And Saul said to his armor-bearer, Draw your sword and pierce me with it, lest these uncircumcised ones come and abuse me. But his armor-bearer would not, for he was very much afraid. So Saul took a sword and fell on it.

And also in time past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led out and brought in Israel. And Jehovah your God said to you, You shall feed My people Israel, and you shall be ruler over My people Israel.

And the people of Jebus said to David, You shall not come in here. But David took the stronghold of Zion, which is the city of David.

And David said, Whoever strikes the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain. And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first and was chief.

And David longed and said, Oh that someone would give me drink from the water of the well of Bethlehem, which was by the gate!

And he said, May my God forbid me to do this thing. Shall I drink the blood of these men who have put their lives in danger? For they brought it with their lives. And he was not willing to drink it. These three mighty ones did these things.

And David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them, If you have come to me in peace, to help me, my heart shall be knit to you. But if you come to betray me to my enemies, since there is no wrong in my hands, let the God of our fathers look on it and rebuke it.

And the Spirit came on Amasai, chief of the Thirty. And he said, We are yours, David, and on your side, son of Jesse. Peace, peace be on you, and peace on your helpers. For your God has helped you. And David received them and made them captains of the band.

And David said to all the congregation of Israel, If it is good to you, and if it has broken forth from Jehovah our God, let us send to our brothers, those remaining in all the lands of Israel, and with them to the priests and Levites in their cities that they be gathered to us.

And all the congregation said to do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.

And David asked of God, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? And will You deliver them into my hand? And Jehovah said to him, Go up, for I will deliver them into your hand.

And they came up to Baal-perazim. And David struck them there. Then David said, God has broken in on my enemies by my hand like the breaking forth of waters. Therefore they called the name of that place The Breaking of Baal.

And David asked again of God. And God said to him, Do not go up after them. Turn away from them, and come on them over against the weeping trees.

Then David said, No one ought to carry the ark of God except the Levites, for God has chosen them to carry the ark of God, and to minister to Him forever.

And he said to them, You are the heads of the fathers of the Levites. Sanctify yourselves, you and your brothers, so that you may bring up the ark of Jehovah, the God of Israel to the place which I have prepared for it.

Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel forever and ever. And all the people said, Amen, and praised Jehovah.

And it happened as David sat in his house, David said to Nathan the prophet, Lo, I dwell in a house of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of Jehovah is under curtains.

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

And David the king came and sat before Jehovah, and said, Who am I, O, Jehovah God, and what is my house, that You have brought me here?

And now, O Jehovah, let the thing which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house be established forever, and do as You have said.

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

But the rulers of the sons of Ammon said to Hanun, Is David honoring your father in your eyes, because he has sent comforters to you? Have not his servants come to you to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?

And some came and told David how the men were treated. And he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, Stay at Jericho until your beards are grown, and then return.

And he said, If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me. But if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will help you.

And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go number Israel from Beer-sheba to Dan. And bring the number of them to me so that I may know.

And David said to God, I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. But now, I beseech You, remove the iniquity of Your servant for I have done very foolishly.

And Gad came to David and said to him, So says Jehovah, Choose for yourself:

And David said to Gad, I am in great distress. Let me fall now into the hand of Jehovah, for His mercies are very great. But do not let me fall into the hand of man.

And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. And as he was destroying, Jehovah looked. And He repented of the evil and said to the angel who destroyed, Enough! Stay your hand now! And the angel of Jehovah stood by the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

And David said to God, Did not I command to number the people? I am the one who has sinned and done evil indeed. But these sheep, what have they done? I pray You, let Your hand be on me, O Jehovah my God, and on my father's house, but not on Your people, that they should be plagued.

Then David said to Ornan, Give me the place of this threshing-floor, so that I may build an altar in it to Jehovah. You shall give it to me for the full price, so that the plague may be stayed from the people.

And Ornan said to David, Take for yourself, and let my lord the king do what is good in his eyes. Lo, I give the oxen for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the food offering. I give it all.

And King David said to Ornan, No, but I will truly buy it for the full silver. For I will not take what is yours for Jehovah, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.

Then David said, This is the house of Jehovah God, and this is the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.

And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house to be built for Jehovah is to be highly magnificent, for a name and for beauty to all the lands. I will now prepare for it. And David prepared abundantly before his death.

And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my mind to build a house to the name of Jehovah my God.

Now, my son, may Jehovah be with you and bless you, and build the house of Jehovah your God as He has said of you.

For David said, Jehovah, the God of Israel has given rest to His people so that they may dwell in Jerusalem forever,

But David did not take the number of those from twenty years old and under, because Jehovah had said He would increase Israel like the stars of the heavens.

And David the king stood up on his feet and said, Hear me, my brothers and my people. I had in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and for the footstool of our God, and had made ready for the building.

But God said to me, You shall not build a house for My name, because you have been a man of war and have shed blood.

And He said to me, Solomon your son shall build My house and My courts, for I have chosen him to be My son, and I will be his Father.

And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it. Do not fear, nor be dismayed, for Jehovah God, my God, will be with you. He will not fail you nor leave you until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of Jehovah.

And David the king said to all the congregation, Solomon my son, whom alone God has chosen, is young and tender, and the work is great. For the palace is not for man, but for Jehovah God.

And David blessed Jehovah before all the congregation. And David said, Blessed are You, Jehovah, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever.

And David said to all the congregation, Now bless Jehovah your God! And all the congregation blessed Jehovah, the God of their fathers, and bowed and worshiped Jehovah, and bowed to the king.