1 Chronicles 10-23

New American Standard Bible

Defeat and Death of Saul and His Sons

10 ^(A)Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled from the Philistines but fell fatally wounded on Mount Gilboa. ² And the Philistines also overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines ^[a]killed Jonathan, ^[b](B)Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. ³ The battle became severe against Saul, and the archers found him; and he was wounded by the archers. ⁴ Then Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, otherwise these uncircumcised Philistines will come and abuse me.” But his armor bearer would not, for he was very afraid. ^(C)So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. ⁵ When his armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell on his sword and died. ^6 (D)So Saul died with his three sons, and all those of his house died together.

⁷ When all the people of Israel who were in the valley saw that they had fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled; and the Philistines came and lived in them.

⁸ It came about the next day, when the Philistines came to strip those killed, that they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ^9 (E)So they stripped him and took his head and his armor and sent messengers around the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to their idols and to the people. ¹⁰ They put his armor in the house of their gods and ^[c]impaled his head in the house of Dagon.

Jabesh-gilead’s Tribute to Saul

¹¹ When all Jabesh-gilead heard everything that the Philistines had done to Saul, ^12 (F)all the valiant men got up and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh; and they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted for seven days.

^13 (G)So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he committed against the Lord, because of the word of the Lord which he did not keep; and also ^(H)because he asked counsel of a medium, making inquiry of her, ¹⁴ and did not inquire of the Lord. Therefore He killed him and ^(I)turned the kingdom over to David, the son of Jesse.

David Made King over All Israel

11 ^(J)Then all Israel gathered to David at Hebron ^[d]and said, “Behold, we are your bone and your flesh. ² In times past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led out and brought in Israel; and the Lord your God said to you, ‘^(K)You shall shepherd My people Israel, and you shall be leader over My people Israel.’” ³ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord; and ^(L)they anointed David king over Israel, ^(M)in accordance with the word of the Lord through Samuel.

Jerusalem Is the Capital City

⁴ Then David and all Israel went to Jerusalem (^(N)that is, Jebus); and the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, were there. ⁵ The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You shall not enter here.” Nevertheless David took the mountain stronghold of Zion (that is, the city of David). ⁶ Now David had said, “Whoever is first to ^[e]kill a Jebusite shall be chief and commander.” ^(O)Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, so he became chief. ⁷ Then David lived in the stronghold; therefore it was called the city of David. ⁸ He ^[f]built the city all around, from the ^[g]Millo to the surrounding area; and Joab ^[h]repaired the rest of the city. ^9 (P)And David became greater and greater, for the Lord of armies was with him.

David’s Mighty Men

^10 (Q)Now these are the heads of the mighty men whom David had, who remained faithful to him in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, ^(R)in accordance with the word of the Lord concerning Israel. ¹¹ These constitute the list of David’s mighty men: ^(S)Jashobeam, the son of a Hachmonite, ^(T)the chief of the thirty; he wielded his spear against three hundred ^[i]whom he killed at one time.

¹² After him was Eleazar the son of ^(U)Dodo, the Ahohite, who was ^[j]one of the three mighty men. ¹³ He was with David at ^[k]Pas-dammim ^(V)when the Philistines were gathered together there to battle, and there was a plot of land full of barley; and the people fled from the Philistines. ¹⁴ But they took their stand in the midst of the plot and defended it, and defeated the Philistines; and the Lord saved them with a great ^[l]victory.

¹⁵ Now three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam, while ^(W)the army of the Philistines was camping in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁶ David was then in the stronghold, while ^(X)the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. ¹⁷ And David had a craving and said, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” ¹⁸ So the three broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water from the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David; however, David would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord; ¹⁹ and he said, “Far be it from me before my God that I would do this. Shall I drink the blood of these men who went ^[m]at the risk of their lives? For they brought it at the risk of their lives.” Therefore he would not drink it. The three mighty men did these things.

²⁰ As for ^[n]Abshai the brother of Joab, he was chief of the ^[o]thirty, and he wielded his spear against three hundred ^[p]and killed them; and he had a name ^[q]as well as the ^[r]thirty. ²¹ Of the three in the second rank he was the most honored, and he became their commander; however, he did not attain the reputation of the first three.

^22 (Y)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a warrior of Kabzeel, mighty in deeds, struck and killed the ^[s]two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and struck and killed a lion inside a pit on a snowy day. ²³ And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great stature ^[t]five cubits tall. Now in the Egyptian’s hand was ^(Z)a spear like a weaver’s beam, but he went down to him with a club and snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. ²⁴ Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did these things, and had a name ^[u]as well as the three mighty men. ²⁵ Behold, he was honored among the thirty, but he did not attain the reputation of the first three; and David appointed him over his bodyguard.

²⁶ Now the mighty men of the armies were Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, ^27 [v]Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the ^[w]Pelonite, ²⁸ Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, ^29 [x]Sibbecai the Hushathite, ^[y]Ilai the Ahohite, ³⁰ Maharai the Netophathite, ^[z]Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, ³¹ Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the sons of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, ^32 [aa]Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, ^[ab]Abiel the Arbathite, ³³ Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, ³⁴ the sons of ^[ac]Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shagee the Hararite, ³⁵ Ahiam the son of ^[ad]Sacar the Hararite, ^[ae]Eliphal the son of Ur, ³⁶ Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, ³⁷ Hezro the Carmelite, ^[af]Naarai the son of Ezbai, ³⁸ Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, ³⁹ Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, the armor bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, ⁴⁰ Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, ⁴¹ Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, ⁴² Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a chief of the Reubenites, and thirty with him, ⁴³ Hanan the son of Maacah and Joshaphat the Mithnite, ⁴⁴ Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite, ⁴⁵ Jediael the son of Shimri and his brother Joha the Tizite, ⁴⁶ Eliel the Mahavite, and Jeribai and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite, ⁴⁷ Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

David’s Supporters in Ziklag

12 ^(AA)Now these are the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was still restricted because of Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men who helped him in war. ² They were equipped with bows, ^(AB)using both the right hand and the left to sling stones and shoot arrows with the bow; ^(AC)they were Saul’s kinsmen from Benjamin. ³ The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; and Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth, and Beracah, and Jehu the Anathothite, ⁴ and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and in charge of the thirty. ^[ag]Then Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, Jozabad the Gederathite, ^5 [ah]Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, Shephatiah the Haruphite, ⁶ Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, Jashobeam, the Korahites, ⁷ and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

⁸ From the Gadites valiant mighty men went over to David at the stronghold in the wilderness, men trained for war who could handle a large shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and ^(AD)they were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains. ⁹ Ezer was the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third, ¹⁰ Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, ¹¹ Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, ¹² Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, ¹³ Jeremiah the tenth, and Machbannai, the eleventh. ¹⁴ These men from the sons of Gad were ^[ai]captains of the army; ^(AE)the one who was least was equal to a hundred, and the greatest, to a thousand. ^15 (AF)These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.

¹⁶ Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David. ¹⁷ David went out to meet them, and said to them, “If you come peacefully to help me, my heart shall be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no ^[aj]wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look on it and decide.” ¹⁸ Then ^(AG)the Spirit ^[ak]covered ^(AH)Amasai like clothing, the chief of the thirty; and he said,

Then David received them and made them ^[al]captains of the troops.

^19 (AJ)From Manasseh some also defected to David when he was about to go to battle with the Philistines against Saul. But they did not help them, because the governors of the Philistines sent him away after consultation, saying, “At the cost of our heads he might defect to his master Saul.” ²⁰ As he was going to Ziklag, men from Manasseh defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, ^[am]captains of thousands who belonged to Manasseh. ²¹ They helped David against ^(AK)the band of raiders, for they were all valiant mighty men, and were captains in the army. ²² For day by day men came to David to help him, until there was a great army ^(AL)like the army of God.

Supporters Gathered at Hebron

²³ Now these are the numbers of the ^[an]divisions equipped for war, ^(AM)who came to David at Hebron, ^(AN)to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, ^(AO)according to the ^[ao]word of the Lord. ²⁴ The sons of Judah who carried shield and spear numbered 6,800, equipped for war. ²⁵ From the sons of Simeon, valiant mighty men of war, 7,100. ²⁶ From the sons of Levi, 4,600. ²⁷ Now Jehoiada was the leader of the house of Aaron, and with him were 3,700, ²⁸ also ^(AP)Zadok, a young valiant mighty man, and from his father’s house, twenty-two captains. ²⁹ From the sons of Benjamin, ^(AQ)Saul’s kinsmen, three thousand; for until now ^(AR)the majority of them had kept their allegiance to the house of Saul. ³⁰ From the sons of Ephraim 20,800, valiant mighty men, famous men in their fathers’ households. ³¹ From the half-tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, who were designated by name to come and make David king. ³² From the sons of Issachar, ^(AS)men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their kinsmen were at their command. ³³ From Zebulun, there were fifty thousand who went out in the army, who could draw up in battle formation with all kinds of weapons of war and helped David ^[ap]with ^(AT)an undivided heart. ³⁴ From Naphtali there were a thousand captains, and with them thirty-seven thousand with shield and spear. ³⁵ From the Danites who could draw up in battle formation, there were 28,600. ³⁶ From Asher there were forty thousand who went out in the army to draw up in battle formation. ³⁷ From the other side of the Jordan, from the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, there were 120,000 with all kinds of weapons of war for the battle.

