Beginning
David’s Song of Praise(A)
22 David sang [L the words of] this song [C see the close parallel to the following song in Psalm 18] to the Lord when the Lord ·saved [rescued; T delivered] him from Saul and all his other enemies. 2 He said:
“The Lord is my rock, my fortress, my ·Savior [rescuer; T deliverer].
3 My God is my rock.
·I can run to him for safety [L In whom I find protection/take refuge].
He is my shield and ·my saving strength [L the horn of my salvation; C symbolizes strength based on an animal lifting its head triumphantly],
my ·defender [stronghold] and my ·place of safety [refuge].
The Lord saves me from ·those who want to harm me [L violence].
4 I ·will call to [call upon] the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and I ·will be [or am] saved from my enemies.
5 “The waves of death ·came around [swirled about; encompassed] me;
the ·deadly rivers [floods/torrents of destruction] overwhelmed me.
6 The ·ropes of death [cords of the grave/Sheol] ·wrapped around [entangled; coiled around] me.
The ·traps [snares] of death ·were before [confronted; lay ahead of] me.
7 In my ·trouble [distress; anguish] I ·called [cried out] to the Lord;
I ·cried out [called] to my God.
From his ·temple [sanctuary] he heard my voice;
my ·call for help [cry] reached his ears.
8 “The earth ·trembled [reeled; quaked] and ·shook [rocked].
The foundations of heaven began to ·shake [shudder].
They ·trembled [reeled; quaked] because the Lord was angry.
9 Smoke ·came out of his nose [poured/rose from his nostrils],
and ·burning [devouring] fire came out of his mouth.
Burning coals ·went before [blazed/flamed out from] him.
10 He ·tore open [parted; bowed] the ·sky [heavens] and came down
with ·dark clouds [storm clouds; thick darkness] under his feet.
11 He rode a ·creature with wings [cherub; C a mighty spiritual being/angel; Ezek. 1] and flew.
·He raced […soaring] on the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness his ·shelter [canopy, shroud]
surrounded by ·fog and [thick rain] clouds.
13 Out of the brightness ·of his presence [before him]
·came [blazed; flamed] ·flashes of lightning [L fiery coals].
14 The Lord thundered from heaven;
the ·Most High raised his voice [voice of the Most High resounded].
15 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies.
His bolts of lightning ·confused them with fear [routed them].
16 ·The wind blew from his nose [L At the blast of breath from his nostrils…] when he spoke.
Then the ·valleys [floor; channels] of the sea ·appeared [were exposed],
and the foundations of the earth were ·seen [laid bare].
17 “The Lord reached down from ·above [heaven; on high] and ·took [rescued] me;
he ·pulled me from the deep water [drew me out of mighty waters].
18 He ·saved [rescued; T delivered] me from my powerful enemies,
from those who hated me, because they were too strong for me.
19 They ·attacked [confronted] me ·at my time of trouble [L in the day of my distress/calamity/disaster],
but the Lord ·supported me [was my stay].
20 He took me to a ·safe [spacious; open; L broad] place.
Because he delights in me, he ·saved [rescued; T delivered] me.
21 “The Lord ·spared [rewarded] me ·because I did what was right [L according to my righteousness].
Because ·I have not done evil [of my innocence; L of the cleanness of my hands], he has ·rewarded [L restored] me.
22 I have ·followed [obeyed; kept; L guarded] the ways of the Lord;
I have not done evil by turning from my God.
23 I ·remember [follow; L have before me] all his ·laws [regulations]
and have not ·broken [abandoned; L turned from] his ·rules [statutes; ordinances; requirements].
24 I am ·innocent [blameless] before him;
I have kept myself from ·doing evil [sin; guilt; iniquity].
25 The Lord ·rewarded [repaid] me ·because I did what was right [L according to my righteousness],
·because I did what the Lord said was right [L according to my cleanness/purity in his sight].
26 “Lord, you ·are [show yourself] ·loyal [faithful; kind] to those who are loyal [faithful; kind],
and you are good to those who are good.
27 You ·are [show yourself] ·pure [sincere] to those who are pure [sincere],
but you ·are [show yourself] ·against [hostile/shrewd/cunning/perverse to] those who are ·evil [perverse; devious; crooked].
28 You ·save [rescue; T deliver] the ·humble [afflicted],
but you ·bring down [watch and humiliate] ·those who are proud [the haughty].
29 Lord, you ·give light to [L are] my lamp.
The Lord ·brightens the darkness around me [lights up/illuminates my darkness].
30 With your help I can ·attack [crush] an army.
With God’s help I can ·jump over [scale] a wall.
