First Chronicles
Genealogies (chapters 1-9)
The history of Israel
11Adam,
Seth,
Enosh,
2Kenan,
Mahalalel,
Jared,
3Enoch (Chanoch),
Methuselah,
Lamech,
4Noah (Hebr. Noach) [his sons were] –
Shem,
Ham, and
Japheth.The descendants of Japheth (Gen. 10:2-4)
5[A total of 14 descendants of Japheth are mentioned. The sons of Japheth are mainly the peoples of the north and west, in Asia Minor and on the islands and coasts of the Mediterranean. This corresponds to today's Europe and also parts of the northern Middle East.]The sons of Japheth were:
Gomer [the Cimmerians on the Black Sea; present-day Turkey] and
Magog [around the Black Sea, present-day Georgia] and Madai [ancestor of the Medes; southwest of the Caspian Sea; the area around present-day Tehran in Iran] and
Javan [the Ionians, the Greeks; Greece] and
Tubal (Hebr. Toval) [people in eastern Asia Minor; present-day central Turkey] and
Meshech [people in eastern Asia Minor] and
Tiras [present-day Italy]. 6The sons of Gomer were
Ashkenaz and
Riphath and
Togarmah. 7The sons of Javan were
Elisha and
Tarshish and
Kittim (the Kittim) and
Rodamim (the Rodanim).The descendants of Ham (Gen. 10:6-20)
8The sons of Ham were:
Cush [African kingdom of Nubia; present-day southern Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan]
and Mizraim [Egypt]
and Put (Hebr. Pot) [corresponds to present-day Libya, see ; ; ]
and Canaan [present-day Israel]. 9The sons of Cush were
Sheba and
Havilah (Hebr. Chavila) and
Sabta and
Raama and
Sabteka.
The sons of Raama were
Sheba and
Dedan. 10Cush became the father of Nimrod,
who was the first to gain great power on earth. 11Mitsrajim [Egypt] became the father of
the Ludites and
the Anamites and
the Lehabites and
the Naphtuhites and
12the Patrosites, and the
Kasluheites, from whom the Philistines are descended, and the
Caftoreites. 13Canaan was the father of Sidon, who was his firstborn, and Chet, 14and also the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, 15the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, 16the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. 17The sons of Shem were Elam, Ashor [the Assyrians], Arpakshad, Lud, and Aram, as well as Uz (Hebr. Ots), Hul, Geter, and Meshech. 18Arpakshad became the father of Shelah, and Shelah became the father of Eber. 19Eber had two sons. One was named Peleg [similar to the word for "divided"], because in his time the earth was divided [Hebr. pilag] [; ]. His brother was named Joktan. 20Joktan became the father of Almodad, Shelef, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 21Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 22Ebal, Abimael, Sheba [meaning "seven" or "oath"; probably Saba in present-day Yemen or Aksum in Ethiopia],
23Ophir, Havilah (Hebr. Chavila), and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.
24Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah,
25Eber, Peleg, Reu,
26Serug, Nahor, Terah,
27Abram, that is, Abraham.
Abraham's descendants
28Abraham's sons were Isaac and Ishmael. 29This is their family tree:
Nevajot, Ishmael's firstborn, then Kedar, Adbeel, and Mibsam,
30Mishma, and Doham, Massa, Hadad, and Tema,
31Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael. 32The sons born to Abraham's concubine Keturah (Hebr. Qetorah; meaning: incense/sacrifice) [] were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
The sons of Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan.
33The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch (Hebr. Chanoch), Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the sons of Keturah [, ]. 34And Abraham became the father of Isaac. Isaac's sons were Esau and Israel. 35The sons of Esau were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah. 36The sons of Eliphaz were
Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, Kenaz, Timna, and Amalek. 37The sons of Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.The Edomites – Esau and Seir
38The sons of Seir were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. 39The sons of Lotan were
Hori and Homam. Lotan's sister was Timna.
40The sons of Shobal were
Aljan, Manahat, Ebal, Shefi, and Onam. 41The son of Ana was Dishon.
The sons of Dishon were Hamran, Eshban, Jitran, and Keran. 42The sons of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan.
The sons of Dishan were Uz (Hebr. Ots) and Aran. 43These were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before there was a king in Israel:
Bela, the son of Beor, and his city was called Dinhaba. 44When Bela died, Jobab, the son of Zerah, from Bozrah, became king after him. 45When Jobab died, Husham of the land of the Temanites became king after him. 46When Husham died, Hadad, son of Bedad, became king after him. He defeated the Midianites in the land of Moab. His city was called Avith. 47When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah became king after him. 48When Samlah died, Saul of Rehoboth on the River became king after him. 49When Saul died, Baal-Hanan, son of Akbor, became king after him. 50When Baal-Hanan died, Hadad succeeded him as king. His city was called Pao, and his wife was named Mehetabel, daughter of Matred, who was the daughter of Me-Sahab. 51When Hadad died, these were the chiefs of Edom: Chief Timna, Chief Alja, Chief Jetet,
52the chief Oholibamah, the chief Elah, the chief Pinon,
53the prince of Kenas, the prince of Teman, the prince of Mibzar, 54the chief of Magdiel, the chief of Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom.the Israelites
21These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun, 2Dan, Joseph, and Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.The tribe of Judah
3The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, and Shelah. These three were born to him by the daughter of Shua, the Canaanite woman.
But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord. Therefore, he killed him. 4Tamar, his daughter-in-law, bore Judah Peresh and Zerah, so that Judah's sons were five in all. 5The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 6The sons of Zerah were Shimri, Eitan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara, five in all. 7The son of Carmi was Achar, who brought disaster upon Israel when he treacherously stole what had been devoted to destruction. 8The son of Eitan was Azariah.David
Ram to David
[Here the chronicler breaks the pattern of the genealogy and reverses it in a chiasm.] 9The sons born to Hezron were Jerahmeel, Ram, and Kelubai [also called Caleb, see ]. 10Ram became the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, prince of the children of Judah. 11Nahshon became the father of Salma, and Salma became the father of Boaz. 12Boaz was the father of Obed, and Obed was the father of Jesse. 13Jishai was the father of
Eliav, who was his firstborn,
Avinadav the second,
Shimea the third, 14Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, 15Ozem the sixth, and David the seventh. 16Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. [David also has a wife by the same name, see ] Zeruiah's sons were Avishai, Joab, and Asahel—three in all. 17Abigail bore Amasa, and Amasa's father was Jether the Ishmaelite.Caleb's descendants
18Caleb, the son of Jethron, had children with his wife Asuba and with Jeriot. These were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. [Caleb (Hebr. kalev) is also called Kelovaj, see . This is not the same person as Caleb who spied out the land; he lived later, see .] 19When Asuvah died, Caleb took Ephrathah as his wife, and she bore him Hur (Hebr. Chor). 20Hur (Hebr. Chor) became the father of Ori, and Ori became the father of Bezalel. 21After that, Chetsron went in to the daughter of Machir, Gilead's father. He took her as his wife when he was 60 years old. She bore Segub to him. 22Segub became the father of Jair, who had 23 cities in the land of Gilead. 23But the Geshurites and the Arameans took away the villages of Jair and Kenath and its surrounding towns, 60 cities. All these were the sons of Machir, the father of Gilead. 24After Chetsron died inCaleb-Ephrathah, Hesron's wife Avijah bore him Ashur, the father of Tekoa.The descendants of Jerahmeel
25The sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron, were Ram, the firstborn, and Buna, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. 26Jerahmeel had another wife named 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. 29Abishur's wife was named Avichajil. She bore him Aban and Molid. 30The sons of Nadab were Seled and Appajim. Seled died childless. 31And Appajim's son was Jishi. Jishi's son was Sheshan, and Sheshan's son was Alaj. 32The sons of Jada, Shammai's brother, were Jeter and Jonathan. Jeter died childless. 33Jonathan's sons were Pelet and Sasa.
These were the sons of Jerameel.Jerameel – extra material
34Sheshan had no sons, only daughters. Sheshan had an Egyptian servant named Jarha. 35Sheshan gave his daughter to his servant Jarha as a wife, and she bore him Attai. 36Attaj became the father of Nathan, and Nathan became the father of Shabad. 37Sabad became the father of Eflal, and Eflal became the father of Obed. 38Obed became the father of Jehu, and Jehu became the father of Azariah. 39Azariah became the father of Heles, and Heles became the father of Elasa. 40Elasa became the father of Sisamaj, and Sisamaj became the father of Shallum. 41Shallum became the father of Jekamja, and Jekamja became the father of Elishama.Caleb – extra material
42The sons 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 (Chevron). 43The sons of Hebron were Korah, Zaphua, Rekem, and Shema. 44Shema became the father of Raham, the father of Jorkeam. Rekem became the father of Shammai. 45Shammai's son was Maon, and Maon was the father of Beit-Zur. 46Caleb's concubine Efa bore Haran, Mosa, and Gases. Haran became the father of Gases. 47The sons of Jadai were Regem, Jotam, Gesan, Pelet, Efa, and Saaf. 48Caleb's concubine Maacha bore Zepher and Tirhanah. 49She also gave birth to Zaph, the father of Madmanna, Seva, the father of Makbena, and the father of Gibeah. Caleb's daughter was Achsa. 50These were the sons of Caleb: Hur, the firstborn of Ephrath, whose son was Shobal, the father of Kiriath-jearim, 51and also Salma, the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph, the father of Beit-Gader. 52The sons of Shobal, the father of Kiriath-jearim, were Haroe and half the clan of Hammenuhot. 53The clans of Kiriath-Jearim were the Jetherites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites. From them came the Sorgathites and the Estholaites. 54The sons of Salma were Bethlehem and the Netophathites, Atroth-Beth-Joab, and half of the Manahathites, the Zorahites. 55The families of the scribes, who lived in Jabesh [a town near Bethlehem; a person with the same name is mentioned in 1 Chron. 4:9-10], were the Tiratites, the Simatites, and the Sukatites. These were the Kenites who came from Hammat, the ancestor of the Rechabites.Ram – more material about David's descendants
31These were the sons born to David in Hebron (Hebr. Chevrón):
Amnon, the firstborn – by Ahinoam of Jezreel,
Daniel, the second – by Abigail of Carmel,
2Absalom, the third – son of Maacah, daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur,
Adonijah (Hebr. Adonijah), the fourth – son of Haggith,
3Shephatiah, the fifth – by Abital,
Jithream, the sixth – by his wife Eglah.
4These six [sons] were born to him in Hebron, where he reigned for seven years and six months.
In Jerusalem he reigned for thirty-three years. 5These sons were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon, four in all, by Bat-Shua, the daughter of Ammiel. 6In addition, Jivchar, Elishama, Elifelet, 7Noga, Nefeg, Jafia, 8Elishama, Eljada, and Elifelet, nine sons in all. 9These were all David's sons, besides the sons of his concubines. Tamar was their sister. [Tamar was the daughter of Maacah, see 2 Sam. 3:3.]descendants of King Solomon
10Solomon's son was Rehoboam (Hebr. Rechavam),
his son Avijah,
his son Asa,
his son Jehoshaphat,
11his son Joram,
his son Ahaziah,
his son Joash,
12whose son was Amaziah (Hebr. Amatsjaho),
whose son was Azariah [Uzziah, see ; ; ],
whose son was Jotham,
13his son Ahaz,
his son Hezekiah,
his son Manasseh,
14his son Amon,
his son Josiah (Hebr. Joshijaho). 15The sons of Josiah were
Jochanan, the firstborn,
Jojakim (Hebr. Jehojaqim), the second,
Zedekiah (Hebr. Tsidqijaho), the third,
Shallom, the fourth. 16The sons of Jehoiakim (Hebr. Jehojaqims) were his son Jeconiah (Hebr. Jechonjah) and his son Zedekiah (Hebr. Tsidqijaho).the descendants of King Jehoiachin
17The sons of Jehoiachin (Hebr. Jechonjahs) in captivity were: his son Shealtiel, 18and also Malkiram, Pedaiah, Senassar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah. 19The sons of Pedaiah were Zerubbabel and Shimei,
the sons of Zerubbabel were Meshullam and Hananiah, and their sister was Shelomit, 20and Hashuba, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Joshav-Chesed, five in all. 21The sons of Hananiah were Pelatiah and Jeshaiah [not the prophet Isaiah], and the sons of Refaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, and the sons of Shekaniah. 22Shekaniah's son was Shemaiah.
Shemaiah's sons were Hattush [came from Babylon in 458 BC, see ], Jigal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shafat, six in all. 23The sons of Neariah were Elioenai, Hezekiah, and Azrikam, three in all. 24The sons of Eljoenai were Hodavja, Eljashib, Pelaja, Ackub, Jochanan, Delaja, and Anani, seven in all.The descendants of Judah
41The sons of Judah were Perets, Chetsron, Karmi, Hur (Hebr.), and Shobal. 2Reaiah, the son of Shobal, was the father of Jahath, and Jahath was the father of Ahumai and Lahad. These were the families of the Sorgathites. 3These were the sons of Abi-Etam: Jizreel, Jishma, and Jidbash, and their sister was named Hatslelponi. 4and Penuel, the father of Gedor, and Ezer, the father of Hushah. These were the sons of Hur (Hebr. Chor), the firstborn of Ephrath, the father of Bethlehem. 5Ashur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives, Hela and Naara. 6Naara bore him Ahussam, Hefer, Timeni, and the Ahashtarites. These were the sons of Naara.