³⁸ All of these, being men of war who helped in battle formation, came to Hebron with ^(AU)a perfect heart to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest of Israel also were of one mind to make David king. ³⁹ They were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their kinsmen had prepared for them. ⁴⁰ Moreover, those who were near to them, as far as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, ^(AV)brought food on donkeys, camels, mules, and on oxen, great quantities of flour cakes, fig cakes and bunches of raisins, wine, oil, oxen, and sheep. There was joy indeed in Israel.

Peril in Transporting the Ark

13 Then David consulted with the captains of the thousands and the hundreds, with every leader. ² David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if it is from the Lord our God, ^[aq]let us send word everywhere to our kinsmen who remain in all the land of Israel, and to the priests and Levites who are with them in their cities with pasture lands, that they meet with us; ³ and ^[ar]let us bring back the ark of our God to us, ^(AW)since we did not seek it in the days of Saul.” ⁴ Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for ^[as]this was right in the eyes of all the people.

^5 (AX)So David assembled all Israel together, from the Shihor of Egypt to the entrance of Hamath, ^(AY)to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim. ^6 (AZ)David and all Israel went up to ^(BA)Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim, which belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, the Lord ^(BB)who is enthroned above the cherubim, where His name is called. ⁷ And they ^[at]carried the ark of God on a new cart from ^(BC)the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. ⁸ David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, ^(BD)with songs and with lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.

⁹ When they came to ^(BE)the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, because the oxen nearly overturned it. ¹⁰ But the anger of the Lord burned against Uzza, so He struck him ^(BF)because he had put out his hand toward the ark; ^(BG)and he died there before God. ¹¹ Then David became angry because ^[au]of the Lord’s outburst against Uzza; and he called that place ^[av]Perez-uzza as it is to this day. ¹² David was afraid of God that day, saying, “How can I bring the ark of God home to me?” ¹³ So David did not take the ark with him to the city of David, but took it aside ^(BH)to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. ¹⁴ And the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house for three months; and ^(BI)the Lord blessed the family of Obed-edom and all that he had.

David’s Family Enlarged

14 ^(BJ)Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees, masons, and carpenters, to build a house for him. ² And David realized that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, and that his kingdom was highly exalted, for the sake of His people Israel.

³ Then David took more wives in Jerusalem, and David fathered more sons and daughters. ^4 (BK)These are the names of the children ^[aw]born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ⁵ Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, ⁶ Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, ⁷ Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.

Philistines Defeated

⁸ When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up in search of David; and David heard about it and went out against them. ⁹ Now the Philistines had come and ^(BL)carried out a raid in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁰ David inquired of God, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? And will You hand them over to me?” Then the Lord said to him, “Go up, for I will hand them over to you.” ¹¹ So they came up to Baal-perazim, and David ^[ax]defeated them there; and David said, “God has broken through my enemies by my hand, like the breakthrough of waters.” Therefore they named that place ^[ay]Baal-perazim. ¹² They abandoned their gods there; so David gave the order and they were burned with fire.

¹³ The Philistines carried out ^(BM)yet another raid in the valley. ¹⁴ David inquired again of God, and God said to him, “You shall not go up after them; circle around ^[az]behind them and come at them in front of the baka-shrubs. ¹⁵ When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the baka-shrubs, then you shall go out to battle, for God will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.” ¹⁶ David did just as God had commanded him, and they defeated the army of the Philistines from ^[ba]Gibeon even as far as Gezer. ¹⁷ Then the fame of David spread in all the lands; and ^(BN)the Lord brought the fear of him on all the nations.

Plans to Move the Ark to Jerusalem

15 Now David built houses for himself in the city of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God and ^(BO)pitched a tent for it. ² Then David said, “^(BP)No one is to carry the ark of God except the Levites; for the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to serve Him forever.” ³ And ^(BQ)David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord ^(BR)to its place which he had prepared for it. ⁴ David gathered together the sons of Aaron and ^(BS)the Levites: ⁵ of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, and 120 of his relatives; ⁶ of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, and 220 of his relatives; ⁷ of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, and 130 of his relatives; ⁸ of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, and two hundred of his relatives; ⁹ of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, and eighty of his relatives; ¹⁰ of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, and 112 of his relatives.

¹¹ Then David called for the priests ^(BT)Zadok and ^(BU)Abiathar, and for the Levites, for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab; ¹² and he said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ households of the Levites; ^(BV)consecrate yourselves, you and your relatives, so that you may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel ^(BW)to the place that I have prepared for it. ^13 (BX)Because you did not carry it at the first, the Lord our God made an outburst against us, since we did not seek Him according to the ordinance.” ^14 (BY)So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel. ¹⁵ The sons of ^(BZ)the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles on them, just as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the Lord.

¹⁶ Then David spoke to the chiefs of the Levites ^(CA)to appoint their relatives as the singers, with musical instruments, harps, lyres, and cymbals, playing to raise sounds of joy. ¹⁷ So ^(CB)the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel, and from his relatives, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and from the sons of Merari their relatives, Ethan the son of Kushaiah, ¹⁸ and with them their relatives of the second rank, Zechariah, ^[bb]Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers. ¹⁹ So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were appointed to sound aloud cymbals of bronze; ²⁰ and Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with harps tuned to ^[bc](CC)alamoth; ²¹ and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah, to lead with ^[bd]lyres tuned to ^(CD)the sheminith. ²² Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was in charge of the singing; he gave instruction in singing because he was skillful. ²³ Berechiah and Elkanah were gatekeepers for the ark. ²⁴ Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, ^(CE)blew the trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah also were gatekeepers for the ark.

^25 (CF)So it was David, with the elders of Israel and the captains of thousands, who went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from ^(CG)the house of Obed-edom with joy. ²⁶ Because God was helping the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, they sacrificed ^(CH)seven bulls and seven rams. ²⁷ Now David was clothed with a robe of fine linen with all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the leader of the singing with the singers. ^(CI)David also wore an ephod of linen. ²⁸ So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the horn, with trumpets, with loud-sounding cymbals, with harps, and lyres.

²⁹ When the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the city of David, ^(CJ)Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David dancing and celebrating; and she despised him in her heart.

A Tent for the Ark

16 And they brought in the ark of God and ^(CK)placed it inside the tent which David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. ² When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. ³ Then he distributed to everyone of Israel, both men and women, to everyone a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a raisin cake.

⁴ He appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the Lord, to celebrate and to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel: ⁵ Asaph the chief, and second to him Zechariah, then ^[be]Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, with musical instruments, harps, and lyres; also Asaph played loud-sounding cymbals, ⁶ and the priests Benaiah and Jahaziel blew trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.

⁷ Then on that day David ^(CL)first assigned ^[bf]Asaph and his relatives to give thanks to the Lord.

Psalm of Thanksgiving

Then all the people ^(DK)said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord.

Worship before the Ark

³⁷ So he left Asaph and his relatives there ^(DL)before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to minister before the ark continually, ^(DM)as every day’s work required, ³⁸ and ^(DN)Obed-edom with ^[bq]his sixty-eight relatives; Obed-edom, the son of Jeduthun, and ^(DO)Hosah as gatekeepers. ³⁹ He left ^(DP)Zadok the priest and his relatives the priests ^(DQ)before the ^[br]tabernacle of the Lord in the high place which was at Gibeon, ⁴⁰ to offer burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of burnt offering continually morning and evening, ^(DR)even according to everything that is written in the Law of the Lord, which He commanded Israel. ⁴¹ With them were ^(DS)Heman and Jeduthun, and ^(DT)the rest who were chosen, who were designated by name, to ^(DU)give thanks to the Lord, because His ^[bs]kindness is everlasting. ⁴² And with them were Heman and Jeduthun with trumpets and cymbals for those who were to play them, and with instruments for ^(DV)the songs of God, and the sons of Jeduthun for the gate.

^43 (DW)Then all the people departed, each to his house; and David returned to bless his household.

God’s Covenant with David

17 ^(DX)And it came about, when David lived in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I am living 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 whatever is in your heart, for God is with you.”

³ But it happened that same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, ⁴ “Go and tell David My servant, ‘This is what the Lord says: “^(DY)You shall not build a house for Me to dwell in; ⁵ for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel to this day, ^(DZ)but I have ^[bt]gone from tent to tent and from one dwelling place to another. ⁶ In all places where I have walked with all Israel, have I spoken a word ^(EA)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, this is what you shall say to My servant David: ‘This is what the Lord of armies says: “I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader over My people Israel. ⁸ I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have eliminated all your enemies from you; and I will make for you a name like the name of the great ones who are on the earth. ⁹ And I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them there, so that they may live in their own place and not tremble with anxiety again; and the ^[bu]wicked will not make them waste away anymore as they did previously, ¹⁰ even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies.

