A Shepherd Boy Who Was Called To
After this David asked of Jehovah, "Shall I go up into one of the towns
of Judah?" Jehovah answered, "Go up." When David asked, "To which shall
I go?" he said, "To Hebron." So David went up with his two wives,
Ahinoam and Abigail. And David brought the men who were with him, each
with his family, and they lived in the towns about Hebron. Then the men
of Judah came there and made David ruler over the people of Judah.
When they told David about the men of Jabesh in Gilead who had buried
Saul, David sent messengers to them and said, "May you be blessed by
Jehovah because you have shown this kindness to your master Saul and
have buried him. Even so may Jehovah show kindness and faithfulness to
you. I also will repay you for this kind deed which you have done.
Therefore be brave and courageous; for Saul your master is dead, and the
people of Judah have made me ruler over them."
Now Abner, the commander of Saul's army, had taken Ishbaal the son of
Saul and brought him over to Mahanaim and made him ruler over Gilead and
all Israel. But the people of Judah remained loyal to David.
There was constant war between the followers of Saul and those of David.
But David kept growing stronger while the followers of Saul grew weaker.
Then Rechab and Baanah, the sons of Rimmon, went about midday to the
palace of Ishbaal, as he was taking his rest at noon. The doorkeeper of
the palace was cleaning wheat, but he grew drowsy and slept. So Rechab
and Baanah his brother slipped in and, attacking Ishbaal, they killed
him and cut off his head.
Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, "See, we
are your relatives. When Saul was ruler over us, it was you who led the
Israelites, and Jehovah has said to you, 'You shall be shepherd of my
people Israel, and you shall become the leader of Israel.'" So all the
leading men of Israel came to David, and he made an agreement with them
in Hebron in the presence of Jehovah, and they made David ruler over
Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to rule and he ruled
forty years.
When the Philistines heard that they had made David ruler over Israel,
all the Philistines went up to search for David; but when he heard of
this he went down to the fortress.
Three of David's thirty warriors went down to him to the top of the
rock, to the fortress of Adullam, while a force of the Philistines was
camped in the Valley of Rephaim. David was at that time in the fortress,
and a company of the Philistines was in Bethlehem. And David said,
longingly, "O that some one would bring me a drink of water from the
well of Bethlehem which is near the gate!" Then the three famous
warriors broke through the line of the Philistines and drew water out of
the well of Bethlehem which was near the gate and brought it to David.
He would not drink of it, however, but poured it out as an offering to
Jehovah and said, "Jehovah forbid that I should drink it. This is the
blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives." Therefore he
would not drink it.
When the Philistines came and spread out over the Valley of Rephaim,
David asked of Jehovah: "Shall I go out against the Philistines? Wilt
thou give them into my hand?" Jehovah said to David, "Go; for I will
certainly give the Philistines into your hand." So David went to
Baal-perazim, and defeated them there; and he said, "Jehovah has broken
down my enemies before me, like waters which break through their banks."
Then the Philistines came up again and spread out over the Valley of
Rephaim. When David asked of Jehovah, he said, "You shall not make a
direct attack. Go around behind them and attack them opposite the
balsam-trees. When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the
balsams, act quickly, for then Jehovah will have gone out before you to
overthrow the army of the Philistines." David did as Jehovah commanded
him and drove the Philistines from Gibeon as far as Gezer.
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