The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

And what can Dauid say more vnto thee? for thou, Lord God, knowest thy seruant.

For thy words sake, and according to thine owne heart hast thou done all these great things, to make them knowen vnto thy seruant.

Wherefore thou art great, O Lord God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God besides thee, according to all that wee haue heard with our eares.

And what one people in the earth is like thy people, like Israel? whose God went and redeemed them to himselfe, that they might be his people, and that hee might make him a name, and do for you great things, and terrible for thy land, O Lord, euen for thy people, whome thou redeemedst to thee out of Egypt, from the nations, and their gods?

For thou hast ordeyned to thy selfe thy people Israel to be thy people for euer: and thou Lord art become their God.

Nowe therefore, O Lord God, confirme for euer the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy seruant and his house, and doe as thou hast sayde.

And let thy Name bee magnified for euer by them that shall say, The Lord of hostes is the God ouer Israel: and let the house of thy seruant Dauid be stablished before thee.

For thou, O Lord of hostes, God of Israel, hast reueiled vnto thy seruant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy seruant bene bold to pray this prayer vnto thee.

Therefore now, O Lord God, (for thou art God, and thy words be true, and thou hast tolde this goodnes vnto thy seruant)

Therefore nowe let it please thee to blesse the house of thy seruant, that it may continue for euer before thee: for thou, O Lord God, hast spoken it: and let the house of thy seruant be blessed for euer, with thy blessing.

After this now, Dauid smote the Philistims, and subdued them, and Dauid tooke the bridle of bondage out of the hand of the Philistims.

And hee smote Moab, and measured them with a corde, and cast them downe to the ground: he measured them with two cordes to put them to death, and with one full corde to keepe them aliue: so became the Moabites Dauids seruants, and brought giftes.

Dauid smote also Hadadezer the sonne of Rehob King of Zobah, as he went to recouer his border at the riuer Euphrates.

And Dauid tooke of them a thousand and seuen hundreth horsemen, and twenty thousande footemen, and Dauid destroyed all the charets, but he reserued an hundreth charets of them.

Then came the Aramites of Dammesek to succour Hadadezer king of Zobah, but Dauid slewe of the Aramites two and twenty thousande men.

And Dauid put a garison in Aram of Damesek: and the Aramites became seruants to Dauid, and brought gifts. And the Lord saued Dauid wheresoeuer he went.

And Dauid tooke the shieldes of gold that beloged to the seruants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Ierusalem.

And out of Betah, and Berothai (cities of Hadadezer) king Dauid brought exceeding much brasse.

Then Toi king of Hamath heard howe Dauid had smitten all the hoste of Hadadezer,

Therefore Toi sent Ioram his sonne vnto King Dauid, to salute him, and to reioyce with him because he had fought against Hadadezer, and beaten him (for Hadadezer had warre with Toi) who brought with him vessels of siluer, and vessels of golde, and vessels of brasse.

And King Dauid did dedicate them vnto the Lord with the siluer and golde that he had dedicate of all the nations, which he had subdued:

Of Aram, and of Moab, and of the children of Ammon, and of the Philistims, and of Amalek, and of the spoyle of Hadadezer ye sonne of Rehob King of Zobah.

So Dauid gate a name after that hee returned, and had slayne of the Aramites in the valley of salt eighteene thousand men.

And he put a garison in Edom: throughout all Edom put he souldiers, and all they of Edom became Dauids seruants: and the Lord kept Dauid whithersoeuer he went.

Thus Dauid reigned ouer all Israel, and executed iudgement and iustice vnto all his people.

And Ioab the sonne of Zeruiah was ouer the hoste, and Ioshaphat the sonne of Ahilud was recorder.

And Zadok the sonne of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the sonne of Abiathar were the Priestes, and Seraiah the Scribe.

And Benaiah the sonne of Iehoiada and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and Dauids sonnes were chiefe rulers.

And Dauid sayde, Is there yet any man left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him mercie for Ionathans sake?

And there was of the housholde of Saul a seruant whose name was Ziba, and when they had called him vnto Dauid, the King sayd vnto him, Art thou Ziba? And he sayd, I thy seruant am he.

Then the King sayd, Remayneth there yet none of the house of Saul, on whome I may shewe the mercie of God? Ziba then answered the King, Ionathan hath yet a sonne lame of his feete.

Then the King said vnto him, Where is he? And Ziba said vnto the King, Behold, he is in the house of Machir ye sonne of Ammiel of Lo-debar.

Then King Dauid sent, and tooke him out of the house of Machir the sonne of Ammiel of Lo-debar.

Nowe when Mephibosheth the sonne of Ionathan, the sonne of Saul was come vnto Dauid, he fel on his face, and did reuerence. And Dauid sayde, Mephibosheth? And he answered, Beholde thy seruant.

Then Dauid sayd vnto him, Feare not: for I wil surely shewe thee kindnes for Ionathan thy fathers sake, and will restore thee all the fieldes of Saul thy father, and thou shalt eate bread at my table continually.

