And he said, "Far be it from me [that] I would do this before my God. Shall I drink the lifeblood of these men? For {at the risk of their lives} they brought it." And he was not willing to drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

Now Abishai the brother of Joab was himself the head of the three. And he roused himself with his spear against three hundred [whom he] killed and [made] a name for himself among the three.

{He was twice as renowned} among the three and was their commander. But he did not attain to the three.

[And] Benaiah the son of Jehoiada [was] {a strong man} from Kabzeel, [one who did] great deeds. He himself struck down two [sons of] Ariel of Moab. And he himself went down and struck down a lion within a pit on a snowy day.

And he himself struck down an Egyptian man, a large man five cubits [tall]. And in the hand of the Egyptian [was] a spear like a weaver's beam. But he went down to him with a club and seized the spear from the hand of the Egyptian and killed him with his own spear.

He himself was certainly distinguished among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David appointed him over his bodyguard.

Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai from Beeroth, who was the armor-bearer for Zeruiah's son Joab,

Now these are the ones who came to David at Ziklag while he was still shut up because {of Saul}, the son of Kish. And they [were] the mighty warriors helping [with] the war.

The leader [was] Ahiezer, then Jehoash, sons of Shemaah the Gibeonite; Jeiel and Pelet, sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu the Anathothite;

Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty warrior among the thirty [who was] over the thirty; Jeremiah; Jahaziel; Johanan; Jozabad the Gederathite;

Ezer was the leader, Obadiah the second in command, Eliab the third,

These [were] the sons of Gad, leaders of the army. The smallest one [was] as a hundred, and the greatest as a thousand.

These [were] they who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it was filled over its banks. And they put to flight all [who were in] the valley to the east and to the west.

Then the Spirit came on Amasai, who was chief of the thirty, [and he said], "We are yours, David, and on your side, you son of Jesse: peace, peace be to you, and peace be to your helpers; for your God helps you." Then David received them, and made them captains of the band.

So David received them and assigned them to be officers over troops. Some of the descendants of Manasseh joined David when he was going to fight against Saul, accompanied by the Philistines. Even so, David was of no help to them, because the Philistine rulers were counseled to send him away. They told themselves, "He's going to go over to his master Saul at the cost of our heads."

{Day in and day out} they came to David to help him until [there was] a great army, like the army of God.

Jehoiada was the leader of [the house of] Aaron; and with him were three thousand and seven hundred,

And of the children of Issachar, there were two hundred chiefs, men who had expert knowledge of the times and what it was best for Israel to do, and all their brothers were under their orders.

All these were men of war, keeping rank, they came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over Israel. And also all the rest of Israel was of one heart to make David king.

And also their relatives, as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought food on donkeys, on camels, on mules, and on oxen--provisions of flour, cakes of figs, raisin cakes, wine and oil, cattle and sheep in abundance, for [there was] great joy in Israel.

And all the assembly agreed to do so, for the word was pleasing in the eyes of all the people.

And David will go up, and all Israel, to Baalah, to the cities of the forests which were to Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God Jehovah dwelling in the cherubims, which the name was called.

And Yahweh {was angry} with Uzza, and he struck him down because he reached his hand upon the ark. And he died there before God.

And David {was angry} because Yahweh had broken out in wrath against Uzza. And that place is called Perez Uzza unto this day.

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

and the Ark of God was with Obededom in his house, three months. And the LORD blessed the house of Obededom and all that he had.

And David knew that Yahweh had established him as king over Israel [and] that his kingdom was highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel.

But while he was living in Jerusalem, David married more wives and fathered more sons and daughters.

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

And David's name was honoured in all lands; and the Lord put the fear of him on all nations.

Then David ordered that the Ark of God was to be carried by no one except the descendants of Levi, because the LORD had chosen them to carry the ark of the LORD and to serve him forever.

because at the first it was not ye, Jehovah our God made a breach upon us, because we sought Him not according to the ordinance.'

And the Levites chose Heman the son of Joel, and of his brothers, Asaph the son of Berechiah. And from the sons of Merari their brothers, was Ethan the son of Kushaiah.

