Beginning

David’s Victory over His Enemies

18 And it happened that after David struck the Philistines and subdued them, he captured Gath and its villages out of the hand of the Philistines. ² And he struck Moab, and the Moabites became servants to David, bearing tribute. ³ And David struck Hadadezer, king of Zobah-Hamath, as he set up his monument at the Euphrates River. ⁴ And David captured from him one thousand chariots, seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. And David hamstrung all the chariot horses but left one hundred of them to remain for chariots. ⁵ And when the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah-Hamath, David struck down twenty-two thousand men of Aram. ⁶ Then David set up garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became servants to David, bearing tribute. And Yahweh delivered David wherever he went. ⁷ And David took small round shields of gold that were upon the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ And from Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadadezer, David captured very much bronze. Solomon made the bronze sea with it along with the columns and objects of bronze.

⁹ And when Tou the king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer the king of Zobah, ¹⁰ he sent Hadoram his son to King David to ask him for peace and to bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Tou had been at war^[a] with Hadadezer. And he brought with him all the objects of gold, silver, and bronze. ¹¹ King David dedicated these also to Yahweh, along with the silver and gold that he had taken from all the nations, from Edom, Moab, the sons of Ammon, the Philistines, and Amalek.

¹² And Abishai son of Zeruiah defeated eighteen thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt. ¹³ And he put garrisons in Edom, and all Edom became servants to David. And Yahweh delivered David wherever he went.

David’s Administration

¹⁴ So David reigned over all Israel, and he administered justice^[b] and righteousness to all his people. ¹⁵ And Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army, and Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder. ¹⁶ And Zadok son of Ahitub and Abimelech son of Abiathar were priests, and Shavsha was secretary. ¹⁷ And Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and the Pelethites. And the sons of David were chief officials under the hand of the king.

The Ammonites Humiliate David’s Messengers

19 And it happened that after this Nahash the king of the Ammonites^[c] died, and his son reigned in his place. ² And David said, “I will deal kindly with Hanun the son of Nahash because his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And the servants of David came to the land of the Ammonites,^[d] to Hanun, to comfort him. ³ But the princes of the Ammonites^[e] said to Hanun, “Do you think^[f] because David sent comforters to you that David honors your father? Is it not for the purpose of exploring so as to overthrow and spy out the land that his servants have come to you?” ⁴ So Hanun took the servants of David and shaved them and cut off their garments at the middle, up to the buttocks, and sent them away. ⁵ And they went and told David concerning the men, and he inquired of them, for the men were very disgraced. And the king said, “Dwell in Jericho until your beards grow out; then return.”

⁶ And when the Ammonites^[g] saw that they made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the Ammonites^[h] sent one thousand talents of silver to hire for themselves horses and chariots from Aram-Naharaim, Aram-Maacah, and Zobah. ⁷ And they hired for themselves thirty-two thousand chariots and the king of Maacah and his people, and they came and encamped before Medeba. And the Ammonites^[i] were gathered from their cities and came to the battle. ⁸ And when David heard, he sent Joab and the entire army of mighty warriors. ⁹ And the Ammonites^[j] went out and took up positions for battle at the entrance of the city. And the kings who had come were alone in the field.

¹⁰ When Joab saw that there was a battle line^[k] against him at the front and the back, he chose from among the chosen men in Israel and arranged them to meet Aram. ¹¹ And the remainder of the people he put in the hand of Abishai his brother, and they were arranged to meet the Ammonites.^{[l] 12} And he said, “If Aram is too strong for me, then you must be a help to me, but if the Ammonites^[m] are too strong for you, then I will help you. ¹³ Be strong! Let us strengthen ourselves on behalf of our people and on behalf of the cities of our God. And may Yahweh do what is good in his eyes.” ¹⁴ And Joab and the people who were with him drew near before Aram for battle, and they fled before him. ¹⁵ And when the Ammonites^[n] saw that Aram had fled, they also fled before Abishai his brother, and they came to the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.

¹⁶ And when Aram saw that they were defeated before Israel, they sent messengers and brought out Aram, who was from beyond the Euphrates,^[o] with Shophach the commander of the army of Hadadezer before them. ¹⁷ And when it was told to David, he gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan. And he came to them and was arrayed against them. Then David was arrayed to meet Aram in battle, and they fought with him. ¹⁸ And Aram fled before Israel. And David killed from Aram the men of seven thousand chariots and forty thousand foot soldiers, and he put to death Shophach the commander of the army. ¹⁹ And when the servants of Hadadezer saw that they were defeated before Israel, they made peace with David and became servants to him. So Aram was no longer willing to help the Ammonites.^[p]

The Capture of Rabbah

20 And it happened that in the spring time of year,^[q] the time when kings go out to battle, Joab led the troops of the army and destroyed the land of the Ammonites.^[r] And he came and besieged Rabbah, but David remained in Jerusalem. And Joab struck Rabbah and destroyed it. ² And David took the crown of their king from his head and found it to weigh a talent of gold. And in it was a precious stone. Then it was placed upon the head of David. And he brought out the booty of the city, a large amount. ³ And the people who were in it he brought out, and he set them to work with saws and iron implements and axes.^[s] Thus David did to all the cities of the Ammonites.^[t] Then David returned, and all the nation went with him.

The Philistine Giants Slain

⁴ And after this there arose a war in Gezer with the Philistines. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Sippai, one of the descendants of the Rephaim. And they were subdued. ⁵ And again there was war with the Philistines. And Elhanan son of Jair struck down Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. ⁶ And again there was war in Gath. And there was a very tall^[u] man there, and he had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in all.^[v] He himself was also a descendant of the Rephaim. ⁷ And he taunted Israel, but Jehonathan son of Shimea, brother of David, 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.

The Census of David

21 Then Satan^[w] stood against Israel and urged David to count Israel. ² So David said to Joab and to the commanders of the nation, “Go, count Israel from Beersheba to Dan and bring a report to me that I might know their number.” ³ But Joab said, “May Yahweh add to the people a hundred times what they are! Are they not, O my lord the king, all of them the king’s servants? Why does my lord seek this? Why would he bring guilt to Israel?” ⁴ But the word of the king prevailed over Joab. Then he went about through all Israel and came to Jerusalem. ⁵ And Joab gave the number of the enrollment of the people to David. And it happened that all Israel was one million one hundred thousand men drawing a sword, and in Judah were four hundred and seventy thousand men drawing a sword. ⁶ But he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them, for the word of the king was repulsive to Joab.

⁷ But this word was displeasing in the eyes of God, and he struck Israel. ⁸ Then David said to God, “I have sinned severely in that I have done this thing. But now, please forgive the sin of your servant, for I have been very foolish.” ⁹ Then Yahweh spoke to Gad the seer of David, saying, ¹⁰ “Go, you must speak to David, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh: “Three choices I offer to you. Choose one of them for yourself that I will do to you.”’” ¹¹ So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says Yahweh: ‘Choose for yourself: ¹² whether three years of famine or three months of devastation by your enemies while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or three days of the sword of Yahweh, with disease in the land and the angel of Yahweh destroying throughout all the territory in Israel.’ So now, see what word I should return to my sender.” ¹³ Then David said to Gad, “I am very troubled.^[x] Let me into the hand of Yahweh, for his compassion is very great, but do not let me fall into the hand of a man.”

¹⁴ So Yahweh sent a pestilence through Israel, and seventy thousand men from Israel fell. ¹⁵ And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, and as he was about to destroy it, Yahweh saw and was grieved on account of the calamity. Then he said to the angel, the destroyer, “It is enough; slacken your hand.” And the angel of Yahweh was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ¹⁶ And David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of Yahweh standing between earth and heaven, with his sword drawn in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces. ¹⁷ Then David said to God, “Was it not I who gave a command to count the people? Now I am he who has sinned, and I have certainly done wickedness, but these sheep, what have they done? O Yahweh, my God, please let your hand be against me and against the house of my father, but against your people, let there be no plague.”

David Builds an Altar

¹⁸ Now the angel of Yahweh had spoken to Gad to say to David that David should go up and erect an altar for Yahweh. ¹⁹ So David went up at the word of Gad that he had spoken in the name of Yahweh. ²⁰ Now Ornan was threshing wheat, and Ornan turned and saw the angel, and his four sons with him hid themselves. ²¹ Then David came to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw David. And he went out from the threshing floor, and they bowed down to David, faces to the ground. ²² Then David said to Ornan, “Please give me the place, the threshing floor, that I might build an altar on it to Yahweh; at full price please give it to me, that the plague against the people might be stopped.” ²³ And Ornan said to David, “Take it to yourself; let my lord the king do what is good in his eyes. See, I give the cattle for the burnt offerings and threshing sledges for the wood and wheat for the grain offering—I give it all.” ²⁴ But King David said to Ornan, “No, for I will certainly buy it at full value; indeed, I will not take what is yours for Yahweh and offer burnt offerings for nothing.” ²⁵ So David gave to Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the place. ²⁶ Then David built an altar there to Yahweh, and he offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and he called to Yahweh. And he answered him with fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering. ²⁷ Then Yahweh commanded the angel, and he returned his sword to its sheath.

²⁸ At that time, when David saw that Yahweh answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. ²⁹ Now the tabernacle of Yahweh that Moses had made in the desert and the altar of burnt offering were at that time at the high place of Gibeon. ³⁰ But David was not able to go before it to seek God, for he was afraid on account of the sword of the angel of Yahweh.