And Meonothai fathered Ophrah. And Seraiah fathered Joab, the father of the Valley of the Craftsmen. For they were craftsmen.

These were the potters and those who lived among plants and hedges. They lived there with the king for his work.

And they lived at Beer-sheba, and Moladah, and Hazar-shual,

And they went to the entrance of Gedor, to the east side of the valley, to look for pasture for their flocks.

And they found fertile and good pasture, for the land was wide and quiet and peaceable. For some of the sons of Ham had lived there of old.

And they struck the rest which escaped to Amalek, and lived there until this day.

And in the days of Saul they made war with the Hagarites, who fell by their hand. And they lived in their tents throughout all the east land of Gilead.

And they lived in Gilead in Bashan, and in her towns, and in all the open lands of Sharon, on their borders.

And they made war with the Hagarites, with Jetur, and Nephish, and Nodab.

And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all who were with them. For they cried to God in the battle, and He was pleased to hear them, because they put their trust in Him.

And they took away their cattle: of their camels, fifty thousand; and of sheep, two hundred fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men a hundred thousand.

For many fell down slain, because the war was of God. And they lived in their places until the captivity.

And the sons of the half tribe of Manasseh lived in the land. They increased from Bashan to Baal-hermon and Senir, and to Mount Hermon.

And they sinned against the God of their fathers, and went lusting after the gods of the people of the land, whom God destroyed before them.

And they ministered before the dwelling-place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing, until Solomon had built the house of Jehovah in Jerusalem. And they waited on their office according to their order.

And they gave them Hebron in the land of Judah, and its open lands all around it.

But the fields of the city, and its villages, they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh.

And to the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of refuge: Hebron, and Libnah with its open lands, and Jattir, and Eshtemoa with their open lands,

And they gave these cities which are called by their names, out of the tribe of the sons of Judah, and out of the tribe of the sons of Simeon, and out of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin.

And they gave to them for the cities of refuge, Shechem in Mount Ephraim, with its open lands, also Gezer with its open lands,

And out of the tribe of Gad they gave Ramoth in Gilead with its open lands, and Mahanaim with its open lands,

And with them, by their generations, after the house of their fathers, were bands of soldiers for war, thirty-six thousand men. For they had many wives and sons.

and Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son, and Ezer, and Elead. And the men of Gath, natives in the land, killed them because they came down to take away their cattle.

And these are the sons of Ehud, these are the heads of the fathers of the people of Geba; and they exiled them to Manahath.

So all Israel enrolled themselves. And behold, they were written in the book of the kings of Israel. And Judah was exiled to Babylon for their sins.

And before they were at the king's gate eastward, they were gatekeepers in the companies of the sons of Levi.

So they and their sons were over the gates of the house of Jehovah, the house of the tabernacle, by watches.

For they were in faithfulness, the four chief gatekeepers; they were Levites, and were over the rooms, and over the treasuries of the house of God.

And they lived around the house of God, because the duty was on them. And they were to open it morning by morning.

And certain of them were over the ministering vessels, that they should bring them in and out by count.

And these were the singers, chief of the fathers of the Levites in the chambers, they were free of duty, for they were employed in that work day and night.

And Mikloth fathered Shimeam. And they also dwelt with their brothers at Jerusalem, across from their brothers.

And all the men of Israel in the valley saw that they fled, and that Saul and his sons had died. And they left their cities and fled. And the Philistines came and lived in them.

And it happened on the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, and they found Saul and his sons fallen in Mount Gilboa.

And they stripped him, and carried his head and his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines all around, to carry news to their idols and to the people.

And they put his armor in the house of their gods, and fastened his skull in the temple of Dagon.

And all the mighty men arose and took away the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh. And they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

And all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron. And David made a covenant with them in Hebron before Jehovah. And they anointed David king over Israel, according to the Word of Jehovah by Samuel.

And David lived in the stronghold. Therefore they called it the city of David.

And they set themselves in the midst of that place, and delivered it, and killed the Philistines. And Jehovah saved them by a great deliverance.

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 these were the ones who came to David to Ziklag, while banned from the face of Saul the son of Kish. And they were among the mighty men, helpers of the war,

These were they who went over Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its banks. And they put all those of the valleys to flight, toward the east and toward the west.

And some from Manasseh fell to David when he came with the Philistines to battle against Saul. (But they did not help them. For the lords of the Philistines sent him away on advice, saying, He will fall to his master Saul with our heads.)

And they helped David against the band, for they were all mighty men of power, and were commanders in the army.

For at that time they came to David day by day to help him, until it was a great army, like an army of God.

From Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, with all the weapons of war, fifty thousand who could keep rank. They were not of a double heart.

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 they were with David three days, eating and drinking. For their brothers had prepared food for them.

And also those who were near them, even to Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen. And they brought food, meal, cakes of figs and bunches of raisins, and wine and oil, and oxen and sheep abundantly. For there was joy in Israel.

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 they carried the ark of God in a new cart out of the house of Abinadab. And Uzza and Ahio led the cart.

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

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 they left their gods there. And David commanded, and they were burned with fire.

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

And it happened as God helped the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, they offered seven bulls and seven rams.

And they brought the ark of God and set it in the middle of the tent which David had pitched for it. And they offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings before God.

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

And I will set a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, and they shall live in their place and shall be moved no more; nor shall the sons of wickedness waste them any more, as at the beginning,

And the Ammonites saw that they had made themselves stink before David, and Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents of silver to hire chariots and horsemen out of Mesopotamia and out of Maachah of Syria, and out of Zobah.

And they hired thirty-two thousand chariots, and the king of Maachah and his people, who came and pitched before Medeba. And the Ammonites gathered themselves from their cities and came to battle.

And he delivered the rest of the people into the hand of his brother Abishai. And they set in order against the sons of Ammon.

And Joab and the people with him drew near before the Syrians to the battle. And they fled before him.

And when the sons of Ammon saw that the Syrians had fled, they also fled before his brother Abishai. And they entered into the city. And Joab came to Jerusalem.

And the Syrians saw that they were beaten before Israel, and sent messengers and drew forth the Syrians who were beyond the river. And Shophach the captain of the army of Hadarezer went before them.

And it was told to David. And he gathered all Israel and passed over Jordan and came on them. And he set in order against them. And David set in order against the Syrians, and they fought with him.

And the servants of Hadarezer saw that they were beaten before Israel, and they made peace with David and became his servants. And Syria was not willing to help the sons of Ammon any more.

And he brought out the people who were in it. And they sawed with saws and with sharp tools of iron, and with the axes. And so David did with the cities of the sons of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

And it happened after this, that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines. Then Sibbechai the Hushathite killed Sippai, of the children of the giant. And they were humbled.

These were born to the giant in Gath. And they fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.

And Joab answered, May Jehovah add to His people a hundred times, but my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?

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.

And Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second. But Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons. Therefore they were in one roster, according to their father's house.

These were the sons of Levi after the house of their fathers, the chief of the fathers, as they were counted by number of names by their heads, the ones who did the work for the service of the house of Jehovah, from the age of twenty years and upward.

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

and also to the Levites, so that they shall no more carry the tabernacle, nor any of its vessels for its service.

And they were to offer all burnt sacrifices to Jehovah in the sabbath, in the new moons, and on the set feasts, by number, according to the order commanded to them, continually before Jehovah,

and that they should keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the Holy Place, and the charge of their brothers, the sons of Aaron, in the service of the house of Jehovah.

And there were more chief men found of the sons of Eleazar than of the sons of Ithamar. And so they were divided. Among the sons of Eleazar were sixteen chief men of the house of their fathers, and eight among the sons of Ithamar according to the house of their fathers.

So they divided them by lot, one sort with another. For the governors of the sanctuary, and governors of the house of God, were of the sons of Eleazar, and of the sons of Ithamar.

And they also cast lots along with their brothers, the sons of Aaron, before David the king, and Zadok, and Ahimelech, and the chief of the fathers of the priests and Levites, the head of the fathers, as well as his younger brother.

And they cast lots, for duty, the small as well as the great, the teacher as the pupil.

Also sons were born to his son Shemaiah, who ruled for the house of their father, for they were mighty men of valor.

All these were the sons of Obed-edom. They and their sons and their brothers were able men for strength for the service, and there were sixty-two of Obed-edom.

And they cast lots, the small as well as the great, according to the house of their fathers, for every gate.

And the lot eastward fell to Shelemiah; then Zechariah his son, a wise counselor, they cast lots. And his lot came out northward.

They dedicated part of the spoils won in battles, to maintain the house of Jehovah,

Jerijah was the chief among the men of Hebron. He was of the Hebronites, according to the generations of his fathers. In the fortieth year of the reign of David they were sought for, and there were found among them mighty men of valor at Jazer of Gilead.

And they gave for the service of the house of God five thousand talents of gold and ten thousand darics, and ten thousand talents of silver, and eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron.

And the people rejoiced, because they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to Jehovah. And David the king also rejoiced with great joy.

And they sacrificed sacrifices to Jehovah, and offered burnt offerings to Jehovah on the next day after that day a thousand bulls, a thousand rams, a thousand lambs, with their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel.

And they ate and drank before Jehovah on that day with great gladness. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him before Jehovah as ruler, and Zadok to be as priest.

And the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad the seer,