Вторая книга Царств

Someone comes to announce to David that he has killed Saul; but David killed him, and mourned Saul and Jonathan. He is anointed king, and he sends ambassadors to the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead to praise them for burying Saul. Abner, Saul's military commander, installed Saul's son Ishbosheth as king over the Israelites. And David reigned over the tribe of Judah. When Joab, the commander of David, and Abner, the commander of Saul, met each other, and a battle took place between the young men, Asahel, Joab’s brother, pursued Abner; and although the latter repeatedly advised him to return, he did not listen. Then Abner kills him and, calling Joab, exhorts him to stop the war. The war continued between the house of Saul and the house of David, with the former weakening and the latter strengthening. Abner takes Saul's concubine; Ish-bosheth reproaches him. The angry Abner sends to David, promising to betray the whole people to him, and he himself comes to him. David treated him. When Joab, who had returned from the war, heard about this, he recalled Abner and treacherously killed him, avenging his brother’s blood. David, having learned about this, curses Joab, mourns Abner and buries him with great honor. Rechab and Bahana, having secretly killed Ishbosheth, came to David, thinking that they had pleased him with this murder. He killed them. Then David becomes king of all the people and comes to Jerusalem to the Jebusite; the lame hinder his way; he takes the fortress and builds himself a house. Hiram, king of Tyre, helped him. The foreigners attacked, but David came out and defeated them. When they again made an attack, God forbade him to go to meet them, “When you hear the sound of someone walking on the tops of the mulberry trees,” says God, “then move, for then the Lord went before you to defeat the army of the Philistines” (2 Samuel 5:24). David carries the ark, and Uzzah dies because he stretched out his hand to the ark. When they carried the ark, David galloped, and Michal reproached him. David wanted to build a church, but this was forbidden to him through the prophet Nathan; he prays to God and thanks Him for the promises he has heard. David defeated the foreigners, both the Moabites and the Syrians, and carried the golden weapons that he took to Jerusalem, from where Shusakim, the king of Egypt, later took it. And David dedicated many offerings to God. He honors Mephibosheth 7, the son of Jonathan, with the royal table and gives him all of Saul’s property, and orders Ziba and his children, his father’s former servant, to serve Mephibosheth. Sends messengers to the king of the Ammonites to console him when his father died; but he, on the advice of his nobles, insults the people sent by David for comfort. As a result, war begins; first David sends Joab, and then he goes himself and puts the enemies to flight. Then it talks about Uriah and Bathsheba and the baby who died. After this Solomon is born. Joab besieges Rabbath and, having gained the upper hand over this city, sends to David, wanting to give him victory. Amnon, the son of David, was inflamed with passion for his sister Tamar and, pretending to be sick, dishonored her when she came to visit him. Hearing about this, her brother Absalom invites the king to a feast; since the king did not go, he begged that at least the brothers come; when they gathered, during the feast, by his order, the servants killed Amnon. Hearing about this, David wept a lot and became angry with Absalom. He ran away. Three years later, when the king’s anger had softened, Joab, by cunning, with the help of a Tekoian woman, persuades the king to allow Absalom to return. However, even upon his return, his father did not want to see him immediately, but for two years he lived in Jerusalem without showing himself to the king. Absalom calls Joab to him; but this one did not listen; Absalom set fire to his field, and then Joab, of necessity, came to Absalom, was sent by him to the king, reconciled them and brought him to David. Absalom got himself chariots and horses, received those coming to trial with great honor, encouraged them as righteous, regretted that no one could protect them, and said: “Oh, that I would be made a judge in this land” (2 Sam. 15:4), and thus won over the people. Absalom rebels against David. David, hearing about this, left Jerusalem, leaving his concubines in the city. At first he did not allow Ephtheus, who wanted to go with him, but since he insisted, he allowed it. When they crossed the stream, David ordered the priests to return the ark to the city, and he himself decided to wait at the Mount of Olives, in case they would find an opportunity to convey to him some of the king’s secrets. David meets Hushai, whom he sends to destroy the advice of Ahithophel, Absalom's adviser. When he went further, Ziba comes and, accusing his master Mephibosheth of wanting to reign, receives all his property from David. Shimei cursed David; David restrained Abishai, who wanted to kill him. Hushai comes to Absalom and assures him that he came to him with friendly feelings. At a meeting about what needs to be done, Ahithophel advises Absalom to enter into a relationship with his father’s concubines. He did it on the roof of the house, so everyone could see. Ahithophel offers another piece of advice: take several thousand people with you, attack David and kill him. But Hushai, called to give advice, refuted the advice of Ahithophel, convincing him to wait a little time, and then, having prepared, attack David. I liked this advice better; this happened according to God's dispensation. Then Hushai sends the sons of the priests and through them notifies David about this. Ahithophel, whose advice was not accepted, hanged himself. Many gifts are brought to David. Gathering an army, he sent it to battle, saying: “Save for me the youth Absalom” (2 Sam. 18:5); but he himself was not allowed to leave. A battle ensues, and among many who fell, Absalom was killed, his hair caught in a tree. Once he is killed, the battle ends. Joab sends Hushai to notify David of the victory. David, hearing about this, wept for his son, until Joab, coming to him, changed his mood and convinced him to accept the army with a joyful face. The king summoned the fleeing Israelites, and Abishai convinced those who were previously disposed to submit to David. As he was crossing the Jordan, Shimei came and confessed his sin; Abishai wanted to kill him, but David did not allow it. Mephibosheth also came, not washed, in dirty clothes, with a grown beard, with large nails, with all the signs of grief on the occasion of the war against David. The king asked him why he did not go with him. He answered that he asked his servant Ziba to put him on a donkey, and Mephibosheth was lame, but he did not do this. Then David commands him and Ziba to divide the field between themselves. Barzillai, who supplied the king with many things during the war, David wanted to take with him; but he refused due to old age; so David took his son instead. Then the army splits up and many go over to Saveus. David sends Amasa to fight against him; but Joab cunningly kills Amasa and besieges the city to which Sheba had retired. Those in the city, on the advice of the woman, cut off Sheba's head, threw it from the wall to Joab and thus got rid of the war. Famine is coming on the earth; to stop the famine, it was necessary to hand over some of Saul’s descendants to the Gibeonites; at the same time, David saves Mephibosheth for the sake of the oath given to Jonathan. He gives up Saul's sons and grandsons, and buries Saul and Jonathan in the tomb of Kish. After that, wars happen. David is not allowed to go to war so that he would not be in danger. Then he recites the 17th Psalm. The merits and deeds of David's leaders are being counted; Joab receives the command to number the people, and he does. It turned out there were 900,000 Israelis and 400,000 Jews capable of bearing arms. Then the prophet Gad comes, asking David to choose one of three punishments to which he must undergo: either three years of famine, or three months of flight from pursuing enemies, or three days of pestilence. He chose three days of pestilence, and from morning to afternoon, 70,000 people died. Then David says: “Behold, I have sinned, I [the shepherd] have acted lawlessly; and these sheep, what did they do? Let Your hand turn against me and against my father’s house” (2 Samuel 24:17). The punishment stopped. David is commanded to build an altar on the threshing floor of Orna and offer sacrifice; he did so. Adonijah 8, the son of David, treats the followers of Joab and Abiathar, as if he were a future king. Bathsheba comes, on the advice of the prophet Nathan, and informs David about this. While she was speaking, Nathan also entered, arranging everything in such a way as to install Solomon as king. They went out and put Solomon on the king's horse. Then the prophet Nathan and the priest Zadok went to the stream Gione, anointed Solomon and said: “Long live King Solomon!” (1 Kings 1:39). Jonathan, the son of Abiathar, came and announced this to Adonijah who was feasting. Everyone ran away, and Adonijah himself, fearing Solomon, ran to the altar. He is taken out of there; he came and bowed to the king. Approaching death, David convinces Solomon to keep the law of God, because for this he will achieve the fulfillment of the promises given to him; makes a will to punish Joab and Shimei, and to honor the children of Barzillai and honor the royal table, and dies after a forty-year reign. The paragraphs in the text were arranged by us – Editorial staff of “ABC of Faith” at St. I. Chrysostom hereinafter this name is replaced by the name of the grandson of Saul, the son of Jonathan, Mephibosheth. St. the father calls Mephibosheth hereinafter by the same name as he is called in (1 Chronicles 9:40): Mephibosheth. Adonijah's name in St. I. Chrysostom reads Ornia. You might be interested in: