Old/New Testament
Chapter 6
The Ark Brought to Jerusalem. 1 (A)David again assembled all the picked men of Israel, thirty thousand in number. 2 Then David and all the people who were with him set out for Baala of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which bears the name “the Lord of hosts enthroned above the cherubim.”(B) 3 They transported the ark of God on a new cart and took it away from the house of Abinadab on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the cart,(C) 4 with Ahio walking before it, 5 while David and all the house of Israel danced before the Lord with all their might, with singing, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals.(D) 6 As they reached the threshing floor of Nodan, Uzzah stretched out his hand to the ark of God and steadied it, for the oxen were tipping it. 7 Then the Lord became angry with Uzzah; God struck him on that spot, and he died there in God’s presence. 8 David was angry because the Lord’s wrath had broken out against Uzzah. Therefore that place has been called Perez-uzzah[a] even to this day. 9 David became frightened of the Lord that day, and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” 10 So David was unwilling to take the ark of the Lord with him into the City of David. David deposited it instead at the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.
11 The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household.(E) 12 (F)When it was reported to King David that the Lord had blessed the household of Obed-edom and all that he possessed because of the ark of God, David went to bring up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the City of David with joy.(G) 13 As soon as the bearers of the ark of the Lord had advanced six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. 14 Then David came dancing before the Lord with abandon, girt with a linen ephod.[b](H) 15 David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and sound of horn. 16 As the ark of the Lord was entering the City of David, Michal, daughter of Saul, looked down from her window, and when she saw King David jumping and dancing before the Lord, she despised him in her heart. 17 (I)They brought in the ark of the Lord and set it in its place within the tent which David had pitched for it. Then David sacrificed burnt offerings and communion offerings before the Lord. 18 When David had finished sacrificing burnt offerings and communion offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts, 19 and distributed among all the people, the entire multitude of Israel, to every man and every woman, one loaf of bread, one piece of meat, and one raisin cake. Then all the people returned to their homes.
20 [c]When David went home to bless his own house,(J) Michal, the daughter of Saul, came out to meet him and said, “How well the king of Israel has honored himself today, exposing himself to the view of the slave girls of his followers, as a commoner might expose himself!” 21 But David replied to Michal: “I was dancing before the Lord. As the Lord lives, who chose me over your father and all his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people, Israel, not only will I make merry before the Lord,(K) 22 but I will demean myself even more. I will be lowly in your eyes, but in the eyes of the slave girls you spoke of I will be somebody.” 23 Saul’s daughter Michal was childless to the day she died.
Chapter 7
The Oracle of Nathan. 1 (L)After the king had taken up residence in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from his enemies on every side,(M) 2 the king said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwells in a tent!”(N) 3 Nathan answered the king, “Whatever is in your heart, go and do, for the Lord is with you.”(O) 4 But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan: 5 Go and tell David my servant, Thus says the Lord: Is it you who would build me a house to dwell in?(P) 6 I have never dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up from Egypt to this day, but I have been going about in a tent or a tabernacle. 7 As long as I have wandered about among the Israelites, did I ever say a word to any of the judges whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel: Why have you not built me a house of cedar?
8 Now then, speak thus to my servant David, Thus says the Lord of hosts:[d] I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to become ruler over my people Israel.(Q) 9 I was with you wherever you went, and I cut down all your enemies before you. And I will make your name like that of the greatest on earth.(R) 10 I will assign a place for my people Israel and I will plant them in it to dwell there; they will never again be disturbed, nor shall the wicked ever again oppress them, as they did at the beginning, 11 and from the day when I appointed judges over my people Israel. I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the Lord also declares to you that the Lord will make a house for you:(S) 12 (T)when your days have been completed and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, sprung from your loins, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He it is[e] who shall build a house for my name, and I will establish his royal throne forever. 14 I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. If he does wrong, I will reprove him with a human rod and with human punishments;(U) 15 but I will not withdraw my favor from him as I withdrew it from Saul who was before you.(V) 16 Your house and your kingdom are firm forever before me; your throne shall be firmly established forever.[f](W) 17 In accordance with all these words and this whole vision Nathan spoke to David.
