best," the king answered. Then he stood by the side of the gate as his men marched out in units of a thousand and of a hundred.


text:
 He gave orders to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai: "For my sake don't harm the young man Absalom." And all the troops heard David give this command to his officers.


text:
 The Israelites were defeated by David's men; it was a terrible defeat, with twenty thousand men killed that day.


text:
 The fighting spread over the countryside, and more men died in the forest than were killed in battle.


text:
 Suddenly Absalom met some of David's men. Absalom was riding a mule, and as it went under a large oak tree, Absalom's head got caught in the branches. The mule ran on and Absalom was left hanging in midair.


text:
 Joab answered, "If you saw him, why didn't you kill him on the spot? I myself would have given you ten pieces of silver and a belt."


text:
 But the man answered, "Even if you gave me a thousand pieces of silver, I wouldn't lift a finger against the king's son. We all heard the king command you and Abishai and Ittai, 'For my sake don't harm the young man Absalom.'


text:
 But if I had disobeyed the king and killed Absalom, the king would have heard about it---he hears about everything---and you would not have defended me."


text:
 "I'm not going to waste any more time with you," Joab said. He took three spears and plunged them into Absalom's chest while he was still alive, hanging in the oak tree.


text:
 Joab had the trumpet blown to stop the fighting, and his troops came back from pursuing the Israelites.


text:
 They took Absalom's body, threw it into a deep pit in the forest, and covered it with a huge pile of stones. All the Israelites fled to their own hometowns.


text:
 During his lifetime Absalom had built a monument for himself in King's Valley, because he had no son to keep his name alive. So he named it after himself, and to this day it is known as Absalom's Monument.


text:
 Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said to Joab, "Let me run to the king with the good news that the LORD has saved him from his enemies."


text:
 "No," Joab said, "today you will not take any good news. Some other day you may do so, but not today, for the king's son is dead."


text:
 Then he said to his Ethiopian slave, "Go and tell the king what you have seen." The slave bowed and ran off.


text:
 Ahimaaz insisted, "I don't care what happens; please let me take the news also." "Why do you want to do it, my son?" Joab asked. "You will get no reward for it."


text:
 "Whatever happens," Ahimaaz said again, "I want to go." "Then go," Joab said. So Ahimaaz ran off down the road through the Jordan Valley, and soon he passed the slave.


text:
 David was sitting in the space between the inner and outer gates of the city. The lookout went up to the top of the wall and stood on the roof of the gateway; he looked out and saw a man running alone.


text:
 He called down and told the king, and the king said, "If he is alone, he is bringing good news." The runner kept coming closer.


text:
 Then the lookout saw another man running alone, and he called down to the gatekeeper, "Look! There's another man running!" The king answered, "This one also is bringing good news."


text:
 The lookout said, "I can see that the first man runs like Ahimaaz." "He's a good man," the king said, "and he is bringing good news."


text:
 Ahimaaz called out a greeting to the king, threw himself down to the ground before him, and said, "Praise the LORD your God, who has given you victory over the men who rebelled against Your Majesty!"


text:
 "Is the young man Absalom all right?" the king asked. Ahimaaz answered, "Sir, when your officer Joab sent me, I saw a great commotion, but I couldn't tell what it was."


text:
 Then the Ethiopian slave arrived and said to the king, "I have good news for Your Majesty! Today the LORD has given you victory over all who rebelled against you!"


text:
 "Is the young man Absalom all right?" the king asked. The slave answered, "I wish that what has happened to him would happen to all your enemies, sir, and to all who rebel against you."


text:
 The king was overcome with grief. He went up to the room over the gateway and wept. As he went, he cried, "O my son! My son Absalom! Absalom, my son! If only I had died in your place, my son! Absalom, my son!"


text:
 And so the joy of victory was turned into sadness for all of David's troops that day, because they heard that the king was mourning for his son.


text:
 They went back into the city quietly, like soldiers who are ashamed because they are running away from battle.


text:
 Joab went to the king's house and said to him, "Today you have humiliated your men---the men who saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and of your wives and concubines.


text:
 You oppose those who love you and support those who hate you! You have made it clear that your officers and men mean nothing to you. I can see that you would be quite happy if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead.


text:
 Now go and reassure your men. I swear by the LORD's name that if you don't, not one of them will be with you by tomorrow morning. That would be the worst disaster you have suffered in all your life."


text:
 Then the king got up, and went and sat near the city gate. His men heard that he was there, and they all gathered around him. Meanwhile all the Israelites had fled to their own hometowns.


text:
 All over the country they started quarreling among themselves. "King David saved us from our enemies," they said to one another. "He rescued us from the Philistines, but now he has fled from Absalom and left the country.


text:
 We anointed Absalom as our king, but he has been killed in battle. So why doesn't somebody try to bring King David back?"


text:
 The news of what the Israelites were saying reached King David. So he sent the priests Zadok and Abiathar to ask the leaders of Judah, "Why should you be the last to help bring the king back to his palace?


text:
 David also told them to say to Amasa, "You are my relative. From now on I am putting you in charge of the army in place of Joab. May God strike me dead if I don't!"


text:
 David's words won the complete loyalty of all the men of Judah, and they sent him word to return with all his officials.


text:
 On his way back the king was met at the Jordan River by the men of Judah, who had come to Gilgal to escort him across the river.


text:
 At the same time the Benjaminite Shimei son of Gera from Bahurim hurried to the Jordan to meet King David.


text:
 He had with him a thousand men from the tribe of Benjamin. And Ziba, the servant of Saul's family, also came with his fifteen sons and twenty servants, and they arrived at the Jordan before the king.


text:
 They crossed the river to escort the royal party across and to do whatever the king wanted. As the king was getting ready to cross, Shimei threw himself down in front of him


text:
 and said, "Your Majesty, please forget the wrong I did that day you left Jerusalem. Don't hold it against me or think about it any more.


text:
 I know, sir, that I have sinned, and this is why I am the first one from the northern tribes to come and meet Your Majesty today."


text:
 Abishai son of Zeruiah spoke up: "Shimei should be put to death because he cursed the one whom the LORD chose as king."


text:
 But David said to Abishai and his brother Joab, "Who asked your opinion? Are you going to give me trouble? I am the one who is king of Israel now, and no Israelite will be put to death today."


text:
 Then Mephibosheth, Saul's grandson, came down to meet the king. He had not washed his feet, trimmed his beard, or washed his clothes from the time the king left Jerusalem until he returned victorious.


text:
 When Mephibosheth arrived from Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, "Mephibosheth, you didn't go with me. Why not?"


text:
 He answered, "As you know, Your Majesty, I am crippled. I told my servant to saddle my donkey so that I could ride along with you, but he betrayed me.


text:
 All of my father's family deserved to be put to death by Your Majesty, but you gave me the right to eat at your table. I have no right to ask for any more favors from Your Majesty."


text:
 The king answered, "You don't have to say anything more. I have decided that you and Ziba will share Saul's property."


text:
 "Let Ziba have it all," Mephibosheth answered. "It's enough for me that Your Majesty has come home safely."


text:
 Barzillai was a very old man, eighty years old. He was very rich and had supplied the king with food while he was staying at Mahanaim.


text:
 But Barzillai answered, "I don't have long to live; why should I go with Your Majesty to Jerusalem?


text:
 I am already eighty years old, and nothing gives me pleasure any more. I can't taste what I eat and drink, and I can't hear the voices of singers. I would only be a burden to Your Majesty.


text:
 Then let me go back home and die near my parents' grave. Here is my son Chimham, who will serve you; take him with you, Your Majesty, and do for him as you think best."


text:
 The king answered, "I will take him with me and do for him whatever you want. And I will do for you anything you ask."


text:
 Then David and all of his men crossed the Jordan. He kissed Barzillai and gave him his blessing, and Barzillai went back home.


text:
 When the king had crossed, escorted by all the people of Judah and half the people of Israel, he went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went with him.


text:
 Then all the Israelites went to the king and said to him, "Your Majesty, why did our brothers, the men of Judah, think they had the right to take you away and escort you, your family, and your men across the Jordan?"


text:
 The men of Judah answered, "We did it because the king is one of us. So why should this make you angry? He hasn't paid for our food nor has he given us anything."


text:
 The Israelites replied, "We have ten times as many claims on King David as you have, even if he is one of you. Why do you look down on us? Don't forget that we were the first to talk about bringing the king back!" But the men of Judah were more violent in making their claims than the men of Israel.


text:
 There happened to be in Gilgal a worthless character named Sheba son of Bikri, of the tribe of Benjamin. He blew the trumpet and called out, "Down with David! We won't follow him! Men of Israel, let's go home!"


text:
 So the Israelites deserted David and went with Sheba, but the men of Judah remained loyal and followed David from the Jordan to Jerusalem.


text:
 When David arrived at his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to take care of the palace, and put them under guard. He provided for their needs, but did not have intercourse with them. They were kept confined for the rest of their lives, living like widows.


text:
 The king said to Amasa, "Call the men of Judah together and be back here with them by the day after tomorrow."


text:
 So the king said to Abishai, "Sheba will give us more trouble than Absalom. Take my men and go after him, or else he may occupy some fortified towns and escape from us."


text:
 So Joab's men, the royal bodyguards, and all the other soldiers left Jerusalem with Abishai to go after Sheba.


text:
 When they reached the large rock at Gibeon, Amasa met them. Joab was dressed for battle, with a sword in its sheath fastened to his belt. As he came forward, the sword fell out.


text:
 Joab said to Amasa, "How are you, my friend?" and took hold of his beard with his right hand in order to kiss him.


text:
 Amasa was not on guard against the sword that Joab was holding in his other hand, and Joab stabbed him in the belly, and his insides spilled out on the ground. He died immediately, and Joab did not have to strike again. Then Joab and his brother Abishai went on after Sheba.


text:
 One of Joab's men stood by Amasa's body and called out, "Everyone who is for Joab and David follow Joab!"


text:
 Amasa's body, covered with blood, was lying in the middle of the road. Joab's man saw that everybody was stopping, so he dragged the body from the road out into the field and threw a blanket over it.


text:
 Sheba passed through the territory of all the tribes of Israel and came to the city of Abel Beth Maacah, and all the members of the clan of Bikri assembled and followed him into the city.


text:
 Joab's men heard that Sheba was there, and so they went and besieged the city. They built ramps of earth against the outer wall and also began to dig under the wall to make it fall down.


text:
 There was a wise woman in the city who shouted from the wall, "Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here; I want to speak with him."


text:
 Joab went, and she asked, "Are you Joab?" "Yes, I am," he answered. "Listen to me, sir," she said. "I'm listening," he answered.


text:
 She said, "Long ago they used to say, 'Go and get your answer in the city of Abel'---and that's just what they did.


text:
 Ours is a great city, one of the most peaceful and loyal in Israel. Why are you trying to destroy it? Do you want to ruin what belongs to the LORD?"


text:
 That is not our plan. A man named Sheba son of Bikri, who is from the hill country of Ephraim, started a rebellion against King David. Hand over this one man, and I will withdraw from the city." "We will throw his head over the wall to you," she said.


text:
 Then she went to the people of the city with her plan, and they cut off Sheba's head and threw it over the wall to Joab. He blew the trumpet as a signal for his men to leave the city, and they went back home. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.


text:
 Joab was in command of the army of Israel; Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in charge of David's bodyguards;


text:
 Adoniram was in charge of the forced labor; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was in charge of the records;


text:
 During David's reign there was a severe famine which lasted for three full years. So David consulted the LORD about it, and the LORD said, "Saul and his family are guilty of murder; he put the people of Gibeon to death."


text:
 (The people of Gibeon were not Israelites; they were a small group of Amorites whom the Israelites had promised to protect, but Saul had tried to destroy them because of his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah.)


text:
 So David summoned the people of Gibeon and said to them, "What can I do for you? I want to make up for the wrong that was done to you, so that you will bless the LORD's people."


text:
 They answered, "Our quarrel with Saul and his family can't be settled with silver or gold, nor do we want to kill any Israelite." "What, then, do you think I should do for you?" David asked.


text:
 So hand over seven of his male descendants, and we will hang them before the LORD at Gibeah, the hometown of Saul, the LORD's chosen king." "I will hand them over," the king answered.


text:
 But because of the sacred promise that he and Jonathan had made to each other, David spared Jonathan's son Mephibosheth, the grandson of Saul.


text:
 However, he took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons that Rizpah the daughter of Aiah had borne to Saul; he also took the five sons of Saul's daughter Merab, whom she had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai, who was from Meholah.


text:
 David handed them over to the people of Gibeon, who hanged them on the mountain before the LORD ---and all seven of them died together. It was late in the spring, at the beginning of the barley harvest, when they were put to death.


text:
 Then Saul's concubine Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah, used sackcloth to make a shelter for herself on the rock where the corpses were, and she stayed there from the beginning of harvest until the autumn rains came. During the day she would keep the birds away from the corpses, and at night she would protect them from wild animals.


text:
 he went and got the bones of Saul and of his son Jonathan from the people of Jabesh in Gilead. (They had stolen them from the public square in Beth Shan, where the Philistines had hanged the bodies on the day they killed Saul on Mount Gilboa.)


text:
 David took the bones of Saul and Jonathan and also gathered up the bones of the seven men who had been hanged.


text:
 Then they buried the bones of Saul and Jonathan in the grave of Saul's father Kish, in Zela in the territory of Benjamin, doing all that the king had commanded. And after that, God answered their prayers for the country.


text:
 There was another war between the Philistines and Israel, and David and his men went and fought the Philistines. During one of the battles David grew tired.


text:
 A giant named Ishbibenob, who was carrying a bronze spear that weighed about seven and a half pounds and who was wearing a new sword, thought he could kill David.


text:
 But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David's help, attacked the giant, and killed him. Then David's men made David promise that he would never again go out with them to battle. "You are the hope of Israel, and we don't want to lose you," they said.


text:
 After this there was a battle with the Philistines at Gob, during which Sibbecai from Hushah killed a giant named Saph.


text:
 There was another battle with the Philistines at Gob, and Elhanan son of Jair from Bethlehem killed Goliath from Gath, whose spear had a shaft as thick as the bar on a weaver's loom.


text:
 Then there was another battle at Gath, where there was a giant who loved to fight. He had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot.


text:
 My God is my protection, and with him I am safe. He protects me like a shield; he defends me and keeps me safe. He is my savior; he protects me and saves me from violence.


text:
 In my trouble I called to the LORD; I called to my God for help. In his temple he heard my voice; he listened to my cry for help.


text:
 Then the earth trembled and shook; the foundations of the sky rocked and quivered because God was angry!


text:
 The floor of the ocean was laid bare, and the foundations of the earth were uncovered when the LORD rebuked his enemies and roared at them in anger.


text:
 He rescued me from my powerful enemies and from all those who hate me--- they were too strong for me.


text:
 O LORD, you are faithful to those who are faithful to you, and completely good to those who are perfect.


text:
 This God---how perfect are his deeds, how dependable his words! He is like a shield for all who seek his protection.


text:
 You saved me from my rebellious people and maintained my rule over the nations; people I did not know have now become my subjects.


text:
 and saves me from my foes. O LORD, you give me victory over my enemies and protect me from violent men.


text:
 God gives great victories to his king; he shows constant love to the one he has chosen, to David and his descendants forever.


text:
 David son of Jesse was the man whom God made great, whom the God of Jacob chose to be king, and who was the composer of beautiful songs for Israel. These are David's last words:


text:
 The God of Israel has spoken; the protector of Israel said to me: "The king who rules with justice, who rules in obedience to God,


text:
 And that is how God will bless my descendants, because he has made an eternal covenant with me, an agreement that will not be broken, a promise that will not be changed. That is all I desire; that will be my victory, and God will surely bring it about.


text:
 These are the names of David's famous soldiers: the first was Josheb Basshebeth from Tachemon, who was the leader of "The Three"; he fought with his spear against eight hundred men and killed them all in one battle.


text:
 The second of the famous three was Eleazar son of Dodo, of the clan of Ahoh. One day he and David challenged the Philistines who had gathered for battle. The Israelites fell back,


text:
 but he stood his ground and fought the Philistines until his hand was so cramped that he could not let go of his sword. The LORD won a great victory that day. After it was over, the Israelites returned to where Eleazar was and stripped the armor from the dead.


text:
 The third of the famous three was Shammah son of Agee from Harar. The Philistines had gathered at Lehi, where there was a field of peas. The Israelites fled from the Philistines,


text:
 but Shammah stood his ground in the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. The LORD won a great victory that day.


text:
 Near the beginning of harvest time three of "The Thirty" went down to Adullam Cave, where David was, while a band of Philistines was camping in Rephaim Valley.


text:
 David grew homesick and said, "How I wish someone would bring me a drink of water from the well by the gate at Bethlehem!"


text:
 The three famous soldiers forced their way through the Philistine camp, drew some water from the well, and brought it back to David. But he would not drink it; instead he poured it out as an offering to the LORD


text:
 and said, " LORD, I could never drink this! It would be like drinking the blood of these men who risked their lives!" So he refused to drink it. Those were the brave deeds of the three famous soldiers.


text:
 Joab's brother Abishai (their mother was Zeruiah) was the leader of "The Famous Thirty." He fought with his spear against three hundred men and killed them, and became famous among "The Thirty."


text:
 He was the most famous of "The Thirty" and became their leader, but he was not as famous as "The Three."


text:
 Benaiah son of Jehoiada from Kabzeel was another famous soldier; he did many brave deeds, including killing two great Moabite warriors. He once went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.


text:
 He also killed an Egyptian, a huge man who was armed with a spear. Benaiah attacked him with his club, snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with it.


text:
 He was outstanding among them, but was not as famous as "The Three." David put him in charge of his bodyguard.


text:
 Other members of "The Thirty" included: Asahel, Joab's brother Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem Shammah and Elika from Harod Helez from Pelet Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa Abiezer from Anathoth Mebunnai from Hushah Zalmon from Ahoh Maharai from Netophah Heleb son of Baanah from Netophah Ittai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin Benaiah from Pirathon Hiddai from the valleys near Gaash Abialbon from Arabah Azmaveth from Bahurim Eliahba from Shaalbon The sons of Jashen Jonathan Shammah from Harar Ahiam son of Sharar from Harar Eliphelet son of Ahasbai from Maacah Eliam son of Ahithophel from Gilo Hezro from Carmel Paarai from Arab Igal son of Nathan from Zobah Bani from Gad Zelek from Ammon Naharai from Beeroth, Joab's armorbearer Ira and Gareb from Jattir Uriah the Hittite. There were thirty-seven famous soldiers in all.


text:
 On another occasion the LORD was angry with Israel, and he made David bring trouble on them. The LORD said to him, "Go and count the people of Israel and Judah."


text:
 So David gave orders to Joab, the commander of his army: "Go with your officers through all the tribes of Israel from one end of the country to the other, and count the people. I want to know how many there are."


text:
 But Joab answered the king, "Your Majesty, may the LORD your God make the people of Israel a hundred times more numerous than they are now, and may you live to see him do it. But why does Your Majesty want to do this?"


text:
 But the king made Joab and his officers obey his order; they left his presence and went out to count the people of Israel.


text:
 They crossed the Jordan and camped south of Aroer, the city in the middle of the valley, in the territory of Gad. From there they went north to Jazer,


text:
 and on to Gilead and to Kadesh, in Hittite territory. Then they went to Dan, and from Dan they went west to Sidon.


text:
 Then they went south to the fortified city of Tyre, on to all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites, and finally to Beersheba, in the southern part of Judah.


text:
 So after nine months and twenty days they returned to Jerusalem, having traveled through the whole country.


text:
 They reported to the king the total number of men capable of military service: 800,000 in Israel and 500,000 in Judah.


text:
 But after David had taken the census, his conscience began to hurt, and he said to the LORD, "I have committed a terrible sin in doing this! Please forgive me. I have acted foolishly."


text:
 The LORD said to Gad, David's prophet, "Go and tell David that I am giving him three choices. I will do whichever he chooses." The next morning, after David had gotten up,


text:
 Gad went to him, told him what the LORD had said, and asked, "Which is it to be? Three years of famine in your land or three months of running away from your enemies or three days of an epidemic in your land? Now think it over, and tell me what answer to take back to the LORD."


text:
 David answered, "I am in a desperate situation! But I don't want to be punished by people. Let the LORD himself be the one to punish us, for he is merciful."


text:
 So the LORD sent an epidemic on Israel, which lasted from that morning until the time that he had chosen. From one end of the country to the other seventy thousand Israelites died.


text:
 When the LORD's angel was about to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD changed his mind about punishing the people and said to the angel who was killing them, "Stop! That's enough!" The angel was by the threshing place of Araunah, a Jebusite.


text:
 David saw the angel who was killing the people, and said to the LORD, "I am the guilty one. I am the one who did wrong. What have these poor people done? You should punish me and my family."


text:
 That same day Gad went to David and said to him, "Go up to Araunah's threshing place and build an altar to the LORD."


text:
 Araunah looked down and saw the king and his officials coming up to him. He threw himself on the ground in front of David


text:
 and asked, "Your Majesty, why are you here?" David answered, "To buy your threshing place and build an altar for the LORD, in order to stop the epidemic."


text:
 "Take it, Your Majesty," Araunah said, "and offer to the LORD whatever you wish. Here are these oxen to burn as an offering on the altar; here are their yokes and the threshing boards to use as fuel."


text:
 But the king answered, "No, I will pay you for it. I will not offer to the LORD my God sacrifices that have cost me nothing." And he bought the threshing place and the oxen for fifty pieces of silver.


text:
 Then he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. The LORD answered his prayer, and the epidemic in Israel was stopped.


text:
 King David was now a very old man, and although his servants covered him with blankets, he could not keep warm.


text:
 So his officials said to him, "Your Majesty, let us find a young woman to stay with you and take care of you. She will lie close to you and keep you warm."


text:
 A search was made all over Israel for a beautiful young woman, and in Shunem they found such a woman named Abishag, and brought her to the king.


text:
 She was very beautiful, and waited on the king and took care of him, but he did not have intercourse with her.


text:
 Now that Absalom was dead, Adonijah, the son of David and Haggith, was the oldest surviving son. He was a very handsome man. David had never reprimanded him about anything, and he was ambitious to be king. He provided for himself chariots, horses, and an escort of fifty men.


text:
 He talked with Joab (whose mother was Zeruiah) and with Abiathar the priest, and they agreed to support his cause.


text:
 But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David's bodyguards were not on Adonijah's side.


text:
 One day Adonijah offered a sacrifice of sheep, bulls, and fattened calves at Snake Rock, near the spring of Enrogel. He invited the other sons of King David and the king's officials who were from Judah to come to this sacrificial feast,


text:
 but he did not invite his half brother Solomon or Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the king's bodyguards.


text:
 Then Nathan went to Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, and asked her, "Haven't you heard that Haggith's son Adonijah has made himself king? And King David doesn't know anything about it!


text:
 go at once to King David and ask him, 'Your Majesty, didn't you solemnly promise me that my son Solomon would succeed you as king? How is it, then, that Adonijah has become king?' "


text:
 And Nathan added, "Then, while you are still talking with King David, I will come in and confirm your story."


text:
 So Bathsheba went to see the king in his bedroom. He was very old, and Abishag, the young woman from Shunem, was taking care of him.


text:
 She answered, "Your Majesty, you made me a solemn promise in the name of the LORD your God that my son Solomon would be king after you.


text:
 He has offered a sacrifice of many bulls, sheep, and fattened calves, and he invited your sons, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the commander of your army to the feast, but he did not invite your son Solomon.


text:
 Your Majesty, all the people of Israel are looking to you to tell them who is to succeed you as king.


text:
 This very day he has gone and offered a sacrifice of many bulls, sheep, and fattened calves. He invited all your sons, Joab the commander of your army, and Abiathar the priest, and right now they are feasting with him and shouting, 'Long live King Adonijah!'


text:
 that today I will keep the promise I made to you in the name of the LORD, the God of Israel, that your son Solomon would succeed me as king."


text:
 he said to them, "Take my court officials with you; have my son Solomon ride my own mule, and escort him down to Gihon Spring,


text:
 where Zadok and Nathan are to anoint him as king of Israel. Then blow the trumpet and shout, 'Long live King Solomon!'


text:
 Follow him back here when he comes to sit on my throne. He will succeed me as king, because he is the one I have chosen to be the ruler of Israel and Judah."


text:
 As the LORD has been with Your Majesty, may he also be with Solomon and make his reign even more prosperous than yours."


text:
 So Zadok, Nathan, Benaiah, and the royal bodyguards put Solomon on King David's mule and escorted him to Gihon Spring.


text:
 Zadok took the container of olive oil which he had brought from the Tent of the LORD's presence, and anointed Solomon. They blew the trumpet, and all the people shouted, "Long live King Solomon!"


text:
 Then they all followed him back, shouting for joy and playing flutes, making enough noise to shake the ground.


text:
 As Adonijah and all his guests were finishing the feast, they heard the noise. And when Joab heard the trumpet, he asked, "What's the meaning of all that noise in the city?"


text:
 Before he finished speaking, Jonathan, the son of the priest Abiathar, arrived. "Come on in," Adonijah said. "You're a good man---you must be bringing good news."


text:
 He sent Zadok, Nathan, Benaiah, and the royal bodyguards to escort him. They had him ride on the king's mule,


text:
 and Zadok and Nathan anointed him as king at Gihon Spring. Then they went into the city, shouting for joy, and the people are now in an uproar. That's the noise you just heard.


text:
 What is more, the court officials went in to pay their respects to His Majesty King David and said, 'May your God make Solomon even more famous than you, and may Solomon's reign be even more prosperous than yours.' Then King David bowed in worship on his bed


text:
 and prayed, 'Let us praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who has today made one of my descendants succeed me as king, and has let me live to see it!' "


text:
 Adonijah, in great fear of Solomon, went to the Tent of the LORD's presence and took hold of the corners of the altar.


text:
 King Solomon was told that Adonijah was afraid of him and that he was holding on to the corners of the altar and had said, "First, I want King Solomon to swear to me that he will not have me put to death."


text:
 Solomon replied, "If he is loyal, not even a hair on his head will be touched; but if he is not, he will die."


text:
 King Solomon then sent for Adonijah and had him brought down from the altar. Adonijah went to the king and bowed low before him, and the king said to him, "You may go home."


text:
 and do what the LORD your God orders you to do. Obey all his laws and commands, as written in the Law of Moses, so that wherever you go you may prosper in everything you do.


text:
 If you obey him, the LORD will keep the promise he made when he told me that my descendants would rule Israel as long as they were careful to obey his commands faithfully with all their heart and soul.


text:
 "There is something else. You remember what Joab did to me by killing the two commanders of Israel's armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. You remember how he murdered them in time of peace as revenge for deaths they had caused in time of war. He killed innocent men, and now I bear the responsibility for what he did, and I suffer the consequences.


text:
 "But show kindness to the sons of Barzillai from Gilead and take care of them, because they were kind to me when I was fleeing from your brother Absalom.


text:
 "There is also Shimei son of Gera, from the town of Bahurim in Benjamin. He cursed me bitterly the day I went to Mahanaim, but when he met me at the Jordan River, I gave him my solemn promise in the name of the LORD that I would not have him killed.


text:
 But you must not let him go unpunished. You know what to do, and you must see to it that he is put to death."


text:
 He had been king of Israel for forty years, ruling seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.


text:
 Then Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, went to Bathsheba, who was Solomon's mother. "Is this a friendly visit?" she asked. "It is," he answered,


text:
 He answered, "You know that I should have become king and that everyone in Israel expected it. But it happened differently, and my brother became king because it was the LORD's will.


text:
 He answered, "Please ask King Solomon---I know he won't refuse you---to let me have Abishag, the young woman from Shunem, as my wife."


text:
 So Bathsheba went to the king to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. The king stood up to greet his mother and bowed to her. Then he sat on his throne and had another one brought in on which she sat at his right.


text:
 She said, "I have a small favor to ask of you; please do not refuse me." "What is it, mother?" he asked. "I will not refuse you."


text:
 "Why do you ask me to give Abishag to him?" the king asked. "You might as well ask me to give him the throne too. After all, he is my older brother, and Abiathar the priest and Joab are on his side!"


text:
 Then Solomon made a solemn promise in the LORD's name, "May God strike me dead if I don't make Adonijah pay with his life for asking this!


text:
 The LORD has firmly established me on the throne of my father David; he has kept his promise and given the kingdom to me and my descendants. I swear by the living LORD that Adonijah will die this very day!"


text:
 Then King Solomon said to Abiathar the priest, "Go to your country home in Anathoth. You deserve to die, but I will not have you put to death now, for you were in charge of the LORD's Covenant Box while you were with my father David, and you shared in all his troubles."


text:
 Then Solomon dismissed Abiathar from serving as a priest of the LORD, and so made come true what the LORD had said in Shiloh about the priest Eli and his descendants.


text:
 Joab heard what had happened. (He had supported Adonijah, but not Absalom.) So he fled to the Tent of the LORD's presence and took hold of the corners of the altar.


text:
 When the news reached King Solomon that Joab had fled to the Tent and was by the altar, Solomon sent a messenger to Joab to ask him why he had fled to the altar. Joab answered that he had fled to the LORD because he was afraid of Solomon. So King Solomon sent Benaiah to kill Joab.


text:
 He went to the Tent of the LORD's presence and said to Joab, "The king orders you to come out." "No," Joab answered. "I will die here." Benaiah went back to the king and told him what Joab had said.


text:
 "Do what Joab says," Solomon answered. "Kill him and bury him. Then neither I nor any other of David's descendants will any longer be held responsible for what Joab did when he killed innocent men.


text:
 The LORD will punish Joab for those murders, which he committed without my father David's knowledge. Joab killed two innocent men who were better men than he: Abner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa, commander of the army of Judah.


text:
 The punishment for their murders will fall on Joab and on his descendants forever. But the LORD will always give success to David's descendants who sit on his throne."


text:
 So Benaiah went to the Tent of the LORD's presence and killed Joab, and he was buried at his home in the open country.


text:
 The king made Benaiah commander of the army in Joab's place and put Zadok the priest in Abiathar's place.


text:
 Then the king sent for Shimei and said to him, "Build a house for yourself here in Jerusalem. Live in it and don't leave the city.


text:
 If you ever leave and go beyond Kidron Brook, you will certainly die---and you yourself will be to blame."


text:
 "Very well, Your Majesty," Shimei answered. "I will do what you say." So he lived in Jerusalem a long time.


text:
 Three years later, however, two of Shimei's slaves ran away to the king of Gath, Achish son of Maacah. When Shimei heard that they were in Gath,


text:
 he saddled his donkey and went to King Achish in Gath, to find his slaves. He found them and brought them back home.


text:
 he sent for him and said, "I made you promise in the LORD's name not to leave Jerusalem. And I warned you that if you ever did, you would certainly die. Did you not agree to it and say that you would obey me?


text:
 Then the king gave orders to Benaiah, who went out and killed Shimei. Solomon was now in complete control.


text:
 Solomon made an alliance with the king of Egypt by marrying his daughter. He brought her to live in David's City until he had finished building his palace, the Temple, and the wall around Jerusalem.


text:
 A temple had not yet been built for the LORD, and so the people were still offering sacrifices at many different altars.


text:
 Solomon loved the LORD and followed the instructions of his father David, but he also slaughtered animals and offered them as sacrifices on various altars.


text:
 On one occasion he went to Gibeon to offer sacrifices because that was where the most famous altar was. He had offered hundreds of burnt offerings there in the past.


text:
 That night the LORD appeared to him in a dream and asked him, "What would you like me to give you?"


text:
 Solomon answered, "You always showed great love for my father David, your servant, and he was good, loyal, and honest in his relation with you. And you have continued to show him your great and constant love by giving him a son who today rules in his place.


text:
 O LORD God, you have let me succeed my father as king, even though I am very young and don't know how to rule.


text:
 Here I am among the people you have chosen to be your own, a people who are so many that they cannot be counted.


text:
 So give me the wisdom I need to rule your people with justice and to know the difference between good and evil. Otherwise, how would I ever be able to rule this great people of yours?"


text:
 and so he said to him, "Because you have asked for the wisdom to rule justly, instead of long life for yourself or riches or the death of your enemies,


text:
 I will do what you have asked. I will give you more wisdom and understanding than anyone has ever had before or will ever have again.


text:
 I will also give you what you have not asked for: all your life you will have wealth and honor, more than that of any other king.


text:
 And if you obey me and keep my laws and commands, as your father David did, I will give you a long life."


text:
 Solomon woke up and realized that God had spoken to him in the dream. Then he went to Jerusalem and stood in front of the LORD's Covenant Box and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to the LORD. After that he gave a feast for all his officials.


text:
 One of them said, "Your Majesty, this woman and I live in the same house, and I gave birth to a baby boy at home while she was there.


text:
 Two days after my child was born, she also gave birth to a baby boy. Only the two of us were there in the house---no one else was present.


text:
 She got up during the night, took my son from my side while I was asleep, and carried him to her bed; then she put the dead child in my bed.


text:
 The next morning, when I woke up and was going to nurse my baby, I saw that it was dead. I looked at it more closely and saw that it was not my child."


text:
 But the other woman said, "No! The living child is mine, and the dead one is yours!" The first woman answered back, "No! The dead child is yours, and the living one is mine!" And so they argued before the king.


text:
 Then King Solomon said, "Each of you claims that the living child is hers and that the dead child belongs to the other one."


text:
 The real mother, her heart full of love for her son, said to the king, "Please, Your Majesty, don't kill the child! Give it to her!" But the other woman said, "Don't give it to either of us; go on and cut it in two."


text:
 When the people of Israel heard of Solomon's decision, they were all filled with deep respect for him, because they knew then that God had given him the wisdom to settle disputes fairly.


text:
 The court secretaries: Elihoreph and Ahijah, sons of Shisha In charge of the records: Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud


text:
 Chief of the district governors: Azariah son of Nathan Royal Adviser: the priest Zabud son of Nathan


text:
 Solomon appointed twelve men as district governors in Israel. They were to provide food from their districts for the king and his household, each man being responsible for one month out of the year.


text:
 The following are the names of these twelve officers and the districts they were in charge of: Benhur: the hill country of Ephraim


text:
 Baana son of Ahilud: the cities of Taanach, Megiddo, and all the region near Beth Shan, near the town of Zarethan, south of the town of Jezreel, as far as the city of Abel Meholah and the city of Jokmeam


text:
 Bengeber: the city of Ramoth in Gilead, and the villages in Gilead belonging to the clan of Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, and the region of Argob in Bashan, sixty large towns in all, fortified with walls and with bronze bars on the gates


text:
 Geber son of Uri: the region of Gilead, which had been ruled by King Sihon of the Amorites and King Og of Bashan Besides these twelve, there was one governor over the whole land.


text:
 The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore; they ate and drank, and were happy.


text:
 Solomon's kingdom included all the nations from the Euphrates River to Philistia and the Egyptian border. They paid him taxes and were subject to him all his life.


text:
 10 stall-fed cattle, 20 pasture-fed cattle, and 100 sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and poultry.


text:
 Solomon ruled over all the land west of the Euphrates River, from Tiphsah on the Euphrates as far west as the city of Gaza. All the kings west of the Euphrates were subject to him, and he was at peace with all the neighboring countries.


text:
 As long as he lived, the people throughout Judah and Israel lived in safety, each family with its own grapevines and fig trees.


text:
 His twelve governors, each one in the month assigned to him, supplied the food King Solomon needed for himself and for all who ate in the palace; they always supplied everything needed.


text:
 Each governor also supplied his share of barley and straw, where it was needed, for the chariot horses and the work animals.


text:
 He was the wisest of all men: wiser than Ethan the Ezrahite, and Heman, Calcol, and Darda, the sons of Mahol, and his fame spread throughout all the neighboring countries.


text:
 He spoke of trees and plants, from the Lebanon cedars to the hyssop that grows on walls; he talked about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish.


text:
 King Hiram of Tyre had always been a friend of David's, and when he heard that Solomon had succeeded his father David as king, he sent ambassadors to him.


text:
 "You know that because of the constant wars my father David had to fight against the enemy countries all around him, he could not build a temple for the worship of the LORD his God until the LORD had given him victory over all his enemies.


text:
 But now the LORD my God has given me peace on all my borders. I have no enemies, and there is no danger of attack.


text:
 The LORD promised my father David, 'Your son, whom I will make king after you, will build a temple for me.' And I have now decided to build that temple for the worship of the LORD my God.


text:
 So send your men to Lebanon to cut down cedars for me. My men will work with them, and I will pay your men whatever you decide. As you well know, my men don't know how to cut down trees as well as yours do."


text:
 Hiram was extremely pleased when he received Solomon's message, and he said, "Praise the LORD today for giving David such a wise son to succeed him as king of that great nation!"


text:
 Then Hiram sent Solomon the following message: "I have received your message, and I am ready to do what you ask. I will provide the cedars and the pine trees.


text:
 My men will bring the logs down from Lebanon to the sea and will tie them together in rafts to float them down the coast to the place you choose. There my men will untie them, and your men will take charge of them. On your part, I would like you to supply the food for my men."


text:
 and Solomon provided Hiram with 100,000 bushels of wheat and 110,000 gallons of pure olive oil every year to feed his men.


text:
 The LORD kept his promise and gave Solomon wisdom. There was peace between Hiram and Solomon, and they made a treaty with each other.


text:
 and put Adoniram in charge of them. He divided them into three groups of 10,000 men, and each group spent one month in Lebanon and two months back home.


text:
 Solomon's and Hiram's workers and men from the city of Byblos prepared the stones and the timber to build the Temple.


text:
 Four hundred and eighty years after the people of Israel left Egypt, during the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the second month, the month of Ziv, Solomon began work on the Temple.


text:
 Against the outside walls, on the sides and the back of the Temple, a three-storied annex was built, each story 7 1/2 feet high.


text:
 Each room in the lowest story was 7 1/2 feet wide, in the middle story 9 feet wide, and in the top story 10 1/2 feet wide. The Temple wall on each floor was thinner than on the floor below, so that the rooms could rest on the wall without having their beams built into it.


text:
 The stones with which the Temple was built had been prepared at the quarry, so that there was no noise made by hammers, axes, or any other iron tools as the Temple was being built.


text:
 The entrance to the lowest story of the annex was on the south side of the Temple, with stairs leading up to the second and third stories.


text:
 So King Solomon finished building the Temple. He put in a ceiling made of beams and boards of cedar.


text:
 The three-storied annex, each story 7 1/2 feet high, was built against the outside walls of the Temple, and was joined to them by cedar beams.


text:
 I will live among my people Israel in this Temple that you are building, and I will never abandon them."


text:
 The inside walls were covered with cedar panels from the floor to the ceiling, and the floor was made of pine.


text:
 An inner room, called the Most Holy Place, was built in the rear of the Temple. It was 30 feet long and was partitioned off by cedar boards reaching from the floor to the ceiling.


text:
 The cedar panels were decorated with carvings of gourds and flowers; the whole interior was covered with cedar, so that the stones of the walls could not be seen.


text:
 This inner room was 30 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 30 feet high, all covered with pure gold. The altar was covered with cedar panels.


text:
 The inside of the Temple was covered with gold, and gold chains were placed across the entrance of the inner room, which was also covered with gold.


text:
 The whole interior of the Temple was covered with gold, as well as the altar in the Most Holy Place.


text:
 Two winged creatures were made of olive wood and placed in the Most Holy Place, each one 15 feet tall.


text:
 Both were of the same size and shape. Each had two wings, each wing 7 1/2 feet long, so that the distance from one wing tip to the other was 15 feet.


text:
 They were placed side by side in the Most Holy Place, so that two of their outstretched wings touched each other in the middle of the room, and the other two wings touched the walls.


text:
 The walls of the main room and of the inner room were all decorated with carved figures of winged creatures, palm trees, and flowers.


text:
 A double door made of olive wood was set in place at the entrance of the Most Holy Place; the top of the doorway was a pointed arch.


text:
 The doors were decorated with carved figures of winged creatures, palm trees, and flowers. The doors, the winged creatures, and the palm trees were covered with gold.


text:
 and decorated with carved figures of winged creatures, palm trees, and flowers, which were evenly covered with gold.


text:
 An inner court was built in front of the Temple, enclosed with walls which had one layer of cedar beams for every three layers of stone.


text:
 The foundation of the Temple was laid in the second month, the month of Ziv, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign.


text:
 In the eighth month, the month of Bul, in the eleventh year of Solomon's reign, the Temple was completely finished exactly as it had been planned. It had taken Solomon seven years to build it.


text:
 The Hall of the Forest of Lebanon was 150 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. It had three rows of cedar pillars, 15 in each row, with cedar beams resting on them. The ceiling was of cedar, extending over storerooms, which were supported by the pillars.


text:
 The doorways and the windows had rectangular frames, and the three rows of windows in each wall faced the opposite rows.


text:
 The Hall of Columns was 75 feet long and 45 feet wide. It had a covered porch, supported by columns.


text:
 The Throne Room, also called the Hall of Judgment, where Solomon decided cases, had cedar panels from the floor to the rafters.


text:
 Solomon's own quarters, in another court behind the Hall of Judgment, were made like the other buildings. He also built the same kind of house for his wife, the daughter of the king of Egypt.


text:
 All these buildings and the great court were made of fine stones from the foundations to the eaves. The stones were prepared at the quarry and cut to measure, with their inner and outer sides trimmed with saws.


text:
 The foundations were made of large stones prepared at the quarry, some of them twelve feet long and others fifteen feet long.


text:
 The palace court, the inner court of the Temple, and the entrance room of the Temple had walls with one layer of cedar beams for every three layers of cut stones.


text:
 King Solomon sent for a man named Huram, a craftsman living in the city of Tyre, who was skilled in bronze work.


text:
 His father, who was no longer living, was from Tyre, and had also been a skilled bronze craftsman; his mother was from the tribe of Naphtali. Huram was an intelligent and experienced craftsman. He accepted King Solomon's invitation to be in charge of all the bronze work.


text:
 Huram cast two bronze columns, each one 27 feet tall and 18 feet in circumference, and placed them at the entrance of the Temple.


text:
 and were placed on a rounded section which was above the chain design. There were 200 pomegranates in two rows around each capital.


text:
 Huram placed these two bronze columns in front of the entrance of the Temple: the one on the south side was named Jachin and the one on the north was named Boaz.


text:
 The lily-shaped bronze capitals were on top of the columns. And so the work on the columns was completed.


text:
 Huram made a round tank of bronze, 7 1/2 feet deep, 15 feet in diameter, and 45 feet in circumference.


text:
 All around the outer edge of the rim of the tank were two rows of bronze gourds, which had been cast all in one piece with the rest of the tank.


text:
 The tank rested on the backs of twelve bronze bulls that faced outward, three facing in each direction.


text:
 The sides of the tank were 3 inches thick. Its rim was like the rim of a cup, curving outward like the petals of a lily. The tank held about 10,000 gallons.


text:
 with the figures of lions, bulls, and winged creatures on the panels; and on the frames, above and underneath the lions and bulls, there were spiral figures in relief.


text:
 Each cart had four bronze wheels with bronze axles. At the four corners were bronze supports for a basin; the supports were decorated with spiral figures in relief.


text:
 There was a circular frame on top for the basin. It projected upward 18 inches from the top of the cart and 7 inches down into it. It had carvings around it.


text:
 The wheels were 25 inches high; they were under the panels, and the axles were of one piece with the carts.


text:
 There were four supports at the bottom corners of each cart, which were of one piece with the cart.


text:
 There was a 9-inch band around the top of each cart; its supports and the panels were of one piece with the cart.


text:
 The supports and panels were decorated with figures of winged creatures, lions, and palm trees, wherever there was space for them, with spiral figures all around.


text:
 Huram also made ten basins, one for each cart. Each basin was 6 feet in diameter and held 200 gallons.


text:
 He placed five of the carts on the south side of the Temple, and the other five on the north side; the tank he placed at the southeast corner.


text:
 Huram also made pots, shovels, and bowls. He completed all his work for King Solomon for the LORD's Temple. This is what he made: The two columns The two bowl-shaped capitals on top of the columns The design of interwoven chains on each capital The 400 bronze pomegranates, in two rows of 100 each around the design on each capital The ten carts The ten basins The tank The twelve bulls supporting the tank The pots, shovels, and bowls All this equipment for the Temple, which Huram made for King Solomon, was of polished bronze.


text:
 Solomon did not have these bronze objects weighed, because there were too many of them, and so their weight was never determined.


text:
 Solomon also had gold furnishings made for the Temple: the altar, the table for the bread offered to God,


text:
 the ten lampstands that stood in front of the Most Holy Place, five on the south side and five on the north; the flowers, lamps, and tongs;


text:
 the cups, lamp snuffers, bowls, dishes for incense, and the pans used for carrying live coals; and the hinges for the doors of the Most Holy Place and of the outer doors of the Temple. All these furnishings were made of gold.


text:
 When King Solomon finished all the work on the Temple, he placed in the Temple storerooms all the things that his father David had dedicated to the LORD ---the silver, gold, and other articles.


text:
 Then King Solomon summoned all the leaders of the tribes and clans of Israel to come to him in Jerusalem in order to take the LORD's Covenant Box from Zion, David's City, to the Temple.


text:
 and carried it to the Temple. The Levites and the priests also moved the Tent of the LORD's presence and all its equipment to the Temple.


text:
 King Solomon and all the people of Israel assembled in front of the Covenant Box and sacrificed a large number of sheep and cattle---too many to count.


text:
 Then the priests carried the Covenant Box into the Temple and put it in the Most Holy Place, beneath the winged creatures.


text:
 The ends of the poles could be seen by anyone standing directly in front of the Most Holy Place, but from nowhere else. (The poles are still there today.)


text:
 There was nothing inside the Covenant Box except the two stone tablets which Moses had placed there at Mount Sinai, when the LORD made a covenant with the people of Israel as they were coming from Egypt.


text:
 shining with the dazzling light of the LORD's presence, and they could not go back in to perform their duties.


text:
 Then Solomon prayed: "You, LORD, have placed the sun in the sky, yet you have chosen to live in clouds and darkness.


text:
 He said, "Praise the LORD God of Israel! He has kept the promise he made to my father David, when he told him,


text:
 'From the time I brought my people out of Egypt, I have not chosen any city in all the land of Israel in which a temple should be built where I would be worshiped. But I chose you, David, to rule my people.' "


text:
 And Solomon continued, "My father David planned to build a temple for the worship of the LORD God of Israel,


text:
 "And now the LORD has kept his promise. I have succeeded my father as king of Israel, and I have built the Temple for the worship of the LORD God of Israel.


text:
 I have also provided a place in the Temple for the Covenant Box containing the stone tablets of the covenant which the LORD made with our ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt."


text:
 Then in the presence of the people Solomon went and stood in front of the altar, where he raised his arms


text:
 and prayed, " LORD God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven above or on earth below! You keep your covenant with your people and show them your love when they live in wholehearted obedience to you.


text:
 And now, LORD God of Israel, I pray that you will also keep the other promise you made to my father when you told him that there would always be one of his descendants ruling as king of Israel, provided they obeyed you as carefully as he did.


text:
 So now, O God of Israel, let everything come true that you promised to my father David, your servant.


text:
 "But can you, O God, really live on earth? Not even all of heaven is large enough to hold you, so how can this Temple that I have built be large enough?


text:
 Watch over this Temple day and night, this place where you have chosen to be worshiped. Hear me when I face this Temple and pray.


text:
 Hear my prayers and the prayers of your people when they face this place and pray. In your home in heaven hear us and forgive us.


text:
 "When a person is accused of wronging another and is brought to your altar in this Temple to take an oath that he is innocent,


text:
 O LORD, listen in heaven and judge your servants. Punish the guilty one as he deserves, and acquit the one who is innocent.


text:
 "When your people Israel are defeated by their enemies because they have sinned against you, and then when they turn to you and come to this Temple, humbly praying to you for forgiveness,


text:
 listen to them in heaven. Forgive the sins of your people and bring them back to the land which you gave to their ancestors.


text:
 "When you hold back the rain because your people have sinned against you, and then when they repent and face this Temple, humbly praying to you,


text:
 listen to them in heaven. Forgive the sins of the king and of the people of Israel, and teach them to do what is right. Then, O LORD, send rain on this land of yours, which you gave to your people as a permanent possession.


text:
 "When there is famine in the land or an epidemic or the crops are destroyed by scorching winds or swarms of locusts, or when your people are attacked by their enemies, or when there is disease or sickness among them,


text:
 listen to their prayers. If any of your people Israel, out of heartfelt sorrow, stretch out their hands in prayer toward this Temple,


text:
 hear their prayer. Listen to them in your home in heaven, forgive them, and help them. You alone know the thoughts of the human heart. Deal with each person as he deserves,


text:
 so that your people may obey you all the time they live in the land which you gave to our ancestors.


text:
 "When a foreigner who lives in a distant land hears of your fame and of the great things you have done for your people and comes to worship you and to pray at this Temple,


text:
 listen to his prayer. In heaven, where you live, hear him and do what he asks you to do, so that all the peoples of the world may know you and obey you, as your people Israel do. Then they will know that this Temple I have built is the place where you are to be worshiped.


text:
 "When you command your people to go into battle against their enemies and they pray to you, wherever they are, facing this city which you have chosen and this Temple which I have built for you,


text:
 "When your people sin against you---and there is no one who does not sin---and in your anger you let their enemies defeat them and take them as prisoners to some other land, even if that land is far away,


text:
 listen to your people's prayers. If there in that land they repent and pray to you, confessing how sinful and wicked they have been, hear their prayers, O LORD.


text:
 If in that land they truly and sincerely repent and pray to you as they face toward this land which you gave to our ancestors, this city which you have chosen, and this Temple which I have built for you,


text:
 Forgive all their sins and their rebellion against you, and make their enemies treat them with kindness.


text:
 "Sovereign LORD, may you always look with favor on your people Israel and their king, and hear their prayer whenever they call to you for help.


text:
 You chose them from all the peoples to be your own people, as you told them through your servant Moses when you brought our ancestors out of Egypt."


text:
 After Solomon had finished praying to the LORD, he stood up in front of the altar, where he had been kneeling with uplifted hands.


text:
 "Praise the LORD who has given his people peace, as he promised he would. He has kept all the generous promises he made through his servant Moses.


text:
 may he make us obedient to him, so that we will always live as he wants us to live, keeping all the laws and commands he gave our ancestors.


text:
 May the LORD our God remember at all times this prayer and these petitions I have made to him. May he always be merciful to the people of Israel and to their king, according to their daily needs.


text:
 May you, his people, always be faithful to the LORD our God, obeying all his laws and commands as you do today."


text:
 He sacrificed 22,000 head of cattle and 120,000 sheep as fellowship offerings. And so the king and all the people dedicated the Temple.


text:
 That same day he also consecrated the central part of the courtyard, the area in front of the Temple, and then he offered there the sacrifices burned whole, the grain offerings, and the fat of the animals for the fellowship offerings. He did this because the bronze altar was too small for all these offerings.


text:
 There at the Temple, Solomon and all the people of Israel celebrated the Festival of Shelters for seven days. There was a huge crowd of people from as far away as Hamath Pass in the north and the Egyptian border in the south.


text:
 On the eighth day Solomon sent the people home. They all praised him and went home happy because of all the blessings that the LORD had given his servant David and his people Israel.


text:
 After King Solomon had finished building the Temple and the palace and everything else he wanted to build,


text:
 The LORD said to him, "I have heard your prayer. I consecrate this Temple which you have built as the place where I shall be worshiped forever. I will watch over it and protect it for all time.


text:
 If you will serve me in honesty and integrity, as your father David did, and if you obey my laws and do everything I have commanded you,


text:
 I will keep the promise I made to your father David when I told him that Israel would always be ruled by his descendants.


text:
 But if you or your descendants stop following me, disobey the laws and commands I have given you, and worship other gods,


text:
 then I will remove my people Israel from the land that I have given them. I will also abandon this Temple which I have consecrated as the place where I am to be worshiped. People everywhere will ridicule Israel and treat her with contempt.


text:
 This Temple will become a pile of ruins, and everyone who passes by will be shocked and amazed. 'Why did the LORD do this to this land and this Temple?' they will ask.


text:
 People will answer, 'It is because they abandoned the LORD their God, who brought their ancestors out of Egypt. They gave their allegiance to other gods and worshiped them. That is why the LORD has brought this disaster on them.' "


text:
 King Hiram of Tyre had provided him with all the cedar and pine and with all the gold he wanted for this work. After it was finished, King Solomon gave Hiram twenty towns in the region of Galilee.


text:
 So he said to Solomon, "So these, my brother, are the towns you have given me!" For this reason the area is still called Cabul.


text:
 King Solomon used forced labor to build the Temple and the palace, to fill in land on the east side of the city, and to build the city wall. He also used it to rebuild the cities of Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.


text:
 (The king of Egypt had attacked Gezer and captured it, killing its inhabitants and setting fire to the city. Then he gave it as a wedding present to his daughter when she married Solomon,


text:
 the cities where his supplies were kept, the cities for his horses and chariots, and everything else he wanted to build in Jerusalem, in Lebanon, and elsewhere in his kingdom.


text:
 For his forced labor Solomon used the descendants of the people of Canaan whom the Israelites had not killed when they took possession of their land. These included Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, whose descendants continue to be slaves down to the present time.


text:
 Solomon did not make slaves of Israelites; they served as his soldiers, officers, commanders, chariot captains, and cavalry.


text:
 There were 550 officials in charge of the forced labor working on Solomon's various building projects.


text:
 Solomon filled in the land on the east side of the city, after his wife, the daughter of the king of Egypt, had moved from David's City to the palace Solomon built for her.


text:
 Three times a year Solomon offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings on the altar he had built to the LORD. He also burned incense to the LORD. And so he finished building the Temple.


text:
 King Solomon also built a fleet of ships at Eziongeber, which is near Elath on the shore of the Gulf of Aqaba, in the land of Edom.


text:
 The queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame, and she traveled to Jerusalem to test him with difficult questions.


text:
 She brought with her a large group of attendants, as well as camels loaded with spices, jewels, and a large amount of gold. When she and Solomon met, she asked him all the questions that she could think of.


text:
 She saw the food that was served at his table, the living quarters for his officials, the organization of his palace staff and the uniforms they wore, the servants who waited on him at feasts, and the sacrifices he offered in the Temple. It left her breathless and amazed.


text:
 But I couldn't believe it until I had come and seen it all for myself. But I didn't hear even half of it; your wisdom and wealth are much greater than what I was told.


text:
 How fortunate are your wives! And how fortunate your servants, who are always in your presence and are privileged to hear your wise sayings!


text:
 Praise the LORD your God! He has shown how pleased he is with you by making you king of Israel. Because his love for Israel is eternal, he has made you their king so that you can maintain law and justice."


text:
 She presented to King Solomon the gifts she had brought: almost five tons of gold and a very large amount of spices and jewels. The amount of spices she gave him was by far the greatest that he ever received at any time.


text:
 (Hiram's fleet, which had brought gold from Ophir, also brought from there a large amount of juniper wood and jewels.


text:
 Solomon used the wood to build railings in the Temple and the palace, and also to make harps and lyres for the musicians. It was the finest juniper wood ever imported into Israel; none like it has ever been seen again.)


text:
 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba everything she asked for, besides all the other customary gifts that he had generously given her. Then she and her attendants returned to the land of Sheba.


text:
 in addition to the taxes paid by merchants, the profits from trade, and tribute paid by the Arabian kings and the governors of the Israelite districts.


text:
 Solomon made two hundred large shields and had each one overlaid with almost fifteen pounds of gold.


text:
 He also made three hundred smaller shields, overlaying each one of them with nearly four pounds of gold. He had all these shields placed in the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon.


text:
 He also had a large throne made. Part of it was covered with ivory and the rest of it was covered with the finest gold.


text:
 The throne had six steps leading up to it, with the figure of a lion at each end of every step, a total of twelve lions. At the back of the throne was the figure of a bull's head, and beside each of the two armrests was the figure of a lion. No throne like this had ever existed in any other kingdom.


text:
 All of Solomon's drinking cups were made of gold, and all the utensils in the Hall of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. No silver was used, since it was not considered valuable in Solomon's day.


text:
 He had a fleet of ocean-going ships sailing with Hiram's fleet. Every three years his fleet would return, bringing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and monkeys.


text:
 Everyone who came brought him a gift---articles of silver and gold, robes, weapons, spices, horses, and mules. This continued year after year.


text:
 Solomon built up a force of fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand cavalry horses. Some of them he kept in Jerusalem and the rest he stationed in various other cities.


text:
 During his reign silver was as common in Jerusalem as stone, and cedar was as plentiful as ordinary sycamore in the foothills of Judah.


text:
 and the export of chariots from Egypt. They supplied the Hittite and Syrian kings with horses and chariots, selling chariots for 600 pieces of silver each and horses for 150 each.


text:
 Solomon loved many foreign women. Besides the daughter of the king of Egypt he married Hittite women and women from Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon.


text:
 He married them even though the LORD had commanded the Israelites not to intermarry with these people, because they would cause the Israelites to give their loyalty to other gods.


text:
 Solomon married seven hundred princesses and also had three hundred concubines. They made him turn away from God,


text:
 and by the time he was old they had led him into the worship of foreign gods. He was not faithful to the LORD his God, as his father David had been.


text:
 On the mountain east of Jerusalem he built a place to worship Chemosh, the disgusting god of Moab, and a place to worship Molech, the disgusting god of Ammon.


text:
 He also built places of worship where all his foreign wives could burn incense and offer sacrifices to their own gods.


text:
 Even though the LORD, the God of Israel, had appeared to Solomon twice and had commanded him not to worship foreign gods, Solomon did not obey the LORD but turned away from him. So the LORD was angry with Solomon


text:
 and said to him, "Because you have deliberately broken your covenant with me and disobeyed my commands, I promise that I will take the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your officials.


text:
 However, for the sake of your father David I will not do this in your lifetime, but during the reign of your son.


text:
 And I will not take the whole kingdom away from him; instead, I will leave him one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have made my own."


text:
 Long before this, when David had conquered Edom, Joab the commander of his army had gone there to bury the dead. He and his men remained in Edom six months, and during that time they killed every male in Edom


text:
 except Hadad and some of his father's Edomite servants, who escaped to Egypt. (At that time Hadad was just a child.)


text:
 They left Midian and went to Paran, where some other men joined them. Then they traveled to Egypt and went to the king, who gave Hadad some land and a house and provided him with food.


text:
 Hadad won the friendship of the king, and the king gave his sister-in-law, the sister of Queen Tahpenes, to Hadad in marriage.


text:
 She bore him a son, Genubath, who was raised by the queen in the palace, where he lived with the king's sons.


text:
 When the news reached Hadad in Egypt that David had died and that Joab the commander of the army was dead, Hadad said to the king, "Let me go back to my own country."


text:
 "Why?" the king asked. "Have I failed to give you something? Is that why you want to go back home?" "Just let me go," Hadad answered the king. And he went back to his country. As king of Edom, Hadad was an evil, bitter enemy of Israel.


text:
 God also caused Rezon son of Eliada to turn against Solomon. Rezon had fled from his master, King Hadadezer of Zobah,


text:
 and had become the leader of a gang of outlaws. (This happened after David had defeated Hadadezer and had slaughtered his Syrian allies.) Rezon and his gang went and lived in Damascus, where his followers made him king of Syria.


text:
 Another man who turned against King Solomon was one of his officials, Jeroboam son of Nebat, from Zeredah in Ephraim. His mother was a widow named Zeruah.


text:
 This is the story of the revolt. Solomon was filling in the land on the east side of Jerusalem and repairing the city walls.


text:
 Jeroboam was an able young man, and when Solomon noticed how hard he worked, he put him in charge of all the forced labor in the territory of the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim.


text:
 One day, as Jeroboam was traveling from Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh met him alone on the road in the open country.


text:
 and said to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces for yourself, because the LORD, the God of Israel, says to you, 'I am going to take the kingdom away from Solomon, and I will give you ten tribes.


text:
 Solomon will keep one tribe for the sake of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen to be my own from the whole land of Israel.


text:
 I am going to do this because Solomon has rejected me and has worshiped foreign gods: Astarte, the goddess of Sidon; Chemosh, the god of Moab; and Molech, the god of Ammon. Solomon has disobeyed me; he has done wrong and has not kept my laws and commands as his father David did.


text:
 But I will not take the whole kingdom away from Solomon, and I will keep him in power as long as he lives. This I will do for the sake of my servant David, whom I chose and who obeyed my laws and commands.


text:
 but I will let Solomon's son keep one tribe, so that I will always have a descendant of my servant David ruling in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen as the place where I am worshiped.


text:
 If you obey me completely, live by my laws, and win my approval by doing what I command, as my servant David did, I will always be with you. I will make you king of Israel and will make sure that your descendants rule after you, just as I have done for David.


text:
 And so Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but he escaped to King Shishak of Egypt and stayed there until Solomon's death.


text:
 Everything else that Solomon did, his career, and his wisdom, are all recorded in <i>The History of Solomon</i>.


text:
 When Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had gone to Egypt to escape from King Solomon, heard this news, he returned from Egypt.


text:
 The people of the northern tribes sent for him, and then they all went together to Rehoboam and said to him,


text:
 "Your father Solomon treated us harshly and placed heavy burdens on us. If you make these burdens lighter and make life easier for us, we will be your loyal subjects."


text:
 King Rehoboam consulted the older men who had served as his father Solomon's advisers. "What answer do you advise me to give these people?" he asked.


text:
 They replied, "If you want to serve this people well, give a favorable answer to their request, and they will always serve you loyally."


text:
 But he ignored the advice of the older men and went instead to the young men who had grown up with him and who were now his advisers.


text:
 "What do you advise me to do?" he asked. "What shall I say to the people who are asking me to make their burdens lighter?"


text:
 They replied, "This is what you should tell them: 'My little finger is thicker than my father's waist!'


text:
 Tell them, 'My father placed heavy burdens on you; I will make them even heavier. He beat you with whips; I'll flog you with bullwhips!' "


text:
 as the younger men had advised. He said, "My father placed heavy burdens on you; I will make them even heavier. He beat you with whips; I'll flog you with bullwhips!"


text:
 It was the will of the LORD to bring about what he had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh. This is why the king did not pay any attention to the people.


text:
 When the people saw that the king would not listen to them, they shouted, "Down with David and his family! What have they ever done for us? People of Israel, let's go home! Let Rehoboam look out for himself !" So the people of Israel rebelled,


text:
 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, who was in charge of the forced labor, to go to the Israelites, but they stoned him to death. At this, Rehoboam hurriedly got in his chariot and escaped to Jerusalem.


text:
 Ever since that time the people of the northern kingdom of Israel have been in rebellion against the dynasty of David.


text:
 When the people of Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned from Egypt, they invited him to a meeting of the people and made him king of Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to David's descendants.


text:
 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he called together 180,000 of the best soldiers from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. He intended to go to war and restore his control over the northern tribes of Israel.


text:
 "Do not attack your own relatives, the people of Israel. Go home, all of you. What has happened is my will." They all obeyed the LORD's command and went back home.


text:
 King Jeroboam of Israel fortified the town of Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there for a while. Then he left and fortified the town of Penuel.


text:
 He said to himself, "As things are now, if my people go to Jerusalem and offer sacrifices to the LORD in the Temple there, they will transfer their allegiance to King Rehoboam of Judah and will kill me."


text:
 After thinking it over, he made two bull-calves of gold and said to his people, "You have been going long enough to Jerusalem to worship. People of Israel, here are your gods who brought you out of Egypt!"


text:
 Jeroboam also built places of worship on hilltops, and he chose priests from families who were not of the tribe of Levi.


text:
 Jeroboam also instituted a religious festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival in Judah. On the altar in Bethel he offered sacrifices to the gold bull-calves he had made, and he placed there in Bethel the priests serving at the places of worship he had built.


text:
 And on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the day that he himself had set, he went to Bethel and offered a sacrifice on the altar in celebration of the festival he had instituted for the people of Israel.


text:
 At the LORD's command a prophet from Judah went to Bethel and arrived there as Jeroboam stood at the altar to offer the sacrifice.


text:
 Following the LORD's command, the prophet denounced the altar: "O altar, altar, this is what the LORD says: A child, whose name will be Josiah, will be born to the family of David. He will slaughter on you the priests serving at the pagan altars who offer sacrifices on you, and he will burn human bones on you."


text:
 And the prophet went on to say, "This altar will fall apart, and the ashes on it will be scattered. Then you will know that the LORD has spoken through me."


text:
 When King Jeroboam heard this, he pointed at him and ordered, "Seize that man!" At once the king's arm became paralyzed so that he couldn't pull it back.


text:
 The altar suddenly fell apart and the ashes spilled to the ground, as the prophet had predicted in the name of the LORD.


text:
 King Jeroboam said to the prophet, "Please pray for me to the LORD your God, and ask him to heal my arm!" The prophet prayed to the LORD, and the king's arm was healed.


text:
 Then the king said to the prophet, "Come home with me and have something to eat. I will reward you for what you have done."


text:
 The prophet answered, "Even if you gave me half of your wealth, I would not go with you or eat or drink anything with you.


text:
 The LORD has commanded me not to eat or drink a thing, and not to return home the same way I came."


text:
 At that time there was an old prophet living in Bethel. His sons came and told him what the prophet from Judah had done in Bethel that day and what he had said to King Jeroboam.


text:
 down the road after the prophet from Judah and found him sitting under an oak tree. "Are you the prophet from Judah?" he asked. "I am," the man answered.


text:
 But the prophet from Judah answered, "I can't go home with you or accept your hospitality. And I won't eat or drink anything with you here,


text:
 because the LORD has commanded me not to eat or drink a thing, and not to return home the same way I came."


text:
 Then the old prophet from Bethel said to him, "I, too, am a prophet just like you, and at the LORD's command an angel told me to take you home with me and offer you my hospitality." But the old prophet was lying.


text:
 and he cried out to the prophet from Judah, "The LORD says that you disobeyed him and did not do what he commanded.


text:
 Instead, you returned and ate a meal in a place he had ordered you not to eat in. Because of this you will be killed, and your body will not be buried in your family grave."


text:
 who rode off. On the way a lion met him and killed him. His body lay on the road, and the donkey and the lion stood beside it.


text:
 Some men passed by and saw the body on the road, with the lion standing near by. They went on into Bethel and reported what they had seen.


text:
 When the old prophet heard about it, he said, "That is the prophet who disobeyed the LORD's command! And so the LORD sent the lion to attack and kill him, just as the LORD said he would."


text:
 and he rode off and found the prophet's body lying on the road, with the donkey and the lion still standing by it. The lion had not eaten the body or attacked the donkey.


text:
 The old prophet picked up the body, put it on the donkey, and brought it back to Bethel to mourn over it and bury it.


text:
 He buried it in his own family grave, and he and his sons mourned over it, saying, "Oh my brother, my brother!"


text:
 After the burial the prophet said to his sons, "When I die, bury me in this grave and lay my body next to his.


text:
 The words that he spoke at the LORD's command against the altar in Bethel and against all the places of worship in the towns of Samaria will surely come true."


text:
 King Jeroboam of Israel still did not turn from his evil ways but continued to choose priests from ordinary families to serve at the altars he had built. He ordained as priest anyone who wanted to be one.


text:
 Jeroboam said to his wife, "Disguise yourself so that no one will recognize you, and go to Shiloh, where the prophet Ahijah lives, the one who said I would be king of Israel.


text:
 Take him ten loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of honey. Ask him what is going to happen to our son, and he will tell you."


text:
 The LORD had told him that Jeroboam's wife was coming to ask him about her son, who was sick. And the LORD told Ahijah what to say. When Jeroboam's wife arrived, she pretended to be someone else.


text:
 But when Ahijah heard her coming in the door, he said, "Come in. I know you are Jeroboam's wife. Why are you pretending to be someone else? I have bad news for you.


text:
 Go and tell Jeroboam that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to him: 'I chose you from among the people and made you the ruler of my people Israel.


text:
 I took the kingdom away from David's descendants and gave it to you. But you have not been like my servant David, who was completely loyal to me, obeyed my commands, and did only what I approve of.


text:
 You have committed far greater sins than those who ruled before you. You have rejected me and have aroused my anger by making idols and metal images to worship.


text:
 Because of this I will bring disaster on your dynasty and will kill all your male descendants, young and old alike. I will get rid of your family; they will be swept away like dung.


text:
 Any members of your family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and any who die in the open country will be eaten by vultures. I, the LORD, have spoken.' "


text:
 And Ahijah went on to say to Jeroboam's wife, "Now go back home. As soon as you enter the town, your son will die.


text:
 All the people of Israel will mourn for him and bury him. He will be the only member of Jeroboam's family who will be properly buried, because he is the only one with whom the LORD, the God of Israel, is pleased.


text:
 The LORD will punish Israel, and she will shake like a reed shaking in a stream. He will uproot the people of Israel from this good land which he gave to their ancestors, and he will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they have aroused his anger by making idols of the goddess Asherah.


text:
 The people of Israel mourned for him and buried him, as the LORD had said through his servant, the prophet Ahijah.


text:
 Everything else that King Jeroboam did, the wars he fought and how he ruled, are all recorded in <i>The History of the Kings of Israel</i>.


text:
 Jeroboam ruled as king for twenty-two years. He died and was buried, and his son Nadab succeeded him as king.


text:
 Solomon's son Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen from all the territory of Israel as the place where he was to be worshiped. Rehoboam's mother was Naamah from Ammon.


text:
 The people of Judah sinned against the LORD and did more to arouse his anger against them than all their ancestors had done.


text:
 They built places of worship for false gods and put up stone pillars and symbols of Asherah to worship on the hills and under shady trees.


text:
 Worst of all, there were men and women who served as prostitutes at those pagan places of worship. The people of Judah practiced all the shameful things done by the people whom the LORD had driven out of the land as the Israelites advanced into the country.


text:
 He took away all the treasures in the Temple and in the palace, including the gold shields Solomon had made.


text:
 To replace them, King Rehoboam made bronze shields and entrusted them to the officers responsible for guarding the palace gates.


text:
 Every time the king went to the Temple, the guards carried the shields and then returned them to the guardroom.


text:
 Rehoboam died and was buried in the royal tombs in David's City and his son Abijah succeeded him as king.


text:
 He committed the same sins as his father and was not completely loyal to the LORD his God, as his great-grandfather David had been.


text:
 But for David's sake the LORD his God gave Abijah a son to rule after him in Jerusalem and to keep Jerusalem secure.


text:
 The LORD did this because David had done what pleased him and had never disobeyed any of his commands, except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.


text:
 He expelled from the country all the male and female prostitutes serving at the pagan places of worship, and he removed all the idols his predecessors had made.


text:
 He removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother, because she had made an obscene idol of the fertility goddess Asherah. Asa cut down the idol and burned it in Kidron Valley.


text:
 Even though Asa did not destroy all the pagan places of worship, he remained faithful to the LORD all his life.


text:
 He placed in the Temple all the objects his father had dedicated to God, as well as the gold and silver objects that he himself dedicated.


text:
 King Asa of Judah and King Baasha of Israel were constantly at war with each other as long as they were in power.


text:
 Baasha invaded Judah and started to fortify Ramah in order to cut off all traffic in and out of Judah.


text:
 So King Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the Temple and the palace, and sent it by some of his officials to Damascus, to King Benhadad of Syria, the son of Tabrimmon and grandson of Hezion, with this message:


text:
 "Let us be allies, as our fathers were. This silver and gold is a present for you. Now break your alliance with King Baasha of Israel, so that he will have to pull his troops out of my territory."


text:
 King Benhadad agreed to Asa's proposal and sent his commanding officers and their armies to attack the cities of Israel. They captured Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah, the area near Lake Galilee, and the whole territory of Naphtali.


text:
 Then King Asa sent out an order throughout all of Judah requiring everyone, without exception, to help carry away from Ramah the stones and timber that Baasha had been using to fortify it. With this material Asa fortified Mizpah and Geba, a city in the territory of Benjamin.


text:
 Everything else that King Asa did, his brave deeds and the towns he fortified, are all recorded in <i>The History of the Kings of Judah</i>.But in his old age he was crippled by a foot disease.


text:
 Asa died and was buried in the royal tombs in David's City, and his son Jehoshaphat succeeded him as king.


text:
 In the second year of the reign of King Asa of Judah, King Jeroboam's son Nadab became king of Israel, and he ruled for two years.


text:
 Baasha son of Ahijah, of the tribe of Issachar, plotted against Nadab and killed him as Nadab and his army were besieging the city of Gibbethon in Philistia.


text:
 This happened during the third year of the reign of King Asa of Judah. And so Baasha succeeded Nadab as king of Israel.


text:
 At once he began killing all the members of Jeroboam's family. In accordance with what the LORD had said through his servant, the prophet Ahijah from Shiloh, all of Jeroboam's family were killed; not one survived.


text:
 This happened because Jeroboam aroused the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, by the sins that he committed and that he caused Israel to commit.


text:
 In the third year of the reign of King Asa of Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king of all Israel, and he ruled in Tirzah for twenty-four years.


text:
 "You were a nobody, but I made you the leader of my people Israel. And now you have sinned like Jeroboam and have led my people into sin. Their sins have aroused my anger,


text:
 Any members of your family who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and any who die in the open country will be eaten by vultures."


text:
 Everything else that Baasha did and all his brave deeds are recorded in <i>The History of the Kings of Israel</i>.


text:
 That message from the LORD against Baasha and his family was given by the prophet Jehu because of the sins that Baasha committed against the LORD. He aroused the LORD's anger not only because of the evil he did, just as King Jeroboam had done before him, but also because he killed all of Jeroboam's family.


text:
 In the twenty-sixth year of the reign of King Asa of Judah, Elah son of Baasha became king of Israel, and he ruled in Tirzah for two years.


text:
 Zimri, one of his officers who was in charge of half of the king's chariots, plotted against him. One day in Tirzah, Elah was getting drunk in the home of Arza, who was in charge of the palace.


text:
 Zimri entered the house, assassinated Elah, and succeeded him as king. This happened in the twenty-seventh year of the reign of King Asa of Judah.


text:
 As soon as Zimri became king he killed off all the members of Baasha's family. Every male relative and friend was put to death.


text:
 And so, in accordance with what the LORD had said against Baasha through the prophet Jehu, Zimri killed all the family of Baasha.


text:
 Because of their idolatry and because they led Israel into sin, Baasha and his son Elah had aroused the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel.


text:
 In the twenty-seventh year of the reign of King Asa of Judah, Zimri ruled in Tirzah over Israel for seven days. The Israelite troops were besieging the city of Gibbethon in Philistia,


text:
 and when they heard that Zimri had plotted against the king and assassinated him, then and there they all proclaimed their commander Omri king of Israel.


text:
 When Zimri saw that the city had fallen, he went into the palace's inner fortress, set the palace on fire, and died in the flames.


text:
 This happened because of his sins against the LORD. Like his predecessor Jeroboam, he displeased the LORD by his own sins and by leading Israel into sin.


text:
 Everything else that Zimri did, including the account of his conspiracy, is recorded in <i>The History of the Kings of Israel</i>.


text:
 The people of Israel were divided: some of them wanted to make Tibni son of Ginath king, and the others were in favor of Omri.


text:
 So in the thirty-first year of the reign of King Asa of Judah, Omri became king of Israel, and he ruled for twelve years. The first six years he ruled in Tirzah,


text:
 and then he bought the hill of Samaria for six thousand pieces of silver from a man named Shemer. Omri fortified the hill, built a town there, and named it Samaria, after Shemer, the former owner of the hill.


text:
 Like Jeroboam before him, he aroused the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, by his sins and by leading the people into sin and idolatry.


text:
 Everything else that Omri did and all his accomplishments are recorded in <i>The History of the Kings of Israel</i>.


text:
 In the thirty-eighth year of the reign of King Asa of Judah, Ahab son of Omri became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for twenty-two years.


text:
 It was not enough for him to sin like King Jeroboam; he went further and married Jezebel, the daughter of King Ethbaal of Sidon, and worshiped Baal.


text:
 He also put up an image of the goddess Asherah. He did more to arouse the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel, than all the kings of Israel before him.


text:
 During his reign Hiel from Bethel rebuilt Jericho. As the LORD had foretold through Joshua son of Nun, Hiel lost his oldest son Abiram when he laid the foundation of Jericho, and his youngest son Segub when he built the gates.


text:
 A prophet named Elijah, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to King Ahab, "In the name of the LORD, the living God of Israel, whom I serve, I tell you that there will be no dew or rain for the next two or three years until I say so."


text:
 The brook will supply you with water to drink, and I have commanded ravens to bring you food there."


text:
 He drank water from the brook, and ravens brought him bread and meat every morning and every evening.


text:
 "Now go to the town of Zarephath, near Sidon, and stay there. I have commanded a widow who lives there to feed you."


text:
 So Elijah went to Zarephath, and as he came to the town gate, he saw a widow gathering firewood. "Please bring me a drink of water," he said to her.


text:
 She answered, "By the living LORD your God I swear that I don't have any bread. All I have is a handful of flour in a bowl and a bit of olive oil in a jar. I came here to gather some firewood to take back home and prepare what little I have for my son and me. That will be our last meal, and then we will starve to death."


text:
 "Don't worry," Elijah said to her. "Go on and prepare your meal. But first make a small loaf from what you have and bring it to me, and then prepare the rest for you and your son.


text:
 For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'The bowl will not run out of flour or the jar run out of oil before the day that I, the LORD, send rain.' "


text:
 As the LORD had promised through Elijah, the bowl did not run out of flour nor did the jar run out of oil.


text:
 She said to Elijah, "Man of God, why did you do this to me? Did you come here to remind God of my sins and so cause my son's death?"


text:
 "Give the boy to me," Elijah said. He took the boy from her arms, carried him upstairs to the room where he was staying, and laid him on the bed.


text:
 Then he prayed aloud, "O LORD my God, why have you done such a terrible thing to this widow? She has been kind enough to take care of me, and now you kill her son!"


text:
 Then Elijah stretched himself out on the boy three times and prayed, "O LORD my God, restore this child to life!"


text:
 After some time, in the third year of the drought, the LORD said to Elijah, "Go and present yourself to King Ahab, and I will send rain."


text:
 so Ahab called in Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Obadiah was a devout worshiper of the LORD,


text:
 and when Jezebel was killing the LORD's prophets, Obadiah took a hundred of them, hid them in caves in two groups of fifty, and provided them with food and water.)


text:
 Ahab said to Obadiah, "Let us go and look at every spring and every stream bed in the land to see if we can find enough grass to keep the horses and mules alive. Maybe we won't have to kill any of our animals."


text:
 As Obadiah was on his way, he suddenly met Elijah. He recognized him, bowed low before him, and asked, "Is it really you, sir?"


text:
 Obadiah answered, "What have I done that you want to put me in danger of being killed by King Ahab?


text:
 By the living LORD, your God, I swear that the king has made a search for you in every country in the world. Whenever the ruler of a country reported that you were not in his country, Ahab would require that ruler to swear that you could not be found.


text:
 What if the spirit of the LORD carries you off to some unknown place as soon as I leave? Then, when I tell Ahab that you are here and he can't find you, he will put me to death. Remember that I have been a devout worshiper of the LORD ever since I was a boy.


text:
 Haven't you heard that when Jezebel was killing the prophets of the LORD I hid a hundred of them in caves, in two groups of fifty, and supplied them with food and water?


text:
 Elijah answered, "By the living LORD Almighty, whom I serve, I promise that I will present myself to the king today."


text:
 "I'm not the troublemaker," Elijah answered. "You are---you and your father. You are disobeying the LORD's commands and worshiping the idols of Baal.


text:
 Now order all the people of Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel. Bring along the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of the goddess Asherah who are supported by Queen Jezebel."


text:
 Elijah went up to the people and said, "How much longer will it take you to make up your minds? If the LORD is God, worship him; but if Baal is God, worship him!" But the people didn't say a word.


text:
 Then Elijah said, "I am the only prophet of the LORD still left, but there are 450 prophets of Baal.


text:
 Bring two bulls; let the prophets of Baal take one, kill it, cut it in pieces, and put it on the wood---but don't light the fire. I will do the same with the other bull.


text:
 Then let the prophets of Baal pray to their god, and I will pray to the LORD, and the one who answers by sending fire---he is God." The people shouted their approval.


text:
 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Since there are so many of you, you take a bull and prepare it first. Pray to your god, but don't set fire to the wood."


text:
 They took the bull that was brought to them, prepared it, and prayed to Baal until noon. They shouted, "Answer us, Baal!" and kept dancing around the altar they had built. But no answer came.


text:
 At noon Elijah started making fun of them: "Pray louder! He is a god! Maybe he is day-dreaming or relieving himself, or perhaps he's gone off on a trip! Or maybe he's sleeping, and you've got to wake him up!"


text:
 So the prophets prayed louder and cut themselves with knives and daggers, according to their ritual, until blood flowed.


text:
 They kept on ranting and raving until the middle of the afternoon; but no answer came, not a sound was heard.


text:
 Then Elijah said to the people, "Come closer to me," and they all gathered around him. He set about repairing the altar of the LORD which had been torn down.


text:
 He took twelve stones, one for each of the twelve tribes named for the sons of Jacob, the man to whom the LORD had given the name Israel.


text:
 With these stones he rebuilt the altar for the worship of the LORD. He dug a trench around it, large enough to hold about four gallons of water.


text:
 Then he placed the wood on the altar, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, "Fill four jars with water and pour it on the offering and the wood." They did so,


text:
 At the hour of the afternoon sacrifice the prophet Elijah approached the altar and prayed, "O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, prove now that you are the God of Israel and that I am your servant and have done all this at your command.


text:
 Answer me, LORD, answer me, so that this people will know that you, the LORD, are God and that you are bringing them back to yourself."


text:
 The LORD sent fire down, and it burned up the sacrifice, the wood, and the stones, scorched the earth and dried up the water in the trench.


text:
 When the people saw this, they threw themselves on the ground and exclaimed, "The LORD is God; the LORD alone is God!"


text:
 Elijah ordered, "Seize the prophets of Baal; don't let any of them get away!" The people seized them all, and Elijah led them down to Kishon Brook and killed them.


text:
 While Ahab went to eat, Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel, where he bowed down to the ground, with his head between his knees.


text:
 He said to his servant, "Go and look toward the sea." The servant went and returned, saying, "I didn't see a thing." Seven times in all Elijah told him to go and look.


text:
 The seventh time he returned and said, "I saw a little cloud no bigger than a man's hand, coming up from the sea." Elijah ordered his servant, "Go to King Ahab and tell him to get in his chariot and go back home before the rain stops him."


text:
 In a little while the sky was covered with dark clouds, the wind began to blow, and a heavy rain began to fall. Ahab got in his chariot and started back to Jezreel.


text:
 The power of the LORD came on Elijah; he fastened his clothes tight around his waist and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.


text:
 King Ahab told his wife Jezebel everything that Elijah had done and how he had put all the prophets of Baal to death.


text:
 She sent a message to Elijah: "May the gods strike me dead if by this time tomorrow I don't do the same thing to you that you did to the prophets."


text:
 Elijah was afraid and fled for his life; he took his servant and went to Beersheba in Judah. Leaving the servant there,


text:
 Elijah walked a whole day into the wilderness. He stopped and sat down in the shade of a tree and wished he would die. "It's too much, LORD," he prayed. "Take away my life; I might as well be dead!"


text:
 He lay down under the tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said, "Wake up and eat."


text:
 He looked around and saw a loaf of bread and a jar of water near his head. He ate and drank, and lay down again.


text:
 The LORD's angel returned and woke him up a second time, saying, "Get up and eat, or the trip will be too much for you."


text:
 Elijah got up, ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to walk forty days to Sinai, the holy mountain.


text:
 There he went into a cave to spend the night. Suddenly the LORD spoke to him, "Elijah, what are you doing here?"


text:
 He answered, " LORD God Almighty, I have always served you---you alone. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed all your prophets. I am the only one left---and they are trying to kill me!"


text:
 "Go out and stand before me on top of the mountain," the LORD said to him. Then the LORD passed by and sent a furious wind that split the hills and shattered the rocks---but the LORD was not in the wind. The wind stopped blowing, and then there was an earthquake---but the LORD was not in the earthquake.


text:
 After the earthquake there was a fire---but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the soft whisper of a voice.


text:
 When Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. A voice said to him, "Elijah, what are you doing here?"


text:
 He answered, " LORD God Almighty, I have always served you---you alone. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed all your prophets. I am the only one left---and they are trying to kill me."


text:
 The LORD said, "Return to the wilderness near Damascus, then enter the city and anoint Hazael as king of Syria;


text:
 anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet.


text:
 Anyone who escapes being put to death by Hazael will be killed by Jehu, and anyone who escapes Jehu will be killed by Elisha.


text:
 Yet I will leave seven thousand people alive in Israel---all those who are loyal to me and have not bowed to Baal or kissed his idol."


text:
 Elijah left and found Elisha plowing with a team of oxen; there were eleven teams ahead of him, and he was plowing with the last one. Elijah took off his cloak and put it on Elisha.


text:
 Elisha then left his oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Let me kiss my father and mother good-bye, and then I will go with you." Elijah answered, "All right, go back. I'm not stopping you!"


text:
 Then Elisha went to his team of oxen, killed them, and cooked the meat, using the yoke as fuel for the fire. He gave the meat to the people, and they ate it. Then he went and followed Elijah as his helper.


text:
 King Benhadad of Syria gathered all his troops, and supported by thirty-two other rulers with their horses and chariots, he marched up, laid siege to Samaria, and launched attacks against it.


text:
 Later the messengers came back to Ahab with another demand from Benhadad: "I sent you word that you were to hand over to me your silver and gold, your women and your children.


text:
 Now, however, I will send my officers to search your palace and the homes of your officials, and to take everything they consider valuable. They will be there about this time tomorrow."


text:
 King Ahab called in all the leaders of the country and said, "You see that this man wants to ruin us. He sent me a message demanding my wives and children, my silver and gold, and I agreed."


text:
 So Ahab replied to Benhadad's messengers, "Tell my lord the king that I agreed to his first demand, but I cannot agree to the second." The messengers left and then returned with another message


text:
 from Benhadad: "I will bring enough men to destroy this city of yours and carry off the rubble in their hands. May the gods strike me dead if I don't!"


text:
 King Ahab answered, "Tell King Benhadad that a real soldier does his bragging <i>after</i> a battle, not before it."


text:
 Benhadad received Ahab's answer as he and his allies, the other rulers, were drinking in their tents. He ordered his men to get ready to attack the city, and so they moved into position.


text:
 Meanwhile, a prophet went to King Ahab and said, "The LORD says, 'Don't be afraid of that huge army! I will give you victory over it today, and you will know that I am the LORD.' "


text:
 "Who will lead the attack?" Ahab asked. The prophet answered, "The LORD says that the young soldiers under the command of the district governors are to do it." "Who will command the main force?" the king asked. "You," the prophet answered.


text:
 So the king called out the young soldiers who were under the district commanders, 232 in all. Then he called out the Israelite army, a total of seven thousand men.


text:
 The young soldiers advanced first. Scouts sent out by Benhadad reported to him that a group of soldiers was coming out of Samaria.


text:
 and each one killed the man he fought. The Syrians fled, with the Israelites in hot pursuit, but Benhadad escaped on horseback, accompanied by some of the cavalry.


text:
 King Ahab took to the field, captured the horses and chariots, and inflicted a severe defeat on the Syrians.


text:
 Then the prophet went to King Ahab and said, "Go back and build up your forces and make careful plans, because the king of Syria will attack again next spring."


text:
 King Benhadad's officials said to him, "The gods of Israel are mountain gods, and that is why the Israelites defeated us. But we will certainly defeat them if we fight them in the plains.


text:
 Then call up an army as large as the one that deserted you, with the same number of horses and chariots. We will fight the Israelites in the plains, and this time we will defeat them." King Benhadad agreed and followed their advice.


text:
 The following spring he called up his men and marched with them to the city of Aphek to attack the Israelites.


text:
 The Israelites were called up and equipped; they marched out and camped in two groups facing the Syrians. The Israelites looked like two small flocks of goats compared to the Syrians, who spread out over the countryside.


text:
 A prophet went to King Ahab and said, "This is what the LORD says: 'Because the Syrians say that I am a god of the hills and not of the plains, I will give you victory over their huge army, and you and your people will know that I am the LORD.' "


text:
 For seven days the Syrians and the Israelites stayed in their camps, facing each other. On the seventh day they started fighting, and the Israelites killed a hundred thousand Syrians.


text:
 The survivors fled into the city of Aphek, where the city walls fell on twenty-seven thousand of them. Benhadad also escaped into the city and took refuge in the back room of a house.


text:
 His officials went to him and said, "We have heard that the Israelite kings are merciful. Give us permission to go to the king of Israel with sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our necks, and maybe he will spare your life."


text:
 So they wrapped sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their necks, went to Ahab and said, "Your servant Benhadad pleads with you for his life." Ahab answered, "Is he still alive? Good! He's like a brother to me!"


text:
 Benhadad's officials were watching for a good sign, and when Ahab said "brother," they took it up at once, and said, "As you say, Benhadad is your brother!" "Bring him to me," Ahab ordered. When Benhadad arrived, Ahab invited him to get in the chariot with him.


text:
 Benhadad said to him, "I will restore to you the towns my father took from your father, and you may set up a commercial center for yourself in Damascus, just as my father did in Samaria." Ahab replied, "On these terms, then, I will set you free." He made a treaty with him and let him go.


text:
 At the LORD's command a member of a group of prophets ordered a fellow prophet to hit him. But he refused,


text:
 so he said to him, "Because you have disobeyed the LORD's command, a lion will kill you as soon as you leave me." And as soon as he left, a lion came along and killed him.


text:
 Then this same prophet went to another man and said, "Hit me!" This man did so; he hit him a hard blow and hurt him.


text:
 The prophet bandaged his face with a cloth, to disguise himself, and went and stood by the road, waiting for the king of Israel to pass.


text:
 As the king was passing by, the prophet called out to him and said, "Your Majesty, I was fighting in the battle when a soldier brought a captured enemy to me and said, 'Guard this man; if he escapes, you will pay for it with your life or else pay a fine of three thousand pieces of silver.'


text:
 But I got busy with other things, and the man escaped." The king answered, "You have pronounced your own sentence, and you will have to pay the penalty."


text:
 The prophet tore the cloth from his face, and at once the king recognized him as one of the prophets.


text:
 The prophet then said to the king, "This is the word of the LORD: 'Because you allowed the man to escape whom I had ordered to be killed, you will pay for it with your life, and your army will be destroyed for letting his army escape.' "


text:
 One day Ahab said to Naboth, "Let me have your vineyard; it is close to my palace, and I want to use the land for a vegetable garden. I will give you a better vineyard for it or, if you prefer, I will pay you a fair price."


text:
 "I inherited this vineyard from my ancestors," Naboth replied. "The LORD forbid that I should let you have it!"


text:
 Ahab went home, depressed and angry over what Naboth had said to him. He lay down on his bed, facing the wall, and would not eat.


text:
 He answered, "Because of what Naboth said to me. I offered to buy his vineyard or, if he preferred, to give him another one for it, but he told me that I couldn't have it!"


text:
 "Well, are you the king or aren't you?" Jezebel replied. "Get out of bed, cheer up, and eat. I will get you Naboth's vineyard!"


text:
 Then she wrote some letters, signed Ahab's name to them, sealed them with his seal, and sent them to the officials and leading citizens of Jezreel.


text:
 The letters said: "Proclaim a day of fasting, call the people together, and give Naboth the place of honor.


text:
 Get a couple of scoundrels to accuse him to his face of cursing God and the king. Then take him out of the city and stone him to death."


text:
 The two scoundrels publicly accused him of cursing God and the king, and so he was taken outside the city and stoned to death.


text:
 As soon as Jezebel received the message, she said to Ahab, "Naboth is dead. Now go and take possession of the vineyard which he refused to sell to you."


text:
 "Go to King Ahab of Samaria. You will find him in Naboth's vineyard, about to take possession of it.


text:
 Tell him that I, the LORD, say to him, 'After murdering the man, are you taking over his property as well?' Tell him that this is what I say: 'In the very place that the dogs licked up Naboth's blood they will lick up your blood!' "


text:
 When Ahab saw Elijah, he said, "Have you caught up with me, my enemy?" "Yes, I have," Elijah answered. "You have devoted yourself completely to doing what is wrong in the LORD's sight.


text:
 So the LORD says to you, 'I will bring disaster on you. I will do away with you and get rid of every male in your family, young and old alike.


text:
 Your family will become like the family of King Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the family of King Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have stirred up my anger by leading Israel into sin.'


text:
 Any of your relatives who die in the city will be eaten by dogs, and any who die in the open country will be eaten by vultures."


text:
 (There was no one else who had devoted himself so completely to doing wrong in the LORD's sight as Ahab---all at the urging of his wife Jezebel.


text:
 He committed the most shameful sins by worshiping idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the LORD had driven out of the land as the people of Israel advanced.)


text:
 When Elijah finished speaking, Ahab tore his clothes, took them off, and put on sackcloth. He refused food, slept in the sackcloth, and went about gloomy and depressed.


text:
 "Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Since he has done this, I will not bring disaster on him during his lifetime; it will be during his son's lifetime that I will bring disaster on Ahab's family."


text:
 Ahab asked his officials, "Why is it that we have not done anything to get back Ramoth in Gilead from the king of Syria? It belongs to us!"


text:
 And Ahab asked Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to attack Ramoth?" "I am ready when you are," Jehoshaphat answered, "and so are my soldiers and my cavalry.


text:
 So Ahab called in the prophets, about four hundred of them, and asked them, "Should I go and attack Ramoth, or not?" "Attack it," they answered. "The Lord will give you victory."


text:
 Ahab answered, "There is one more, Micaiah son of Imlah. But I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me; it's always something bad." "You shouldn't say that!" Jehoshaphat replied.


text:
 The two kings, dressed in their royal robes, were sitting on their thrones at the threshing place just outside the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying in front of them.


text:
 One of them, Zedekiah son of Chenaanah, made iron horns and said to Ahab, "This is what the LORD says: 'With these you will fight the Syrians and totally defeat them.' "


text:
 All the other prophets said the same thing. "March against Ramoth and you will win," they said. "The LORD will give you victory."


text:
 Meanwhile, the official who had gone to get Micaiah said to him, "All the other prophets have prophesied success for the king, and you had better do the same."


text:
 When he appeared before King Ahab, the king asked him, "Micaiah, should King Jehoshaphat and I go and attack Ramoth, or not?" "Attack!" Micaiah answered. "Of course you'll win. The LORD will give you victory."


text:
 But Ahab replied, "When you speak to me in the name of the LORD, tell the truth! How many times do I have to tell you that?"


text:
 Micaiah answered, "I can see the army of Israel scattered over the hills like sheep without a shepherd. And the LORD said, 'These men have no leader; let them go home in peace.' "


text:
 Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Didn't I tell you that he never prophesies anything good for me? It's always something bad!"


text:
 Micaiah went on: "Now listen to what the LORD says! I saw the LORD sitting on his throne in heaven, with all his angels standing beside him.


text:
 The LORD asked, 'Who will deceive Ahab so that he will go and be killed at Ramoth?' Some of the angels said one thing, and others said something else,


text:
 'How?' the LORD asked. The spirit replied, 'I will go and make all of Ahab's prophets tell lies.' The LORD said, 'Go and deceive him. You will succeed.' "


text:
 And Micaiah concluded: "This is what has happened. The LORD has made these prophets of yours lie to you. But he himself has decreed that you will meet with disaster!"


text:
 Then the prophet Zedekiah went up to Micaiah, slapped his face, and asked, "Since when did the LORD's spirit leave me and speak to you?"


text:
 Then King Ahab ordered one of his officers, "Arrest Micaiah and take him to Amon, the governor of the city, and to Prince Joash.


text:
 "If you return safely," Micaiah exclaimed, "then the LORD has not spoken through me!" And he added, "Listen, everyone, to what I have said!"


text:
 Then King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah went to attack the city of Ramoth in Gilead.


text:
 Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "As we go into battle, I will disguise myself, but you wear your royal garments." So the king of Israel went into battle in disguise.


text:
 The king of Syria had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders to attack no one else except the king of Israel.


text:
 So when they saw King Jehoshaphat, they all thought that he was the king of Israel, and they turned to attack him. But when he cried out,


text:
 By chance, however, a Syrian soldier shot an arrow which struck King Ahab between the joints of his armor. "I'm wounded!" he cried out to his chariot driver. "Turn around and pull out of the battle!"


text:
 While the battle raged on, King Ahab remained propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrians. The blood from his wound ran down and covered the bottom of the chariot, and at evening he died.


text:
 Near sunset the order went out through the Israelite ranks: "Each of you go back to your own country and city!"


text:
 His chariot was cleaned up at the pool of Samaria, where dogs licked up his blood and prostitutes washed themselves, as the LORD had said would happen.


text:
 Everything else that King Ahab did, including an account of his palace decorated with ivory and of all the cities he built, is recorded in <i>The History of the Kings of Israel</i>.


text:
 In the fourth year of the reign of King Ahab of Israel, Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah


text:
 at the age of thirty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi.


text:
 Like his father Asa before him, he did what was right in the sight of the LORD; but the places of worship were not destroyed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.


text:
 Everything else that Jehoshaphat did, all his bravery and his battles, are recorded in <i>The History of the Kings of Judah</i>.


text:
 He got rid of all the male and female prostitutes serving at the pagan altars who were still left from the days of his father Asa.


text:
 King Jehoshaphat had ocean-going ships built to sail to the land of Ophir for gold; but they were wrecked at Eziongeber and never sailed.


text:
 Then King Ahaziah of Israel offered to let his men sail with Jehoshaphat's men, but Jehoshaphat refused the offer.


text:
 Jehoshaphat died and was buried in the royal tombs in David's City, and his son Jehoram succeeded him as king.


text:
 In the seventeenth year of the reign of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, Ahaziah son of Ahab became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for two years.


text:
 He sinned against the LORD, following the wicked example of his father Ahab, his mother Jezebel, and King Jeroboam, who had led Israel into sin.


text:
 He worshiped and served Baal, and like his father before him, he aroused the anger of the LORD, the God of Israel.


text:
 King Ahaziah of Israel fell off the balcony on the roof of his palace in Samaria and was seriously injured. So he sent some messengers to consult Baalzebub, the god of the Philistine city of Ekron, in order to find out whether or not he would recover.


text:
 But an angel of the LORD commanded Elijah, the prophet from Tishbe, to go and meet the messengers of King Ahaziah and ask them, "Why are you going to consult Baalzebub, the god of Ekron? Is it because you think there is no god in Israel?


text:
 Tell the king that the LORD says, 'You will not recover from your injuries; you will die!' " Elijah did as the LORD commanded,


text:
 They answered, "We were met by a man who told us to come back and tell you that the LORD says to you, 'Why are you sending messengers to consult Baalzebub, the god of Ekron? Is it because you think there is no god in Israel? You will not recover from your injuries; you will die!' "


text:
 "He was wearing a cloak made of animal skins, tied with a leather belt," they answered. "It's Elijah!" the king exclaimed.


text:
 Then he sent an officer with fifty men to get Elijah. The officer found him sitting on a hill and said to him, "Man of God, the king orders you to come down."


text:
 "If I am a man of God," Elijah answered, "may fire come down from heaven and kill you and your men!" At once fire came down and killed the officer and his men.


text:
 The king sent another officer with fifty men, who went up and said to Elijah, "Man of God, the king orders you to come down at once!"


text:
 "If I am a man of God," Elijah answered, "may fire come down from heaven and kill you and your men!" At once the fire of God came down and killed the officer and his men.


text:
 Once more the king sent an officer with fifty men. He went up the hill, fell on his knees in front of Elijah, and pleaded, "Man of God, be merciful to me and my men. Spare our lives!


text:
 The two other officers and their men were killed by fire from heaven; but please be merciful to me!"


text:
 The angel of the LORD said to Elijah, "Go down with him, and don't be afraid." So Elijah went with the officer to the king


text:
 and said to him, "This is what the LORD says: 'Because you sent messengers to consult Baalzebub, the god of Ekron---as if there were no god in Israel to consult---you will not get well; you will die!' "


text:
 Ahaziah died, as the LORD had said through Elijah. Ahaziah had no sons, so his brother Joram succeeded him as king in the second year of the reign of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah.


text:
 The time came for the LORD to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind. Elijah and Elisha set out from Gilgal,


text:
 and on the way Elijah said to Elisha, "Now stay here; the LORD has ordered me to go to Bethel." But Elisha answered, "I swear by my loyalty to the living LORD and to you that I will not leave you." So they went on to Bethel.


text:
 A group of prophets who lived there went to Elisha and asked him, "Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master away from you today?" "Yes, I know," Elisha answered. "But let's not talk about it."


text:
 Then Elijah said to Elisha, "Now stay here; the LORD has ordered me to go to Jericho." But Elisha answered, "I swear by my loyalty to the living LORD and to you that I will not leave you." So they went on to Jericho.


text:
 Then Elijah said to Elisha, "Now stay here; the LORD has ordered me to go to the Jordan River." But Elisha answered, "I swear by my loyalty to the living LORD and to you that I will not leave you." So they went on,


text:
 and fifty of the prophets followed them to the Jordan. Elijah and Elisha stopped by the river, and the fifty prophets stood a short distance away.


text:
 Then Elijah took off his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the water with it; the water divided, and he and Elisha crossed to the other side on dry ground.


text:
 There, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me what you want me to do for you before I am taken away." "Let me receive the share of your power that will make me your successor," Elisha answered.


text:
 "That is a difficult request to grant," Elijah replied. "But you will receive it if you see me as I am being taken away from you; if you don't see me, you won't receive it."


text:
 They kept talking as they walked on; then suddenly a chariot of fire pulled by horses of fire came between them, and Elijah was taken up to heaven by a whirlwind.


text:
 Elisha saw it and cried out to Elijah, "My father, my father! Mighty defender of Israel! You are gone!" And he never saw Elijah again. In grief Elisha tore his cloak in two.


text:
 Then he picked up Elijah's cloak that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan.


text:
 He struck the water with Elijah's cloak and said, "Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?" Then he struck the water again, and it divided, and he walked over to the other side.


text:
 The fifty prophets from Jericho saw him and said, "The power of Elijah is on Elisha!" They went to meet him, bowed down before him,


text:
 and said, "There are fifty of us here, all strong men. Let us go and look for your master. Maybe the spirit of the LORD has carried him away and left him on some mountain or in some valley." "No, you must not go," Elisha answered.


text:
 But they insisted until he gave in and let them go. The fifty of them went and looked high and low for Elijah for three days, but didn't find him.


text:
 Then they returned to Elisha, who had waited at Jericho, and he said to them, "Didn't I tell you not to go?"


text:
 Some men from Jericho went to Elisha and said, "As you know, sir, this is a fine city, but the water is bad and causes miscarriages."


text:
 and he went to the spring, threw the salt in the water, and said, "This is what the LORD says: 'I make this water pure, and it will not cause any more deaths or miscarriages.' "


text:
 Elisha left Jericho to go to Bethel, and on the way some boys came out of a town and made fun of him. "Get out of here, baldy!" they shouted.


text:
 Elisha turned around, glared at them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. Then two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys to pieces.


text:
 In the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jehoshaphat of Judah, Joram son of Ahab became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for twelve years.


text:
 He sinned against the LORD, but he was not as bad as his father or his mother Jezebel; he pulled down the image his father had made for the worship of Baal.


text:
 King Mesha of Moab raised sheep, and every year he gave as tribute to the king of Israel 100,000 lambs and the wool from 100,000 sheep.


text:
 He sent word to King Jehoshaphat of Judah: "The king of Moab has rebelled against me; will you join me in war against him?" "I will," King Jehoshaphat replied. "I am at your disposal, and so are my men and my horses.


text:
 What route shall we take for the attack?" "We will go the long way through the wilderness of Edom," Joram answered.


text:
 So King Joram and the kings of Judah and Edom set out. After marching seven days, they ran out of water, and there was none left for the men or the pack animals.


text:
 "We're done for!" King Joram exclaimed. "The LORD has put the three of us at the mercy of the king of Moab!"


text:
 King Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there a prophet here through whom we can consult the LORD?" An officer of King Joram's forces answered, "Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He was Elijah's assistant."


text:
 "Why should I help you?" Elisha said to the king of Israel. "Go and consult those prophets that your father and mother consulted." "No!" Joram replied. "It is the LORD who has put us three kings at the mercy of the king of Moab."


text:
 Elisha answered, "By the living LORD, whom I serve, I swear that I would have nothing to do with you if I didn't respect your ally, King Jehoshaphat of Judah.


text:
 Even though you will not see any rain or wind, this stream bed will be filled with water, and you, your livestock, and your pack animals will have plenty to drink.' "


text:
 And Elisha continued, "But this is an easy thing for the LORD to do; he will also give you victory over the Moabites.


text:
 You will conquer all their beautiful fortified cities; you will cut down all their fruit trees, stop all their springs, and ruin all their fertile fields by covering them with stones."


text:
 The next morning, at the time of the regular morning sacrifice, water came flowing from the direction of Edom and covered the ground.


text:
 When the Moabites heard that the three kings had come to attack them, all the men who could bear arms, from the oldest to the youngest, were called out and stationed at the border.


text:
 When they got up the following morning, the sun was shining on the water, making it look as red as blood.


text:
 "It's blood!" they exclaimed. "The three enemy armies must have fought and killed each other! Let's go and loot their camp!"


text:
 But when they reached the camp, the Israelites attacked them and drove them back. The Israelites kept up the pursuit, slaughtering the Moabites


text:
 and destroying their cities. As they passed by a fertile field, every Israelite would throw a stone on it until finally all the fields were covered; they also stopped up the springs and cut down the fruit trees. At last only the capital city of Kir Heres was left, and the slingers surrounded it and attacked it.


text:
 When the king of Moab realized that he was losing the battle, he took seven hundred swordsmen with him and tried to force his way through the enemy lines and escape to the king of Syria, but he failed.


text:
 So he took his oldest son, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him on the city wall as a sacrifice to the god of Moab. The Israelites were terrified and so they drew back from the city and returned to their own country.


text:
 The widow of a member of a group of prophets went to Elisha and said, "Sir, my husband has died! As you know, he was a God-fearing man, but now a man he owed money to has come to take away my two sons as slaves in payment for my husband's debt."


text:
 "What shall I do for you?" he asked. "Tell me, what do you have at home?" "Nothing at all, except a small jar of olive oil," she answered.


text:
 "Then you and your sons go into the house, close the door, and start pouring oil into the jars. Set each one aside as soon as it is full."


text:
 So the woman went into her house with her sons, closed the door, took the small jar of olive oil, and poured oil into the jars as her sons brought them to her.


text:
 When they had filled all the jars, she asked if there were any more. "That was the last one," one of her sons answered. And the olive oil stopped flowing.


text:
 She went back to Elisha, the prophet, who said to her, "Sell the olive oil and pay all your debts, and there will be enough money left over for you and your sons to live on."


text:
 One day Elisha went to Shunem, where a rich woman lived. She invited him to a meal, and from then on every time he went to Shunem he would have his meals at her house.


text:
 Let's build a small room on the roof, put a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp in it, and he can stay there whenever he visits us."


text:
 he said to Gehazi, "Ask her what I can do for her in return for all the trouble she has had in providing for our needs. Maybe she would like me to go to the king or the army commander and put in a good word for her." "I have all I need here among my own people," she answered.


text:
 Elisha asked Gehazi, "What can I do for her then?" He answered, "Well, she has no son, and her husband is an old man."


text:
 and Elisha said to her, "By this time next year you will be holding a son in your arms." "Oh!" she exclaimed. "Please, sir, don't lie to me. You are a man of God!"


text:
 Some years later, at harvest time, the boy went out one morning to join his father, who was in the field with the harvest workers.


text:
 Suddenly he cried out to his father, "My head hurts! My head hurts!" "Carry the boy to his mother," the father said to a servant.


text:
 The servant carried the boy back to his mother, who held him in her lap until noon, at which time he died.


text:
 Then she called her husband and said to him, "Send a servant here with a donkey. I need to go to the prophet Elisha. I'll be back as soon as I can."


text:
 "Why do you have to go today?" her husband asked. "It's neither a Sabbath nor a New Moon Festival." "Never mind," she answered.


text:
 Then she had the donkey saddled, and ordered the servant, "Make the donkey go as fast as it can, and don't slow down unless I tell you to."


text:
 So she set out and went to Mount Carmel, where Elisha was. Elisha saw her coming while she was still some distance away, and he said to his servant Gehazi, "Look, there comes the woman from Shunem!


text:
 Hurry to her and find out if everything is all right with her, her husband, and her son." She told Gehazi that everything was all right,


text:
 but when she came to Elisha, she bowed down before him and took hold of his feet. Gehazi was about to push her away, but Elisha said, "Leave her alone. Can't you see she's deeply distressed? And the LORD has not told me a thing about it."


text:
 Elisha turned to Gehazi and said, "Hurry! Take my walking stick and go. Don't stop to greet anyone you meet, and if anyone greets you, don't take time to answer. Go straight to the house and hold my stick over the boy."


text:
 The woman said to Elisha, "I swear by my loyalty to the living LORD and to you that I will not leave you!" So the two of them started back together.


text:
 Gehazi went on ahead and held Elisha's stick over the child, but there was no sound or any other sign of life. So he went back to meet Elisha and said, "The boy didn't wake up."


text:
 Then he lay down on the boy, placing his mouth, eyes, and hands on the boy's mouth, eyes, and hands. As he lay stretched out over the boy, the boy's body started to get warm.


text:
 Elisha got up, walked around the room, and then went back and again stretched himself over the boy. The boy sneezed seven times and then opened his eyes.


text:
 Elisha called Gehazi and told him to call the boy's mother. When she came in, he said to her, "Here's your son."


text:
 Once, when there was a famine throughout the land, Elisha returned to Gilgal. While he was teaching a group of prophets, he told his servant to put a big pot on the fire and make some stew for them.


text:
 One of them went out in the fields to get some herbs. He found a wild vine and picked as many gourds as he could carry. He brought them back and sliced them up into the stew, not knowing what they were.


text:
 The stew was poured out for the men to eat, but as soon as they tasted it they exclaimed to Elisha, "It's poisoned!"---and wouldn't eat it.


text:
 Elisha asked for some meal, threw it into the pot, and said, "Pour out some more stew for them." And then there was nothing wrong with it.


text:
 Another time, a man came from Baal Shalishah, bringing Elisha twenty loaves of bread made from the first barley harvested that year, and some freshly-cut heads of grain. Elisha told his servant to feed the group of prophets with this,


text:
 but he answered, "Do you think this is enough for a hundred men?" Elisha replied, "Give it to them to eat, because the LORD says that they will eat and still have some left over."


text:
 So the servant set the food before them, and as the LORD had said, they all ate, and there was still some left over.


text:
 Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, was highly respected and esteemed by the king of Syria, because through Naaman the LORD had given victory to the Syrian forces. He was a great soldier, but he suffered from a dreaded skin disease.


text:
 In one of their raids against Israel, the Syrians had carried off a little Israelite girl, who became a servant of Naaman's wife.


text:
 One day she said to her mistress, "I wish that my master could go to the prophet who lives in Samaria! He would cure him of his disease."


text:
 The king said, "Go to the king of Israel and take this letter to him." So Naaman set out, taking thirty thousand pieces of silver, six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of fine clothes.


text:
 The letter that he took read: "This letter will introduce my officer Naaman. I want you to cure him of his disease."


text:
 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and exclaimed, "How can the king of Syria expect me to cure this man? Does he think that I am God, with the power of life and death? It's plain that he is trying to start a quarrel with me!"


text:
 When the prophet Elisha heard what had happened, he sent word to the king: "Why are you so upset? Send the man to me, and I'll show him that there is a prophet in Israel!"


text:
 Elisha sent a servant out to tell him to go and wash himself seven times in the Jordan River, and he would be completely cured of his disease.


text:
 But Naaman left in a rage, saying, "I thought that he would at least come out to me, pray to the LORD his God, wave his hand over the diseased spot, and cure me!


text:
 Besides, aren't the rivers Abana and Pharpar, back in Damascus, better than any river in Israel? I could have washed in them and been cured!"


text:
 His servants went up to him and said, "Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would have done it. Now why can't you just wash yourself, as he said, and be cured?"


text:
 So Naaman went down to the Jordan, dipped himself in it seven times, as Elisha had instructed, and he was completely cured. His flesh became firm and healthy like that of a child.


text:
 He returned to Elisha with all his men and said, "Now I know that there is no god but the God of Israel; so please, sir, accept a gift from me."


text:
 Elisha answered, "By the living LORD, whom I serve, I swear that I will not accept a gift." Naaman insisted that he accept it, but he would not.


text:
 So Naaman said, "If you won't accept my gift, then let me have two mule-loads of earth to take home with me, because from now on I will not offer sacrifices or burnt offerings to any god except the LORD.


text:
 So I hope that the LORD will forgive me when I accompany my king to the temple of Rimmon, the god of Syria, and worship him. Surely the LORD will forgive me!"


text:
 when Elisha's servant Gehazi said to himself, "My master has let Naaman get away without paying a thing! He should have accepted what that Syrian offered him. By the living LORD I will run after him and get something from him."


text:
 So he set off after Naaman. When Naaman saw a man running after him, he got down from his chariot to meet him, and asked, "Is something wrong?"


text:
 "No," Gehazi answered. "But my master sent me to tell you that just now two members of the group of prophets in the hill country of Ephraim arrived, and he would like you to give them three thousand pieces of silver and two changes of fine clothes."


text:
 "Please take six thousand pieces of silver," Naaman replied. He insisted on it, tied up the silver in two bags, gave them and two changes of fine clothes to two of his servants, and sent them on ahead of Gehazi.


text:
 When they reached the hill where Elisha lived, Gehazi took the two bags and carried them into the house. Then he sent Naaman's servants back.


text:
 He went back into the house, and Elisha asked him, "Where have you been?" "Oh, nowhere, sir," he answered.


text:
 But Elisha said, "Wasn't I there in spirit when the man got out of his chariot to meet you? This is no time to accept money and clothes, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and cattle, or servants!


text:
 And now Naaman's disease will come upon you, and you and your descendants will have it forever!" When Gehazi left, he had the disease---his skin was as white as snow.


text:
 One day the group of prophets that Elisha was in charge of complained to him, "The place where we live is too small!


text:
 Give us permission to go to the Jordan and cut down some trees, so that we can build a place to live." "All right," Elisha answered.


text:
 As one of them was cutting down a tree, suddenly his iron ax head fell in the water. "What shall I do, sir?" he exclaimed to Elisha. "It was a borrowed ax!"


text:
 "Where did it fall?" Elisha asked. The man showed him the place, and Elisha cut off a stick, threw it in the water, and made the ax head float.


text:
 The king of Syria was at war with Israel. He consulted his officers and chose a place to set up his camp.


text:
 But Elisha sent word to the king of Israel, warning him not to go near that place, because the Syrians were waiting in ambush there.


text:
 So the king of Israel warned the people who lived in that place, and they were on guard. This happened several times.


text:
 The Syrian king became greatly upset over this; he called in his officers and asked them, "Which one of you is on the side of the king of Israel?"


text:
 One of them answered, "No one is, Your Majesty. The prophet Elisha tells the king of Israel what you say even in the privacy of your own room."


text:
 "Find out where he is," the king ordered, "and I will capture him." When he was told that Elisha was in Dothan,


text:
 he sent a large force there with horses and chariots. They reached the town at night and surrounded it.


text:
 Early the next morning Elisha's servant got up, went out of the house, and saw the Syrian troops with their horses and chariots surrounding the town. He went back to Elisha and exclaimed, "We are doomed, sir! What shall we do?"


text:
 Then he prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes and let him see!" The LORD answered his prayer, and Elisha's servant looked up and saw the hillside covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.


text:
 When the Syrians attacked, Elisha prayed, "O LORD, strike these men blind!" The LORD answered his prayer and struck them blind.


text:
 Then Elisha went to them and said, "You are on the wrong road; this is not the town you are looking for. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are after." And he led them to Samaria.


text:
 As soon as they had entered the city, Elisha prayed, "Open their eyes, LORD, and let them see." The LORD answered his prayer; he restored their sight, and they saw that they were inside Samaria.


text:
 When the king of Israel saw the Syrians, he asked Elisha, "Shall I kill them, sir? Shall I kill them?"


text:
 "No," he answered. "Not even soldiers you had captured in combat would you put to death. Give them something to eat and drink, and let them return to their king."


text:
 So the king of Israel provided a great feast for them; and after they had eaten and drunk, he sent them back to the king of Syria. From then on the Syrians stopped raiding the land of Israel.


text:
 Some time later King Benhadad of Syria led his entire army against Israel and laid siege to the city of Samaria.


text:
 As a result of the siege the food shortage in the city was so severe that a donkey's head cost eighty pieces of silver, and half a pound of dove's dung cost five pieces of silver.


text:
 The king of Israel was walking by on the city wall when a woman cried out, "Help me, Your Majesty!"


text:
 What's your trouble?" She answered, "The other day this woman here suggested that we eat my child, and then eat her child the next day.


text:
 So we cooked my son and ate him. The next day I told her that we would eat her son, but she had hidden him!"


text:
 Hearing this, the king tore his clothes in dismay, and the people who were close to the wall could see that he was wearing sackcloth under his clothes.


text:
 And he sent a messenger to get Elisha. Meanwhile Elisha was at home with some elders who were visiting him. Before the king's messenger arrived, Elisha said to the elders, "That murderer is sending someone to kill me! Now, when he gets here, shut the door and don't let him come in. The king himself will be right behind him."


text:
 He had hardly finished saying this, when the king arrived and said, "It's the LORD who has brought this trouble on us! Why should I wait any longer for him to do something?"


text:
 Elisha answered, "Listen to what the LORD says! By this time tomorrow you will be able to buy in Samaria ten pounds of the best wheat or twenty pounds of barley for one piece of silver."


text:
 The personal attendant of the king said to Elisha, "That can't happen---not even if the LORD himself were to send grain at once!" "You will see it happen, but you won't get to eat any of the food," Elisha replied.


text:
 Four men who were suffering from a dreaded skin disease were outside the gates of Samaria, and they said to each other, "Why should we wait here until we die?


text:
 It's no use going into the city, because we would starve to death in there; but if we stay here, we'll die also. So let's go to the Syrian camp; the worst they can do is kill us, but maybe they will spare our lives."


text:
 So, as it began to get dark, they went to the Syrian camp, but when they reached it, no one was there.


text:
 The Lord had made the Syrians hear what sounded like the advance of a large army with horses and chariots, and the Syrians thought that the king of Israel had hired Hittite and Egyptian kings and their armies to attack them.


text:
 So that evening the Syrians had fled for their lives, abandoning their tents, horses, and donkeys, and leaving the camp just as it was.


text:
 When the four men reached the edge of the camp, they went into a tent, ate and drank what was there, grabbed the silver, gold, and clothing they found, and went off and hid them; then they returned, entered another tent, and did the same thing.


text:
 But then they said to each other, "We shouldn't be doing this! We have good news, and we shouldn't keep it to ourselves. If we wait until morning to tell it, we are sure to be punished. Let's go right now and tell the king's officers!"


text:
 So they left the Syrian camp, went back to Samaria, and called out to the guards at the gates: "We went to the Syrian camp and didn't see or hear anybody; the horses and donkeys have not been untied, and the tents are just as the Syrians left them."


text:
 It was still night, but the king got out of bed and said to his officials, "I'll tell you what the Syrians are planning! They know about the famine here, so they have left their camp to go and hide in the countryside. They think that we will leave the city to find food, and then they will take us alive and capture the city."


text:
 One of his officials said, "The people here in the city are doomed anyway, like those that have already died. So let's send some men with five of the horses that are left, so that we can find out what has happened."


text:
 They chose some men, and the king sent them in two chariots with instructions to go and find out what had happened to the Syrian army.


text:
 The men went as far as the Jordan, and all along the road they saw the clothes and equipment that the Syrians had abandoned as they fled. Then they returned and reported to the king.


text:
 The people of Samaria rushed out and looted the Syrian camp. And as the LORD had said, ten pounds of the best wheat or twenty pounds of barley were sold for one piece of silver.


text:
 It so happened that the king of Israel had put the city gate under the command of the officer who was his personal attendant. The officer was trampled to death there by the people and died, as Elisha had predicted when the king went to see him.


text:
 Elisha had told the king that by that time the following day ten pounds of the best wheat or twenty pounds of barley would be sold in Samaria for one piece of silver,


text:
 to which the officer had answered, "That can't happen---not even if the LORD himself were to send grain at once!" And Elisha had replied, "You will see it happen, but you won't get to eat any of the food."


text:
 Now Elisha had told the woman who lived in Shunem, whose son he had brought back to life, that the LORD was sending a famine on the land, which would last for seven years, and that she should leave with her family and go and live somewhere else.


text:
 She had followed his instructions and had gone with her family to live in Philistia for the seven years.


text:
 At the end of the seven years she returned to Israel and went to the king to ask that her house and her land be restored to her.


text:
 She found the king talking with Gehazi, Elisha's servant; the king wanted to know about Elisha's miracles.


text:
 While Gehazi was telling the king how Elisha had brought a dead person back to life, the woman made her appeal to the king. Gehazi said to him, "Your Majesty, here is the woman and here is her son whom Elisha brought back to life!"


text:
 In answer to the king's question, she confirmed Gehazi's story, and so the king called an official and told him to give back to her everything that was hers, including the value of all the crops that her fields had produced during the seven years she had been away.


text:
 Elisha went to Damascus at a time when King Benhadad of Syria was sick. When the king was told that Elisha was there,


text:
 he said to Hazael, one of his officials, "Take a gift to the prophet and ask him to consult the LORD to find out whether or not I am going to get well."


text:
 So Hazael loaded forty camels with all kinds of the finest products of Damascus and went to Elisha. When Hazael met him, he said, "Your servant King Benhadad has sent me to ask you whether or not he will recover from his sickness."


text:
 Elisha answered, "The LORD has revealed to me that he will die; but go to him and tell him that he will recover."


text:
 Then Elisha stared at him with a horrified look on his face until Hazael became ill at ease. Suddenly Elisha burst into tears.


text:
 "Why are you crying, sir?" Hazael asked. "Because I know the horrible things you will do against the people of Israel," Elisha answered. "You will set their fortresses on fire, slaughter their finest young men, batter their children to death, and rip open their pregnant women."


text:
 "How could I ever be that powerful?" Hazael asked. "I'm a nobody!" "The LORD has shown me that you will be king of Syria," Elisha replied.


text:
 Hazael went back to Benhadad, who asked him, "What did Elisha say?" "He told me that you would certainly get well," Hazael answered.


text:
 But on the following day Hazael took a blanket, soaked it in water, and smothered the king. And Hazael succeeded Benhadad as king of Syria.


text:
 In the fifth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab as king of Israel, Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat became king of Judah


text:
 His wife was Ahab's daughter, and like the family of Ahab he followed the evil ways of the kings of Israel. He sinned against the LORD,


text:
 but the LORD was not willing to destroy Judah, because he had promised his servant David that his descendants would always continue to rule.


text:
 So Jehoram set out with all his chariots to Zair, where the Edomite army surrounded them. During the night he and his chariot commanders managed to break out and escape, and his soldiers scattered to their homes.


text:
 Edom has been independent of Judah ever since. During this same period the city of Libnah also revolted.


text:
 Jehoram died and was buried in the royal tombs in David's City, and his son Ahaziah succeeded him as king.


text:
 In the twelfth year of the reign of Joram son of Ahab as king of Israel, Ahaziah son of Jehoram became king of Judah


text:
 at the age of twenty-two, and he ruled in Jerusalem for one year. His mother was Athaliah, the daughter of King Ahab and granddaughter of King Omri of Israel.


text:
 Since Ahaziah was related to King Ahab by marriage, he sinned against the LORD, just as Ahab's family did.


text:
 King Ahaziah joined King Joram of Israel in a war against King Hazael of Syria. The armies clashed at Ramoth in Gilead, and Joram was wounded in battle.


text:
 He returned to the city of Jezreel to recover from his wounds, and Ahaziah went there to visit him.


text:
 Meanwhile the prophet Elisha called one of the young prophets and said to him, "Get ready and go to Ramoth in Gilead. Take this jar of olive oil with you,


text:
 and when you get there look for Jehu, the son of Jehoshaphat and grandson of Nimshi. Take him to a private room away from his companions,


text:
 pour this olive oil on his head, and say, 'The LORD proclaims that he anoints you king of Israel.' Then leave there as fast as you can."


text:
 where he found the army officers in a conference. He said, "Sir, I have a message for you." Jehu asked, "Which one of us are you speaking to?" "To you, sir," he replied.


text:
 Then the two of them went indoors, and the young prophet poured the olive oil on Jehu's head and said to him, "The LORD, the God of Israel, proclaims: 'I anoint you king of my people Israel.


text:
 You are to kill your master the king, that son of Ahab, so that I may punish Jezebel for murdering my prophets and my other servants.


text:
 All of Ahab's family and descendants are to die; I will get rid of every male in his family, young and old alike.


text:
 I will treat his family as I did the families of King Jeroboam of Israel and of King Baasha of Israel.


text:
 Jezebel will not be buried; her body will be eaten by dogs in the territory of Jezreel.' " After saying this, the young prophet left the room and fled.


text:
 Jehu went back to his fellow officers, who asked him, "Is everything all right? What did that crazy fellow want with you?" "You know what he wanted," Jehu answered.


text:
 "No we don't!" they replied. "Tell us what he said!" "He told me that the LORD proclaims: 'I anoint you king of Israel.' "


text:
 At once Jehu's fellow officers spread their cloaks at the top of the steps for Jehu to stand on, blew trumpets, and shouted, "Jehu is king!"


text:
 Then Jehu plotted against King Joram, who was in Jezreel, where he had gone to recover from the wounds which he had received in the battle at Ramoth against King Hazael of Syria. So Jehu said to his fellow officers, "If you are with me, make sure that no one slips out of Ramoth to go and warn the people in Jezreel."


text:
 Then he got into his chariot and set off for Jezreel. Joram had still not recovered, and King Ahaziah of Judah was there, visiting him.


text:
 A guard on duty in the watchtower at Jezreel saw Jehu and his men approaching. "I see some men riding up!" he called out. Joram replied, "Send a rider to find out if they are friends or enemies."


text:
 The messenger rode out to Jehu and said to him, "The king wants to know if you come as a friend." "That's none of your business!" Jehu answered. "Fall in behind me." The guard on the watchtower reported that the messenger had reached the group but was not returning.


text:
 Another messenger was sent out, who asked Jehu the same question. Again Jehu answered, "That's none of your business! Fall in behind me."


text:
 Once more the guard reported that the messenger had reached the group but was not returning. And he added, "The leader of the group is driving his chariot like a madman, just like Jehu!"


text:
 "Get my chariot ready," King Joram ordered. It was done, and he and King Ahaziah rode out, each in his own chariot, to meet Jehu. They met him at the field which had belonged to Naboth.


text:
 "Are you coming in peace?" Joram asked him. "How can there be peace," Jehu answered, "when we still have all the witchcraft and idolatry that your mother Jezebel started?"


text:
 Jehu drew his bow, and with all his strength shot an arrow that struck Joram in the back and pierced his heart. Joram fell dead in his chariot,


text:
 and Jehu said to his aide Bidkar, "Get his body and throw it in the field that belonged to Naboth. Remember that when you and I were riding together behind King Joram's father Ahab, the LORD spoke these words against Ahab:


text:
 'I saw the murder of Naboth and his sons yesterday. And I promise that I will punish you here in this same field.' So take Joram's body," Jehu ordered his aide, "and throw it in the field that belonged to Naboth, so as to fulfill the LORD's promise."


text:
 King Ahaziah saw what happened, so he fled in his chariot toward the town of Beth Haggan, pursued by Jehu. "Kill him too!" Jehu ordered his men, and they wounded him as he drove his chariot on the road up to Gur, near the town of Ibleam. But he managed to keep on going until he reached the city of Megiddo, where he died.


text:
 His officials took his body back to Jerusalem in a chariot and buried him in the royal tombs in David's City.


text:
 Jehu arrived in Jezreel. Jezebel, having heard what had happened, put on eye shadow, arranged her hair, and stood looking down at the street from a window in the palace.


text:
 Jehu looked up and shouted, "Who is on my side?" Two or three palace officials looked down at him from a window,


text:
 and Jehu said to them, "Throw her down!" They threw her down, and her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses. Jehu drove his horses and chariot over her body,


text:
 entered the palace, and had a meal. Only then did he say, "Take that cursed woman and bury her; after all, she is a king's daughter."


text:
 But the men who went out to bury her found nothing except her skull and the bones of her hands and feet.


text:
 When they reported this to Jehu, he said, "This is what the LORD said would happen, when he spoke through his servant Elijah: 'Dogs will eat Jezebel's body in the territory of Jezreel.


text:
 There were seventy descendants of King Ahab living in the city of Samaria. Jehu wrote a letter and sent copies to the rulers of the city, to the leading citizens, and to the guardians of Ahab's descendants. The letter read:


text:
 "You are in charge of the king's descendants, and you have at your disposal chariots, horses, weapons, and fortified cities. So then, as soon as you receive this letter,


text:
 you are to choose the best qualified of the king's descendants, make him king, and fight to defend him."


text:
 The rulers of Samaria were terrified. "How can we oppose Jehu," they said, "when neither King Joram nor King Ahaziah could?"


text:
 So the officer in charge of the palace and the official in charge of the city, together with the leading citizens and the guardians, sent this message to Jehu: "We are your servants, and we are ready to do anything you say. But we will not make anyone king; do whatever you think best."


text:
 Jehu wrote them another letter: "If you are with me and are ready to follow my orders, bring the heads of King Ahab's descendants to me at Jezreel by this time tomorrow." The seventy descendants of King Ahab were under the care of the leading citizens of Samaria, who were bringing them up.


text:
 When Jehu's letter was received, the leaders of Samaria killed all seventy of Ahab's descendants, put their heads in baskets, and sent them to Jehu at Jezreel.


text:
 When Jehu was told that the heads of Ahab's descendants had been brought, he ordered them to be piled up in two heaps at the city gate and to be left there until the following morning.


text:
 In the morning he went out to the gate and said to the people who were there, "I was the one who plotted against King Joram and killed him; you are not responsible for that. But who killed all these?


text:
 This proves that everything that the LORD said about the descendants of Ahab will come true. The LORD has done what he promised through his prophet Elijah."


text:
 Then Jehu put to death all the other relatives of Ahab living in Jezreel, and all his officers, close friends, and priests; not one of them was left alive.


text:
 he met some relatives of the late King Ahaziah of Judah and asked them, "Who are you?" "Ahaziah's relatives," they answered. "We are going to Jezreel to pay our respects to the children of Queen Jezebel and to the rest of the royal family."


text:
 Jehu ordered his men, "Take them alive!" They seized them, and he put them to death near a pit there. There were forty-two people in all, and not one of them was left alive.


text:
 Jehu started out again, and on his way he was met by Jonadab son of Rechab. Jehu greeted him and said, "You and I think alike. Will you support me?" "I will," Jonadab answered. "Give me your hand, then," Jehu replied. They clasped hands, and Jehu helped him up into the chariot,


text:
 saying, "Come with me and see for yourself how devoted I am to the LORD." And they rode on together to Samaria.


text:
 When they arrived there, Jehu killed all of Ahab's relatives, not sparing even one. This is what the LORD had told Elijah would happen.


text:
 Jehu called the people of Samaria together and said, "King Ahab served the god Baal a little, but I will serve him much more.


text:
 Call together all the prophets of Baal, all his worshipers, and all his priests. No one is excused; I am going to offer a great sacrifice to Baal, and whoever is not present will be put to death." (This was a trick on the part of Jehu by which he meant to kill all the worshipers of Baal.)


text:
 and Jehu sent word throughout all the land of Israel. All who worshiped Baal came; not one of them failed to come. They all went into the temple of Baal, filling it from one end to the other.


text:
 Then Jehu ordered the priest in charge of the sacred robes to bring the robes out and give them to the worshipers.


text:
 After that, Jehu himself went into the temple with Jonadab son of Rechab and said to the people there, "Make sure that only worshipers of Baal are present and that no worshiper of the LORD has come in."


text:
 Then he and Jonadab went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings to Baal. He had stationed eighty men outside the temple and had instructed them: "You are to kill all these people; anyone who lets one of them escape will pay for it with his life!"


text:
 As soon as Jehu had presented the offerings, he said to the guards and officers, "Go in and kill them all; don't let anyone escape!" They went in with drawn swords, killed them all, and dragged the bodies outside. Then they went on into the inner sanctuary of the temple,


text:
 So they destroyed the sacred pillar and the temple, and turned the temple into a latrine---which it still is today.


text:
 But he imitated the sin of King Jeroboam, who led Israel into the sin of worshiping the gold bull-calves he set up in Bethel and in Dan.


text:
 The LORD said to Jehu, "You have done to Ahab's descendants everything I wanted you to do. So I promise you that your descendants, down to the fourth generation, will be kings of Israel."


text:
 But Jehu did not obey with all his heart the Law of the LORD, the God of Israel; instead, he followed the example of Jeroboam, who led Israel into sin.


text:
 At that time the LORD began to reduce the size of Israel's territory. King Hazael of Syria conquered all the Israelite territory


text:
 east of the Jordan, as far south as the town of Aroer on the Arnon River---this included the territories of Gilead and Bashan, where the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and East Manasseh lived.


text:
 Everything else that Jehu did, including his brave deeds, is recorded in <i>The History of the Kings of Israel</i>.


text:
 As soon as King Ahaziah's mother Athaliah learned of her son's murder, she gave orders for all the members of the royal family to be killed.


text:
 Only Ahaziah's son Joash escaped. He was about to be killed with the others, but was rescued by his aunt Jehosheba, who was King Jehoram's daughter and Ahaziah's half sister. She took him and his nurse into a bedroom in the Temple and hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not killed.


text:
 For six years Jehosheba took care of the boy and kept him hidden in the Temple, while Athaliah ruled as queen.


text:
 But in the seventh year Jehoiada the priest sent for the officers in charge of the royal bodyguard and of the palace guards, and told them to come to the Temple, where he made them agree under oath to what he planned to do. He showed them King Ahaziah's son Joash


text:
 and gave them the following orders: "When you come on duty on the Sabbath, one third of you are to guard the palace;


text:
 another third are to stand guard at the Sur Gate, and the other third are to stand guard at the gate behind the other guards.


text:
 The two groups that go off duty on the Sabbath are to stand guard at the Temple to protect the king.


text:
 You are to guard King Joash with drawn swords and stay with him wherever he goes. Anyone who comes near you is to be killed."


text:
 The officers obeyed Jehoiada's instructions and brought their men to him---those going off duty on the Sabbath and those going on duty.


text:
 He gave the officers the spears and shields that had belonged to King David and had been kept in the Temple,


text:
 and he stationed the men with drawn swords all around the front of the Temple, to protect the king.


text:
 Then Jehoiada led Joash out, placed the crown on his head, and gave him a copy of the laws governing kingship. Then Joash was anointed and proclaimed king. The people clapped their hands and shouted, "Long live the king!"


text:
 Queen Athaliah heard the noise being made by the guards and the people, so she hurried to the Temple, where the crowd had gathered.


text:
 There she saw the new king standing by the column at the entrance of the Temple, as was the custom. He was surrounded by the officers and the trumpeters, and the people were all shouting joyfully and blowing trumpets. Athaliah tore her clothes in distress and shouted, "Treason! Treason!"


text:
 Jehoiada did not want Athaliah killed in the Temple area, so he ordered the army officers: "Take her out between the rows of guards, and kill anyone who tries to rescue her."


text:
 The priest Jehoiada had King Joash and the people make a covenant with the LORD that they would be the LORD's people; he also made a covenant between the king and the people.


text:
 Then the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down; they smashed the altars and the idols, and killed Mattan, the priest of Baal, in front of the altars. Jehoiada put guards on duty at the Temple,


text:
 and then he, the officers, the royal bodyguard, and the palace guards escorted the king from the Temple to the palace, followed by all the people. Joash entered by the Guard Gate and took his place on the throne.


text:
 All the people were filled with happiness, and the city was quiet, now that Athaliah had been killed in the palace.


text:
 In the seventh year of the reign of King Jehu of Israel, Joash became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for forty years. His mother was Zibiah from the city of Beersheba.


text:
 However, the pagan places of worship were not destroyed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.


text:
 Joash called the priests and ordered them to save up the money paid in connection with the sacrifices in the Temple, both the dues paid for the regular sacrifices and the money given as freewill gifts.


text:
 Each priest was to be responsible for the money brought by those he served, and the money was to be used to repair the Temple, as needed.


text:
 But by the twenty-third year of Joash's reign the priests still had not made any repairs in the Temple.


text:
 So he called in Jehoiada and the other priests and asked them, "Why aren't you repairing the Temple? From now on you are not to keep the money you receive; you must hand it over, so that the repairs can be made."


text:
 Then Jehoiada took a box, made a hole in the lid, and placed the box by the altar, on the right side as one enters the Temple. The priests on duty at the entrance put in the box all the money given by the worshipers.


text:
 Whenever there was a large amount of money in the box, the royal secretary and the High Priest would come, melt down the silver, and weigh it.


text:
 After recording the exact amount, they would hand the silver over to the men in charge of the work in the Temple, and these would pay the carpenters, the builders,


text:
 the masons, and the stone cutters, buy the timber and the stones used in the repairs, and pay all other necessary expenses.


text:
 None of the money, however, was used to pay for making silver cups, bowls, trumpets, or tools for tending the lamps, or any other article of silver or of gold.


text:
 The men in charge of the work were thoroughly honest, so there was no need to require them to account for the funds.


text:
 The money given for the repayment offerings and for the offerings for sin was not deposited in the box; it belonged to the priests.


text:
 At that time King Hazael of Syria attacked the city of Gath and conquered it; then he decided to attack Jerusalem.


text:
 King Joash of Judah took all the offerings that his predecessors Jehoshaphat, Jehoram, and Ahaziah had dedicated to the LORD, added to them his own offerings and all the gold in the treasuries of the Temple and the palace, and sent them all as a gift to King Hazael, who then led his army away from Jerusalem.


text:
 King Joash's officials plotted against him, and two of them, Jozacar son of Shimeath and Jehozabad son of Shomer, killed him at the house built on the land that was filled in on the east side of Jerusalem, on the road that goes down to Silla. Joash was buried in the royal tombs in David's City, and his son Amaziah succeeded him as king.


text:
 In the twenty-third year of the reign of Joash son of Ahaziah as king of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for seventeen years.


text:
 Like King Jeroboam before him, he sinned against the LORD and led Israel into sin; he never gave up his evil ways.


text:
 So the LORD was angry with Israel, and he allowed King Hazael of Syria and his son Benhadad to defeat Israel time after time.


text:
 Then Jehoahaz prayed to the LORD, and the LORD, seeing how harshly the king of Syria was oppressing the Israelites, answered his prayer.


text:
 The LORD sent Israel a leader, who freed them from the Syrians, and so the Israelites lived in peace, as before.


text:
 But they still did not give up the sins into which King Jeroboam had led Israel, but kept on committing them; and the image of the goddess Asherah remained in Samaria.


text:
 Jehoahaz had no armed forces left except fifty cavalry troops, ten chariots, and ten thousand foot soldiers, because the king of Syria had destroyed the rest, trampling them down like dust.


text:
 Everything else that Jehoahaz did and all his brave deeds are recorded in <i>The History of the Kings of Israel</i>.


text:
 In the thirty-seventh year of the reign of King Joash of Judah, Jehoash son of Jehoahaz became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for sixteen years.


text:
 He too sinned against the LORD and followed the evil example of King Jeroboam, who had led Israel into sin.


text:
 Everything else that Jehoash did, including his bravery in the war against King Amaziah of Judah, is recorded in <i>The History of the Kings of Israel</i>.


text:
 Jehoash died and was buried in the royal tombs in Samaria, and his son Jeroboam II succeeded him as king.


text:
 The prophet Elisha was sick with a fatal disease, and as he lay dying, King Jehoash of Israel went to visit him. "My father, my father!" he exclaimed as he wept. "You have been the mighty defender of Israel!"


text:
 and Elisha told him to get ready to shoot. The king did so, and Elisha placed his hands on the king's hands.


text:
 Then, following the prophet's instructions, the king opened the window that faced toward Syria. "Shoot the arrow!" Elisha ordered. As soon as the king shot the arrow, the prophet exclaimed, "You are the LORD's arrow, with which he will win victory over Syria. You will fight the Syrians in Aphek until you defeat them."


text:
 Then Elisha told the king to take the other arrows and strike the ground with them. The king struck the ground three times, and then stopped.


text:
 This made Elisha angry, and he said to the king, "You should have struck five or six times, and then you would have won complete victory over the Syrians; but now you will defeat them only three times."


text:
 One time during a funeral, one of those bands was seen, and the people threw the corpse into Elisha's tomb and ran off. As soon as the body came into contact with Elisha's bones, the man came back to life and stood up.


text:
 but the LORD was kind and merciful to them. He would not let them be destroyed, but helped them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He has never forgotten his people.


text:
 Then King Jehoash of Israel defeated Benhadad three times and recaptured the cities that had been taken by Benhadad during the reign of Jehoahaz, the father of Jehoash.


text:
 In the second year of the reign of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz as king of Israel, Amaziah son of Joash became king of Judah


text:
 at the age of twenty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother was Jehoaddin from Jerusalem.


text:
 He did what was pleasing to the LORD, but he was not like his ancestor King David; instead, he did what his father Joash had done.


text:
 He did not tear down the pagan places of worship, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.


text:
 As soon as Amaziah was firmly in power, he executed the officials who had killed his father, the king.


text:
 However, he did not kill their children but followed what the LORD had commanded in the Law of Moses: "Parents are not to be put to death for crimes committed by their children, and children are not to be put to death for crimes committed by their parents; people are to be put to death only for a crime they themselves have committed."


text:
 Amaziah killed ten thousand Edomite soldiers in Salt Valley; he captured the city of Sela in battle and called it Joktheel, the name it still has.


text:
 But King Jehoash sent back the following reply: "Once a thorn bush on the Lebanon Mountains sent a message to a cedar: 'Give your daughter in marriage to my son.' A wild animal passed by and trampled the bush down.


text:
 Now Amaziah, you have defeated the Edomites, and you are filled with pride. Be satisfied with your fame and stay at home. Why stir up trouble that will only bring disaster on you and your people?"


text:
 But Amaziah refused to listen, so King Jehoash marched out with his men and fought against him at Beth Shemesh in Judah.


text:
 Jehoash took Amaziah prisoner, advanced on Jerusalem, and tore down the city wall from Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate, a distance of two hundred yards.


text:
 He took all the silver and gold he could find, all the Temple equipment and all the palace treasures, and carried them back to Samaria. He also took hostages with him.


text:
 There was a plot in Jerusalem to assassinate Amaziah, so he fled to the city of Lachish, but his enemies followed him there and killed him.


text:
 His body was carried back to Jerusalem on a horse and was buried in the royal tombs in David's City.


text:
 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Amaziah son of Joash as king of Judah, Jeroboam son of Jehoash became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for forty-one years.


text:
 He sinned against the LORD, following the wicked example of his predecessor King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin.


text:
 He reconquered all the territory that had belonged to Israel, from Hamath Pass in the north to the Dead Sea in the south. This was what the LORD, the God of Israel, had promised through his servant the prophet Jonah son of Amittai from Gath Hepher.


text:
 But it was not the LORD's purpose to destroy Israel completely and forever, so he rescued them through King Jeroboam II.


text:
 Everything else that Jeroboam II did, his brave battles, and how he restored Damascus and Hamath to Israel, are all recorded in <i>The History of the Kings of Israel</i>.


text:
 In the twenty-seventh year of the reign of King Jeroboam II of Israel, Uzziah son of Amaziah became king of Judah


text:
 at the age of sixteen, and he ruled in Jerusalem for fifty-two years. His mother was Jecoliah from Jerusalem.


text:
 But the pagan places of worship were not destroyed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there.


text:
 The LORD struck Uzziah with a dreaded skin disease that stayed with him the rest of his life. He lived in a separate house, relieved of all duties, while his son Jotham governed the country.


text:
 Uzziah died and was buried in the royal burial ground in David's City, and his son Jotham succeeded him as king.


text:
 In the thirty-eighth year of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, Zechariah son of Jeroboam II became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for six months.


text:
 He, like his predecessors, sinned against the LORD. He followed the wicked example of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin.


text:
 Shallum son of Jabesh conspired against King Zechariah, assassinated him at Ibleam, and succeeded him as king.


text:
 So the promise was fulfilled which the LORD had made to King Jehu: "Your descendants down to the fourth generation will be kings of Israel."


text:
 In the thirty-ninth year of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, Shallum son of Jabesh became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for one month.


text:
 Everything else that Shallum did, including an account of his conspiracy, is recorded in <i>The History of the Kings of Israel</i>.


text:
 As Menahem was on his way from Tirzah, he completely destroyed the city of Tappuah, its inhabitants, and the surrounding territory, because the city did not surrender to him. He even ripped open the bellies of all the pregnant women.


text:
 In the thirty-ninth year of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, Menahem son of Gadi became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for ten years.


text:
 He sinned against the LORD, for until the day of his death he followed the wicked example of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin.


text:
 Tiglath Pileser, the emperor of Assyria, invaded Israel, and Menahem gave him thirty-eight tons of silver to gain his support in strengthening Menahem's power over the country.


text:
 Menahem got the money from the rich men of Israel by forcing each one to contribute fifty pieces of silver. So Tiglath Pileser went back to his own country.


text:
 In the fiftieth year of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, Pekahiah son of Menahem became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for two years.


text:
 He sinned against the LORD, following the wicked example of King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin.


text:
 An officer of Pekahiah's forces, Pekah son of Remaliah, plotted with fifty men from Gilead, assassinated Pekahiah in the palace's inner fortress in Samaria, and succeeded him as king.


text:
 In the fifty-second year of the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, Pekah son of Remaliah became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for twenty years.


text:
 It was while Pekah was king that Tiglath Pileser, the emperor of Assyria, captured the cities of Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, and Hazor, and the territories of Gilead, Galilee, and Naphtali, and took the people to Assyria as prisoners.


text:
 In the twentieth year of the reign of Jotham son of Uzziah as king of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah plotted against King Pekah, assassinated him, and succeeded him as king.


text:
 In the second year of the reign of Pekah son of Remaliah as king of Israel, Jotham son of Uzziah became king of Judah


text:
 at the age of twenty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for sixteen years. His mother was Jerusha, the daughter of Zadok.


text:
 But the pagan places of worship were not destroyed, and the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there. It was Jotham who built the North Gate of the Temple.


text:
 It was while he was king that the LORD first sent King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah of Israel to attack Judah.


text:
 Jotham died and was buried in the royal tombs in David's City, and his son Ahaz succeeded him as king.


text:
 In the seventeenth year of the reign of Pekah son of Remaliah as king of Israel, Ahaz son of Jotham became king of Judah


text:
 at the age of twenty, and he ruled in Jerusalem for sixteen years. He did not follow the good example of his ancestor King David; instead, he did what was not pleasing to the LORD his God


text:
 and followed the example of the kings of Israel. He even sacrificed his own son as a burnt offering to idols, imitating the disgusting practice of the people whom the LORD had driven out of the land as the Israelites advanced.


