The Census of Israel and Judah^(A)

21 Now ^(B)Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to ^[a]number Israel. ² So David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, “Go, number Israel from Beersheba to Dan, ^(C)and bring the number of them to me that I may know it.”

³ 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?”

⁴ Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Therefore Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem. ⁵ 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. ^6 (D)But he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king’s ^[b]word was abominable to Joab.

⁷ And ^[c]God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel. ⁸ So David said to God, ^(E)“I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing; ^(F)but now, I pray, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”

⁹ Then the Lord spoke to Gad, David’s ^(G)seer, saying, ¹⁰ “Go and tell David, ^(H)saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you.” ’ ”

¹¹ So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Choose for yourself, ^12 (I)either ^[d]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 ^[e]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 ^(J)mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

Do Good to Please God

6 “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. ² Therefore, ^(A)when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ³ But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret ^(B)will Himself reward you ^[a]openly.

The Model Prayer^(C)

⁵ “And when you pray, you shall not be like the ^[b]hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ⁶ But you, when you pray, ^(D)go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you ^[c]openly. ⁷ And when you pray, ^(E)do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. ^(F)For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

⁸ “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father ^(G)knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. ⁹ In this ^(H)manner, therefore, pray:

^14 (Q)“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But ^(R)if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Fasting to Be Seen Only by God

¹⁶ “Moreover, ^(S)when you fast, do not be like the ^[e]hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. ¹⁷ But you, when you fast, ^(T)anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that you do not appear to men to be fasting, but to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you ^[f]openly.

Lay Up Treasures in Heaven^(U)

^19 (V)“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; ^20 (W)but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The Lamp of the Body^(X)

^22 (Y)“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is ^[g]good, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eye is ^[h]bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

You Cannot Serve God and Riches

^24 (Z)“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. ^(AA)You cannot serve God and ^[i]mammon.

Do Not Worry^(AB)

²⁵ “Therefore I say to you, ^(AC)do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? ^26 (AD)Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? ²⁷ Which of you by worrying can add one ^[j]cubit to his ^[k]stature?

²⁸ “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not ^[l]arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But ^(AE)seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

The Blessedness of Answered Prayer

A Psalm. A Song ^(A)at the dedication of the house of David.