Regular Worship Maintained

³⁷ So he left ^(A)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 ^(B)required; ³⁸ and ^(C)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, ^(D)before the tabernacle of the Lord ^(E)at the ^[a]high place that was at Gibeon, ⁴⁰ to offer burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of burnt offering regularly ^(F)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, ^(G)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 (H)Then all the people departed, every man to his house; and David returned to bless his house.

^20 (A)Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, “How glorious was the king of Israel today, ^(B)uncovering himself today in the eyes of the maids of his servants, as one of the ^(C)base fellows ^[a]shamelessly uncovers himself!”

²¹ So David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, ^(D)who chose me instead of your father and all his house, to appoint me ruler over the ^(E)people of the Lord, over Israel. Therefore I will play music before the Lord. ²² And I will be even more undignified than this, and will be humble in my own sight. But as for the maidservants of whom you have spoken, by them I will be held in honor.”

²³ Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no children ^(F)to the day of her death.

David’s Administration^(A)

¹⁵ So David reigned over all Israel; and David administered judgment and justice to all his people. ^16 (B)Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army; ^(C)Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; ^17 (D)Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar were the priests; ^[a]Seraiah was the ^[b]scribe; ^18 (E)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over both the ^(F)Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were ^[c]chief ministers.

David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth

9 Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may ^(A)show him ^[a]kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

² And there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was ^(B)Ziba. So when they had called him to David, the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”

He said, “At your service!”

³ Then the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, to whom I may show ^(C)the kindness of God?”

And Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan who is ^(D)lame in his feet.”

⁴ So the king said to him, “Where is he?”

And Ziba said to the king, “Indeed he is in the house of ^(E)Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo Debar.”

⁵ Then King David sent and brought him out of the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo Debar.

⁶ Now when ^(F)Mephibosheth^[b] the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, had come to David, he fell on his face and prostrated himself. Then David said, “Mephibosheth?”

And he answered, “Here is your servant!”

⁷ So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”

⁸ Then he bowed himself, and said, “What is your servant, that you should look upon such ^(G)a dead dog as I?”

⁹ And the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, ^(H)“I have given to your master’s son all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. ¹⁰ You therefore, and your sons and your servants, shall work the land for him, and you shall bring in the harvest, that your master’s son may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s son ^(I)shall eat bread at my table always.” Now Ziba had ^(J)fifteen sons and twenty servants.

¹¹ Then Ziba said to the king, “According to all that my lord the king has commanded his servant, so will your servant do.”

“As for Mephibosheth,” said the king, “he shall eat at ^[c]my table like one of the king’s sons.” ¹² Mephibosheth had a young son ^(K)whose name was Micha. And all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. ¹³ So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem, ^(L)for he ate continually at the king’s table. And he ^(M)was lame in both his feet.

God’s Covenant with David^(A)

17 Now ^(B)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.”

⁴ But it happened that night that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, ⁵ “Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: ^(A)“Would you build a house for Me to dwell in? ⁶ For I have not dwelt in a house ^(B)since the time that I brought the children of Israel up from Egypt, even to this day, but have moved about in ^(C)a tent and in a tabernacle. ⁷ Wherever I have ^(D)moved about with all the children of Israel, have I ever spoken a word to anyone from the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded ^(E)to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’ ” ’ ⁸ Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: ^(F)“I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel. ⁹ And ^(G)I have been with you wherever you have gone, ^(H)and have ^[a]cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth. ¹⁰ Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will ^(I)plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; ^(J)nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously, ^11 (K)since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel, and have caused you to rest from all your enemies. Also the Lord ^[b]tells you ^(L)that He will make you a ^[c]house.

^12 (M)“When your days are fulfilled and you ^(N)rest with your fathers, ^(O)I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ^13 (P)He shall build a house for My name, and I will ^(Q)establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ^14 (R)I will be his Father, and he shall be ^(S)My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the ^[d]blows of the sons of men. ¹⁵ But My mercy shall not depart from him, ^(T)as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ¹⁶ And ^(U)your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before ^[e]you. Your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ”

¹⁷ According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

David’s Thanksgiving to God^(V)

¹⁸ Then King David went in and sat before the Lord; and he said: ^(W)“Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? ¹⁹ And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O Lord God; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come. ^(X)Is this the manner of man, O Lord God? ²⁰ Now what more can David say to You? For You, Lord God, ^(Y)know Your servant. ²¹ For Your word’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all these great things, to make Your servant know them. ²² Therefore ^(Z)You are great, ^[f]O Lord God. For ^(AA)there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ^(AB)ears. ²³ And who is like Your people, like Israel, ^(AC)the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for Himself a name—and to do for Yourself great and awesome deeds for Your land—before ^(AD)Your people whom You redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, the nations, and their gods? ²⁴ For ^(AE)You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; ^(AF)and You, Lord, have become their God.

²⁵ “Now, O Lord God, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, establish it forever and do as You have said. ²⁶ So let Your name be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is the God over Israel.’ And let the house of Your servant David be established before You. ²⁷ For You, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed this to Your servant, saying, ‘I will build you a house.’ Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray this prayer to You.

²⁸ “And now, O Lord God, You are God, and ^(AG)Your words are true, and You have promised this goodness to Your servant. ²⁹ Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You, O Lord God, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed ^(AH)forever.”