Mar 8 - 2 Samuel 8-13

¹Now after these things, it happened that David struck the Philistines, and he humbled them. And David took the bridle of tribute from the hand of the Philistines²And he struck Moab, and he measured them with a line, leveling them to the ground. Now he measured with two lines, one to kill, and one to keep alive. And Moab was made to serve David under tribute³And David struck Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, the king of Zobah, when he set out to rule over the river Euphrates⁴And from his troops, David seized one thousand seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand foot soldiers. And he cut the sinew of the leg in all the chariot horses. But he left aside enough of them for one hundred chariots⁵And the Syrians of Damascus arrived, so that they might bring reinforcements to Hadadezer, the king of Zobah. And David struck down twenty-two thousand men of the Syrians⁶And David positioned a garrison in Syria of Damascus. And Syria served David under tribute. And the Lord assisted David in all things whatsoever that he set out to accomplish⁷And David took the armbands of gold, which the servants of Hadadezer had, and he brought them to Jerusalem⁸And from Betah and Beeroth, cities of Hadadezer, king David took an exceedingly great amount of brass⁹Then Toi, the king of Hamath, heard that David had struck down the entire strength of Hadadezer¹⁰And so, Toi sent his son Joram to king David, so that he might greet him with congratulations, and give thanks, because he had fought against Hadadezer and had struck him down. For indeed, Toi was the enemy of Hadadezer. And in his hand were vessels of gold, and vessels of silver, and vessels of brass¹¹And king David also sanctified these things to the Lord, with the silver and gold that he had sanctified from all the peoples whom he had subdued¹²from Syria, and Moab, and the sons Ammon, and the Philistines, and Amalek, and from the best spoils of Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, the king of Zobah¹³David also made a name for himself when he returned from seizing Syria, in the Valley of the Salt Pits, having cut down eighteen thousand¹⁴And he positioned guards in Edom, and he stationed a garrison. And all of Edom was made to serve David. And the Lord assisted David in all things whatsoever that he set out to accomplish¹⁵And David reigned over all of Israel. And David accomplished judgment and justice with all his people¹⁶Now Joab, the son Zeruiah, was over the army. And Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was the keeper of records¹⁷And Zadok, the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech, the son of Abiathar, were the priests. And Seraiah was the scribe¹⁸And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was over the Cherethites and Pelethites. But the sons of David were priests

Chapter 9

¹And David said, "Do you think that there could be anyone left from the house of Saul, so that I might show mercy to him because of Jonathan?²Now there was, from the house of Saul, a servant named Ziba. And when the king had called him to himself, he said to him, "Are you not Ziba?" And he responded, "I am your servant.³And the king said, "Could there be anyone alive from the house of Saul, so that I may show the mercy of God to him?" And Ziba said to the king, "There is left alive a son of Jonathan, with disabled feet.⁴"Where is he?" he said. And Ziba said to the king, "Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar.⁵Therefore, king David sent and brought him from the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar⁶And when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell upon his face, and he reverenced. And David said, "Mephibosheth?" And he responded, "Your servant is here.⁷And David said to him: "Do not be afraid. For I will certainly show mercy to you because of your father Jonathan. And I will restore to you all the fields of your father Saul. And you shall eat bread at my table always.⁸And reverencing him, he said, "Who am I, your servant, that you should look with favor upon a dead dog like me?⁹And so, the king called Ziba, the servant of Saul, and he said to him: "Everything whatsoever that belonged to Saul, and his entire house, I have given to the son of your lord¹⁰And so, work the land for him, you and your sons and your servants. And you shall bring in food for the son of your lord, for nourishment. And Mephibosheth, the son of your lord, shall always eat bread at my table." Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants¹¹And Ziba said to the king: "Just as my lord has ordered your servant, so will your servant do. And Mephibosheth shall eat at my table, like one of the sons of the king.¹²Now Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. Truly, all the kindred of the house of Ziba served Mephibosheth¹³But Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem. For he was fed always from the table of the king. And he was lame in both feet

