Judah

After this, David consulted ADONAI; he asked, "Should I go up into any of the cities of Y'hudah?"ADONAI said to him, "Go up." David asked, "Where should I go up?" He said, "To Hevron."

Then the men of Y'hudah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Y'hudah. They informed David that the men of Yavesh-Gil'ad were the ones who had buried Sha'ul.

Be strong, and be brave. Sha'ul your lord is dead, but the house of Y'hudah have anointed me king over them."

Ish-Boshet the son of Sha'ul was forty years old when he began to rule over Isra'el, and he ruled for two years. But the house of Y'hudah followed David.

David was king in Hevron over the house of Y'hudah for seven years and six months.

These words of Ish-Boshet's enraged Avner. "What am I," he shouted, "[that you treat me with such contempt]? A dog's head in Y'hudah? Till this moment I have shown only kindness to the house of Sha'ul your father, and to his brothers and to his friends; and I haven't handed you over to David. Yet you choose today to pick a fight with me over this woman!

to transfer the kingdom from the house of Sha'ul and set up the throne of David over Isra'el and Y'hudah, from Dan all the way to Be'er-Sheva!"

In Hevron he ruled over Y'hudah seven years and six months; then in Yerushalayim he ruled thirty-three years over all Isra'el and Y'hudah.

Then David, taking along the entire force he had with him then, set out for Ba'alei-Y'hudah to bring up from there the ark of God, which bears the Name, the name of ADONAITzva'ot enthroned above the k'ruvim.

Uriyah answered David, "The ark, Isra'el and Y'hudah stay in tents; and my lord Yo'av and the servants of my lord are camping in the countryside. So should I go into my house to eat and drink and go to bed with my wife? As surely as you live, I will not do such a thing!"

I gave you your master's house and your master's wives to embrace. I gave you the house of Isra'el and the house of Y'hudah. And if that had been too little, I would have added to you a lot more.

King David sent this message to Tzadok and Evyatar the cohanim: "Ask the leaders of Y'hudah, 'Why are you the last to bring the king back to his palace? The king has already heard that all Isra'el wants to return him to his palace.

Thus he turned the hearts of all the men of Y'hudah around as if they were one man, so that they sent a message to the king, "Come back, you and all your servants!"

The king started back and arrived at the Yarden, while Y'hudah came to Gilgal in order to meet the king and bring the king over the Yarden.

Shim'i the son of Gera, the Binyamini from Bachurim, hurried and came down with the men of Y'hudah to meet King David.

The king crossed over to Gilgal, and Khimham crossed with him. All the people of Y'hudah brought the king across, as did half the people of Isra'el.

Now all the men of Isra'el came to the king and said to him, "Why have our kinsmen, the men of Y'hudah, stolen you away and brought the king and his household across the Yarden, and all David's men with him?"

All the men of Y'hudah answered the men of Isra'el, "Because the king is our close relative. Why are you angry about this? Have we eaten anything at the king's expense? Has any gift been given to us?"

The men of Isra'el answered the men of Y'hudah, "We have ten shares in the king; also we have more right in David than you. So why did you despise us? Weren't we the first to suggest bringing our king back?" But the men of Y'hudah spoke more vehemently than the men of Isra'el.

All the men of Isra'el left off following David and went after Sheva the son of Bikhri. But the men of Y'hudah stuck with their king, from the Yarden to Yerushalayim.

The king said to 'Amasa, "Summon the men of Y'hudah to come to me within three days; and you, be here too."

'Amasa went to summon the men of Y'hudah but took longer than the time he had been given.

The king summoned the Giv'onim and said to them - these Giv'onim were not part of the people of Isra'el but from the remnant of the Emori; and the people of Isra'el had sworn to them; but Sha'ul, in his zeal for the people of Isra'el and Y'hudah, had sought to exterminate them -

The anger of ADONAI blazed up against Isra'el, so he moved David to act against them by saying, "Go, take a census of Isra'el and Y'hudah."

and came to the stronghold of Tzor. They went on to the cities of the Hivi and of the Kena'ani, and finished in the south of Y'hudah, at Be'er-Sheva.