Chenaniah, the leader of the Levites in music, was to direct the music because he was skillful.

Thus, it was, David and the elders of Israel, and the rulers of thousands, who were going, to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, out of the house of Obed-edom, with joy.

And so it was that, when God helped the Levites, who were bearing the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, they sacrificed seven bullocks and seven rams.

Now David was dressed in a robe of fine linen, as were all the Levites who were carrying the ark, as well as the singers and Chenaniah, the music leader of the singers. David also wore a linen ephod.

So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouts, the sound of the ram’s horn, trumpets, and cymbals, and the playing of harps and lyres.

As the ark of the covenant of the Lord was entering the city of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked down from the window and saw King David dancing and celebrating, and she despised him in her heart.

Asaph was the chief and Zechariah was second to him. Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel played the harps and lyres, while Asaph sounded the cymbals

Later David left the presence of the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD so Asaph and his fellow descendants of Levi could serve the ark there continually each day, doing whatever was required.

And Zadok the priest, and his brethren the priests, before the tabernacle of Jehovah in the high place that was at Gibeon,

to offer burnt offerings regularly, morning and evening, to the Lord on the altar of burnt offerings and to do everything that was written in the law of the Lord, which He had commanded Israel to keep.

Now when David was living in his house, he said to Nathan the prophet, See, I am living in a house of cedar-wood, but the ark of the Lord's agreement is under the curtains of a tent.

But so it was that, in that night, the word of God came unto Nathan, saying:

I was with you wherever you went and I defeated all your enemies before you. Now I will make you as famous as the great men of the earth.

And it was When thy days were completed to go with thy fathers, and I raised up thy seed after thee, which shall be from thy sons; and I prepared his kingdom.

I will be a father to him, and he will be a son to Me. I will not take away My faithful love from him as I took it from the one who was before you.

This was a little thing to You, God, for You have spoken about Your servant’s house in the distant future. You regard me as a man of distinction, Lord God.

And it shall be firm, and thy name shall be magnified even to forever, saying, Jehovah of armies, God of Israel, is God to Israel: and the house of David thy servant was prepared before thee.

David also defeated King Hadadezer of Zobah, which is near Hamath, while he was going about establishing his hegemony as far as the Euphrates River.

And David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus, and so it was that the Syrians became, David's, servants, bearers of a present, - so Yahweh gave victory to David, whithersoever he went.

and he sent Hadoram his son to king David to inquire of his welfare, and to congratulate him, because he had fought against Hadarezer and smitten him; for Hadarezer was continually at war with Tou; he sent also all manner of vessels of gold and silver and bronze.

So David reigned over all Israel, - and he was executing justice and righteousness for all his people;

Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army;
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was court historian;

Zadok son of Ahitub
and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests;
Shavsha was court secretary;

Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over
the Cherethites and the Pelethites;
and David’s sons were the chief officials at the king’s side.

David said, "I will express my loyalty to Hanun son of Nahash, for his father was loyal to me." So David sent messengers to express his sympathy over his father's death. When David's servants entered Ammonite territory to visit Hanun and express the king's sympathy,

After they had departed, David was informed about the men, so he sent word to them, since they had been deeply humiliated. He told them, "Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown back, and then return."

When the Ammonites realized that David was disgusted with them, Hanun and the Ammonites sent 1,000 talents of silver to hire chariots and charioteers from Aram Naharaim, Aram Maacah, and Zobah.

When Joab saw that there was a battle line in front of him and another behind him, he chose some men out of all the elite troops of Israel and lined up in battle formation to engage the Arameans.

And when Aram saw that they were defeated before Israel, they sent messengers and brought out Aram, who [was from] beyond the Euphrates, with Shophach the commander of the army of Hadadezer before them.

When this was reported to David, he gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan. He came up to the Arameans and lined up in battle formation against them. When David lined up to engage them in battle, they fought against him.

And when the servants of Hadadezer saw that they were defeated before Israel, they made peace with David and became servants to him. So Aram was no longer willing to help the {Ammonites}.

