early in the morning, and, with his six hundred men, leave the city, and go to Ziklag, a city which the King of Gath gave to David when he first took refuge among the Philistines: it lay at the South of Canaan.

It appeared, however, that, in the short absence of David, the Amalekites had taken and plundered the city, and the inhabitants and spoil were all carried off, and David's two wives were with the captives. David prayed, and asked advice of God, who encouraged him to pursue them. He overtook them whilst they were singing and dancing because of the great spoil which they had taken. David attacked them with four hundred men, and smote them from twilight until the evening, recovered the spoil, and rescued his two wives; and he took all their flocks and herds. And David gave to two hundred of his men, who had fallen sick on the road (out of the six hundred), their share of the spoil, and made such mode a system and ordinance for the future; David also sent part of the spoil as presents to all the elders of Judah.

The Philistines were at this time fighting against Israel, and in the battle Jonathan, Abinadab, and Melchishua, three sons of Saul, were slain; and Saul, losing the battle, said to his armour-bearer, Having lost my three sons, and being myself wounded, thrust me through with thy sword. But his armour-bearer declined. So Saul took his own sword, and fell upon it; and when the armourbearer saw that he was dead, he fell upon his sword, and died with him.

A man went from the camp of Saul to inform

1056 B. C.

1049 B. C.

David of the death of Saul and his sons, and, thinking to obtain favour, stated that he slew Saul, and brought the crown and arm bracelet to David; but David ordered the man to be slain because he had killed the Lord's anointed. And David lamented the death of Saul and his sons.

David, with his two wives and company, went, by God's direction, up to Hebron, where he was anointed, and made King of Judah; and Abner, son of Ner, a captain of Saul, made Ish-bosheth, the son of Saul, King of Israel, and during the war David had six sons born unto him.

David demanded that Ish-bosheth should deliver up to him his wife Michal, whom Saul had given to Phaltiel, and Ish-bosheth took her from her husband, and sent her back to David.

At this time, Joab and Abishai (his brother) slew Abner, because he had slain their brother Asahel at Gibeon. David was so hurt at this, that he followed the bier, and cursed Joab. He mourned for Abner, and said, Let this wickedness rest upon Joab and all his father's house.

Two captains of Saul's band slew Ish-bosheth, and carried his head to David; but David ordered them to be hanged for destroying the innocent, and interred Ish-bosheth in the sepulchre of Abner. All the tribes came to anoint David king of Israel.

The people called the Jebusites dwelt in the stronghold of the city of Jerusalem, which part of the city was called Zion. David took the fort, and dwelt in it, and called it the city of David.

David was thirty years old when he began to reign; and when the Philistines heard that the

Israelites had anointed David king over Israel, they came with a great army to take David. But David did as the Lord commanded him he smote the host of the Philistines, and burned all their images.

David now went with the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand strong, to fetch the Ark of God. They took a new cart, and they brought the Ark out of the house of Abinadab. Uzzah and Ahio, who were Levites, and sons of Abinadab, conducted the cart on which the Ark of the Covenant was placed, from Kirjath-jearim to Jerusalem; but the law commanded the Ark to be carried upon the shoulders of the Levites, contrary to the custom of the heathen, who always drew their gods about in carriages, and as Uzzah was the elder brother, he was principally guilty, for whilst he stretched out his hand to support the Ark by the way, he was struck dead for his presumption. David brought the Ark into the city with sacrifices, shouts, and sound of trumpets; and David danced before the Lord, and he was girded with a linen ephod, and he placed it in a tabernacle with great feasting. The Lord then gave David rest from all his enemies.

David consulted Nathan the prophet respecting his wish to build him a palace of cedar; but God, in a vision, informed Nathan that he could not permit it, but commanded Nathan to say unto David the following as the words of the Lord :I took thee from the sheepcote to be a ruler over my people Israel. I was with thee always, and gave thee a great name. I will plant my people, that they may have a place of their own, and move

1041 B. C.

1031 B. C.

no more. I will be to David a father, and he shall be my son; and I promise him blessings, if he commit no iniquity.

The word of the Lord came unto Nathan, the prophet, to tell David, Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, I took him from the sheepcote to be ruler over my people Israel, and I will set up his seed after him, and he shall build a house for my name; if he commit iniquity I will chasten him with the rod of men, but my mercy shall not depart from him, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. Then went David and gave praises and thanksgivings unto the Lord.

David subdued the Philistines and the Moabites, and the Syrians, and Hadadezer, the King of Zobah; and he put garrisons in all Edom, and the people all became subservient to David; and the Lord preserved David wherever he went.

David now made Joab commander of the host, and Jehosaphat recorder. David sent Joab to besiege Rabbah, the capital of Ammon, during which time, as David was walking on the roof of his house, he perceived a most beautiful woman at the bath, and David sent servants to fetch her, and he kept her during the night, and was informed that she was the wife of Uriah the Hittite. David desired Joab to send for Uriah the Hittite, and gave him a command in the army, and set him in the most dangerous place in the besieging army, when Uriah fell amongst the slain. Then David sent for Bathsheba to become his wife; and this act displeased God.

The Lord sent Nathan unto David, and who said,

There were two men in the city; the one rich, with flocks and herds, and the other a poor man who had nothing save one little ewe lamb, which grew up with him and his children, and which he nourished, and it did eat of his own meat, and drink of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And a traveller called upon the rich man, who, requiring a lamb to dress to entertain his travelling friend, took by force the lamb from the poor man, and dressed it, instead of taking one of his own. Now David's anger was kindled against the man, and he said, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this shall surely die, and shall return the poor man fourfold. And Nathan said unto David, Thou art the man; and he also said, Thus said the Lord, I anointed thee king over Israel, and gave thee the house of Judah; I delivered thee out of the hands of Saul, and gave thee his house and wives; wherefore hast thou despised the commandments of the Lord to do evil? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite, and taken Bathsheba his wife to be thy wife. And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord. And Nathan said, The Lord hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. But the child which is born unto thee shall surely die. The Lord therefore struck the child that Uriah's wife, Bathsheba, bore unto David, and it was very sick. David therefore besought God, and fasted, and lay upon the earth; and the elders of the house could not persuade him to eat or to take any food, and on the seventh day the child died. In the course of time Bathsheba bore unto David another son, and he called his