Be Still and Know: 7 Days to Recenter Your Heart on God

From Acceptance to Approval: Living a Life That Pleases the Father

Unmasking Narcissism

Alive and on Fire - a Video Devo With Illusionist, Dustin Tavella

Islands, Tides, and the Deep: A Marriage Message From the Sea

Living With a Strong-Willed Child

Be Ye Holy: The Holy Spirit's Role in Our Lives

Overcoming Suffering

Men of God: Ancient Virtues for Modern Warriors

Healing From God

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2SA">
 <div class="chapter ch1" data-usfm="2SA.1">
 <div class="label">1</div><div class="s1">David Hears of Saul&#8217;s Death</div><div class="p"> 1After the death of Saul, David returned from striking down the Amalekites and stayed in Ziklag two days. 2On the third day a man arrived from Saul&#8217;s camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head. When he came to David, he fell to the ground to pay him honor.</div><div class="p"> 3&#8220;Where have you come from?&#8221; David asked him.</div><div class="p">He answered, &#8220;I have escaped from the Israelite camp.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4&#8220;What happened?&#8221; David asked. &#8220;Tell me.&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;The men fled from the battle,&#8221; he replied. &#8220;Many of them fell and died. And Saul and his son Jonathan are dead.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 5Then David said to the young man who brought him the report, &#8220;How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6&#8220;I happened to be on Mount Gilboa,&#8221; the young man said, &#8220;and there was Saul, leaning on his spear, with the chariots and their drivers in hot pursuit. 7When he turned around and saw me, he called out to me, and I said, &#8216;What can I do?&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 8&#8220;He asked me, &#8216;Who are you?&#8217;</div><div class="p">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;An Amalekite,&#8217; I answered.</div><div class="p"> 9&#8220;Then he said to me, &#8216;Stand here by me and kill me! I&#8217;m in the throes of death, but I&#8217;m still alive.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 10&#8220;So I stood beside him and killed him, because I knew that after he had fallen he could not survive. And I took the crown that was on his head and the band on his arm and have brought them here to my lord.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11Then David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore them. 12They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and for the nation of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.</div><div class="p"> 13David said to the young man who brought him the report, &#8220;Where are you from?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;I am the son of a foreigner, an Amalekite,&#8221; he answered.</div><div class="p"> 14David asked him, &#8220;Why weren&#8217;t you afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord&#8217;s anointed?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15Then David called one of his men and said, &#8220;Go, strike him down!&#8221; So he struck him down, and he died. 16For David had said to him, &#8220;Your blood be on your own head. Your own mouth testified against you when you said, &#8216;I killed the Lord&#8217;s anointed.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="s1">David&#8217;s Lament for Saul and Jonathan</div><div class="p"> 17David took up this lament concerning Saul and his son Jonathan, 18and he ordered that the people of Judah be taught this lament of the bow (it is written in the Book of Jashar):</div><div class="q1"> 19&#8220;A gazelle#1:19 Gazelle here symbolizes a human dignitary. lies slain on your heights, Israel.</div><div class="q2">How the mighty have fallen!</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 20&#8220;Tell it not in Gath,</div><div class="q2">proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon,</div><div class="q1">lest the daughters of the Philistines be glad,</div><div class="q2">lest the daughters of the uncircumcised rejoice.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 21&#8220;Mountains of Gilboa,</div><div class="q2">may you have neither dew nor rain,</div><div class="q2">may no showers fall on your terraced fields.#1:21 Or / nor fields that yield grain for offerings</div><div class="q1">For there the shield of the mighty was despised,</div><div class="q2">the shield of Saul&#8212;no longer rubbed with oil.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 22&#8220;From the blood of the slain,</div><div class="q2">from the flesh of the mighty,</div><div class="q1">the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,</div><div class="q2">the sword of Saul did not return unsatisfied.</div><div class="q1"> 23Saul and Jonathan&#8212;</div><div class="q2">in life they were loved and admired,</div><div class="q2">and in death they were not parted.</div><div class="q1">They were swifter than eagles,</div><div class="q2">they were stronger than lions.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 24&#8220;Daughters of Israel,</div><div class="q2">weep for Saul,</div><div class="q1">who clothed you in scarlet and finery,</div><div class="q2">who adorned your garments with ornaments of gold.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 25&#8220;How the mighty have fallen in battle!</div><div class="q2">Jonathan lies slain on your heights.</div><div class="q1"> 26I grieve for you, Jonathan my brother;</div><div class="q2">you were very dear to me.</div><div class="q1">Your love for me was wonderful,</div><div class="q2">more wonderful than that of women.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 27&#8220;How the mighty have fallen!</div><div class="q2">The weapons of war have perished!&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2SA">
 <div class="chapter ch2" data-usfm="2SA.2">
 <div class="label">2</div><div class="s1">David Anointed King Over Judah</div><div class="p"> 1In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord. &#8220;Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?&#8221; he asked.</div><div class="p">The Lord said, &#8220;Go up.&#8221;</div><div class="p">David asked, &#8220;Where shall I go?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;To Hebron,&#8221; the Lord answered.</div><div class="p"> 2So David went up there with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 3David also took the men who were with him, each with his family, and they settled in Hebron and its towns. 4Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the tribe of Judah.</div><div class="p">When David was told that it was the men from Jabesh Gilead who had buried Saul, 5he sent messengers to them to say to them, &#8220;The Lord bless you for showing this kindness to Saul your master by burying him. 6May the Lord now show you kindness and faithfulness, and I too will show you the same favor because you have done this. 7Now then, be strong and brave, for Saul your master is dead, and the people of Judah have anointed me king over them.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">War Between the Houses of David and Saul</div><div class="p"> 8Meanwhile, Abner son of Ner, the commander of Saul&#8217;s army, had taken Ish-Bosheth son of Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim. 9He made him king over Gilead, Ashuri and Jezreel, and also over Ephraim, Benjamin and all Israel.</div><div class="p"> 10Ish-Bosheth son of Saul was forty years old when he became king over Israel, and he reigned two years. The tribe of Judah, however, remained loyal to David. 11The length of time David was king in Hebron over Judah was seven years and six months.</div><div class="p"> 12Abner son of Ner, together with the men of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, left Mahanaim and went to Gibeon. 13Joab son of Zeruiah and David&#8217;s men went out and met them at the pool of Gibeon. One group sat down on one side of the pool and one group on the other side.</div><div class="p"> 14Then Abner said to Joab, &#8220;Let&#8217;s have some of the young men get up and fight hand to hand in front of us.&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;All right, let them do it,&#8221; Joab said.</div><div class="p"> 15So they stood up and were counted off&#8212;twelve men for Benjamin and Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David. 16Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his dagger into his opponent&#8217;s side, and they fell down together. So that place in Gibeon was called Helkath Hazzurim.#2:16 Helkath Hazzurim means field of daggers or field of hostilities.</div><div class="p"> 17The battle that day was very fierce, and Abner and the Israelites were defeated by David&#8217;s men.</div><div class="p"> 18The three sons of Zeruiah were there: Joab, Abishai and Asahel. Now Asahel was as fleet-footed as a wild gazelle. 19He chased Abner, turning neither to the right nor to the left as he pursued him. 20Abner looked behind him and asked, &#8220;Is that you, Asahel?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;It is,&#8221; he answered.</div><div class="p"> 21Then Abner said to him, &#8220;Turn aside to the right or to the left; take on one of the young men and strip him of his weapons.&#8221; But Asahel would not stop chasing him.</div><div class="p"> 22Again Abner warned Asahel, &#8220;Stop chasing me! Why should I strike you down? How could I look your brother Joab in the face?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23But Asahel refused to give up the pursuit; so Abner thrust the butt of his spear into Asahel&#8217;s stomach, and the spear came out through his back. He fell there and died on the spot. And every man stopped when he came to the place where Asahel had fallen and died.</div><div class="p"> 24But Joab and Abishai pursued Abner, and as the sun was setting, they came to the hill of Ammah, near Giah on the way to the wasteland of Gibeon. 25Then the men of Benjamin rallied behind Abner. They formed themselves into a group and took their stand on top of a hill.</div><div class="p"> 26Abner called out to Joab, &#8220;Must the sword devour forever? Don&#8217;t you realize that this will end in bitterness? How long before you order your men to stop pursuing their fellow Israelites?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 27Joab answered, &#8220;As surely as God lives, if you had not spoken, the men would have continued pursuing them until morning.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 28So Joab blew the trumpet, and all the troops came to a halt; they no longer pursued Israel, nor did they fight anymore.</div><div class="p"> 29All that night Abner and his men marched through the Arabah. They crossed the Jordan, continued through the morning hours#2:29 See Septuagint; the meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain. and came to Mahanaim.</div><div class="p"> 30Then Joab stopped pursuing Abner and assembled the whole army. Besides Asahel, nineteen of David&#8217;s men were found missing. 31But David&#8217;s men had killed three hundred and sixty Benjamites who were with Abner. 32They took Asahel and buried him in his father&#8217;s tomb at Bethlehem. Then Joab and his men marched all night and arrived at Hebron by daybreak.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2SA">
 <div class="chapter ch3" data-usfm="2SA.3">
 <div class="label">3</div><div class="p"> 1The war between the house of Saul and the house of David lasted a long time. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker and weaker.</div><div class="li1"> 2Sons were born to David in Hebron:</div><div class="li2">His firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel;</div><div class="li2"> 3his second, Kileab the son of Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel;</div><div class="li2">the third, Absalom the son of Maakah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;</div><div class="li2"> 4the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith;</div><div class="li2">the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;</div><div class="li2"> 5and the sixth, Ithream the son of David&#8217;s wife Eglah.</div><div class="li2">These were born to David in Hebron.</div><div class="s1">Abner Goes Over to David</div><div class="p"> 6During the war between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner had been strengthening his own position in the house of Saul. 7Now Saul had had a concubine named Rizpah daughter of Aiah. And Ish-Bosheth said to Abner, &#8220;Why did you sleep with my father&#8217;s concubine?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8Abner was very angry because of what Ish-Bosheth said. So he answered, &#8220;Am I a dog&#8217;s head&#8212;on Judah&#8217;s side? This very day I am loyal to the house of your father Saul and to his family and friends. I haven&#8217;t handed you over to David. Yet now you accuse me of an offense involving this woman! 9May God deal with Abner, be it ever so severely, if I do not do for David what the Lord promised him on oath 10and transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and establish David&#8217;s throne over Israel and Judah from Dan to Beersheba.&#8221; 11Ish-Bosheth did not dare to say another word to Abner, because he was afraid of him.</div><div class="p"> 12Then Abner sent messengers on his behalf to say to David, &#8220;Whose land is it? Make an agreement with me, and I will help you bring all Israel over to you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13&#8220;Good,&#8221; said David. &#8220;I will make an agreement with you. But I demand one thing of you: Do not come into my presence unless you bring Michal daughter of Saul when you come to see me.&#8221; 14Then David sent messengers to Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, demanding, &#8220;Give me my wife Michal, whom I betrothed to myself for the price of a hundred Philistine foreskins.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15So Ish-Bosheth gave orders and had her taken away from her husband Paltiel son of Laish. 16Her husband, however, went with her, weeping behind her all the way to Bahurim. Then Abner said to him, &#8220;Go back home!&#8221; So he went back.</div><div class="p"> 17Abner conferred with the elders of Israel and said, &#8220;For some time you have wanted to make David your king. 18Now do it! For the Lord promised David, &#8216;By my servant David I will rescue my people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and from the hand of all their enemies.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 19Abner also spoke to the Benjamites in person. Then he went to Hebron to tell David everything that Israel and the whole tribe of Benjamin wanted to do. 20When Abner, who had twenty men with him, came to David at Hebron, David prepared a feast for him and his men. 21Then Abner said to David, &#8220;Let me go at once and assemble all Israel for my lord the king, so that they may make a covenant with you, and that you may rule over all that your heart desires.&#8221; So David sent Abner away, and he went in peace.</div><div class="s1">Joab Murders Abner</div><div class="p"> 22Just then David&#8217;s men and Joab returned from a raid and brought with them a great deal of plunder. But Abner was no longer with David in Hebron, because David had sent him away, and he had gone in peace. 23When Joab and all the soldiers with him arrived, he was told that Abner son of Ner had come to the king and that the king had sent him away and that he had gone in peace.</div><div class="p"> 24So Joab went to the king and said, &#8220;What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you let him go? Now he is gone! 25You know Abner son of Ner; he came to deceive you and observe your movements and find out everything you are doing.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 26Joab then left David and sent messengers after Abner, and they brought him back from the cistern at Sirah. But David did not know it. 27Now when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into an inner chamber, as if to speak with him privately. And there, to avenge the blood of his brother Asahel, Joab stabbed him in the stomach, and he died.</div><div class="p"> 28Later, when David heard about this, he said, &#8220;I and my kingdom are forever innocent before the Lord concerning the blood of Abner son of Ner. 29May his blood fall on the head of Joab and on his whole family! May Joab&#8217;s family never be without someone who has a running sore or leprosy#3:29 The Hebrew for leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin. or who leans on a crutch or who falls by the sword or who lacks food.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 30(Joab and his brother Abishai murdered Abner because he had killed their brother Asahel in the battle at Gibeon.)</div><div class="p"> 31Then David said to Joab and all the people with him, &#8220;Tear your clothes and put on sackcloth and walk in mourning in front of Abner.&#8221; King David himself walked behind the bier. 32They buried Abner in Hebron, and the king wept aloud at Abner&#8217;s tomb. All the people wept also.</div><div class="p"> 33The king sang this lament for Abner:</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Should Abner have died as the lawless die?</div><div class="q2"> 34Your hands were not bound,</div><div class="q2">your feet were not fettered.</div><div class="q1">You fell as one falls before the wicked.&#8221;</div><div class="p">And all the people wept over him again.</div><div class="p"> 35Then they all came and urged David to eat something while it was still day; but David took an oath, saying, &#8220;May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if I taste bread or anything else before the sun sets!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 36All the people took note and were pleased; indeed, everything the king did pleased them. 37So on that day all the people there and all Israel knew that the king had no part in the murder of Abner son of Ner.</div><div class="p"> 38Then the king said to his men, &#8220;Do you not realize that a commander and a great man has fallen in Israel this day? 39And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds!&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2SA">
 <div class="chapter ch4" data-usfm="2SA.4">
 <div class="label">4</div><div class="s1">Ish-Bosheth Murdered</div><div class="p"> 1When Ish-Bosheth son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he lost courage, and all Israel became alarmed. 2Now Saul&#8217;s son had two men who were leaders of raiding bands. One was named Baanah and the other Rekab; they were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite from the tribe of Benjamin&#8212;Beeroth is considered part of Benjamin, 3because the people of Beeroth fled to Gittaim and have resided there as foreigners to this day.</div><div class="p"> 4(Jonathan son of Saul had a son who was lame in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but as she hurried to leave, he fell and became disabled. His name was Mephibosheth.)</div><div class="p"> 5Now Rekab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, set out for the house of Ish-Bosheth, and they arrived there in the heat of the day while he was taking his noonday rest. 6They went into the inner part of the house as if to get some wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rekab and his brother Baanah slipped away.</div><div class="p"> 7They had gone into the house while he was lying on the bed in his bedroom. After they stabbed and killed him, they cut off his head. Taking it with them, they traveled all night by way of the Arabah. 8They brought the head of Ish-Bosheth to David at Hebron and said to the king, &#8220;Here is the head of Ish-Bosheth son of Saul, your enemy, who tried to kill you. This day the Lord has avenged my lord the king against Saul and his offspring.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9David answered Rekab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, &#8220;As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, 10when someone told me, &#8216;Saul is dead,&#8217; and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him for his news! 11How much more&#8212;when wicked men have killed an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed&#8212;should I not now demand his blood from your hand and rid the earth of you!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12So David gave an order to his men, and they killed them. They cut off their hands and feet and hung the bodies by the pool in Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-Bosheth and buried it in Abner&#8217;s tomb at Hebron.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2SA">
 <div class="chapter ch5" data-usfm="2SA.5">
