Bible in 90 Days

The Death of Saul^(A)

10 Now when the Philistines fought against Israel, every Israelite fighter fled before the Philistines, and the slain fell on Mount Gilboa. ² But the Philistines pursued Saul and his sons and struck down Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua. ³ As the battle with Saul became heavy, the archers’ bows found their target and mortally wounded him.

⁴ So Saul said to his armor bearer, “Draw your sword and pierce me through lest these uncircumcised Philistines come and make a fool of me.”

But his armor bearer was unwilling to do it because he was overwhelmed with fear, so Saul took the sword and fell on it himself. ⁵ When the armor bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his sword and died. ⁶ Thus, Saul and his three sons, namely all his house, died together.

⁷ Now when all the children of Israel in the valley saw that they had fled the battlefield, and Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and escaped, leaving the Philistines to come and dwell in them.

⁸ The next day, when the Philistines came to pillage the slain, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ So they stripped Saul, removed his head and his armor, and circulated the news of his demise throughout the land of the Philistines to their idols as well as the people. ¹⁰ Then they placed his armor in the temple of their gods, while his head they impaled in the house of Dagon.

¹¹ Now all Jabesh Gilead heard about everything the Philistines did to Saul, ¹² so their valiant men rose up and carried the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons to Jabesh. They buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted, mourning seven days.

¹³ So Saul died because of his unfaithful deeds against the Lord, because of his failure to keep the word of the Lord, and because he sought to consult a spirit of divination ¹⁴ but did not seek the Lord. So He killed him and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

David, King of Israel^(B)

11 Then all Israel assembled before David at Hebron, saying, “We are your own people, even your flesh and blood. ² Also from times past until now, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel going out and coming in, and the Lord your God said to you, Indeed, you will shepherd My people Israel as the ruler of Israel.”

³ Then all the elders of Israel came to King David at Hebron, and he made a covenant with them there before the Lord. So they anointed David king over Israel according to the word of the Lord delivered by Samuel.

David Conquers Jerusalem

⁴ Now David and all Israel with him went to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus, since the Jebusites still dwelt there in the land). ⁵ And the Jebusites said to David, “You will not come here,” but he captured the stronghold of Zion (it is the City of David).

⁶ Now David had said, “Whoever strikes Jebus first will be the commander and leader of the army,” so Joab, the son of Zeruiah, went up first and became the commander.

⁷ Then David dwelt in the stronghold, which is why they called it the City of David, ⁸ and he fortified the city all around from the Millo encircling the stronghold, while Joab preserved the rest of the city. ⁹ So David kept on going, becoming greater and greater, and the Lord of Hosts was with him.

David’s Mighty Men^(C)

¹⁰ Now these are the heads of the mighty men whom David had, who strengthened him in his kingdom, along with all Israel, to establish him as king according to the word of the Lord to Israel. ¹¹ These make up the number of the mighty men who fought for David:

Jashobeam, the son of Hakmoni, the head of the thirty, who lifted his spear in triumph over three hundred slain at one time.

¹² After him was Eleazar, the son of Dodai the Ahohite, who was among the three mighty men. ¹³ He was with David at Pas Dammim when the Philistines were gathered there for battle. There was a piece of ground full of barley. Now the men fled from the Philistines. ¹⁴ But they stood their ground in the middle of the field, defended it, and killed the Philistines; and the Lord saved them by a great victory.

¹⁵ Now three of the thirty captains climbed down the rock to David at the cave of Adullam while the camp of the Philistines was set up in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁶ (At that time, David was in the stronghold, but a garrison of the Philistines was in Bethlehem.) ¹⁷ Now David was overcome with longing and said, “Who will get me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem by the gate?” ¹⁸ These three broke through the Philistine camp, drew water from the well of Bethlehem by the gate, and carried it back to David. However, he was not willing to drink it but poured out the water to the Lord. ¹⁹ For he said, “Far be it from me before my God to do this. Should I drink the life blood of these men who put their lives in jeopardy? For at the risk of their lives they brought it.” Therefore he would not drink it.

The three mighty men did these things.

²⁰ Also Abishai himself, the brother of Joab, was a captain of the three who lifted his spear in triumph over three hundred slain and was given a name among the three. ²¹ He was honored as a leader by the second company of the three, but he did not attain to the first three.

²² Benaiah son of Jehoiada was the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He killed two Moabite warriors. Indeed, once he went down into a well and struck a lion on a snowy day. ²³ And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits^[a] tall. The Egyptian had in his hand a spear like a weaver’s beam, and he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear from the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear. ²⁴ Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, did these things, and won a name among the three mighty men. ²⁵ Out of the thirty captains, he himself was honored, and although he did not attain to the three, David set him over his guard.

The Mighty Men Join David

12 Now these are the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he yet kept himself away from Saul the son of Kish. They were among the brave men, helpers in the war. ² They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows out of a bow. They were Saul’s brothers of Benjamin.

³ The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Berakah, and Jehu the Anathothite; ⁴ and Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a brave warrior among the thirty, and over the thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite; ⁵ and Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite; ⁶ and Elkanah, Ishiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam the Korahites; ⁷ and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

⁸ From the Gadites mighty men of valor, men of the war battalion, who could handle shield and sword, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and who were as swift as the gazelles on the mountains, separated themselves for David in the stronghold in the wilderness:

¹⁴ These were from Gad, captains of the battalions. One of the least of them was as a hundred and the greatest as a thousand. ¹⁵ These were the ones who crossed over the Jordan during the first month when it had overflowed its banks and caused the valley dwellers to flee to the east and to the west.

¹⁶ Some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold of David. ¹⁷ So David went out before them and said to them, “If you have come in peace to help me, then I will have a heart united with yours, but if to betray me to my adversaries, when there is no violence in my hand, may the God of our fathers see, and may He decide between us.”

¹⁸ Then the Spirit came upon Amasai the captain of the officers, and he said,

So David welcomed them and appointed them as captains of the troops.

¹⁹ Now some from Manasseh joined forces with David when he came with the Philistines for battle against Saul, but they did not help them. For after taking counsel, the lords of the Philistines sent him away, saying, “It will be our heads if he falls back to his lord Saul.” ²⁰ As he went to Ziklag, these men of Manasseh deserted to join him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands in Manasseh. ²¹ So they helped David against the bands of raiders because all of them were mighty men of valor and commanders in the army. ²² For at that time, day by day, they came to help David until they became a great camp like the camp of God.

David’s Army at Hebron

²³ Now these make up the number of the leaders equipped for the battalion who came to David at Hebron in order to turn the kingdom of Saul over to him, as the mouth of the Lord had spoken.

³⁸ All these made up the men of war, arranged in ranks, who came to Hebron with a sincere heart to make David king over all Israel, along with the all the rest of Israel who with one heart came to make David king. ³⁹ Now all these were there with David three days, eating and drinking, for their brothers had made provisions for them, ⁴⁰ and also the ones who were as near to them as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali were bringing bread on donkeys, on camels, on mules, and on oxen, food of fine flour, fig cakes, raisins, wine, oil, herds, and flocks in abundance, for there was joy in Israel.

The Ark^(D)

13 So David conferred with the captains of the thousands and of the hundreds and with every leader. ² Then he said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you and to the Lord our God, let us send word to the rest of our brothers throughout all the land of Israel along with the priests and the Levites in their cities, that they might join us here. ³ Then let us bring the ark of the Lord our God back to us, for we did not seek it during the days of Saul.” ⁴ Then all the assembly agreed to do it because the thing seemed right in the eyes of all the people.

⁵ So David assembled all Israel, from Shihor in Egypt as far as the entrance to Hamath, in order to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim. ⁶ And he went up with all Israel to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath Jearim, which belongs to Judah, to bring up the ark of God, the Lord who dwells between the cherubim, where His name is called.

⁷ They transported the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab with Uzzah and Ahio driving the cart ⁸ while David and all Israel played music before God with all their might, performing songs on lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.

⁹ When they had come as far as the threshing floor of Kidon, Uzzah stretched out his hand to take hold of the ark because the oxen had stumbled on the path. ¹⁰ Then the anger of the Lord burned against Uzzah, and He struck him because he reached his hand out to touch the ark. Thus, Uzzah died there before God.

