Bible in 90 Days

The Death of King Saul

10 The Philistines fought against Israel, and the Israelites ran away from them. Many Israelites were killed on Mount Gilboa. ² The Philistines fought hard against Saul and his sons, killing his sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua. ³ The fighting was heavy around Saul, and the archers shot him with their arrows and wounded him.

⁴ Then Saul said to the officer who carried his armor, “Pull out your sword and stab me. If you don’t, these Philistines who are not circumcised will come and hurt me.” But Saul’s officer refused, because he was afraid. So Saul took his own sword and threw himself on it. ⁵ When the officer saw that Saul was dead, he threw himself on his own sword and died. ⁶ So Saul and three of his sons died; all his family died together.

⁷ When the Israelites living in the valley saw that their army had run away and that Saul and his sons were dead, they left their towns and ran away. Then the Philistines came and settled in them.

⁸ The next day when the Philistines came to strip the dead soldiers, they found Saul and his sons dead on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ The Philistines stripped Saul’s body and took his head and his armor. Then they sent messengers through all their country to tell the news to their idols and to their people. ¹⁰ The Philistines put Saul’s armor in the temple of their idols and hung his head in the temple of Dagon.

¹¹ All the people in Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul. ¹² So the brave men of Jabesh went and got the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. They buried their bones under the large tree in Jabesh. Then the people of Jabesh fasted for seven days.

¹³ Saul died because he was not faithful to the Lord and did not obey the Lord. He even went to a medium and asked her for advice ¹⁴ instead of asking the Lord. This is why the Lord put Saul to death and gave the kingdom to Jesse’s son David.

David Becomes King

11 Then the people of Israel came to David at the town of Hebron and said, “Look, we are your own family. ² Even when Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel in battle. The Lord your God said to you, ‘You will be the shepherd for my people Israel. You will be their leader.’”

³ So all the elders of Israel came to King David at Hebron. He made an agreement with them in Hebron in the presence of the Lord. Then they poured oil on David to make 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. At that time Jerusalem was called Jebus, and the people living there were named Jebusites. ⁵ They said to David, “You can’t get inside our city.” But David did take the city of Jerusalem with its strong walls, and it became the City of David.

⁶ David had said, “The person who leads the attack against the Jebusites will become the commander over all my army.” Joab son of Zeruiah led the attack, so he became the commander of the army.

⁷ Then David made his home in the strong, walled city, which is why it was named the City of David. ⁸ David rebuilt the city, beginning where the land was filled in and going to the wall that was around the city. Joab repaired the other parts of the city. ⁹ David became stronger and stronger, and the Lord All-Powerful was with him.

David’s Mighty Warriors

¹⁰ This is a list of the leaders over David’s warriors who helped make David’s kingdom strong. All the people of Israel also supported David’s kingdom. These heroes and all the people of Israel made David king, just as the Lord had promised.

¹¹ This is a list of David’s warriors:

Jashobeam was from the Hacmonite people. He was the head of the Three,^[a] David’s most powerful soldiers. He used his spear to fight three hundred men at one time, and he killed them all.

¹² Next was Eleazar, one of the Three. Eleazar was Dodai’s son from the Ahohite people. ¹³ Eleazar was with David at Pas Dammim when the Philistines came there to fight. There was a field of barley at that place. The Israelites ran away from the Philistines, ¹⁴ but they stopped in the middle of that field and fought for it and killed the Philistines. The Lord gave them a great victory.

¹⁵ Once, three of the Thirty, David’s chief soldiers, came down to him at the rock by the cave near Adullam. At the same time the Philistine army had camped in the Valley of Rephaim.

¹⁶ At that time David was in a stronghold, and some of the Philistines were in Bethlehem. ¹⁷ David had a strong desire for some water. He said, “Oh, I wish someone would get me water from the well near the city gate of Bethlehem!” ¹⁸ So the Three broke through the Philistine army and took water from the well near the city gate in Bethlehem. Then they brought it to David, but he refused to drink it. He poured it out before the Lord, ¹⁹ saying, “May God keep me from drinking this water! It would be like drinking the blood of the men who risked their lives to bring it to me!” So David refused to drink it.

These were the brave things that the three warriors did.

²⁰ Abishai brother of Joab was the captain of the Three. Abishai fought three hundred soldiers with his spear and killed them. He became as famous as the Three ²¹ and was more honored than the Three. He became their commander even though he was not one of them.

²² Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a brave fighter from Kabzeel who did mighty things. He killed two of the best warriors from Moab. He also went down into a pit and killed a lion on a snowy day. ²³ Benaiah killed an Egyptian who was about seven and one-half feet tall and had a spear as large as a weaver’s rod. Benaiah had a club, but he grabbed the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. ²⁴ These were the things Benaiah son of Jehoiada did. He was as famous as the Three. ²⁵ He received more honor than the Thirty, but he did not become a member of the Three. David made him leader of his bodyguards.

The Thirty Chief Soldiers

²⁶ These were also mighty warriors:

Warriors Join David

12 These were the men who came to David at Ziklag when David was hiding from Saul son of Kish. They were among the warriors who helped David in battle. ² They came with bows for weapons and could use either their right or left hands to shoot arrows or to sling rocks. They were Saul’s relatives from the tribe of Benjamin. ³ Ahiezer was their leader, and there was Joash. (Ahiezer and Joash were sons of Shemaah, who was from the town of Gibeah.) There were also Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth. There were Beracah and Jehu from the town of Anathoth. ⁴ And there was Ishmaiah from the town of Gibeon; he was one of the Thirty. In fact, he was the leader of the Thirty. There were Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad from Gederah. ⁵ There were Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, and Shemariah. There was Shephatiah from Haruph. ⁶ There were Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam from the family group of Korah. ⁷ And there were Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham, from the town of Gedor.

⁸ Part of the people of Gad joined David at his stronghold in the desert. They were brave warriors trained for war and skilled with shields and spears. They were as fierce as lions and as fast as gazelles over the hills.

⁹ Ezer was the leader of Gad’s army, and Obadiah was second in command. Eliab was third, ¹⁰ Mishmannah was fourth, Jeremiah was fifth, ¹¹ Attai was sixth, Eliel was seventh, ¹² Johanan was eighth, Elzabad was ninth, ¹³ Jeremiah was tenth, and Macbannai was eleventh in command.

¹⁴ They were the commanders of the army from Gad. The least of these leaders was in charge of a hundred soldiers, and the greatest was in charge of a thousand. ¹⁵ They crossed the Jordan River and chased away the people living in the valleys, to the east and to the west. This happened in the first month of the year when the Jordan floods the valley.

¹⁶ Other people from the tribes of Benjamin and Judah also came to David at his stronghold. ¹⁷ David went out to meet them and said to them, “If you have come peacefully to help me, I welcome you. Join me. But if you have come to turn me over to my enemies, even though I have done nothing wrong, the God of our ancestors will see this and punish you.”

¹⁸ Then the Spirit entered Amasai, the leader of the Thirty, and he said:

So David welcomed these men and made them leaders of his army.

¹⁹ Some of the men from Manasseh also joined David when he went with the Philistines to fight Saul. But David and his men did not really help the Philistines. After talking about it, the Philistine leaders decided to send David away. They said, “If David goes back to his master Saul, we will be killed.” ²⁰ These are the men from Manasseh who joined David when he went to Ziklag: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai. Each of them was a leader of a thousand men from Manasseh. ²¹ All these men of Manasseh were brave soldiers, and they helped David fight against groups of men who went around the country robbing people. These soldiers became commanders in David’s army. ²² Every day more men joined David, and his army became large, like the army of God.

Others Join David at Hebron

²³ These are the numbers of the soldiers ready for battle who joined David at Hebron. They came to help turn the kingdom of Saul over to David, just as the Lord had said.

²⁴ There were sixty-eight hundred men with their weapons from Judah. They carried shields and spears.

²⁵ There were seventy-one hundred men from Simeon. They were warriors ready for war.

²⁶ There were forty-six hundred men from Levi. ²⁷ Jehoiada, a leader from Aaron’s family, was in that group. There were thirty-seven hundred with him. ²⁸ Zadok was also in that group. He was a strong young warrior, and with him came twenty-two leaders from his family.

²⁹ There were three thousand men from Benjamin, who were Saul’s relatives. Most of them had remained loyal to Saul’s family until then.

³⁰ There were twenty thousand eight hundred men from Ephraim. They were brave warriors and were famous men in their own family groups.

³¹ There were eighteen thousand men from West Manasseh. Each one was especially chosen to make David king.

³² There were two hundred leaders from Issachar. They knew what Israel should do, and they knew the right time to do it. Their relatives were with them and under their command.

³³ There were fifty thousand men from Zebulun. They were trained soldiers and knew how to use every kind of weapon of war. They followed David completely.

³⁴ There were one thousand officers from Naphtali. They had thirty-seven thousand soldiers with them who carried shields and spears.

³⁵ There were twenty-eight thousand six hundred men from Dan, who were ready for war.

³⁶ There were forty thousand trained soldiers from Asher, who were ready for war.

³⁷ There were one hundred twenty thousand soldiers from the east side of the Jordan River from the people of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh. They had every kind of weapon.

³⁸ All these fighting men were ready to go to war. They came to Hebron fully agreed to make David king of all Israel. All the other Israelites also agreed to make David king. ³⁹ They spent three days there with David, eating and drinking, because their relatives had prepared food for them. ⁴⁰ Also, their neighbors came from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen. They brought much flour, fig cakes, raisins, wine, oil, cows, and sheep, because the people of Israel were very happy.

Bringing Back the Ark

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

⁵ So David gathered all the Israelites, from the Shihor River in Egypt to Lebo Hamath, to bring the Ark of God back from the town of Kiriath Jearim. ⁶ David and all the Israelites with him went to Baalah of Judah, which is Kiriath Jearim, to get the Ark of God the Lord. God’s throne is between the golden, winged creatures on the Ark, and the Ark is called by his name.

⁷ The people carried the Ark of God from Abinadab’s house on a new cart, and Uzzah and Ahio guided it. ⁸ David and all the Israelites were celebrating in the presence of God. With all their strength they were singing and playing lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.

⁹ When David’s men came to the threshing floor of Kidon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the Ark. ¹⁰ The Lord was angry with Uzzah and killed him, because he had touched the Ark. So Uzzah died there in the presence of God.

¹¹ David was angry because the Lord had punished Uzzah in his anger. Now that place is called The Punishment of Uzzah.

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

David’s Kingdom Grows

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

³ David married more women in 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 When the Philistines heard that David had been made king of all Israel, they went to look for him. But David heard about it and went out to fight them. ⁹ The Philistines had attacked and robbed the people in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁰ David asked God, “Should I go and attack the Philistines? Will you hand them over to me?”

The Lord answered him, “Go, I will hand them over to you.”

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

¹³ Soon the Philistines attacked the people in the valley again. ¹⁴ David prayed to God again, and God answered him, saying, “Don’t attack the Philistines from the front. Instead, go around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees. ¹⁵ When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then attack. I, God, will have gone out before you to defeat the Philistine army.” ¹⁶ David did as God commanded, and he and his men defeated the Philistine army all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.

¹⁷ So David became famous in all the countries, and the Lord made all nations afraid of him.

The Ark Is Brought to Jerusalem

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

³ David called all the people of Israel to come to Jerusalem. He wanted to bring the Ark of the Lord to the place he had made for it. ⁴ David called together the descendants of Aaron and the Levites. ⁵ There were one hundred twenty people from Kohath’s family group, with Uriel as their leader. ⁶ There were two hundred twenty people from Merari’s family group, with Asaiah as their leader. ⁷ There were one hundred thirty people from Gershon’s family group, with Joel as their leader. ⁸ There were two hundred people from Elizaphan’s family group, with Shemaiah as their leader. ⁹ There were eighty people from Hebron’s family group, with Eliel as their leader. ¹⁰ And there were one hundred twelve people from Uzziel’s family group, with Amminadab as their leader.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

David’s Song of Thanks

All the people said “Amen” and praised the Lord.

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

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

⁴³ Then all the people left. Each person went home, and David also went home to bless the people in his home.

God’s Promise to David

17 When David moved into his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Look, I am living in a palace made of cedar, but the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord sits in a tent.”

² Nathan said to David, “Do what you want to do, because God is with you.”

³ But that night God spoke his word to Nathan, saying, ⁴ “Go and tell David my servant, ‘This is what the Lord says: You are not the person to build a house for me to live in. ⁵ From the time I brought Israel out of Egypt until now I have not lived in a house. I have moved from one tent site to another and from one place to another. ⁶ As I have moved with the Israelites to different places, I have never said to the leaders, whom I commanded to take care of my people, “Why haven’t you built me a house of cedar?”’

