Bible in 90 Days

Death of Saul and His Sons

10 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilbo′a. ² And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan and Abin′adab and Mal′chishu′a, the sons of Saul. ³ The battle pressed hard upon Saul, and the archers found him; and he was wounded by the archers. ⁴ Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and make sport of me.” But his armor-bearer would not; for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword, and fell upon it. ⁵ And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword, and died. ⁶ Thus Saul died; he and his three sons and all his house died together. ⁷ And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that the army^[a] had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

⁸ On the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilbo′a. ⁹ And they stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to their idols and to the people. ¹⁰ And they put his armor in the temple of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon. ¹¹ But when all Ja′besh-gil′ead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all the valiant men arose, and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh. And they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

¹³ So Saul died for his unfaithfulness; he was unfaithful to the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance, ¹⁴ and did not seek guidance from the Lord. Therefore the Lord slew him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

David Anointed King of All Israel

11 Then all Israel gathered together to David at Hebron, and said, “Behold, we are your bone and flesh. ² In times past, even when Saul was king, it was you that led out and brought in Israel; and the Lord your God said to you, ‘You shall be shepherd of my people Israel, and you shall be prince over my people Israel.’” ³ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron; and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the Lord by Samuel.

Jerusalem Captured

⁴ And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, that is Jebus, where the Jeb′usites were, the inhabitants of the land. ⁵ The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You will not come in here.” Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the city of David. ⁶ David said, “Whoever shall smite the Jeb′usites first shall be chief and commander.” And Jo′ab the son of Zeru′iah went up first, so he became chief. ⁷ And David dwelt in the stronghold; therefore it was called the city of David. ⁸ And he built the city round about from the Millo in complete circuit; and Jo′ab repaired the rest of the city. ⁹ And David became greater and greater, for the Lord of hosts was with him.

David’s Mighty Men and Their Exploits

¹⁰ Now these are the chiefs of David’s mighty men, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the Lord concerning Israel. ¹¹ This is an account of David’s mighty men: Jasho′be-am, a Hach′monite, was chief of the three;^[b] he wielded his spear against three hundred whom he slew at one time.

¹² And next to him among the three mighty men was Elea′zar the son of Dodo, the Aho′hite. ¹³ He was with David at Pas-dam′mim when the Philistines were gathered there for battle. There was a plot of ground full of barley, and the men fled from the Philistines. ¹⁴ But he^[c] took his^[d] stand in the midst of the plot, and defended it, and slew the Philistines; and the Lord saved them by a great victory.

¹⁵ Three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David at the cave of Adullam, when the army of Philistines was encamped in the valley of Reph′aim. ¹⁶ David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. ¹⁷ And David said longingly, “O that some one would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!” ¹⁸ Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and took and brought it to David. But David would not drink of it; he poured it out to the Lord, ¹⁹ and said, “Far be it from me before my God that I should do this. Shall I drink the lifeblood of these men? For at the risk of their lives they brought it.” Therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men.

²⁰ Now Abi′shai, the brother of Jo′ab, was chief of the thirty.^[e] And he wielded his spear against three hundred men and slew them, and won a name beside the three. ²¹ He was the most renowned^[f] of the thirty,^[g] and became their commander; but he did not attain to the three.

²² And Benai′ah the son of Jehoi′ada was a valiant man^[h] of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds; he smote two ariels^[i] of Moab. He also went down and slew a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. ²³ And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits tall. The Egyptian had in his hand a spear like a weaver’s beam; but Benai′ah went down to him with a staff, and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear. ²⁴ These things did Benai′ah the son of Jehoi′ada, and won a name beside the three mighty men. ²⁵ He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard.

²⁶ The mighty men of the armies were As′ahel the brother of Jo′ab, Elha′nan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, ²⁷ Shammoth of Harod,^[j] Helez the Pel′onite, ²⁸ Ira the son of Ikkesh of Teko′a, Abi-e′zer of An′athoth, ²⁹ Sib′becai the Hu′shathite, I′lai the Aho′hite, ³⁰ Ma′harai of Netoph′ah, Heled the son of Ba′anah of Netoph′ah, ³¹ Ithai the son of Ribai of Gib′eah of the Benjaminites, Benai′ah of Pir′athon, ³² Hurai of the brooks of Ga′ash, Abi′el the Ar′bathite, ³³ Az′maveth of Baha′rum, Eli′ahba of Sha-al′bon, ³⁴ Hashem^[k] the Gi′zonite, Jonathan the son of Shagee the Har′arite, ³⁵ Ahi′am the son of Sachar the Har′arite, Eli′phal the son of Ur, ³⁶ Hepher the Meche′rathite, Ahi′jah the Pel′onite, ³⁷ Hezro of Carmel, Na′arai the son of Ezbai, ³⁸ Jo′el the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, ³⁹ Zelek the Ammonite, Na′harai of Be-er′oth, the armor-bearer of Jo′ab the son of Zeru′iah, ⁴⁰ Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, ⁴¹ Uri′ah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, ⁴² Ad′ina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a leader of the Reubenites, and thirty with him, ⁴³ Hanan the son of Ma′acah, and Josh′aphat the Mithnite, ⁴⁴ Uzzi′a the Ash′terathite, Shama and Je-i′el the sons of Hotham the Aro′erite, ⁴⁵ Jedi′a-el the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite, ⁴⁶ Eli′el the Ma′havite, and Jer′ibai, and Joshavi′ah, the sons of El′na-am, and Ithmah the Mo′abite, ⁴⁷ Eli′el, and Obed, and Ja-asi′el the Mezo′ba-ite.

David’s Followers in the Wilderness

12 Now these are the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he could not move about freely because of Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men who helped him in war. ² They were bowmen, and could shoot arrows and sling stones with either the right or the left hand; they were Benjaminites, Saul’s kinsmen. ³ The chief was Ahi-e′zer, then Jo′ash, both sons of Shema′ah of Gib′e-ah; also Je′zi-el and Pelet the sons of Az′maveth; Ber′acah, Jehu of An′athoth, ⁴ Ishma′iah of Gibeon, a mighty man among the thirty and a leader over the thirty; Jeremiah,^[l] Jaha′ziel, Joha′nan, Jo′zabad of Gede′rah, ⁵ Elu′zai,^[m] Jer′imoth, Beali′ah, Shemari′ah, Shephati′ah the Har′uphite; ⁶ Elka′nah, Isshi′ah, Az′arel, Jo-e′zer, and Jasho′be-am, the Ko′rahites; ⁷ And Joe′lah and Zebadi′ah, the sons of Jero′ham of Gedor.

⁸ From the Gadites there went over to David at the stronghold in the wilderness mighty and experienced warriors, expert with shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and who were swift as gazelles upon the mountains: ⁹ Ezer the chief, Obadi′ah second, Eli′ab third, ¹⁰ Mishman′nah fourth, Jeremiah fifth, ¹¹ Attai sixth, Eli′el seventh, ¹² Joha′nan eighth, Elza′bad ninth, ¹³ Jeremiah tenth, Mach′bannai eleventh. ¹⁴ These Gadites were officers of the army, the lesser over a hundred and the greater over a thousand. ¹⁵ These are the men who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it was overflowing all its banks, and put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.

¹⁶ And some of the men of Benjamin and Judah came to the stronghold to David. ¹⁷ David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come to me in friendship to help me, my heart will be knit to you; but if to betray me to my adversaries, although there is no wrong in my hands, then may the God of our fathers see and rebuke you.” ¹⁸ Then the Spirit came upon Ama′sai, chief of the thirty, and he said,

Then David received them, and made them officers of his troops.

¹⁹ Some of the men of Manas′seh deserted to David when he came with the Philistines for the battle against Saul. (Yet he did not help them, for the rulers of the Philistines took counsel and sent him away, saying, “At peril to our heads he will desert to his master Saul.”) ²⁰ As he went to Ziklag these men of Manas′seh deserted to him: Adnah, Jo′zabad, Jedi′a-el, Michael, Jo′zabad, Eli′hu, and Zil′lethai, chiefs of thousands in Manas′seh. ²¹ They helped David against the band of raiders;^[n] for they were all mighty men of valor, and were commanders in the army. ²² For from day to day men kept coming to David to help him, until there was a great army, like an army of God.

