2 Samuel
King James Version · 24 chapters · 695 verses · Old Testament
David, at his best and his worst
David becomes king, takes Jerusalem, and brings the ark up to it dancing. God makes him a promise that outlives him: a throne established for ever. And then, at the height of it, David stays home from war, sees Bathsheba, takes her, and has her husband killed to cover it. Nathan the prophet tells him a story about a lamb and springs the trap. David repents, and is forgiven, and never escapes the consequences. Much of the rest is the wreckage: a broken family, Absalom's rebellion, and a father weeping for the son who tried to kill him.