2 Samuel 5

1 Then [the leaders of] all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and said to him, “Listen, we have the same ancestors [IDM] that you do.

Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spoke, saying, Behold us, thy bone and thy flesh are we;

2 In the past, when Saul was our king, it was you who led our Israeli soldiers [in our battles]. You are the one to whom Yahweh promised, ‘You will be the leader [MET] of my people; you will be their king.’”

Already yesterday, and even before, when Saul was king over us, thou wast the one that led out and brought in Israel: And the Lord said to thee, Thou shalt indeed feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a chief over Israel.

3 So while Yahweh was listening, all those leaders of the people of Israel declared there at Hebron [that David would be their king]. And David made a sacred agreement with them. They anointed him [with olive oil to set him apart] to be the king of the Israeli people.

Thus came all the elders of Israel to the king unto Hebron; and king David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord: and they anointed David as king over Israel.

4 David was 30 years old when he became their king. He ruled them for 40 years.

Thirty years was David old when he became king, [and] forty years he reigned.

5 In Hebron he ruled over the tribe of Judah for seven and a half years, and in Jerusalem he ruled over all the people of Judah and Israel for 33 years.

In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.

6 [One day] King David and his soldiers went to Jerusalem to fight against the Jebus people-group who lived there. The people there thought that David’s army would not be able to capture the city, so they sent a message to David, saying “Your army will never be able to get inside our city! Even the blind and crippled people will be able to chase you away!”

And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land; who said unto David, as followeth, Thou shalt not come in hither, except thou [first] remove away the blind and the lame: meaning, David cannot come in hither.

7 But David’s army captured the fortress on Zion [Hill], [and later it was known as] David’s City.

Nevertheless David captured the strong-hold of Zion; the same is the city of David.

8 On that day, David said [to his soldiers], “Those who want to get rid of the Jebus people-group should go through the water tunnel [to enter the city]. Then they can attack those people whom I [SYN] detest—[and we will find out if any] blind and crippled people [will be able to stop them]!” That is why people say, “Blind and crippled people cannot enter Yahweh’s temple.”

And David said on that day, Whosoever will smite the Jebusites, and reach the aqueduct and the lame and the blind, that are hateful to David's soul, —Wherefore people usually say, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.

9 [After] David [and his soldiers captured] the city with its strong walls around it, he lived there, and they named it ‘David’s City’. David [and his soldiers] built the city around the fortress, starting where the [land was (filled in/terraces) on the east side of the hill].

And David dwelt in the fort, and he called it “The City of David.” And David built [it] round about from the Millo and inward.

10 David continued to become more and more powerful/influential, because the Almighty Commander of the armies of angels was with/helping him.

And David went on, and became greater and greater, and the Lord the God of hosts was with him.

11 [One day] Hiram, the king of Tyre [city], sent ambassadors/messengers to David [to talk about making agreements between their countries]. Hiram agreed to provide cedar trees [to make lumber], and also that he would send carpenters and masons, to build a palace for David.

And Hiram the king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar-trees, and carpenters, and stone-masons: and they built a house for David.

12 His doing that caused David to realize that Yahweh truly had appointed him to be the king of Israel, and that Yahweh was going to cause his kingdom to prosper, because Yahweh loved the Israeli people, whom [he had chosen to] belong to him.

And David felt conscious that the Lord has established him as king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

13 After David moved from Hebron to Jerusalem, he took more slave women to be his second-class wives, and he also married other women. [All of those women] gave birth to more sons and daughters.

And David took yet more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron; and there were born to David yet [more] sons and daughters.

14 The names of the sons who were born in Jerusalem were Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,

And these are the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem: Shammua', and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon,

15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,

And Yibchar, and Elishua', and Nepheg, and Yaphia',

16 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

And Elishama', and Elyada', and Eliphelet.

17 When the Philistia people heard that David had been appointed to be the king of Israel, their army went up [toward Jerusalem] to try to capture David. But David heard that they were coming, so he went down to another fortified place.

But when the Philistines heard that the people had anointed David as king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David: and David heard of it, and went down to the strong-hold.

18 The [army of] Philistia arrived at Rephaim Valley [southwest of Jerusalem] and spread all over the valley.

The Philistines also came and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim.

19 David asked Yahweh, “Should [my men and] I attack the Philistia army? Will you enable us to defeat them [IDM]?” Yahweh replied, “Yes, attack them, because I will certainly enable your army to defeat them. [IDM]”

And David asked counsel of the Lord, saying, shall I go up against the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into my hand? And the Lord said unto David, Go up; for I will certainly deliver the Philistines into thy hand.

20 So David [and his army] went to [where the Philistia army was], and there they defeated them. Then David said, “Yahweh has burst through my enemies like a flood.” [SIM] So that place is called ‘Lord of Bursting-through’.

And David came to Ba'al-perazim, and David smote them there, and said, The Lord hath broken down my enemies before me, as a breach [is made by] water. Wherefore he called the name of that place Ba'al-perazim.

21 The Philistia men left their idols there; so David and his soldiers took them away.

And they left behind there their idols, and David and his men burnt them.

22 Then the Philistia [army] returned to Rephaim Valley and spread all over the valley.

And the Philistines came up once again, and spread themselves out in the valley of Rephaim.

23 So again David asked Yahweh [if his army should attack them]. But Yahweh replied, “Do not attack them [from here]. Tell your men to go around them and attack them from the other side, near the balsam trees.

And when David asked counsel of the Lord, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but turn about and fall in the rear of them, and come upon them opposite to the mulberry-trees.

24 When you hear something in the tops of the balsam trees that sounds like [an army] marching, attack them, because I will have gone ahead of you [to enable your army] to defeat their army.”

And it shall be, when thou hearest the sound of walking on the top of the mulberry-trees, that thou shalt then bestir thyself; for then will the Lord go out before thee, to smite in the camp of the Philistines.

25 So David did what Yahweh told him to do, and his [army] defeated the Philistia army from Geba [city] all the way [west] to Gezer [city].

And David did so, as the Lord had commanded him; and he smote the Philistines from Geba' until thou comest to Gezer.