Moreover, I tell you that the Lord will build a house for you. ¹¹ When your days are fulfilled that you must ^[bv]go to be with your fathers, then I will set up one of your ^[bw]descendants after you, who will be from your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. ¹² He shall build for Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. ^13 (EB)I will be his father and he shall be My son; and I will not take My favor away from him, ^(EC)as I took it from him who was before you. ¹⁴ But I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne will be established forever.”’” ¹⁵ According to all these words and according to all of this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

David’s Prayer in Response

¹⁶ Then King David came in and sat before the Lord, and said, “^(ED)Who am I, Lord God, and what is my house that You have brought me this far? ¹⁷ This was a small thing in Your eyes, God; but You have spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have viewed me according to the standard of a person of high degree, Lord God. ¹⁸ What more can David still say to You concerning the honor bestowed on Your servant? For You know Your servant. ¹⁹ Lord, ^(EE)for Your servant’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have accomplished all this greatness, to make known all these great things. ²⁰ Lord, there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to everything that we have heard with our ears. ²¹ And what one nation on the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make for You a name by great and awesome things, by driving out nations from before Your people, whom You redeemed from Egypt? ^22 (EF)For You have made Your people Israel Your own people forever, and You, Lord, became their God.

²³ “Now, Lord, let the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house be established forever, and do just as You have spoken. ²⁴ Let Your name be established and be great forever, saying, ‘The Lord of armies is the God of Israel, a God to Israel; and the house of Your servant David is established before You.’ ²⁵ For You, my God, have revealed to Your servant that You will build him a house; therefore Your servant has found courage to pray before You. ²⁶ Now, Lord, You are God, and have ^[bx]promised this good thing to Your servant. ²⁷ And now You have decided to bless the house of Your servant, that it may ^[by]continue forever before You; for You, Lord, have blessed, and it is blessed forever.”

David’s Kingdom Strengthened

18 Now after this ^(EG)it came about that David ^[bz]defeated the Philistines and subdued them and took Gath and its towns from the hand of the Philistines. ² And he defeated Moab, and the Moabites became servants to David, bringing tribute.

³ David also defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah as far as Hamath, as he went to establish his ^[ca]rule to the river Euphrates. ⁴ David took from him a thousand chariots and seven thousand horsemen and twenty thousand foot soldiers, and David hamstrung almost all the chariot horses, but left enough of them for a hundred chariots.

⁵ When the Arameans of ^[cb]Damascus came to help Hadadezer king ^(EH)of Zobah, David ^[cc]killed twenty-two thousand men of the Arameans. ⁶ Then David put garrisons among the Arameans of ^[cd]Damascus; and the Arameans became servants to David, bringing tribute. And the Lord helped David wherever he went. ⁷ And David took the shields of gold which were ^[ce]carried by the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ Also from ^[cf]Tibhath and Cun, cities of Hadadezer, David took a very large amount of bronze, with which ^(EI)Solomon made the bronze ^[cg]Sea and the pillars and the bronze utensils.

⁹ Now when ^[ch]Tou king of Hamath heard that David had ^[ci]defeated all the army of Hadadezer king of Zobah, ¹⁰ he sent ^[cj]Hadoram his son to King David to ^[ck]greet him and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and had ^[cl]defeated him; for Hadadezer had been at war with Tou. And Hadoram brought all kinds of articles of gold and silver and bronze. ¹¹ King David also dedicated these to the Lord, with the silver and the gold which he had carried away from all the nations: from Edom, Moab, the sons of Ammon, the Philistines, and from Amalek.

¹² Moreover, Abishai the son of Zeruiah ^[cm]defeated eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. ¹³ Then he put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became servants to David. And the Lord helped David wherever he went.

¹⁴ So David reigned over all Israel; and he ^[cn]administered justice and righteousness for all his people. ^15 (EJ)Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was secretary; ¹⁶ and Zadok the son of Ahitub and Abimelech the son of Abiathar were priests, and Shavsha was secretary; ¹⁷ and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and the sons of David were chiefs at the king’s side.

David’s Messengers Abused

19 ^(EK)Now it came about after this, that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon died, and his son became king in his place. ² Then David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent messengers to console him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the sons of Ammon to Hanun to console him. ³ But the commanders among the sons of Ammon said to Hanun, “^[co]Do you think that David is honoring your father, in that he has sent comforters to you? Have his servants not come to you to search, to demolish, and to spy out the land?” ⁴ So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved them, and cut off their robes in the middle as far as their buttocks, and sent them away. ⁵ Then certain people went and told David about the men. And he sent messengers to meet them, because the men were very humiliated. And the king said, “Stay at Jericho until your beards grow back, then return.”

⁶ When the sons of Ammon saw that they had made themselves repulsive to David, Hanun and the sons of Ammon sent ^[cp]a thousand talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia, Aram-maacah, and ^(EL)Zobah. ⁷ So they hired for themselves thirty-two thousand chariots, and the king of Maacah and his people, who came and camped opposite ^(EM)Medeba. And the sons of Ammon gathered together from their cities and came to the battle. ⁸ When David heard about it, he sent Joab and all the army, the mighty men. ⁹ The sons of Ammon came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance of the city; and the kings who had come were by themselves in the field.

Ammon and Aram Defeated

¹⁰ Now when Joab saw that the ^[cq]battle was set against him at the front and at the rear, he selected warriors from all the choice men in Israel and lined them up against the Arameans. ¹¹ But the remainder of the people he placed ^[cr]under the command of ^[cs]Abshai his brother; and they lined up against the sons of Ammon. ¹² He said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will help you. ¹³ Be strong, and let’s show ourselves courageous for the benefit of our people and the cities of our God; and may the Lord do what is good in His sight.” ¹⁴ So Joab and the people who were with him advanced to battle against the Arameans, and they fled from him. ¹⁵ When the sons of Ammon saw that the Arameans had fled, they also fled from his brother Abshai and entered the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.

¹⁶ When the Arameans saw that they had been ^[ct]defeated by Israel, they sent messengers and brought out the Arameans who were beyond the Euphrates River, with Shophach the commander of the army of Hadadezer ^[cu]leading them. ¹⁷ When it was reported to David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan, and came upon them and drew up in formation against them. And when David drew up in battle formation against the Arameans, they fought against him. ¹⁸ And the Arameans fled from Israel, and David killed of the Arameans seven thousand charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers; and he put Shophach the commander of the army to death. ¹⁹ So when the servants of Hadadezer saw that they had been ^[cv]defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and served him. So the Arameans were not willing to help the sons of Ammon anymore.

War with Philistine Giants

20 ^(EN)Then it happened ^[cw]in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that Joab led out the army and ravaged the land of the sons of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed in Jerusalem. And ^(EO)Joab struck Rabbah and overthrew it. ^2 (EP)David took the crown of ^[cx]their king from his head, and he found it to weigh a ^[cy]talent of gold, and there was a precious stone in it; and it was placed on David’s head. And he brought out the spoils of the city, a very great amount. ³ He brought out the people who were in it, ^(EQ)and ^[cz]put them to work at saws, iron picks, and axes. And David did the same to all the cities of the sons of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

^4 (ER)Now it came about after this, that war ^[da]broke out at ^[db]Gezer with the Philistines; then Sibbecai the Hushathite ^[dc]killed Sippai, one of the descendants of the ^[dd]giants, and they were subdued. ⁵ And there was war with the Philistines again, and Elhanan the son of ^(ES)Jair ^[de]killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the ^(ET)shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. ⁶ Again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature who had twenty-four fingers and toes, six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot; and he also was descended from the giants. ⁷ When he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David’s brother, ^[df]killed him. ⁸ These were descended from the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

Census Brings Plague

21 ^(EU)Then Satan stood up against Israel and incited David to count Israel. ² So David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, “^(EV)Go, count Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me word so that I may know their number.” ³ But Joab said, “^(EW)May the Lord add to His people a hundred times as many as they are! My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord seek this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt to Israel?” ⁴ Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Therefore, Joab departed and went throughout Israel, and came to Jerusalem. ⁵ Then Joab gave the number of the census of the people to David. ^(EX)Israel was 1,100,000 men in all who drew the sword; and Judah was 470,000 men who drew the sword. ^6 (EY)But he did not ^[dg]count Levi and Benjamin among them, because the king’s ^[dh]command was abhorrent to Joab.

⁷ Now ^[di]God was displeased with this thing, so He struck Israel. ⁸ David said to God, “I have sinned greatly, ^[dj]by doing this thing. ^(EZ)But now, please overlook Your servant’s guilt, for I have behaved very foolishly.”

