2Samuel:23-24

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* Now these be the last words of David . David the son of Jesse said , and the man who was raised up on high , the anointed of the God of Jacob , and the sweet psalmist of Israel , said , * The Spirit of the LORD spake by me , and his word was in my tongue . * The God of Israel said , the Rock of Israel spake to me , He that ruleth over men must be just , ruling in the fear of God . * And he shall be as the light of the morning , when the sun riseth , even a morning without clouds ; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain . * Although my house be not so with God ; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant , ordered in all things , and sure : for this is all my salvation , and all my desire , although he make it not to grow . * But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away , because they cannot be taken with hands : * But the man that shall touch them must be fenced with iron and the staff of a spear ; and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place . * These be the names of the mighty men whom David had : The Tachmonite that sat in the seat , chief among the captains ; the same was Adino the Eznite : he lift up his spear against eight hundred , whom he slew at one time . * And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo the Ahohite , one of the three mighty men with David , when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle , and the men of Israel were gone away : * He arose , and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary , and his hand clave unto the sword : and the LORD wrought a great victory that day ; and the people returned after him only to spoil . * And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite . And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop , where was a piece of ground full of lentiles : and the people fled from the Philistines . * But he stood in the midst of the ground , and defended it , and slew the Philistines : and the LORD wrought a great victory . * And three of the thirty chief went down , and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam : and the troop of the Philistines pitched in the valley of Rephaim . * And David was then in an hold , and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem . * And David longed , and said , Oh that one would give me drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem , which is by the gate ! * And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines , and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem , that was by the gate , and took it , and brought it to David : nevertheless he would not drink thereof , but poured it out unto the LORD . * And he said , Be it far from me , O LORD , that I should do this : is not this the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives ? therefore he would not drink it . These things did these three mighty men . * And Abishai , the brother of Joab , the son of Zeruiah , was chief among three . And he lifted up his spear against three hundred , and slew them , and had the name among three . * Was he not most honourable of three ? therefore he was their captain : howbeit he attained not unto the first three . * And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada , the son of a valiant man , of Kabzeel , who had done many acts , he slew two lionlike men of Moab : he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow : * And he slew an Egyptian , a goodly man : and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand ; but he went down to him with a staff , and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian 's hand , and slew him with his own spear . * These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada , and had the name among three mighty men . * He was more honourable than the thirty , but he attained not to the first three . And David set him over his guard . * Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty ; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem , * Shammah the Harodite , Elika the Harodite , * Helez the Paltite , Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite , * Abiezer the Anethothite , Mebunnai the Hushathite , * Zalmon the Ahohite , Maharai the Netophathite , * Heleb the son of Baanah , a Netophathite , Ittai the son of Ribai out of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin , * Benaiah the Pirathonite , Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash , * Abialbon the Arbathite , Azmaveth the Barhumite , * Eliahba the Shaalbonite , of the sons of Jashen , Jonathan , * Shammah the Hararite , Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite , * Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai , the son of the Maachathite , Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite , * Hezrai the Carmelite , Paarai the Arbite , * Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah , Bani the Gadite , * Zelek the Ammonite , Naharai the Beerothite , armourbearer to Joab the son of Zeruiah , * Ira an Ithrite , Gareb an Ithrite , * Uriah the Hittite : thirty and seven in all . * And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel , and he moved David against them to say , Go , number Israel and Judah . * For the king said to Joab the captain of the host , which was with him , Go now through all the tribes of Israel , from Dan even to Beersheba , and number ye the people , that I may know the number of the people . * And Joab said unto the king , Now the LORD thy God add unto the people , how many soever they be , an hundredfold , and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it : but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing ? * Notwithstanding the king 's word prevailed against Joab , and against the captains of the host . And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king , to number the people of Israel . * And they passed over Jordan , and pitched in Aroer , on the right side of the city that lieth in the midst of the river of Gad , and toward Jazer : * Then they came to Gilead , and to the land of Tahtimhodshi ; and they came to Danjaan , and about to Zidon , * And came to the strong hold of Tyre , and to all the cities of the Hivites , and of the Canaanites : and they went out to the south of Judah , even to Beersheba . * So when they had gone through all the land , they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days . * And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king : and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword ; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men . * And David 's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people . And David said unto the LORD , I have sinned greatly in that I have done : and now , I beseech thee , O LORD , take away the iniquity of thy servant ; for I have done very foolishly . * For when David was up in the morning , the word of the LORD came unto the prophet Gad , David 's seer , saying , * Go and say unto David , Thus saith the LORD , I offer thee three things ; choose thee one of them , that I may do it unto thee . * So Gad came to David , and told him , and said unto him , Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land ? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies , while they pursue thee ? or that there be three days ' pestilence in thy land ? now advise , and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me . * And David said unto Gad , I am in a great strait : let us fall now into the hand of the LORD ; for his mercies are great : and let me not fall into the hand of man . * So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed : and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men . * And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it , the LORD repented him of the evil , and said to the angel that destroyed the people , It is enough : stay now thine hand . And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite . * And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people , and said , Lo , I have sinned , and I have done wickedly : but these sheep , what have they done ? let thine hand , I pray thee , be against me , and against my father 's house . * And Gad came that day to David , and said unto him , Go up , rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite . * And David , according to the saying of Gad , went up as the LORD commanded . * And Araunah looked , and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him : and Araunah went out , and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground . * And Araunah said , Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant ? And David said , To buy the threshingfloor of thee , to build an altar unto the LORD , that the plague may be stayed from the people . * And Araunah said unto David , Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him : behold , here be oxen for burnt sacrifice , and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood . * All these things did Araunah , as a king , give unto the king . And Araunah said unto the king , The LORD thy God accept thee . * And the king said unto Araunah , Nay ; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price : neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing . So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver . * And David built there an altar unto the LORD , and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings . So the LORD was intreated for the land , and the plague was stayed from Israel .

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