The Bible Part 84

15:19 So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were appointed to sound with cymbals of bra.s.s; 15:20 And Zechariah, and Aziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, and Eliab, and Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with psalteries on Alamoth; 15:21 And Matt.i.thiah, and Elipheleh, and Mikneiah, and Obededom, and Jeiel, and Azaziah, with harps on the Sheminith to excel.

15:22 And Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was for song: he instructed about the song, because he was skilful.

15:23 And Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark.

15:24 And Shebaniah, and Jehoshaphat, and Nethaneel, and Amasai, and Zechariah, and Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, did blow with the trumpets before the ark of G.o.d: and Obededom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark.

15:25 So 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 Obededom with joy.

15:26 And it came to pa.s.s, when G.o.d helped the Levites that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that they offered seven bullocks and seven rams.

15:27 And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites that bare the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the master of the song with the singers: David also had upon him an ephod of linen.

15:28 Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, making a noise with psalteries and harps.

15:29 And it came to pa.s.s, as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, that Michal, the daughter of Saul looking out at a window saw king David dancing and playing: and she despised him in her heart.

16:1 So they brought the ark of G.o.d, and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it: and they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before G.o.d.

16:2 And when David had made an end of offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD.

16:3 And he dealt to every one of Israel, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine.

16:4 And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, and to record, and to thank and praise the LORD G.o.d of Israel: 16:5 Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Matt.i.thiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obededom: and Jeiel with psalteries and with harps; but Asaph made a sound with cymbals; 16:6 Benaiah also and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of G.o.d.

16:7 Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the LORD into the hand of Asaph and his brethren.

16:8 Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.

16:9 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works.

16:10 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.

16:11 Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.

16:12 Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth; 16:13 O ye seed of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

16:14 He is the LORD our G.o.d; his judgments are in all the earth.

16:15 Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word which he commanded to a thousand generations; 16:16 Even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath unto Isaac; 16:17 And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant, 16:18 Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance; 16:19 When ye were but few, even a few, and strangers in it.

16:20 And when they went from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people; 16:21 He suffered no man to do them wrong: yea, he reproved kings for their sakes, 16:22 Saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.

16:23 Sing unto the LORD, all the earth; shew forth from day to day his salvation.

16:24 Declare his glory among the heathen; his marvellous works among all nations.

16:25 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised: he also is to be feared above all G.o.ds.

16:26 For all the G.o.ds of the people are idols: but the LORD made the heavens.

16:27 Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place.

16:28 Give unto the LORD, ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength.

16:29 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: wors.h.i.+p the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

16:30 Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved.

16:31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among the nations, The LORD reigneth.

16:32 Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all that is therein.

16:33 Then shall the trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the LORD, because he cometh to judge the earth.

16:34 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

16:35 And say ye, Save us, O G.o.d of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise.

16:36 Blessed be the LORD G.o.d of Israel for ever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised the LORD.

16:37 So he left there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD Asaph and his brethren, to minister before the ark continually, as every day's work required: 16:38 And Obededom with their brethren, threescore and eight; Obededom also the son of Jeduthun and Hosah to be porters: 16:39 And Zadok the priest, and his brethren the priests, before the tabernacle of the LORD in the high place that was at Gibeon, 16:40 To offer burnt offerings unto the LORD upon the altar of the burnt offering continually morning and evening, and to do according to all that is written in the law of the LORD, which he commanded Israel; 16:41 And with them Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest that were chosen, who were expressed by name, to give thanks to the LORD, because his mercy endureth for ever; 16:42 And with them Heman and Jeduthun with trumpets and cymbals for those that should make a sound, and with musical instruments of G.o.d. And the sons of Jeduthun were porters.

16:43 And all the people departed every man to his house: and David returned to bless his house.

17:1 Now it came to pa.s.s, as David sat in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in an house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD remaineth under curtains.

17:2 Then Nathan said unto David, Do all that is in thine heart; for G.o.d is with thee.

17:3 And it came to pa.s.s the same night, that the word of G.o.d came to Nathan, saying, 17:4 Go and tell David my servant, Thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not build me an house to dwell in: 17:5 For I have not dwelt in an 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.

17:6 Wheresoever I have walked with all Israel, spake I a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people, saying, Why have ye not built me an house of cedars? 17:7 Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, even from following the sheep, that thou shouldest be ruler over my people Israel: 17:8 And I have been with thee whithersoever thou hast walked, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee, and have made thee a name like the name of the great men that are in the earth.

17:9 Also I will ordain a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place, and shall be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the beginning, 17:10 And since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. Moreover I will subdue all thine enemies. Furthermore I tell thee that the LORD will build thee an house.

17:11 And it shall come to pa.s.s, when thy days be expired that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons; and I will establish his kingdom.

17:12 He shall build me an house, and I will stablish his throne for ever.

17:13 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 that was before thee: 17:14 But I will settle him in mine house and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be established for evermore.

17:15 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.

17:16 And David the king came and sat before the LORD, and said, Who am I, O LORD G.o.d, and what is mine house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? 17:17 And yet this was a small thing in thine eyes, O G.o.d; for thou hast also spoken of thy servant's house for a great while to come, and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O LORD G.o.d.

17:18 What can David speak more to thee for the honour of thy servant? for thou knowest thy servant.

17:19 O LORD, for thy servant's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all this greatness, in making known all these great things.

17:20 O LORD, there is none like thee, neither is there any G.o.d beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

17:21 And what one nation in the earth is like thy people Israel, whom G.o.d went to redeem to be his own people, to make thee a name of greatness and terribleness, by driving out nations from before thy people whom thou hast redeemed out of Egypt? 17:22 For thy people Israel didst thou make thine own people for ever; and thou, LORD, becamest their G.o.d.

17:23 Therefore now, LORD, let the thing that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house be established for ever, and do as thou hast said.

17:24 Let it even be established, that thy name may be magnified for ever, saying, The LORD of hosts is the G.o.d of Israel, even a G.o.d to Israel: and let the house of David thy servant be established before thee.

17:25 For thou, O my G.o.d, hast told thy servant that thou wilt build him an house: therefore thy servant hath found in his heart to pray before thee.

17:26 And now, LORD, thou art G.o.d, and hast promised this goodness unto thy servant: 17:27 Now therefore let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may be before thee for ever: for thou blessest, O LORD, and it shall be blessed for ever.

18:1 Now after this it came to pa.s.s, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them, and took Gath and her towns out of the hand of the Philistines.

18:2 And he smote Moab; and the Moabites became David's servants, and brought gifts.

18:3 And David smote Hadarezer king of Zobah unto Hamath, as he went to stablish his dominion by the river Euphrates.

18:4 And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven thousand hors.e.m.e.n, and twenty thousand footmen: David also houghed all the chariot horses, but reserved of them an hundred chariots.

18:5 And when the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadarezer king of Zobah, David slew of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men.

18:6 Then David put garrisons in Syriadamascus; and the Syrians became David's servants, and brought gifts. Thus the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went.

18:7 And David took the s.h.i.+elds of gold that were on the servants of Hadarezer, and brought them to Jerusalem.

18:8 Likewise from Tibhath, and from Chun, cities of Hadarezer, brought David very much bra.s.s, wherewith Solomon made the brasen sea, and the pillars, and the vessels of bra.s.s.

18:9 Now when Tou king of Hamath heard how David had smitten all the host of Hadarezer king of Zobah; 18:10 He sent Hadoram his son to king David, to enquire of his welfare, and to congratulate him, because he had fought against Hadarezer, and smitten him; (for Hadarezer had war with Tou;) and with him all manner of vessels of gold and silver and bra.s.s.

18:11 Them also king David dedicated unto the LORD, with the silver and the gold that he brought from all these nations; from Edom, and from Moab, and from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek.

18:12 Moreover Abishai the son of Zeruiah slew of the Edomites in the valley of salt eighteen thousand.

18:13 And he put garrisons in Edom; and all the Edomites became David's servants. Thus the LORD preserved David whithersoever he went.

18:14 So David reigned over all Israel, and executed judgment and justice among all his people.

18:15 And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, recorder.

18:16 And Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Abimelech the son of Abiathar, were the priests; and Shavsha was scribe; 18:17 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and the sons of David were chief about the king.

19:1 Now it came to pa.s.s after this, that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his stead.

19:2 And David said, I will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father shewed kindness to me. And David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. So the servants of David came into the land of the children of Ammon to Hanun, to comfort him.

19:3 But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, Thinkest thou that David doth honour thy father, that he hath sent comforters unto thee? are not his servants come unto thee for to search, and to overthrow, and to spy out the land? 19:4 Wherefore Hanun took David's servants, and shaved them, and cut off their garments in the midst hard by their b.u.t.tocks, and sent them away.

19:5 Then there went certain, and told David how the men were served. And he sent to meet them: for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return.

19:6 And 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 hors.e.m.e.n out of Mesopotamia, and out of Syriamaachah, and out of Zobah.

19:7 So they hired thirty and two thousand chariots, and the king of Maachah and his people; who came and pitched before Medeba. And the children of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities, and came to battle.

19:8 And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the host of the mighty men.

19:9 And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array before the gate of the city: and the kings that were come were by themselves in the field.

19:10 Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose out of all the choice of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians.

19:11 And the rest of the people he delivered unto the hand of Abishai his brother, and they set themselves in array against the children of Ammon.

19:12 And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will help thee.

19:13 Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people, and for the cities of our G.o.d: and let the LORD do that which is good in his sight.

19:14 So Joab and the people that were with him drew nigh before the Syrians unto the battle; and they fled before him.

19:15 And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, they likewise fled before Abishai his brother, and entered into the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem.

19:16 And when the Syrians saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they sent messengers, and drew forth the Syrians that were beyond the river: and Shophach the captain of the host of Hadarezer went before them.

19:17 And it was told David; and he gathered all Israel, and pa.s.sed over Jordan, and came upon them, and set the battle in array against them. So when David had put the battle in array against the Syrians, they fought with him.

19:18 But the Syrians fled before Israel; and David slew of the Syrians seven thousand men which fought in chariots, and forty thousand footmen, and killed Shophach the captain of the host.

19:19 And when the servants of Hadarezer saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they made peace with David, and became his servants: neither would the Syrians help the children of Ammon any more.

20:1 And it came to pa.s.s, that after the year was expired, at the time that kings go out to battle, Joab led forth the power of the army, and wasted the country of the children of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem. And Joab smote Rabbah, and destroyed it.

20:2 And David took the crown of their king from off his head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious stones in it; and it was set upon David's head: and he brought also exceeding much spoil out of the city.

20:3 And he brought out the people that were in it, and cut them with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. Even so dealt David with all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

20:4 And it came to pa.s.s after this, that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines; at which time Sibbechai the Hushathite slew Sippai, that was of the children of the giant: and they were subdued.

20:5 And there was war again with the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gitt.i.te, whose spear staff was like a weaver's beam.

20:6 And yet again there was 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 the son of the giant.

20:7 But when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of s.h.i.+mea David's brother slew him.

20:8 These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

21:2 And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it.

21:3 And Joab answered, The LORD make his people an hundred times so many more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespa.s.s to Israel? 21:4 Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem.