7 And it came to pass, awhen the king sat in his house, and the Lord had given him rest round about from all his enemies; 2 That the king said unto bNathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in can house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within dcurtains. 3 And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is ein thine heart; for the Lord is with thee. 4 And it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came unto Nathan, saying, 5 Go and tell †my servant David, Thus saith the Lord, fShalt thou build me an house for me to dwell in? 6 Whereas I have not dwelt in any house gsince the time that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in ha tent and in a tabernacle. 7 In all the places wherein I have iwalked with all the children of Israel spake I a word with ||any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded kto feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye not me an house of cedar? 8 Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, lI took thee from mthe sheepcote, †from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel: 9 And nI was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies †out of thy sight, and have made thee oa great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth. 10 Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will pplant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and qmove no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime, 11 And as rsince the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel, and have scaused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the Lord telleth thee tthat he will make thee an house. 12 And uwhen thy days be fulfilled, and thou xshalt sleep with thy fathers, yI will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 zHe shall build an house for my name, and I will astablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14 bI will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he ccommit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: 15 But my mercy shall not depart away from him, das I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. 16 And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: ethy throne shall be established for ever. 17 According to all these words, and according to all this fvision, so did Nathan speak unto David.

18 Then went king David in, and sat before the Lord, and he said, gWho am I, O Lord God? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? 19 And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord God; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant’s house for a great while to come. hAnd is this the †manner of man, O Lord God? 20 And what can David say more unto thee? for thou, Lord God, iknowest thy servant. 21 For thy word’s sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy servant know them. 22 Wherefore jthou art great, O Lord God: for kthere is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23 And lwhat one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you mgreat things and terrible, for thy land, before nthy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods? 24 For thou hast oconfirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever: and thou, Lord, art become their God. 25 And now, O Lord God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, pestablish it for ever, and do as thou hast said. 26 And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee. 27 For thou, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, hast †revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee. 28 And now, O Lord God, thou art that God, and qthy words be true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant: 29 Therefore now †let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee: for thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed rfor ever.

8 And aafter this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them: and David took ||Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines. 2 And bhe smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive. And so the Moabites cbecame David’s servants, and dbrought gifts. 3 David smote also ||Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of eZobah, as he went fto recover his border at the river Euphrates. 4 And David took ||from him a thousand ||chariots, and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David ghoughed all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for an hundred chariots. 5 hAnd when the Syrians of Damascus came to succour Hadadezer king of Zobah, David slew of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men. 6 Then David put igarrisons in Syria of jDamascus: and the Syrians became servants to David, and brought gifts. kAnd the Lord preserved David whithersoever he went. 7 And David took lthe shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 And from ||Betah, and from ||Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, king David took exceeding much brass. 9 When ||Toi king mof Hamath heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadadezer, 10 Then Toi sent ||Joram his son unto king David, to †salute him, and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer, and smitten him: for Hadadezer †had wars with Toi. And Joram †brought with him vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of brass: 11 Which also king David ndid dedicate unto the Lord, with the silver and gold that he had dedicated of all nations which he subdued; 12 Of Syria, and of Moab, and oof the children of Ammon, and pof the Philistines, and qof Amalek, and of the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah. 13 And David gat him a name when he returned from †smiting of the Syrians in rthe valley of salt, s||being eighteen thousand men. 14 And he put igarrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom put he igarrisons, and tall they of Edom became David’s servants. uAnd the Lord preserved David whithersoever he went.

15 And David reigned over all Israel; and David wexecuted judgment and justice unto all his people. 16 xAnd yJoab the son of Zeruiah was over the host; and zJehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was ||recorder; 17 And aZadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, were the priests; and Seraiah was the ||scribe; 18 And bBenaiah the son of Jehoiada was cover both the dCherethites and the ePelethites; and David’s sons were ||chief rulers.

9 And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may ashew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake? 2 And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was bZiba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he. 3 And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew cthe kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is dlame on his feet. 4 And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in eLo-debar. 5 Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from eLo-debar. 6 Now when ||Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant! 7 And David said unto him, Fear not: ffor I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. 8 And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such ga dead dog as I am? 9 Then the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master’s son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house. 10 Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master’s son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master’s son hshall eat bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had ififteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, ksaid the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king’s sons. 12 And Mephibosheth had a young son, lwhose name was Micha. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth. 13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king’s table; and was lame on both his feet.

