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2 Samuel 7-9  New English Translation

The Lord Establishes a Covenant with David

7 The king settled into his palace,[a] for the Lord gave him relief[b] from all his enemies on all sides.[c] 2 The king said to Nathan the prophet, “Look! I am living in a palace made from cedar, while the ark of God sits in the middle of a tent.” 3 Nathan replied to the king, “You should go[d] and do whatever you have in mind,[e] for the Lord is with you.” 4 That night the Lord’s message came to Nathan, 5 “Go, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord has said: Do you really intend to build a house for me to live in? 6 I have not lived in a house from the time I brought the Israelites up from Egypt to the present day. Instead, I was traveling with them and living in a tent.[f] 7 Wherever I moved among all the Israelites, I did not say[g] to any of their leaders[h] whom I appointed to care for[i] my people Israel, “Why have you not built me a house made from cedar?”’

8 “So now, say this to my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has said: I took you from the pasture and from your work as a shepherd[j] to make you leader of my people Israel. 9 I was with you wherever you went, and I defeated[k] all your enemies before you. Now I will make you as famous as the great men of the earth.[l] 10 I will establish a place for my people Israel and settle[m] them there; they will live there and not be disturbed[n] anymore. Violent men[o] will not oppress them again, as they did in the beginning 11 and during the time when I appointed judges to lead my people Israel. Instead, I will give you relief[p] from all your enemies. The Lord declares[q] to you that he himself[r] will build a dynastic house[s] for you. 12 When the time comes for you to die,[t] I will raise up your descendant, one of your own sons, to succeed you,[u] and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He will build a house for my name, and I will make his dynasty permanent.[v] 14 I will become his father and he will become my son. When he sins, I will correct him with the rod of men and with wounds inflicted by human beings. 15 But my loyal love will not be removed from him as I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 Your house and your kingdom will stand before me[w] permanently; your dynasty[x] will be permanent.’” 17 Nathan told David all these words that were revealed to him.[y]

David Offers a Prayer to God

18 King David went in, sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Sovereign Lord, and what is my family,[z] that you should have brought me to this point? 19 And you didn’t stop there, O Lord God! You have also spoken about the future of your servant’s family.[aa] Is this your usual way of dealing with men,[ab] O Sovereign Lord? 20 What more can David say to you? You have given your servant special recognition,[ac] O Sovereign Lord! 21 For the sake of your promise and according to your purpose[ad] you have done this great thing in order to reveal it to your servant.[ae] 22 Therefore you are great, O Sovereign Lord, for there is none like you. There is no God besides you! What we have heard is true.[af] 23 Who is like your people, Israel, a unique nation[ag] on the earth? Their God[ah] went[ai] to claim[aj] a nation for himself and to make a name for himself! You did great and awesome acts for your land,[ak] before your people whom you delivered for yourself from the Egyptian empire and its gods.[al] 24 You made Israel your very own people for all time.[am] You, O Lord, became their God. 25 So now, O Lord God, make this promise you have made about your servant and his family a permanent reality.[an] Do as you promised,[ao] 26 so you may gain lasting fame,[ap] as people say,[aq] ‘The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is God over Israel!’ The dynasty[ar] of your servant David will be established before you, 27 for you, O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, have told[as] your servant, ‘I will build you a dynastic house.’[at] That is why your servant has had the courage[au] to pray this prayer to you. 28 Now, O Sovereign Lord, you are the true God.[av] May your words prove to be true![aw] You have made this good promise to your servant.[ax] 29 Now be willing to bless your servant’s dynasty[ay] so that it may stand permanently before you, for you, O Sovereign Lord, have spoken. By your blessing may your servant’s dynasty be blessed from now on into the future!”[az]

David Subjugates Nearby Nations

8 Later David defeated the Philistines and subdued them. David took Metheg Ammah[ba] from the Philistines.[bb] 2 He defeated the Moabites. He made them lie on the ground and then used a rope to measure them off. He put two-thirds of them to death and spared the other third.[bc] The Moabites became David’s subjects and brought tribute.[bd] 3 David defeated King Hadadezer son of Rehob of Zobah when he came to reestablish[be] his authority[bf] over the Euphrates[bg] River. 4 David seized from him 1,700 charioteers[bh] and 20,000 infantrymen. David cut the hamstrings of all but 100 of the chariot horses.[bi] 5 The Arameans of Damascus came to help King Hadadezer of Zobah, but David killed 22,000 of the Arameans. 6 David placed garrisons in the territory of the Arameans of Damascus; the Arameans became David’s subjects and brought tribute. The Lord protected[bj] David wherever he campaigned.[bk] 7 David took the golden shields that belonged to Hadadezer’s servants and brought them to Jerusalem.[bl] 8 From Tebah[bm] and Berothai, Hadadezer’s cities, King David took a great deal of bronze.

9 When King Toi[bn] of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, 10 he[bo] sent his son Joram[bp] to King David to extend his best wishes[bq] and to pronounce a blessing on him for his victory over Hadadezer, for Toi had been at war with Hadadezer.[br] He brought with him various items made of silver, gold, and bronze.[bs] 11 King David dedicated these things to the Lord,[bt] along with the dedicated silver and gold that he had taken from[bu] all the nations that he had subdued, 12 including[bv] Edom,[bw] Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek. This also included some of the plunder taken from[bx] King Hadadezer son of Rehob of Zobah.

13 David became famous[by] when he returned from defeating the Edomites[bz] in the Valley of Salt; he defeated[ca] 18,000 in all. 14 He placed garrisons throughout Edom,[cb] and all the Edomites became David’s subjects. The Lord protected David wherever he campaigned. 15 David reigned over all Israel; he guaranteed justice for all his people.[cc]

David’s Cabinet

16 Joab son of Zeruiah was general in command of[cd] the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was secretary; 17 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar[ce] were priests; Seraiah was scribe; 18 Benaiah son of Jehoiada supervised[cf] the Kerethites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were priests.[cg]

David Finds Mephibosheth

9 [ch] Then David asked, “Is anyone still left from the family[ci] of Saul, so that I may extend kindness to him for the sake of Jonathan?”

2 Now there was a servant from Saul’s house named Ziba, so he was summoned to David. The king asked him, “Are you Ziba?” He replied, “At your service.”[cj] 3 The king asked, “Is there not someone left from Saul’s family[ck] that I may extend God’s kindness to him?” Ziba said to the king, “One of Jonathan’s sons is left; both of his feet are crippled.” 4 The king asked him, “Where is he?” Ziba told the king, “He is at the house of Makir son of Ammiel in Lo Debar.”

5 So King David had him brought[cl] from the house of Makir son of Ammiel in[cm] Lo Debar. 6 When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed low with his face toward the ground.[cn] David said, “Mephibosheth?” He replied, “Yes, at your service.”[co]

7 David said to him, “Don’t be afraid, because I will certainly extend kindness to you for the sake of Jonathan your father. I will give back to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will be a regular guest at my table.”[cp] 8 Then Mephibosheth[cq] bowed and said, “Of what importance am I, your servant, that you show regard for a dead dog like me?”[cr]

9 Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s attendant, and said to him, “Everything that belonged to Saul and to his entire house I hereby give to your master’s grandson. 10 You will cultivate[cs] the land for him—you and your sons and your servants. You will bring its produce[ct] and it will be[cu] food for your master’s grandson to eat.[cv] But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, will be a regular guest at my table.” (Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.)

11 Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do everything that my lord the king has instructed his servant to do.” So Mephibosheth was a regular guest[cw] at David’s table,[cx] just as though he were one of the king’s sons.

