them; and they sat down the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side.

While the armies were in this position, Abner proposed that the question should be decided by twelve men from one army fighting twelve from the other. The challenge was accepted; "the men went from each side, and caught every one his fellow by the head, and thrust his sword in his fellow's side: so they fell down together." This was the beginning of a general fight, "and the battle was very sore, and Abner was beaten, and the men of Israel, before the servants of David." In the course of the flight, Abner was so keenly pursued by the swift Asahel, Joab's younger brother, that he was forced to turn about and slay him in self-defence. The pursuit lasted until the sun went down. "And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves after Abner, and stood on the top of an hill. Then Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren?"

"And Joab said, As God liveth, unless thou hadst spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone up every one from following his brother. So Joab recalled his men with the trumpet." It seems probable from this reply of Joab, that he was commanded to act only on the defensive: and that the battle would not have taken place, except for the foolish challenge of Abner. Three hundred men perished on the side of the Israelites, while only nineteen, with Asahel, were wanting from the forces of Judah.

With the remnant of his army, Abner recrossed the Jordan, and returned to Mahanaim; and Joab and his men came to Hebron.

"Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker." It was not, however, with any great fury, nor does it appear to have been followed with any very disastrous results.

While the war was thus lingering on, a fierce quarrel arose between Ish-bosheth and Abner, which served to decide it. Abner resolved no longer to uphold the house of Saul. To the just reproof of the king, the proud captain replies that he would translate the kingdom "from the house of Saul, and set up the throne of David over Israel and over Judah." He accordingly sends messengers to David, to make the best terms he could, offering to bring all Israel under his authority. David refused to enter into any treaty with him, unless he should first restore to him Michal his wife, whom Saul had taken from him. "And Ish-bosheth sent and took her from her husband; and her hus

band went with her along weeping behind her to Bahurim;" not far from the territory of Judah. After delivering her to David, Abner conciliates the elders of Israel, assuring them that God had promised, by the hands of David, to deliver his people from the hands of the Philistines, and from all their enemies. He then comes to David, and engages to go and bring all Israel, who should then acknowledge him their king.

Soon after Abner had departed, Joab came to Hebron, from some incursion, with a great spoil, and they told him, saying, "Abner the son of Ner came to the king, and he hath sent him away in peace." Joab went immediately to the king and remonstrated against letting Abner go away in peace. Thou knowest Abner "that he came to deceive thee, and to know thy going out and thy coming in, and to know all that thou doest. Why is it that thou hast sent him away?" After this rude rebuke of the king, Joab went out from David, called Abner back, and upon pretence of a private conference, took him aside and assassinated him. When David heard it, he said, "I and my kingdom are guiltless before the Lord for ever, from the blood of Abner the son of Ner: let it rest on the head of Joab, and on all his father's house." The real cause of this murder was, no doubt, a fear on the part of Joab, lest Abner should supersede him in the king's favour, and for his great services in bringing over the Israelites, be rewarded with the generalship. The pretended cause was, that Abner had slain his brother Asahel. David not only declared his innocence, but commanded a public mourning to be made for Abner. "And they buried him in Hebron. And the king lifted up his voice and wept, and said, Died Abner as a fool dieth? Thy hands were not bound nor thy feet put into fetters: as a man falleth before wicked men, so fellest thou. And all Israel understood that it was not of the king to slay Abner. And all the people took notice of the king's mourning, and it pleased them; as whatsoever the king did pleased all the people." Although David felt himself at that time unable to punish these murderers, he yet leaves them in the hands of a righteous and Almighty God. "The Lord shall reward the doer of evil according to his wickedness."

The death of Abner did not long retard the course of events. Every day was adding to the power of David. When Saul's son heard that Abner was dead, his hands were feeble, and all Israel was troubled. The spiritless Ish-bosheth could not long sustain his own cause; and it was evident that David must soon be acknowledged king. Two brothers, "Baanah and Rechab, the sons of Rimmon," aiming to 'secure the favour of David, "came to Ish-bosheth at mid-day, and slew him as he lay on his couch, and beheaded him, and brought his head to David at Hebron." David received the murderers as they

deserved. He tells them how he had treated the Amalekite, who professed to have slain Saul, "and how much more when wicked men have slain a righteous person in his own house, shall he visit them with a like punishment?" Without any delay, he commands them to be slain, "and their hands and feet to be cut off, and hung up over the pool in Hebron. The head of Ish-bosheth, they buried with all honour in the sepulchre of Abner at Hebron."

SECTION VI.

THE

DAVID MADE KING OVER ALL ISRAEL-HE CAPTURES JERUSALEM-DEFEATS PHILISTINES-THE ARK BROUGHT TO JERUSALEM-DAVID COMMANDED NOT TO BUILD THE TEMPLE.