Chapter 10

¹Now after these things, it happened that the king of the sons of Ammon died, and his son Hanun reigned after him²And David said, "I will show mercy to Hanun, the son of Nahash, just as his father showed mercy to me." Therefore, David sent consolation to him, by his servants, over the passing of his father. But when the servants of David had arrived in the land of the sons of Ammon³the leaders of the sons of Ammon said to Hanun, their lord: "Do you think it was because of the honor of your father that David sent consolers to you? And did not David send his servants to you, so that he might investigate and explore the city, and so that he might overthrow it?⁴And so, Hanun took the servants of David, and he shaved off one half part of their beards, and he cut their garments at the middle, as far as the buttocks, and he sent them away⁵And when this had been reported to David, he sent to meet them. And the men were greatly disturbed by shame. And David commanded them, "Remain in Jericho, until your beards grow, and then return.⁶Now the sons of Ammon, seeing that they had done an injury to David, sent for, and paid wages to, the Syrians of Rehob, and the Syrians of Zobah, twenty thousand foot soldiers, and from the king of Maacah, one thousand men, and from Tob, twelve thousand men⁷And when David had heard this, he sent Joab and the entire army of warriors⁸Then the sons of Ammon went forth, and they positioned their battle line before the very entrance of the gates. But the Syrians of Zobah, and of Rehob, and of Tob, and of Maacah, were by themselves in the field⁹And so, seeing that the battle had been prepared against him, both facing him and behind, Joab chose some from all of the elect men of Israel, and he set up a battle line opposite the Syrians¹⁰But the remaining part of the people he delivered to his brother Abishai, who formed a battle line against the sons of Ammon¹¹And Joab said: "If the Syrians prevail against me, then you shall assist me. But if the sons of Ammon prevail against you, then I will assist you¹²Be valiant men. And let us fight on behalf of our people and the city of our God. Then the Lord will do what is good in his own sight.¹³And so, Joab, and the people who were with him, undertook the conflict against the Syrians, who immediately fled before their face¹⁴Then, seeing that the Syrians had fled, the sons of Ammon themselves also fled from the face of Abishai, and they entered into the city. And Joab returned from the sons of Ammon, and he went to Jerusalem¹⁵And so, the Syrians, seeing that they had fallen before Israel, gathered themselves together¹⁶And Hadadezer sent and brought the Syrians who were beyond the river, and he led in their army. And Shobach, the rule of the military of Hadadezer, was their leader¹⁷And when this had been reported to David, he drew together all of Israel. And he crossed over the Jordan, and he went to Helam. And the Syrians formed a battle line opposite David, and they fought against him¹⁸And the Syrians fled before the face of Israel. And David killed, among the Syrians, the men of seven hundred chariots, and forty thousand horsemen. And he struck down Shobach, the leader of the military, who immediately died¹⁹Then all the kings who were in the reinforcements of Hadadezer, seeing themselves to be defeated by Israel, were very afraid and they fled: fifty-eight thousand men before Israel. And they made peace with Israel, and they served them. And the Syrians were afraid to offer assistance to the sons of Ammon anymore

Chapter 11

¹Now it happened that, at the turn of the year, in the time when kings usually go forth to war, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all of Israel, and they laid waste to the sons of Ammon, and they besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem²While these things were taking place, David happened to arise from his bed after midday, and he walked upon the terrace of the king’s house. And he saw, across from his terrace, a woman washing herself. And the woman was very beautiful³Therefore, the king sent and inquired who the woman might be. And it was reported to him that she was Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah, the Hittite⁴And so, David sent messengers, and he took her. And when she had entered to him, he slept with her. And presently, she was purified from her uncleanness⁵And she returned to her house, having conceived an unborn child. And sending, she informed David, and she said, "I have conceived.⁶Then David sent to Joab, saying, "Send me Uriah, the Hittite." And Joab sent Uriah to David⁷And Uriah went to David. And David inquired whether Joab was doing well, and about the people, and how the war was being conducted⁸And David said to Uriah, "Go into your house, and wash your feet." And Uriah departed from the house of the king. And a meal from the king followed after him⁹But Uriah slept before the gate of the king’s house, with the other servants of his lord, and he did not go down to his own house¹⁰And it was reported to David by some, saying, "Uriah did not go into his house." And David said to Uriah: "Did you not arrive from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?¹¹And Uriah said to David: "The ark of God, and Israel and Judah, dwell in tents, and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, stay upon the face of the earth. And should I then go into my own house, so that I may eat and drink, and sleep with my wife? By your welfare and by the welfare of your soul, I will not do this thing.¹²Therefore, David said to Uriah, "Even so, remain here today, and tomorrow I will send you away." So Uriah remained in Jerusalem, on that day and the next¹³And David called him, so that he might eat and drink before him, and he made him inebriated. And departing in the evening, he slept on his bedding, with the servants of his lord, and he did not go down to his own house¹⁴Therefore, when morning arrived, David wrote a letter to Joab. And he sent it by the hand of Uriah¹⁵writing in the letter: "Place Uriah opposite the warfare, where the battle is the strongest, and then abandon him, so that, having been wounded, he may die.¹⁶And so, when Joab was besieging the city, he positioned Uriah in the place where he knew the strongest men to be¹⁷And the men, departing from the city, made war against Joab. And some of the people among the servants of David fell, and Uriah the Hittite also died¹⁸And so, Joab sent and reported to David every word about the battle¹⁹And he instructed the messenger, saying: "When you have completed all the words about the war to the king²⁰if you see him to be angry, and if he says: ‘Why did you draw near to the wall in order to fight? Are you ignorant that many darts are thrown from above the wall²¹Who struck down Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal? Did not a woman throw a fragment of a millstone upon him from the wall, and so kill him at Thebez? Why did you approach beside the wall?’ then you shall say: ‘Your servant Uriah, the Hittite, also lies dead.’ ²²Therefore, the messenger departed. And he went and described to David all that Joab had instructed him²³And the messenger said to David: "The men prevailed against us, and they went out to us in the field. Then we pursued them, making an assault, even to the gate of the city²⁴And the archers directed their arrows at your servants from the wall above. And some of the king’s servants died, and then also your servant Uriah the Hittite died.²⁵And David said to the messenger: "You shall say these things to Joab: ‘Do not let this matter dishearten you. For varied are the events of war. Now this one, and now that one, is consumed by the sword. Encourage your warriors against the city and exhort them, so that you may destroy it.’ ²⁶Then the wife of Uriah heard that her husband Uriah had died, and she mourned for him²⁷But when the lamentation was completed, David sent and brought her into his house, and she became his wife, and she bore a son to him. And this word, which David had done, was displeasing in the sight of the Lord

