Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

And Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that you would surely bless me and enlarge my border. And may your hand be with me, that you would keep me from evil so that it might not harm me!" And God granted what he asked.

And they found fertile and good pasture, and the land [was] very broad, quiet, and at ease, for the former inhabitants there [were] from Ham.

And the sons of Gad lived near to them in the land of Bashan as far as Salecah:

And they were helped against them, and the Hagrites and all who [were] with them were given into their hand, for they cried out to God in the battle, and he responded to their prayer because they trusted in him.

For many [were] slain because the war was of God. And they lived under them until the exile.

But they transgressed against the God of their ancestors and prostituted themselves after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.

So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul, king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tiglath-Pilneser, king of Assyria, and he took them [into exile], namely, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. And he brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river Gozan, until this day.

And their brothers the Levites were appointed for all the service of the tabernacle of the house of God.

But Aaron and his sons made offerings on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense for all the work of the most holy place, and to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.

To the Merarites twelve cities [were] allotted according to their clans out of the tribe of Reuben, out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun.

And out of the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead with its pasturelands, Mahanaim with its pasturelands,

Azariah son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, the commander of the house of God;

and their kinsmen, heads of the house of their fathers, one thousand seven hundred and sixty mighty men [for] the work of the service of the house of God.

until then they [were] gatekeepers at the gate of the king on the east [side] toward the camps of the Levites.

For the four mighty gatekeepers, they who [were] Levites, {were entrusted} and [were] over the chambers and over the storerooms of the house of God.

And they lodged all around the house of God, for upon them [was] a responsibility. And {they had charge of opening [the house of God] every morning}.

{For some time now}, even when Saul was king, you were {the one who led the army of Israel in battle}. And Yahweh your God said to you, 'You will shepherd my people Israel and will be leader over my people Israel.'"

And David had a craving, and he said, "Who could give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem that [is] by the gate!"

Then the three broke through into the camp of the Philistines and drew water from the well of Bethlehem that [was] by the gate and brought [it] and came to David. But David would not drink it and poured it out before Yahweh.

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.

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

And David went out {to meet them} and answered and said to them, "If you come in peace to me, to help me, {my heart will be joined with you}, but if [you come] to betray me to my adversaries, although [there is] no wrong on my hands, may the God of our fathers see and pass judgment."

Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, chief of the thirty [who said]: "[We are] yours, O David! And [we are] with you, O son of Jesse! Peace! Peace to you, and peace to those who help you, for your God helps you." So David appointed them as heads of the troops.

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

And David said to all the assembly of Israel, "{If it seems good to you} and before Yahweh our God, {let us send word abroad} to our brothers who remain in all the land of Israel and [to] the priests and Levites with them in the cities with their pasturelands that they might be gathered to us.

Then let us bring around the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul."

And David summoned all Israel from Shihor of Egypt up to Lebo-Hamath to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-Jearim.

And David and all Israel went up to Baalah, Kiriath-Jearim of Judah, to bring up from there the ark of Yahweh God [who] is enthroned [between] the cherubim, which is called the name.

And they carried the ark of God upon a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio were driving the cart.

Now David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all [their] strength, and with songs, lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.

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 feared God on that day, saying, "How can I bring the ark of God [home] to me?"

And the ark of God remained with the household of Obed-Edom in his house three months. And Yahweh blessed the household of Obed-Edom and all that he had.

Then David inquired of God, saying, "Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will you put them into my hand?" And Yahweh said to him, "Go up. I will put them into your hand."

And he went up to Baal-Perazim, and David struck them there. And David said, "God has burst out against my enemies by my hand like waters burst out." Therefore they will call the name of this place Baal-Perazim.

Then David inquired again of God. And God said to him, "You shall not go up after them. Go around from before them and come against them the opposite [way] of the balsam trees.

And it shall be [that] when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then go out into battle, for God goes out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines."

And David did as God commanded him, and they struck the camp of the Philistines from Gibeon to Gezer.

And David built houses for himself in the city of David, and he established a place for the ark of God. And he pitched a tent for it.

Then David ordered [that] none except the Levites should carry the ark of God, for Yahweh had chosen them to carry the ark of Yahweh and to serve him forever.

And he said to them, "You [are] the heads of the {families} for the Levites. Sanctify yourselves and your brothers and bring up the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel, to [the place] I have established for it.

Because the first time you did not, [and] Yahweh our God burst out against us, for we did not care for it according to the law."

Then the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of Yahweh, the God of Israel.

And the sons of the Levites carried the ark of God according to what Moses commanded, according to the word of Yahweh, on their shoulders with the carrying poles upon them.

And Shebaniah, Jehoshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Elizezer the priests {sounded the trumpets} before the ark of God. And Obed-Edom and Jehiah [were] gatekeepers for the ark.

And it happened [that] when God helped the Levites carrying the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.

And they brought the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it. And they offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God.

Then he appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of Yahweh, to invoke, thank, and praise Yahweh the God of Israel.

And Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests [blew] on the trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.

He [is] Yahweh our God; his judgments [are] in all the earth.

Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for he [is] good; his loyal love [is] everlasting.

Then say, "Save us, O God of our salvation; gather us and rescue us from the nations that [we may] give thanks to your holy name [and] glory in your praise.

Blessed be Yahweh the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting!" Then all the people said, "Amen!" and praised Yahweh.

