2 Samuel 5

1 Then [the leaders of] all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron, and said to him, “Listen, we have the same ancestors [IDM] that you do.

All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and told him, “We are your flesh and blood.

2 In the past, when Saul was our king, it was you who led our Israeli soldiers [in our battles]. You are the one to whom Yahweh promised, ‘You will be the leader [MET] of my people; you will be their king.’”

Previously when Saul was our king, you were the one who led the Israelite army into battle. The Lord told you, ‘You will be the shepherd of my people Israel, and you will be their ruler.’”

3 So while Yahweh was listening, all those leaders of the people of Israel declared there at Hebron [that David would be their king]. And David made a sacred agreement with them. They anointed him [with olive oil to set him apart] to be the king of the Israeli people.

All the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, where King David made an agreement with them in the Lord's presence. Then they anointed him king of Israel.

4 David was 30 years old when he became their king. He ruled them for 40 years.

David was thirty when he became king, and he reigned for forty years.

5 In Hebron he ruled over the tribe of Judah for seven and a half years, and in Jerusalem he ruled over all the people of Judah and Israel for 33 years.

He reigned over Judah seven years and six months from Hebron, and he reigned over all of Israel and Judah for thirty-three years from Jerusalem.

6 [One day] King David and his soldiers went to Jerusalem to fight against the Jebus people-group who lived there. The people there thought that David’s army would not be able to capture the city, so they sent a message to David, saying “Your army will never be able to get inside our city! Even the blind and crippled people will be able to chase you away!”

David the king and his men went to Jerusalem to attack the Jebusites who were living there. The Jebusites told David: “You'll never enter here. Even the blind and lame could stop you.” They were convinced that David could not get in.

7 But David’s army captured the fortress on Zion [Hill], [and later it was known as] David’s City.

But David did capture the fortress of Zion, now known as the City of David.

8 On that day, David said [to his soldiers], “Those who want to get rid of the Jebus people-group should go through the water tunnel [to enter the city]. Then they can attack those people whom I [SYN] detest—[and we will find out if any] blind and crippled people [will be able to stop them]!” That is why people say, “Blind and crippled people cannot enter Yahweh’s temple.”

At that time he said, “If we are to successfully conquer the Jebusites we'll have to go up the water shaft to attack these ‘lame and blind’ —these people who hate David. This is why it's said, ‘The blind and the lame will never enter the house.’”

9 [After] David [and his soldiers captured] the city with its strong walls around it, he lived there, and they named it ‘David’s City’. David [and his soldiers] built the city around the fortress, starting where the [land was (filled in/terraces) on the east side of the hill].

David went and lived in the fortress, and named it the City of David. He extended it in all directions, starting from the outer supporting terraces and moving inwards.

10 David continued to become more and more powerful/influential, because the Almighty Commander of the armies of angels was with/helping him.

David became increasingly powerful, for the Lord God Almighty was with him.

11 [One day] Hiram, the king of Tyre [city], sent ambassadors/messengers to David [to talk about making agreements between their countries]. Hiram agreed to provide cedar trees [to make lumber], and also that he would send carpenters and masons, to build a palace for David.

King Hiram of Tyre sent representatives to David, together with cedar timber, carpenters, and stonemasons, and they built a palace for David.

12 His doing that caused David to realize that Yahweh truly had appointed him to be the king of Israel, and that Yahweh was going to cause his kingdom to prosper, because Yahweh loved the Israeli people, whom [he had chosen to] belong to him.

David realized that the Lord had installed him as king of Israel, and had made his kingdom great for the sake of his people Israel.

13 After David moved from Hebron to Jerusalem, he took more slave women to be his second-class wives, and he also married other women. [All of those women] gave birth to more sons and daughters.

After he moved from Hebron, David added more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, and he had more sons and daughters.

14 The names of the sons who were born in Jerusalem were Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,

These are the names of his children born in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,

15 Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,

Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia,

16 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.

17 When the Philistia people heard that David had been appointed to be the king of Israel, their army went up [toward Jerusalem] to try to capture David. But David heard that they were coming, so he went down to another fortified place.

When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king of Israel, the whole Philistine army came out to capture him, but David found out and went inside the stronghold.

18 The [army of] Philistia arrived at Rephaim Valley [southwest of Jerusalem] and spread all over the valley.

The Philistines came and spread out across the Valley of Rephaim.

19 David asked Yahweh, “Should [my men and] I attack the Philistia army? Will you enable us to defeat them [IDM]?” Yahweh replied, “Yes, attack them, because I will certainly enable your army to defeat them. [IDM]”

David asked the Lord “Should I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?” “Yes, go,” the Lord replied, “for I will definitely hand them over to you.”

20 So David [and his army] went to [where the Philistia army was], and there they defeated them. Then David said, “Yahweh has burst through my enemies like a flood.” [SIM] So that place is called ‘Lord of Bursting-through’.

David went to Baal-perazim and he defeated the Philistines there. “Like a flood that bursts out, so the Lord has burst out against my enemies right before me,” David declared. So he named that place Baal-perazim.

21 The Philistia men left their idols there; so David and his soldiers took them away.

The Philistines left their idols behind, and David and his men removed them.

22 Then the Philistia [army] returned to Rephaim Valley and spread all over the valley.

A while later the Philistines came again and spread out across the Valley of Rephaim.

23 So again David asked Yahweh [if his army should attack them]. But Yahweh replied, “Do not attack them [from here]. Tell your men to go around them and attack them from the other side, near the balsam trees.

David asked the Lord what to do. The Lord replied, “Don't attack them directly, but go round behind them and attack them in front of the balsam trees.

24 When you hear something in the tops of the balsam trees that sounds like [an army] marching, attack them, because I will have gone ahead of you [to enable your army] to defeat their army.”

Immediately you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees be ready, because this means the Lord has marched out before you to attack the Philistine camp.”

25 So David did what Yahweh told him to do, and his [army] defeated the Philistia army from Geba [city] all the way [west] to Gezer [city].

David followed the Lord's orders, and he slaughtered the Philistines from Geba all the way to Gezer.