David’s Army at Hebron

²³ These are the numbers of the divisions of the armed troops, who came to David in Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul over to him, according to the word of the Lord. ²⁴ The men of Judah bearing shield and spear were six thousand eight hundred armed troops. ²⁵ Of the Simeonites, mighty men of valor for war, seven thousand one hundred. ²⁶ Of the Levites four thousand six hundred. ²⁷ The prince Jehoi′ada, of the house of Aaron, and with him three thousand seven hundred. ²⁸ Zadok, a young man mighty in valor, and twenty-two commanders from his own fathers’ house. ²⁹ Of the Benjaminites, the kinsmen of Saul, three thousand, of whom the majority had hitherto kept their allegiance to the house of Saul. ³⁰ Of the E′phraimites twenty thousand eight hundred, mighty men of valor, famous men in their fathers’ houses. ³¹ Of the half-tribe of Manas′seh eighteen thousand, who were expressly named to come and make David king. ³² Of Is′sachar men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, two hundred chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command. ³³ Of Zeb′ulun fifty thousand seasoned troops, equipped for battle with all the weapons of war, to help David^[o] with singleness of purpose. ³⁴ Of Naph′tali a thousand commanders with whom were thirty-seven thousand men armed with shield and spear. ³⁵ Of the Danites twenty-eight thousand six hundred men equipped for battle. ³⁶ Of Asher forty thousand seasoned troops ready for battle. ³⁷ Of the Reubenites and Gadites and the half-tribe of Manas′seh from beyond the Jordan, one hundred and twenty thousand men armed with all the weapons of war.

³⁸ All these, men of war, arrayed in battle order, came to Hebron with full intent to make David king over all Israel; likewise all the rest of Israel were of a single mind to make David king. ³⁹ And they were there with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their brethren had made preparation for them. ⁴⁰ And also their neighbors, from as far as Is′sachar and Zeb′ulun and Naph′tali, came bringing food on asses and on camels and on mules and on oxen, abundant provisions of meal, cakes of figs, clusters of raisins, and wine and oil, oxen and sheep, for there was joy in Israel.

The Ark Brought from Kiriath-jearim

13 David consulted with the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with every leader. ² And David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if it is the will of the Lord our God, let us send abroad to our brethren who remain in all the land of Israel, and with them to the priests and Levites in the cities that have pasture lands, that they may come together to us. ³ Then let us bring again the ark of our God to us; for we neglected it in the days of Saul.” ⁴ All the assembly agreed to do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.

⁵ So David assembled all Israel from the Shihor of Egypt to the entrance of Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kir′iath-je′arim. ⁶ And David and all Israel went up to Ba′alah, that is, to Kir′iath-je′arim which belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord who sits enthroned above the cherubim. ⁷ And they carried the ark of God upon a new cart, from the house of Abin′adab, and Uzzah and Ahi′o^[p] were driving the cart. ⁸ And David and all Israel were making merry before God with all their might, with song and lyres and harps and tambourines and cymbals and trumpets.

⁹ And when they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah put out his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled. ¹⁰ And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and he smote him because he put forth his hand to the ark; and he died there before God. ¹¹ And David was angry because the Lord had broken forth upon Uzzah; and that place is called Pe′rez-uz′za^[q] to this day. ¹² And David was afraid of God that day; and he said, “How can I bring the ark of God home to me?” ¹³ So David did not take the ark home into the city of David, but took it aside to the house of O′bed-e′dom the Gittite. ¹⁴ And the ark of God remained with the household of O′bed-e′dom in his house three months; and the Lord blessed the household of O′bed-e′dom and all that he had.

David Established at Jerusalem

14 And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, also masons and carpenters to build a house for him. ² And David perceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that his kingdom was highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel.

³ And David took more wives in Jerusalem, and David begot more sons and daughters. ⁴ These are the names of the children whom he had in Jerusalem: Shammu′a, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ⁵ Ibhar, Eli′shu-a, El′pelet, ⁶ Nogah, Nepheg, Japhi′a, ⁷ Elish′ama, Beeli′ada, and Eliph′elet.

Defeat of the Philistines

⁸ When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up in search of David; and David heard of it and went out against them. ⁹ Now the Philistines had come and made a raid in the valley of Reph′aim. ¹⁰ And David inquired of God, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Wilt thou give them into my hand?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up, and I will give them into your hand.” ¹¹ And he went up to Ba′al-pera′zim, and David defeated them there; and David said, “God has broken through^[r] my enemies by my hand, like a bursting flood.” Therefore the name of that place is called Ba′al-pera′zim.^{[s] 12} And they left their gods there, and David gave command, and they were burned.

¹³ And the Philistines yet again made a raid in the valley. ¹⁴ And when David again inquired of God, God said to him, “You shall not go up after them; go around and come upon them opposite the balsam trees. ¹⁵ And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then go out to battle; for God has gone out before you to smite the army of the Philistines.” ¹⁶ And David did as God commanded him, and they smote the Philistine army from Gibeon to Gezer. ¹⁷ And the fame of David went out into all lands, and the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations.

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem

15 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 but the Levites may carry the ark of God, for the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to minister to him for ever.” ³ And David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the Lord to its place, which he had prepared for it. ⁴ And David gathered together the sons of Aaron and the Levites: ⁵ of the sons of Kohath, U′riel the chief, with a hundred and twenty of his brethren; ⁶ of the sons of Merar′i, Asai′ah the chief, with two hundred and twenty of his brethren; ⁷ of the sons of Gershom, Jo′el the chief, with a hundred and thirty of his brethren; ⁸ of the sons of Eli-za′phan, Shemai′ah the chief, with two hundred of his brethren; ⁹ of the sons of Hebron, Eli′el the chief, with eighty of his brethren; ¹⁰ of the sons of Uz′ziel, Ammin′adab the chief, with a hundred and twelve of his brethren. ¹¹ Then David summoned the priests Zadok and Abi′athar, and the Levites U′riel, Asai′ah, Jo′el, Shemai′ah, Eli′el, and Ammin′adab, ¹² and said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites; sanctify yourselves, you and your brethren, so that you may bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place that I have prepared for it. ¹³ Because you did not carry it the first time,^[t] the Lord our God broke forth upon us, because we did not care for it in the way that is ordained.” ¹⁴ So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁵ And the Levites carried the ark of God upon their shoulders with the poles, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord.

¹⁶ David also commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brethren as the singers who should play loudly on musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise sounds of joy. ¹⁷ So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Jo′el; and of his brethren Asaph the son of Berechi′ah; and of the sons of Merar′i, their brethren, Ethan the son of Kusha′iah; ¹⁸ and with them their brethren of the second order, Zechari′ah, Ja-a′ziel, Shemi′ramoth, Jehi′el, Unni, Eli′ab, Benai′ah, Ma-asei′ah, Mattithi′ah, Eliph′elehu, and Mikne′iah, and the gatekeepers O′bed-e′dom and Je-i′el. ¹⁹ The singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were to sound bronze cymbals; ²⁰ Zechari′ah, A′zi-el, Shemi′ramoth, Jehi′el, Unni, Eli′ab, Ma-asei′ah, and Benai′ah were to play harps according to Al′amoth; ²¹ but Mattithi′ah, Eliph′elehu, Mikne′iah, O′bed-e′dom, Je-i′el, and Azazi′ah were to lead with lyres according to the Shem′inith. ²² Chenani′ah, leader of the Levites in music, should direct the music, for he understood it. ²³ Berechi′ah and Elka′nah were to be gatekeepers for the ark. ²⁴ Shebani′ah, Josh′aphat, Nethan′el, Ama′sai, Zechari′ah, Benai′ah, and Elie′zer, the priests, should blow the trumpets before the ark of God. O′bed-e′dom and Jehi′ah also were to be gatekeepers for the ark.

²⁵ So David and the elders of Israel, and the commanders of thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of O′bed-e′dom with rejoicing. ²⁶ And because God helped the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. ²⁷ David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, as also were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers, and Chenani′ah the leader of the music of the singers; and David wore a linen ephod. ²⁸ So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting, to the sound of the horn, trumpets, and cymbals, and made loud music on harps and lyres.

²⁹ And as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and saw King David dancing and making merry; and she despised him in her heart.

The Ark Placed in the Tent

16 And they brought in the ark of God, and set it inside the tent which David had pitched for it; and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. ² And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord, ³ and distributed to all Israel, both men and women, to each a loaf of bread, a portion of meat,^[u] and a cake of raisins.

⁴ Moreover he appointed certain of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the Lord, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel. ⁵ Asaph was the chief, and second to him were Zechari′ah, Je-i′el, Shemi′ramoth, Jehi′el, Mattithi′ah, Eli′ab, Benai′ah, O′bed-e′dom, and Je-i′el, who were to play harps and lyres; Asaph was to sound the cymbals, ⁶ and Benai′ah and Jaha′ziel the priests were to blow trumpets continually, before the ark of the covenant of God.

David’s Psalm of Thanksgiving

⁷ Then on that day David first appointed that thanksgiving be sung to the Lord by Asaph and his brethren.

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

Regular Worship Maintained

³⁷ So David left Asaph and his brethren there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister continually before the ark as each day required, ³⁸ and also O′bed-e′dom and his^[v] sixty-eight brethren; while O′bed-e′dom, the son of Jedu′thun, and Hosah were to be gatekeepers. ³⁹ And he left Zadok the priest and his brethren the priests before the tabernacle of the Lord in the high place that was at Gibeon, ⁴⁰ to offer burnt offerings to the Lord upon the altar of burnt offering continually morning and evening, according to all that is written in the law of the Lord which he commanded Israel. ⁴¹ With them were Heman and Jedu′thun, and the rest of those chosen and expressly named to give thanks to the Lord, for his steadfast love endures for ever. ⁴² Heman and Jedu′thun had trumpets and cymbals for the music and instruments for sacred song. The sons of Jedu′thun were appointed to the gate.

⁴³ Then all the people departed each to his house, and David went home to bless his household.

God’s Covenant with David

17 Now when David dwelt in his house, David said to Nathan the prophet, “Behold, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.” ² And Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”

³ But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, ⁴ “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: You shall not build me a house to dwell in. ⁵ For I have not dwelt in a house since the day I led up Israel to this day, but I have gone from tent to tent and from dwelling to dwelling. ⁶ In all places where I have moved with all Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people, saying, “Why have you not built me a house of cedar?”’ ⁷ Now therefore thus shall you say to my servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel; ⁸ and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a name, like the name of the great ones of the earth. ⁹ And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and violent men shall waste them no more, as formerly, ¹⁰ from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover I declare to you that the Lord will build you a house. ¹¹ When your days are fulfilled to go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹² He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne for ever. ¹³ I will be his father, and he shall be my son; I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, ¹⁴ but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom for ever and his throne shall be established for ever.’” ¹⁵ In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.

David’s Prayer

¹⁶ Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me thus far? ¹⁷ And this was a small thing in thy eyes, O God; thou hast also spoken of thy servant’s house for a great while to come, and hast shown me future generations,^[w] O Lord God! ¹⁸ And what more can David say to thee for honoring thy servant? For thou knowest thy servant. ¹⁹ For thy servant’s sake, O Lord, and according to thy own heart, thou hast wrought all this greatness, in making known all these great things. ²⁰ There is none like thee, O Lord, and there is no God besides thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. ²¹ What other^[x] nation on earth is like thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem to be his people, making for thyself a name for great and terrible things, in driving out nations before thy people whom thou didst redeem from Egypt? ²² And thou didst make thy people Israel to be thy people for ever; and thou, O Lord, didst become their God. ²³ And now, O Lord, let the word which thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house be established for ever, and do as thou hast spoken; ²⁴ and thy name will be established and magnified for ever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, is Israel’s God,’ and the house of thy servant David will be established before thee. ²⁵ For thou, my God, hast revealed to thy servant that thou wilt build a house for him; therefore thy servant has found courage to pray before thee. ²⁶ And now, O Lord, thou art God, and thou hast promised this good thing to thy servant; ²⁷ now therefore may it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee; for what thou, O Lord, hast blessed is blessed for ever.”

David’s Kingdom Established and Extended

18 After this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Gath and its villages out of the hand of the Philistines.

² And he defeated Moab, and the Mo′abites became servants to David and brought tribute.