text:
 At the pagan places of worship, on the hills, and under every shady tree, Ahaz offered sacrifices and burned incense.


text:
 King Rezin of Syria and King Pekah of Israel attacked Jerusalem and besieged it, but could not defeat Ahaz.


text:
 (At the same time the king of Edom regained control of the city of Elath and drove out the Judeans who lived there. The Edomites settled in Elath and still live there.)


text:
 Ahaz sent men to Tiglath Pileser, the emperor of Assyria, with this message: "I am your devoted servant. Come and rescue me from the kings of Syria and of Israel, who are attacking me."


text:
 Ahaz took the silver and gold from the Temple and the palace treasury, and sent it as a present to the emperor.


text:
 Tiglath Pileser, in answer to Ahaz' plea, marched out with his army against Damascus, captured it, killed King Rezin, and took the people to Kir as prisoners.


text:
 When King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Emperor Tiglath Pileser, he saw the altar there and sent back to Uriah the priest an exact model of it, down to the smallest details.


text:
 so he burned animal sacrifices and grain offerings on it and poured a wine offering and the blood of a fellowship offering on it.


text:
 The bronze altar dedicated to the LORD was between the new altar and the Temple, so Ahaz moved it to the north side of his new altar.


text:
 Then he ordered Uriah: "Use this large altar of mine for the morning burnt offerings and the evening grain offerings, for the burnt offerings and grain offerings of the king and the people, and for the people's wine offerings. Pour on it the blood of all the animals that are sacrificed. But keep the bronze altar for me to use for divination."


text:
 King Ahaz took apart the bronze carts used in the Temple and removed the basins that were on them. He also took the bronze tank from the backs of the twelve bronze bulls and placed it on a stone foundation.


text:
 And in order to please the Assyrian emperor, Ahaz also removed from the Temple the platform for the royal throne and closed up the king's private entrance to the Temple.


text:
 Ahaz died and was buried in the royal tombs in David's City, and his son Hezekiah succeeded him as king.


text:
 In the twelfth year of the reign of King Ahaz of Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel, and he ruled in Samaria for nine years.


text:
 Emperor Shalmaneser of Assyria made war against him; Hoshea surrendered to Shalmaneser and paid him tribute every year.


text:
 But one year Hoshea sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, asking for his help, and stopped paying the annual tribute to Assyria. When Shalmaneser learned of this, he had Hoshea arrested and put in prison.


text:
 which was the ninth year of the reign of Hoshea, the Assyrian emperor captured Samaria, took the Israelites to Assyria as prisoners, and settled some of them in the city of Halah, some near the Habor River in the district of Gozan and some in the cities of Media.


text:
 Samaria fell because the Israelites sinned against the LORD their God, who had rescued them from the king of Egypt and had led them out of Egypt. They worshiped other gods,


text:
 followed the customs of the people whom the LORD had driven out as his people advanced, and adopted customs introduced by the kings of Israel.


text:
 The Israelites did things that the LORD their God disapproved of. They built pagan places of worship in all their towns, from the smallest village to the largest city.


text:
 On all the hills and under every shady tree they put up stone pillars and images of the goddess Asherah,


text:
 and they burned incense on all the pagan altars, following the practice of the people whom the LORD had driven out of the land. They aroused the LORD's anger with all their wicked deeds


text:
 The LORD had sent his messengers and prophets to warn Israel and Judah: "Abandon your evil ways and obey my commands, which are contained in the Law I gave to your ancestors and which I handed on to you through my servants the prophets."


text:
 But they would not obey; they were stubborn like their ancestors, who had not trusted in the LORD their God.


text:
 They refused to obey his instructions, they did not keep the covenant he had made with their ancestors, and they disregarded his warnings. They worshiped worthless idols and became worthless themselves, and they followed the customs of the surrounding nations, disobeying the LORD's command not to imitate them.


text:
 They broke all the laws of the LORD their God and made two metal bull-calves to worship; they also made an image of the goddess Asherah, worshiped the stars, and served the god Baal.


text:
 They sacrificed their sons and daughters as burnt offerings to pagan gods; they consulted mediums and fortunetellers, and they devoted themselves completely to doing what is wrong in the LORD's sight, and so aroused his anger.


text:
 The LORD was angry with the Israelites and banished them from his sight, leaving only the kingdom of Judah.


text:
 But even the people of Judah did not obey the laws of the LORD their God; they imitated the customs adopted by the people of Israel.


text:
 The LORD rejected all the Israelites, punishing them and handing them over to cruel enemies until at last he had banished them from his sight.


text:
 After the LORD had separated Israel from Judah, the Israelites made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam caused them to abandon the LORD and led them into terrible sins.


text:
 until at last the LORD banished them from his sight, as he had warned through his servants the prophets that he would do. So the people of Israel were taken into exile to Assyria, where they still live.


text:
 The emperor of Assyria took people from the cities of Babylon, Cuth, Ivvah, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, and settled them in the cities of Samaria in place of the exiled Israelites. They took possession of these cities and lived there.


text:
 When they first settled there, they did not worship the LORD, and so he sent lions, which killed some of them.


text:
 The emperor of Assyria was told that the people he had settled in the cities of Samaria did not know the law of the god of that land, and so the god had sent lions, which were killing them.


text:
 So the emperor commanded: "Send back one of the priests we brought as prisoners; have him go back and live there, in order to teach the people the law of the god of that land."


text:
 So an Israelite priest who had been deported from Samaria went and lived in Bethel, where he taught the people how to worship the LORD.


text:
 But the people who settled in Samaria continued to make their own idols, and they placed them in the shrines that the Israelites had built. Each different group made idols in the cities they were living in:


text:
 the people of Babylon made idols of the god Succoth Benoth; the people of Cuth, idols of Nergal; the people of Hamath, idols of Ashima;


text:
 the people of Ivvah, idols of Nibhaz and Tartak; and the people of Sepharvaim sacrificed their children as burnt offerings to their gods Adrammelech and Anammelech.


text:
 These people also worshiped the LORD and chose from among their own number all sorts of people to serve as priests at the pagan places of worship and to offer sacrifices for them there.


text:
 So they worshiped the LORD, but they also worshiped their own gods according to the customs of the countries from which they had come.


text:
 They still carry on their old customs to this day. They do not worship the LORD nor do they obey the laws and commands which he gave to the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel.


text:
 The LORD had made a covenant with them and had ordered them: "Do not worship other gods; do not bow down to them or serve them or offer sacrifices to them.


text:
 You shall obey me, the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt with great power and strength; you are to bow down to me and offer sacrifices to me.


text:
 So those people worshiped the LORD, but they also worshiped their idols; and to this day their descendants continue to do the same.


text:
 In the third year of the reign of Hoshea son of Elah as king of Israel, Hezekiah son of Ahaz became king of Judah


text:
 at the age of twenty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah.


text:
 He destroyed the pagan places of worship, broke the stone pillars, and cut down the images of the goddess Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze snake that Moses had made, which was called Nehushtan. Up to that time the people of Israel had burned incense in its honor.


text:
 Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel; Judah never had another king like him, either before or after his time.


text:
 He was faithful to the LORD and never disobeyed him, but carefully kept all the commands that the LORD had given Moses.


text:
 So the LORD was with him, and he was successful in everything he did. He rebelled against the emperor of Assyria and refused to submit to him.


text:
 He defeated the Philistines and raided their settlements, from the smallest village to the largest city, including Gaza and its surrounding territory.


text:
 In the fourth year of Hezekiah's reign---which was the seventh year of King Hoshea's reign over Israel---Emperor Shalmaneser of Assyria invaded Israel and besieged Samaria.


text:
 In the third year of the siege Samaria fell; this was the sixth year of Hezekiah's reign and the ninth year of Hoshea's reign.


text:
 The Assyrian emperor took the Israelites to Assyria as prisoners and settled some of them in the city of Halah, some near the Habor River in the district of Gozan, and some in the cities of Media.


text:
 Samaria fell because the Israelites did not obey the LORD their God, but broke the covenant he had made with them and disobeyed all the laws given by Moses, the servant of the LORD. They would not listen and they would not obey.


text:
 In the fourteenth year of the reign of King Hezekiah, Sennacherib, the emperor of Assyria, attacked the fortified cities of Judah and conquered them.


text:
 Hezekiah sent a message to Sennacherib, who was in Lachish: "I have done wrong; please stop your attack, and I will pay whatever you demand." The emperor's answer was that Hezekiah should send him ten tons of silver and one ton of gold.


text:
 he also stripped the gold from the temple doors and the gold with which he himself had covered the doorposts, and he sent it all to Sennacherib.


text:
 The Assyrian emperor sent a large army from Lachish to attack Hezekiah at Jerusalem; it was commanded by his three highest officials. When they arrived at Jerusalem, they occupied the road where the cloth makers work by the ditch that brings water from the upper pool.


text:
 Then they sent for King Hezekiah, and three of his officials went out to meet them: Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who was in charge of the palace; Shebna, the court secretary; and Joah son of Asaph, who was in charge of the records.


text:
 One of the Assyrian officials told them that the emperor wanted to know what made King Hezekiah so confident.


text:
 He demanded, "Do you think that words can take the place of military skill and might? Who do you think will help you rebel against Assyria?


text:
 You are expecting Egypt to help you, but that would be like using a reed as a walking stick---it would break and jab your hand. That is what the king of Egypt is like when anyone relies on him."


text:
 The Assyrian official went on, "Or will you tell me that you are relying on the LORD your God? It was the LORD's shrines and altars that Hezekiah destroyed, when he told the people of Judah and Jerusalem to worship only at the altar in Jerusalem.


text:
 I will make a bargain with you in the name of the emperor. I will give you two thousand horses if you can find that many men to ride them!


text:
 You are no match for even the lowest ranking Assyrian official, and yet you expect the Egyptians to send you chariots and cavalry!


text:
 Do you think I have attacked your country and destroyed it without the LORD's help? The LORD himself told me to attack it and destroy it."


text:
 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah told the official, "Speak Aramaic to us, sir. We understand it. Don't speak Hebrew; all the people on the wall are listening."


text:
 He replied, "Do you think you and the king are the only ones the emperor sent me to say all these things to? No, I am also talking to the people who are sitting on the wall, who will have to eat their excrement and drink their urine, just as you will."


text:
 Then the official stood up and shouted in Hebrew, "Listen to what the emperor of Assyria is telling you!


text:
 And don't let him persuade you to rely on the LORD. Don't think that the LORD will save you and that he will stop our Assyrian army from capturing your city.


text:
 Don't listen to Hezekiah. The emperor of Assyria commands you to come out of the city and surrender. You will all be allowed to eat grapes from your own vines and figs from your own trees, and to drink water from your own wells---


text:
 until the emperor resettles you in a country much like your own, where there are vineyards to give wine and there is grain for making bread; it is a land of olives, olive oil, and honey. If you do what he commands, you will not die, but live. Don't let Hezekiah fool you into thinking that the LORD will rescue you.


text:
 Where are they now, the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Did anyone save Samaria?


text:
 When did any of the gods of all these countries ever save their country from our emperor? Then what makes you think the LORD can save Jerusalem?"


text:
 Then Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah tore their clothes in grief, and went and reported to the king what the Assyrian official had said.


text:
 As soon as King Hezekiah heard their report, he tore his clothes in grief, put on sackcloth, and went to the Temple of the LORD.


text:
 He sent Eliakim, the official in charge of the palace, Shebna, the court secretary, and the senior priests to the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz. They also were wearing sackcloth.


text:
 This is the message which he told them to give Isaiah: "Today is a day of suffering; we are being punished and are in disgrace. We are like a woman who is ready to give birth, but is too weak to do it.


text:
 The Assyrian emperor has sent his chief official to insult the living God. May the LORD your God hear these insults and punish those who spoke them. So pray to God for those of our people who survive."


text:
 he sent back this answer: "The LORD tells you not to let the Assyrians frighten you with their claims that he cannot save you.


text:
 The LORD will cause the emperor to hear a rumor that will make him go back to his own country, and the LORD will have him killed there."


text:
 The Assyrian official learned that the emperor had left Lachish and was fighting against the nearby city of Libnah; so he went there to consult him.


text:
 Word reached the Assyrians that the Egyptian army, led by King Tirhakah of Ethiopia, was coming to attack them. When the emperor heard this, he sent a letter to King Hezekiah of Judah


text:
 to tell him, "The god you are trusting in has told you that you will not fall into my hands, but don't let that deceive you.


text:
 You have heard what an Assyrian emperor does to any country he decides to destroy. Do you think that you can escape?


text:
 My ancestors destroyed the cities of Gozan, Haran, and Rezeph, and killed the people of Betheden who lived in Telassar, and none of their gods could save them.


text:
 King Hezekiah took the letter from the messengers and read it. Then he went to the Temple, placed the letter there in the presence of the LORD,


text:
 and prayed, "O LORD, the God of Israel, seated on your throne above the winged creatures, you alone are God, ruling all the kingdoms of the world. You created the earth and the sky.


text:
 Now, LORD, look at what is happening to us. Listen to all the things that Sennacherib is saying to insult you, the living God.


text:
 We all know, LORD, that the emperors of Assyria have destroyed many nations, made their lands desolate,


text:
 and burned up their gods---which were no gods at all, only images of wood and stone made by human hands.


text:
 Now, LORD our God, rescue us from the Assyrians, so that all the nations of the world will know that only you, O LORD, are God."


text:
 Whom do you think you have been insulting and ridiculing? You have been disrespectful to me, the holy God of Israel.


text:
 You sent your messengers to boast to me that with all your chariots you had conquered the highest mountains of Lebanon. You boasted that there you cut down the tallest cedars and the finest cypress trees and that you reached the deepest parts of the forests.


text:
 You boasted that you dug wells and drank water in foreign lands and that the feet of your soldiers tramped the Nile River dry.


text:
 "Have you never heard that I planned all this long ago? And now I have carried it out. I gave you the power to turn fortified cities into piles of rubble.


text:
 The people who lived there were powerless; they were frightened and stunned. They were like grass in a field or weeds growing on a roof when the hot east wind blasts them.


text:
 I have received the report of that rage and that pride of yours, and now I will put a hook through your nose and a bit in your mouth, and take you back by the same road you came."


text:
 Then Isaiah said to King Hezekiah, "Here is a sign of what will happen. This year and next you will have only wild grain to eat, but the following year you will be able to plant your grain and harvest it, and plant vines and eat grapes.


text:
 Those in Judah who survive will flourish like plants that send roots deep into the ground and produce fruit.


text:
 There will be people in Jerusalem and on Mount Zion who will survive, because the LORD is determined to make this happen.


text:
 "And this is what the LORD has said about the Assyrian emperor: 'He will not enter this city or shoot a single arrow against it. No soldiers with shields will come near the city, and no siege mounds will be built around it.


text:
 I will defend this city and protect it, for the sake of my own honor and because of the promise I made to my servant David.' "


text:
 That night an angel of the LORD went to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 soldiers. At dawn the next day there they lay, all dead!


text:
 One day, when he was worshiping in the temple of his god Nisroch, two of his sons, Adrammelech and Sharezer, killed him with their swords and then escaped to the land of Ararat. Another of his sons, Esarhaddon, succeeded him as emperor.


text:
 About this time King Hezekiah became sick and almost died. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to see him and said to him, "The LORD tells you that you are to put everything in order, because you will not recover. Get ready to die."


text:
 "Remember, LORD, that I have served you faithfully and loyally and that I have always tried to do what you wanted me to." And he began to cry bitterly.


text:
 Isaiah left the king, but before he had passed through the central courtyard of the palace the LORD told him


text:
 to go back to Hezekiah, ruler of the LORD's people, and say to him, "I, the LORD, the God of your ancestor David, have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you, and in three days you will go to the Temple.


text:
 I will let you live fifteen years longer. I will rescue you and this city Jerusalem from the emperor of Assyria. I will defend this city, for the sake of my own honor and because of the promise I made to my servant David."


text:
 Then Isaiah told the king's attendants to put on his boil a paste made of figs, and he would get well.


text:
 King Hezekiah asked, "What is the sign to prove that the LORD will heal me and that three days later I will be able to go to the Temple?"


text:
 Isaiah replied, "The LORD will give you a sign to prove that he will keep his promise. Now, would you prefer to have the shadow on the stairway go forward ten steps or go back ten steps?"


text:
 Isaiah prayed to the LORD, and the LORD made the shadow go back ten steps on the stairway set up by King Ahaz.


text:
 About that same time the king of Babylonia, Merodach Baladan, the son of Baladan, heard that King Hezekiah had been sick, so he sent him a letter and a present.


text:
 Hezekiah welcomed the messengers and showed them his wealth---his silver and gold, his spices and perfumes, and all his military equipment. There was nothing in his storerooms or anywhere in his kingdom that he did not show them.


text:
 Then the prophet Isaiah went to King Hezekiah and asked, "Where did these men come from and what did they say to you?" Hezekiah answered, "They came from a very distant country, from Babylonia."


text:
 "What did they see in the palace?" "They saw everything. There is nothing in the storerooms that I didn't show them."


text:
 a time is coming when everything in your palace, everything that your ancestors have stored up to this day, will be carried off to Babylonia. Nothing will be left.


text:
 Some of your own direct descendants will be taken away and made eunuchs to serve in the palace of the king of Babylonia."


text:
 King Hezekiah understood this to mean that there would be peace and security during his lifetime, so he replied, "The message you have given me from the LORD is good."


text:
 Everything else that King Hezekiah did, his brave deeds, and an account of how he built a reservoir and dug a tunnel to bring water into the city, are all recorded in <i>The History of the Kings of Judah</i>.


text:
 Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for fifty-five years. His mother was Hephzibah.


text:
 Following the disgusting practices of the nations whom the LORD had driven out of the land as his people advanced, Manasseh sinned against the LORD.


text:
 He rebuilt the pagan places of worship that his father Hezekiah had destroyed; he built altars for the worship of Baal and made an image of the goddess Asherah, as King Ahab of Israel had done. Manasseh also worshiped the stars.


text:
 He built pagan altars in the Temple, the place that the LORD had said was where he should be worshiped.


text:
 He sacrificed his son as a burnt offering. He practiced divination and magic and consulted fortunetellers and mediums. He sinned greatly against the LORD and stirred up his anger.


text:
 He placed the symbol of the goddess Asherah in the Temple, the place about which the LORD had said to David and his son Solomon: "Here in Jerusalem, in this Temple, is the place that I have chosen out of all the territory of the twelve tribes of Israel as the place where I am to be worshiped.


text:
 And if the people of Israel will obey all my commands and keep the whole Law that my servant Moses gave them, then I will not allow them to be driven out of the land that I gave to their ancestors."


text:
 But the people of Judah did not obey the LORD, and Manasseh led them to commit even greater sins than those committed by the nations whom the LORD had driven out of the land as his people advanced.


text:
 "King Manasseh has done these disgusting things, things far worse than what the Canaanites did; and with his idols he has led the people of Judah into sin.


text:
 So I, the LORD God of Israel, will bring such a disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that everyone who hears about it will be stunned.


text:
 I will punish Jerusalem as I did Samaria, as I did King Ahab of Israel and his descendants. I will wipe Jerusalem clean of its people, as clean as a plate that has been wiped and turned upside down.


text:
 I will abandon the people who survive, and will hand them over to their enemies, who will conquer them and plunder their land.


text:
 I will do this to my people because they have sinned against me and have stirred up my anger from the time their ancestors came out of Egypt to this day."


text:
 Manasseh killed so many innocent people that the streets of Jerusalem were flowing with blood; he did this in addition to leading the people of Judah into idolatry, causing them to sin against the LORD.


text:
 Everything else that Manasseh did, including the sins he committed, is recorded in <i>The History of the Kings of Judah</i>.


text:
 Manasseh died and was buried in the palace garden, the garden of Uzza, and his son Amon succeeded him as king.


text:
 Amon was twenty-two years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for two years. His mother was Meshullemeth, the daughter of Haruz from the town of Jotbah.


text:
 Josiah was eight years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for thirty-one years. His mother was Jedidah, the daughter of Adaiah from the town of Bozkath.


text:
 Josiah did what was pleasing to the LORD; he followed the example of his ancestor King David, strictly obeying all the laws of God.


text:
 In the eighteenth year of his reign, King Josiah sent the court secretary Shaphan, the son of Azaliah and grandson of Meshullam, to the Temple with the order:


text:
 "Go to the High Priest Hilkiah and get a report on the amount of money that the priests on duty at the entrance to the Temple have collected from the people.


text:
 Tell him to give the money to the men who are in charge of the repairs in the Temple. They are to pay


text:
 the carpenters, the builders, and the masons, and buy the timber and the stones used in the repairs.


text:
 The men in charge of the work are thoroughly honest, so there is no need to require them to account for the funds."


text:
 Shaphan delivered the king's order to Hilkiah, and Hilkiah told him that he had found the book of the Law in the Temple. Hilkiah gave him the book, and Shaphan read it.


text:
 Then he went back to the king and reported: "Your servants have taken the money that was in the Temple and have handed it over to the men in charge of the repairs."


text:
 and gave the following order to Hilkiah the priest, to Ahikam son of Shaphan, to Achbor son of Micaiah, to Shaphan, the court secretary, and to Asaiah, the king's attendant:


text:
 "Go and consult the LORD for me and for all the people of Judah about the teachings of this book. The LORD is angry with us because our ancestors have not done what this book says must be done."


text:
 Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan, and Asaiah went to consult a woman named Huldah, a prophet who lived in the newer part of Jerusalem. (Her husband Shallum, the son of Tikvah and grandson of Harhas, was in charge of the Temple robes.) They described to her what had happened,


text:
 the following message from the LORD: "I am going to punish Jerusalem and all its people, as written in the book that the king has read.


text:
 They have rejected me and have offered sacrifices to other gods, and so have stirred up my anger by all they have done. My anger is aroused against Jerusalem, and it will not die down.


text:
 As for the king himself, this is what I, the LORD God of Israel, say: You listened to what is written in the book,


text:
 and you repented and humbled yourself before me, tearing your clothes and weeping, when you heard how I threatened to punish Jerusalem and its people. I will make it a terrifying sight, a place whose name people will use as a curse. But I have heard your prayer,


text:
 and the punishment which I am going to bring on Jerusalem will not come until after your death. I will let you die in peace." The men returned to King Josiah with this message.


text:
 and together they went to the Temple, accompanied by the priests and the prophets and all the rest of the people, rich and poor alike. Before them all the king read aloud the whole book of the covenant which had been found in the Temple.


text:
 He stood by the royal column and made a covenant with the LORD to obey him, to keep his laws and commands with all his heart and soul, and to put into practice the demands attached to the covenant, as written in the book. And all the people promised to keep the covenant.


text:
 Then Josiah ordered the High Priest Hilkiah, his assistant priests, and the guards on duty at the entrance to the Temple to bring out of the Temple all the objects used in the worship of Baal, of the goddess Asherah, and of the stars. The king burned all these objects outside the city near Kidron Valley and then had the ashes taken to Bethel.


text:
 He removed from office the priests that the kings of Judah had ordained to offer sacrifices on the pagan altars in the cities of Judah and in places near Jerusalem---all the priests who offered sacrifices to Baal, to the sun, the moon, the planets, and the stars.


text:
 He removed from the Temple the symbol of the goddess Asherah, took it out of the city to Kidron Valley, burned it, pounded its ashes to dust, and scattered it over the public burying ground.


text:
 He destroyed the living quarters in the Temple occupied by the temple prostitutes. (It was there that women wove robes used in the worship of Asherah.)


text:
 He brought to Jerusalem the priests who were in the cities of Judah, and throughout the whole country he desecrated the altars where they had offered sacrifices. He also tore down the altars dedicated to the goat demons near the gate built by Joshua, the city governor, which was to the left of the main gate as one enters the city.


text:
 Those priests were not allowed to serve in the Temple, but they could eat the unleavened bread provided for their fellow priests.


text:
 King Josiah also desecrated Topheth, the pagan place of worship in Hinnom Valley, so that no one could sacrifice his son or daughter as a burnt offering to the god Molech.


text:
 He also removed the horses that the kings of Judah had dedicated to the worship of the sun, and he burned the chariots used in this worship. (These were kept in the temple courtyard, near the gate and not far from the living quarters of Nathan Melech, a high official.)


text:
 The altars which the kings of Judah had built on the palace roof above King Ahaz' quarters, King Josiah tore down, along with the altars put up by King Manasseh in the two courtyards of the Temple; he smashed the altars to bits and threw them into Kidron Valley.


text:
 Josiah desecrated the altars that King Solomon had built east of Jerusalem, south of the Mount of Olives, for the worship of disgusting idols---Astarte the goddess of Sidon, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Molech the god of Ammon.


text:
 King Josiah broke the stone pillars to pieces, cut down the symbols of the goddess Asherah, and the ground where they had stood he covered with human bones.


text:
 Josiah also tore down the place of worship in Bethel, which had been built by King Jeroboam son of Nebat, who led Israel into sin. Josiah pulled down the altar, broke its stones into pieces, and pounded them to dust; he also burned the image of Asherah.


text:
 Then Josiah looked around and saw some tombs there on the hill; he had the bones taken out of them and burned on the altar. In this way he desecrated the altar, doing what the prophet had predicted long before during the festival as King Jeroboam was standing by the altar. King Josiah looked around and saw the tomb of the prophet who had made this prediction.


text:
 "Whose tomb is that?" he asked. The people of Bethel answered, "It is the tomb of the prophet who came from Judah and predicted these things that you have done to this altar."


text:
 "Leave it as it is," Josiah ordered. "His bones are not to be moved." So his bones were not moved, neither were those of the prophet who had come from Samaria.


text:
 In every city of Israel King Josiah tore down all the pagan places of worship which had been built by the kings of Israel, who thereby aroused the LORD's anger. He did to all those altars what he had done in Bethel.


text:
 He killed all the pagan priests on the altars where they served, and he burned human bones on every altar. Then he returned to Jerusalem.


text:
 King Josiah ordered the people to celebrate the Passover in honor of the LORD their God, as written in the book of the covenant.


text:
 No Passover like this one had ever been celebrated by any of the kings of Israel or of Judah, since the time when judges ruled the nation.


text:
 Now at last, in the eighteenth year of the reign of Josiah, the Passover was celebrated in Jerusalem.


text:
 In order to enforce the laws written in the book that the High Priest Hilkiah had found in the Temple, King Josiah removed from Jerusalem and the rest of Judah all the mediums and fortunetellers, and all the household gods, idols, and all other pagan objects of worship.


text:
 There had never been a king like him before, who served the LORD with all his heart, mind, and strength, obeying all the Law of Moses; nor has there been a king like him since.


text:
 But the LORD's fierce anger had been aroused against Judah by what King Manasseh had done, and even now it did not die down.


text:
 The LORD said, "I will do to Judah what I have done to Israel: I will banish the people of Judah from my sight, and I will reject Jerusalem, the city I chose, and the Temple, the place I said was where I should be worshiped."


text:
 While Josiah was king, King Neco of Egypt led an army to the Euphrates River to help the emperor of Assyria. King Josiah tried to stop the Egyptian army at Megiddo and was killed in battle.


text:
 His officials placed his body in a chariot and took it back to Jerusalem, where he was buried in the royal tombs. The people of Judah chose Josiah's son Joahaz and anointed him king.


text:
 Joahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for three months. His mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah from the city of Libnah.


text:
 His reign ended when King Neco of Egypt took him prisoner in Riblah, in the land of Hamath, and made Judah pay 7,500 pounds of silver and 75 pounds of gold as tribute.


text:
 King Neco made Josiah's son Eliakim king of Judah as successor to Josiah, and changed his name to Jehoiakim. Joahaz was taken to Egypt by King Neco, and there he died.


text:
 King Jehoiakim collected a tax from the people in proportion to their wealth, in order to raise the amount needed to pay the tribute demanded by the king of Egypt.


text:
 Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother was Zebidah, the daughter of Pedaiah from the town of Rumah.


text:
 While Jehoiakim was king, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia invaded Judah, and for three years Jehoiakim was forced to submit to his rule; then he rebelled.


text:
 The LORD sent armed bands of Babylonians, Syrians, Moabites, and Ammonites against Jehoiakim to destroy Judah, as the LORD had said through his servants the prophets that he would do.


text:
 This happened at the LORD's command, in order to banish the people of Judah from his sight because of all the sins that King Manasseh had committed,


text:
 and especially because of all the innocent people he had killed. The LORD could not forgive Manasseh for that.


text:
 The king of Egypt and his army never marched out of Egypt again, because the king of Babylonia now controlled all the territory that had belonged to Egypt, from the Euphrates River to the northern border of Egypt.


text:
 Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for three months. His mother was Nehushta, the daughter of Elnathan from Jerusalem.


text:
 It was during his reign that the Babylonian army, commanded by King Nebuchadnezzar's officers, marched against Jerusalem and besieged it.


text:
 and King Jehoiachin, along with his mother, his sons, his officers, and the palace officials, surrendered to the Babylonians. In the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign he took Jehoiachin prisoner


text:
 and carried off to Babylon all the treasures in the Temple and the palace. As the LORD had foretold, Nebuchadnezzar broke up all the gold utensils which King Solomon had made for use in the Temple.


text:
 Nebuchadnezzar carried away as prisoners the people of Jerusalem, all the royal princes, and all the leading men, ten thousand in all. He also deported all the skilled workers, including the blacksmiths, leaving only the poorest of the people behind in Judah.


text:
 Nebuchadnezzar took Jehoiachin to Babylon as a prisoner, together with Jehoiachin's mother, his wives, his officials, and the leading men of Judah.


text:
 Nebuchadnezzar deported all the important men to Babylonia, seven thousand in all, and one thousand skilled workers, including the blacksmiths, all of them able-bodied men fit for military duty.