And he bowed himselfe and sayd, What is thy seruant, that thou shouldest looke vpon such a dead dog as I am?

Then the king called Ziba Sauls seruant, and said vnto him, I haue giue vnto thy masters sonne all that perteined to Saul and to all his house.

Thou therefore and thy sonnes and thy seruantes shall till the lande for him, and bring in that thy masters sonne may haue foode to eate. And Mephibosheth thy masters sonne shall eate bread alway at my table (nowe Ziba had fifteene sonnes, and twentie seruants)

Then sayd Ziba vnto the King, According to all that my lord the King hath commaded his seruant, so shall thy seruat do, that Mephibosheth may eate at my table, as one of the Kings sonnes.

Mephibosheth also had a yong sonne named Micha, and all that dwelled in the house of Ziba, were seruants vnto Mephibosheth.

And Mephibosheth dwelt in Ierusalem: for he did eate continually at the Kings table, and was lame on both his feete.

After this, the King of the children of Ammon dyed, and Hanun his sonne reigned in his steade.

Then sayde Dauid, I will shewe kindnesse vnto Hanun the sonne of Nahash, as his father shewed kindnesse vnto me. And Dauid sent his seruantes to comfort him for his father. So Dauids seruants came into the lande of the children of Ammon.

And the princes of the children of Ammon sayde vnto Hanun their lorde, Thinkest thou that Dauid doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters to thee? hath not Dauid rather sent his seruants vnto thee, to search the citie, and to spie it out, and to ouerthrow it?

Wherefore Hanun tooke Dauids seruants, and shaued off the halfe of their beard, and cut off their garments in the middle, euen to their buttockes, and sent them away.

When it was told vnto Dauid, he sent to meete them (for the men were exceedingly ashamed) and the King sayde, Tary at Iericho, vntill your beards be growen, then returne.

And when the children of Ammon sawe that they stanke in the sight of Dauid, the children of Ammon sent and hired the Aramites of the house of Rehob, and the Aramites of Zoba, twentie thousande footemen, and of King Maacah a thousand men, and of Ish-tob twelue thousande men.

And when Dauid heard of it, he sent Ioab, and all the hoste of the strong men.

And the children of Ammon came out, and put their armie in araye at the entring in of the gate: and the Aramites of Zoba, and of Rehob, and of Ish-tob, and of Maacah were by themselues in the fielde.

When Ioab saw that the front of the battel was against him before and behinde, he chose of all the choyse of Israel, and put them in aray against the Aramites.

And the rest of the people hee deliuered into the hande of Abishai his brother, that hee might put them in aray against the children of Ammon.

And he sayde, If the Aramites be stronger then I, thou shalt helpe me, and if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, I will come and succour thee.

Be strong and let vs be valiant for our people, and for the cities of our God, and let the Lord do that which is good in his eyes.

Then Ioab, and the people that was with him, ioyned in battel with the Aramites, who fled before him.

And when the children of Ammon sawe that the Aramites fled, they fled also before Abishai, and entred into the citie. so Ioab returned from the children of Ammon, and came to Ierusalem.

And when the Aramites sawe that they were smitten before Israel, they gathered them together.

And Hadarezer sent, and brought out the Aramites that were beyond the Riuer: and they came to Helam, and Shobach the captaine of the hoste of Hadarezer went before them.

When it was shewed Dauid, then he gathered all Israel together, and passed ouer Iorden and came to Helam: and the Aramites set themselues in aray against Dauid, and fought with him:

And the Aramites fled before Israel: and Dauid destroyed seuen hundreth charets of the Aramites, and fourtie thousande horsemen, and smote Shobach the captaine of his hoste, who dyed there.

And when all the Kings, that were seruants to Hadarezer, saw that they fell before Israel, they made peace with Israel, and serued them. and the Aramites feared to helpe the children of Ammon any more.

And when the yeere was expired in the time when Kinges goe forth to battell, Dauid sent Ioab, and his seruantes with him, and all Israel, who destroyed the children of Ammon, and besieged Rabbah: but Dauid remayned in Ierusalem.

And when it was euening tide, Dauid arose out of his bed, and walked vpon the roofe of the Kings palace: and from the roofe he sawe a woman washing her selfe: and the woman was very beautifull to looke vpon.

And Dauid sent and inquired what woman it was: and one sayde, Is not this Bath-sheba the daughter of Eliam, wife to Vriah the Hittite?

Then Dauid sent messengers, and tooke her away: and she came vnto him and he lay with her: (now she was purified from her vncleannes) and she returned vnto her house.

And the woman conceiued: therefore shee sent and tolde Dauid, and sayd, I am with childe.

Then Dauid sent to Ioab, saying, Send me Vriah the Hittite. And Ioab sent Vriah to Dauid.

