2 Samuel 5

₁The leaders of all the tribes_of_Israel came to David in Hebron and they said to him: ‘You know we belong to you. ₂When Saul was our king, you were the real leader of Israel in the war and the Lord said to you:

₃When all the leaders_of_Israel came to King David in Hebron, he made an agreement with them at the tent of the Lord in Hebron. They anointed David to be king_of_Israel. ₄David was 30 years old when he became king and he was king for 40 years. ₅In Hebron he was king of the Judah tribe for 7 years and 6 months and in Jerusalem he was king for 33 years over Israel and Judah.

₆When the king and his men came to Jerusalem, the Jebusite people were living there and they said to David: ‘You will never get in here. Even blind and crippled people will be able to stop you from coming in here.’ They said that David would not be able to go into their city, ₇but David defeated and took Zion, the city with strong walls, and it is now the City of David. ₈On that day David said: ‘If anyone wants to defeat the Jebusites, he will have to go through the water channel to get to them, to get to the crippled and the blind people.’ Those people were David's enemies. That is why they say blind and crippled people may not go into the palace.

₉David went to live in Zion, the city with strong walls, and he named it the City of David. He built the city around his palace. ₁₀David became an important king. The Lord God who rules over all was with him.

₁₁King Hiram from the city of Tyre sent messengers to David. He also sent cedar wood and artisans who could work with wood and stone and they built a palace for David. ₁₂David knew that God had made him king_of_Israel and a very important person because the Lord loves his people.

₁₃After David went from Hebron to Jerusalem, he married more wives and concubines and they gave more sons and daughters for David. ₁₄Here are the names of the sons of David who were born in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ₁₅Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ₁₆Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.

₁₇They told the Philistines that the leaders_of_Israel had made David king and they came to look for David to catch him. When people told David, he went away to a place in the mountains where they could not find him. ₁₈The Philistines came to the Rephaim Valley ₁₉and David asked the Lord: ‘Must I attack the Philistines? Will You help me defeat them?’ The Lord said to David: ‘Yes, I will help you defeat the Philistines, this is sure.’

₂₀David went to the town of Baal-Perazim and he killed the Philistines there. He said: ‘The Lord has attacked my enemies and He has broken them like a water flood.’

That is why the name of that place is Baal-Perazim. ₂₁The Philistines left their idols there and David and his men picked them up. ₂₂Then the Philistines came to the Rephaim Valley again ₂₃and David asked the Lord what he must do. The Lord said: ‘You must attack them from behind. Go around them and attack them in front of the poplar trees. ₂₄You will hear something in the tops of the poplar trees, and you will think you hear people walking. When you hear it, you must attack the Philistines because I will go before you and I will kill the Philistines.’

₂₅David did what the Lord said and he killed the Philistines from the town of Geba to Gezer.