2 Samuel 9
David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth
1Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may ashow him 1kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
2And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was bZiba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” He said, “At your service!”
3Then the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show cthe kindness of God?” And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is dlame in his feet.”
4So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of eMachir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.”
5Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.
6Now when fMephibosheth2 the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?” And he answered, “Here is your servant!”
7So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”
8Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such ga dead dog as I?”
9And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, h“I have given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house.
10“You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son ishall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had jfifteen sons and twenty servants.
11Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do.” “As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at 3my table like one of the king’s sons.”
12Mephibosheth had a young son kwhose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth.
13So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, lfor he ate continually at the king’s table. And he mwas lame in both his feet.
2 Samuel 10
The Ammonites and Syrians Defeated
(1 Chr. 19:1–19)
1It happened after this that the aking of the people of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his place.
2Then David said, “I will show bkindness to Hanun the son of cNahash, as his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent by the hand of his servants to comfort him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the people of Ammon.
3And the princes of the people of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think that David really honors your father because he has sent comforters to you? Has David not rather sent his servants to you to search the city, to spy it out, and to overthrow it?”
4Therefore Hanun took David’s servants, shaved off half of their beards, cut off their garments in the middle, dat their buttocks, and sent them away.
5When they told David, he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly 1ashamed. And the king said, “Wait at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return.”
6When the people of Ammon saw that they ehad made themselves repulsive to David, the people of Ammon sent and hired fthe Syrians of gBeth Rehob and the Syrians of Zoba, twenty thousand foot soldiers; and from the king of hMaacah one thousand men, and from iIsh-Tob twelve thousand men.
7Now when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of jthe mighty men.
8Then the people of Ammon came out and put themselves in battle array at the entrance of the gate. And kthe Syrians of Zoba, Beth Rehob, Ish-Tob, and Maacah were by themselves in the field.
9When Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind, he chose some of Israel’s best and put them in battle array against the Syrians.
10And the rest of the people he put under the command of lAbishai his brother, that he might set them in battle array against the people of Ammon.
11Then he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come and help you.
12m“Be of good courage, and let us nbe strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may othe LORD do what is good in His sight.”
13So Joab and the people who were with him drew near for the battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him.
14When the people of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fleeing, they also fled before Abishai, and entered the city. So Joab returned from the people of Ammon and went to pJerusalem.
15When the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they gathered together.
16Then 2Hadadezer sent and brought out the Syrians who were beyond 3the River, and they came to Helam. And 4Shobach the commander of Hadadezer’s army went before them.
17When it was told David, he gathered all Israel, crossed over the Jordan, and came to Helam. And the Syrians set themselves in battle array against David and fought with him.
18Then the Syrians fled before Israel; and David killed seven hundred charioteers and forty thousand qhorsemen of the Syrians, and struck Shobach the commander of their army, who died there.
19And when all the kings who were servants to 5Hadadezer saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and rserved them. So the Syrians were afraid to help the people of Ammon anymore.
2 Samuel 11
David, Bathsheba, and Uriah
1It happened in the spring of the year, at the atime when kings go out to battle, that bDavid sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged cRabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.
2Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed dand walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he esaw a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.
3So David sent and inquired about the woman. And someone said, “Is this not 1Bathsheba, the daughter of 2Eliam, the wife fof Uriah the gHittite?”
4Then David sent messengers, and took her; and she came to him, and hhe lay with her, for she was icleansed from her impurity; and she returned to her house.
5And the woman conceived; so she sent and told David, and said, “I am with child.”
6Then David sent to Joab, saying, “Send me Uriah the Hittite.” And Joab sent Uriah to David.
7When Uriah had come to him, David asked how Joab was doing, and how the people were doing, and how the war prospered.
8And David said to Uriah, “Go down to your house and jwash your feet.” So Uriah departed from the king’s house, and a gift of food from the king followed him.
