nkjv 1Chronicles:10-29. SEEK
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Now the Philistines fought against Israel ;
and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines ,
and fell slain on Mount Gilboa .
*
Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons .
And the Philistines killed Jonathan ,
Abinadab ,
and Malchishua ,
Saul '
s sons .
*
The battle became fierce against Saul .
The archers hit him ,
and he was wounded by the archers .
*
Then Saul said to his armorbearer , "
Draw your sword ,
and thrust me through with it ,
lest these uncircumcised men come and abuse me ."
But his armorbearer would not ,
for he was greatly afraid .
Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it .
*
And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead ,
he also fell on his sword and died .
*
So Saul and his three sons died ,
and all his house died together .
*
And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead ,
they forsook their cities and fled ;
then the Philistines came and dwelt in them .
*
So it happened the next day ,
when the Philistines came to strip the slain ,
that they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa .
*
And they stripped him and took his head and his armor ,
and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among the people .
*
Then they put his armor in the temple of their gods ,
and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon .
*
And when all Jabesh Gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul ,
*
all the valiant men arose and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons ;
and they brought them to Jabesh ,
and buried their bones under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh ,
and fasted seven days .
*
So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD ,
because he did not keep the word of the LORD ,
and also because he consulted a medium for guidance .
*
But he did not inquire of the LORD ;
therefore He killed him ,
and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse .
*
Then all Israel came together to David at Hebron ,
saying , "
Indeed we are your bone and your flesh .
*
Also ,
in time past ,
even when Saul was king ,
you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in ;
and the LORD your God said to you , "
You shall shepherd My people Israel ,
and be ruler over My people Israel ."'
*
Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron ,
and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the LORD .
And they anointed David king over Israel ,
according to the word of the LORD by Samuel .
*
And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem ,
which is Jebus ,
where the Jebusites were ,
the inhabitants of the land .
*
But the inhabitants of Jebus said to David , "
You shall not come in here !"
Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (
that is ,
the City of David ).
*
Now David said , "
Whoever attacks the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain ."
And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first ,
and became chief .
*
Then David dwelt in the stronghold ;
therefore they called it the City of David .
*
And he built the city around it ,
from the Millo to the surrounding area .
Joab repaired the rest of the city .
*
So David went on and became great ,
and the LORD of hosts was with him .
*
Now these were the heads of the mighty men whom David had ,
who strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom ,
with all Israel ,
to make him king ,
according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel .
*
And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had :
Jashobeam the son of a Hachmonite ,
chief of the captains ;
he had lifted up his spear against three hundred ,
killed by him at one time .
*
After him was Eleazar the son of Dodo ,
the Ahohite ,
who was one of the three mighty men .
*
He was with David at Pasdammim .
Now there the Philistines were gathered for battle ,
and there was a piece of ground full of barley .
So the people fled from the Philistines .
*
But they stationed themselves in the middle of that field ,
defended it ,
and killed the Philistines .
So the LORD brought about a great victory .
*
Now three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David ,
into the cave of Adullam ;
and the army of the Philistines encamped in the Valley of Rephaim .
*
David was then in the stronghold ,
and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem .
*
And David said with longing , "
Oh ,
that someone would give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem ,
which is by the gate !"
*
So the three broke through the camp of the Philistines ,
drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate ,
and took it and brought it to David .
Nevertheless David would not drink it ,
but poured it out to the LORD .
*
And he said , "
Far be it from me ,
O my God ,
that I should do this !
Shall I drink the blood of these men who have put their lives in jeopardy ?
For at the risk of their lives they brought it ."
Therefore he would not drink it .
These things were done by the three mighty men .
*
Abishai the brother of Joab was chief of another three .
He had lifted up his spear against three hundred men ,
killed them ,
and won a name among these three .
*
Of the three he was more honored than the other two men .
Therefore he became their captain .
However he did not attain to the first three .
*
Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada ,
the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel ,
who had done many deeds .
He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab .
He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day .
*
And he killed an Egyptian ,
a man of great height ,
five cubits tall .
In the Egyptian '
s hand there was a spear like a weaver '
s beam ;
and he went down to him with a staff ,
wrested the spear out of the Egyptian '
s hand ,
and killed him with his own spear .
*
These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did ,
and won a name among three mighty men .
*
Indeed he was more honored than the thirty ,
but he did not attain to the first three .
And David appointed him over his guard .
*
Also the mighty warriors were Asahel the brother of Joab ,
Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem ,
*
Shammoth the Harorite ,
Helez the Pelonite ,
*
Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite ,
Abiezer the Anathothite ,
*
Sibbechai the Hushathite ,
Ilai the Ahohite ,
*
Maharai the Netophathite ,
Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite ,
*
Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah ,
of the sons of Benjamin ,
Benaiah the Pirathonite ,
*
Hurai of the brooks of Gaash ,
Abiel the Arbathite ,
*
Azmaveth the Baharumite ,
Eliahba the Shaalbonite ,
*
the sons of Hashem the Gizonite ,
Jonathan the son of Shageh the Hararite ,
*
Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite ,
Eliphal the son of Ur ,
*
Hepher the Mecherathite ,
Ahijah the Pelonite ,
*
Hezro the Carmelite ,
Naarai the son of Ezbai ,
*
Joel the brother of Nathan ,
Mibhar the son of Hagri ,
*
Zelek the Ammonite ,
Naharai the Berothite (
the armorbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah ),
*
Ira the Ithrite ,
Gareb the Ithrite ,
*
Uriah the Hittite ,
Zabad the son of Ahlai ,
*
Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite (
a chief of the Reubenites )
and thirty with him ,
*
Hanan the son of Maachah ,
Joshaphat the Mithnite ,
*
Uzzia the Ashterathite ,
Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite ,
*
Jediael the son of Shimri ,
and Joha his brother ,
the Tizite ,
*
Eliel the Mahavite ,
Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam ,
Ithmah the Moabite ,
*
Eliel ,
Obed ,
and Jaasiel the Mezobaite .
*
Now these were the men who came to David at Ziklag while he was still a fugitive from Saul the son of Kish ;
and they were among the mighty men ,
helpers in the war ,
*
armed with bows ,
using both the right hand and the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows with the bow .
They were of Benjamin ,
Saul '
s brethren .
*
The chief was Ahiezer ,
then Joash ,
the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite ;
Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth ;
Berachah ,
and Jehu the Anathothite ;
*
Ishmaiah the Gibeonite ,
a mighty man among the thirty ,
and over the thirty ;
Jeremiah ,
Jahaziel ,
Johanan ,
and Jozabad the Gederathite ;
*
Eluzai ,
Jerimoth ,
Bealiah ,
Shemariah ,
and Shephatiah the Haruphite ;
*
Elkanah ,
Jisshiah ,
Azarel ,
Joezer ,
and Jashobeam ,
the Korahites ;
*
and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham of Gedor .
*
Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness ,
mighty men of valor ,
men trained for battle ,
who could handle shield and spear ,
whose faces were like the faces of lions ,
and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains :
*
Ezer the first ,
Obadiah the second ,
Eliab the third ,
*
Mishmannah the fourth ,
Jeremiah the fifth ,
*
Attai the sixth ,
Eliel the seventh ,
*
Johanan the eighth ,
Elzabad the ninth ,
*
Jeremiah the tenth ,
and Machbanai the eleventh .
*
These were from the sons of Gad ,
captains of the army ;
the least was over a hundred ,
and the greatest was over a thousand .
*
These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month ,
when it had overflowed all its banks ;
and they put to flight all those in the valleys ,
to the east and to the west .
*
Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to David at the stronghold .
*
And David went out to meet them ,
and answered and said to them , "
If you have come peaceably to me to help me ,
my heart will be united with you ;
but if to betray me to my enemies ,
since there is no wrong in my hands ,
may the God of our fathers look and bring judgment ."
*
Then the Spirit came upon Amasai ,
chief of the captains ,
and he said : "
We are yours ,
O David ;
We are on your side ,
O son of Jesse !
Peace ,
peace to you ,
And peace to your helpers !
For your God helps you ."
So David received them ,
and made them captains of the troop .
*
And some from Manasseh defected to David when he was going with the Philistines to battle against Saul ;
but they did not help them ,
for the lords of the Philistines sent him away by agreement ,
saying , "
He may defect to his master Saul and endanger our heads ."
*
When he went to Ziklag ,
those of Manasseh who defected to him were Adnah ,
Jozabad ,
Jediael ,
Michael ,
Jozabad ,
Elihu ,
and Zillethai ,
captains of the thousands who were from Manasseh .
*
And they helped David against the bands of raiders ,
for they were all mighty men of valor ,
and they were captains in the army .
*
For at that time they came to David day by day to help him ,
until it was a great army ,
like the army of God .
*
Now these were the numbers of the divisions that were equipped for war ,
and came to David at Hebron to turn over the kingdom of Saul to him ,
according to the word of the LORD :
*
of the sons of Judah bearing shield and spear ,
six thousand eight hundred armed for war ;
*
of the sons of Simeon ,
mighty men of valor fit for war ,
seven thousand one hundred ;
*
of the sons of Levi four thousand six hundred ;
*
Jehoiada ,
the leader of the Aaronites ,
and with him three thousand seven hundred ;
*
Zadok ,
a young man ,
a valiant warrior ,
and from his father '
s house twenty-two captains ;
*
of the sons of Benjamin ,
relatives of Saul ,
three thousand (
until then the greatest part of them had remained loyal to the house of Saul );
*
of the sons of Ephraim twenty thousand eight hundred ,
mighty men of valor ,
famous men throughout their father '
s house ;
*
of the half-tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand ,
who were designated by name to come and make David king ;
*
of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times ,
to know what Israel ought to do ,
their chiefs were two hundred ;
and all their brethren were at their command ;
*
of Zebulun there were fifty thousand who went out to battle ,
expert in war with all weapons of war ,
stouthearted men who could keep ranks ;
*
of Naphtali one thousand captains ,
and with them thirty-seven thousand with shield and spear ;
*
of the Danites who could keep battle formation ,
twenty-eight thousand six hundred ;
*
of Asher ,
those who could go out to war ,
able to keep battle formation ,
forty thousand ;
*
of the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh ,
from the other side of the Jordan ,
one hundred and twenty thousand armed for battle with every kind of weapon of war .
*
All these men of war ,
who could keep ranks ,
came to Hebron with a loyal heart ,
to make David king over all Israel ;
and all the rest of Israel were of one mind to make David king .
*
And they were there with David three days ,
eating and drinking ,
for their brethren had prepared for them .
*
Moreover those who were near to them ,
from as far away as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali ,
were bringing food on donkeys and camels ,
on mules and oxen--provisions of flour and cakes of figs and cakes of raisins ,
wine and oil and oxen and sheep abundantly ,
for there was joy in Israel .
*
Then David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds ,
and with every leader .
*
And David said to all the assembly of Israel , "
If it seems good to you ,
and if it is of the LORD our God ,
let us send out to our brethren everywhere who are left in all the land of Israel ,
and with them to the priests and Levites who are in their cities and their common-lands ,
that they may gather together to us ;
*
and let us bring the ark of our God back to us ,
for we have not inquired at it since the days of Saul ."
*
Then all the assembly said that they would do so ,
for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people .
*
So David gathered all Israel together ,
from Shihor in Egypt to as far as the entrance of Hamath ,
to bring the ark of God from Kirjath Jearim .
*
And David and all Israel went up to Baalah ,
to Kirjath Jearim ,
which belonged to Judah ,
to bring up from there the ark of God the LORD ,
who dwells between the cherubim ,
where His name is proclaimed .
*
So they carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab ,
and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart .
*
Then David and all Israel played music before God with all their might ,
with singing ,
on harps ,
on stringed instruments ,
on tambourines ,
on cymbals ,
and with trumpets .
*
And when they came to Chidon '
s threshing floor ,
Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark ,
for the oxen stumbled .
*
Then the anger of the LORD was aroused against Uzza ,
and He struck him because he put his hand to the ark ;
and he died there before God .
*
And David became angry because of the LORD '
s outbreak against Uzza ;
therefore that place is called Perez Uzza to this day .
*
David was afraid of God that day ,
saying , "
How can I bring the ark of God to me ?"
*
So David would not move the ark with him into the City of David ,
but took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite .
*
The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house three months .
And the LORD blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that he had .
*
Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David ,
and cedar trees ,
with masons and carpenters ,
to build him a house .
*
So David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel ,
for his kingdom was highly exalted for the sake of His people Israel .
*
Then David took more wives in Jerusalem ,
and David begot more sons and daughters .
*
And these are the names of his children whom he had in Jerusalem :
Shammua ,
Shobab ,
Nathan ,
Solomon ,
*
Ibhar ,
Elishua ,
Elpelet ,
*
Nogah ,
Nepheg ,
Japhia ,
*
Elishama ,
Beeliada ,
and Eliphelet .
*
Now when the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel ,
all the Philistines went up to search for David .
And David heard of it and went out against them .
*
Then the Philistines went and made a raid on the Valley of Rephaim .
*
And David inquired of God ,
saying , "
Shall I go up against the Philistines ?
Will You deliver them into my hand ?"
The LORD said to him , "
Go up ,
for I will deliver them into your hand ."
*
So they went up to Baal Perazim ,
and David defeated them there .
Then David said , "
God has broken through my enemies by my hand like a breakthrough of water ."
Therefore they called the name of that place Baal Perazim .
*
And when they left their gods there ,
David gave a commandment ,
and they were burned with fire .
*
Then the Philistines once again made a raid on the valley .
*
Therefore David inquired again of God ,
and God said to him , "
You shall not go up after them ;
circle around them ,
and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees .
*
And it shall be ,
when you hear a sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees ,
then you shall go out to battle ,
for God has gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines ."
*
So David did as God commanded him ,
and they drove back the army of the Philistines from Gibeon as far as Gezer .
*
Then the fame of David went out into all lands ,
and the LORD brought the fear of him upon all nations .
*
David built houses for himself in the City of David ;
and he prepared a place for the ark of God ,
and pitched a tent for it .
*
Then David said , "
No one may carry the ark of God but the Levites ,
for the LORD has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to minister before Him forever ."
*
And David gathered all Israel together at Jerusalem ,
to bring up the ark of the LORD to its place ,
which he had prepared for it .
*
Then David assembled the children of Aaron and the Levites :
*
of the sons of Kohath ,
Uriel the chief ,
and one hundred and twenty of his brethren ;
*
of the sons of Merari ,
Asaiah the chief ,
and two hundred and twenty of his brethren ;
*
of the sons of Gershom ,
Joel the chief ,
and one hundred and thirty of his brethren ;
*
of the sons of Elizaphan ,
Shemaiah the chief ,
and two hundred of his brethren ;
*
of the sons of Hebron ,
Eliel the chief ,
and eighty of his brethren ;
*
of the sons of Uzziel ,
Amminadab the chief ,
and one hundred and twelve of his brethren .
*
And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests ,
and for the Levites :
for Uriel ,
Asaiah ,
Joel ,
Shemaiah ,
Eliel ,
and Amminadab .
*
He said to them , "
You are the heads of the fathers '
houses of the Levites ;
sanctify yourselves ,
you and your brethren ,
that you may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it .
*
For because you did not do it the first time ,
the LORD our God broke out against us ,
because we did not consult Him about the proper order ."
*
So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel .
*
And the children of the Levites bore the ark of God on their shoulders ,
by its poles ,
as Moses had commanded according to the word of the LORD .
*
Then David spoke to the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers accompanied by instruments of music ,
stringed instruments ,
harps ,
and cymbals ,
by raising the voice with resounding joy .
*
So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel ;
and of his brethren ,
Asaph the son of Berechiah ;
and of their brethren ,
the sons of Merari ,
Ethan the son of Kushaiah ;
*
and with them their brethren of the second rank :
Zechariah ,
Ben ,
Jaaziel ,
Shemiramoth ,
Jehiel ,
Unni ,
Eliab ,
Benaiah ,
Maaseiah ,
Mattithiah ,
Elipheleh ,
Mikneiah ,
Obed-Edom ,
and Jeiel ,
the gatekeepers ;
*
the singers ,
Heman ,
Asaph ,
and Ethan ,
were to sound the cymbals of bronze ;
*
Zechariah ,
Aziel ,
Shemiramoth ,
Jehiel ,
Unni ,
Eliab ,
Maaseiah ,
and Benaiah ,
with strings according to Alamoth ;
*
Mattithiah ,
Elipheleh ,
Mikneiah ,
Obed-Edom ,
Jeiel ,
and Azaziah ,
to direct with harps on the Sheminith ;
*
Chenaniah ,
leader of the Levites ,
was instructor in charge of the music ,
because he was skillful ;
*
Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark ;
*
Shebaniah ,
Joshaphat ,
Nethanel ,
Amasai ,
Zechariah ,
Benaiah ,
and Eliezer ,
the priests ,
were to blow the trumpets before the ark of God ;
and Obed-Edom and Jehiah ,
doorkeepers for the ark .
*
So David ,
the elders of Israel ,
and the captains over thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD from the house of Obed-Edom with joy .
*
And so it was ,
when God helped the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD ,
that they offered seven bulls and seven rams .
*
David was clothed with a robe of fine linen ,
as were all the Levites who bore the ark ,
the singers ,
and Chenaniah the music master with the singers .
David also wore a linen ephod .
*
Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn ,
with trumpets and with cymbals ,
making music with stringed instruments and harps .
*
And it happened ,
as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the City of David ,
that Michal ,
Saul '
s daughter ,
looked through a window and saw King David whirling and playing music ;
and she despised him in her heart .
*
So they brought the ark of God ,
and set it in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it .
Then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God .
*
And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings ,
he blessed the people in the name of the LORD .
*
Then he distributed to everyone of Israel ,
both man and woman ,
to everyone a loaf of bread ,
a piece of meat ,
and a cake of raisins .
*
And he appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD ,
to commemorate ,
to thank ,
and to praise the LORD God of Israel :
*
Asaph the chief ,
and next to him Zechariah ,
then Jeiel ,
Shemiramoth ,
Jehiel ,
Mattithiah ,
Eliab ,
Benaiah ,
and Obed-Edom :
Jeiel with stringed instruments and harps ,
but Asaph made music with cymbals ;
*
Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests regularly blew the trumpets before the ark of the covenant of God .
*
On that day David first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren ,
to thank the LORD :
*
Oh ,
give thanks to the LORD !
Call upon His name ;
Make known His deeds among the peoples !
*
Sing to Him ,
sing psalms to Him ;
Talk of all His wondrous works !
*
Glory in His holy name ;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD !
*
Seek the LORD and His strength ;
Seek His face evermore !
*
Remember His marvelous works which He has done ,
His wonders ,
and the judgments of His mouth ,
*
O seed of Israel His servant ,
You children of Jacob ,
His chosen ones !
*
He is the LORD our God ;
His judgments are in all the earth .
*
Remember His covenant forever ,
The word which He commanded ,
for a thousand generations ,
*
The covenant which He made with Abraham ,
And His oath to Isaac ,
*
And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute ,
To Israel for an everlasting covenant ,
*
Saying , "
To you I will give the land of Canaan As the allotment of your inheritance ,"
*
When you were few in number ,
Indeed very few ,
and strangers in it .
*
When they went from one nation to another ,
And from one kingdom to another people ,
*
He permitted no man to do them wrong ;
Yes ,
He rebuked kings for their sakes ,
*
Saying , "
Do not touch My anointed ones ,
And do My prophets no harm ."
*
Sing to the LORD ,
all the earth ;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day .
*
Declare His glory among the nations ,
His wonders among all peoples .
*
For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised ;
He is also to be feared above all gods .
*
For all the gods of the peoples are idols ,
But the LORD made the heavens .
*
Honor and majesty are before Him ;
Strength and gladness are in His place .
*
Give to the LORD ,
O families of the peoples ,
Give to the LORD glory and strength .
*
Give to the LORD the glory due His name ;
Bring an offering ,
and come before Him .
Oh ,
worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness !
*
Tremble before Him ,
all the earth .
The world also is firmly established ,
It shall not be moved .
*
Let the heavens rejoice ,
and let the earth be glad ;
And let them say among the nations , "
The LORD reigns ."
*
Let the sea roar ,
and all its fullness ;
Let the field rejoice ,
and all that is in it .
*
Then the trees of the woods shall rejoice before the LORD ,
For He is coming to judge the earth .
*
Oh ,
give thanks to the LORD ,
for He is good !
For His mercy endures forever .
*
And say , "
Save us ,
O God of our salvation ;
Gather us together ,
and deliver us from the Gentiles ,
To give thanks to Your holy name ,
To triumph in Your praise ."
*
Blessed be the LORD God of Israel From everlasting to everlasting !
And all the people said , "
Amen !"
and praised the LORD .
*
So he left Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD to minister before the ark regularly ,
as every day '
s work required ;
*
and Obed-Edom with his sixty-eight brethren ,
including Obed-Edom the son of Jeduthun ,
and Hosah ,
to be gatekeepers ;
*
and Zadok the priest and his brethren the priests ,
before the tabernacle of the LORD at the high place that was at Gibeon ,
*
to offer burnt offerings to the LORD on the altar of burnt offering regularly morning and evening ,
and to do according to all that is written in the Law of the LORD which He commanded Israel ;
*
and with them Heman and Jeduthun and the rest who were chosen ,
who were designated by name ,
to give thanks to the LORD ,
because His mercy endures forever ;
*
and with them Heman and Jeduthun ,
to sound aloud with trumpets and cymbals and the musical instruments of God .
Now the sons of Jeduthun were gatekeepers .
*
Then all the people departed ,
every man to his house ;
and David returned to bless his house .
*
Now it came to pass ,
when David was dwelling in his house ,
that David said to Nathan the prophet , "
See now ,
I dwell in a house of cedar ,
but the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under tent curtains ."
*
Then Nathan said to David , "
Do all that is in your heart ,
for God is with you ."
*
But it happened that night that the word of God came to Nathan ,
saying ,
* "
Go and tell My servant David , "
Thus says the LORD : "
You shall not build Me a house to dwell in .
*
For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought up Israel ,
even to this day ,
but have gone from tent to tent ,
and from one tabernacle to another .
*
Wherever I have moved about with all Israel ,
have I ever spoken a word to any of the judges of Israel ,
whom I commanded to shepherd My people ,
saying , "
Why have you not built Me a house of cedar ?""
*
Now therefore ,
thus shall you say to My servant David , "
Thus says the LORD of hosts : "
I took you from the sheepfold ,
from following the sheep ,
to be ruler over My people Israel .
*
And I have been with you wherever you have gone ,
and have cut off all your enemies from before you ,
and have made you a name like the name of the great men who are on the earth .
*
Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel ,
and will plant them ,
that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more ;
nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore ,
as previously ,
*
since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel .
Also I will subdue all your enemies .
Furthermore I tell you that the LORD will build you a house .
*
And it shall be ,
when your days are fulfilled ,
when you must go to be with your fathers ,
that I will set up your seed after you ,
who will be of your sons ;
and I will establish his kingdom .
*
He shall build Me a house ,
and I will establish his throne forever .
*
I will be his Father ,
and he shall be My son ;
and I will not take My mercy away from him ,
as I took it from him who was before you .
*
And I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever ;
and his throne shall be established forever .""'
*
According to all these words and according to all this vision ,
so Nathan spoke to David .
*
Then King David went in and sat before the LORD ;
and he said : "
Who am I ,
O LORD God ?
And what is my house ,
that You have brought me this far ?
*
And yet this was a small thing in Your sight ,
O God ;
and You have also spoken of Your servant '
s house for a great while to come ,
and have regarded me according to the rank of a man of high degree ,
O LORD God .
*
What more can David say to You for the honor of Your servant ?
For You know Your servant .
*
O LORD ,
for Your servant '
s sake ,
and according to Your own heart ,
You have done all this greatness ,
in making known all these great things .
*
O LORD ,
there is none like You ,
nor is there any God besides You ,
according to all that we have heard with our ears .
*
And who is like Your people Israel ,
the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people--to make for Yourself a name by great and awesome deeds ,
by driving out nations from before Your people whom You redeemed from Egypt ?
*
For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever ;
and You ,
LORD ,
have become their God .
* "
And now ,
O LORD ,
the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house ,
let it be established forever ,
and do as You have said .
*
So let it be established ,
that Your name may be magnified forever ,
saying , "
The LORD of hosts ,
the God of Israel ,
is Israel '
s God .'
And let the house of Your servant David be established before You .
*
For You ,
O my God ,
have revealed to Your servant that You will build him a house .
Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray before You .
*
And now ,
LORD ,
You are God ,
and have promised this goodness to Your servant .
*
Now You have been pleased to bless the house of Your servant ,
that it may continue before You forever ;
for You have blessed it ,
O LORD ,
and it shall be blessed forever ."
*
After this it came to pass that David attacked the Philistines ,
subdued them ,
and took Gath and its towns from the hand of the Philistines .
*
Then he defeated Moab ,
and the Moabites became David '
s servants ,
and brought tribute .
*
And David defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah as far as Hamath ,
as he went to establish his power by the River Euphrates .
*
David took from him one thousand chariots ,
seven thousand horsemen ,
and twenty thousand foot soldiers .
Also David hamstrung all the chariot horses ,
except that he spared enough of them for one hundred chariots .
*
When the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah ,
David killed twenty-two thousand of the Syrians .
*
Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus ;
and the Syrians became David '
s servants ,
and brought tribute .
So the LORD preserved David wherever he went .
*
And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer ,
and brought them to Jerusalem .
*
Also from Tibhath and from Chun ,
cities of Hadadezer ,
David brought a large amount of bronze ,
with which Solomon made the bronze Sea ,
the pillars ,
and the articles of bronze .
*
Now when Tou king of Hamath heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer king of Zobah ,
*
he sent Hadoram his son to King David ,
to greet him and bless him ,
because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him (
for Hadadezer had been at war with Tou );
and Hadoram brought with him all kinds of articles of gold ,
silver ,
and bronze .
*
King David also dedicated these to the LORD ,
along with the silver and gold that he had brought from all these nations--from Edom ,
from Moab ,
from the people of Ammon ,
from the Philistines ,
and from Amalek .
*
Moreover Abishai the son of Zeruiah killed eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt .
*
He also put garrisons in Edom ,
and all the Edomites became David '
s servants .
And the LORD preserved David wherever he went .
*
So David reigned over all Israel ,
and administered judgment and justice to all his people .
*
Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army ;
Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder ;
*
Zadok the son of Ahitub and Abimelech the son of Abiathar were the priests ;
Shavsha was the scribe ;
*
Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites ;
and David '
s sons were chief ministers at the king '
s side .
*
It happened after this that Nahash the king of the people of Ammon died ,
and his son reigned in his place .
*
Then David said , "
I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash ,
because his father showed kindness to me ."
So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father .
And David '
s servants came to Hanun in the land of the people of Ammon to comfort him .
*
And the princes of the people of Ammon said to Hanun , "
Do you think that David really honors your father because he has sent comforters to you ?
Did his servants not come to you to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land ?"
*
Therefore Hanun took David '
s servants ,
shaved them ,
and cut off their garments in the middle ,
at their buttocks ,
and sent them away .
*
Then some went and told David about the men ;
and he sent to meet them ,
because the men were greatly ashamed .
And the king said , "
Wait at Jericho until your beards have grown ,
and then return ."
*
When the people of Ammon saw that they had made themselves repulsive to David ,
Hanun and the people of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia ,
from Syrian Maacah ,
and from Zobah .
*
So they hired for themselves thirty-two thousand chariots ,
with the king of Maacah and his people ,
who came and encamped before Medeba .
Also the people of Ammon gathered together from their cities ,
and came to battle .
*
Now when David heard of it ,
he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men .
*
Then the people of Ammon came out and put themselves in battle array before the gate of the city ,
and the kings who had come were by themselves in the field .
*
When Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind ,
he chose some of Israel '
s best ,
and put them in battle array against the Syrians .
*
And the rest of the people he put under the command of Abishai his brother ,
and they set themselves in battle array against the people of Ammon .
*
Then he said , "
If the Syrians are too strong for me ,
then you shall help me ;
but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you ,
then I will help you .
*
Be of good courage ,
and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God .
And may the LORD do what is good in His sight ."
*
So Joab and the people who were with him drew near for the battle against the Syrians ,
and they fled before him .
*
When the people of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fleeing ,
they also fled before Abishai his brother ,
and entered the city .
So Joab went to Jerusalem .
*
Now when the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel ,
they sent messengers and brought the Syrians who were beyond the River ,
and Shophach the commander of Hadadezer '
s army went before them .
*
When it was told David ,
he gathered all Israel ,
crossed over the Jordan and came upon them ,
and set up in battle array against them .
So when David had set up in battle array against the Syrians ,
they fought with him .
*
Then the Syrians fled before Israel ;
and David killed seven thousand charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers of the Syrians ,
and killed Shophach the commander of the army .
*
And when the servants of Hadadezer saw that they were defeated by Israel ,
they made peace with David and became his servants .
So the Syrians were not willing to help the people of Ammon anymore .
*
It happened in the spring of the year ,
at the time kings go out to battle ,
that Joab led out the armed forces and ravaged the country of the people of Ammon ,
and came and besieged Rabbah .
But David stayed at Jerusalem .
And Joab defeated Rabbah and overthrew it .
*
Then David took their king '
s crown from his head ,
and found it to weigh a talent of gold ,
and there were precious stones in it .
And it was set on David '
s head .
Also he brought out the spoil of the city in great abundance .
*
And he brought out the people who were in it ,
and put them to work with saws ,
with iron picks ,
and with axes .
So David did to all the cities of the people of Ammon .
Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem .
*
Now it happened afterward that war broke out at Gezer with the Philistines ,
at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Sippai ,
who was one of the sons of the giant .
And they were subdued .
*
Again there was war with the Philistines ,
and Elhanan the son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite ,
the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver '
s beam .
*
Yet again there was war at Gath ,
where there was a man of great stature ,
with twenty-four fingers and toes ,
six on each hand and six on each foot ;
and he also was born to the giant .
*
So when he defied Israel ,
Jonathan the son of Shimea ,
David '
s brother ,
killed him .
*
These were born to the giant in Gath ,
and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants .
*
Now Satan stood up against Israel ,
and moved David to number Israel .
*
So David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people , "
Go ,
number Israel from Beersheba to Dan ,
and bring the number of them to me that I may know it ."
*
And Joab answered , "
May the LORD make His people a hundred times more than they are .
But ,
my lord the king ,
are they not all my lord '
s servants ?
Why then does my lord require this thing ?
Why should he be a cause of guilt in Israel ?"
*
Nevertheless the king '
s word prevailed against Joab .
Therefore Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem .
*
Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David .
All Israel had one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword ,
and Judah had four hundred and seventy thousand men who drew the sword .
*
But he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them ,
for the king '
s word was abominable to Joab .
*
And God was displeased with this thing ;
therefore He struck Israel .
*
So David said to God , "
I have sinned greatly ,
because I have done this thing ;
but now ,
I pray ,
take away the iniquity of Your servant ,
for I have done very foolishly ."
*
Then the LORD spoke to Gad ,
David '
s seer ,
saying ,
* "
Go and tell David ,
saying , "
Thus says the LORD : "
I offer you three things ;
choose one of them for yourself ,
that I may do it to you .""'
*
So Gad came to David and said to him , "
Thus says the LORD : "
Choose for yourself ,
*
either three years of famine ,
or three months to be defeated by your foes with the sword of your enemies overtaking you ,
or else for three days the sword of the LORD--the plague in the land ,
with the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the territory of Israel .'
Now consider what answer I should take back to Him who sent me ."
*
And David said to Gad , "
I am in great distress .
Please let me fall into the hand of the LORD ,
for His mercies are very great ;
but do not let me fall into the hand of man ."
*
So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel ,
and seventy thousand men of Israel fell .
*
And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it .
As he was destroying ,
the LORD looked and relented of the disaster ,
and said to the angel who was destroying , "
It is enough ;
now restrain your hand ."
And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite .
*
Then David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between earth and heaven ,
having in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem .
So David and the elders ,
clothed in sackcloth ,
fell on their faces .
*
And David said to God , "
Was it not I who commanded the people to be numbered ?
I am the one who has sinned and done evil indeed ;
but these sheep ,
what have they done ?
Let Your hand ,
I pray ,
O LORD my God ,
be against me and my father '
s house ,
but not against Your people that they should be plagued ."
*
Therefore ,
the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David that David should go and erect an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite .
*
So David went up at the word of Gad ,
which he had spoken in the name of the LORD .
*
Now Ornan turned and saw the angel ;
and his four sons who were with him hid themselves ,
but Ornan continued threshing wheat .
*
So David came to Ornan ,
and Ornan looked and saw David .
And he went out from the threshing floor ,
and bowed before David with his face to the ground .
*
Then David said to Ornan , "
Grant me the place of this threshing floor ,
that I may build an altar on it to the LORD .
You shall grant it to me at the full price ,
that the plague may be withdrawn from the people ."
*
But Ornan said to David , "
Take it to yourself ,
and let my lord the king do what is good in his eyes .
Look ,
I also give you the oxen for burnt offerings ,
the threshing implements for wood ,
and the wheat for the grain offering ;
I give it all ."
*
Then King David said to Ornan , "
No ,
but I will surely buy it for the full price ,
for I will not take what is yours for the LORD ,
nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing ."
*
So David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the place .
*
And David built there an altar to the LORD ,
and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings ,
and called on the LORD ;
and He answered him from heaven by fire on the altar of burnt offering .
*
So the LORD commanded the angel ,
and he returned his sword to its sheath .
*
At that time ,
when David saw that the LORD had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite ,
he sacrificed there .
*
For the tabernacle of the LORD and the altar of the burnt offering ,
which Moses had made in the wilderness ,
were at that time at the high place in Gibeon .
*
But David could not go before it to inquire of God ,
for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD .
*
Then David said , "
This is the house of the LORD God ,
and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel ."
*
So David commanded to gather the aliens who were in the land of Israel ;
and he appointed masons to cut hewn stones to build the house of God .
*
And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails of the doors of the gates and for the joints ,
and bronze in abundance beyond measure ,
*
and cedar trees in abundance ;
for the Sidonians and those from Tyre brought much cedar wood to David .
*
Now David said , "
Solomon my son is young and inexperienced ,
and the house to be built for the LORD must be exceedingly magnificent ,
famous and glorious throughout all countries .
I will now make preparation for it ."
So David made abundant preparations before his death .
*
Then he called for his son Solomon ,
and charged him to build a house for the LORD God of Israel .
*
And David said to Solomon : "
My son ,
as for me ,
it was in my mind to build a house to the name of the LORD my God ;
*
but the word of the LORD came to me ,
saying , "
You have shed much blood and have made great wars ;
you shall not build a house for My name ,
because you have shed much blood on the earth in My sight .
*
Behold ,
a son shall be born to you ,
who shall be a man of rest ;
and I will give him rest from all his enemies all around .
His name shall be Solomon ,
for I will give peace and quietness to Israel in his days .
*
He shall build a house for My name ,
and he shall be My son ,
and I will be his Father ;
and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever .'
*
Now ,
my son ,
may the LORD be with you ;
and may you prosper ,
and build the house of the LORD your God ,
as He has said to you .
*
Only may the LORD give you wisdom and understanding ,
and give you charge concerning Israel ,
that you may keep the law of the LORD your God .
*
Then you will prosper ,
if you take care to fulfill the statutes and judgments with which the LORD charged Moses concerning Israel .
Be strong and of good courage ;
do not fear nor be dismayed .
*
Indeed I have taken much trouble to prepare for the house of the LORD one hundred thousand talents of gold and one million talents of silver ,
and bronze and iron beyond measure ,
for it is so abundant .
I have prepared timber and stone also ,
and you may add to them .
*
Moreover there are workmen with you in abundance :
woodsmen and stonecutters ,
and all types of skillful men for every kind of work .
*
Of gold and silver and bronze and iron there is no limit .
Arise and begin working ,
and the LORD be with you ."
*
David also commanded all the leaders of Israel to help Solomon his son ,
saying ,
* "
Is not the LORD your God with you ?
And has He not given you rest on every side ?
For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand ,
and the land is subdued before the LORD and before His people .
*
Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God .
Therefore arise and build the sanctuary of the LORD God ,
to bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD and the holy articles of God into the house that is to be built for the name of the LORD ."
*
So when David was old and full of days ,
he made his son Solomon king over Israel .
*
And he gathered together all the leaders of Israel ,
with the priests and the Levites .
*
Now the Levites were numbered from the age of thirty years and above ;
and the number of individual males was thirty-eight thousand .
*
Of these ,
twenty-four thousand were to look after the work of the house of the LORD ,
six thousand were officers and judges ,
*
four thousand were gatekeepers ,
and four thousand praised the LORD with musical instruments , "
which I made ,"
said David , "
for giving praise ."
*
Also David separated them into divisions among the sons of Levi :
Gershon ,
Kohath ,
and Merari .
*
Of the Gershonites :
Laadan and Shimei .
*
The sons of Laadan :
the first Jehiel ,
then Zetham and Joel--three in all .
*
The sons of Shimei :
Shelomith ,
Haziel ,
and Haran--three in all .
These were the heads of the fathers '
houses of Laadan .
*
And the sons of Shimei :
Jahath ,
Zina ,
Jeush ,
and Beriah .
These were the four sons of Shimei .
*
Jahath was the first and Zizah the second .
But Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons ;
therefore they were assigned as one father '
s house .
*
The sons of Kohath :
Amram ,
Izhar ,
Hebron ,
and Uzziel--four in all .
*
The sons of Amram :
Aaron and Moses ;
and Aaron was set apart ,
he and his sons forever ,
that he should sanctify the most holy things ,
to burn incense before the LORD ,
to minister to Him ,
and to give the blessing in His name forever .
*
Now the sons of Moses the man of God were reckoned to the tribe of Levi .
*
The sons of Moses were Gershon and Eliezer .
*
Of the sons of Gershon ,
Shebuel was the first .
*
Of the descendants of Eliezer ,
Rehabiah was the first .
And Eliezer had no other sons ,
but the sons of Rehabiah were very many .
*
Of the sons of Izhar ,
Shelomith was the first .
*
Of the sons of Hebron ,
Jeriah was the first ,
Amariah the second ,
Jahaziel the third ,
and Jekameam the fourth .
*
Of the sons of Uzziel ,
Michah was the first and Jesshiah the second .
*
The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi .
The sons of Mahli were Eleazar and Kish .
*
And Eleazar died ,
and had no sons ,
but only daughters ;
and their brethren ,
the sons of Kish ,
took them as wives .
*
The sons of Mushi were Mahli ,
Eder ,
and Jeremoth--three in all .
*
These were the sons of Levi by their fathers '
houses--the heads of the fathers '
houses as they were counted individually by the number of their names ,
who did the work for the service of the house of the LORD ,
from the age of twenty years and above .
*
For David said , "
The LORD God of Israel has given rest to His people ,
that they may dwell in Jerusalem forever ";
*
and also to the Levites , "
They shall no longer carry the tabernacle ,
or any of the articles for its service ."
