David’s story is much more than the story of a shepherd who became a king. It is the story of a young man who was chosen while he was still unknown, who faced an enemy far stronger than himself, who spent years running for his life, who made serious mistakes, and who repeatedly learned to trust God when everything seemed impossible.
Before David ever sat on Israel’s throne, God had already chosen him. But there was a long and difficult road between the day Samuel anointed him and the day he became king over all Israel.
David’s life included courage, friendship, betrayal, fear, victory, failure, repentance, family tragedy, and moments when he had to depend completely on God.
1. David Is Anointed While Still a Shepherd
Saul was the king of Israel, but he had not fully obeyed God’s commands. Because of this, God rejected him as king. The prophet Samuel was still grieving over Saul when the LORD said to him:
“How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.”
— 1 Samuel 16:1
Samuel was afraid. He said, “If Saul hears about this, he will kill me.” So the LORD told Samuel to take a heifer with him and say that he had come to offer a sacrifice to the LORD.
Samuel went to Bethlehem. The elders of the town trembled when they saw him and asked, “Comest thou peaceably?” Samuel answered, “Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.”
Samuel invited Jesse and his sons to the sacrifice. When they arrived, Samuel saw Jesse’s oldest son Eliab. Eliab was tall and strong, and Samuel thought, “Surely the LORD’s anointed is before him.”
But the LORD said to Samuel:
“Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”
— 1 Samuel 16:7
Jesse then brought Abinadab before Samuel, but the LORD had not chosen him. Then Shammah came, and the LORD had not chosen him either. Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD hath not chosen these.”
Finally Samuel asked Jesse, “Are here all thy children?” Jesse answered, “There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep.”
Samuel said, “Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither.”
So David was brought in from the field. He was ruddy, with beautiful eyes, and good-looking. The LORD said to Samuel:
“Arise, anoint him: for this is he.”
— 1 Samuel 16:12
Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed David in the presence of his brothers. From that day forward, the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David. After this, Samuel returned to Ramah.
David did not become king that day. He simply went back to being a shepherd. But God had already set him apart.
2. David Serves Saul
After the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. Saul’s servants suggested that they find someone who could play the harp to bring him relief whenever the evil spirit came upon him.
One servant recommended David, the son of Jesse. He described David as a skilled harp player, a brave warrior, a wise speaker, handsome, and said, “The LORD is with him.”
Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David thy son, which is with the sheep.”
Jesse loaded a donkey with bread, a bottle of wine, and a young goat, and sent them with David to Saul.
David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul loved David greatly, and David became Saul’s armor-bearer. Whenever the evil spirit came upon Saul, David would take the harp and play it. Then Saul would be refreshed and feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.
3. David Faces Goliath
The Philistines gathered their armies for war and camped at Socoh in Judah. Saul and the Israelite army camped in the Valley of Elah, facing the Philistines.
A champion named Goliath came out from the Philistine camp. He was from Gath. His height was six cubits and a span. He wore a bronze helmet and a coat of scale armor that weighed five thousand shekels of bronze. He had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin slung between his shoulders. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam, and the iron point alone weighed six hundred shekels. A shield-bearer walked ahead of him.
For forty days, every morning and evening, Goliath stood and shouted to the Israelite army:
“Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us. I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.”
— 1 Samuel 17:8-10
When Saul and all Israel heard these words, they were terrified.
David’s three oldest brothers — Eliab, Abinadab, and Shammah — had followed Saul to the war. David was back in Bethlehem taking care of his father’s sheep.
Jesse told David, “Take this roasted grain and these ten loaves to your brothers. Carry these ten cheeses to the commander. See how your brothers are doing and bring back news.”
David got up early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, and went to the camp. When he arrived, the army was shouting and preparing for battle. David left his supplies with the supply keeper, ran to the battle line, and greeted his brothers.
While he was talking with them, Goliath came out again and shouted his challenge. David heard it. The Israelite soldiers were afraid and ran from Goliath.
David asked the men standing nearby, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
His oldest brother Eliab became angry and said, “Why did you come down here? Who did you leave those few sheep with in the wilderness? I know your pride and the evil of your heart — you just came to watch the battle.”
But David kept asking the same question. Someone told Saul what David was saying, and Saul sent for him.
David told Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.”
Saul said, “Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.”
David answered, “Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: and I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.”
Saul said, “Go, and the LORD be with thee.”
Saul dressed David in his own armor, put a bronze helmet on his head, and gave him a coat of armor. David strapped on the sword and tried to walk, but he was not used to it. He told Saul, “I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them.” So he took them off.
He took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the brook, put them in his shepherd’s bag, and with his sling in his hand he walked toward Goliath.
When Goliath saw David, he despised him because David was only a boy, ruddy and handsome. Goliath shouted, “Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves?” and he cursed David by his gods. Then he said, “Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.”
David answered:
“Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee… that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands.”
— 1 Samuel 17:45-47
As Goliath moved closer, David ran toward the battle line. He took a stone from his bag, placed it in his sling, and struck Goliath in the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and Goliath fell face down on the ground.
David ran and stood over him. He took Goliath’s own sword out of its sheath, killed him, and cut off his head.
When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. The Israelite army chased them all the way to Gath and the gates of Ekron.
David took Goliath’s head to Jerusalem and put Goliath’s weapons in his own tent.
4. Jonathan’s Friendship and Saul’s Jealousy
After David finished speaking with Saul, Jonathan — Saul’s son — became deeply attached to David. Jonathan loved David as his own soul. That day, Saul kept David with him and would not let him return to his father’s house.
Jonathan and David made a covenant together. Jonathan gave David his robe, sword, bow, and belt.
Saul sent David out on military missions, and David succeeded everywhere. Saul placed him over the men of war. The people and Saul’s officers approved.
But when David returned from killing Goliath, the women came out from all the towns of Israel singing and dancing. They sang:
“Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”
— 1 Samuel 18:7
This made Saul very angry. He said, “They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?”
From that day forward, Saul kept a jealous eye on David.
The next day, when the evil spirit came upon Saul, David played the harp as before. Saul had a spear in his hand, and he hurled it at David, thinking, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David escaped twice.
Saul was afraid of David because the LORD was with David but had departed from Saul. So Saul removed David from his presence and made him a commander over a thousand men. David continued to lead the people and succeeded in everything, and the LORD was with him.
5. Michal, David’s Wife, and Saul’s Plot
Saul offered his older daughter Merab to David in marriage, hoping she would be a snare to him and that David would die by the hand of the Philistines. But when the time came for Merab to be given to David, she was given to another man.
Now Saul’s younger daughter Michal loved David. Saul was pleased when he heard this. He thought, “I will give her to him, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.”
Saul told David, “Thou shalt this day be my son in law.” He also told his servants to speak secretly to David and say, “Behold, the king hath delight in thee, and all his servants love thee: now therefore be the king’s son in law.”
David replied, “Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a king’s son in law, seeing that I am a poor man, and lightly esteemed?”
Saul’s servants reported David’s words. Saul then said, “The king desireth not any dowry, but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies.” Saul intended to have David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
David was pleased with this. He and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines. He brought their foreskins and gave them to the king, so that he could become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him Michal as his wife.
Saul realized that the LORD was with David and that his own daughter Michal loved David. He became even more afraid of David and remained David’s enemy from then on.
6. Michal Helps David Escape
Saul told his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. But Jonathan loved David and warned him, saying, “Saul my father seeketh to kill thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself until the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself.”
Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul, saying, “Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been to thee-ward very good.” Jonathan reminded Saul how David had risked his life to kill the Philistine.
Saul listened and made an oath: “As the LORD liveth, he shall not be slain.”
So Jonathan brought David back to Saul, and David served Saul as before.
But war broke out again, and David fought the Philistines and killed many of them. Then the evil spirit returned to Saul. As David played the harp, Saul tried to pin him to the wall with a spear. David escaped and fled that night.
Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and kill him in the morning. Michal, David’s wife, warned him, “If thou save not thy life to night, to morrow thou shalt be slain.”
She let David down through a window, and he escaped. Then Michal took an image, laid it in the bed, put a pillow of goats’ hair at its head, and covered it with a cloth.
When Saul’s messengers came to take David, Michal said, “He is sick.” Saul told them, “Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him.” When the messengers entered, they found the image in the bed with the goats’ hair pillow.
Saul said to Michal, “Why hast thou deceived me so, and sent away mine enemy, that he is escaped?” Michal answered, “He said unto me, Let me go; why should I kill thee?”
David fled to Samuel at Ramah and told him everything Saul had done. Then David and Samuel went to live at Naioth.
Saul heard David was at Naioth in Ramah. He sent messengers to capture him, but when they saw the company of prophets prophesying with Samuel standing over them, the Spirit of God came upon them and they also prophesied. Saul sent more messengers, and the same thing happened. He sent messengers a third time, and they also prophesied.
Finally Saul himself went to Ramah. The Spirit of God came upon him too. He stripped off his clothes and lay down naked all that day and night, prophesying before Samuel. That is why people said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
7. Jonathan Warns David
David fled from Naioth and came to Jonathan. He asked, “What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life?”
Jonathan could not believe Saul still wanted to kill David. But David knew his life was in danger. They made a plan. The next day was the New Moon festival, and David was expected to eat at the king’s table. David would hide in the field for three days.
Jonathan told David, “If I say to the boy, Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee, take them; then come thou: for there is peace to thee. But if I say, Behold, the arrows are beyond thee; go thy way: for the LORD hath sent thee away.”
Jonathan made David swear again because he loved him as his own soul.
At the feast, David’s seat was empty. Saul said nothing the first day, thinking David was unclean. But when David was absent the second day, Saul asked Jonathan, “Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to day?”
Jonathan answered that David had asked permission to go to Bethlehem for a family sacrifice. Saul became furious with Jonathan. He shouted, “Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion? For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die.”
Jonathan asked, “Wherefore shall he be slain? what hath he done?” Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan. Then Jonathan knew his father was determined to kill David.
The next morning Jonathan went out into the field with a young boy. He shot arrows beyond the boy and called out the signal. After the boy left, David came out from hiding. They wept together. Jonathan said to David:
“Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever.”
— 1 Samuel 20:42
David left, and Jonathan returned to the city.
8. David at Nob and Gath
David went to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech was afraid when he saw David alone and asked, “Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?”
David told him that the king had sent him on a secret mission and that his men were waiting at an appointed place. He asked for five loaves of bread.
Ahimelech said there was no ordinary bread, but there was holy bread — the showbread that had been removed from before the LORD. He gave it to David on the condition that the young men had kept themselves from women. David assured him they had.
David also asked, “Is there not here under thine hand spear or sword?” Ahimelech said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod.” David said, “There is none like that; give it me.”
Now one of Saul’s servants, Doeg the Edomite, was there that day, detained before the LORD.
From Nob, David fled to Gath in Philistine territory. The servants of Achish, king of Gath, recognized him and said, “Is not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?”
David became very afraid. So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane. He made marks on the doors and let saliva run down his beard.
Achish said to his servants, “Lo, ye see the man is mad: wherefore then have ye brought him to me? Have I need of mad men?” So he let David go.
9. David at Adullam and the Slaughter of the Priests
David escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and all his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him. Everyone who was in distress, in debt, or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him.
David went from there to the king of Moab and asked him to let his father and mother stay with him until David knew what God would do for him. He left them with the king of Moab.
Then the prophet Gad told David, “Abide not in the hold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah.” So David left and went into the forest of Hereth.
Saul heard where David and his men were. He was sitting under a tamarisk tree in Gibeah with his spear in his hand. He said to his officials, “Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and make you all captains of thousands? That all of you have conspired against me… and my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse.”
Doeg the Edomite spoke up and said, “I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. And he inquired of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.”
Saul sent for Ahimelech and all his father’s house. Ahimelech answered Saul honestly, saying that David was the king’s son-in-law and trusted servant, and that he had not known anything was wrong.
But Saul said, “Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father’s house.” He ordered his guards to kill the priests, but they refused.
Then Saul said to Doeg, “Turn thou, and fall upon the priests.” Doeg the Edomite killed eighty-five priests that day. He also put Nob, the city of the priests, to the sword — men, women, children, infants, oxen, donkeys, and sheep.
Only one son of Ahimelech, named Abiathar, escaped and fled to David. David told him, “I knew it that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father’s house. Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.”
10. David Rescues Keilah
The Philistines attacked Keilah and were robbing the threshing floors. David asked the LORD, “Shall I go and smite these Philistines?” The LORD answered, “Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah.”
But David’s men were afraid. David asked the LORD again, and the LORD confirmed, “Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hand.”
David and his men went down, fought the Philistines, struck them with a heavy blow, and saved the people of Keilah.
When Saul heard that David was in Keilah, he planned to besiege the city. David learned of Saul’s plan and asked the LORD through Abiathar’s ephod, “Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard?” The LORD said, “He will come down.” David asked again, “Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul?” The LORD said, “They will deliver thee up.”
So David and his men — about six hundred — left Keilah and moved from place to place. Saul heard David had escaped and stopped pursuing him.
David stayed in the wilderness strongholds. The Ziphites came to Saul and told him David was hiding in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul blessed them and told them to find exactly where David was.
While David was in the wilderness of Ziph, Jonathan went to him and strengthened his hand in God. Jonathan said:
“Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth.”
— 1 Samuel 23:17
They made a covenant before the LORD. Then Jonathan went home, and David stayed in the wilderness.
11. David Spares Saul at En-gedi
Saul took three thousand chosen men and went to seek David in the wilderness of En-gedi. He came to a cave near the sheepfolds and went in to relieve himself. Inside the cave, David and his men were hiding in the back.
David’s men said to him, “Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee.”
David crept up and secretly cut off the corner of Saul’s robe. But afterward his heart troubled him. He said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing unto my master, the LORD’S anointed, to stretch forth mine hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD.”
David restrained his men and would not let them attack Saul.
When Saul left the cave, David also went out and called after him, “My lord the king.” Saul looked back. David bowed down and said, “Wherefore hearest thou men’s words, saying, Behold, David seeketh thy hurt? Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the LORD had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the LORD’S anointed. Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand…”
Saul lifted up his voice and wept. He said, “Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil. And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand. Swear now therefore unto me by the LORD, that thou wilt not cut off my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my father’s house.”
David swore to Saul. Then Saul returned home, and David and his men went back to their stronghold.
12. Samuel Dies; Nabal and Abigail
After this, the prophet Samuel died. All Israel gathered and mourned for him, and they buried him at his house in Ramah.
David then moved to the wilderness of Paran.
In Maon there was a wealthy man named Nabal. He had three thousand sheep and a thousand goats. His wife Abigail was intelligent and beautiful, but Nabal was harsh and evil.
David sent ten young men to Nabal with a respectful message. He reminded Nabal that his shepherds had been with David’s men and had not been harmed, and he asked Nabal to share whatever he could.
Nabal answered rudely, “Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master. Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men, whom I know not whence they be?”
When David heard this, he told his men, “Gird ye on every man his sword.” David and about four hundred men went up, while two hundred stayed with the supplies.
Abigail’s servants told her what had happened. She quickly took two hundred loaves, two bottles of wine, five dressed sheep, five measures of parched corn, a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and loaded them on donkeys. She went out to meet David without telling Nabal.
When Abigail saw David, she quickly got off her donkey, fell on her face before him, and asked him to forgive her husband’s wickedness. She said, “Upon me, my lord, upon me let this iniquity be: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience.”
David listened to her wisdom and said, “Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me: and blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood. Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice.”
Abigail returned home. Nabal was drunk and celebrating. She did not tell him anything until morning. When she told him, his heart died within him and he became like a stone. About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal, and he died.
When David heard that Nabal was dead, he sent word and took Abigail as his wife. David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel. Saul had taken Michal, David’s wife, and given her to Palti the son of Laish.
13. David Spares Saul Again
The Ziphites came to Saul again and told him David was hiding on the hill of Hachilah. Saul took three thousand chosen men and went down to the wilderness of Ziph.
At night, David and Abishai went into Saul’s camp while everyone was asleep. Saul was lying inside the camp, his spear stuck in the ground near his head, and a water jug was beside him.
Abishai said, “God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time.”
But David said, “Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD’S anointed, and be guiltless? As the LORD liveth, the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish. The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the LORD’S anointed: but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go.”
So David took the spear and water jug, and they left. No one saw them or woke up because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen on them.
David stood on a hill far away and called to Abner, the commander of Saul’s army, “Answerest thou not, Abner? Art not thou a valiant man? and who is like to thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lord the king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy lord… And now see where the king’s spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his bolster.”
Saul recognized David’s voice and said, “Is this thy voice, my son David?” David answered, “It is my voice, my lord, O king.”
David pleaded with Saul, “Wherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in mine hand?”
Saul said, “I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.”
David replied, “Behold the king’s spear! let one of the young men come over and fetch it. The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness.”
Saul blessed David and said, “Blessed be thou, my son David: thou shalt both do great things, and also shalt still prevail.”
David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.
14. David Among the Philistines
David thought to himself, “I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel.”
So David and his six hundred men went to Achish, king of Gath. David, his men, and their households lived with Achish. Achish gave David the town of Ziklag. From that day Ziklag belonged to the kings of Judah.
David lived in Philistine territory for a year and four months. He and his men raided the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. He left no man or woman alive, and he took sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing.
When Achish asked, “Whither have ye made a road to day?” David would lie and say, “Against the south of Judah, and against the south of the Jerahmeelites, and against the south of the Kenites.”
Achish believed David and said, “He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.”
15. Ziklag Is Destroyed and Recovered
The Philistines gathered all their armies at Aphek to fight against Israel. Achish told David, “Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men.”
David said, “Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do.”
But the Philistine commanders were angry and said, “What do these Hebrews here? Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel? Let him return to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? should it not be with the heads of these men?”
So Achish told David, “Thou art upright in my sight, but the lords of the Philistines do not trust thee. Wherefore now return, and go in peace.”
David and his men set out early in the morning to return to the land of the Philistines.
When they reached Ziklag on the third day, they found that the Amalekites had raided the south and Ziklag. They had burned the city and taken captive all the women and children, including David’s two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail. They had not killed anyone.
David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. David was greatly distressed, because the people talked of stoning him. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.
David asked Abiathar to bring the ephod, and he inquired of the LORD, “Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them?” The LORD answered, “Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.”
David and his six hundred men set out and came to the brook Besor. Two hundred men were too exhausted to cross, so they stayed behind. David continued with four hundred men.
They found an Egyptian in a field. He was the servant of an Amalekite, but his master had left him behind because he had been sick three days earlier. David gave him food and water, and after he ate, his spirit revived. He led David to the Amalekite camp.
David attacked them from twilight until evening. He recovered everything the Amalekites had taken — including his two wives. Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything else.
David also took the flocks and herds. On the way back, David shared the spoil with the two hundred men who had stayed behind, and he also sent gifts to the elders of Judah.
16. Saul Dies and David’s Lament
Now the Philistines fought against Israel. The Israelites fled before them, and many fell on Mount Gilboa. Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua were killed.
Saul was severely wounded by archers. He said to his armor-bearer, “Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me.” But his armor-bearer was terrified and would not do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died.
The next day the Philistines found Saul’s body on Mount Gilboa. They cut off his head, stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to announce the news in the temple of their idols and among the people. They put his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth and fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.
When the people of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done, their valiant men traveled all night, took down the bodies of Saul and his sons, brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under a tamarisk tree. Then they fasted seven days.
Later, a man came to David at Ziklag with torn clothes and dirt on his head. He claimed that he had found Saul leaning on his spear and that Saul had asked him to kill him. He said he had killed Saul and brought Saul’s crown and armlet to David.
David and his men tore their clothes and mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and Jonathan. Then David asked the young man, “How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD’S anointed?” David ordered one of his men to kill him, saying, “Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the LORD’S anointed.”
David then composed a lament over Saul and Jonathan. He sang:
“The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen! … Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives, and in their death they were not divided… I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women. How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!”
— 2 Samuel 1:19, 23, 26-27
17. David Becomes King Over Judah and Then All Israel
After this, David asked the LORD, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” The LORD said, “Go up.” David asked, “Whither shall I go up?” The LORD said, “Unto Hebron.”
David went up to Hebron with his two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, and his men and their households. The men of Judah came and anointed David king over the house of Judah.
David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. He reigned over Judah from Hebron for seven years and six months. Later he reigned over all Israel and Judah from Jerusalem for thirty-three years.
Meanwhile, Abner, the commander of Saul’s army, took Saul’s son Ishbosheth and made him king over Gilead, the Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel. Ishbosheth was forty years old and reigned two years. Only the house of Judah followed David.
There was a long war between the house of Saul and the house of David. David grew stronger and stronger, while the house of Saul grew weaker.
Eventually Abner fell out with Ishbosheth and sent word to David, offering to bring all Israel over to him. But when Abner left David, Joab — David’s commander — tricked him and killed him to avenge the death of his brother Asahel. David publicly mourned Abner and said, “Know ye not that there is a prince and a great man fallen this day in Israel?”
Soon after, two of Ishbosheth’s own captains killed him and brought his head to David, expecting a reward. But David had them executed because they had murdered a righteous man in his own house.
Then all the elders of Israel came to David at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them before the LORD. They anointed David king over all Israel.
18. David Captures Jerusalem
David and his men went to Jerusalem to fight the Jebusites who lived there. The Jebusites mocked David, saying, “Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither.” But David captured the stronghold of Zion, which became the City of David.
Hiram, king of Tyre, sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs, carpenters, and stonemasons, and they built David a palace.
David took more concubines and wives from Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him. Some of his sons born in Jerusalem were Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet.
When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they went up to search for him. David asked the LORD, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand?” The LORD said, “Go up: for I will surely deliver the Philistines into thine hand.”
David defeated them at Baal-perazim. The Philistines left their idols behind, and David and his men burned them.
The Philistines came up again. This time the LORD told David, “Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees. And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the LORD go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines.”
David did as the LORD commanded and defeated the Philistines from Geba to Gazer.
19. David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem
David gathered thirty thousand chosen men of Israel and went to bring the ark of God from Baale-judah to Jerusalem. They placed the ark on a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, guided the cart.
David and all Israel were celebrating before the LORD with songs and instruments. But when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled. Uzzah reached out his hand and took hold of the ark. The LORD’s anger burned against Uzzah for his irreverent act, and Uzzah died there beside the ark.
David was angry and afraid. He named that place Perez-uzzah and would not bring the ark to Jerusalem that day. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. The ark stayed there three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and his entire household.
When David heard this, he brought the ark from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David with great joy. As the ark was carried, those who carried it took six steps, and David sacrificed an ox and a fattened calf. David danced before the LORD with all his might, wearing a linen ephod.
As the ark entered the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked out the window and saw David leaping and dancing before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart.
They brought the ark inside the tent David had pitched for it. David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings and blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts.
When David returned to bless his household, Michal came out to meet him and said sarcastically, “How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!”
David answered, “It was before the LORD, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD. And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.”
Michal had no children to the day of her death.
20. God’s Covenant With David
After David was settled in his palace and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies, he said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in an house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.”
Nathan told David to do all that was in his heart, for the LORD was with him. But that night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, telling him to give David a different message.
The LORD reminded David that He had taken him from the pasture and made him ruler over Israel. He promised that David’s son would build the house for His name and that He would establish David’s throne forever.
The LORD said:
“And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.”
— 2 Samuel 7:16
David went in and sat before the LORD. He prayed, “Who am I, O Lord GOD? and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? … For thy word’s sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things.”
21. David’s Victories and Kindness to Mephibosheth
David defeated the Philistines and brought them under his control. He also defeated the Moabites, making them pay tribute. He struck down Hadadezer, king of Zobah, and brought Damascus under his control. He defeated the Edomites and the Ammonites.
When David had rest, he remembered his covenant with Jonathan. He asked if there was anyone left from the house of Saul to whom he could show kindness for Jonathan’s sake.
A servant named Ziba told him about Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth, who was lame in both feet. David had him brought to the palace.
Mephibosheth fell on his face before David. David said, “Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually.”
Mephibosheth bowed and said, “What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I am?”
David gave Saul’s land to Mephibosheth and told Ziba to farm it for him. Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s sons.
22. David, Bathsheba, and Uriah
In the spring, when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the army out, but he remained in Jerusalem.
One evening David got up from his bed and walked on the roof of the palace. He saw a beautiful woman bathing. Her name was Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite.
David sent messengers to bring her, and he slept with her. She became pregnant.
David tried to cover his sin. He sent word to Joab to send Uriah home from the battle. Uriah came, but he did not go to his house. He slept at the palace entrance with the servants.
David asked him, “Why did you not go down to your house?” Uriah answered, “The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife? as thou livest, and as thy soul liveth, I will not do this thing.”
David made Uriah stay another day and got him drunk, but Uriah still would not go home.
So David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it by Uriah’s own hand. The letter said, “Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.”
Joab placed Uriah where the fighting was heaviest, and Uriah was killed.
When Bathsheba heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. After the mourning period, David brought her to his house, and she became his wife. She gave birth to a son.
But the thing David had done displeased the LORD.
23. Nathan Confronts David
The LORD sent Nathan the prophet to David. Nathan told David a story:
A rich man had many flocks and herds. A poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he raised like a daughter. A traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man took the poor man’s lamb and served it to the guest.
David burned with anger and said, “As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”
Nathan looked at David and said:
“Thou art the man.”
— 2 Samuel 12:7
Nathan declared what the LORD had done for David — anointing him, delivering him from Saul, giving him the house of Israel and Judah — and then he spoke God’s judgment. Because David had despised the word of the LORD and struck down Uriah with the sword and taken his wife, the sword would never depart from David’s house. The LORD would raise up evil against David from his own household, and his wives would be taken before his eyes.
David said, “I have sinned against the LORD.”
Nathan replied, “The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.”
The child became ill. David fasted and lay on the ground all night. The elders of his house tried to lift him up, but he would not eat.
On the seventh day, the child died. David’s servants were afraid to tell him. When David learned the child was dead, he got up, washed, changed his clothes, went to the house of the LORD and worshiped, and then he ate.
His servants asked why he acted this way. David explained that while the child was alive he had fasted and wept, hoping the LORD might spare him. But now that the child was dead, he could not bring him back.
Later David comforted Bathsheba, and she gave birth to another son. David named him Solomon. The LORD loved him.
24. Amnon, Tamar, and Absalom
David’s son Amnon fell in love with his half-sister Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom. He was so obsessed that he made himself sick.
Amnon’s cousin Jonadab gave him a plan. Amnon pretended to be ill and asked David to send Tamar to cook food for him. David sent Tamar to Amnon’s house.
Tamar prepared food in front of Amnon. But when she brought it to him, Amnon grabbed her and said, “Come lie with me, my sister.”
Tamar begged him, “Nay, my brother, do not force me; for no such thing ought to be done in Israel: do not thou this folly.” She even told him to ask David for her hand. But Amnon would not listen. He was stronger than she, and he raped her.
Immediately afterward, Amnon hated her with a hatred greater than the love he had felt. He told her to get out. Tamar said, “There is no cause: this evil in sending me away is greater than the other that thou didst unto me.” But he would not listen. He ordered his servant to throw her out and bolt the door.
Tamar tore her royal robe, put ashes on her head, and went away crying loudly. Absalom saw her and said, “Hath Amnon thy brother been with thee? but hold now thy peace, my sister: he is thy brother; regard not this thing.” So Tamar stayed desolate in Absalom’s house.
David heard about all this and was furious, but he did nothing to punish Amnon. Absalom hated Amnon and waited.
Two years later, Absalom had sheep-shearers at Baal-hazor. He invited all the king’s sons. David did not go, but after much urging, he allowed Amnon and the other princes to go.
Absalom ordered his servants, “Mark ye now when Amnon’s heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you, Smite Amnon; then kill him, fear not.”
The servants did as he commanded. Amnon was killed. The other princes fled on their mules.