⁷ “Now, tell my servant David: ‘This is what the Lord All-Powerful says: I took you from the pasture and from tending the sheep and made you king of my people Israel. ⁸ I have been with you everywhere you have gone. I have defeated your enemies for you. I will make you as famous as any of the great people on the earth. ⁹ I will choose a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them so they can live in their own homes. They will not be bothered anymore. Wicked people will no longer hurt them as they have in the past ¹⁰ when I chose judges for my people Israel. I will defeat all your enemies.

“‘I tell you that the Lord will make your descendants kings of Israel after you. ¹¹ When you die and join your ancestors, I will make one of your sons the new king, and I will set up his kingdom. ¹² He will build a house for me, and I will let his kingdom rule always. ¹³ I will be his father, and he will be my son. I took away my love from Saul, who ruled before you, but I will never stop loving your son. ¹⁴ I will put him in charge of my house and kingdom forever. His family will rule forever.’”

¹⁵ Nathan told David everything God had said in this vision.

David Prays to God

¹⁶ Then King David went in and sat in front of the Lord. David said, “Lord God, who am I? What is my family? Why did you bring me to this point? ¹⁷ But that was not enough for you, God. You have also made promises about my future family. Lord God, you have treated me like a very important person.

¹⁸ “What more can I say to you for honoring me, your servant? You know me so well. ¹⁹ Lord, you have done this wonderful thing for my sake and because you wanted to. You have made known all these great things.

²⁰ “There is no one like you, Lord. There is no God except you. We have heard all this ourselves! ²¹ There is no nation like your people Israel. They are the only people on earth that God chose to be his own. You made your name well known by the great and wonderful things you did for them. You went ahead of them and forced other nations out of the land. You freed your people from slavery in Egypt. ²² You made the people of Israel your very own people forever, and, Lord, you are their God.

²³ “Lord, keep the promise forever that you made about my family and me, your servant. Do what you have said. ²⁴ Then you will be honored always, and people will say, ‘The Lord All-Powerful, the God over Israel, is Israel’s God!’ And the family of your servant David will continue before you.

²⁵ “My God, you have told me that you would make my family great. So I, your servant, am brave enough to pray to you. ²⁶ Lord, you are God, and you have promised these good things to me, your servant. ²⁷ You have chosen to bless my family. Let it continue before you always. Lord, you have blessed my family, so it will always be blessed.”

David Defeats Nations

18 Later, David defeated the Philistines, conquered them, and took the city of Gath and the small towns around it.

² He also defeated the people of Moab. So the people of Moab became servants of David and gave him the payment he demanded.

³ David also defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah all the way to the town of Hamath as he tried to spread his kingdom to the Euphrates River. ⁴ David captured one thousand of his chariots, seven thousand men who rode in chariots, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He crippled all but a hundred of the chariot horses.

⁵ Arameans from Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, but David killed twenty-two thousand of them. ⁶ Then David put groups of soldiers in Damascus in Aram. The Arameans became David’s servants and gave him the payments he demanded. So the Lord gave David victory everywhere he went.

⁷ David took the shields of gold that had belonged to Hadadezer’s officers and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ David also took many things made of bronze from Tebah and Cun, which had been cities under Hadadezer’s control. Later, Solomon used this bronze to make things for the Temple: the large bronze bowl, which was called the Sea, the pillars, and other bronze utensils.

⁹ Toi king of Hamath heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer king of Zobah. ¹⁰ So Toi sent his son Hadoram to greet and congratulate King David for defeating Hadadezer. (Hadadezer had been at war with Toi.) Hadoram brought items made of gold, silver, and bronze. ¹¹ King David gave them to the Lord, along with the silver and gold he had taken from these nations: Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and Amalek.

¹² Abishai son of Zeruiah killed eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. ¹³ David put groups of soldiers in Edom, and all the Edomites became his servants. The Lord gave David victory everywhere he went.

David’s Important Officers

¹⁴ David was king over all of Israel, and he did what was fair and right for all his people. ¹⁵ Joab son of Zeruiah was commander over the army. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the recorder. ¹⁶ Zadok son of Ahitub and Abiathar son of Ahimelech were priests. Shavsha was the royal secretary. ¹⁷ Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites.^[c] And David’s sons were important officers who served at his side.

War with the Ammonites and Arameans

19 When Nahash king of the Ammonites died, his son became king after him. ² David said, “Nahash was loyal to me, so I will be loyal to his son Hanun.” So David sent messengers to comfort Hanun about his father’s death.

David’s officers went to the land of the Ammonites to comfort Hanun. ³ But the Ammonite leaders said to Hanun, “Do you think David wants to honor your father by sending men to comfort you? No! David sent them to study the land and capture it and spy it out.” ⁴ So Hanun arrested David’s officers. To shame them he shaved their beards and cut off their clothes at the hips. Then he sent them away.

⁵ When the people told David what had happened to his officers, he sent messengers to meet them, because they were very ashamed. King David said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown back. Then come home.”

⁶ The Ammonites knew that they had insulted David. So Hanun and the Ammonites sent about seventy-four thousand pounds of silver to hire chariots and chariot drivers from Northwest Mesopotamia, Aram Maacah, and Zobah. ⁷ The Ammonites hired thirty-two thousand chariots and the king of Maacah and his army. So they came and set up camp near the town of Medeba. The Ammonites themselves came out of their towns and got ready for battle.

⁸ When David heard about this, he sent Joab with the whole army. ⁹ The Ammonites came out and prepared for battle at the city gate. The kings who had come to help were out in the field by themselves.

¹⁰ Joab saw that there were enemies both in front of him and behind him. So he chose some of the best soldiers of Israel and sent them out to fight the Arameans. ¹¹ Joab put the rest of the army under the command of Abishai, his brother. Then they went out to fight the Ammonites. ¹² Joab said to Abishai, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, you must help me. Or, if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will help you. ¹³ Be strong. We must fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God. The Lord will do what he thinks is right.”

¹⁴ Then Joab and the army with him went to attack the Arameans, and the Arameans ran away. ¹⁵ When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans were running away, they also ran away from Joab’s brother Abishai and went back to their city. So Joab went back to Jerusalem.

¹⁶ When the Arameans saw that Israel had defeated them, they sent messengers to bring other Arameans from east of the Euphrates River. Their leader was Shophach, the commander of Hadadezer’s army.

¹⁷ When David heard about this, he gathered all the Israelites, and they crossed over the Jordan River. He prepared them for battle, facing the Arameans. The Arameans fought with him, ¹⁸ but they ran away from the Israelites. David killed seven thousand Aramean chariot drivers and forty thousand Aramean foot soldiers. He also killed Shophach, the commander of the Aramean army.

¹⁹ When those who served Hadadezer saw that the Israelites had defeated them, they made peace with David and served him. So the Arameans refused to help the Ammonites again.

Joab Destroys the Ammonites

20 In the spring, the time of year when kings normally went out to battle, Joab led out the army of Israel. But David stayed in Jerusalem. The army of Israel destroyed the land of Ammon and went to the city of Rabbah and attacked it. ² David took the crown off the head of their king,^[d] and had it placed on his own head. That gold crown weighed about seventy-five pounds, and it had valuable gems in it. And David took many valuable things from the city. ³ He also brought out the people of the city and forced them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes. David did this to all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all his army returned to Jerusalem.

Philistine Giants Are Killed

⁴ Later, at Gezer, war broke out with the Philistines. Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, who was one of the descendants of the Rephaites. So those Philistines were defeated.

⁵ Later, there was another battle with the Philistines. Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath, who was from the town of Gath. His spear was as large as a weaver’s rod.

⁶ At Gath another battle took place. A huge man was there; he had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four fingers and toes in all. This man also was one of the sons of Rapha. ⁷ When he spoke against Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him.

⁸ These descendants of Rapha from Gath were killed by David and his men.

David Counts the Israelites

21 Satan was against Israel, and he caused David to count the people of Israel. ² So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count all the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan.^[e] Then tell me so I will know how many there are.”

³ But Joab said, “May the Lord give the nation a hundred times more people. My master the king, all the Israelites are your servants. Why do you want to do this, my master? You will make Israel guilty of sin.”

⁴ But the king commanded Joab, so Joab left and went through all Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem. ⁵ Joab gave the list of the people to David. There were one million one hundred thousand men in all of Israel who could use the sword, and there were four hundred seventy thousand men in Judah who could use the sword. ⁶ But Joab did not count the tribes of Levi and Benjamin, because he didn’t like King David’s order. ⁷ David had done something God had said was wrong, so God punished Israel.

⁸ Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by what I have done! Now, I beg you to forgive me, your servant, because I have been very foolish.”

⁹ The Lord said to Gad, who was David’s seer, ¹⁰ “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I offer you three choices. Choose one of them and I will do it.’”

¹¹ So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Choose for yourself ¹² three years of hunger. Or choose three months of running from your enemies as they chase you with their swords. Or choose three days of punishment from the Lord, in which a terrible disease will spread through the country. The angel of the Lord will go through Israel destroying the people.’ Now, David, decide which of these things I should tell the Lord who sent me.”

¹³ David said to Gad, “I am in great trouble. Let the Lord punish me, because the Lord is very merciful. Don’t let my punishment come from human beings.”

¹⁴ So the Lord sent a terrible disease on Israel, and seventy thousand people died. ¹⁵ God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem, but when the angel started to destroy it, the Lord saw it and felt very sorry about the terrible things that had happened. So he said to the angel who was destroying, “That is enough! Put down your arm!” The angel of the Lord was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

¹⁶ David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord in the sky, holding his sword drawn and pointed at Jerusalem. Then David and the elders bowed facedown on the ground. They were wearing rough cloth to show their grief. ¹⁷ David said to God, “I am the one who sinned and did wrong. I gave the order for the people to be counted. These people only followed me like sheep. They did nothing wrong. Lord my God, please punish me and my family, but stop the terrible disease that is killing your people.”

¹⁸ Then the angel of the Lord told Gad to tell David that he should build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. ¹⁹ So David did what Gad told him to do, in the name of the Lord.

²⁰ Araunah was separating the wheat from the straw. When he turned around, he saw the angel. Araunah’s four sons who were with him hid. ²¹ David came to Araunah, and when Araunah saw him, he left the threshing floor and bowed facedown on the ground before David.

²² David said to him, “Sell me your threshing floor so I can build an altar to the Lord here. Then the terrible disease will stop. Sell it to me for the full price.”

²³ Araunah said to David, “Take this threshing floor. My master the king, do anything you want. Look, I will also give you oxen for the whole burnt offerings, the threshing boards for the wood, and wheat for the grain offering. I give everything to you.”

²⁴ But King David answered Araunah, “No, I will pay the full price for the land. I won’t take anything that is yours and give it to the Lord. I won’t offer a burnt offering that costs me nothing.”

²⁵ So David paid Araunah about fifteen pounds of gold for the place. ²⁶ David built an altar to the Lord there and offered whole burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. David prayed to the Lord, and he answered him by sending down fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering. ²⁷ Then the Lord commanded the angel to put his sword back into its holder.

²⁸ When David saw that the Lord had answered him on the threshing floor of Araunah, he offered sacrifices there. ²⁹ The Holy Tent that Moses made while the Israelites were in the desert and the altar of burnt offerings were in Gibeon at the place of worship. ³⁰ But David could not go to the Holy Tent to speak with God, because 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 Israel’s burnt offerings will be built here.”

David Makes Plans for the Temple

² So David ordered all foreigners living in Israel to gather together. From that group David chose stonecutters to cut stones to be used in building the Temple of God. ³ David supplied a large amount of iron to be used for making nails and hinges for the gate doors. He also supplied more bronze than could be weighed, ⁴ and he supplied more cedar logs than could be counted. Much of the cedar had been brought to David by the people from Sidon and Tyre.

⁵ David said, “We should build a great Temple for the Lord, which will be famous everywhere for its greatness and beauty. But my son Solomon is young. He hasn’t yet learned what he needs to know, so I will prepare for the building of it.” So David got many of the materials ready before he died.

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 him, “My son, I wanted to build a temple for worshiping the Lord my God. ⁸ But the Lord spoke his word to me, ‘David, you have killed many people. You have fought many wars. You cannot build a temple for worship to me, because you have killed many people. ⁹ But, you will have a son, a man of peace and rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies around him. His name will be Solomon,^[f] and I will give Israel peace and quiet while he is king. ¹⁰ Solomon will build a temple for worship to me. He will be my son, and I will be his father. I will make his kingdom strong; someone from his family will rule Israel forever.’”

