Troubles Come to Saul’s Family

4 Saul’s son (Ish Bosheth) heard that Abner had died at Hebron. Ish Bosheth and all his people became very scared. ²Two men went to see to Saul’s son (Ish Bosheth). These two men were captains in the army. They were Recab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon from Beeroth. (They were Benjamites because the town Beeroth belonged to the family group of Benjamin. ³But all the people in Beeroth ran away to Gittaim. And they are still living there today.) ⁴Saul’s son Jonathan had a son named Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was five years old when the news came from Jezreel that Saul and Jonathan had been killed. The woman who cared for Mephibosheth {was scared that the enemy was coming, so she} picked him up and ran away. But while running away, she dropped the boy. And he became crippled in both feet. ⁵Recab and Baanah, sons of Rimmon from Beeroth, went to Ish Bosheth’s house at noon. Ish Bosheth was resting because it was hot. ^6–7Recab and Baanah came into the house like they were going to get some wheat. Ish Bosheth was lying on his bed in his bedroom. Recab and Baanah stabbed and killed Ish Bosheth. Then they cut off his head and took it with them. They traveled all night by the way leading through the Jordan Valley. ⁸They arrived at Hebron. And they gave Ish Bosheth’s head to David. Recab and Baanah said to the King David, “Here is the head of your enemy, Ish Bosheth son of Saul. He tried to kill you. The Lord has punished Saul and his family for you today.” ⁹But David told Recab and his brother Baanah, “As sure as the Lord is alive, he has saved me from all trouble. ¹⁰But once before a person thought he would bring me good news. He told me, ‘Look! Saul is dead.’ He thought I would reward him for bringing me the news. But I grabbed this man and killed him at Ziklag. ¹¹So I must kill you and remove you from this land. Why? Because you evil men killed a good man sleeping on his own bed, in his own house.” ¹²So David commanded the young soldiers to kill Recab and Baanah. The young soldiers cut off the hands and feet of Recab and Baanah and hanged them by the pool of Hebron. Then they took the head of Ish Bosheth and buried it in the same place where Abner was buried at Hebron.

The Israelites Make David King

5 Then all the family groups of Israel came to David at Hebron. They said to David, “Look, we are one family!* ²Even when Saul was our king, you were the one who led us into battle. And you were the one who brought Israel back home from war. And the Lord himself said to you, ‘You will be the shepherd of my people, the Israelites. You will be the ruler over Israel.’” ³So all the leaders of Israel came to meet with King David at Hebron. King David made an agreement with these leaders in Hebron in front of the Lord. Then the leaders anointed* David to be the king of Israel. ⁴David was 30 years old when he began to rule. He was king for 40 years. ⁵In Hebron, he ruled over Judah for 7 years and 6 months. And in Jerusalem, he ruled over all of Israel and Judah for 33 years.

David Wins the Town of Jerusalem

⁶The king and his men went to fight against the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. The Jebusites said to David, “You can’t come into {our city}.* Even our blind and crippled people can stop you.” (They said this because they thought that David would not be able to enter into their city. ⁷But David did take the fort of Zion. This fort became the City of David.*) ⁸That day David said to his men, “If you want to defeat the Jebusites, go up through the water shaft* and reach those ‘crippled and blind’ enemies.” This is why people say, “The blind and the crippled can’t come into the house.*” ⁹David lived in the fort and called it “The City of David.”* David built the area called the Millo.* He also built more buildings inside the city. ¹⁰David became stronger and stronger because the Lord All-Powerful was with him. ¹¹Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David. Hiram also sent cedar trees, carpenters and stonemasons. They built a house for David. ¹²Then David knew that the Lord had really made him king of Israel. And David knew that the Lord had made his kingdom very important to God’s people, the people of Israel. ¹³David moved from Hebron to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, David got more women servants* and wives. Some more of David’s children were born in Jerusalem. ¹⁴These are the names of David’s sons that were born in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ¹⁵Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ¹⁶Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

David Fights Against the Philistines

¹⁷The Philistines heard that the Israelites had anointed* David to be the king of Israel. So the Philistines went to look for David {to kill him}. But David heard about this and went into the fort {at Jerusalem}. ¹⁸The Philistines came and camped in the Rephaim Valley. ¹⁹David asked the Lord, saying, “Should I go to war against the Philistines? Will you help me defeat the Philistines?” The Lord said to David, “Yes. I will certainly help you defeat the Philistines.” ²⁰Then David went to Baal Perazim and defeated the Philistines in that place. David said, “The Lord broke through my enemies like water breaking through a broken dam.” That is why David named that place “Baal Perazim.”* ²¹The Philistines left the statues of their gods behind at Baal Perazim. David and his men took those statues away. ²²Again the Philistines came and camped in Rephaim Valley. ²³David prayed to the Lord. This time the Lord told David, “Don’t go up there. Go around them to the back of their army. Attack them from the other side of the balsam trees. ²⁴From the top of the balsam trees you will be able to hear the Philistines marching into battle. Then you must act quickly, because at that time the Lord will go ahead of you and defeat the Philistines for you.” ²⁵David did what the Lord commanded him to do. And he defeated the Philistines. He chased them and killed them all the way from Geba to Gezer.

one family Literally, “Your flesh and blood.” anointed To pour olive oil on a person’s head to show he was chosen by God to be a king, priest, or prophet. You can’t come … city The city of Jerusalem was built on a hill. And the city had high walls around it. So it was very hard to capture. City of David The southeast and oldest part of the city of Jerusalem. water shaft There was a tunnel with water in it that went under the wall of the ancient city of Jerusalem, and then a narrow shaft (tunnel) went straight up into the city. People in the city used it as a well. One of David’s men probably climbed up the shaft to get into the city. house This probably means the king’s palace or the temple. Millo Probably one of the strong places that made up the ancient fort of Zion. women servants Or, “concubines,” slave women who were like wives to a man. Baal Perazim This name means “The Lord breaks through.”

God’s Holy Box Is Moved to Jerusalem

6 David again gathered all of the best soldiers in Israel. There were 30,000 men. ²Then David and all his men went to Baalah in Judah.* They took God’s Holy Box* from Baalah in Judah {and moved it to Jerusalem}. People go to the Holy Box to worship the Lord. {The Holy Box is like the Lord’s throne.} There are statues of Cherub angels* on top of the Holy Box. And the Lord sits as king on these angels. ³David’s men brought the Holy Box out of Abinadab’s house on the hill. Then they put God’s Holy Box on a new wagon. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were driving the new wagon. ⁴So they carried the Holy Box* out of Abinadab’s house on the hill. {Uzzah was on the wagon} with God’s Holy Box. And Ahio was walking in front of the Holy Box. ⁵David and all the Israelites were dancing in front of the Lord and playing all kinds of musical instruments. There were lyres,* harps, drums, rattles, instruments made from cypress wood, and cymbals.* ⁶When David’s men came to the threshing floor* of Nacon, the cows stumbled, and God’s Holy Box began to fall off the wagon. Uzzah caught the Holy Box. ⁷But the Lord was angry at Uzzah and killed him.* Uzzah showed he did not honor God when he touched the Holy Box. Uzzah died there by God’s Holy Box. ⁸David was upset because the Lord had killed Uzzah. David called that place “Perez Uzzah.”* That place is still called Perez Uzzah today. ⁹David became afraid of the Lord that day. David said, “How can I bring God’s Holy Box* here now?” ¹⁰So David would not move the Lord’s Holy Box into the City of David.* David put the Holy Box at the house of Obed Edom from Gath. David carried the Holy Box off the road to the house of Obed Edom of Gath.* ¹¹The Lord’s Holy Box stayed in Obed Edom’s house for three months. The Lord blessed Obed Edom and all his family. ¹²Later, people told David, “The Lord has blessed the family of Obed Edom and everything he owns, because God’s Holy Box* is there.” So David went and brought God’s Holy Box from Obed Edom’s house. David was very happy and excited. ¹³When the {men} that carried the Lord’s Holy Box had walked six steps, {they stopped and} David sacrificed a bull and a fat calf. ¹⁴David was dancing in front of the Lord. David was wearing a linen ephod.* ¹⁵David and all the Israelites were excited—they shouted and blew the trumpet as they brought the Lord’s Holy Box* into the city. ¹⁶Saul’s daughter Michal was looking out the window. While the Lord’s Holy Box was being carried into the city, David was jumping and dancing before the Lord. Michal saw this, and she was upset at David. {She thought he was making a fool of himself.} ¹⁷David put up a tent for the Holy Box.* The Israelites put the Lord’s Holy Box in its place under the tent. Then David offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord. ¹⁸After David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord All-Powerful. ¹⁹David also gave a share of bread, a raisin cake and some date bread, to every man and woman of Israel. Then all the people went home.

Michal Scolds David

²⁰David went back to bless his house. But Saul’s daughter Michal came out to meet him. Michal said, “The king of Israel did not honor himself today! You took off your clothes in front of your servants’ girls.* You were like a fool who takes off his clothes without shame!” ²¹Then David said to Michal, “The Lord chose me, not your father or any person from his family. The Lord chose me to be leader of his people, the Israelites. So I will continue dancing and celebrating in front of the Lord. ²²I might do things that are even more embarrassing! Maybe you won’t respect me, but the girls you are talking about are proud of me!” ²³Saul’s daughter Michal never had a child. She died without having any children.

Baalah in Judah Another name for Kiriath Jearim. See 1 Chron. 13:6. Holy Box The Box of the Agreement. Also called “The Ark of the Covenant,” the box containing the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments written on them and the other things that proved God was with the people of Israel during their time in the Sinai Desert. Cherub angels Special angels from God. Statues of these angels were on top of the Box of the Agreement. lyres Musical instruments that are like small harps. cymbals Brass plates that were hit together to make a loud noise. threshing floor A place where grain is beaten or walked on to remove the hulls from the grain. the Lord … killed him Only the Levites could carry God’s Holy Box or any other furniture from the Holy Tent. Uzzah was not a Levite. Read Num. 1:50. Perez Uzzah This name means “The Punishment of Uzzah.” Holy Box The Box of the Agreement. Also called “The Ark of the Covenant,” the box containing the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments written on them and the other things that proved God was with the people of Israel during their time in the Sinai Desert. City of David A part of the city of Jerusalem. Obed Edom of Gath A person from the family group of Levi that lived near Jerusalem. ephod A vest usually worn by priests. You took off … girls David had on only a holy coat (ephod). We don’t know how much of his body was covered.