The Family of Ishmael
²⁹These are their genealogies: The firstborn of Ishmael was Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, ³⁰Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, ³¹Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael.

The Family of Keturah
³²Now the sons born to Keturah, Abraham's concubine, were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan. ³³The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.

The Family of Isaac
³⁴And Abraham begot Isaac. The sons of Isaac were Esau and Israel. ³⁵The sons of Esau were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah. ³⁶And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zephi, Gatam, and Kenaz; and by Timna, Amalek. ³⁷The sons of Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.

The Family of Seir
³⁸The sons of Seir were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. ³⁹And the sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam; Lotan's sister was Timna. ⁴⁰The sons of Shobal were Alian, Manahath, Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. The sons of Zibeon were Ajah and Anah. ⁴¹The son of Anah was Dishon. The sons of Dishon were Hamran, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. ⁴²The sons of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Jaakan. The sons of Dishan were Uz and Aran.

The Kings of Edom
⁴³Now these were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before a king reigned over the children of Israel: Bela the son of Beor, and the name of his city was Dinhabah. ⁴⁴And when Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place. ⁴⁵When Jobab died, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. ⁴⁶And when Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who attacked Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his place. The name of his city was Avith. ⁴⁷When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place. ⁴⁸And when Samlah died, Saul of Rehoboth-by-the-River reigned in his place. ⁴⁹When Saul died, Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place. ⁵⁰And when Baal-Hanan died, Hadad reigned in his place; and the name of his city was Pai. His wife's name was Mehetabel the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab. ⁵¹Hadad died also. And the chiefs of Edom were Chief Timnah, Chief Aliah, Chief Jetheth, ⁵²Chief Aholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon, ⁵³Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar, ⁵⁴Chief Magdiel, and Chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom.

Chapter 2
The Family of Israel
¹These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, ²Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

From Judah to David
³The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, and Shelah. These 3 were born to him by the daughter of Shua, the Canaanitess. Er, the firstborn of Judah, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; so He killed him. ⁴And Tamar, his daughter-in-law, bore him Perez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were 5. ⁵The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. ⁶The sons of Zerah were Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara - 5 of them in all. ⁷The son of Carmi was Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the accursed thing. ⁸The son of Ethan was Azariah. ⁹Also the sons of Hezron who were born to him were Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai. ¹⁰Ram begot Amminadab, and Amminadab begot Nahshon, leader of the children of Judah; ¹¹Nahshon begot Salma, and Salma begot Boaz; ¹²Boaz begot Obed, and Obed begot Jesse; ¹³Jesse begot Eliab his firstborn, Abinadab the 2nd, Shimea the 3rd, ¹⁴Nethanel the 4th, Raddai the 5th, ¹⁵Ozem the 6th, and David the 7th. ¹⁶Now their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. And the sons of Zeruiah were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel - 3. ¹⁷Abigail bore Amasa; and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite.

The Family of Hezron
¹⁸Caleb the son of Hezron had children by Azubah, his wife, and by Jerioth. Now these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. ¹⁹When Azubah died, Caleb took Ephrath as his wife, who bore him Hur. ²⁰And Hur begot Uri, and Uri begot Bezalel. ²¹Now afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead, whom he married when he was 60 years old; and she bore him Segub. ²²Segub begot Jair, who had 23 cities in the land of Gilead. ²³(Geshur and Syria took from them the towns of Jair, with Kenath and its towns - 60 towns.) All these belonged to the sons of Machir the father of Gilead. ²⁴After Hezron died in Caleb Ephrathah, Hezron's wife Abijah bore him Ashhur the father of Tekoa.

The Family of Jerahmeel
²⁵The sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron, were Ram, the firstborn, and Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. ²⁶Jerahmeel had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam. ²⁷The sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel, were Maaz, Jamin, and Eker. ²⁸The sons of Onam were Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai were Nadab and Abishur. ²⁹And the name of the wife of Abishur was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid. ³⁰The sons of Nadab were Seled and Appaim; Seled died without children. ³¹The son of Appaim was Ishi, the son of Ishi was Sheshan, and Sheshan's son was Ahlai. ³²The sons of Jada, the brother of Shammai, were Jether and Jonathan; Jether died without children. ³³The sons of Jonathan were Peleth and Zaza. These were the sons of Jerahmeel. ³⁴Now Sheshan had no sons, only daughters. And Sheshan had an Egyptian servant whose name was Jarha. ³⁵Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant as wife, and she bore him Attai. ³⁶Attai begot Nathan, and Nathan begot Zabad; ³⁷Zabad begot Ephlal, and Ephlal begot Obed; ³⁸Obed begot Jehu, and Jehu begot Azariah; ³⁹Azariah begot Helez, and Helez begot Eleasah; ⁴⁰Eleasah begot Sismai, and Sismai begot Shallum; ⁴¹Shallum begot Jekamiah, and Jekamiah begot Elishama.

The Family of Caleb
⁴²The descendants of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel were Mesha, his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph, and the sons of Mareshah the father of Hebron. ⁴³The sons of Hebron were Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema. ⁴⁴Shema begot Raham the father of Jorkoam, and Rekem begot Shammai. ⁴⁵And the son of Shammai was Maon, and Maon was the father of Beth Zur. ⁴⁶Ephah, Caleb's concubine, bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez; and Haran begot Gazez. ⁴⁷And the sons of Jahdai were Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph. ⁴⁸Maachah, Caleb's concubine, bore Sheber and Tirhanah. ⁴⁹She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbenah and the father of Gibea. And the daughter of Caleb was Achsah. ⁵⁰These were the descendants of Caleb: The sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, were Shobal the father of Kirjath Jearim, ⁵¹Salma the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth Gader. ⁵²And Shobal the father of Kirjath Jearim had descendants: Haroeh, and half of the families of Manuhoth. ⁵³The families of Kirjath Jearim were the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites. From these came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites. ⁵⁴The sons of Salma were Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth Beth Joab, half of the Manahethites, and the Zorites. ⁵⁵And the families of the scribes who dwelt at Jabez were the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the Suchathites. These were the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab.

Chapter 3
The Family of David
¹Now these were the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron: The firstborn was Amnon, by Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the 2nd, Daniel, by Abigail the Carmelitess; ²the 3rd, Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; the 4th, Adonijah the son of Haggith; ³the 5th, Shephatiah, by Abital; the 6th, Ithream, by his wife Eglah. ⁴These 6 were born to him in Hebron. There he reigned 7 years and 6 months, and in Jerusalem he reigned 33 years. ⁵And these were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon - 4 by Bathshua the daughter of Ammiel. ⁶Also there were Ibhar, Elishama, Eliphelet, ⁷Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, ⁸Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet - 9 in all. ⁹These were all the sons of David, besides the sons of the concubines, and Tamar their sister.

The Family of Solomon
¹⁰Solomon's son was Rehoboam; Abijah was his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son, ¹¹Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, ¹²Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son, ¹³Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son, ¹⁴Amon his son, and Josiah his son. ¹⁵The sons of Josiah were Johanan the firstborn, the 2nd Jehoiakim, the 3rd Zedekiah, and the 4th Shallum. ¹⁶The sons of Jehoiakim were Jeconiah his son and Zedekiah his son.

The Family of Jeconiah
¹⁷And the sons of Jeconiahwere Assir, Shealtiel his son, ¹⁸and Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jecamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah. ¹⁹The sons of Pedaiah were Zerubbabel and Shimei. The sons of Zerubbabel were Meshullam, Hananiah, Shelomith their sister, ²⁰and Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-Hesed - 5 in all. ²¹The sons of Hananiah were Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, and the sons of Shechaniah. ²²The son of Shechaniah was Shemaiah. The sons of Shemaiah were Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat - 6 in all. ²³The sons of Neariah were Elioenai, Hezekiah, and Azrikam - 3 in all. ²⁴The sons of Elioenai were Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani - 7 in all.

