2Sa 4, 2Sa 6 | ESV | STEP | When Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son , heard that Abner had died at Hebron , his courage failed , and all Israel was dismayed .

2 Samuel 4

Ish-bosheth Murdered

1 When Ish-bosheth, Saul’s son, heard that Abner had died at Hebron, ^ahis courage failed, and all Israel was dismayed. 2 Now Saul’s son had two men who were captains of raiding bands; the name of the one was Baanah, and the name of the other Rechab, sons of Rimmon a man of Benjamin from Beeroth ( ^bfor Beeroth also is counted part of Benjamin; 3 ^cthe Beerothites fled ^dto Gittaim and have been sojourners there to this day).

4 ^eJonathan, the son of Saul, had a son who was crippled in his feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan ^fcame from Jezreel, and his nurse took him up and fled, and as she fled in her haste, he fell and became lame. And his name was Mephibosheth.

5 Now the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out, and about the heat of the day they came to the house of Ish-bosheth as he was taking his noonday rest. 6 And they came into the midst of the house as if to get wheat, and they stabbed him ^gin the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. ^{▼▼Septuagint And behold, the doorkeeper of the house had been cleaning wheat, but she grew drowsy and slept. So Rechab and Baanah his brother slipped in} 7 When they came into the house, as he lay on his bed in his bedroom, they struck him and put him to death and beheaded him. They took his head and went by the way of ⁱthe Arabah all night, 8 and brought the head of Ish-bosheth to David at Hebron. And they said to the king, “Here is the head of Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, your enemy, ^jwho sought your life. The Lord has avenged my lord the king this day on Saul and on his offspring.” 9 But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, ^k“As the Lord lives, ^lwho has redeemed my life out of every adversity, 10 ^mwhen one told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, ⁿI seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news. 11 How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now ^orequire his blood at your hand and destroy you from the earth?” 12 And David commanded his young men, and they killed them and cut off their hands and feet and hanged them beside the pool at Hebron. But they took the head of Ish-bosheth and buried it ^pin the tomb of Abner at Hebron.

2 Samuel 6

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem

1 ^qDavid again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from ^rBaale-judah ^sto bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts ^twho sits enthroned on the cherubim. 3 And they carried the ark of God ^uon a new cart and brought it ^vout of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. And Uzzah and Ahio, ^{▼▼Or and his brother; also verse 4} the sons of Abinadab, were driving the new cart, ^{▼▼Compare Septuagint; Hebrew the new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill} 4 with the ark of God, and Ahio went before the ark.

Uzzah and the Ark

5 And David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, with ^ysongs ^{▼▼Septuagint, 1 Chronicles 13:8; Hebrew fir trees} and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals. 6 And when they came to the threshing floor of ^aaNacon, Uzzah ^abput out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. 7 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and ^acGod struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. 8 And David was angry because the Lord had broken out against Uzzah. And that place is called Perez-uzzah ^{▼▼ Perez-uzzah means the breaking out against Uzzah} to this day. 9 And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” 10 So David was not willing to take the ark of the Lord into the city of David. But David took it aside ^aeto the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. 11 And the ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, ^afand the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household.

12 And it was told King David, “The Lord has blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” ^agSo David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom ^ahto the city of David with rejoicing. 13 And when ^aithose who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, ^ajhe sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. 14 And David ^akdanced before the Lord with all his might. And David was ^alwearing a linen ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn.

David and Michal

16 As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart. 17 And they brought in the ark of the Lord and set it ^amin its place, inside the tent that David had pitched for it. ^anAnd David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 18 And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, ^aohe blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts 19 and distributed among all the people, the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, a cake of bread, a portion of meat, ^{▼▼Vulgate; the meaning of the Hebrew term is uncertain} and a cake of raisins to each one. ^aqThen all the people departed, each to his house.

20 And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, ^aruncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants, as one of the ^asvulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” 21 And David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, ^atwho chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me as prince ^{▼▼Or leader} over Israel, the people of the Lord—and I will celebrate before the Lord. 22 I will make myself yet more contemptible than this, and I will be abased in your ^{▼▼Septuagint; Hebrew my} eyes. But by the female servants of whom you have spoken, by them I shall be held in honor.” 23 And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.