Beginning
David Strikes Down Nations
18 Now (A)it happened afterwards, that David struck the Philistines and subdued them and took Gath and its towns from the hand of the Philistines. 2 He also struck Moab, and the Moabites became servants to David, bringing tribute.
3 Then David struck Hadadezer king of Zobah as far as Hamath, as he went to set up his [a]power at the Euphrates River. 4 And David captured from him 1,000 chariots and 7,000 horsemen and 20,000 foot soldiers, and David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but left enough of them for 100 chariots.
5 Then the Arameans of [b]Damascus came to help Hadadezer king (B)of Zobah. And David struck down 22,000 men of the Arameans. 6 Then David placed garrisons among the Arameans of [c]Damascus; and the Arameans became servants to David, bringing tribute. And Yahweh granted salvation to David wherever he went. 7 And David took the small shields of gold which were [d]carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 Also from [e]Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadadezer, David took a very large amount of bronze, with which (C)Solomon made the bronze sea and the pillars and the bronze utensils.
9 Then [f]Tou king of Hamath heard that David had struck down all the military force of Hadadezer king of Zobah, 10 so he sent [g]Hadoram his son to King David to [h]greet him and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and struck him down; for Hadadezer had been at war with Tou. And Hadoram brought all kinds of articles of gold and silver and bronze. 11 King David also set these apart as holy to Yahweh with the silver and the gold which he had carried away from all the nations: from Edom, Moab, the sons of Ammon, the Philistines, and from Amalek.
12 Moreover, Abishai the son of Zeruiah [i]smote 18,000 of Edom in the Valley of Salt. 13 Then he placed garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became servants to David. And Yahweh granted salvation to David wherever he went.
14 So David reigned over all Israel; and he was doing justice and righteousness for all his people. 15 (D)Now 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 priests, and Shavsha was scribe; 17 and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and the sons of David were chiefs at the king’s side.
The Ammonites Dishonor David’s Men
19 (E)Now it happened afterwards, that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon died, and his son became king in his place. 2 So David said, “I will show lovingkindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed lovingkindness to me.” So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And David’s servants came into the land of the sons of Ammon to Hanun to comfort him. 3 But the princes of the sons of Ammon said to Hanun, “In your eyes, is David honoring your father because he has sent comforters to you? Have not his servants come to you to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?” 4 So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved them and cut off their garments in the middle as far as their hips, and sent them away. 5 Then certain persons went and told David about the men. And he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly dishonored. And the king said, “[j]Stay at Jericho until your beards grow, and then return.”
6 Then the sons of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David. So Hanun and the sons of Ammon sent [k]1,000 talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia, from Aram-maacah, and (F)from Zobah. 7 So they hired for themselves 32,000 chariots, and the king of Maacah and his people, who came and camped before (G)Medeba. And the sons of Ammon gathered together from their cities and came to battle. 8 Then David heard of it, and he sent Joab and all the army, the mighty men. 9 And the sons of Ammon came out and arranged themselves for battle at the entrance of the city. But the kings who had come were by themselves in the field.
David Defeats Ammon and Aram
10 Then Joab saw that the [l]battle was set against him in front and in the rear. So he chose from all the choice men of Israel and [m]they arranged themselves to meet the Arameans. 11 But the remainder of the people he put in the hand of [n]Abshai his brother; and they arranged themselves to meet the sons of Ammon. 12 And he said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall save me; but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will save you. 13 Be strong, and let us show strength for the sake of our people and for the cities of our God; and may Yahweh do what is good in His sight.” 14 So Joab and the people who were with him drew near before the Arameans for the battle, and they fled before him. 15 Now the sons of Ammon saw that the Arameans fled. So they themselves also fled before Abshai his brother and came into the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.
16 Then the Arameans saw that they had been [o]defeated by Israel. So they sent messengers and brought out the Arameans who were beyond the [p]River, and Shophach the commander of the army of Hadadezer [q]led them. 17 And it was told to David, so he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan, and came upon them and arranged for battle against them. So David arranged them in battle to meet the Arameans. And they fought against him. 18 But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed of the Arameans 7,000 charioteers and 40,000 foot soldiers, and put to death Shophach the commander of the army. 19 Then the servants of Hadadezer saw that they were [r]defeated by Israel. So they made peace with David and served him. And the Arameans were not willing to save the sons of Ammon anymore.
War with Philistine Giants
20 (H)Now it happened [s]in the spring, at the time when kings go out to battle, that Joab led out the force of the military and brought the land of the sons of Ammon to ruin, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. And (I)Joab struck Rabbah and [t]tore it down. 2 (J)Then David took the crown of [u]their king from his head; and he found it to weigh a [v]talent of gold, and in it was a precious stone; and it was placed on David’s head. And he brought out the spoil of the city in a very great amount. 3 He also brought out the people who were in it (K)and [w]made them work with saws and with sharp iron instruments and with axes. And thus David used to do to all the cities of the sons of Ammon. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
4 (L)Now it happened afterwards, that war [x]broke out at [y]Gezer with the Philistines; then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Sippai, one among those born of the [z]giants, and they were subdued. 5 And there was war with the Philistines again, and Elhanan the son of (M)Jair struck down Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the (N)shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. 6 Then there was war at Gath again, and there was a man of great stature who had twenty-four fingers and toes, six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot; and he also had been born to the giants. 7 And he [aa]reproached Israel, so Jonathan the son of Shimea, David’s brother, struck him down. 8 These were born to the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.
David Sins by Numbering Israel
21 (O)Then Satan stood up against Israel and incited David to number Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, “(P)Go, count Israel from Beersheba even to Dan, and bring me word that I may know their total count.” 3 But Joab said, “(Q)May Yahweh add to His people a hundred times as many as they are! But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord seek this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt to Israel?” 4 Nevertheless, the king’s word stood strong against Joab. So, Joab went out and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem. 5 And Joab gave the total count of the [ab]census of the people to David. And (R)all Israel were 1,100,000 men who drew the sword; and Judah was 470,000 men who drew the sword. 6 (S)But he did not [ac]number Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king’s [ad]command was abominable to Joab.
7 And this thing was displeasing in the sight of God, so He struck Israel. 8 Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing. (T)But now, please take away the iniquity of Your slave, for I have acted very foolishly.”
9 And Yahweh spoke to (U)Gad, David’s (V)seer, saying, 10 “Go and speak to David, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “I [ae]am offering you three things; choose for yourself one of them, and I will do that to you.”’” 11 So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Take for yourself 12 (W)either three years of famine, or three months to be swept away before your adversaries, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of Yahweh, even pestilence in the land, and the angel of Yahweh destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ So now, see what word I should return to Him who sent me.” 13 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let me now fall into the hand of Yahweh, (X)for His compassions are exceedingly abundant. But do not let me fall into the hand of man.”
14 (Y)So Yahweh [af]sent a pestilence against Israel; and 70,000 men of Israel fell. 15 And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but as he was about to destroy it, Yahweh saw and [ag](Z)relented concerning the calamity, and said to the destroying angel, “It is enough! Now relax your hand.” And the angel of Yahweh was standing by the threshing floor of [ah]Ornan the Jebusite. 16 Then David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of Yahweh standing between earth and heaven, with his drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, (AA)covered with sackcloth, fell on their faces. 17 And David said to God, “Is it not I who [ai]commanded to number the people? Indeed, I am the one who has sinned and done a great evil; (AB)but these sheep, what have they done? O Yahweh my God, please let Your hand be against me and my father’s household, but not against Your people that they should be plagued.”
David Erects an Altar
18 (AC)Then the angel of Yahweh said to Gad to say to David, that David should go up and erect an altar to Yahweh on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 19 So David went up at the word of Gad, which he spoke in the name of Yahweh. 20 Now Ornan turned back and saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. And Ornan was threshing wheat. 21 Then David came to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw David, and went out from the threshing floor and bowed his [aj]face to the ground [ak]before David. 22 Then David said to Ornan, “Give me the [al]site of this threshing floor, that I may build on it an altar to Yahweh; for the full price you shall give it to me, that the plague may be checked from being upon the people.” 23 And Ornan said to David, “Take it for yourself; and let my lord the king do what is good in his sight. See, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for the wood and the wheat for the grain offering; I will give everything.” 24 However, King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price; for I will not lift up what is yours to Yahweh, or offer a burnt offering [am]which costs me nothing.” 25 So (AD)David gave Ornan [an]600 shekels of gold by weight for the [ao]site. 26 Then David built there an altar to Yahweh and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And he called to Yahweh and (AE)He answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering. 27 Then Yahweh spoke to the angel, and he returned his sword to its sheath.
28 At that time, when David saw that Yahweh had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. 29 (AF)Now the tabernacle of Yahweh, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were in the high place at Gibeon at that time. 30 But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was terrified by the sword of the angel of Yahweh.
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