Beginning
18 ¶ Now after this it came to pass that David smote the Philistines and subdued them and took Gath and her towns out of the hand of the Philistines.
2 And he smote Moab, and the Moabites became David’s slaves, bringing him presents.
3 And David smote Hadarezer, king of Zobah in Hamath, as he went to establish his dominion unto the river Euphrates.
4 And David took from him a thousand chariots, seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen; David also hamstrung all the chariot horses, but reserved those of one hundred chariots.
5 And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadarezer, king of Zobah, David slew of the Syrians twenty-two thousand men.
6 Then David put garrisons in Syria, the Syria of Damascus, and the Syrians became David’s slaves, bringing him presents. For the LORD saved David wherever he went.
7 And David took the shields of gold that the slaves of Hadarezer carried and brought them to Jerusalem.
8 Likewise from Tibhath and from Chun, cities of Hadarezer, David took very much brass, with which Solomon made the brasen sea and the pillars and the vessels of brass.
9 ¶ Now when Tou, king of Hamath, heard how David had smitten all the host of Hadarezer, king of Zobah,
10 he sent Hadoram, his son, to King David, to greet him and to bless him because he had fought against Hadarezer and smitten him, for Hadarezer had war with Tou. And he sent him all manner of vessels of gold and silver and brass,
11 which King David dedicated unto the LORD, with the silver and the gold that he brought from all these Gentiles, from Edom and from Moab and from the sons of Ammon and from the Philistines and from Amalek.
12 Moreover, Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, smote Edom in the valley of salt, eighteen thousand men.
13 And he put a garrison in Edom, and all the Edomites became David’s slaves. Thus the LORD saved David wherever he went.
14 So David reigned over all Israel and executed judgment and righteousness among all his people.
15 And Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was over the host; and Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, writer of the chronicles;
16 and Zadok, the son of Ahitub, and Abimelech, the son of Abiathar, were the 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 first, at the hand of the king.
19 ¶ Now it came to pass after this that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon, died, and his son reigned in his stead.
2 And David said, I will show mercy unto Hanun, the son of Nahash, because his father showed mercy to me. And David sent ambassadors to comfort him concerning his father. So the slaves of David 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, Does it seem unto thee that David honours thy father, that he has sent comforters unto thee? Are not his slaves come unto thee to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?
4 Then Hanun took David’s slaves and shaved them, and cut off their garments in half, exposing their buttocks and sent them away.
5 Then they left, and it was told David how the men were served. And he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards are grown and then return.
6 ¶ And when the sons of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the sons of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and horsemen out of Syria of the rivers (Mesopotamia), and out of Syria of Maachah and out of Zobah.
7 So they hired thirty-two thousand chariots, and the king of Maachah and his people, who came and pitched camp before Medeba. And the sons of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities and came to battle.
8 And when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the host of the mighty men.
9 And the sons of Ammon came out and put the battle in order before the gate of the city, and the kings that had come were by themselves in the field.
10 Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose out of all the choice of Israel and put them in order against the Syrians.
11 And he put the rest of the people into the hand of Abishai, his brother, putting them in order against the sons of Ammon.
12 And he said, If the Syrians are too strong for me, then thou shalt save me; but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for thee, then I will save thee.
13 Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people and for the cities of our God; and let the LORD do that which is good in his sight.
14 So Joab and the people that were with him drew near before the Syrians unto the battle; and they fled before him.
15 And when the sons of Ammon saw that the Syrians had fled, they likewise fled before Abishai, his brother, and entered into the city. Then Joab returned to Jerusalem.
16 And when the Syrians saw that they were smitten before Israel, they sent ambassadors and drew forth the Syrians that were beyond the river, whose captain was Shophach, the prince of the host of Hadarezer.
17 And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel and passed over the Jordan and came upon them and ordered his host against them. And when David had put his troops in order against the Syrians, they fought with him.
18 But the Syrians fled before Israel, and David slew of the Syrians those of seven thousand chariots, and forty thousand footmen; likewise he killed Shophach, the captain of the host.
19 And when the slaves of Hadarezer saw that they were smitten before Israel, they made peace with David and became his servants; neither would the Syrians help the sons of Ammon any more.
20 ¶ And it came to pass, that after the year was expired, at the time that kings go out to battle, Joab led forth the power of the army and destroyed the country of the sons of Ammon and came and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem. And Joab smote Rabbah and destroyed it.
2 And David took the crown of their king from off his head and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious stones in it; and it was set upon David’s head. And in addition to this he took exceeding much spoil out of the city.
3 And he brought out the people that were in it and dominated them with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. Even so dealt David with all the cities of the sons of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
4 ¶ And it came to pass after this that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite, slew Sippai, of the lineage of the giant; and they were subdued.
5 And there was war again with the Philistines, and Elhanan, the son of Jair, slew Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff was like a weaver’s beam.
6 And yet again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had twenty-four fingers and toes, six on each hand, and six on each foot; and he also was the son of the giant.
7 But when he dishonoured Israel, Jonathan, the son of Shimea, David’s brother slew him.
8 These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his slaves.
21 ¶ And Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number Israel.
2 And David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it.
3 And Joab answered, The LORD make his people a hundred times as many more as they are; but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s slaves? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why will he be a cause of guiltiness unto Israel?
4 Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Therefore, Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem.
5 And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And they found in all Israel eleven times one hundred thousand men that drew sword, and of Judah four hundred seventy thousand men that drew sword.
6 Among these the Levites and the sons of Benjamin were not counted, for the king’s word was abominable to Joab.
7 ¶ And God was also displeased with this word; therefore, he smote Israel.
8 And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing; but now, I beseech thee, take away the iniquity of thy slave, for I have done very foolishly.
9 And the LORD spoke unto Gad, David’s seer, saying,
10 Go and tell David, saying, Thus hath the LORD said, I offer thee three things: choose one of them that I will do unto thee.
11 So Gad came to David and said unto him, Thus hath the LORD said, Choose thee,
12 either three years’ famine or three months to be destroyed before thy foes while the sword of thine enemies overtakes thee or else three days of the sword of the LORD, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the borders of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.
13 Then David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait; let me fall now into the hand of the LORD, for very great are his mercies, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.
14 So the LORD sent pestilence upon Israel; and seventy thousand men of Israel fell.
15 And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it; and as he was destroying, the LORD beheld, and he repented of that evil and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thy hand. And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan, the Jebusite.
16 And David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD stand between the heaven and the earth, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.
17 And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? Even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? Let thy hand, I pray thee, O LORD my God, be against me and against my father’s house, but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.
18 ¶ Then the angel of the LORD told Gad to tell David that David should go up and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19 And David went up according to the word of Gad, which he had spoken unto him in the name of the LORD.
20 And Ornan turned back and saw the angel, and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.
21 And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David and went out of the threshingfloor and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.
22 Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of this threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the LORD; thou shalt grant it to me for the full price, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
23 And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes; I even give thee the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing instruments for wood and the wheat for the present; I give it all.
24 And King David said to Ornan, No, but I will truly buy it for the full price, 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 the place 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 answered him from the heavens by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.
27 And when the LORD spoke to the angel, he put up his sword again into its sheath.
28 At that time when David saw that the LORD had answered him in the threshingfloor of Ornan, the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.
29 For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt offering were at that season in the high place at Gibeon,
30 but David could not go before it to enquire of God, for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the LORD.
Copyright © 2013, 2020 by Ransom Press International