When Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he bowed low with his face toward the ground.<n id="1" /> David said, &#8220;Mephibosheth?&#8221; He replied, &#8220;Yes, at your service.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

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>

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now David&#8217;s son Absalom had a beautiful sister named Tamar. In the course of time David&#8217;s son Amnon fell madly in love with her.<n id="1" />

But Absalom fled and went to King Talmai son of Ammihud of Geshur. And David<n id="1" /> grieved over his son every day.p>

David was thirty years old when he began to reign and he reigned for forty years.

Adoniram<n id="1" /> was supervisor of the work crews.<n id="2" /> Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the secretary.

<p class="poetry">Foreigners are powerless before me;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">when they hear of my exploits, they submit to me.<n id="2" />p>

Igal son of Nathan from Zobah, Bani the Gadite,

Now Saul&#8217;s son<n id="1" /> had two men who were in charge of raiding units; one was named Baanah and the other Recab. They were sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, who was a Benjaminite. (Beeroth is regarded as belonging to Benjamin,

<p class="bodytext">Now Saul&#8217;s son Jonathan had a son who was crippled in both feet. He was five years old when the news about Saul and Jonathan arrived from Jezreel. His nurse picked him up and fled, but in her haste to get away, he fell and was injured.<n id="1" /> Mephibosheth was his name.p>

<p class="bodytext">So the king summoned the Gibeonites and spoke with them. (Now the Gibeonites were not descendants of Israel; they were a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had made a promise to<n id="1" /> them, but Saul tried to kill them because of his zeal for the people of Israel and Judah.)

<p class="bodytext">The king had mercy on Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, in light of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s oath that had been taken between David and Jonathan son of Saul.

So the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons of Aiah&#8217;s daughter Rizpah whom she had born to Saul, and the five sons of Saul&#8217;s daughter Merab<n id="1" /> whom she had born to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite.

<t /><p class="bodytext">Then David chanted this lament over Saul and his son Jonathan.

(He gave instructions that the people of Judah should be taught &#8220;The Bow.&#8221;<n id="1" /> Indeed, it is written down in the Book of Yashar.)<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">Now sons were born to David in Hebron. His firstborn was Amnon, born to Ahinoam the Jezreelite.

So Ish-bosheth took her<n id="1" /> from her husband Paltiel<n id="2" /> son of Laish.

<t /><p class="bodytext">When Ish-bosheth<n id="1" /> the son of Saul heard that Abner had died in Hebron, he was very disheartened,<n id="2" /> and all Israel was afraid.

<p class="bodytext">So King David had him brought<n id="1" /> from the house of Makir son of Ammiel in<n id="2" /> Lo Debar.

<p class="bodytext">Now Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. All the members of Ziba&#8217;s household were Mephibosheth&#8217;s servants.