Chapter 12

¹Then the Lord sent Nathan to David. And when he had come to him, he said to him: "Two men were in one city: one wealthy, and the other poor²The wealthy man had very many sheep and oxen³But the poor man had nothing at all, except one little sheep, which he had bought and nourished. And she had grown up before him, together with his children, eating from his bread, and drinking from his cup, and sleeping in his bosom. And she was like a daughter to him⁴But when a certain traveler had come to the wealthy man, neglecting to take from his own sheep and oxen, so that he might present a feast for that traveler, who had come to him, he took the sheep of the poor man, and he prepared a meal for the man who had come to him.⁵Then David’s indignation was enraged exceedingly against that man, and he said to Nathan: "As the Lord lives, the man who has done this is a son of death⁶He shall restore the sheep fourfold, because he did this word, and he did not take pity.⁷But Nathan said to David: "You are that man. Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘I anointed you as king over Israel, and I rescued you from the hand of Saul⁸And I gave the house of your lord to you, and the wives of your lord into your bosom. And I gave the house of Israel and of Judah to you. And as if these things were small, I shall add much greater things to you⁹Therefore, why have you despised the word of the Lord, so that you did evil in my sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword. And you have taken his wife as a wife for yourself. And you have put him to death with the sword of the sons of Ammon¹⁰For this reason, the sword shall not withdraw from your house, even perpetually, because you have despised me, and you have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite, so that she may be your wife.¹¹And so, thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, I will raise up over you an evil from your own house. And I will take your wives away before your eyes, and I will give them to your neighbor. And he will sleep with your wives in the sight of this sun¹²For you acted secretly. But I will do this word in the sight of all of Israel, and in the sight of the sun.’ ¹³And David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord." And Nathan said to David: "The Lord has also taken away your sin. You shall not die¹⁴Yet truly, because you have given occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, because of this word, the son who was born to you: dying he shall die.¹⁵And Nathan returned to his own house. And the Lord struck the little one, whom the wife of Uriah had borne to David, and he was despaired of¹⁶And David begged the Lord on behalf of the little one. And David fasted strictly, and entering alone, he lay upon the ground¹⁷Then the elders of his house came, urging him to rise up from the ground. And he was not willing, nor would he eat a meal with them¹⁸Then, on the seventh day, it happened that the infant died. And the servants of David were afraid to report to him that the little one had died. For they said: "Behold, when the child was still alive, we were speaking to him, but he would not listen to our voice. How much more will he afflict himself, if we tell him that the boy is dead?¹⁹But when David had seen his servants whispering, he realized that the infant had died. And he said to his servants, "Is the child dead?" And they responded to him, "He is dead.²⁰Therefore, David rose up from the ground. And he washed and anointed himself. And when he had changed his clothing, he entered the house of the Lord, and he worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and he asked them to place bread before him, and he ate²¹But his servants said to him: "What is this word that you have done? You fasted and were weeping, on behalf of the infant, while he was still alive. But when the boy was dead, you arose and ate bread.²²And he said: "While he was yet alive, I fasted and wept on behalf of the infant. For I said: Who knows if the Lord may perhaps give him to me, and let the infant live²³But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Would I be able to bring him back anymore? Instead, I will go to him. Yet truly, he will not return to me.²⁴And David consoled his wife Bathsheba. And entering to her, he slept with her. And she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon, and the Lord loved him²⁵And he sent, by the hand of Nathan the prophet, and he called his name, Beloved of the Lord, because the Lord loved him²⁶And then Joab fought against Rabbah of the sons of Ammon, and he fought outside the royal city²⁷And Joab sent messengers to David, saying: "I have struggled against Rabbah, and so the City of Waters will soon be seized²⁸Now therefore, gather the remaining portion of the people together, and besiege the city and take it. Otherwise, when the city will have been laid waste by me, the victory will be ascribed to my name.²⁹And so David gathered together all the people, and he set out against Rabbah. And after he had fought, he seized it³⁰And he took the crown of their king from his head. The weight of it was a talent of gold, having the most precious gems. And it was placed upon the head of David. Moreover, he carried away the spoils of the city, which were very many³¹Also, bringing forth its people, he sawed them, and he drove over them with iron wagons, and he divided them with knives, and he dragged them through brick kilns. So he did to all the citizens of the sons of Ammon. And David returned, with the entire army, to Jerusalem