Chapter 4
The Family of Judah
¹The sons of Judah were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. ²And Reaiah the son of Shobal begot Jahath, and Jahath begot Ahumai and Lahad. These were the families of the Zorathites. ³These were the sons of the father of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash; and the name of their sister was Hazelelponi; ⁴and Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah.These were the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah the father of Bethlehem. ⁵And Ashhur the father of Tekoa had 2 wives, Helah and Naarah. ⁶Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah. ⁷The sons of Helah were Zereth, Zohar, and Ethnan; ⁸and Koz begot Anub, Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum. ⁹Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him in pain." ¹⁰And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted him what he requested. ¹¹Chelub the brother of Shuhah begot Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. ¹²And Eshton begot Beth-Rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Ir-Nahash. These were the men of Rechah. ¹³The sons of Kenaz were Othniel and Seraiah. The sons of Othniel were Hathath, ¹⁴and Meonothai who begot Ophrah. Seraiah begot Joab the father of Ge Harashim, for they were craftsmen. ¹⁵The sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh were Iru, Elah, and Naam. The son of Elah was Kenaz. ¹⁶The sons of Jehallelel were Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel. ¹⁷The sons of Ezrah were Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. And Mered's wifebore Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. ¹⁸(His wife Jehudijah bore Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Sochoh, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah.) And these were the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered took. ¹⁹The sons of Hodiah's wife, the sister of Naham, were the fathers of Keilah the Garmite and of Eshtemoa the Maachathite. ²⁰And the sons of Shimon were Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan, and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi were Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth. ²¹The sons of Shelah the son of Judah were Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of the linen workers of the house of Ashbea; ²²also Jokim, the men of Chozeba, and Joash; Saraph, who ruled in Moab, and Jashubi-Lehem. Now the records are ancient. ²³These were the potters and those who dwell at Netaim and Gederah; there they dwelt with the king for his work.

The Family of Simeon
²⁴The sons of Simeon were Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah,and Shaul, ²⁵Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, and Mishma his son. ²⁶And the sons of Mishma were Hamuel his son, Zacchur his son, and Shimei his son. ²⁷Shimei had 16 sons and 6 daughters; but his brothers did not have many children, nor did any of their families multiply as much as the children of Judah. ²⁸They dwelt at Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual, ²⁹Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, ³⁰Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, ³¹Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities until the reign of David. ³²And their villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan - 5 cities - ³³and all the villages that were around these cities as far as Baal. These were their dwelling places, and they maintained their genealogy: ³⁴Meshobab, Jamlech, and Joshah the son of Amaziah; ³⁵Joel, and Jehu the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel; ³⁶Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, and Benaiah; ³⁷Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah - ³⁸these mentioned by name were leaders in their families, and their father's house increased greatly. ³⁹So they went to the entrance of Gedor, as far as the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks. ⁴⁰And they found rich, good pasture, and the land was broad, quiet, and peaceful; for some Hamites formerly lived there. ⁴¹These recorded by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and they attacked their tents and the Meunites who were found there, and utterly destroyed them, as it is to this day. So they dwelt in their place, because there was pasture for their flocks there. ⁴²Now some of them, 500 men of the sons of Simeon, went to Mount Seir, having as their captains Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi. ⁴³And they defeated the rest of the Amalekites who had escaped. They have dwelt there to this day.

Chapter 5
The Family of Reuben
¹Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel - he was indeed the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright; ²yet Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came a ruler, although the birthright was Joseph's - ³the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. ⁴The sons of Joel were Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son, ⁵Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son, ⁶and Beerah his son, whom Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria carried into captivity. He was leader of the Reubenites. ⁷And his brethren by their families, when the genealogy of their generations was registered: the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah, ⁸and Bela the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel, who dwelt in Aroer, as far as Nebo and Baal Meon. ⁹Eastward they settled as far as the entrance of the wilderness this side of the River Euphrates, because their cattle had multiplied in the land of Gilead. ¹⁰Now in the days of Saul they made war with the Hagrites, who fell by their hand; and they dwelt in their tents throughout the entire area east of Gilead.

The Family of Gad
¹¹And the children of Gad dwelt next to them in the land of Bashan as far as Salcah: ¹²Joel was the chief, Shapham the next, then Jaanai and Shaphat in Bashan, ¹³and their brethren of their father's house: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jachan, Zia, and Eber - 7 in all. ¹⁴These were the children of Abihail the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz; ¹⁵Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, was chief of their father's house. ¹⁶And the Gadites dwelt in Gilead, in Bashan and in its villages, and in all the common-lands of Sharon within their borders. ¹⁷All these were registered by genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel. ¹⁸The sons of Reuben, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 valiant men, men able to bear shield and sword, to shoot with the bow, and skillful in war, who went to war. ¹⁹They made war with the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. ²⁰And they were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, and all who were with them, for they cried out to God in the battle. He heeded their prayer, because they put their trust in Him. ²¹Then they took away their livestock - 50,000 of their camels, 250,000 of their sheep, and 2,000 of their donkeys - also 100,000 of their men; ²²for many fell dead, because the war was God's. And they dwelt in their place until the captivity.

The Family of Manasseh (East)
²³So the children of the half-tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land. Their numbers increased from Bashan to Baal Hermon, that is, to Senir, or Mount Hermon. ²⁴These were the heads of their fathers' houses: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were mighty men of valor, famous men, and heads of their fathers' houses. ²⁵And they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers, and played the harlot after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them. ²⁶So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, that is, Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria. He carried the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh into captivity. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river of Gozan to this day.

Chapter 6
The Family of Levi
¹The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. ²The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. ³The children of Amram were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. And the sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ⁴Eleazar begot Phinehas, and Phinehas begot Abishua; ⁵Abishua begot Bukki, and Bukki begot Uzzi; ⁶Uzzi begot Zerahiah, and Zerahiah begot Meraioth; ⁷Meraioth begot Amariah, and Amariah begot Ahitub; ⁸Ahitub begot Zadok, and Zadok begot Ahimaaz; ⁹Ahimaaz begot Azariah, and Azariah begot Johanan; ¹⁰Johanan begot Azariah (it was he who ministered as priest in the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem); ¹¹Azariah begot Amariah, and Amariah begot Ahitub; ¹²Ahitub begot Zadok, and Zadok begot Shallum; ¹³Shallum begot Hilkiah, and Hilkiah begot Azariah; ¹⁴Azariah begot Seraiah, and Seraiah begot Jehozadak. ¹⁵Jehozadak went into captivity when the LORD carried Judah and Jerusalem into captivity by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁶The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. ¹⁷These are the names of the sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei. ¹⁸The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. ¹⁹The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. Now these are the families of the Levites according to their fathers: ²⁰Of Gershon were Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son, ²¹Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, and Jeatherai his son. ²²The sons of Kohath were Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, ²³Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his son, Assir his son, ²⁴Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son. ²⁵The sons of Elkanah were Amasai and Ahimoth. ²⁶As for Elkanah, the sons of Elkanah were Zophai his son, Nahath his son, ²⁷Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, and Elkanah his son. ²⁸The sons of Samuel were Joel the firstborn, and Abijah the 2nd. ²⁹The sons of Merari were Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son, ³⁰Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, and Asaiah his son.

