marching in the tops of the mulberry- trees, that then thou shalt go out to battle; for God is gone out before thee to smite the host of the Philis- tines.' 16And David did as God pom- manded him; and they smote the host of the Philistines from Gib eon even to Gezer. 17And the fame of David went out into all lands; and the LORD brought the fear of him upon all nations.
And [David] made him houses in the city of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched for it a tent. 2Then David said: 'None ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites; for them'hath the LORD chosen to carry the ark of the LORD, and to minister unto Him for ever.' 8And David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the LORD unto its place, which he had prepared for it. 4And David gathered together the sons of Aaron, and the Levites; 5of the sons of Ko- hath: Uriel the chief, and his brethren a hundred and 'twenty; *of the sons of Merari: Asaiah the chief, and his brethren two hundred and twenty; 7of the sons, of Gershom: Joel the chief, and bis brethren a hundred and thirty; 8of the sons of Elizaphan: Shemaiah the chief, and his brethren two hundred; flof the sons of Hebron: Eliel the chief, and his brethren four.
FIRST CHRONICLES FIRST CHRONICLES score; 10of the sons of Uzziel: Am- roinadab the chief, and his brethren a hundred and twelve. nAnd David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites, for Uriel, Asaiah, and Joel, Shemaiah, and Eliel, and Amminadab, ^and said unto them: 'Ye are the heads of the fathers' houses of 'the Levites; sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, unto the place that I have prepared for it. 13For because ye [bore it] not at the first, the LOED our God made breach upon us, for that we sought Him not according to the ordinance.7 14So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Isra "And the children of the Levites bore the ark of God upon their shoulders with the bars thereon, as Moses com- manded according to the word of the LORD.
16And David spoke to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren the singers, with instruments of music, psalteries and harps and cym- bals, sounding aloud and lifting up the voice with joy. 17So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; anid of his brethren, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of the sons of Merari their brethren, Ethan the son of Kushaiah; 18and with them their brethren of the second degree, Zech- ariah, Ben, and Jaaziel, and She- miramoth, and Jehiel, and TJnni, Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah. and Mattithiah, and Eliphalehu, and Mikneiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, the doorkeepers. 19So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan [, were appointed], with cymbals of brass to sound aloud; 20and Zechariah, and Aziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, and Eliab, and Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with psalteries set to Al- amoth, 21and Mattithiah, and Eliph- alehu, and Mikneiahu, and Obed- edom, and Jeiel, and Azaziah, with harps on the Sheminith, to lead. ^And Chenamah, chief of the Levites, was over the song;hewas master in thesong, because he was skilful. 23And Berechi- ah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark. MAnd Shebaniah, and Josha- phat, and Nethanel, and Amasai, and Zechariah, and Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, did blow with the trum- pets oef ore the ark of God; and Obed- edom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark.
25So David, and the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the house of Obed- edom with joy. ^And it came to pass, when God helped the Invites that bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that they sacrificed seven bullocks and seven rams. 27And Da- vid was clothed with a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites that bore the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the master of the singers in the song: and David had upon him an ephod of linen. 28Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the horn, and with ^ trumpets, and with cymbals, sounding aloud with psal- teries and harps, 29And it came to pass, as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out at the window, and saw king David dancing and making merry; and she despised him in her heart. £ And they brought in the ark of u God, and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it, and they offered bumt-oflferings FIRST CHRONICLES FIRST CHRONICLES and peace-offerings before God. 2And when David had made an end of offering the burnt-offering and the peace-offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD. 3And he dealt to every one of Israel, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a cake made in a pan, and a sweet cake.
4And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, and to celebrate and to thank and praise the LORD, the God of Israel: 6Asaph the chief, and second to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mat- tithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, with psalteries and with harps; and Asaph with cymbals, sounding aloud; 6and Be- naiah and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets continually, before the ark of the covenant of God.
7Then on that day did David first ordain to give thanks unto the LORD, by the hand of Asaph and his breth- ren. 80 give thanks unto the LORD, call upon His name; Make known His doings among the peoples. *Sing unto Him, sing praises unto Him; Speak ye of all His marvellous works. *°Glory ye in His holy name;' Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. "Seek ye the LORD and His strength; Seek His face continually. "Remember His marvellous works that He hath done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth: **Q ye seed of Israel His servant, Ye children of Jacob, His chosen ones.
