Bible in 90 Days Plan

¹Now David’s son Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar. And Amnon, her half brother, fell desperately in love with her.

²Amnon became so obsessed with Tamar that he became ill. She was a virgin, and Amnon thought he could never have her.

³But Amnon had a very crafty friend — his cousin Jonadab. He was the son of David’s brother Shimea.

⁴One day Jonadab said to Amnon, “What’s the trouble? Why should the son of a king look so dejected morning after morning?” So Amnon told him, “I am in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”

⁵“Well,” Jonadab said, “I’ll tell you what to do. Go back to bed and pretend you are ill. When your father comes to see you, ask him to let Tamar come and prepare some food for you. Tell him you’ll feel better if she prepares it as you watch and feeds you with her own hands.”

⁶So Amnon lay down and pretended to be sick. And when the king came to see him, Amnon asked him, “Please let my sister Tamar come and cook my favorite dish as I watch. Then I can eat it from her own hands.”

⁷So David agreed and sent Tamar to Amnon’s house to prepare some food for him.

⁸When Tamar arrived at Amnon’s house, she went to the place where he was lying down so he could watch her mix some dough. Then she baked his favorite dish for him.

⁹But when she set the serving tray before him, he refused to eat. “Everyone get out of here,” Amnon told his servants. So they all left.

¹⁰Then he said to Tamar, “Now bring the food into my bedroom and feed it to me here.” So Tamar took his favorite dish to him.

¹¹But as she was feeding him, he grabbed her and demanded, “Come to bed with me, my darling sister.”

¹²“No, my brother!” she cried. “Don’t be foolish! Don’t do this to me! Such wicked things aren’t done in Israel.

¹³Where could I go in my shame? And you would be called one of the greatest fools in Israel. Please, just speak to the king about it, and he will let you marry me.”

¹⁴But Amnon wouldn’t listen to her, and since he was stronger than she was, he raped her.

¹⁵Then suddenly Amnon’s love turned to hate, and he hated her even more than he had loved her. “Get out of here!” he snarled at her.

¹⁶“No, no!” Tamar cried. “Sending me away now is worse than what you’ve already done to me.” But Amnon wouldn’t listen to her.

¹⁷He shouted for his servant and demanded, “Throw this woman out, and lock the door behind her!”

¹⁸So the servant put her out and locked the door behind her. She was wearing a long, beautiful robe, as was the custom in those days for the king’s virgin daughters.

¹⁹But now Tamar tore her robe and put ashes on her head. And then, with her face in her hands, she went away crying.

²⁰Her brother Absalom saw her and asked, “Is it true that Amnon has been with you? Well, my sister, keep quiet for now, since he’s your brother. Don’t you worry about it.” So Tamar lived as a desolate woman in her brother Absalom’s house.

²¹When King David heard what had happened, he was very angry.

²²And though Absalom never spoke to Amnon about this, he hated Amnon deeply because of what he had done to his sister.

²³Two years later, when Absalom’s sheep were being sheared at Baal-hazor near Ephraim, Absalom invited all the king’s sons to come to a feast.

²⁴He went to the king and said, “My sheep-shearers are now at work. Would the king and his servants please come to celebrate the occasion with me?”

²⁵The king replied, “No, my son. If we all came, we would be too much of a burden on you.” Absalom pressed him, but the king would not come, though he gave Absalom his blessing.

²⁶“Well, then,” Absalom said, “if you can’t come, how about sending my brother Amnon with us?” “Why Amnon?” the king asked.

²⁷But Absalom kept on pressing the king until he finally agreed to let all his sons attend, including Amnon. So Absalom prepared a feast fit for a king.

²⁸Absalom told his men, “Wait until Amnon gets drunk; then at my signal, kill him! Don’t be afraid. I’m the one who has given the command. Take courage and do it!”

²⁹So at Absalom’s signal they murdered Amnon. Then the other sons of the king jumped on their mules and fled.

³⁰As they were on the way back to Jerusalem, this report reached David: “Absalom has killed all the king’s sons; not one is left alive!”

³¹The king got up, tore his robe, and threw himself on the ground. His advisers also tore their clothes in horror and sorrow.

³²But just then Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimea, arrived and said, “No, don’t believe that all the king’s sons have been killed! It was only Amnon! Absalom has been plotting this ever since Amnon raped his sister Tamar.

³³No, my lord the king, your sons aren’t all dead! It was only Amnon.”

³⁴Meanwhile Absalom escaped. Then the watchman on the Jerusalem wall saw a great crowd coming down the hill on the road from the west. He ran to tell the king, “I see a crowd of people coming from the Horonaim road along the side of the hill.”

³⁵“Look!” Jonadab told the king. “There they are now! The king’s sons are coming, just as I said.”

³⁶They soon arrived, weeping and sobbing, and the king and all his servants wept bitterly with them.

³⁷And David mourned many days for his son Amnon. Absalom fled to his grandfather, Talmai son of Ammihud, the king of Geshur.

³⁸He stayed there in Geshur for three years.

³⁹And King David, now reconciled to Amnon’s death, longed to be reunited with his son Absalom.

¹Joab realized how much the king longed to see Absalom.

²So he sent for a woman from Tekoa who had a reputation for great wisdom. He said to her, “Pretend you are in mourning; wear mourning clothes and don’t put on lotions. Act like a woman who has been mourning for the dead for a long time.

³Then go to the king and tell him the story I am about to tell you.” Then Joab told her what to say.

⁴When the woman from Tekoa approached the king, she bowed with her face to the ground in deep respect and cried out, “O king! Help me!”

⁵“What’s the trouble?” the king asked. “Alas, I am a widow!” she replied. “My husband is dead.

⁶My two sons had a fight out in the field. And since no one was there to stop it, one of them was killed.

⁷Now the rest of the family is demanding, ‘Let us have your son. We will execute him for murdering his brother. He doesn’t deserve to inherit his family’s property.’ They want to extinguish the only coal I have left, and my husband’s name and family will disappear from the face of the earth.”

⁸“Leave it to me,” the king told her. “Go home, and I’ll see to it that no one touches him.”

⁹“Oh, thank you, my lord the king,” the woman from Tekoa replied. “If you are criticized for helping me, let the blame fall on me and on my father’s house, and let the king and his throne be innocent.”

¹⁰“If anyone objects,” the king said, “bring him to me. I can assure you he will never harm you again!”

¹¹Then she said, “Please swear to me by the LORD your God that you won’t let anyone take vengeance against my son. I want no more bloodshed.” “As surely as the LORD lives,” he replied, “not a hair on your son’s head will be disturbed!”

¹²“Please allow me to ask one more thing of my lord the king,” she said. “Go ahead and speak,” he responded.

¹³She replied, “Why don’t you do as much for the people of God as you have promised to do for me? You have convicted yourself in making this decision, because you have refused to bring home your own banished son.

¹⁴All of us must die eventually. Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God does not just sweep life away; instead, he devises ways to bring us back when we have been separated from him.