¹¹ Now David was angry because the Lord struck out against Uzzah, so he called that place Perez Uzzah, as it is to this day.

¹² David was afraid of God that day, saying, “How can I ever bring the ark of God to myself?” ¹³ So David stopped moving the ark of God to himself in the City of David and diverted it to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite, ¹⁴ and while the ark of God stayed in his house three months, the Lord blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all he had.

David Established at Jerusalem^(E)

14 Then Hiram the king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar wood, stonemasons, and carpenters to build a palace for him. ² So David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel because his kingdom was highly exalted for the sake of His people Israel.

³ Now David took more wives in Jerusalem, and David became the father of more sons and daughters. ⁴ These are the names of the children who were born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ⁵ Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, ⁶ Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, ⁷ Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.

David Defeats the Philistines

⁸ Now when the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek out David, but David heard and went out to them. ⁹ So the Philistines came and raided the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁰ Then David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Should I go up against the Philistines? Will You give them into my hand?”

The Lord answered, “Go up against them, and I will give them into your hand.”

¹¹ And they went up to Baal Perazim, and David struck them down there. Then David said, “God broke through my enemies by my hand as the breaking through of waters.” Therefore they named that place Baal Perazim. ¹² They abandoned their gods there, and David said that they should be burned with fire.

¹³ Now the Philistines raided the valley once more. ¹⁴ And David again inquired of God, and God answered him: “Do not go up after them, but turn around behind them and come to them in front of the balsam trees. ¹⁵ Whenever you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, you will advance the battle, for God has gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” ¹⁶ David did just as God commanded him, and they struck the camp of the Philistines from Gibeon as far as Gezer.

¹⁷ So the fame of David went out in all the lands, and the Lord put the dread of him on all the nations.

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem^(F)

15 So David built houses for himself in the City of David, and he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it. ² Then David said, “No one may carry the ark of God except the Levites since the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister before Him always.”

³ David assembled all Israel to Jerusalem in order to bring up the ark of the Lord to the place he had prepared for it. ⁴ And David gathered representatives of the sons of Aaron and the Levites, as follows:

¹¹ Then David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests and for the Levites: Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. ¹² He said to them, “You are the captains of the fathers’ houses for the Levites. Consecrate yourselves, you and your brothers, so you may bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it ¹³ because on the first attempt without you the Lord struck out against us since we did not seek Him properly.” ¹⁴ So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁵ The sons of the Levites lifted up the ark of God just as Moses commanded, with the poles on their shoulders, according to the word of the Lord.

¹⁶ Then David told the leaders of the Levites to position their brothers the singers with musical instruments, harps, lyres, and cymbals to resound with joyful songs.

¹⁷ So the Levites placed Heman the son of Joel, and from his brothers, Asaph the son of Berekiah, and from their brothers the sons of Merari, Ethan the son of Kushaiah, ¹⁸ and with them their brothers of the second rank: Zechariah, Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers.

¹⁹ So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were directed to sound cymbals of brass. ²⁰ Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to accompany with harps on Alamoth. ²¹ Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to lead with lyres on the Sheminith. ²² Kenaniah, leader of the Levites, was to conduct the music because he was skillful.

²³ Berekiah and Elkanah were gatekeepers for the ark. ²⁴ Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, were assigned to sound trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-Edom and Jehiah were gatekeepers for the ark.

²⁵ So David, the elders of Israel, and the leaders of the thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom with rejoicing. ²⁶ Since God helped the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. ²⁷ Now David was clothed in a fine linen robe, as were the Levites who carried the ark, the singers, and Kenaniah, the conductor of singing and singers. David himself wore a linen ephod. ²⁸ So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with a shout and with the sound of the ram’s horn and with trumpets and cymbals, making music on harps and lyres.

²⁹ Now as the ark of the covenant of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal the daughter of Saul was looking down from the window, and when she saw King David dancing and spinning, she despised him in her heart.

The Ark Set in the Tent

16 So they brought in the ark of God, placed it in the midst of the tent that David had erected for it, and drew near to God with burnt offerings and peace offerings. ² When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. ³ Then he distributed to all the children of Israel, both men and women, a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a raisin cake for each.

⁴ And he appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to commemorate, to thank, and to praise the Lord God of Israel: ⁵ Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, and Obed-Edom: Jeiel with stringed instruments and harps, but Asaph made music with the cymbals. ⁶ Moreover, Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests sounded trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.

David’s Psalm of Thanksgiving^(G)

⁷ On that day then, David delivered for the first time this psalm of thanksgiving to the Lord into the hand of Asaph and his brothers:

Then all the people said, “Amen,” and “Praise the Lord.”

Worship Before the Ark

³⁷ So he left Asaph and his brothers before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister before the ark regularly, as each day required, ³⁸ and also Obed-Edom and his sixty-eight brothers, while Obed-Edom, the son of Jeduthun, and Hosah were to be gatekeepers.

³⁹ And he left Zadok the priest and his priestly brothers before the tabernacle of the Lord at the high place that was at Gibeon ⁴⁰ to offer burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of burnt offering continually, morning and evening, according to all that was written in the Law of the Lord, which He commanded Israel.

⁴¹ With them were Heman and Jeduthun and the rest who were chosen, who were marked by name to give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy endures forever. ⁴² Heman and Jeduthun had with them trumpets and cymbals to sound aloud and instruments for sacred song. The sons of Jeduthun were appointed to the gate.

⁴³ Then all the people departed, each man to his house, and David returned to bless his house.

The Davidic Covenant^(H)

17 Now it happened as David dwelt in his house that he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am dwelling in a house of cedar while the ark of the Lord is under curtains.”

² So Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”

³ But it happened on that same night that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying,

⁴ Go and tell David My servant: Thus says the Lord: You will not build a house for Me to dwell in, ⁵ for I have not dwelt in a house since the day when I brought Israel up even until this day, but I have gone from tent to tent and from tabernacle to tabernacle. ⁶ Wherever I have gone in all Israel, have I ever spoken a word to the any of the judges of Israel that I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?

⁷ And now say this to My servant David: Thus says the Lord of Hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following after the flock, to be ruler over My people Israel, ⁸ and I have been with you wherever you went, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Also I will make your name like the names of the greatest on earth. ⁹ And I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and I will plant them there where they will dwell securely and tremble no more, so that the sons of wickedness will not oppress them just as before ¹⁰ from the time when I commanded the judges of My people Israel. I will subdue all your enemies.

And I declare to you the Lord will build a house for you. ¹¹ Then it will be when your days are full and you go to your fathers, I will raise up your seed after you from your own sons. His kingdom I will establish. ¹² He is the one who will build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. ¹³ I will be a father to him, and he will be a son to Me. I will not take away My favor from him as I did from the one who was before you. ¹⁴ I will assign him a place in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne will be established for all time.

¹⁵ Thus, Nathan spoke to David all these words and according to all this vision.

The Prayer of David^(I)

¹⁶ Then King David came and sat before the Lord, and he said,

“Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house that You have brought me this far? ¹⁷ This was something small in Your eyes, God, but You have spoken concerning the house of Your servant for a great while to come and have regarded me with the status of a great man, O Lord God.

¹⁸ “What more can David speak to You for the honor of Your servant? For You know Your servant. ¹⁹ O Lord, for the sake of Your servant and according to Your own heart You have done all these great things and made known all these great things.

²⁰ “O Lord, there is none like You, and there is no god besides You as we have heard with our ears. ²¹ Who is like Your people Israel, a nation on earth whom God has redeemed for Himself as a people to make for Yourself a great name by great and awesome deeds in driving out nations from before Your people whom You redeemed from Egypt? ²² For You made Your people Israel for Yourself for a people forever, and You, O Lord, have become their God.

²³ “And now, Lord, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, let it endure forever and do just as You have spoken. ²⁴ Let Your name endure and be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, is God to Israel.’ And let the house of David Your servant be established before You.

²⁵ “For You, my God, have revealed to Your servant that You will build a house for him. Therefore Your servant has found courage to pray before You. ²⁶ And now, O Lord, You are God, and You have promised this good word to Your servant. ²⁷ Now, You have been pleased to bless the house of Your servant that it may be forever before You. For You, O Lord, have blessed it, and it shall be blessed forever.”

