Old/New Testament
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.[a] 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.
David Wants to Build a Temple
7 King David was living in his palace. And the Lord gave him peace from all his enemies around him. 2 David said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I am living in a palace made of cedar wood. But the Ark of the Covenant of God is still kept in a tent!”
3 Nathan said to the king, “Go and do what you really want to do. The Lord is with you.”
4 But that night the Lord spoke his word to Nathan. The Lord said, 5 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not the person to build a house for me to live in. 6 I did not live in a house when I brought the Israelites out of Egypt. I have been moving around all this time with a tent as my home. 7 I have continued to move with the tribes of Israel. But I have never asked their leaders who take care of them to build me a house of cedar wood.’
8 “You must tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord of heaven’s armies says: I took you from the pasture when you were following the sheep. I took you to become leader of my people, the Israelites. 9 I have been with you everywhere you have gone. I have defeated your enemies for you. I will make you as famous as any of the great men on the earth. 10 Also I will choose a place for my people, the Israelites. I will plant them so they can live in their own home. They will not be bothered anymore. Wicked people will no longer make them suffer as they have in the past. 11 Wicked people continued to do this even when I appointed judges. But I will give you peace from all your enemies. I also tell you that I will make your descendants kings of Israel after you.
12 “‘Your days will come to an end, and you will die. At that time I will make one of your sons the next king. 13 He will build a temple for me. I will make his kingdom strong forever. 14 I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he sins, I will use other people to punish him. They will be my whips. 15 But I will not stop loving him. I took away my love and kindness from Saul. I removed Saul when I turned to you. 16 But your family and your kingdom will continue forever before me. Your rule will last forever.’”
17 Nathan told David everything he had heard.
David Prays to God
18 Then King David went in the tent and sat in front of the Lord. David said, “Lord God, why have you made me so important to you? Why have you made my family important? 19 But that was not enough for you, Lord God. You have also said these kind things about my future family. I am your servant. Lord God, this is not the usual way you talk to people.
20 “What more can I say to you? Lord God, you love me, your servant, so much! 21 You have done this wonderful thing because you said you would. You have done it because you wanted to. And you have decided to let me know all these great things. 22 This is why you are great, Lord God! There is no one like you. There is no God except you. We have heard all this ourselves! 23 And there are no others like your people, the Israelites. They are the one nation on earth that God chose to be his people. You used them to make your name well-known. You did great and wonderful miracles for them. You went ahead of them and forced other nations and their gods out of the land. You freed your people from slavery in Egypt. 24 You made the people of Israel your very own people forever. And, Lord, you became their God.
25 “Now, Lord God, keep the promise you made about my family and me, your servant. Do what you have promised. 26 Then you will be honored forever. And people will say, ‘The Lord of heaven’s armies is God over Israel!’ And the family of your servant David will continue before you.
27 “Lord of heaven’s armies, the God of Israel, you have shown things to me. You have said, ‘I will make your family great.’ So I, your servant, am brave enough to pray to you. 28 Lord God, you are God, and your words are true. And you have promised these good things to me, your servant. 29 Please, bless my family. Let it continue before you forever. Lord God, you have said these wonderful things. With your blessing let my family be blessed forever.”
David Wins Many Wars
8 Later, David defeated the Philistines. And he took control of their capital city.
2 He also defeated the people of Moab. He forced them to lie on the ground. Then he used a rope to measure them. When two men were measured, David ordered them killed. But every third man was allowed to live. So the people of Moab became servants of David. They gave him the payments he demanded.
3 As David went to take control again at the Euphrates River, he defeated Hadadezer. Hadadezer son of Rehob was king of Zobah. 4 David took from Hadadezer 1,700 men who rode in his chariots. He also captured 20,000 foot soldiers. David crippled all but 100 of the chariot horses. He saved those horses to pull chariots.
5 Arameans from Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah. But David defeated those 22,000 Arameans. 6 Then David put groups of soldiers in Damascus in Aram. The Arameans became David’s servants and gave him the payments he demanded. The Lord gave David victory everywhere he went.
7 David took the shields of gold that had belonged to Hadadezer’s officers. He brought them to Jerusalem. 8 David also took many things made of bronze from Tebah and Berothai. (They were cities that had belonged to Hadadezer.)
9 Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer. 10 So Toi sent his son Joram to greet and congratulate King David. Joram congratulated David for defeating Hadadezer. (Hadadezer had fought wars against Toi before.) Joram brought things made of silver, gold and bronze. 11 David took these things and gave them to the Lord. He also had given other silver and gold to the Lord. He had taken it from the nations he had defeated. 12 These nations were Edom, Moab, Ammon, Philistia and Amalek. David also defeated the king of Zobah who was Hadadezer son of Rehob.
13 David was famous after he returned from the Valley of Salt. There he had defeated 18,000 Arameans. 14 David put groups of soldiers through all the land of Edom. All the people of Edom became servants for him. The Lord gave David victory everywhere he went.
15 David was king over all Israel. His decisions were fair and right for all his people. 16 Joab son of Zeruiah was commander over the army. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder. 17 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests. Seraiah was the royal assistant. 18 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites, the king’s bodyguards. And David’s sons were important leaders.
A Lost Sheep and a Lost Coin
15 Many tax collectors and “sinners” came to listen to Jesus. 2 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to complain: “Look! This man welcomes sinners and even eats with them!”
3 Then Jesus told them this story: 4 “Suppose one of you has 100 sheep, but he loses 1 of them. Then he will leave the other 99 sheep alone and go out and look for the lost sheep. The man will keep on searching for the lost sheep until he finds it. 5 And when he finds it, the man is very happy. He puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. He calls to his friends and neighbors and says, ‘Be happy with me because I found my lost sheep!’ 7 In the same way, I tell you there is much joy in heaven when 1 sinner changes his heart. There is more joy for that 1 sinner than there is for 99 good people who don’t need to change.
8 “Suppose a woman has ten silver coins,[a] but she loses one of them. She will light a lamp and clean the house. She will look carefully for the coin until she finds it. 9 And when she finds it, she will call her friends and neighbors and say, ‘Be happy with me because I have found the coin that I lost!’ 10 In the same way, there is joy before the angels of God when 1 sinner changes his heart.”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.