Then they went on to Gilead and to the region of Tahtim Hodshi, coming to Dan Jaan and on around to Sidon.<n id="1" />

They went through all the land and after nine months and twenty days came back to Jerusalem.<n id="1" />p>

Abner and his men went through the Arabah all that night. They crossed the Jordan River<n id="1" /> and went through the whole region of Bitron<n id="2" /> and came to Mahanaim.p>

<p class="bodytext">Now the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite &#8211; Recab and Baanah &#8211; went at the hottest part of the day to the home of Ish-bosheth, as he was enjoying his midday rest.

<t /><p class="bodytext">All the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron saying, &#8220;Look, we are your very flesh and blood!<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">When they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon,<n id="1" /> Uzzah reached out and grabbed hold of<n id="2" /> the ark of God,<n id="3" /> because the oxen stumbled.

When the Ammonites saw the Arameans flee, they fled before his brother Abishai and went into the city. Joab withdrew from fighting the Ammonites and returned to<n id="1" /> Jerusalem.<n id="2" />p>

Then Hadadezer sent for Arameans from<n id="1" /> beyond the Euphrates River,<n id="2" /> and they came to Helam. Shobach, the general in command of Hadadezer&#8217;s army, led them.<n id="3" />p>

But a young man saw them on one occasion and informed Absalom. So the two of them quickly departed and went to the house of a man in Bahurim. There was a well in his courtyard, and they got down in it.

<p class="bodytext">Sheba<n id="1" /> traveled through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of<n id="2" /> Beth Maacah and all the Berite region. When they had assembled,<n id="3" /> they too joined him.

<p class="bodytext">At the time of<n id="1" /> the harvest three<n id="2" /> of the thirty leaders went down to<n id="3" /> David at the cave of Adullam. A band of Philistines was camped in the valley of Rephaim.

Then they went to the fortress of Tyre<n id="1" /> and all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went on to the Negev of Judah, to Beer Sheba.

The men of Judah came and there they anointed David as king over the people<n id="1" /> of Judah.p> <p class="bodytext">David was told,<n id="2" /> &#8220;The people<n id="3" /> of Jabesh Gilead are the ones who buried Saul.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">They had entered<n id="1" /> the house while Ish-bosheth<n id="2" /> was resting on his bed in his bedroom. They mortally wounded him<n id="3" /> and then cut off his head.<n id="4" /> Taking his head,<n id="5" /> they traveled on the way of the Arabah all that night.

<p class="bodytext">When all the leaders<n id="1" /> of Israel came to the king at Hebron, King David made an agreement with them<n id="2" /> in Hebron before the <sc>Lordsc>. They designated<n id="3" /> David as king over Israel.

They brought the ark of the <sc>Lordsc> and put it in its place<n id="1" /> in the middle of the tent that David had pitched for it. Then David offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before the <sc>Lordsc>.

David said, &#8220;I will express my loyalty<n id="1" /> to Hanun son of Nahash just as his father was loyal<n id="2" /> to me.&#8221; So David sent his servants with a message expressing sympathy over his father&#8217;s death.<n id="3" /> When David&#8217;s servants entered the land of the Ammonites,

<p class="bodytext">When the servants of Absalom approached the woman at her home, they asked, &#8220;Where are Ahimaaz and Jonathan?&#8221; The woman replied to them, &#8220;They crossed over the stream.&#8221; Absalom&#8217;s men<n id="1" /> searched but did not find them, so they returned to Jerusalem.<n id="2" />p>

So Joab&#8217;s men<n id="1" /> came and laid siege against him in Abel of Beth Maacah. They prepared a siege ramp outside the city which stood against its outer rampart. As all of Joab&#8217;s soldiers were trying to break through<n id="2" /> the wall so that it would collapse,

So the three elite warriors broke through the Philistine forces and drew some water from the cistern in Bethlehem near the gate. They carried it back to David, but he refused to drink it. He poured it out as a drink offering to the <sc>Lordsc>