Chronological

¹¹ Hiram king of the city of Tyre sent messengers to David. He also sent cedar logs, carpenters and men to cut stone. They built a palace for David. ¹² Then David knew the Lord really had made him king of Israel. And he knew the Lord had made his kingdom very important. This was because the Lord loved his people, the Israelites.

¹³ In Jerusalem David took for himself more slave women and wives. This was after he moved there from Hebron. More sons and daughters were born to David. ¹⁴ These are the names of the sons born to David in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ¹⁵ Ibhar, Elishua, Nepheg, Japhia, ¹⁶ Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet.

David Defeats the Philistines

¹⁷ Now the Philistines heard that David had been made king over Israel. So all the Philistines went to look for him. But when David heard the news, he went down to a safe place. ¹⁸ So the Philistines came and camped in the Valley of Rephaim. David asked the Lord, “Should I attack the Philistines? Will you help me defeat them?”

¹⁹ The Lord said to David, “Go! I will certainly help you defeat them.”

²⁰ So David went to Baal Perazim and defeated the Philistines there. David said, “Like a flood of water, the Lord has broken through my enemies.” So David named the place Baal Perazim.^{[a] 21} The Philistines left their idols behind at Baal Perazim. And David and his men carried these idols away.

²² Once again the Philistines came and camped at the Valley of Rephaim. ²³ David prayed to the Lord. This time the Lord told David, “Don’t attack the Philistines from the front. Instead, go around them. Attack them opposite the balsam trees. ²⁴ You will hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees. Then you must act quickly. I, the Lord, will have gone ahead of you and defeated the Philistine army.” ²⁵ So David did what the Lord commanded. He defeated the Philistines and chased them all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.

The Ark of the Covenant Is Brought to Jerusalem

6 David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel. There were 30,000 of them. ² Then David and all his people went to Baalah in Judah.^[b] They took the Ark of the Covenant of God from Baalah in Judah and moved it to Jerusalem. The Ark of the Covenant is called by the Name, the name of the Lord of heaven’s armies. His throne is between the gold creatures with wings that are on the Ark of the Covenant. ³ David’s men put the Ark of the Covenant of God on a new cart. Then they brought the Ark of the Covenant out of Abinadab’s house on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, led the new cart. ⁴ This cart had the Ark of the Covenant of God on it. Ahio was walking in front of it. ⁵ David and all the Israelites were playing all kinds of musical instruments before the Lord. They were made of pine wood. There were lyres, harps, tambourines, rattles and cymbals.

⁶ When David’s men came to the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled. The Ark of the Covenant of God began to fall off the cart. So Uzzah reached out and took hold of it. ⁷ The Lord was angry with Uzzah and killed him. Uzzah had not honored God when he touched the Ark of the Covenant. So Uzzah died there beside it. ⁸ David was angry because the Lord had killed Uzzah. So that place is called The Punishment of Uzzah even today.

⁹ David was afraid of the Lord that day. He said, “How can the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord come to me now?” ¹⁰ So David would not move the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord to be with him in Jerusalem. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom, a man from Gath. ¹¹ The Ark of the Covenant of the Lord stayed in Obed-Edom’s house for three months. And the Lord blessed Obed-Edom and all his family.

¹² The people told David, “The Lord has blessed the family of Obed-Edom. And all his things are blessed. This is because the Ark of the Covenant of God is there.” So David went and brought it up from Obed-Edom’s house to Jerusalem with joy. ¹³ When the men carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord had walked six steps, David sacrificed a bull and a fat calf. ¹⁴ Then David danced with all his might before the Lord. He had on a holy linen vest. ¹⁵ David and all the Israelites shouted with joy. They blew the trumpets as they brought the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord to the city.

¹⁶ Saul’s daughter Michal was looking out the window. She watched as the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord came into the city. When she saw David jumping and dancing before the Lord, she hated him.

¹⁷ David put up a tent for the Ark of the Covenant. Then the Israelites put it in its place inside the tent. David offered whole burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before the Lord. ¹⁸ When David finished offering the whole burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of heaven’s armies. ¹⁹ David gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins to everyone. He gave them to all the Israelites, both men and women. Then all the people went home.

²⁰ David went back to bless the people in his home. But Saul’s daughter Michal came out to meet him. She said, “The king of Israel did not honor himself today! You took off your clothes in front of the servant girls of your officers. You were like a foolish man who takes off his clothes without shame!”

²¹ Then David said to Michal, “I did it before the Lord. The Lord chose me, not your father. He didn’t choose anyone from Saul’s family. The Lord appointed me to be leader of his people, the Israelites. So I will celebrate in front of the Lord. ²² Maybe I will lose even more honor. And you may think little of me. But the girls you talk about will honor me!”