David’s Conquests^(J)

18 Now it happened after this that David attacked the Philistines and subdued them, so he took Gath and its neighboring towns from Philistine control.

² He also defeated Moab so that the Moabites became servants to David and brought tribute.

³ Next David struck down Hadadezer the king of Zobah toward Hamath as he marched out to establish his authority along the Euphrates. ⁴ David captured from him one thousand chariots, seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand infantry men. Then David hamstrung all the chariot horses except for the one hundred he spared.

⁵ When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand Arameans. ⁶ Then David set garrisons in Aram of Damascus; and Arameans became subject to David, and brought tribute. The Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.

⁷ So David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ Also from Tibhath^[b] and Kun, cities of Hadadezer, David took a large amount of bronze; with it Solomon made the bronze Sea, the pillars, and the vessels of bronze.

⁹ When Tou king of Hamath heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer king of Zobah, ¹⁰ he sent his son Hadoram to King David to ask about his welfare and to bless him because he fought and defeated Hadadezer (for Hadadezer had been at war with Tou). He sent all kinds of articles of gold, silver, and bronze.

¹¹ King David also dedicated these to the Lord, together with the silver and gold which he had carried away from all the surrounding nations, from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek.

¹² Also Abishai the son of Zeruiah struck down eighteen thousand men of Edom in the Valley of Salt. ¹³ He set up garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became servants to David. Wherever he went, the Lord gave David victory.

David’s Officials

¹⁴ So David was king over all Israel, and he executed justice and righteousness for all his people. ¹⁵ Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was the historian. ¹⁶ Zadok the son of Ahitub and Abimelek the son of Abiathar served as priests, while Shavsha was scribe. ¹⁷ Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and the Pelethites, and the sons of David were the king’s principal officials.

David Defeats the Ammonites^(K)

19 Now it happened after this that Nahash the king of the Ammonites died, and his son reigned in his place. ² Then David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And David’s servants came to Hanun in the land of the Ammonites to comfort him.

³ But the leaders of the Ammonites said to Hanun, “Do you think that David is honoring your father because he sent consolers? Have not his servants come to you to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?” ⁴ So Hanun took the servants of David, shaved them, cut their garments in half as far as the hip, and sent them away.

⁵ Then some came and told David about the men, so he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly humiliated. The king said, “Remain in Jericho until your beards grow full, and then return.”

⁶ When the Ammonites saw that they had become a stench to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent one thousand talents^[c] of silver to hire chariots and horsemen from Aram Naharaim, Aram Maakah, and Zobah. ⁷ So they hired for themselves thirty-two thousand chariots, with the king of Maakah and his people. They camped before Medeba as the Ammonites gathered from their cities to go out to war.

⁸ When David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men. ⁹ So the Ammonites went out and formed ranks for battle at the entrance to the city while the kings who had come were by themselves in the open country.

¹⁰ When Joab saw the battle line was drawn in front of him and behind him, he chose some of the best men in Israel and arrayed them against the Arameans. ¹¹ The rest of the people he placed in the charge of his brother Abishai, and they took up positions to engage the Ammonites. ¹² Then he said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you will come help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will come help you. ¹³ Take courage, and let us prove worthy of our people and the cities of our God. May the Lord do what seems right to Him.”

¹⁴ So Joab and the people who were with him drew near to the Arameans for battle, and they fled before him. ¹⁵ When the Ammonites saw the Arameans fleeing, they also fled before Abishai his brother and entered the city. So Joab returned to Jerusalem.

¹⁶ When the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers and summoned the Arameans who were beyond the River,^[d] and Shophak, the commander of Hadadezer’s army went before them.

¹⁷ When David was told about it, he gathered all Israel, crossed over the Jordan, and came against them. He divided his ranks and prepared to engage the Arameans in battle, so they fought against him. ¹⁸ But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed seven thousand chariot drivers and forty thousand infantry men of the Arameans, and killed Shophak, the commander of the army.

¹⁹ And when the servants of Hadadezer saw that they were defeated before Israel, they negotiated peace with David and served him.