10 aAnd it came to pass after this, that the king of the bchildren of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead. 2 Then said David, cI will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father shewed kindness unto me. And David sent to comfort him by the hand of his servants for his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the children of Ammon. 3 And the princes of the children of Ammon said unto Hanun their lord, †Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? hath not David rather sent his servants unto thee, to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it? 4 Wherefore Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, deven to their buttocks, and sent them away. 5 When they told it unto David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed: and the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return. 6 And when the children of Ammon saw that they estank before David, the children of Ammon sent and hired fthe Syrians of fBeth-rehob, and gthe Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand footmen, and of king hMaacah a thousand men, and of ||Ish-tob twelve thousand men. 7 And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host of ithe mighty men. 8 And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the entering in of the gate: and the Syrians of Zoba, and of Rehob, and Ish-tob, and Maacah, were by themselves in the field. 9 When Joab saw that the front of the battle was against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians: 10 And the rest of the people he delivered into the hand of Abishai his brother, that he might put them in array against the children of Ammon. 11 And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will come and help thee. 12 jBe of good courage, and let us kplay the men for our people, and for the cities of our God: and lthe Lord do that which seemeth him good. 13 And Joab drew nigh, and the people that were with him, unto the battle against the Syrians: and they fled before him. 14 And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, then fled they also before mAbishai, and entered into the city. So Joab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem.

15 *And when the Syrians saw that they were smitten before Israel, they gathered themselves together. 16 And nHadarezer sent, and brought out the Syrians that were beyond ||the river: and they came to Helam; and ||Shobach the captain of the host of Hadarezer went before them. 17 And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together, and passed over Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in array against David, and fought with him. 18 And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew othe men of seven phundred chariots of the Syrians, and forty thousand ||horsemen, and smote Shobach the captain of their host, who died there. 19 And when all the kings that were servants to Hadarezer saw that they were smitten before Israel, they qmade peace with Israel, and rserved them. So the Syrians feared to help the children of Ammon any more.

11 *And it came to pass, †after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed athe children of Ammon, and besieged bRabbah. But David tarried still at Jerusalem. 2 And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon cthe roof of the king’s house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very dbeautiful to look upon. 3 And David sent and inquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this ||Bath-sheba, the daughter of ||Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? 4 And David sent messengers, and took her; and she ecame in unto him, and he lay with her; ||for she was fpurified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house. 5 And the woman conceived, and sent and told David, and said, I am with child. 6 And David sent to Joab, saying, Send me Uriah gthe Hittite. And Joab sent Uriah to David. 7 And when Uriah was come unto him, David demanded of him †how Joab did, and how the people did, and how the war prospered. 8 And David said to Uriah, Go down to thy house, and hwash thy feet. And Uriah departed out of the king’s house, and there †followed him ia mess of meat from the king. 9 But Uriah slept at the door of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and went not down to his house. 10 And when they had told David, saying, Uriah went not down unto his house, David said unto Uriah, Camest thou not from thy journey? why then didst thou not go down unto thine house? 11 And Uriah said unto David, jThe ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and kthe servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and las thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing. 12 And David said to Uriah, Tarry here to day also, and to morrow I will let thee depart. So Uriah abode in Jerusalem that day, and the morrow. 13 And when David had called him, he did eat and drink before him; and he made him mdrunk: and at even he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but went not down to his house. 14 And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah. 15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the †hottest battle, and retire ye †from him, that he may nbe smitten, and die. 16 And it came to pass, when Joab observed the city, that he assigned Uriah unto a place where he knew that valiant men were. 17 And the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell some of the people of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also. 18 Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war; 19 And charged the messenger, saying, When thou hast made an end of telling the matters of the war unto the king, 20 And if so be that the king’s wrath arise, and he say unto thee, Wherefore approached ye so nigh unto the city when ye did fight? knew ye not that they would shoot from the wall? 21 Who smote oAbimelech the son of ||Jerubbesheth? did not a woman cast a piece of a millstone upon him from the wall, that he died in Thebez? why went ye nigh the wall? then say thou, Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also. 22 So the messenger went, and came and shewed David all that Joab had sent him for. 23 And the messenger said unto David, Surely the men prevailed against us, and came out unto us into the field, and we were upon them even unto the entering of the gate. 24 And the shooters shot from off the wall upon thy servants; and some of the king’s servants be dead, and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also. 25 Then David said unto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, Let not this thing †displease thee, for the sword devoureth †one as well as another: make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage thou him. 26 And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband. 27 And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she pbecame his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done †displeased the Lord.