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of David were growing stronger, but those of Saul were growing weaker. And six sons were born to David in Hebron from different women, of whom the firstborn was Amnon. But when Abner had relations with Saul's concubine, Ish-bosheth was indignant against him because of his father's concubine. This became the reason for Abner to go over to David. And David, sending to Ish-bosheth, sought his own wife Michal. And he, taking her from her husband to whom Saul had married her after David's flight, sent her to David. And Abner, having conferred with the elders of the people of the Israelites and with the commanders, persuaded them to switch their allegiance to David, this also being what all 1.103 were eager for. And having done this, he came to David to receive sworn pledges. And having been gladly received, he went away to gather the multitude, so that David might be proclaimed by all. But Joab, coming to Hebron and learning the things concerning Abner, fearing that that man would surpass him, spoke many things against the man to David, but not persuading him, he secretly sends someone to summon Abner as if from David; and that man returned. And Joab, meeting him, and as if to discuss something more secret with him, leading him away from his own people, kills him, striking him under the flank with a sword. But David, learning this, was greatly grieved and cursed the one who killed the man, and he mourned the dead and buried him with honor. And Ish-bosheth, after a short time, was conspired against and was slain while sleeping. And those who had killed him, being two, took his head and brought it to David. But he not only considered that the men had not done him a favor, but also ordered them to be killed, exacting justice for the murder. Then all Israel goes to David, and they anoint him as king of all the tribes. David was thirty years old when he became king over Judah, and he ruled in Hebron over the tribe of Judah alone for seven years, and for thirty-three over all Israel. And he departed from Hebron, he and those with him, and came to Jerusalem. And at that time the Jebusites inhabited the city and that land, whence the city was called Jebus; and they were related by race to the Canaanites. who, having placed the blind and lame and 1.104 otherwise maimed on the battlements in mockery, said that they would not yield to David entrance into the city. But David, angered by these things, took the city by siege, and having driven the Jebusites from there and rebuilt it, he named it after his own name, the City of David, which in Abraham's time was called Salem. And he spent time in it, having built a palace. And more children were born to him from many wives and concubines. And the foreigners campaigned against David, but he, with God's approval, went out against them with his own army and was victorious. But they, having gathered in much greater numbers, came on again. And when David again asked God, God ordered him to encamp with the army in the groves of Weeping, and not to attack the enemy otherwise until the groves began to shake. And having done so, he turns the enemies, and pursuing them up to their borders, he killed them. After these things David called together the priests and Levites and all the people to Kiriath-jearim. And the priests placed the ark of the Lord on a new cart, bringing it down to Jerusalem. And the people and the king were singing, going before it. And when the ark was in danger of being overturned, Uzzah the son of Aminadab, stretching out his hand, took hold of it and supported it so that it would not fall. Therefore he dies immediately, because God was angry that he touched the ark, since he was not consecrated; and that place was called from then on "Breach." And David was afraid to bring the ark into the city, but deposited it in the house of Obed-edom, a Levite man; and it was there three months, and the house of that 1.105 man enjoyed many good things. And when David heard, he brought the ark from there into his own city, with seven choirs leading the way. And he himself played the lyre and danced, making merry. But seeing

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μὲν τοῦ ∆αβὶδ κραταιουμένων, ἀσθενούντων δέ γε τῶν τοῦ Σαούλ. ̓Ετέχθησαν δὲ τῷ ∆αβὶδ ἐν Χεβρὼν οντι ἐκ γυναικῶν διαφόρων υἱοὶ εξ, ων ην πρωτότοκος ὁ ̓Αμνών. τοῦ δὲ ̓Αβεννὴρ παλλακῇ μιχθέντος Σαούλ, ἠγανάκτησεν ̓Ιεβοσθὲ κατ' αὐτοῦ διὰ τὴν παλλακὴν τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ. τοῦτο γέγονεν αιτιον τοῦ προσρυῆναι τὸν ̓Αβεννὴρ τῷ ∆αβίδ. ὁ δὲ ∆αβὶδ στείλας πρὸς τὸν ̓Ιεβοσθὲ τὴν ἰδίαν γυναῖκα ἐζήτει Μελχόλ. ὁ δὲ ἀποσπάσας αὐτὴν τοῦ ἀνδρός, ῳ μετὰ τὴν φυγὴν τοῦ ∆αβὶδ ἡρμόσατο αὐτὴν ὁ Σαούλ, ἀπέστειλε τῷ ∆αβίδ. ̓Αβεννὴρ δὲ τοῖς γηραιοῖς τοῦ πλήθους τῶν ̓Ισραηλιτῶν καὶ τοῖς ταξιάρχαις διαλεχθεὶς μεταθέσθαι συνῄνεσε πρὸς ∆αβίδ, τοῦτο καὶ πάντων προ1.103 θυμουμένων. τοῦτο δὲ ποιήσας ηκε πρὸς τὸν ∆αβὶδ ἐνόρκους πίστεις ληψόμενος. καὶ δεχθεὶς ἀσμένως, ἀπῄει συναθροίσων τὸ πλῆθος, ινα παρὰ πάντων ἀναρρηθῇ ὁ ∆αβίδ. ἐλθὼν δὲ πρὸς Χεβρὼν ̓Ιωὰβ καὶ μαθὼν τὰ περὶ ̓Αβεννήρ, δείσας μὴ ὑπερέξει ἐκεῖνος αὐτοῦ, κατεῖπε μὲν πολλὰ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς πρὸς ∆αβίδ, μὴ πείθων δὲ στέλλει λάθρᾳ τὸν καλέσοντα τὸν ̓Αβεννὴρ ὡς ἐκ τοῦ ∆αβίδ· κἀκεῖνος ἀνέστρεψε. καὶ ὑπαντήσας αὐτῷ ̓Ιωάβ, καὶ ως τι μυστικώτερον αὐτῷ διαλεξόμενος πόρρω τῶν οἰκείων ἀπαγαγὼν αὐτὸν κτείνει, ξίφει πατάξας ὑπὸ λαγόνα. ∆αβὶδ δὲ τοῦτο μαθὼν ηλγησε σφόδρα καὶ τῷ τὸν ανδρα κτείναντι κατηράσατο, καὶ ἐθρήνησε τὸν θανόντα καὶ φιλοτίμως ἐνεταφίασεν. ̓Ιεβοσθὲ δὲ μετὰ μικρὸν ἐπιβουλευθεὶς ἐσφάγη κοιμώμενος. καὶ οἱ τοῦτον ἀνελόντες, δύο οντες, τὴν κεφαλὴν λαβόντες αὐτοῦ τῷ ∆αβὶδ ἀπεκόμισαν. ὁ δὲ οὐ μόνον μὴ κεχαρισμένα πρᾶξαι αὐτῷ τοὺς ανδρας ἡγήσατο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀναιρεθῆναι προσέταξε, δίκας τοῦ φόνου πραττόμενος. ειτα πᾶς ̓Ισραὴλ πορεύεται πρὸς ∆αβίδ, καὶ χρίουσιν αὐτὸν εἰς βασιλέα πασῶν τῶν φυλῶν. ην δὲ τριακονταέτης ∆αβὶδ οτε ἐπὶ τὸν ̓Ιούδαν ἐβασίλευσεν, καὶ ηρξεν ἐν Χεβρὼν τῆς τοῦ ̓Ιούδα μόνης φυλῆς ἐνιαυτοὺς ἑπτά, τριάκοντα δὲ καὶ τρεῖς τοῦ παντὸς ̓Ισραήλ. ̓Απῆρε δ' ἐκ Χεβρὼν αὐτὸς καὶ οἱ μετ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ παραγέγονεν εἰς ̔Ιεροσόλυμα. κατῴκουν δὲ τότε τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὴν γῆν ἐκείνην ̓Ιεβουσαῖοι, οθεν ̓Ιεβοῦς ἐκαλεῖτο ἡ πόλις· Χαναναίοις δ' ησαν κατὰ γένος προσήκοντες. οι τοὺς τυφλοὺς καὶ χωλοὺς καὶ 1.104 αλλως πεπηρωμένους στήσαντες ἐπὶ τῶν ἐπάλξεων ἐπὶ χλεύῃ, μὴ παραχωρεῖν αὐτοὺς ελεγον τῷ ∆αβὶδ τῆς εἰς τὴν πόλιν εἰσόδου. ὀργισθεὶς δὲ διὰ ταῦτα ∆αβὶδ πολιορκίᾳ τὴν πόλιν ειλε, καὶ τοὺς ̓Ιεβουσαίους ἐκεῖθεν ὠσάμενος καὶ ἀνοικοδομήσας αὐτὴν εἰς ονομα οἰκεῖον πόλιν ∆αβὶδ ἐπωνόμασεν, ἐπὶ ̓Αβραὰμ Σόλυμα καλουμένην. καὶ διέτριβεν ἐν αὐτῇ βασίλεια δομησάμενος. ἐγένοντο δὲ ετι παῖδες αὐτῷ ἐκ γυναικῶν πλειόνων καὶ παλλακῶν. καὶ οἱ ἀλλόφυλοι ἐστράτευσαν κατὰ τοῦ ∆αβίδ, ὁ δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπινεύσαντος εξεισι κατ' αὐτῶν μετὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ στρατιᾶς καὶ νικᾷ. οἱ δὲ πολὺ πλείους συναθροισθέντες πάλιν ἐπῄεσαν. ἐρομένου δὲ καὶ αυθις τὸν θεὸν τοῦ ∆αβίδ, ἐν τοῖς αλσεσι τοῦ Κλαυθμῶνος προσέταξεν ὁ θεὸς αὐλίζεσθαι σὺν τῇ στρατιᾷ, καὶ μὴ αλλως προσβάλλειν τοῖς ἐναντίοις πρὶν αν τὰ αλση σαλεύεσθαι αρξωνται. καὶ ουτω ποιήσας τρέπει τοὺς πολεμίους, καὶ αχρι τῶν ὁρίων αὐτῶν διώκων αὐτοὺς εκτεινε. μετὰ ταῦτα συνεκάλεσε ∆αβὶδ τοὺς ἱερεῖς καὶ Λευίτας καὶ απαντα τὸν λαὸν εἰς Καριαθιαρείμ. καὶ ἐπεβίβασαν οἱ ἱερεῖς τὴν κιβωτὸν κυρίου ἐφ' αμαξαν καινήν, κατάγοντες αὐτὴν εἰς ̔Ιεροσόλυμα. καὶ ὁ λαὸς καὶ ὁ βασιλεὺς ῃδον εμπροσθεν αὐτῆς πορευόμενοι. ἀνατραπῆναι δὲ κινδυνευούσης τῆς κιβωτοῦ, ̓Οζὰν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ̓Αμιναδὰβ ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα κατέσχεν αὐτὴν καὶ ἐπεστήριξε μὴ πεσεῖν. θνήσκει ουν αὐτίκα, ὀργισθέντος τοῦ θεοῦ οτι ηψατο τῆς κιβωτοῦ, ἐπεὶ μὴ ἱέρωτο· καὶ ἐκλήθη ὁ τόπος ἐκεῖνος ἐντεῦθεν ∆ιακοπή. καὶ ηὐλαβήθη ∆αβὶδ εἰσαγαγεῖν εἰς τὴν πόλιν τὴν κιβωτόν, κατέθετο δὲ αὐτὴν εἰς τὸν οικον ̓Αβεδδαρὰ Λευίτου ἀνδρός· καὶ ην ἐκεῖ μῆνας τρεῖς, καὶ ἀπήλαυσεν ὁ οικος τοῦ ἀνδρὸς 1.105 ἐκείνου πολλῶν ἀγαθῶν. καὶ ἀκούσας ∆αβὶδ μετεκόμισεν ἐκεῖθεν τὴν κιβωτὸν εἰς τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ, ἑπτὰ χορῶν προαγόντων. καὶ αὐτὸς τὴν κινύραν εκρουε καὶ ἐχόρευε παίζων. ἰδοῦσα δὲ