So the Arameans were not willing to aid the Ammonites in battle again.

Rabbah Captured^(L)

20 Now at the beginning of the year when kings would go out to war, Joab led the army and devastated the land of the Ammonites. He came and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. So Joab struck Rabbah and overthrew it. ² Then David took the crown of their king from his head and found it weighed about a talent^[e] of gold with a precious stone set in it. And it was placed on David’s head. He also brought out a great abundance of plunder from the city. ³ He brought out the people who were it in, and put them to work with saws, sharp iron tools, and axes. Thus David did to all the cities of the Ammonites, and then he and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

Philistine Giants Killed^(M)

⁴ Now after this, when war broke out in Gezer with the Philistines, Sibbekai of Hushah killed Sippai, who was one of the descendants of the giants, and they were humbled.

⁵ Again there was war with the Philistines, and Elhanan the son of Jair killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose wooden spear was like a weaver’s beam.

⁶ Yet again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four in number; and he also was descended from the giants. ⁷ When he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him.

⁸ These were descended from the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and his servants.

The Census of Israel and Judah^(N)

21 Now Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel. ² Then David said to Joab and the leaders of the people, “Go count Israel from Beersheba to Dan and bring me a report, that I may know their number.”

³ But Joab said, “May the Lord increase the number of His people one hundred times more. My lord the king, are not all of them my lord’s servants? Why then should my lord require this? Why should it bring guilt on Israel?”

⁴ Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab, so Joab departed and went throughout all Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem. ⁵ Joab gave the results of the census of the people to David: All Israel had one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and in Judah four hundred and seventy thousand men drew the sword.

⁶ However, he did not include the Levites and Benjamin because the word of the king was abhorrent to Joab. ⁷ Now this thing was evil in the sight of God, and He struck Israel.

⁸ So David said to God, “I have sinned greatly in doing this thing. Now, please, take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”

⁹ And the Lord spoke to Gad, David’s seer, saying, ¹⁰ “Go and speak to David, ‘Thus says the Lord: Three things I offer you; choose one of these for yourself that I may do to you.’ ”

¹¹ So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Select for yourself, ¹² either three years of famine, or three months of being swept away before your foes while the sword of your enemy overtakes you, or three days of the sword of the Lord, even pestilence in the land, with the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ Now then consider what answer I shall return to Him who sent me.”

¹³ David replied to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for His mercies are very great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

¹⁴ So the Lord sent a plague throughout Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell. ¹⁵ And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but as he prepared to destroy it, the Lord looked and relented from the calamity. And He said to the angel bringing the destruction, “It is enough. Remove your hand.” The angel of the Lord was then standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

¹⁶ David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven with his sword drawn in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. So David and the elders, covered in sackcloth, fell on their faces.

¹⁷ David said to God, “Was it not I who gave the command to number the people? I am the one who has sinned and surely done evil. But these sheep, what have they done? O Lord my God, I pray, let Your hand be against me and my father’s house, but do not let Your people be plagued.”

David Builds an Altar

¹⁸ Then the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to tell David that David should go up and raise an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ¹⁹ So David went up at the word of Gad which he delivered in the name of the Lord.

²⁰ Now Ornan turned and saw the angel, but his four sons who were with him hid themselves as Ornan threshed the wheat. ²¹ As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David and went out from the threshing floor and bowed down before David with his face to the ground.

²² Then David said to Ornan, “Give me the site of the threshing floor so that I may build an altar on it to the Lord. Sell it to me at full price so the plague on the people may be restrained.”

²³ So Ornan replied to David, “Take it for yourself, and let my lord the king do whatever seems good in his eyes. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing wagons for wood, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give it all.”

²⁴ Then King David said to Ornan, “No, for I will surely acquire it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the Lord nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

²⁵ So David gave Ornan six hundred shekels^[f] of gold by weight for the site, ²⁶ and David built there an altar to the Lord and offered up burnt offerings and peace offerings. He called on the Lord, and the Lord answered him by fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.