⁹ The Lord spoke to ^(FA)Gad, David’s ^(FB)seer, saying, ¹⁰ “Go and speak to David, saying, ‘This is what the Lord says: “I extend to you three choices; choose for yourself one of them, which I will do to you.”’” ¹¹ So Gad came to David and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Take for yourself ^12 (FC)three years of famine, or three months to be swept away before your foes while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of the Lord: a plague in the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout the territory of Israel.’ Now, therefore, consider what answer I shall bring back to Him who sent me.” ¹³ David said to Gad, “I am in great distress; please let me fall into the hand of the Lord, ^(FD)for His mercies are very great. But do not let me fall into human hands.”

^14 (FE)So the Lord ^[dk]sent a plague on Israel; seventy thousand men of Israel fell. ¹⁵ And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but as he was about to destroy it, the Lord saw and ^(FF)was sorry about the catastrophe, and said to the destroying angel, “It is enough; now relax your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was standing by the threshing floor of ^[dl]Ornan the Jebusite. ¹⁶ Then David raised his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, with his drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, ^(FG)covered with sackcloth, fell on their faces. ¹⁷ And David said to God, “Is it not I who ^[dm]commanded to count the people? Indeed, I am the one who has sinned and acted very wickedly, ^(FH)but these sheep, what have they done? Lord, my God, just let Your hand be against me and my father’s household, and not against Your people as a plague.”

David’s Altar

^18 (FI)Then the angel of the Lord ^[dn]commanded Gad to say to David, that David was to go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ¹⁹ So David went up at the word of Gad, which he spoke in the name of the Lord. ²⁰ Now Ornan turned back and saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. And Ornan was threshing wheat. ²¹ As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out from the threshing floor and prostrated himself to David with his face to the ground. ²² Then David said to Ornan, “Give me the ^[do]site of this threshing floor, so that I may build on it an altar to the Lord; you shall give it to me for the full price, so that the plague may be brought to a halt from the people.” ²³ But Ornan said to David, “Take it for yourself, and may my lord the king do what is good in his sight. See, I am giving the oxen for burnt offerings, and the threshing sledges for wood and the wheat for the grain offering; I am giving it all.” ²⁴ Nevertheless, King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will certainly buy it for the full price; for I will not take what is yours for the Lord, nor offer a burnt offering ^[dp]which costs me nothing.” ²⁵ So ^(FJ)David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the ^[dq]site. ²⁶ Then David built an altar there to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And he called to the Lord, and ^(FK)He answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering. ²⁷ The Lord commanded the angel, and he returned his sword to its sheath.

²⁸ At that time, when David saw that the Lord had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he offered sacrifice there. ^29 (FL)For the tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were on the high place at Gibeon at that time. ³⁰ But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was terrified by the sword of the angel of the Lord.

David Prepares for Temple Building

22 Then David said, “^(FM)This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”

² So David ^[dr]gave orders to gather ^(FN)the strangers who were in the land of Israel, and ^(FO)he set stonecutters to cut out stones to build the house of God. ³ And David ^(FP)prepared large quantities of iron ^[ds]to make the nails for the doors of the gates and for the clamps, and more ^(FQ)bronze than could be weighed; ⁴ and timbers of cedar beyond number, for ^(FR)the Sidonians and Tyrians brought large quantities of cedar timber to David. ⁵ David said, “My son ^(FS)Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord shall be exceedingly magnificent, famous, and glorious throughout the lands. Therefore I now will make preparations for it.” So David made ample preparations before his death.

Solomon Commanded to Build the Temple

⁶ Then ^(FT)he called for his son Solomon, and commanded him to build a house for the Lord God of Israel. ⁷ David said to Solomon, “^(FU)My son, ^[dt]I had intended to build a house for the name of the Lord my God. ⁸ But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘^(FV)You have shed much blood and have ^[du]waged great wars; you shall not build a house to My name, because you have shed so much blood on the earth before Me. ⁹ Behold, a son will be born to you, who shall be a man of rest, and ^(FW)I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for ^(FX)his name will be ^[dv]Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. ^10 (FY)He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son and I will be his Father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’ ¹¹ Now, my son, ^(FZ)the Lord be with you that you may be successful, and build the house of the Lord your God just as He has spoken concerning you. ^12 (GA)Only the Lord give you discretion and understanding, and put you in charge of Israel, so that you may ^(GB)keep the Law of the Lord your God. ^13 (GC)Then you will prosper, if you are careful to ^[dw]follow the statutes and the ordinances which the Lord commanded Moses concerning Israel. ^(GD)Be strong and courageous, do not fear nor be dismayed. ¹⁴ Now behold, ^[dx]with great pains I have prepared for the house of the Lord ^(GE)a hundred thousand ^[dy]talents of gold and a million talents of silver, and ^(GF)bronze and iron beyond measure, for ^[dz]they are in great quantity; I have also prepared timber and stone, and you may add to that. ¹⁵ Moreover there are many workmen with you, stonecutters, masons of stone, and carpenters; and all of them are skillful in every kind of work. ¹⁶ Of the gold, silver, bronze, and iron there is no limit. Arise and work, and may ^(GG)the Lord be with you.”

