Beginning
18 And after this, David struck the Philistines, and subdued them, and took Gath and its villages out of the hand of the Philistines.
2 And he struck Moab. And the Moabites became David’s servants and brought gifts.
3 And David struck Hadadezer, king of Zobah, out to Hamath, as he went to establish his border by the river Perath.
4 And David took a thousand chariots from him, and seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen, and destroyed all the chariots, but he reserved one hundred of the chariots.
5 Then, the Aramites of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, king of Zobah. But David killed twenty-two thousand of the Aramites.
6 And David put a garrison in Aram of Damascus. And the Aramites became David’s servants and brought gifts. And the LORD preserved David wherever he went.
7 And David took the shields of gold from the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.
8 And David brought a large amount of bronze from Tibhath and from Chun (cities of Hadadezer), with which Solomon made the Bronze Sea and the pillars and the vessels of bronze.
9 Then Tou, king of Hamath, heard how David had struck all the army of Hadadezer, king of Zobah.
10 Therefore, he sent Hadoram, his son, to king David, to greet him and to rejoice with him, bringing him all vessels of gold and silver and bronze, because he had fought against Hadadezer and beaten him (for Tou had warred with Hadadezer).
11 And King David dedicated them to the LORD, with the silver and gold that he brought from all the nations, from Edom and from Moab and from the children of Ammon and from the Philistines and from Amalek.
12 And Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, struck eighteen thousand the of Edomites in the Salt Valley.
13 And he put a garrison in Edom. And all the Edomites became David’s servants. And the LORD preserved David wherever he went.
14 So, David reigned over all Israel and executed judgment and justice to all his people.
15 And Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was over the army. And Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was recorder.
16 And Zadok, the son of Ahitub, and Abimelech, the son of Abiathar, were the Priests. And Shavsha was the Scribe.
17 And Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites. And the sons of David were chief around the king.
19 Also after this, Nahash, the king of the children of Ammon, died. And his son reigned in his place.
2 And David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun, the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.” And David sent messengers to comfort him for his father. So, the servants of David came into the land of the children of Ammon, to Hanun, to comfort him.
3 And the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, “Did you think that David honors your father because he has sent comforters to you? Have not his servants come to you to search, to seek and to spy out the land?”
4 Therefore, Hanun took David’s servants and shaved them and cut their garments in half to the buttocks and sent them away.
5 And some went and told David about the men. And he sent to meet them (for the men were very ashamed). And the king said, “Remain in Jericho until your beards have grown. Then return.”
6 When the children of Ammon saw that they stank in the sight of David, they sent Hanun and the children of Ammon a thousand talents of silver, to hire chariots and horsemen for themselves out of Aram Naharaim, and out of Aram Maacah, and out of Zobah.
7 And they hired thirty-two thousand chariots for themselves and the king of Maacah and his people, who had come and camped before Medeba. And the children of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities, and came to the battle.
8 And when David heard it, he sent Joab and the whole army of the valiant men.
9 And the children of Ammon came out and set themselves in battle formation at the gate of the city. And the kings who had come were by themselves in the field.
10 When Joab saw that the front of the battle was against him, in front and behind, he chose from all the choice of Israel and set himself in formation to meet the Aramites.
11 And he delivered the rest of the people into the hand of Abishai, his brother. And they put themselves in formation against the children of Ammon.
12 And he said, “If Aram is too strong for me, then you shall help me. And if the children of Ammon prevail against you, then I will help you.
13 “Be strong! And let us show ourselves valiant for our people, and for the cities of our God! And let the LORD do that which is good in His own sight.”
14 So Joab and the people who were with him came near the Aramites, to do battle. And they fled before him.
15 And when the children of Ammon saw that the Aramites fled, they also fled before Abishai, his brother, and entered into the city. So, Joab came to Jerusalem.
16 And when the Aramites saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers and caused the Aramites who were beyond the river to come forth. And Shophach, the captain of the army of Hadadezer, went before them.
17 And when it was told to David, he gathered all Israel and went over Jordan and came to them and put himself in formation against them. And when David had put himself in battle formation to meet the Aramites, they fought with him.
18 But the Aramites fled before Israel. And David destroyed seven thousand chariots and forty thousand footmen of the Aramites and killed Shophach, the captain of the army.
19 And when the servants of Hadadezer saw that they fell before Israel, they made peace with David, and served him. And the Aramites would no longer help the children of Ammon.
20 And after the year had expired, in the time that kings go out to battle, Joab carried out the strength of the army and destroyed the country of the children of Ammon and came and besieged Rabbah (though David remained in Jerusalem). And Joab struck Rabbah and destroyed it.
2 Then David took the crown of their king from off his head and found it to be the weight of a talent of gold, with precious stones in it. And it was set on David’s head. And he brought away a large amount of plunder from the city.
3 And he carried away the people who were in it, and cut them with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. David did so with all the cities of the children of Ammon. Then David and all the people came back to Jerusalem.
4 And also after this, there arose war with the Philistines at Gezer. Then Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Sippai, of the children of Haraphah, and they were subdued.
5 And there was yet another battle with the Philistines. And Elhanan, the son of Jair, killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver’s beam.
6 And yet again, there was a battle at Gath, where there was a man of great stature. And he had six fingers and toes (twenty-four in all), and was also the son of Haraphah.
7 And when he reviled Israel, Jonathan, the son of Shimea, David’s brother killed him.
8 These were born to Haraphah at Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hands of his servants.
21 And Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to count Israel.
2 Therefore, David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, “Go. Count Israel from Beersheba to Dan and bring it to me, so that I may know the number of them.”
3 And Joab answered, “May the LORD increase His people a hundred times as many as they are, O my lord the king! But, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord require this thing? Why should he be a cause of offense to Israel?”
4 Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab. And Joab departed and went through all Israel and returned to Jerusalem.
5 And Joab gave the number and sum of the people to David. And all Israel numbered one million one hundred thousand men who drew sword. And Judah numbered four hundred seventy thousand men who drew sword.
6 But he did not count the Levites and Benjamin among them; for the king’s word was abominable to Joab.
7 And God was displeased with this thing. Therefore, He struck Israel.
8 Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing. But now, I pray, remove the iniquity of Your servant. For I have acted very foolishly.”
9 And the LORD spoke to Gad, David’s Seer, saying,
10 “Go and tell David, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD: “I offer you three things. Choose one of them, so that I may do it for you.”’”
11 So Gad came to David, and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Take for yourself
12 ‘either three years of famine or three months to be destroyed before your adversaries with the sword of your enemies taking you, or else the sword of the LORD and pestilence for three days in the land, so that the Angel of the LORD may destroy throughout all the territories of Israel.’ Now, therefore, consider what word I shall bring back to Him who sent me.”
13 And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let me now fall into the hand of the LORD. For His mercies are exceedingly great. And let me not fall into the hand of man.”
14 So, the LORD sent a pestilence in Israel. And seventy thousand men of Israel fell.
15 And God sent the Angel into Jerusalem, to destroy it. And as he was destroying, the LORD beheld, and relented of the misery, and said to the Angel that destroyed, “It is enough now. Let your hand cease.” Then the Angel of the LORD stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
16 And David lifted up his eyes and saw the Angel of the LORD stand between the Earth and the sky, with his sword drawn in his hand and stretched out toward Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.
17 And David said to God, “Is it not I who commanded to count the people? Is it not also I who has sinned and has committed evil” But these sheep, what have they done? O LORD my God, I pray, let Your Hand be on me and on my father’s House, and not on Your people, to their destruction.”
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 according to the saying of Gad which he had spoken in the Name of the LORD.
20 And Ornan turned around and saw the Angel. And his four sons who were with him hid themselves. And Ornan threshed wheat.
21 And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David and went out of the threshing floor and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.
22 And David said to Ornan, “Give me the space of your threshing floor, so that I may build an Altar in it to the LORD. Give it to me for sufficient money, so that the plague may be removed from the people.”
23 Then Ornan said to David, “Take it for yourself. And let my lord the king do that which seems good to him. Lo, I give you oxen for Burnt Offerings and threshing instruments for wood and wheat for Meat Offering. I give it all.”
24 And King David said to Ornan, “Not so. But I will buy it for sufficient money. For I will not take that which is yours for the LORD, nor offer Burnt Offerings without cost.”
25 So David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for that place.
26 And David built an Altar to the LORD there 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 And after the LORD had spoken to the Angel, he put away his sword, back into its sheath.
28 At that time, when David saw that the LORD had heard him in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.
29 But the Tabernacle of the LORD which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the Altar of Burnt Offering, were in the high place at Gibeon at that time.
30 And David could not go before it to ask counsel at God. For he was afraid of the sword of the Angel of the LORD.
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