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1 Chronicles 16-18
English Standard Version
1 Chronicles 16-18
English Standard Version
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. 2 And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord 3 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.
4 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. 5 (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, 6 and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God. 7 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
8 (D)Oh give thanks to the Lord; (E)call upon his name;
(F)make known his deeds among the peoples!
9 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.
The Lord's Covenant with David
17 (AS)Now when David lived in his house, David said to Nathan the prophet, “Behold, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.” 2 And Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”
3 But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, 4 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: (AT)It is not you who will build me a house to dwell in. 5 For I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up Israel to this day, (AU)but I have gone from tent to tent and from dwelling to dwelling. 6 In all places where I have moved with all Israel, did I speak a word with 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 from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be prince 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 I will make for you a name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. 9 And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall waste them no more, as formerly, 10 from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I (AV)will subdue all your enemies. Moreover, I declare to you that the Lord will build you a house. 11 When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. 13 (AW)I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, (AX)as I took it from him who was before you, 14 but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.’” 15 In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.
David's Prayer
16 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? 17 And this was a small thing in your eyes, O God. You have also spoken of your servant's house for a great while to come, and have shown me future generations,[d] O Lord God! 18 And what more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant. 19 (AY)For your servant's sake, O Lord, and according to your own heart, you have done all this greatness, in making known all these great things. 20 There is none like you, O Lord, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 21 And who is like your people Israel, the one[e] nation on earth whom God went to redeem to be his people, making for yourself a name for great and awesome things, in driving out nations before your people whom you redeemed from Egypt? 22 And you made your people Israel to be your people forever, and you, O Lord, became their God. 23 And now, O Lord, let the word that you have spoken concerning your servant and concerning his house be established forever, and do as you have spoken, 24 and your name will be established and magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, is Israel's God,’ and the house of your servant David will be established before you. 25 For you, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. Therefore your servant has found courage to pray before you. 26 And now, O Lord, you are God, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. 27 Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever before you, for it is you, O Lord, who have blessed, and it is blessed forever.”
David Defeats His Enemies
18 (AZ)After this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Gath and its villages out of the hand of the Philistines.
2 And he defeated Moab, and the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute.
3 David also defeated (BA)Hadadezer king of (BB)Zobah-Hamath, as he went to set up his monument[f] at the river Euphrates. 4 And David took from him 1,000 chariots, (BC)7,000 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers. And David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but left enough for 100 chariots. 5 And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king (BD)of Zobah, David struck down 22,000 men of the Syrians. 6 Then David put garrisons[g] in Syria of Damascus, and the Syrians became servants to David and brought tribute. And the Lord gave victory to David[h] wherever he went. 7 And David took the shields of gold that were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 And from (BE)Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadadezer, David took a large amount of bronze. (BF)With it Solomon made the bronze sea and the pillars and the vessels of bronze.
9 When (BG)Tou king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer, king (BH)of Zobah, 10 he sent his son (BI)Hadoram to King David, to ask about his health and to bless him because he had fought against (BJ)Hadadezer and defeated him; for (BK)Hadadezer had often been at war with Tou. And he sent all sorts of articles of gold, of silver, and of bronze. 11 These also King David dedicated to the Lord, together with the silver and gold that he had carried off from all the nations, from (BL)Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek.
12 And (BM)Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, killed 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. 13 Then he put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became David's servants. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.
David's Administration
14 So David reigned over all Israel, and he administered justice and equity to all his people. 15 And (BN)Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; 16 (BO)and Zadok the son of Ahitub and (BP)Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were priests; and (BQ)Shavsha was secretary; 17 and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were the (BR)chief officials in the service of the king.
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 16:3 Compare Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate; the meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- 1 Chronicles 16:29 Or in holy attire
- 1 Chronicles 16:38 Hebrew their
- 1 Chronicles 17:17 Or and you look upon me as a man of high rank
- 1 Chronicles 17:21 Septuagint, Vulgate other
- 1 Chronicles 18:3 Hebrew hand
- 1 Chronicles 18:6 Septuagint, Vulgate, 2 Samuel 8:6 (compare Syriac); Hebrew lacks garrisons
- 1 Chronicles 18:6 Hebrew the Lord saved David; also verse 13
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
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.