Bible in 90 Days
The Death of King Saul
10 The Philistines fought against the Israelites. The Israelites ran away from the Philistines. Many Israelites were killed on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines continued chasing Saul and his sons. They caught them and killed them. The Philistines killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki Shua. 3 The fighting was heavy around Saul. The archers shot Saul with their arrows and wounded him.
4 Then Saul said to the helper who carried his armor, “Pull out your sword and use it to kill me. Then these foreigners[a] will not hurt me and make fun of me when they come.”
But the helper was afraid. He refused to kill Saul. So Saul used his own sword to kill himself by falling on it. 5 When the helper saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his own sword and died. 6 So Saul and three of his sons died. All of Saul’s family died together.
7 When all the Israelites living in the valley saw that their own army had run away and that Saul and his sons were dead, they left their towns and ran away. Then the Philistines came into the towns and lived in them.
8 The next day, the Philistines came to take valuable things from the dead bodies. They found Saul’s body and the bodies of his sons on Mount Gilboa. 9 The Philistines took things from Saul’s body. They took Saul’s head and armor. They sent messengers through all their country to tell the news to their false gods and to their people. 10 The Philistines put Saul’s armor in the temple of their false gods. They hung Saul’s head in the temple of Dagon.
11 All the people living in the town of Jabesh Gilead heard everything that the Philistines had done to Saul. 12 All the brave men from Jabesh Gilead went to get the bodies of Saul and his sons. They brought them back to Jabesh Gilead. They buried the bones of Saul and his sons under the large tree in Jabesh. Then they showed their sadness and fasted for seven days.
13 Saul died because he was not faithful to the Lord. He did not obey the Lord’s word. Saul also went to a medium and asked her for advice 14 instead of asking the Lord. That is why the Lord killed Saul and gave the kingdom to Jesse’s son David.
David Becomes King Over Israel
11 All the Israelites came to David at the town of Hebron. They said to David, “We are your own flesh and blood.[b] 2 In the past you led us in war. You led us even though Saul was the king. The Lord said to you ‘David, you will be the shepherd of my people, the Israelites. You will become the leader over my people.’”
3 All the leaders of Israel came to King David at the town of Hebron. David made an agreement with them in Hebron before the Lord. The leaders anointed David. That made him king over Israel. The Lord had promised through Samuel that this would happen.
David Captures Jerusalem
4 David and all the Israelites went to the city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was called Jebus at that time. The people living in that city were named Jebusites. They 5 said to David, “You cannot get inside our city.” But David did defeat them. He took over the fortress of Zion, and it became the City of David.
6 David said, “The one who leads the attack on the Jebusites will become the commander over all my army.” So Joab led the attack. He was Zeruiah’s son. Joab became the commander of the army.
7 Then David made his home in the fortress. That is why it is named the City of David. 8 David built the city around the fort. He built it from the Millo to the wall around the city. Joab repaired the other parts of the city. 9 David continued to grow greater, and the Lord All-Powerful was with him.
The Three Heroes
10 This is a list of the leaders over David’s special soldiers. These heroes became very powerful with David in his kingdom. They and all the Israelites supported David and made him king, just as the Lord had promised.
11 This is a list of David’s special soldiers:
Jashobeam the Hacmonite[c] was the leader of the king’s special forces.[d] Jashobeam used his spear to kill 300 men at one time.
12 Next there was Eleazar son of Dodai[e] from Ahoah. Eleazar was one of the Three Heroes.[f] 13 Eleazar was with David at Pasdammim. The Philistines had come to that place to fight a war. There was a field full of barley there. The Israelites ran away from the Philistines. 14 But the Three Heroes stood there in that field and defended it. They defeated the Philistines. The Lord gave the Israelites a great victory.
15 Once David was at the cave of Adullam, and three of the Thirty Heroes[g] went down to meet him by a rock near the cave. At the same time the Philistine army was camped in the Valley of Rephaim.
16 Another time David was in the fortress, and a group of Philistine soldiers was stationed in Bethlehem. 17 David was thirsty for some water from his hometown, so he said, “Oh, if only I could have some water from that well by the gate in Bethlehem.” 18 So the Three Heroes[h] fought their way through the Philistine army and got some water from the well near the city gate in Bethlehem. They took it to David, but he refused to drink it. He poured it on the ground as an offering to the Lord. 19 David said, “God, I cannot drink this water. It would be like drinking the blood of the men who risked their lives to get this water for me.” That is why David refused to drink the water. The Three Heroes did many brave things like that.
Other Brave Soldiers
20 Joab’s brother, Abishai, was the leader of the Three Heroes. Abishai used his spear against 300 enemies and killed them. He was as famous as the Three Heroes. 21 Abishai was even more famous than the Three Heroes.[i] He became their leader, even though he was not one of the Three Heroes.
22 Then there was Benaiah son of Jehoiada, from Kabzeel. He was the son of a powerful man.[j] Benaiah did many brave things. He killed two of the best soldiers in Moab. One day when it was snowing, Benaiah went down into a hole in the ground and killed a lion. 23 And Benaiah killed a big Egyptian soldier. That man was about 7 1/2 feet[k] tall. The Egyptian had a spear that was very large and heavy. It was as big as the pole on a weaver’s loom. Benaiah had only a club. He grabbed the spear in the Egyptian’s hands and took it away from him. Then Benaiah killed the Egyptian with his own spear. 24 Benaiah son of Jehoiada did many brave things like that. He was as famous as the Three Heroes. 25 Benaiah was even more famous than the Thirty Heroes, but he was not one of the Three Heroes. David made Benaiah the leader of his bodyguards.
The Thirty Heroes
26 The following men were among the king’s special forces:
Asahel, Joab’s brother;
Elhanan son of Dodai from Bethlehem;
27 Shammoth the Harodite;
Helez the Pelonite;
28 Ira son of Ikkesh from Tekoa;
Abiezer from Anathoth;
29 Sibbecai the Hushathite;
Ilai from Ahoah;
30 Maharai from Netophah;
Heled son of Baanah from Netophah;
31 Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin;
Benaiah the Pirathonite;
32 Hurai from the Brooks of Gaash;
Abiel the Arbathite;
33 Azmaveth the Baharumite;
Eliahba the Shaalbonite;
34 the sons of Hashem the Gizonite;
Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite;
35 Ahiam son of Sacar the Hararite;
Eliphal son of Ur;
36 Hepher the Mekerathite;
Ahijah the Pelonite;
37 Hezro the Carmelite;
Naarai son of Ezbai;
38 Joel, Nathan’s brother;
Mibhar son of Hagri;
39 Zelek the Ammonite;
Naharai the officer from Beeroth, who carried the armor for Joab son of Zeruiah;
40 Ira the Ithrite;
Gareb the Ithrite;
41 Uriah the Hittite;
Zabad son of Ahlai;
42 Adina who was the son of Shiza from the tribe of Reuben and was the leader of the tribe and one of the Thirty Heroes;
43 Hanan son of Maacah;
Joshaphat the Mithnite;
44 Uzzia the Ashterathite;
Shama and Jeiel sons of Hotham from Aroer;
45 Jediael son of Shimri
and his brother Joha the Tizite;
46 Eliel the Mahavite;
Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam;
Ithmah the Moabite;
47 Eliel; Obed; and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.
The Brave Men Who Joined David
12 This is a list of the men who came to David while he was at Ziklag. This was when David was hiding from Saul son of Kish. These men helped David in battle. 2 They could shoot arrows from their bows with either their right or left hand. They could also throw stones from their slings with either their right or left hand. They were Saul’s relatives from the tribe of Benjamin. They were
3 Ahiezer, their leader, and Joash (sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite); Jeziel and Pelet (sons of Azmaveth); Beracah and Jehu from the town of Anathoth; 4 Ishmaiah the Gibeonite (a hero and leader of the Thirty Heroes); Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad from the Gederathites; 5 Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, and Shemariah; Shephatiah from Haruph; 6 Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, all from the tribe of Korah; 7 and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham from the town of Gedor.
The Gadites
8 Part of the tribe of Gad joined David at his fortress in the desert. They were brave soldiers trained for war and skilled with the shield and spear. They looked as fierce as lions, and they could run as fast as gazelles through the mountains.
9 Ezer was the leader of the army from the tribe of Gad. Obadiah was the second in command. Eliab was the third in command. 10 Mishmannah was the fourth in command. Jeremiah was the fifth in command. 11 Attai was the sixth in command. Eliel was the seventh in command. 12 Johanan was the eighth in command. Elzabad was the ninth in command. 13 Jeremiah was the tenth in command. Macbannai was the eleventh in command.
14 These men were leaders of the Gadite army. The weakest from that group was worth 100 men, and the strongest was worth 1000 men.[l] 15 They were the soldiers who crossed the Jordan River in the first month of the year, when it was flooded over its banks. They chased away the people in the valley who were on both sides of the river.
Other Soldiers Join David
16 Other men from the tribes of Benjamin and Judah also came to David at the fortress. 17 David went out to meet them and said, “If you have come in peace to help me, I welcome you. Join me. But if you have come to spy on me when I have done nothing wrong, may the God of our ancestors see what you did and punish you.”
18 Amasai was the leader of the Thirty Heroes.[m] Then the Spirit came on Amasai, and he said,
“We are yours, David!
We are with you, son of Jesse.
Peace, peace to you.
Peace to those who help you,
because your God helps you.”
So David welcomed these men into his group and put them in charge of the troops.
19 Some of the men from the tribe of Manasseh also joined David. They joined him when he went with the Philistines to fight Saul. But David and his men did not really help the Philistines. The Philistine leaders talked about David helping them, but then they decided to send him away. They said, “If David goes back to his master Saul, our heads will be cut off!” 20 These were the men from Manasseh who joined David when he went to the town of Ziklag: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai. All of them were generals[n] from the tribe of Manasseh. 21 They helped David fight against bad men who were going around the country and stealing things from people. All these men of Manasseh were brave soldiers. They became leaders in David’s army.
22 More and more men came every day to help David. So he had a large and powerful army.
Other Men Join David at Hebron
23 These are the numbers of the men who came to David at the town of Hebron. These men were ready for war. They came to give Saul’s kingdom to David. That is what the Lord said would happen. This is their number:
24 From the tribe of Judah there were 6800 men ready for war. They carried shields and spears.
25 From the tribe of Simeon there were 7100 men. They were brave soldiers ready for war.
26 From the tribe of Levi there were 4600 men. 27 Jehoiada was in that group. He was a leader from Aaron’s family. There were 3700 men with Jehoiada. 28 Zadok was also in that group. He was a brave young soldier. He came with 22 officers from his family.
29 From the tribe of Benjamin there were 3000 men. They were Saul’s relatives. Most of them stayed faithful to Saul’s family until that time.
30 From the tribe of Ephraim there were 20,800 men. They were brave soldiers. They were famous men in their own families.
31 From half the tribe of Manasseh there were 18,000 men. They were called by name to come and make David king.
32 From the family of Issachar there were 200 wise leaders. These men understood the right thing for Israel to do at the right time. Their relatives were with them and under their command.
33 From the tribe of Zebulun there were 50,000 trained soldiers. They were trained to use all kinds of weapons and were very loyal to David.
34 From the tribe of Naphtali there were 1000 officers. They had 37,000 men with them. These men carried shields and spears.
35 From the tribe of Dan there were 28,600 men ready for war.
36 From the tribe of Asher there were 40,000 trained soldiers ready for war.
37 From the east side of the Jordan River, there were 120,000 men from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh. They had all kinds of weapons.
38 All these men were brave fighters. They came to the town of Hebron for one reason—to make David king of all Israel. All the other Israelites also agreed that David should be king. 39 The men spent three days at Hebron with David. They ate and drank, because their relatives had prepared food for them. 40 Also, their neighbors from the areas where the tribes of Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali live brought food on donkeys, camels, mules, and cattle. They brought much flour, fig cakes, raisins, wine, oil, cattle, and sheep. The people in Israel were very happy.
Bringing Back the Box of the Agreement
13 David talked with all the officers of his army. 2 Then he called the Israelites together and said, “If you think it is a good idea, and if it is what the Lord our God wants, let us send a message to our brothers in all the areas of Israel. Let’s also send the message to the priests and Levites who live with our brothers in their towns and the fields near those towns. Let the message tell them to come and join us. 3 Let’s bring our God’s Holy Box back to us in Jerusalem. We did not pay attention to it while Saul was king.” 4 So all the Israelites 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 the town of Lebo Hamath. They came together to bring the Box of the Agreement 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 bring out the Holy Box of God the Lord, who sits above the Cherub angels. It is the Box that is called by his name.
7 The people moved God’s Holy Box from Abinadab’s house and put it on a new wagon. Uzzah and Ahio were driving the wagon.
8 David and all the Israelites were celebrating before God. They were praising God and singing songs. They were playing harps, lyres, drums, cymbals, and trumpets.
9 They came to Kidon’s threshing floor. The oxen pulling the wagon stumbled, and the Holy Box almost fell. Uzzah reached out with his hand to catch it. 10 The Lord became very angry with Uzzah and killed him because he touched the Holy Box. So Uzzah died there before God. 11 And David was angry because the Lord had shown his anger in killing Uzzah. So that place has been called “Perez Uzzah”[o] ever since then.
12 That day David began to fear what God might do to him. So he said, “Should I really be the one in charge of God’s Holy Box?” 13 So he did not take the Holy Box with him to the City of David. He left it at Obed Edom’s house. Obed Edom was from the city of Gath. 14 God’s Holy Box stayed with Obed Edom’s family in his house for three months. The Lord blessed Obed Edom’s family and everything Obed Edom owned.
David’s Kingdom Grows
14 Hiram was king of the city of Tyre. He sent messengers to David. He also sent logs from cedar trees, stonecutters, and carpenters to David. Hiram sent them to build a house for David. 2 Then David understood that the Lord had really made him king of Israel. And he had made his kingdom large and powerful for the benefit of Israel, his people.
3 David married more women in the city of Jerusalem and 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 Philistines heard that David had been chosen to be the king of Israel, so all the Philistines went to look for him. When David heard about it, he went out to fight them. 9 The Philistines attacked the people living in the Valley of Rephaim and stole their things. 10 David asked God, “Should I go and fight the Philistines? Will you let me defeat them?”
The Lord answered David, “Go. I will let you defeat the Philistines.”
11 Then David and his men went up to the town of Baal Perazim. There David and his men defeated the Philistines. David said, “Waters break out from a broken dam. In the same way God has broken through my enemies! God has done this through me.” That is why that place is named Baal Perazim.[p] 12 The Philistines had left their idols at Baal Perazim. David ordered his men to burn the idols.
Another Victory Over the Philistines
13 The Philistines attacked the people living in the Valley of Rephaim again. 14 David prayed to God again, and God answered his prayer. God said, “David, don’t follow the Philistines up the hill when you attack. Instead, go around them and hide on the other side of the balsam trees. 15 When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, go out to battle because that is the sign that God has gone out in front of you to defeat the Philistines.” 16 David did what God told him to do. So David and his men defeated the Philistine army. They killed Philistine soldiers all the way from the town of Gibeon to the town of Gezer. 17 So David became famous in all the countries. The Lord made all nations afraid of him.
The Box of the Agreement in Jerusalem
15 David built houses for himself in the City of David. Then he built a place to put God’s Holy Box. He set up a tent for it. 2 Then he said, “Only the Levites are permitted to carry God’s Holy Box. The Lord chose them to carry it and to serve him forever.”