9But Uriah slept at the kdoor of the king’s house with all the servants of his lord, and did not go down to his house.
10So when they told David, saying, “Uriah did not go down to his house,” David said to Uriah, “Did you not come from a journey? Why did you not go down to your house?”
11And Uriah said to David, l“The ark and Israel and Judah are dwelling in tents, and mmy lord Joab and the servants of my lord are encamped in the open fields. Shall I then go to my house to eat and drink, and to lie with my wife? As you live, and as your soul lives, I will not do this thing.”
12Then David said to Uriah, “Wait here today also, and tomorrow I will let you depart.” So Uriah remained in Jerusalem that day and the next.
13Now when David called him, he ate and drank before him; and he made him ndrunk. And at evening he went out to lie on his bed owith the servants of his lord, but he did not go down to his house.
14In the morning it happened that David pwrote a letter to Joab and sent it by the hand of Uriah.
15And he wrote in the letter, saying, “Set Uriah in the forefront of the 3hottest battle, and retr
eat from him, that he may qbe struck down and die.”
16So it was, while Joab besieged the city, that he assigned Uriah to a place where he knew there were valiant men.
17Then the men of the city came out and fought with Joab. And some of the people of the servants of David fell; and Uriah the Hittite died also.
18Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war,
19and charged the messenger, saying, “When you have finished telling the matters of the war to the king,
20“if it happens that the king’s wrath rises, and he says to you: ‘Why did you approach so near to the city when you fought? Did you not know that they would shoot from the wall?
21‘Who struck rAbimelech the son of 4Jerubbesheth? Was it not a woman who cast a piece of a millstone on him from the wall, so that he died in Thebez? Why did you go near the wall?’—then you shall say, ‘Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.’ ”
22So the messenger went, and came and told David all that Joab had sent by him.
23And the messenger said to David, “Surely the men prevailed against us and came out to us in the field; then we drove them back as far as the entrance of the gate.
24“The archers shot from the wall at your servants; 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 say to Joab: ‘Do not let this thing 5displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another. Strengthen your attack against the city, and overthrow it.’ So encourage him.”
26When the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she mourned for her husband.
27And when her mourning was over, David sent and brought her to his house, and she sbecame his wife and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done tdispleased6 the LORD.
2 Samuel 12
Nathan’s Parable and David’s Confession
1Then the LORD sent Nathan to David. And ahe came to him, and bsaid to him: “There were two men in one city, one rich and the other poor.
2“The rich man had exceedingly many flocks and herds.
3“But the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb which he had bought and nourished; and it grew up together with him and with his children. It ate of his own food and drank from his own cup and lay in his bosom; and it was like a daughter to him.
4“And a traveler came to the rich man, who refused to take from his own flock and from his own herd to prepare one for the wayfaring man who had come to him; but he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for the man who had come to him.”
5So David’s anger was greatly aroused against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the LORD lives, the man who has done this 1shall surely die!
6“And he shall restore cfourfold for the lamb, because he did this thing and because he had no pity.”
7Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I danointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.
8‘I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more!
9e‘Why have you fdespised the commandment of the LORD, to do evil in His sight? gYou have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon.
10‘Now therefore, hthe sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me, and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’
11“Thus says the LORD: ‘Behold, I will raise up adversity against you from your own house; and I will itake your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun.
12‘For you did it secretly, jbut I will do this thing before all Israel, before the sun.’ ”
13kSo David said to Nathan, l“I have sinned against the LORD.” And Nathan said to David, “The LORD also has mput away your sin; you shall not die.
14“However, because by this deed you have given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD nto blaspheme, the child also who is born to you shall surely die.”
15Then Nathan departed to his house.
The Death of David’s Son
And the oLORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became ill.
16David therefore pleaded with God for the child, and David fasted and went in and play all night on the ground.
17So the elders of his house arose and went to him, to raise him up from the ground. But he would not, nor did he eat food with them.
18Then on the seventh day it came to pass that the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead. For they said, “Indeed, while the child was alive, we spoke to him, and he would not heed our voice. How can we tell him that the child is dead? He may do some harm!”
19When David saw that his servants were whispering, David perceived that the child was dead. Therefore David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” And they said, “He is dead.”
20So David arose from the ground, washed and qanointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he went into the house of the LORD and rworshiped. Then he went to his own house; and when he requested, they set food before him, and he ate.
21Then his servants said to him, “What is this that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive, but when the child died, you arose and ate food.”
22And he said, “While the child was alive, I fasted and wept; sfor I said, ‘Who can tell whether 2the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’
23“But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go tto him, but uhe shall not return to me.”
Solomon Is Born
24Then David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her and lay with her. So vshe bore a son, and whe3 called his name Solomon. Now the LORD loved him,
25and He sent word by the hand of Nathan the prophet: So 4he called his name 5Jedidiah, because of the LORD.
Rabbah Is Captured
(1 Chr. 20:1–3)
26Now xJoab fought against yRabbah of the people of Ammon, and took the royal city.
27And Joab sent messengers to David, and said, “I have fought against Rabbah, and I have taken the city’s water supply.
28“Now therefore, gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called after my name.”
29So David gathered all the people together and went to Rabbah, fought against it, and took it.
30zThen he took their king’s crown from his head. Its weight was a talent of gold, with precious stones. And it was set on David’s head. Also he brought out the 6spoil of the city in great abundance.
31And he brought out the people who were in it, and put them to work with saws and iron picks and iron axes, and made them cross over to the brick works. So he did to all the cities of the people of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
2 Samuel 13
Amnon and Tamar
1After this aAbsalom’s the son of David had a lovely sister, whose name was bTamar; and cAmnon the son of David loved her.
2Amnon was so distressed over his sister Tamar that he became sick; for she was a virgin. And it was improper for Amnon to do anything to her.
3But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab dthe son of Shimeah, David’s brother. Now Jonadab was a very crafty man.
4And he said to him, “Why are you, the king’s son, becoming thinner day after day? Will you not tell me?” Amnon said to him, “I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”
5So Jonadab said to him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come and give me food, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it an
d eat it from her hand.’ ”
6Then Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill; and when the king came to see him, Amnon said to the king, “Please let Tamar my sister come and emake a couple of cakes for me in my sight, that I may eat from her hand.”
7And David sent home to Tamar, saying, “Now go to your brother Amnon’s house, and prepare food for him.”
8So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house; and he was lying down. Then she took flour and kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked the cakes.
9And she took the pan and placed them out before him, but he refused to eat. Then Amnon said, f“Have everyone go out from me.” And they all went out from him.
10Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the bedroom, that I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the cakes which she had made, and brought them to Amnon her brother in the bedroom.
11Now when she had brought them to him to eat, ghe took hold of her and said to her, “Come, lie with me, my sister.”
12But she answered him, “No, my brother, do not 1force me, for hno such thing should be done in Israel. Do not do this idisgraceful thing!
13“And I, where could I take my shame? And as for you, you would be like one of the fools in Israel. Now therefore, please speak to the king; jfor he will not withhold me from you.”
14However, he would not heed her voice; and being stronger than she, he kforced her and lay with her.
15Then Amnon hated her 2exceedingly, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. And Amnon said to her, “Arise, be gone!”
16So she said to him, “No, indeed! This evil of sending me away is worse than the other that you did to me.” But he would not listen to her.
17Then he called his servant who attended him, and said, “Here! Put this woman out, away from me, and bolt the door behind her.”
18Now she had on la robe of many colors, for the king’s virgin daughters wore such apparel. And his servant put her out and bolted the door behind her.
19Then Tamar put mashes on her head, and tore her robe of many colors that was on her, and nlaid her hand on her head and went away crying bitterly.
The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV Page 153