³ David also defeated Hadade′zer king of Zobah, toward Hamath, as he went to set up his monument^[y] at the river Euphra′tes. ⁴ And David took from him a thousand chariots, seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers; and David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but left enough for a hundred chariots. ⁵ And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadade′zer king of Zobah, David slew twenty-two thousand men of the Syrians. ⁶ Then David put garrisons^[z] in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became servants to David, and brought tribute. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went. ⁷ And David took the shields of gold which were carried by the servants of Hadade′zer, and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ And from Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadade′zer, David took very much bronze; with it Solomon made the bronze sea and the pillars and the vessels of bronze.

⁹ When To′u king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadade′zer, king of Zobah, ¹⁰ he sent his son Hador′am to King David, to greet him, and to congratulate him because he had fought against Hadade′zer and defeated him; for Hadade′zer had often been at war with To′u. And he sent all sorts of articles of gold, of silver, and of bronze; ¹¹ these also King David dedicated to the Lord, together with the silver and gold which he had carried off from all the nations, from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Am′alek.

¹² And Abi′shai, the son of Zeru′iah, slew eighteen thousand E′domites in the Valley of Salt. ¹³ And he put garrisons in Edom; and all the E′domites became David’s servants. And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went.

David’s Administration

¹⁴ So David reigned over all Israel; and he administered justice and equity to all his people. ¹⁵ And Jo′ab the son of Zeru′iah was over the army; and Jehosh′aphat the son of Ahi′lud was recorder; ¹⁶ and Zadok the son of Ahi′tub and Ahim′elech the son of Abi′athar were priests; and Shavsha was secretary; ¹⁷ and Benai′ah the son of Jehoi′ada was over the Cher′ethites and the Pel′ethites; and David’s sons were the chief officials in the service of the king.

Defeat of the Ammonites and Arameans

19 Now after this Nahash the king of the Ammonites died, and his son reigned in his stead. ² And David said, “I will deal loyally with Hanun the son of Nahash, for his father dealt loyally with me.” So David sent messengers to console him concerning his father. And David’s servants came to Hanun in the land of the Ammonites, to console him. ³ But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun, “Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? Have not his servants come to you to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?” ⁴ So Hanun took David’s servants, and shaved them, and cut off their garments in the middle, at their hips, and sent them away; ⁵ and they departed. When David was told concerning the men, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return.”

⁶ When the Ammonites saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and horsemen from Mesopota′mia, from Aram-ma′acah, and from Zobah. ⁷ They hired thirty-two thousand chariots and the king of Ma′acah with his army, who came and encamped before Med′eba. And the Ammonites were mustered from their cities and came to battle. ⁸ When David heard of it, he sent Jo′ab and all the army of the mighty men. ⁹ And the Ammonites came out and drew up in battle array at the entrance of the city, and the kings who had come were by themselves in the open country.

¹⁰ When Jo′ab saw that the battle was set against him both in front and in the rear, he chose some of the picked men of Israel, and arrayed them against the Syrians; ¹¹ the rest of his men he put in the charge of Abi′shai his brother, and they were arrayed against the Ammonites. ¹² And he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will help you. ¹³ Be of good courage, and let us play the man for our people, and for the cities of our God; and may the Lord do what seems good to him.” ¹⁴ So Jo′ab and the people who were with him drew near before the Syrians for battle; and they fled before him. ¹⁵ And when the Ammonites saw that the Syrians fled, they likewise fled before Abi′shai, Jo′ab’s brother, and entered the city. Then Jo′ab came to Jerusalem.

¹⁶ But when the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers and brought out the Syrians who were beyond the Euphra′tes, with Shophach the commander of the army of Hadade′zer at their head. ¹⁷ And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together, and crossed the Jordan, and came to them, and drew up his forces against them. And when David set the battle in array against the Syrians, they fought with him. ¹⁸ And the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians the men of seven thousand chariots, and forty thousand foot soldiers, and killed also Shophach the commander of their army. ¹⁹ And when the servants of Hadade′zer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David, and became subject to him. So the Syrians were not willing to help the Ammonites any more.

