From the Greek Septuagint text as was used by First Century Christians

Chapter 1

¹ After Saul died and after David had returned from his battle with the Amalechites, David spent a couple of days in ZikLag. ² And on the third day, a man arrived from the camp of the army of Saul. His clothes were all torn and his face was covered with dirt. And when he reached David, he fell to the ground and bowed before him, ³ then David asked, ‘Where have you come from?’

And he said, ‘I’ve struggled to make it here from the camp of Israel.’

⁴ Then David asked, ‘What message are you bringing? Tell me!’

And he said, ‘Our army has fled the field of battle, and many have been injured and many more have been killed. Why, Saul and his son JoNathan have both been killed.’

⁵ Then David asked, ‘How do you know that both Saul and JoNathan are dead?’

⁶ And the young man said, ‘I happened to be on Mount Gilboa when I saw Saul leaning on his spear. Then the chariots and cavalry started coming toward him, so I went over to his side. ⁷ Well, when he looked behind him and saw me, he to called to me, and I replied, Look, here I am. ⁸ And he asked, Who are you? And I said, I’m an Amalechite. ⁹ And he said to me, Stand over me and kill me, because an awful darkness is coming over me! ¹⁰ So, I stood over him and put him to death, because I knew that he couldn’t survive his wound. Then I took the [turban] from his head and the armlet from his biceps, and I’ve brought them here to you, my lord.’

¹¹ Well, David started grabbing his clothes and ripping them; and all of his men started ripping their clothes, ¹² beating on their chests, and crying. Well, they fasted for the rest that day over Saul, his son JoNathan, the people of Judah, and the people of Israel who were cut down with broadswords.

¹³ Then David asked the man who brought him the message, ‘Where are you from?’

And he replied, ‘I’m the son of an Amalechite man who is living in your land.’

¹⁴ And David asked him, ‘So, why weren’t you afraid to lift your hand and kill the anointed one of Jehovah?’ ¹⁵ Then David called one of his servants and said, ‘Come here and kill him!’ So, he struck the man and he died. ¹⁶ For David said to him, ‘Your blood is on your own head, because your own mouth spoke against you when you said I have killed the anointed one of Jehovah.’

¹⁷ Then David went into mourning over Saul and his son JoNathan. ¹⁸ And to teach the sons of Judah he sang:

‘It’s written in the scroll of the righteous:
¹⁹ ‘Erect a stele, O Israel,
For those who have died in your hills;
For the mighty who’ve fallen.

²⁰ Don’t announce it in Gath;
Or announce it as good news in AshKelon’s streets,
So the daughters of Philistia aren’t happy;
So the daughters of uncircumcised do not rejoice.

²¹ May dew not fall on Gilboa;
May it not rain upon you,
There in the fields of the first fruits;
For the shield of the mighty was treated with contempt,
Saul’s shield was not anointed with oil.

²² From the blood of the slain;
From the fat of the mighty;
But JoNathan’s bow did not return empty;
The broadsword of Saul did not return baren.

²³ For Saul and JoNathan, those who were loved…
The beautiful ones were not parted;
They were handsome in life…
And they’re together in death.

They were swifter than eagles;
They conquered more than do lions.
²⁴ So, Daughters of Israel, cry over Saul,
For he dressed you in scarlet and jewels… he dressed you in clothing and jewelry of gold.

²⁵ Now the mighty have fallen in battle;
O JoNathan; You were killed in the mountains.
²⁶ I ache for you, O my brother
For, to me you were a beautiful man.

Your wonderous affection for me,
Was greater than the love of a woman.
²⁷ But now the mighty have fallen,
And their weapons of war are destroyed.’

Chapter 2

¹ After that, David asked Jehovah, ‘Should I return to one of the cities of Judah now?’

And Jehovah answered, ‘Go!’

Then David asked where he should go, and Jehovah answered, ‘To Hebron.’

² So, David moved to Hebron with his wives (AhinoAm the JezreElite, and AbiGail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite) ³ and his men; and each man [obtained] his own house. Then they all started living there in and around Hebron.

⁴ Thereafter, the men of Judea came and anointed David to rule over the house of Judah.

Then they reported to David that the men of JabIsh Gilead had put Saul’s [body] in a tomb. ⁵ So, David sent messengers to the leaders of JabIsh of Gilead, who said to them, ‘You are blest by Jehovah for showing such mercy to your lord Saul, the anointed of God, by building a tomb for him and his son JoNathan. ⁶ Now, may Jehovah give you mercy and truth, and I will treat you in the same [kind] way that you’ve treated [Saul and JoNathan]. ⁷ So, prepare yourselves and make yourselves strong, for now that your lord Saul has died, I’ve been anointed to rule over the house of Judah and to become your king!’

⁸ However, AbNer (the son of Ner), Saul’s commander-in-chief, took Saul’s son IshBosheth from his camp to ManaEm, ⁹ and set him up as the ruler over Gilead, Thasiri, JezreEl, EphraIm, BenJamin, and all the rest of Israel.

¹⁰ Well, when IshBosheth became the king over Israel, he was forty-years old; and he reigned there for two years. However, the house of Judah followed David as their ruler. ¹¹ And David reigned in Hebron for seven years and six months.

¹² Then AbNer (the son of Ner) and the servants of IshBosheth came from ManaEm to Gibeon, ¹³ and JoAb (the son of ZeruJah) and David’s servants came from Hebron and met with them at the spring of Gibeon. Then they all sat down together at the spring, with each group sitting on opposite sides of the spring. ¹⁴ And AbNer said to JoAb, ‘Have your servants get up and play in front of us.’

And JoAb said, ‘Get up!’

¹⁵ So, twelve of IshBosheth’s servants (BenJaminites) stood up, and then twelve of David’s men stood up, ¹⁶ and they all grabbed each other by the head and jabbed each other in the side with their swords, and they all fell together. So from then on, that place was known in Gibeon as ‘The Place of the Plotters.’

¹⁷ As the result, a battle started that day, which was hard fought; and AbNer and the men of Israel lost to the servants of David.

¹⁸ Now, ZeruJah had three sons who were there; JoAb, AbiShai, and AshaEl… and AshaEl was very light on his feet… like a deer in the field. ¹⁹ Well, he chased AbNer without slowing or swerving. ²⁰ And when AbNer looked back and saw him, he shouted, ‘Is that AshaEl in person?’

And he replied, ‘It’s me!’

²¹ And AbNer shouted, ‘Then turn aside and take the armor from one of your servants [and put it on].’ However, AshaEl didn’t want to slow down, because he was hot on the heels of AbNer. ²² Then AbNer said to AsaheEl, ‘You’d better turn back or I’ll have to kill you, and then; how will I ever show my face to JoAb again? ²³ What are you doing? Go back to your brother JoAb!’

However, he wasn’t willing to leave. Then AbNer threw his spear and hit him in the stomach, going completely through him, and he fell and died there under [AbNer]. Well, everyone went to the place where he fell and stood there looking [at the body].

²⁴ Now, JoAb and AbiShai also kept chasing AbNer until sunset, and they had gotten as far as the hill of AmManin in front of Gai, on the road between Gibeon and the desert. ²⁵ Then the sons of BenJamin got together to catch up with AbNer, and they had reached the top of one of the hills. ²⁶ So, AbNer called to JoAb saying, ‘Do you really think that you’ll win with your broadsword, or don’t you know that it will lead to a bitter end? Tell your people to stop chasing their brothers!’

²⁷ And JoAb said, ‘As Jehovah lives; it’s a good thing that you said this, otherwise our people would have been chasing each other all night long!’

²⁸ So, JoAb blew his trumpet, and all his people withdrew and stopped chasing after Israel, and the war ended.

²⁹ Then AbNer and his men left at sunset and marched through the night. They crossed the Jordan and returned all the way to their camp, ³⁰ and JoAb stopped chasing AbNer. Then he gathered all his men to find out how many of David’s servants had been lost, and found that he had only lost nineteen, plus AshaEl. ³¹ However David’s men had killed three hundred and sixty of the sons of BenJamin under AbNer.

³² Then they picked up AshaEl’s [body] and put it in the tomb in BethLehem where his father was buried. And JoAb and his men marched through the entire night, reaching Hebron at dawn.

Chapter 3

¹ Well, the war between the house of David and the house of Saul lasted a long time, and the house of David kept getting stronger, but the house of Saul kept getting weaker.

² In the meantime, David had sons born to him in Hebron. His first-born was AmNon through AhinoAm the JezreElite; ³ the second was DaluYa through AbiGail the Carmelite; the third was AbSalom through MaAcha the daughter of Tholmi, king of Gesir; ⁴ the fourth was Ornia through PhegGith; the fifth was Sabatia through AbiTal; ⁵ and the sixth was JetheraAm through AiGla. These were all David’s wives and all his sons who were born in Hebron.

⁶ Well, a war started between the house of Saul and the house of David when AbNer was [acting as] the king of Israel. ⁷ And Saul used to have a concubine named ResPha (the daughter of Jal). Then Saul’s son IshBosheth went to AbNer and asked, ‘Why are you [sleeping] with my father’s concubine?’

⁸ Now, this made AbNer furious with IshBosheth, and AbNer said, ‘Do you dare to speak to me like a dog after the mercy I’ve shown to the house of your father Saul, and to his family and friends? Why, I never went over to the side of the house of David, so why are you coming to me and complaining that I’ve been unjust in regard to some woman today? ⁹ As Jehovah swore by an oath to David, may God curse AbNer and add to it if I don’t do the same thing. ¹⁰ I will remove the kingship from the house of Saul and elevate the throne of David over all of Israel and Judah, from Dan to BeerSheba.’

¹¹ Well, IshBosheth didn’t say anything more, because he was so afraid.

¹² Then AbNer sent messengers to David right away (he was in ThaiLam at the time), who told him, ‘Make a treaty with me, because I’m on your side now, and I’m going to give the whole house of Israel to you.’

¹³ And David replied, ‘Good! I will make an agreement with you; however, there’s just one thing that I want to ask of you… I don’t want to see your face unless you bring Saul’s daughter Michal with you when you come.’

¹⁴ And David sent messengers to Saul’s son IshBosheth, who said, ‘Give me back my wife Michal, who I paid for with the foreskins of a hundred Philistines.’

¹⁵ So, IshBosheth sent and had her taken from her husband PhaltiEl (the son of SelLe). ¹⁶ And her husband followed her back to BarAkim, but AbNer warned him to go back, so he returned to his home.

¹⁷ Then AbNer spoke to the elders of Israel and said, ‘For a long time now, you’ve been looking for David to rule over you. ¹⁸ And this is the time for you to act, for Jehovah has said concerning David, I will deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines and all their other enemies at the hands of David!’

¹⁹ So, AbNer went and spoke to the people of the tribe of BenJamin (before he went to speak to David in Hebron), and everyone was pleased, both in the house of BenJamin and in all Israel. ²⁰ So then, AbNer came with twenty of his men to see David in Hebron, and David prepared a banquet for them. ²¹ Then AbNer said to David, ‘I will go and gather all Israel to my lord the king, and I will conclude an agreement with you, that you may rule over whomever you wish.’

And then David sent AbNer away in peace.

²² Shortly thereafter, JoAb returned to David with his army after a battle, and they were carrying many spoils of war. However, by this time AbNer was no longer there with David in Hebron, since he’d been sent away in peace. ²³ But when JoAb and his men heard that AbNer (the son of Ner) had come to David and that he’d been sent away in peace, ²⁴ JoAb went to the king and asked, ‘What have you done? {Look!} AbNer came here… and you sent him away in peace? ²⁵ Don’t you know that AbNer just came here to deceive you? All he came for is to find out what you’re doing!’

²⁶ Well, after JoAb left David, he sent messengers to AbNer (who was at the well of SeiRam), asking him to return… but David didn’t know about this. ²⁷ And when AbNer returned to Hebron, JoAb called to him as he reached the city gate, saying that he wanted to speak to him.

Well, it was a trap; he stabbed him in the stomach and killed him… he did this to [avenge] the blood of his brother AshaEl.

²⁸ Then, when David heard about it, he said, ‘My kingdom and I are innocent before Jehovah through the ages over the blood of AbNer, the son of Ner. ²⁹ May the guilt rest upon JoAb and upon the house of his father; may the house of JoAb always suffer from gonorrhea and leprosy; may they walk on crutches; may they starve; and may they be cut down in battle. ³⁰ For JoAb and his brother AbiShai only looked for AbNer because he killed their brother AshaEl at the battle of Gibeon.’

³¹ Then David said to JoAb and all his men, ‘Now rip your clothes, wrap yourselves in sackcloth, and mourn for AbNer.’

After that, David followed AbNer’s casket in his funeral procession, ³² and they buried him in a tomb in Hebron, where David screamed and cried, as did all the people. ³³ And the king went in mourning over AbNer, and said, ‘Should AbNer have died like Nabal? ³⁴ Oh, your hands weren’t tied, your feet weren’t in shackles, and you weren’t led away like Nabal; rather, you were cut down in the presence of an unrighteous son.’

Then all the people gathered to weep for him. ³⁵ And David invited them all to eat loaves of bread in a funeral meal that day. And David swore an oath, saying, ‘May God curse me and add more to it if I eat anything before the sun sets today.’

³⁶ So, all the people were pleased by the things that the king had done before them. ³⁷ And all Israel got to know that the king had nothing to do with killing AbNer (the son of Ner).

³⁸ And the king said to his servants, ‘Don’t you know that a great leader has fallen in Israel today? ³⁹ Why, I feel like one of his close relatives and as someone who has stood in the presence of a king. But these men, these sons of ZeruJah, are hard for me to bear. May Jehovah repay the one who did this wicked thing with the evil that he deserves.’

Chapter 4

¹ And when Saul’s son IshBosheth heard that AbNer (the son of Ner) had been killed in Hebron, he and all the men in Israel became weak [in the knees].

² Now, there were two men who were leaders of the confederation of IshBosheth; one was BaAna and the other was Rechab. They were both sons of RimMon the BeerOthite of the tribe of BenJamin (for BeerOth was considered part of the tribe of BenJamin). ³ And these BeerOthites fled to GetThaim, where [their families] live to this day.

⁴ Also, Saul’s son JoNathan had a five-year-old son who was lame. For, when the message came from JezreEl about [the death] of Saul and JoNathan, his nurse picked him up and ran away, but she dropped him, which damaged his legs. His name was MephiBosheth.

⁵ Well, as they were leaving, the sons of RimMon the BeerOthite (Rechab and BaAna) went to the house of IshBosheth in the heat of the day, during his noontime nap. ⁶ And at the time, the doorman was out sifting wheat, so they slipped in without being noticed. ⁷ And there was IshBosheth in his bedroom asleep in his bed, so they struck him, killed him, and cut off his head. Then they took the head and traveled west all that day and night… ⁸ they brought IshBosheth’s head to David in Hebron and said to the king, ‘Look, here’s the head of Saul’s son IshBosheth… your enemy who would have killed you. Jehovah has given him to our lord the king in punishment of the enemies of his seed. For, Saul and his seed have been your enemies to this day.’

⁹ But David told Rechab and his brother BaAna, ‘As Jehovah (the One who has protected my life) lives; ¹⁰ The man who reported to me that Saul had died thought he was bringing me good news, but I had him taken away and killed in ZikLag, despite what he thought. ¹¹ And now, you wicked people have killed a righteous man while he was in his house asleep in bed. So, I will require his blood from you, and I will wipe you off this earth!’

¹² And at that, David gave orders to his servants, and they killed them both… they cut off their hands and feet and hung their bodies near the spring in Hebron. Then they took the head of IshBosheth and placed it in the tomb of AbNer (the son of Ner) in Hebron.

Chapter 5

¹ Thereafter, all the tribes of Israel to came to David in Hebron, and they said to him: ‘Look, we’re your own flesh and bones. ² And although Saul used to be our king, you were the one who led the people of Israel to and from our [battles], so you will be the leader over Israel.’

³ Then all the elders of Israel came [and met with] the king in Hebron, and King David made a treaty with them there in Hebron, in the presence of Jehovah. Then they anointed David to be the king over all Israel.

⁴ David was thirty years old when he started his rule, and he reigned for forty years. ⁵ He reigned over [the tribe of] Judah in Hebron for seven-and-a-half years, and he reigned over all Israel and Judah from Jerusalem for thirty-three years.

⁶ So, David and all his men then [marched on] Jerusalem, where the Jebusites were living at the time. And the [Jebusites] said to him, ‘You’re not going to enter here, for the blind and the lame will oppose you! For even they are saying, David will never enter [this city].’

⁷ However, David took the citadel on Zion, and he made it his own city. ⁸ Then he told his men, ‘Everyone who cuts down a Jebusite should also use his dagger on the lame, the blind, and on anyone else who hates the the person of of David. And because of this, people will say, The blind and the lame will never enter the house of Jehovah!’

⁹ Well, David took up living there in the citadel, and the place became known as the City of David. And thereafter, he built a city around his tower and palace. ¹⁰ And from then on, David kept getting greater, because Jehovah the Almighty was with him.

¹¹ Then Hiram (the king of Tyre) sent messengers to David, along with much wood from his cedar trees and some stoneworkers, and they built a palace for David.

¹² Now, David knew that it was Jehovah who had made him king over Israel, and it was He who was blessing [David’s] kingdom, because of His people Israel.

¹³ Well, after David moved from Hebron to Jerusalem, he took more wives and concubines, so he had even more sons and daughters. ¹⁴ These are the names of the children that were born to him in Jerusalem: SamMous, Sobab, Nathan, Solomon, ¹⁵ EbeAr, EliSoue, Naphek, JePhies, ¹⁶ EliSama, EliDae, EliPhalath, Samae, JessiBath, YalaMaAn, YeBaAr, TheaEsous, EliPhalar, Naged, Naphek, JaNathan, LeAsamus, BaalImath, and EliPhaAth.

¹⁷ Then, when the Philistines heard that David had been anointed to be the king over Israel, they went looking for him. And when David heard about this, he returned to his citadel, ¹⁸ as the Philistines formed for an attack in the Valley of the Titans. ¹⁹ So, David went to Jehovah and asked, ‘Should I fight the Philistines, and will You give them into my hands?’

And Jehovah replied, ‘Go, for I will save you and give the Philistines into your hands!’

²⁰ So, David attacked them from the mountain passes and breached their lines, defeating the Philistines. And David said, ‘Jehovah cut through my enemies the Philistines like He cuts through water. So, because of this, we will name this place the High Breaches.’

²¹ Well, the [Philistines] had left behind all [the images of] their gods, so David and his men took them and carried them along with them. ²² And then the Philistines came again and met to fight in the Valley of the Titans. ²³ So, David asked of Jehovah, and Jehovah replied, ‘Don’t confront them, go around them to the other side of the Forest of Tears, and I will give them into your hands. ²⁴ Then, when you hear the sound of them marching from the Forest of Tears, you must attack, and I will lead you in your battle with the Philistines.’

²⁵ So, David did just as Jehovah told him, and he cut down the Philistines from Gibeon to the land of GeZer.

Chapter 6

¹ Thereafter, David gathered all the young men of Israel (there were about seventy thousand of them). ² Then he and all his men (along with rulers from Judah) went on an expedition to bring back the Chest of God that was used to call on the Name of Jehovah of armies… the one that has the [covering of] cherubs on it. ³ So, they went to the house of AminiDab (the one on the hill), and picked up the Chest of Jehovah and put it on a new wagon. And the sons of AminiDab led the wagon that carried the Chest.

⁴ Now, as AminiDab’s sons were leading the wagon along, ⁵ David and his men were dancing in front of Jehovah and playing musical instruments… they were playing appropriate lively tunes on lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and pipes. ⁶ And when they arrived at the threshing-floor of NaChon, the oxen [carrying the chest] bolted and Oza stuck out his hand and grabbed the Chest of God to steady it. ⁷ Well, this enraged Jehovah, so God struck Oza and he died there next to the Chest of Jehovah… in front of God.

⁸ Well, David was very depressed over Jehovah cutting down Oza. So, he called that place ‘the Cutting Down of Oza,’ which is what it is still called today.

⁹ Now, David became afraid of Jehovah that day, for he asked, ‘Then how can I bring the Chest of God with me?’ ¹⁰ So he decided not to bring the Chest of the Sacred Agreement of Jehovah into his city. Rather, he turned and carried it to the house of ObedEdom, the GitTite, ¹¹ and the Chest of Jehovah was kept there for three months. But as the result, Jehovah blest the household of ObedEdom and everything that he owned.

¹² Well, when it was reported to King David that the house of ObedEdom and all his things were being blest because of the Chest of God, David went and took the Chest of Jehovah from there, and he [had it brought] into the city of David in a joyful [parade]. ¹³ For, as the Chest of Jehovah was being transported, it was led by seven companies of dancers, along with a calf and lambs that were being brought for a sacrifice, and David [led the way] playing music that was appropriate in the presence of Jehovah.

¹⁴ Well, David wore a fine robe for the occasion. ¹⁵ And David and the whole house of Israel danced in front of the Chest of Jehovah, shouting, and blowing trumpets. ¹⁶ And as the Chest reached the city of David, Michal (Saul’s daughter) looked out her window and saw King David dancing and playing music before Jehovah, and in her heart she was disgusted.

¹⁷ Well, they brought the Chest of Jehovah and put it in its place, in the middle of the Tent that David had made for it, then David sacrificed whole burnt offerings and peace offerings before Jehovah. ¹⁸ And after he did this, David blest the people in the name of Jehovah of armies, ¹⁹ and he distributed bread, grilled meat, and pancakes among all the people of Israel from Dan to BeerSheba, both the men and the women. Then everyone went back home, ²⁰ and David returned to bless his own house.

Well, when he got there, Michal (the daughter of Saul) came out to meet David, and she started shouting at him. She asked, ‘So, how was the king of Israel glorified today as he danced naked in front of the daughters of his servants? For you exposed yourself while you were dancing!’

²¹ And David replied, ‘When I’m in the presence of Jehovah, I’m going to dance. May Jehovah, who chose me over your father and his house, be praised for allowing me to take the lead over His people Israel. So, I will play and dance in His presence, ²² and I will be uncovered again in front of the girls (who you said I dishonored myself in front of), so I can be useless in your eyes.’

²³ As the result], Michal (the daughter of Saul) remained childless until the day she died.

Chapter 7

¹ Well, after Jehovah had conquered all [of David’s] enemies around him, the king was sitting in his palace, ² and he said to the Prophet Nathan, ‘Look, here I am living in a palace of cedar, while the Chest of God is sitting in a tent.’

³ And Nathan said to the king, ‘Then do whatever your heart moves you to do, because Jehovah is with you!’

⁴ But that night, the word of Jehovah came to Nathan, which said, ⁵ ‘Go and speak to My servant David, and tell him that this is what Jehovah says: You are not to build a house for Me to live in, ⁶ because I haven’t stayed in a house from the time that I led the sons of Israel out of Egypt until now. Rather, I’ve been moving about in a tent ⁷ in all the places where Israel has traveled.

‘Now, as you speak to him, ask: Have I spoken to any tribe of Israel that I’ve assigned over My people and asked them why they wouldn’t build me a house of Cedars? ⁸ Then tell my servant David that Jehovah the almighty says: I took you out of the sheep pens to be the leader over My people Israel, ⁹ and wherever you went I’ve been with you. I’ve destroyed all your enemies and I’ve made your name famous among all the great men of the earth.

¹⁰ ‘And I will establish a place for my people Israel… I will plant it, they will camp there by themselves, and they won’t have to worry anymore. For the sons of unrighteousness won’t humble them as they did in ancient times, ¹¹ back when I put judges over my people Israel. It is then that I will allow you to rest from all your enemies, and I will instruct you to build a House for Jehovah.

¹² ‘[It will be] after your days are finished and you’ve gone to sleep with your ancestors, that I will raise up your seed after you – someone who has come from within you – and I will prepare his kingdom. ¹³ Then He will build Me a House to My Name, and I will make his throne stand through the ages… I will be a father to him, and he will be a son to Me. ¹⁴ Then if he acts unrighteously, I will discipline him with the type of switch that men use, and spank him the same way that the sons of men do. ¹⁵ But I will never remove My mercy from him in the same way that I’ve removed My mercy from others. ¹⁶ Rather, his house and his kingdom will stand before Me through the ages, and his throne will last through the ages.’

¹⁷ So, Nathan told David all the words that he heard in the vision. ¹⁸ Then King David went in and sat before Jehovah and asked, ‘Just who am I, O my Lord Jehovah, and what is my house that You’re showing such love for me? ¹⁹ Why, I was once very small before you, O my Lord Jehovah, yet You spoke about my house long ahead of time. So, what laws are you giving me, O my Lord, ²⁰ and what should David say before You?

‘Now, You know Your servant, O my Lord Jehovah, ²¹ and You’ve treated Your servant as Your heart has directed. ²² You have brought about all these great things to let your servant know that he should glorify You, O my Lord Jehovah, for there is no one else like You, and we’ve heard of no God other than You.

²³ ‘And what are Your people Israel? For no other nation on the earth is guided by God. Yet, You have purchased a people to establish Your Name and to show Your greatness and grandeur. For You drove nations out from in front of the people You purchased out of Egypt, and made them live in tents. ²⁴ And You have set aside Israel to be Your people through the ages… and You, O Lord, have become their God.

²⁵ ‘And now, O my Lord Jehovah; may the things that You said about Your servant and his house prove true through the ages, just as You said. ²⁶ And may Your Name ²⁷ Jehovah – the Almighty God over Israel – be glorified through the ages. For, You have uncovered the ears of your servant and told me that I shall build a House for You. This is why Your servant’s heart has been moved to pray this prayer to You.

²⁸ ‘And now, O my Lord; You are God! So, the words that You said about the good things that You would do for Your servant will come true! ²⁹ Therefore, start blessing the house of Your servant that will stand before You through the ages. For You, O my Lord Jehovah, have spoken, and You’ve promised to bless the house of your servant through the ages.’

Chapter 8

¹ Thereafter, David attacked the Philistines and routed them, and he took back everything that [Israel] had lost to them. ² Then David attacked Moab and divided their army into two lines as they lay on the ground. Half were to be killed and the rest were taken as captives. Then the Moabites became David’s servants and they were required to pay him a tribute.

³ Next, David attacked AdraAzar (the son of RaAb, the king of Souba) as he was marching toward the Euphrates River. ⁴ There David captured a thousand chariots, seven thousand of his cavalry, and twenty thousand of his foot soldiers. Then David had all the chariots destroyed, except for a hundred that he kept for himself.

⁵ And when the Syrians came from Damascus to help AdraAzar (the king of Souba), David cut down twenty-two thousand of their men. ⁶ Then David sent a detachment to Syria, where they garrisoned near Damascus, and the Syrians had to pay a tribute to David also. So, Jehovah was with David wherever he went.

⁷ David took the gold armlets that the children of AdraAzar wore and brought them to Jerusalem, but these were eventually taken by SusAkim (the king of Egypt) when he attacked Jerusalem during the reign of RehoBoam, the son of Solomon.

⁸ Then David went to AdraAzar’s principal cities and brought back huge amounts of brass, which was used by Solomon to create [the Temple’s] sacred Brass Sea, its columns, its bathing tubs, and all its utensils.

⁹ And when the king of Hamath heard that David had conquered the armies of AdraAzar, ¹⁰ he sent his son JedDuram to King David to ask for peace. He also congratulated David for beating AdraAzar, because AdraAzar was his enemy. And he brought along items of silver, gold, and brass, ¹¹ which King David dedicated to Jehovah, as he had done with all the silver and gold that he had taken from the cities that he’d conquered… ¹² from Idumea, Moab, the sons of AmMon, the Philistines, the Amalechites, and from the spoils of AdraAzar (the son of RaAb, the king of Suba).

¹³ Well, David became quite famous; and on his return, he attacked the Idumeans at GebElem, killing eighteen thousand. ¹⁴ Then he put detachments throughout all of Idumea, and the Idumeans became the king’s servants.

Well, no matter where he went, Jehovah was with David, ¹⁵ and he remained the ruler over all Israel, for he was fair and just with all his people. ¹⁶ [At the time], JoAb (the son of ZeruJah) was in charge of his army, JoSaphat (the son of AchiAd) was in charge of the records, ¹⁷ Zadok (the son of AhiTub) and AhiMelech (the son of AbiAthar) were the Priests, Sasa was the Scribe, ¹⁸ BenaiJah (the son of JodAi) was David’s personal advisor, and the Chelethites, Phelethites, and David’s sons were the chiefs of his palace.

Chapter 9

¹ And David asked, ‘Is there still anyone left from the house of Saul that I should be showing [kindness] to because of JoNathan?’

² Well at the time, there was still a servant from the house of Saul named Ziba, so they called him to David. And the king asked, ‘Are you Ziba?’

And he replied, ‘I am your servant.’

³ And the king asked, ‘Is there anyone left from the house of Saul upon whom I should be showing the mercy of God?’

And Ziba said: ‘There is still one of JoNathan’s sons… one whose feet have been damaged.’

⁴ And the king asked, ‘Where is he?’

And Ziba replied, ‘Look! In the house of MachIr, the son of AmiEl of LodaBar.’

⁵ So, King David sent for him and brought him from of the house of MachIr. ⁶ And when MephiBosheth (the son of JoNathan and grandson of Saul) came to King David, he fell to his face and bowed before him. Then David said, ‘MephiBosheth!’

And he replied, ‘Look… your servant!’

⁷ Then David said, ‘Don’t be afraid, because [the reason why I called you] is to show you mercy because of JoNathan your father. I’m going to give you back all the fields of your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.’

⁸ And MephiBosheth bowed again and said, ‘Who am I your servant, to find your favor? For I’m no better that a dying dog.’

⁹ Then the king called for Ziba (Saul’s servant) and told him, ‘I’m giving everything that belonged to Saul and his house to the son of your master. ¹⁰ So you, your sons, and your servants will work his land for him, and you are to bring the son of your lord loaves of bread to eat. Also, MephiBosheth (the son of your lord) will always eat at my table.’

Now, Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. ¹¹ And he said to the king, ‘Whatever my lord the king asks, his servant will do.’

And from then on, MephiBosheth ate at the table of David as though he was one of the king’s sons.

¹² Now, MephiBosheth had a small son named Micha, and the whole of house of Ziba were MephiBosheth’s servants, ¹³ and they lived in Jerusalem and always ate at the table of the king. However, he was lame in both of his feet since birth.

Chapter 10

¹ Well, the king of the sons of AmMon died, and his son became the new king. ² Then David said: ‘I’ll do something nice for AnNon, the son of NaAs, because his father was so kind to me.’ So, David sent his servants to the land of the sons of AmMon to comfort him over his father.

³ However, the governors of the sons of AmMon went to their lord and asked, ‘Is David really sending you comforters to glorify your father, or has he really sent them as spies to look at [our fortifications]?’ ⁴ So then, AnNon took David’s servants, shaved their beards, cut off their uniforms to their hips, and sent them away.

⁵ Well, when this was reported to David, he sent men to meet them, because they had been so extremely dishonored. And the king told them to stay in Jericho until their beards grew back.

⁶ And when the sons of AmMon saw how David had been disgraced, they hired and sent twenty thousand Syrians from BaithRaAm, Souba, and RoOb, a thousand infantrymen from the king of Amalech, and twelve thousand men from IshTob. ⁷ And when David heard about this, he sent JoAb and all his best soldiers there.

⁸ Well, the sons of AmMon gathered for war at the city gate, leaving the Syrians from Souba, RoOb, and [the men of] IshTob and MaAcha alone in the field. ⁹ And when JoAb saw what he was facing, with armies on either side, he took the younger men of Israel and deployed opposite the Syrians, ¹⁰ then he put the rest of his army into the hands of his brother AbiShai, and they deployed opposite the sons of AmMon. ¹¹ And he said, ‘If Syria starts to beat me, you come to help me; but if the sons of AmMon start to beat you, I’ll come to help you. ¹² However, we must act like men, for if we are strong for our people and the cities of our God, then Jehovah will do what He sees is best!’

¹³ Then, when JoAb and his men attacked the Syrians, they fled before him. ¹⁴ And when the sons of AmMon saw the Syrians running, they turned and ran from AbiShai, back into their city. So, JoAb left the land of AmMon and returned to Jerusalem.

¹⁵ Well, after the Syrians found that they had lost before Israel, they gathered to the same place again. ¹⁶ Then AdraAzar sent for more Syrians from the other side of the Chalamak River, and they came to AiLam. And Sobak, the general of AdraAzar’s army, was put in charge of them. ¹⁷ Now, when this was reported to David, he gathered the whole army Israel, crossed the Jordan, and marched on AiLam. Then the Syrians set up battle lines against David, and the battle began, ¹⁸ but the Syrians again fled from the Israelites. Then David destroyed seven hundred of their chariots and forty thousand of their cavalry. He also killed the general over their army, Sobak. ¹⁹ And when the servants of AdraAzar saw that they had lost to Israel, they surrendered and became their servants. And from that time on, the Syrians were afraid to come to the aid of the sons of AmMon.

Chapter 11

¹ Now, when the time of year came around when the kings [traditionally] went out to battle, David sent JoAb, his servants, and the entire army of Israel, and they destroyed the sons of AmMon. Then they laid siege against RabBah, however David stayed home in Jerusalem.

² Then one evening, David got up from his bed and walked up to the roof of the king’s palace. And from there he saw a very pretty woman who was bathing on her roof. ³ Then David asked about the woman, saying, ‘Isn’t this BathSheba, the daughter of EliAb and the wife of UriJah the Hittite?’

⁴ So, David sent messengers who brought her to him. Then he went in to her and went to bed with her, and thereafter she went back home. However, she had just been cleansed from her monthly period, ⁵ so when she sent a message to David telling him that she was pregnant, David said, ‘It’s my baby.’

⁶ As the result, David sent [a message] to JoAb, saying, ‘Send UriJah the Hittite to me.’ And JoAb sent UriJah to him.

⁷ Well, when UriJah arrived, David first asked how JoAb was doing, how the army was doing, and then how the war was going. ⁸ And David said to UriJah, ‘Now you can go back home and wash your feet!’

So, UriJah left the king’s palace, and the king had a gift sent to him. ⁹ However, UriJah just bedded down next to the door to the king’s palace, along with his lord’s servants, and he didn’t go home. ¹⁰ Well, when David was told that UriJah hadn’t gone home, he went and asked UriJah, ‘Didn’t you just come a long way? Why don’t you go home?’

¹¹ And UriJah replied, ‘Why, the [sacred] Chest and the armies of Judah and Israel are all staying in tents. For my lord JoAb and his men are camped out in fields, so how can I go to my house to eat, drink, and go to bed with my wife? As you are living, how could I do such a thing?’

¹² Then David said, ‘Okay, then stay here for the rest of the day, and tomorrow I will send for you.’

So, UriJah stayed in Jerusalem for the rest of that day; and the next day, ¹³ David called for him. Well, he fed him and gave him so much to drink that he got him drunk. Yet, that evening, he again went to bed with the servants of his lord, and he didn’t go back to his house. ¹⁴ So the next morning, David wrote a letter to JoAb, and he had UriJah deliver it. ¹⁵ It said, ‘Send UriJah into the toughest part of the fighting – right up to the city gate – and then leave him there, so he will be cut down and killed.’

¹⁶ And when JoAb attacked the city, he put UriJah in a place where he knew that the hardest fighting would be done. ¹⁷ Then, when the men of the city came to fight with JoAb, many of David’s men died along with UriJah the Hittite. ¹⁸ And thereafter, JoAb sent a report to David with all the details of the battle… and to give the king a message. ¹⁹ He told the messenger, ‘Now, when you’re describing the battle to the king, ²⁰ if the king gets angry and asks you, Why did you go up to the city to fight them? Didn’t you know that they would shoot down on you from the walls? ²¹ For, who struck AbiMelek, the son of JeroBaal and grandson of Ner? Didn’t a woman drop a piece of a millstone on him from the wall, killing him there in ThamAsi? Why did you attack the wall? You must answer, Well, your servant UriJah the Hittite also died.’

²² So, JoAb’s messenger went to the king in Jerusalem and told David everything that JoAb said about the war. Well, David was furious with JoAb, and said to the messenger, ‘Why did he lead [the men] right up to the city to fight? Didn’t he know that they would attack you from the wall? For, who struck AbiMelek, the son of JeroBaal? Didn’t a woman toss a piece of millstone from the wall and kill him in ThamAsi? Why did you attack the wall?’

²³ And the messenger said to David, ‘Well, the men attacked us… they came out into the field to meet us, so we fought them there at the city gate. ²⁴ But they were shooting at us from the walls, and many of the king’s servants were killed… including your subject, UriJah the Hittite.’

²⁵ And David said to the messenger, ‘Tell this to JoAb: Don’t feel bad about it, because the sword cuts two ways. Now, intensify the battle against the city, tear it down, and establish a garrison there.’

²⁶ Well, when the wife of UriJah heard that her husband had been killed, she was deeply saddened. ²⁷ Then, after her period of mourning, David sent for her and had her brought to his palace. So he married her and she gave birth to his son.

Well, this whole thing appeared wicked in the eyes of Jehovah.

Chapter 12

¹ So, Jehovah sent the Prophet Nathan to David… he went in and said to him, ‘There were two men who lived in the same city, one was rich, and the other was poor. ² Now, the rich man had huge flocks and herds, ³ but the only thing that the poor man owned was a small female lamb that he had bought. But he protected it and fed it, and it grew up with his children. It ate the same bread, drank from his cup, and slept inside his robe, for it was just like a daughter to him. ⁴ Well, someone who was just traveling along stopped in to see the rich man, and he didn’t want to take anything from his own flocks or herds to prepare [a meal] for the stranger, so he took the lamb that belonged to the poor man and cooked it for the person who was coming to visit.’

⁵ Well, David was outraged about this man and said, ‘As Jehovah lives, this man deserves to die! ⁶ [But first] he should have to repay for the lamb with seven of his own, because of what he did when he [killed] it.’

⁷ And Nathan said to David, ‘You are the man who did this. And this is what Jehovah the God of Israel says: I’m the One who anointed you to be king over Israel, and I’m the One who saved you from the hands of Saul. ⁸ It was I who gave you the house of your lord and brought his wives to your chest. And I’m the One who gave you the house of Israel and Judah… and if you had remained faithful, I would have given you even more!⁹ So, why have you treated the word of Jehovah as worthless by doing this wicked thing in His eyes? For, you cut down UriJah the Hittite with the broadsword and took his wife as yours, because, when the sons of AmMon killed him, you really killed him. ¹⁰ So, now the broadsword will not leave your house through the ages, because you treated Me with contempt by taking the wife of UriJah the Hittite as your wife.

¹¹ ‘This is what Jehovah says: Look, I will cause evil things to awaken in your own house, and I will take your wives from before you and give them to your neighbor, and he will go to bed with them in the daylight… ¹² you did it secretly, but I will do this in the daylight and before all Israel.’

¹³ Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against Jehovah.’

And Nathan said to David, ‘Well, Jehovah has forgiven your sin, so you’re not going to die. ¹⁴ However, in doing such an unrighteous thing, you even made the enemies of Jehovah angry; so the son that will be born to you will die.’

¹⁵ Then Nathan left David’s palace, and Jehovah caused the child that was born to the wife of UriJah by David to be sickly and weak. ¹⁶ So, David [prayed to] God about the boy, and he fasted and slept on the ground. ¹⁷ And when the elders of his house went to lift him off the ground, he wouldn’t get up and he wouldn’t eat with them.

¹⁸ Well after seven days, the boy died. And then David’s servants were afraid to tell him, for they said, ‘Look, we spoke to him about the boy while he was still alive, but he wouldn’t listen to us. So, how can we now tell [David] that he died, because he’ll do bad things to us.’

¹⁹ However, David noticed that his servants were whispering, and he suspected that the boy had died. So he asked his servants, ‘Has the boy died?’

And they said, ‘He has.’

²⁰ Then David got up from the ground, took a bath, rubbed himself with oil, and changed his clothes. And then he went to the [Tent] of God and bowed before Him, and when he got back home, he asked for some bread to eat, which they brought to him, and he ate it. ²¹ Then his servants asked, ‘Why have you acted this way because of the boy? For while he was still alive, you fasted, cried, and wouldn’t sleep. But after he died, you got up and ate and drank something.’

²² And David replied, ‘I fasted and cried while the boy was still living, because I hoped that Jehovah would show mercy on me and allow the boy to live. ²³ But now that he has died, why should I fast? I won’t be able to go see him again or carry him to me, because I can’t bring him back.’

²⁴ Then David went to comfort his wife BathSheba.

Well, he went to bed with her again, and she got pregnant and gave birth to a son who she named Solomon… and Jehovah loved him. ²⁵ So He sent Nathan the Prophet, who renamed him JediDiJah, following Jehovah’s instructions.

²⁶ Then JoAb went to war with RabBath of the sons of AmMon, and he subdued that kingdom’s capital city. ²⁷ So, he sent messengers to David, and said, ‘I have fought against RabBath and subdued the City of Waters. ²⁸ Now, gather your men and come to our camp so you can be the first to take it. I don’t want to be the first to take the city, for I don’t wish to have it called by my name.’

²⁹ As the result, David gathered his men, went to RabBath, and conquered it. ³⁰ And he took the crown of MolChom their king from his head (which was made of gold and precious gems) and had it placed on his own head. They also looted the city and brought back a tremendous amount of goods. ³¹ Then he took the [city’s] people away and put them to work as carpenters, farm laborers, iron smelters, blacksmiths, and brick makers. And that’s what he did in all the cities of the sons of AmMon.

Then David and his men returned to Jerusalem.

Chapter 13

¹ Now, AbSalom (one of David’s sons) had a very pretty sister named Tamar, and AmNon (another son of David) was in love with her. ² In fact, he was so smitten with her that he was sick. Tamar (his sister) was a virgin, and AmNon would have done anything to have her.

³ Well, AmNon had a friend named JoNadab (the son of SamaA, David’s brother). And JoNadab was a very wise man. ⁴ Then JoNadab asked AmNon, ‘Why are you so puny every morning, O son of the king… tell me what’s wrong.’

And AmNon, told him, ‘It’s Tamar, my brother AbSalom’s sister… I love her.’

⁵ And JoNadab said to him, ‘Go to bed and act like you’re sick. And when your father comes to see you, tell him, ‘Send my sister Tamar to prepare my food before me and feed me, so I can see her, and eat from her hands.’

⁶ So, AmNon went to bed and pretended to be sick. And when the king came to see him, AmNon said, ‘Send my sister Tamar to me, and have her bake a couple of biscuits, and I’ll eat them from her hands’

⁷ Then David sent for Tamar at her house, saying, ‘Go to the house of your brother AmNon and prepare some food for him.’

⁸ So, Tamar went to the house of her brother AmNon and found him in bed. Then she took some dough and mixed it, made biscuits there in front of him, and fried them, ⁹ and then she took the frying pan and laid them before him, but he wouldn’t eat them.

And AmNon said, ‘Send all the men away from me.’ So they sent all the men away.

¹⁰ Then AmNon said to Tamar, ‘Carry the food into my bedroom and I’ll eat it from your hands there.’

Well, Tamar took the biscuits she had made and carried them in to her brother AmNon’s bedroom. ¹¹ And when she brought them to him, he grabbed her and said, ‘Now come to bed with me, my sister!’

¹² And she said to him, ‘No, my brother, don’t rape me, for such things aren’t done in Israel. Don’t be so foolish! ¹³ For, how could I ever handle the scandal? And you’ll be considered one of the fools in Israel. So, speak to the king, because he’ll let you [marry me]!’

¹⁴ But AmNon wouldn’t listen to her. So he overpowered her, went to bed with her, and raped her.

¹⁵ Well, [after he was finished], AmNon started to hate her. In fact, his hatred was greater than the love he once had for her. And he told her, ‘Now, get up and go!’

¹⁶ And she said, ‘No, O brother! For sending me away like this is even worse than the terrible thing that you just did to me.’

However, AmNon wouldn’t listen. ¹⁷ So he called his head servant in and said to him: ‘Take her away from me, then throw her outside and lock the door!’

¹⁸ Well, all she was wearing at the time was a long-sleeved slip, for that’s what the virgin daughters of the king wore under their clothes. But the servant led her outside, and then he locked the door behind her.

¹⁹ So, Tamar took ashes and put them on her head, and she ripped the slip she was wearing, then she put her hands on her head and ran away screaming.

²⁰ Later, her brother AbSalom asked her, ‘Has your brother AmNon been with you? If so, my sister, don’t say anything, because he’s your brother! Don’t put it into your heart to say anything about this.’

So thereafter, Tamar lived as a widow in the house of her brother AbSalom.

²¹ Now, when King David heard what happened, he was furious. But he wasn’t angry with his son AmNon, because he was his firstborn. ²² Nor did he say anything bad or good to AbSalom about AmNon. However, AbSalom detested AmNon, because he raped his sister Tamar.

²³ Well, exactly two years later, they were all shearing sheep for AbSalom in BelAsor (near the land of EphraIm), because AbSalom had called for all the sons of the king. ²⁴ He went to the king and said, ‘Look, your servant has to go and do some shearing, so may the king bring along his servants [to help].’

²⁵ But the king said to AbSalom, ‘No my son, we shouldn’t all go, for we’d just be a burden on you.’ So he refused, because he really didn’t want to go, but he blest him.

²⁶ Then AbSalom asked, ‘Then, why not just send my brother AmNon with us?’

And the king asked, ‘Why should he go with you?’

²⁷ But AbSalom kept insisting, so he sent AmNon and all his other sons along.

Well, AbSalom prepared a banquet that was fit for a king. ²⁸ Then he told his servants, ‘When AmNon starts feeling the wine, I’m going to tell you to strike AmNon and kill him. Don’t be afraid, because I’m the one who’s ²⁹ telling you to do this. So, be strong and act like men!’

²⁹ As the result, AbSalom’s servants did just as they were told, and then all the sons of the king got up on their mules and fled.

³⁰ Well, as they were on their way back, a report was sent to David that AbSalom had killed all the king’s sons, not sparing even one. ³¹ So, the king ripped his clothes and fell to the ground, and all his servants who were standing with him ripped their clothes.

³² But then JoNadab (the son of ShimeAh, David’s brother) said, ‘Don’t tell our lord that all his sons were killed, for it was just AmNon. He died alone at the instructions of AbSalom, for this is the same day that he raped his sister Tamar. ³³ And now, may my lord the king not think in his heart that all his sons have died, for it was just AmNon.’

³⁴ Then [David’s] watchman looked and saw many people coming along the road, down the side of the mountain. So he went and reported to the king, saying, ‘I see men coming down the mountain along the road to OrOnen.’

³⁵ And JoNadab said to the king, ‘Look, it’s your sons! They’re coming back, just as your servant said they would.’

³⁶ And just as he finished speaking, {Look!} the king’s sons came in shouting and crying. And the king and all his servants cried and bawled with them.

³⁷ Well, AbSalom had run away and he went to Tholmi (the son of EmiUd, the king of GedSur) in the land of HamAchad. And King David mourned over his son for a long time. ³⁸ But AbSalom spent three years in GedSur, ³⁹ and by then the [wrath] of the king had abated and he was no longer chasing AbSalom, for he was no longer grieving over the death of AmNon.

Chapter 14

¹ Now, JoAb (the son of ZeruJah) knew that the king [still loved] AbSalom. ² So he sent for a woman in Thecoe who was very wise, and he said to her, ‘I want you to dress in mourning clothes [and pretend] to be in mourning. Don’t rub yourself with oil, for I want you to appear to be a woman who has been mourning over her dead for many days,’

³ So, she went to the king and said the words that JoAb told her to say. ⁴ This ThecoEthite woman went in to the king, fell with her face to the ground, bowed before him, and said, ‘Save me, oh king! Save me!’

⁵ And the king asked her, ‘What’s wrong?’

And she said, ‘I’m now a widow, because my husband just died, ⁶ and your servant has two sons. Well, they started arguing while they were out in the fields, and there was no one to break it up. Then the one hit the other and killed him. ⁷ Now, {Look} the whole family is against your servant, because they’re telling me to hand over my son so they can kill him for murdering his brother. But if they do that, they’ll be taking away my only heir and extinguish the little spark [of hope] that I have left of leaving my husband a name and property on the face of the earth.’

⁸ And the king said to the woman, ‘Don’t worry; just go back home and I’ll handle this matter for you.’

⁹ And the ThecoEthite woman said to the king, ‘O my lord the king, may this lawlessness be on me and on the house of my father, not on the king and his throne.’

¹⁰ And the king said, ‘Who was the one that spoke to you? Bring [your son] to me, and don’t let anyone touch him!’

¹¹ And the woman said, ‘May Jehovah your God remind the king not to allow them to take away my son, so our family line [may continue].’

And he said, ‘As Jehovah lives, not a hair of your son’s head will fall on the ground.’

¹² And woman asked, ‘May your servant say one more thing to her lord the king?’

And he said, ‘Speak!’

¹³ And the woman said, ‘Why have you made such a decision for the people of God? For when you say such things, you’re finding yourself guilty, because the king hasn’t allowed the one he banished to return to him. ¹⁴ Why, each of us is dying the death, and like water that’s being poured on the ground, we’re not brought together [again]. Why, only God [has the right to] take a life, and only He has the means to drive someone away if He wishes.

¹⁵ ‘Now, as to the thing that I came to speak to my lord the king about; the people told your servant to speak to you, to see what you will do for your servant. ¹⁶ They said that you would rescue your servant from the hands of the man who is trying to take away my son and my inheritance from God. ¹⁷ And they told me that the words of my lord the king would be as good as a sacrifice. For my lord the king is like a messenger from God, in that you listen to both the good and the bad. So, may Jehovah your God be with you.’

¹⁸ Then the king said to the woman: ‘I want to ask you something… and I want you to tell me the truth!’

And the woman said, ‘Please speak, my lord the king!’

¹⁹ And the king said, ‘Did JoAb put you up to this?’

And the woman replied, ‘As you are living, O my lord the king; doesn’t the king ever change his mind after he has made a decision? Yes, JoAb is the one who put me up to this, and he put the words in my mouth. ²⁰ But your servant JoAb just did this to bring the matter to a head. For my lord the king is as wise as the wisdom of a messenger from God, in that he knows everything on earth.’

²¹ And the king said to JoAb: ‘Look, I’m going to do what you’re asking. So, go and bring back the young man AbSalom!’

²² Then JoAb fell with his face to the ground and bowed; and then he praised the king, saying, ‘Today your servant knows that he has found favor in your eyes, O my lord the king, for you have handled this matter for your servant.’

²³ So, JoAb got up and went to GedSur, and brought AbSalom back to Jerusalem. ²⁴ And the king said, ‘Let him go back home, but I don’t want to see his face!’

As the result, AbSalom returned to his house, but he couldn’t see the face of the king.

²⁵ Now, there wasn’t a man in all Israel who was more admired than AbSalom. For, from the sole of his feet to the top of his head, there wasn’t a blemish; ²⁶ and when it came to cutting his hair, it took so long that it became bothersome. Why, whenever he cut it and set it aside, it weighed as much as two royal coins!

²⁷ Now, AbSalom had three sons and one daughter, whose name was Themar. She was a pretty woman, and she married Solomon’s son RehoBoam, to whom she gave birth to AbiA.

²⁸ Well, AbSalom stayed in Jerusalem for two years, and he never saw the face of the king. ²⁹ So he sent for JoAb, because he wanted to send him to the king. However, JoAb wouldn’t come to him. Then he sent for him a second time, but he just didn’t want to come. ³⁰ So, AbSalom said to his servants, ‘You know that field of JoAb’s next to mine where he’s growing barley? Go and burn it!’

Then the servants of AbSalom went and burned JoAb’s field, and his servants went to him ripping their clothes, and said, ‘The servants of AbSalom have burned your portion of the field!’

³¹ So, JoAb got up and went to the house of AbSalom, and asked him, ‘Why did your servants burn my field?’

³² And AbSalom replied, ‘Look, I called for you and asked you to come here, because I wanted to send you to the king and ask, Why did you bring me from GedSur? Things were good for me there. And look, I haven’t seen the face of the king! Now, if I’m unrighteous, then just kill me.’

³³ So, JoAb went to the king and spoke to him, then he called for AbSalom and he went in to the king, bowed before him, and fell with his face to the ground before him. Then the king kissed AbSalom.

Chapter 15

¹ Well, thereafter, AbSalom obtained some chariots and horsemen, and he recruited fifty men to run in front of him. ² Then he would get up early each morning and station himself along the street by the city gate. And whenever he saw someone who was coming to try a case before the king, he would call to him and ask, ‘What city are you coming from?’ And if he replied, ‘Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel,’ ³ he would say, ‘Look, you have a good case, but no one from the king will listen to it. ⁴ So, why doesn’t he appoint me as the judge of the land and let me handle the disputes and cases, for I will give you justice.’

⁵ And whenever some man would come and bow before him, he would reach out and grab him, then kiss him. ⁶ Well, AbSalom was doing this to everyone from Israel who came to the king for a judgment, and he was winning the hearts of the men of Israel.

⁷ Then, at the end of forty years, AbSalom went to his father and said, ‘I’m going to Hebron to pay something that I vowed to Jehovah. ⁸ For, while I was in GedSur Syria, I vowed to Jehovah that if He would return me to Jerusalem, I would be His servant.’

⁹ And the king said to him, ‘Go in peace.’

So he got up and went to Hebron.

¹⁰ Now, AbSalom had sent spies among all the tribes of Israel, who were told, ‘When you hear the sound of trumpets blowing, you must shout: AbSalom is now reigning as king in Hebron.’

¹¹ So, AbSalom left Jerusalem along with two hundred men, who really didn’t suspect anything. ¹² Then, while he was offering his sacrifices, AbSalom sent and called for AhiThophel the Gelamonite (David’s advisor) from his city of Gola. And there he formed a strong confederation, and many people started following AbSalom.

¹³ Well, when the report came to David that the hearts of the men of Israel had turned toward AbSalom, ¹⁴ David said to all his servants in Jerusalem, ‘Let’s get up and run from here, because nothing can save us from AbSalom! Hurry, let’s go, so he doesn’t overtake us and do bad things to us, then destroy the city with swords.’

¹⁵ And the king’s servants replied, ‘We’ll do whatever our lord the king says, because {Look!} we are your servants.’

¹⁶ So, the king and his whole house just walked away, but he left ten of his concubines behind to guard the house. ¹⁷ Then the king and all his servants traveled on foot to a house that was very far away.

¹⁸ Well, while the king and his servants were on the way to the desert, they [met up with some] Chelethites and Phelethites who were waiting on the Mount of Olives. So, along with all the people who came with [David], there were now six hundred great men and warriors from the Chelethites, Phelethites, and Gethites, because six hundred men had walked from Gath to join the king.

¹⁹ So, the king asked ItTai (the Gethite): ‘Why are you traveling with us? Go back and live with the [new] king! Why, you are foreigners and you’ve left your homes… ²⁰ you’ve just joined me, so are you [now planning to] travel with us… are you moving away from your homes?’

And he replied, ‘I will go wherever you are going.’

[But David said], ‘Go back, and take your brothers with you, for Jehovah will bring you kindness and truth!

²¹ But ItTai replied to the king, ‘As Jehovah lives, and as my lord the king lives, no matter what happens to my lord… whether he lives or dies, I will be your servant.’

²² And the king said, ‘Then come with me!’ And ItTai the Gethite and all his servants (a huge number of them) traveled with the king.

²³ Well, throughout the land, people were crying and wailing. Then the king and all his people crossed the Cedar (Kidron) Wadi and traveled toward the edge of the desert. ²⁴ {Look!} Then they saw Zadok and all the Levites carrying the Chest of the Sacred Agreement of Jehovah from the [Tent of God]. Well, they set the Chest of God down, and AbiAthar came to him as all the people came from the city [of Jerusalem].

²⁵ Then the king said to Zadok, ‘Take the Chest of God back to the city. For, if I should find favor in the eyes of Jehovah and He returns me, then He will show it to me in all His glory. ²⁶ But if He should say that He doesn’t want me, then look… here I am! May He do to me whatever is good in His eyes.’

²⁷ And the king told Zadok the Priest, ‘Look! You, your son AhiMaAz, your other two sons, and JoNathan (the son of AbiAthar) should just return to the city in peace. ²⁸ For I’m going to live like a soldier in the desert, and I’ll wait there for you to send word to me.’

²⁹ So, Zadok and AbiAthar returned the Chest of God to Jerusalem, and it stayed there.

³⁰ Then David climbed the Mount of Olives barefoot and with his head covered, and he was crying. And all the people came with him with their heads covered and crying.

³¹ Well, when David was told that AhiThophel had joined the confederation with AbSalom, he said, ‘O Jehovah my God; Confuse the counsel of AhiThophel!’

³² Then, when David got to Ros, he bowed there before God. And {Look} coming to meet him was HushAi, David’s best friend, ripping his clothes and piling dirt on his head. ³³ And David said to him, ‘If you come with me, you’ll just be a burden to me. ³⁴ But if you return to the city, I want you to say to AbSalom, Your brothers left me to follow your father. So I’m your servant now, O king; please allow me to live. For, although I was once your father’s servant, I’m yours now.

‘And if you’ll do this for me, you will confuse the counsel of AhiThophel.

³⁵ ‘Look, there are the Priests Zadok and AbiAthar. Go with them and report everything that you hear from the [palace] of the king to them. ³⁶ And there are their two sons, AhiMaAz (Zadok’s son) and JoNathan (AbiAthar’s son). Use them to send back every word that you hear.’

³⁷ So, HushAi (David’s best friend) returned to the city, and then AbSalom entered Jerusalem.

Chapter 16

¹ Well, after David had traveled a short distance from Ros, {Look!} Ziba (MephiBosheth’s servant) came to meet him with a pair of saddled burros, two hundred loaves of bread, a bushel of raisins, a hundred clusters of dried fruit, and a skin flask of wine. ² And the king asked Ziba, ‘What’s this for?’

And Ziba said, ‘The animals are for the house of the king to ride; ³ the bread and the dried fruit are for your servants to eat; and the wine is for those who get weak [as they travel] in the desert.’

³ Then the king asked, ‘And where is your lord’s son?’

And Ziba replied, ‘{Look!} He’s sitting in Jerusalem, for he said, Today the kingdom of Israel will return to the house of my father.’

⁴ Then the king said, ‘{Look!} I am giving you everything that is MephiBosheth’s.’

And as he bowed, Ziba said, ‘May I find favor in your eyes, O my lord the king.’

⁵ Well, when King David got to BaUrim, {Look!} there came a man who was related to the house of Saul, whose name was Shimei (the son of Gera)… he came there cursing ⁶ and throwing stones at David and all his servants.

Well, all the people (and all the mighty ones) were walking on either side of the king. ⁷ And Shimei shouted, as he was cursing, ‘Get out of here you murderer; you criminal; ⁸ for Jehovah has brought all the blood of the house of Saul on you for taking his place as the ruler. And now He has given the kingdom into the hand of your son AbSalom. So, you’ve received some of your own badness, because you’re a murderer!’

⁹ And AbiShai (the son of ZeruJah) said to the king, ‘Why does my lord the king put up with the cursing of this dead dog? Allow me to go over and remove his head.’

¹⁰ And the king said to AbiShai, ‘What difference does it make to me and to you sons of ZeruJah? Leave him alone and let him curse, because Jehovah told him to curse David. So there’s no reason to ask him why he’s doing this.’

¹¹ And David said to AbiShai and his servants, ‘Why, my son who came from my own belly wants to kill me, so let the son of the BenJaminite curse, because Jehovah told him to do it. ¹² Now, may Jehovah look at my humiliation and provide good things for me in place of his curses today.’

¹³ So David and all his men just kept traveling along, as Shimei ran alongside them next to the mountain, cursing, and throwing stones and dirt. ¹⁴ And finally the king and all his people got tired and stopped to rest.

¹⁵ Well, AbSalom, AhiThophel, and all his men of Israel got back to Jerusalem. ¹⁶ Then HushAi (David’s best friend) went to see to AbSalom and said, ‘Long live the king!’

¹⁷ But AbSalom asked HushAi, ‘Is this the way you treat your friend? Why didn’t you go along with your buddy?’

¹⁸ And HushAi said, ‘First; I’ll follow whoever Jehovah and His people (the men of Israel) have chosen. I will stick with him and stay with him. ¹⁹ And second; who will I be serving? Won’t I be serving his son? So, just as I served your father, that’s how I will serve you.’

²⁰ Then AbSalom [turned] to AhiThophel and said; ‘Now, perhaps we should be discussing what we should do next.’

²¹ And AhiThophel said this to AbSalom, ‘Your father left some concubines behind to guard his house. So, why don’t you go to bed with them, so that all Israel will hear how you disgraced your father; for that will strengthen your hand with the people.’

²² So they pitched a tent on the roof, where AbSalom took his father’s concubines to bed with him before all Israel.

²³ Back then, AbSalom sought the counsel of AhiThophel on how he should go about asking things of God, for AhiThophel had given council to David, and then to AbSalom.

Chapter 17

¹ Well, AhiThophel said to AbSalom: ‘I’ll choose twelve thousand men and go after David tonight, ² because, when I get there he’ll be tired and weak. We’ll catch him unaware and startle him, then his people will flee, and I can kill the king when he’s alone. ³ Thereafter, I’ll bring all his people back to you the way a bride is brought to her husband. For after [we’ve taken] the life of the man you’re searching for, all the people will be at peace.’

⁴ Well, this sounded like a good idea to AbSalom and all the elders of Israel, ⁵ but AbSalom said: ‘Call HushAi the Arachite, for I want to hear what he has to say about this,’

⁶ So, HushAi came to AbSalom, and AbSalom told him about the plan. Then he asked, ‘Do you think we should do what he suggested? If not, speak up!’

⁷ And HushAi said to AbSalom, ‘This counsel that AhiThophel has given you isn’t a good idea this time. ⁸ For, you know your father and his men; they’re very brave and strong, and they’re as angry as a bear that has lost its cub in a field, or a wild boar that has been cornered. And your father is a warrior, so he would never sleep with his family. ⁹ Look, he’s hiding in the hills or somewhere else. So, when the attack begins, he’ll hear it and say, AbSalom’s people are attacking.

¹⁰ ‘Remember that this mighty man who has the heart of a lion will just melt away once he knows that he’s finished, for all Israel knows how mighty your father and his men are. ¹¹ So, this is what I advise: Gather all [the men of] Israel from Dan to BeerSheba, [and create an army] as large as the sands of the sea… and you should lead them. ¹² And when you catch up with him – no matter where he may be – you must camp around him. Then, [attack him] just as the dew is settling on the ground, and don’t leave him or any of his men alive. ¹³ Or if you should find him in a city, you must bring all Israel against that city, tear it down, and throw each of its stones into a riverbed.’

¹⁴ Well, AbSalom and all the men of Israel said, ‘The counsel of HushAi the Arachite is better than the counsel of AhiThophel.’ (However, it was Jehovah who caused the good counsel of AhiThophel to lose out, so He could bring bad things to AbSalom).

¹⁵ Then HushAi (the Arachite) went to Zadok and AbiAthar (the Priests), and told them of the advice that AhiThophel gave AbSalom and the elders of Israel. ¹⁶ And he said, ‘Now send a message to David quickly, so the king and his people aren’t caught!’

¹⁷ Well, JoNathan and AhiMaAz had stopped at Rogel Springs. And a young female servant came to them there and gave them the message, so they went to report it to King David. However, they didn’t want to be seen entering the city. ¹⁸ And then a young man noticed them and sent a report to AbSalom. So the two ran to the house of a man [they knew] in BaUrim and hid in a cistern in his courtyard. ¹⁹ But then a woman came and took the cover off the cistern to allow the desert [winds] to cool the water. However, she didn’t notice them. ²⁰ And when AbSalom’s men came to the house and saw the woman, they asked her, ‘Where are AhiMaAz and JoNathan?’ And she told them, ‘They went for a little water.’

Well, they looked around, but couldn’t find them, so they returned to Jerusalem. ²¹ Then after they left, [AhiMaAz and JoNathan] climbed out of the cistern and went to give the report to King David. They said to him, ‘Quickly… get up and cross the river, for AhiThophel has [planned a trap] for you!’

²² So, David and his people got up and crossed the Jordan before daylight, so no one was aware that they [had gone].

²³ In the meantime, when AhiThophel realized that his counsel had been rejected, he saddled his burro and went back to his home; then he discharged his staff and hung himself. And they buried him in the tomb of his father.

²⁴ Well, David had traveled all the way to ManaIm. But then AbSalom and all his men crossed the Jordan [in pursuit].

²⁵ Now, AbSalom had put Amasa in charge of his army (in place of JoAb). Amasa was the son of Jether, an Israelite from JezreEl. ²⁶ And he went to see AbiGail, the daughter of Jesse and the sister of ZeruJah, who was the mother of JoAb. Meanwhile, AbSalom and the army of Israel had camped in the land of Gilead.

²⁷ Well, when David entered ManaIm, WesBi (the son of NaAs from RabBath, an AmMonite) and MachIr (the son of AmiEl from LodaBar), and BarZilLai (the Gileadite from RogelLim) ²⁸ brought ten cots and blankets, ten pots, some plates, and some wheat, barley, flour, toasted grain, beans, lentils, ²⁹ honey, butter, mutton, and cheese, and they gave it to David and his people to eat. For they said, ‘They are starving, thirsty, and weak from traveling through the desert.’

Chapter 18

¹ Then David counted his men to see how many were with him, and he assigned generals and officers over them. ² Then he sent them out [to battle]… a third under the direction of JoAb, a third under the direction of AbiShai (the son of ZeruJah, JoAb’s brother), and a third under the direction of ItTai the Gethite. And David said to the people, ‘Now, I’ll be leading you.’

³ But they said, ‘You can’t come, for if [AbSalom’s people] kill half of us, losing you would be like losing ten thousand men. So, it’s best for you stay in the city to direct us.’

⁴ And the king said, ‘I’ll do whatever you wish.’

So, the king stood at the city gate as his army passed by in companies and divisions. ⁵ And the king gave orders to JoAb, AbiShai, and ItTai, saying, ‘Spare the young man AbSalom for me!’ And all the people heard what the king said to them about AbSalom.

⁶ Well, they marched to a forest that was directly opposite [the army of] Israel, and the battle started there in the Woods of EphraIm. ⁷ But the army of Israel didn’t fare well against the followers of David, for they lost twenty thousand of their men. ⁸ However, the war raged on throughout the land. And the thick forest killed as many men as were killed with swords that day.

⁹ Then David’s men caught up with AbSalom, who was riding his mule. And as the mule took off into a dense thicket, his head got caught in the branches of an oak tree, and he hung there between the sky and the ground, because the mule took off and left him hanging there.

¹⁰ Well, a man saw what had happened and he told JoAb, ‘I’ve found AbSalom; he’s hanging in an oak tree.’

¹¹ And JoAb said, ‘You saw this and you didn’t cut him to the ground? I would have given you ten large silver coins if you had.’

¹² But the man told JoAb, ‘If you had given me a thousand large silver coins I wouldn’t have done that, for I would never raise a hand against a son of the king. Why, we all heard the king tell you (AbiShai, and ItTai) to guard the young man AbSalom for him. ¹³ So, it would be wrong to kill him! For then the king would surely hear about it, and you and I would thereafter be on opposite sides.’

¹⁴ But JoAb said, ‘Well, that’s what’s going to happen, for I’m not going to put up with this!’

So, JoAb took three arrows and shot them into the chest of AbSalom as he was still alive, hanging there in the midst of the oak tree. ¹⁵ Then, ten of his young men took JoAb’s weapons and stabbed AbSalom [to make sure] he was dead. ¹⁶ And JoAb blew his battle horn to call his people back from their pursuit of Israel, because he wanted to spare them.

¹⁷ Thereafter, JoAb took AbSalom’s body and threw it into a deep gulley in the forest, and he formed a huge pile of rocks over it as a monument, while the whole army of Israel was retreating to their tents.

¹⁸ Well, while AbSalom was still alive, he had built a monument for himself in the Valley of the Kings, for he said, ‘I have no sons to remind people of my name.’ So, he named the monument after himself, calling it ‘The Hand of AbSalom,’ which is still there today.

¹⁹ Thereafter, AhiMaAz (the son of Zadok) said, ‘Run and bring the good news to the king that Jehovah has passed judgment on his enemies.’

²⁰ But JoAb told him, ‘Don’t bring it as good news today; save that for another day, for it isn’t good news that a son of the king has died.’ ²¹ And JoAb said (to HushAi), ‘Just go to the king and tell him what you’ve seen!’

So, HushAi bowed before JoAb and left.

²² Then AhiMaAz (the son of Zadok) said to JoAb: ‘Let me run after HushAi!’

And JoAb said, ‘Why do you want to do this, my son? Come along, for there’s no good news that will be of any benefit to you if you go there.’

²³ And AhiMaAz said, ‘But what if I run?’

And JoAb said, ‘Okay, then run!’ So, AhiMaAz ran along the road to KeChar, and he passed HushAi.

²⁴ Well, David was sitting between the two city gates, as the watchman was on the roof of the gate, next to the wall. And he looked out and saw a man running toward them. ²⁵ So he yelled and reported it to the king. And the king asked, ‘Is he is alone? Is he bringing good news?’

Then, as he was approaching, ²⁶ the watchman saw another man running. And he yelled out, ‘Look, there’s another man running by himself!’

And the king said, ‘Surely he’s bringing good news!’

²⁷ And the watchman said, ‘I see that the man running ahead is AhiMaAz, the son of Zadok; so he must be coming with good news.’

²⁸ Then AhiMaAz yelled to the king, ‘Peace!’ as he bowed to the ground before the king. And he said, ‘Praise your God Jehovah, for he has closed the mouths of those who have raised their hands against my lord the king.’

²⁹ And the king asked, ‘Do we now have peace with the young man AbSalom?’

And AhiMaAz said, ‘I saw a large happy crowd standing around the king’s servant JoAb, so I came here. But I’m not sure exactly what happened there.’

³⁰ And the king said, ‘Step aside and stand over there!’ So, he stepped aside and stood nearby.

³¹ Then HushAi came and said to the king, ‘I have good news to announce to my lord the king, for today Jehovah has passed judgment upon all those who opposed you!’

³² And the king asked HushAi, ‘And how is the young man AbSalom?’

Then he replied: ‘The young man has fared the same as all the enemies of my lord the king, and as all who have done evil things against him.’

³³ Well, the king was very upset, so he went up into the room above the gate and wept. He cried, ‘O my son AbSalom! O my son! O my son AbSalom! Why couldn’t I have died instead of you, AbSalom? O my son! O my son!’

Chapter 19

¹ Then a message was sent to JoAb that the king was crying and mourning over AbSalom ² rather than celebrating a victory, and that his people had gone into mourning, because they heard that the king was [disturbed over the death of] his son. ³ And the people had just melted away into the city like men who were running from a battle.

⁴ Well, the king refused to show his face, for he kept crying and sobbing, ‘O my son AbSalom! AbSalom! O my son!’

⁵ Finally, JoAb went into the king’s house, and said, ‘You’ve disgraced all your servants who fought to save you today, as well as your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your concubines, ⁶ because you’re indicating that you love the ones who hated you, and that you hate those who love you. Why, you’re giving the impression that your leaders and your servants are nothing, and that if AbSalom were alive today and all the rest of us were dead, it would be a better thing in your eyes.

⁷ ‘Now get up… go out and talk to your servants! Tell them how you really feel! For I swear by Jehovah, that unless you go out there today, there won’t be a man standing with you tonight. Realize that the evil you’re doing here is worse that all the evil things that have happened to you since you were young.’

⁸ So, the king then got up and sat at the gate. And all the people started shouting, ‘Look, the king is sitting at the gate.’ And all the people gathered to him there.

Now, the army of Israel had all run back to their tents, ⁹ and all the tribes of Israel were arguing with each other, saying, ‘King David rescued us from all our enemies, and he saved us from the hands of the Philistines. But he fled from the land and his kingdom, because he was running from AbSalom. ¹⁰ However, AbSalom, who we anointed to be [our king], has died in the battle. So, why don’t we just quietly return to the king?’

And then all Israel returned to the king.

¹¹ Thereafter, King David sent for Zadok and AbiAthar (the Priests) and said, ‘Speak to the elders of Judah and ask them why they’re the last to welcome the king back to his palace.’

Well, these words of the king were spread throughout all Israel. ¹² For he said, ‘My brothers; you are my own flesh and bones, so why are you the last to welcome the king back to his palace? ¹³ Are you going to say to Amasa, You are our flesh and bones? No! May God curse me and add more to it if the one in charge of my armies is anyone other than JoAb.’

¹⁴ Well, this turned the hearts of all the men of Judah, and they sent a message to the king saying, ‘You and all your servants should return!’

¹⁵ So, the king traveled toward the Jordan, and all the men of Judah came to GilGal to welcome the king and to accompany him across [the river].

¹⁶ Then Shimei (the son of Gera, the son of the BenJaminite from BaUrim) hurried with the men of Judea to meet King David, ¹⁷ and he brought along a thousand men from BenJamin, as well as Ziba (the servant of the house of Saul) and his fifteen sons and twenty servants. They all went straight to the king at the Jordan ¹⁸ to officially welcome him as he crossed the ford (in order to satisfy his family, and to do the right thing in his eyes).

Then Shimei (the son of Gera) fell to his face before the king at the Jordan, ¹⁹ and he said, ‘Please, my lord; forgive the lawless way that your servant acted when the king left Jerusalem… please put it out of your heart, ²⁰ for your servant knows that he has sinned! Now look; here I’ve come before all Israel and the house of Joseph today, to welcome back my lord the king.’

²¹ But AbiShai (the son of ZeruJah) asked, ‘Shouldn’t Shemei be put to death for cursing the anointed of Jehovah?’

²² And David said, ‘Why are you sons of ZeruJah always coming to me with plots? Today no man of Israel will be put to death, because I still don’t know whether I’m the ruler.’

²³ Then the king said to Shimei, ‘You won’t die,’ and he swore an oath to him.

²⁴ And thereafter, MephiBosheth (the son of JoNathan and grandson of Saul) came to welcome the king. However, he hadn’t washed his feet, cut his nails, or trimmed his mustache, and his clothes hadn’t been washed since the day he left to ask the king for peace. ²⁵ So, when he came from Jerusalem to greet him, the king asked, ‘Why didn’t you come along with me, MephiBosheth?’

²⁶ And MephiBosheth answered, ‘O my lord, O king; it was because my servant had misled me. For, when your servant told him to saddle my burro and help me mount it (because your servant is lame) to go with the king, ²⁷ he didn’t do it. However, my lord the king is as a messenger of God; so, do whatever is good in your eyes! ²⁸ For when there was no one else left of the house of my father (other than those who deserved death from my lord the king), you allowed your servant to eat at your table. So, what reason would I have to speak out against the king?’

²⁹ And the king said to him, ‘Why are you still talking? You must now give your field to Ziba!’

³⁰ And MephiBosheth said, ‘Yes, may he take everything, now that my lord the king is returning in peace to his palace.’

³¹ Then BarZilLai (the Gileadite) came to the king at the Jordan from RogelLim, to accompany him on his way back home. ³² Now, BarZilLai was a very old man (eighty years old), but he had fed the king while he was living in ManaIm, because he was very wealthy. ³³ So the king said to BarZilLai, ‘Now come to Jerusalem with me, and I will care for you in your old age.’

³⁴ But BarZilLai said to the king: ‘How many years do you think I have left, so that I should travel with the king to Jerusalem? ³⁵ Why, I’m eighty years old today, so how can I appreciate what you’re doing? Can I still enjoy the taste of the food and drink that you will offer me? Or can I still enjoy the voices of men and women singing? So, why should I burden my lord the king? ³⁶ Your servant will just travel with the king for a short way to the Jordan. Then, what reward or payment can you give me? ³⁷ Let your servant stay here to die in my city, and be buried with my father and mother. But look, your servant’s son CamaAm will cross [the Jordan] with my lord the king… please do for him whatever you find good in your eyes.’

³⁸ And the king said, ‘Then let CamaAm cross over with me, and I will do what is good in my eyes for him… whatever you ask of me, I will do for you.’

³⁹ Well, as all the people were crossing the Jordan, the king also prepared to cross, so he kissed BarZilLai and blest him, and then he returned to his people. ⁴⁰ And as the king was crossing over toward GilGal, CamaAm crossed [the river] with him, along with all the people of Judah and half the people of Israel.

⁴¹ Then the men of Israel came to the king and asked, ‘Why did you allow our brothers of Judah to steal you and help the king, his household, and his army to cross the Jordan?’

⁴² And the men of Judah shouted, ‘because the king is our close relative. So, why are you so irritated about this? Has the king given us food, or gifts, or brought us a tribute?’

⁴³ And the men of Israel replied, ‘We have ten [tribes] that serve the king, and we’re the firstborn. So, how do you have [a greater claim] to David? We came here [to welcome him back] before you did, so why did you insult us by not allowing us to be the first to escort the king?’

But men of Judah shouted down the men of Israel.

Chapter 20

¹ Well, there was a man who was referred to as the Son of a Lawbreaker. His name was SabeE, and he was the son of BoChori, a BenJaminite. He then blew his horn and shouted, ‘David [doesn’t have any respect] for us, nor does the son of Jesse have an inheritance for us. So men of Israel; let’s return to our tents!’

² And then all the men of Israel who were following David turned and started following the son of BoChori. However, the men of Judah stuck by their king [and followed him] from the Jordan to Jerusalem.

³ Then, when David arrived at his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines who he had left to guard the house, and had them put under guard. He took care of them, but he never went to bed with them again. So, they lived in custody as widows until the day they died.

⁴ Well, the king then said to Amasa (the one who had served as the commander-in-chief of AbSalom’s army): ‘Call the army of Judah to assemble here in three days… and then come back here!’

⁵ So, Amasa went and called [the army of] Judah, but he stayed away longer than David told him to, ⁶ because David had told Amasa, ‘Now we’re going to do something worse to the son of BoChori than we did to AbSalom. Get my servants and chase after him before he finds a fortified city and gives us a black eye.’

⁷ Then JoAb’s men (the Cherethites, the Phelethites, and all the mightiest warriors) went after him… they left Jerusalem to chase down the son of BoChori. ⁸ Well, when they reached Great Stone in Gibeon, they found Amasa standing there before them. And JoAb, who was dressed in full uniform and carrying a sword in its sheath, drew his sword ⁹ and said to Amasa: ‘Are you in good health, O brother?’

Then he grabbed Amasa’s beard with his right hand as if to kiss him ¹⁰ (for Amasa didn’t notice the sword in JoAb’s other hand), and JoAb stuck the sword into his belly, pouring his guts out on the ground. Then he stabbed him a second time, killing him. And with that, JoAb and his brother AbiShai were ready to go after the son of BoChori. ¹¹ So, one of JoAb’s servants stood up next to him and shouted to Amasa’s army, ‘Who is on JoAb’s side and who is for David? Let him follow JoAb!’

¹² Well, Amasa was lying there dead in the middle of the road covered in blood, and one of his men carried his body from the road into a field and covered it with a cape, so people would stop coming by to look at it. ¹³ And after he took the body out of the road, all the men of Israel went with JoAb to hunt down the son of BoChori.

¹⁴ Well, [the son of BoChori] had traveled throughout all the tribes of Israel on his way to Abel BethMacha. ¹⁵ Then they came and attacked him at Abel BethMacha, building a ramp around the city wall, because they planned to tear the wall down. ¹⁶ But a wise woman yelled from the wall, ‘Listen! Listen! Tell JoAb to come here, because I want to speak to him!’

¹⁷ So he got up close to her, and the woman asked, ‘Are you JoAb?’

And he said, ‘I am.’

And she said, ‘Listen to what your servant has to say!’

And JoAb said, ‘I’m listening.’

¹⁸ And she said, ‘There’s a saying that goes, Ask in Abel; for if the plans of the trusted ones fail in Dan, they should ask in Abel. ¹⁹ Now, I’m one of the peaceful ones who is in support of Israel, but you’re planning to destroy a city… and a mother-city of Israel at that. So, why would you sink the inheritance of Jehovah?’

²⁰ And JoAb replied, ‘Be kind and friendly with me or I’ll not only sink it, I’ll totally destroy it! ²¹ For, isn’t this the place where a man from the hills of EphraIm called the son of BoChori is staying… he who lifted his hand against King David? Hand him over to me personally, and I’ll leave your city.’

And the woman said to JoAb, ‘Look! I’ll toss his head to you over the wall.’

²² So, the woman went to her people and told everyone in the city of her wise plan, and they cut off the head of the son of BoChori and tossed it to JoAb. Then he blew his horn and all his men returned to their tents, and JoAb returned to the king in Jerusalem

²³ Well thereafter, JoAb was put in charge over all the armies of Israel… BenaiJah (the son of JehoiAda) was over the Cherethites and the Phelethites, ²⁴ AdoniRam was in charge of the tributes, JoSaphat (the son of AchiLuth) kept the records, ²⁵ Susa was the scribe, Zadok and AbiAthar were the Priests, ²⁶ and Iras (the son of JaRin) was David’s personal Priest.

Chapter 21

¹ Well, there were three consecutive years of famine in the days of David, so he asked Jehovah, and Jehovah said: ‘This has happened because the house of Saul is guilty of shedding [innocent] blood when he killed the Gibeonites.’

² So the king called the Gibeonites, and he said: ‘Why, the Gibeonites aren’t [really] Israelites; they’re just what is left of the Amorites. However, although the sons of Israel had sworn an oath to them, Saul attacked them in his zeal for the sons of Israel and Judah.’

³ Then David asked the Gibeonites, ‘What must I do for you… what must I do to [pay for our sins], and to get you to bless the inheritance of Jehovah?’

⁴ And the Gibeonites replied, ‘The problem can’t be paid for with silver or gold by Saul and his house; and there’s no one left for us to put to death in all Israel.’

⁵ And [David] said, ‘Then what can I do for you?’

And they told the king, ‘[Saul] would have finished us off, because he chased us, tried to trick us, and he attempted to wipe us out. As the result, we’ve decided to remove [any trace] of him so that his ways won’t last in the borders of Israel. ⁶ Therefore, give us seven of his descendants and we will hang them in the sun before Jehovah in Saul’s town of Gibeon.’

And the king said, ‘I will give them to you.’

⁷ However, the king spared MephiBosheth (the son of JoNathan and the grandson of Saul), because of the oath that Jehovah had made between them… between David and JoNathan (Saul’s son). ⁸ So, the king took the two sons of ResPha (the daughter of AiAh, Saul’s concubine) who gave birth to ErMoni and MephiBosheth, and the five sons of Michol (Saul’s daughter), who she bore to EsdriEl (the son of BarZilLai the Moulathite). ⁹ Then he handed them over to the Gibeonites, and they hung them on the mountain in the sun before Jehovah. And there they fell – all seven of them together.

Well, this happened at the beginning of the barley harvest. ¹⁰ So, ResPha (the daughter of AiAh) took sackcloth and made a bed for herself on a rock, [which she slept on] from the beginning of the barley harvest until water dripped from God in the sky. And she wouldn’t allow the flying creatures of the sky to rest there during the day, or wild animals to rest there during the night.

¹¹ Then all the things that ResPha (the daughter of AiAh) Saul’s concubine was doing were reported to David. ¹² And David sent and had the bones of Saul and his son JoNathan taken from the sons of JabIsh Gilead (which they stole from the city square of BethSan, where the Philistines put them after they killed Saul at Gilboa). ¹³ Then they gathered the bones of the men who were hung in the sun, ¹⁴ and they carried all the bones (of Saul, JoNathan, and the men who were hung in the sun) to the land of BenJamin, where they were buried on the side of a hill, in the tomb of Kish, Saul’s father. And they did exactly as the king told them, so God started paying attention to the land again.

¹⁵ Well, there was still a state of war between the Philistines and Israel, so David took his men and went to fight the Philistines. However, David started feeling poorly.

¹⁶ Now, Jesbi (who was a descendant of Rapha) had a brass spear that weighed as much as three hundred large silver coins, and he was wearing heavy armor; and he decided to attack David. ¹⁷ However, AbiShai (the son of ZeruJah) came to his aid and struck down the Philistine, and killed him.

Then the men of David swore an oath to him saying, ‘You will never come with us in battle again, so that the lamp of Israel won’t be extinguished.’

¹⁸ But the war with the Philistines still raged in Gath. Then SeboCha (the Astatothite) conquered the descendants of the giants. ¹⁹ However, there was still war with the Philistines in Gob. Then EleAnan (the son of AriOrgim the BethLehemite) killed GoliAth the GitTite, whose spear was as large as a weaving loom.

²⁰ But war still raged in Gath. And there was a man from Madon who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot (for a total of twenty-four) who was the son of Rapha. ²¹ He came and shouted insults at Israel, but JoNathan (the son of ShimeAh, David’s bother) cut him down. ²² All four of them were descendants of the giants in Gath from the house of Rapha, and David and his servants cut them all down.

Chapter 22

¹ Well, after Jehovah had rescued David from the hands of Saul and all his enemies, he sang this song to Jehovah:

² ‘Jehovah is my rock and my fortress;
He’s the One who comes to my rescue.
³ My God is a guard before me,
So, upon Him I will lean.

⁴ He is my defender,
And the trumpet of my salvation…
My shield and my refuge from the unrighteous.
Because You will save me, You deserve all the praise;
So I’ll call on the Lord and be saved.

⁵ For, death-dealing conflicts surrounded me,
And dry streams of lawlessness upset me.
⁶ For fear of dying was all around me,
And I awaited the harshness of death.

⁷ But in my pain I called on Jehovah,
Yes, then I yelled to my God.
And from His great Temple He Heard me…
My voice and my cries reached His ears.

⁸ Then the ground started to tremble,
And the sky was disturbed by His rage.
⁹ Because He was outraged smoke then ascended,
The fire from His mouth then consumed,
And even the coals burned away.

¹⁰ He leaned on the sky and it fell,
And darkness was under His feet.
¹¹ He mounted a cherub upon its spread wings,
And He could be seen on the wings of the winds.

¹² He put darkness around Him to be hidden,
And His tent was the darkness of waters.
Then He thickened the clouds of the air.
¹³ But the brightness before Him kindled fire.

¹⁴ He thundered from out of the sky;
Jehovah shouted from up above.
¹⁵ Then He grabbed His arrows and shot them;
He flashed with lightning and they were frightened.

¹⁶ Then the things in the sea were exposed;
The foundations of man’s habitation;
They were accusations from Jehovah…
The breath of the spirit of His rage.

¹⁷ So He sent from above and He took me;
He drew me out of deep waters.
¹⁸ He rescued me from the strength of my enemies…
From the ones above me who hated me.

¹⁹ He anticipated the problems that I’d face,
And Jehovah became my stabilization.
²⁰ Then He made room and He saved me,
And it was He who chose to do well by me.

²¹ For Jehovah has repaid my righteousness;
He pays me back for the cleanness of my hands.
²² For I paid attention to the ways of Jehovah…
I wasn’t impious to my God.

²³ For I kept all His decisions before me,
And His Laws have never left me.
²⁴ So I’ll stand before Him unblemished,
And from lawlessness I’ll stay away.

²⁵ ----
²⁶ For with the holy You will always be holy,
And with men who are perfect You’ll be perfect,
²⁷ With the elected You’ll be elected,
And with the crooked You’ll be crooked.

²⁸ For the poor You will preserve,
But the eyes of the proud You will humble.
²⁹ My lamp You will light, O Jehovah…
My Lord gives me light in the darkness.

³⁰ For in You I will run lightly armed,
And by my God I’ll pass over walls.

³¹ Yes, flawless are the ways of the Almighty…
And the sayings of Jehovah are refined.
He’s the defender of all who obey Him,
³² Yes, who is as strong as Jehovah?
And who but our God can create?
³³ For He’s the One that is mighty.

He strengthens me with all His great power;
He removes the flaws of my ways.
³⁴ He sets my feet firm like a stag,
And in the heights He then stands me.

³⁵ He teaches my hands to do battle,
And makes my arm break brass bows.
³⁶ He gives me a shield to protect me,
Because I obeyed, You made me strong.

³⁷ He enlarges my footsteps beneath me,
And my trembling knees He [makes firm].

³⁸ So, I will pursue and I will remove them,
And I won’t return ‘til they’re gone.
³⁹ I will crush them and they won’t arise,
For they’ll fall [to the ground] ‘neath my feet.

⁴⁰ You’ll strengthen me for great battles,
And bend those who rise from beneath me.
⁴¹ All my enemies You’ve given to me,
And broken the backs of those hating me.

⁴² They yelled, but no help came from Jehovah,
For to them He never would listen.
⁴³ So I ground them like dust on the ground,
And made them fine like the mud in the streets.

⁴⁴ For You will save me when men come to fight,
And You will guard me as the head over nations.
So, a people I don’t know came to serve me,
⁴⁵ Then He listened and did as I asked.

⁴⁶ The sons of lying foreigners will all reel,
And they will stumble in their confinement.
⁴⁷ As Jehovah lives, may my Guardian be praised…
May my God who guards me be raised high.

⁴⁸ For Jehovah is strong and brings vengeance,
And He corrects the people who serve me.
⁴⁹ He leads me away from my enemies,
And lifts me high above those who would fight me.

From unrighteous men You will save me,
⁵⁰ And for this I’ll praise You to the nations.

O Jehovah; I’ll strum tunes to Your Name.
⁵¹ For the salvation of His king is quite awesome,
As is the mercy He’s shown His anointed…
To David and his seed through the ages.’

Chapter 23

¹ And these were the last words of David.

David (the son of Jesse) was a trustworthy man who Jehovah elevated to the position of the anointed of the God of Jacob. He also wrote many of the beautiful psalms of Israel.

² ‘The Breath of Jehovah spoke by me,
And His words were there on my tongue.
³ Yes, it was Israel’s God (He who guards us),
Who once gave this parable to me:

‘I asked of a man: How can I teach you to fear the anointed?
⁴ For God brings light in the morning,
As the sun rises into the day,
And then its brightness passes by.

‘It is He who also brings rain,
Which causes tender shoots to sprout from the ground.
⁵ It is He who made my house strong,
And made it firm through the ages,
With a sacred agreement He concluded with me.

‘He has always guarded and saved me,
So I’ll serve Jehovah and not break His Laws.

⁶ ‘It’s as though a thorn-bush stood against all;
They weren’t taken from me [by human] hands.
⁷ And the men who worked hard among them
Turning iron and wood into spears,
Were themselves burned in fire… they were burned in their shame.’

⁸ These are the names of the three mighty ones of David:

JeBosthe the CanaAnite, who was the greatest of the three. He [was also known as] AdiNon the Asonite, for it was he who unsheathed his broadsword and killed eight hundred men in one battle.

⁹ EliYanan (AdiNin’s nephew), who was with David in SeiRa when he berated the Philistines as they gathered for war against him. It was then that this man of Israel went right up to them ¹⁰ and kept killing Philistines until his hand got tired, so he tied his sword to his hand [and kept fighting]. Jehovah gave him a great victory that day, and the only reason why the people had to return to [the field] was just to strip the dead.

¹¹ SamaiJa (the son of Asa the Arachite) – for when the Philistines went to Theria and people there were picking lentils in a field, they all ran from the Philistines. ¹² But he stood there like a stone monument in the middle of the field and protected it, cutting down the Philistines in a great victory.

¹³ Now, it was these three (from among the thirty of the leaders) who went to David when he was at Kason in the cave of OdolLam, as the Philistines camped [against him] in the Valley of RephaIm. ¹⁴ Also, when David was in the citadel and the Philistines were in BethLehem, ¹⁵ and David [got thirsty] and asked, ‘Who will go to the well that’s at the city gate in BethLehem to get me some water to drink?’ (although all the Philistines were assembled in BethLehem)… ¹⁶ it was these same three mighty ones who tore up the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well that was in BethLehem, and brought it to David. However, he wouldn’t drink it, but offered it to Jehovah instead. ¹⁷ For he said, ‘Please be kind to me, O Jehovah, for offering this. Yes, how could I drink it after these men risked their blood and their lives to bring it to me?’

So, he didn’t drink it. However, these three mighty ones did these things.

¹⁸ Now, AbiShai (the brother of JoAb and the son of ZeruJah) was over the three. And because he had killed three hundred men, he was also considered to be with the three. ¹⁹ He was never part of the group, but he was the most highly regarded, so he was put in charge over them.

²⁰ Then there was BenaiJah, the son of JehoiAda. He also did many marvelous things. For at KabeseEl he struck down the two sons of AriEl the Moabite. And it was he who went and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. ²¹ It was also he who cut down a remarkable Egyptian man that carried a wooden spear, which was as big as a ladder. He went right up to him with a rod, grabbed the wooden spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his spear. ²² Yes, these are things that BenaiJah (the son of JehoiAda) did, and that’s why he was also considered among the mighty ones. ²³ So, he was considered one of the three, but he was never part of their group, and he was given more honor, for David appointed him [leader over his guards].

And these are the names of the mighty ones of King David:

· ²⁴ AshaEl, ²⁵ the brother of JoAb (who was also one of the thirty).

· ElAnan (his uncle, the son of Dudi of BethLehem)

· ²⁵ Samai the Arudite

· EliKa the Arodite

· ²⁶ Seles the KelOthite

· Iras (the son of EkKas the Thekoite)

· ²⁷ AbiEzer the AnathOthite (from the sons of the Asothites)

· ²⁸ ElLon the Awi-ite

· MoOr the NetoPhathite

· ²⁹ Ethi (the son of Riba of GabeOth, a BenJaminite)

· ³⁰ BenaiJah the Pharathenite

· Uri from NachaLiga

· ³¹ GadabiEl (the son of the ArabOthite)

· AzMoth the BarSamite

· ³² EliAsou the Salabonite, and his sons, Jaban and JoNathan

· ³³ SamNan the Arodite

· Acian (the son of Arai the SaraUrite)

· ³⁴ AlipPhaleth (the son the Asbitite and grandson of MaAchathi)

· EliAb (the son of AhiThophel the Gelonite)

· ³⁵ AsarAi the Carmelite

· PharAi the Erchite

· ³⁶ GaAl (the son of Nathan, from the armies of the Gileadites)

· ³⁷ ElYe the Ammanite

· GelorAi the BerOthite, who was the arms bearer for JoAb (the son of ZeruJah)

· ³⁸ Iras the Jethirite

· Gareb the Ethenite

· ³⁹ UriJah the Hittite.

In all, they numbered thirty-seven [mighty men].

Chapter 24

¹ Well, the anger of Jehovah started to burn in Israel, for David was moved to say, ‘Go and take a census of Israel and Judah!’

² So, the king said to JoAb (who was in charge of the army). ‘Go throughout all the tribes of Israel and Judah, from Dan to BeerSheba, and count the people, so I will know how many there are.’

³ But JoAb said to the king, ‘May Jehovah your God add to your people, and may you find that they have grown to be a hundred times greater. However, my Lord the king, why would you want to do you such a thing?’

⁴ But the king refused to listen to JoAb and to those who were in charge of his army, so JoAb and his men left the presence of the king and went to take a census of the people of Israel. ⁵ They crossed the Jordan and camped to the right of AroEr in the ravine of Gad and EliEzer. ⁶ Then they went to Gilead and into the land of ThaBason (AdasSai). And from there they traveled to DaniDan and UDan, and they camped around Sidon. ⁷ Next, they traveled to MapSar of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites and CanaAnites, and then they went to the south of Judah, into BeerSheba. ⁸ So, they traveled throughout the entire land.

Finally, at the end of nine months and twenty days, they returned to Jerusalem, ⁹ and JoAb gave the numbers of the people to the king. There were eight-hundred-thousand men in the armies of Israel who were carrying the broadsword, plus five-hundred-thousand warriors from Judah.

¹⁰ Well, after he had the census performed, David [was ashamed] of what he had done, and he said to Jehovah: ‘I have really sinned by doing this thing. And now, O Lord, please overlook this lawlessness on the part of your servant, for I was very foolish.’

¹¹ But when David got up the next morning, [he found that] the word of Jehovah had come to the Prophet Gad, the Seer, who was told, ¹² ‘Go and speak to David. Tell him that this is what Jehovah has said: I am giving you your choice of three [penalties]. You must choose the one you prefer, and I will bring it against you!’

¹³ So, Gad went to David and told him: ‘Choose for yourself what is going to come upon you; three years of famine in our land, three months when your enemies will chase you and you will run from them, or three days of death in your land. Now, give me a reply for the One who sent me.’

