David Becomes King of Israel and Judah

¹Then all the tribes of Israel went to David at Hebron and said to him, “We are your own flesh and blood.

²In the past, even when Saul was still our king, you led the people of Israel in battle, and the Lord promised you that you would lead his people and be their ruler.”

³So all the leaders of Israel came to King David at Hebron. He made a sacred alliance with them, they anointed him, and he became king of Israel.

⁴David was thirty years old when he became king, and he ruled for forty years.

⁵He ruled in Hebron over Judah for seven and a half years, and in Jerusalem over all Israel and Judah for thirty-three years.

⁶The time came when King David and his men set out to attack Jerusalem. The Jebusites, who lived there, thought that David would not be able to conquer the city, and so they said to him, “You will never get in here; even the blind and the crippled could keep you out.”

⁷(But David did capture their fortress of Zion, and it became known as “David's City.”)

⁸That day David said to his men, “Does anybody here hate the Jebusites as much as I do? Enough to kill them? Then go up through the water tunnel and attack those poor blind cripples.” (That is why it is said, “The blind and the crippled cannot enter the Lord's house.”)

⁹After capturing the fortress, David lived in it and named it “David's City.” He built the city around it, starting at the place where land was filled in on the east side of the hill.

¹⁰He grew stronger all the time, because the Lord God Almighty was with him.

¹¹King Hiram of Tyre sent a trade mission to David; he provided him with cedar logs and with carpenters and stone masons to build a palace.

¹²And so David realized that the Lord had established him as king of Israel and was making his kingdom prosperous for the sake of his people.

¹³After moving from Hebron to Jerusalem, David took more concubines and wives, and had more sons and daughters.

¹⁴The following children were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,

¹⁵Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,

¹⁶Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

Victory over the Philistines

¹⁷The Philistines were told that David had been made king of Israel, so their army set out to capture him. When David heard of it, he went down to a fortified place.

¹⁸The Philistines arrived at Rephaim Valley and occupied it.

¹⁹David asked the Lord, “Shall I attack the Philistines? Will you give me the victory?” “Yes, attack!” the Lord answered. “I will give you the victory!”

²⁰So David went to Baal Perazim and there he defeated the Philistines. He said, “The Lord has broken through my enemies like a flood.” And so that place is called Baal Perazim.

²¹When the Philistines fled, they left their idols behind, and David and his men carried them away.

²²Then the Philistines went back to Rephaim Valley and occupied it again.

²³Once more David consulted the Lord, who answered, “Don't attack them from here, but go around and get ready to attack them from the other side, near the balsam trees.

²⁴When you hear the sound of marching in the treetops, then attack because I will be marching ahead of you to defeat the Philistine army.”

²⁵David did what the Lord had commanded, and was able to drive the Philistines back from Geba all the way to Gezer.

The Descendants of Issachar

¹Issachar had four sons: Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.

²Tola had six sons: Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel. They were heads of families of the clan of Tola and were famous soldiers. At the time of King David their descendants numbered 22,600.

³Uzzi had one son, Izrahiah. Izrahiah and his four sons, Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah, were all heads of families.

⁴They had so many wives and children that their descendants were able to provide 36,000 men for military duty.

⁵The official records of all the families of the tribe of Issachar listed 87,000 men eligible for military duty.

The Descendants of Benjamin and Dan

⁶Benjamin had three sons: Bela, Becher, and Jediael.

⁷Bela had five sons: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri. They were heads of families in the clan and were all famous soldiers. Their descendants included 22,034 men eligible for military duty.

⁸Becher had nine sons: Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth.

⁹The official record of their descendants by families listed 20,200 men eligible for military duty.

¹⁰Jediael had one son, Bilhan, and Bilhan had seven sons: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar.

¹¹They were heads of families in the clan and were all famous soldiers. Their descendants included 17,200 men eligible for military duty.

¹²Shuppim and Huppim also belonged to this tribe. Dan had one son, Hushim.

The Descendants of Naphtali

¹³Naphtali had four sons: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shallum. (They were descendants of Bilhah.)

The Descendants of Manasseh

¹⁴By his Aramean concubine, Manasseh had two sons, Asriel and Machir. Machir was the father of Gilead.

¹⁵Machir found a wife for Huppim and one for Shuppim. His sister's name was Maacah. Machir's second son was Zelophehad, and he had only daughters.

¹⁶Maacah, Machir's wife, gave birth to two sons, whom they named Peresh and Sheresh. Peresh had two sons, Ulam and Rakem,

¹⁷and Ulam had a son named Bedan. These are all descendants of Gilead, the son of Machir and grandson of Manasseh.

¹⁸Gilead's sister Hammolecheth had three sons: Ishod, Abiezer, and Mahlah.

¹⁹(Shemida had four sons: Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.)

The Descendants of Ephraim

²⁰These are the descendants of Ephraim from generation to generation: Shuthelah, Bered, Tahath, Eleadah, Tahath,

²¹Zabad, Shuthelah. Ephraim had two other sons besides Shuthelah: Ezer and Elead, who were killed when they tried to steal the livestock belonging to the native inhabitants of Gath.

²²Their father Ephraim mourned for them for many days, and his relatives came to comfort him.

²³Then he had intercourse with his wife again, and she became pregnant and had a son. They named him Beriah, because of the trouble that had come to their family.

²⁴Ephraim had a daughter named Sheerah. She built the towns of Upper and Lower Beth Horon, and Uzzen Sheerah.

²⁵Ephraim also had a son named Rephah, whose descendants were as follows: Resheph, Telah, Tahan,

²⁶Ladan, Ammihud, Elishama,

²⁷Nun, Joshua.

²⁸The territory which they took and settled included Bethel and the towns around it, as far east as Naaran and as far west as Gezer and the towns around it. It also included the cities of Shechem and Ayyah, and the towns around them.

²⁹The descendants of Manasseh controlled the cities of Beth Shan, Taanach, Megiddo, and Dor, and the towns around them. All these are the places where the descendants of Joseph son of Jacob lived.

The Descendants of Asher

³⁰These are the descendants of Asher. He had four sons: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah; and one daughter, Serah.

³¹Beriah had two sons, Heber and Malchiel. (Malchiel founded the city of Birzaith.)

³²Heber had three sons: Japhlet, Shomer, and Hotham; and one daughter, Shua.

³³Japhlet also had three sons: Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath.

³⁴His brother Shomer had three sons: Rohgah, Jehubbah, and Aram.

³⁵His brother Hotham had four sons: Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal.

³⁶The descendants of Zophah were Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah,

³⁷Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, and Beera.

³⁸The descendants of Jether were Jephunneh, Pispa, and Ara,

³⁹and the descendants of Ulla were Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia.

⁴⁰All of these were descendants of Asher. They were heads of families, famous fighting men, outstanding leaders. Asher's descendants included 26,000 men eligible for military duty.

The Descendants of Benjamin

¹Benjamin had five sons. In order of age they were Bela, Ashbel, Aharah,

²Nohah, and Rapha.

³The descendants of Bela were Addar, Gera, Abihud,

⁴Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah,

⁵Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.

^6-7The descendants of Ehud were Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera. They were heads of families that lived in Geba, but which were forced out and went to live in Manahath. Gera, the father of Uzza and Ahihud, led them in this move.

^8-9Shaharaim divorced two wives, Hushim and Baara. Later, when he lived in the country of Moab, he married Hodesh and had seven sons: Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam,

¹⁰Jeuz, Sachia, and Mirmah. His sons all became heads of families.

¹¹He also had two sons by Hushim: Abitub and Elpaal.

¹²Elpaal had three sons: Eber, Misham, and Shemed. It was Shemed who built the cities of Ono and Lod and the surrounding villages.

The Benjaminites in Gath and Aijalon

¹³Beriah and Shema were heads of families that settled in the city of Aijalon and drove out the people who lived in the city of Gath.

¹⁴Beriah's descendants included Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth,

¹⁵Zebadiah, Arad, Eder,

¹⁶Michael, Ishpah, and Joha.

The Benjaminites in Jerusalem

¹⁷Elpaal's descendants included Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber,

¹⁸Ishmerai, Izliah, and Jobab.

¹⁹Shimei's descendants included Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi,

²⁰Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel,

²¹Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath.

²²Shashak's descendants included Ishpan, Eber, Eliel,

²³Abdon, Zichri, Hanan,

²⁴Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah,

²⁵Iphdeiah, and Penuel.

²⁶Jeroham's descendants included Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah,

²⁷Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zichri.

²⁸These were the ancestral heads of families and their principal descendants who lived in Jerusalem.

The Benjaminites in Gibeon and Jerusalem

²⁹Jeiel founded the city of Gibeon and settled there. His wife was named Maacah,

³⁰and his oldest son, Abdon. His other sons were Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab,

³¹Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah,

³²and Mikloth, the father of Shimeah. Their descendants lived in Jerusalem near other families of their clan.

The Family of King Saul

³³Ner was the father of Kish, and Kish was the father of King Saul. Saul had four sons: Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.

³⁴Jonathan was the father of Meribbaal, who was the father of Micah.

³⁵Micah had four sons: Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz.

³⁶Ahaz was the father of Jehoaddah, who was the father of three sons: Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri was the father of Moza,

³⁷Moza the father of Binea, Binea of Raphah, Raphah of Eleasah, and Eleasah of Azel.

³⁸Azel had six sons: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan.

³⁹Azel's brother Eshek had three sons: Ulam, Jeush, and Eliphelet.

⁴⁰Ulam's sons were outstanding soldiers and archers. He had a hundred and fifty sons and grandsons in all. All those named above were members of the tribe of Benjamin.

A Prayer of Praise

¹The Lord is my light and my salvation; I will fear no one. The Lord protects me from all danger; I will never be afraid.

²When evil people attack me and try to kill me, they stumble and fall.

³Even if a whole army surrounds me, I will not be afraid; even if enemies attack me, I will still trust God.

⁴I have asked the Lord for one thing; one thing only do I want: to live in the Lord's house all my life, to marvel there at his goodness, and to ask for his guidance.

⁵In times of trouble he will shelter me; he will keep me safe in his Temple and make me secure on a high rock.

⁶So I will triumph over my enemies around me. With shouts of joy I will offer sacrifices in his Temple; I will sing, I will praise the Lord.

⁷Hear me, Lord, when I call to you! Be merciful and answer me!

⁸When you said, “Come worship me,” I answered, “I will come, Lord.”

⁹Don't hide yourself from me! Don't be angry with me; don't turn your servant away. You have been my help; don't leave me, don't abandon me, O God, my savior.

¹⁰My father and mother may abandon me, but the Lord will take care of me.

¹¹Teach me, Lord, what you want me to do, and lead me along a safe path, because I have many enemies.

¹²Don't abandon me to my enemies, who attack me with lies and threats.

¹³I know that I will live to see the Lord's goodness in this present life.

¹⁴Trust in the Lord. Have faith, do not despair. Trust in the Lord.