When Uriah came to him, David asked about how Joab and the army were doing and how the campaign was going.

In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah.

So the messenger departed. When he arrived, he informed David of all the news that Joab had sent with him.

So David assembled all the army and went to Rabbah and fought against it and captured it.

Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah. Jonadab was a very crafty man.

Now King David heard about all these things and was very angry.

The king longed to go to Absalom, for he had since been consoled over the death of Amnon.

Then a messenger came to David and reported, “The men of Israel are loyal to Absalom!”

David said to him, “If you leave with me you will be a burden to me.

Meanwhile David had gone to Mahanaim, while Absalom and all the men of Israel had crossed the Jordan River.

David assembled the army that was with him. He appointed leaders of thousands and leaders of hundreds.

When David was told what Rizpah daughter of Aiah, Saul’s concubine, had done,

When he taunted Israel, Jonathan, the son of David’s brother Shimeah, killed him.

These four were the descendants of Rapha who lived in Gath; they were killed by David and his soldiers.

He gives his chosen king magnificent victories; he is faithful to his chosen ruler, to David and to his descendants forever!”

David was thirsty and said, “How I wish someone would give me some water to drink from the cistern in Bethlehem near the gate!”

He received honor from the thirty warriors, though he was not one of the three elite warriors. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

Afterward David inquired of the Lord, “Should I go up to one of the cities of Judah?” The Lord told him, “Go up.” David asked, “Where should I go?” The Lord replied, “To Hebron.”

The men of Judah came and there they anointed David as king over the people of Judah. David was told, “The people of Jabesh Gilead are the ones who buried Saul.”

Act now! For the Lord has said to David, ‘By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel from the Philistines and from all their enemies.’”