3 David told all the Israelites to meet together at Jerusalem to see the Lord’s Holy Box carried to the place he had made for it. 4 He called together these descendants of Aaron and the Levites:
5 There were 120 people from the tribe of Kohath. Uriel was their leader.
6 There were 220 people from the tribe of Merari. Asaiah was their leader.
7 There were 130 people from the tribe of Gershon. Joel was their leader.
8 There were 200 people from the tribe of Elizaphan. Shemaiah was their leader.
9 There were 80 people from the tribe of Hebron. Eliel was their leader.
10 There were 112 people from the tribe of Uzziel. Amminadab was their leader.
David Talks to the Priests and Levites
11 Then David asked the priests, Zadok and Abiathar, to come to him. David also asked these Levites to come to him: Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. 12 David said to them, “You are the leaders from the tribe of Levi. You and the other Levites must make yourselves holy.[q] Then bring the Holy Box of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have made for it. 13 The first time we tried to bring it, we failed to ask the Lord about the right way to move it. And he punished us because you Levites did not carry it.”
14 Then the priests and Levites made themselves holy so that they could carry the Holy Box of the Lord, the God of Israel. 15 The Levites used the special poles to carry God’s Holy Box on their shoulders, the way Moses commanded. They carried the Holy Box just as the Lord had said.
The Singers
16 David told the Levite leaders to get their brothers, the singers. The singers were to take their lyres, harps, and cymbals and sing happy songs.
17 Then the Levites got Heman and his brothers, Asaph and Ethan. Heman was Joel’s son. Asaph was Berekiah’s son. Ethan was Kushaiah’s son. These men were from the Merari tribe. 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. These men 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 alamoth[r] harps. 21 Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah played the sheminith harps. This was their job forever. 22 The Levite leader Kenaniah was in charge of the singing. Kenaniah had this job because he was very skilled at singing.
23 Berekiah and Elkanah were two of the guards for the Holy Box. 24 The priests Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer had the job of blowing trumpets as they walked in front of God’s Holy Box. Obed Edom and Jehiah were the other guards for the Holy Box.
25 David, the elders of Israel, and the generals[s] went to get the Box of the Lord’s Agreement. They brought it out from Obed Edom’s house. Everyone was very happy! 26 God had helped the Levites who carried the Box of the Lord’s Agreement. So they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams to him. 27 All the Levites who carried the Holy Box wore robes made from fine linen. Kenaniah, the man in charge of the singing, and all the singers had robes made from fine linen. David also wore a robe made from fine linen. He also wore an ephod made of fine linen.
28 So all the Israelites joined in bringing up the Box of the Lord’s Agreement. They shouted, they blew rams’ horns and trumpets, and they played cymbals, lyres, and harps.
29 When the Box of the Lord’s Agreement arrived at the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked through a window. When she saw King David dancing and playing, she lost her respect for him.
16 The Levites brought God’s Holy Box and put it inside the tent David had set up for it. Then they offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to God. 2 After David had finished giving the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he used the Lord’s name to bless the people. 3 Then he gave a loaf of bread, some dates, and raisins to every Israelite man and woman.
4 Then David chose some of the Levites to serve before the Lord’s Holy Box. They had the job of celebrating and giving thanks and praise to the Lord, the God of Israel. 5 Asaph was the leader of the first group. His group played the cymbals. Zechariah was the leader of the second group. The other Levites were Uzziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed Edom, and Jeiel. These men played the lyres and harps. 6 Benaiah and Jahaziel were the priests who always blew the trumpets before the Box of God’s Agreement. 7 This was when David first gave Asaph and his brothers the job of singing praises to the Lord.
David’s Song of Thanks
8 Give thanks to the Lord and call out to him!
Tell the nations what he has done!
9 Sing to him; sing praises to him.
Tell about the amazing things he has done.
10 Be proud of his holy name.
You followers of the Lord, be happy!
11 Depend on the Lord for strength.
Always go to him for help.
12 Remember the amazing things he has done.
Remember his miracles and his fair decisions.
13 The people of Israel are his servants.
The descendants of Jacob are his chosen people.
14 The Lord is our God.
He rules the whole world.
15 Remember his agreement forever,
the promise he gave that will never end.
16 Remember the agreement he made with Abraham
Remember his promise to Isaac.
17 He gave it as a law for Jacob,
as an agreement with Israel that will last forever.
18 He said, “I will give you the land of Canaan.
It will be your very own.”
19 At the time God said this, there were only a few of his people,
and they were strangers there.
20 They traveled around from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.
21 But the Lord did not let anyone mistreat them.
He warned kings not to harm them.
22 He said, “Don’t hurt my chosen people.
Don’t hurt my prophets.”
23 Let the whole world sing to the Lord!
Tell the good news every day about how he saves us.
24 Tell all the nations how wonderful he is!
Tell people everywhere about the amazing things he does.
25 The Lord is great and worthy of praise.
He is more awesome than any of the “gods.”
26 All the “gods” in other nations are nothing but statues,
but the Lord made the heavens!
27 He lives in the presence of glory and honor.
His Temple is a place of power and joy.
28 Praise the Lord, all people of every nation;
praise the Lord’s glory and power!
29 Give the Lord praise worthy of his glory.
Come into his presence with your offerings.
Worship the Lord in all his holy beauty.
30 Everyone on earth should tremble before him!
But the world stands firm and cannot be moved.
31 Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be happy!
Let people everywhere say, “The Lord rules!”
32 Let the sea and everything in it shout for joy!
Let the fields and everything in them be happy!
33 The trees of the forest will sing for joy when they see the Lord,
because he is coming to rule the world.
34 Give thanks to the Lord because he is good.
His faithful love will last forever.
35 Say to him,
“Save us, God our Savior.
