1 Chronicles 21-22
Christian Standard Bible
David’s Military Census
21 Satan[a](A) rose up against Israel and incited David(B) to count the people of Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count Israel from Beer-sheba to Dan and bring a report to me so I can know their number.”(C)
3 Joab replied, “May the Lord multiply the number of his people a hundred times over!(D) My lord the king, aren’t they all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”
4 Yet the king’s order prevailed over Joab. So Joab left and traveled throughout Israel and then returned to Jerusalem. 5 Joab gave the total troop registration to David. In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand armed men[b] and in Judah itself four hundred seventy thousand armed men. 6 But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the count because the king’s command was detestable to him. 7 This command was also evil in God’s sight, so he afflicted Israel.
8 David said to God, “I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. Now, please take away your servant’s guilt, for I’ve been very foolish.”(E)
David’s Punishment
9 Then(F) the Lord instructed Gad,(G) David’s seer,(H) 10 “Go and say to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am offering you three choices. Choose one of them for yourself, and I will do it to you.’”
11 So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Take your choice: 12 three years of famine, or three months of devastation by your foes with the sword of your enemy overtaking you, or three days of the sword of the Lord—a plague on the land, the angel of the Lord bringing destruction to the whole territory of Israel.’ Now decide what answer I should take back to the one who sent me.”
13 David answered Gad, “I’m in anguish. Please, let me fall into the Lord’s hands because his mercies are very great,(I) but don’t let me fall into human hands.”
14 So the Lord sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand Israelite men died. 15 Then God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but when the angel was about to destroy the city,[c] the Lord looked, relented concerning the destruction,(J) and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough, withdraw your hand now!” The angel of the Lord was then standing at the threshing floor of Ornan[d] the Jebusite.
16 When David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, with his drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem, David and the elders, covered in sackcloth,(K) fell facedown. 17 David said to God, “Wasn’t I the one who gave the order to count the people? I am the one who has sinned and acted very wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Lord my God, please let your hand be against me and against my father’s family, but don’t let the plague be against your people.”
David’s Altar
18 So the angel of the Lord ordered Gad(L) to tell David to go and set up an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.(M) 19 David went up at Gad’s command spoken in the name of the Lord.
20 Ornan was threshing wheat when he turned and saw the angel. His four sons, who were with him, hid. 21 David came to Ornan, and when Ornan looked and saw David, he left the threshing floor and bowed to David with his face to the ground.
22 Then David said to Ornan, “Give me this threshing-floor plot so that I may build an altar to the Lord on it. Give it to me for the full price, so the plague on the people may be stopped.”
23 Ornan said to David, “Take it! My lord the king may do whatever he wants.[e] See, I give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering—I give it all.”
24 King David answered Ornan, “No, I insist on paying the full price, for I will not take for the Lord what belongs to you or offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”
25 So David gave Ornan fifteen pounds of gold[f] for the plot. 26 He built an altar to the Lord there and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on the Lord, and he answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.(N)
27 Then the Lord spoke to the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath. 28 At that time, David offered sacrifices there when he saw that the Lord answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 29 The tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at the high place in Gibeon,(O) 30 but David could not go before it to inquire of God, because he was terrified of the sword of the Lord’s angel.
22 Then David said, “This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”(P)
David’s Preparations for the Temple
2 So David gave orders to gather the resident aliens that were in the land of Israel,(Q) and he appointed stonecutters to cut finished stones for building God’s house.(R) 3 David supplied a great deal of iron to make the nails for the doors of the gates and for the fittings, together with an immeasurable quantity of bronze,(S) 4 and innumerable cedar logs because the Sidonians and Tyrians had brought a large quantity of cedar logs to David.(T) 5 David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly great and famous and glorious in all the lands.(U) Therefore, I will make provision for it.” So David made lavish preparations for it before his death.
6 Then he summoned his son Solomon and charged him to build a house for the Lord God of Israel. 7 “My son,” David said to Solomon, “It was in my heart to build a house for the name of the Lord my God,(V) 8 but the word of the Lord came to me: ‘You have shed much blood and waged great wars. You are not to build a house for my name because you have shed so much blood on the ground before me.(W) 9 But a son will be born to you; he will be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies,(X) for his name will be Solomon,[g](Y) and I will give peace and quiet to Israel during his reign.(Z) 10 He is the one who will build a house for my name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’(AA)
11 “Now, my son, may the Lord be with you,(AB) and may you succeed in building the house of the Lord your God, as he said about you. 12 Above all, may the Lord give you insight and understanding when he puts you in charge of Israel so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God.(AC) 13 Then you will succeed if you carefully follow the statutes and ordinances the Lord commanded Moses for Israel.(AD) Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid or discouraged.(AE)
14 “Notice I have taken great pains to provide for the house of the Lord—3,775 tons of gold, 37,750 tons of silver,[h](AF) and bronze and iron that can’t be weighed because there is so much of it. I have also provided timber and stone, but you will need to add more to them. 15 You also have many workers: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and people skilled in every kind of work 16 in gold, silver, bronze, and iron—beyond number. Now begin the work, and may the Lord be with you.”(AG)
17 Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon: 18 “The Lord your God is with you, isn’t he? And hasn’t he given you rest on every side?(AH) For he has handed the land’s inhabitants over to me, and the land has been subdued before the Lord and his people. 19 Now determine in your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God.(AI) Get started building the Lord God’s sanctuary so that you may bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant and the holy articles of God to the temple that is to be built(AJ) for the name of the Lord.”(AK)
Footnotes
- 21:1 Or An adversary; Jb 1:6; Zch 3:1–2
- 21:5 Lit men drawing the sword
- 21:15 Lit but as he was destroying
- 21:15–28 = Araunah in 2Sm 24:16–24
- 21:23 Lit do what is good in his eyes
- 21:25 Lit 600 shekels of gold by weight
- 22:9 In Hb, the name Solomon sounds like “peace.”
- 22:14 Lit 100,000 talents of gold and 1,000,000 talents of silver
Psalm 30
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 30
Joy in the Morning
A psalm; a dedication song for the house. Of David.
1 I will exalt you, Lord,
because you have lifted me up(A)
and have not allowed my enemies
to triumph over me.(B)
2 Lord my God,
I cried to you for help, and you healed me.(C)
3 Lord, you brought me up from Sheol;(D)
you spared me from among those
going down[a] to the Pit.(E)
4 Sing to the Lord, you his faithful ones,
and praise his holy name.(F)
5 For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor, a lifetime.
Weeping may stay overnight,
but there is joy in the morning.(G)
6 When I was secure, I said,
“I will never be shaken.”(H)
7 Lord, when you showed your favor,
you made me stand like a strong mountain;(I)
when you hid your face, I was terrified.(J)
8 Lord, I called to you;
I sought favor from my Lord:(K)
9 “What gain is there in my death,
if I go down to the Pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your truth?(L)
10 Lord, listen and be gracious to me;
Lord, be my helper.”(M)
11 You turned my lament into dancing;
you removed my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness,(N)
12 so that I can sing to you and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever.(O)
Footnotes
- 30:3 Some Hb mss, LXX, Theod, Orig, Syr; other Hb mss, Aq, Sym, Tg, Jer read from going down
Psalm 97-99
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 97
The Majestic King
1 The Lord reigns! Let the earth rejoice;
let the many coasts and islands be glad.(A)
2 Clouds and total darkness surround him;
righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.(B)
3 Fire goes before him
and burns up his foes on every side.(C)
4 His lightning lights up the world;
the earth sees and trembles.(D)
5 The mountains melt like wax
at the presence of the Lord—
at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.(E)
7 All who serve carved images,
those who boast in worthless idols, will be put to shame.(H)
All the gods[a] must worship him.(I)
8 Zion hears and is glad,
Judah’s villages[b] rejoice
because of your judgments, Lord.(J)
9 For you, Lord,
are the Most High over the whole earth;
you are exalted above all the gods.(K)
10 You who love the Lord, hate evil!(L)
He protects the lives of his faithful ones;(M)
he rescues them from the power of the wicked.(N)
11 Light dawns[c][d] for the righteous,
gladness for the upright in heart.(O)
12 Be glad in the Lord, you righteous ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.[e](P)
Psalm 98
Praise the King
A psalm.
1 Sing a new song to the Lord,(Q)
for he has performed wonders;
his right hand and holy arm
have won him victory.(R)
2 The Lord has made his victory known;
he has revealed his righteousness
in the sight of the nations.(S)
3 He has remembered his love
and faithfulness to the house of Israel;
all the ends of the earth
have seen our God’s victory.(T)
4 Let the whole earth shout to the Lord;
be jubilant, shout for joy, and sing.(U)
5 Sing to the Lord with the lyre,
with the lyre and melodious song.(V)
6 With trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn
shout triumphantly
in the presence of the Lord, our King.(W)
7 Let the sea and all that fills it,
the world and those who live in it, resound.(X)
8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
let the mountains shout together for joy(Y)
9 before the Lord,
for he is coming to judge the earth.
He will judge the world righteously
and the peoples fairly.(Z)
Psalm 99
The King Is Holy
1 The Lord reigns! Let the peoples tremble.
He is enthroned between the cherubim.(AA)
Let the earth quake.(AB)
2 The Lord is great in Zion;
he is exalted above all the peoples.(AC)
3 Let them praise your great
and awe-inspiring name.(AD)
He is holy.(AE)
4 The mighty King loves justice.
You have established fairness;
you have administered justice
and righteousness in Jacob.(AF)
5 Exalt the Lord our God;
bow in worship at his footstool.(AG)
He is holy.(AH)
6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests;(AI)
Samuel also was among those calling on his name.
They called to the Lord and he answered them.(AJ)
7 He spoke to them in a pillar of cloud;(AK)
they kept his decrees and the statutes he gave them.
8 Lord our God, you answered them.
You were a forgiving God to them,(AL)
but an avenger of their sinful actions.(AM)
9 Exalt the Lord our God;
bow in worship at his holy mountain,
for the Lord our God is holy.(AN)
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