31 “The ·ways [way; path] of God are ·without fault [blameless; perfect];
the Lord’s ·words [promises] are ·pure [tested; flawless; proven true].
He is a shield to those who ·trust [seek protection/take refuge in] him.
32 Who is God? Only the Lord.
Who is the Rock? Only our God.
33 God ·is my protection [is my strong fortress; or girds me with strength].
He makes my way ·free from fault [perfect; secure; a wide path].
34 He makes ·me [L my feet] like a deer [C surefooted];
he ·helps me stand [sets me] on the ·steep mountains [heights].
35 He trains my hands for battle
so my arms can bend a bronze bow.
36 You ·protect me with your saving shield [L have given me the shield of your salvation/victory].
·You have stooped to make [Your help makes] me great.
37 You ·give me a better way to live [broaden my path; L widen my steps beneath me]
so ·I live as you want me to [my feet do not slip/L ankles do not weaken].
38 I ·chased [pursued] my enemies and ·destroyed [exterminated] them.
I did not ·quit [turn back] till they were ·destroyed [annihilated; consumed].
39 I ·destroyed [devoured; consumed] and ·crushed them [shattered them; struck them down]
so they couldn’t ·rise [get] up again.
They fell beneath my feet.
40 You ·gave me [L armed/girded me with] strength ·in [for] battle.
You ·made my enemies bow [humbled/subdued my enemies] ·before me [under my feet].
41 You made my enemies ·turn back [turn their backs; retreat],
and I destroyed ·those who hated me [my foes].
42 They ·called for help [looked around],
but no one came to ·save [rescue] them.
They ·called [looked] to the Lord,
but he did not answer them.
43 I ·beat my enemies into pieces [ground/pulverized them],
like dust ·on the ground [of the earth].
I ·poured them out and walked [crushed and stamped] on them
like ·mud [mire] in the streets.
44 “You ·saved [rescued; T delivered] me when my people ·attacked me [quarreled; fought].
You kept me as the ·leader [ruler; head] of nations.
People I never knew serve me.
45 Foreigners ·obey [cower/L cringe before] me.
As soon as they hear ·me [of me], they obey me.
46 They all ·become afraid [lose heart/their courage]
and ·tremble in [come trembling from] their ·hiding places [fortresses; strongholds].
47 “The Lord lives!
May my Rock be ·praised [blessed]!
Praise God, the Rock, ·who saves me […of my salvation]!
48 God gives me ·victory [revenge; vengeance] over my enemies
and brings ·people [the nations] under ·my rule [me].
49 He frees me from my enemies.
“You ·set me over those who hate me [exalt/lift me above my enemies].
You ·saved [rescued; T delivered] me from violent people.
50 So I will ·praise [extol] you, Lord, among the nations.
I will sing praises to your name.
51 The Lord ·gives great victories [is a tower of salvation] to his king.
He ·is loyal [shows kindness/faithful love] to his ·appointed king [anointed],
to David and his descendants forever.”
David’s Last Words
23 These are the last words of David.
This is the ·message [declaration; oracle; inspired words] of David son of Jesse.
The man ·made great by the Most High God [raised high/exalted by God] speaks.
He is the ·appointed king of [anointed by] the God of Jacob;
he is the sweet ·singer [psalmist; or hero] of Israel:
2 “The Lord’s Spirit spoke through me,
and his word was on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel spoke;
the Rock of Israel said to me:
‘Whoever rules ·fairly [justly; righteously] over people,
who rules ·with respect for [in fear of] God [Prov. 1:7],
4 is like the morning light at ·dawn [sunrise],
like a morning without clouds.
He is like sunshine after a rain
that makes the grass ·sprout from the ground [L of the earth sparkle/gleam].’
5 “·This is how God has cared for my family [L Is it not so with my house and God?].
God made a lasting ·agreement [treaty; covenant] with me [7:1–17],
·right [ordered; arranged] and ·sure [secured; guaranteed; assured] in ·every way [all things].
·He will [L Will he not…?] ·accomplish [ensure] my ·salvation [safety]
and ·satisfy [fufill; bring about/to fruition] all my desires.
6 “But all ·evil [worthless; godless] people will be thrown away like thorns
that cannot be held in a hand.
7 No one can touch them
except with a tool of iron or ·wood [L the shaft of a spear].
They will be ·thrown in [consumed by] the fire and burned where they lie.”
David’s Army(B)
8 These are the names of David’s warriors:
Josheb-Basshebeth, the Tahkemonite, was ·head of the Three [chief of the captains; C David’s most prestigious soldiers; 1 Chr. 11:11]. He ·used [wielded; brandished] his spear and killed eight hundred men at one time.