And when Vriah came vnto him, Dauid demanded him how Ioab did, and howe the people fared, and how the warre prospered.

Afterward Dauid said to Vriah, Go downe to thine house, and wash thy feete. So Vriah departed out of the Kings palace, and the king sent a present after him.

But Vriah slept at the doore of the Kings palace with all the seruants of his lord, and went not downe to his house.

Then they tolde Dauid, saying, Vriah went not downe to his house: and Dauid saide vnto Vriah, Commest thou not from thy iourney? why didst thou not go downe to thine house?

Then Vriah answered Dauid, The Arke and Israel, and Iudah dwell in tents: and my lord Ioab and the seruants of my lord abide in the open fields: shall I then go into mine house to eate and drinke, and lie with my wife? by thy life, and by the life of thy soule, I will not do this thing.

Then Dauid sayd vnto Vriah, Tary yet this day, and to morow I will send thee away. So Vriah abode in Ierusalem that day, and the morowe.

Then Dauid called him, and hee did eate and drinke before him, and he made him drunke: and at euen he went out to lie on his couch with the seruants of his Lord, but went not downe to his house.

And on the morowe Dauid wrote a letter to Ioab, and sent it by the hand of Vriah.

And he wrote thus in the letter, Put ye Vriah in the forefront of the strength of the battell, and recule ye backe from him, that he may be smitten, and die.

So when Ioab besieged the citie, he assigned Vriah vnto a place, where he knewe that strong men were.

And the men of the citie came out, and fought with Ioab: and there fell of the people of the seruants of Dauid, and Vriah the Hittite also dyed.

Then Ioab sent and tolde Dauid all the things concerning the warre,

And he charged the messenger, saying, When thou hast made an ende of telling all the matters of the warre vnto the King,

And if the kings anger arise, so that he say vnto thee, Wherefore approched ye vnto the citie to fight? knewe ye not that they would hurle from the wall?

Who smote Abimelech sonne of Ierubesheth? did not a woman cast a piece of a milstone vpon him from the wall, and he died in Thebez? why went you nie the wall? Then say thou, Thy seruant Vriah the Hittite is also dead.

So the messenger went, and came and shewed Dauid all that Ioab had sent him for.

And the messenger said vnto Dauid, Certainely the men preuailed against vs, and came out vnto vs into the field, but we pursued them vnto the entring of the gate.

But the shooters shot from ye wall against thy seruants, and some of the Kings seruants be dead: and thy seruant Vriah the Hittite is also dead.

Then Dauid said vnto the messenger, Thus shalt thou say vnto Ioab, Let not this thing trouble thee: for the sworde deuoureth one as well as another: make thy battell more strong against the citie and destroy it, and encourage thou him.

And when the wife of Vriah heard that her husband Vriah was dead, she mourned for her husband.

So when the mourning was past, Dauid sent and tooke her into his house, and shee became his wife, and bare him a sonne: but ye thing that Dauid had done, displeased the Lord.

Then the Lord sent Nathan vnto Dauid, who came to him, and sayd vnto him, There were two men in one citie, the one riche, and the other poore.

The rich man had exceeding many sheepe and oxen:

But the poore had none at all, saue one litle sheepe which he had bought, and nourished vp: and it grew vp with him, and with his children also, and did eate of his owne morsels, and dranke of his owne cup, and slept in his bosome, and was vnto him as his daughter.

Now there came a stranger vnto the rich man, who refused to take of his owne sheepe, and of his owne oxen to dresse for the stranger that was come vnto him, but tooke the poore mans sheepe, and dressed it for the man that was come to him.

Then Dauid was exceeding wroth with the man, and sayde to Nathan, As the Lord liueth, the man that hath done this thing, shall surely dye,

And he shall restore the lambe foure folde, because he did this thing, and had no pitie thereof.

Then Nathan sayd to Dauid, Thou art the man. Thus sayth the Lord God of Israel, I anoynted thee King ouer Israel, and deliuered thee out of the hand of Saul,

And gaue thee thy lordes house, and thy lords wiues into thy bosome, and gaue thee the house of Israel, and of Iudah, and would moreouer (if that had bene too litle) haue giuen thee such and such things.

Wherefore hast thou despised the commandement of the Lord, to doe euill in his sight? thou hast killed Vriah the Hittite with ye sworde, and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slaine him with the sworde of the children of Ammon.

Now therefore the sworde shall neuer depart from thine house, because thou hast despised me, and taken the wife of Vriah the Hittite to be thy wife.

Thus sayth the Lord, Behold, I will rayse vp euil against thee out of thine owne house, and will take thy wiues before thine eyes, and giue them vnto thy neighbour, and he shall lie with thy wiues in the sight of this sunne.

For thou diddest it secretly: but I will doe this thing before all Israel, and before the sunne.

Then Dauid sayde vnto Nathan, I haue sinned against the Lord. And Nathan sayde vnto Dauid, The Lord also hath put away thy sinne, thou shalt not die.