DAVID had now reigned seven years and six months over Judah.* "Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel; and the Lord said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel. So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the Lord: and they anointed David king over all Israel, according to the word of the Lord by Samuel. In the book of Chronicles we are told that those who thus came from all the tribes of Israel, to this election of David, "amounted to three hundred and forty thousand men; men of war, that could keep rank, who came with a perfect heart, to make David king, and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king; and they were with David eating and drinking three days, and there was joy in Israel."

Such was the happy commencement of David's reign. His army had previously been occupied in the war with Abner; but now that he was crowned king of the whole nation, he determined to signalize his new power by a great exploit. Jerusalem was still in the possession of the Jebusites; a strong fortress in the midst of David's kingdom. Of this Jebusite town the king determined to possess himself. So confident were the Jebusites in the strength of their position, that they met the demands of David with a message of defiance. "Except thou take away the lame and the blind thou shalt not come in hither;" as though a lame and blind garrison was able to

* There is some difficulty in reconciling the two years of Ish-bosheth's reign with the seven years and a half of David's. We must suppose either that five years had passed away before the reign of Ish-bosheth began-which seems more probable-or that David reigned five years at Hebron after the death of Ish-bosheth, and before the taking of Jerusalem.

defend it against every assault. And David said, "Whoever scaleth the wall, and smiteth the Jebusites first, shall be chief and captain." As usual, Joab was the first to mount the wall, and was accordingly confirmed in his command. "So David took the stronghold of Zion, and called it The city of David." From this time Jerusalem became the royal residence. David fortified and adorned it. "And David went on and grew great, and the Lord God of hosts was with him."

It was at this time that the alliance between David and Hiram king of Tyre began. The friendly offices so necessary to the prosperity of both kingdoms were long continued. "And Hiram sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters and masons, and they built David an house. And David perceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel." But he was not left long in quiet, to build palaces or fortify his city. Foreign war was impending. So long as there was civil war in Israel, the Philistines had maintained peace; but when they heard that David was anointed king, they immediately prepared for war. They marched in force "and came and spread themselves in the valley or plain of Rephaim," southwest from Zion, and separated from it by the valley of Hinnom. David inquired of the Lord, "Whether he should go up to the Philistines." And the Lord answered, "Go up, for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand." "And David came and smote them there, and said, The Lord hath broken in upon mine enemies before me as the breach of waters, and called the name of the place Baal-perazim." They left their images and gods upon the field of battle, and David took and burned them. This repulse had little effect upon the Philistines. They soon returned, and with an increased force encamped upon the same plain. When David again inquired of the Lord, he was forbidden to go up and attack them. In order to gain a more complete victory, he was commanded "to fetch a compass behind them," and attack them upon the rear. He was not to make the attack until he should hear the movement "in the tops of the mulberry trees, for then shall the Lord go out before thee to smite the host of the Philistines." And David did as the Lord commanded him, and smote the Philistines from Geba unto Gazer. And the fame of David went out into all lands, and the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations.

After this defeat of his enemies, David was at liberty to carry out his intention in regard to Jerusalem. His first care was that the royal city should be honoured with the presence of God. No place had yet been chosen, in which God would fix his dwelling. The ark, with the symbol of the Divine presence, had been carried from place to place, and rested at

And

length for some years at Kirjath-jearim. David now prepared a place for it, in his chosen city; and removed it to its new abode. So important an action was not entered upon without much consideration, and with great solemnity. "And David gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand, and consulted with their officers, and said, If it seem good unto you, and that it be of the Lord our God, let us send abroad unto our brethren everywhere that are left in all the land of Israel, and to the priests and Levites, that they may gather themselves to us, and let us bring the ark of God to us. all the congregation said that they would do so: for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people. So all Israel were gathered, and went up to Kirjath-jearim, to bring up thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the Lord of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims." The ark (contrary to the command that it should be carried only by the sons of Kohath) was placed upon a new cart; and David and all the house of Israel rejoiced before the Lord, as the vast procession moved on. But this joy was turned into mourning. As they came to Nachon's threshing-floor, the ark was shaken, and Uzzah, who was in charge of it, rashly put forth his hand to hold the ark. "And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God smote him there for his error, or rashness, and there he died by the ark of God. "And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and said, How shall the ark of the Lord come to me? So he brought not the ark home to himself, but carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite," where it remained three months. "And the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all that he had."

When this signal favour of Providence was made known to the king, he determined again to secure its presence in his. capital. But learning wisdom from the previous judgment, he conforms himself, this time, to the method in which alone the ark could be safely moved. Having called the chiefs of the Levites, he exhorts them; "Sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel unto the place that I have prepared for it. For because ye did it not at the first, the Lord our God made a breach upon us; for that we sought him not after the due. order." In obedience to the royal command, the priests and Levites sanctified themselves, for the removing of the ark. Some were to bear the ark upon their shoulders, others were to accompany it as singers and musicians,* while the whole procession was led by the priests "with the sound of the trumpet." As soon as those who bore the ark began to move,

The song which they sang at different parts of their progress may be found in the 68th Psalm.