7The sons of Hela were Seret, Jishar, and Etnan. 8Kos was the father of Anub and Hassobeba, as were the families of Aharhel, the son of Harum.Jabez's prayer
9Jabez was more distinguished (honored, respected, had more dignity) than his brothers; his mother had named him Jabez [Hebr.: Jabets; similar to the word for pain], for she said, "I gave birth to him in pain (Hebr.: otsev)." 10Jabez cried out (prayed, invoked) to the God of Israel (Elohim) and said: If only you would bless me greatly
expand my territory (my border).
Let your hand be with me (let me be close to you)
keep me from evil, so that I may not cause myself pain."
God did as he requested (desired). 11Kelub, Shuha's brother, became the father of Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. 12Eshton became the father of Beit-Rafa, Pasea, and Tehinna, the father of Ir-Nahash. These were the men of Reka. 13The sons of Kena were Othniel and Seraja. 14Meonotaj became the father of Ofra, and Seraja became the father of Joav, the father of the craftsmen's clan, for they were craftsmen. 15The sons of Caleb [one of the twelve spies, see ], the son of Jephunneh, were Iru, Elah, and Naam, as were the sons of Elah and Kenaz. 16The sons of Jehallelel were Ziph and Ziphah, Tiriah and Azarel. 17The sons of Ezra were Jeter, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. And she [Bitiah, see ] conceived and bore Miriam, Shammah, and Jishba, the father of Eshtemoah. 18His Jewish wife bore Jered, the father of Gedor, and Heber, the father of Soko, and Jekutiel, the father of Sanoah. But the others were the sons of Bitja, the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered had taken as his wife. 19The sons of Hodiah's wife, Naham's sister, were the father of Keilah the Garmite and Eshtemoa the Maachathite. 20The sons of Simeon were Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan, and Tilon. The sons of Jish were Shohet and Shohet's son.the descendants of Shela
21The sons of Shelah, the son of Judah, were Er, the father of Lechah, and Lada, the father of Mareshah, and the families of the linen workers, of the house of Ashbea, 22also Jokim and the men of Koseba, and Joash and Saraf, who became lords of Moab, as well as Jasubi-Lehem. But this belongs to a distant time. 23These were the potters and the inhabitants of Netaim and Gedera. They lived there with the king and were in his service.Simeon, Reuben, Gad, and half of Manasseh
The descendants of Simeon
24The sons of Simeon were: Nemuel and Jamin, Jariv, Zerach, Saul (Hebr. Shaol). [The list groups Nemuel first and then the other four, see also ; ; .]
25His [Saul's] son was Shallum, his [Shallum's] son was Mivsam, his [Mivsam's] son was Mishma. 26The sons of Mishma were his son Hammuel, his son Zaccur, and his son Shimei. 27Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters. But his brothers did not have many children. As a whole, their family did not increase as much as the children of Judah. 28They lived in Beer-Sheba, Moladah, and Hazar-Shual, 29Bilhah, in Esem and in Tolad, 30Betoel, Hormah, and Ziklag, 31in Beit-Markabot, in Hazer-Susim, in Beit-Biri, and in Shaarajim. These were their cities until David became king. 32Their villages were Etam and Ajin, Rimmon, Token, and Ashan, five cities, 33and all their villages that were around these cities as far as Baal. [Baal means "lord," probably referring to Baalot-Beer in the south, see .] There they lived. [] They kept their own [special] genealogical records. [Genealogical records were official lists of names and families kept in archives. They were used for taxation and military service. Although the Simonites were a small tribe living in the middle of Judah, they had their own genealogical records.] 34In addition, [the following chiefs]: Meshobab, Jamlek, and Josha, Amaziah's son, 35and Joel and Jehu, son of Josibja, son of Seraja, son of Asiel, 36and Eljoenai, Jaakoba, Jeshohaja, Asaja, Adiel, Jesimiel, and Benajaho, 37and Sisa, son of Shifi, son of Allon, son of Jedai, son of Shimri, son of Shemaiah. 38These were the princes of their families.
And their families spread out and became numerous. 39They went up to Gedor [near Gaza], to the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their livestock. 40They found lush (abundant, rich) and good pasture, and the land had enough space. And it was peaceful and quiet, for those who lived there before were Hamites. 41But these who are listed here by name came in the days of King Hezekiah of Judah [715-687 BC] and destroyed their tents and struck down the Meunites who were there and exterminated them so that they no longer exist. Then they settled in their land, for there was pasture for their livestock. 42Of them, of the children of Simeon, five hundred men went to the hill country of Seir. And Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Jish, were their leaders. 43They struck down the remnant of the Amalekites who had escaped. Then they settled there and still live there today.The descendants of Reuben
51Reuben was the firstborn of Israel, for he was born first. But because he defiled his father's bed [by lying with Judah's concubine Bilhah, see ; ], his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, but not so that Joseph would be listed in the genealogy as the firstborn. 2For even though Judah was the most powerful among his brothers and one of his descendants became a prince, the birthright still went to Joseph. [The firstborn son received a double inheritance, see . It was also the responsibility of the eldest son to move the bones from the burial chamber to a bone box one year after the burial of a parent. See also ; ; ; .] 3The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanoch (Enoch), Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 4The sons of Joel were his son Shemaiah, his son Gog, his son Shimei, 5whose son was Mic., whose son was Reaja, whose son was Baal, 6and his son Beera, whom Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria carried into exile. He was the prince of the Reubenites. 7His brothers, when they were listed in the genealogical register according to their families, were: Jegiel, the chief, Zechariah 8and Bela, son of Asa, son of Shema, son of Joel. He lived in Aroer, and his settlements reached as far as Nebo and Baal-Meon. 9To the east, his settlements reached as far as the desert that stretches from the Euphrates River. They had large herds of livestock in the land of Gilead. 10But in Saul's time they waged war against the Hagarites [Arabs descended from Abraham's concubine Hagar, see ; ], who fell by their hand. Then they settled in their tents along the entire eastern side of Gilead.The descendants of Gad
11The children of Gad lived opposite them in the land of Bashan as far as Salca: 12Joel the chief, and then Shapham, and also Jaanai and Shaphath in Bashan. 13Their brothers, according to their families, were Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorah, James, Zia, and Eber, seven in all. 14These were the sons of Avichail, son of Huri, son of Jaroah, son of Gilead, son of Michael, son of Jeshishai, son of Jado, son of Boz. 15But Ahi, son of Abdiel, son of Guni, was the head of their families. 16They lived in Gilead in Bashan and its surrounding towns, as well as in all the pasturelands of Sharon, as far as they extended. 17All these were recorded in the genealogical register in the days of King Jotham of Judah [750-735 BC in the southern kingdom] and King Jeroboam of Israel [793-735 BC in the northern kingdom]. 18The children of Reuben and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh were valiant men who carried shield and sword and drew the bow and were trained for war. They numbered 44,760 men ready for battle. 19They fought against the Hagarites and against Jetur, Nafish, and Nodab. 20They were helped against them, so that the Hagrites and all who were with them were given into their hands. They cried out to God in battle, and he answered them, because they trusted in him. 21As spoils, they took away their herds of livestock, 50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, and 2,000 donkeys, as well as 100,000 people. 22Many had been killed, for the battle was from God. Then they settled in their land and lived there until the captivity. 23The children of half the tribe of Manasseh also lived there in the land, from Bashan to Baal-Hermon and Senir [the Amorite name, see ] and Mount Hermon, and they were numerous. 24These were the heads of their families: Epher, Jishi, Eliel, Asriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jadiel, mighty men of valor, famous men, and heads of their families. 25But they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers. In their unfaithfulness, they clung to the gods worshipped by the peoples of the land, the peoples whom God had destroyed before them. 26Then the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of the Assyrian king Pul [Tiglath-Pileser III], that is, the spirit of the Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser. He carried the people away into captivity, both the Reubenites and the Gadites and half the tribe of Manasseh. He brought them to Halah, [the river] Habor, Hara, and the stream of Gozan [in present-day northern Iraq], where they are to this day.Levi
The genealogy of the chief priests
[Chapter 6 with Levi is the central section of chapters 1-9.] 61Levi's sons were Gershom, Kehat, and Merari. 2The sons of Kohath were Amram, Jizhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 3The children of Amram were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam.
The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
4Elazar became the father of Phinehas, and Phinehas became the father of Abishua. 5Abishua was the father of Phinehas, and Phinehas was the father of Uzziel. 6Ussi became the father of Serachja, and Serachja became the father of Merajot. 7Meraioth became the father of Amariah, and Amariah became the father of Achituv. 8Achituv became the father of Tsadoq, and Tsadoq became the father of Achimaas. 9Achimaas became the father of Azariah, and Azariah became the father of Johanan. 10Jochanan became the father of Azariah, who was a priest in the temple Solomon built in Jerusalem. 11Azariah became the father of Amariah, and Amariah became the father of Achituv. 12Achituv became the father of Tsadoq, and Tsadoq became the father of Shallum. 13Shallum became the father of Hilkiah (Hebr. Chilqijaho) and Hilkiah became the father of Azariah. 14Azariah became the father of Seraiah, and Seraiah became the father of Josadak. 15but Jehotsadaq was deported when the Lord (Yahweh) allowed Nebuchadnezzar to take away the people of Judah and Jerusalem. [Jehotsadaq, also spelled Jozadak, concludes this list. He never assumed the role of high priest himself before he was deported. When the priesthood was restored after the exile, it was Joshua, Jehotsadaq's son, who took over, see ; ; .] 16The sons of Levi were Gershom, Kohath, and Merari. 17The sons of Gershom were Libni and Shimei. 18The sons of Kohath were Amram, Jizhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 19The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These are the Levitical families, listed according to their ancestors: 20Gershom had a son named Libni, whose son was Jahath, whose son was Zimmah, 21whose son was Joah, whose son was Iddo, whose son was Zerah, whose son was Jeothrai. 22The descendants of Kohath: his son was Amminadab, whose son was Korah, whose son was Assir, 23whose son was Elkanah, whose son was Jediael, whose son was Azaz, 24whose son was Tachat, whose son was Oriel, whose son was Ussia (Hebr. Uzzijaho), whose son was Saul. 25The descendants of Elkanah: Amasai and Ahimoth, 26whose son was Elkanah, whose son was Zophai, whose son was Nahath, 27whose son was Eliav, whose son was Jerocham, whose son was Elkanah, whose son was Samuel. 28Samuel's sons were Joel, the firstborn, and Abijah, the second.
29The descendants of Merari: Mahli, whose son was Libni, whose son was Shimei, whose son was Uzza, 30whose son was Shima, whose son was Haggia, whose son was Asaiah. 31These are the ones whom David appointed to be in charge of the singing in the house of the Lord (Yahweh) after the ark had been placed there. 32Until Solomon built the house of the Lord (Yahweh) in Jerusalem, they performed this service in front of the tabernacle (the tent of meeting, the dwelling place – Hebr. mishkan óhel móed), and they performed their duties according to the order that applied to them. 33These are the ones who, with their sons, performed this service:
Of the family of Kohath: Heman, the singer, son of Joel, son of Samuel, 34son of Elkanah, son of Jeroham, son of Eliel, son of Toah, 35son of Shuph, son of Elkanah, son of Machath, son of Amasai, 36son of Elkanah, son of Joel, son of Azariah, son of Zephaniah, 37son of Tachat, son of Assir, son of Evjasaf, son of Korach, 38son of Jishar, son of Kehat, son of Levi, son of Israel. 39Also Asaph, a singer like Heman, who stood on his right side, son of Berechiah, son of Shima, 40son of Michael, son of Maaseiah, son of Malkijah, 41son of Etni, son of Zerah, son of Adai, 42son of Eitan, son of Zimmah, son of Shimei, 43son of Jahath, son of Gershom, son of Levi. 44The descendants of Merari, who were also singers, stood on the left side: Eitan, son of Kishi, son of Avdi, son of Malluk, 45son of Hashabiah, son of Amasiah, son of Hilkiah (Hebr. Chilqijaho), 46son of Amsi, son of Bani, son of Semer, 47son of Mahli, son of Mushi, son of Merari, son of Levi. 48Their Levite brothers were assigned to perform all kinds of service in the dwelling place, the house of God.The descendants of Aaron
49But Aaron and his descendants were in charge of the sacrifices on the altar of burnt offering and the altar of incense. They took care of everything in the Most Holy Place and made atonement for Israel, just as Moses, the servant of God, had commanded. 50These are the descendants of Aaron: his son was Eleazar, whose son was Phinehas, whose son was Abishua, 51whose son was Bucki, whose son was Ussi, whose son was Serachja, 52whose son was Meraioth, whose son was Amariah, whose son was Ahitub, 53whose son was Zadok, whose son was Ahimaaz.the cities of the Levites
54These are the dwelling places of the Levites, the tent cities they had within their territories. The lot fell first to the descendants of Aaron from the family of Kohath, 55and they received Hebron in the land of Judah with its surrounding pasturelands, 56but the arable land and villages belonging to the city were given to Caleb, the son of Jephunneh. 57The descendants of Aaron received the cities of refuge of Hebron and Libnah with their pasture lands, Jattir and Eshtemoa with their pasture lands, 58Hilen with pasture lands, Devir with pasture lands, 59Ashan with pasture lands, and Beit-Shemesh with pasture lands 60and from the tribe of Benjamin, Geva with pasture lands, Alemet with pasture lands, and Anatot with pasture lands. In total, they had thirteen cities with associated pasture lands. 61The rest of the descendants of Kohath received ten cities from one half of the tribe of Manasseh, by lot, family by family. 62The descendants of Gershom received thirteen towns from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh in Bashan, by lot, family by family. 63The descendants of Merari received twelve cities from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun, by lot, family by family. 64The Israelites gave these cities and their pasturelands to the Levites. 65By lot they were given the cities whose names are listed above from the tribes of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin. 66Some families among the descendants of Kohath received cities within their territory from the tribe of Ephraim: 67they were given the city of refuge Shechem [present-day Nablus in Samaria, see ] with pasture lands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer with pasture lands, 68Jokmeam with pasture lands, Beit-Choron with pasture lands, 69Ajalon with pasture lands, and Gat-Rimmon with pasture lands 70and from the half-tribe of Manasseh, Aner with pasture lands and Bileam with pasture lands. All this was given to the families among the rest of the descendants of Kohath. 71The descendants of Gershom received, family by family, from the other half of the tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with pasture lands and Ashtaroth with pasture lands. 72From the tribe of Issachar they received Kedesh with pasture lands, Daverat with pasture lands, 73Ramoth with pasture lands, and Anem with pasture lands. 74from the tribe of Asher, Mashal with pasture lands, Avdon with pasture lands, 75Hukok with pasture lands, and Rechov with pasture lands, 76and from the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with pasture lands, Hammon with pasture lands, and Kirjatajim with pasture lands. 77The rest of Merari's descendants received from the tribe of Zebulun: Rimmon with pasturelands and Tabor with pasturelands. 78On the other side of the Jordan, opposite Jericho, east of the Jordan, they received from the tribe of Reuben Beser in the wilderness with pasture lands, Jahas with pasture lands, 79Kedem with pasture lands, and Mefaat with pasture lands 80and from the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with pasture lands, Mahanaim with pasture lands, 81Heshbon with pasture lands, and Jaazer with pasture lands.The descendants of Issachar
71The sons of Issachar were Tola, Pua, Jashub, and Shimron, four in all. 2The sons of Tola were Ussi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Jibsam, and Samuel, heads of their families. They were descendants of Tola, brave warriors, listed according to their genealogy. In David's time, their number was 22,600. 3Ussi's son was Jisraja, and Jisraja's sons were Michael, Obadja, Joel, and Jishia, five in all, all heads of families. 4With them were armed troops, 36,000 men according to their genealogy and their families, for they had many wives and children. 5Their brothers in all the families of Issachar were valiant warriors. Those listed in their genealogical records numbered 87,000.The descendants of Benjamin
6The sons of Benjamin were Bela, Becher, and Jediael, three in all. 7The sons of Bela were Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri, five in all, heads of their families, mighty men of valor. Those listed in their genealogical records numbered 22,034. 8The sons of Beker were Zimri, Joash, Eliezer, Elkoenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Avijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth.
