And David said to all the assembly of Israel, If it seems good to you, and if it be of LORD our God, let us send abroad everywhere to our brothers who are left in all the land of Israel, with whom the priests and Levites are in the

And let us bring again the ark of our God to us, for we did not inquire from it in the days of Saul.

And all the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.

So David assembled all Israel together, from the Shihor [the brook] of Egypt even to the entrance of Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.

And David went up, and all Israel, to Baalah, [that is] to Kiriath-jearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, LORD who sits [above] the cherubim that is called by the Name.

And when they came to the threshing-floor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled.

And the anger of LORD was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him because he put forth his hand to the ark. And there he died before God.

And David was displeased, because LORD had broken forth upon Uzza. And he called that place Perez-uzza, to this day.

And David was afraid of God that day, saying, How shall I bring the ark of God home to me?

So David did not move the ark to him into the city of David, but carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.

And Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, and masons, and carpenters, to build for him a house.

And when the Philistines heard that David was anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up to seek David. And David heard of it, and went out against them.

And David inquired of God, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? And will thou deliver them into my hand? And LORD said to him, Go up, for I will deliver them into thy hand.

So they came up to Baal-perazim, and David smote them there. And David said, God has broken my enemies by my hand like the breach of waters. Therefore they called the name of that place Baal-perazim.

And David inquired again of God. And God said to him, Thou shall not go up after them. Turn away from them, and come upon them opposite the mulberry trees.

And it shall be, when thou hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shall go out to battle. For God has gone out before thee to smite the army of the Philistines.

And David did as God commanded him, and they smote the army of the Philistines from Gibeon even to Gezer.

Then David said, None ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites, for LORD has them chosen to carry the ark of God, and to minister to him forever.

And David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring up the ark of LORD to its place, which he had prepared for it.

of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, and his brothers two hundred and twenty;

of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, and his brothers two hundred;

And said to them, Ye are the heads of the fathers of the Levites. Sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brothers, that ye may bring up the ark of LORD, the God of Israel, to [the place] that I have prepared for it.

For because ye did not at the first, LORD our God made a breach upon us, because we did not seek him according to the ordinance.

So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of LORD, the God of Israel.

And the sons of the Levites bore the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded according to the word of LORD.

And David spoke to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brothers the singers, with instruments of music, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding aloud and lifting up the voice with joy.

So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, [were appointed] with cymbals of brass to sound aloud.

And Zechariah, and Aziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, and Eliab, and Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with psalteries set to Alamoth.

And Mattithiah, and Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, and Azaziah, with harps set to the Sheminith, to lead.

So David, and the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant of LORD out of the house of Obed-edom with joy.

And it came to pass, when God helped the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of LORD, that they sacrificed seven bullocks and seven rams.

And it came to pass, as the ark of the covenant of LORD came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out at the window, and saw king David dancing and playing. And she despised him in her heart.

And he dealt to every one of Israel, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a portion [of flesh], and a cake of raisins.

And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of LORD, and to celebrate and to thank and praise LORD, the God of Israel:

Asaph the chief, and second to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, with psalteries and with harps, and Asaph with cymbals, sounding aloud,

Then on that day David first ordained to give thanks to LORD by the hand of Asaph and his brothers.

O give thanks to LORD. Call upon his name. Make known his doings among the peoples.

Sing to him. Sing praises to him. Talk ye of all his marvelous works.

Remember his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations,

[the covenant] which he made with Abraham, and his oath to Isaac,

and confirmed the same to Jacob for a statute, to Israel for an everlasting covenant,

saying, To thee I will give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance,

and they went about from nation to nation, and from one kingdom to another people.

He allowed no man to do them wrong. Yea, he reproved kings for their sakes,

[Saying], Touch not my anointed ones, and do my prophets no harm.

Sing to LORD, all the earth. Show forth his salvation from day to day.

For great is LORD, and greatly to be praised. He also is to be feared above all gods.

Ascribe to LORD, ye kindred of the peoples. Ascribe to LORD glory and strength.

Ascribe to LORD the glory due to his name. Bring an offering, and come before him. Worship LORD in holy array.

Then shall the trees of the wood sing for joy before LORD, for he comes to judge the earth.

O give thanks to LORD, for he is good, for his loving kindness [is] forever.

And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation. And gather us together and deliver us from the nations, to give thanks to thy holy name, and to triumph in thy praise.

Blessed be LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting even to everlasting. And all the people said, Amen, and praised LORD.

So he left there, before the ark of the covenant of LORD, Asaph and his brothers, to minister before the ark continually, as every day's work required,

and Obed-edom with their sixty-eight brothers. And Obed-edom the son of Jeduthun and Hosah [were] to be porters,

to offer burnt-offerings to LORD upon the altar of burnt-offering continually morning and evening, even according to all that is written in the law of LORD, which he commanded to Israel.

And with them Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest that were chosen, who were mentioned by name, to give thanks to LORD because his loving kindness [is] forever.

And with them Heman and Jeduthun [with] trumpets and cymbals for those who should sound aloud, and [with] instruments for the songs of God, and the sons of Jeduthun to be at the gate.

And all the people departed every man to his house. And David returned to bless his house.

And it came to pass, when David dwelt in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of LORD [dwells] under curtains.

And Nathan said to David, Do all that is in thy heart, for God is with thee.

And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying,

Go and tell David my servant, Thus says LORD, Thou shall not build for me a house to dwell in.

For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel, to this day, but have gone from tent to tent, and from [one] tabernacle [to another].

In all places wherein I have walked with all Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to be shepherd of my people, saying, Why have ye not built for me a house of cedar?

Now therefore thus thou shall say to my servant David, Thus says LORD of hosts, I took thee from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, that thou should be prince over my people Israel.

and [as] from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. And I will subdue all thine enemies. Moreover I tell thee that LORD will build for thee a house.

And it shall come to pass, when thy days are fulfilled that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will set up thy seed after thee, who shall be of thy sons. And I will establish his kingdom.

According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

And this was a small thing in thine eyes, O God. But thou have spoken of thy servant's house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O LORD God.

What can David [say] yet more to thee concerning the honor which is done to thy servant? For thou know thy servant.

O LORD, for thy servant's sake, and according to thine own heart, thou have wrought all this greatness, to make known all [these] great things.

O LORD, there is none like thee, neither is there any God besides thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

And what one nation on the earth is like thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem to himself for a people, to make thee a name by great and awesome things, in driving out nations from before thy people whom thou redeemed out of E

And now, O LORD, let the word that thou have spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, be established forever, and do as thou have spoken.

And let thy name be established and magnified forever, saying, LORD of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel, and the house of David thy servant is established before thee.

For thou, O my God, have revealed to thy servant that thou will build him a house. Therefore thy servant has found [in his heart] to pray before thee.

And now, O LORD, thou are God, and have promised this good thing to thy servant,

and now it has pleased thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee; for thou, O LORD, have blessed, and it is blessed forever.

And after this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them, and took Gath and its towns out of the hand of the Philistines.

And he smote Moab, and the Moabites became servants to David, and brought tribute.

And David smote Hadarezer king of Zobah to Hamath, as he went to establish his dominion by the river Euphrates.

And when the Syrians of Damascus came to aid Hadarezer king of Zobah, David smote of the Syrians twenty-two thousand men.

Then David put [garrisons] in Syria of Damascus. And the Syrians became servants to David, and brought tribute. And LORD gave victory to David wherever he went.

And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadarezer, and brought them to Jerusalem.

And when Tou king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the army of Hadarezer king of Zobah,

he sent Hadoram his son to king David, to salute him, and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadarezer and smitten him (for Hadarezer had wars with Tou), and [he had with him] all manner of vessels of gold and silver and b

These also king David dedicated to LORD, with the silver and the gold that he carried away from all the nations: from Edom, and from Moab, and from the sons of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek.

And he put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became servants to David. And LORD gave victory to David wherever he went.

And David reigned over all Israel, and he executed justice and righteousness to all his people.

And it came to pass after this, that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his stead.

And David said, I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me. So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And David's servants came into the land of the sons of Ammon

But the rulers of the sons of Ammon said to Hanun, Do thou think that David honors thy father, in that he has sent comforters to thee? Have not his servants come to thee to search, and to overthrow, and to spy out the land?

So Hanun took David's servants, and shaved them, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.

And they came and informed David about the men. And he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, Remain at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return.

And when the sons of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the sons of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire for them chariots and horsemen out of Mesopotamia, and out of Arammaacah, and out o

So they hired for them thirty-two thousand chariots, and the king of Maacah and his people, who came and encamped before Medeba. And the sons of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities, and came to battle.

And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shall help me, but if the sons of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will help thee.

Be of good courage, and let us act the man for our people, and for the cities of our God. And LORD do that which seems good to him.

So Joab and the company that were with him drew near before the Syrians to the battle, and they fled before him.