text:
 Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king of Judah, and he ruled in Jerusalem for eleven years. His mother was Hamutal, the daughter of Jeremiah from the city of Libnah.


text:
 The LORD became so angry with the people of Jerusalem and Judah that he banished them from his sight.


text:
 Zedekiah rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, and so Nebuchadnezzar came with all his army and attacked Jerusalem on the tenth day of the tenth month of the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign. They set up camp outside the city, built siege walls around it,


text:
 On the ninth day of the fourth month of that same year, when the famine was so bad that the people had nothing left to eat,


text:
 the city walls were broken through. Although the Babylonians were surrounding the city, all the soldiers escaped during the night. They left by way of the royal garden, went through the gateway connecting the two walls, and fled in the direction of the Jordan Valley.


text:
 But the Babylonian army pursued King Zedekiah, captured him in the plains near Jericho, and all his soldiers deserted him.


text:
 Zedekiah was taken to King Nebuchadnezzar, who was in the city of Riblah, and there Nebuchadnezzar passed sentence on him.


text:
 While Zedekiah was looking on, his sons were put to death; then Nebuchadnezzar had Zedekiah's eyes put out, placed him in chains, and took him to Babylon.


text:
 On the seventh day of the fifth month of the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, Nebuzaradan, adviser to the king and commander of his army, entered Jerusalem.


text:
 Then Nebuzaradan took away to Babylonia the people who were left in the city, the remaining skilled workers, and those who had deserted to the Babylonians.


text:
 But he left in Judah some of the poorest people, who owned no property, and put them to work in the vineyards and fields.


text:
 The Babylonians broke in pieces the bronze columns and the carts that were in the Temple, together with the large bronze tank, and they took all the bronze to Babylon.


text:
 They also took away the shovels and the ash containers used in cleaning the altar, the tools used in tending the lamps, the bowls used for catching the blood from the sacrifices, the bowls used for burning incense, and all the other bronze articles used in the Temple service.


text:
 They took away everything that was made of gold or silver, including the small bowls and the pans used for carrying live coals.


text:
 The bronze objects that King Solomon had made for the Temple---the two columns, the carts, and the large tank---were too heavy to weigh.


text:
 The two columns were identical: each one was 27 feet high, with a bronze capital on top, 4 1/2 feet high. All around each capital was a bronze grillwork decorated with pomegranates made of bronze.


text:
 In addition, Nebuzaradan, the commanding officer, took away as prisoners Seraiah the High Priest, Zephaniah the priest next in rank, and the three other important Temple officials.


text:
 From the city he took the officer who had been in command of the troops, five of the king's personal advisers who were still in the city, the commander's assistant, who was in charge of military records, and sixty other important men.


text:
 in the territory of Hamath. There the king had them beaten and put to death. So the people of Judah were carried away from their land into exile.


text:
 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia made Gedaliah, the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, governor of Judah, and placed him in charge of all those who had not been taken away to Babylonia.


text:
 When the Judean officers and soldiers who had not surrendered heard about this, they joined Gedaliah at Mizpah. These officers were Ishmael son of Nethaniah, Johanan son of Kareah, Seraiah son of Tanhumeth from the town of Netophah, and Jezaniah from Maacah.


text:
 Gedaliah said to them, "I give you my word that there is no need for you to be afraid of the Babylonian officials. Settle in this land, serve the king of Babylonia, and all will go well with you."


text:
 But in the seventh month of that year, Ishmael, the son of Nethaniah and grandson of Elishama, a member of the royal family, went to Mizpah with ten men, attacked Gedaliah, and killed him. He also killed the Israelites and Babylonians who were there with him.


text:
 Then all the Israelites, rich and poor alike, together with the army officers, left and went to Egypt, because they were afraid of the Babylonians.


text:
 In the year that Evilmerodach became king of Babylonia, he showed kindness to King Jehoiachin of Judah by releasing him from prison. This happened on the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year after Jehoiachin had been taken away as prisoner.


text:
 Evilmerodach treated him kindly and gave him a position of greater honor than he gave the other kings who were exiles with him in Babylonia.


text:
 So Jehoiachin was permitted to change from his prison clothes and to dine at the king's table for the rest of his life.


text:
 Jared was the father of Enoch, who was the father of Methuselah; Methuselah was the father of Lamech,


text:
 Shem's sons---Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, Aram, Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshek---were the ancestors of the peoples who bear their names.


text:
 Eber had two sons; one was named Peleg, because during his time the people of the world were divided, and the other was named Joktan.


text:
 The sons of Ishmael became the heads of twelve tribes: Nebaioth (from the name of Ishmael's oldest son), Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,


text:
 Abraham had a concubine named Keturah, who bore him six sons: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan had two sons: Sheba and Dedan.


text:
 Eliphaz became the ancestor of the following tribes: Teman, Omar, Zephi, Gatam, Kenaz, Timna, and Amalek.


text:
 The original inhabitants of Edom were descended from the following sons of Seir: Lotan, who was the ancestor of the clans of Hori and Homam. (Lotan had a sister named Timna.) Shobal, who was the ancestor of the clans of Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. Zibeon, who had two sons, Aiah and Anah. Anah was the father of Dishon, and Dishon was the ancestor of the clans of Hamran, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. Ezer, who was the ancestor of the clans of Bilhan, Zaavan, and Jaakan. Dishan, who was the ancestor of the clans of Uz and Aran.


text:
 The following kings ruled the land of Edom one after the other, in the time before there were any kings in Israel: Bela son of Beor from Dinhabah Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah Husham from the region of Teman Hadad son of Bedad from Avith (he defeated the Midianites in a battle in the country of Moab) Samlah from Masrekah Shaul from Rehoboth-on-the-River Baal Hanan son of Achbor Hadad from Pau (his wife was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred and granddaughter of Mezahab)


text:
 Judah had five sons in all. By his wife Bathshua, a Canaanite, he had three sons: Er, Onan, and Shelah. His oldest son, Er, was so evil that the LORD killed him.


text:
 Achan son of Carmi, one of Zerah's descendants, brought disaster on the people of Israel by keeping loot that had been devoted to God.


text:
 The family line from Ram to Jesse is as follows: Ram, Amminadab, Nahshon (a prominent man of the tribe of Judah),


text:
 He also had two daughters, Zeruiah and Abigail. Jesse's daughter Zeruiah had three sons: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel.


text:
 His other daughter Abigail married Jether, a descendant of Ishmael, and they had a son named Amasa.


text:
 Hezron's son Caleb married Azubah and had a daughter named Jerioth. She had three sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon.


text:
 When Hezron was sixty years old, he married Machir's daughter, the sister of Gilead. They had a son named Segub,


text:
 But the kingdoms of Geshur and Aram conquered sixty towns there, including the villages of Jair and Kenath, and the towns nearby. All the people who lived there were descendants of Machir, the father of Gilead.


text:
 After Hezron died, his son Caleb married Ephrath, his father's widow. They had a son named Ashhur, who founded the town of Tekoa.


text:
 Jerahmeel, the oldest son of Hezron, had five sons: Ram, the oldest, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah.


text:
 Ram had three sons: Maaz, Jamin, and Eker. Jerahmeel had another wife, a woman named Atarah, and they had a son, Onam.


text:
 Jada, the brother of Shammai, had two sons, Jether and Jonathan, but Jether died without having any sons.


text:
 The oldest son of Caleb, Jerahmeel's brother, was named Mesha. Mesha was the father of Ziph, who was the father of Mareshah, who was the father of Hebron.


text:
 Shema was the father of Raham and the grandfather of Jorkeam. Rekem, Shema's brother, was the father of Shammai,


text:
 Caleb had a concubine named Ephah, and by her he had three more sons: Haran, Moza, and Gazez. Haran also had a son named Gazez.


text:
 Later she had two more sons: Shaaph, who founded the town of Madmannah; and Shevah, who founded the towns of Machbenah and Gibea. In addition, Caleb had a daughter named Achsah.


text:
 The following are also descendants of Caleb. Hur was the oldest son of Caleb and his wife Ephrath. Hur's son Shobal founded Kiriath Jearim,


text:
 Shobal, the founder of Kiriath Jearim, was the ancestor of the people of Haroeh, of half the inhabitants of Menuhoth,


text:
 and of the following clans that lived in Kiriath Jearim: the Ithrites, Puthites, Shumathites, and Mishraites. (The people of the cities of Zorah and Eshtaol were members of these clans.)


text:
 Salma, the founder of Bethlehem, was the ancestor of the people of Netophath, of Atroth Beth Joab, and of the Zorites, who were one of the two clans in Manahath.


text:
 (The following clans of experts in writing and copying documents lived in the town of Jabez: the Tirathites, Shimeathites, and Sucathites. They were Kenites who had intermarried with the Rechabites.)


text:
 The following, in order of age, are David's sons who were born while he was in Hebron: Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam from Jezreel Daniel, whose mother was Abigail from Carmel Absalom, whose mother was Maacah, daughter of King Talmai of Geshur Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith Shephatiah, whose mother was Abital Ithream, whose mother was Eglah


text:
 All six were born in Hebron during the seven and a half years that David ruled there. In Jerusalem he ruled as king for thirty-three years,


text:
 and many sons were born to him there. His wife Bathsheba, daughter of Ammiel, bore him four sons: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon.


text:
 This is the line of King Solomon's descendants from father to son: Solomon, Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat,


text:
 These are the descendants of King Jehoiachin, who was taken prisoner by the Babylonians. Jehoiachin had seven sons: Shealtiel,


text:
 Pedaiah had two sons, Zerubbabel and Shimei. Zerubbabel was the father of two sons, Meshullam and Hananiah, and one daughter, Shelomith.


text:
 Hananiah had two sons, Pelatiah and Jeshaiah. Jeshaiah was the father of Rephaiah, who was the father of Arnan, the father of Obadiah, the father of Shecaniah.


text:
 Shobal was the father of Reaiah, who was the father of Jahath, the father of Ahumai and Lahad, the ancestors of the people who lived in Zorah.


text:
 Hur was the oldest son of his father Caleb's wife Ephrath, and his descendants founded the city of Bethlehem. Hur had three sons: Etam, Penuel, and Ezer. Etam had three sons: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash, and one daughter, Hazzelelponi. Penuel founded the city of Gedor, and Ezer founded Hushah.


text:
 Koz was the father of Anub and Zobebah, and the ancestor of the clans descended from Aharhel son of Harum.


text:
 There was a man named Jabez, who was the most respected member of his family. His mother had given him the name Jabez, because his birth had been very painful.


text:
 But Jabez prayed to the God of Israel, "Bless me, God, and give me much land. Be with me and keep me from anything evil that might cause me pain." And God gave him what he prayed for.


text:
 who had three sons: Bethrapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah. Tehinnah was the founder of the city of Nahash. The descendants of these men lived in Recah.


text:
 Meonothai was the father of Ophrah. Seraiah was the father of Joab, the founder of Handcraft Valley, where all the people were skilled workers.


text:
 Ezrah had four sons: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. Mered married Bithiah, a daughter of the king of Egypt, and they had a daughter, Miriam, and two sons, Shammai and Ishbah. Ishbah founded the town of Eshtemoa. Mered also married a woman from the tribe of Judah, and they had three sons: Jered, who founded the town of Gedor; Heber, founder of the town of Soco; and Jekuthiel, founder of the town of Zanoah.


text:
 Hodiah married the sister of Naham. Their descendants founded the clan of Garm, which lived in the town of Keilah, and the clan of Maacath, which lived in the town of Eshtemoa.


text:
 Shelah was one of Judah's sons. His descendants included Er, who founded the town of Lecah; Laadah, founder of the town of Mareshah; the clan of linen weavers, who lived in the town of Beth Ashbea;


text:
 Jokim and the people who lived in the town of Cozeba; and Joash and Saraph, who married Moabite women and then settled in Bethlehem. (These traditions are very old.)


text:
 Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his relatives had fewer children, and the tribe of Simeon did not grow as much as the tribe of Judah did.


text:
 Down to the time of King David the descendants of Simeon lived in the following towns: Beersheba, Moladah, Hazarshual,


text:
 and the surrounding villages, as far southwest as the town of Baalath. These are the records which they kept of their families and of the places where they lived.


text:
 The following men were the heads of their clans: Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of Amaziah, Joel, Jehu (the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel), Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah, Ziza (the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, a descendant of Jedaiah, Shimri, and Shemaiah). Because their families continued to grow,


text:
 they spread out westward almost to Gerar and pastured their sheep on the eastern side of the valley in which that city is located.


text:
 They found plenty of fertile pasture lands there in a stretch of open country that was quiet and peaceful. The people who had lived there before were Hamites.


text:
 In the time of King Hezekiah of Judah, the men named above went to Gerar and destroyed the tents and huts of the people who lived there. They drove the people out and settled there permanently because there was plenty of pasture for their sheep.


text:
 Five hundred other members of the tribe of Simeon went east to Edom. They were led by the sons of Ishi: Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel.


text:
 These are the descendants of Reuben, the oldest of Jacob's sons. (Because he had sex with one of his father's concubines, he lost the rights belonging to the first-born son, and those rights were given to Joseph.


text:
 It was the tribe of Judah, however, that became the strongest and provided a ruler for all the tribes.)


text:
 These are the descendants of Joel from generation to generation: Shemaiah, Gog, Shimei, Micah, Reaiah, Baal, and Beerah. The Assyrian emperor, Tiglath Pileser, captured Beerah, a leader of the tribe, and deported him.


text:
 and Bela, the son of Azaz and grandson of Shema, of the clan of Joel. This clan lived in Aroer and in the territory from there north to Nebo and Baal Meon.


text:
 They had large herds in the land of Gilead, and so they occupied the land as far east as the desert that stretches all the way to the Euphrates River.


text:
 In the time of King Saul the tribe of Reuben attacked the Hagrites, killed them in battle, and occupied their land in the eastern part of Gilead.


text:
 Joel was the founder of the leading clan, and Shapham of the second most important clan. Janai and Shaphat were founders of other clans in Bashan.


text:
 The other members of the tribe belonged to the following seven clans: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber.


text:
 They were descendants of Abihail son of Huri, whose ancestors were traced back as follows: Abihail, Huri, Jaroah, Gilead, Michael, Jeshishai, Jahdo, Buz.


text:
 They lived in the territory of Bashan and Gilead, in the towns there and all over the pasture lands of Sharon.


text:
 In the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh there were 44,760 soldiers, well-trained in the use of shields, swords, and bows.


text:
 They put their trust in God and prayed to him for help, and God answered their prayers and made them victorious over the Hagrites and their allies.


text:
 They captured from the enemy 50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, and 2,000 donkeys, and took 100,000 prisoners of war.


text:
 They killed many of the enemy, because the war was God's will. And they went on living in that territory until the exile.


text:
 The people of East Manasseh settled in the territory of Bashan as far north as Baal Hermon, Senir, and Mount Hermon, and their population increased greatly.


text:
 The following were the heads of their clans: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were all outstanding soldiers, well-known leaders of their clans.


text:
 But the people were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors and deserted him to worship the gods of the nations whom God had driven out of the land.


text:
 So God caused Emperor Pul of Assyria (also known as Tiglath Pileser) to invade their country. He deported the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh and settled them permanently in Halah, Habor, and Hara, and by the Gozan River.


text:
 Amram had two sons, Aaron and Moses, and one daughter, Miriam. Aaron had four sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.


text:
 King Nebuchadnezzar deported Jehozadak along with the other people of Judah and Jerusalem whom the LORD sent into exile.


text:
 These are the men whom King David put in charge of the music at the place of worship in Jerusalem after the Covenant Box was moved there.


text:
 They took regular turns of duty at the Tent of the LORD's presence during the time before King Solomon built the Temple.


text:
 The family lines of those who held this office are as follows: The clan of Kohath: Heman, the leader of the first choir, was the son of Joel. His family line went back to Jacob as follows: Heman, Joel, Samuel,


text:
 Asaph was leader of the second choir. His family line went back to Levi as follows: Asaph, Berechiah, Shimea,


text:
 Ethan of the clan of Merari was the leader of the third choir. His family line went back to Levi as follows: Ethan, Kishi, Abdi, Malluch,


text:
 Aaron and his descendants presented the offerings of incense and offered the sacrifices that were burnt on the altar. They were responsible for all the worship in the Most Holy Place and for the sacrifices by which God forgives Israel's sins. They did all this in accordance with the instructions given by Moses, God's servant.


text:
 This is the territory assigned to the descendants of Aaron of the clan of Kohath. They received the first share of the land assigned to the Levites.


text:
 The fields and villages, however, that belonged to the city were assigned to Caleb son of Jephunneh.


text:
 The following towns were assigned to Aaron's descendants: Hebron, a city of refuge, Jattir, and the towns of Libnah, Eshtemoa, Hilen, Debir, Ashan, and Beth Shemesh, with their pasture lands.


text:
 In the territory of Benjamin they were assigned the following towns with their pasture lands: Geba, Alemeth, and Anathoth. This made a total of thirteen towns for all their families to live in.


text:
 Ten towns in the territory of West Manasseh were assigned by lot to the rest of the clan of Kohath, family by family.


text:
 To the clan of Gershon, family by family, were assigned thirteen towns in the territories of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and East Manasseh in Bashan.


text:
 In the same way, twelve towns in the territories of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun were assigned to the clan of Merari, family by family.


text:
 In this way the people of Israel assigned towns for the Levites to live in, together with the pasture lands around the towns.


text:
 (The towns in the territories of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, mentioned above, were also assigned by drawing lots.)


text:
 Some of the families of the clan of Kohath were assigned towns and pasture lands in the territory of Ephraim:


text:
 In the territory of West Manasseh they were assigned the towns of Aner and Bileam with the surrounding pasture lands.


text:
 The families of the clan of Gershon were assigned the following towns, with the surrounding pasture lands: In the territory of East Manasseh: Golan in Bashan, and Ashtaroth.


text:
 The remaining families of the clan of Merari were assigned the following towns with the surrounding pasture lands: In the territory of Zebulun: Rimmono and Tabor.


text:
 Tola had six sons: Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel. They were heads of families of the clan of Tola and were famous soldiers. At the time of King David their descendants numbered 22,600.


text:
 Uzzi had one son, Izrahiah. Izrahiah and his four sons, Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah, were all heads of families.


text:
 They had so many wives and children that their descendants were able to provide 36,000 men for military duty.


text:
 The official records of all the families of the tribe of Issachar listed 87,000 men eligible for military duty.


text:
 Bela had five sons: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri. They were heads of families in the clan and were all famous soldiers. Their descendants included 22,034 men eligible for military duty.


text:
 Becher had nine sons: Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth.


text:
 Jediael had one son, Bilhan, and Bilhan had seven sons: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar.


text:
 They were heads of families in the clan and were all famous soldiers. Their descendants included 17,200 men eligible for military duty.


text:
 By his Aramean concubine, Manasseh had two sons, Asriel and Machir. Machir was the father of Gilead.


text:
 Machir found a wife for Huppim and one for Shuppim. His sister's name was Maacah. Machir's second son was Zelophehad, and he had only daughters.


text:
 Maacah, Machir's wife, gave birth to two sons, whom they named Peresh and Sheresh. Peresh had two sons, Ulam and Rakem,


text:
 and Ulam had a son named Bedan. These are all descendants of Gilead, the son of Machir and grandson of Manasseh.


text:
 These are the descendants of Ephraim from generation to generation: Shuthelah, Bered, Tahath, Eleadah, Tahath,


text:
 Zabad, Shuthelah. Ephraim had two other sons besides Shuthelah: Ezer and Elead, who were killed when they tried to steal the livestock belonging to the native inhabitants of Gath.


text:
 Then he had intercourse with his wife again, and she became pregnant and had a son. They named him Beriah, because of the trouble that had come to their family.


text:
 Ephraim had a daughter named Sheerah. She built the towns of Upper and Lower Beth Horon, and Uzzen Sheerah.


text:
 The territory which they took and settled included Bethel and the towns around it, as far east as Naaran and as far west as Gezer and the towns around it. It also included the cities of Shechem and Ayyah, and the towns around them.


text:
 The descendants of Manasseh controlled the cities of Beth Shan, Taanach, Megiddo, and Dor, and the towns around them. All these are the places where the descendants of Joseph son of Jacob lived.


text:
 These are the descendants of Asher. He had four sons: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah; and one daughter, Serah.


text:
 All of these were descendants of Asher. They were heads of families, famous fighting men, outstanding leaders. Asher's descendants included 26,000 men eligible for military duty.


text:
 The descendants of Ehud were Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera. They were heads of families that lived in Geba, but which were forced out and went to live in Manahath. Gera, the father of Uzza and Ahihud, led them in this move.


text:
 Shaharaim divorced two wives, Hushim and Baara. Later, when he lived in the country of Moab, he married Hodesh and had seven sons: Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam,


text:
 Elpaal had three sons: Eber, Misham, and Shemed. It was Shemed who built the cities of Ono and Lod and the surrounding villages.


text:
 Beriah and Shema were heads of families that settled in the city of Aijalon and drove out the people who lived in the city of Gath.


text:
 and Mikloth, the father of Shimeah. Their descendants lived in Jerusalem near other families of their clan.


text:
 Ner was the father of Kish, and Kish was the father of King Saul. Saul had four sons: Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.


text:
 Ahaz was the father of Jehoaddah, who was the father of three sons: Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri was the father of Moza,


text:
 Ulam's sons were outstanding soldiers and archers. He had a hundred and fifty sons and grandsons in all. All those named above were members of the tribe of Benjamin.


text:
 All the people of Israel were listed according to their families, and this information was recorded in <i>The Book of the Kings of Israel</i>. The people of Judah had been deported to Babylon as punishment for their sins.


text:
 The first to return to their property in the cities included Israelite citizens, priests, Levites, and Temple workers.


text:
 There were 690 families of the tribe of Judah who lived in Jerusalem. The descendants of Judah's son Perez had as their leader Uthai, the son of Ammihud and grandson of Omri. His other ancestors included Imri and Bani. The descendants of Judah's son Shelah had as their leader Asaiah, who was the head of his family. The descendants of Judah's son Zerah had Jeuel as their leader.


text:
 The following members of the tribe of Benjamin lived in Jerusalem: Sallu son of Meshullam, who was the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah Ibneiah son of Jeroham Elah, the son of Uzzi and grandson of Michri Meshullam son of Shephatiah, who was the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah


text:
 There were 956 families of this tribe living there. All the men named above were heads of families.


text:
 The following priests lived in Jerusalem: Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, and Jachin Azariah son of Hilkiah (the chief official in the Temple), whose ancestors included Meshullam, Zadok, Meraioth, and Ahitub Adaiah son of Jeroham, whose ancestors included Pashhur and Malchijah Maasai son of Adiel, whose ancestors included Jahzerah, Meshullam, Meshillemith, and Immer


text:
 The priests who were heads of families totaled 1,760. They were experts in all the work carried on in the Temple.


text:
 The following Levites lived in Jerusalem: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, whose ancestors included Azrikam and Hashabiah, of the clan of Merari Bakbakkar, Heresh, and Galal Mattaniah son of Mica, whose ancestors included Zichri and Asaph Obadiah son of Shemaiah, whose ancestors included Galal and Jeduthun Berechiah, the son of Asa and grandson of Elkanah, who lived in the territory that belonged to the town of Netophah


text:
 The following Temple guards lived in Jerusalem: Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, and Ahiman. Shallum was their leader.


text:
 Down to that time members of their clans had been stationed at the eastern entrance to the King's Gate. Formerly they had stood guard at the gates to the camps of the Levites.


text:
 Shallum, the son of Kore and grandson of Ebiasaph, together with his fellow members of the clan of Korah, was responsible for guarding the entrance to the Tent of the LORD's presence, just as their ancestors had been when they were in charge of the LORD's camp.


text:
 In all, 212 men were chosen as guards for the entrances and gates. They were registered according to the villages where they lived. It was King David and the prophet Samuel who had put their ancestors in these responsible positions.


text:
 There was a gate facing in each direction, north, south, east, and west, and each had a chief guard.


text:
 These guards were assisted by their relatives, who lived in the villages and who had to take turns at guard duty for seven days at a time.


text:
 The four chief guards were Levites and had the final responsibility. They were also responsible for the rooms in the Temple and for the supplies kept there.


text:
 They lived near the Temple, because it was their duty to guard it and to open the gates every morning.


text:
 Other Levites were responsible for the utensils used in worship. They checked them out and checked them back in every time they were used.


text:
 Others were in charge of the other sacred equipment, and of the flour, wine, olive oil, incense, and spices.


text:
 A Levite named Mattithiah, oldest son of Shallum, of the clan of Korah, was responsible for preparing the baked offerings.


text:
 Members of the clan of Kohath were responsible for preparing the sacred bread for the Temple every Sabbath.


text:
 Some Levite families were responsible for the Temple music. The heads of these families lived in some of the Temple buildings and were free from other duties, because they were on call day and night.


text:
 The men named above were heads of Levite families, according to their ancestral lines. They were the leaders who lived in Jerusalem.


text:
 Ner was the father of Kish, and Kish was the father of Saul. Saul had four sons: Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.


text:
 Ahaz was the father of Jarah, who was the father of three sons: Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri was the father of Moza,


text:
 He said to the young man carrying his weapons, "Draw your sword and kill me, to keep these godless Philistines from gloating over me." But the young man was too terrified to do it. So Saul took his own sword and threw himself on it.


text:
 When the Israelites who lived in Jezreel Valley heard that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and ran off. Then the Philistines came and occupied them.


text:
 The day after the battle the Philistines went to plunder the corpses, and they found the bodies of Saul and his sons lying on Mount Gilboa.


text:
 the bravest men went and got the bodies of Saul and his sons and took them to Jabesh. They buried them there under an oak and fasted for seven days.


text:
 Saul died because he was unfaithful to the LORD. He disobeyed the LORD's commands; he tried to find guidance by consulting the spirits of the dead


text:
 instead of consulting the LORD. So the LORD killed him and gave control of the kingdom to David son of Jesse.


text:
 All the people of Israel went to David at Hebron and said to him, "We are your own flesh and blood.


text:
 In the past, even when Saul was still our king, you led the people of Israel in battle, and the LORD your God promised you that you would lead his people and be their ruler."


text:
 So all the leaders of Israel came to King David at Hebron. He made a sacred alliance with them, they anointed him, and he became king of Israel, just as the LORD had promised through Samuel.


text:
 King David and all the Israelites went and attacked the city of Jerusalem. It was then known as Jebus, and the Jebusites, the original inhabitants of the land, were still living there.


text:
 The Jebusites told David he would never get inside the city, but David captured their fortress of Zion, and it became known as "David's City."


text:
 David said, "The first man to kill a Jebusite will be commander of the army!" Joab, whose mother was Zeruiah, led the attack and became commander.


text:
 He rebuilt the city, starting at the place where land was filled in on the east side of the hill, and Joab restored the rest of the city.


text:
 This is the list of David's famous soldiers. Together with the rest of the people of Israel, they helped him become king, as the LORD had promised, and they kept his kingdom strong.


text:
 First was Jashobeam of the clan of Hachmon, the leader of "The Three." He fought with his spear against three hundred men and killed them all in one battle.


text:
 He fought on David's side against the Philistines at the battle of Pas Dammim. He was in a barley field when the Israelites started to run away,


text:
 so he and his men took a stand in the middle of the field and fought the Philistines. The LORD gave him a great victory.


text:
 One day three of the thirty leading soldiers went to a rock where David was staying near Adullam Cave, while a band of Philistines was camping in Rephaim Valley.


text:
 David got homesick and said, "How I wish someone would bring me a drink of water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem!"


text:
 and said, "I could never drink this! It would be like drinking the blood of these men who risked their lives!" So he refused to drink it. These were the brave deeds of the three famous soldiers.


text:
 Joab's brother Abishai was the leader of "The Famous Thirty." He fought with his spear against three hundred men and killed them, and became famous among "The Thirty."


text:
 Benaiah son of Jehoiada from Kabzeel was a famous soldier; he did many brave deeds, including killing two great Moabite warriors. He once went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.


text:
 He also killed an Egyptian, a huge man seven and a half feet tall, who was armed with a gigantic spear. Benaiah attacked him with a club, snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with it.


text:
 He was outstanding among "The Thirty," but not as famous as "The Three." David put him in charge of his bodyguard.


text:
 These are the other outstanding soldiers: Asahel, Joab's brother Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem Shammoth from Harod Helez from Pelet Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa Abiezer from Anathoth Sibbecai from Hushah Ilai from Ahoh Maharai from Netophah Heled son of Baanah from Netophah Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin Benaiah from Pirathon Hurai from the valleys near Gaash Abiel from Arbah Azmaveth from Bahurum Eliahba from Shaalbon Hashem from Gizon Jonathan son of Shagee from Harar Ahiam son of Sachar from Harar Eliphal son of Ur Hepher from Mecherah Ahijah from Pelon Hezro from Carmel Naarai son of Ezbai Joel brother of Nathan Mibhar son of Hagri Zelek from Ammon Naharai, Joab's armorbearer, from Beeroth Ira and Gareb from Jattir Uriah the Hittite Zabad son of Ahlai Adina son of Shiza (a leading member of the tribe of Reuben, with his own group of thirty soldiers) Hanan son of Maacah Joshaphat from Mithan Uzzia from Ashterah Shamma and Jeiel, sons of Hotham, from Aroer Jediael and Joha, sons of Shimri, from Tiz Eliel from Mahavah Jeribai and Joshaviah, sons of Elnaam Ithmah from Moab Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel from Zobah


text:
 David was living in Ziklag, where he had gone to escape from King Saul. There he was joined by many experienced, reliable soldiers,


text:
 members of the tribe of Benjamin, to which Saul belonged. They could shoot arrows and sling stones either right-handed or left-handed.


text:
 They were under the command of Ahiezer and Joash, sons of Shemaah, from Gibeah. These were the soldiers: Jeziel and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth Beracah and Jehu from Anathoth Ishmaiah from Gibeon, a famous soldier and one of the leaders of "The Thirty" Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johannan, and Jozabad, from Gederah Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah, from Hariph Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, of the clan of Korah Joelah and Zebadiah, sons of Jeroham, from Gedor


text:
 These are the names of the famous, experienced soldiers from the tribe of Gad who joined David's troops when he was at the desert fort. They were experts with shields and spears, as fierce looking as lions and as quick as mountain deer.


text:
 They were ranked in the following order: Ezer, Obadiah, Eliab, Mishmannah, Jeremiah, Attai, Eliel, Johanan, Elzabad, Jeremiah, and Machbannai.


text:
 Some of these men from the tribe of Gad were senior officers in command of a thousand men, and others were junior officers in command of a hundred.


text:
 In the first month of one year, the time when the Jordan River overflowed its banks, they crossed the river, scattering the people who lived in the valleys both east and west of the river.


text:
 David went to meet them and said, "If you are coming as friends to help me, you are welcome here. Join us! But if you intend to betray me to my enemies, even though I have not tried to hurt you, the God of our ancestors will know it and punish you."


text:
 God's spirit took control of one of them, Amasai, who later became the commander of "The Thirty," and he called out, "David son of Jesse, we are yours! Success to you and those who help you! God is on your side." David welcomed them and made them officers in his army.


text:
 Some soldiers from the tribe of Manasseh went over to David's side when he was marching out with the Philistines to fight King Saul. Actually he did not help the Philistines, for their kings were afraid that he would betray them to his former master Saul, so they sent him back to Ziklag.


text:
 These are the soldiers from Manasseh who went over to David's side when he was returning: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai. In Manasseh they had all commanded units of a thousand men.


text:
 They served David as officers over his troops, because they were all outstanding soldiers. Later they were officers in the Israelite army.


text:
 When David was at Hebron, many trained soldiers joined his army to help make him king in place of Saul, as the LORD had promised. Their numbers were as follows: Judah: 6,800 well-equipped men, armed with shields and spears; Simeon: 7,100 well-trained men; Levi: 4,600 men; Followers of Jehoiada, descendant of Aaron: 3,700 men; Relatives of Zadok, an able young fighter: 22 leading men; Benjamin (Saul's own tribe): 3,000 men (most of the people of Benjamin had remained loyal to Saul); Ephraim: 20,800 men famous in their own clans; West Manasseh: 18,000 men chosen to go and make David king; Issachar: 200 leaders, together with the men under their command (these leaders knew what Israel should do and the best time to do it); Zebulun: 50,000 loyal and reliable men ready to fight, trained to use all kinds of weapons; Naphtali: 1,000 leaders, together with 37,000 men armed with shields and spears; Dan: 28,600 trained men; Asher: 40,000 men ready for battle; Tribes east of the Jordan---Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh: 120,000 men trained to use all kinds of weapons.


text:
 All these soldiers, ready for battle, went to Hebron, determined to make David king over all Israel. All the rest of the people of Israel were united in the same purpose.


text:
 They spent three days there with David, feasting on the food and drink which their relatives had prepared for them.


text:
 From as far away as the northern tribes of Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, people came bringing donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen loaded with food---flour, figs, raisins, wine, and olive oil. They also brought cattle and sheep to kill and eat. All this was an expression of the joy that was felt throughout the whole country.


text:
 King David consulted with all the officers in command of units of a thousand men and units of a hundred men.


text:
 Then he announced to all the people of Israel, "If you give your approval and if it is the will of the LORD our God, let us send messengers to the rest of our people and to the priests and Levites in their towns, and tell them to assemble here with us.


text:
 So David assembled the people of Israel from all over the country, from the Egyptian border in the south to Hamath Pass in the north, in order to bring the Covenant Box from Kiriath Jearim to Jerusalem.


text:
 David and the people went to the city of Baalah, that is, to Kiriath Jearim, in the territory of Judah, to get the Covenant Box of God, which bears the name of the LORD enthroned above the winged creatures.


text:
 At Abinadab's house they brought out the Covenant Box and put it on a new cart. Uzzah and Ahio guided the cart,


text:
 while David and all the people danced with all their might to honor God. They sang and played musical instruments---harps, drums, cymbals, and trumpets.


text:
 As they came to the threshing place of Chidon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out and took hold of the Covenant Box.


text:
 At once the LORD became angry with Uzzah and killed him for touching the Box. He died there in God's presence,


text:
 So David did not take it with him to Jerusalem. Instead, he left it at the house of a man named Obed Edom, a native of the city of Gath.


text:
 It stayed there three months, and the LORD blessed Obed Edom's family and everything that belonged to him.


text:
 King Hiram of Tyre sent a trade mission to David; he provided him with cedar logs and with stonemasons and carpenters to build a palace.


text:
 When the Philistines heard that David had now been made king over the whole country of Israel, their army went out to capture him. So David marched out to meet them.


text:
 David asked God, "Shall I attack the Philistines? Will you give me the victory?" The LORD answered, "Yes, attack! I will give you the victory!"


text:
 So David attacked them at Baal Perazim and defeated them. He said, "God has used me to break through the enemy army like a flood." So that place is called Baal Perazim.


text:
 When the Philistines fled, they left their idols behind, and David gave orders for them to be burned.


text:
 Once more David consulted God, who answered, "Don't attack them from here, but go around and get ready to attack them from the other side, near the balsam trees.


text:
 When you hear the sound of marching in the treetops, then attack, because I will be marching ahead of you to defeat the Philistine army."


text:
 David did what God had commanded, and so he drove the Philistines back from Gibeon all the way to Gezer.


text:
 For his own use, David built houses in David's City. He also prepared a place for God's Covenant Box and put up a tent for it.


text:
 Then he said, "Only Levites should carry the Covenant Box, because they are the ones the LORD chose to carry it and to serve him forever."


text:
 So David summoned all the people of Israel to Jerusalem in order to bring the Covenant Box to the place he had prepared for it.


text:
 David called in the priests Zadok and Abiathar and the six Levites, Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.


text:
 He said to the Levites, "You are the leaders of the Levite clans. Purify yourselves and your fellow Levites, so that you can bring the Covenant Box of the LORD God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it.


text:
 Because you were not there to carry it the first time, the LORD our God punished us for not worshiping him as we should have done."


text:
 Then the priests and the Levites purified themselves in order to move the Covenant Box of the LORD God of Israel.


text:
 David commanded the leaders of the Levites to assign various Levites to sing and to play joyful music on harps and cymbals.


text:
 From the clans of singers they chose the following men to play the brass cymbals: Heman son of Joel, his relative Asaph son of Berechiah, and Ethan son of Kushaiah, of the clan of Merari. To assist them they chose the following Levites to play the high-pitched harps: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah. To play the low-pitched harps they chose the following Levites: Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Azaziah, and the Temple guards, Obed Edom and Jeiel.


text:
 Berechiah and Elkanah, along with Obed Edom and Jehiah, were chosen as guards for the Covenant Box. The priests Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer were chosen to blow trumpets in front of the Covenant Box.


text:
 So King David, the leaders of Israel, and the military commanders went to the house of Obed Edom to get the Covenant Box, and they had a great celebration.


text:
 They sacrificed seven bulls and seven sheep, to make sure that God would help the Levites who were carrying the Covenant Box.


text:
 David was wearing a robe made of the finest linen, and so were the musicians, Chenaniah their leader, and the Levites who carried the Box. David also wore a linen ephod.


text:
 So all the Israelites accompanied the Covenant Box up to Jerusalem with shouts of joy, the sound of trumpets, horns, and cymbals, and the music of harps.


text:
 As the Box was being brought into the city, Michal, Saul's daughter, looked out of the window and saw King David dancing and leaping for joy, and she was disgusted with him.


text:
 They took the Covenant Box to the tent which David had prepared for it and put it inside. Then they offered sacrifices and fellowship offerings to God.


text:
 and distributed food to them all. He gave each man and woman in Israel a loaf of bread, a piece of roasted meat, and some raisins.


text:
 David appointed some of the Levites to lead the worship of the LORD, the God of Israel, in front of the Covenant Box, by singing and praising him.


text:
 Asaph was appointed leader, with Zechariah as his assistant. Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed Edom, and Jeiel were to play harps. Asaph was to sound the cymbals,


text:
 and two priests, Benaiah and Jahaziel, were to blow trumpets regularly in front of the Covenant Box.


text:
 It was then that David first gave Asaph and the other Levites the responsibility for singing praises to the LORD.


text:
 You descendants of Jacob, God's servant, descendants of Israel, whom God chose, remember the miracles that God performed and the judgments that he gave.


text:
 Praise the LORD's glorious name; bring an offering and come into his Temple. Bow down before the Holy One when he appears;


text:
 Say to him, "Save us, O God our Savior; gather us together; rescue us from the nations, so that we may be thankful and praise your holy name."


text:
 Praise the LORD, the God of Israel! Praise him now and forever! Then all the people said, "Amen," and praised the LORD.


text:
 King David put Asaph and the other Levites in permanent charge of the worship that was held at the place where the Covenant Box was kept. They were to perform their duties there day by day.


text:
 Obed Edom son of Jeduthun and sixty-eight men of his clan were to assist them. Hosah and Obed Edom were in charge of guarding the gates.


text:
 Zadok the priest and his fellow priests, however, were in charge of the worship of the LORD at the place of worship in Gibeon.


text:
 Every morning and evening they were to burn sacrifices whole on the altar in accordance with what was written in the Law which the LORD gave to Israel.


text:
 There with them were Heman and Jeduthun and the others who were specifically chosen to sing praises to the LORD for his eternal love.


text:
 Heman and Jeduthun also had charge of the trumpets and cymbals and the other instruments which were played when the songs of praise were sung. The members of Jeduthun's clan were in charge of guarding the gates.


text:
 King David was now living in his palace. One day he sent for the prophet Nathan and said to him, "Here I am living in a house built of cedar, but the LORD's Covenant Box is kept in a tent!"


text:
 From the time I rescued the people of Israel from Egypt until now I have never lived in a temple; I have always lived in tents and moved from place to place.


text:
 I have chosen a place for my people Israel and have settled them there, where they will live without being oppressed any more. Ever since they entered this land they have been attacked by violent people, but this will not happen again. I promise to defeat all your enemies and to give you descendants.


text:
 I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will not withdraw my support from him as I did from Saul, whom I removed so that you could be king.


text:
 Then King David went into the Tent of the LORD's presence, sat down, and prayed, "I am not worthy of what you have already done for me, LORD God, nor is my family.


text:
 Yet now you are doing even more; you have made promises about my descendants in the years to come, and you, LORD God, are already treating me like someone great.


text:
 There is no other nation on earth like Israel, whom you rescued from slavery to make them your own people. The great and wonderful things you did for them spread your fame throughout the world. You rescued your people from Egypt and drove out other nations as your people advanced.


text:
 "And now, O LORD, fulfill for all time the promise you made about me and my descendants, and do what you said you would.


text:
 I have the courage to pray this prayer to you, my God, because you have revealed all this to me, your servant, and have told me that you will make my descendants kings.


text:
 I ask you to bless my descendants so that they will continue to enjoy your favor. You, LORD, have blessed them, and your blessing will rest on them forever."


text:
 Some time later King David attacked the Philistines again and defeated them. He took out of their control the city of Gath and its surrounding villages.


text:
 Next, David attacked King Hadadezer of the Syrian state of Zobah, near the territory of Hamath, because Hadadezer was trying to gain control of the territory by the upper Euphrates River.


text:
 David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand cavalry troops, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He kept enough horses for a hundred chariots and crippled all the rest.


text:
 He also took a great quantity of bronze from Tibhath and Kun, cities ruled by Hadadezer. (Solomon later used this bronze to make the tank, the columns, and the bronze utensils for the Temple.)


text:
 So he sent his son Joram to greet King David and congratulate him for his victory over Hadadezer, against whom Toi had fought many times. Joram brought David presents made of gold, silver, and bronze.


text:
 King David dedicated them for use in worship, along with the silver and gold he took from the nations he conquered---Edom, Moab, Ammon, Philistia, and Amalek.


text:
 Abishai, whose mother was Zeruiah, defeated the Edomites in Salt Valley and killed eighteen thousand of them.


text:
 He set up military camps throughout Edom, and the people there became King David's subjects. The LORD made David victorious everywhere.


text:
 Abishai's brother Joab was commander of the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was in charge of the records;


text:
 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in charge of David's bodyguards; and King David's sons held high positions in his service.


text:
 King David said, "I must show loyal friendship to Hanun, as his father Nahash did to me." So David sent messengers to express his sympathy. When they arrived in Ammon and called on King Hanun,


text:
 the Ammonite leaders said to the king, "Do you think that it is in your father's honor that David has sent these men to express sympathy to you? Of course not! He has sent them here as spies to explore the land, so that he can conquer it!"


text:
 Hanun seized David's messengers, shaved off their beards, cut off their clothes at the hips, and sent them away.


text:
 They were too ashamed to return home. When David heard what had happened, he sent word for them to stay in Jericho and not return until their beards had grown again.


text:
 King Hanun and the Ammonites realized that they had made David their enemy, so they paid nearly forty tons of silver to hire chariots and charioteers from Upper Mesopotamia and from the Syrian states of Maacah and Zobah.


text:
 The thirty-two thousand chariots they hired and the army of the king of Maacah came and camped near Medeba. The Ammonites too came out from all their cities and got ready to fight.


text:
 The Ammonites marched out and took up their position at the entrance to Rabbah, their capital city, and the kings who had come to help took up their position in the open countryside.


text:
 Be strong and courageous! Let's fight hard for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the LORD's will be done."


text:
 When the Ammonites saw the Syrians running away, they fled from Abishai and retreated into the city. Then Joab went back to Jerusalem.


text:
 The Syrians realized that they had been defeated by the Israelites, so they brought troops from the Syrian states on the east side of the Euphrates River and placed them under the command of Shobach, commander of the army of King Hadadezer of Zobah.


text:
 When David heard of it, he gathered the Israelite troops, crossed the Jordan River, and put them in position facing the Syrians. The fighting began,


text:
 and the Israelites drove the Syrian army back. David and his men killed seven thousand Syrian chariot drivers and forty thousand foot soldiers. They also killed the Syrian commander, Shobach.


text:
 When the kings who were subject to Hadadezer realized that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became his subjects. (19:20) The Syrians were never again willing to help the Ammonites.


text:
 The following spring, at the time of the year when kings usually go to war, Joab led out the army and invaded the land of Ammon; King David, however, stayed in Jerusalem. They besieged the city of Rabbah, attacked it, and destroyed it.


text:
 The Ammonite idol Molech had a gold crown which weighed about seventy-five pounds. In it there was a jewel, which David took and put in his own crown. He also took a large amount of loot from the city.


text:
 He took the people of the city and put them to work with saws, iron hoes, and axes. He did the same to the people of all the other towns of Ammon. Then he and his men returned to Jerusalem.


text:
 Later on, war broke out again with the Philistines at Gezer. This was when Sibbecai from Hushah killed a giant named Sippai, and the Philistines were defeated.


text:
 There was another battle with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath from Gath, whose spear had a shaft as thick as the bar on a weaver's loom.


text:
 Another battle took place at Gath, where there was a giant with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. He was a descendant of the ancient giants.


text:
 David gave orders to Joab and the other officers, "Go through Israel, from one end of the country to the other, and count the people. I want to know how many there are."


text:
 Joab answered, "May the LORD make the people of Israel a hundred times more numerous than they are now! Your Majesty, they are all your servants. Why do you want to do this and make the whole nation guilty?"


text:
 But the king made Joab obey the order. Joab went out, traveled through the whole country of Israel, and then returned to Jerusalem.


text:
 He reported to King David the total number of men capable of military service: 1,100,000 in Israel and 470,000 in Judah.


text:
 Because Joab disapproved of the king's command, he did not take any census of the tribes of Levi and Benjamin.


text:
 David said to God, "I have committed a terrible sin in doing this! Please forgive me. I have acted foolishly."


text:
 Three years of famine? Or three months of running away from the armies of your enemies? Or three days during which the LORD attacks you with his sword and sends an epidemic on your land, using his angel to bring death throughout Israel? What answer shall I give the LORD?"


text:
 David replied to Gad, "I am in a desperate situation! But I don't want to be punished by people. Let the LORD himself be the one to punish me, because he is merciful."


text:
 Then he sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem, but he changed his mind and said to the angel, "Stop! That's enough!" The angel was standing by the threshing place of Araunah, a Jebusite.


text:
 David saw the angel standing in midair, holding his sword in his hand, ready to destroy Jerusalem. Then David and the leaders of the people---all of whom were wearing sackcloth---bowed low, with their faces touching the ground.


text:
 David prayed, "O God, I am the one who did wrong. I am the one who ordered the census. What have these poor people done? LORD, my God, punish me and my family, and spare your people."


text:
 The angel of the LORD told Gad to command David to go and build an altar to the LORD at Araunah's threshing place.


text:
 There at the threshing place Araunah and his four sons were threshing wheat, and when they saw the angel, the sons ran and hid.


text:
 As soon as Araunah saw King David approaching, he left the threshing place and bowed low, with his face touching the ground.


text:
 David said to him, "Sell me your threshing place, so that I can build an altar to the LORD, to stop the epidemic. I'll give you the full price."


text:
 "Take it, Your Majesty," Araunah said, "and do whatever you wish. Here are these oxen to burn as an offering on the altar, and here are the threshing boards to use as fuel, and wheat to give as an offering. I give it all to you."


text:
 But the king answered, "No, I will pay you the full price. I will not give as an offering to the LORD something that belongs to you, something that costs me nothing."


text:
 He built an altar to the LORD there and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He prayed, and the LORD answered him by sending fire from heaven to burn the sacrifices on the altar.


text:
 David saw by this that the LORD had answered his prayer, so he offered sacrifices on the altar at Araunah's threshing place.


text:
 The Tent of the LORD's presence which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar on which sacrifices were burned were still at the place of worship at Gibeon at this time;


text:
 but David was not able to go there to worship God, because he was afraid of the sword of the LORD's angel.


text:
 So David said, "This is where the Temple of the LORD God will be. Here is the altar where the people of Israel are to offer burnt offerings."


text:
 King David gave orders for all the foreigners living in the land of Israel to assemble, and he put them to work. Some of them prepared stone blocks for building the Temple.


text:
 He supplied a large amount of iron for making nails and clamps for the wooden gates, and so much bronze that no one could weigh it.


text:
 David thought, "The Temple that my son Solomon is to build must be splendid and world-famous. But he is young and inexperienced, so I must make preparations for it." So David got large amounts of the materials ready before he died.


text:
 But the LORD told me that I had killed too many people and fought too many wars. And so, because of all the bloodshed I have caused, he would not let me build a temple for him.


text:
 He did, however, make me a promise. He said, 'You will have a son who will rule in peace, because I will give him peace from all his enemies. His name will be Solomon, because during his reign I will give Israel peace and security.


text:
 He will build a temple for me. He will be my son, and I will be his father. His dynasty will rule Israel forever.' "


text:
 David continued, "Now, son, may the LORD your God be with you, and may he keep his promise to make you successful in building a temple for him.


text:
 And may the LORD your God give you insight and wisdom so that you may govern Israel according to his Law.


text:
 If you obey all the laws which the LORD gave to Moses for Israel, you will be successful. Be determined and confident, and don't let anything make you afraid.


text:
 As for the Temple, by my efforts I have accumulated almost four thousand tons of gold and nearly forty thousand tons of silver to be used in building it. Besides that, there is an unlimited supply of bronze and iron. I also have wood and stone ready, but you must get more.


text:
 You have many workers. There are stonecutters to work in the quarries, and there are masons and carpenters, as well as a large number of skilled workers of every sort who can work


text:
 He said, "The LORD your God has been with you and given you peace on all sides. He let me conquer all the people who used to live in this land, and they are now subject to you and to the LORD.


text:
 Now serve the LORD your God with all your heart and soul. Start building the Temple, so that you can place in it the Covenant Box of the LORD and all the other sacred objects used in worshiping him."


text:
 He took a census of all the male Levites aged thirty or older. The total was thirty-eight thousand.


text:
 The king assigned twenty-four thousand to administer the work of the Temple, six thousand to keep records and decide disputes,


text:
 four thousand to do guard duty, and four thousand to praise the LORD, using the musical instruments provided by the king for this purpose.


text:
 David divided the Levites into three groups, according to their clans: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.


text:
 who were the heads of the clans descended from Ladan. (Shimei had three sons: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran.)


text:
 Shimei had four sons: Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah, in order of age. Jeush and Beriah did not have many descendants, so they were counted as one clan.


text:
 His oldest son, Amram, was the father of Aaron and Moses. (Aaron and his descendants were set apart to be in charge of the sacred objects forever, to burn incense in the worship of the LORD, to serve him, and to bless the people in his name.


text:
 but Eleazar died without having any sons, only daughters. His daughters married their cousins, the sons of Kish.


text:
 These were the descendants of Levi, by clans and families, every one of them registered by name. Each of his descendants, twenty years of age or older, had a share in the work of the LORD's Temple.


text:
 David said, "The LORD God of Israel has given peace to his people, and he himself will live in Jerusalem forever.


text:
 So there is no longer any need for the Levites to carry the Tent of the LORD's presence and all the equipment used in worship."


text:
 On the basis of David's final instructions all Levites were registered for service when they reached the age of twenty,


text:
 and were assigned the following duties: to help the priests descended from Aaron with the Temple worship, to take care of its courtyards and its rooms, and to keep undefiled everything that is sacred;


text:
 to be responsible for the bread offered to God, the flour used in offerings, the wafers made without yeast, the baked offerings, and the flour mixed with olive oil; to weigh and measure the Temple offerings;


text:
 and whenever offerings to the LORD are burned on the Sabbath, the New Moon Festival, and other festivals. Rules were made specifying the number of Levites assigned to do this work each time. The Levites were assigned the duty of worshiping the LORD for all time.


text:
 They were given the responsibility of taking care of the Tent of the LORD's presence and the Temple, and of assisting their relatives, the priests descended from Aaron, in the Temple worship.


text:
 These are the groups to which the descendants of Aaron belong. Aaron had four sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.


text:
 Nadab and Abihu died before their father did, and left no descendants, so their brothers Eleazar and Ithamar became priests.


text:
 King David organized the descendants of Aaron into groups according to their duties. He was assisted in this by Zadok, a descendant of Eleazar, and by Ahimelech, a descendant of Ithamar.


text:
 The descendants of Eleazar were organized into sixteen groups, while the descendants of Ithamar were organized into eight; this was done because there were more male heads of families among the descendants of Eleazar.


text:
 Since there were Temple officials and spiritual leaders among the descendants of both Eleazar and Ithamar, assignments were made by drawing lots.


text:
 The descendants of Eleazar and of Ithamar took turns drawing lots. Then they were registered by Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite secretary. The king, his officials, the priest Zadok, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the heads of the priestly families and of the Levite families, were all witnesses.


text:
 This is the order in which the twenty-four family groups were given their assignments: 1) Jehoiarib; 2) Jedaiah; 3) Harim; 4) Seorim; 5) Malchijah; 6) Mijamin; 7) Hakkoz; 8) Abijah; 9) Jeshua; 10) Shecaniah; 11) Eliashib; 12) Jakim; 13) Huppah; 14) Jeshebeab; 15) Bilgah; 16) Immer; 17) Hezir; 18) Happizzez; 19) Pethahiah; 20) Jehezkel; 21) Jachin; 22) Gamul; 23) Delaiah; 24) Maaziah.


text:
 These men were registered according to their assignments for going to the Temple and performing the duties established by their ancestor Aaron in obedience to the commands of the LORD God of Israel.


text:
 These are other heads of families descended from Levi: Jehdeiah, a descendant of Amram through Shebuel;


text:
 The head of each family and one of his younger brothers drew lots for their assignments, just as their relatives, the priests descended from Aaron, had done. King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of families of the priests and of the Levites were witnesses.


text:
 King David and the leaders of the Levites chose the following Levite clans to lead the worship services: Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun. They were to proclaim God's messages, accompanied by the music of harps and cymbals. This is the list of persons chosen to lead the worship, with the type of service that each group performed:


text:
 The four sons of Asaph: Zaccur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asharelah. They were under the direction of Asaph, who proclaimed God's messages whenever the king commanded.


text:
 The six sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah. Under the direction of their father they proclaimed God's message, accompanied by the music of harps, and sang praise and thanks to the LORD.


text:
 The fourteen sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth.


text:
 God gave to Heman, the king's prophet, these fourteen sons and also three daughters, as he had promised, in order to give power to Heman.


text:
 All of his sons played cymbals and harps under their father's direction, to accompany the Temple worship. And Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under orders from the king.


text:
 All these twenty-four men were experts; and their fellow Levites were trained musicians. There were 288 men in all.


text:
 To determine the assignment of duties they all drew lots, whether they were young or old, experts or beginners.


text:
 These 288 men were divided according to families into twenty-four groups of twelve, with a leader in charge of each group. This is the order in which they were on duty: 1) Joseph of the family of Asaph; 2) Gedaliah; 3) Zaccur; 4) Zeri; 5) Nethaniah; 6) Bukkiah; 7) Asharelah; 8) Jeshaiah; 9) Mattaniah; 10) Shimei; 11) Uzziel; 12) Hashabiah; 13) Shebuel; 14) Mattithiah; 15) Jerimoth; 16) Hananiah; 17) Joshbekashah; 18) Hanani; 19) Mallothi; 20) Eliathah; 21) Hothir; 22) Giddalti; 23) Mahazioth; 24) Romamti Ezer.


text:
 These are the assignments of work for the Levites who served as Temple guards. From the clan of Korah there was Meshelemiah son of Kore, of the family of Asaph.


text:
 There was also Obed Edom, whom God blessed by giving him eight sons, listed in order of age: Shemaiah, Jehozabad, Joah, Sachar, Nethanel,


text:
 Obed Edom's oldest son, Shemaiah, had six sons: Othni, Rephael, Obed, Elzabad, Elihu, and Semachiah. They were important men in their clan because of their great ability; the last two were especially talented.


text:
 From the clan of Merari there was Hosah, who had four sons: Shimri (his father made him the leader, even though he was not the oldest son),


text:
 Hilkiah, Tebaliah, and Zechariah. In all there were thirteen members of Hosah's family who were Temple guards.


text:
 The Temple guards were divided into groups, according to families, and they were assigned duties in the Temple, just as the other Levites were.


text:
 Shelemiah drew the east gate, and his son Zechariah, a man who always gave good advice, drew the north gate.


text:
 Shuppim and Hosah were allotted the west gate and the Shallecheth Gate on the upper road. Guard duty was divided into assigned periods, one after another.


text:
 On the east, six guards were on duty each day, on the north, four, and on the south, four. Four guards were stationed at the storerooms daily, two at each storeroom.


text:
 Others of their fellow Levites were in charge of the Temple treasury and the storerooms for gifts dedicated to God.


text:
 Ladan, one of the sons of Gershon, was the ancestor of several family groups, including the family of his son Jehiel.


text:
 Shebuel, of the clan of Moses' son Gershom, was the chief official responsible for the Temple treasury.


text:
 Through Gershom's brother Eliezer he was related to Shelomith. Eliezer was the father of Rehabiah, who was the father of Jeshaiah, the father of Joram, the father of Zichri, the father of Shelomith.


text:
 Shelomith and the members of his family were in charge of all the gifts dedicated to God by King David, the heads of families, leaders of clan groups, and army officers.


text:
 Shelomith and his family were in charge of everything that had been dedicated for use in the Temple, including the gifts brought by the prophet Samuel, by King Saul, by Abner son of Ner, and by Joab son of Zeruiah.


text:
 Among the descendants of Izhar, Chenaniah and his sons were assigned administrative duties: keeping records and settling disputes for the people of Israel.


text:
 Among the descendants of Hebron, Hashabiah and seventeen hundred of his relatives, all outstanding men, were put in charge of the administration of all religious and civil matters in Israel west of the Jordan River.


text:
 Jeriah was the leader of the descendants of Hebron. In the fortieth year that David was king, an investigation was made of the family line of Hebron's descendants, and outstanding soldiers belonging to this family were found living at Jazer in the territory of Gilead.


text:
 King David chose twenty-seven hundred outstanding heads of families from Jeriah's relatives and put them in charge of administering all religious and civil matters in Israel east of the Jordan River---the territories of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh.


text:
 This is the list of the Israelite heads of families and clan leaders and their officials who administered the work of the kingdom. Each month of the year a different group of twenty-four thousand men was on duty under the commander for that month.


text:
 The following were the commanders for each month: First month: Jashobeam son of Zabdiel (he was a member of the clan of Perez, a part of the tribe of Judah) Second month: Dodai, a descendant of Ahohi (Mikloth was his second in command) Third month: Benaiah son of Jehoiada the priest; he was the leader of "The Thirty" (his son Ammizabad succeeded him as commander of this group) Fourth month: Asahel, brother of Joab (his son Zebadiah succeeded him) Fifth month: Shamhuth, a descendant of Izhar Sixth month: Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa Seventh month: Helez, an Ephraimite from Pelon Eighth month: Sibbecai from Hushah (he was a member of the clan of Zerah, a part of the tribe of Judah) Ninth month: Abiezer from Anathoth in the territory of the tribe of Benjamin Tenth month: Maharai from Netophah (he was a member of the clan of Zerah) Eleventh month: Benaiah from Pirathon in the territory of the tribe of Ephraim Twelfth month: Heldai from Netophah (he was a descendant of Othniel)