All these were the sons of Beker.
9Those listed in their genealogical records according to their lineage, according to the heads of their families, brave warriors, numbered 20,200. 10Jediael's son was Bilhan. Bilhan's sons were Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Kenaana, Setan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar. 11All these were the sons of Jediael, listed according to the heads of their families, mighty men of valor, 17,200 men ready for war. 12Shoppim and Choppim were the sons of Ir. Chosim was the son of Aher.The descendants of Naphtali
13The sons of Naphtali were Jahaziel, Guni, Isa, and Shallum, the sons of Bilhah.The descendants of Manasseh
14The sons of Manasseh were Asriel, whom his Aramean concubine bore to him. She also bore Machir, the father of Gilead. 15Machir took as his wife a sister of Choppim and Shoppim named Maacha. His other son was named Tselofechad. And Tselofechad had [only] daughters. [] 16Maacah, the wife of Machir, bore a son and named him Peresh. His brother was Sheresh. His sons were Ulam and Rekem. 17The son of Ulam was Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead, son of Machir, son of Manasseh. 18His sister was Hammoleket. She bore Ish-Hod, Abieser, and Mahla.
19The sons of Shemida were Ajan, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.the descendants of Ephraim
20The sons of Ephraim were Shuthelah, his son Bered, his son Tahath, his son Eledah, his son Tahath, 21his son Sabad, his son Shutela, and Eser and Eled. Men from Gath who were born in the land killed them because they had gone down to take their flocks. 22Then their father Ephraim mourned for a long time, and his brothers came to comfort him. 23He went in to his wife, and she conceived and bore a son. He named him Beriah, because it had happened during a time of trouble for his house. 24His daughter was Sheerah. She built Lower and Upper Beth-Horon, as well as Uzzun-Sheerah. 25His son was Refa. His son was Reshef, and his son was Tela, and his son was Tahan, 26whose son was Ladan, whose son was Ammihud, whose son was Elishama, 27whose son was Non, whose son was Joshua. 28Their possessions and their settlements were Bethel and its surrounding villages, Naaran to the east and Gezer to the west with its surrounding villages, and also Shechem with its surrounding villages as far as Aja [near Bethel] with its surrounding villages. []
29But the children of Manasseh possessed Beit-Shan with its villages, Taanach with its villages, Megiddo with its villages, and Dor with its villages.
Here lived the children of Joseph, the son of Israel.
The descendants of Asher
30The sons of Asher were Jimnah, Jishvah, Jishvi, and Beriah. Their sister was Serach. [] 31The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel. He was the father of Birzaith. 32Heber became the father of Japhlet, Shomer, and Hotham, and Shua, their sister. 33The sons of Japhlet were Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. These were the sons of Japhlet. 34The sons of Shemer were Ahi, Rohah, Jaba, and Aram.
35His brother Helem's sons were Tsofa, Jimna, Shelesh, and Amal. 36The sons of Tsofa were Sua, Harnefer, Shual, Beri, and Jimra. 37Beser, Hod, Shamma, Shilsha, Jitran, and Beera. 38The sons of Jether were Jephunneh, Pispah, and Ara. 39The sons of Ulla were Ara, Hanniel, and Risha. 40All these were the sons of Asher, heads of their families, chosen warriors, leaders among the princes. Those listed in their genealogical records as fit for military service numbered 26,000.Royal family – Saul's family
The descendants of Benjamin
81Benjamin became the father of Bela, his firstborn, Ashbel, the second, and Ahara, the third. 2Noha the fourth, and Rafa the fifth. 3Bela had the following sons: Addar, Gera, Abihud, 4Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah, 5Gera, Shephuphan, and Horam. 6These were the sons of Ehud, and they were the leaders of those who lived in Geba and were taken away to Manahath, 7where Gera, along with Naaman and Ahia, took them. He became the father of Uzza and Ahihud. 8Shaharajim had children in the land of Moab after he had divorced his wives Hushim and Baara. 9By his wife Hodesh he had Jobab, Zibja, Mesha, Malkam, 10Jeush, Sakeja, and Mirma. These were his sons, heads of families. 11By Hushim he had sons Abitub and Elpaal. 12Elpaal's sons were Eber, Misham, and Shemed [Shemer]. He was the one who built Ono and Lod with its surrounding towns. 13Beriah and Shema were heads of the inhabitants of Aijalon. They drove out the inhabitants of Gath. 14Achjo, Shashak, and Jeremot, 15Zebadiah, Arad, and Eder, 16Michael, Jishpa, and Joha were the sons of Beria. 17Zebadiah (Hebr. Zevadjaho), Meshullam, Hiskiah (Hebr. Chizqi), Heber (Hebr. Chever), 18Jishmeraj, Jislia, and Jobab were the sons of Elpaal. 19Jakim, Sikri, Sabdi, 20Elienai, Silletai, Eliel, 21Adaja, Beraja, and Shimrat were the sons of Shimei. 22Jishpan, Eber, Eliel, 23Abdon, Zikri, Hanan, 24Hananja, Elam, Antotja, 25Jifdeja, and Peniel were the sons of Shashak. 26Shamsherah, Sheharah, Athaliah (Hebr. Ataljaho), 27Jaareshja, Elia, and Sikri were the sons of Jeroham. 28These were the heads of families, heads according to their lineage. They lived in Jerusalem. 29In Gibeon lived the father of Gibeon, and his wife's name was Maacah. 30His firstborn son was Abdon, and also Sur, Kish, Baal, Nadab, 31Gedor, Achjo, and Seker. 32But Miklot became the father of Shima. These also lived with their brothers in Jerusalem, opposite their brothers.The family of King Saul
33Ner was the father of Kish, Kish was the father of Saul, and Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Avinadav, and Eshbaal [Ish-Boshet, see ]. 34Jonathan's son was Merib-Baal [Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son, see ], and Merib-Baal became the father of Mic. 35The sons of Micah were Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz. 36Ahaz was the father of Joadda, Joadda was the father of Alemet, Asmavet, and Simri, and Simri was the father of Mosa. 37Mosa was the father of Bina, whose son was Rafa, whose son was Elasa, and whose son was Asel. 38Asel had six sons, whose names were Asrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Shearja, Obadja, and Hanan. All these were the sons of Asel. 39His brother Eshek's sons were Ulam, his firstborn, Jeush, the second, and Eliphelet, the third. 40The sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor, skilled in the use of the bow. They had many sons and grandsons, 150 in all. All these were of the children of Benjamin.Present-day Israel
Jerusalem after captivity
91All Israel was recorded in genealogical registers, and they are listed in the book of the kings of Israel. [Refers to official lists of names and families kept in archives. Used for taxation and military service.]
Judah was taken away into captivity to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness. 2The first to settle in their ancestral possessions and in their cities were Israelites, priests, Levites, and temple servants. 3Some of the children of Judah, some of the children of Benjamin, and some of the children of Ephraim and Manasseh lived in Jerusalem, namely: 4Utaj, son of Ammihud, son of Omri, son of Imri, son of Bani, of the children of Perets, son of Judah 5of the Shilonites, Asaiah the firstborn and his sons, 6of the children of Zerah, Jehuel and his brothers, 690, 7of the children of Benjamin, Sallu, the son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah, 8and Jibneja, son of Jeroham, and Elah, son of Ussi, son of Mikri, and Meshullam, son of Shephatiah, son of Reguel, son of Jibneja, 9and their brothers according to their genealogy, 956 in all. All these men were heads of families, each one the head of his family.the priests in Jerusalem
10Of the priests: Jedaiah, Jojarib, and Jachin, 11and Azariah, son of Hilkiah (Hebr. Chilqijaho), son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, prince of the house of God, 12and Adai, son of Jeroham, son of Pashur, son of Malkijah, and Maasai, son of Adiel, son of Jasher, son of Meshullam, son of Meshillemit, son of Immer, 13and their brothers, heads of their families. There were 1,760 men, skilled in the work of the service of the house of God.the Levites in Jerusalem
14Of the Levites: Shemaiah, son of Hashub, son of Asrikam, son of Hashabiah, of the children of Merari, 15and also Bakbakkai, Cheresh (meaning "mute") and Galal, as well as Mattaniah, son of Mic., son of Zikri, son of Asaph, 16and Obadiah, son of Shemaiah, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun, as well as Berechiah, son of Asa, son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.The gatekeepers in Jerusalem
17The gatekeepers: Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, and Ahiman with their brothers. Shallum was the chief. 18They still serve at the King's Gate on the east side. These were the gatekeepers in the camp of the sons of Levi. 19But Shallum, son of Kore, son of Ebjasaph, son of Korah, and his brothers in his father's family, the Korahites, were in charge of guarding the thresholds of the tent. Their fathers had guarded the entrance to the camp of the Lord. 20Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, had previously been prince over them—may the Lord be with him! 21Zechariah, the son of Meshelemiah, was the gatekeeper at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 22All those chosen to be gatekeepers at the thresholds numbered 212. They were recorded in the genealogical register in their villages. David and the seer Samuel had appointed them to serve with honor and faith. 23They and their sons therefore stood at the gates of the house of the Lord (Yahweh), the tabernacle, and kept watch. 24The gatekeepers had their places according to the four directions: east, west, north, and south. 25Their brothers, who lived in their villages, would help them from time to time for periods of seven days. 26In good faith, these four, who were Levites, were the leaders of the gatekeepers. They were also responsible for the chambers and storerooms in the house of God. 27They spent the night around the house of God, for it was their duty to keep watch, and they were to open the doors every morning.The other Levites
28Some of them were responsible for the vessels used in the service. They counted them and brought them in, and counted them again before bringing them out. 29Some of them were appointed to be in charge of the other vessels, all the other vessels in the sanctuary, as well as the fine flour, the wine, the oil, the incense, and the fragrant spices. 30And some of the sons of the priests prepared the ointment of the fragrant spices. 31Mattithiah, one of the Levites, the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, was in charge of baking the bread for the offerings. 32Some of their brothers, the sons of the Kohathites, were responsible for the showbread and were to prepare it for every Sabbath. 33But the others, namely the singers, heads of Levitical families, remained in the chambers and were exempt from all other service, because they were busy with their service day and night. 34These were the heads of the Levitical families, heads according to their ancestral lines. They lived in Jerusalem. 35In Gibeon lived Gibeon's father, Jeuel. His wife's name was Maacah. 36His firstborn son was Abdon, followed by Sur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, 37Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth. 38And Miklot became the father of Shimam. They also lived with their brothers in Jerusalem, opposite their brothers. 39Ner was the father of Kish, Kish was the father of Saul, and Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal. 40Jonathan's son was Merib-Baal, and Merib-Baal became the father of Micah. 41The sons of Micah were Pithon, Melech, and Taharea. 42Ahaz [Mic.'s fourth son, see ] became the father of Jara, Jara of Alemet, Asmavet, and Simri, and Simri became the father of Mosa. 43Mosa was the father of Bina. His son was Rephaiah. His son was Elasa, and his son was Asel. 44Asel had six sons, whose names were Asrikam, Bokeru, Ishmael, Shearja, Obadja, and Hanan. These were the sons of Asel.Stories about David (chapters 10-21)
David becomes king – Jerusalem is captured
Saul takes his own life (1 Sam. 31)
[Now follow stories from David's life. In comparison with the First Book of Samuel, events and stories in which he is described as weak or immoral are omitted. Material that is only found here is how David prepares for the construction of the temple (). David is likened to a "Moses" who receives instructions on how the temple service is to be performed ().] 101The Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. 2The Philistines pressed hard against Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul's sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malki-Shua. 3As the battle raged around Saul and the archers found him, he was severely wounded by the archers. 4He [Saul] said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and pierce me, lest these uncircumcised men come and mock me." But his armor-bearer would not, for he was very afraid. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it. 5When the armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died. 6So Saul and his three sons died. All who belonged to his house died at the same time. 7When all the Israelites in the valley saw that their army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. Then the Philistines came and settled in them. 8The next day, the Philistines came to plunder the slain, and they found Saul and his sons lying on Mount Gilboa. 9They plundered him and took his head and his weapons and sent them around the land of the Philistines, telling the good news to their idols and to the people. 10They placed his weapons in the temple of their gods and hung his head in the temple of Dagon. 11When the inhabitants of Jabesh in Gilead [20 km east of Beit-Shean] heard about all that the Philistines had done to Saul, 12all the men of valor arose and took the dead bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. They buried their bones under the terebinth tree in Jabesh and fasted for seven days. 13Such was the death of Saul, because he had been unfaithful to the Lord (Yahweh). He had not kept the Lord's prov, and had also consulted a spirit medium [] to get answers. 14He had not sought answers from the Lord (Yahweh). Therefore, the Lord killed him and transferred the kingdom to David, the son of Jesse.David becomes king over all Israel (2 Sam. 5:1-3)