At first David heard a report that all his sons were dead. He tore his clothes and lay on the ground. But Jonadab assured him that only Amnon was dead.
Absalom fled to Geshur and stayed there three years with King Talmai. David mourned for Amnon, and over time he longed to see Absalom again.
25. Absalom’s Rebellion and Death
Joab arranged for a wise woman from Tekoa to persuade David to bring Absalom back. Absalom returned to Jerusalem, but David would not see him for two years. Eventually Joab brought about a reconciliation.
But Absalom was not content. He began to win the hearts of the people of Israel. He would stand by the city gate and say, “Oh that I were made judge in the land, that every man which hath any suit or cause might come unto me, and I would do him justice!” He stole the hearts of the men of Israel.
After four years, Absalom asked David’s permission to go to Hebron to fulfill a vow. He secretly sent messengers throughout Israel to proclaim him king.
David heard that the hearts of Israel had turned to Absalom. He fled from Jerusalem with his household, leaving behind ten concubines to keep the palace. As David went, Shimei, a man from Saul’s family, cursed him and threw stones and dirt at him. David would not let his men retaliate, saying, “Let him curse, because the LORD hath said unto him, Curse David.”
Meanwhile, Ahithophel, David’s former counselor, sided with Absalom. He advised Absalom to sleep with David’s concubines, which Absalom did in the sight of all Israel. Hushai, David’s friend, secretly worked to frustrate Ahithophel’s counsel so that Absalom would delay his attack.
The armies of David and Absalom met in the forest of Ephraim. David ordered his commanders, “Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Absalom.”
Absalom rode on a mule and went under the thick branches of a great oak. His head got caught in the branches, and he was left hanging between heaven and earth as the mule ran on.
A man told Joab, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanged in an oak.” Joab took three spears and thrust them through Absalom’s heart while he was still alive in the tree. Then Joab blew the trumpet, and the battle ended.
David was waiting by the gate. When the messenger came, David asked, “Is the young man Absalom safe?” When David learned Absalom was dead, he was deeply moved. He went up to the room over the gate and wept:
“O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
— 2 Samuel 18:33
David returned to Jerusalem, but the wound of losing his son never left him.
After Absalom’s rebellion, another man named Sheba led a revolt against David, but Joab pursued him and the rebellion was crushed.
26. David’s Census and the Plague
Late in David’s reign, the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and David was moved to take a census of Israel and Judah.
David ordered Joab, “Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people.”
Joab objected, “Now the LORD thy God add unto the people, how many soever they be, an hundredfold… but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing?”
Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed. Joab and the army commanders went out and counted the people. It took nine months and twenty days. Joab reported the number: in Israel there were eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand men.
After the census, David’s heart condemned him. He said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.”
The next morning the word of the LORD came to Gad the prophet, David’s seer. God gave David three choices:
- Seven years of famine
- Three months of fleeing from enemies
- Three days of plague
David said, “I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man.”
So the LORD sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the appointed time. Seventy thousand people died from Dan to Beer-sheba.
When the destroying angel stretched out his hand over Jerusalem, the LORD relented and said, “It is enough: stay now thine hand.” David saw the angel and said, “Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house.”
Gad came and told David to build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. Araunah offered the site and the animals for free, but David insisted on paying. He said, “Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing.”
David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. He built an altar there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. The LORD answered prayer for the land, and the plague on Israel stopped.
27. David Prepares for the Temple
Although David was told he would not build the temple himself, he spent great effort preparing for its construction. He gathered gold, silver, bronze, iron, timber, and stone. He gave Solomon the plans for the temple and organized the Levites and priests.
David said to Solomon, “Behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the LORD an hundred thousand talents of gold, and a thousand thousand talents of silver; and of brass and iron without weight… The LORD give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the LORD thy God.”
David also encouraged the leaders of Israel to help Solomon. The people gave generously — gold, silver, bronze, iron, and precious stones — for the house of God.
28. David’s Final Days
When David was old and advanced in years, he could not keep warm even with blankets. His son Adonijah tried to make himself king without David’s knowledge. He gathered chariots, horsemen, and supporters.
Nathan the prophet and Bathsheba brought this to David’s attention. David reaffirmed his promise that Solomon would be king after him.
David said, “Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead.”
Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed Solomon at Gihon. The people shouted, “God save king Solomon,” and the city rejoiced.
Before he died, David gave Solomon these instructions:
“Be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man; and keep the charge of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in all that thou doest.”
— 1 Kings 2:2-3
David reigned over Israel for forty years — seven years in Hebron and thirty-three years in Jerusalem. He died at a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor, and was buried in the City of David.
29. David’s Legacy: Songs, Mighty Men, and the Promise
David was not only a king; he was also a psalmist. Many of the psalms in the Bible are connected to events in his life:
- Psalm 23 — “The LORD is my shepherd” — reflects David’s trust in God as his shepherd.
- Psalm 34 — written when David pretended to be insane before Abimelech.
- Psalm 51 — written after Nathan confronted David about Bathsheba.
- Psalm 57 — written when David fled from Saul into the cave.
- Psalm 59 — written when Saul sent men to watch David’s house.
- Psalm 63 — written when David was in the wilderness of Judah.
- Psalm 142 — written when David was in the cave.
David also had mighty men who performed great acts:
- Josheb-basshebeth killed eight hundred men at one time.
- Eleazar stood alone and fought the Philistines until his hand clung to his sword.
- Shammah stood in the middle of a field and defended it from the Philistines.
- Benaiah killed a lion in a pit on a snowy day and killed an Egyptian warrior with the Egyptian’s own spear.
David’s final words are recorded in 2 Samuel 23. He said:
“The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.”
— 2 Samuel 23:2-3
The most important part of David’s legacy is the promise God made to him — that his throne would be established forever. This promise was ultimately fulfilled through Jesus Christ, who is called the Son of David.
What David’s Story Teaches Us
David’s life cannot be reduced to the story of a boy defeating a giant. Goliath was only one chapter.
David had to learn:
- To wait while Saul hunted him
- To refuse revenge when he could have killed Saul
- To recover after devastating loss
- To lead people through crisis
- To face God honestly after serious sin
David was anointed before he was established. He was chosen before he was recognized. He received a promise before he saw its fulfillment.
Many times, he had to keep trusting God while his circumstances seemed to say the promise would never happen.
The distance between what God promised and what David could actually see became one of the most powerful parts of his story.
Sometimes faith is not about seeing the throne ahead. Sometimes it is simply about remaining faithful in the wilderness.
Related Articles
If you are going through a season where people have hurt you, betrayed your trust, or you are wondering whether God is still with you in a frightening season, these related articles may speak directly to what you are facing:
- Everyone Around Me Acts Nice but Hurts Me the Moment They Get a Chance — Who Can I Actually Trust?
- I’m Going Through the Scariest Time of My Life — Is God Really With Me?
Bible References for David’s Story
- Saul Rejected, David Anointed — 1 Samuel 16:1–13
- David Serves Saul — 1 Samuel 16:14–23
- David Defeats Goliath — 1 Samuel 17:1–58
- Jonathan’s Friendship and Saul’s Jealousy — 1 Samuel 18:1–16
- Merab and Michal — 1 Samuel 18:17–30
- Saul’s Attempts to Kill David, Michal Helps Him Escape — 1 Samuel 19:1–24
- David and Jonathan’s Covenant — 1 Samuel 20:1–42
- Ahimelech, Doeg, and Nob — 1 Samuel 21:1–9; 22:6–23
- David Pretends to Be Insane in Gath — 1 Samuel 21:10–15
- Adullam Cave and Moab — 1 Samuel 22:1–5
- Keilah and En-gedi — 1 Samuel 23:1–29; 24:1–22
- Nabal and Abigail — 1 Samuel 25:1–44
- David Spares Saul Again — 1 Samuel 26:1–25
- Ziklag and the Amalekites — 1 Samuel 27:1–28:2; 30:1–31
- Saul’s Death and David’s Lament — 1 Samuel 31:1–13; 2 Samuel 1:1–27
- David Becomes King and Captures Jerusalem — 2 Samuel 2:1–7; 5:1–16
- The Ark Comes to Jerusalem — 2 Samuel 6:1–23
- God’s Covenant With David — 2 Samuel 7:1–29
- David’s Military Victories — 2 Samuel 8:1–18
- David Shows Kindness to Mephibosheth — 2 Samuel 9:1–13
- David, Bathsheba, and Uriah — 2 Samuel 11:1–27
- Nathan Confronts David, the Child Dies, Solomon Is Born — 2 Samuel 12:1–25
- Amnon, Tamar, and Absalom — 2 Samuel 13:1–39
- Absalom’s Rebellion and Death — 2 Samuel 15:1–18:33; 19:1–43
- Sheba’s Revolt — 2 Samuel 20:1–22
- The Census and the Plague — 2 Samuel 24:1–25
- David Prepares for the Temple — 1 Chronicles 22:1–19; 28:1–21; 29:1–9
- Adonijah and Solomon’s Anointing — 1 Kings 1:1–53
- David’s Final Words — 2 Samuel 23:1–7
- David’s Mighty Men — 2 Samuel 23:8–39; 1 Chronicles 11:10–47
- David’s Psalms — Psalms 23, 34, 51, 57, 59, 63, 142
- David’s Death — 1 Kings 2:10–11; 1 Chronicles 29:26–28
This article is intended to help readers understand David’s life and the biblical context of these events. It is not a substitute for detailed Bible study or scholarly research.