²³ And Saul’s daughter Michal had no children to the day she died.

Bringing Back the Ark of the Covenant

13 David talked with all the officers of his army. He talked with the commanders of 100 men and the commanders of 1,000 men. ² Then David called the people of Israel together. He said, “If you think it is a good idea, and if it is what the Lord our God wants, let’s send a message. Let’s send it to our fellow Israelites in all the areas of Israel. Let’s also send it to the priests and Levites living with them in their towns and pastures. Tell them to come and join us. ³ Let’s bring the Ark of the Covenant of our God back to us. We did not use it to ask God for help while Saul was king.” ⁴ So all the people agreed with David. They all thought it was the right thing to do.

⁵ So David gathered all the Israelites from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath. They were to bring the Ark of the Covenant of God back from the town of Kiriath Jearim. ⁶ David and all the Israelites with him went to Baalah of Judah. (Baalah is another name for Kiriath Jearim.) They went there to get the Ark of the Covenant of God the Lord. His throne is between the golden creatures with wings on the Ark of the Covenant. It is called by the Lord’s name.

⁷ The people moved the Ark of the Covenant of God from Abinadab’s house. They put it on a new cart. And Uzzah and Ahio guided the cart. ⁸ David and all the Israelites were celebrating with all their strength before God. They were singing and playing harps, lyres, tambourines, cymbals and trumpets.

⁹ They came to the threshing floor of Kidon. The oxen pulling the cart stumbled. And Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the Ark of the Covenant. ¹⁰ The Lord became very angry with Uzzah. And he killed Uzzah because Uzzah had touched the Ark of the Covenant. So Uzzah died there in the presence of God.

¹¹ David became angry because the Lord had punished Uzzah in his anger. So even today that place is called the Punishment of Uzzah.

¹² David was afraid of God that day. David asked, “How can I bring the Ark of the Covenant of God home to me?” ¹³ So David did not take the Ark of the Covenant with him to Jerusalem. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-Edom of Gath. ¹⁴ The Ark of the Covenant of God stayed with Obed-Edom’s family in his house for three months. And the Lord blessed Obed-Edom’s family and everything he owned.

David’s Kingdom Grows

14 Hiram king of the city of Tyre sent messengers to David. He also sent cedar logs, stonecutters and carpenters. He sent them to build a palace for David. ² Then David knew that the Lord really had made him king of Israel. And he knew the Lord had made his kingdom very important. The Lord did this because he loved his people, the Israelites.

³ David married more women in Jerusalem. And he had more sons and daughters. ⁴ These are the names of David’s children born in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ⁵ Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, ⁶ Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, ⁷ Elishama, Beeliada and Eliphelet.

David Defeats the Philistines

⁸ The Philistine people heard that David had been appointed king of all Israel. So all the Philistines went to look for him. When David heard about it, he went out to fight them. ⁹ The Philistines had attacked and robbed the people in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁰ David asked God, “Should I go and attack the Philistines? Will you let me defeat them?”

The Lord answered him, “Go. I will let you defeat them.”

¹¹ So David and his men went up to the town of Baal Perazim. There he defeated the Philistines. David said, “Like a flood of water, God has broken through my enemies. He has done this through me.” So that place was named Baal Perazim.^{[a] 12} The Philistines had left their idols there. So David ordered his men to burn them.

¹³ Soon the Philistines attacked the people in the valley again. ¹⁴ So David prayed to God again, and God answered him. God said, “Don’t attack the Philistines from the front. Instead, go around them. Attack them in front of the balsam trees. ¹⁵ You will hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees. Then quickly attack the Philistines. I, God, will have gone out before you to defeat the Philistine army.” ¹⁶ David did what God commanded him to do. So David and his men defeated the Philistine army. They killed the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.

¹⁷ So David became famous in all the countries. And the Lord made all nations afraid of David.

The Ark of the Covenant Brought to Jerusalem

15 David built houses for himself in Jerusalem. Then he built a place for the Ark of the Covenant of God. And he set up a tent for it. ² Then David said, “Only the Levites may carry the Ark of the Covenant of God. The Lord chose them to carry the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. He chose them to serve him forever.”

³ David called all the people of Israel to come to Jerusalem. He wanted to bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord to the place he had made for it. ⁴ David called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites. ⁵ There were 120 people from Kohath’s family group. Uriel was their leader. ⁶ There were 220 people from Merari’s family group. Asaiah was their leader. ⁷ There were 130 people from Gershon’s family group. Joel was their leader. ⁸ There were 200 people from Elizaphan’s family group. Shemaiah was their leader. ⁹ There were 80 people from Hebron’s family group. Eliel was their leader. ¹⁰ There were 112 people from Uzziel’s family group. Amminadab was their leader.