111All Israel gathered around David in Hebron and said, "We are your own flesh and blood. 2Long ago, when Saul was still king, it was you [David] who was the leader and commander of Israel. And the Lord (Yahweh), your God (Elohim), has said to you: You shall feed (shepherd; be a shepherd for – Hebr. raah) my people Israel, you shall be a prince over my people Israel." 3When all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord (Yahweh). Then they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the Lord through Samuel. 4David went with all Israel to Jerusalem, that is, Jebus (Jebus), where the Jebusites lived. 5The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, "You shall not come in here!" But David captured the stronghold of Zion, which is now the City of David. 6David said, "Whoever strikes the Jebusites first shall be commander-in-chief and chief." Joab, the son of Zeruiah, came up first, and he became commander-in-chief. 7David then settled in the stronghold, and that is why it was called the City of David. 8He built the city around it, from Millo and onward, and Joab restored the rest of the city. 9David grew stronger and stronger, and the Lord Almighty was with him.David's Campaigns
10These are the chiefs of David's mighty men, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel, so that he was made king over Israel according to the word of the Lord. 11This is the list of David's mighty men: Jashobeam, the son of a Hakmonite, chief among the warriors, who swung his spear over 300 slain at once. 12After him was Elazar the Ahohite, the son of Dodo. He was one of the three heroes. 13He was with David at Pas-Dammim when the Philistines had gathered there for battle. There was a field full of barley, and the people fled from the Philistines. 14Then they stood in the middle of the field and defended it and defeated the Philistines, and the Lord gave them a great victory. 15Three of the thirty chief men went down over the cliff to David at the cave of Adullam, while a detachment of Philistines had camped in the Valley of Rephaim. 16David was then in the stronghold (the strong fortress – Hebr. matsodah) [in Adullam, see ], and there was a Philistine outpost in Bethlehem. 17David said longingly, "If only someone would bring me some water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem!" 18So the three broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem, and brought it to David. But David would not drink it, but poured it out as a drink offering to the Lord (Yahweh). 19He said, "Never, before my God, would I do such a thing! Would I drink the blood of these men? They have risked their lives; they have brought it here at the risk of their lives." And he would not drink it. Such feats had the three heroes performed. [Blood is likened to life in and drinking/eating blood is forbidden in . David equated the water from the spring with the blood of these three men, because they had risked their lives to fetch it. But their feat was not in vain, David fulfilled by pouring the water on the ground.] 20Avishai, Joab's brother, was the foremost of three others. He once swung his spear over 300 slain men. He had a great name among the three. 21He was twice as renowned as any other in this trio, and he was their commander. But he did not reach the level of the first three. 22In addition, Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada from Kabzeel, was a brave man and did many great deeds. He struck down the two Ariels in Moab, and it was he who, on a snowy day, went down and killed the lion in the pit. 23He also struck down the Egyptian, a man of great stature, who was five cubits [2.25 meters] tall. Although the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver's beam in his hand, he went against him armed only with his staff. He snatched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with his own spear. 24Such were the exploits of Benaiyah, the son of Jehoiada, and he had a great name among the three heroes. 25He was more highly regarded than any of the thirty, but he did not reach the level of the first three. David made him the leader of his bodyguard. 26The brave heroes were:
Asahel, Joab's brother,
Elhanan, the son of Dodo, from Bethlehem,
27Shammot the Harorite,
Heles the Pelonite,
28Ira the Tekoite, the son of Ikkesh,
Abiezer the Anathothite,
29Sibbecai the Hushathite,
Ilai the Ahohite,
30Mahrai the Netophathite,
Heled the Netophathite, son of Baanah,
31Itai, son of Ribai, from Gibeah in the tribe of Benjamin,
Benayah, the Pirgathonite,
32Huraj from the valleys of Gaash,
Arabathite Abiel,
33the Aharumite Asmaveth,
the Shaalbonite Eljaba,
34the Gisonite Bene-Hashem,
the Hararite Jonathan, son of Shage,
35Ahiam the Hararite, son of Zaccur,
Eliphal, son of Ur,
36Hefer the Mekarite,
Ahia the Pelonite,
37Hesro from Carmel,
Naaraj, son of Esba,
38Joel, brother of Nathan,
Mibhar, son of Hagri,
39Selek the Ammonite,
Nahrah the Barothite, armor-bearer to Joab, the son of Zeruiah,
40the Jetherite Ira,
the Jetherite Gareb,
41Uriah the Hittite,
Sabad, son of Alah,
42Adina the Reubenite, son of Shisha, a chief among the Reubenites, and with him 30 others,
43Hanan, son of Maacah,
and Josaphat, the Mitnite,
44Ussia the Ashtarothite,
Shama and Jeiel, the sons of Hotam the Aroerite,
45Jediael, son of Shimri, and his brother Joha, the Tisite,
46Eliel the Mahavite,
and Jeribai and Joshavya, sons of Elnaam,
and Jitma the Moabite,
47and finally Eliel, Obed, and Jaaziel the Mesobite. 121These were the ones who came to David at Ziklag while he was hiding from Saul, the son of Kish. They were among the heroes who helped him during the war. 2They were armed with bows and skilled in slinging stones and shooting arrows from bows with either their right or left hands.
From Saul's kinsmen, the Benjaminites, came the following: 3Ahiezer, the chief,
and Joash, the sons of Hashema, the Gibeathite,
Jeshuel and Pelet, the sons of Asmaveth,
Beraka, Jehu the Anathothite,
4and Jishmaiah the Givonite,
one of the thirty heroes and leader of the thirty,
Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan,
Josabad the Gederathite,
5Elusai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah,
Haruphite Shephatiah,
6the Korahites Elkanah, Jishia,
Asarel, Joeser, and Jashobeam,
7Joel, and Zebadiah,
sons of Jeroham of Gedor.
8Some of the Gadites went over to David at the stronghold in the wilderness, brave men, warriors skilled in battle, armed with shield and spear. Their faces were like the faces of lions, and they were as swift as gazelles on the mountains: 9Ezer, the chief,
Obadiah, the second,
Eliab, the third,
10Mishmannah the fourth,
Jer. the fifth,
11Attai, the sixth,
Eliel, the seventh,
12Johanan, the eighth,
Elsabad, the ninth.
13Jeremiah, the tenth,
Makbannai, the eleventh.
14These were of the sons of Gad, and were chief men in the host: the least of them was equal to a hundred, and the greatest to a thousand. 15They were the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it overflowed all its banks and drove out all who lived in the valleys, east and west. 16Some men of the children of Benjamin and Judah came to David in his stronghold. 17Then David went out to meet them and said to them, "If you come to me with peaceful intentions and want to help me, I am ready to join with you. But if you come to betray me to my enemies, even though my hands are free from violence, then the God of our fathers will see it and punish it." 18But the Spirit came upon Amasai, the chief of the thirty, and he said, "We are yours, David,
and with you we stand, O son of Jesse.
Peace, peace be with you,
and peace be with those who help you,
for your God helps you!"
David accepted them and made them commanders of his army.
19Some of Manasseh defected to David when he went out with the Philistines to fight Saul. But David and his men were not allowed to help the Philistines, for the princes of the Philistines consulted together and sent him away, saying, "He will cost us our heads if he goes over to his master Saul!" 20When he went to Ziklag, these men from Manasseh defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Eliho, and Zillethai, chiefs of the clans of Manasseh. 21They helped David against the raiding parties, for they were all brave warriors and became leaders in the army. 22Day after day more and more men joined David to help him, until he had an army as large as the army of God. 23This is the number of the armed warriors who came to David at Hebron to transfer Saul's kingship to him, as the Lord commanded: 24the sons of Judah who carried shield and spear, 6,800 armed for battle,
25of the sons of Simeon, brave warriors, 7,100,
26of the sons of Levi, 4,600,
27and Jehoiada, the prince of the house of Aaron, and with him 3,700,
28besides Zadok, a brave young man with his father's family, 22 commanders,
29of the sons of Benjamin, the kinsmen of Saul, 3,000—for at that time most of them still held fast to the house of Saul—
30from the sons of Ephraim, 2,800 brave warriors, renowned men in their families,
31from the half-tribe of Manasseh, 18,000 men of renown who came to make David king,
32from the sons of Issachar, men who understood the signs of the times and realized what Israel should do, 200 commanders and all their kinsmen under their command,
33from Zebulun, men ready for battle, armed with all kinds of weapons, 50,000 who came wholeheartedly, 34from Naphtali, 1,000 officers and with them 37,000 armed with shields and spears,
35of the Danites, men armed for battle, 28,600,
36from Asher, men ready for battle, 40,000,
37and from beyond the Jordan, from the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, 120,000, armed for battle with all kinds of weapons. 38All these warriors came to Hebron, ready for battle, determined to make David king over all Israel. All the rest of Israel also agreed to make David king. 39They stayed with David for three days, eating and drinking, for their brothers had provided them with food. 40Those who lived nearest to them, as far as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, also brought them food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen: flour, fig cakes, raisin cakes, wine, oil, cattle, and sheep. There was joy in Israel.The desire to bring back the ark (2 Sam. 6)
131David consulted with the commanders and officers and all the princes. 2Then David said to the whole assembly of Israel, "If you agree and if it is from the Lord (Yahweh), our God (Elohim), let us send word to all our brothers throughout the land of Israel and also to the priests and Levites in their cities with pasturelands, that they should gather to us. 3Let us bring the ark of our God to us, for we did not inquire after it in the days of Saul." 4The whole assembly answered that they would do so, for everyone thought the proposal was good. 5David then gathered all Israel, from Shihor in Egypt to the place where the road goes to Hamath [in present-day southern Syria, not far from Tell Dan, see ], to bring the ark of God from Kiriath Jearim. 6David went with all Israel to Baalah, to Kiriath Jearim [13 km west of Jerusalem], which belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of the Lord (Yahweh), God (Elohim), who sits enthroned above the cherubim and after whom it [the ark] was named. [] 7They put the ark of God on a new cart and took it away from the house of Abinadab. Uzzah and Ahio were driving the cart. [Ahio was walking in front, see 2 Sam. 6:4.] 8David and all Israel danced before the Lord with all their might, with songs and harps, lyres, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets. 9But when they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah reached out his hand to steady the ark, because the oxen stumbled. 10Then the Lord's anger was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him down because he had put out his hand toward the ark, and he fell down dead there before God. 11But David was upset because the Lord (Yahweh) had broken down (Hebr. perets) Uzzah, so he called that place Peres-Uzzah, as it is still called today. [Perets means to break down and Uzzah means strong. The place is only 1 km west of Jerusalem.] 12David was seized with such fear of God that day that he said, "How could I dare bring the ark of God to me?" 13Therefore, David did not move the ark into the City of David, but took it aside to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. 14And the ark of God remained in the house of Obed-Edom and his family for three months. And the Lord blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that he owned. 141Hiram, king of Tyre, sent messengers to David with cedar wood, masons, and carpenters to build a house for him. 2David realized that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, for he had exalted his kingdom for the sake of his people Israel. 3David took more wives in Jerusalem, and David had more sons and daughters. 4These are the names of the sons he had in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 5Jibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, 6Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 7Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet. 8When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they all went up to search for David. When David heard this, he went out against them. 9The Philistines came and invaded the Valley of Rephaim. 10David asked God (Elohim), "Should I go up against the Philistines? Will you deliver them into my hand?"