Musicians in the House of the LORD
³¹Now these are the men whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after the ark came to rest. ³²They were ministering with music before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem, and they served in their office according to their order. ³³And these are the ones who ministered with their sons: Of the sons of the Kohathites were Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel, ³⁴the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah, ³⁵the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, ³⁶the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, ³⁷the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, ³⁸the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel. ³⁹And his brother Asaph, who stood at his right hand, was Asaph the son of Berachiah, the son of Shimea, ⁴⁰the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchijah, ⁴¹the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah, ⁴²the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei, ⁴³the son of Jahath, the son of Gershon, the son of Levi. ⁴⁴Their brethren, the sons of Merari, on the left hand, were Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch, ⁴⁵the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah, ⁴⁶the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shamer, ⁴⁷the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi. ⁴⁸And their brethren, the Levites, were appointed to every kind of service of the tabernacle of the house of God.

The Family of Aaron
⁴⁹But Aaron and his sons offered sacrifices on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense, for all the work of the Most Holy Place, and to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded. ⁵⁰Now these are the sons of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son, ⁵¹Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son, ⁵²Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son, ⁵³Zadok his son, and Ahimaaz his son.

Dwelling Places of the Levites
⁵⁴Now these are their dwelling places throughout their settlements in their territory, for they were given by lot to the sons of Aaron, of the family of the Kohathites: ⁵⁵They gave them Hebron in the land of Judah, with its surrounding common-lands. ⁵⁶But the fields of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh. ⁵⁷And to the sons of Aaron they gave one of the cities of refuge, Hebron; also Libnah with its common-lands, Jattir, Eshtemoa with its common-lands, ⁵⁸Hilen with its common-lands, Debir with its common-lands, ⁵⁹Ashan with its common-lands, and Beth Shemesh with its common-lands. ⁶⁰And from the tribe of Benjamin: Geba with its common-lands, Alemeth with its common-lands, and Anathoth with its common-lands. All their cities among their families were thirteen. ⁶¹To the rest of the family of the tribe of the Kohathites they gave by lot ten cities from half the tribe of Manasseh. ⁶²And to the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, they gave thirteen cities from the tribe of Issachar, from the tribe of Asher, from the tribe of Naphtali, and from the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan. ⁶³To the sons of Merari, throughout their families, they gave 12 cities from the tribe of Reuben, from the tribe of Gad, and from the tribe of Zebulun. ⁶⁴So the children of Israel gave these cities with their common-lands to the Levites. ⁶⁵And they gave by lot from the tribe of the children of Judah, from the tribe of the children of Simeon, and from the tribe of the children of Benjamin these cities which are called by their names. ⁶⁶Now some of the families of the sons of Kohath were given cities as their territory from the tribe of Ephraim. ⁶⁷And they gave them one of the cities of refuge, Shechem with its common-lands, in the mountains of Ephraim, also Gezer with its common-lands, ⁶⁸Jokmeam with its common-lands, Beth Horon with its common-lands, ⁶⁹Aijalon with its common-lands, and Gath Rimmon with its common-lands. ⁷⁰And from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Aner with its common-lands and Bileam with its common-lands, for the rest of the family of the sons of Kohath. ⁷¹From the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh the sons of Gershon were given Golan in Bashan with its common-lands and Ashtaroth with its common-lands. ⁷²And from the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh with its common-lands, Daberath with its common-lands, ⁷³Ramoth with its common-lands, and Anem with its common-lands. ⁷⁴And from the tribe of Asher: Mashal with its common-lands, Abdon with its common-lands, ⁷⁵Hukok with its common-lands, and Rehob with its common-lands. ⁷⁶And from the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee with its common-lands, Hammon with its common-lands, and Kirjathaim with its common-lands. ⁷⁷From the tribe of Zebulun the rest of the children of Merari were given Rimmon with its common-lands and Tabor with its common-lands. ⁷⁸And on the other side of the Jordan, across from Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, they were given from the tribe of Reuben: Bezer in the wilderness with its common-lands, Jahzah with its common-lands, ⁷⁹Kedemoth with its common-lands, and Mephaath with its common-lands. ⁸⁰And from the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead with its common-lands, Mahanaim with its common-lands, ⁸¹Heshbon with its common-lands, and Jazer with its common-lands.

Chapter 7
The Family of Issachar
¹The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron - 4 in all. ²The sons of Tola were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Jibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their father's house. The sons of Tola were mighty men of valor in their generations; their number in the days of David was 22,600. ³The son of Uzzi was Izrahiah, and the sons of Izrahiah were Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Ishiah. All 5 of them were chief men. ⁴And with them, by their generations, according to their fathers' houses, were 36,000 troops ready for war; for they had many wives and sons. ⁵Now their brethren among all the families of Issachar were mighty men of valor, listed by their genealogies, 87,000 in all.

The Family of Benjamin
⁶The sons of Benjamin were Bela, Becher, and Jediael - 3 in all. ⁷The sons of Bela were Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri - 5 in all. They were heads of their fathers' houses, and they were listed by their genealogies, 22,034 mighty men of valor. ⁸The sons of Becher were Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jerimoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth. All these are the sons of Becher. ⁹And they were recorded by genealogy according to their generations, heads of their fathers' houses, 20,200 mighty men of valor. ¹⁰The son of Jediael was Bilhan, and the sons of Bilhan were Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tharshish, and Ahishahar. ¹¹All these sons of Jediael were heads of their fathers' houses; there were 17,200 mighty men of valor fit to go out for war and battle. ¹²Shuppim and Huppimwere the sons of Ir, and Hushim was the son of Aher.

The Family of Naphtali
¹³The sons of Naphtali were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shallum, the sons of Bilhah.

The Family of Manasseh (West)
¹⁴The descendants of Manasseh: his Syrian concubine bore him Machir the father of Gilead, the father of Asriel. ¹⁵Machir took as his wife the sister of Huppim and Shuppim, whose name was Maachah. The name of Gilead's grandsonwas Zelophehad, but Zelophehad begot only daughters. ¹⁶(Maachah the wife of Machir bore a son, and she called his name Peresh. The name of his brother was Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rakem. ¹⁷The son of Ulam was Bedan.) These were the descendants of Gilead the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh. ¹⁸His sister Hammoleketh bore Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah. ¹⁹And the sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.

The Family of Ephraim
²⁰The sons of Ephraim were Shuthelah, Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eladah his son, Tahath his son, ²¹Zabad his son, Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elead. The men of Gath who were born in that land killed them because they came down to take away their cattle. ²²Then Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him. ²³And when he went in to his wife, she conceived and bore a son; and he called his name Beriah, because tragedy had come upon his house. ²⁴Now his daughter was Sheerah, who built Lower and Upper Beth Horon and Uzzen Sheerah; ²⁵and Rephah was his son, as well as Resheph, and Telah his son, Tahan his son, ²⁶Laadan his son, Ammihud his son, Elishama his son, ²⁷Nun his son, and Joshua his son. ²⁸Now their possessions and dwelling places were Bethel and its towns: to the east Naaran, to the west Gezer and its towns, and Shechem and its towns, as far as Ayyah and its towns; ²⁹and by the borders of the children of Manasseh were Beth Shean and its towns, Taanach and its towns, Megiddo and its towns, Dor and its towns. In these dwelt the children of Joseph, the son of Israel.

The Family of Asher
³⁰The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. ³¹The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel, who was the father of Birzaith. ³²And Heber begot Japhlet, Shomer, Hotham, and their sister Shua. ³³The sons of Japhlet were Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. These were the children of Japhlet. ³⁴The sons of Shemer were Ahi, Rohgah, Jehubbah, and Aram. ³⁵And the sons of his brother Helem were Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal. ³⁶The sons of Zophah were Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah, ³⁷Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Jithran, and Beera. ³⁸The sons of Jether were Jephunneh, Pispah, and Ara. ³⁹The sons of Ulla were Arah, Haniel, and Rizia. ⁴⁰All these were the children of Asher, heads of their fathers' houses, choice men, mighty men of valor, chief leaders. And they were recorded by genealogies among the army fit for battle; their number was 26,000.

Chapter 8
The Family Tree of King Saul of Benjamin
¹Now Benjamin begot Bela his firstborn, Ashbel the 2nd, Aharah the 3rd, ²Nohah the 4th, and Rapha the 5th. ³The sons of Bela were Addar, Gera, Abihud, ⁴Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah, ⁵Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram. ⁶These are the sons of Ehud, who were the heads of the fathers' houses of the inhabitants of Geba, and who forced them to move to Manahath: ⁷Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera who forced them to move. He begot Uzza and Ahihud. ⁸Also Shaharaim had children in the country of Moab, after he had sent away Hushim and Baara his wives. ⁹By Hodesh his wife he begot Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, ¹⁰Jeuz, Sachiah, and Mirmah. These were his sons, heads of their fathers' houses. ¹¹And by Hushim he begot Abitub and Elpaal. ¹²The sons of Elpaal were Eber, Misham, and Shemed, who built Ono and Lod with its towns; ¹³and Beriah and Shema, who were heads of their fathers' houses of the inhabitants of Aijalon, who drove out the inhabitants of Gath. ¹⁴Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth, ¹⁵Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, ¹⁶Michael, Ispah, and Joha were the sons of Beriah. ¹⁷Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber, ¹⁸Ishmerai, Jizliah, and Jobab were the sons of Elpaal. ¹⁹Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi, ²⁰Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, ²¹Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath were the sons of Shimei. ²²Ishpan, Eber, Eliel, ²³Abdon, Zichri, Hanan, ²⁴Hananiah, Elam, Antothijah, ²⁵Iphdeiah, and Penuel were the sons of Shashak. ²⁶Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah, ²⁷Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zichri were the sons of Jeroham. ²⁸These were heads of the fathers' houses by their generations, chief men. These dwelt in Jerusalem. ²⁹Now the father of Gibeon, whose wife's name was Maacah, dwelt at Gibeon. ³⁰And his firstborn son was Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab, ³¹Gedor, Ahio, Zecher, ³²and Mikloth, who begot Shimeah. They also dwelt alongside their relatives in Jerusalem, with their brethren. ³³Ner begot Kish, Kish begot Saul, and Saul begot Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal. ³⁴The son of Jonathan was Merib-Baal, and Merib-Baal begot Micah. ³⁵The sons of Micah were Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz. ³⁶And Ahaz begot Jehoaddah; Jehoaddah begot Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begot Moza. ³⁷Moza begot Binea, Raphah his son, Eleasah his son, and Azel his son. ³⁸Azel had 6 sons whose names were these: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel. ³⁹And the sons of Eshek his brother were Ulam his firstborn, Jeush the 2nd, and Eliphelet the 3rd. ⁴⁰The sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor - archers. They had many sons and grandsons, 150 in all. These were all sons of Benjamin.

Chapter 9

¹So all Israel was recorded by genealogies, and indeed, they were inscribed in the book of the kings of Israel. But Judah was carried away captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness. ²And the first inhabitants who dwelt in their possessions in their cities were Israelites, priests, Levites, and the Nethinim.

Dwellers in Jerusalem
³Now in Jerusalem the children of Judah dwelt, and some of the children of Benjamin, and of the children of Ephraim and Manasseh: ⁴Uthai the son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, of the descendants of Perez, the son of Judah. ⁵Of the Shilonites: Asaiah the firstborn and his sons. ⁶Of the sons of Zerah: Jeuel, and their brethren - 690. ⁷Of the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah; ⁸Ibneiah the son of Jeroham; Elah the son of Uzzi, the son of Michri; Meshullam the son of Shephatiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah; ⁹and their brethren, according to their generations - 956. All these men were heads of a father's house in their fathers' houses.

The Priests at Jerusalem
¹⁰Of the priests: Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, and Jachin; ¹¹Azariah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the officer over the house of God; ¹²Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pashur, the son of Malchijah; Maasai the son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer; ¹³and their brethren, heads of their fathers' houses - 1,760. They were very able men for the work of the service of the house of God.

The Levites at Jerusalem
¹⁴Of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, of the sons of Merari; ¹⁵Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, and Mattaniah the son of Micah, the son of Zichri, the son of Asaph; ¹⁶Obadiah the son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun; and Berechiah the son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.

The Levite Gatekeepers
¹⁷And the gatekeepers were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their brethren. Shallum was the chief. ¹⁸Until then they had been gatekeepers for the camps of the children of Levi at the King's Gate on the east. ¹⁹Shallum the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brethren, from his father's house, the Korahites, were in charge of the work of the service, gatekeepers of the tabernacle. Their fathers had been keepers of the entrance to the camp of the LORD. ²⁰And Phinehas the son of Eleazar had been the officer over them in time past; the LORD was with him. ²¹Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was keeper of the door of the tabernacle of meeting. ²²All those chosen as gatekeepers were 212. They were recorded by their genealogy, in their villages. David and Samuel the seer had appointed them to their trusted office. ²³So they and their children were in charge of the gates of the house of the LORD, the house of the tabernacle, by assignment. ²⁴The gatekeepers were assigned to the 4 directions: the east, west, north, and south. ²⁵And their brethren in their villages had to come with them from time to time for 7 days. ²⁶For in this trusted office were 4 chief gatekeepers; they were Levites. And they had charge over the chambers and treasuries of the house of God. ²⁷And they lodged all around the house of God because they had the responsibility, and they were in charge of opening it every morning.

Other Levite Responsibilities
²⁸Now some of them were in charge of the serving vessels, for they brought them in and took them out by count. ²⁹Some of them were appointed over the furnishings and over all the implements of the sanctuary, and over the fine flour and the wine and the oil and the incense and the spices. ³⁰And some of the sons of the priests made the ointment of the spices. ³¹Mattithiah of the Levites, the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, had the trusted office over the things that were baked in the pans. ³²And some of their brethren of the sons of the Kohathites were in charge of preparing the showbread for every Sabbath. ³³These are the singers, heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites, who lodged in the chambers, and were free from other duties; for they were employed in that work day and night. ³⁴These heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites were heads throughout their generations. They dwelt at Jerusalem.

The Family of King Saul
³⁵Jeiel the father of Gibeon, whose wife's name was Maacah, dwelt at Gibeon. ³⁶His firstborn son was Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, ³⁷Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth. ³⁸And Mikloth begot Shimeam. They also dwelt alongside their relatives in Jerusalem, with their brethren. ³⁹Ner begot Kish, Kish begot Saul, and Saul begot Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal. ⁴⁰The son of Jonathan was Merib-Baal, and Merib-Baal begot Micah. ⁴¹The sons of Micah were Pithon, Melech, Tahrea,and Ahaz. ⁴²And Ahaz begot Jarah; Jarah begot Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begot Moza; ⁴³Moza begot Binea, Rephaiah his son, Eleasah his son, and Azel his son. ⁴⁴And Azel had 6 sons whose names were these: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan; these were the sons of Azel.

Chapter 10
Tragic End of Saul and His Sons
¹Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. ²Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul's sons. ³The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was wounded by the archers. ⁴Then 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. ⁵And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died. ⁶So Saul and his 3 sons died, and all his house died together. ⁷And 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. ⁸So it happened the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹And 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. ¹⁰Then they put his armor in the temple of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon. ¹¹And when all Jabesh Gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹²all 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 7 days. ¹³So 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. ¹⁴But he did not inquire of the LORD; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

Chapter 11
David Made King over All Israel
¹Then all Israel came together to David at Hebron, saying, "Indeed we are your bone and your flesh. ²Also, 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.' " ³Therefore 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.