¹⁵“I have come to plead with my lord the king because people have threatened me. I said to myself, ‘Perhaps the king will listen to me

¹⁶and rescue us from those who would cut us off from the inheritance God has given us.

¹⁷Yes, my lord the king will give us peace of mind again.’ I know that you are like an angel of God in discerning good from evil. May the LORD your God be with you.”

¹⁸“I must know one thing,” the king replied, “and tell me the truth.” “Yes, my lord the king,” she responded.

¹⁹“Did Joab put you up to this?” And the woman replied, “My lord the king, how can I deny it? Nobody can hide anything from you. Yes, Joab sent me and told me what to say.

²⁰He did it to place the matter before you in a different light. But you are as wise as an angel of God, and you understand everything that happens among us!”

²¹So the king sent for Joab and told him, “All right, go and bring back the young man Absalom.”

²²Joab bowed with his face to the ground in deep respect and said, “At last I know that I have gained your approval, my lord the king, for you have granted me this request!”

²³Then Joab went to Geshur and brought Absalom back to Jerusalem.

²⁴But the king gave this order: “Absalom may go to his own house, but he must never come into my presence.” So Absalom did not see the king.

²⁵Now Absalom was praised as the most handsome man in all Israel. He was flawless from head to foot.

²⁶He cut his hair only once a year, and then only because it was so heavy. When he weighed it out, it came to five pounds!

²⁷He had three sons and one daughter. His daughter’s name was Tamar, and she was very beautiful.

²⁸Absalom lived in Jerusalem for two years, but he never got to see the king.

²⁹Then Absalom sent for Joab to ask him to intercede for him, but Joab refused to come. Absalom sent for him a second time, but again Joab refused to come.

³⁰So Absalom said to his servants, “Go and set fire to Joab’s barley field, the field next to mine.” So they set his field on fire, as Absalom had commanded.

³¹Then Joab came to Absalom at his house and demanded, “Why did your servants set my field on fire?”

³²And Absalom replied, “Because I wanted you to ask the king why he brought me back from Geshur if he didn’t intend to see me. I might as well have stayed there. Let me see the king; if he finds me guilty of anything, then let him kill me.”

³³So Joab told the king what Absalom had said. Then at last David summoned Absalom, who came and bowed low before the king, and the king kissed him.

¹After this, Absalom bought a chariot and horses, and he hired fifty bodyguards to run ahead of him.

²He got up early every morning and went out to the gate of the city. When people brought a case to the king for judgment, Absalom would ask where in Israel they were from, and they would tell him their tribe.

³Then Absalom would say, “You’ve really got a strong case here! It’s too bad the king doesn’t have anyone to hear it.

⁴I wish I were the judge. Then everyone could bring their cases to me for judgment, and I would give them justice!”

⁵When people tried to bow before him, Absalom wouldn’t let them. Instead, he took them by the hand and kissed them.

⁶Absalom did this with everyone who came to the king for judgment, and so he stole the hearts of all the people of Israel.

⁷After four years, Absalom said to the king, “Let me go to Hebron to offer a sacrifice to the LORD and fulfill a vow I made to him.

⁸For while your servant was at Geshur in Aram, I promised to sacrifice to the LORD in Hebron if he would bring me back to Jerusalem.”

⁹“All right,” the king told him. “Go and fulfill your vow.” So Absalom went to Hebron.

¹⁰But while he was there, he sent secret messengers to all the tribes of Israel to stir up a rebellion against the king. “As soon as you hear the ram’s horn,” his message read, “you are to say, ‘Absalom has been crowned king in Hebron.’”

¹¹He took 200 men from Jerusalem with him as guests, but they knew nothing of his intentions.

¹²While Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel, one of David’s counselors who lived in Giloh. Soon many others also joined Absalom, and the conspiracy gained momentum.

¹³A messenger soon arrived in Jerusalem to tell David, “All Israel has joined Absalom in a conspiracy against you!”

¹⁴“Then we must flee at once, or it will be too late!” David urged his men. “Hurry! If we get out of the city before Absalom arrives, both we and the city of Jerusalem will be spared from disaster.”

¹⁵“We are with you,” his advisers replied. “Do what you think is best.”

¹⁶So the king and all his household set out at once. He left no one behind except ten of his concubines to look after the palace.

¹⁷The king and all his people set out on foot, pausing at the last house

¹⁸to let all the king’s men move past to lead the way. There were 600 men from Gath who had come with David, along with the king’s bodyguard.

¹⁹Then the king turned and said to Ittai, a leader of the men from Gath, “Why are you coming with us? Go on back to King Absalom, for you are a guest in Israel, a foreigner in exile.

²⁰You arrived only recently, and should I force you today to wander with us? I don’t even know where we will go. Go on back and take your kinsmen with you, and may the LORD show you his unfailing love and faithfulness. ”

²¹But Ittai said to the king, “I vow by the LORD and by your own life that I will go wherever my lord the king goes, no matter what happens — whether it means life or death.”

²²David replied, “All right, come with us.” So Ittai and all his men and their families went along.

²³Everyone cried loudly as the king and his followers passed by. They crossed the Kidron Valley and then went out toward the wilderness.

²⁴Zadok and all the Levites also came along, carrying the Ark of the Covenant of God. They set down the Ark of God, and Abiathar offered sacrifices until everyone had passed out of the city.

²⁵Then the king instructed Zadok to take the Ark of God back into the city. “If the LORD sees fit,” David said, “he will bring me back to see the Ark and the Tabernacle again.

²⁶But if he is through with me, then let him do what seems best to him.”

²⁷The king also told Zadok the priest, “Look, here is my plan. You and Abiathar should return quietly to the city with your son Ahimaaz and Abiathar’s son Jonathan.

²⁸I will stop at the shallows of the Jordan River and wait there for a report from you.”

²⁹So Zadok and Abiathar took the Ark of God back to the city and stayed there.

³⁰David walked up the road to the Mount of Olives, weeping as he went. His head was covered and his feet were bare as a sign of mourning. And the people who were with him covered their heads and wept as they climbed the hill.

³¹When someone told David that his adviser Ahithophel was now backing Absalom, David prayed, “O LORD, let Ahithophel give Absalom foolish advice!”

³²When David reached the summit of the Mount of Olives where people worshiped God, Hushai the Arkite was waiting there for him. Hushai had torn his clothing and put dirt on his head as a sign of mourning.

³³But David told him, “If you go with me, you will only be a burden.

³⁴Return to Jerusalem and tell Absalom, ‘I will now be your adviser, O king, just as I was your father’s adviser in the past.’ Then you can frustrate and counter Ahithophel’s advice.

³⁵Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, will be there. Tell them about the plans being made in the king’s palace,

³⁶and they will send their sons Ahimaaz and Jonathan to tell me what is going on.”

³⁷So David’s friend Hushai returned to Jerusalem, getting there just as Absalom arrived.

¹When David had gone a little beyond the summit of the Mount of Olives, Ziba, the servant of Mephibosheth, was waiting there for him. He had two donkeys loaded with 200 loaves of bread, 100 clusters of raisins, 100 bunches of summer fruit, and a wineskin full of wine.

²“What are these for?” the king asked Ziba. Ziba replied, “The donkeys are for the king’s people to ride on, and the bread and summer fruit are for the young men to eat. The wine is for those who become exhausted in the wilderness.”

³“And where is Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson?” the king asked him. “He stayed in Jerusalem,” Ziba replied. “He said, ‘Today I will get back the kingdom of my grandfather Saul.’”

⁴“In that case,” the king told Ziba, “I give you everything Mephibosheth owns.” “I bow before you,” Ziba replied. “May I always be pleasing to you, my lord the king.”

⁵As King David came to Bahurim, a man came out of the village cursing them. It was Shimei son of Gera, from the same clan as Saul’s family.

⁶He threw stones at the king and the king’s officers and all the mighty warriors who surrounded him.

⁷“Get out of here, you murderer, you scoundrel!” he shouted at David.

⁸“The LORD is paying you back for all the bloodshed in Saul’s clan. You stole his throne, and now the LORD has given it to your son Absalom. At last you will taste some of your own medicine, for you are a murderer!”

⁹“Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king?” Abishai son of Zeruiah demanded. “Let me go over and cut off his head!”

¹⁰“No!” the king said. “Who asked your opinion, you sons of Zeruiah! If the LORD has told him to curse me, who are you to stop him?”

¹¹Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “My own son is trying to kill me. Doesn’t this relative of Saul have even more reason to do so? Leave him alone and let him curse, for the LORD has told him to do it.

¹²And perhaps the LORD will see that I am being wronged and will bless me because of these curses today.”

¹³So David and his men continued down the road, and Shimei kept pace with them on a nearby hillside, cursing and throwing stones and dirt at David.

¹⁴The king and all who were with him grew weary along the way, so they rested when they reached the Jordan River.

¹⁵Meanwhile, Absalom and all the army of Israel arrived at Jerusalem, accompanied by Ahithophel.

¹⁶When David’s friend Hushai the Arkite arrived, he went immediately to see Absalom. “Long live the king!” he exclaimed. “Long live the king!”

¹⁷“Is this the way you treat your friend David?” Absalom asked him. “Why aren’t you with him?”

¹⁸“I’m here because I belong to the man who is chosen by the LORD and by all the men of Israel,” Hushai replied.

¹⁹“And anyway, why shouldn’t I serve you? Just as I was your father’s adviser, now I will be your adviser!”

²⁰Then Absalom turned to Ahithophel and asked him, “What should I do next?”

²¹Ahithophel told him, “Go and sleep with your father’s concubines, for he has left them here to look after the palace. Then all Israel will know that you have insulted your father beyond hope of reconciliation, and they will throw their support to you.”

²²So they set up a tent on the palace roof where everyone could see it, and Absalom went in and had sex with his father’s concubines.

²³Absalom followed Ahithophel’s advice, just as David had done. For every word Ahithophel spoke seemed as wise as though it had come directly from the mouth of God.

¹Now Ahithophel urged Absalom, “Let me choose 12,000 men to start out after David tonight.

²I will catch up with him while he is weary and discouraged. He and his troops will panic, and everyone will run away. Then I will kill only the king,

³and I will bring all the people back to you as a bride returns to her husband. After all, it is only one man’s life that you seek. Then you will be at peace with all the people.”

⁴This plan seemed good to Absalom and to all the elders of Israel.

⁵But then Absalom said, “Bring in Hushai the Arkite. Let’s see what he thinks about this.”

⁶When Hushai arrived, Absalom told him what Ahithophel had said. Then he asked, “What is your opinion? Should we follow Ahithophel’s advice? If not, what do you suggest?”

⁷“Well,” Hushai replied to Absalom, “this time Ahithophel has made a mistake.

⁸You know your father and his men; they are mighty warriors. Right now they are as enraged as a mother bear who has been robbed of her cubs. And remember that your father is an experienced man of war. He won’t be spending the night among the troops.

⁹He has probably already hidden in some pit or cave. And when he comes out and attacks and a few of your men fall, there will be panic among your troops, and the word will spread that Absalom’s men are being slaughtered.

¹⁰Then even the bravest soldiers, though they have the heart of a lion, will be paralyzed with fear. For all Israel knows what a mighty warrior your father is and how courageous his men are.

¹¹“I recommend that you mobilize the entire army of Israel, bringing them from as far away as Dan in the north and Beersheba in the south. That way you will have an army as numerous as the sand on the seashore. And I advise that you personally lead the troops.

¹²When we find David, we’ll fall on him like dew that falls on the ground. Then neither he nor any of his men will be left alive.

¹³And if David were to escape into some town, you will have all Israel there at your command. Then we can take ropes and drag the walls of the town into the nearest valley until every stone is torn down.”

¹⁴Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “Hushai’s advice is better than Ahithophel’s.” For the LORD had determined to defeat the counsel of Ahithophel, which really was the better plan, so that he could bring disaster on Absalom!

¹⁵Hushai told Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, what Ahithophel had said to Absalom and the elders of Israel and what he himself had advised instead.

¹⁶“Quick!” he told them. “Find David and urge him not to stay at the shallows of the Jordan River tonight. He must go across at once into the wilderness beyond. Otherwise he will die and his entire army with him.”

¹⁷Jonathan and Ahimaaz had been staying at En-rogel so as not to be seen entering and leaving the city. Arrangements had been made for a servant girl to bring them the message they were to take to King David.

¹⁸But a boy spotted them at En-rogel, and he told Absalom about it. So they quickly escaped to Bahurim, where a man hid them down inside a well in his courtyard.

¹⁹The man’s wife put a cloth over the top of the well and scattered grain on it to dry in the sun; so no one suspected they were there.

²⁰When Absalom’s men arrived, they asked her, “Have you seen Ahimaaz and Jonathan?” The woman replied, “They were here, but they crossed over the brook.” Absalom’s men looked for them without success and returned to Jerusalem.

²¹Then the two men crawled out of the well and hurried on to King David. “Quick!” they told him, “cross the Jordan tonight!” And they told him how Ahithophel had advised that he be captured and killed.

²²So David and all the people with him went across the Jordan River during the night, and they were all on the other bank before dawn.

²³When Ahithophel realized that his advice had not been followed, he saddled his donkey, went to his hometown, set his affairs in order, and hanged himself. He died there and was buried in the family tomb.

²⁴David soon arrived at Mahanaim. By now, Absalom had mobilized the entire army of Israel and was leading his troops across the Jordan River.

²⁵Absalom had appointed Amasa as commander of his army, replacing Joab, who had been commander under David. (Amasa was Joab’s cousin. His father was Jether, an Ishmaelite. His mother, Abigail daughter of Nahash, was the sister of Joab’s mother, Zeruiah.)

²⁶Absalom and the Israelite army set up camp in the land of Gilead.

²⁷When David arrived at Mahanaim, he was warmly greeted by Shobi son of Nahash, who came from Rabbah of the Ammonites, and by Makir son of Ammiel from Lo-debar, and by Barzillai of Gilead from Rogelim.

²⁸They brought sleeping mats, cooking pots, serving bowls, wheat and barley, flour and roasted grain, beans, lentils,

²⁹honey, butter, sheep, goats, and cheese for David and those who were with him. For they said, “You must all be very hungry and tired and thirsty after your long march through the wilderness.”

¹David now mustered the men who were with him and appointed generals and captains to lead them.

²He sent the troops out in three groups, placing one group under Joab, one under Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and one under Ittai, the man from Gath. The king told his troops, “I am going out with you.”

³But his men objected strongly. “You must not go,” they urged. “If we have to turn and run — and even if half of us die — it will make no difference to Absalom’s troops; they will be looking only for you. You are worth 10,000 of us, and it is better that you stay here in the town and send help if we need it.”

⁴“If you think that’s the best plan, I’ll do it,” the king answered. So he stood alongside the gate of the town as all the troops marched out in groups of hundreds and of thousands.

⁵And the king gave this command to Joab, Abishai, and Ittai: “For my sake, deal gently with young Absalom.” And all the troops heard the king give this order to his commanders.

⁶So the battle began in the forest of Ephraim,

⁷and the Israelite troops were beaten back by David’s men. There was a great slaughter that day, and 20,000 men laid down their lives.

⁸The battle raged all across the countryside, and more men died because of the forest than were killed by the sword.

⁹During the battle, Absalom happened to come upon some of David’s men. He tried to escape on his mule, but as he rode beneath the thick branches of a great tree, his hair got caught in the tree. His mule kept going and left him dangling in the air.

¹⁰One of David’s men saw what had happened and told Joab, “I saw Absalom dangling from a great tree.”

¹¹“What?” Joab demanded. “You saw him there and didn’t kill him? I would have rewarded you with ten pieces of silver and a hero’s belt!”

¹²“I would not kill the king’s son for even a thousand pieces of silver, ” the man replied to Joab. “We all heard the king say to you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘For my sake, please spare young Absalom.’

¹³And if I had betrayed the king by killing his son — and the king would certainly find out who did it — you yourself would be the first to abandon me.”

¹⁴“Enough of this nonsense,” Joab said. Then he took three daggers and plunged them into Absalom’s heart as he dangled, still alive, in the great tree.

¹⁵Ten of Joab’s young armor bearers then surrounded Absalom and killed him.

¹⁶Then Joab blew the ram’s horn, and his men returned from chasing the army of Israel.

¹⁷They threw Absalom’s body into a deep pit in the forest and piled a great heap of stones over it. And all Israel fled to their homes.

¹⁸During his lifetime, Absalom had built a monument to himself in the King’s Valley, for he said, “I have no son to carry on my name.” He named the monument after himself, and it is known as Absalom’s Monument to this day.

¹⁹Then Zadok’s son Ahimaaz said, “Let me run to the king with the good news that the LORD has rescued him from his enemies.”

²⁰“No,” Joab told him, “it wouldn’t be good news to the king that his son is dead. You can be my messenger another time, but not today.”

²¹Then Joab said to a man from Ethiopia, “Go tell the king what you have seen.” The man bowed and ran off.

²²But Ahimaaz continued to plead with Joab, “Whatever happens, please let me go, too.” “Why should you go, my son?” Joab replied. “There will be no reward for your news.”

²³“Yes, but let me go anyway,” he begged. Joab finally said, “All right, go ahead.” So Ahimaaz took the less demanding route by way of the plain and ran to Mahanaim ahead of the Ethiopian.

²⁴While David was sitting between the inner and outer gates of the town, the watchman climbed to the roof of the gateway by the wall. As he looked, he saw a lone man running toward them.

²⁵He shouted the news down to David, and the king replied, “If he is alone, he has news.” As the messenger came closer,

²⁶the watchman saw another man running toward them. He shouted down, “Here comes another one!” The king replied, “He also will have news.”

²⁷“The first man runs like Ahimaaz son of Zadok,” the watchman said. “He is a good man and comes with good news,” the king replied.

²⁸Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, “Everything is all right!” He bowed before the king with his face to the ground and said, “Praise to the LORD your God, who has handed over the rebels who dared to stand against my lord the king.”

²⁹“What about young Absalom?” the king demanded. “Is he all right?” Ahimaaz replied, “When Joab told me to come, there was a lot of commotion. But I didn’t know what was happening.”

³⁰“Wait here,” the king told him. So Ahimaaz stepped aside.

³¹Then the man from Ethiopia arrived and said, “I have good news for my lord the king. Today the LORD has rescued you from all those who rebelled against you.”

³²“What about young Absalom?” the king demanded. “Is he all right?” And the Ethiopian replied, “May all of your enemies, my lord the king, both now and in the future, share the fate of that young man!”

³³The king was overcome with emotion. He went up to the room over the gateway and burst into tears. And as he went, he cried, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you! O Absalom, my son, my son.”

¹Word soon reached Joab that the king was weeping and mourning for Absalom.

²As all the people heard of the king’s deep grief for his son, the joy of that day’s victory was turned into deep sadness.

³They crept back into the town that day as though they were ashamed and had deserted in battle.

⁴The king covered his face with his hands and kept on crying, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!”

⁵Then Joab went to the king’s room and said to him, “We saved your life today and the lives of your sons, your daughters, and your wives and concubines. Yet you act like this, making us feel ashamed of ourselves.

⁶You seem to love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that your commanders and troops mean nothing to you. It seems that if Absalom had lived and all of us had died, you would be pleased.

⁷Now go out there and congratulate your troops, for I swear by the LORD that if you don’t go out, not a single one of them will remain here tonight. Then you will be worse off than ever before.”

⁸So the king went out and took his seat at the town gate, and as the news spread throughout the town that he was there, everyone went to him. Meanwhile, the Israelites who had supported Absalom fled to their homes.

⁹And throughout all the tribes of Israel there was much discussion and argument going on. The people were saying, “The king rescued us from our enemies and saved us from the Philistines, but Absalom chased him out of the country.

¹⁰Now Absalom, whom we anointed to rule over us, is dead. Why not ask David to come back and be our king again?”

¹¹Then King David sent Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, to say to the elders of Judah, “Why are you the last ones to welcome back the king into his palace? For I have heard that all Israel is ready.

¹²You are my relatives, my own tribe, my own flesh and blood! So why are you the last ones to welcome back the king?”

¹³And David told them to tell Amasa, “Since you are my own flesh and blood, like Joab, may God strike me and even kill me if I do not appoint you as commander of my army in his place.”

¹⁴Then Amasa convinced all the men of Judah, and they responded unanimously. They sent word to the king, “Return to us, and bring back all who are with you.”

¹⁵So the king started back to Jerusalem. And when he arrived at the Jordan River, the people of Judah came to Gilgal to meet him and escort him across the river.

¹⁶Shimei son of Gera, the man from Bahurim in Benjamin, hurried across with the men of Judah to welcome King David.

¹⁷A thousand other men from the tribe of Benjamin were with him, including Ziba, the chief servant of the house of Saul, and Ziba’s fifteen sons and twenty servants. They rushed down to the Jordan to meet the king.

¹⁸They crossed the shallows of the Jordan to bring the king’s household across the river, helping him in every way they could. David’s Mercy to Shimei As the king was about to cross the river, Shimei fell down before him.

¹⁹“My lord the king, please forgive me,” he pleaded. “Forget the terrible thing your servant did when you left Jerusalem. May the king put it out of his mind.

²⁰I know how much I sinned. That is why I have come here today, the very first person in all Israel to greet my lord the king.”

²¹Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said, “Shimei should die, for he cursed the LORD’s anointed king!”

²²“Who asked your opinion, you sons of Zeruiah!” David exclaimed. “Why have you become my adversary today? This is not a day for execution, for today I am once again the king of Israel!”

²³Then, turning to Shimei, David vowed, “Your life will be spared.”

²⁴Now Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson, came down from Jerusalem to meet the king. He had not cared for his feet, trimmed his beard, or washed his clothes since the day the king left Jerusalem.

²⁵“Why didn’t you come with me, Mephibosheth?” the king asked him.

²⁶Mephibosheth replied, “My lord the king, my servant Ziba deceived me. I told him, ‘Saddle my donkey so I can go with the king.’ For as you know I am crippled.

²⁷Ziba has slandered me by saying that I refused to come. But I know that my lord the king is like an angel of God, so do what you think is best.

²⁸All my relatives and I could expect only death from you, my lord, but instead you have honored me by allowing me to eat at your own table! What more can I ask?”

²⁹“You’ve said enough,” David replied. “I’ve decided that you and Ziba will divide your land equally between you.”

³⁰“Give him all of it,” Mephibosheth said. “I am content just to have you safely back again, my lord the king!”

³¹Barzillai of Gilead had come down from Rogelim to escort the king across the Jordan.

³²He was very old — eighty years of age — and very wealthy. He was the one who had provided food for the king during his stay in Mahanaim.

³³“Come across with me and live in Jerusalem,” the king said to Barzillai. “I will take care of you there.”

³⁴“No,” he replied, “I am far too old to go with the king to Jerusalem.

³⁵I am eighty years old today, and I can no longer enjoy anything. Food and wine are no longer tasty, and I cannot hear the singers as they sing. I would only be a burden to my lord the king.

³⁶Just to go across the Jordan River with the king is all the honor I need!

³⁷Then let me return again to die in my own town, where my father and mother are buried. But here is your servant, my son Kimham. Let him go with my lord the king and receive whatever you want to give him.”

³⁸“Good,” the king agreed. “Kimham will go with me, and I will help him in any way you would like. And I will do for you anything you want.”

³⁹So all the people crossed the Jordan with the king. After David had blessed Barzillai and kissed him, Barzillai returned to his own home.

⁴⁰The king then crossed over to Gilgal, taking Kimham with him. All the troops of Judah and half the troops of Israel escorted the king on his way.

⁴¹But all the men of Israel complained to the king, “The men of Judah stole the king and didn’t give us the honor of helping take you, your household, and all your men across the Jordan.”

⁴²The men of Judah replied, “The king is one of our own kinsmen. Why should this make you angry? We haven’t eaten any of the king’s food or received any special favors!”

⁴³“But there are ten tribes in Israel,” the others replied. “So we have ten times as much right to the king as you do. What right do you have to treat us with such contempt? Weren’t we the first to speak of bringing him back to be our king again?” The argument continued back and forth, and the men of Judah spoke even more harshly than the men of Israel.

¹There happened to be a troublemaker there named Sheba son of Bicri, a man from the tribe of Benjamin. Sheba blew a ram’s horn and began to chant: “Down with the dynasty of David! We have no interest in the son of Jesse. Come on, you men of Israel, back to your homes!”

²So all the men of Israel deserted David and followed Sheba son of Bicri. But the men of Judah stayed with their king and escorted him from the Jordan River to Jerusalem.

³When David came to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to look after the palace and placed them in seclusion. Their needs were provided for, but he no longer slept with them. So each of them lived like a widow until she died.

⁴Then the king told Amasa, “Mobilize the army of Judah within three days, and report back at that time.”

⁵So Amasa went out to notify Judah, but it took him longer than the time he had been given.

⁶Then David said to Abishai, “Sheba son of Bicri is going to hurt us more than Absalom did. Quick, take my troops and chase after him before he gets into a fortified town where we can’t reach him.”

⁷So Abishai and Joab, together with the king’s bodyguard and all the mighty warriors, set out from Jerusalem to go after Sheba.

⁸As they arrived at the great stone in Gibeon, Amasa met them. Joab was wearing his military tunic with a dagger strapped to his belt. As he stepped forward to greet Amasa, he slipped the dagger from its sheath.

⁹“How are you, my cousin?” Joab said and took him by the beard with his right hand as though to kiss him.

¹⁰Amasa didn’t notice the dagger in his left hand, and Joab stabbed him in the stomach with it so that his insides gushed out onto the ground. Joab did not need to strike again, and Amasa soon died. Joab and his brother Abishai left him lying there and continued after Sheba.

¹¹One of Joab’s young men shouted to Amasa’s troops, “If you are for Joab and David, come and follow Joab.”

¹²But Amasa lay in his blood in the middle of the road, and Joab’s man saw that everyone was stopping to stare at him. So he pulled him off the road into a field and threw a cloak over him.

¹³With Amasa’s body out of the way, everyone went on with Joab to capture Sheba son of Bicri.

¹⁴Meanwhile, Sheba traveled through all the tribes of Israel and eventually came to the town of Abel-beth-maacah. All the members of his own clan, the Bicrites, assembled for battle and followed him into the town.

¹⁵When Joab’s forces arrived, they attacked Abel-beth-maacah. They built a siege ramp against the town’s fortifications and began battering down the wall.

¹⁶But a wise woman in the town called out to Joab, “Listen to me, Joab. Come over here so I can talk to you.”

¹⁷As he approached, the woman asked, “Are you Joab?” “I am,” he replied. So she said, “Listen carefully to your servant.” “I’m listening,” he said.

¹⁸Then she continued, “There used to be a saying, ‘If you want to settle an argument, ask advice at the town of Abel.’

¹⁹I am one who is peace loving and faithful in Israel. But you are destroying an important town in Israel. Why do you want to devour what belongs to the LORD?”

²⁰And Joab replied, “Believe me, I don’t want to devour or destroy your town!

²¹That’s not my purpose. All I want is a man named Sheba son of Bicri from the hill country of Ephraim, who has revolted against King David. If you hand over this one man to me, I will leave the town in peace.” “All right,” the woman replied, “we will throw his head over the wall to you.”

²²Then the woman went to all the people with her wise advice, and they cut off Sheba’s head and threw it out to Joab. So he blew the ram’s horn and called his troops back from the attack. They all returned to their homes, and Joab returned to the king at Jerusalem.

²³Now Joab was the commander of the army of Israel. Benaiah son of Jehoiada was captain of the king’s bodyguard.

²⁴Adoniram was in charge of forced labor. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the royal historian.

²⁵Sheva was the court secretary. Zadok and Abiathar were the priests.

²⁶And Ira, a descendant of Jair, was David’s personal priest.

¹There was a famine during David’s reign that lasted for three years, so David asked the LORD about it. And the LORD said, “The famine has come because Saul and his family are guilty of murdering the Gibeonites.”

²So the king summoned the Gibeonites. They were not part of Israel but were all that was left of the nation of the Amorites. The people of Israel had sworn not to kill them, but Saul, in his zeal for Israel and Judah, had tried to wipe them out.

³David asked them, “What can I do for you? How can I make amends so that you will bless the LORD’s people again?”

⁴“Well, money can’t settle this matter between us and the family of Saul,” the Gibeonites replied. “Neither can we demand the life of anyone in Israel.” “What can I do then?” David asked. “Just tell me and I will do it for you.”

⁵Then they replied, “It was Saul who planned to destroy us, to keep us from having any place at all in the territory of Israel.

⁶So let seven of Saul’s sons be handed over to us, and we will execute them before the LORD at Gibeon, on the mountain of the LORD. ” “All right,” the king said, “I will do it.”

⁷The king spared Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth, who was Saul’s grandson, because of the oath David and Jonathan had sworn before the LORD.

⁸But he gave them Saul’s two sons Armoni and Mephibosheth, whose mother was Rizpah daughter of Aiah. He also gave them the five sons of Saul’s daughter Merab, the wife of Adriel son of Barzillai from Meholah.

⁹The men of Gibeon executed them on the mountain before the LORD. So all seven of them died together at the beginning of the barley harvest.

¹⁰Then Rizpah daughter of Aiah, the mother of two of the men, spread burlap on a rock and stayed there the entire harvest season. She prevented the scavenger birds from tearing at their bodies during the day and stopped wild animals from eating them at night.

¹¹When David learned what Rizpah, Saul’s concubine, had done,

¹²he went to the people of Jabesh-gilead and retrieved the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan. (When the Philistines had killed Saul and Jonathan on Mount Gilboa, the people of Jabesh-gilead stole their bodies from the public square of Beth-shan, where the Philistines had hung them.)

¹³So David obtained the bones of Saul and Jonathan, as well as the bones of the men the Gibeonites had executed.

¹⁴Then the king ordered that they bury the bones in the tomb of Kish, Saul’s father, at the town of Zela in the land of Benjamin. After that, God ended the famine in the land.

¹⁵Once again the Philistines were at war with Israel. And when David and his men were in the thick of battle, David became weak and exhausted.

¹⁶Ishbi-benob was a descendant of the giants ; his bronze spearhead weighed more than seven pounds, and he was armed with a new sword. He had cornered David and was about to kill him.

¹⁷But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue and killed the Philistine. Then David’s men declared, “You are not going out to battle with us again! Why risk snuffing out the light of Israel?”

¹⁸After this, there was another battle against the Philistines at Gob. As they fought, Sibbecai from Hushah killed Saph, another descendant of the giants.

¹⁹During another battle at Gob, Elhanan son of Jair from Bethlehem killed the brother of Goliath of Gath. The handle of his spear was as thick as a weaver’s beam!

²⁰In another battle with the Philistines at Gath, they encountered a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in all, who was also a descendant of the giants.

²¹But when he defied and taunted Israel, he was killed by Jonathan, the son of David’s brother Shimea.

²²These four Philistines were descendants of the giants of Gath, but David and his warriors killed them.

¹David sang this song to the LORD on the day the LORD rescued him from all his enemies and from Saul.

²He sang: “The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior;

³my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence.

⁴I called on the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies.

⁵“The waves of death overwhelmed me; floods of destruction swept over me.

⁶The grave wrapped its ropes around me; death laid a trap in my path.

⁷But in my distress I cried out to the LORD; yes, I cried to my God for help. He heard me from his sanctuary; my cry reached his ears.

⁸“Then the earth quaked and trembled. The foundations of the heavens shook; they quaked because of his anger.

⁹Smoke poured from his nostrils; fierce flames leaped from his mouth. Glowing coals blazed forth from him.

¹⁰He opened the heavens and came down; dark storm clouds were beneath his feet.

¹¹Mounted on a mighty angelic being, he flew, soaring on the wings of the wind.

¹²He shrouded himself in darkness, veiling his approach with dense rain clouds.

¹³A great brightness shone around him, and burning coals blazed forth.

¹⁴The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.

¹⁵He shot arrows and scattered his enemies; his lightning flashed, and they were confused.

¹⁶Then at the command of the LORD, at the blast of his breath, the bottom of the sea could be seen, and the foundations of the earth were laid bare.

¹⁷“He reached down from heaven and rescued me; he drew me out of deep waters.

¹⁸He rescued me from my powerful enemies, from those who hated me and were too strong for me.

¹⁹They attacked me at a moment when I was in distress, but the LORD supported me.

²⁰He led me to a place of safety; he rescued me because he delights in me.

²¹The LORD rewarded me for doing right; he restored me because of my innocence.

²²For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I have not turned from my God to follow evil.

²³I have followed all his regulations; I have never abandoned his decrees.

²⁴I am blameless before God; I have kept myself from sin.

²⁵The LORD rewarded me for doing right. He has seen my innocence.

²⁶“To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity.

²⁷To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd.

²⁸You rescue the humble, but your eyes watch the proud and humiliate them.

²⁹O LORD, you are my lamp. The LORD lights up my darkness.

³⁰In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall.

³¹“God’s way is perfect. All the LORD’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.

³²For who is God except the LORD? Who but our God is a solid rock?

³³God is my strong fortress, and he makes my way perfect.

³⁴He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights.

³⁵He trains my hands for battle; he strengthens my arm to draw a bronze bow.

³⁶You have given me your shield of victory; your help has made me great.

³⁷You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping.

³⁸“I chased my enemies and destroyed them; I did not stop until they were conquered.

³⁹I consumed them; I struck them down so they did not get up; they fell beneath my feet.

⁴⁰You have armed me with strength for the battle; you have subdued my enemies under my feet.

⁴¹You placed my foot on their necks. I have destroyed all who hated me.

⁴²They looked for help, but no one came to their rescue. They even cried to the LORD, but he refused to answer.

⁴³I ground them as fine as the dust of the earth; I trampled them in the gutter like dirt.

⁴⁴“You gave me victory over my accusers. You preserved me as the ruler over nations; people I don’t even know now serve me.

⁴⁵Foreign nations cringe before me; as soon as they hear of me, they submit.

⁴⁶They all lose their courage and come trembling from their strongholds.

⁴⁷“The LORD lives! Praise to my Rock! May God, the Rock of my salvation, be exalted!

⁴⁸He is the God who pays back those who harm me; he brings down the nations under me

⁴⁹and delivers me from my enemies. You hold me safe beyond the reach of my enemies; you save me from violent opponents.

⁵⁰For this, O LORD, I will praise you among the nations; I will sing praises to your name.

⁵¹You give great victories to your king; you show unfailing love to your anointed, to David and all his descendants forever.”

¹These are the last words of David: “David, the son of Jesse, speaks — David, the man who was raised up so high, David, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, David, the sweet psalmist of Israel.

²“The Spirit of the LORD speaks through me; his words are upon my tongue.

³The God of Israel spoke. The Rock of Israel said to me: ‘The one who rules righteously, who rules in the fear of God,

⁴is like the light of morning at sunrise, like a morning without clouds, like the gleaming of the sun on new grass after rain.’

⁵“Is it not my family God has chosen? Yes, he has made an everlasting covenant with me. His agreement is arranged and guaranteed in every detail. He will ensure my safety and success.

⁶But the godless are like thorns to be thrown away, for they tear the hand that touches them.

⁷One must use iron tools to chop them down; they will be totally consumed by fire.”

⁸These are the names of David’s mightiest warriors. The first was Jashobeam the Hacmonite, who was leader of the Three — the three mightiest warriors among David’s men. He once used his spear to kill 800 enemy warriors in a single battle.

⁹Next in rank among the Three was Eleazar son of Dodai, a descendant of Ahoah. Once Eleazar and David stood together against the Philistines when the entire Israelite army had fled.

¹⁰He killed Philistines until his hand was too tired to lift his sword, and the LORD gave him a great victory that day. The rest of the army did not return until it was time to collect the plunder!

¹¹Next in rank was Shammah son of Agee from Harar. One time the Philistines gathered at Lehi and attacked the Israelites in a field full of lentils. The Israelite army fled,

¹²but Shammah held his ground in the middle of the field and beat back the Philistines. So the LORD brought about a great victory.

¹³Once during the harvest, when David was at the cave of Adullam, the Philistine army was camped in the valley of Rephaim. The Three (who were among the Thirty — an elite group among David’s fighting men) went down to meet him there.

¹⁴David was staying in the stronghold at the time, and a Philistine detachment had occupied the town of Bethlehem.

¹⁵David remarked longingly to his men, “Oh, how I would love some of that good water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem.”

¹⁶So the Three broke through the Philistine lines, drew some water from the well by the gate in Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out as an offering to the LORD.

¹⁷“The LORD forbid that I should drink this!” he exclaimed. “This water is as precious as the blood of these men who risked their lives to bring it to me.” So David did not drink it. These are examples of the exploits of the Three.

¹⁸Abishai son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, was the leader of the Thirty. He once used his spear to kill 300 enemy warriors in a single battle. It was by such feats that he became as famous as the Three.

¹⁹Abishai was the most famous of the Thirty and was their commander, though he was not one of the Three.

²⁰There was also Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant warrior from Kabzeel. He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab. Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it.

²¹Once, armed only with a club, he killed an imposing Egyptian warrior who was armed with a spear. Benaiah wrenched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with it.

²²Deeds like these made Benaiah as famous as the Three mightiest warriors.

²³He was more honored than the other members of the Thirty, though he was not one of the Three. And David made him captain of his bodyguard.

²⁴Other members of the Thirty included: Asahel, Joab’s brother; Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem;

²⁵Shammah from Harod; Elika from Harod;

²⁶Helez from Pelon ; Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa;

²⁷Abiezer from Anathoth; Sibbecai from Hushah;

²⁸Zalmon from Ahoah; Maharai from Netophah;

²⁹Heled son of Baanah from Netophah; Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah (in the land of Benjamin);

³⁰Benaiah from Pirathon; Hurai from Nahale-gaash ;

³¹Abi-albon from Arabah; Azmaveth from Bahurim;

³²Eliahba from Shaalbon; the sons of Jashen; Jonathan

³³son of Shagee from Harar; Ahiam son of Sharar from Harar;

³⁴Eliphelet son of Ahasbai from Maacah; Eliam son of Ahithophel from Giloh;

³⁵Hezro from Carmel; Paarai from Arba;

³⁶Igal son of Nathan from Zobah; Bani from Gad;

³⁷Zelek from Ammon; Naharai from Beeroth, the armor bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah;

³⁸Ira from Jattir; Gareb from Jattir;

³⁹Uriah the Hittite. There were thirty-seven in all.

¹Once again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he caused David to harm them by taking a census. “Go and count the people of Israel and Judah,” the LORD told him.

²So the king said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Take a census of all the tribes of Israel — from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south — so I may know how many people there are.”

³But Joab replied to the king, “May the LORD your God let you live to see a hundred times as many people as there are now! But why, my lord the king, do you want to do this?”

⁴But the king insisted that they take the census, so Joab and the commanders of the army went out to count the people of Israel.

⁵First they crossed the Jordan and camped at Aroer, south of the town in the valley, in the direction of Gad. Then they went on to Jazer,

⁶then to Gilead in the land of Tahtim-hodshi and to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon.

⁷Then they came to the fortress of Tyre, and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went south to Judah as far as Beersheba.

⁸Having gone through the entire land for nine months and twenty days, they returned to Jerusalem.

⁹Joab reported the number of people to the king. There were 800,000 capable warriors in Israel who could handle a sword, and 500,000 in Judah.

¹⁰But after he had taken the census, David’s conscience began to bother him. And he said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly by taking this census. Please forgive my guilt, LORD, for doing this foolish thing.”

¹¹The next morning the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, who was David’s seer. This was the message:

¹²“Go and say to David, ‘This is what the LORD says: I will give you three choices. Choose one of these punishments, and I will inflict it on you.’”

¹³So Gad came to David and asked him, “Will you choose three years of famine throughout your land, three months of fleeing from your enemies, or three days of severe plague throughout your land? Think this over and decide what answer I should give the LORD who sent me.”

¹⁴“I’m in a desperate situation!” David replied to Gad. “But let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great. Do not let me fall into human hands.”

¹⁵So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel that morning, and it lasted for three days. A total of 70,000 people died throughout the nation, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south.

¹⁶But as the angel was preparing to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD relented and said to the death angel, “Stop! That is enough!” At that moment the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

¹⁷When David saw the angel, he said to the LORD, “I am the one who has sinned and done wrong! But these people are as innocent as sheep — what have they done? Let your anger fall against me and my family.”

¹⁸That day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”

¹⁹So David went up to do what the LORD had commanded him.

²⁰When Araunah saw the king and his men coming toward him, he came and bowed before the king with his face to the ground.

²¹“Why have you come, my lord the king?” Araunah asked. David replied, “I have come to buy your threshing floor and to build an altar to the LORD there, so that he will stop the plague.”

²²“Take it, my lord the king, and use it as you wish,” Araunah said to David. “Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and you can use the threshing boards and ox yokes for wood to build a fire on the altar.

