<p class="bodytext">David felt guilty<n id="1" /> after he had numbered the army. David said to the <sc>Lordsc>, &#8220;I have sinned greatly by doing this! Now, O <sc>Lordsc>, please remove the guilt of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.&#8221;p>

David said to the young man<n id="1" /> who was telling him this, &#8220;How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?&#8221;<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">David said to the young man who told this to him, &#8220;Where are you from?&#8221; He replied, &#8220;I am an Amalekite, the son of a resident foreigner.&#8221;<n id="1" />

David said to him, &#8220;Your blood be on your own head! Your own mouth has testified against you, saying &#8216;I have put the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s anointed to death.&#8217;&#8221;p>

David was king in Hebron over the people of Judah for seven and a half years.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="bodytext">So they got up and crossed over by number: twelve belonging to Benjamin and to Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and twelve from the servants of David.

<p class="bodytext">Now the battle was very severe that day; Abner and the men of Israel were overcome by David&#8217;s soldiers.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">Now Joab returned from chasing Abner and assembled all the people. Nineteen of David&#8217;s soldiers were missing, in addition to Asahel.

<t /><p class="bodytext">As the war continued between the house of Saul and the house of David, Abner was becoming more influential<n id="1" /> in the house of Saul.

God will severely judge Abner<n id="1" /> if I do not do for David exactly what the <sc>Lordsc> has promised him,<n id="2" />

namely, to transfer the kingdom from the house of Saul and to establish the throne of David over Israel and over Judah all the way from Dan to Beer Sheba!&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">Abner advised<n id="1" /> the elders of Israel, &#8220;Previously you were wanting David to be your king.<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">When David later heard about this, he said, &#8220;I and my kingdom are forever innocent before the <sc>Lordsc> of the shed blood of Abner son of Ner!

<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" />

David realized that the <sc>Lordsc> had established him as king over Israel and that he had elevated his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.

So David asked the <sc>Lordsc> what he should do.<n id="1" /> This time<n id="2" /> the <sc>Lordsc><n id="3" /> said to him, &#8220;Don&#8217;t march straight up. Instead, circle around behind them and come against them opposite the trees.<n id="4" />

David did just as the <sc>Lordsc> commanded him, and he struck down the Philistines from Gibeon all the way to Gezer.<n id="1" />p>

while David and all Israel<n id="1" /> were energetically celebrating before the <sc>Lordsc>, singing<n id="2" /> and playing various stringed instruments,<n id="3" /> tambourines, rattles,<n id="4" /> and cymbals.p>

<p class="bodytext">David was angry because the <sc>Lordsc> attacked<n id="1" /> Uzzah; so he called that place Perez Uzzah,<n id="2" /> which remains its name to this very day.

&#8220;Go, tell my servant David: &#8216;This is what the <sc>Lordsc> says: Do you really intend to build a house for me to live in?