1 Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.
2 Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the Lord said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be a captain over Israel.
3 So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the Lord: and they anointed David king over Israel.
4 David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years.
5 In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah.
6 And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither.
7 Nevertheless David took the strong hold of Zion: the same is the city of David.
8 And David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind that are hated of David's soul, he shall be chief and captain. Wherefore they said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.
9 So David dwelt in the fort, and called it the city of David. And David built round about from Millo and inward.
10 And David went on, and grew great, and the Lord God of hosts was with him.
11 And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and carpenters, and masons: and they built David an house.
12 And David perceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake.
13 And David took him more concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron: and there were yet sons and daughters born to David.
14 And these be the names of those that were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shammuah, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon,
15 Ibhar also, and Elishua, and Nepheg, and Japhia,
16 And Elishama, and Eliada, and Eliphalet.
17 But when the Philistines heard that they had anointed David king over Israel, all the Philistines came up to seek David; and David heard of it, and went down to the hold.
18 The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
19 And David enquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the Lord said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand.
20 And David came to Baalperazim, and David smote them there, and said, The Lord hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baalperazim.
21 And there they left their images, and David and his men burned them.
22 And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim.
23 And when David enquired of the Lord, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.
24 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.
25 And David did so, as the Lord had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer.
<html><b>To the Yevusi.</b> The fortress of Tzion was called Yevus. [Its inhabitants] were from the descendants of Avimelech. They had two idols, one [depicting] a blind person and one [depicting] a lame person. They were made to represent Yitzhok and Yakov.1<i class=“footnote”>Yitzchak was blind at the end of his life (Bereshis, 27,1). Yakov was lamed during the course of his struggle with the angel (Bereishis 32,33).</i> [Placed] in their mouths was the oath Avrohom swore to Avimelech,2<i class=“footnote”>Bereishis 21,23–24.</i> This is why they were not displaced [from Tzion]. When Yerushalayim was conquored The tribe of Yehuda did not conquor the fortress [of Tzion], as the verse states, (Yehoshua, 15, 63). “However the Yevusim who lived in Yerushalyim, the descendants of Yehudah were unable to expel them. [About this verse] it is learned: Rebbe Yohoshua, the son of Levi said, They had the ability to [expel the Yevusim] but they were not permitted to.3<i class=“footnote”>Because of Avrohom’s oath to Avimelech. This point is made in the Sifri, Re’ey, Piska 72. However, there it’s brought in the name of Rebbe Yehoshua, the son of Korcho.</i> <b>And he said to Dovid.</b> Whoever said it,4<i class=“footnote”>The speaker is unidentified, but is obviously one of the Yevusim.</i> <b>[The idols depicting] the blind and the lame</b> These were their idols.</html>
<html><b>Whoever kills the Yevusi and touches [and destroys] the towers spire</b> Whoever kills the Yevusi and has the strength to conquor the fortress. <b>And [the idols of] the lame.</b> And destroys [the idols of] the lame and the blind which were abhorrent to Dovid. <b>Upon which they are saying.</b> Upon which they are saying, “The blind one and the lame one,” i.e., while the blind one and the lame one are here. <b>[Dovid] will not come</b> Dovid will not come here. This is a shortened verse [because] it stated, “Whoever kills the Yevusi and touches [and destroys] the tower's spire” but [the verse] does not explain what happens to the person [who reaches the spire]. However, in Divrei Hayomim I, 11, 6) it explains, “Whoever kills the Yevusi first will be made a chief and a prince.” Similar to this [we find]. “Therefore, whoever kills Kayin” (Bereishis 4, 14) and [that verse] does not explain what happens to the person [who kills Kayin] but from its context, it's understood that the language conveys rebuke and anger.5<i class=“footnote”>To whoever kills Kayin.</i> <b>And touches [and destroys] the tower's spire.</b> [This word] denotes the spire of a tower because that's where their idols were placed. [During] the days of Dovid, the generations of the oath had already passed.6<i class=“footnote”>Avimelech asked Avrohom to swear “that you will not deal falsely with me, with my son or my grandson.” These three generations had already passed when Dovid attacked the Yevusim in the fortress of Tzion.</i></html>
<html><b>From it's low wall and inwards.</b> A surrounding low wall; they would fill it up with earth, the summit of the mound would be in it's middle, and it would slant in all directions, that is called a <span>מלוא</span>, and Dovid built houses on [the wall]. That low wall surrounded the fortress.</html>
<html><b>Dovid understood.</b> When he saw all his endeavors succeeding, and the idol worshipping kings sending him a present.</html>
<html><b>Fanned out.</b> They dispersed.</html>
<html><b>Into the plain of Perotzim.</b> The plain of Perotzim <b>Like water bursting over [walls].</b> Like water bursting over the walls edge.</html>
<html><b>And Dovid burnt them.</b> Dovid and his men burnt them.</html>
<html><b>The valley of Rephaim.</b> It is next to Yerusholoyim [as can be seen] in the book of Yehoshua (15, 8).</html>
<html><b>From opposite the trees.</b> From opposite the trees.</html>
<html><b>The sound of stepping on the tops of the trees.</b> These are angels stepping on the tops of the trees that I am sending to help you. <b>Then shout [war whoops].</b> Lift up [and bring forth] the sound of war and the fear of the sword Galfer in Old French, and similarly [we find] “A dog will not sharpen its tongue [growl].</html>