Bring us back together,
and save us from the other nations.
Then we will give thanks to your holy name
and joyfully praise you.”
36 Praise the Lord, the God of Israel!
He always was and will always be worthy of praise!
All the people praised the Lord and said “Amen!”
37 Then David left Asaph and his brothers there in front of the Box of the Lord’s Agreement. David left them there to serve in front of it every day. 38 He also left Obed Edom and 68 other Levites to serve with Asaph and his brothers. Obed Edom and Hosah were guards. Obed Edom was Jeduthun’s son.
39 David left Zadok the priest and the other priests who served with him in front of the Lord’s Tent[t] at the high place in Gibeon. 40 Every morning and evening Zadok and the other priests offered burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of burnt offerings. They did this to follow the rules written in the law of the Lord, which he had given Israel. 41 Heman, Jeduthun, and all the other Levites were chosen by name to praise the Lord, singing, “His faithful love will last forever.” 42 Heman and Jeduthun were with them. They had the job of blowing the trumpets and playing cymbals. They also had the job of playing other musical instruments when songs were sung to God. Jeduthun’s sons guarded the gates.
43 After the celebration, all the people left and went home. David also went home to bless his family.
God’s Promise to David
17 After David had moved into his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I am living in this nice palace made of cedar, but the Box of the Lord’s Agreement sits in a tent.”
2 Nathan answered David, “You may do what you want to do. God is with you.”
3 But that night the word of God came to Nathan. 4 God said,
“Go and tell this to my servant David: The Lord says, ‘David, you are not the one to build a house for me to live in. 5-6 Since the time I brought Israel out of Egypt until now, I have not lived in a house. I have moved around in a tent. I chose people to be special leaders for the Israelites. They were like shepherds for my people. While I was going around in Israel to different places, I never said to any of them: Why haven’t you built a house of cedar wood for me?’
7 “Now, tell this to my servant David: The Lord All-Powerful says, ‘I took you from the fields and from taking care of the sheep. I made you king of my people Israel. 8 I have been with you everywhere you went. I went ahead of you and I killed your enemies. Now I will make you one of the most famous men on earth. 9 I am giving this place to my people Israel. They will plant their trees, and they will sit in peace under those trees. They will not be bothered anymore. Evil people will not hurt them as they did at first. 10 Those bad things happened, but I chose leaders to care for my people Israel. And I will also defeat all your enemies.
“‘I tell you that the Lord will build a house for you.[u] 11 When you die, and you join your ancestors, then I will let your own son be the new king. The new king will be one of your sons, and I will make his kingdom strong. 12 Your son will build a house for me. I will make your son’s family rule forever. 13 I will be his father, and he will be my son. Saul was the king before you, and I took away my support from Saul. But I will never stop loving your son. 14 I will put him in charge of my house and kingdom forever. His rule will continue forever!’”
15 Nathan told David about the vision and everything God had said.
David’s Prayer
16 Then King David went to the Holy Tent and sat before the Lord. David said,
“Lord God, you have done so much for me and my family. And I don’t understand why. 17 Besides all these things, God, you let me know what will happen to my family in the future. Lord God, you have treated me like a very important man. 18 What more can I say? You have done so much for me. And I am only your servant. You know that. 19 Lord, you have done this wonderful thing for me and because you wanted to. 20 There is no one like you, Lord. There is no God except you. We have never heard of any god doing wonderful things like those! 21 Is there any other nation like Israel? No, Israel is the only nation on earth that you have done these wonderful things for. You took us out of Egypt and you made us free. You made yourself famous. You went in front of your people, and forced other people to leave their land for us. 22 You took Israel to be your people forever, and you, Lord, became their God!
23 “Lord, you made this promise to me and my family. Now, keep your promise forever. Do what you said you would. 24 Keep your promise so that people will honor your name forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord All-Powerful is Israel’s God!’ I am your servant. Please let my family be strong and continue to serve you.
25 “My God, you spoke to me, your servant. You made it clear that you would make my family a family of kings. That is why I am being so bold—that is why I am asking you to do these things. 26 Lord, you are God, and you yourself promised to do these good things for me. 27 You have been kind enough to bless my family. You were kind enough to promise that my family will serve you forever. Lord, you yourself blessed my family, so my family really will be blessed forever.”
David Wins Over Different Nations
18 Later, David attacked the Philistines and defeated them. He took the town of Gath and the other small towns around it from the Philistines.
2 Then David defeated the country of Moab. The Moabites became David’s servants and brought tribute to him.
3 David also fought against Hadadezer’s army. Hadadezer was the king of Zobah. David fought against that army all the way to the town of Hamath. David did this when he went to set up a monument for himself at the Euphrates River.[v] 4 David took 1000 chariots, 7000 chariot drivers, and 20,000 soldiers from Hadadezer. David also crippled most of Hadadezer’s horses that were used for pulling chariots. But David saved enough horses to pull 100 chariots.
5 The Arameans from the city of Damascus came to help King Hadadezer of Zobah. But David defeated and killed 22,000 Aramean soldiers. 6 Then David put fortresses in the city of Damascus in Aram. The Arameans became David’s servants and brought tribute to him. So the Lord gave victory to David everywhere he went.
7 David took the gold shields from Hadadezer’s army leaders and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 David also took much bronze from the towns of Tebah and Cun. These towns belonged to Hadadezer. Later, Solomon used this bronze to make the bronze tank,[w] the bronze columns, and other things made from bronze for the Temple.