 <div class="label">5</div><div class="s1">David Becomes King Over Israel</div><div class="p"> 1All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, &#8220;We are your own flesh and blood. 2In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord said to you, &#8216;You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3When all the elders of Israel had come to King David at Hebron, the king made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel.</div><div class="p"> 4David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. 5In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years.</div><div class="s1">David Conquers Jerusalem</div><div class="p"> 6The king and his men marched to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites, who lived there. The Jebusites said to David, &#8220;You will not get in here; even the blind and the lame can ward you off.&#8221; They thought, &#8220;David cannot get in here.&#8221; 7Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion&#8212;which is the City of David.</div><div class="p"> 8On that day David had said, &#8220;Anyone who conquers the Jebusites will have to use the water shaft to reach those &#8216;lame and blind&#8217; who are David&#8217;s enemies.#5:8 Or are hated by David&#8221; That is why they say, &#8220;The &#8216;blind and lame&#8217; will not enter the palace.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9David then took up residence in the fortress and called it the City of David. He built up the area around it, from the terraces#5:9 Or the Millo inward. 10And he became more and more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him.</div><div class="p"> 11Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs and carpenters and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David. 12Then David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel and had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.</div><div class="p"> 13After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him. 14These are the names of the children born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 15Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, 16Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.</div><div class="s1">David Defeats the Philistines</div><div class="p"> 17When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up in full force to search for him, but David heard about it and went down to the stronghold. 18Now the Philistines had come and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; 19so David inquired of the Lord, &#8220;Shall I go and attack the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?&#8221;</div><div class="p">The Lord answered him, &#8220;Go, for I will surely deliver the Philistines into your hands.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20So David went to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, &#8220;As waters break out, the Lord has broken out against my enemies before me.&#8221; So that place was called Baal Perazim.#5:20 Baal Perazim means the lord who breaks out. 21The Philistines abandoned their idols there, and David and his men carried them off.</div><div class="p"> 22Once more the Philistines came up and spread out in the Valley of Rephaim; 23so David inquired of the Lord, and he answered, &#8220;Do not go straight up, but circle around behind them and attack them in front of the poplar trees. 24As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the poplar trees, move quickly, because that will mean the Lord has gone out in front of you to strike the Philistine army.&#8221; 25So David did as the Lord commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines all the way from Gibeon#5:25 Septuagint (see also 1 Chron. 14:16); Hebrew Geba to Gezer.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2SA">
 <div class="chapter ch6" data-usfm="2SA.6">
 <div class="label">6</div><div class="s1">The Ark Brought to Jerusalem</div><div class="p"> 1David again brought together all the able young men of Israel&#8212;thirty thousand. 2He and all his men went to Baalah#6:2 That is, Kiriath Jearim (see 1 Chron. 13:6) in Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name,#6:2 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate do not have the Name. the name of the Lord Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim on the ark. 3They set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart 4with the ark of God on it,#6:3,4 Dead Sea Scrolls and some Septuagint manuscripts; Masoretic Text cart 4 and they brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill and Ahio was walking in front of it. 5David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets,#6:5 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint (see also 1 Chron. 13:8) songs harps, lyres, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals.</div><div class="p"> 6When they came to the threshing floor of Nakon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. 7The Lord&#8217;s anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down, and he died there beside the ark of God.</div><div class="p"> 8Then David was angry because the Lord&#8217;s wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah.#6:8 Perez Uzzah means outbreak against Uzzah.</div><div class="p"> 9David was afraid of the Lord that day and said, &#8220;How can the ark of the Lord ever come to me?&#8221; 10He was not willing to take the ark of the Lord to be with him in the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 11The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed him and his entire household.</div><div class="p"> 12Now King David was told, &#8220;The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God.&#8221; So David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. 13When those who were carrying the ark of the Lord had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. 14Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, 15while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.</div><div class="p"> 16As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal daughter of Saul watched from a window. And when she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart.</div><div class="p"> 17They brought the ark of the Lord and set it in its place inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and David sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord. 18After he had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord Almighty. 19Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to each person in the whole crowd of Israelites, both men and women. And all the people went to their homes.</div><div class="p"> 20When David returned home to bless his household, Michal daughter of Saul came out to meet him and said, &#8220;How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 21David said to Michal, &#8220;It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord&#8217;s people Israel&#8212;I will celebrate before the Lord. 22I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 23And Michal daughter of Saul had no children to the day of her death.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2SA">
 <div class="chapter ch7" data-usfm="2SA.7">
 <div class="label">7</div><div class="s1">God&#8217;s Promise to David</div><div class="p"> 1After the king was settled in his palace and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, 2he said to Nathan the prophet, &#8220;Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of God remains in a tent.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 3Nathan replied to the king, &#8220;Whatever you have in mind, go ahead and do it, for the Lord is with you.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4But that night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying:</div><div class="pm"> 5&#8220;Go and tell my servant David, &#8216;This is what the Lord says: Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? 6I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day. I have been moving from place to place with a tent as my dwelling. 7Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their rulers whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, &#8220;Why have you not built me a house of cedar?&#8221;&#8198;&#8217;</div><div class="pm"> 8&#8220;Now then, tell my servant David, &#8216;This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler over my people Israel. 9I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. 10And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 11and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders#7:11 Traditionally judges over my people Israel. I will also give you rest from all your enemies.</div><div class="pm">&#8220;&#8198;&#8216;The Lord declares to you that the Lord himself will establish a house for you: 12When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. 13He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him with a rod wielded by men, with floggings inflicted by human hands. 15But my love will never be taken away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me#7:16 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts you; your throne will be established forever.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.</div><div class="s1">David&#8217;s Prayer</div><div class="p"> 18Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:</div><div class="pm">&#8220;Who am I, Sovereign Lord, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 19And as if this were not enough in your sight, Sovereign Lord, you have also spoken about the future of the house of your servant&#8212;and this decree, Sovereign Lord, is for a mere human!#7:19 Or for the human race</div><div class="pm"> 20&#8220;What more can David say to you? For you know your servant, Sovereign Lord. 21For the sake of your word and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made it known to your servant.</div><div class="pm"> 22&#8220;How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. 23And who is like your people Israel&#8212;the one nation on earth that God went out to redeem as a people for himself, and to make a name for himself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations and their gods from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt?#7:23 See Septuagint and 1 Chron. 17:21; Hebrew wonders for your land and before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt, from the nations and their gods. 24You have established your people Israel as your very own forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.</div><div class="pm"> 25&#8220;And now, Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised, 26so that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, &#8216;The Lord Almighty is God over Israel!&#8217; And the house of your servant David will be established in your sight.</div><div class="pm"> 27&#8220;Lord Almighty, God of Israel, you have revealed this to your servant, saying, &#8216;I will build a house for you.&#8217; So your servant has found courage to pray this prayer to you. 28Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your covenant is trustworthy, and you have promised these good things to your servant. 29Now be pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight; for you, Sovereign Lord, have spoken, and with your blessing the house of your servant will be blessed forever.&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2SA">
 <div class="chapter ch8" data-usfm="2SA.8">
 <div class="label">8</div><div class="s1">David&#8217;s Victories</div><div class="p"> 1In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Metheg Ammah from the control of the Philistines.</div><div class="p"> 2David also defeated the Moabites. He made them lie down on the ground and measured them off with a length of cord. Every two lengths of them were put to death, and the third length was allowed to live. So the Moabites became subject to David and brought him tribute.</div><div class="p"> 3Moreover, David defeated Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his monument at#8:3 Or his control along the Euphrates River. 4David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand charioteers#8:4 Septuagint (see also Dead Sea Scrolls and 1 Chron. 18:4); Masoretic Text captured seventeen hundred of his charioteers and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung all but a hundred of the chariot horses.</div><div class="p"> 5When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of them. 6He put garrisons in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to him and brought tribute. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.</div><div class="p"> 7David took the gold shields that belonged to the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. 8From Tebah#8:8 See some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 18:8); Hebrew Betah. and Berothai, towns that belonged to Hadadezer, King David took a great quantity of bronze.</div><div class="p"> 9When Tou#8:9 Hebrew Toi, a variant of Tou; also in verse 10 king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, 10he sent his son Joram#8:10 A variant of Hadoram to King David to greet him and congratulate him on his victory in battle over Hadadezer, who had been at war with Tou. Joram brought with him articles of silver, of gold and of bronze.</div><div class="p"> 11King David dedicated these articles to the Lord, as he had done with the silver and gold from all the nations he had subdued: 12Edom#8:12 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Syriac (see also 1 Chron. 18:11); most Hebrew manuscripts Aram and Moab, the Ammonites and the Philistines, and Amalek. He also dedicated the plunder taken from Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.</div><div class="p"> 13And David became famous after he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites#8:13 A few Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint and Syriac (see also 1 Chron. 18:12); most Hebrew manuscripts Aram (that is, Arameans) in the Valley of Salt.</div><div class="p"> 14He put garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites became subject to David. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.</div><div class="s1">David&#8217;s Officials</div><div class="p"> 15David reigned over all Israel, doing what was just and right for all his people. 16Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder; 17Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelek son of Abiathar were priests; Seraiah was secretary; 18Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites; and David&#8217;s sons were priests.#8:18 Or were chief officials (see Septuagint and Targum; see also 1 Chron. 18:17)</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2SA">
 <div class="chapter ch9" data-usfm="2SA.9">
 <div class="label">9</div><div class="s1">David and Mephibosheth</div><div class="p"> 1David asked, &#8220;Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan&#8217;s sake?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 2Now there was a servant of Saul&#8217;s household named Ziba. They summoned him to appear before David, and the king said to him, &#8220;Are you Ziba?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;At your service,&#8221; he replied.</div><div class="p"> 3The king asked, &#8220;Is there no one still alive from the house of Saul to whom I can show God&#8217;s kindness?&#8221;</div><div class="p">Ziba answered the king, &#8220;There is still a son of Jonathan; he is lame in both feet.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4&#8220;Where is he?&#8221; the king asked.</div><div class="p">Ziba answered, &#8220;He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 5So King David had him brought from Lo Debar, from the house of Makir son of Ammiel.</div><div class="p"> 6When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed down to pay him honor.</div><div class="p">David said, &#8220;Mephibosheth!&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;At your service,&#8221; he replied.</div><div class="p"> 7&#8220;Don&#8217;t be afraid,&#8221; David said to him, &#8220;for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8Mephibosheth bowed down and said, &#8220;What is your servant, that you should notice a dead dog like me?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 9Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul&#8217;s steward, and said to him, &#8220;I have given your master&#8217;s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and his family. 10You and your sons and your servants are to farm the land for him and bring in the crops, so that your master&#8217;s grandson may be provided for. And Mephibosheth, grandson of your master, will always eat at my table.&#8221; (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)</div><div class="p"> 11Then Ziba said to the king, &#8220;Your servant will do whatever my lord the king commands his servant to do.&#8221; So Mephibosheth ate at David&#8217;s#9:11 Septuagint; Hebrew my table like one of the king&#8217;s sons.</div><div class="p"> 12Mephibosheth had a young son named Mika, and all the members of Ziba&#8217;s household were servants of Mephibosheth. 13And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king&#8217;s table; he was lame in both feet.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2SA">
 <div class="chapter ch10" data-usfm="2SA.10">
 <div class="label">10</div><div class="s1">David Defeats the Ammonites</div><div class="p"> 1In the course of time, the king of the Ammonites died, and his son Hanun succeeded him as king. 2David thought, &#8220;I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.&#8221; So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father.</div><div class="p">When David&#8217;s men came to the land of the Ammonites, 3the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun their lord, &#8220;Do you think David is honoring your father by sending envoys to you to express sympathy? Hasn&#8217;t David sent them to you only to explore the city and spy it out and overthrow it?&#8221; 4So Hanun seized David&#8217;s envoys, shaved off half of each man&#8217;s beard, cut off their garments at the buttocks, and sent them away.</div><div class="p"> 5When David was told about this, he sent messengers to meet the men, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, &#8220;Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6When the Ammonites realized that they had become obnoxious to David, they hired twenty thousand Aramean foot soldiers from Beth Rehob and Zobah, as well as the king of Maakah with a thousand men, and also twelve thousand men from Tob.</div><div class="p"> 7On hearing this, David sent Joab out with the entire army of fighting men. 8The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance of their city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maakah were by themselves in the open country.</div><div class="p"> 9Joab saw that there were battle lines in front of him and behind him; so he selected some of the best troops in Israel and deployed them against the Arameans. 10He put the rest of the men under the command of Abishai his brother and deployed them against the Ammonites. 11Joab said, &#8220;If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you are to come to my rescue; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to rescue you. 12Be strong, and let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his sight.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13Then Joab and the troops with him advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him. 14When the Ammonites realized that the Arameans were fleeing, they fled before Abishai and went inside the city. So Joab returned from fighting the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem.</div><div class="p"> 15After the Arameans saw that they had been routed by Israel, they regrouped. 16Hadadezer had Arameans brought from beyond the Euphrates River; they went to Helam, with Shobak the commander of Hadadezer&#8217;s army leading them.</div><div class="p"> 17When David was told of this, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan and went to Helam. The Arameans formed their battle lines to meet David and fought against him. 18But they fled before Israel, and David killed seven hundred of their charioteers and forty thousand of their foot soldiers.#10:18 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also 1 Chron. 19:18); Hebrew horsemen He also struck down Shobak the commander of their army, and he died there. 19When all the kings who were vassals of Hadadezer saw that they had been routed by Israel, they made peace with the Israelites and became subject to them.</div><div class="p">So the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2SA">
 <div class="chapter ch11" data-usfm="2SA.11">
 <div class="label">11</div><div class="s1">David and Bathsheba</div><div class="p"> 1In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king&#8217;s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem.</div><div class="p"> 2One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, 3and David sent someone to find out about her. The man said, &#8220;She is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.&#8221; 4Then David sent messengers to get her. She came to him, and he slept with her. (Now she was purifying herself from her monthly uncleanness.) Then she went back home. 5The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, &#8220;I am pregnant.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 6So David sent this word to Joab: &#8220;Send me Uriah the Hittite.&#8221; And Joab sent him to David. 7When Uriah came to him, David asked him how Joab was, how the soldiers were and how the war was going. 8Then David said to Uriah, &#8220;Go down to your house and wash your feet.&#8221; So Uriah left the palace, and a gift from the king was sent after him. 9But Uriah slept at the entrance to the palace with all his master&#8217;s servants and did not go down to his house.</div><div class="p"> 10David was told, &#8220;Uriah did not go home.&#8221; So he asked Uriah, &#8220;Haven&#8217;t you just come from a military campaign? Why didn&#8217;t you go home?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11Uriah said to David, &#8220;The ark and Israel and Judah are staying in tents,#11:11 Or staying at Sukkoth and my commander Joab and my lord&#8217;s men are camped in the open country. How could I go to my house to eat and drink and make love to my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12Then David said to him, &#8220;Stay here one more day, and tomorrow I will send you back.