The Lord (Yahweh) answered him, "Go up. I will deliver them into your hand." 11They went up to Baal-Perazim, and there David defeated them. David said, "God broke down my enemies by my hand like a flood." That is why the place was called Baal-Perazim. 12They left their gods there, and David commanded that they be burned with fire. 13But the Philistines moved back into the valley. 14When David inquired of God again, God answered him, "You shall not go up after them. Go around them and attack them from the direction of the balsam trees ("the weeping trees" – Hebr. bachaim). 15As soon as you hear the sound of footsteps in the tops of the bacha trees, go out to battle, for then God has gone out before you to strike down the Philistine army." [The tree is probably a balsam tree (Mecca balsam, Gilead balsam) that drips sap when its branches and leaves are broken off. The name comes from the verb for weeping (Hebr. bacha), see also ; .] 16David did as God commanded him. They defeated the Philistine army and pursued them from Gibeon to Gezer [along the Ajion Valley to the west, halfway to the Mediterranean coast]. 17And the fame of David spread throughout all the countries, and the Lord caused all peoples to fear him.The ark is brought to Jerusalem
[This is the central passage in chapters 10-22. The first and last passages dealt with David's conquest of Jerusalem (where the ark was to be placed). This passage is framed by two desires: to bring the ark to Jerusalem (chapters 13-14) and to build the house of the Lord (Yahweh) (chapter 17).] 151David built a house for himself in the City of David. He also prepared a place for the ark of God (Elohim) and pitched a tent for it. 2and he said, "No one but the Levites shall carry the ark of God, for the Lord has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to serve him forever." 3David gathered all Israel to Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to the place he had prepared for it. 4David gathered the sons of Aaron and the Levites: 5of the sons of Kohath:
Oriel, their leader, and his brothers—120,
6of the sons of Merari:
Asaiah, their leader, and his brothers—220,
7of the sons of Gershon:
Joel, their leader, and his brothers – 130,
8of the sons of Elizaphan:
Shemaiah, their leader, and his brothers – 200,
9of the sons of Hebron:
Eliel, their leader, and his brothers – 80,
10of the sons of Uzziel:
Amminadab, their leader, and his brothers – 112. 11David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar and the Levites Oriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab 12and said to them, "You are the heads of the families of the Levites. Consecrate yourselves, you and your brothers, and bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it. 13Because you were not with us the last time, the Lord (Yahweh), our God (Elohim), broke one of us down. We did not seek him in the right way." 14So the priests and Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. 15And as Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord (Yahweh), the Levites carried the ark of God (Elohim) with poles resting on their shoulders. 16David told the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brothers, the singers, to serve with musical instruments, lyres, harps, and cymbals, which they would sound while raising songs of joy. 17The Levites then appointed Heman, the son of Joel, and from among his brothers, Asaph, the son of Berechiah, and from among their brothers, the children of Merari, Eitan, the son of Kushaiah, 18and with them their brothers of the second order, Zechariah, Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphaluh, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers. 19The singers Heman, Asaph, and Ethan were to sound the bronze cymbals. 20Zechariah, Asiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliav, Maaseiah, and Benajah were to play the lyres to the alamot [meaning virgins, see also ; ]. 21Mattithiah, Eliphal, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jehiel, and Asaiah were to lead with harps to sheminit. [Here, sheminit is used in contrast to alamot. The word alamot comes from Hebr. almah (young woman) and probably describes light soprano voices. In this context, sheminit can then describe dark tones in contrast to light ones.] 22Kenanja (Hebr. Kenanjaho), the leader of the Levites when they carried [the ark], would teach them how to carry it because he was knowledgeable in this area. [The word for burden (Hebr. ) is also used in prophetic messages, see ; ; .] 23Berechiah and Elkanah were to be gatekeepers for the ark. 24Shebaniah, Jehoshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, were to blow trumpets before the ark of God, and Obed-Edom and Jehiah were to be gatekeepers for the ark. 25So David and the elders of Israel and the commanders went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom with rejoicing. 26Because God helped the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord (Yahweh), seven bulls and seven rams were sacrificed. 27David was dressed in a robe of fine linen. So were all the Levites who carried the ark, as well as the singers and Kenaniah, who led the singers as they carried it. David also wore a linen ephod. 28All Israel [united, see ] brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord (Yahweh) with shouts of joy and the sound of shofars. They blew trumpets and rang cymbals and played lyres and harps. 29When the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to David's city, Saul's daughter Michal looked out the window, and when she saw King David leaping and dancing, she despised him in her heart. [A longer description is found in 2 Sam. 6:16, 20, 23.] 161After they had brought in the ark of God, they placed it in the tent that David had pitched for it, and then offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God. 2When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. 3And to everyone in Israel, both men and women, he gave a loaf of bread [a round loaf, see ], a date cake (Hebr. eshpar, an unusual word, perhaps meat or bread baked in a mold) and a grape cake [a sweet bread, see ; ]. [Everyone joined in the festivities, see also .] 4He appointed some Levites to serve before the ark of the Lord and to praise, thank, and bless the Lord (Yahweh), the God of Israel: 5Asaph as leader, followed by Zechariah, and also Jehiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom, and Jehiel with lyres and harps. Asaph was to play the cymbals. 6But the priests Benaiah and Jahaziel were to blow the trumpets continually before the ark of God's covenant.David's psalm of thanksgiving
[This psalm, verses 8-36, is compiled from the contents of several different psalms. Verses 8-22 (from ), verses 23-33 (from ), (from ) and verses 35-36 (from ).] 7On that day, David gave this song of praise to the Lord (Yahweh) to Asaph and his brothers for the first time: 8Give thanks to the Lord (Yahweh), call upon his name;
proclaim his deeds among the peoples. []
9Sing to him, make music to him,
meditate (think about, reflect on) all his wonderful deeds (all the amazing things he has done). []
10Take pride in his holy name,
let the hearts of those who seek the Lord (Yahweh) rejoice. []
11Ask for (seek; take refuge in; often appear before—Hebr. darash) the Lord (Yahweh) and his strength (power) [salvation],
seek (search, ask; long for – Hebr. baqash) his face (presence) constantly (daily, always, forever). [Ps 105:5] [In Hebrew, two different verbs (darash and baqash) are used, which are translated as "ask for" and "seek." Darash describes a careful search and consists of the three letters , and . The Hebrew pictograms reinforce the meaning of the words. The letter depicts a door and is often associated with choices and decisions. describes the front of a head, and the last letter, , represents a tooth, i.e., something that crushes. The word darash lets us understand that it is about an active choice of path where one regularly seeks God's face and his power.
Baqash also has three letters (bet, and ), where , which illustrates God's power (just as in darash), comes last. is an image of a house and represents the back of a head. Baqash depicts a search that starts from a place of residence and thus brings with it God's perspective on existence. The order matters. The first step is to seek the Lord and his strength—with him is salvation, see . From that position, the prayer is then to remain in God's presence. The original meaning of the last Hebrew word tamid comes from the verb for "to stretch/extend," i.e., to constantly, continually, always, and forever seek God. The Lord, his face, and his strength belong together. If God himself turns his face toward us, who can be against us, see ; .]
12Remember his wonderful deeds,
all the amazing things he has done,
his miracles and his judgments.
13The seed of Abraham, his servant,
the sons (children) of Jacob, his chosen ones. []
14He is the Lord (Yahweh), our God (Yahweh Elohim).
His judgments are in all the earth.
15He has remembered his covenant forever,
the words he commanded for a thousand generations.
16The covenant he established (cut) with Abraham,
and the oath he gave to Isaac. [The covenant is a blood covenant, ; ; and in Hebrew the expression is always that one cuts a covenant. This points to Jesus, who, when he gave us the renewed covenant, did so with his wounds and by shedding his blood for us.] 17He has confirmed it to Jacob as a statute,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant. 18You say, "To you I will give the land of Canaan,
your entire inheritance." []
19When they were few in number, indeed very few,
and traveled through it (the promised land),
20when they went from country to country,
from one kingdom to another people,
[The land that God had chosen was inhabited by several ethnic groups before Israel took over the land.]
21he did not allow anyone to wrong them,
he punished kings for their sake.
22[And said:] "Do not touch my anointed ones (chosen ones)
and do not harm my prophets." [The theme now shifts from dealing with Israel to how God reigns over the whole world. The following passage, verses 23-29, draws heavily on .] 23Sing to the Lord (Yahweh) for glory,
all the earth.
Proclaim (announce the joyful message of victory) how he saves us (his salvation)
every day (from day to day)!
24Make his glory (mighty presence) known among the nations,
recount his wonders (miraculous, wonderful deeds) to all people. 25For great (magnificent) is the Lord (Yahweh), highly praised,
worthy of reverence and worship, more than all gods (elohim).
26For all the gods (elohim) of the nations are emptiness (idols – Hebr. elilim) [similar to the word for gods],
but the Lord (Yahweh) is the one who made (appointed – Hebr. asah) the heavens. 27Majesty and glory are before his face (surround him),
strength (power, might to conquer) and joy are in his dwelling place.
[God is the source of our strength and joy!] [The passage begins with three exhortations to "give to the Lord."] 28Give to the Lord (Yahweh), all the families (clans) of the peoples.
Give to the Lord (Yahweh) glory and power. []
29Give to the Lord (Yahweh) the glory that belongs to his name.
Bring an offering, and come before his face [ had courtyards when the temple was built].
Worship the Lord (Yahweh) in holy attire. 30Tremble before him, all the earth (Hebr. erets),
the world (Hebr. tevel) stands firm, it cannot be shaken (waver).
[Here is a different phrase compared to .] [Three exhortations to heaven, sea, and earth:] 31Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad [Ps 96:11],
and among the nations let them say: The Lord (Yahweh) is king! [The first four Hebrew words are Yishmuho Ha'shamaim Ve'tagel Ha'erets (rejoice – heaven – and be glad – earth). The initial letters form an acrostic pattern for God's name JHVH. More examples are ; ; ; .] 32Let the sea roar, with all that fills it.
Let the earth rejoice, together with everything on it. 33Then all the trees of the forest shall rejoice (triumph, shout for joy) before the Lord (Yahweh), for he is coming,
he is coming to judge the earth.
He shall judge the world with righteousness,
and the peoples with his faithfulness (truthfulness). [] 34Give thanks [with open hands—praise, honor, and acknowledge] to the Lord (Yahweh), for he is good,
for his mercy (caring love—Hebr. chesed) endures forever (eternally). []
35And say: "Save us, Lord (Yahweh), our God (Elohim),
and gather us from among the nations [the countries where they have been scattered]
so that we may give thanks [with open hands – praise, honor, and acknowledge] your holy name
and triumph in your praise." []
36Blessed be the Lord (Yahweh), the God of Israel (Elohim),
from everlasting to everlasting,
And all the people said,
"Amen!" and praised (blessed) the Lord (Yahweh). [The first stanza is identical to . The exhortation in the second stanza that all peoples should say "Amen" is paraphrased and describes how all peoples now do so.] 37David left Asaph and his brothers there [in Jerusalem] before the ark of the covenant of the Lord (Yahweh) to serve before the ark according to the regulations for each day. 38Obed-Edom and his brothers were 68 in number. He made Obed-Edom, the son of Jeduthun, and Hos gatekeepers. [During Samuel's time, there were many places of worship. Often it was a hill, some examples being Bethel, Gilgal, Mizpah, and Ramah (), with Gibeon being the most important place, see . The ark is brought to Jerusalem into a tabernacle, see . This is probably a simpler tent for the ark, see . In Gibeon, just north of Jerusalem, the old tabernacle from Moses' time seems to be present with a burnt offering altar, etc. (; ; ). The reason it was not moved to Jerusalem may be that there was no room for it, and David was planning to build the temple. These details about two tabernacles are not mentioned in Samuel's account. Later, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream in Gibeon, see .] 39David also left the priest Zadok and his brothers, the priests, to remain before the tabernacle of the Lord (Yahweh) at the high place in Gibeon, 40to offer burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of burnt offering morning and evening, and to do everything that was written in the teaching that the Lord (Yahweh) had given Israel. 41And with them were Heman [grandson of the prophet Samuel, see ] and Jeduthun [mentioned in three Psalms, see ; ; ] and the other chosen ones, mentioned by name, to give thanks [with open hands—to praise, honor, and acknowledge] the Lord (Yahweh)—for his mercy (caring love—Hebr. chesed) endures forever (eternally). 42Hos. These men, namely Heman and Jeduthun, kept the trumpets and cymbals for those who were to play, as well as other musical instruments used in worship. He made Jeduthun's sons gatekeepers. 43Then all the people went home, each to his own place. But David turned back to bless his family (his house).The desire to build the house of the Lord (2 Sam. 7)
[In comparison with the parallel text in 2 Sam. 7, it is emphasized that neither David, Solomon, nor any of the kings of his family was the messianic king. When the Messiah finally comes, he will be a king like David.] 171When David was sitting in his house, he said to the prophet Nathan, "Here I am living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the Lord is in a tent." 2Nathan said to David, "Do whatever is in your heart, for God is with you." 3But that night the word of God came to Nathan. He said 4"Go and tell my servant David, 'This is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build the house where I will live. 5I have not lived in a house since the day I brought Israel up from Egypt until today, but I have moved from tent to tent, from tabernacle to tabernacle. 6Have I ever, while moving about with all Israel, spoken and said to any of the judges of Israel, whom I appointed as shepherd of my people, 'Why have you not built me a house of cedar? 7Now you shall say this to my servant David: Thus says the Lord of hosts: I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people Israel. 8I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. 9I will prepare a place for my people Israel and plant them [; ] so that they may dwell there without fear (being shaken) anymore. Evil people will no longer oppress them as before [in Egypt, the desert wanderings] 10and during the time (the days) when I appointed judges over my people Israel. I will subdue all your enemies.