9 Tou was king of the city of Hamath. Hadadezer was the king of Zobah. Tou heard that David had defeated all of Hadadezer’s army. 10 So Tou sent his son Hadoram to King David to ask for peace and to bless him. He did this because David had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him. Hadadezer had been at war with Tou before. Hadoram gave David all kinds of things made of gold, silver, and bronze. 11 King David made these things holy and gave them to the Lord. David did the same thing with all the silver and gold he had gotten from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalekites.
12 Abishai son of Zeruiah killed 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt. 13 Abishai also put fortresses in Edom and all the Edomites became David’s servants. The Lord gave David victory everywhere he went.
David’s Important Officials
14 David was king over all Israel. He did what was right and fair for everyone. 15 Joab son of Zeruiah was the commander of David’s army. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud wrote about the things David did. 16 Zadok and Abimelech were the priests. Zadok was Ahitub’s son, and Abimelech was Abiathar’s son. Shavsha was the scribe. 17 Benaiah was responsible for leading the Kerethites and Pelethites.[x] Benaiah was Jehoiada’s son. And David’s sons were important officials. They served at King David’s side.
The Ammonites Shame David’s Men
19 Nahash was king of the Ammonites. When Nahash died, his son became the new king. 2 Then David said, “Nahash was kind to me, so I will be kind to Hanun, Nahash’s son.” So David sent messengers to comfort Hanun about the death of his father. David’s messengers went to the country of Ammon to comfort Hanun.
3 But the Ammonite leaders said to Hanun, “Don’t be fooled. David didn’t really send these men to comfort you or to honor your dead father! No, David sent his servants to spy on you and your land. He really wants to destroy your country!” 4 So Hanun arrested David’s servants and cut off their beards.[y] Hanun also cut their clothes off at the hip and sent them away.
5 David’s men were too embarrassed to go home. Some people went to David and told him what happened to his men. So King David sent this message to his men: “Stay in the town of Jericho until your beards grow again. Then you can come back home.”
6 The Ammonites saw they had caused themselves to become hated enemies of David. Then Hanun and the Ammonites used 75,000 pounds[z] of silver to buy chariots and chariot drivers from Mesopotamia.[aa] They also got chariots and chariot drivers from the towns of Maacah and Zobah in Aram. 7 The Ammonites bought 32,000 chariots. They also paid the king of Maacah and his army to come and help them. The king of Maacah and his people came and set up a camp near the town of Medeba. The Ammonites themselves came out of their towns and got ready for battle.
8 David heard that the Ammonites were getting ready for war. So he sent Joab and the whole army of Israel to fight the Ammonites. 9 The Ammonites came out and got ready for battle. They were near the city gate. The kings who had come to help stayed out in the fields by themselves.
10 Joab saw that there were two army groups ready to fight against him. One group was in front of him and the other group was behind him. So Joab chose some of the best soldiers of Israel and sent them out to fight against the Aramean army. 11 He put the rest of the Israelite army under his brother Abishai’s command. These soldiers went out to fight against the Ammonite army. 12 Joab said to Abishai, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, you must help me. But if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will help you. 13 Let’s be brave and strong while we fight for our people and for the cities of our God! May the Lord do what he thinks is right.”
14 Joab and the army with him attacked the Aramean army. The Arameans ran away from Joab and his army. 15 When the Ammonite army saw that the Aramean army was running away, they also ran away. They ran away from Abishai and his army. The Ammonites went back to their city, and Joab went back to Jerusalem.
16 The Aramean leaders saw that Israel had defeated them. So they sent messengers to get help from the Arameans living east of the Euphrates River. Shophach was the commander of Hadadezer’s army from Aram. Shophach also led the other Aramean soldiers.
17 David heard the news that the Arameans were gathering for battle, so he gathered all the Israelites. David led them across the Jordan River, and they came face to face with the Arameans. David got his army ready for battle and they attacked the Arameans. 18 The Arameans ran away from the Israelites. David and his army killed 7000 Aramean chariot drivers and 40,000 Aramean soldiers. David and his army also killed Shophach, the commander of the Aramean army.
19 When Hadadezer’s officers saw that Israel had defeated them, they made peace with David. They became his servants. So the Arameans refused to help the Ammonites again.
Joab Destroys the Ammonites
20 In the spring,[ab] Joab led the army of Israel out to battle. That was the time of year when kings went out to battle, but David stayed in Jerusalem. The army of Israel went to the country of Ammon and destroyed it. Then they went to the city of Rabbah. The army camped around the city—they stayed there to keep people from going in or out of the city. Joab and the army of Israel fought against the city of Rabbah until they destroyed it.
2 David took the crown from their king’s[ac] head. That gold crown weighed about 75 pounds[ad] and there were valuable stones in it. The crown was put on David’s head. Then David had a great many valuable things brought out of the city of Rabbah. 3 He brought out the people in Rabbah and forced them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes. He did the same thing to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the army went back to Jerusalem.
Philistine Giants Are Killed
4 Later, the Israelites went to war with the Philistines at the town of Gezer. At that time Sibbecai from Hushah killed Sippai, who was one of the sons of the giants. So those Philistines became like slaves to the Israelites.
5 Another time when the Israelites fought against the Philistines, Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi. Lahmi was Goliath’s brother. Goliath was from the town of Gath. Lahmi’s spear was very big and heavy. It was like the large pole on a loom.