&#8221; So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next. 13At David&#8217;s invitation, he ate and drank with him, and David made him drunk. But in the evening Uriah went out to sleep on his mat among his master&#8217;s servants; he did not go home.</div><div class="p"> 14In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. 15In it he wrote, &#8220;Put Uriah out in front where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 16So while Joab had the city under siege, he put Uriah at a place where he knew the strongest defenders were. 17When the men of the city came out and fought against Joab, some of the men in David&#8217;s army fell; moreover, Uriah the Hittite died.</div><div class="p"> 18Joab sent David a full account of the battle. 19He instructed the messenger: &#8220;When you have finished giving the king this account of the battle, 20the king&#8217;s anger may flare up, and he may ask you, &#8216;Why did you get so close to the city to fight? Didn&#8217;t you know they would shoot arrows from the wall? 21Who killed Abimelek son of Jerub-Besheth#11:21 Also known as Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon)? Didn&#8217;t a woman drop an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you get so close to the wall?&#8217; If he asks you this, then say to him, &#8216;Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22The messenger set out, and when he arrived he told David everything Joab had sent him to say. 23The messenger said to David, &#8220;The men overpowered us and came out against us in the open, but we drove them back to the entrance of the city gate. 24Then the archers shot arrows at your servants from the wall, and some of the king&#8217;s men died. Moreover, your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 25David told the messenger, &#8220;Say this to Joab: &#8216;Don&#8217;t let this upset you; the sword devours one as well as another. Press the attack against the city and destroy it.&#8217; Say this to encourage Joab.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 26When Uriah&#8217;s wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. 27After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the Lord.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2SA">
 <div class="chapter ch12" data-usfm="2SA.12">
 <div class="label">12</div><div class="s1">Nathan Rebukes David</div><div class="p"> 1The Lord sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, &#8220;There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor. 2The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle, 3but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.</div><div class="p"> 4&#8220;Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 5David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, &#8220;As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this must die! 6He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7Then Nathan said to David, &#8220;You are the man! This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: &#8216;I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. 8I gave your master&#8217;s house to you, and your master&#8217;s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. 9Why did you despise the word of the Lord by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.&#8217;</div><div class="p"> 11&#8220;This is what the Lord says: &#8216;Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. 12You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13Then David said to Nathan, &#8220;I have sinned against the Lord.&#8221;</div><div class="p">Nathan replied, &#8220;The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. 14But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for#12:14 An ancient Hebrew scribal tradition; Masoretic Text for the enemies of the Lord, the son born to you will die.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15After Nathan had gone home, the Lord struck the child that Uriah&#8217;s wife had borne to David, and he became ill. 16David pleaded with God for the child. He fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth#12:16 Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; Masoretic Text does not have in sackcloth. on the ground. 17The elders of his household stood beside him to get him up from the ground, but he refused, and he would not eat any food with them.</div><div class="p"> 18On the seventh day the child died. David&#8217;s attendants were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they thought, &#8220;While the child was still living, he wouldn&#8217;t listen to us when we spoke to him. How can we now tell him the child is dead? He may do something desperate.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 19David noticed that his attendants were whispering among themselves, and he realized the child was dead. &#8220;Is the child dead?&#8221; he asked.</div><div class="p">&#8220;Yes,&#8221; they replied, &#8220;he is dead.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 20Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.</div><div class="p"> 21His attendants asked him, &#8220;Why are you acting this way? While the child was alive, you fasted and wept, but now that the child is dead, you get up and eat!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 22He answered, &#8220;While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, &#8216;Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.&#8217; 23But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 24Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and made love to her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. The Lord loved him; 25and because the Lord loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah.#12:25 Jedidiah means loved by the Lord.</div><div class="p"> 26Meanwhile Joab fought against Rabbah of the Ammonites and captured the royal citadel. 27Joab then sent messengers to David, saying, &#8220;I have fought against Rabbah and taken its water supply. 28Now muster the rest of the troops and besiege the city and capture it. Otherwise I will take the city, and it will be named after me.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 29So David mustered the entire army and went to Rabbah, and attacked and captured it. 30David took the crown from their king&#8217;s#12:30 Or from Milkom&#8217;s (that is, Molek&#8217;s) head, and it was placed on his own head. It weighed a talent#12:30 That is, about 75 pounds or about 34 kilograms of gold, and it was set with precious stones. David took a great quantity of plunder from the city 31and brought out the people who were there, consigning them to labor with saws and with iron picks and axes, and he made them work at brickmaking.#12:31 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain. David did this to all the Ammonite towns. Then he and his entire army returned to Jerusalem.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkPSA">
 <div class="chapter ch2" data-usfm="PSA.2">
 <div class="label">2</div><div class="cl">Psalm 2</div><div class="q1"> 1Why do the nations conspire#2:1 Hebrew; Septuagint rage</div><div class="q2">and the peoples plot in vain?</div><div class="q1"> 2The kings of the earth rise up</div><div class="q2">and the rulers band together</div><div class="q2">against the Lord and against his anointed, saying,</div><div class="q1"> 3&#8220;Let us break their chains</div><div class="q2">and throw off their shackles.&#8221;</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 4The One enthroned in heaven laughs;</div><div class="q2">the Lord scoffs at them.</div><div class="q1"> 5He rebukes them in his anger</div><div class="q2">and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,</div><div class="q1"> 6&#8220;I have installed my king</div><div class="q2">on Zion, my holy mountain.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 7I will proclaim the Lord&#8217;s decree:</div><div class="q1">He said to me, &#8220;You are my son;</div><div class="q2">today I have become your father.</div><div class="q1"> 8Ask me,</div><div class="q2">and I will make the nations your inheritance,</div><div class="q2">the ends of the earth your possession.</div><div class="q1"> 9You will break them with a rod of iron#2:9 Or will rule them with an iron scepter (see Septuagint and Syriac);</div><div class="q2">you will dash them to pieces like pottery.&#8221;</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 10Therefore, you kings, be wise;</div><div class="q2">be warned, you rulers of the earth.</div><div class="q1"> 11Serve the Lord with fear</div><div class="q2">and celebrate his rule with trembling.</div><div class="q1"> 12Kiss his son, or he will be angry</div><div class="q2">and your way will lead to your destruction,</div><div class="q1">for his wrath can flare up in a moment.</div><div class="q2">Blessed are all who take refuge in him.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkPSA">
 <div class="chapter ch51" data-usfm="PSA.51">
 <div class="label">51</div><div class="cl">Psalm 51#In Hebrew texts 51:1-19 is numbered 51:3-21.</div><div class="d">For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.</div><div class="q1"> 1Have mercy on me, O God,</div><div class="q2">according to your unfailing love;</div><div class="q1">according to your great compassion</div><div class="q2">blot out my transgressions.</div><div class="q1"> 2Wash away all my iniquity</div><div class="q2">and cleanse me from my sin.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 3For I know my transgressions,</div><div class="q2">and my sin is always before me.</div><div class="q1"> 4Against you, you only, have I sinned</div><div class="q2">and done what is evil in your sight;</div><div class="q1">so you are right in your verdict</div><div class="q2">and justified when you judge.</div><div class="q1"> 5Surely I was sinful at birth,</div><div class="q2">sinful from the time my mother conceived me.</div><div class="q1"> 6Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;</div><div class="q2">you taught me wisdom in that secret place.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 7Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;</div><div class="q2">wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.</div><div class="q1"> 8Let me hear joy and gladness;</div><div class="q2">let the bones you have crushed rejoice.</div><div class="q1"> 9Hide your face from my sins</div><div class="q2">and blot out all my iniquity.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 10Create in me a pure heart, O God,</div><div class="q2">and renew a steadfast spirit within me.</div><div class="q1"> 11Do not cast me from your presence</div><div class="q2">or take your Holy Spirit from me.</div><div class="q1"> 12Restore to me the joy of your salvation</div><div class="q2">and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 13Then I will teach transgressors your ways,</div><div class="q2">so that sinners will turn back to you.</div><div class="q1"> 14Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,</div><div class="q2">you who are God my Savior,</div><div class="q2">and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.</div><div class="q1"> 15Open my lips, Lord,</div><div class="q2">and my mouth will declare your praise.</div><div class="q1"> 16You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;</div><div class="q2">you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.</div><div class="q1"> 17My sacrifice, O God, is#51:17 Or The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;</div><div class="q2">a broken and contrite heart</div><div class="q2">you, God, will not despise.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 18May it please you to prosper Zion,</div><div class="q2">to build up the walls of Jerusalem.</div><div class="q1"> 19Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,</div><div class="q2">in burnt offerings offered whole;</div><div class="q2">then bulls will be offered on your altar.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkPSA">
 <div class="chapter ch60" data-usfm="PSA.60">
 <div class="label">60</div><div class="cl">Psalm 60#In Hebrew texts 60:1-12 is numbered 60:3-14.</div><div class="d">For the director of music. To the tune of &#8220;The Lily of the Covenant.&#8221; A miktam#Title: Probably a literary or musical term of David. For teaching. When he fought Aram Naharaim#Title: That is, Arameans of Northwest Mesopotamia and Aram Zobah,#Title: That is, Arameans of central Syria and when Joab returned and struck down twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.</div><div class="q1"> 1You have rejected us, God, and burst upon us;</div><div class="q2">you have been angry&#8212;now restore us!</div><div class="q1"> 2You have shaken the land and torn it open;</div><div class="q2">mend its fractures, for it is quaking.</div><div class="q1"> 3You have shown your people desperate times;</div><div class="q2">you have given us wine that makes us stagger.</div><div class="q1"> 4But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner</div><div class="q2">to be unfurled against the bow.#60:4 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 5Save us and help us with your right hand,</div><div class="q2">that those you love may be delivered.</div><div class="q1"> 6God has spoken from his sanctuary:</div><div class="q2">&#8220;In triumph I will parcel out Shechem</div><div class="q2">and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.</div><div class="q1"> 7Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine;</div><div class="q2">Ephraim is my helmet,</div><div class="q2">Judah is my scepter.</div><div class="q1"> 8Moab is my washbasin,</div><div class="q2">on Edom I toss my sandal;</div><div class="q2">over Philistia I shout in triumph.&#8221;</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 9Who will bring me to the fortified city?</div><div class="q2">Who will lead me to Edom?</div><div class="q1"> 10Is it not you, God, you who have now rejected us</div><div class="q2">and no longer go out with our armies?</div><div class="q1"> 11Give us aid against the enemy,</div><div class="q2">for human help is worthless.</div><div class="q1"> 12With God we will gain the victory,</div><div class="q2">and he will trample down our enemies.</div>
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