14He is the LORD our God; His judgments are in all the earth. 15Rememt>er His covenant for ever, The word which He commanded to a thousand generations; 16 [The covenant] which He made with Abraham, And His oath unto Isaac; 17And He established it unto Jacob for a statute, To Israel for an everlasting cove- nant; "Saying: 'Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, The lot of your inheritance.'
"When ye were but a few men in number, Yea, very few, and sojourners in it, 20And when they went about from nation to nation, And from one kingdom to another people, 21FHe suffered no man to do them wrong, Yea, for their sake He reproved kings: 224 Touch not Mine anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm.'
28Sing unto the LORD, all the earth; Proclaim His salvation from day to day, ^Declare His glory among the nations, His marvellous works among ail the peoples. 26For great is thQ LORD, and highly to be praised: He also is to be feared above all gods. MFor all the gods of the peoples are things of nought; But the LORD made the heavens. 27Honour and maj esty are before Him j Strength and gladness are in His place.
FIRST CHRONICLES Ascribe unto th£ LORD, ye kindreds of the peoples, Ascribe unto the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe unto the LOBD the glory due unto His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him; Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
Tremble before Him, all the earth; The world also is established that it cannot be moved. Let the jheayens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; And let them say among the na- tions: 'The LOED reigneth/ 'Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; Let the field exult, and all that is therein; 'Then shall the trees of the wood sing for joy, Before the LORD, for He is come to judge the earth.
O give thanks unto the LOBD; for He is good; For His mercy endureth for ever. 'And say ye: 'Save us, 0 God of our salvation, And gather us together and deliver us from the nations, That we may give thanks unto Thy holy name, That we may triumph in Thy praise/ Blessed be the LOBD, the God of Israel, From everlasting even to ever- lasting.
d all the people said: 'Amen', and Jsed the LORD.
7So he left there, before the ark of covenant of the LORD, Asaph and brethren, to minister before the continually, as every day's work required; 38and Obed-edom with then- brethren, threescore and eight; Obed- edom also the son of Jedithun and Hosah to be doorkeepers; 39and Zadok the priest, and his brethren the priests, before the tabernacle of the LORD in the high place that was at Gibeon, 40to offer burnt-offerings unto the LORD upon the altar of burnt-offering continually morning and ^ evening, even according to all that is written hi the Law of the LORD, which He commanded unto Israel; fland with them Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest that were chosen, who were mentioned by name, to give thanks to the LORD, because His mercy en- dureth for ever; ^and with them Heman and Jeduthun, to sound aloud with trumpets and cymbals, and with instruments for the songs of God; and the sons of Jeduthun to be at the gate. ^And all the people departed every man to his house; and David returned to bless his house. •j ^7 And it came to pass, when •*• David dwelt in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet: 'Lo, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD dwelleth under curtains/ 2And Na- than said unto David: 'Do all that is in thy heart; for God is with thee/ 8And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying: 4'Go and tell David My servant: Thus saith the LORD: Thou shalt not build Me a house to dwell in; ^or I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel, unto this day; but have [gone] from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle [to another]. 6In all places wherein I have walked among all Israel, spoke I a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I com- manded to feed My people, saying: FIRST CHRONICLES Why have ye not built Me a house of cedar? 7Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto My servant David: Thus saith the LOED of hosts: took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, that thou should- est be prince over My people Israel; %nd I have been with thee whither- soever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee; and I will make thee a name, like unto the name of the great ones that are in the earth. 9And I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be disquieted no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the first, 10even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and I will subdue all thine enemies. Moreover I tell thee that the LORD will build thee a house. "And it shall come to pass, when thy days are fulfilled that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will set up thy seed after thee, who shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom. ^He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne for ever. WI will be to him for a father, and he shall be to Me for a son; ana I will not take My mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee; 14but I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom for ever; and his throne shall be established for ever.' "According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.
"Then David the king went in, and sat before the LORD; and he said: * Who am I, 0 LORD God, and what is my house, that Thou hast brought me thus far? *7And this was a small thing in Thine eyes, 0 God; but Thou hast spoken of Thy servant's house for a great while to come, and hast regarded me after the manner of a man of high degree, 0 LORD God. 18What can David say yet more unto Thee concerning the honour which is done to Thy servant? for Thou knowest Thy servant. "0 LORD, for Thy servant's sake, and according to Thine own heart, hast Thou wrought all this greatness, to make known all these great things. 200 LORD, there is none like Thee, neither is there any God beside Thee, according1 to all that we have heard with our ears. 21 And who is like Thy people Israel, a nation one in the earth, whom God went to redeem unto Himself for a people, to make Thee a name by great and tremendous things, in driving out nations from before Thy people, whom Thou didst redeem out of Egypt? For Thy people Israel didst Thou make Thine own people for ever; and Thou, LORD, becamest their God. 28And now, 0 LORD, let the word that Thou hast spoken concerning Thy servant, and concerning his house, be established for ever, and do as Thou hast spoken. ^Yea, let it be established, and let Thy name be magnified for ever, that it may be said: The LORD of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel; and the house of David Thy servant shall be established before Thee. 26For Thou, 0 my God, hast revealed to Thy servant that Thou wilt build him a house; therefore hath Thy servant taken heart to pray before Thee. *>And now, 0 LORD, Thou aloae art God, and hast promised this good thing xmtp Thy servant; 47attd aow it hath pleased Thee to bless the house of Thy servant, that it may continue for ever before Thee; for Thou, 0 LORD, hast blessed, and so let [Thy servant] be blessed for over/ FIRST CHRONICLES 1 Q And after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them, and took Gatlx and its towns out of the hand of the Philistines.
2And he smote Moab; and the Moabites became servants to David, and brought presents.
3And David smote Hadarezer king of Zobah by Hainath, as he went to establish his dominion at the river Euphrates. 4And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven ' thousand horsemen, and twenty thou- sand footmen; and David houghed all the chariot horses, but reserved of ''them for a hundred chariots. 5And when the Arameans of Damascus came to succour Hadarezer king of Zobah, David smote of the Arameans . two and twenty thousand men. 6Then David put [garrisons] in Aram Da- mascus; and the Arameans became servants to David, and brought pres- ents. And the LORD gave victory to David whithersoever he went. 7And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadarezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. 8And from Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadarezer, David took very much brass, wherewith Solomon made the brazen sea, and the pillars, and the vessels of brass.
9And when Tou king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadarezer king of Zobah, 10he sent Hadoram his son to king David, to salute him, and to bless him —because he had fought against Had- arezer and smitten him; for Had- arezer^ had ^wars with Tou— and [he had with him] all manner of vessels of gold and silver and brass. "These also did king David dedicate unto the LORD, with the silver and the gold that he carried away from all the na- » Heb Abshcn, and in xix. 11, 15.
tions; from Edom, and from Moab, and from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek. "Moreover aAbishai the son of Zer- uiah smote of the Edomites in the Valley of Salt eighteen thousand. 13And he put garrisons in Edom; and all the Edomites became servants to David. And the LOKD gave victory to David whithersoever he went.
14And David reigned over all Israel; and he executed justice and righteous- ness unto all his people. 15And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder. "And Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Abimelech the son of Abiathar, were priests; and Shavsha was scribe; 17and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and the sons of David were chief about the king. 1 Q And it came to pass after this, •LU that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his stead. 2And David said: 'I will show kindness unto Ha- nun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me/ So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And Da- vid's servants came into the land of the children of Ammon to Hanun, to comfort him. 3But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun: Thinkest thou that David doth hon- our thy father, that he hath sent com- forters unto thee? are not his servants come unto thee to search, and to over- throw, and to spy put the land?' *So Hanun took David's servants, and shaved them, and cut off their gar- ments in the middle, even to their tups, and sent them away, ^hen there went certain persons, and told David how the men were served. And sent to meet them; for the men FIRST CHRONICLES were greatly ashamed. And the king said: 'Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then re- turn/ 6And when the children of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the children of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire them chariots and horsemen out of Aram-naharaim, and out of Aram-maacah, and out of Zobah. 'Bo they hired them thirty and two thousand chariots, and the king of Maacah and his people; who came and encamped before Medeba And the children of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities, and came to battle. 8And when Da- vid heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host of the mighty men. 9And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the gate of the city; and the kings that were come were by themselves in the field.
10Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose of all the choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Arameans. "And the rest of the people -he committed into the hand of Abishai his brother, and they put themselves in array against the chil- dren of Ammon. 12And he said: 'If the Arameans be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me; but if the children of Ammon be too strong for theet thou I will help theo, ^Be of good courage, and let us prove strong for our people, and for the cities of our God; and the LOUD do that which seemcth Him good.' 14So Joab and the people that were with him drew nigh unto the battle to meet the Arameans; and they fled before him. l6And when the children of Ainmon saw that the Arameans were fled, they likewise fled before Abishai his brother, and entered into the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.
16And when the Arameans saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they sent messengers, and brought out the Arameans that were beyond the River, with Shophach the captain of the host of Hadarezer at their head. 17And it was told David; and he gathered all Israel together, and passed over the Jordan, and came upon them, and set the battle in array against them. So when David had put the battle in array against the Arameans, they fought with him. 18And the Arameans fled before Israel; and David slew of the Ara- means the men of seven thousand chariots, and forty thousand footmen, and killed Shophach the captain of the host. X9And when the servants of Hadarezer saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they made peace with David, and served him; neither would the Arameans help the children of Ammon any more. t O A And it came to pass, at the time ^ of the return of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that Joab led forth the power of the army, and wasted the country of the children of Ammon, and came and besieged Kabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem And Joab smote Rab- bah, and overthrew it. 2And David took the crown of Malcam from off his head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious stones in it; and it was set ujxm David's heaa; and he brought forth the spoil of the city, exceeding much. 8And he brought forth the people that were therein, and cut them with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. And thus did David unto all the* cities of the children of Am* FIRST CHRONICLES mon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
4And it came to pass after this that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines; then Sibbecai the Hushathite slew Sippai, of the sons of the giants; and they were sub- dued. 6Anct there was again war with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother oj Goliath the Gittite, the staff of whose spear was hke a ^weaver's beam 6And there was again war at Gath, where was a man of great stature, whose fingers and toes were four and twenty, six [on each hand], and six [on each foot]; and he also was born untc the giant. 7And when he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David's brother slew him. 8These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants O1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel. 2And David said to Joab and to the princes of the peo- ple: 'Go, number Israel from Beer- sheba even to Dan; and bring me word, that I may know the sum of them.' 3And Joab said: 'The LORD make His people a hundred times so many more as they are; but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? why doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of guilt unto Israel?' Nevertheless the g's word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem. 6And Joab gave up the sum of the numbering of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and a hun- dred thousand men that drew sword; and Judah was four hundred three- score and ten thousand men that drew sword. 6But Levi and Benjamin he did not number among them; for the king's word was abominable to Joab.
7And God was displeased with this thing; therefore He smote Israel. 8And David said unto God. 'I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing; but now, put away, I beseech Thee, the iniquity of Thy servant; forlhave done veryfoolishly.' 9And the LORD spoke unto Gad, David's seer, saying: 10<Go and speak unto David, saying: 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 said unto him: 'Thus saith the LORD: Take which thou wilt: ^either three years of famine; or three months to be swept away before thy foes, while the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the LORD, even pestilence in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying through- out all the borders of Israel. Now therefore consider what answer I shall return to H^n\ that sent me,' And David said unto Gad: 'I am in a great strait; let me fall now into the hand of the LORD, for very great are His mercies; and let me not fall into the hand of man.1 14So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel; and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men. I6And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to de- stroy it; and as he was about to de- stroy, the LORD beheld, and He re- pented Him of the evil, and said to ;he destroying angel: 'It is enough: now stay thy hand.' And the angel of the LORD was standing by ihreshing-floor of Oman the Jebusite. 6And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the LORD standing FIRST CHRONICLES between the earth and the heaven having a drawn sword in his han stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces. 17Anc David said unto God: ' Is it not I that commanded the people to be num- bered? even I it is that have sinnec and done very wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Ie1 Thy hand, I pray Thee, 0 LORD ray God, be against me, and against my father's house; but not against Thy people, that they should be plagued.' 18Then the angel of the LORD com- manded Gad to say to David, that David should go^up, and rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshing-floor of Oman the Jebusite. 19And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spoke in the name of the LORD. 20And Oman turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons that were with him hid themselves. Now Oman was threshing wheat. ^ as David came to Oman, Oman looked and saw David, and went out of the threshing-floor, and bowed down to David with his face to the ground. ^Then David said to Or- nan: 'Give me the place of this threshing-floor, that I may build thereon an altar unto the LORD; for the full price shalt thou give it me; that the plague may be stayed from the people.' 23And Oman said unto