David Takes Jerusalem

⁶David and his men went to Jerusalem to the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land. The Jebusites said to David, 'You will not get in here unless you remove the blind and the lame,' thinking, 'David cannot get in here.' ⁷But David captured the fortress of Zion — which became known as the City of David. ⁸That day David said, "Whoever goes up to the gutter and strikes the Jebusites, as well as the lame and blind who are hated by David's soul, will be chief and captain." Therefore they said, "The blind and the lame will not come into the house." ⁹David moved into the fortress and named it the City of David. He then built up the area all around it, from the Millo inward. ¹⁰David kept growing more and more powerful, because the LORD God of hosts was with him. ¹¹King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar logs, carpenters, and stonemasons. They built a palace for David. ¹²David recognized that the LORD had firmly established him as king over Israel and had elevated his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel.