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 all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Look, we are your flesh and bone.

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.’”

In the recent past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led the Israelite army. Yahweh said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become ruler 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.

So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them before Yahweh. They anointed David king over Israel.

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

David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.

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-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!”

The king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land. They said to David, “You will not come here except to be turned away by the blind and the lame. David cannot come here.”

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

Nevertheless, David captured the stronghold of Zion, which now 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.”

At that time David said, “Those who attack the Jebusites will have to go through the water shaft to reach the 'lame and the blind' who are David's enemies.” That is why people say, “The 'blind and the lame' must not enter the palace.”

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].

So David lived in the stronghold and called it the city of David. He fortified around it, from the terrace toward the inside.

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

David became very powerful because Yahweh, 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.

Then Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, carpenters, and masons. 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.

David knew that Yahweh had 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.

After David left Hebron and came to Jerusalem, he took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him.

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

These were the names of the children who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,

15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,

Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,

16 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

Elishama, Eliada, 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.

Now when the Philistines heard that David had been anointed as king over Israel, they all went out looking for him. But David heard about it and went down to the stronghold.

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

Now the Philistines had come and spread 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]”

Then David asked for help from Yahweh. He said, “Should I attack the Philistines? Will you give victory over them?” Yahweh said to David, “Attack, for I will certainly give you victory over the Philistines.”

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’.

So David attacked at Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He commented, “Yahweh has burst through my enemies before me like a bursting flood of water.” So the name of that place became Baal Perazim.

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

The Philistines left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away.

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

Then the Philistines came up again and spread out once more 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.

So David sought help from Yahweh again, and Yahweh said to him, “You must not attack their front, but rather circle around behind them and come on them through the balsam woods.

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.”

When you hear the sound of marching in the wind blowing through the balsam treetops, then attack with force. Do this because Yahweh will have gone out before you to attack the army 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].

So David did as Yahweh had commanded him. He killed Philistines from Geba all the way to Gezer.