David’s Thanksgiving. 18 Then King David went in and sat in the Lord’s presence and said, “Who am I, Lord God, and what is my house, that you should have brought me so far?(X) 19 And yet even this is too little in your sight, Lord God! For you have made a promise regarding your servant’s house reaching into the future, and giving guidance to the people, Lord God! 20 What more can David say to you? You know[g] your servant, Lord God! 21 For your servant’s sake and as you have had at heart, you have brought about this whole magnificent disclosure to your servant. 22 Therefore, great are you, Lord God! There is no one like you, no God but you, as we have always heard.(Y) 23 What other nation on earth is there like your people Israel? What god has ever led a nation, redeeming it as his people and making a name by great and awesome deeds, as you drove out the nations and their gods before your people, whom you redeemed for yourself from Egypt?(Z) 24 (AA)You have established for yourself your people Israel as your people forever, and you, Lord, have become their God. 25 Now, Lord God, confirm the promise that you have spoken concerning your servant and his house forever. Bring about what you have promised 26 so that your name may be forever great. People will say: ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,’ when the house of your servant David is established in your presence. 27 Because you, Lord of hosts, God of Israel, have revealed to your servant, ‘I will build you a house,’ your servant now finds the courage to make this prayer before you. 28 Since you, Lord God, are truly God and your words are truth and you have made this generous promise to your servant,(AB) 29 do, then, bless the house of your servant, that it may be in your presence forever—since you, Lord God, have promised, and by your blessing the house of your servant shall be blessed forever.”
Chapter 8
Summary of David’s Wars. 1 (AC)After this, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them; and David took…[h] from the Philistines. 2 He also defeated Moab and measured them with a line. Making them lie down on the ground, he measured two lengths of line for death, and a full length for life.[i] Thus the Moabites became subject to David, paying tribute. 3 (AD)David then defeated Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to re-establish his dominion at the River.(AE) 4 David captured from him one thousand seven hundred horsemen and twenty thousand foot soldiers. David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but left one hundred for his chariots.(AF) 5 The Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, king of Zobah, but David also defeated twenty-two thousand of them in Aram. 6 David then placed garrisons in the Damascus region of Aram, and the Arameans became David’s subjects, paying tribute. The Lord brought David victory in all his undertakings. 7 David took the golden shields that were carried by Hadadezer’s attendants and brought them to Jerusalem. (These Shishak, king of Egypt, took away when he came to Jerusalem in the days of Rehoboam, son of Solomon.) 8 From Tebah and Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, King David removed a very large quantity of bronze. 9 When Toi, king of Hamath, heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, 10 Toi sent his son Hadoram to wish King David well and to congratulate him on having waged a victorious war against Hadadezer; for Hadadezer had been at war with Toi. Hadoram also brought with him articles of silver, gold, and bronze. 11 These also King David consecrated to the Lord along with the silver and gold that he had taken for this purpose from all the nations he had subdued: 12 from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek, and from the spoils of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
13 On his return,[j] David made a name for himself by defeating eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.(AG) 14 He set up garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became David’s subjects. Thus the Lord brought David victory in all his undertakings.
David’s Officials. 15 (AH)David was king over all Israel; he dispensed justice and right to all his people. 16 Joab, son of Zeruiah, was in command of the army. Jehoshaphat, son of Ahilud, was chancellor. 17 Zadok, son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech, son of Abiathar, were priests.[k] Shavsha was scribe. 18 Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, was in command of the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were priests.(AI)
Chapter 15
The Parable of the Lost Sheep.(A) 1 [a]The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to him, 2 but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”(B) 3 So to them he addressed this parable. 4 (C)“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one(D) until he finds it?(E) 5 And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy 6 and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.(F)
The Parable of the Lost Coin. 8 “Or what woman having ten coins[b] and losing one would not light a lamp and sweep the house, searching carefully until she finds it? 9 And when she does find it, she calls together her friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’ 10 In just the same way, I tell you, there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.