Siege and Capture of Rabbah

20 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go forth to battle, Jo′ab led out the army, and ravaged the country of the Ammonites, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. And Jo′ab smote Rabbah, and overthrew it. ² And David took the crown of their king^[aa] from his head; he found that it weighed a talent of gold, and in it was a precious stone; and it was placed on David’s head. And he brought forth the spoil of the city, a very great amount. ³ And he brought forth the people who were in it, and set them to labor^[ab] with saws and iron picks and axes;^[ac] and thus David did to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

Exploits against the Philistines

⁴ And after this there arose war with the Philistines at Gezer; then Sib′becai the Hu′shathite slew Sip′pai, who was one of the descendants of the giants; and the Philistines were subdued. ⁵ And there was again war with the Philistines; and Elha′nan the son of Ja′ir slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. ⁶ And there was again 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 And when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shim′e-a, David’s brother, slew him. ⁸ These were descended from the giants in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

The Census and Plague

21 Satan stood up against Israel, and incited David to number Israel. ² So David said to Jo′ab and the commanders of the army, “Go, number Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan, and bring me a report, that I may know their number.” ³ But Jo′ab said, “May the Lord add to his people a hundred times as many as they are! Are they not, my lord the king, all of them my lord’s servants? Why then should my lord require this? Why should he bring guilt upon Israel?” ⁴ But the king’s word prevailed against Jo′ab. So Jo′ab departed and went throughout all Israel, and came back to Jerusalem. ⁵ And Jo′ab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to David. In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and in Judah four hundred and seventy thousand who drew the sword. ⁶ But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, for the king’s command was abhorrent to Jo′ab.

⁷ But God was displeased with this thing, and he smote Israel. ⁸ And David said to God, “I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing. But now, I pray thee, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.” ⁹ And the Lord spoke to Gad, David’s seer, saying, ¹⁰ “Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the Lord, Three things I offer you; choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’” ¹¹ So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Take which you will: ¹² either three years of famine; or three months of devastation by your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you; or else three days of the sword of the Lord, pestilence upon the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ Now decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.” ¹³ Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress; let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is very great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.”

¹⁴ So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel; and there fell seventy thousand men of Israel. ¹⁵ And God sent the angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but when he was about to destroy it, the Lord saw, and he repented of the evil; and he said to the destroying angel, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jeb′usite. ¹⁶ And David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, and in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces. ¹⁷ And David said to God, “Was it not I who gave command to number the people? It is I who have sinned and done very wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Let thy hand, I pray thee, O Lord my God, be against me and against my father’s house; but let not the plague be upon thy people.”

David’s Altar and Sacrifice

¹⁸ Then the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David that David should go up and rear an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jeb′usite. ¹⁹ So David went up at Gad’s word, which he had spoken in the name of the Lord. ²⁰ Now Ornan was threshing wheat; he turned and saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. ²¹ As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David and went forth from the threshing floor, and did obeisance to David with his face to the ground. ²² And David said to Ornan, “Give me the site of the threshing floor that I may build on it an altar to the Lord—give it to me at its full price—that the plague may be averted from the people.” ²³ Then Ornan said to David, “Take it; and let my lord the king do what seems good to him; see, I give the oxen for burnt offerings, and the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for a cereal offering. I give it all.” ²⁴ But King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will buy it for the full price; I will not take for the Lord what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings which cost me nothing.” ²⁵ So David paid Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the site. ²⁶ And David built there an altar to the Lord and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the Lord, and he answered him with fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering. ²⁷ Then the Lord commanded the angel; and he put his sword back into its sheath.

The Place Chosen for the Temple

²⁸ At that time, when David saw that the Lord had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jeb′usite, he made his sacrifices there. ²⁹ For the tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time in the high place at Gibeon; ³⁰ but David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord. 22 ¹ Then David said, “Here shall be the house of the Lord God and here the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”

David Prepares to Build the Temple

² David commanded to gather together the aliens who were in the land of Israel, and he set stonecutters to prepare dressed stones for building the house of God. ³ David also provided great stores of iron for nails for the doors of the gates and for clamps, as well as bronze in quantities beyond weighing, ⁴ and cedar timbers without number; for the Sido′nians and Tyrians brought great quantities of cedar to David. ⁵ For 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 lands; I will therefore make preparation for it.” So David provided materials in great quantity before his death.

