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Ozem, the sixth, and David, the seventh.
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Chapter 3
These were the sons of David born to him in Hebron: the firstborn, Amnon, by Ahinoam of Jezreel; the second, Daniel, by Abigail of Carmel;
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All these were sons of David, in addition to other sons by concubines; and Tamar was their sister.
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Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susim, Bethbiri, and Shaaraim. Until the reign of David, these were their cities
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The following were established by David for the service of song in the Lord’s house at the time when the ark had a resting place.
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The sons of Tola were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel, heads of the ancestral houses of Tola, mighty warriors in their generations. In the time of David they numbered twenty-two thousand six hundred.
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In all, those who were chosen for gatekeepers at the threshold were two hundred and twelve. They were inscribed in the family records of their villages. David and Samuel the seer had established them in their position of trust.
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II. The History of David
Genealogy of Saul. Jeiel, the founder of Gibeon, dwelt in Gibeon; his wife’s name was Maacah.
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rather than from the Lord. Therefore the Lord took his life, and turned his kingdom over to David, the son of Jesse.
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Chapter 11
David Is Made King. Then all Israel gathered around David in Hebron, and they said: “Look! We are your bone and your flesh.
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Then all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and at Hebron David made a covenant with them in the presence of the Lord; and they anointed David king over Israel, in accordance with the word of the Lord given through Samuel.
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Jerusalem Captured. Then David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, that is, Jebus, where the inhabitants of the land were called Jebusites.
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The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You shall not enter here.” David nevertheless captured the fortress of Zion, which is the City of David.
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David said, “Whoever strikes the Jebusites first shall be made chief and captain.” Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was the first to attack; and so he became chief.
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David took up residence in the fortress, which therefore was called the City of David.
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David became ever more powerful, for the Lord of hosts was with him.
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David’s Warriors. These were David’s chief warriors who, together with all Israel, supported him in his reign in order to make him king, according to the Lord’s word concerning Israel.
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Here is the list of David’s warriors: Ishbaal, the son of Hachamoni, chief of the Three. He brandished his spear over three hundred, whom he had slain in a single encounter.
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He was with David at Pas-dammim, where the Philistines had massed for battle. There was a plot of land full of barley. The people were fleeing before the Philistines,
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Three of the Thirty chiefs went down to the rock, to David, who was in the cave of Adullam while the Philistines were encamped in the valley of Rephaim.
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David was then in the stronghold, and a Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem.
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David had a strong craving, and said, “If only someone would give me a drink of water from the cistern by the gate of Bethlehem!”
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Thereupon the Three broke through the encampment of the Philistines, drew water from the cistern by the gate of Bethlehem, and carried it back to David. But David refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out to the Lord,
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but was more famous than any of the Thirty. However, he did not attain to the Three. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.
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Chapter 12
David’s Early Followers. The following men came to David in Ziklag while he was still under banishment from Saul, son of Kish; they, too, were among the warriors who helped him in his battles.
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Some of the Gadites also went over to David when he was at the stronghold in the wilderness. They were valiant warriors, experienced soldiers equipped with shield and spear, fearsome as lions, swift as gazelles on the mountains.
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Some Benjaminites and Judahites also came to David at the stronghold.
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David went out to meet them and addressed them in these words: “If you come peacefully, to help me, I am of a mind to have you join me. But if you have come to betray me to my enemies though my hands have done no wrong, may the God of our ancestors see and punish you.”
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Then a spirit clothed Amasai, the chief of the Thirty, and he answered David: “We are yours, O David, we are with you, son of Jesse. Peace, peace to you, and peace to him who helps you; may your God be your helper!” So David received them and placed them among the leaders of his troops.
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Men from Manasseh also deserted to David when he came with the Philistines to battle against Saul. However, he did not help the Philistines, for their lords took counsel and sent him home, saying, “At the cost of our heads he will desert to his master Saul.”
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They helped David by taking charge of his troops, for they were all warriors and became commanders of his army.
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And from day to day men kept coming to David’s help until there was a vast encampment, like God’s own encampment.
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The Assembly at Hebron. This is the muster of the detachments of armed troops that came to David at Hebron to bring Saul’s kingdom over to him, as the Lord had ordained.
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Of the half-tribe of Manasseh: eighteen thousand, designated by name to come and make David king.
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All these soldiers, drawn up in battle order, came to Hebron with the resolute intention of making David king over all Israel. The rest of Israel was likewise of one mind to make David king.
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They remained with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their relatives had prepared for them.
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Chapter 13
Transfer of the Ark. After David had taken counsel with his commanders of thousands and of hundreds, that is, with every leader,
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Then David assembled all Israel, from Shihor of Egypt to Lebo-hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.
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David and all Israel went up to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim, of Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which was known by the name “Lord enthroned upon the cherubim.”
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while David and all Israel danced before God with all their might, with singing, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.
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David was angry because the Lord’s anger had broken out against Uzzah. Therefore that place has been called Perez-uzzah even to this day.
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David was afraid of God that day, and he said, “How can I bring in the ark of God to me?”
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Therefore he did not take the ark with him into the City of David, but deposited it instead at the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.
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Chapter 14
David in Jerusalem. Hiram, king of Tyre, sent envoys to David along with cedar wood, and masons and carpenters to build him a house.
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David now knew that the Lord had truly established him as king over Israel, for his kingdom was greatly exalted for the sake of his people Israel.
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David took other wives in Jerusalem and became the father of more sons and daughters.
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The Philistine Wars. When the Philistines had heard that David was anointed king over all Israel, they marched out in force looking for him. But when David heard of this, he went out against them.
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David inquired of God, “Shall I attack the Philistines, and will you deliver them into my power?” The Lord answered him, “Attack, for I have delivered them into your power.”
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So they attacked, at Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there. Then David said, “By my hand God has broken through my enemies just as water breaks through a dam.” Therefore that place was called Baal-perazim.
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The Philistines abandoned their gods there, and David ordered them to be burnt.
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and again David inquired of God. But God answered him: Do not try to pursue them, but go around them and come against them near the balsam trees.
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David did as God commanded him, and they routed the Philistine army from Gibeon to Gezer.
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Thus David’s fame was spread abroad through every land, and the Lord put the fear of him on all the nations.
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Chapter 15
Preparations for Moving the Ark. David built houses for himself in the City of David and prepared a place for the ark of God, pitching a tent for it there.
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Then David assembled all Israel to Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to its place, which he had prepared for it.
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David also convened the sons of Aaron and the Levites:
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David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar, and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab,
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David commanded the commanders of the Levites to appoint their brothers as singers and to play on musical instruments, harps, lyres, and cymbals, to make a loud sound of rejoicing.
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The Ark Comes to Jerusalem. Thus David, the elders of Israel, and the commanders of thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with joy from the house of Obed-edom.
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David was vested in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who carried the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah, the leader of song; David was also wearing a linen ephod.
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But as the ark of the covenant of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal, daughter of Saul, looked down from her window, and when she saw King David leaping and dancing, she despised him in her heart.
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Chapter 16
They brought in the ark of God and set it within the tent which David had pitched for it. Then they sacrificed burnt offerings and communion offerings to God.
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When David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and communion offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord,
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David’s Directives for the Levites. He then appointed certain Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to celebrate, thank, and praise the Lord, the God of Israel.
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On that same day, David appointed Asaph and his brothers to sing for the first time these praises of the Lord:
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Then David left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister before the ark regularly according to the daily ritual;
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Then all the people departed, each to their own homes, and David returned to bless his household.
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Chapter 17
The Oracle of Nathan. After David had taken up residence in his house, he said to Nathan the prophet, “See, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under tentcloth.”
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Nathan replied to David, “Whatever is in your heart, go and do, for God is with you.”
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Go and tell David my servant, Thus says the Lord: It is not you who are to build the house for me to dwell in.
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Now then, speak thus to my servant David, Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to become ruler over my people Israel.
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In accordance with all these words and this whole vision Nathan spoke to David.
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David’s Thanksgiving. Then King David came in and sat in the Lord’s presence, and said: “Who am I, Lord God, and what is my house, that you should have brought me so far?
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What more can David say to you? You have known your servant.
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Chapter 18
David’s Victories. After this, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them; and he took Gath and its towns away from the Philistines.
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He also defeated Moab, and the Moabites became David’s subjects, paying tribute.
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David then defeated Hadadezer, king of Zobah, toward Hamath, who was on his way to set up his victory stele at the river Euphrates.
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David captured from him one thousand chariots, seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but left one hundred for his chariots.
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The Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, king of Zobah, but David also defeated twenty-two thousand of their men in Aram.
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Then David set up garrisons in the Damascus region of Aram, and the Arameans became David’s subjects, paying tribute. Thus the Lord made David victorious in all his campaigns.
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David took the golden shields that were carried by Hadadezer’s attendants and brought them to Jerusalem.
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David likewise took away from Tibhath and Cun, cities of Hadadezer, large quantities of bronze; Solomon later used it to make the bronze sea and the pillars and the vessels of bronze.
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When Tou, king of Hamath, heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, king of Zobah,
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he sent his son Hadoram to wish King David well and to congratulate him on having waged a victorious war against Hadadezer; for Hadadezer had been at war with Tou. He also brought gold, silver and bronze articles of every sort.
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These also King David consecrated to the Lord along with all the silver and gold that he had taken from the nations: from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek.
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He set up garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became David’s subjects. Thus the Lord brought David victory in all his undertakings.
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David’s Officials. David was king over all Israel; he dispensed justice and right to all his people.
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Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, was in command of the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were the chief assistants to the king.
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David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun, the son of Nahash, for his father showed kindness to me.” Therefore he sent envoys to console him over his father. But when David’s servants had entered the land of the Ammonites to console Hanun,
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the Ammonite princes said to Hanun, “Do you think David is doing this—sending you these consolers—to honor your father? Have not his servants rather come to you to explore the land, spying it out for its overthrow?”
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So Hanun seized David’s servants and had them shaved and their garments cut off halfway at the hips. Then he sent them away.
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David was told about the men, and he sent word for them to be intercepted, for the men had been greatly disgraced. “Remain at Jericho,” the king told them, “until your beards have grown again; then come back here.”
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When the Ammonites realized that they had put themselves in bad odor with David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and horsemen from Aram Naharaim, from Aram-maacah, and from Zobah.
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When David heard of this, he sent Joab and his whole army of warriors against them.
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When this was reported to David, he gathered all Israel together, crossed the Jordan, and met them. With the army of David drawn up to fight the Arameans, they gave battle.
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But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand of their chariot fighters and forty thousand of their foot soldiers; he also put to death Shophach, the commander of the army.
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When the vassals of Hadadezer saw themselves vanquished by Israel, they made peace with David and became his subjects. After this, the Arameans refused to come to the aid of the Ammonites.
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Chapter 20
At the turn of the year, the time when kings go to war, Joab led the army out in force, laid waste the land of the Ammonites, and went on to besiege Rabbah; David himself remained in Jerusalem. When Joab had attacked Rabbah and destroyed it,
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David took the crown of Milcom from the idol’s head. It was found to weigh a talent of gold, with precious stones on it; this crown David wore on his own head. He also brought out a great amount of spoil from the city.
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He deported the people of the city and set them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes. David dealt thus with all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and his whole army returned to Jerusalem.
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He defied Israel, and Jonathan, the son of Shimea, David’s brother, slew him.
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These were the descendants of the Rephaim of Gath who died at the hands of David and his servants.
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Chapter 21
David’s Census; the Plague. A satan rose up against Israel, and he incited David to take a census of Israel.
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David therefore said to Joab and to the other generals of the army, “Go, number the Israelites from Beer-sheba to Dan, and report back to me that I may know their number.”
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Joab reported the census figures to David: of men capable of wielding a sword, there were in all Israel one million one hundred thousand, and in Judah four hundred and seventy thousand.
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Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly in doing this thing. Take away your servant’s guilt, for I have acted very foolishly.”
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Then the Lord spoke to Gad, David’s seer, in these words:
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Go, tell David: Thus says the Lord: I am laying out three options; choose one of them, and I will inflict it on you.
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Accordingly, Gad went to David and said to him: “Thus says the Lord: Decide now—
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Then David said to Gad: “I am in serious trouble. But let me fall into the hand of the Lord, whose mercy is very great, rather than into hands of men.”
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When David raised his eyes, he saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, drawn sword in hand stretched out against Jerusalem. David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell face down,
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and David prayed to God: “Was it not I who ordered the census of the people? I am the one who sinned, I did this wicked thing. But these sheep, what have they done? O Lord, my God, strike me and my father’s family, but do not afflict your people with this plague!”
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Then the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to tell David to go up and set up an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
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David went up at the word of Gad, which he spoke in the name of the Lord.
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But as David came toward Ornan, he looked up and saw that it was David, and left the threshing floor and bowed down before David, his face to the ground.
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David said to Ornan: “Sell me the site of this threshing floor, that I may build on it an altar to the Lord. Sell it to me at its full price, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people.”
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But Ornan said to David: “Take it as your own, and let my lord the king do what is good in his sight. See, I also give you the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering. I give it all to you.”
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But King David replied to Ornan: “No! I will buy it from you properly, at its full price. I will not take what is yours for the Lord, nor bring burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”
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So David paid Ornan six hundred shekels of gold for the place.
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Altar for Burnt Offerings. David then built an altar there to the Lord, and sacrificed burnt offerings and communion offerings. He called upon the Lord, who answered him by sending down fire from heaven upon the altar for burnt offerings.
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Once David saw that the Lord had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he continued to offer sacrifices there.
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But David could not go into his presence to inquire of God, for he was fearful of the sword of the angel of the Lord.
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Chapter 22
Thus David said, “This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar for burnt offerings for Israel.”
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David then ordered that the resident aliens in the land of Israel should be brought together, and he appointed them stonecutters to hew out stone blocks for building the house of God.
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David also laid up large stores of iron to make nails for the doors of the gates, and clamps, together with so much bronze that it could not be weighed,
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and cedar trees without number. The Sidonians and Tyrians brought great stores of cedar logs to David.
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David said: “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced; but the house that is to be built for the Lord must be made so magnificent that it will be renowned and glorious in all lands. Therefore I will make preparations for it.” Thus before his death David laid up materials in abundance.
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David said to Solomon: “My son, it was my purpose to build a house myself for the name of the Lord, my God.
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Charge to the Officials. David also commanded all of the officials of Israel to help his son Solomon:
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Chapter 23
The Levitical Divisions. When David had grown old and was near the end of his days, he made his son Solomon king over Israel.
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four thousand were to be gatekeepers, and four thousand were to praise the Lord with the instruments which [David] had devised for praise.
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David apportioned them into divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
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David said: “The Lord, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and has taken up his dwelling in Jerusalem forever.
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For by David’s last words the Levites were enlisted from the time they were twenty years old.
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David, with Zadok, a descendant of Eleazar, and Ahimelech, a descendant of Ithamar, apportioned them their offices in the priestly service.
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They too, in the same manner as their kinsmen, the sons of Aaron, cast lots in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the priestly and levitical families; the more important family did so in the same way as the less important one.
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Chapter 25
The Singers. David and the leaders of the liturgy set apart for the service the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, who prophesied to the accompaniment of lyres and harps and cymbals. This is the list of those who performed this service:
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This Shelomith and his kinsmen oversaw all the treasures of the votive offerings dedicated by King David, the heads of the families, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, and the commanders of the army;
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Among the Hebronites, Jerijah was their chief according to their family records. In the fortieth year of David’s reign search was made, and there were found among them warriors at Jazer of Gilead.
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His kinsmen were also men of substance, two thousand seven hundred heads of families. King David appointed them to the administration of the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh for everything pertaining to God and to the king.
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for Judah, Eliab, one of David’s brothers; for Issachar, Omri, son of Michael;
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David did not count those who were twenty years of age or younger, for the Lord had promised to multiply Israel like the stars of the heavens.
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Joab, son of Zeruiah, began to take the census, but he did not complete it, for because of it wrath fell upon Israel. Therefore the number was not recorded in the book of chronicles of King David.
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and over the flocks was Jaziz the Hagrite. All these were the overseers of King David’s possessions.
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David’s Court. Jonathan, David’s uncle and a man of intelligence, was counselor and scribe; he and Jehiel, the son of Hachmoni, attended the king’s sons.
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Chapter 28
The Assembly at Jerusalem. David assembled at Jerusalem all the commanders of Israel, the tribal commanders, the commanders of the divisions who were in the service of the king, the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, those in command of all the king’s estates and possessions, and his sons, together with the courtiers, the warriors, and every person of substance.
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King David rose to his feet and said: “Hear me, my kinsmen and my people. It was my purpose to build a house of repose myself for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, the footstool for the feet of our God; and I was preparing to build it.
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Temple Plans Given to Solomon. Then David gave to his son Solomon the design of the portico and of the house itself, with its storerooms, its upper rooms and inner chambers, and the shrine containing the cover of the ark.
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Then David said to his son Solomon: “Be strong and steadfast, and go to work; do not fear or be dismayed, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or abandon you before you have completed all the work for the service of the house of the Lord.
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Chapter 29
Offerings for the Temple. King David then said to the whole assembly: “My son Solomon, whom alone God has chosen, is still young and inexperienced; the work, however, is great, for this palace is not meant for human beings, but for the Lord God.
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The people rejoiced over these free-will offerings, for they had been contributed to the Lord wholeheartedly. King David also rejoiced greatly.
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David’s Prayer. Then David blessed the Lord in the sight of the whole assembly. David said: “Blessed are you, Lord, God of Israel our father, from eternity to eternity.
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Then David told the whole assembly, “Now bless the Lord your God!” And the whole assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their ancestors, bowing down in homage before the Lord and before the king.
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and on that day they ate and drank in the Lord’s presence with great rejoicing. Solomon Anointed. Then for a second time they proclaimed David’s son Solomon king, and they anointed him for the Lord as ruler, and Zadok as priest.
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Thereafter Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king succeeding his father David; he prospered, and all Israel obeyed him.
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All the commanders and warriors, and also all the other sons of King David, swore allegiance to King Solomon.
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David’s Death. Thus David, the son of Jesse, had reigned over all Israel.
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Now the deeds of King David, first and last, are recorded in the history of Samuel the seer, the history of Nathan the prophet, and the history of Gad the seer,