The City of David
⁴And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus, where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. ⁵But 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). ⁶Now David said, "Whoever attacks the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain." And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and became chief. ⁷Then David dwelt in the stronghold; therefore they called it the City of David. ⁸And he built the city around it, from the Millo to the surrounding area. Joab repaired the rest of the city. ⁹So David went on and became great, and the LORD of hosts was with him.

The Mighty Men of David
¹⁰Now 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. ¹¹And 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 300, killed by him at one time. ¹²After him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the 3 mighty men. ¹³He 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. ¹⁴But they stationed themselves in the middle of that field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the LORD brought about a great victory. ¹⁵Now 3 of the 30 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. ¹⁶David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. ¹⁷And David said with longing, "Oh, that someone would give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!" ¹⁸So the 3 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. ¹⁹And 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 3 mighty men. ²⁰Abishai the brother of Joab was chief of another 3. He had lifted up his spear against 300 men, killed them, and won a name among these 3. ²¹Of the 3 he was more honored than the other 2 men. Therefore he became their captain. However he did not attain to the first 3. ²²Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed 2 lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. ²³And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great height, 5 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. ²⁴These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and won a name among 3 mighty men. ²⁵Indeed he was more honored than the 30, but he did not attain to the first 3. And David appointed him over his guard. ²⁶Also the mighty warriors were Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, ²⁷Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, ²⁸Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, ²⁹Sibbechai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, ³⁰Maharai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, ³¹Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah, of the sons of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, ³²Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, ³³Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, ³⁴the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shageh the Hararite, ³⁵Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, ³⁶Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, ³⁷Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai, ³⁸Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, ³⁹Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite (the armorbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah), ⁴⁰Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, ⁴¹Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, ⁴²Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite (a chief of the Reubenites) and 30 with him, ⁴³Hanan the son of Maachah, Joshaphat the Mithnite, ⁴⁴Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite, ⁴⁵Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite, ⁴⁶Eliel the Mahavite, Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite, ⁴⁷Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

Chapter 12
The Growth of David's Army
¹Now 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, ²armed 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. ³The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Berachah, and Jehu the Anathothite; ⁴Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the 30, and over the 30; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite; ⁵Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite; ⁶Elkanah, Jisshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites; ⁷and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham of Gedor. ⁸Some 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: ⁹Ezer the first, Obadiah the 2nd, Eliab the 3rd, ¹⁰Mishmannah the 4th, Jeremiah the 5th, ¹¹Attai the 6th, Eliel the 7th, ¹²Johanan the 8th, Elzabad the 9th, ¹³Jeremiah the 10th, and Machbanai the 11th. ¹⁴These were from the sons of Gad, captains of the army; the least was over 100, and the greatest was over 1,000. ¹⁵These 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. ¹⁶Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to David at the stronghold. ¹⁷And 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." ¹⁸Then 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. ¹⁹And 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." ²⁰When 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. ²¹And they helped David against the bands of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor, and they were captains in the army. ²²For at that time they came to David day by day to help him, until it was a great army, like the army of God.

David's Army at Hebron
²³Now 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: ²⁴of the sons of Judah bearing shield and spear, 6,800 armed for war; ²⁵of the sons of Simeon, mighty men of valor fit for war, 7,100; ²⁶of the sons of Levi 4,600; ²⁷Jehoiada, the leader of the Aaronites, and with him 3,700; ²⁸Zadok, a young man, a valiant warrior, and from his father's house 22 captains; ²⁹of the sons of Benjamin, relatives of Saul, 3,000 (until then the greatest part of them had remained loyal to the house of Saul); ³⁰of the sons of Ephraim 20,800, mighty men of valor, famous men throughout their father's house; ³¹of the half-tribe of Manasseh 18,000, who were designated by name to come and make David king; ³²of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were 200; and all their brethren were at their command; ³³of Zebulun there were 50,000 who went out to battle, expert in war with all weapons of war, stouthearted men who could keep ranks; ³⁴of Naphtali 1,000 captains, and with them 37,000 with shield and spear; ³⁵of the Danites who could keep battle formation, 28,600; ³⁶of Asher, those who could go out to war, able to keep battle formation, 40,000; ³⁷of the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, from the other side of the Jordan, 120,000 armed for battle with every kind of weapon of war. ³⁸All 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. ³⁹And they were there with David 3 days, eating and drinking, for their brethren had prepared for them. ⁴⁰Moreover 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.

Chapter 13
The Ark Brought from Kirjath Jearim
¹Then David consulted with the captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader. ²And 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; ³and let us bring the ark of our God back to us, for we have not inquired at it since the days of Saul." ⁴Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people. ⁵So 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. ⁶And 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. ⁷So they carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. ⁸Then 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. ⁹And when they came to Chidon's threshing floor, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled. ¹⁰Then 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. ¹¹And David became angry because of the LORD's outbreak against Uzza; therefore that place is called Perez Uzza to this day. ¹²David was afraid of God that day, saying, "How can I bring the ark of God to me?" ¹³So 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. ¹⁴The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house 3 months. And the LORD blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that he had.

Chapter 14
David Established at Jerusalem
¹Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, with masons and carpenters, to build him a house. ²So 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. ³Then David took more wives in Jerusalem, and David begot more sons and daughters. ⁴And these are the names of his children whom he had in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ⁵Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, ⁶Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, ⁷Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.

The Philistines Defeated
⁸Now 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. ⁹Then the Philistines went and made a raid on the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁰And 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." ¹¹So 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. ¹²And when they left their gods there, David gave a commandment, and they were burned with fire. ¹³Then the Philistines once again made a raid on the valley. ¹⁴Therefore 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. ¹⁵And 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." ¹⁶So David did as God commanded him, and they drove back the army of the Philistines from Gibeon as far as Gezer. ¹⁷Then the fame of David went out into all lands, and the LORD brought the fear of him upon all nations.

Chapter 15
The Ark Brought to Jerusalem
¹David 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. ²Then 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." ³And David gathered all Israel together at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the LORD to its place, which he had prepared for it. ⁴Then David assembled the children of Aaron and the Levites: ⁵of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, and 120 of his brethren; ⁶of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, and 220 of his brethren; ⁷of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, and 130 of his brethren; ⁸of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, and 200 of his brethren; ⁹of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, and 80 of his brethren; ¹⁰of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, and 112 of his brethren. ¹¹And David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites: for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. ¹²He 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. ¹³For 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." ¹⁴So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel. ¹⁵And 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. ¹⁶Then 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. ¹⁷So 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; ¹⁸and with them their brethren of the 2nd rank: Zechariah, Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers; ¹⁹the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were to sound the cymbals of bronze; ²⁰Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with strings according to Alamoth; ²¹Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah, to direct with harps on the Sheminith; ²²Chenaniah, leader of the Levites, was instructor in charge of the music, because he was skillful; ²³Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark; ²⁴Shebaniah, 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. ²⁵So 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. ²⁶And so it was, when God helped the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that they offered 7 bulls and 7 rams. ²⁷David 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. ²⁸Thus 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. ²⁹And 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.

Chapter 16
The Ark Placed in the Tabernacle
¹So 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. ²And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD. ³Then 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. ⁴And 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: ⁵Asaph 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; ⁶Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests regularly blew the trumpets before the ark of the covenant of God.

David's Song of Thanksgiving
⁷On that day David first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the LORD: ⁸Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples! ⁹Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; talk of all His wondrous works! ¹⁰Glory in His holy name; let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD! ¹¹Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His face evermore! ¹²Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth, ¹³O seed of Israel His servant, you children of Jacob, His chosen ones! ¹⁴He is the LORD our God; His judgments are in all the earth. ¹⁵Remember His covenant forever, the word which He commanded, for a thousand generations, ¹⁶the covenant which He made with Abraham, and His oath to Isaac, ¹⁷and confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, to Israel for an everlasting covenant, ¹⁸saying, "To you I will give the land of Canaan as the allotment of your inheritance," ¹⁹when you were few in number, indeed very few, and strangers in it. ²⁰When they went from one nation to another, and from one kingdom to another people, ²¹He permitted no man to do them wrong; yes, He rebuked kings for their sakes, ²²saying, "Do not touch My anointed ones, and do My prophets no harm." ²³Sing to the LORD, all the earth; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day. ²⁴Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all peoples. ²⁵For the LORD is great and greatly to be praised; He is also to be feared above all gods. ²⁶For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. ²⁷Honor and majesty are before Him; strength and gladness are in His place. ²⁸Give to the LORD, O families of the peoples, give to the LORD glory and strength. ²⁹Give to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness! ³⁰Tremble before Him, all the earth. The world also is firmly established, it shall not be moved. ³¹Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; and let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns." ³²Let the sea roar, and all its fullness; let the field rejoice, and all that is in it. ³³Then the trees of the woods shall rejoice before the LORD, for He is coming to judge the earth. ³⁴Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. ³⁵And 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." ³⁶Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting! And all the people said, "Amen!" and praised the LORD.

Regular Worship Maintained
³⁷So 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; ³⁸and Obed-Edom with his 68 brethren, including Obed-Edom the son of Jeduthun, and Hosah, to be gatekeepers; ³⁹and Zadok the priest and his brethren the priests, before the tabernacle of the LORD at the high place that was at Gibeon, ⁴⁰to 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; ⁴¹and 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; ⁴²and 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. ⁴³Then all the people departed, every man to his house; and David returned to bless his house.

Chapter 17
God's Covenant with David
¹Now 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." ²Then Nathan said to David, "Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you." ³But it happened that night that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, ⁴"Go and tell My servant David, 'Thus says the LORD: "You shall not build Me a house to dwell in. ⁵For 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. ⁶Wherever 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?' " ' ⁷Now 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. ⁸And 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. ⁹Moreover 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, ¹⁰since 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. ¹¹And 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. ¹²He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. ¹³I 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. ¹⁴And I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be established forever." ' " ¹⁵According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David. ¹⁶Then 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? ¹⁷And 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. ¹⁸What more can David say to You for the honor of Your servant? For You know Your servant. ¹⁹O 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. ²⁰O LORD, there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. ²¹And 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? ²²For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, LORD, have become their God. ²³"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. ²⁴So 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. ²⁵For 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. ²⁶And now, LORD, You are God, and have promised this goodness to Your servant. ²⁷Now 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."

Chapter 18
David's Further Conquests
¹After this it came to pass that David attacked the Philistines, subdued them, and took Gath and its towns from the hand of the Philistines. ²Then he defeated Moab, and the Moabites became David's servants, and brought tribute. ³And David defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah as far as Hamath, as he went to establish his power by the River Euphrates. ⁴David took from him 1,000 chariots, 7,000 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers. Also David hamstrung all the chariot horses, except that he spared enough of them for 100 chariots. ⁵When the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed 22,000 of the Syrians. ⁶Then 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. ⁷And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸Also 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. ⁹Now when Tou king of Hamath heard that David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer king of Zobah, ¹⁰he 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. ¹¹King 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. ¹²Moreover Abishai the son of Zeruiah killed 18,000 thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. ¹³He also put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became David's servants. And the LORD preserved David wherever he went.

David's Administration
¹⁴So David reigned over all Israel, and administered judgment and justice to all his people. ¹⁵Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; ¹⁶Zadok the son of Ahitub and Abimelech the son of Abiathar were the priests; Shavsha was the scribe; ¹⁷Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were chief ministers at the king's side.

Chapter 19
The Ammonites and Syrians Defeated
¹It happened after this that Nahash the king of the people of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his place. ²Then 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. ³And 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?" ⁴Therefore Hanun took David's servants, shaved them, and cut off their garments in the middle, at their buttocks, and sent them away. ⁵Then 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." ⁶When the people of Ammon saw that they had made themselves repulsive to David, Hanun and the people of Ammon sent 1,000 talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia, from Syrian Maacah, and from Zobah. ⁷So they hired for themselves 32,000 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. ⁸Now when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men. ⁹Then 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. ¹⁰When 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. ¹¹And 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. ¹²Then 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. ¹³Be 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." ¹⁴So Joab and the people who were with him drew near for the battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him. ¹⁵When 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. ¹⁶Now 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. ¹⁷When 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. ¹⁸Then the Syrians fled before Israel; and David killed 7,000 charioteers and 40,000 foot soldiers of the Syrians, and killed Shophach the commander of the army. ¹⁹And 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.

Chapter 20
Rabbah Is Conquered
¹It 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. ²Then 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. ³And 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.

Philistine Giants Destroyed
⁴Now 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. ⁵Again 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. ⁶Yet again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature, with 24 fingers and toes, 6 on each hand and 6 on each foot; and he also was born to the giant. ⁷So when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David's brother, killed him. ⁸These were born to the giant in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.

Chapter 21
The Census of Israel and Judah
¹Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel. ²So 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." ³And Joab answered, "May the LORD make His people 100 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?" ⁴Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Therefore Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem. ⁵Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David. All Israel had 1,100,000 men who drew the sword, and Judah had 470,000 men who drew the sword. ⁶But he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king's word was abominable to Joab. ⁷And God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel. ⁸So 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." ⁹Then the LORD spoke to Gad, David's seer, saying, ¹⁰"Go and tell David, saying, 'Thus says the LORD: "I offer you 3 things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you." ' " ¹¹So Gad came to David and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Choose for yourself, ¹²either 3 years of famine, or 3 months to be defeated by your foes with the sword of your enemies overtaking you, or else for 3 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." ¹³And 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." ¹⁴So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel, and 70,000 men of Israel fell. ¹⁵And 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. ¹⁶Then 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. ¹⁷And 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." ¹⁸Therefore, 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. ¹⁹So David went up at the word of Gad, which he had spoken in the name of the LORD. ²⁰Now Ornan turned and saw the angel; and his 4 sons who were with him hid themselves, but Ornan continued threshing wheat. ²¹So 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. ²²Then 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." ²³But 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." ²⁴Then 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." ²⁵So David gave Ornan 600 shekels of gold by weight for the place. ²⁶And 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. ²⁷So the LORD commanded the angel, and he returned his sword to its sheath. ²⁸At that time, when David saw that the LORD had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. ²⁹For 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. ³⁰But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD.

Chapter 22
David Prepares to Build the Temple
¹Then David said, "This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel." ²So 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. ³And David prepared iron in abundance for the nails of the doors of the gates and for the joints, and bronze in abundance beyond measure, ⁴and cedar trees in abundance; for the Sidonians and those from Tyre brought much cedar wood to David. ⁵Now 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. ⁶Then he called for his son Solomon, and charged him to build a house for the LORD God of Israel. ⁷And 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; ⁸but 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. ⁹Behold, 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. ¹⁰He 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.' ¹¹Now, 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. ¹²Only 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. ¹³Then 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. ¹⁴Indeed I have taken much trouble to prepare for the house of the LORD 100,000 talents of gold and 1,000,000 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. ¹⁵Moreover there are workmen with you in abundance: woodsmen and stonecutters, and all types of skillful men for every kind of work. ¹⁶Of gold and silver and bronze and iron there is no limit. Arise and begin working, and the LORD be with you." ¹⁷David also commanded all the leaders of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, ¹⁸"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. ¹⁹Now 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."

