Defeating the Ammonites

19 Now in the course of time Nachash king of the Ammonites died and his son became king in his place. ² David said: “l will show lovingkindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father dealt loyally with me.”

So David sent messengers to console him concerning his father. But when David’s emissaries came to Hanun in the land of the Ammonites to console him, ³ the Ammonite officials said to Hanun, “Do you really think that David is honoring your father, by sending messengers to express sympathy? Have not his servants come to you to explore and spy out the country to overthrow it?” ⁴ So Hanun took David’s emissaries and shaved them. He cut off their garments in the middle at the buttocks and sent them away.

⁵ When some people came and told David about the men, he sent messengers to meet them for the men were throughly humiliated. The king said: “Stay in Jericho until your beards grow and then return.”

⁶ When the children of Ammon realized they had made themselves a stench to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent 1,000 talents of silver to hire chariots and charioteers from Aram-naharaim^[a], Aram-maacah and Zobah. ⁷ So they hired 32,000 chariots along with the king of Maacah and his people, who came and camped before Medeba. The children of Ammon also assembled from their cities and moved out to the battle.

⁸ On hearing this, David sent Joab and the entire army of mighty men. ⁹ The children of Ammon came out and took up battle formation at the city gate, while the kings who had come were by themselves in the field. ¹⁰ When Joab saw that there was a battle line against him both in front and rear, he selected some of Israel’s best men and deployed them against the Arameans. ¹¹ He put the rest of the people under the command of his brother Abishai, and arrayed them against the Ammonites. ¹² He said: “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you will help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will help you. ¹³ Chazak! Take courage for the sake of our people and the cities of our God! Adonai will do what is good in His eyes.”

¹⁴ So Joab and the people who were with him advanced to battle against the Arameans, and they fled before him. ¹⁵ When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they likewise fled before his brother Abishai and withdrew into the city. Then Joab went to Jerusalem.

¹⁶ After the Arameans saw that they had been routed by Israel, they sent messengers and had the Arameans brought from across the River^[b] with Shophah the commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them.

¹⁷ When David was informed he gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan. He came against them and took up positions against them. David took up positions against the Arameans in battle and they fought with him. ¹⁸ But the Arameans fled before Israel. David killed 7,000 Aramean charioteers and 40,000 infantrymen. He also killed Shophah the commander of the army.

¹⁹ Now when Hadadezer’s vassals saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and served him. Thus the Arameans were no longer willing to help the Ammonites.

Clearing Out the Giants

20 At the turn of the year, the season when kings go out to war, Joab led out the army and devastated the land of the Ammonites. He went and besieged Rabbah, while David remained in Jerusalem. Joab smote Rabbah and left it in ruins. ² David took the crown from the head of their king—its weight was found to be a talent^[c] of gold and it was set with precious stones—and it was placed on David’s head. He took a vast amount of spoils from the city. ³ Furthermore, he removed the people who were in it and set them to work with saws, sharp iron tools and axes. Thus he did to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

⁴ Now it came about after this, that war broke out with the Philistines at Gezer. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Sippai, one of the descendants of the Rephaim, and they were subdued. ⁵ Again there was war with the Philistines, and Elhanan the son of Jair killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear had a shaft like a weaver’s beam. ⁶ Once again there was a battle at Gath, where there was a man of great stature who had 24 fingers and toes, six on each hand and six on each foot. He too also descended from the giants. ⁷ When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, David’s brother, struck him down.

⁸ These were descendants of the giants in Gath; they fell by the hand of David and his servants.

Census and Plague

21 Then satan stood up against Israel and incited David to count Israel. ² So David told Joab and the leaders of the people, “Go, count Israel from Beersheba to Dan. Then bring me a report so I may know their number.”

³ But Joab said, “May Adonai multiply His people 100 times over! But my master the king, are they not all my master’s servants? Why does my master require this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt to Israel?” ⁴ Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and finally came back to Jerusalem.

⁵ Joab gave the number of the census of the people to David: in all Israel there were 1,100,000 sword-wielding men; Judah had 470,000 sword-wielding men. ⁶ But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, for the king’s word was detestable to Joab. ⁷ But God was displeased with this thing and He struck Israel.

⁸ Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by doing this. But now, I entreat you, take away the guilt of Your servant for I have behaved very foolishly.”

⁹ Then Adonai spoke to Gad, David’s seer, saying: ¹⁰ “Go and speak to David, saying, ‘Thus says Adonai, “I offer you three things; choose one of them and I will bring it upon you.”’”

¹¹ So Gad went to David and said to him, “Thus says Adonai: ‘Select for yourself ¹² either three years of famine, or three months being swept away from before your adversaries and the sword of your enemies overtaking you or three days of the sword of Adonai, pestilence in the land and the angel of Adonai ravaging throughout all the territories of Israel. Now, consider what I should reply to the one who sent me.’”

¹³ David said to Gad, “I am in a great anguish! Let me fall into the hand of Adonai for His compassion is very great. But do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

¹⁴ So Adonai sent a plague upon Israel, and 70,000 men of Israel fell. ¹⁵ And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but while he was doing so, Adonai saw and was grieved over the calamity. He said to the destroying angel, “Enough! Now withdraw your hand!”

The angel of Adonai was then standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ¹⁶ David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of Adonai standing between the earth and the heaven with a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces. ¹⁷ David said to God, “Was it not I who commanded to count the people? I alone am the one who sinned and behaved wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let Your hand, Adonai my God, be against me and against my father’s house, but do not let the plague be on Your people.”

¹⁸ So the angel of Adonai told Gad to instruct David that David should go up and build an altar to Adonai on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ¹⁹ So David went up by the word of Gad, which he spoke in the Name of Adonai. ²⁰ While Ornan was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the angel. His four sons who were with him hid themselves. ²¹ When David came to Ornan, Ornan looked up and saw David. He went out from the threshing floor and bowed to David with his face to the ground.

²² Then David said to Ornan: “Give me the site of this threshing floor that I may build an altar to Adonai. Sell it to me for full price, so the plague on the people may be stopped.”

²³ Then Ornan said to David, “Take it! Let my lord the king do whatever seems good in his eyes. Look, I will give the oxen for burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for wood, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give all this.”

²⁴ King David said to Ornan, “No, I insist on buying it for the full price. For I will not take for Adonai what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that cost me nothing.”

²⁵ So David gave Ornan 600 shekels of gold by weight for the place. ²⁶ David built there an altar to Adonai and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. He called on Adonai and He answered him with fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering. ²⁷ Then Adonai commanded the angel, and he put his sword back in its sheath.

²⁸ At that time, when David saw that Adonai had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. ²⁹ For the Tabernacle of Adonai, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time in the high place at Gibeon. ³⁰ But David could not go before it to seek God for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of Adonai.

²⁵ Circumcision is indeed worthwhile if you keep the Torah; but if you break the Torah, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. ^{[a] 26} Therefore, if the uncircumcised keeps the righteous decrees of the Torah, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? ^{[b] 27} Indeed, the one not circumcised physically who fulfills the Torah will judge you^[c] who—even with the written code^[d] and circumcision—break the Torah. ²⁸ For one is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision something visible in the flesh. ²⁹ Rather, the Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart—in Spirit not in letter. His praise is not from men, but from God.^[e]

No One Is Acceptable

3 Then what is the advantage of being Jewish? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? ² Much in every way. First of all, they were entrusted with the sayings of God. ³ So what if some did not trust? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? ⁴ May it never be! Let God be true even if every man is a liar, as it is written,

⁵ But if our unrighteousness demonstrates the righteousness of God, what shall we say? God is not unrighteous to inflict wrath, is He? (I am speaking in human terms.) ⁶ May it never be! For otherwise, how will God judge the world? ⁷ But if by my lie the truth of God abounds to His glory, why am I still judged as a sinner? ⁸ And why not say, “Let us do evil, so that good may come”—just as we are being slandered and as some claim that we say. Their condemnation is deserved!

Judgment from Heaven

Psalm 11

Watch Your Temper