Bible in 90 Days

Chapter 10

Saul’s Death and Burial. ¹ Now the Philistines attacked Israel, and Israel fled from the Philistines. Many fell and were killed at Mount Gilboa. ² The Philistines pursued Saul and his sons. The Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. ³ The fighting around Saul became fierce when the archers hit him. The archers wounded him. ⁴ Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Take out your sword and run me through lest these uncircumcised men come and mock me.” But he was terrified, so Saul took out a sword and fell on it. ⁵ When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he, too, fell on his sword and died. ⁶ Saul and his three sons died, and his whole household died with him.

⁷ When all the Israelites in the valley saw that they had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. The Philistines came and occupied them.

⁸ The next day the Philistines came up to strip the dead, and they found Saul and his sons who had fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ They stripped him, taking his head and his armor. They sent word throughout the surrounding land of the Philistines proclaiming the news among their idols and their people. ¹⁰ They placed his armor in the shrine of their gods, hanging his head in the shrine of Dagon.^[a]

¹¹ When all the people in Jabesh-gilead heard about everything that the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all of their brave men rose up and took away the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons. They brought them to Jabesh and buried their bones under the oak tree in Jabesh. They then fasted for seven days.

^13 [b]Saul died because of the transgressions that he had committed against the Lord, against the word of the Lord which he did not observe, for he even consulted with a medium to make inquiry. ¹⁴ He did not inquire from the Lord. He slew him and turned the kingdom over to David, the son of Jesse.

Chapter 11

David Becomes King.^{[c] 1} All of Israel gathered before David in Hebron and they said, “Behold, we are your bone and your flesh. ² Moreover, in times past, even when Saul was the king, you led Israel out and brought them in. The Lord, your God, said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel. You will be the ruler of my people Israel.’ ” ³ When all of the elders of Israel came to the king in Hebron, he made a covenant before the Lord with them at Hebron. They anointed David as king over Israel, fulfilling the word of the Lord that had been spoken by Samuel.

David Conquers Jerusalem. ⁴ David and all of Israel went to Jerusalem, that is, Jebus. The Jebusites were the inhabitants of that land. ⁵ The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You will never enter.” Nevertheless, David captured the citadel of Zion, that is, the City of David. ⁶ David had said, “Whoever leads the attack on the Jebusites will be the commander-in-chief.” Joab, the son of Zeruiah, led it so he became the commander.

⁷ David lived in the citadel, and thus it was called the City of David. ⁸ He built up the city around it, from Millo to the surrounding walls. Joab repaired the rest of the city. ⁹ David’s power grew and grew, for the Lord of hosts was with him.

¹⁰ David’s Brave Warriors. These were the leaders of David’s brave warriors. They made him and his kingdom strong, with all of Israel making him king, according to the word of the Lord about Israel. ^11 [d]This is the list of David’s brave warriors: Ishbaal, a Hachmonite, was the leader of the captains. He raised up his spear against three hundred men at one time and he slew them.

¹² After him there was Eleazar, the son of Dodo, who was one of the three mighty men. ¹³ He was with David at Pas-dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. It was a field that was planted with barley, and the people fled before the Philistines. ¹⁴ They took their stand in the middle of the field. They defended it and slew the Philistines, for the Lord brought about a great deliverance.

¹⁵ Now three of the thirty captains came down to the cave of Adullam to be with David, while the army of the Philistines was camped in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁶ David was in the stronghold, and there was a Philistine outpost in Bethlehem. ¹⁷ David longed for water so he said, “Oh that you would give me some water to drink from the well that is at the gate of Bethlehem.” ¹⁸ The Three broke through the lines of the Philistine army and drew water from the well at the gate to Bethlehem. They took it and brought it to David, but David would not drink it. He poured it out before the Lord. ¹⁹ He said, “Far be it from me, my God, that I should do such a thing, that I would drink the blood of these men, for they risked their lives to bring it back.” Therefore, he would not drink it.

These are the deeds of the Three brave warriors. ²⁰ Abishai, the brother of Joab, was the leader of the Three. He raised up his spear against three hundred men and he slew them. He was the most famous of the Three. ²¹ He was twice as honored as the Three, for he was their captain, even though he was not one of the Three.

²² Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was a brave warrior who performed many deeds. He was from Kabzeel. He slew two of Moab’s mightiest men. He also descended into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. ²³ He also slew a very tall Egyptian who was five cubits tall. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand that was as big as a weaver’s beam. He attacked him with his staff, and he snatched the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand and slew him with his own spear. ²⁴ These were the deeds of Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada. He was as famous as the Three Brave Warriors. ²⁵ He was more greatly honored than any of the Thirty,^[e] but he did not belong to the Three. David assigned him to be in charge of his bodyguard.

²⁶ The brave warriors were: Asahel, the brother of Joab; Elhanan, the son of Dodo from Bethlehem; ²⁷ Shammoth the Harorite; Helez the Pelonite; ²⁸ Ira, the son of Ikkesh from Tekoa; Abiezer from Anathoth; ²⁹ Sibbecai the Hushathite; Ilai the Ahohite; ³⁰ Maharai the Netophathite; Heled, the son of Baanah the Netophathite; ³¹ Ithai, the son of Ribai from Gibeah in Benjamin; Benaiah the Pirathonite; ³² Hurai, from the Wadi of Gaash; Abiel the Arbathite; ³³ Azmaveth the Baharumite; Eliahba the Shaalbonite; ³⁴ the sons of Hashem the Gizonite; Jonathan, the son of Shagee the Hararite; ³⁵ Ahiam, the son of Sacar the Hararite; Eliphal, the son of Ur; ³⁶ Hepher the Mecherathite; Ahijah the Pelonite; ³⁷ Hezro the Carmelite; Naarai, the son of Ezbai; ³⁸ Joel, the brother of Nathan; Mibhar, the son of Hagri; ³⁹ Zelek the Ammonite; Naharai the Berothite, the armor-bearer of Joab, the son of Zeruiah; ⁴⁰ Ira the Ithrite; Gareb the Ithrite; ⁴¹ Uriah the Hittite; Zabad, the son of Ahlai; ⁴² Adina, the son of Shiza the Reubenite, who was the leader of the Reubenites and the Thirty with him; ⁴³ Hanan, the son of Maacah; Joshaphat the Mithnite; ⁴⁴ Uzzia the Ashterathite; Shama and Jeiel, the sons of Hotham the Aroerite; ⁴⁵ Jediael, the son of Shimri; 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.

Chapter 12

David’s First Followers. ¹ These were the men who came to David while he was at Ziklag, a fugitive from Saul, the son of Kish. They were the brave warriors who helped him in battle. ² They were armed with bows, and they could sling stones or shoot arrows from a bow with their right hand or their left. They were kinsmen of Saul from Benjamin.

³ Ahiezer was their leader, and then Joash, who were the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite. There were Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu the Anathothite; ⁴ Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a brave warrior from among the Thirty and the leader of the Thirty; Jeremiah; Jahaziel; Johanan; Jozabad the Gederathite; ⁵ Eluzai; Jerimoth; Bealiah; Shemariah; Shephatiah the Haruphite; ⁶ Elkanah; Isshiah; Azarel; Joezer; Jashobeam the Korahite; ⁷ and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham from Gedor.

⁸ Some Gadites joined David in the wilderness. They were brave men, warriors ready for battle, able to handle the shield and the spear. Their faces were as fierce as the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles upon the mountains. ⁹ Ezer was the first; Obadiah was the second; Eliab was the third; ¹⁰ Mishmannah was the fourth; Jeremiah was the fifth; ¹¹ Attai was the sixth; Eliel was the seventh; ¹² Johanan was the eighth; Elzabad was the ninth; ¹³ Jeremiah the tenth; and Machbannai the eleventh. ¹⁴ These Gadites were captains of the army. The weakest of them was worth a hundred, the strongest was worth a thousand. ¹⁵ They were crossing over the Jordan during the first month when it was overflowing its banks, and they put to flight everyone who was living in the valleys to the east and the west.

¹⁶ Some other Benjaminites and Judahites also went out to David in his stronghold. ¹⁷ David went out to meet them and he said to them, “If you have come to me in peace, to help me, then your heart will be one with my heart. But if you are here to betray me to my enemies even though my hands are innocent, may the God of our fathers see it and rebuke you.”

¹⁸ The Spirit then came upon Amasai, the leader of the captains, and he said,

David received them and made them captains of his raiding parties.

¹⁹ Some men from Manasseh went over to David when he went to the Philistines to fight against Saul. He, however, did not help them because the lords of the Philistines had discussed it and sent him away saying, “It would cost us our heads if he were to defect to his master Saul.”

²⁰ These were the men of Manasseh who went over to him in Ziklag: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai. They were captains of the thousands in Manasseh. ²¹ They helped David fight against the raiding parties, and they were brave warriors, all of them captains of the army.

²² From that time on, more men would arrive daily to help David until he had a large army, like an army of God.^[f]

²³ Assembly at Hebron. These are the numbers of the bands of those who came to David in Hebron ready for battle. They turned Saul’s kingdom over to him, according to the word of the Lord.

²⁴ From Judah, there were six thousand, eight hundred men bearing shield and spear, ready for battle. ²⁵ From Simeon there were seven thousand, one hundred brave warriors, ready for battle. ²⁶ From Levi there were four thousand, six hundred men. ²⁷ These included Jehoiada, the leader of the Aaronites, and with him there were three thousand, seven hundred men. ²⁸ There was Zadok, a young man who was a brave warrior, with twenty-two captains from his father’s household. ²⁹ From Benjamin, Saul’s kinsmen, there were three thousand men, most of whom had remained faithful to the house of Saul until then. ³⁰ From Ephraim there were twenty thousand, eight hundred brave warriors who were famous in their ancestral clans. ³¹ There were eighteen thousand men from one-half of the tribe of Manasseh. They were designated by name to go and make David king. ³² From Issachar there were two hundred leaders with their brethren under them. They understood well the time and what Israel should do.^{[g] 33} From Zebulun there were fifty thousand experienced fighters ready to go into battle. They had every different type of weapon, and they were of undivided loyalty. ³⁴ From Naphtali there were one thousand captains along with thirty-seven thousand men armed with shield and spear. ³⁵ From Dan there were twenty-eight thousand, six hundred men, ready for battle. ³⁶ From Asher there were forty thousand experienced fighters ready for battle. ³⁷ From the eastern side of the Jordan, there were one hundred and twenty thousand men armed with every different type of weapon from Reuben, Gad, and one-half of the tribe of Manasseh.

³⁸ All of these were well-trained fighting men. They came to Hebron for they wholeheartedly wanted to make David king over all of Israel. The rest of Israel was in agreement to make David king.^{[h] 39} They spent three days eating and drinking with David (for their brethren had provided provisions for them). ⁴⁰ Their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali brought food on their donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen: plentiful supplies of flour, fig cakes, raisin cakes, wine, oil, oxen, and sheep, for joy had spread throughout Israel.

Chapter 13

The Ark Is Returned to Jerusalem.^{[i] 1} After David consulted with the captains of the thousands and the hundreds and with all of the leaders, ² he spoke to the assembly of Israel, saying, “If you feel that this is good, for the Lord, our God, has willed it, then let us send messengers to the rest of our brethren throughout the land of Israel, including the priests and the Levites who are in their cities and pastures, so that they can come and join us. ³ Let us bring the Ark of God to where we are, for they did not make inquiry at it during the reign of Saul.”

⁴ The whole assembly said that they would do this, for all of the people considered it to be the right thing to do. ⁵ David assembled all of Israel, from the Shihor^[j] in Egypt up to Lebo-hamath, to bring the Ark of God from Kiriath-jearim. ⁶ David and all of the Israelites with him went to Baalah of Judah, that is, Kiriath-jearim, to bring up from there the Ark of God, the Lord, who dwells between the cherubim where his name is proclaimed. ⁷ They carried the Ark of the Lord on a new cart to the house of Abinadab. Uzzah and Ahio drove the cart. ⁸ David and all of Israel played before the Lord with all their might, singing and playing on the harps, lyres, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.

⁹ When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to grab the Ark because the oxen had stumbled. ¹⁰ The Lord’s anger blazed against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had touched the Ark.^[k] He died there before the Lord. ¹¹ David was disturbed because of the Lord’s outburst against Uzzah, which is why that place is called Perez-uzzah up to the present day.

¹² David was afraid of the Lord that day, saying, “How shall I bring the Ark of God to myself?” ¹³ He did not take the Ark with him into the City of David. He had it carried into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite. ¹⁴ The Ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom, in his house, for three months. The Lord blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that he owned.

Chapter 14

David in Jerusalem. ¹ Now Hiram, the king of Tyre, sent messengers to David, along with cedar wood, masons, and carpenters to build him a palace. ² David knew that the Lord had confirmed him as king over Israel and that his kingdom had been highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel.

³ In Jerusalem David married more wives, and he had more sons and daughters. ⁴ These were the names of the children who were born to him there: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ⁵ Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, ⁶ Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, ⁷ Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.

David’s Victory over the Philistines. ⁸ When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed as king over all of Israel, all of the Philistines went up to seek out David. David heard about it and went out to meet them. ⁹ The Philistines arrived and spread themselves out in the Valley of Rephaim.

¹⁰ David inquired of God, saying, “Shall I go out against the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hands?” The Lord answered them, “Go up, I will deliver them into your hands.”^[l]

¹¹ They went up to Baal-perazim, and there David defeated them. David said, “God has broken my enemies by my hand, just as when waters break forth.” This is why that place is called Baal-perazim. ¹² They had left their gods there, and David gave an order that they be burned in the fire.

¹³ Still another time the Philistines came and spread themselves out in the valley. ¹⁴ David inquired of God again, and God said to him, “Do not attack them directly, but circle around them and attack them from behind the balsam trees. ¹⁵ As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, go forth into battle, for God has gone forth before you to strike down the Philistines.”

¹⁶ David did as God had commanded him, and they struck down the army of the Philistines from Gibeon all the way to Gezer. ¹⁷ David’s fame spread throughout every land, and the Lord caused all of the nations to fear him.

Chapter 15

Carrying the Ark to Jerusalem. ¹ After David had constructed buildings for himself in the City of David, he prepared a place for the Ark of God, pitching a tent for it.

² David then said, “No one can carry the Ark of God except the Levites. The Lord has chosen them to carry the Ark of God and to minister to him forever.”

³ David assembled all of Israel in Jerusalem to bring the Ark of the Lord to the place that he had prepared for it. ⁴ David assembled the descendants of Aaron and the Levites.

⁵ From the descendants of Kohath, there were Uriel, their leader, and one hundred and twenty of his brethren. ⁶ From the descendants of Merari, there were Asaiah, their leader, and two hundred and twenty of his brethren. ⁷ From the descendants of Gershon, there were Joel, their leader, and one hundred and thirty of his brethren. ⁸ From the descendants of Elizaphan, there were Shemaiah, their leader, and two hundred of his brethren. ⁹ From the descendants of Hebron, there were Eliel, their leader, and eighty of his brethren. ¹⁰ From the descendants of Uzziel, there were Amminadab, their leader, and one hundred and twelve of his brethren.

¹¹ David summoned Zadok and Abiathar, the priests, and Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab the Levites. ¹² He said to them, “You are the leaders of the ancestral clans of the Levites. Sanctify yourselves and your brethren so that you might bring the Ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place that I have prepared for it. ^13 [m]It is because you did not bring it up the first time that the Lord burst forth against us, for we did not inquire of him about the proper order.”

¹⁴ The priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the Ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. ¹⁵ The descendants of the Levites carried the Ark of God by its poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded, according to the word of the Lord.

¹⁶ David spoke to the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brethren as singers, lifting their voices up with joy, and accompanied by music played on the lyres, harps, and cymbals. ¹⁷ So the Levites appointed Heman, the son of Joel, and one of his brethren, Asaph, the son of Berechiah, and from among the brethren of the Merarites, Ethan, the son of Kushaiah.

¹⁸ With them, there were their brethren of second rank: Zechariah, Uzziel, Shemira-moth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers.

¹⁹ The musicians Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were to play upon bronze cymbals. ²⁰ Zechariah, Uzziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah were to play the lyres according to Alamoth. ²¹ Matthithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah were to play upon harps according to the Sheminith. ²² Chenaniah, the leader of the Levites dedicated to music, directed the music, for he was skillful at it.

²³ Berechiah and Elkanah were the gatekeepers for the Ark. ²⁴ Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, were to blow the trumpets before the Ark of God. Obed-edom and Jeiel were also gatekeepers for the Ark.

²⁵ The Ark Comes to Jerusalem. David, the elders of Israel, and the captains of the thousands went to bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord up from out of the house of Obed-edom with joy. ²⁶ God helped the Levites carry the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, and they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. ²⁷ David was dressed in a robe made from fine linen, as were the Levites who were carrying the Ark, the singers, and Chenaniah, the director of the music. David also wore a linen ephod.^{[n] 28} All of Israel brought up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord with shouting, to the sound of the horn, the trumpets, and the cymbal, and playing upon the harps and the lyres.

²⁹ As the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord came to the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, was watching out the window. She saw King David dancing and playing, and she despised him in her heart.

Chapter 16

¹ They brought the Ark of God and placed it inside of the tent that David had pitched for it. They offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before God. ² When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. ³ He gave each man and each woman in Israel one loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins.

The Levite Ministers. ⁴ He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the Ark of the Lord, to commemorate, to thank, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel. ⁵ They were Asaph, the leader, Zechariah, the next in charge, and Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, and Obed-edom. They were to play upon the lyres and the harps while Asaph was to play upon the cymbals. ⁶ Benaiah and Jahaziel were the priests who normally blew the trumpets before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord.^[o]

⁷ On that day David first gave Asaph and his brethren this psalm of thanks to the Lord:

³⁷ He left Asaph and his brethren there before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord to minister before the Ark and to do each day’s required work. ³⁸ He also left Obed-edom and sixty-eight of his brethren with them. Obed-edom, the son of Jeduthun, and Hosah were the gatekeepers.

³⁹ He also left Zadok, the priest, and his fellow priests before the tabernacle of the Lord at the high place in Gibeon. ⁴⁰ He was to offer the regular burnt offerings upon the altar of burnt offerings, each morning and each evening, just as it is written in the law of the Lord which he gave to Israel. ⁴¹ With him there were Heman and Jeduthun and the others who had been chosen, who had been designated by name to give thanks to the Lord, for his mercy endures forever. ⁴² Heman and Jeduthun were responsible for playing the trumpets and the cymbals as well as the other sacred musical instruments. The sons of Jeduthun were gatekeepers.

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

Chapter 17^[q]

Nathan’s Oracle. ¹ After David had moved into his palace, David said to Nathan the prophet, “Behold, I live in a house of cedar, but the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord lives under awnings.” ² Nathan said to David, “Do whatever you want to, for the Lord is with you.”

³ But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying, ⁴ “Go and tell David my servant: Thus says the Lord, ‘You are not to build a house in which I will live. ⁵ I have not dwelt in a house from the time that I brought Israel up from out of Egypt up to the present day. I have traveled around from one tent site to another. ⁶ In the whole time that I have traveled around with Israel, have I ever said to any of the judges of Israel whom I commanded to shepherd my people, Why have you not built me a house made from cedar wood?’

⁷ “Now, therefore, tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘I took you from the sheepfold, from following after the sheep, to be the ruler over my people Israel. ⁸ I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut down all of your enemies from before you. I have made your name famous, as famous as the great men of the earth. ⁹ I will establish a dwelling place for my people Israel. I will plant them so that they might dwell in their own place. They will not have to move about anymore, nor shall the children of wickedness oppress them as they have done in the past, ¹⁰ from the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. I will humble all of your enemies.

“ ‘Furthermore, it is the Lord who will build you a house. ¹¹ When your days have been fulfilled and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your seed after you, one of your sons,^[r] and I will establish his kingdom. ¹² He will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. ¹³ I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will not withdraw my mercy from him, as I took it away from the one who preceded you.^{[s] 14} I will have him stand firm in my house forever, and his throne will be established forever.’ ”

¹⁵ Nathan reported this entire vision and all of these words to David.

¹⁶ David’s Prayer of Thanksgiving. King David then went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my household that you have brought me to this point? ¹⁷ And as if there were a small thing in your sight, O God, you have spoken about the future of your servant’s house. You have looked upon me, treating me as one who is highly exalted, O Lord God. ¹⁸ What else could David say to you for honoring your servant, for you know your servant well? ¹⁹ O Lord, you have done this great thing and revealed all these great things for the sake of your servant and because you have willed it. ²⁰ There is no one like you, O Lord, and there is no other God but you, as we have heard with our own ears. ²¹ And who is like your people Israel, the one nation upon the earth whose God went forth to redeem his own people, thus making a great name for yourself, and who drove out nations with great wonders from before your people whom you redeemed out of Egypt. ²² You have granted that your people, Israel, will be your own people forever, and you, O Lord, will be their God.

²³ “O Lord, let the things that you have spoken concerning your servant and his household now be established forever, even as you have promised. ²⁴ As it is established, so will your name be forever great. It will be said, ‘The Lord of hosts is the God of Israel, the God of Israel.’ Let the household of David, your servant, be established before you forever. ²⁵ You, O God, have revealed to your servant that you will build him a house. This is why your servant has found it in his heart to say this prayer before you. ²⁶ O Lord, you are God, and you have promised this good thing to your servant. ²⁷ Therefore, may it please you to bless the house of your servant so that it might be before you forever, for you have blessed it, O Lord, and may it be blessed forever.”

Chapter 18

David’s Conquests.^{[t] 1} After this, David defeated the Philistines. He subdued Gath and took it and its dependent towns from the Philistines.

² He struck down Moab, and the Moabites became David’s vassals and brought him tribute.

³ The king defeated Hadadezer, the king of Zobah up to Hamath when he went forth to establish his power along the Euphrates River. ⁴ David took one thousand chariots from him, as well as seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. David hamstrung the chariot horses, keeping one hundred chariots for himself.

⁵ When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer, the king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand of the Arameans. ⁶ David then stationed men in Damascus of the Arameans, and the Arameans became David’s vassals, bringing him tribute. The Lord guarded over David wherever he went.

⁷ David took the gold shields from Hadadezer’s servants, and he brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ He also brought large quantities of bronze from Tibhath and Cun, Hadadezer’s cities. Solomon used the bronze to make the sea, the pillars, and vessels.

⁹ When Tou, the king of Hamath, heard how David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, the king of Zobah, ¹⁰ he sent his son Hadoram to King David to greet him and bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Hadadezer was at war with Tou. He brought him objects of gold, silver, and bronze. ¹¹ King David dedicated them to the Lord along with the gold and the silver that he had taken from all the nations, from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and from Amalek.

¹² In addition to this, Abishai, the son of Zeruiah, killed eighteen thousand of the Edomites in the Valley of Salt. ¹³ He also established outposts in Edom, so that all of Edom became David’s vassals. The Lord guarded over David wherever he went.

¹⁴ David reigned over all of Israel, and he gave judgment and justice to all of his people. ¹⁵ Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was the commander of the army, and Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was the archivist.

¹⁶ Zadok, the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech, the son of Abiathar, were the priests, and Shavsha was the scribe. ¹⁷ Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was in charge of the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and David’s sons were the officials of the king.^[u]

Chapter 19

David’s Battles with the Ammonites. ¹ Sometime after this, Nahash, the king of the Ammonites, died, and his son reigned in his stead. ² David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun, the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent emissaries to console him with regard to his father. David’s servants came to the land of Ammon, to console Hanun.

³ The Ammonite nobles said to Hanun, “Do you really think that David is honoring your father by sending men to console you? Do you not see that David has sent his servants to overthrow you and to spy out the land?” ⁴ Hanun, therefore, seized David’s servants, shaving them and cutting their garments up to their hips. He then sent them away.

⁵ Some men came in and told David about what had happened to the men, so he sent someone to meet them, for the men were terribly embarrassed. The king told them, “Wait at Jericho until your beards grow back, and then return.”

⁶ The Ammonites realized that they had become abhorrent to David, so Hanun and the Ammonites sent one thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia, Aram, and Zobah. ⁷ They hired thirty-two thousand chariots for themselves along with the king of Maacah and his people. They came and camped in front of Medeba. The Ammonites also assembled from out of their cities and went out to fight.

⁸ David heard about this, so he sent Joab and his army of brave warriors out. ⁹ The Ammonites came and arranged themselves in battle line at the gate to the city while the kings who had come with them stood in the fields by themselves.

¹⁰ Joab saw that they were arranged in battle line both in front of him and behind him, so he chose some of the best men in Israel and placed them up against the Arameans. ¹¹ He placed the rest of the people under the command of Abishai, his brother, and they lined up against the Ammonites. ¹² He said, “If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you help me, but if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will help you. ¹³ Be brave and let us be strong for our people and the cities of God. May the Lord do what he judges to be right.”

¹⁴ Joab and the people who were with him drew up to fight against the Arameans, and they fled before him. ¹⁵ When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans were fleeing, they also fled before Abishai, his brother. They went into the city, and Joab returned to Jerusalem.

¹⁶ When the Arameans realized that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers to summon the Arameans who lived beyond the river. Shophach, the commander of Hadadezer’s army, led them.

¹⁷ When David was told, he gathered all of Israel together and crossed over the Jordan. He came upon them and lined up for battle against them. David set up his troops, and they fought against him.

¹⁸ The Arameans fled from before David, and he slew seven thousand charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers. He also killed Shophach, the commander of the army.

¹⁹ When Hadadezer’s servants saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became his vassals. The Arameans were no longer willing to help the Ammonites.

Chapter 20

¹ In the spring of the year when kings go out to war, Joab led the army out, and he laid waste the land of the Ammonites. They came and besieged Rabbah while David stayed in Jerusalem. Joab defeated Rabbah and destroyed it.

² David took away their king’s crown. It weighed one golden talent, and there were precious stones on it. It was set upon David’s head. He also took away much spoil.

³ He also took away the people who were in it. He put them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes. David did this to all of the Ammonite cities. David and all the people then returned to Jerusalem.

Battle with the Philistines. ⁴ Sometime after this, there was a war with the Philistines at Gezer. This was when Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, who was one of the Rephaim. They were subdued.

⁵ There was another war with the Philistines, and Elhanan, the son of Jair, killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gittite. The staff of his spear was as large was a weaver’s beam.

⁶ There was war again at Gath where there was an enormous man who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four fingers and toes in all. He was a Rephaim. ⁷ He taunted Israel, and Jonathan, the son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him. ⁸ These were born to the Rephaim in Gath, and they fell at David’s hand and those of his servants.

Chapter 21

The Census and Plague. ¹ Now Satan took his stand^[v] against Israel, and he tempted David to take a census of Israel.

² David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, “Go take a census of Israel from Beer-sheba to Dan. Bring the number to me so that I might know it.”

³ Joab answered, “May the Lord multiply his people a hundred times over, but, my lord, the king, are these not my lord’s servants? Why would my lord order this? Why would he bring this guilt upon Israel?”

⁴ Nevertheless, the king was resolute with Joab. Joab departed and traveled all throughout Israel, and he then returned to Jerusalem. ⁵ Joab gave the total number of the people to David. In all of Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who could draw the sword. In Judah there were four hundred and seventy thousand men who could draw the sword. ⁶ He did not count Levi or Benjamin, however, for Joab found the king’s command to be detestable.

⁷ God was greatly displeased at this, and he struck down Israel.

⁸ David said to God, “I have sinned grievously in doing this. I beg you now, take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”

^9 [w]The Lord then spoke to Gad, David’s seer, saying, ¹⁰ “Go and speak to David saying: Thus says the Lord: ‘I will offer you three options. Choose one of them so that I might do it to you.’ ”

¹¹ Gad came to David and said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Choose for yourself ¹² three years of famine, or three months of being defeated by your enemies, with the swords of your foes striking you down, or else three days of the sword of the Lord. Plague will be in the land, and the angel of the Lord will cause destruction all throughout the territory of Israel.’ Think about the answer I should take back to him who sent me.”

¹³ David said to Gad, “I am greatly distressed. Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercies are truly great. Let me not fall into human hands.”

¹⁴ So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand people fell because of it. ¹⁵ God also sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was destroying it, the Lord regretted the disaster, and he said to the destroying angel, “Enough! Hold back your hand!”

Ornan’s Threshing Floor. So the angel of the Lord stood by the threshing floor of Ornan, the Jebusite.

¹⁶ David looked up, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing between the earth and the heavens, holding a drawn sword in his hands that was stretched out over Jerusalem. David and the elders fell down upon their faces, clothed in sackcloth.^[x]

¹⁷ David said to God, “Was it not I who commanded the census of the people? I am the one who sinned, for I have truly done what was wrong. As for these sheep, what have they done? O Lord, my God, let your hand be against me and my father’s household, but let your people not suffer from the plague.”

¹⁸ The angel of the Lord then commanded Gad to tell David that David should go and set up an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan, the Jebusite. ¹⁹ So David went up as Gad, who spoke in the name of the Lord, had said.

²⁰ Ornan turned around, and he saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him went and hid themselves while Ornan remained on the threshing floor.

²¹ David came to Ornan, and Ornan looked out and saw David. He went out from the threshing floor and bowed down with his face to the ground before David. ²² David said to Ornan, “Give me this place, the threshing floor, so that I can build an altar to the Lord on it. Sell it to me at full price so that the plague can be withdrawn from the people.”

²³ Ornan said to David, “Take it for yourself. Let my lord, the king, do what he sees fit. Behold, I will also give you the oxen for burnt offering and the instruments used for threshing for wood and wheat for the grain offering. I will give it all to you.”

²⁴ But King David said to Ornan, “No, I will surely pay you the full price. I will not take anything from you for the Lord, nor will I offer any burnt offering that did not cost me anything.”

²⁵ David gave Ornan the weight of six hundred shekels of gold for the site. ²⁶ David then built an altar to the Lord there, and he offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. He called upon the Lord, and he answered him from heaven by sending fire upon the altar of the burnt offerings.

²⁷ The Lord gave the command to the angel, and he put his sword back in its sheath. ²⁸ David then realized that the Lord had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, and he performed a sacrifice there.

²⁹ At that time, the tabernacle of the Lord that Moses had made and the altar of burnt offerings were at the high place in Gibeon. ³⁰ But David could not go in to make inquiry of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord.

Chapter 22

¹ Then David said, “This is the house of the Lord God, and this is the altar for the burnt offerings of Israel.”

Preparations for Building the Temple. ² David ordered that all of the foreigners who were in the land of Israel be gathered together. He assigned them the task of serving as masons to prepare hewn stone to build the house of God. ³ David prepared quite a bit of iron for the nails to be used in the doors, the gates, and the joints. He also prepared so much bronze that it could not be measured. ⁴ He also had much cedar wood, for the Sidonians of Tyre had brought much cedar wood to David.

⁵ David said, “Solomon, my son, is young and inexperienced, and the house that will be built for the Lord must be tremendously magnificent, famous, and glorious throughout every land. I will therefore make preparations for it now.” So David made many preparations before he died.

⁶ He then summoned Solomon, his son, and he charged him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. ⁷ David said to Solomon, “My son, I wanted to build a house for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, ⁸ but the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Because you have shed so much blood and you have waged many wars, you will not build a house for my name because you have shed too much blood upon the earth before me. ⁹ Behold, a son will be born to you who will be a man of peace^[y] and rest. I will give him a respite from all of his surrounding enemies, for his name will be Solomon. I will give peace and quiet to Israel during his reign. ¹⁰ He is the one who will build a house for my name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’

¹¹ “Now, my son, the Lord will be with you. You will prosper, and you will build a house for the Lord, your God, as he has proclaimed. ¹² May the Lord give you insight and understanding when he sets you over Israel so that you might observe the law of the Lord, your God. ¹³ You will prosper if you carefully observe the statutes and the ordinances that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and be brave. Do not be afraid nor dismayed. ¹⁴ I have put myself to the trouble of preparing the following for the temple of the Lord: one hundred thousand talents of gold, one million talents of silver, so much bronze and iron that it could not even be weighed, and an abundance of wood and stone. You can now add to it.^{[z] 15} You have many workmen: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and men who are skilled in every type of craft. ¹⁶ You cannot even count those who can work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron. So now be about it, and the Lord will be with you.”

¹⁷ Charge to the Leaders. David commanded all of the leaders of Israel to assist Solomon, his son, saying, ¹⁸ “Is not the Lord, your God, with you? Has he not given you rest on every side? He has placed the inhabitants of the land in your hand, and the land has been subjected to the Lord and his people. ¹⁹ Now dedicate yourselves heart and soul to seeking the Lord, your God. Rise up and build a sanctuary for the Lord, your God. Bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord and the sacred vessels of God into the temple that will be built for the name of the Lord.”

Chapter 23

The Levitical Classes.^{[aa] 1} When David was old and his years were complete, he made Solomon, his son, king over Israel. ² He gathered together all of the leaders of Israel along with the priests and the Levites.

³ The Levites who were thirty years and older were counted, and the total number of them was thirty-eight thousand. ⁴ David appointed twenty-four thousand of them to supervise the work on the temple of the Lord, and another six thousand of them were to be officials and judges. ⁵ Four thousand of them were to be gatekeepers, and four thousand were to praise the Lord upon musical instruments about which David said, “I made them to praise the Lord.”

⁶ David divided the Levites of Gershon, Kohath, and Merari into groups.

⁷ From the Gershonites there were Ladan and Shimei. ⁸ The sons of Ladan were Jehiel, the firstborn, Zetham, and Joel. There were three in all. ^9 [ab]The sons of Shimei were Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran. There were three of them in all. These were the leaders of the ancestral clans of Ladan. ¹⁰ The sons of Shimei were Jahath, Zizah, Jeush, and Beriah. Shimei had four sons in all. ¹¹ Jahath was the leader, and Zizah was the second in charge. Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they were reckoned as a single ancestral clan.

¹² The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. There were four of them in all.

¹³ The sons of Amram were Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set apart to consecrate the most holy things. He and his sons were to burn incense before the Lord forever, and to minister, and to proclaim blessings in his name forever.

¹⁴ The sons of Moses, the man of God, were included with the tribe of Levi. ¹⁵ The sons of Moses were Gershom and Eliezer.

¹⁶ Shubael was the son of Gershom, his first. ¹⁷ Rehabiah was the son of Eliezer, his first. Eliezer had no other sons, but Rehabiah had a large number of sons.

¹⁸ Shelomith was the son of Izhar, his firstborn.

¹⁹ The sons of Hebron were Jeriah, his firstborn, Amariah, his second, Jahaziel, his third, and Jekameam, his fourth.

²⁰ The sons of Uzziel were Micah, his firstborn, and Isshiah, his second.

²¹ The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli were Eleazar and Kish.

²² Eleazar died without having any sons, he had only had daughters. The sons of Kish, their relatives, married them.

²³ The sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth. There were three of them in all.

²⁴ These were the descendants of Levi by their ancestral clans, with the leaders of the ancestral clans as they were registered by name and counted. These are the ones who could perform the work in the temple of the Lord, twenty years old and older.^[ac]

²⁵ David did this because he said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, had given his people rest so that they might dwell in Jerusalem forever. ²⁶ The Levites therefore no longer have to carry the tabernacle or any of the articles used in its service.”

²⁷ Thus, according to the last instructions of David, the Levites who were twenty years or older were counted. ²⁸ Their responsibility was to assist the sons of Aaron in the service of the temple of the Lord, to be in charge of the courtyard and the inner chambers, to purify all of the holy things, and to fulfill other tasks in the temple of the Lord. ²⁹ They were responsible for the shewbread, for the flour for the cereal offerings, for the unleavened loaves, for the baking and the mixing, and for all the standards of measurement and size. ³⁰ They were to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord. They were to do the same every evening. ³¹ They were also to do this whenever burnt offerings were made to the Lord on the Sabbath, on the new moons, and on the appointed feasts, as they had been commanded to do regularly before the Lord, ³² that they were to serve the tent of meeting and be responsible for the sanctuary under the direction of the descendants of Aaron, their brethren, for the service of the temple of the Lord.