²³I will give it all to you, Your Majesty, and may the LORD your God accept your sacrifice.”

²⁴But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the LORD my God that have cost me nothing.” So David paid him fifty pieces of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen.

²⁵David built an altar there to the LORD and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. And the LORD answered his prayer for the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.

¹King David was now very old, and no matter how many blankets covered him, he could not keep warm.

²So his advisers told him, “Let us find a young virgin to wait on you and look after you, my lord. She will lie in your arms and keep you warm.”

³So they searched throughout the land of Israel for a beautiful girl, and they found Abishag from Shunem and brought her to the king.

⁴The girl was very beautiful, and she looked after the king and took care of him. But the king had no sexual relations with her.

⁵About that time David’s son Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, began boasting, “I will make myself king.” So he provided himself with chariots and charioteers and recruited fifty men to run in front of him.

⁶Now his father, King David, had never disciplined him at any time, even by asking, “Why are you doing that?” Adonijah had been born next after Absalom, and he was very handsome.

⁷Adonijah took Joab son of Zeruiah and Abiathar the priest into his confidence, and they agreed to help him become king.

⁸But Zadok the priest, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, Nathan the prophet, Shimei, Rei, and David’s personal bodyguard refused to support Adonijah.

⁹Adonijah went to the Stone of Zoheleth near the spring of En-rogel, where he sacrificed sheep, cattle, and fattened calves. He invited all his brothers — the other sons of King David — and all the royal officials of Judah.

¹⁰But he did not invite Nathan the prophet or Benaiah or the king’s bodyguard or his brother Solomon.

¹¹Then Nathan went to Bathsheba, Solomon’s mother, and asked her, “Haven’t you heard that Haggith’s son, Adonijah, has made himself king, and our lord David doesn’t even know about it?

¹²If you want to save your own life and the life of your son Solomon, follow my advice.

¹³Go at once to King David and say to him, ‘My lord the king, didn’t you make a vow and say to me, “Your son Solomon will surely be the next king and will sit on my throne”? Why then has Adonijah become king?’

¹⁴And while you are still talking with him, I will come and confirm everything you have said.”

¹⁵So Bathsheba went into the king’s bedroom. (He was very old now, and Abishag was taking care of him.)

¹⁶Bathsheba bowed down before the king. “What can I do for you?” he asked her.

¹⁷She replied, “My lord, you made a vow before the LORD your God when you said to me, ‘Your son Solomon will surely be the next king and will sit on my throne.’

¹⁸But instead, Adonijah has made himself king, and my lord the king does not even know about it.

¹⁹He has sacrificed many cattle, fattened calves, and sheep, and he has invited all the king’s sons to attend the celebration. He also invited Abiathar the priest and Joab, the commander of the army. But he did not invite your servant Solomon.

²⁰And now, my lord the king, all Israel is waiting for you to announce who will become king after you.

²¹If you do not act, my son Solomon and I will be treated as criminals as soon as my lord the king has died.”

²²While she was still speaking with the king, Nathan the prophet arrived.

²³The king’s officials told him, “Nathan the prophet is here to see you.” Nathan went in and bowed before the king with his face to the ground.

²⁴Nathan asked, “My lord the king, have you decided that Adonijah will be the next king and that he will sit on your throne?

²⁵Today he has sacrificed many cattle, fattened calves, and sheep, and he has invited all the king’s sons to attend the celebration. He also invited the commanders of the army and Abiathar the priest. They are feasting and drinking with him and shouting, ‘Long live King Adonijah!’

²⁶But he did not invite me or Zadok the priest or Benaiah or your servant Solomon.

²⁷Has my lord the king really done this without letting any of his officials know who should be the next king?”

²⁸King David responded, “Call Bathsheba!” So she came back in and stood before the king.

²⁹And the king repeated his vow: “As surely as the LORD lives, who has rescued me from every danger,

³⁰your son Solomon will be the next king and will sit on my throne this very day, just as I vowed to you before the LORD, the God of Israel.”

³¹Then Bathsheba bowed down with her face to the ground before the king and exclaimed, “May my lord King David live forever!”

³²Then King David ordered, “Call Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada.” When they came into the king’s presence,

³³the king said to them, “Take Solomon and my officials down to Gihon Spring. Solomon is to ride on my own mule.

³⁴There Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet are to anoint him king over Israel. Blow the ram’s horn and shout, ‘Long live King Solomon!’

³⁵Then escort him back here, and he will sit on my throne. He will succeed me as king, for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and Judah.”

³⁶“Amen!” Benaiah son of Jehoiada replied. “May the LORD, the God of my lord the king, decree that it happen.

³⁷And may the LORD be with Solomon as he has been with you, my lord the king, and may he make Solomon’s reign even greater than yours!”

³⁸So Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and the king’s bodyguard took Solomon down to Gihon Spring, with Solomon riding on King David’s own mule.

³⁹There Zadok the priest took the flask of olive oil from the sacred tent and anointed Solomon with the oil. Then they sounded the ram’s horn and all the people shouted, “Long live King Solomon!”

⁴⁰And all the people followed Solomon into Jerusalem, playing flutes and shouting for joy. The celebration was so joyous and noisy that the earth shook with the sound.

⁴¹Adonijah and his guests heard the celebrating and shouting just as they were finishing their banquet. When Joab heard the sound of the ram’s horn, he asked, “What’s going on? Why is the city in such an uproar?”

⁴²And while he was still speaking, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest arrived. “Come in,” Adonijah said to him, “for you are a good man. You must have good news.”

⁴³“Not at all!” Jonathan replied. “Our lord King David has just declared Solomon king!

⁴⁴The king sent him down to Gihon Spring with Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah son of Jehoiada, protected by the king’s bodyguard. They had him ride on the king’s own mule,

⁴⁵and Zadok and Nathan have anointed him at Gihon Spring as the new king. They have just returned, and the whole city is celebrating and rejoicing. That’s what all the noise is about.

⁴⁶What’s more, Solomon is now sitting on the royal throne as king.

⁴⁷And all the royal officials have gone to King David and congratulated him, saying, ‘May your God make Solomon’s fame even greater than your own, and may Solomon’s reign be even greater than yours!’ Then the king bowed his head in worship as he lay in his bed,

⁴⁸and he said, ‘Praise the LORD, the God of Israel, who today has chosen a successor to sit on my throne while I am still alive to see it.’”

⁴⁹Then all of Adonijah’s guests jumped up in panic from the banquet table and quickly scattered.

⁵⁰Adonijah was afraid of Solomon, so he rushed to the sacred tent and grabbed on to the horns of the altar.

⁵¹Word soon reached Solomon that Adonijah had seized the horns of the altar in fear, and that he was pleading, “Let King Solomon swear today that he will not kill me!”

⁵²Solomon replied, “If he proves himself to be loyal, not a hair on his head will be touched. But if he makes trouble, he will die.”

⁵³So King Solomon summoned Adonijah, and they brought him down from the altar. He came and bowed respectfully before King Solomon, who dismissed him, saying, “Go on home.”