And I tell you that the Lord (Yahweh) will build a house for you. 11When your time is up and you go to your fathers, I will raise up one of your descendants, one of your sons, after you. I will establish his kingdom. 12He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. 13I will be his father, and he shall be my son, and my mercy (caring love – Hebr. chesed) I will not take away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor [Saul]. 14I will establish him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever." 15According to these words and this vision, Nathan spoke to David.David's prayer
16Then King David went in and sat down before the Lord (Yahweh) and said:
"Who am I, Lord (Yahweh), God (Elohim), and what is my house, that you have brought me this far? 17And yet this was too little in your eyes, O God. You have also spoken of your servant's house far into the future. Yes, you have looked upon me as if I were an exalted man, Lord (Yahweh), God (Elohim). 18What more shall David say to you about the honor you have shown your servant? You know your servant. 19Lord, for the sake of your servant and according to your heart, you have done all these great things and proclaimed all these great things. 20Lord, there is no one like you, and there is no God but you, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 21And where on earth is there a nation like your people Israel, whom God went to redeem as his own people, to make a great and awesome name for yourself when you drove out the nations before your people whom you redeemed from Egypt? 22You have made your people Israel your people forever, and you, Lord, have become their God. 23And now, Lord, let the word you have spoken about your servant and his house stand forever. Do as you have said. 24Then your name will be established and magnified forever, so that it will be said, "The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, is God over Israel." Then the house of your servant David will be established before you. 25For you, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build him a house. Therefore, your servant has found courage to pray before you. 26And now, Lord, you are God, and you have spoken (have spoken) this good thing to your servant. 27Now may it please you to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue before you forever. For what you, Lord, bless is blessed forever." 181Some time later, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Gath and its surrounding towns from the Philistines. 2He also defeated the Moabites, and they became David's servants and paid him tribute. 3David also defeated Hadadezer, king of Zobah, near Hamath [in present-day southern Syria, not far from Tell Dan, see ], when he had gone to restore his power along the Euphrates River. 4David took from him 1,000 chariots and captured 7,000 horsemen and 20,000 foot soldiers. He cut the hamstrings of all the chariot horses except for 100 horses, which he spared. [An injured horse could no longer be used in the cavalry, see also ; ; ; .] 5When the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down 22,000 of them. 6David placed troops among the Arameans in Damascus, and the Arameans became David's servants and paid him tribute. And the Lord gave David victory wherever he went. 7David took the gold shields that belonged to Hadadezer's servants and brought them to Jerusalem. 8From Hadadezer's cities of Tibhat and Kun, David took a great quantity of copper. Solomon used it to make the bronze sea, the pillars, and the bronze vessels. 9When Tou, king of Hamath [in the north], heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, king of Zobah, 10he sent his son Hadoram to King David to greet him and pay him tribute for fighting Hadadezer and defeating him. Hadadezer had been at war with Tou. He brought with him all kinds of vessels of gold, silver, and bronze. 11King David also dedicated these to the Lord (Yahweh), as he had done with the silver and gold he had brought home from all the other peoples: from the Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites, Philistines, and Amalekites. 12After Avishai, the son of Zeruiah, had defeated the Edomites in the Valley of Salt, 18,000 men, 13he stationed troops in Edom, and all the Edomites became David's servants. So the Lord gave David victory wherever he went. 14David now ruled over all Israel and administered justice and righteousness to all his people. 15Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was commander of the army, and Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was recorder. 16Zadok, the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech, the son of Abiathar, were priests, and Shavsha was secretary. 17Benaiah son of Jehoiada was in charge of the Kerethites and Pelethites. And David's sons were chief officers in his presence. 191Some time later, Nahash, king of the Ammonites, died, and his son succeeded him as king. 2Then David said, "I will show kindness to Hanun, the son of Nahash, because his father showed me kindness (caring love—Hebr. chesed)." So David sent messengers to comfort him in his grief over his father. When David's servants came to the land of the Ammonites to comfort Hanun, 3the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun, "Do you think David is sending comforters to you to honor your father? No, it is to explore and destroy and spy on the land that his servants have come to you." 4Hanun then seized David's servants, shaved them, cut their clothes in half at the seat, and sent them away. [A humiliating act, but also a sign of mourning, see ; .] 5And they came and told David about the men. He sent some to meet them, because the men were deeply humiliated. The king said, "Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown back. Then come back." 6When the Ammonites realized that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent 1,000 talents [34 tons] of silver to hire chariots and horsemen from Aram-Naharajim, from Aram-Maacha, and from Tsova. 7They hired 32,000 chariots and the help of the king of Maacah and his people. They came and camped in front of Medeba. The Ammonites also came out of their cities to fight. 8When David heard this, he sent Joab with the entire army, the bravest warriors. 9The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the city gate, while the kings who had come to help them drew up in battle formation in the open field. 10Joab saw that he had enemies both in front of him and behind him. He then selected some of Israel's best men and lined them up against the Arameans. 11He entrusted the rest of the army to his brother Avishai, and they took up their position against the Ammonites. 12He said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, come to my aid, and if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will come to your aid. 13Be strong! Let us fight bravely for our people and for the cities of our God. The Lord will do what he thinks best." 14Then Joab and his men advanced to fight the Arameans, and they fled before him. 15When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans were fleeing, they also fled before his brother Avishai and entered the city. And Joab came to Jerusalem. 16When the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers to the Arameans who were beyond the River. They came out under the command of Shophach, commander of Hadadezer's army. 17When David was told, he gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan, and when he came to them, he drew up in battle array against them. David drew up in battle array against the Arameans, and they fought against him. 18But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed 7,000 of their charioteers and 40,000 of their foot soldiers. He also killed Shophach, their commander. 19When Hadadezer's servants saw that they had been defeated by the Israelites, they made peace with David and became his servants. After this, the Arameans were no longer willing to help the Ammonites. 201And it happened at the turn of the year (when the year returned, repeated itself) [the turn of the month of Adar/Nisan] at the time when kings go out [to battle, which usually happens in early spring, after the winter rains in March and before the harvest is gathered in May and all the labor is needed in the fields] that Joab went out with the army and ravaged the land of the Ammonites and came to Rabbah [present-day Amman, the capital of Jordan] and besieged it, but David remained in Jerusalem. [This is where the incident with Bathsheba takes place, see ] Joab captured Rabbah and destroyed it []. 2David took the crown from the head of their king. It weighed a talent [34 kg] of gold and was adorned with a precious stone, and it was placed on David's head. And the spoil he brought out of the city was very great. 3He brought out the people who were there and put them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes. David did this to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.War with the Philistines
4After that, a battle broke out with the Philistines at Gezer. Sibbecai the Hushathite struck down Sippai, one of the descendants of the Rephaim. In this way, they were subdued. 5Once again there was a battle with the Philistines. Elhanan, the son of Jair, killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver's beam. 6Then there was another battle at Gath. There was a tall man who had six fingers and six toes, twenty-four in all. He was also a descendant of the Rephaim. 7When he taunted Israel, he was killed by Jonathan, son of Shimea, David's brother. 8These were descendants of the Rephaim in Gath. They fell by the hand of David and his servants.David buys the future temple site
211But Satan (the Accuser, the adversary) rose up against Israel and incited (seduced, provoked, incited) David to number Israel. [Hebr. Satan is used here in the indefinite form, in ; and the definite form ha-Satan is used. In the parallel passage in 2 Sam 24:1, Satan is not mentioned. According to the Torah, it was permissible to conduct a census, but there is a warning about pestilence if it was not done properly (Ex. 30:12). The fact that it was permitted and sometimes even encouraged (; , ; ) suggests that David's sin was not about counting the people. The problem was either David's motive for the census or the way in which it was carried out. Perhaps the purpose was to exalt himself and rely more on his own strength than on the Lord's. Alternatively, David did not fulfill the requirement that all registered men pay half a shekel as the ransom required (). What speaks in favor of the second alternative is that David had previously failed to follow all the regulations for an otherwise permissible act—the transport of the ark of the covenant—which had disastrous consequences ().] 2Then David said to Joab and the commanders of the people, "Go and count Israel from Beer-Sheva [in the south] to Dan [in the north], and let me know how many there are." 3Joab replied, "May the Lord increase his people a hundredfold! My lord and king, are they not all my lord's servants? Why does my lord ask this? Why bring guilt on Israel by doing this?" 4But the king's word prevailed against Joab, and Joab went and traveled throughout Israel and then returned to Jerusalem. 5Joab reported the results of the census to David: In Israel there were 1,100,000 men able to bear arms, and in Judah there were 470,000 men able to bear arms. 6But he did not count Levi and Benjamin with the others, because Joab found the king's command detestable. 7What had happened was evil in the sight of God, and he punished Israel. 8Then David said to God, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, please forgive the transgression of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly." 9And the Lord spoke to David's seer (prophet – Hebr. chozeh) Gad, saying 10"Go and speak to David: Thus says the Lord: I will set three things before you. Choose one of them, and I will do it to you." 11Then Gad went to David and said to him, "Thus says the Lord: 12Choose what you want: either three years of famine, or three months of destruction by your enemies, with no escape from the sword of your foes, or the sword of the Lord with pestilence in the land for three days, while the angel of the Lord spreads destruction throughout the land of Israel. Now decide what answer I should give to the one who sent me." 13David replied to Gad, "I am in great distress. But let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great. I do not want to fall into the hands of men." 14Then the Lord sent a plague on Israel, and 70,000 people of Israel died. 15God (Elohim) sent an angel against Jerusalem to destroy (ruin, wipe out – Hebr. shachat) it. But when the angel was doing the destruction, the Lord (Yahweh) saw it and regretted (sorrow-comforted – Hebr. nacham) the evil, and he said to the angel who was destroying (the Destroyer; definite form of the verb to destroy – Hebr. ha-shachat): "It is enough. Withdraw your hand." The angel of the Lord (Yahweh) was then standing at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. [Ornan is the Hebrew spelling of Aravnah, which is the name used in the parallel passage in . The threshing floor was located at what is now called the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.] 16David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven with his sword drawn in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem. Then he and the elders, clothed in sackcloth [as a sign of mourning, see ], fell on their faces. 17And David said to God (Elohim), "Was it not I who commanded the people to be counted? It is I who have sinned and done evil. But these, my flock, what have they done? Lord my God (Elohim), let your hand be against me and my father's house, but not against your people, that they may be afflicted." 18The angel of the Lord commanded [the prophet] Gad to tell David to go and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. [Gad was David's seer, see ] 19And David went up because of the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the Lord. 20When Ornan turned around, he saw the angel. His four sons who were with him hid themselves. Ornan was threshing wheat 21when David came to him. He looked up and saw David, and he came out from the threshing floor and fell on his face to the ground before David. 22David said to Ornan, "Give me the place where you thresh your grain, so that I may build an altar to the Lord there. Give it to me for full payment, so that the plague may cease among the people." 23Then Ornan said to David, "Take it, and my lord the king may do whatever he thinks best. See, I give you the livestock for burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for wood, and the wheat for grain offerings. I give you all of it." 24But King David replied to Ornan, "No, I will buy it for full payment. I will not offer what is yours to the Lord and sacrifice burnt offerings that I have received for free." 25David gave Ornan 600 shekels [a total of 6.9 kg] of gold in full weight for [the entire] site. [In , a smaller sum of 50 shekels is stated, which is probably for the threshing floor itself; here, the price is for the entire area/site.] 26There David built an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called to the Lord (Yahweh), and he answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering. 27At the command of the Lord (Yahweh), the angel put his sword back into its sheath. 28When David saw that the Lord had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he offered his sacrifice there. 29The tabernacle of the Lord (Yahweh), which Moses had made in the desert, was at that time with the altar of burnt offering at the high place in Gibeon. 30But David did not dare to come before the face of God (Elohim) to seek him. So afraid was he of the sword of the angel of the Lord (Yahweh). 221David said, "Here shall be the house of the Lord God (Yahweh Elohim) and here the altar for the burnt offerings of Israel."Preparations for building the temple
The people gather
2And David commanded that the strangers who were in the land of Israel be gathered together. He appointed stonecutters to cut stones for building the house of God (Elohim). 3David procured iron in abundance for nails for the doors of the gates and for sockets (U-shaped iron hooks) [which reinforced and joined the wood], as well as copper in such abundance that it could not be weighed 4and cedar beams in countless numbers, for the Sidonians and Tyrians brought cedar wood in abundance to David. 5David said (thinking to himself), "My son Solomon is young and weak, and the house to be built for the Lord must be very large so that it will be famous and praised in all countries. Therefore, I will make preparations for it." So David made many preparations before his death. 6He called his son Solomon and commanded him to build a house for the Lord (Yahweh), the God of Israel. 7David said to his son Solomon, "I myself had intended to build a house for the name of the Lord (Yahweh), my God (Elohim). 8But the word of the Lord came to me. He said, 'You have shed much blood and fought many wars. [Several of the wars are described in ; ; .] You shall not build a house for my name, for you have shed much blood on the earth before my eyes. 9But behold, a son shall be born to you. He shall be a man of peace, and I will give him peace with all his enemies around him. His name shall be Solomon, and I will give Israel peace in his days. 10He shall build a house for my name. He shall be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish his royal throne over Israel forever. 11Now may the Lord be with you, my son. May you succeed and build the house of the Lord (Yahweh), your God (Elohim), as he has spoken (promised) to you. 12May the Lord only give you wisdom and understanding when he sets you over Israel, so that you keep the teaching of the Lord (Yahweh), your God (Elohim). 13Then you will succeed, if you carefully follow the statutes and ordinances that the Lord commanded Moses to lay upon Israel. Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or discouraged. 14See, despite my difficulties, I have acquired 100,000 talents [an enormous weight of 3,750 tons] of gold and 1,000 times 1,000 talents of silver for the house of the Lord (Yahweh), and in addition more copper and iron than can be weighed, so much is there. I have also prepared timber and stone, and you can procure more yourself. [This is the largest weight mentioned in the entire Bible. Solomon's annual income of gold was 666 talents (23 tons of gold), see .] 15You also have many workers, craftsmen, stonecutters, and carpenters, as well as all kinds of people skilled in every kind of work. 16The gold, silver, copper, and iron are beyond counting. Get started and do the work, and may the Lord be with you!" 17Then David commanded all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon. He said: 18"The Lord (Yahweh) your God (Elohim) is with you and has given you rest on every side. He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subject to the Lord and his people. 19Now turn your hearts and souls to seek the Lord (Yahweh) your God (Elohim). Get started and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, so that the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the objects consecrated to God may be brought into the house that is to be built for the name of the Lord (Yahweh)."Civil leaders
231When David was old and satisfied with life, he made his son Solomon king over Israel.Levites
2He gathered all the princes of Israel, as well as the priests and Levites. 3The Levites who were 30 years old or older were counted. Their number was 38,000 men in all. 4"Of these," he said, "24,000 shall supervise the work of the house of the Lord (Yahweh), 6,000 shall be officers and judges, 54,000 shall be gatekeepers, and 4,000 shall praise the Lord (Yahweh) with the instruments I have made for praise." 6David divided them into divisions according to the sons of Levi, Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.The Gershonites
7The Gershonites included: Ladan and Shimei. 8The sons of Ladan were:
Jehiel, the chief, Zetham, and Joel—three in all.
9The sons of Shimei were:
Shelomit, Hasiel, and Haran—three in all. These were the heads of the families of Ladan.
10The sons of Shimei were:
Jahath, Zinah, Jeush, and Beriah.
These were the sons of Shimei—four in all. 11Jahath was the chief, and Ziza was the second.
But Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons. Therefore, they formed only one family, one order.The Kohathites
12The sons of Kehath were:
Amram, Jishar, Hebron, and Ussiel—four in all. 13The sons of Amram were:
Aaron and Moses. Aaron and his sons were set apart forever and consecrated to the most holy, to burn incense before the Lord (Yahweh) forever and to serve and bless in his name forever, 14but the sons of Moses, the man of God, were counted among the tribe of Levi. 15The sons of Moses were:
Gershom and Eliezer. 16Gershom's son was: Shebuel, the chief.
17The son of Eliezer was:
Rehabiah, the chief.
Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very numerous. 18The son of Jishar was:
Shelomit, the chief. 19The sons of Hebron were: Jeriah, the chief, the second Amariah, the third Jahaziel, and the fourth Jekameam.
20The sons of Uzziel were:
Mic., the chief, and the second Jishia.The Mahlites
21The sons of Merari were: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli were:
Elazar and Kish.
22When Eleazar died, he left no sons, only daughters. The sons of Kish, their cousins, took them as wives.
23The sons of Mushi were: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremot, three in all. 24These were the children of Levi according to their families, the heads of the families, those who were registered. Each name was counted separately and each person individually, those who could perform duties in the service of the Lord (Yahweh) in his house, namely those who were 20 years old or older. 25David said, "The Lord (Yahweh), the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and he now dwells in Jerusalem forever. 26Therefore, the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle and all the utensils for service in the house of the Lord (Yahweh)." 27According to the account of David's last days, the children of Levi who were 20 years old or older were counted. 28Their task was to be at the disposal of Aaron's sons in the service of the Lord (Yahweh) in his house. They were to take care of the courtyards and chambers and the purification of all that was holy and the tasks of the service in God's house, 29whether it concerned the showbread, the fine flour for the food offering, the unleavened cakes, the plates, the kneaded flour, or all the measures of capacity and length. 30Every morning they were to give thanks and praise to the Lord, and likewise every evening. 31They were to assist in all the burnt offerings to the Lord on the Sabbaths, the new moons, and the appointed feasts, as many as were appointed and as prescribed for them, always before the Lord. 32They were to be responsible for the tent of meeting and the holy things and their brothers, the sons of Aaron, in the service of the house of the Lord (Yahweh).The priests' service
241The sons of Aaron had the following divisions:
The sons of Aaron were Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 2But Nadab and Abihu died [] before their father, and they had no sons. So only Eleazar and Ithamar became priests. 3David, together with Zadok, of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech, of the sons of Ithamar, divided them into groups according to the order in which they were to serve. 4Since the sons of Eleazar were more numerous than the sons of Ithamar, they were divided so that the sons of Eleazar had sixteen heads of their families and the sons of Ithamar had eight heads of their families. 5They were divided by lot, the former as well as the latter, since the leaders of the sanctuary and the leaders of God were both from the sons of Eleazar and the sons of Ithamar. 6Shemaiah, the son of Nethanel, the scribe, of the tribe of Levi, recorded them in the presence of the king, the leaders, the priest Zadok, and Ahimelech, the son of Abiathar, and in the presence of the heads of the families of the priests and the Levites. The lots were cast alternately for the families of Eleazar and for the families of Ithamar. 7The first lot fell to Jojarib,
the second to Jedaiah, 8the third on Harim,
the fourth on Seorim,
9the fifth on Malkijah,
the sixth on Mijamin,
10the seventh to Hakkoz,
the eighth to Abijah,
11the ninth to Jeshua,
the tenth to Shekaniah,
12the eleventh to Eljasheb,
the twelfth to Jakim,
13the thirteenth to Huppah,
the fourteenth to Jeshebab,
14the fifteenth to Bilgah,
the sixteenth to Immer,
15the seventeenth to Hezir,
the eighteenth to Happiss,
16the nineteenth to Pethahiah,
the twentieth to Ezekiel,
17the twenty-first on Jakin,
the twenty-second on Gamul,
18the twenty-third on Delaja,
the twenty-fourth on Maasja. 19This was the order in which they were to serve when they entered the house of the Lord (Yahweh), as prescribed for them by their father Aaron according to the commandment of the Lord (Yahweh), the God of Israel, which he had given him.the Levites—musicians and gatekeepers
20As for the rest of the sons of Levi,
the sons of Amram were Shubael,
the sons of Shubael were Jedeja,
21to Rehabiah, that is, to the children of Rehabiah, the chief Jishia, 22to the Jisharites Shelomoth, to the children of Shelomoth Jahath. 23The Benajites were Jeria, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. 24The sons of Uzziel were Mic., and the sons of Micah were Shamir. 25Micah was the brother of Jishia. Zechariah was the son of Jishia. 26The sons of Merari were: Mahli and Mushi. The son of Jaaziah was Benaiah. 27The sons of Merari were these:
of Jaaziah, Benaiah, and also Shoham, Zaccur, and Ibri. 28The son of Mahli was Eleazar, but he had no sons. 29Kish, that is, Kish's children, included Jerameel.
30But the sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth. 31They also cast lots, like their brothers, the sons of Aaron, in the presence of King David, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the families of the priests and Levites, the heads of the families and their youngest brothers. 251David and the commanders set apart the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun to serve as prophets with harps, lyres, and cymbals. This is the list of those men who were appointed to this service 2Of the sons of Asaph:
Zaccur, Joseph, Netaniah, and Asarelah, the sons of Asaph, under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied at the king's command. 3Of Jeduthun: the sons of Jeduthun
Gedaljaho, Seri, Isaiah, Shimei [the name is missing in some manuscripts, see ], Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six in all, with cymbals [small portable harp, see ], under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied with songs of thanksgiving and praise to the Lord (Yahweh). 4Of Heman:
Heman's sons Buckia, Mattaniah, Ussiel, Shebuel, and Jerimoth, Hananja, Hanani, Eliata, Giddalti, and Romamti-Ezer, Joshbekasha, Malloti, Hotir, and Mahasiot. 5All these were sons of Heman, who was the king's seer, according to the promise God had made to exalt his horn. Therefore God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters. 6All of them were under their father's leadership in singing in the house of the Lord (Yahweh) to the sound of cymbals, lyres, and harps in the service of God's house. They were under the leadership of the king, Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman. 7The number of them and their brothers who were taught to sing to the glory of the Lord, all skilled in it, was 288. 8They cast lots for the service, the smallest as well as the greatest, the skilled as well as the apprentice. 9The first lot came out for Asaph and fell on Joseph.
The second was Gedaliah, he himself with his brothers and sons, twelve in all,
10the third was Zaccur with his sons and brothers, twelve in all,
11the fourth lot came out for Jizri with his sons and brothers, twelve in all,
12the fifth lot fell to Netaniah with his sons and brothers, twelve in all,
13the sixth was Buckiah with his sons and brothers, twelve in all,
14the seventh lot fell to Jesarela with his sons and brothers, twelve in all,
15the eighth lot fell to Jeshaiah with his sons and brothers, twelve in all,
16the ninth was Mattaniah with his sons and brothers, twelve in all,
17the tenth was Shimei with his sons and brothers, twelve in all,
18the eleventh lot fell to Asarel with his sons and brothers, twelve in all,
19the twelfth lot fell to Hashabiah with his sons and brothers, twelve in all,
20the thirteenth lot fell to Shubael and his sons and brothers, twelve in all,
21the fourteenth lot fell to Mattithiah with his sons and brothers, twelve in all,
22the fifteenth lot fell to Jeremoth with his sons and brothers, twelve in all,
23the sixteenth lot fell to Hananiah, with his sons and brothers, twelve in all,
24the seventeenth lot fell to Joshbekasha with his sons and brothers, twelve in all,
25the eighteenth lot fell to Hanani and his sons and brothers, twelve in all,
26the nineteenth lot came out for Mallothi and his sons and brothers, twelve in all,
27the twentieth to Eliezer with his sons and brothers, twelve in all,
28the twenty-first for Hotir with his sons and brothers, twelve in all,
29the twenty-second for Giddalti with his sons and brothers, twelve in all,
30the twenty-third for Mahasiot with his sons and brothers, twelve in all,
31the twenty-fourth for Romamti-Ezer, his sons and brothers, twelve in all. Temple guards
261As for the divisions of the gatekeepers, Meshelemiah, the son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph, was in charge of the gatekeepers. 2Meshelemiah had sons:
Zechariah was the firstborn,
Jediael the second,
Zebadiah the third,
Jathniel the fourth, 3Elam the fifth,
Johanan the sixth,
Elioenai the seventh. 4Obed-Edom had sons:
Shemaiah was the firstborn,
Jozabad the second,
Joaq the third, Zechariah the fourth, 5Nethanel the fifth,
Ammiel the sixth,
Issachar the seventh,
Peulletai the eighth—for God had blessed him [with many children, see ].
6His son Shemaiah also had sons who became leaders in their families, for they were capable men.
7The sons of Shemaiah were Otni, Refael, and Obed, Elsabad and his brothers, capable men, Eliho and Semakja. 8All these were descendants of Obed-Edom, they and their sons and brothers, capable and powerful men in the service, sixty-two descendants of Obed-Edom. 9Meshelemiah also had sons and brothers, capable men, eighteen in all. 10Hos, one of the sons of Merari, had sons: Shimri was the chief. He was not the firstborn, but his father made him the chief. 11Hilkiah (Hebr. Chilqijaho) was the second, Tebaliah the third, and Zechariah the fourth. Hosa's sons and brothers were thirteen in all. 12In these divisions of the gatekeepers, it was the responsibility of the leaders, together with their brothers, to serve in the house of the Lord (Yahweh). 13They cast lots for each gate, the smallest as well as the greatest, according to their families. 14The lot for the east fell to Shelemiah. For his son Zechariah, who was a wise counselor, they cast lots, and for him the lot fell to the north. 15Obed-Edom got the lot for the south, while his sons got the storehouse on their part. 16Shoppim and Hos. were assigned the western section, at the Shalleket Gate, where the road ascends, one guard post next to the other. 17Six Levites stood to the east, four to the north each day, four to the south each day, and two at a time at the storehouse. 18At Parbar to the west, four stood by the road and two at Parbar itself. 19These were the divisions of the gatekeepers from the children of Korah and the children of Merari.Other duties in the temple
20Of the Levites, Ahijah was in charge of the taxes in the house of God and of the stores of what was consecrated to the Lord (Yahweh). 21The sons of Ladan, namely the sons of Gershon of the family of Ladan, the leaders of the family of Gershon, the sons of Jehiel, 22that is, the sons of the Jehielites, Setam and his brother Joel, were responsible for the taxes in the house of the Lord (Yahweh). 23As for the Amramites, the Jizharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites, 24Shebuel, son of Gershom, son of Moses, was the chief overseer of the taxes. 25His brothers from the family of Eliezer were his son Rehabiah, his son Isaiah, his son Joram, his son Zikri, and his son Shelomith. 26Shelomith and his brothers were in charge of all the sacred things that King David, the heads of families, the commanders, and the officers had dedicated to the Lord. 27From the wars and from the spoils, they had consecrated these things to maintain the house of the Lord (Yahweh). 28And likewise all that the seer Samuel and Saul, son of Kish, and Abner, son of Ner, and Joab, son of Zeruiah, had consecrated. Everyone who consecrated anything left it in the care of Shelomith and his brothers.Other duties of the Levites
29From among the Jasharites, Kenaniah and his sons were taken for the secular duties of Israel, to be overseers and judges. 30Of the Hebronites, Hashabiah and his brothers, 1,700 able-bodied men, were appointed to the administration of Israel on the other side of the Jordan, on the west side, for all kinds of work for the Lord and for the king's service. 31Jeriah was the leader of the Hebronites, according to their families and clans. In the fortieth year of David's reign, a census was taken of them, and among them were able men in Jaazer in Gilead. 32His brothers were able men, 2,700 in number, heads of families. King David appointed them over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh to take care of all the affairs of God and the king.Civilian leaders – schedule of service
271This is the list of the children of Israel, according to their numbers, with the heads of their families and with the commanders and officers and their leaders, who served the king in all matters concerning the divisions of the army, which came and went in rotation for each of the months of the year. Each division consisted of 24,000 men.Nisan
2Over the first division,
which served during the first month [Aviv/Nisan – March/April], was
Jashobam [one of David's three heroes, see ], the son of Sabdiel [; ], was in command.
