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2 SAM UEL 6
page 277
David Becomes King of All Israel
Then all the tribes of Israel went to David
at Hebron and told him, “We are your own
flesh and blood. 2 In the past,* when Saul was
our king, you were the one who really led the
forces of Israel. And the Lord told you, ‘You will
be the shepherd of my people Israel. You will be
Israel’s leader.’”
3 So there at Hebron, King David made a covenant before the Lord with all the elders of Israel. And they anointed him king of Israel.
4 David was thirty years old when he began to
reign, and he reigned forty years in all. 5 He had
reigned over Judah from Hebron for seven years
and six months, and from Jerusalem he reigned
over all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years.
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David Captures Jerusalem
6 David then led his men to Jerusalem to fight
against the Jebusites, the original inhabitants
of the land who were living there. The Jebusites
taunted David, saying, “You’ll never get in here!
Even the blind and lame could keep you out!”
For the Jebusites thought they were safe. 7 But
David captured the fortress of Zion, which is
now called the City of David.
8 On the day of the attack, David said to his
troops, “I hate those ‘lame’ and ‘blind’ Jebusites.* Whoever attacks them should strike by
going into the city through the water tunnel.*”
That is the origin of the saying, “The blind and
the lame may not enter the house.”*
9 So David made the fortress his home, and he
called it the City of David. He extended the city,
starting at the supporting terraces* and working inward. 10 And David became more and more
powerful, because the Lord God of Heaven’s Armies was with him.
11 Then King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to
David, along with cedar timber and carpenters
and stonemasons, and they built David a palace. 12 And David realized that the Lord had confirmed him as king over Israel and had blessed
his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.
13 After moving from Hebron to Jerusalem,
David married more concubines and wives, and
they had more sons and daughters. 14 These are
the names of David’s sons who were born in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,
5:2 Or For some time. 5:8a Or Those ‘lame’ and ‘blind’
Jebusites hate me. 5:8b Or with scaling hooks. The meaning
of the Hebrew is uncertain. 5:8c The meaning of this saying
is uncertain. 5:9 Hebrew the millo. The meaning of the
Hebrew is uncertain. 5:23 Or aspen, or balsam; also in 5:24.
The exact identification of this tree is uncertain. 5:25 As
in Greek version (see also 1 Chr 14:16); Hebrew reads Geba.
6:2a Hebrew Baale of Judah, another name for Kiriath-jearim;
compare 1 Chr 13:6. 6:2b Or the Ark of God where the Name is
proclaimed—the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. 6:4 As
in Dead Sea Scrolls and some Greek manuscripts; Masoretic
Text reads 4and they brought it from Abinadab’s house, which
was on a hill, with the Ark of God. 6:5 As in Dead Sea Scrolls
and Greek version (see also 1 Chr 13:8); Masoretic Text reads
before the Lord with all manner of cypress wood. 6:7 As
in Dead Sea Scrolls; Masoretic Text reads because of his
irreverence.
15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,
Eliada, and Eliphelet.
16 Elishama,
David Conquers the Philistines
17 When the Philistines heard that David had
been anointed king of Israel, they mobilized all
their forces to capture him. But David was told
they were coming, so he went into the stronghold. 18 The Philistines arrived and spread out
across the valley of Rephaim. 19 So David asked
the Lord, “Should I go out to fight the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?”
The Lord replied to David, “Yes, go ahead.
I will certainly hand them over to you.”
20 So David went to Baal-perazim and defeated
the Philistines there. “The Lord did it!” David
exclaimed. “He burst through my enemies like
a raging flood!” So he named that place Baalperazim (which means “the Lord who bursts
through”). 21 The Philistines had abandoned
their idols there, so David and his men confiscated them.
22 But after a while the Philistines returned
and again spread out across the valley of Rephaim. 23 And again David asked the Lord what to
do. “Do not attack them straight on,” the Lord
replied. “Instead, circle around behind and attack them near the poplar* trees. 24 When you
hear a sound like marching feet in the tops of
the poplar trees, be on the alert! That will be the
signal that the Lord is moving ahead of you to
strike down the Philistine army.” 25 So David did
what the Lord commanded, and he struck down
the Philistines all the way from Gibeon* to Gezer.
Moving the Ark to Jerusalem
Then David again gathered all the elite
troops in Israel, 30,000 in all. 2 He led
them to Baalah of Judah* to bring back the Ark
of God, which bears the name of the Lord of
Heaven’s Armies,* who is enthroned between
the cherubim. 3 They placed the Ark of God
on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s
house, which was on a hill. Uzzah and Ahio,
Abinadab’s sons, were guiding the cart 4 that
carried the Ark of God.* Ahio walked in front of
the Ark. 5 David and all the people of Israel were
celebrating before the Lord, singing songs* and
playing all kinds of musical instruments—lyres,
harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.
6 But when they arrived at the threshing
floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah
reached out his hand and steadied the Ark
of God. 7 Then the Lord’s anger was aroused
against Uzzah, and God struck him dead because of this.* So Uzzah died right there beside
the Ark of God.
8 David was angry because the Lord’s anger
had burst out against Uzzah. He named that
place Perez-uzzah (which means “to burst out
against Uzzah”), as it is still called today.
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