12 Now Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. All the members of Ziba’s household were Mephibosheth’s servants. 13 Mephibosheth was living in Jerusalem, for he was a regular guest at the king’s table. But both his feet were crippled.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 7:1 tn Heb “house” (also in the following verse).
  2. 2 Samuel 7:1 tn Or “rest.”
  3. 2 Samuel 7:1 tn The translation understands the disjunctive clause in v. 1b as circumstantial-causal.
  4. 2 Samuel 7:3 tc Several medieval Hebrew mss and the Syriac Peshitta lack this word.
  5. 2 Samuel 7:3 tn Heb “all that is in your heart.”
  6. 2 Samuel 7:6 tn Heb “in a tent and in a dwelling.” The expression is a hendiadys, using two terms to express one idea.
  7. 2 Samuel 7:7 tn Heb “Did I speak a word?” In the Hebrew text the statement is phrased as a rhetorical question.
  8. 2 Samuel 7:7 tn Heb “tribes of Israel” (so KJV, NASB, NCV), but the parallel passage in 1 Chr 17:6 has “judges of Israel.”
  9. 2 Samuel 7:7 tn Heb “whom I commanded to shepherd” (so NIV, NRSV).
  10. 2 Samuel 7:8 tn Heb “and from after the sheep.”
  11. 2 Samuel 7:9 tn Heb “cut off.”
  12. 2 Samuel 7:9 tn Heb “and I will make for you a great name like the name of the great ones who are in the earth.”
  13. 2 Samuel 7:10 tn Heb “plant.”
  14. 2 Samuel 7:10 tn Heb “shaken.”
  15. 2 Samuel 7:10 tn Heb “the sons of violence.”
  16. 2 Samuel 7:11 tn Or “rest.”
  17. 2 Samuel 7:11 tn In the Hebrew text the verb is apparently perfect with vav consecutive, which would normally suggest a future sense (“he will declare”; so the LXX, ἀπαγγελεῖ [apangelei]). But the context seems instead to call for a present or past nuance (“he declares” or “he has declared”). The synoptic passage in 1 Chr 17:10 has וָאַגִּד (vaʾaggid, “and I declared”). The construction used in 2 Sam 7:11 highlights this important statement.
  18. 2 Samuel 7:11 tn Heb “the Lord.”
  19. 2 Samuel 7:11 tn Heb “house,” but used here in a metaphorical sense, referring to a royal dynasty. Here the Lord’s use of the word plays off the literal sense that David had in mind as he contemplated building a temple for the Lord. To reflect this in the English translation the adjective “dynastic” has been supplied.
  20. 2 Samuel 7:12 tn Heb, “when your days are full and you lie down with your ancestors.”
  21. 2 Samuel 7:12 tn Heb “your seed after you who comes out from your insides.”
  22. 2 Samuel 7:13 tn Heb “and I will establish the throne of his kingdom permanently.”
  23. 2 Samuel 7:16 tc Heb “before you.” A few medieval Hebrew mss read instead “before me,” which makes better sense contextually. (See also the LXX and the Syriac Peshitta.) The MT reading is probably the result of dittography (note the כ [kaf] at the beginning of the next form), with the extra כ then being interpreted as a pronominal suffix.
  24. 2 Samuel 7:16 tn Heb “throne.”
  25. 2 Samuel 7:17 tn Heb “according to all these words and according to all this revelation, so Nathan said to David.”
  26. 2 Samuel 7:18 tn Heb “house.”
  27. 2 Samuel 7:19 tn Heb “and this was small in your eyes, O Lord God, so you spoke concerning the house of your servant for a distance.”
  28. 2 Samuel 7:19 tn Heb “and this [is] the law of man”; KJV “is this the manner of man, O Lord God?”; NAB “this too you have shown to man”; NRSV “May this be instruction for the people, O Lord God!” This part of the verse is very enigmatic; no completely satisfying solution has yet been suggested. The present translation tries to make sense of the MT by understanding the phrase as a question that underscores the uniqueness of God’s dealings with David as described here. The parallel passage in 1 Chr 17:17 reads differently (see the note there).
  29. 2 Samuel 7:20 tn Heb “and you know your servant.” The verb here refers to recognizing another in a special way and giving them special treatment (see 1 Chr 17:18). Some English versions take this to refer to the Lord’s knowledge of David himself: CEV “you know my thoughts”; NLT “know what I am really like.”
  30. 2 Samuel 7:21 tn Heb “for the sake of your word and according to your heart.”
  31. 2 Samuel 7:21 tn Heb “to make known, your servant.”
  32. 2 Samuel 7:22 tn Heb “in all which we heard with our ears.” The phrase translated “in all” בְּכֹל (bekhol) should probably be emended to “according to all” כְּכֹל (kekhol).
  33. 2 Samuel 7:23 tn Heb “a nation, one.”
  34. 2 Samuel 7:23 tn Heb “whose God” or “because God.” In the Hebrew text this clause is subordinated to what precedes. The clauses are separated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  35. 2 Samuel 7:23 tn The verb is plural in Hebrew, agreeing grammatically with the divine name, which is a plural of degree.
  36. 2 Samuel 7:23 tn Heb “redeem.”
  37. 2 Samuel 7:23 tn Heb “and to do for you [plural form] the great [thing] and awesome [things] for your land.”
  38. 2 Samuel 7:23 tn Heb “from Egypt, nations and their gods.” The LXX has “nations and tents,” which reflects a mistaken metathesis of letters in אֶלֹהָיו (ʾelohayv, “its gods”) and אֹהָלָיו (ʾohalayv, “its tents”).
  39. 2 Samuel 7:24 tn Heb “and you established for yourself your people Israel for yourself for a people permanently.”
  40. 2 Samuel 7:25 tn Heb “and now, O Lord God, the word which you spoke concerning your servant and concerning his house, establish permanently.”
  41. 2 Samuel 7:25 tn Heb “as you have spoken.”
  42. 2 Samuel 7:26 tn Heb “and your name might be great permanently.” Following the imperative in v. 23b, the prefixed verbal form with vav conjunctive indicates purpose/result.
  43. 2 Samuel 7:26 tn Heb “saying.” The words “as people” are supplied in the translation for clarification and stylistic reasons.
  44. 2 Samuel 7:26 tn Heb “the house.” See the note on “dynastic house” in the following verse.
  45. 2 Samuel 7:27 tn Heb “have uncovered the ear of.”
  46. 2 Samuel 7:27 tn Heb “a house.” This maintains the wordplay from v. 11 (see the note on the word “house” there) and is continued in v. 29.
  47. 2 Samuel 7:27 tn Heb “has found his heart.”
  48. 2 Samuel 7:28 tn Heb “the God.” The article indicates uniqueness here.
  49. 2 Samuel 7:28 tn The translation understands the prefixed verb form as a jussive, indicating David’s wish/prayer. Another option is to take the form as an imperfect and translate “your words are true.”
  50. 2 Samuel 7:28 tn Heb “and you have spoken to your servant this good thing.”
  51. 2 Samuel 7:29 tn Heb “house” (again later in this verse). See the note on “dynastic house” in v. 27.
  52. 2 Samuel 7:29 tn Or “permanently”; cf. NLT “it is an eternal blessing.”
  53. 2 Samuel 8:1 tn Heb “the bridle of one cubit.” Many English versions treat this as a place name because the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:1 reads “Gath” (which is used by NLT here). It is possible that “the bridle of one cubit” is to be understood as “the token of surrender,” referring to the Philistine’s defeat rather than a specific place (cf. TEV, CEV).
  54. 2 Samuel 8:1 tn Heb “from the hand [i.e., control] of the Philistines.”
  55. 2 Samuel 8:2 tn Heb “and he measured [with] two [lengths] of rope to put to death and [with] the fullness of the rope to keep alive.”
  56. 2 Samuel 8:2 tn Heb “and the Moabites were servants of David, carriers of tribute.”
  57. 2 Samuel 8:3 tc The LXX has ἐπιστῆσαι (epistēsai, “cause to stand”). See the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:3.
  58. 2 Samuel 8:3 tn Heb “hand.”
  59. 2 Samuel 8:3 tn The MT does not have the name “Euphrates” in the text. It is supplied in the margin (Qere) as one of ten places where the Masoretes believed that something was “to be read although it was not written” in the text as they had received it. The ancient versions (LXX, Syriac Peshitta, Vulgate) include the word. See also the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:3.
  60. 2 Samuel 8:4 tc The LXX has “1,000 chariots and 7,000 charioteers,” a reading adopted in the text of the NIV. See the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:4.
  61. 2 Samuel 8:4 tn Heb “and David cut the hamstrings of all the chariot horses, and he left from them 100 chariot horses.”
  62. 2 Samuel 8:6 tn Or “delivered.”
  63. 2 Samuel 8:6 tn Or “wherever he went.”
  64. 2 Samuel 8:7 tc The LXX includes seventeen words (in Greek) at the end of v. 7 that are not found in the MT. The LXX addition is as follows: “And Sousakim king of Egypt took them when he came up to Jerusalem in the days of Rehoboam the son of Solomon.” This Greek reading now finds Hebrew support in 4QSama. For a reconstruction of this poorly preserved Qumran text see E. C. Ulrich, Jr., The Qumran Text of Samuel and Josephus (HSM), 45-48.
  65. 2 Samuel 8:8 tn Heb “Betah” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV), but the name should probably be corrected to “Tebah.” See the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:8.
  66. 2 Samuel 8:9 tn The name is spelled “Tou” in the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:9. NIV adopts the spelling “Tou” here.
  67. 2 Samuel 8:10 tn Heb “Toi.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  68. 2 Samuel 8:10 tn The name appears as “Hadoram” in the parallel text in 1 Chr 18:10.
  69. 2 Samuel 8:10 tn Heb “to ask concerning him for peace.”
  70. 2 Samuel 8:10 tn Heb “and to bless him because he fought with Hadadezer and defeated him, for Hadadezer was a man of battles with Toi.”
  71. 2 Samuel 8:10 tn Heb “and in his hand were items of silver and items of gold and items of bronze.”
  72. 2 Samuel 8:11 tn Heb “also them King David made holy to the Lord.”
  73. 2 Samuel 8:11 tn Heb “with the silver and the gold that he had dedicated from.”
  74. 2 Samuel 8:12 tn Heb “from.”
  75. 2 Samuel 8:12 tc Heb “Aram.” A few Hebrew mss along with the LXX and Syriac read “Edom” (cf. 2 Sam 8:14 and 1 Chr 18:11). Aram and Edom are spelled similarly, the difference being a ד (dalet) vs. a ר (resh). Besides the textual witnesses, the geography in v. 13, the Valley of Salt, fits Edom and not Aram.
  76. 2 Samuel 8:12 tn Heb “and from the plunder of.”
  77. 2 Samuel 8:13 tn Heb “made a name.”
  78. 2 Samuel 8:13 tc See the note on “Aram” in v. 12.
  79. 2 Samuel 8:13 tn The words “he defeated” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  80. 2 Samuel 8:14 tc The MT is repetitious here: “He placed in Edom garrisons; in all Edom he placed garrisons.” The Vulgate lacks “in all Edom”; most of the Greek tradition (with the exception of the Lucianic recension and the recension of Origen) and the Syriac Peshitta lack “he placed garrisons.” The MT reading appears here to be the result of a conflation of variant readings.
  81. 2 Samuel 8:15 tn Heb “and David was doing what is just and fair for all his people.”
  82. 2 Samuel 8:16 tn Heb “was over.”
  83. 2 Samuel 8:17 tc Here Ahimelech is called “the son of Abiathar,” but NCV, CEV, and REB reverse this to conform with 1 Sam 22:20. Most recent English versions (e.g., NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) retain the order found in the MT.
  84. 2 Samuel 8:18 tc The translation follows the Syriac Peshitta, Targum, and Vulgate in reading “over,” rather than the simple conjunction that appears in MT. See also the parallel passage in 1 Chr 18:17.
  85. 2 Samuel 8:18 sn That David’s sons could have been priests, in light of the fact that they were not of the priestly lineage, is strange. One must assume either (1) that the word “priest” (כֹּהֵן, kohen) during this period of time could be used in a broader sense of “chief ruler” (KJV); “chief minister” (ASV, NASB), or “royal adviser” (NIV), perhaps based on the parallel passage in 1 Chr 18:17 which has “the king’s leading officials”, or (2) that in David’s day members of the king’s family could function as a special category of “priests” (cf. NLT “priestly leaders”). The latter option seems to be the more straightforward way of understanding the word in 2 Sam 8:18.
  86. 2 Samuel 9:1 sn 2 Samuel 9-20 is known as the Succession Narrative. It is a literary unit that describes David’s efforts at consolidating his own kingdom following the demise of King Saul; it also provides the transition to subsequent leadership on the part of David’s successor Solomon.
  87. 2 Samuel 9:1 tn Heb “house.”
  88. 2 Samuel 9:2 tn Heb “your servant.”
  89. 2 Samuel 9:3 tn Heb “house.”
  90. 2 Samuel 9:5 tn Heb “sent and took him.”
  91. 2 Samuel 9:5 tn Heb “from.”
  92. 2 Samuel 9:6 tn Heb “he fell on his face and bowed down.”
  93. 2 Samuel 9:6 tn Heb “Look, your servant.”
  94. 2 Samuel 9:7 tn Heb “and you will eat food at my table continually.”
  95. 2 Samuel 9:8 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Mephibosheth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  96. 2 Samuel 9:8 tn Heb “What is your servant, that you turn to a dead dog which is like me?”
  97. 2 Samuel 9:10 tn Heb “work.”
  98. 2 Samuel 9:10 tn The Hebrew text implies, but does not actually contain, the words “its produce” here.
  99. 2 Samuel 9:10 tc The words “it will be,” though present in the MT, are absent from the LXX, the Syriac Peshitta, and Vulgate.
  100. 2 Samuel 9:10 tn Heb “and he will eat it.”
  101. 2 Samuel 9:11 tn Heb “eating.”
  102. 2 Samuel 9:11 tc Heb “my table.” But the first person reference to David is awkward here since the quotation of David’s words has already been concluded in v. 10; nor does the “my” refer to Ziba, since the latter part of v. 11 does not seem to be part of Ziba’s response to the king. The ancient versions are not unanimous in the way that they render the phrase. The LXX has “the table of David” (τῆς τραπέζης Δαυιδ, tēs trapezēs Dauid); the Syriac Peshitta has “the table of the king” (patureh demalkaʾ); the Vulgate has “your table” (mensam tuam). The present translation follows the LXX.
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