*
For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above ;
*
because their duty was to help the sons of Aaron in the service of the house of the LORD ,
in the courts and in the chambers ,
in the purifying of all holy things and the work of the service of the house of God ,
*
both with the showbread and the fine flour for the grain offering ,
with the unleavened cakes and what is baked in the pan ,
with what is mixed and with all kinds of measures and sizes ;
*
to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD ,
and likewise at evening ;
*
and at every presentation of a burnt offering to the LORD on the Sabbaths and on the New Moons and on the set feasts ,
by number according to the ordinance governing them ,
regularly before the LORD ;
*
and that they should attend to the needs of the tabernacle of meeting ,
the needs of the holy place ,
and the needs of the sons of Aaron their brethren in the work of the house of the LORD .
*
Now these are the divisions of the sons of Aaron .
The sons of Aaron were Nadab ,
Abihu ,
Eleazar ,
and Ithamar .
*
And Nadab and Abihu died before their father ,
and had no children ;
therefore Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests .
*
Then David with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar ,
and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar ,
divided them according to the schedule of their service .
*
There were more leaders found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar ,
and thus they were divided .
Among the sons of Eleazar were sixteen heads of their fathers '
houses ,
and eight heads of their fathers '
houses among the sons of Ithamar .
*
Thus they were divided by lot ,
one group as another ,
for there were officials of the sanctuary and officials of the house of God ,
from the sons of Eleazar and from the sons of Ithamar .
*
And the scribe ,
Shemaiah the son of Nethanel ,
one of the Levites ,
wrote them down before the king ,
the leaders ,
Zadok the priest ,
Ahimelech the son of Abiathar ,
and the heads of the fathers '
houses of the priests and Levites ,
one father '
s house taken for Eleazar and one for Ithamar .
*
Now the first lot fell to Jehoiarib ,
the second to Jedaiah ,
*
the third to Harim ,
the fourth to Seorim ,
*
the fifth to Malchijah ,
the sixth to Mijamin ,
*
the seventh to Hakkoz ,
the eighth to Abijah ,
*
the ninth to Jeshua ,
the tenth to Shecaniah ,
*
the eleventh to Eliashib ,
the twelfth to Jakim ,
*
the thirteenth to Huppah ,
the fourteenth to Jeshebeab ,
*
the fifteenth to Bilgah ,
the sixteenth to Immer ,
*
the seventeenth to Hezir ,
the eighteenth to Happizzez ,
*
the nineteenth to Pethahiah ,
the twentieth to Jehezekel ,
*
the twenty-first to Jachin ,
the twenty-second to Gamul ,
*
the twenty-third to Delaiah ,
the twenty-fourth to Maaziah .
*
This was the schedule of their service for coming into the house of the LORD according to their ordinance by the hand of Aaron their father ,
as the LORD God of Israel had commanded him .
*
And the rest of the sons of Levi :
of the sons of Amram ,
Shubael ;
of the sons of Shubael ,
Jehdeiah .
*
Concerning Rehabiah ,
of the sons of Rehabiah ,
the first was Isshiah .
*
Of the Izharites ,
Shelomoth ;
of the sons of Shelomoth ,
Jahath .
*
Of the sons of Hebron ,
Jeriah was the first ,
Amariah the second ,
Jahaziel the third ,
and Jekameam the fourth .
*
Of the sons of Uzziel ,
Michah ;
of the sons of Michah ,
Shamir .
*
The brother of Michah ,
Isshiah ;
of the sons of Isshiah ,
Zechariah .
*
The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi ;
the son of Jaaziah ,
Beno .
*
The sons of Merari by Jaaziah were Beno ,
Shoham ,
Zaccur ,
and Ibri .
*
Of Mahli :
Eleazar ,
who had no sons .
*
Of Kish :
the son of Kish ,
Jerahmeel .
*
Also the sons of Mushi were Mahli ,
Eder ,
and Jerimoth .
These were the sons of the Levites according to their fathers '
houses .
*
These also cast lots just as their brothers the sons of Aaron did ,
in the presence of King David ,
Zadok ,
Ahimelech ,
and the heads of the fathers '
houses of the priests and Levites .
The chief fathers did just as their younger brethren .
*
Moreover David and the captains of the army separated for the service some of the sons of Asaph ,
of Heman ,
and of Jeduthun ,
who should prophesy with harps ,
stringed instruments ,
and cymbals .
And the number of the skilled men performing their service was :
*
Of the sons of Asaph :
Zaccur ,
Joseph ,
Nethaniah ,
and Asharelah ;
the sons of Asaph were under the direction of Asaph ,
who prophesied according to the order of the king .
*
Of Jeduthun ,
the sons of Jeduthun :
Gedaliah ,
Zeri ,
Jeshaiah ,
Shimei ,
Hashabiah ,
and Mattithiah ,
six ,
under the direction of their father Jeduthun ,
who prophesied with a harp to give thanks and to praise the LORD .
*
Of Heman ,
the sons of Heman :
Bukkiah ,
Mattaniah ,
Uzziel ,
Shebuel ,
Jerimoth ,
Hananiah ,
Hanani ,
Eliathah ,
Giddalti ,
Romamti-Ezer ,
Joshbekashah ,
Mallothi ,
Hothir ,
and Mahazioth .
*
All these were the sons of Heman the king '
s seer in the words of God ,
to exalt his horn .
For God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters .
*
All these were under the direction of their father for the music in the house of the LORD ,
with cymbals ,
stringed instruments ,
and harps ,
for the service of the house of God .
Asaph ,
Jeduthun ,
and Heman were under the authority of the king .
*
So the number of them ,
with their brethren who were instructed in the songs of the LORD ,
all who were skillful ,
was two hundred and eighty-eight .
*
And they cast lots for their duty ,
the small as well as the great ,
the teacher with the student .
*
Now the first lot for Asaph came out for Joseph ;
the second for Gedaliah ,
him with his brethren and sons ,
twelve ;
*
the third for Zaccur ,
his sons and his brethren ,
twelve ;
*
the fourth for Jizri ,
his sons and his brethren ,
twelve ;
*
the fifth for Nethaniah ,
his sons and his brethren ,
twelve ;
*
the sixth for Bukkiah ,
his sons and his brethren ,
twelve ;
*
the seventh for Jesharelah ,
his sons and his brethren ,
twelve ;
*
the eighth for Jeshaiah ,
his sons and his brethren ,
twelve ;
*
the ninth for Mattaniah ,
his sons and his brethren ,
twelve ;
*
the tenth for Shimei ,
his sons and his brethren ,
twelve ;
*
the eleventh for Azarel ,
his sons and his brethren ,
twelve ;
*
the twelfth for Hashabiah ,
his sons and his brethren ,
twelve ;
*
the thirteenth for Shubael ,
his sons and his brethren ,
twelve ;
*
the fourteenth for Mattithiah ,
his sons and his brethren ,
twelve ;
*
the fifteenth for Jeremoth ,
his sons and his brethren ,
twelve ;
*
the sixteenth for Hananiah ,
his sons and his brethren ,
twelve ;
*
the seventeenth for Joshbekashah ,
his sons and his brethren ,
twelve ;
*
the eighteenth for Hanani ,
his sons and his brethren ,
twelve ;
*
the nineteenth for Mallothi ,
his sons and his brethren ,
twelve ;
*
the twentieth for Eliathah ,
his sons and his brethren ,
twelve ;
*
the twenty-first for Hothir ,
his sons and his brethren ,
twelve ;
*
the twenty-second for Giddalti ,
his sons and his brethren ,
twelve ;
*
the twenty-third for Mahazioth ,
his sons and his brethren ,
twelve ;
*
the twenty-fourth for Romamti-Ezer ,
his sons and his brethren ,
twelve .
*
Concerning the divisions of the gatekeepers :
of the Korahites ,
Meshelemiah the son of Kore ,
of the sons of Asaph .
*
And the sons of Meshelemiah were Zechariah the firstborn ,
Jediael the second ,
Zebadiah the third ,
Jathniel the fourth ,
*
Elam the fifth ,
Jehohanan the sixth ,
Eliehoenai the seventh .
*
Moreover the sons of Obed-Edom were Shemaiah the firstborn ,
Jehozabad the second ,
Joah the third ,
Sacar the fourth ,
Nethanel the fifth ,
*
Ammiel the sixth ,
Issachar the seventh ,
Peulthai the eighth ;
for God blessed him .
*
Also to Shemaiah his son were sons born who governed their fathers '
houses ,
because they were men of great ability .
*
The sons of Shemaiah were Othni ,
Rephael ,
Obed ,
and Elzabad ,
whose brothers Elihu and Semachiah were able men .
*
All these were of the sons of Obed-Edom ,
they and their sons and their brethren ,
able men with strength for the work :
sixty-two of Obed-Edom .
*
And Meshelemiah had sons and brethren ,
eighteen able men .
*
Also Hosah ,
of the children of Merari ,
had sons :
Shimri the first (
for though he was not the firstborn ,
his father made him the first ),
*
Hilkiah the second ,
Tebaliah the third ,
Zechariah the fourth ;
all the sons and brethren of Hosah were thirteen .
*
Among these were the divisions of the gatekeepers ,
among the chief men ,
having duties just like their brethren ,
to serve in the house of the LORD .
*
And they cast lots for each gate ,
the small as well as the great ,
according to their father '
s house .
*
The lot for the East Gate fell to Shelemiah .
Then they cast lots for his son Zechariah ,
a wise counselor ,
and his lot came out for the North Gate ;
*
to Obed-Edom the South Gate ,
and to his sons the storehouse .
*
To Shuppim and Hosah the lot came out for the West Gate ,
with the Shallecheth Gate on the ascending highway--watchman opposite watchman .
*
On the east were six Levites ,
on the north four each day ,
on the south four each day ,
and for the storehouse two by two .
*
As for the Parbar on the west ,
there were four on the highway and two at the Parbar .
*
These were the divisions of the gatekeepers among the sons of Korah and among the sons of Merari .
*
Of the Levites ,
Ahijah was over the treasuries of the house of God and over the treasuries of the dedicated things .
*
The sons of Laadan ,
the descendants of the Gershonites of Laadan ,
heads of their fathers '
houses ,
of Laadan the Gershonite :
Jehieli .
*
The sons of Jehieli ,
Zetham and Joel his brother ,
were over the treasuries of the house of the LORD .
*
Of the Amramites ,
the Izharites ,
the Hebronites ,
and the Uzzielites :
*
Shebuel the son of Gershom ,
the son of Moses ,
was overseer of the treasuries .
*
And his brethren by Eliezer were Rehabiah his son ,
Jeshaiah his son ,
Joram his son ,
Zichri his son ,
and Shelomith his son .
*
This Shelomith and his brethren were over all the treasuries of the dedicated things which King David and the heads of fathers '
houses ,
the captains over thousands and hundreds ,
and the captains of the army ,
had dedicated .
*
Some of the spoils won in battles they dedicated to maintain the house of the LORD .
*
And all that Samuel the seer ,
Saul the son of Kish ,
Abner the son of Ner ,
and Joab the son of Zeruiah had dedicated ,
every dedicated thing ,
was under the hand of Shelomith and his brethren .
*
Of the Izharites ,
Chenaniah and his sons performed duties as officials and judges over Israel outside Jerusalem .
*
Of the Hebronites ,
Hashabiah and his brethren ,
one thousand seven hundred able men ,
had the oversight of Israel on the west side of the Jordan for all the business of the LORD ,
and in the service of the king .
*
Among the Hebronites ,
Jerijah was head of the Hebronites according to his genealogy of the fathers .
In the fortieth year of the reign of David they were sought ,
and there were found among them capable men at Jazer of Gilead .
*
And his brethren were two thousand seven hundred able men ,
heads of fathers '
houses ,
whom King David made officials over the Reubenites ,
the Gadites ,
and the half-tribe of Manasseh ,
for every matter pertaining to God and the affairs of the king .
*
And the children of Israel ,
according to their number ,
the heads of fathers '
houses ,
the captains of thousands and hundreds and their officers ,
served the king in every matter of the military divisions .
These divisions came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year ,
each division having twenty-four thousand .
*
Over the first division for the first month was Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel ,
and in his division were twenty-four thousand ;
*
he was of the children of Perez ,
and the chief of all the captains of the army for the first month .
*
Over the division of the second month was Dodai an Ahohite ,
and of his division Mikloth also was the leader ;
in his division were twenty-four thousand .
*
The third captain of the army for the third month was Benaiah ,
the son of Jehoiada the priest ,
who was chief ;
in his division were twenty-four thousand .
*
This was the Benaiah who was mighty among the thirty ,
and was over the thirty ;
in his division was Ammizabad his son .
*
The fourth captain for the fourth month was Asahel the brother of Joab ,
and Zebadiah his son after him ;
in his division were twenty-four thousand .
*
The fifth captain for the fifth month was Shamhuth the Izrahite ;
in his division were twenty-four thousand .
*
The sixth captain for the sixth month was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite ;
in his division were twenty-four thousand .
*
The seventh captain for the seventh month was Helez the Pelonite ,
of the children of Ephraim ;
in his division were twenty-four thousand .
*
The eighth captain for the eighth month was Sibbechai the Hushathite ,
of the Zarhites ;
in his division were twenty-four thousand .
*
The ninth captain for the ninth month was Abiezer the Anathothite ,
of the Benjamites ;
in his division were twenty-four thousand .
*
The tenth captain for the tenth month was Maharai the Netophathite ,
of the Zarhites ;
in his division were twenty-four thousand .
*
The eleventh captain for the eleventh month was Benaiah the Pirathonite ,
of the children of Ephraim ;
in his division were twenty-four thousand .
*
The twelfth captain for the twelfth month was Heldai the Netophathite ,
of Othniel ;
in his division were twenty-four thousand .
*
Furthermore ,
over the tribes of Israel :
the officer over the Reubenites was Eliezer the son of Zichri ;
over the Simeonites ,
Shephatiah the son of Maachah ;
*
over the Levites ,
Hashabiah the son of Kemuel ;
over the Aaronites ,
Zadok ;
*
over Judah ,
Elihu ,
one of David '
s brothers ;
over Issachar ,
Omri the son of Michael ;
*
over Zebulun ,
Ishmaiah the son of Obadiah ;
over Naphtali ,
Jerimoth the son of Azriel ;
*
over the children of Ephraim ,
Hoshea the son of Azaziah ;
over the half-tribe of Manasseh ,
Joel the son of Pedaiah ;
*
over the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead ,
Iddo the son of Zechariah ;
over Benjamin ,
Jaasiel the son of Abner ;
*
over Dan ,
Azarel the son of Jeroham .
These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel .
*
But David did not take the number of those twenty years old and under ,
because the LORD had said He would multiply Israel like the stars of the heavens .
*
Joab the son of Zeruiah began a census ,
but he did not finish ,
for wrath came upon Israel because of this census ;
nor was the number recorded in the account of the chronicles of King David .
*
And Azmaveth the son of Adiel was over the king '
s treasuries ;
and Jehonathan the son of Uzziah was over the storehouses in the field ,
in the cities ,
in the villages ,
and in the fortresses .
*
Ezri the son of Chelub was over those who did the work of the field for tilling the ground .
*
And Shimei the Ramathite was over the vineyards ,
and Zabdi the Shiphmite was over the produce of the vineyards for the supply of wine .
*
Baal-Hanan the Gederite was over the olive trees and the sycamore trees that were in the lowlands ,
and Joash was over the store of oil .
*
And Shitrai the Sharonite was over the herds that fed in Sharon ,
and Shaphat the son of Adlai was over the herds that were in the valleys .
*
Obil the Ishmaelite was over the camels ,
Jehdeiah the Meronothite was over the donkeys ,
*
and Jaziz the Hagrite was over the flocks .
All these were the officials over King David '
s property .
*
Also Jehonathan ,
David '
s uncle ,
was a counselor ,
a wise man ,
and a scribe ;
and Jehiel the son of Hachmoni was with the king '
s sons .
*
Ahithophel was the king '
s counselor ,
and Hushai the Archite was the king '
s companion .
*
After Ahithophel was Jehoiada the son of Benaiah ,
then Abiathar .
And the general of the king '
s army was Joab .
*
Now David assembled at Jerusalem all the leaders of Israel :
the officers of the tribes and the captains of the divisions who served the king ,
the captains over thousands and captains over hundreds ,
and the stewards over all the substance and possessions of the king and of his sons ,
with the officials ,
the valiant men ,
and all the mighty men of valor .
*
Then King David rose to his feet and said , "
Hear me ,
my brethren and my people :
I had it in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD ,
and for the footstool of our God ,
and had made preparations to build it .
*
But God said to me , "
You shall not build a house for My name ,
because you have been a man of war and have shed blood .'
*
However the LORD God of Israel chose me above all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever ,
for He has chosen Judah to be the ruler .
And of the house of Judah ,
the house of my father ,
and among the sons of my father ,
He was pleased with me to make me king over all Israel .
*
And of all my sons (
for the LORD has given me many sons )
He has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel .
*
Now He said to me , "
It is your son Solomon who shall build My house and My courts ;
for I have chosen him to be My son ,
and I will be his Father .
*
Moreover I will establish his kingdom forever ,
if he is steadfast to observe My commandments and My judgments ,
as it is this day .'
*
Now therefore ,
in the sight of all Israel ,
the assembly of the LORD ,
and in the hearing of our God ,
be careful to seek out all the commandments of the LORD your God ,
that you may possess this good land ,
and leave it as an inheritance for your children after you forever .
* "
As for you ,
my son Solomon ,
know the God of your father ,
and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind ;
for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts .
If you seek Him ,
He will be found by you ;
but if you forsake Him ,
He will cast you off forever .
*
Consider now ,
for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary ;
be strong ,
and do it ."
*
Then David gave his son Solomon the plans for the vestibule ,
its houses ,
its treasuries ,
its upper chambers ,
its inner chambers ,
and the place of the mercy seat ;
*
and the plans for all that he had by the Spirit ,
of the courts of the house of the LORD ,
of all the chambers all around ,
of the treasuries of the house of God ,
and of the treasuries for the dedicated things ;
*
also for the division of the priests and the Levites ,
for all the work of the service of the house of the LORD ,
and for all the articles of service in the house of the LORD .
*
He gave gold by weight for things of gold ,
for all articles used in every kind of service ;
also silver for all articles of silver by weight ,
for all articles used in every kind of service ;
*
the weight for the lampstands of gold ,
and their lamps of gold ,
by weight for each lampstand and its lamps ;
for the lampstands of silver by weight ,
for the lampstand and its lamps ,
according to the use of each lampstand .
*
And by weight he gave gold for the tables of the showbread ,
for each table ,
and silver for the tables of silver ;
*
also pure gold for the forks ,
the basins ,
the pitchers of pure gold ,
and the golden bowls--he gave gold by weight for every bowl ;
and for the silver bowls ,
silver by weight for every bowl ;
*
and refined gold by weight for the altar of incense ,
and for the construction of the chariot ,
that is ,
the gold cherubim that spread their wings and overshadowed the ark of the covenant of the LORD .
* "
All this ,"
said David , "
the LORD made me understand in writing ,
by His hand upon me ,
all the works of these plans ."
*
And David said to his son Solomon , "
Be strong and of good courage ,
and do it ;
do not fear nor be dismayed ,
for the LORD God--my God--will be with you .
He will not leave you nor forsake you ,
until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD .
*
Here are the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of the house of God ;
and every willing craftsman will be with you for all manner of workmanship ,
for every kind of service ;
also the leaders and all the people will be completely at your command ."
*
Furthermore King David said to all the assembly : "
My son Solomon ,
whom alone God has chosen ,
is young and inexperienced ;
and the work is great ,
because the temple is not for man but for the LORD God .
*
Now for the house of my God I have prepared with all my might :
gold for things to be made of gold ,
silver for things of silver ,
bronze for things of bronze ,
iron for things of iron ,
wood for things of wood ,
onyx stones ,
stones to be set ,
glistening stones of various colors ,
all kinds of precious stones ,
and marble slabs in abundance .
*
Moreover ,
because I have set my affection on the house of my God ,
I have given to the house of my God ,
over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house ,
my own special treasure of gold and silver :
*
three thousand talents of gold ,
of the gold of Ophir ,
and seven thousand talents of refined silver ,
to overlay the walls of the houses ;
*
the gold for things of gold and the silver for things of silver ,
and for all kinds of work to be done by the hands of craftsmen .
Who then is willing to consecrate himself this day to the LORD ?"
*
Then the leaders of the fathers '
houses ,
leaders of the tribes of Israel ,
the captains of thousands and of hundreds ,
with the officers over the king '
s work ,
offered willingly .
*
They gave for the work of the house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold ,
ten thousand talents of silver ,
eighteen thousand talents of bronze ,
and one hundred thousand talents of iron .
*
And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the LORD ,
into the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite .
*
Then the people rejoiced ,
for they had offered willingly ,
because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to the LORD ;
and King David also rejoiced greatly .
*
Therefore David blessed the LORD before all the assembly ;
and David said : "
Blessed are You ,
LORD God of Israel ,
our Father ,
forever and ever .
*
Yours ,
O LORD ,
is the greatness ,
The power and the glory ,
The victory and the majesty ;
For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours ;
Yours is the kingdom ,
O LORD ,
And You are exalted as head over all .
*
Both riches and honor come from You ,
And You reign over all .
In Your hand is power and might ;
In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all .
* "
Now therefore ,
our God ,
We thank You And praise Your glorious name .
*
But who am I ,
and who are my people ,
That we should be able to offer so willingly as this ?
For all things come from You ,
And of Your own we have given You .
*
For we are aliens and pilgrims before You ,
As were all our fathers ;
Our days on earth are as a shadow ,
And without hope .
* "
O LORD our God ,
all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is from Your hand ,
and is all Your own .
*
I know also ,
my God ,
that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness .
As for me ,
in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things ;
and now with joy I have seen Your people ,
who are present here to offer willingly to You .
*
O LORD God of Abraham ,
Isaac ,
and Israel ,
our fathers ,
keep this forever in the intent of the thoughts of the heart of Your people ,
and fix their heart toward You .
*
And give my son Solomon a loyal heart to keep Your commandments and Your testimonies and Your statutes ,
to do all these things ,
and to build the temple for which I have made provision ."
*
Then David said to all the assembly , "
Now bless the LORD your God ."
So all the assembly blessed the LORD God of their fathers ,
and bowed their heads and prostrated themselves before the LORD and the king .
*
And they made sacrifices to the LORD and offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the next day :
a thousand bulls ,
a thousand rams ,
a thousand lambs ,
with their drink offerings ,
and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel .
*
So they ate and drank before the LORD with great gladness on that day .
And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time ,
and anointed him before the LORD to be the leader ,
and Zadok to be priest .
*
Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king instead of David his father ,
and prospered ;
and all Israel obeyed him .
*
All the leaders and the mighty men ,
and also all the sons of King David ,
submitted themselves to King Solomon .
*
So the LORD exalted Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel ,
and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel .
*
Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel .
*
And the period that he reigned over Israel was forty years ;
seven years he reigned in Hebron ,
and thirty-three years he reigned in Jerusalem .
*
So he died in a good old age ,
full of days and riches and honor ;
and Solomon his son reigned in his place .
*
Now the acts of King David ,
first and last ,
indeed they are written in the book of Samuel the seer ,
in the book of Nathan the prophet ,
and in the book of Gad the seer ,
*
with all his reign and his might ,
and the events that happened to him ,
to Israel ,
and to all the kingdoms of the lands .