²⁷ So the Lord spoke to the angel, and he put away his sword in its sheath. ²⁸ At that time, when David saw that the Lord had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. ²⁹ For the tabernacle of the Lord and the altar of burnt offering that Moses had made in the wilderness were in the high place in Gibeon at that time. ³⁰ But David was unable to go before it to inquire of God, because he was terrified by the sword of the angel of the Lord.

22 Then David said, “Here shall be the house of the Lord God and here the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.”

Plans to Build the Temple

² So David gave instructions to gather together those sojourning in the land of Israel, and he appointed stonemasons to cut hewn stones for building the house of God. ³ David also provided large quantities of iron for nails for the doors of the gates and for the clamps as well as an abundance of bronze beyond measure, ⁴ and cedar logs without number, for the Sidonians and the Tyrians brought much cedar wood to David.

⁵ Now David said, “Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory throughout all the lands. Therefore I will make preparation for it now.” So David made extensive preparations before his death.

⁶ Then David called Solomon his son and commanded him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. ⁷ David said to Solomon, “My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the name of the Lord my God, ⁸ but the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and waged great wars. You shall not build a house for My name because you have shed much blood on the earth before Me. ⁹ A son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies all around. Solomon will be his name, and I will give peace and tranquility to Israel in his days. ¹⁰ He will be the one to build a house for My name. He shall be a son to Me, and I will be a father to him, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’

¹¹ “Now, my son, may the Lord be with you, and may you have success in building the house of the Lord your God just as He has spoken concerning you. ¹² Only may the Lord give you insight and understanding and give you charge over Israel so you may keep the law of the Lord your God. ¹³ Then you will prosper if you carefully observe the statutes and the judgments which the Lord commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid or dismayed.

¹⁴ “With great difficulty I have prepared for the house of the Lord one hundred thousand talents^[g] of gold and one million^[h] talents of silver as well as innumerable quantities of bronze and iron, beyond measure. I have also prepared timber and stone to which you may add even more. ¹⁵ Moreover you have an abundance of workers: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and men skilled in all kinds of work, ¹⁶ craftsmen in gold, silver, bronze, and iron without number. Rise up and work, and may the Lord be with you.”

¹⁷ Then David commanded all the leaders of Israel to assist Solomon his son, saying, ¹⁸ “Is not the Lord your God with you? Has He not given you rest all around? For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the Lord and His people. ¹⁹ Now dedicate your heart and your soul to seek the Lord your God. Rise up and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that you may bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord along with the holy vessels of God into the house which is to be built for the name of the Lord.”

The Levites

23 Now David was old and full of days when he made Solomon his son king over Israel. ² So he gathered together all the leaders of Israel with the priests and the Levites.

³ The Levites from thirty years old and up were counted, and their head count of men was thirty-eight thousand. ⁴ Twenty-four thousand of these, David said, “shall have charge of the work in the house of the Lord; six thousand shall be officers and judges, ⁵ four thousand shall be gatekeepers, and four thousand shall offer praises to the Lord with the instruments that I have made for praise.”

⁶ David assigned them to divisions according to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

Gershonites

⁷ From the Gershonites:

Kohathites

¹² The sons of Kohath were

Merarites

²¹ The sons of Merari were

²⁴ These were the sons of Levi according to their fathers’ houses, the heads of the fathers’ houses as they were registered by the number of their names according to their head count, those doing the work for the service of the house of the Lord, from twenty years old and up.

²⁵ For David said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has given rest to His people, and He dwells in Jerusalem forever. ²⁶ And so the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle and all its implements for its service.” ²⁷ For by the last words of David, the sons of Levi were numbered from twenty years old and up; ²⁸ because their duty was to help the sons of Aaron in the service of the house of the Lord, in the courts and in the chambers, with the purifying of all holy things, even the work of service of the house of God, ²⁹ and with the showbread, the fine flour for a grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baked offering, the offering mixed with oil, and all measures of quantity and size, ³⁰ to stand morning by morning to thank and praise the Lord, and likewise in the evening, ³¹ and to offer up all burnt offerings to the Lord, for Sabbaths, New Moons, and appointed feasts, by number as the judgment concerning them, continually before the Lord, ³² and that they should keep charge of the tent of meeting and the sanctuary and attend to the sons of Aaron, their brothers, for the service of the house of the Lord.