6 Later, the Israelites fought another war with the Philistines at the town of Gath. In this town there was a very large man. He had 24 fingers and toes. He had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. He also was a son of the giants. 7 So when that man made fun of Israel, Jonathan killed him. Jonathan was Shimea’s son. Shimea was David’s brother.
8 These Philistine men were sons of the giants from the town of Gath. David and his servants killed those giants.
David Sins by Counting Israel
21 Satan[ae] was against the Israelites. He encouraged David to count the Israelites. 2 So David said to Joab and the leaders of the people, “Go and count all the Israelites. Count everyone in the country—from the town of Beersheba all the way to the town of Dan. Then tell me, so I will know how many people there are.”
3 But Joab answered, “May the Lord make his nation 100 times as large! Sir, all the Israelites are your servants. Why do you want to do this thing, my lord and king? You will make all the Israelites guilty of sin!”
4 But King David was stubborn. Joab had to do what the king said. So Joab left and went through all the country of Israel counting the people. Then he came back to Jerusalem 5 and told David how many people there were. In Israel there were 1,100,000 men who could use a sword. And there were 470,000 men in Judah who could use a sword. 6 Joab did not count the tribes of Levi and Benjamin because he did not like King David’s order. 7 David had done a bad thing in God’s sight, so God punished Israel.
God Punishes Israel
8 Then David said to God, “I have done something very foolish. I have committed a terrible sin by counting the Israelites. Now, I beg you to take the sin away from me, your servant.”
9-10 Gad was David’s seer. The Lord said to Gad, “Go and tell David: ‘This is what the Lord says: I am going to give you three choices. You must choose one of them. Then I will punish you the way you choose.’”
11-12 Then Gad went to David. He said to David, “The Lord says, ‘David, choose which punishment you want: three years without enough food, or three months of running away from your enemies while they use their swords to chase you, or three days of punishment from the Lord. Terrible sicknesses will spread through the country, and the Lord’s angel will go through Israel destroying the people.’ David, God sent me. Now, you must decide which answer I will give to him.”
13 David said to Gad, “I am in trouble! I don’t want some man to decide my punishment. The Lord is very merciful, so let him decide how to punish me.”
14 So the Lord sent terrible sicknesses to Israel, and 70,000 people died. 15 God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But when the angel started to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord saw it and felt sorry for all the suffering. So he said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Stop! That is enough!” This happened when the angel of the Lord was standing at the threshing floor of Araunah[af] the Jebusite.[ag]
16 David looked up and saw the Lord’s angel in the sky. The angel was holding his sword over the city of Jerusalem. Then David and the elders bowed with their faces touching the ground. They were wearing the special clothes to show their sadness. 17 David said to God, “I am the one who sinned. I gave the order for the people to be counted! I was wrong. The Israelites did not do anything wrong. Lord my God, punish me and my family, but stop the terrible sicknesses that are killing your people.”
18 Then the angel of the Lord spoke to Gad. He said, “Tell David to build an altar to worship the Lord. David must build that altar near the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 Gad told David this, and David went to Araunah’s threshing floor.
20 Araunah was threshing the wheat. He turned around and saw the angel. His four sons ran away to hide. 21 David walked up the hill to Araunah. Araunah saw him and left the threshing floor. He walked to David and bowed with his face to the ground in front of him.
22 David said to Araunah, “Sell me your threshing floor. I will pay you the full price. Then I can use the area to build an altar to worship the Lord. Then the terrible sicknesses will be stopped.”
23 Araunah said to David, “Take this threshing floor. You are my lord and king, so do whatever you want. Look, I will also give you cattle for the burnt offering. You can have the wooden threshing tools to burn for the fire on the altar. And I will give the wheat for the grain offering. I will give all this to you.”
24 But King David answered Araunah, “No, I will pay you the full price. I will not take anything that is yours and give it to the Lord. I will not give offerings that cost me nothing.”
25 So David gave Araunah about 15 pounds[ah] of gold for the place. 26 David built an altar for worshiping the Lord there. David offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He prayed to the Lord. The Lord answered David by sending fire down from heaven. The fire came down on the altar of burnt offering. 27 Then the Lord commanded the angel to put his sword back into its sheath.
28 David saw that the Lord had answered him on the threshing floor of Araunah, so David offered sacrifices there. 29 (The Lord’s Holy Tent and the altar of burnt offerings were at the high place in the town of Gibeon. Moses had made the Holy Tent while the Israelites were in the desert. 30 David could not go to the Holy Tent to speak with God because he was afraid. He was afraid of the angel of the Lord and his sword.)
22 David said, “The Temple of the Lord God and the altar for burning offerings for the Israelites will be built here.”
David Makes Plans for the Temple
2 David gave an order for all foreigners living in Israel to be gathered together. He chose stonecutters from that group of foreigners. Their job was to cut stones ready to be used for building God’s Temple. 3 David got iron for making nails and hinges for the gate doors. He also got more bronze than could be weighed 4 and more cedar logs than could be counted. The people from the cities of Sidon and Tyre brought many cedar logs to David.
5 David said, “We should build a very great Temple for the Lord, but my son Solomon is young and does not yet have enough experience to know how to do it well. It should be so great and beautiful that it will be famous among all the nations. So I will prepare what is needed to build it.” So before David died he prepared everything needed to build a great Temple.