¹¹ David said, “Now, my son, may the Lord be with you. May you build a 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 you will be able to obey the teachings of the Lord your God. ¹³ Be careful to obey the rules and laws the Lord gave Moses for Israel. If you obey them, you will have success. Be strong and brave. Don’t be afraid or discouraged.

¹⁴ “Solomon, I have worked hard getting many of the materials for building the Temple of the Lord. I have supplied about seven and one-half million pounds of gold, about seventy-five million pounds of silver, so much bronze and iron it cannot be weighed, and wood and stone. You may add to them. ¹⁵ You have many workmen—stonecutters, bricklayers, carpenters, and people skilled in every kind of work. ¹⁶ They are skilled in working with gold, silver, bronze, and iron. You have more craftsmen 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 them, “The Lord your God is with you. He has given you rest from our enemies. He has handed over to me the people living around us. The Lord and his people are in control of this land. ¹⁹ Now give yourselves completely to obeying the Lord your God. Build the holy place of the Lord God; build the Temple for worship to the Lord. Then bring the Ark of the Agreement with the Lord and the holy items that belong to God into the Temple.”

The Levites

23 After David had lived long and was old, he made his son Solomon the new king of Israel. ² David gathered all the leaders of Israel, along with the priests and Levites. ³ He counted the Levites who were thirty years old and older. In all, there were thirty-eight thousand Levites. ⁴ David said, “Of these, twenty-four thousand Levites will direct the work of the Temple of the Lord, six thousand Levites will be officers and judges, ⁵ four thousand Levites will be gatekeepers, and four thousand Levites will praise the Lord with musical instruments I made for giving praise.”

⁶ David separated the Levites into three groups that were led by Levi’s three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

The People of Gershon

⁷ From the people of Gershon, there were Ladan and Shimei.

⁸ Ladan had three sons. His first son was Jehiel, and his other sons were Zetham and Joel.

⁹ Shimei’s sons were Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran. These three sons were leaders of Ladan’s families. ¹⁰ Shimei had four sons: Jahath, Ziza, Jeush, and Beriah. ¹¹ Jahath was the first son, and Ziza was the second son. But Jeush and Beriah did not have many children, so they were counted as if they were one family.

The People of Kohath

¹² Kohath had four sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

¹³ Amram’s sons were Aaron and Moses. Aaron and his descendants were chosen to be special forever. They were chosen to prepare the holy things for the Lord’s service, to offer sacrifices before the Lord, and to serve him as priests. They were to give blessings in his name forever.

¹⁴ Moses was the man of God, and his sons were counted as part of the tribe of Levi. ¹⁵ Moses’ sons were Gershom and Eliezer. ¹⁶ Gershom’s first son was Shubael. ¹⁷ Eliezer’s first son was Rehabiah. Eliezer had no other sons, but Rehabiah had many sons.

¹⁸ Izhar’s first son was Shelomith.

¹⁹ Hebron’s first son was Jeriah, his second was Amariah, his third was Jahaziel, and his fourth was Jekameam.

²⁰ Uzziel’s first son was Micah and his second was Isshiah.

The People of Merari

²¹ Merari’s sons were Mahli and Mushi. Mahli’s sons were Eleazar and Kish. ²² Eleazar died without sons; he had only daughters. Eleazar’s daughters married their cousins, the sons of Kish. ²³ Mushi’s three sons were Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.

The Levites’ Work

²⁴ These were Levi’s descendants listed by their families. They were the leaders of families. Each person who was twenty years old or older was listed. They served in the Lord’s Temple.

²⁵ David had said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people. 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 were to count the Levites who were twenty years old and older.

²⁸ The Levites had the job of helping Aaron’s descendants in the service of the Temple of the Lord. They cared for the Temple courtyard and side rooms, and they made all the holy things pure. Their job was to serve in the Temple of God. ²⁹ They were responsible for putting the holy bread on the table, for the flour in the grain offerings, for the bread made without yeast, for the baking and mixing, and for the measuring. ³⁰ The Levites also stood every morning and gave thanks and praise to the Lord. They also did this every evening. ³¹ The Levites offered all the burnt offerings to the Lord on the special days of rest, at the New Moon festivals, and at all appointed feasts. They served before the Lord every day. They were to follow the rules for how many Levites should serve each time. ³² So the Levites took care of the Meeting Tent and the Holy Place. And they helped their relatives, Aaron’s descendants, with the services at the Temple of the Lord.