The Census of Israel and Judah(A)

21 Now (B)Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to [a]number Israel.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 21:1 take a census of

David’s Census of Israel and Judah(A)

24 Again (B)the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, (C)“Go, [a]number Israel and Judah.”

So the king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, “Now go throughout all the tribes of Israel, (D)from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people, that (E)I may know the number of the people.”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 24:1 take a census of

And Joab answered, “May the Lord make His people a hundred times more than they are. But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt in Israel?”

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Nevertheless the king’s word [a]prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the army. Therefore Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king to count the people of Israel.

And they crossed over the Jordan and camped in (A)Aroer, on the right side of the town which is in the midst of the ravine of Gad, and toward (B)Jazer. Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim Hodshi; they came to (C)Dan Jaan and around to (D)Sidon; and they came to the stronghold of (E)Tyre and to all the cities of the (F)Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went out to South Judah as far as Beersheba. So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 24:4 overruled

Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David. All Israel had one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and Judah had four hundred and seventy thousand men who drew the sword. (A)But he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king’s [a]word was abominable to Joab.

And [b]God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 21:6 command
  2. 1 Chronicles 21:7 Lit. it was evil in the eyes of God

The Judgment on David’s Sin(A)

10 And (B)David’s heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So (C)David said to the Lord, (D)“I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have (E)done very foolishly.”

11 Now when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet (F)Gad, David’s (G)seer, saying, 12 “Go and tell David, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you.” ’ ”

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11 So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Choose for yourself, 12 (A)either [a]three years of famine, or three months to be defeated by your foes with the sword of your enemies overtaking you, or else for three days the sword of the Lord—the plague in the land, with the [b]angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ Now consider what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.”

13 And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Please let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for His (B)mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 21:12 seven, 2 Sam. 24:13
  2. 1 Chronicles 21:12 Or Angel, and so throughout the chapter

15 So (A)the Lord sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died.

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A Prayer of Faith in Time of Distress

To the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. (A)On [a]an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David.

O Lord, (B)do not rebuke me in Your anger,
Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure.
Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak;
O Lord, (C)heal me, for my bones are troubled.
My soul also is greatly (D)troubled;
But You, O Lord—how long?

Return, O Lord, deliver me!
Oh, save me for Your mercies’ sake!
(E)For in death there is no remembrance of You;
In the grave who will give You thanks?

I am weary with my groaning;
[b]All night I make my bed swim;
I drench my couch with my tears.
(F)My eye wastes away because of grief;
It grows old because of all my enemies.

(G)Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity;
For the Lord has (H)heard the voice of my weeping.
The Lord has heard my supplication;
The Lord will receive my prayer.
10 Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled;
Let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 6:1 Heb. sheminith
  2. Psalm 6:6 Or Every night

Prayer in Time of Chastening

A Psalm of David. (A)To bring to remembrance.

38 O Lord, do not (B)rebuke me in Your wrath,
Nor chasten me in Your hot displeasure!
For Your arrows pierce me deeply,
And Your hand presses me down.

There is no soundness in my flesh
Because of Your anger,
Nor any health in my bones
Because of my sin.
For my iniquities have gone over my head;
Like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
My wounds are foul and festering
Because of my foolishness.

I am [a]troubled, I am bowed down greatly;
I go mourning all the day long.
For my loins are full of inflammation,
And there is no soundness in my flesh.
I am feeble and severely broken;
I groan because of the turmoil of my heart.

Lord, all my desire is before You;
And my sighing is not hidden from You.
10 My heart pants, my strength fails me;
As for the light of my eyes, it also has gone from me.

11 My loved ones and my friends (C)stand aloof from my plague,
And my relatives stand afar off.
12 Those also who seek my life lay snares for me;
Those who seek my hurt speak of destruction,
And plan deception all the day long.

13 But I, like a deaf man, do not hear;
And I am like a mute who does not open his mouth.
14 Thus I am like a man who does not hear,
And in whose mouth is no response.

15 For [b]in You, O Lord, (D)I hope;
You will [c]hear, O Lord my God.
16 For I said, “Hear me, lest they rejoice over me,
Lest, when my foot slips, they exalt themselves against me.”

17 (E)For I am ready to fall,
And my sorrow is continually before me.
18 For I will (F)declare my iniquity;
I will be (G)in [d]anguish over my sin.
19 But my enemies are vigorous, and they are strong;
And those who hate me wrongfully have multiplied.
20 Those also (H)who render evil for good,
They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good.

21 Do not forsake me, O Lord;
O my God, (I)be not far from me!
22 Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 38:6 Lit. bent down
  2. Psalm 38:15 I wait for You, O Lord
  3. Psalm 38:15 answer
  4. Psalm 38:18 anxiety

The Blessing and Suffering of the Godly

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.

41 Blessed is he who considers the [a]poor;
The Lord will deliver him in time of trouble.
The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive,
And he will be blessed on the earth;
(A)You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies.
The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness;
You will [b]sustain him on his sickbed.

I said, “Lord, be merciful to me;
(B)Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You.”
My enemies speak evil of me:
“When will he die, and his name perish?”
And if he comes to see me, he speaks [c]lies;
His heart gathers iniquity to itself;
When he goes out, he tells it.

All who hate me whisper together against me;
Against me they [d]devise my hurt.
“An[e] evil disease,” they say, “clings to him.
And now that he lies down, he will rise up no more.”
(C)Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted,
(D)Who ate my bread,
Has [f]lifted up his heel against me.

10 But You, O Lord, be merciful to me, and raise me up,
That I may repay them.
11 By this I know that You are well pleased with me,
Because my enemy does not triumph over me.
12 As for me, You uphold me in my integrity,
And (E)set me before Your face forever.

13 (F)Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
Amen and Amen.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 41:1 helpless or powerless
  2. Psalm 41:3 restore
  3. Psalm 41:6 empty words
  4. Psalm 41:7 plot
  5. Psalm 41:8 Lit. A thing of Belial
  6. Psalm 41:9 Acted as a traitor

A Prayer for Help in Despondency

A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. To the Chief Musician. Set to “Mahalath Leannoth.” A [a]Contemplation of (A)Heman the Ezrahite.

88 O Lord, (B)God of my salvation,
I have cried out day and night before You.
Let my prayer come before You;
[b]Incline Your ear to my cry.

For my soul is full of troubles,
And my life (C)draws near to the grave.
I am counted with those who (D)go[c] down to the pit;
(E)I am like a man who has no strength,
[d]Adrift among the dead,
Like the slain who lie in the grave,
Whom You remember no more,
And who are cut off from Your hand.

You have laid me in the lowest pit,
In darkness, in the depths.
Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
And You have afflicted me with all (F)Your waves. Selah
(G)You have [e]put away my acquaintances far from me;
You have made me an abomination to them;
(H)I am shut up, and I cannot get out;
My eye wastes away because of affliction.

(I)Lord, I have called daily upon You;
I have stretched out my hands to You.
10 Will You work wonders for the dead?
Shall [f]the dead arise and praise You? Selah
11 Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave?
Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction?
12 Shall Your wonders be known in the dark?
And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

13 But to You I have cried out, O Lord,
And in the morning my prayer comes before You.
14 Lord, why do You cast off my soul?
Why do You hide Your face from me?
15 I have been afflicted and ready to die from my youth;
I suffer Your terrors;
I am distraught.
16 Your fierce wrath has gone over me;
Your terrors have [g]cut me off.
17 They came around me all day long like water;
They engulfed me altogether.
18 (J)Loved one and friend You have put far from me,
And my acquaintances into darkness.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 88:1 Heb. Maschil
  2. Psalm 88:2 Listen to
  3. Psalm 88:4 Die
  4. Psalm 88:5 Lit. Free
  5. Psalm 88:8 taken away my friends
  6. Psalm 88:10 shades, ghosts
  7. Psalm 88:16 destroyed me

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