There were 24,000 in his division.
3He was one of the sons of Perez [from the tribe of Judah, see ] and was in charge of all the commanders
who served during the first month. [The first of the twelve divisions is framed by the words "first month". The first month is aviv in Hebrew and means "the month when the ears of grain ripen"; the Babylonian name is nisan. The new year begins in the spring with the remembrance of the exodus from Egypt, see .]Ijar
4Over the division of the second month [ijars – April/May] was Dodaj the Ahoite; it was his division. There was also Prince Miklot [from the tribe of Benjamin, see ; ], and in his division there were 24,000.Sivan
5The third commander, who served during the third month [Sivan – May/June], was Benayah, the son of Jehoiada the high priest. His division numbered 24,000. 6This Benayah was a hero among the 30 and was in command of the 30. His son Ammizavad was in his division.Tamuz
7The fourth, who served during the fourth month [Tamuz – June/July], was Asahel, the brother of Joab, and after him his son Zebadiah. In his division there were 24,000.Av
8The fifth, who served during the fifth month [Av – July/August], was
Commander Shamhut, the Jezreelite. In his division there were 24,000.Elul
9The sixth, who served during the sixth month [Elul – Aug/Sept], was Ira the Tekoite, the son of Ikkesh. In his division there were 24,000.Tishri
10The seventh, who served during the seventh month [Tishri – Sept/Oct], was
Heles the Pelonite, of the children of Ephraim. In his division there were 24,000.Cheshvan
11The eighth, who served during the eighth month [Cheshvan – Oct/Nov], was Sibbekai the Hushathite, who belonged to the Serites. In his division there were 24,000.Kislev
12The ninth, who served during the ninth month [Kislev – Nov/Dec], was Abiezer the Anatotite, who belonged to the Benjaminites. There were 24,000 in his division.Tevet
13The tenth, who served during the tenth month [Tevet – Dec/Jan], was Mahraj the Netophathite, who belonged to the Serites. There were 24,000 in his division.Shvat
14The eleventh, who served during the eleventh month [Shvat – Jan/Feb], was Benayahu the Pirgatonite, one of the sons of Ephraim. There were 24,000 in his division.Adar
15The twelfth, who served in the twelfth month [Adar – Feb/Mar], was
the Netophathite Cheldaj, who belonged to the family of Othniel. In his division there were 24,000.Tribal leaders
16The leaders of the tribes of Israel were these: The leader of the Reubenites was Eliezer, son of Zichri,
of the Simeonites, Shephatiah, son of Maacah,
17of Levi was Hashabiah, son of Qemoel,
of the family of Aaron was Zadok,
18for Judah Eliho, one of David's brothers,
for Issachar Omri, son of Michael,
19for Zebulun, Jishmaiah, son of Obadiah,
for Naphtali, Jerimoth, son of Asriel,
20for the children of Ephraim, Hoshea, son of Azaziah,
for one half of the tribe of Manasseh, Joel, son of Pedaiah,
21for the other half of Manasseh, the one in Gilead, Jiddo, son of Zechariah,
for Benjamin Jaasiel, son of Abner,
22for Dan, Asarel, son of Jeroham. These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel. 23But David did not include those under twenty years of age in the census, because the Lord had promised to multiply Israel like the stars in the sky. 24Joab, the son of Zeruiah, began the census but did not complete it, because wrath came upon Israel because of it. The number was not included in any list in the chronicles of King David.Employees of the court
25Supervision of the king's treasures was given to Asmaveth, the son of Adiel,
of the stores in the fields, in the cities, and in the villages, and in the fortified towers, to Jonathan, the son of Uzziah,
26over those who worked in the fields with agriculture Esri, son of Kelub,
27over the vineyards, Ramathite Shi-mei,
over the wine stores of the vineyards, Shifmite Sabdi,
28over the olive groves and mulberry trees in the lowlands Gederite Baal-Hanan,
over the oil stores Joash,
29over the cattle that grazed in the Sharon, Shitraj the Sharonite,
and over the cattle in the valleys, Shafat, Adlai's son,
30over the camels, the Ishmaelite Obil,
over the donkeys, the Meronothite Jedeja,
31over the flocks, Hagarite Jasis. All these were stewards of King David's property. 32Jonathan, David's uncle, was an advisor. He was a wise and learned man. Jehiel, son of Hakmoni, was with the king's sons. 33Ahithophel was the king's counselor, and Hushai the Archite was the king's friend. 34After Ahithophel came Jehoiada, the son of Benaiah, and Abiathar. Joab was the king's commander-in-chief.David gathers the people
281David gathered all the leaders of Israel, the tribal leaders and commanders of the divisions, those who were in the king's service, the commanders and officers, and the overseers of all the property and livestock of the king and his sons, as well as the courtiers, the mighty men, and all the brave warriors. 2King David rose from his seat and said, "Hear me, my brothers and my people! I myself had intended to build a house as a resting place for the ark of the covenant of the Lord and a footstool for our God (Elohim), and I made preparations for the building. 3But God (Elohim) said to me, 'You shall not build a house for my name, for you are a warrior and have shed blood. 4Nevertheless, the Lord (Yahweh), the God of Israel (Elohim), chose me from all my father's house to be king over Israel forever. He chose Judah as prince, and in the house of Judah, my father's house, and among my father's sons, he showed mercy (conditional mercy – Hebr. ratsah, he was pleased) to me and made me king over all Israel. 5Among all my sons—for the Lord has given me many sons—he chose my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the Lord and rule over Israel. 6He said to me, 'Your son Solomon is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. 7I will establish his kingdom forever, if he continues to follow my commands and regulations, as he is doing now. 8Now I say before all Israel, the assembly of the Lord (Yahweh), and before our God (Elohim) who hears it: Keep all the commandments of the Lord (Yahweh), your God (Elohim), and follow them carefully so that you may possess the good land and leave it as an inheritance to your children after you forever. 9And you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father and serve him with a devoted heart and a willing soul, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all intentions and thoughts. If you seek him, he will let himself be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever. 10Now pay attention, for the Lord has chosen you to build a house as a sanctuary. Be strong and get to work." 11David gave his son Solomon a pattern of the front porch and the temple buildings and the storehouses, the upper chambers and the inner rooms and the room for the mercy seat. 12He gave him a pattern of everything he had received through the Spirit for the courtyards of the house of the Lord (Yahweh) and all the surrounding chambers for the treasures of the house of God and the storehouses for what was consecrated to the Lord (Yahweh). 13He also gave instructions about the divisions of the priests and Levites and all the duties to be performed in the service of the house of the Lord (Yahweh) and all the vessels to be used in the service of the house of the Lord (Yahweh), 14the gold, with the weight in gold for each particular vessel for the service, and all the silver vessels, with the weight for each particular vessel for the service. 15He specified the weight of the golden candlesticks with their gold lamps, with the weight of each candlestick with its lamps, and likewise for the silver candlesticks, with the weight of each candlestick with its lamps, according to how each candlestick was to be used. 16He also specified the weight of the gold for the tables of showbread, each table separately, and the silver for the silver tables. 17He gave instructions for the forks, bowls, and jugs of pure gold and the gold cups, specifying the weight of each cup, and for the silver cups, specifying the weight of each cup. 18He also gave instructions for the altar of incense made of pure gold, specifying its weight, as well as a pattern for the chariot, the golden cherubim that would spread their wings and cover the ark of the covenant of the Lord. 19He said, "All this the Lord has shown me in a pattern written by his hand, everything that is to be done according to the pattern." 20David said to his son Solomon, "Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, will be with you. He will not leave you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord (Yahweh) is finished. 21And behold, here are the divisions of the priests and Levites who are to perform all the service in the house of God. For all that is to be done, you have people with you who are willing and skilled in all kinds of work. Moreover, the leaders and all the people are ready to do whatever you command."Gifts for the temple construction
291King David said to the whole assembly, "My son Solomon, the only one chosen by God, is young and weak, and the work is great, for this palace is not for man but for the Lord God. 2Therefore, as far as I am able, I have provided gold for the gold work in the house of my God, silver for the silver work, copper for the copper work, iron for the iron work, and wood for the wood work. In addition, I have procured onyx and other setting stones, black and variegated stones, and all kinds of precious stones, as well as marble in abundance. 3And I still have favor (conditional favor – Hebr. ratsah) in the house of my God; there is property belonging to me, gold and silver I give to the house of my God, in addition to all that I have determined (previously acquired) for the holy house: 43,000 talents [100 tons] of gold from Ophir, and 7,000 talents [240 tons] of refined silver to overlay the walls of the buildings, 5to make of gold what is to be made of gold, and to make of silver what is to be made of silver, for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Who is willing today to bring their voluntary gifts to the Lord?" 6The heads of families and the heads of the tribes of Israel, the commanders and the officers, and the leaders of the king's work brought their voluntary gifts. 7They gave for the work on the house of God (Elohim) 5,000 talents [170 tons] of gold, 10,000 darics [Persian gold coin and unit of weight – equivalent to a total of 8.6 kg], 10,000 talents [340 tons] of silver, 18,000 talents [612 tons] of copper, and 100,000 talents [3,400 tons] of iron. 8Everyone who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord (Yahweh) under the care of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9Then the people rejoiced over their [leaders'] voluntary gifts, for they brought their voluntary gifts to the Lord (Yahweh) with a devoted heart. King David also rejoiced greatly.David's praise
[A collection has been made for the construction of the temple, and the people have first and foremost given themselves and their hearts to the Lord, see . They have then generously given of their resources for the construction. In addition to the large gift David has already given, there are now 168 tons of gold, 337 tons of silver, 606 tons of bronze, and 3,365 tons of iron, see .] 10Therefore [overwhelmed by the people's devotion to the Lord and their generous gifts], David blessed the Lord (Yahweh) before the whole assembly. David said: "Blessed are you, Lord (Yahweh), God (Elohim) of Israel, our father
from everlasting to everlasting. 11Lord (Yahweh), yours is [literally: 'to you JHVH']
the greatness (Hebr. gedullah)
and the power (strength, might – Hebr. geburah)
and the glory (honor, splendor, beauty – Hebr. tifarah)
and splendor (eternity, victory – Hebr. netsach) [the brightly shining distance, see ]
and majesty (splendor, grandeur – Hebr. hod).
Yes, everything [that is] in heaven and on earth.
Yours is the kingdom (the kingdom belongs to you), Lord (Yahweh),
and you are the exalted ruler (he who lifts himself up to be head) over everything. 12Both riches and honor come from you,
and you rule over everything.
In your hand is power and strength,
it is in your hand to do anything,
great and mighty.
13Now (therefore) we thank you, our God (Elohim),
and we praise (Hebr. halal) your glorious name." [The prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to pray has similarities to this prayer by David, see and "our Father" in . Parts of , "Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever," are also found as a doxology (praise of God) in many prayers, including the Lord's Prayer in .] 14[David continues in prayer:] "But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to give such [great] voluntary gifts? No, everything comes from you. What we have given you, we have received from your hand. 15For we are strangers with you and sojourners, as were all our fathers. Our days on earth are like a shadow [; ], and without hope (Hebr. miqveh) [hope of becoming clean, see ]. 16Lord our God, all these gifts we have acquired to build you a house for your holy name—they have come from your hand, and all of it is yours. 17I know, my God, that you test the heart and give mercy (conditional mercy; have favor – Hebr. ratsah) to what is right. With an honest heart, I have brought all these voluntary gifts. And now I have also seen with joy how your people standing here have brought their voluntary gifts to you. 18Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, let the hearts and minds of your people be ready for such things forever, and turn their hearts to you. 19Give my son Solomon a devoted heart to keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, and to do all these things and build the temple that I have prepared." 20Then David said to the whole assembly, "Praise the Lord (Yahweh) your God (Elohim)!" So the whole assembly praised the Lord (Yahweh), the God of their fathers, and they bowed down and prostrated themselves before the Lord and the king. 21The next day they slaughtered sacrifices for the Lord and offered burnt offerings to the Lord: 1,000 bulls, 1,000 rams, and 1,000 lambs with their drink offerings, as well as sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. 22They ate and drank with great joy before the Lord that day, and for the second time they made Solomon, son of David, king. They anointed him prince of the Lord and Zadok priest. 23So Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king after his father David, and he prospered. All Israel obeyed him. 24All the leaders and heroes, and all the sons of King David, submitted to King Solomon. 25And the Lord made Solomon very great before all Israel and gave him such royal glory as no one before him had had as king over Israel. 26David, the son of Jesse, had reigned over all Israel. 27The time he reigned over Israel was 40 years [1010–970 BC].
He reigned 7 years in Hebron (Hebr. Chevrón)
and 33 years in Jerusalem. [] 28He died at a good age [over 70], satisfied with his life and satisfied with wealth and honor. His son Solomon became king after him. 29What else there is to say about King David, about his early days and his last days, is written in the chronicles of the seer Samuel [the Books of Samuel], in the chronicles of the prophet Nathan, and in the chronicles of the seer Gad. 30There is also written about his entire reign and his deeds and the events that befell him and Israel and all other countries and kingdoms.