6 Then David called for his son Solomon and told him to build the Temple for the Lord, the God of Israel. 7 David said to Solomon, “My son, I wanted to build a temple for the name of the Lord my God. 8 But the Lord said to me, ‘David, you have fought many wars and you have killed many people. So you cannot build a temple for my name. 9 But you have a son who is a man of peace. I will give your son a time of peace. His enemies around him will not bother him. His name is Solomon.[ai] And I will give Israel peace and quiet during the time that he is king. 10 Solomon will build a temple for my name. He will be my son, and I will be his Father. I will make his kingdom strong, and someone from his family will rule Israel forever!’”
11 David also said, “Now, son, may the Lord be with you. May you be successful and build the Temple for the Lord your God, as he said you would. 12 He will make you the king of Israel. May the Lord give you wisdom and understanding so that you can lead the people and obey the law of the Lord your God. 13 And you will have success, if you are careful to obey the rules and laws that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid.
14 “Solomon, I have worked hard making plans for building the Lord’s Temple. I have given 3750 tons[aj] of gold and about 37,500 tons[ak] of silver. I have given so much bronze and iron that it cannot be weighed. And I have given wood and stone. Solomon, you can add to them. 15 You have many stonecutters and carpenters. You have men skilled in every kind of work. 16 They are skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, and iron. You have more skilled workers than can be counted. Now begin the work. And may the Lord be with you.”
17 Then David ordered all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon. 18 David said to these leaders, “The Lord your God is with you. He has given you a time of peace. He helped me defeat the people living around us. The Lord and his people are now in control of this land. 19 Now give your heart and soul to the Lord your God, and do what he says. Build the holy place of the Lord God. Then bring the Box of the Lord’s Agreement and all the other holy things into the Temple built for the Lord’s name.”
The Levites Work in the Temple
23 David became an old man, so he made his son Solomon the new king of Israel. 2 David gathered all the leaders of Israel and also the priests and Levites. 3 David counted the Levites who were 30 years old and older. All together there were 38,000 Levites. 4 David said, “24,000 will supervise the work of building the Lord’s Temple. 6000 will be court officers and judges. 5 4000 will be gatekeepers, and 4000 will be musicians. I made special musical instruments for them. They will use them to praise the Lord.”
6 David separated the Levites into three groups. They were the tribes of Levi’s three sons, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
The Gershon Family Group
7 From the tribe of Gershon there were Ladan and Shimei. 8 Ladan had three sons. His oldest son was Jehiel. His other sons were Zethan and Joel. 9 Shimei’s sons were Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran. These three sons were leaders in Ladan’s families.
10 Shimei had four sons. They were Jahath, Ziza, Jeush, and Beriah. 11 Jahath was the oldest son and Ziza was the second son. But Jeush and Beriah did not have many children. So Jeush and Beriah were counted like one family.
The Kohath Family Group
12 Kohath had four sons. They were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 13 Amram’s sons were Aaron and Moses. Aaron was chosen for a special work. He and his descendants were chosen to always be the ones to do this special work—to prepare the holy things for the Temple service. They were the ones to burn the incense before the Lord, to serve him as priests and give blessings to the people in his name forever.
14 Moses was the man of God, and his sons were part of the tribe of Levi. 15 Moses’ sons were Gershom and Eliezer. 16 Gershom’s oldest son was Shubael. 17 Eliezer’s oldest son was Rehabiah. Eliezer had no other sons. But Rehabiah had very many sons.
18 Izhar’s oldest son was Shelomith.
19 Hebron’s oldest son was Jeriah. Hebron’s second son was Amariah. Jahaziel was the third son, and Jekameam was the fourth son.
20 Uzziel’s oldest son was Micah, and Isshiah was his second son.
The Merari Family Group
21 Merari’s sons were Mahli and Mushi. Mahli’s sons were Eleazar and Kish. 22 Eleazar died without having sons. He only had daughters. Eleazar’s daughters married their own relatives. Their relatives were Kish’s sons. 23 Mushi’s sons were Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth. There were three sons in all.
The Levites’ Work
24 These were Levi’s descendants. They were listed by their families. They were the leaders of families. Each person’s name was listed. The people who were listed were 20 years old or older. They served in the Lord’s Temple.
25 David had said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has given peace to his people. And he has come to live in Jerusalem forever. 26 So the Levites don’t need to carry the Holy Tent or any of the things used in its services anymore.”
27 David’s last instructions for the Israelites were to count the descendants from the tribe of Levi. They counted the Levite men who were 20 years old and older.
28 The Levites had the job of helping Aaron’s descendants in the service of the Lord’s Temple. They also cared for the Temple courtyard and the side rooms in the Temple. And they made sure all the holy things were kept pure. It was their job to serve in God’s Temple. 29 They were responsible for putting the special bread on the table in the Temple and for the flour, the grain offerings, and the bread made without yeast. They were also responsible for the baking pans and the mixed offerings. They did all the measuring. 30 The Levites stood every morning and gave thanks and praise to the Lord. They also did this every evening. 31 The Levites prepared all the burnt offerings to the Lord on the Sabbath days, during New Moon celebrations, and on the other special meeting days. They served before the Lord every day. There were special rules for how many Levites should serve each time. 32 So the Levites did everything that they were supposed to do. They took care of the Holy Tent and the Holy Place. And they helped their relatives, the priests, Aaron’s descendants, with the services at the Lord’s Temple.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International