9 Next was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. Eleazar was one of the three ·soldiers [warriors; champions; mighty men] who were with David when they ·challenged [defied; taunted] the Philistines. The Philistines were gathered for battle, and the Israelites ·drew back [had fled/disbanded]. 10 But Eleazar ·stayed where he was [stood his ground] and ·fought [killed; L struck] the Philistines until ·he was so tired his hand [L his hand was so stiff that it] stuck to his sword. The Lord ·gave [brought about] a great victory for the Israelites that day. The troops came back after Eleazar had won the battle, but only to ·take weapons and armor from the enemy [plunder].
11 Next there was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines came together to fight in a ·vegetable [lentil] field. Israel’s troops ·ran away [fled] from the Philistines, 12 but Shammah stood in the middle of the field and ·fought for [defended] it and ·killed [L struck] the Philistines. And the Lord ·gave [brought about] a great victory.
13 Once, three of the Thirty, David’s chief ·soldiers [warriors], came down to him at the cave of Adullam during harvest. The Philistine army had camped in the Valley of Rephaim. 14 At that time David was in the stronghold, and ·some [L a detachment/garrison] of the Philistines were in Bethlehem.
15 David had a ·strong desire for some water [L craving; longing]. He said, “·Oh, I wish [If only] someone would get me water from the well near the city gate of Bethlehem!” 16 So the three warriors broke through the Philistine ·army [lines; camp] and ·took [drew] water from the well near the city gate of Bethlehem. Then they brought it to David, but he refused to drink it. He poured it out before [C as an offering to] the Lord, 17 saying, “·May the Lord keep me from drinking this water [L The Lord forbid that I should do this]! It would be like drinking the blood of the men who risked their lives!” So David refused to drink it. ·These [Such] were the ·brave things [exploits; deeds] that the three ·warriors [champions] did.
18 Abishai, brother of Joab son of Zeruiah, was ·captain [leader; chief] of the Three. Abishai fought three hundred soldiers with his spear and killed them. He ·became as famous as [won/earned a name among] the Three 19 and was ·more honored than the Three [or the most honored of the Thirty; C the Hebrew text has “Three”; the Syriac text has “Thirty” and fits the context better]. He became their commander even though he was not one of ·them [L the Three].
20 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a ·brave [valiant] fighter from Kabzeel who ·did mighty things [performed great/heroic exploits]. He killed two ·of the best warriors [or sons of Ariel] from Moab. He also went down into a ·pit [storage well] and killed a lion on a snowy day. 21 Benaiah killed a ·large [impressive; or handsome] Egyptian who had a spear in his hand. Benaiah had a club, but he grabbed the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. 22 These were the things Benaiah son of Jehoiada did. He ·was as famous as [L had a name among] the Three. 23 He ·received more honor than [was honored among] the Thirty, but ·he did not become a member of [was not equal to] the Three. David ·made him leader [put him in charge/command] of his bodyguards.
The Thirty Chief Soldiers
24 The following men were among the Thirty:
Asahel brother of Joab;
Elhanan son of Dodo from Bethlehem;
25 Shammah the Harodite;
Elika the Harodite;
26 Helez the Paltite;
Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa;
27 Abiezer the Anathothite;
Mebunnai the Hushathite;
28 Zalmon the Ahohite;
Maharai the Netophathite;
29 ·Heled [or Heleb] son of Baanah the Netophathite;
Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin;
30 Benaiah the Pirathonite;
Hiddai from the ravines of Gaash;
31 Abi-Albon the Arbathite;
Azmaveth the Barhumite;
32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite;
the sons of Jashen;
Jonathan 33 son of Shammah the Hararite;
Ahiam son of Sharar the Hararite;
34 Eliphelet son of Ahasbai the Maacathite;
Eliam son of Ahithophel the Gilonite;
35 Hezro the Carmelite;
Paarai the Arbite;
36 Igal son of Nathan of Zobah;
the son of Hagri;
37 Zelek the Ammonite;
Naharai the Beerothite, who carried the armor of Joab son of Zeruiah;
38 Ira the Ithrite;
Gareb the Ithrite,
39 and Uriah the Hittite.
There were thirty-seven in all.
David Counts His Army(C)
24 The ·Lord was angry with [L anger of the Lord burned against; C compare 1 Chr. 21:1] Israel again, and he ·caused [incited] David to turn against the Israelites. He said, “Go, ·count [number; take a census of] the people of Israel and Judah.”
2 So King David said to Joab, the commander of the army, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba [C the far north and south of Israel], and ·count [take a census of; register; number] the people. Then I will know how many there are.”
3 But Joab said to the king, “May the Lord your God give you a hundred times more ·people [soldiers], and may my master the king live to see this happen. ·Why do you [L But why does my lord the king] want to do this?”
4 But the ·king commanded [L king’s word overruled/prevailed against] Joab and the commanders of the army, so they left the king to ·count [take a census of; register; number] the Israelites [C taking the census indicates David’s ungodly dependence on the number of his troops].
5 After crossing the Jordan River, they camped near Aroer on the south side of the city in the ·ravine [valley]. They went through Gad and on to Jazer. 6 Then they went to Gilead and the land of Tahtim Hodshi and to Dan Jaan and around to Sidon. 7 They went to the ·strong, walled city [fortress] of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went to ·southern [L the Negev of] Judah, to Beersheba. 8 After nine months and twenty days, they had gone through all the land. Then they came back to Jerusalem.
9 Joab ·gave the list of the people [reported the number of soldiers] to the king. There were eight hundred thousand men in Israel who could ·use [draw; handle] the sword and five hundred thousand men in Judah.
10 ·David felt ashamed [L David’s heart/conscience troubled him] after he had ·counted [taken a census of; registered; numbered] the people. He said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly by what I have done. Lord, I beg you to ·forgive me, [L take away the guilt/iniquity of] your servant, because I have been very foolish.”
11 When David got up in the morning, the ·Lord spoke his word [L word of the Lord came] to Gad, who was a prophet and David’s seer. 12 The Lord told Gad, “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I offer you three ·choices [options; things]. Choose one of them and I will ·do it to [inflict it on] you.’”
13 So Gad [1 Sam. 22:5] went to David and said to him, “Should ·three [C so 1 Chr. 21:12; the Hebrew text has “seven”] years of ·hunger [famine] come to you and your land? Or should ·your enemies chase you [L you flee from your pursuing enemies] for three months? Or should there be three days of ·disease [epidemics; pestilence; plagues] in your land? Think about it. Then decide ·which of these things [what answer] I should ·tell [give] the Lord who sent me.”
14 David said to Gad, “I am in ·great [deep] ·trouble [distress]. Let ·the Lord punish us [L us fall into the hands of the Lord], because ·the Lord is very merciful [L his mercy is great]. Don’t let ·my punishment come from human beings [L me fall into human hands]!”
15 So the Lord sent a ·terrible disease [epidemic; pestilence; plague] on Israel. It began in the morning and continued until the ·chosen time to stop [appointed time]. From Dan to Beersheba [C from the far north and the far south of Israel] seventy thousand people died. 16 When the angel raised his ·arm [L hand] toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord ·felt very sorry about the terrible things that had happened [relented about the calamity/disaster]. He said to the angel who was ·destroying [afflicting] the people, “That is enough! ·Put down [Stay; Withdraw] your ·arm [L hand]!” The angel of the Lord was ·then [at that moment] by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
17 When David saw the angel that ·killed [L was striking down/ravaging] the people, he said to the Lord, “I am the one who sinned and did wrong. ·These people only followed me like sheep. They did nothing wrong [L What have these sheep done?]. Please ·punish me and my family [L let your hand fall on me and my father’s house].”
18 That day Gad came to David and said, “Go and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 So David did what Gad told him to do, just as the Lord commanded.
20 Araunah looked and saw the king and his servants coming to him. So he went out and ·bowed facedown [prostrated himself] on the ground before the king. 21 He said, “Why has my ·master [lord] the king come to ·me [L his servant]?”
David answered, “To buy the threshing floor from you so I can build an altar to the Lord. Then the ·terrible disease [epidemic; pestilence; plague] will ·stop [be averted/lifted/withheld from the people].”
22 Araunah said to David, “My ·master [lord] and king, you may take anything you want for a ·sacrifice [offering]. Here are some oxen for the whole burnt offering and the threshing ·boards [sledges] and the yokes for the wood. 23 My king, I give ·everything [all this] to you.” Araunah also said to the king, “May the Lord your God ·be pleased with [respond favorably to; accept] you.”
24 But the king answered Araunah, “No, I ·will pay you for [insist on buying] the land. I won’t ·offer [sacrifice] to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”
So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for ·one and one-fourth pounds [L fifty shekels] of silver. 25 He built an altar to the Lord there and ·offered [sacrificed] whole burnt offerings and ·fellowship [or peace; well-being; Lev. 3:1] offerings [C this site is the later location of the temple; 1 Chr. 22:1]. Then the Lord ·answered his [was moved by/felt pity from this] prayer for the country, and the ·disease [epidemic; pestilence; plague] in Israel ·stopped [was averted/lifted/withheld].
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