Beginning
18 After this, David smote and subdued the Philistines, and took Gath and its villages out of the hand of the Philistines.
2 He smote Moab, and the Moabites became David’s servants and brought tribute.
3 Also David defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah toward Hamath, as he went to establish his dominion by the river Euphrates.
4 David took from him 1,000 chariots, 7,000 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers. David also hamstrung all the chariot horses, but reserved enough for 100 chariots.
5 When the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David slew of the Syrians 22,000 men.
6 Then David put garrisons in Syria, [whose capital was] Damascus; the Syrians became David’s servants and brought tribute. Thus the Lord preserved and gave victory to David wherever he went.
7 David took the shields of gold that were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.
8 Likewise from Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadadezer, David brought very much bronze, with which Solomon later made the bronze laver, the pillars, and the vessels of bronze.
9 When Tou king of Hamath heard how David had defeated all the hosts of Hadadezer king of Zobah,
10 He sent Hadoram his son to King David to salute him and to congratulate him because he had fought and defeated Hadadezer, for Hadadezer had had wars with Tou. And Hadoram brought with him all manner of vessels of gold, silver, and bronze.
11 King David dedicated them also to the Lord, with the silver and the gold he brought from all these nations: Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and the Amalekites.
12 Also Abishai son of Zeruiah slew 18,000 of the Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
13 He put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became David’s servants. Thus the Lord preserved and gave victory to David wherever he went.
14 So David reigned over all Israel and executed judgment and justice among all his people.
15 Joab son of Zeruiah [David’s half sister] was over the army; and Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder;
16 Zadok son of Ahitub and Abimelech son of Abiathar were the priests; and Shavsha was secretary [of state];
17 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over [David’s bodyguards] the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were chiefs next to the king.
19 After this, Nahash king of the Ammonites died, and his son reigned in his stead.
2 David said, I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me. And David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father’s death. So the servants of David came into the land of the Ammonites to comfort Hanun.
3 But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun, Do you think that David has sent comforters to you because he honors your father? Have his servants not come to you to search, to overthrow, and to spy out the land?
4 Therefore Hanun took David’s servants, shaved them, cut off their garments in the middle near their buttocks, and sent them away.
5 When David was told how the men were served, he sent to meet them, for [they] were greatly shamed and embarrassed. The king said, Stay in Jericho until your beards are grown, and then return.
6 When the Ammonites saw that they had made themselves hateful to David, Hanun and [his people] sent 1,000 talents of silver to hire chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia and Aram-maacah and Zobah.
7 So they hired 32,000 chariots, and the king of Maacah and his troops, who came and pitched before Medeba. And the Ammonites gathered from their cities and came to battle.
8 When David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of mighty men.
9 And the Ammonites came out and lined up in battle array before the entrance of the city [Medeba], and the kings who had come were by themselves in the open country.
10 When Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose from all the choice men of Israel and put them in array against the Syrians.
11 The rest of the soldiers he delivered to Abishai his brother, and they were arrayed against the Ammonites.
12 And he said, If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you help me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will help you.
13 Be of good courage and let us behave ourselves courageously for our people and for 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 drew near before the Syrians for battle, and they fled before him.
15 And when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians fled, they likewise fled before Abishai, Joab’s brother, and entered into the city [Medeba]. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.
16 When the Syrians saw that they were defeated by Israel, they sent messengers and drew forth the Syrians who were beyond the Euphrates River, with Shophach the commander of the army of Hadadezer at their head.
17 It was told to David, and he gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan and drew up his army against them. So when David set the battle in array against the Syrians, they fought with him.
18 But the Syrians fled before Israel, and David slew of the Syrians 7,000 men in chariots and 40,000 foot soldiers, and killed Shophach the commander of the army.
19 When the servants of Hadadezer saw that they were defeated before Israel, they made peace with David and became subject to him; nor would the Syrians any longer help the Ammonites.
20 After the end of the year, when kings go out to battle, Joab led forth the army and devastated the land of the Ammonites, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem. Joab smote Rabbah and overthrew it.
2 David took their king’s crown from off his head and found that it weighed a talent of gold and that precious stones were in it. It was set upon David’s head. He brought also very much spoil out of the city of Rabbah.
3 He brought out the people who were in it and set them at cutting with saws, iron wedges, and axes. So David dealt with all the Ammonite cities. And David and all the army returned to Jerusalem.
4 After this, there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines; then Sibbecai the Hushathite slew Sippai, of the sons of the giant, and they were subdued.
5 There was war again with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam.
6 And again there was war at Gath, where was a man of great stature who had twenty-four fingers and toes, six on each hand and each foot. He also was born to the giant.
7 And when he reproached and defied Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, David’s brother, slew him.
8 These were born to the giant [clan] in Gath, and they fell by the hands of David and his servants.
21 Satan [an adversary] stood up against Israel and stirred up David to number Israel.
2 David said to Joab and the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me the total, that I may know it.
3 And Joab answered, May the Lord multiply His people a hundred times! But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why then does my lord require this? Why will he bring guilt upon Israel?
4 But the king’s word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem.
5 Joab gave the total number of the people to David. And all of Israel were 1,100,000 who drew the sword, and of Judah 470,000 who drew the sword.
6 But Levi and Benjamin he did not include among them, for the king’s order was detestable to Joab.
7 And God was displeased with this [reliance on human resources], and He smote Israel.
8 And David said to God, I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. But now, I beseech You, take away the hateful wickedness of Your servant; for I have done very foolishly.
9 And the Lord said to Gad, David’s seer,
10 Go and tell David, Thus says the Lord: I offer you three things; choose one of them, that I may do it to you.
11 So Gad came to David and said to him, Thus says the Lord: Take which one you will:
12 Either three years of famine, or three months of devastation before your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of the Lord and pestilence in the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the borders of Israel. Now therefore, consider what answer I shall return to Him Who sent me.
13 And David said to Gad, I am in great and distressing perplexity; let me fall, I pray you, into the hands of the Lord, for very great and many are His mercies; but let me not fall into the hands of man.
14 So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel, and there fell of Israel 70,000 men.
15 God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, and as he was destroying, the Lord beheld, and He regretted and relented of the evil and said to the destroying angel, It is enough; now stay your hand. And the angel of the Lord stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
16 David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and the heavens, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.
17 And David said to God, Is it not I who commanded the people to be numbered? It is I who has sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray You, O Lord my God, be on me and on my father’s house, but not on Your people, that they should be plagued.
18 Then the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David that David should go up and set up an altar to the Lord in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19 So David went up at Gad’s word, which he spoke in the name of the Lord.
20 Now Ornan was threshing wheat, and he turned back and saw the angel; and his four sons hid themselves.
21 And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw him, and went out from the threshing floor and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.
22 Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the site of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar on it to the Lord. You shall charge me the full price for it, that the plague may be averted from the people.
23 Ornan said to David, Take it; and let my lord the king do what is good in his eyes. I give you the oxen also for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for wood and the wheat for the meal offering. I give it all.
24 And King David said to Ornan, No, but I will pay the full price. I will not take what is yours for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings which cost me nothing.
25 So David gave to Ornan for the site 600 shekels of gold by weight.
26 And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings and called upon the Lord; and He answered him by fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering.
27 Then the Lord commanded the [avenging] angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.
28 When David saw that the Lord had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there.
29 For the tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses 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 inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord.
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation