Beginning
David’s Song of Praise
22 David sang this song to the Lord. He sang it when the Lord had saved him from Saul and all his other enemies. 2 He said:
“The Lord is my rock, my place of safety, my Savior.
3 My God is my rock.
I can run to him for safety.
He is my shield and my saving strength.
The Lord is my high tower and my place of safety.
The Lord saves me from those who want to harm me.
4 I will call to the Lord.
He is worthy of praise.
And I will be saved from my enemies.
5 “The waves of death came around me.
The deadly rivers overwhelmed me.
6 The ropes of death wrapped around me.
The traps of death were before me.
7 In my trouble I called to the Lord.
I cried out to my God.
From his temple he heard my voice.
My call for help reached his ears.
8 “The earth trembled and shook.
The foundations of heaven began to shake.
They shook because the Lord was angry.
9 Smoke came out of his nose.
Burning fire came out of his mouth.
Burning coals went before him.
10 He tore open the sky and came down.
Dark clouds were under his feet.
11 He rode a creature with wings and flew.
He flew on the wings of the wind.
12 He made darkness his shelter around him,
surrounded by fog and clouds.
13 Out of the brightness of his presence
came flashes of lightning.
14 The Lord thundered from heaven.
The Most High God raised his voice.
15 He shot his arrows and scattered his enemies.
His bolts of lightning confused them with fear.
16 The Lord spoke strongly.
The wind blew from his nose.
The valleys of the sea appeared.
The foundations of the earth were seen.
17 “The Lord reached down from above and took me.
He pulled me from the deep water.
18 He saved me from my powerful enemies.
Those who hated me were too strong for me.
19 They attacked me at my time of trouble.
But the Lord supported me.
20 He took me to a safe place.
Because he delights in me, he saved me.
21 “The Lord spared me because I did what was right.
Because I have not done evil, he has rescued me.
22 I have followed the ways of the Lord.
I have not done evil by turning from my God.
23 I remember all his laws.
I have not broken his rules.
24 I have kept myself innocent before him.
I have kept myself from doing evil.
25 The Lord rescued me because I did what was right.
I did what the Lord said was right.
26 “Lord, you are loyal to those who are loyal.
You are good to those who are good.
27 You are pure to those who are pure.
But you are against those who are bad.
28 You save those who are not proud.
But you make humble those who are proud.
29 Lord, you give light to my lamp.
The Lord brightens the darkness around me.
30 With your help, I can attack an army.
With God’s help, I can jump over a wall.
31 “The ways of God are without fault.
The Lord’s words are pure.
He is a shield to those who trust him.
32 Who is God? Only the Lord.
Who is the Rock? Only our God.
33 God is my protection.
He makes my way free from fault.
34 He makes me like a deer, which does not stumble.
He helps me stand on the steep mountains.
35 He trains my hands for battle.
So my arms can bend a bronze bow.
36 You protect me with your saving shield.
You have stooped to make me great.
37 You give me a better way to live.
So I live as you want me to.
38 I chased my enemies and destroyed them.
I did not quit till they were destroyed.
39 I destroyed and crushed them,
so they couldn’t rise up again.
They fell beneath my feet.
40 You gave me strength in battle.
You made my enemies bow before me.
41 You made my enemies turn back.
I destroyed those who hated me.
42 They called for help,
but no one came to save them.
They called to the Lord,
but he did not answer them.
43 I beat my enemies into pieces.
They were like dust on the ground.
I pounded them out and walked on them
like mud in the streets.
44 “You saved me when my people attacked me.
You kept me as the leader of nations.
People I never knew serve me.
45 Foreigners obey me.
As soon as they hear me, they obey me.
46 They all become afraid.
They tremble in their hiding places.
47 “The Lord lives!
May my Rock be praised!
Praise God, the Rock, who saves me!
48 God gives me victory over my enemies.
He brings people under my rule.
49 He frees me from my enemies.
“You set me over those who hate me.
You saved me from cruel men.
50 So I will praise you, Lord, among the nations.
I will sing praises to your name.
51 The Lord gives great victories to his king.
He is loyal to his appointed king,
to David and his descendants forever.”
David’s Last Words
23 These are the last words of David.
This is the message of David son of Jesse.
The man made great by the Most High God speaks.
He is the appointed king of the God of Jacob.
He is the sweet singer of Israel.
2 “The Lord’s Spirit spoke through me.
His word was on my tongue.
3 The God of Israel spoke.
The Rock of Israel said to me:
‘The person who rules fairly over people,
the person who rules with respect for God,
4 he is like the morning light at dawn.
He is like a morning without clouds.
He is like sunshine after a rain.
The sunshine makes the tender grass grow out of the ground.’
5 “This is how God has cared for my family.
God made a lasting agreement with me,
good in every way and strong.
This agreement is my salvation.
This agreement is all I want.
Truly, the Lord will make it grow.
6 “But all evil people will be thrown away like thorns.
People cannot hold on to thorns.
7 Anyone who touches them
uses a tool of iron or a spear.
They will be thrown in the fire and burned where they lie.”
David’s Army
8 These are the names of David’s warriors:
Josheb-Basshebeth, the Tahkemonite, was head of the Three.[a] He killed 800 men at one time.
9 Next there was Eleazar son of Dodai the Ahohite. Eleazar was one of the three soldiers who were with David when they challenged the Philistines. The Philistines were gathered for battle, and the Israelites drew back. 10 But Eleazar stayed where he was. He fought the Philistines until he was so tired he could not let go of his sword. The Lord gave a great victory for the Israelites that day. The people came back after Eleazar had won the battle. But they came only to take weapons and armor from the enemy.
11 Next there was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines came together to fight. They stood where there was a field full of small peas. Israel’s troops ran away from the Philistines. 12 But Shammah stood in the middle of the field. He fought for the field and killed the Philistines. And the Lord gave a great victory.
13 Once, three of the Thirty, David’s chief soldiers, came down to him during harvest. Now David was at the cave of Adullam. The Philistine army had camped in the Valley of Rephaim. 14 At that time David was in a protected place. And some of the Philistine soldiers were in Bethlehem.
15 David had a strong desire for some water. He said, “Oh, I wish someone would get me water from the well near the city gate of Bethlehem!” 16 So the three warriors broke through the Philistine army. They took water out of the well near the city gate of Bethlehem. Then they took it to David. But he refused to drink it. He poured it out on the ground before the Lord. 17 David said, “Lord, I can’t drink this! It would be like drinking the blood of the men who risked their lives!” So David refused to drink the water. These were the brave things that the three warriors did.
18 Abishai was the brother of Joab son of Zeruiah. He was captain of the Three. Abishai used his spear against 300 enemies and killed them. He became as famous as the Three. 19 Abishai received even more honor than the Three. He became their commander. But he was not a member of them.
20 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a brave fighter from Kabzeel. He did many brave things. He killed two of the best soldiers from Moab. He also went down into a pit when it was snowing. There he killed a lion. 21 Benaiah killed a big Egyptian. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand. But Benaiah only had a club. Benaiah grabbed the spear from the Egyptian’s hand. Then Benaiah killed him with his own spear. 22 These were the brave things that Benaiah son of Jehoiada did. He was as famous as the Three. 23 He received more honor than the Thirty. But he did not become a member of the Three. David made him leader of his bodyguard.
The Thirty Chief Soldiers
24 The following men were among the Thirty:
Asahel the 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 son of Baanah the Netophathite;
Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the land of 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 37 in all.
David Counts His Army
24 The Lord was angry with Israel again. He caused David to turn against the Israelites. David said, “Go, count the people of Israel and Judah.”
2 King David spoke to Joab, the commander of the army. David said, “Go through all the tribes of Israel. Go from Dan to Beersheba[b] and count the people. Then I will know how many there are.”
3 But Joab said to the king, “May the Lord your God give you 100 times more people. And may you live to see this happen. But why do you want to do this?”
4 But the king very strongly commanded Joab and the commanders of the army. So they left the king to count the people of Israel.
5 After crossing the Jordan River, they camped near Aroer. They camped on the south side of the city in the ravine. They went through Gad and on to Jazer. 6 Then they went to Gilead and the land of Tahtim Hodshi. Next they went to Dan Jaan and around to Sidon. 7 They went to the strong, walled city of Tyre. They also went to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went to southern Judah, to Beersheba. 8 After 9 months and 20 days, they had gone through all the land. Then they came back to Jerusalem.
9 Joab gave the list of the people to the king. There were 800,000 men in Israel who could use the sword. And there were 500,000 men in Judah.
10 David felt ashamed after he had counted the people. He said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done! Lord, I beg you, forgive my sin! I have been very foolish.”
11 Before David got up in the morning, the Lord spoke his word to Gad. He 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. Choose one for me to do to you.’”
13 Gad went to David and told him. Gad said, “Choose one of these three things. Should three years of hunger come to you and your land? Or should your enemies chase you for three months? Or should there be three days of disease in your country? Think about it. Then decide which of these things I should tell the Lord who sent me.”
14 David said to Gad, “I am really in trouble. But the Lord is very merciful. So let the Lord punish us. Don’t let my punishment come from people!”
15 So the Lord sent disease on Israel. It began in the morning. And it continued until the chosen time to stop. From Dan to Beersheba 70,000 people died. 16 The angel raised his arm toward Jerusalem to destroy it also. But the Lord felt very sorry about the terrible things that had happened. He said to the angel who was destroying the people, “That’s enough! Put down your arm!” At this time the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
17 David saw the angel that killed the people. Then he said to the Lord, “I’ve sinned! I’ve done wrong! But these people only followed me like sheep! They did nothing wrong! Please let your punishment be against me and my father’s family!”
18 That day Gad came to David. Gad told him, “Go and build an altar to the Lord. Build it on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 So David did what Gad told him to do. He obeyed the Lord’s command and went to see Araunah.
20 Araunah looked and saw the king and his servants coming to him. So he went out and bowed facedown on the ground. 21 He said, “Why has my master the king come to me?”
David answered, “To buy the threshing floor from you. I want to build an altar to the Lord. Then the disease will stop.”
22 Araunah said to David, “My master and king, you may take anything you want for a sacrifice. Here are some oxen for the whole burnt offering. Here are the threshing boards and the yokes for the wood! 23 My king, I give everything to you!” Araunah also said to the king, “May the Lord your God be pleased with you!”
24 But the king answered Araunah, “No. I will pay you for the land. I won’t offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings which cost me nothing!”
So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for one and one-fourth pounds of silver. 25 Then he built an altar to the Lord there. And he offered whole burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayer for the country. And the disease in Israel stopped.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.