Chapter 23
The Divisions of the Levites
¹So when David was old and full of days, he made his son Solomon king over Israel. ²And he gathered together all the leaders of Israel, with the priests and the Levites. ³Now the Levites were numbered from the age of 30 years and above; and the number of individual males was 38,000. ⁴Of these, 24,000 were to look after the work of the house of the LORD, 6,000 were officers and judges, ⁵4,000 were gatekeepers, and 4,000 praised the LORD with musical instruments, "which I made," said David, "for giving praise." ⁶Also David separated them into divisions among the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. ⁷Of the Gershonites: Laadan and Shimei. ⁸The sons of Laadan: the first Jehiel, then Zetham and Joel - 3 in all. ⁹The sons of Shimei: Shelomith, Haziel, and Haran - 3 in all. These were the heads of the fathers' houses of Laadan. ¹⁰And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. These were the 4 sons of Shimei. ¹¹Jahath was the first and Zizah the 2nd. But Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons; therefore they were assigned as one father's house. ¹²The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel - 4 in all. ¹³The 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. ¹⁴Now the sons of Moses the man of God were reckoned to the tribe of Levi. ¹⁵The sons of Moses were Gershon and Eliezer. ¹⁶Of the sons of Gershon, Shebuelwas the first. ¹⁷Of the descendants of Eliezer, Rehabiah was the first. And Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many. ¹⁸Of the sons of Izhar, Shelomith was the first. ¹⁹Of the sons of Hebron, Jeriah was the first, Amariah the 2nd, Jahaziel the 3rd, and Jekameam the 4th. ²⁰Of the sons of Uzziel, Michah was the first and Jesshiah the 2nd. ²¹The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli were Eleazar and Kish. ²²And Eleazar died, and had no sons, but only daughters; and their brethren, the sons of Kish, took them as wives. ²³The sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth - 3 in all. ²⁴These 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 20 years and above. ²⁵For David said, "The LORD God of Israel has given rest to His people, that they may dwell in Jerusalem forever"; ²⁶and also to the Levites, "They shall no longer carry the tabernacle, or any of the articles for its service." ²⁷For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from 20 years old and above; ²⁸because 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, ²⁹both 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; ³⁰to stand every morning to thank and praise the LORD, and likewise at evening; ³¹and 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; ³²and 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.

Chapter 24
The Divisions of the Priests
¹Now these are the divisions of the sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ²And Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no children; therefore Eleazar and Ithamar ministered as priests. ³Then David with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to the schedule of their service. ⁴There 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 16 heads of their fathers' houses, and eight heads of their fathers' houses among the sons of Ithamar. ⁵Thus 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. ⁶And 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. ⁷Now the first lot fell to Jehoiarib, the 2nd to Jedaiah, ⁸the 3rd to Harim, the 4th to Seorim, ⁹the 5th to Malchijah, the 6th to Mijamin, ¹⁰the 7th to Hakkoz, the 8th to Abijah, ¹¹the 9th to Jeshua, the 10th to Shecaniah, ¹²the 11th to Eliashib, the 12th to Jakim, ¹³the thirteenth to Huppah, the 14th to Jeshebeab, ¹⁴the fifteenth to Bilgah, the 16th to Immer, ¹⁵the 17th to Hezir, the 18th to Happizzez, ¹⁶the 19th to Pethahiah, the 20th to Jehezekel, ¹⁷the 21st to Jachin, the 22nd to Gamul, ¹⁸the 23rd to Delaiah, the 24th to Maaziah. ¹⁹This 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.

Other Levites
²⁰And the rest of the sons of Levi: of the sons of Amram, Shubael; of the sons of Shubael, Jehdeiah. ²¹Concerning Rehabiah, of the sons of Rehabiah, the first was Isshiah. ²²Of the Izharites, Shelomoth; of the sons of Shelomoth, Jahath. ²³Of the sons of Hebron, Jeriah was the first, Amariah the 2nd, Jahaziel the 3rd, and Jekameam the 4th. ²⁴Of the sons of Uzziel, Michah; of the sons of Michah, Shamir. ²⁵The brother of Michah, Isshiah; of the sons of Isshiah, Zechariah. ²⁶The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi; the son of Jaaziah, Beno. ²⁷The sons of Merari by Jaaziah were Beno, Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri. ²⁸Of Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons. ²⁹Of Kish: the son of Kish, Jerahmeel. ³⁰Also the sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. These were the sons of the Levites according to their fathers' houses. ³¹These 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.

Chapter 25
The Musicians
¹Moreover 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: ²Of 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. ³Of Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun: Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, 6, under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with a harp to give thanks and to praise the LORD. ⁴Of Heman, the sons of Heman: Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. ⁵All these were the sons of Heman the king's seer in the words of God, to exalt his horn. For God gave Heman 14 sons and 3 daughters. ⁶All 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. ⁷So the number of them, with their brethren who were instructed in the songs of the LORD, all who were skillful, was 288. ⁸And they cast lots for their duty, the small as well as the great, the teacher with the student. ⁹Now the first lot for Asaph came out for Joseph; the 2nd for Gedaliah, him with his brethren and sons, 12; ¹⁰the 3rd for Zaccur, his sons and his brethren, 12; ¹¹the 4th for Jizri, his sons and his brethren, 12; ¹²the 5th for Nethaniah, his sons and his brethren, 12; ¹³the 6th for Bukkiah, his sons and his brethren, 12; ¹⁴the 7th for Jesharelah, his sons and his brethren, 12; ¹⁵the 8th for Jeshaiah, his sons and his brethren, 12; ¹⁶the 9th for Mattaniah, his sons and his brethren, 12; ¹⁷the 10th for Shimei, his sons and his brethren, 12; ¹⁸the 11th for Azarel, his sons and his brethren, 12; ¹⁹the 12th for Hashabiah, his sons and his brethren, 12; ²⁰the thirteenth for Shubael, his sons and his brethren, 12; ²¹the 14th for Mattithiah, his sons and his brethren, 12; ²²the fifteenth for Jeremoth, his sons and his brethren, 12; ²³the 16th for Hananiah, his sons and his brethren, 12; ²⁴the 17th for Joshbekashah, his sons and his brethren, 12; ²⁵the 18th for Hanani, his sons and his brethren, 12; ²⁶the 19th for Mallothi, his sons and his brethren, 12; ²⁷the 20th for Eliathah, his sons and his brethren, 12; ²⁸the 21st for Hothir, his sons and his brethren, 12; ²⁹the 22nd for Giddalti, his sons and his brethren, 12; ³⁰the 23rd for Mahazioth, his sons and his brethren, 12; ³¹the 24th for Romamti-Ezer, his sons and his brethren, 12.

Chapter 26
The Gatekeepers
¹Concerning the divisions of the gatekeepers: of the Korahites, Meshelemiah the son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph. ²And the sons of Meshelemiah were Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the 2nd, Zebadiah the 3rd, Jathniel the 4th, ³Elam the 5th, Jehohanan the 6th, Eliehoenai the 7th. ⁴Moreover the sons of Obed-Edom were Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the 2nd, Joah the 3rd, Sacar the 4th, Nethanel the 5th, ⁵Ammiel the 6th, Issachar the 7th, Peulthai the 8th; for God blessed him. ⁶Also to Shemaiah his son were sons born who governed their fathers' houses, because they were men of great ability. ⁷The sons of Shemaiah were Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad, whose brothers Elihu and Semachiah were able men. ⁸All these were of the sons of Obed-Edom, they and their sons and their brethren, able men with strength for the work: 62 of Obed-Edom. ⁹And Meshelemiah had sons and brethren, 18 able men. ¹⁰Also Hosah, of the children of Merari, had sons: Shimri the first (for though he was not the firstborn, his father made him the first), ¹¹Hilkiah the 2nd, Tebaliah the 3rd, Zechariah the 4th; all the sons and brethren of Hosah were thirteen. ¹²Among 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. ¹³And they cast lots for each gate, the small as well as the great, according to their father's house. ¹⁴The 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; ¹⁵to Obed-Edom the South Gate, and to his sons the storehouse. ¹⁶To Shuppim and Hosah the lot came out for the West Gate, with the Shallecheth Gate on the ascending highway - watchman opposite watchman. ¹⁷On the east were 6 Levites, on the north 4 each day, on the south 4 each day, and for the storehouse 2 by 2. ¹⁸As for the Parbar on the west, there were 4 on the highway and 2 at the Parbar. ¹⁹These were the divisions of the gatekeepers among the sons of Korah and among the sons of Merari.

The Treasuries and Other Duties
²⁰Of the Levites, Ahijah was over the treasuries of the house of God and over the treasuries of the dedicated things. ²¹The sons of Laadan, the descendants of the Gershonites of Laadan, heads of their fathers' houses, of Laadan the Gershonite: Jehieli. ²²The sons of Jehieli, Zetham and Joel his brother, were over the treasuries of the house of the LORD. ²³Of the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites: ²⁴Shebuel the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, was overseer of the treasuries. ²⁵And his brethren by Eliezer were Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zichri his son, and Shelomith his son. ²⁶This 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. ²⁷Some of the spoils won in battles they dedicated to maintain the house of the LORD. ²⁸And 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. ²⁹Of the Izharites, Chenaniah and his sons performed duties as officials and judges over Israel outside Jerusalem. ³⁰Of the Hebronites, Hashabiah and his brethren, 1,700 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. ³¹Among 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. ³²And his brethren were 2,700 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.

Chapter 27
The Military Divisions
¹And 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 24,000. ²Over the first division for the first month was Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel, and in his division were 24,000; ³he was of the children of Perez, and the chief of all the captains of the army for the first month. ⁴Over the division of the 2nd month was Dodai an Ahohite, and of his division Mikloth also was the leader; in his division were 24,000. ⁵The 3rd captain of the army for the 3rd month was Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada the priest, who was chief; in his division were 24,000. ⁶This was the Benaiah who was mighty among the 30, and was over the 30; in his division was Ammizabad his son. ⁷The 4th captain for the 4th month was Asahel the brother of Joab, and Zebadiah his son after him; in his division were 24,000. ⁸The 5th captain for the 5th month was Shamhuth the Izrahite; in his division were 24,000. ⁹The 6th captain for the 6th month was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite; in his division were 24,000. ¹⁰The 7th captain for the 7th month was Helez the Pelonite, of the children of Ephraim; in his division were 24,000. ¹¹The 8th captain for the 8th month was Sibbechai the Hushathite, of the Zarhites; in his division were 24,000. ¹²The 9th captain for the 9th month was Abiezer the Anathothite, of the Benjamites; in his division were 24,000. ¹³The 10th captain for the 10th month was Maharai the Netophathite, of the Zarhites; in his division were 24,000. ¹⁴The 11th captain for the 11th month was Benaiah the Pirathonite, of the children of Ephraim; in his division were 24,000. ¹⁵The 12th captain for the 12th month was Heldai the Netophathite, of Othniel; in his division were 24,000.

Leaders of Tribes
¹⁶Furthermore, over the tribes of Israel: the officer over the Reubenites was Eliezer the son of Zichri; over the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maachah; ¹⁷over the Levites, Hashabiah the son of Kemuel; over the Aaronites, Zadok; ¹⁸over Judah, Elihu, one of David's brothers; over Issachar, Omri the son of Michael; ¹⁹over Zebulun, Ishmaiah the son of Obadiah; over Naphtali, Jerimoth the son of Azriel; ²⁰over the children of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Azaziah; over the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joel the son of Pedaiah; ²¹over the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo the son of Zechariah; over Benjamin, Jaasiel the son of Abner; ²²over Dan, Azarel the son of Jeroham. These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel. ²³But David did not take the number of those 20 years old and under, because the LORD had said He would multiply Israel like the stars of the heavens. ²⁴Joab 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.

Other State Officials
²⁵And 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. ²⁶Ezri the son of Chelub was over those who did the work of the field for tilling the ground. ²⁷And Shimei the Ramathite was over the vineyards, and Zabdi the Shiphmite was over the produce of the vineyards for the supply of wine. ²⁸Baal-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. ²⁹And 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. ³⁰Obil the Ishmaelite was over the camels, Jehdeiah the Meronothite was over the donkeys, ³¹and Jaziz the Hagrite was over the flocks. All these were the officials over King David's property. ³²Also 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. ³³Ahithophel was the king's counselor, and Hushai the Archite was the king's companion. ³⁴After Ahithophel was Jehoiada the son of Benaiah, then Abiathar. And the general of the king's army was Joab.

Chapter 28
Solomon Instructed to Build the Temple
¹Now 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. ²Then 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. ³But 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.' ⁴However 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. ⁵And 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. ⁶Now 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. ⁷Moreover I will establish his kingdom forever, if he is steadfast to observe My commandments and My judgments, as it is this day.' ⁸Now 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. ⁹"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. ¹⁰Consider now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary; be strong, and do it." ¹¹Then 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; ¹²and 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; ¹³also 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. ¹⁴He 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; ¹⁵the 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. ¹⁶And by weight he gave gold for the tables of the showbread, for each table, and silver for the tables of silver; ¹⁷also 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; ¹⁸and 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. ¹⁹"All this," said David, "the LORD made me understand in writing, by His hand upon me, all the works of these plans." ²⁰And 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. ²¹Here 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."

Chapter 29
Offerings for Building the Temple
¹Furthermore 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. ²Now 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. ³Moreover, 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: ⁴3,000 talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and 7,000 talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses; ⁵the 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?" ⁶Then 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. ⁷They gave for the work of the house of God 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold, 10,000 talents of silver, 18,000 talents of bronze, and 100,000 talents of iron. ⁸And whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the LORD, into the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite. ⁹Then 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.

David's Praise to God
¹⁰Therefore David blessed the LORD before all the assembly; and David said: "Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. ¹¹Yours, 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. ¹²Both 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. ¹³"Now therefore, our God, we thank You and praise Your glorious name. ¹⁴But 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. ¹⁵For we are aliens and pilgrims before You, as were all our fathers; our days on earth are as a shadow, and without hope. ¹⁶"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. ¹⁷I 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. ¹⁸O 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. ¹⁹And 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." ²⁰Then 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.

Solomon Anointed King
²¹And they made sacrifices to the LORD and offered burnt offerings to the LORD on the next day: 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, 1,000 lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. ²²So they ate and drank before the LORD with great gladness on that day. And they made Solomon the son of David king the 2nd time, and anointed him before the LORD to be the leader, and Zadok to be priest. ²³Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him. ²⁴All the leaders and the mighty men, and also all the sons of King David, submitted themselves to King Solomon. ²⁵So 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.

The Close of David's Reign
²⁶Thus David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel. ²⁷And the period that he reigned over Israel was 40 years; 7 years he reigned in Hebron, and 33 years he reigned in Jerusalem. ²⁸So he died in a good old age, full of days and riches and honor; and Solomon his son reigned in his place. ²⁹Now 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, ³⁰with all his reign and his might, and the events that happened to him, to Israel, and to all the kingdoms of the lands.