Chapter 13

¹Now after these things, it happened that Amnon, the son of David, was in love with the very beautiful sister of Absalom, the son of David, and she was called Tamar²And he pined for her exceedingly, so much so that, out of love for her, he became ill. For, since she was a virgin, it seemed a difficulty to him that he would do anything dishonest with her³Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, the brother of David: a very prudent man⁴And he said to him: "Why are you becoming so thin from day to day, O son of the king? Why won’t you tell me?" And Amnon said to him, "I am in love with Tamar, the sister of my brother Absalom.⁵And Jonadab said to him: "Lie down upon your bed, and feign sickness. And when your father will come to visit you, say to him: ‘I ask you to let my sister Tamar come to me, so that she may give me food, and may make a small meal, so that I may eat it from her hand.’ ⁶And so, Amnon lay down, and he began to act as if he were ill. And when the king had come to visit him, Amnon said to the king, "I beg you to let my sister Tamar come to me, and make in my sight two little portions of food, so that I take it from her hand.⁷Therefore, David sent home to Tamar, saying, "Come to the house of your brother Amnon, and make a small meal for him.⁸And Tamar went into the house of her brother Amnon. But he was lying down. And taking flour, she mixed it. And dissolving it in his sight, she cooked little portions of food⁹And taking what she had cooked, she poured it out, and she set it before him. But he refused to eat. And Amnon said, "Send everyone away from me." And when they had sent everyone away¹⁰Amnon said to Tamar, "Bring the food into the bedroom, so that I may eat from your hand." Therefore, Tamar took the little portions of food that she had made, and she brought them to her brother Amnon in the bedroom¹¹And when she had presented the food to him, he took hold of her, and he said, "Come lie with me, my sister.¹²She answered him: "Do not do so, my brother! Do not force me. For no such thing must be done in Israel. Do not choose to do this senseless act¹³For I will not be able to bear my shame. And you will be like one of the foolish in Israel. For it is better to speak to the king, and he will not deny me to you.¹⁴But he was not willing to agree to her petition. Instead, prevailing by strength, he forced her, and he lay with her¹⁵And Amnon held hatred for her with an exceedingly great hatred, so much so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her before. And Amnon said to her, "Rise up, and go away.¹⁶And she answered him, "This evil is greater, which you are now doing against me in driving me away, than what you did before." But he was not willing to listen to her¹⁷Instead, calling the servants who were ministering to him, he said, "Cast this woman out from me, and close the door behind her.¹⁸Now she was clothed with an ankle-length robe. For the virgin daughters of the king made use of this kind of garment. And so, his servant cast her out, and he closed the door behind her¹⁹And she sprinkled ashes upon her head, and she tore her ankle-length robe. And placing her hands upon her head, she went forth, walking and crying out²⁰Then her brother Absalom said to her: "Has your brother Amnon lain with you? But now, sister, be quiet. For he is your brother. And you should not afflict your heart because of this matter." And so, Tamar remained, wasting away in the house of her brother Absalom²¹And when king David had heard about these things, he was deeply grieved. But he was not willing to afflict the spirit of his son Amnon. For he loved him, since he was his firstborn²²Yet Absalom did not speak to Amnon, neither good nor evil. For Absalom hated Amnon because he had violated his sister Tamar²³Then, after the time of two years, it happened that the sheep of Absalom were being shorn in Baal-hazor, which is near Ephraim. And Absalom invited all the sons of the king²⁴And he went to the king, and he said to him: "Behold, the sheep of your servant are being shorn. I ask that the king, with his servants, may come to his servant.²⁵And the king said to Absalom: "Do not, my son, do not choose to ask that we may all come and be a burden to you." Then, after he urged him, and he had refused to go, he blessed him²⁶And Absalom said, "If you are not willing to come, I beg you, at least let my brother Amnon come with us." And the king said to him, "It is not necessary that he go with you.²⁷But Absalom pressed him, and so he sent with him Amnon and all the sons of the king. And Absalom made a feast, like the feast of a king²⁸Then Absalom commanded his servants, saying: "Observe when Amnon will have become drunk with wine. And when I say to you, ‘Strike and kill him!’ do not be afraid. For it is I who commands you. Be strong and valiant men.²⁹Therefore, the servants of Absalom acted against Amnon, just as Absalom had commanded them. And all the sons of the king rose up, and each one climbed upon his mule and fled³⁰And while they were still traveling on the journey, a rumor reached David, saying, "Absalom has struck down all the sons of the king, and there is not one of them remaining.³¹And so the king rose up, and he tore his garments, and he fell upon the ground. And all his servants, who were standing near him, tore their garments³²But Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, responding, said: "My lord the king should not consider that all the sons of the king have been slain. Amnon alone is dead. For he was set against by the mouth of Absalom from the day that he raped his sister Tamar³³Now therefore, let not my lord the king set this word in his heart, saying, ‘All the sons of the king have been slain.’ For only Amnon is dead.³⁴Now Absalom fled. And the young man keeping watch, lifted up his eyes and gazed out. And behold, many people were arriving along a remote road at the side of the mountain³⁵And Jonadab said to the king: "Behold, the sons of the king are here. In accord with the word of your servant, so it has happened.³⁶And when he had ceased speaking, the sons of the king also appeared. And entering, they lifted up their voice, and they wept. And the king also, and all his servants, wept with an exceedingly great weeping³⁷But Absalom, fleeing, went to Talmai, the son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur. Then David mourned for his son every day³⁸Now after he had fled and had arrived in Geshur, Absalom was in that place for three years.³⁹And king David ceased to pursue Absalom, because he had been consoled over the passing of Amnon.