And Heman and Jeduthun with them [had] trumpets and cymbals for making music, along with instruments for the song of God. And the sons of Jeduthun [were] at the gate.

And Nathan said to David, "Whatever [is] in your heart, do, for God [is] with you."

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

and I have been with you wherever you went and have cut down your enemies from before you and will make a name for you, like the name of the great ones on the earth.

Then King David went and sat before Yahweh and said, "Who [am] I, O Yahweh God, and what [is] my house that you have brought me thus far?

And this was a small [matter] in your eyes, O God. And you have spoken concerning the house of your servant for a long [time] and have shown me {future generations to come}, O Yahweh God.

O Yahweh, there is none like you, and there is no God except you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

And who [is] like your people Israel, [the] one nation upon earth whom God went to redeem for himself, to establish for you a reputation for great and awesome things, to drive out nations from before your people whom you redeemed from Egypt?

And you made your people Israel an everlasting nation for yourself. And you, O Yahweh, became their God.

And let your name be established and be magnified forever, saying, 'Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, is Israel's God, and may the house of David your servant be established before you.'

For you, my God, {have informed} your servant [that] you will build a house for him. Therefore, your servant has found [courage] to pray before you.

So now, O Yahweh, you yourself [are] God, and you have spoken to your servant this good thing.

So Hanun took the servants of David and shaved them and cut off their garments at the middle, up to the buttocks, and sent them away.

Be strong! Let us strengthen ourselves on behalf of our people and on behalf of the cities of our God. And may Yahweh do [what is] good in his eyes."

But this word was displeasing in the eyes of God, and he struck Israel.

Then David said to God, "I have sinned severely [in] that I have done this thing. But now, please forgive the sin of your servant, for I have been very foolish."

Then Yahweh spoke to Gad the seer of David, saying,

So Gad came to David and said to him, "Thus says Yahweh: 'Choose for yourself:

Then David said to Gad, "{I am very troubled}. Let me into the hand of Yahweh, for his compassion is very great, but do not let me fall into the hand of a man."

And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, and as [he was about] to destroy [it], Yahweh saw and was grieved on account of the calamity. Then he said to the angel, the destroyer, "[It is] enough; slacken your hand." And the angel of Yahweh was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

Then David said to God, "Was it not I [who] gave a command to count the people? Now I [am] he who has sinned, and I have certainly done wickedness, but these sheep, what have they done? O Yahweh, my God, please let your hand be against me and against the house of my father, but against your people, [let there be] no plague."

Now the angel of Yahweh had spoken to Gad to say to David that David should go up [and] erect an altar for Yahweh.

So David went up at the word of Gad that he had spoken in the name of Yahweh.

And Ornan said to David, "Take [it] to yourself; let my lord the king do what [is] good in his eyes. See, I give the cattle for the burnt offerings and threshing sledges for the wood and wheat for the grain offering--I give [it] all."

But David was not able to go before it to seek God, for he was afraid on account of the sword of the angel of Yahweh.

Then David said, "This will be the house of Yahweh God, and this altar of burnt offering for Israel."

And David commanded to assemble the resident aliens who [were] in the land of Israel and appointed stone craftsmen to cut dressed stones to build the house of God.

Then he called to Solomon his son and commanded him to build a house for Yahweh, the God of Israel.

And David said to Solomon his son, "I myself had in my heart to build a house for the name of Yahweh my God,

Now, my son, Yahweh will be with you, that you may succeed and build the house of Yahweh your God as he has spoken concerning you.

Only may Yahweh give to you understanding and insight that he might give you charge over Israel and the keeping of the law of Yahweh your God.

"Is not Yahweh your God with you? And has he [not] given you rest all around? For he has put in my hand the inhabitants of the land, and the land is subdued before Yahweh and before his people.

Now set your heart and mind to seek Yahweh your Go, and arise and build the sanctuary of Yahweh God, that the ark of the covenant of Yahweh and the holy vessels of God might be brought into the house built for the name of Yahweh.

But Moses the man of God [and] his sons were reckoned among the tribe of Levi

For David said, "Yahweh, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever.

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,

They divided them by lot {all alike}, for they were commanders of the sanctuary and commanders of God from among the sons of Eleazar and the sons of Ithamar.

These [were] their appointments for their service to come into the house of Yahweh according to their custom by the hand of Aaron their father, as Yahweh the God of Israel had commanded him.

All these [were] sons to Heman, the seer of the king, according to the words of God to raise a horn. And God had given to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.

All these [were] under the {direction} of their father in the music of the house of Yahweh, with cymbals, harps, and stringed instruments for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman [were] under the {direction} of the king.

Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, Peullethai the eighth; for God blessed him.

For Shuppim and Hosah [it went out] for the west, at the gate of Shalleketh, on the road that goes up, guard for guard.

And of the Levites: Ahijah [was] over the treasuries of the house of God and over the treasuries of the sanctified objects.

And his brothers, sons of ability, [were] two thousand seven hundred heads of the {families}, and King David appointed them over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, for every matter of God and matter of the king.

And King David rose to his feet and said, "Listen to me, my brothers and my people. {I myself wanted} to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of Yahweh and the footstool of our God, and I prepared to build.

But God said to me, 'You may not build a house for my name because you [are] a man of war, and you have shed blood.'