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1 Chronicles 16-18
New King James Version
1 Chronicles 16-18
New King James Version
The Ark Placed in the Tabernacle(A)
16 So (B)they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. 2 And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, (C)he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. 3 Then he distributed to everyone of Israel, both man and woman, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins.
4 And he appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to (D)commemorate, to thank, and to praise the Lord God of Israel: 5 Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, then (E)Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, and Obed-Edom: Jeiel with stringed instruments and harps, but Asaph made music with cymbals; 6 Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests regularly blew the trumpets before the ark of the covenant of God.
David’s Song of Thanksgiving(F)
7 On that day (G)David (H)first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the Lord:
8 (I)Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
9 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!
10 Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!
11 Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
12 Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,
13 O seed of Israel His servant,
You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!
14 He is the Lord our God;
His (J)judgments are in all the earth.
15 Remember His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,
16 The (K)covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac,
17 And (L)confirmed it to (M)Jacob for a statute,
To Israel for an everlasting covenant,
18 Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
As the allotment of your inheritance,”
19 When you were (N)few in number,
Indeed very few, and strangers in it.
20 When they went from one nation to another,
And from one kingdom to another people,
21 He permitted no man to do them wrong;
Yes, He (O)rebuked kings for their sakes,
22 Saying, (P)“Do not touch My anointed ones,
And do My prophets no harm.”
23 (Q)Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
24 Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.
25 For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised;
He is also to be feared above all gods.
26 For all the gods (R)of the peoples are [a]idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.
27 Honor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and gladness are in His place.
28 Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Give to the Lord glory and strength.
29 Give to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come before Him.
Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
30 Tremble before Him, all the earth.
The world also is firmly established,
It shall not be moved.
31 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
And let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
32 Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;
Let the field rejoice, and all that is in it.
33 Then the (S)trees of the woods shall rejoice before the Lord,
For He is (T)coming to judge the earth.
34 (U)Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
35 (V)And say, “Save us, O God of our salvation;
Gather us together, and deliver us from the Gentiles,
To give thanks to Your holy name,
To triumph in Your praise.”
36 (W)Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
And all (X)the people said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord.
Regular Worship Maintained
37 So he left (Y)Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister before the ark regularly, as every day’s work (Z)required; 38 and (AA)Obed-Edom with his sixty-eight brethren, including Obed-Edom the son of Jeduthun, and Hosah, to be gatekeepers; 39 and Zadok the priest and his brethren the priests, (AB)before the tabernacle of the Lord (AC)at the [b]high place that was at Gibeon, 40 to offer burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of burnt offering regularly (AD)morning and evening, and to do according to all that is written in the Law of the Lord which He commanded Israel; 41 and with them Heman and Jeduthun and the rest who were chosen, who were designated by name, to give thanks to the Lord, (AE)because His mercy endures forever; 42 and with them Heman and Jeduthun, to sound aloud with trumpets and cymbals and the musical instruments of God. Now the sons of Jeduthun were gatekeepers.
43 (AF)Then all the people departed, every man to his house; and David returned to bless his house.
God’s Covenant with David(AG)
17 Now (AH)it came to pass, when David was dwelling in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under tent curtains.”
2 Then Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”
3 But it happened that night that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, 4 “Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: “You shall (AI)not build Me a house to dwell in. 5 For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought up Israel, even to this day, but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another. 6 Wherever I have moved about with all Israel, have I ever spoken a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’ ” ’ 7 Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “I took you (AJ)from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be [c]ruler over My people Israel. 8 And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have [d]made you a name like the name of the great men who are on the earth. 9 Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will (AK)plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously, 10 since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel. Also I will subdue all your enemies. Furthermore I tell you that the Lord will build you a [e]house. 11 And it shall be, when your days are (AL)fulfilled, when you must [f]go to be with your fathers, that I will set up your (AM)seed after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. 12 (AN)He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. 13 (AO)I will be his Father, and he shall be My son; and I will not take My mercy away from him, (AP)as I took it from him who was before you. 14 And (AQ)I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be established forever.” ’ ”
15 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.
16 (AR)Then King David went in and sat before the Lord; and he said: “Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 17 And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O God; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the rank of a man of high degree, O Lord God. 18 What more can David say to You for the honor of Your servant? For You know Your servant. 19 O Lord, for Your servant’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness, in making known all these great things. 20 O Lord, there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 21 (AS)And who is like Your people Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people—to make for Yourself a name by great and awesome deeds, by driving out nations from before Your people whom You redeemed from Egypt? 22 For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, Lord, have become their God.
23 “And now, O Lord, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, let it be established forever, and do as You have said. 24 So let it be established, that Your name may be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, is Israel’s God.’ And let the house of Your servant David be established before You. 25 For You, O my God, [g]have revealed to Your servant that You will build him a house. Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray before You. 26 And now, Lord, [h]You are God, and have promised this goodness to Your servant. 27 Now You have been pleased to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You have blessed it, O Lord, and it shall be blessed forever.”
David’s Further Conquests(AT)
18 After this (AU)it came to pass that David [i]attacked the Philistines, subdued them, and took Gath and its towns from the hand of the Philistines. 2 Then he [j]defeated (AV)Moab, and the Moabites became David’s (AW)servants, and brought tribute.
3 And (AX)David [k]defeated [l]Hadadezer king of Zobah as far as Hamath, as he went to establish his power by the River Euphrates. 4 David took from him one thousand chariots, [m]seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. Also David [n]hamstrung all the chariot horses, except that he spared enough of them for one hundred chariots.
5 When the (AY)Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand of the Syrians. 6 Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became David’s servants, and brought tribute. So the Lord preserved David wherever he went. 7 And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 Also from [o]Tibhath and from [p]Chun, cities of [q]Hadadezer, David brought a large amount of (AZ)bronze, with which (BA)Solomon made the bronze [r]Sea, the pillars, and the articles of bronze.
9 Now when [s]Tou king of Hamath heard that David had [t]defeated all the army of Hadadezer king of Zobah, 10 he sent [u]Hadoram his son to King David, to greet him and bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and [v]defeated him (for Hadadezer had been at war with Tou); and Hadoram brought with him all kinds of (BB)articles of gold, silver, and bronze. 11 King David also dedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold that he had brought from all these nations—from Edom, from Moab, from the (BC)people of Ammon, from the (BD)Philistines, and from (BE)Amalek.
12 Moreover (BF)Abishai the son of Zeruiah killed (BG)eighteen thousand [w]Edomites in the Valley of Salt. 13 (BH)He also put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became David’s servants. And the Lord preserved David wherever he went.
David’s Administration(BI)
14 So David reigned over all Israel, and administered judgment and justice to all his people. 15 Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; 16 Zadok the son of Ahitub and [x]Abimelech the son of Abiathar were the priests; [y]Shavsha was the scribe; 17 (BJ)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were [z]chief ministers at the king’s side.
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 16:26 worthless things
- 1 Chronicles 16:39 Place for pagan worship
- 1 Chronicles 17:7 leader
- 1 Chronicles 17:8 given you prestige
- 1 Chronicles 17:10 Royal dynasty
- 1 Chronicles 17:11 Die and join your ancestors
- 1 Chronicles 17:25 Lit. have uncovered the ear of
- 1 Chronicles 17:26 Or You alone are
- 1 Chronicles 18:1 Lit. struck
- 1 Chronicles 18:2 Lit. struck
- 1 Chronicles 18:3 Lit. struck
- 1 Chronicles 18:3 Heb. Hadarezer
- 1 Chronicles 18:4 seven hundred, 2 Sam. 8:4
- 1 Chronicles 18:4 crippled
- 1 Chronicles 18:8 Betah, 2 Sam. 8:8
- 1 Chronicles 18:8 Berothai, 2 Sam. 8:8
- 1 Chronicles 18:8 Heb. Hadarezer
- 1 Chronicles 18:8 Great laver or basin
- 1 Chronicles 18:9 Toi, 2 Sam. 8:9, 10
- 1 Chronicles 18:9 Lit. struck
- 1 Chronicles 18:10 Joram, 2 Sam. 8:10
- 1 Chronicles 18:10 Lit. struck
- 1 Chronicles 18:12 Syrians, 2 Sam. 8:13
- 1 Chronicles 18:16 Ahimelech, 2 Sam. 8:17
- 1 Chronicles 18:16 Seraiah, 2 Sam. 8:17, or Shisha, 1 Kin. 4:3
- 1 Chronicles 18:17 Lit. at the hand of the king
1 Chronicles 16-18
New International Version
1 Chronicles 16-18
New International Version
Ministering Before the Ark(A)(B)(C)
16 They brought the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched(D) for it, and they presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God. 2 After David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed(E) the people in the name of the Lord. 3 Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins(F) to each Israelite man and woman.
4 He appointed some of the Levites to minister(G) before the ark of the Lord, to extol,[a] thank, and praise the Lord, the God of Israel: 5 Asaph was the chief, and next to him in rank were Zechariah, then Jaaziel,[b] Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. They were to play the lyres and harps, Asaph was to sound the cymbals, 6 and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God.
7 That day David first appointed Asaph and his associates to give praise(H) to the Lord in this manner:
8 Give praise(I) to the Lord, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations(J) what he has done.
9 Sing to him, sing praise(K) to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.
10 Glory in his holy name;(L)
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.
11 Look to the Lord and his strength;
seek(M) his face always.
12 Remember(N) the wonders(O) he has done,
his miracles,(P) and the judgments he pronounced,
13 you his servants, the descendants of Israel,
his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.
14 He is the Lord our God;
his judgments(Q) are in all the earth.
15 He remembers[c](R) his covenant forever,
the promise he made, for a thousand generations,
16 the covenant(S) he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac.
17 He confirmed it to Jacob(T) as a decree,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
18 “To you I will give the land of Canaan(U)
as the portion you will inherit.”
19 When they were but few in number,(V)
few indeed, and strangers in it,
20 they[d] wandered(W) from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.
21 He allowed no one to oppress them;
for their sake he rebuked kings:(X)
22 “Do not touch my anointed ones;
do my prophets(Y) no harm.”
23 Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
24 Declare his glory(Z) among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
25 For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;(AA)
he is to be feared(AB) above all gods.(AC)
26 For all the gods of the nations are idols,
but the Lord made the heavens.(AD)
27 Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and joy are in his dwelling place.
28 Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.(AE)
29 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;(AF)
bring an offering and come before him.
Worship the Lord in the splendor of his[e] holiness.(AG)
30 Tremble(AH) before him, all the earth!
The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.(AI)
31 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;(AJ)
let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!(AK)”
32 Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;(AL)
let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them!
33 Let the trees(AM) of the forest sing,
let them sing for joy before the Lord,
for he comes to judge(AN) the earth.
34 Give thanks(AO) to the Lord, for he is good;(AP)
his love endures forever.(AQ)
35 Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior;(AR)
gather us and deliver us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name,
and glory in your praise.”
36 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,(AS)
from everlasting to everlasting.
Then all the people said “Amen” and “Praise the Lord.”
37 David left Asaph and his associates before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister there regularly, according to each day’s requirements.(AT) 38 He also left Obed-Edom(AU) and his sixty-eight associates to minister with them. Obed-Edom son of Jeduthun, and also Hosah,(AV) were gatekeepers.
39 David left Zadok(AW) the priest and his fellow priests before the tabernacle of the Lord at the high place in Gibeon(AX) 40 to present burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of burnt offering regularly, morning and evening, in accordance with everything written in the Law(AY) of the Lord, which he had given Israel. 41 With them were Heman(AZ) and Jeduthun and the rest of those chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the Lord, “for his love endures forever.” 42 Heman and Jeduthun were responsible for the sounding of the trumpets and cymbals and for the playing of the other instruments for sacred song.(BA) The sons of Jeduthun(BB) were stationed at the gate.
43 Then all the people left, each for their own home, and David returned home to bless his family.
God’s Promise to David(BC)
17 After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.(BD)”
2 Nathan replied to David, “Whatever you have in mind,(BE) do it, for God is with you.”
3 But that night the word of God came to Nathan, saying:
4 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: You(BF) are not the one to build me a house to dwell in. 5 I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt to this day. I have moved from one tent site to another, from one dwelling place to another. 6 Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their leaders[f] whom I commanded to shepherd my people, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?(BG)”’
7 “Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler(BH) over my people Israel. 8 I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name like the names of the greatest men on earth. 9 And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning 10 and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders(BI) over my people Israel. I will also subdue all your enemies.
“‘I declare to you that the Lord will build a house for you: 11 When your days are over and you go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He is the one who will build(BJ) a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever.(BK) 13 I will be his father,(BL) and he will be my son.(BM) I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. 14 I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne(BN) will be established forever.(BO)’”
15 Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.
David’s Prayer(BP)
16 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and he said:
“Who am I, Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far? 17 And as if this were not enough in your sight, my God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You, Lord God, have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men.
18 “What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant, 19 Lord. For the sake(BQ) of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made known all these great promises.(BR)
20 “There is no one like you, Lord, and there is no God but you,(BS) as we have heard with our own ears. 21 And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth whose God went out to redeem(BT) a people for himself, and to make a name for yourself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt? 22 You made your people Israel your very own forever,(BU) and you, Lord, have become their God.
23 “And now, Lord, let the promise(BV) you have made concerning your servant and his house be established forever. Do as you promised, 24 so that it will be established and that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty, the God over Israel, is Israel’s God!’ And the house of your servant David will be established before you.
25 “You, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. So your servant has found courage to pray to you. 26 You, Lord, are God! You have promised these good things to your servant. 27 Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight;(BW) for you, Lord, have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever.”
David’s Victories(BX)
18 In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Gath and its surrounding villages from the control of the Philistines.
2 David also defeated the Moabites,(BY) and they became subject to him and brought him tribute.
3 Moreover, David defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah,(BZ) in the vicinity of Hamath, when he went to set up his monument at[g] the Euphrates River.(CA) 4 David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand charioteers and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung(CB) all but a hundred of the chariot horses.
5 When the Arameans of Damascus(CC) came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of them. 6 He put garrisons in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to him and brought him tribute. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.
7 David took the gold shields carried by the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 From Tebah[h] and Kun, towns that belonged to Hadadezer, David took a great quantity of bronze, which Solomon used to make the bronze Sea,(CD) the pillars and various bronze articles.
9 When Tou king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer king of Zobah, 10 he sent his son Hadoram to King David to greet him and congratulate him on his victory in battle over Hadadezer, who had been at war with Tou. Hadoram brought all kinds of articles of gold, of silver and of bronze.
11 King David dedicated these articles to the Lord, as he had done with the silver and gold he had taken from all these nations: Edom(CE) and Moab, the Ammonites and the Philistines, and Amalek.(CF)
12 Abishai son of Zeruiah struck down eighteen thousand Edomites(CG) in the Valley of Salt. 13 He put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became subject to David. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.
David’s Officials(CH)
14 David reigned(CI) over all Israel,(CJ) doing what was just and right for all his people. 15 Joab(CK) son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder; 16 Zadok(CL) son of Ahitub and Ahimelek[i](CM) son of Abiathar were priests; Shavsha was secretary; 17 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites;(CN) and David’s sons were chief officials at the king’s side.
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 16:4 Or petition; or invoke
- 1 Chronicles 16:5 See 15:18,20; Hebrew Jeiel, possibly another name for Jaaziel.
- 1 Chronicles 16:15 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also Psalm 105:8); Hebrew Remember
- 1 Chronicles 16:20 One Hebrew manuscript, Septuagint and Vulgate (see also Psalm 105:12); most Hebrew manuscripts inherit, / 19 though you are but few in number, / few indeed, and strangers in it.” / 20 They
- 1 Chronicles 16:29 Or Lord with the splendor of
- 1 Chronicles 17:6 Traditionally judges; also in verse 10
- 1 Chronicles 18:3 Or to restore his control over
- 1 Chronicles 18:8 Hebrew Tibhath, a variant of Tebah
- 1 Chronicles 18:16 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Vulgate and Syriac (see also 2 Samuel 8:17); most Hebrew manuscripts Abimelek
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.