2 Samuel 5 - 6 — Legacy Standard Bible

David Anointed King over All Israel

5^aThen all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and ¹said, “Behold, we are ^byour bone and your flesh. ²“Previously, when Saul was king over us, ^ayou were the one who led out and brought in Israel; and Yahweh said to you, ‘^bYou will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ^ca ruler over Israel.’” ³So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David ^acut a covenant with them in Hebron before Yahweh; then ^bthey anointed David king over Israel. ⁴Now David was ^athirty years old when he became king, and ^bhe reigned forty years. ⁵At Hebron ^ahe reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.

⁶^aThen the king and his men went to ^bJerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, and they said to ¹David, “You shall not come in here, but the blind and lame will turn you away”; ²thinking, “David cannot enter here.” ⁷Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion, that is ^athe city of David. ⁸And David said on that day, “Whoever would strike down the Jebusites, let him reach the lame and the blind, who are hated by David’s soul, through the water tunnel.” Therefore they say, “The blind or the lame shall not come into the house.” ⁹Then David lived in the fortress and called it ^athe city of David. And David built all around from the ¹^,^bMillo and inward. ¹⁰^aAnd David became greater and greater, and Yahweh, the God of hosts, was with him.

¹¹^aThen Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees and craftsmen of wood and craftsmen of stone walls; and ^bthey built a house for David. ¹²Thus David knew that Yahweh had established him as king over Israel, and that He had lifted up his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.

Children Born to David in Jerusalem

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

David Goes Up Against the Philistines

¹⁷Then the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, so ^aall the Philistines went up to seek out David. And David heard of it and went down to the ^bfortress. ¹⁸Now the Philistines had come and spread themselves out in ^athe valley of Rephaim. ¹⁹Then ^aDavid asked of Yahweh, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You give them into my hand?” And ^bYahweh said to David, “Go up, for I will certainly give the Philistines into your hand.” ²⁰So David came to ^aBaal-perazim, and there David struck them down; and he said, “Yahweh has broken through my enemies before me, like the breakthrough of waters.” Therefore he named that place ¹Baal-perazim. ²¹And they forsook their idols there; so ^aDavid and his men carried them away.

²²Then ^athe Philistines yet again came up and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim. ²³So ^aDavid asked of Yahweh, and He said, “You shall not go directly up; circle around behind them and come at them in front of the ¹balsam trees. ²⁴“And it will be that when ^ayou hear the sound of marching in the tops of the ¹balsam trees, then you shall act promptly, for then ^bYahweh will have gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” ²⁵Then David did so, just as Yahweh had commanded him, and struck down the Philistines from ¹^,^aGeba ²as far as ^bGezer.

The Ark Is Brought to Jerusalem

6^aThen David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. ²And David arose and went with all the people who were with him ¹from ²^,^aBaale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the ^bName, the very name of Yahweh of hosts who ^cis ³enthroned above the cherubim. ³And they ¹drove the ark of God on ^aa new cart that they might bring it from the house of Abinadab which was on the hill; and ²Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were leading the new cart. ⁴So ^athey brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Ahio was walking ahead of the ark. ⁵Now David and all the house of Israel ^awere celebrating before Yahweh ^bwith all kinds of instruments made of ¹fir wood, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

⁶Then they came to the ^athreshing floor of Nacon. And ¹Uzzah ^breached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, because the oxen nearly upset it. ⁷And the anger of Yahweh burned against Uzzah, and ^aGod struck him down there for ¹his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God. ⁸And David became angry because ¹of Yahweh’s breaking out against Uzzah; and that place is called ²Perez-uzzah to this day. ⁹So ^aDavid was afraid of Yahweh that day; and he said, “How can the ark of Yahweh come to me?” ¹⁰And David was unwilling to move the ark of Yahweh into the city of David with him; but David took it aside to the house of ^aObed-edom the Gittite. ¹¹Thus the ark of Yahweh remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and Yahweh ^ablessed Obed-edom and all his household.

¹²Then it was told to King David, saying, “Yahweh has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, on account of the ark of God.” So ^aDavid went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into ^bthe city of David with gladness. ¹³And so it happened, that when those ^awho were carrying the ark of Yahweh had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ^box and a fatling. ¹⁴And ^aDavid was dancing before Yahweh with all his strength, and David was ^bgirded with a linen ephod. ¹⁵So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of Yahweh with shouting and the sound of the trumpet.

David Dances Before Yahweh

¹⁶Then it happened as the ark of Yahweh came into the city of David, that ^aMichal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before Yahweh; and she despised him in her heart.

¹⁷And they brought in the ark of Yahweh and placed it ^ain its place inside the tent which David had pitched for it; and ^bDavid offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh. ¹⁸Then David completed offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings. And ^ahe blessed the people in the name of Yahweh of hosts. ¹⁹And he apportioned to all the people, to all the multitude of Israel, both to men and women, a cake of bread and one of dates and one of raisins to each one. Then all the people went each to his house.

²⁰But David returned to bless his household, and Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel has glorified himself today! ^aHe uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servants’ maids as one of the ^bworthless ones shamelessly uncovers himself!” ²¹So David said to Michal, “^aIt was before Yahweh, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of Yahweh, over Israel; therefore I will celebrate before Yahweh. ²²“And I will be esteemed even more lightly than this and will be humble in my own eyes, but with the maids of whom you have spoken, with them I will be glorified.” ²³And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.