Beginning
18 1 The battle of David against the Philistines, 2 And against Moab, 3 Zobah, 5 Aram, 12 And Edom.
1 And after this, David smote the Philistines, and subdued them, and took [a]Gath, and the villages thereof out of the hand of the Philistines.
2 And he smote Moab, and the Moabites became David’s servants, and [b]brought gifts.
3 ¶ And David smote [c]Hadadezer King of Zobah unto Hamath, as he went to establish his border by the river [d]Perath.
4 And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen, and (A)destroyed all the chariots, but he reserved of them an hundred chariots.
5 ¶ Then came the Aramites of Damascus to succor Hadadezer king of Zobah, but David slew of the Aramites two and twenty thousand.
6 And David put a garrison in Aram of [e]Damascus, and the Aramites became David’s servants, and brought gifts: and the Lord [f]preserved David wheresoever he went.
7 And David took the shields of gold that were of the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem.
8 And from [g]Tibhath, and from Chun (cities of Hadadezer) brought David exceeding much brass, wherewith Solomon made the brazen (B)Sea, and the pillars and the vessels of brass.
9 ¶ Then Tou King of Hamath heard how David had smitten all the host of Hadadezer king of Zobah:
10 Therefore he sent [h]Hadoram his son to king David, to salute him, and to rejoice with him, because he had fought against Hadadezer, and beaten him (for Tou had war with Hadadezer) who brought all vessels of gold and silver and brass.
11 And king David did dedicate them unto the Lord, with the silver and gold that he brought from all the nations, from [i]Edom, and from Moab, and from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek.
12 ¶ And Abishai the son of Zeruiah smote of Edom in the salt valley [j]eighteen thousand,
13 And he put a garrison in Edom, and all the Edomites became David’s servants: and the Lord preserved David wheresoever 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 host, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud Recorder,
16 And Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Abimelech the son of Abiathar were the Priests, and [k]Shavsha the Scribe,
17 (C)And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the [l]Cherethites and the Pelethites: and the sons of David were chief about the King.
19 4 Hanun King of the children of Ammon doeth great injuries to the servants of David. 6 He prepareth an army against David, 15 and is overcome.
1 After this also (D)Nahash the king of the children of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his stead.
2 And David said, I will show kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, because his [m]father showed kindness unto 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, Thinkest thou that David doth honor thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? Are not his servants come to thee to [n]search, to seek and to spy out the land?
4 Wherefore Hanun took David’s servants, and [o]shaved them, and cut off their [p]garments by the half unto the buttocks, and sent them away.
5 And there went certain and told David concerning the men: and he sent to meet them (for the men were exceedingly ashamed) and the King said, Tarry at Jericho, until your beards be grown: then return.
6 ¶ When the children of Ammon saw that they [q]stank in the sight of David, then sent Hanun and the children of Ammon a thousand talents of silver, to hire them chariots and horsemen out (E)of Aram Naharaim, and out of Aram Maacah, and out of [r]Zobah.
7 And they hired them two and thirty thousand chariots, and the king of Maacah and his people, which came and pitched before [s]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 all the host of the valiant men.
9 And the children of Ammon came out, and set their battle in array at the gate of the city. And the kings that were come, were by themselves in the field.
10 When Joab saw that the front of the battle was against him before and behind, then he chose out of all the choice of Israel, and set himself in array to meet the Aramites.
11 And the rest of the people he delivered unto the hand of Abishai his brother, and they put themselves in array against the children of Ammon.
12 And he said, If Aram be too strong for me, then thou shalt succor me: and if the children of Ammon prevail against thee, then I will succor thee.
13 Be strong, and let us show ourselves valiant for our [t]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 that was with him, came near before the Aramites unto the battle, and they fled before him.
15 And when the children of Ammon saw that the Aramites fled, they fled also before Abishai his brother, and entered into the city: so Joab came to Jerusalem.
16 ¶ And when the Aramites saw that they were discomfited before Israel, they sent messengers, and caused the Aramites to come forth that were beyond the [u]river: and Shophach the captain of the host of Hadadezer went before them.
17 And when it was showed David, he gathered all Israel, and went over Jordan, and came unto them, and put himself in array against them: And when David had put himself in battle array to meet the Aramites, they fought with him.
18 But the Aramites fled before Israel, and David destroyed of the Aramites [v]seven thousand chariots, and forty thousand footmen, and killed Shophach the captain of the host.
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 more succor the children of Ammon.
20 1 Rabbah destroyed. 3 The Ammonites tormented. 4 The Philistines are thrice overcome with their giants.
1 And (F)when the year was expired, in the time that kings go out a warfare, Joab carried out the strength of the army, and destroyed the country of the children of Ammon, and came and besieged [w]Rabbah (but David tarried at Jerusalem) and Joab smote Rabbah, and destroyed it.
2 (G)Then David took the crown of their king from off his head, and found it the weight of a [x]talent of gold with precious stones in it: and it was set on David’s head, and he brought away the spoil of the city exceeding much.
3 And he carried away the people that were in it, and cut them with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes: even thus did David with all the cities of the children of Ammon. Then David and all the people came again to Jerusalem.
4 ¶ (H)And after this also there arose war at [y]Gezer with the Philistines: then Sibbechai the Hushathite slew [z]Sippai of the children of [aa]Haraphah, and they were subdued.
5 And there was yet another battle with the Philistines: and Elhanan the son of Jair slew [ab]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 was a man of a great stature, and his fingers were by [ac]sixes, even four and twenty, and was also the son of Haraphah.
7 And when he reviled Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David’s brother did slay him.
8 These were born unto Haraphah at Gath, and fell by the hand of David, and by the hands of his servants.
21 1 David causeth the people to be numbered, 14 and there dieth seventy thousand men of the pestilence.
1 And [ad]Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
2 Therefore David said to Joab, and to the rulers of the people, Go, and number Israel from [ae]Beersheba even to Dan, and bring it to me, that I may know the number of them.
3 And Joab answered, The Lord increased his people an hundred times so many as they be, O my lord the king: are they not all my lord’s servants? wherefore doeth my lord require this thing? why should he be a cause of [af]trespass 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 unto David: and all Israel were [ag]eleven hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was [ah]four hundred and seventy thousand men that drew sword.
6 But the Levites and Benjamin counted he not among them: for the King’s word was abominable to Joab.
7 ¶ And God was displeased with this thing: therefore he smote Israel.
8 Then David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech thee, remove the iniquity of thy servant: for I have done very foolishly.
9 And the Lord spake unto Gad David’s [ai]Seer, saying,
10 Go and tell David, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I offer thee three things: choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.
11 So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Take to thee,
12 Either three years famine, or three months to be destroyed before thine adversaries, and the sword of thine enemies [aj]to take thee, or else the sword of the Lord and pestilence in the land three days, that the Angel of the Lord may destroy throughout all the coasts of Israel: now therefore advise thee, what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.
13 And David said unto Gad, I am in a wonderful strait, 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 there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.
15 ¶ And God sent the Angel into Jerusalem to destroy it. And [ak]as he was destroying, the Lord beheld, and [al]repented of the evil, and said to the Angel that destroyed, It is now enough, let thine hand cease. Then the Angel of the Lord stood by the threshing floor of [am]Ornan the Jebusite.
16 And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the Angel of the Lord stand between the earth and the heaven, with his sword drawn in his hand and stretched out toward Jerusalem. Then David and the Elders of Israel which were clothed in sack, fell upon their faces.
17 And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded to number the people? It is even I that have sinned and have committed evil, but these sheep, what have they done? O Lord my God, I beseech thee, let thine hand be on me and on my father’s house, and not on [an]thy people for 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 unto 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 about and saw the Angel, and his four sons that were with him, [ao]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 place of thy threshing floor, that I may build an [ap]altar therein unto the Lord: give it me for sufficient money, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
23 Then Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which seemeth him good: lo, I give thee bullocks 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 [aq]money: for I will not take that which is thine for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.
25 So David gave to Ornan for that place [ar]six hundred shekels of gold by weight.
26 And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings, and peace offerings, and called upon the Lord, and he [as]answered him by fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering.
27 And when the Lord had spoken to the Angel, he put up his sword again into his 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 at that season in the high place at Gibeon.
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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