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¹ Then came all the tribes of Yisra'el to David to Hevron, and spoke, saying, Behold, we are your bone and your flesh. ² In times past, when Sha'ul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Yisra'el: and the LORD said to you, You shall be shepherd of my people Yisra'el, and you shall be prince over Yisra'el. ³ So all the Zakenim of Yisra'el came to the king to Hevron; and king David made a covenant with them in Hevron before the LORD: and they anointed David king over Yisra'el. ⁴ David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. ⁵ In Hevron he reigned over Yehudah seven years and six months; and in Yerushalayim he reigned thirty-three years over all Yisra'el and Yehudah.

⁶ The king and his men went to Yerushalayim against the Yevusi, the inhabitants of the land, who spoke to David, saying, Except you take away the blind and the lame, you shall not come in here; thinking, David can't come in here. ⁷ Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Tziyon; the same is the city of David. ⁸ David said on that day, Whoever strikes the Yevusi, let him get up to the watercourse, and [strike] the lame and the blind, who are hated of David's soul. Therefore they say, There are the blind and the lame; he can't come into the house. ⁹ David lived in the stronghold, and called it the city of David. David built round about from Millo and inward. ¹⁰ David grew greater and greater; for the LORD, the God Tzva'ot,, was with him.

¹¹ Hiram king of Tzor sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons; and they built David a house. ¹² David perceived that the LORD had established him king over Yisra'el, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Yisra'el's sake. ¹³ David took him more concubines and wives out of Yerushalayim, after he was come from Hevron; and there were yet sons and daughters born to David. ¹⁴ These are the names of those who were born to him in Yerushalayim: Shammua, and Shovav, and Natan, and Shlomo, ¹⁵ and Yivchar, and Elishua, and Nefeg, and Yafia, ¹⁶ and Elishama, and Elyada, and Elifelet.

¹⁷ When the Pelishtim heard that they had anointed David king over Yisra'el, all the Pelishtim went up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the stronghold. ¹⁸ Now the Pelishtim had come and spread themselves in the valley of Refa'im. ¹⁹ David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up against the Pelishtim? will you deliver them into my hand? the LORD said to David, Go up; for I will certainly deliver the Pelishtim into your hand. ²⁰ David came to Ba`al-Peratzim, and David struck them there; and he said, the LORD has broken my enemies before me, like the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Ba`al-Peratzim. ²¹ They left their images there; and David and his men took them away. ²² The Pelishtim came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Refa'im. ²³ When David inquired of the LORD, he said, You shall not go up: make a circuit behind them, and come on them over against the mulberry trees. ²⁴ It shall be, when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then you shall bestir yourself; for then is the LORD gone out before you to strike the host of the Pelishtim. ²⁵ David did so, as the LORD commanded him, and struck the Pelishtim from Geva until you come to Gezer.