¹¹ Then David asked the priests Zadok and Abiathar to come to him. He also asked these Levites to come: Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab. ¹² David said to them, “You are the leaders of the families of Levi. You and the other Levites must give yourselves for service to the Lord. Then bring up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, the God of Israel. Bring it to the place I have made for it. ¹³ The last time we did not ask the Lord how to carry it. You Levites didn’t carry it. So the Lord our God punished us.”

¹⁴ Then the priests and Levites prepared themselves for service to the Lord. They did this so they could carry the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁵ The Levites used special poles to carry the Ark of the Covenant of God on their shoulders. This was the way Moses had commanded. They carried it just as the Lord had said they should.

¹⁶ David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brothers as singers. The singers were to play their lyres, harps and cymbals. And they were to sing happy songs.

¹⁷ So the Levites appointed Heman and his relatives Asaph and Ethan. Heman was Joel’s son. Asaph was Berekiah’s son. And Ethan, from the Merari family group, was Kushaiah’s son. ¹⁸ There was also a second group of Levites. They were Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. They were the Levite guards.

¹⁹ The singers Heman, Asaph and Ethan played bronze cymbals. ²⁰ Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah and Benaiah played the high-pitched lyres. ²¹ Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel and Azaziah played the low-pitched harps. ²² The Levite leader Kenaniah was in charge of the singing. He had this job because he was very good at singing.

²³ Berekiah and Elkanah were two of the guards for the Ark of the Covenant. ²⁴ The priests Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah and Eliezer had the job of blowing trumpets. They did this in front of the Ark of the Covenant. Obed-Edom and Jehiah were also guards for the Ark of the Covenant.

²⁵ David, the leaders of Israel, and the commanders went to get the Ark of the Covenant with the Lord. Each of the commanders was over a group of 1,000 soldiers. They all went to bring the Ark of the Covenant from Obed-Edom’s house. And they were very happy. ²⁶ God helped the Levites who carried the Ark of the Covenant with the Lord. So they sacrificed seven bulls and seven male sheep. ²⁷ All the Levites who carried the Ark of the Covenant wore robes of fine linen. Kenaniah, the man in charge of the singing, and all the singers wore robes of fine linen. David wore a robe of fine linen. And he also wore a holy vest of fine linen. ²⁸ So all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the Covenant with the Lord. They shouted and blew sheep horns and trumpets. They played cymbals, lyres, and harps.

²⁹ So the Ark of the Covenant with the Lord entered Jerusalem. As it entered, Saul’s daughter Michal watched from a window. When she saw King David dancing and celebrating, she hated him.

16 They brought the Ark of the Covenant of God and put it inside the tent. This was the tent David had set up for it. Then they offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to God. ² David finished giving the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then he used the Lord’s name to bless the people. ³ He gave a loaf of bread, some dates and raisins to every Israelite man and woman.

⁴ Then David appointed some of the Levites to serve before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. They had the job of leading the worship. They gave thanks and praise to the Lord, the God of Israel. ⁵ Asaph was the leader. He played the cymbals. Zechariah was second to him. The other Levites were Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. They played the lyres and harps. ⁶ Benaiah and Jahaziel were priests. They blew the trumpets regularly before the Ark of the Covenant with God. ⁷ That day David first gave Asaph and his relatives the job of singing praises to the Lord.

David’s Song of Thanks

All the people said, “Amen” and “Praise the Lord.”

³⁷ Then David left Asaph and the other Levites there in front of the Ark of the Covenant with the Lord. They were to serve there every day. ³⁸ David also left Obed-Edom and 68 other Levites to serve with them. Hosah and Obed-Edom son of Jeduthun were guards.

³⁹ David left Zadok the priest and the other priests who served with him in front of the Tent of the Lord. This was at the place of worship in Gibeon. ⁴⁰ Every morning and evening they offered burnt offerings on the altar of burnt offerings. They did this to follow the rules written in the Teachings of the Lord. These were the Teachings he had given Israel. ⁴¹ With them were Heman and Jeduthun and other Levites. They were chosen by name to sing praises to the Lord because the Lord’s love continues forever. ⁴² Heman and Jeduthun also had the job of playing the trumpets and cymbals. They also played other musical instruments when songs were sung to God. Jeduthun’s sons guarded the gates.

⁴³ Then all the people left. Each person went to his own home. And David also went home to bless his family.