Day 98 of 365

¹After this it happened that David struck the Philistines, and subdued them: and David took the bridle of the mother city out of the hand of the Philistines.

²He struck Moab, and measured them with the line, making them to lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death, and one full line to keep alive. The Moabites became servants to David, and brought tribute.

³David struck also Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his dominion at the River.

⁴David took from him one thousand seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for one hundred chariots.

⁵When the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men.

⁶Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became servants to David, and brought tribute. The Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.

⁷David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem.

⁸From Betah and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, king David took a very great amount of brass.

⁹When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had struck all the army of Hadadezer,

¹⁰then Toi sent Joram his son to king David, to greet him, and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and struck him: for Hadadezer had wars with Toi. Joram brought with him vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of brass:

¹¹King David also dedicated these to the Lord, with the silver and gold that he dedicated of all the nations which he subdued;

¹²of Syria, and of Moab, and of the children of Ammon, and of the Philistines, and of Amalek, and of the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah.

¹³David earned a reputation when he returned from smiting the Syrians in the Valley of Salt, even eighteen thousand men.

¹⁴He put garrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and all the Edomites became servants to David. The Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.

¹⁵David reigned over all Israel; and David executed justice and righteousness to all his people.

¹⁶Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder;

¹⁷and Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, were priests; and Seraiah was scribe;

¹⁸and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were chief ministers.

¹David said, "Is there yet any who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?"

²There was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" He said, "Your servant is he."

³The king said, "Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?" Ziba said to the king, "Jonathan has yet a son, who is lame of his feet."

⁴The king said to him, "Where is he?" Ziba said to the king, "Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar."

⁵Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.

⁶Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, and fell on his face, and showed respect. David said, "Mephibosheth." He answered, "Behold, your servant!"

⁷David said to him, "Do not be afraid of him; for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father's sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your father. You shall eat bread at my table continually."

⁸He bowed down, and said, "What is your servant, that you should look on such a dead dog as I am?"

⁹Then the king called to Ziba, Saul's servant, and said to him, "All that pertained to Saul and to all his house have I given to your master's son.

¹⁰You shall till the land for him, you, and your sons, and your servants; and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master's son may have bread to eat: but Mephibosheth your master's son shall eat bread always at my table." Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.

¹¹Then Ziba said to the king, "According to all that my lord the king commands his servant, so your shall servant do." So Mephibosheth ate at the king's table, like one of the king's sons.

¹²Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. All that lived in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth.

¹³So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem; for he ate continually at the king's table. He was lame in both his feet.

¹It happened after this, that the king of the children of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place.

²David said, "I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father showed kindness to me." So David sent by his servants to comfort him concerning his father. David's servants came into the land of the children of Ammon.

³But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, "Do you think that David honors your father, in that he has sent comforters to you? Hasn't David sent his servants to you to search the city, and to spy it out, and to overthrow it?"

⁴So Hanun took David's servants, and shaved off the one half of their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.

⁵When they told it to David, he sent to meet them; for the men were greatly ashamed. The king said, "Wait at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return."

⁶When the children of Ammon saw that they were become odious to David, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Syrians of Beth Rehob, and the Syrians of Zobah, twenty thousand footmen, and the king of Maacah with one thousand men, and the men of Tob twelve thousand men.

⁷When David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the army of the mighty men.

⁸The children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the entrance of the gate: and the Syrians of Zobah and of Rehob, and the men of Tob and Maacah, were by themselves in the field.

⁹Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians:

¹⁰The rest of the people he committed into the hand of Abishai his brother; and he put them in array against the children of Ammon.

¹¹He said, "If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the children of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come and help you.

¹²Be courageous, and let us be strong for our people, and for the cities of our God; and the Lord do that which seems good to him."

¹³So Joab and the people who were with him drew near to the battle against the Syrians: and they fled before him.

¹⁴When the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians had fled, they likewise fled before Abishai, and entered into the city. Then Joab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Jerusalem.

¹⁵When the Syrians saw that they were defeated by Israel, they gathered themselves together.

¹⁶Hadadezer sent, and brought out the Syrians who were beyond the River: and they came to Helam, with Shobach the captain of the army of Hadadezer at their head.

¹⁷It was told David; and he gathered all Israel together, and passed over the Jordan, and came to Helam. The Syrians set themselves in array against David, and fought with him.

¹⁸The Syrians fled before Israel; and David killed of the Syrians seven hundred charioteers, and forty thousand horsemen, and struck Shobach the captain of their army, so that he died there.

¹⁹When all the kings who were servants to Hadadezer saw that they were defeated before Israel, they made peace with Israel, and served them. So the Syrians feared to help the children of Ammon any more.

¹It happened, at the return of the year, at the time when kings go out, that David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem.

²It happened at evening, that David arose from off his bed, and walked on the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful to look on.

³David sent and inquired after the woman. One said, "Isn't this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?"

⁴David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in to him, and he lay with her (for she was purified from her uncleanness); and she returned to her house.

⁵The woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, "I am with child."

⁶David sent to Joab, "Send me Uriah the Hittite." Joab sent Uriah to David.

⁷When Uriah had come to him, David asked of him how Joab did, and how the people fared, and how the war prospered.

⁸David said to Uriah, "Go down to your house, and wash your feet." Uriah departed out of the king's house, and a gift from the king was sent after him.

⁹But Uriah slept at the door of the king's house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house.

¹⁰When they had told David, saying, "Uriah did not go down to his house," David said to Uriah, "Haven't you come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?"

¹¹Uriah said to David, "The ark, Israel, and Judah, are staying in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open field. Shall I then go into my house to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing!"

¹²David said to Uriah, "Stay here today also, and tomorrow I will let you depart." So Uriah stayed in Jerusalem that day, and the next day.

¹³When David had called him, he ate and drink before him; and he made him drunk. At evening, he went out to lie on his bed with the servants of his lord, but did not go down to his house.

¹⁴It happened in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab, and sent it by the hand of Uriah.

¹⁵He wrote in the letter, saying, "Send Uriah to the forefront of the hottest battle, and retreat from him, that he may be struck, and die."

¹⁶It happened, when Joab kept watch on the city, that he assigned Uriah to the place where he knew that valiant men were.

¹⁷The men of the city went out, and fought with Joab. Some of the people fell, even of the servants of David; and Uriah the Hittite died also.

¹⁸Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war;

¹⁹and he commanded the messenger, saying, "When you have finished telling all the things concerning the war to the king,

²⁰it shall be that, if the king's wrath arise, and he asks you, 'Why did you go so near to the city to fight? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall,

²¹who struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Did a woman not cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?' Then you shall say, 'Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.'"

²²So the messenger went, and came and showed David all that Joab had sent him for.

²³The messenger said to David, "The men prevailed against us, and came out to us into the field, and we were on them even to the entrance of the gate.

²⁴The shooters shot at your servants from off the wall; and some of the king's servants are dead, and your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also."

²⁵Then David said to the messenger, "Thus you shall tell Joab, 'Do not let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Make your battle stronger against the city, and overthrow it.' Encourage him."

²⁶When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she made lamentation for her husband.

²⁷When the mourning was past, David sent and took her home to his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord.