The Ark Placed in a Tent

16 And they brought in the ark of God and set it inside (A)the tent that David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord and distributed to all Israel, both men and women, to each a loaf of bread, a portion of meat,[a] and a cake of raisins.

Then he appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the Lord, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel. (B)Asaph was the chief, and second to him were Zechariah, Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, who were to play harps and lyres; Asaph was to sound the cymbals, and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God. Then on that day (C)David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the Lord by Asaph and his brothers.

David's Song of Thanks

(D)Oh give thanks to the Lord; (E)call upon his name;
    (F)make known his deeds among the peoples!
Sing to him, sing praises to him;
    tell of all his wondrous works!
10 Glory in his holy name;
    let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
11 (G)Seek the Lord and his strength;
    seek his presence continually!
12 (H)Remember the wondrous works that he has done,
    (I)his miracles and the judgments he uttered,
13 O offspring of Israel his servant,
    children of Jacob, his chosen ones!

14 He is the Lord our God;
    (J)his judgments are in all the earth.
15 Remember his covenant forever,
    the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
16 the covenant (K)that he made with Abraham,
    his sworn promise to Isaac,
17 which (L)he confirmed to Jacob as a statute,
    to Israel as an everlasting covenant,
18 saying, (M)“To you I will give the land of Canaan,
    as your portion for an inheritance.”

19 When you were (N)few in number,
    of little account, and (O)sojourners in it,
20 wandering from nation to nation,
    from one kingdom to another people,
21 he allowed no one to oppress them;
    he (P)rebuked kings on their account,
22 saying, “Touch not my anointed ones,
    do my (Q)prophets no harm!”

23 (R)Sing to the Lord, all the earth!
    Tell of his salvation from day to day.
24 Declare his glory among the nations,
    his marvelous works among all the peoples!
25 For (S)great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
    and he is to be feared (T)above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,
    (U)but the Lord made the heavens.
27 Splendor and majesty are before him;
    strength and joy are in his place.

28 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
    (V)ascribe to the Lord glory and strength!
29 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    bring an offering and come before him!
(W)Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness;[b]
30     tremble before him, all the earth;
    yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
31 (X)Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice,
    and let them say among the nations, (Y)“The Lord reigns!”
32 (Z)Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
    let the field exult, and everything in it!
33 Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy
    before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.
34 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    for his steadfast love endures forever!

35 (AA)Say also:

“Save us, O God of our salvation,
    and gather and deliver us from among the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
    and glory in your praise.
36 (AB)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
    from everlasting to everlasting!”

(AC)Then all the people said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord.

Worship Before the Ark

37 So David left Asaph and his brothers there (AD)before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister regularly before the ark (AE)as each day required, 38 and also (AF)Obed-edom and his[c] sixty-eight brothers, while (AG)Obed-edom, the son of Jeduthun, and (AH)Hosah were to be gatekeepers. 39 And he left (AI)Zadok the priest and his brothers the priests before the tabernacle of the Lord (AJ)in the high place that was at Gibeon 40 to offer burnt offerings to the Lord (AK)on the altar of burnt offering (AL)regularly morning and evening, to do all that is written in the Law of the Lord that he commanded Israel. 41 With them were (AM)Heman and Jeduthun (AN)and the rest of those chosen and (AO)expressly named to give thanks to the Lord, (AP)for his steadfast love endures forever. 42 Heman and Jeduthun had trumpets and cymbals for the music and instruments (AQ)for sacred song. The sons of Jeduthun were appointed to the gate.

43 (AR)Then all the people departed each to his house, and David went home to bless his household.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 16:3 Compare Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
  2. 1 Chronicles 16:29 Or in holy attire
  3. 1 Chronicles 16:38 Hebrew their

An Oracle Concerning Damascus

17 An (A)oracle concerning (B)Damascus.

Behold, Damascus will cease to be a city
    and will become a heap of ruins.
The cities of (C)Aroer are deserted;
    they will be for flocks,
    which will lie down, and (D)none will make them afraid.
The fortress will disappear from (E)Ephraim,
    and the kingdom from (F)Damascus;
and the remnant of Syria will be
    like (G)the glory of the children of Israel,
declares the Lord of hosts.

And in that day (H)the glory of Jacob will be brought low,
    and (I)the fat of his flesh will grow lean.
And it shall be (J)as when the reaper gathers standing grain
    and his arm harvests the ears,
and as when one gleans the ears of grain
    in (K)the Valley of Rephaim.
(L)Gleanings will be left in it,
    as when an olive tree is beaten—
two or three berries
    in the top of the highest bough,
four or five
    on the branches of a fruit tree,
declares the Lord God of Israel.

(M)In that day man will look to his Maker, and his eyes will look on the Holy One of Israel. (N)He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he will not look on what his own fingers have made, either the (O)Asherim or the altars of incense.

(P)In that day their strong cities will be like the deserted places of the wooded heights and the hilltops, which they deserted because of the children of Israel, and there will be desolation.

10 For (Q)you have forgotten the God of your salvation
    and have not remembered the (R)Rock of your refuge;
therefore, though you plant pleasant plants
    and sow the vine-branch of a stranger,
11 though you make them grow[a] on the day that you plant them,
    and make them blossom in the morning that you sow,
yet the harvest will flee away[b]
    in a day of grief and incurable pain.

12 Ah, (S)the thunder of many peoples;
    they thunder like the thundering of the sea!
Ah, the roar of nations;
    they roar like the roaring of mighty waters!
13 (T)The nations roar like the roaring of many waters,
    (U)but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far away,
chased (V)like chaff on the mountains before the wind
    and (W)whirling dust before the storm.
14 (X)At evening time, behold, terror!
    Before morning, they are no more!
This is the portion of those who loot us,
    and the lot of those who plunder us.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 17:11 Or though you carefully fence them
  2. Isaiah 17:11 Or will be a heap

Bible Gateway Recommends

ESV Student Study Bible (TruTone, Gray), Leather, imitation, Grey
ESV Student Study Bible (TruTone, Gray), Leather, imitation, Grey
Retail: $44.99
Our Price: $26.99
Save: $18.00 (40%)
4.5 of 5.0 stars
ESV Premium Gift Bible, Imitation Leather, Black w/ Flame Design
ESV Premium Gift Bible, Imitation Leather, Black w/ Flame Design
Retail: $19.99
Our Price: $12.99
Save: $7.00 (35%)
4.5 of 5.0 stars
ESV Church Bible (Value Pew Bible) Case of 24
ESV Church Bible (Value Pew Bible) Case of 24
Retail: $311.76
Our Price: $155.76
Save: $156.00 (50%)
ESV Economy Bible, Softcover
ESV Economy Bible, Softcover
Retail: $4.99
Our Price: $2.39
Save: $2.60 (52%)
4.0 of 5.0 stars
ESV Study Bible, Large Print , Hardcover
ESV Study Bible, Large Print , Hardcover
Retail: $74.99
Our Price: $47.99
Save: $27.00 (36%)
4.5 of 5.0 stars
ESV Student Study Bible, Hardcover, Gray
ESV Student Study Bible, Hardcover, Gray
Retail: $34.99
Our Price: $18.99
Save: $16.00 (46%)
4.5 of 5.0 stars