^17 (GH)David also commanded all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon, saying, ¹⁸ “Is the Lord your God not with you? And ^(GI)has He not given you rest on every side? For He has handed over to me the inhabitants of the land, and the land is subdued before the Lord and before His people. ¹⁹ Now ^(GJ)set your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God; then arise, and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, ^(GK)so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God into the house that is to be built ^(GL)for the name of the Lord.”

Solomon Reigns

23 ^(GM)Now when David ^[ea]reached old age, ^(GN)he made his son Solomon king over Israel. ² And he gathered together all the leaders of Israel with the priests and the Levites.

Offices of the Levites

^3 (GO)Now the Levites were counted from thirty years old and upward, and ^(GP)their number by ^[eb]head count of men was thirty-eight thousand. ⁴ Of these, twenty-four thousand were ^(GQ)to oversee the work of the house of the Lord; and six thousand were ^(GR)officers and judges, ⁵ and four thousand were gatekeepers, and ^(GS)four thousand were praising the Lord with the instruments which ^[ec]David made for giving praise. ⁶ David divided them into divisions ^(GT)according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

Gershonites

⁷ Of the Gershonites there were ^[ed]Ladan and Shimei. ⁸ The sons of Ladan were Jehiel the first, and Zetham and Joel, three. ⁹ The sons of Shimei were Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the fathers’ households of Ladan. ¹⁰ The sons of Shimei were Jahath, ^[ee]Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei. ¹¹ Jahath was the first and Zizah the second; but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they became a father’s household, one group for duty.

Kohathites

¹² The sons of Kohath were four in number: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. ^13 (GU)The sons of Amram were Aaron and Moses. And ^(GV)Aaron was set apart to sanctify him as most holy, he and his sons forever, ^(GW)to burn incense before the Lord, to serve Him and bless in His name forever. ¹⁴ But as for ^(GX)Moses, the man of God, his sons were named among the tribe of Levi. ¹⁵ The sons of Moses were Gershom and Eliezer. ¹⁶ The ^[ef]son of Gershom was ^[eg]Shebuel the chief. ¹⁷ The ^[eh]son of Eliezer was Rehabiah the chief; and Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many. ¹⁸ The ^[ei]son of Izhar was ^[ej]Shelomith the chief. ¹⁹ The sons of Hebron were Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. ²⁰ The sons of Uzziel were Micah the first and Isshiah the second.

Merarites

²¹ The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli were Eleazar and Kish. ²² Eleazar died and had no sons, but only daughters; so their relatives, the sons of Kish, took them as wives. ²³ The sons of Mushi were three: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth.

Duties Revised

^24 (GY)These were the sons of Levi according to their fathers’ households, the heads of the fathers’ households of those among them who were ^[ek]counted, in the number of names by their ^[el]head count, doing the work for the service of the house of the Lord, ^(GZ)from twenty years old and upward. ²⁵ For David said, “The Lord God of Israel ^(HA)has given rest to His people, and He dwells in Jerusalem forever. ²⁶ Also, ^(HB)the Levites will no longer need to carry the tabernacle and all its utensils for its service.” ²⁷ For by the last words of David, the sons of Levi were counted from twenty years old and upward. ²⁸ For their office is ^[em]to assist the sons of Aaron with the service of the house of the Lord, in the courtyards and in the chambers, and in the purification of all holy things, and the work of the service of the house of God, ^29 (HC)and with the showbread, and ^(HD)the fine flour for a grain offering, and unleavened wafers, or ^(HE)what is baked in the pan or ^(HF)what is well-mixed, and ^(HG)all measures of volume and size. ³⁰ They are to stand every morning to thank and to praise the Lord, and likewise at evening, ³¹ and to offer all burnt offerings to the Lord, ^(HH)on the Sabbaths, the new moons and ^(HI)the appointed festivals, in the number determined by the ordinance concerning them, continually before the Lord. ³² So ^(HJ)they are to perform the ^[en]duties of the tent of meeting, the holy place, and ^(HK)of assisting the sons of Aaron their relatives, for the service of the house of the Lord.