2 Samuel

2 Samuel follows David as king. The first part is ascent: he unites the tribes, takes Jerusalem, brings the ark into the city and receives a promise that his house will endure forever. The second part is fall. The episode with Bathsheba and the killing of Uriah change the book's tone; the prophet Nathan confronts the king with a parable and David admits the wrong — the prayer of that repentance is Psalm 51. The consequences spread through the family: violence among his children, Absalom's rebellion and the king fleeing his own city. The book does not protect its hero. That is why David's portrait is considered one of the most human in the Bible.