¹⁴ And David said to Gad: ‘Those are all tough choices, but of the three, I choose to put myself into the hands of Jehovah, because He is very compassionate. He will never allow me to fall into the hands of [my enemies].’

¹⁵ So David chose the death.

Now, it was the season of the wheat harvest when Jehovah sent death throughout Israel, from the morning until dinnertime, and devastation started among the people, killing seventy thousand men from Dan to BeerSheba. ¹⁶ Then the messenger of God turned his hand toward Jerusalem… to destroy it. However, [Jehovah then forgave] the evil that was done, and He said to the messenger who was destroying the people, ‘That’s enough!’

Well at the time, the messenger of Jehovah was at the threshing-floor of Orna the Jebusite. ¹⁷ And David said to Jehovah (when he saw the messenger striking the people), ‘Look… it it I who did the wrong! I’m the shepherd who sinned, and these are just the sheep… what have they done? May Your hand come against me and the house of my father instead!’

¹⁸ Then Gad came to David that day and said to him, ‘Now go and erect an Altar to Jehovah at the threshing-floor of Orna the Jebusite.’

¹⁹ So, following the instructions of the Prophet Gad, he did what Jehovah told him to do. ²⁰ And when Orna saw the king and his servants coming toward him, he bowed before the king with his face to the ground. ²¹ And Orna asked, ‘Why is my lord the king coming to his servant?’

And David replied, ‘To buy your threshing-floor from you, in order to build an Altar to Jehovah, so that He will stop destroying the people.’

²² And Orna said to David, ‘Then take it and offer it to Jehovah, my lord the king, and do whatever is good in your eyes. Look, here are some oxen to sacrifice as whole burnt-offerings… and use the wooden [ox-cart] and it wheels to burn [the sacrifice]!’

²³ So, Orna offered it all to the king. And he said, ‘May Jehovah your God bless you.’

²⁴ But the king said to Orna, ‘No, I want to purchase it from you for a price, because I won’t offer a whole burnt-offering to Jehovah my God free of charge.’

So, David bought the threshing floor and the oxen, paying for it with fifty large silver coins. ²⁵ And there he built an Altar to Jehovah, where he sacrificed whole burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then [later on], Solomon added to the size of the Altar, because it was small at first. But [Jehovah’s favor] returned to the land, and He ended the devastation that He was bringing upon Israel.

Notes

Soul

The Greek word psyche (as in psychology) has been translated many ways, including soul, life, etc. However, psyche actually means something that breathes. It is used in the Bible to describe both breathing animals and breathing humans. So by definition, a soul cannot leave the body, because a soul is what the living body (whether human or animal) is (see Genesis 2:7).

In ancient Greece, philosophers eventually added another meaning to psyche: The inner person (as opposed to the person that others see and come to know). And with time, the pagan religion of Greece started to teach that this inner person is its own entity and can never die (is immortal). Over the centuries, this pagan Greek doctrine thereafter crept into the Christian religions. Please see the link Soul for more history of the word.

However, such Greek philosophical thought never influenced Jesus and his Apostles. So, they consistently used psyche to indicate a living person or animal. Therefore, the later teaching that the soul is immortal stands in direct conflict with Jesus’ promise of a resurrection, because, if a person is immortal (can never die) he/she can never be resurrected (brought back to life).

In addition, the teaching of the immortality of the human soul is totally without support from the Bible. For the word immortal(ity) (Gr: athanasia or undying) is only mentioned in the Bible in two places, and it isn’t used with or applied to the word soul in either case. Both of these scriptures show that immortality is only given by God as a reward for righteousness. And as Ezekiel 18:4 says, ‘The person (gr. psyche or ‘soul’) that is sinning will die (gr. apothaneitai).’

Of course, there are places in the Bible where the word soul means more than just a living, fleshly body. For example, God is recorded to have spoken of ‘My Soul’ in several places. Obviously, God is much more than just a ‘soul’ as most people think of that term, and He surely wasn’t talking about His having a human body. So we must conclude that what He was referring to is His life.

Then there are Jesus’ words found at Matthew 10:28, which read, ‘Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body but can’t kill the person (psyche or soul). Rather, be afraid of him who can destroy both the person (soul) and the body in the garbage dump.’ Here, Jesus is using the word psyche (soul) to refer to the value of life that remains with God until the resurrection. And he obviously isn’t referring the soul as immortal in this instance, because he says God will destroy (gr. apolesai) the [unrighteous] soul or person.

Unfortunately, no single word can be used to translate psyche in every possible Bible application, so various terms are used herein, depending on the circumstances, but always in an attempt to harmonize with the meaning.

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Bible Measurements

The most common unit for measuring length, height, and depth in the Bible is a cubit, which is the length of a man’s forearm. And of course, the lengths of forearms vary depending on the size of the person, so a cubit may be anywhere between eighteen and twenty-two inches. However, to give you a better idea of the size and proportions of things in the Bible, we have converted the units of measure to more familiar terms, such as feet and inches. And we have roughly averaged the sizes or lengths.

Also, some units of measure, such as a cor (about 32 bushels), hin, or bath (about 6 gallons), have been roughly estimated, since such terms are obsolete.

We have also dropped the obscure names of coins, since most readers have no idea of their value, and simply inserted the type of coin they are (gold, silver, or copper), and sometimes their size, to provide you some frame of reference.

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Hebrew Songs and Poetry

While we as translators claim no in-depth knowledge of the Hebrew language (this is a GREEK Bible translation), we do find its poetry, blessings, and songs interesting and beautiful. For, rather than putting the words together in a rime (as we do in English, where ending words must sound alike), the sentences fit together where the thoughts follow each other, so that they could be easily remembered and sung. Therefore, the actual words didn’t have to be memorized, for, as long as a person understands the thought, the poetry can be correctly repeated using slightly different words.

You’ll notice that each song seemed to have about four verses, for the verses followed in a logical order. However, in our translation we sometimes find only three verses… or sometimes two or six. And this may be due to our misunderstanding of their methods, or due to problems with translation (both ancient and ours).

However, as you go along in the Bible, you will also find entire books written in poetry (such as Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, etc.), and most prophecies (such as those of Isaiah, Jeremiah, etc.) were spoken and written in a form that is similar to songs, especially where God and His messengers are speaking. It was probably done this way to be remembered and repeated… perhaps even as songs, for that was an ancient Hebrew means of mass communication.

Why, many of Jesus’ parables were spoken and recorded as poetry, such as that portion called the beatitudes (Matthew 5).

Notice that; where we find the natural poetic rhythm in our translating, we have tried to restore the cadence for your benefit. This requires some rearranging and the addition or removal of extraneous words, but we have zealously worked to maintain the true meaning of the texts. Why is this necessary? Well, not only does it provide pleasant reading, but in places where the lyrics can’t be resolved, this provides a clear indication that something has been lost through the years. Proverbs 25 and 26, for example, by their lack of natural cadence and harmony, indicate questionable inspiration or a corruption of the original text. Also, God must consider the beauty of the text important, because that was the way He inspired it to be written.

You might notice the two verses of a song that the Israelite women were singing when Saul and David returned from a battle (1 Samuel 18:7): ‘Saul has cut down thousands,
And David his ten thousands.’
Although these were just a few words of a much longer victory song, those particular words offended Saul, for he felt that David was being considered more important than he was. Yet, if you understand Hebrew poetry, you would see that the words were part of a natural progression of words and they weren’t actually chosen to elevate David or to offend Saul. Rather, Saul was being petty.

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The Heavens or Sky, the Earth or the Land?

In both the Ancient Scriptures of Israel (OT) and the Christian Era Scriptures (NT), we find all the realm of creation divided into three entities; the heavens (or sky), the earth (the land or ground), and the seas (the waters). Now, in contemporary English, we understand that there is a difference between the heavens and the sky, the earth and the land (or ground), and the seas and waters. However, in both Hebrew and Greek, these fine distinctions that we accept because of our modern technology, can’t be found. So, Genesis 1:1 could literally be translated as, ‘In the beginning, God created the sky and the ground.’

This is accurate, because it was the view of man from the earth. There was the land that he stood on, the sky above him, and the waters or seas over there. There was no technical understanding of the earth as a planet, because men didn’t view the earth as we do today, as a ball in space… it just wasn’t necessary at the time! However, because of these distinctions that we understand so well today, translators must choose the proper words to provide the right nuances in English, in order for readers to grasp the proper meaning of each text.

This is why you’ll find the Greek word ourano translated as both heaven(s) and sky herein, depending on the context. You’ll also find the Greek words ge and ges translated as earth, ground, or land, depending on the context. So, the symbolic words at 2 Peter 3:5, 6, for example, are translated herein as, ‘The thing that they don’t want to understand is this: That the ancient earth and sky were out of the water, but (in obedience to God’s instructions) they stood together between the waters.’ (For an example of the problems created by the wrong use of the words ge and ges, see the linked document Isaiah 24 - Is It Speaking of Armageddon?).

Notice that the ‘earth and sky’ were located ‘between the water.’ So, although other Bibles translated this verse as speaking of the ‘heavens and earth,’ the reference is to the portion of the heavens that are close to the earth… to the sky. Likewise, at Matthew 5:5, where Jesus spoke of the ‘meek’ as inheriting ‘the earth; since he was talking about people receiving an ‘allotment’ on the earth,’ we have chosen to translate ges as earth, not land or ground. However, the words land and ground are equally correct.

And finally, when it comes to the seas (gr. thalassa), there are already distinctions as to different types of waters in the Greek text. For instance, seas are called thalassa and rivers are called potamos (or ‘flowing’). However, notice (in Revelation 20: 13) how the resurrection of the dead is divided between those who died on land and those who were lost in the water, ‘The sea gave up its dead, death and the grave gave up those dead in them, and they were all judged by the things that they did.’

We again find all three of these realms of creation brought together symbolically at Revelation 21:1, where it says, ‘Then I saw a new earth and sky, because the previous earth and sky had disappeared, as did the sea.’

Also, in the case of where EliJah was taken in a celestial chariot, most people think he was taken to (as their Bibles put it) ‘heaven,’ where he went to live with God. This isn’t true, because King JehoRam later received a letter from Elijah (see 2 Chronicles 21:12). So, God had apparently used the celestial chariot to take him into the sky (the proper translation here), where he was then taken to another place here on the earth. For more information on this, see the linked document, The Hereafter.

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The ‘Tabernacle’ or the ‘Tent of Proofs?’

We are sure that many will object to our calling God’s place of worship in the desert a ‘tent’ rather than a ‘tabernacle.’ However, tabernacle is just an obsolete word, the true meaning of which most people misunderstand, so for clarification, we have opted to use the modern word, tent. Because, it was for a fact, a portable building made of cloth.

Actually, this tent is often referred to in Greek as the skenes tou marturion, or, Tent (or Temporary Dwelling) of Testimony. And the reason why they called it that, was because it housed the kiboton martyrion (Box [of] Witness), which is also referred to in other Bibles as the Ark of the Covenant. So, we have translated it as the Tent of Proofs wherever these Greek words are found.

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Hades: Hell or the Grave?

The Greek word Hades (they pronounced it hah-des) has been translated both as Hell (which is thought of as a place of torture) and as the Grave in other Bible versions (such as the King James). Since one word can’t mean two very different things, which translation is correct?

Hades (like the English word Hell) actually means the place of the dead. However, as pagan Greek philosophy started to develop and creep into Christianity, the later-day Greek view of Hades (a place of torture) was applied to it. Was this a correct application?

An insight into how the ancient Hebrews and the early Christians understood the word can be gained by looking at how it was applied in the Greek Septuagint translation of the Ancient Scriptures of Israel (the ‘Old Testament’ Bible of Jesus’ day). There, the Hebrew word Sheol is translated into Greek as Hades in every instance; yet in each case, these are obvious references to the grave (the place of the dead), not to a place of conscious torture (see Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10).

Another revealing application of the word Hades is found at Revelation the 20:13. It says there, ‘The sea (gr. he thalassa) gave up its dead, death and the grave (gr. thanatos kai ho hades) gave up those dead in them, and they were all judged by the things that they did.’

So, notice that those who die at sea are differentiated from those who are buried in graves (Hades) and in other places (thanatos). Therefore, Hades is better translated as grave.

In the book of Job, another word that is used once in the Christian-era Scriptures and often translated as Hell, is found in two places. That Greek word is Tartarus, which refers to the place where evil gods or angels are sent. For more information, see the linked document, Is There a Burning Hell?

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Bless or Praise?

This is a tough one, and we won’t say that our position on the translation of this word can’t be changed. The Greek word that we are struggling with is eulogetos. The first part of the word eu, is Greek for good. The last part of the word, logetos, means words (or expressions). So, a literal translation of eulogetos is good words. And our question is: Is this all that a blessing amounts to?

Yes, we know that this word has been translated as bless, blest, and blessing in other Bibles. So why rock the boat? Because these translators have simply found too many errors in many commonly-accepted renderings. And here, for example, if eulogetos is properly translated as blessing each time (which carries the English nuance, ‘causing good things to happen’), then, how can humans ‘bless God?’ We do know that we can praise God, however.

Eulogetos is the word that we derive the English word eulogy from… that is, the kind words that are said of the deceased at a funeral. Such words are never said as a blessing, (it’s a bit late for that); they are said in praise of the deceased individual. However, there are definitely places where eulogetos can’t be translated as praise or praising.

So, perhaps the real meaning is (or is at least is similar to) praise. And when praises come from God, this means blessings to humans.

This isn’t the same word that we have rendered as blest in other portions of this translation (for an example, see Matthew 5:5). The word in question there is makarios, which is rendered as happy in certain other Bibles. However, we believe that blest is the proper way to translate that Greek word.

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Baal, Beel, Bel, and El

Throughout the Ancient Scriptures of Israel (OT), you will read of Gods, people, and places with names that start with Baal, Beel, and Bel. These terms mean the Lord, the Master, or the Owner, and they refer to various gods of nations, not necessarily to a particular god. The word was just a title for a god, and the God’s name (or the place that he/it represented) follows the title, such as Beel Phegor (as found at Numbers 25:3). And where people called their god just Baal (or Beel), they were referring to their particular lord or god of that city or land. Also, where a person’s name includes one of these terms (such as BelShazzar), it usually means that they were named after a local god (in this case, Shazzar).

Of course, having the title Baal or Beel in a name doesn’t necessarily imply that a person is a worshiper of a pagan god, for several faithful worshipers of Jehovah also had that title as part of their names. For example, the faithful Judge Gideon came to be known as JeroBaal (meaning ‘May Baal Defend Himself’), because of his action in cutting down an altar to Baal. Also, one of King Saul’s grandsons (through faithful JoNathan) was named MeriBaal (meaning ‘Opposer of Baal’); one of King David’s faithful warriors was named BaalJah (meaning ‘Lord Jehovah’); and David named one of his sons BaalJada (meaning ‘Lord Knows’).

By the way, Baal is pronounced Bah-ahl and Beel is pronounced beh-el, not Bayel or Beel.

Also, in places where we find the letters El in a name or place, this is usually just a shortened version of the Hebrew word Elohim, meaning God. So, whereas many Bibles translate the Greek word ‘Baithelbereth’ (found at Judges 9:46) as ‘Bethel Bereth,’ or, ‘the temple of god ElBereth,’ or, ‘the vault of the house of El-Berith;’ recognize that ‘Beth (or Baith)’ means ‘the house (or temple) of,’ ‘El’ means ‘God,’ and ‘Bereth’ is that God’s name. So, we have translated it there as ‘the temple of God Bereth.’

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Anointing

At Exodus 29:29 we find that Aaron and his sons were to be ‘anointed’ as Priests to Jehovah, and that this action would make them ‘holy’ or clean. It also signified that they had been chosen to this office by God. And in Leviticus, when we read of the ‘anointed’ Priest, the reference seems to be to one of the Priests who has been chosen for the special office of what later became known as the High Priest.

The Greek word that we have translated as anointed here, is chriseis, which can also be translated as Christ (it’s just a conjugation of Christos), since christ and anointed both come from the same root, which is Greek for olive oil (it may also mean Judged, since the words are similar). So, Jesus wasn’t the first or the only one to be correctly referred to as a christ.

Why olive oil? Because, that substance was traditionally poured over the heads of those whom God chose to be Priests and kings over Israel. However, at least in the case of Aaron and his sons, fragrant herbs were added to the oil to give it a pleasing odor. This is implied at Exodus 25:7, where the Israelites were asked to donate ‘fragrances for anointing oil.’ And we find the exact formula for the anointing oil at Exodus 30:34, where we read that it was to be made from ‘sixteen pounds of choice myrrh flowers, eight pounds of sweet-smelling cinnamon, eight pounds of sweet-smelling calamus, sixteen pounds of cassia (for the Holy Place), and a gallon of olive oil.’

The physical anointing with oil also appears to have pictured their receiving of God’s Holy Breath, making them ‘holy,’ which was an appropriate description for Jesus years later. And remember that both the ‘anointed’ priests and the kings pictured Jesus. So, the term christ is apropos.

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Spirit or Breath?

The Greek word pneuma (as in pneumonia, a breathing disease) means breath or wind – the movement of air. In other Bible translations, this word is often translated as spirit or ghost, as in Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. However, spirit is just a shortened form of the Latin word spiritu, which just means breath in Latin. And ghost conveys another meaning altogether.

The most common use of the word pneuma in the Bible is to imply an unseen force (such as breath or wind). And the problem with translating it as spirit or ghost is that many people have started believing that the unseen force that is called [God’s] Holy Breath herein, is another God-like person and part of a Divine ‘Trinity.’ This can’t be true, because the only scripture that can be used to support this theory (that is, where the Father, the Son, and the Holy Breath’ are spoken of together) is found at Matthew 28:19, which appears to be spurious (See the Note in Matthew). All other scriptures that are used to prove the Trinity theory fail to mention the Holy Breath as part of that group. And the King James wording of 1 John 5:7 (which was used for years to attempt to prove the Trinity) is also spurious (something that was added to the Bible). So, there are no actual Bible references that mention God’s Holy Breath along with the Father and the Son.

Therefore, to prevent confusion, the Greek word pneuma is frequently translated as breath herein. However, there are exceptions, as in instances where the Bible refers to demons as ‘spirits.’ Translating pneuma as breath in these cases, although correct, might just be confusing. There are also places where we have left pneuma translated as spirit, when the word implies a person's tendency (or spirit). And, since the nuance implied by the word spirit in the English language (an unseen power) is correct, we recently changed back to translating pneuma as spirit in several places, when referring to God’s Holy Spirit. However, recognize that pneuma is often best defined by calling it [God’s] Holy Breath. For an example, see the Note Worshiping God In Spirit and Truth.

Another important use of the word pneuma is in the phrase, ‘Breath of Life.’ This phrase appears to mean more than just breathing, for it seems to refer to the entire mechanics of life itself. It’s the unseen force of life for all creatures… it’s what makes each cell alive. However, nowhere does the Bible describe the ‘pneuma’ as immortal, nor is it the same as the soul (a breathing thing), so it can (figuratively) ‘return to God’ at death,’ because all hope of future life depends on God and His promise of a resurrection.

Note in particular how the term Breath is used at Job 27:3, where Job spoke of God’s Breath or Spirit. For there he asked, ‘Does the Breath of the Divine One remain in my nose?’ As you can see from his application of this word, pneuma obviously referred to God’s Breath, not to a person or to an unseen force. He was talking about that which comes from God and which caused him (Job) to breathe… the Breath of Life.

It is interesting that at Genesis 6:3 God says, ‘I won’t allow My Breath to stay with these men through the age, for they are fleshly.’ In Greek that reads, ‘Ou me katameine to pneuma mou en tois anthropois toutoiseis ton aiona, dia ai einai autous sarka,’ or, ‘Not not should stay the Breath Mine with these men the age through, their being flesh.’

While the words Breath Mine (pneuma mou) here can refer to God’s Holy Breath, it seems more likely that He is referring to the breath of life that He gave to Adam. So it appears as though; what God was saying here is that the breath of life (of the people of that age) would be removed prematurely. However, since God referred to it as ‘My Breath,’ there may be a link implied between God’s Holy Breath and the breath of life.
For more information, see the linked document, ‘The Powers of God’s Holy Spirit.’

However, when Jesus died (as the words recorded at John 19:30 say), ‘he hung his head and gave up the breath’ (gr. kai klinas ten kephalen paredoken to pneuma, or, and inclined his head giving/up the breath). In this case, the obvious reference is to ‘the breath of life,’ or that force which gave him life as a human.

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Was David Dancing Naked?

The account at 2 Samuel 6:14 well illustrates the reason why we have come to trust the Greek text over the Hebrew text. For in the Septuagint, King David is described as wearing a fine robe (στολην εξαλλον) while he danced in the parade leading Jehovah’s Sacred Chest into Jerusalem for the first time. Whereas, the Hebrew text says he was wearing just a linen ephod (vest). So, when his wife Michal accused him of exposing himself while he danced, the conclusion that many translators have made from the Hebrew text is that he celebrated bringing Jehovah’s Chest to Jerusalem by dancing naked from the waist down. This doesn’t sound appropriate or likely. Rather, the Greek text shows that he was fully covered in fine clothes, and Michal’s accusation was probably the hyperbole of a disgusted wife who didn’t think that her husband was behaving as her father Saul would have done.

So, did David actually expose his sexual parts? Well, apparently the ancient Israelites wore no underpants beneath their robes, so lively dancing could have theoretically exposed their under parts, but the rest of Michal’s and David’s words seem to indicate that she was more concerned by his dancing than with the idea that he had truly exposed himself.

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Why Capitals in Bible Names?

You have likely noticed that we are putting some of the letters in Bible names in capital letters. For example, we’ve started spelling such names as Jonathan as JoNathan, Isaiah as IsaiJah, and Eliezer as EliEzer. Why? Well, partly to help with the correct pronunciations of the names, and partly to show some translating consistency.

We all know that the common English pronunciation of Jonathan (for example) is Jon-uh-thun. But did you know that the first part of the name (Io in Greek, Ieho in Hebrew) refers to the name Jehovah, and the second part of the Name (Nathan) means Gift? So, the name was originally pronounced closer to Ye-hoh-nuh-thahn.

In the case of names that end with an iah, as in Isaiah, the last part of the name often includes the name of God. Isaiah, for example, means Salvation [of] Jehovah, and it was originally pronounced Ee-sai-Yah. So, why have we substituted a capital ‘J’ for the letters ‘ie’ in both of the above cases? Well, we recognize that there is an inconsistency here, because there was no letter ‘J’ in Hebrew or Greek alphabets. However, we have the choice of changing all names that start with ‘J’ (such as Jesus, John, Jonah, Joshua, Jeremiah, etc.) to start with the letters ‘Ie’, or for consistency, we can change all the ‘Ies’ into ‘Js’, which is what we have done. Realize that several other Hebrew consonants are commonly mispronounced in English, which no one objects to, so this minor deviation should not be objectionable to the thinking.

Does this mean then that we are setting out a new rule for name spelling? Absolutely not, for centuries ago, a Bible translator first established this rule when he spelled the name Eliou (Greek spelling, pronounced ay-lee-ou) and wrote it as EliJah, because this name is regarded as meaning ‘My God is Jehovah.’

Also notice that where a name ends with an iah, as in Jeremiah (Jehovah exalts), we have often spelled it as iJah, because the I would typically be pronounced as a long E, followed by a Y in Hebrew, and writing it without the I (as in JeremJah) misses this nuance. So, we have rendered it as JeremiJah, which is similar to the way it is often pronounced by modern-day Hebrew-speaking Jews, YeremiYah.

Another important word in names that we usually capitalize is ‘El’ (from the Hebrew Elohe, or God). So EliEzer (which people commonly pronounce Eelai-eezer and means God [has] Helped) should actually be pronounced El-ee-eh-zer. The same is true for the letters Ai, especially in the names of cities, because Ai in Hebrew refers to the word city. So, AiLam (for example) probably meant the City of Lam.

Similar words, such as Bel (as in BelShazzar), Baal, and Beel, refer to ‘the Lord’ or ‘the God.’ Also, the prefixes ‘Ben’ and ‘Bar’ mean ‘the son of.’ ‘Beth’ means ‘the house of,’ ‘Beer’ refers to a ‘well,’ ‘Is’ or ‘Ish’ means ‘Man,’ etc.

Does this mean that we have put all the capitals in the right places? No, for we make no claim to Hebrew scholarship (all our translating here has been from Greek). So, what we are trying to do is provide a better understanding to how these names were pronounced by First-Century Christians.

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Age, Eternal, Perpetual, Everlasting, Immortal, or Forever?

Two words imply infinite states in the Bible; one is the Greek word athanasia (undying), which is only found in two places, 1 Corinthians 15:53, where it mentions resurrected ones as clothing themselves with immortality, and at 1 Timothy 6:16, where Paul speaks of Jesus as having received it. The other Greek word is aidios, which is used at Romans 1:20 to describe God’s Power and Might as eternal, and at Jude 6 when speaking of the perpetual state of gloomy darkness that rebellious angels have been confined to.

However, the Greek word aionos (pronounced ai-on-oss), which is used throughout the Bible and is often translated as forever and everlasting, is what the English word eon is derived from. It means an indefinite period, and there is no exact English word to translate it. The best equivalents are age(s) or era(s).

Where the plural form of the word (aionion) is used, it refers to a long time… at least multiple generations. However, where the singular form is used (aionos), this appears to mean a much shorter period, such as a lifetime, generation, or era. And where the term ages of the ages is used (such as at Ephesians 3:21), which is usually said in reference to The God, we would assume that this truly means forever.

It is noteworthy that aionos is the word that is used in the Greek Septuagint in place of the Hebrew word ohlam, which is also translated as forever and time indefinite in popular versions of the Ancient Scriptures of Israel. So, this one word (aionos) is translated as forever, everlasting, eternal, system of things, time indefinite, [end of] the world, long ago, from of old, etc. Obviously, something is very wrong here, because the word can’t mean a period having a definite end in one place and infinity in another.

Take for example, the unique way that aionos is used in the question that Jesus’ Apostles asked him, which is found at Matthew 24:3: ‘Tell us; When will these things happen… what will be the signs when you are to arrive and this age will come to its conclusion?’ You can see that the word aionos obviously doesn’t mean forever, everlasting, or eternal in this case, nor did it mean world or system of things. It simply meant the age or, the time before the end would come. And for them, that meant the age when God’s Temple at Jerusalem would be destroyed, because that’s what Jesus had just told them.

The word aionos (which we have translated as age here) is also translated as world (KJ) and as system of things (NW) in other Bibles. However, if the Apostles had meant any of those words, they would have used the Greek word cosmos (world or system of things), not aionos.

The ancient Hebrews viewed everything (and rightly so) as having a beginning and an end. For that reason, you will only find three places in the Bible where words are used that imply no end, and none that imply no beginning. An interesting possible insight on the reason for this can be found at Hebrews 1:10-12, which says: ‘Long ago, O Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and your hands made the heavens. They will destroy themselves, but you will remain. They will grow old just like clothes do. Then, as [you would do to] a robe, you will wrap them up and repair them like clothes. Yes, you are the one, and your years will never expire.’

So, notice; The Bible shows that even our universe will eventually end and need to be ‘wrapped up and repaired,’ which agrees with the conclusions of modern science.

The problem with most Bible translations is that; when they encounter the word aionos in all its different tenses, they interpret it according to accepted doctrine, not according to the way that Jesus and his disciples used it. So, the common renderings forever, eternal, and everlasting are used even when the word is in its singular forms (aioni, aiona, aionos, aionion, aionian, aionios, aioniou), and this totally distorts the meaning of the text.

Take for example, the scripture at John 5:24, where Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth; He who hears what I say and believes in the One that sent me, will have life in this age… he won’t have to be judged, for he has crossed over from death to life!’

Most Bibles translate Jesus as saying that those who believe in the One who sent him will have everlasting life (or the equivalent). However, the words that Jesus used there were, zoe aionos (life age – singular), not zoe aionion (life ages – plural).

Notice how Jesus explained the meaning of these words with his next statement, ‘He won’t have to be judged, for has crossed over from death to life.’

So, what Jesus was saying here, wasn’t that they would have everlasting life, but that they in their current lifetime would be considered among the living, not among the dead (see Revelation 20:12).

This doesn’t necessarily mean that they won’t live forever… it’s just that Jesus wasn’t really saying that. What we find (from consideration of the evidence found in the bulk of Jesus’ words about life) is that he never taught the hope of ‘life eternal,’ ‘everlasting life,’ or ‘immortality,’ in those specific words. However, the concept is still there. What he taught was that righteous people will receive ‘life in the age,’ or be considered worthy of (possibly everlasting) life by God during their current lifetimes… that their names would be written in ‘the scroll of life,’ and that they would not have to be judged, but will have already ‘crossed over from death to life,’ as Jesus said at John 5:24.

Yes, we know that this is a difficult concept to understand, but it’s what Jesus actually said.

For more information, select the linked documents, The Hereafter and Does the Bible Promise Everlasting Life?

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The Chest of Proofs

We are sorry to use such an unfamiliar term, but Ark of the Covenant may not accurately describe the sacred box that eventually held the tablets of the Ten Commandments, the writings of Moses and Joshua, the manna, and the walking stick of Aaron. First, the meaning of the ancient English word ‘ark’ has been lost in history. And the second word, ‘covenant’ (meaning, sacred agreement) isn’t always used as part of the name in the Greek text. In some places it is called the kiboton marturion, which literally means Box [of] Testimony. So, although it may have been built to illustrate the Sacred Agreement (Covenant) between God and the Israelites, it was also built to hold the Proofs of the things that God did for Israel. So, wherever the words kiboton marturion appear in the text, we have called it the Chest of Proofs. But it was also referred to as the Chest of the Sacred Agreement (or, Ark of the Covenant) at Exodus 27:21, for example, so that term must also be correct. However, after the Israelites settled in the Promised Land it was always referred to as the kiboton marturion, or the Chest of Proofs.

Unfortunately (during the time of Samuel and the High-Priest Eli), the Philistines captured the Chest, emptied its contents, and then returned it to Israel empty, because, their having it brought a plague on them (see 1 Samuel 6:12). However, later, during the time of King Solomon, the sacred tablets containing the Ten Commandments were found to be still in the Chest, but nothing else (see 1 Kings 8:9); so we have to assume that they had been found and returned.

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Crowns, Turbans, and Diadems

In the Bible, we read of two different types of royal headgear that was worn by Kings… crowns (gr. stephanos) and turbans (gr. diademas). Which did the kings of Israel, such as David and Solomon, wear?

A study of history shows that most kings wore some sort of hat on official occasions, which varied by time and by country. The gold headpiece that was worn by the pharaohs of Egypt, for example, was not referred to as either a crown nor a turban. But in the Middle East, the common headgear for kings was usually a turban that was set with gold and jewels. And this custom remained true, for the most part, throughout history, because crowns were generally thought of by the faithful as representing the rays of the sun (an idol). However, golden crowns were used by pagan kings in many places throughout the world, as their sign of appointment by God.

The first mention of a crown being worn by a king of Israel is found at 1 Samuel 12:30, where King David took the gold crown from the head of the Ammonite king of RabBath, named Malchom, and placed it on his own head. However, it doesn’t appear as though this was the custom of kings of Israel thereafter, for the placing of Malchom’s crown on his head seems to represent David’s victory, not his envy of the Pagan king’s headgear. And the fact that all Israelite men wore turbans can be seen in the depictions of Israelites in war scenes from Assyria that are currently on display at the British Museum.

If you study uses of the word crown in the Bible, you’ll see that most instances are talking about the top portion of the head, not a hat. However, there are notable exceptions to this.

At Revelation 12:3, the dragon is shown as having seven heads and ten horns, and ‘on its heads were seven royal turbans.’ We have translated this verse as saying that they were ‘turbans,’ because the Greek word used there was diadema, or through wraps, indicating that he was seen wearing turbans (although many religious depictions incorrectly show him wearing crowns).

However, there appear to be good uses in the Bible for the word crown as a symbol of athletic victory, not necessarily of kingship. Take for example, the following occurrences:

‘A crown that rots away. However, we receive one that doesn’t rot.’

‘He will receive the crown of life that the Lord promised to all those who love him.’

‘You will walk away with the enduring crown of glory.’

‘But be faithful to death and I’ll give you the crown of life.’

So, if it is true that the crown is more a sign of victory (a garland) in the Bible than of kingship, this gives us a better understanding of verses such as the following:

‘A crown of twelve stars.’

‘He had a golden crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.’

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