David’s Charge to Solomon and the Leaders

⁶ Then he called for Solomon his son, and charged 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 to the name of the Lord my God. ⁸ But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars; you shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me upon the earth. ⁹ Behold, a son shall be born to you; he shall be a man of peace. I will give him peace from all his enemies round about; for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. ¹⁰ He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel for ever.’ ¹¹ Now, my son, the Lord be with you, so that you may succeed in building the house of the Lord your God, as he has spoken concerning you. ¹² Only, may the Lord grant you discretion and understanding, that when he gives you charge over Israel you may keep the law of the Lord your God. ¹³ Then you will prosper if you are careful to observe the statutes and the ordinances which the Lord commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong, and of good courage. Fear not; be not dismayed. ¹⁴ With great pains I have provided for the house of the Lord a hundred thousand talents of gold, a million talents of silver, and bronze and iron beyond weighing, for there is so much of it; timber and stone too I have provided. To these you must add. ¹⁵ You have an abundance of workmen: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and all kinds of craftsmen without number, skilled in working ¹⁶ gold, silver, bronze, and iron. Arise and be doing! The Lord be with you!”

¹⁷ David also commanded all the leaders of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, ¹⁸ “Is not the Lord your God with you? And has he not given you peace on every side? For he has delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand; and the land is subdued before the Lord and his people. ¹⁹ Now set your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God. Arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God may be brought into a house built for the name of the Lord.”

Families of the Levites and Their Functions

23 When David was old and full of days, he made Solomon his son king over Israel.

² David assembled all the leaders of Israel and the priests and the Levites. ³ The Levites, thirty years old and upward, were numbered, and the total was thirty-eight thousand men. 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 gatekeepers, and four thousand shall offer praises to the Lord with the instruments which I have made for praise.” ⁶ And David organized them in divisions corresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merar′i.

⁷ The sons of Gershom^[ad] were Ladan and Shim′e-i. ⁸ The sons of Ladan: Jehi′el the chief, and Zetham, and Jo′el, three. ⁹ The sons of Shim′e-i: Shelo′moth, Ha′zi-el, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the fathers’ houses of Ladan. ¹⁰ And the sons of Shim′e-i: Jahath, Zina, and Je′ush, and Beri′ah. These four were the sons of Shim′e-i. ¹¹ Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second; but Je′ush and Beri′ah had not many sons, therefore they became a fathers’ house in one reckoning.

¹² The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uz′ziel, four. ¹³ The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set apart to consecrate the most holy things, that he and his sons for ever should burn incense before the Lord, and minister to him and pronounce blessings in his name for ever. ¹⁴ But the sons of Moses the man of God were named among the tribe of Levi. ¹⁵ The sons of Moses: Gershom and Elie′zer. ¹⁶ The sons of Gershom: Sheb′uel the chief. ¹⁷ The sons of Elie′zer: Rehabi′ah the chief; Elie′zer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabi′ah were very many. ¹⁸ The sons of Izhar: Shelo′mith the chief. ¹⁹ The sons of Hebron: Jeri′ah the chief, Amari′ah the second, Jaha′ziel the third, and Jekame′am the fourth. ²⁰ The sons of Uz′ziel: Micah the chief and Isshi′ah the second.

²¹ The sons of Merar′i: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Elea′zar and Kish. ²² Elea′zar died having no sons, but only daughters; their kinsmen, the sons of Kish, married them. ²³ The sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jer′emoth, three.

²⁴ These were the sons of Levi by their fathers’ houses, the heads of fathers’ houses as they were registered according to the number of the names of the individuals from twenty years old and upward who were to do the work for the service of the house of the Lord. ²⁵ For David said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has given peace to his people; and he dwells in Jerusalem for ever. ²⁶ And so the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the things for its service”— ²⁷ for by the last words of David these were the number of the Levites from twenty years old and upward— ²⁸ “but their duty shall be to assist the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the Lord, having the care of the courts and the chambers, the cleansing of all that is holy, and any work for the service of the house of God; ²⁹ to assist also with the showbread, the flour for the cereal offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baked offering, the offering mixed with oil, and all measures of quantity or size. ³⁰ And they shall stand every morning, thanking and praising the Lord, and likewise at evening, ³¹ and whenever burnt offerings are offered to the Lord on sabbaths, new moons, and feast days, according to the number required of them, continually before the Lord. ³² Thus they shall keep charge of the tent of meeting and the sanctuary, and shall attend the sons of Aaron, their brethren, for the service of the house of the Lord.”