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

Then David took the crown from the head of their king, and it was placed on David’s head. He found that the crown weighed 75 pounds of gold, and there was a precious stone in it. In addition, David took away a large quantity of plunder from the city.

He removed the city's residents and made them do hard labor with saws, iron picks, and axes. This was his policy with all the Ammonite cities. Then David and all the army returned to Jerusalem.

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

Once again there was a battle with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam.

There was still another battle at Gath where there was a man of extraordinary stature with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—24 in all. He, too, was descended from the giant.

And the word of the king was strong upon Joab. And Joab will go forth, and he will go about in all Israel, and he will come to Jerusalem.

And Joab gave the number of the enrollment of the people to David. And it happened [that] all Israel [was] one million one hundred thousand men drawing a sword, and in Judah [were] four hundred and seventy thousand men drawing a sword.

But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the count because the king’s command was detestable to him.

This command was also evil in God’s sight, so He afflicted Israel.

Then God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but when the angel was about to destroy the city, the Lord looked, relented concerning the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough, withdraw your hand now!” The angel of the Lord was then standing at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

David said to God, “Wasn’t I the one who gave the order to count the people? I am the one who has sinned and acted very wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? My Lord God, please let Your hand be against me and against my father’s family, but don’t let the plague be against Your people.”

The angel of the LORD told Gad to tell David that David was to go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor that belonged to Ornan the Jebusite.

Ornan was threshing wheat when he turned and saw the angel. His four sons, who were with him, hid themselves.

but David could not go before it to inquire of God, because he was terrified of the sword of the Lord’s angel.

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David also provisioned abundant supplies of iron for nails to build the doors for gates and to build clamps. Furthermore, he provided so much bronze it wasn't inventoried,

“My son,” David said to Solomon, “It was in my heart to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God,

And behold in my affliction I prepared for the house of Jehovah, gold, a hundred thousand talents, and silver, a thousand thousand talents; and for brass and for iron, no weight; for it was for abundance: and woods and stones I prepared, and upon them thou wilt add.

Is not Jehovah your God with you? and he caused rest to you from round about? for he gave into my hand the inhabitants of the land; and the land was subdued before Jehovah, and before his people.

When David was old and full of days, he installed his son Solomon as king over Israel.

The Levites 30 years old or more were counted; the total number of men was 38,000 by headcount.

Of the Gershonites was Ladan and Shimei.

Ladan’s sons: Jehiel was the first, then Zetham, and Joel—three.

Jahath was the first and Zizah was the second; however, Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they became an ancestral house and received a single assignment.

Amram’s sons: Aaron and Moses.

Aaron, along with his descendants, was set apart forever to consecrate the most holy things, to burn incense in the presence of Yahweh, to minister to Him, and to pronounce blessings in His name forever.

Of the sons of Gershom; Shebuel was the chief.

The son of Eliezer was Rehabiah, the oldest. Eliezer had no other sons, but Rehabiah had many descendants.

Izhar’s sons: Shelomith was first.

Hebron’s sons: Jeriah was first, Amariah second, Jahaziel third, and Jekameam fourth.

Uzziel’s sons: Micah was first, and Isshiah second.

For by the last words of David was this done, the numbering of the sons of Levi from twenty years old and upward.

For their station [was] {to assist} the sons of Aaron with the service of the house of Yahweh, over the courtyards, over the chambers, and over the cleansing of all the sanctified objects, and [with] the work of the service of the house of God,

The holy bread was in their care, and the crushed grain for the meal offering, of unleavened cakes or meal cooked over the fire or in water; they had control of all sorts of weights and measures;

And to wait on every offering of burnt sacrifices unto the LORD, the Sabbaths and first days of the months, and other feastful days by number and custom, was their office ever before the LORD.

The secretary, Shemaiah son of Nethanel, a Levite, recorded them in the presence of the king and the officers, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech son of Abiathar, and the heads of families of the priests and the Levites. One ancestral house was taken for Eleazar, and then one for Ithamar.

Now the first name to come out was that of Jehoiarib; the second Jedaiah,