These six were born to him in Hebron, where he reigned for seven years and six months.

He reigned 33 years in Jerusalem. These four children were born to David by Bath-shua daughter of Ammiel while he was living in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon,

Mered's wife conceived Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah, who fathered Eshtemoa. Then his Judean wife bore Jered, who fathered Gedor and then Heber, who fathered Soco and Jekuthiel, who fathered Zanoah. These are the descendants of Bithiah, daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered married.

Their cities were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan, for a total of five cities,

along with all their settlements that surrounded these cities as far as Baal this is their settlement history.

They kept this genealogical record for themselves: Meshobab, Jamlech, Amaziah's son Joshah,

They journeyed as far as the entrance of Gedor on the east side of the valley in order to find pasture for their flocks.

Later on, during the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah, these people, enumerated by name, came and attacked both their homes and the Meunim who had settled there and who remain exterminated to this day. They settled down there, taking their place, because there was pasture there for their flocks.

He also lived eastward as far as the entrance to the wilderness this side of the Euphrates River, because their cattle had increased in the territory of Gilead.

Gad's descendants lived beside them in the land of Bashan as far as Salecah:

They lived in Gilead, in Bashan and its villages, and in all the surrounding suburbs of Sharon as far as their borders.

These are the men to whom David handed responsibility for music in the Temple of the LORD, after the ark came to rest there.

They ministered in song in front of the Tent of Meeting, until Solomon had built the Temple of the LORD in Jerusalem. They served in accordance with orders of service designated for them.

along with their relatives, descendants of Levi who had been appointed for all the service of the tent of the Temple of God.

Meanwhile, Aaron and his sons presented offerings on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense, carrying out the work of the Most Holy Place, making atonement for Israel in accordance with everything that Moses the servant of God had commanded.

and (from of the half-tribe of Manasseh), Aner with its surrounding suburbs, and Bileam with its surrounding suburbs for the rest of the Kohathite families.

The four descendants of Issachar included Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.

All these were descendants through Jediael according to the heads of their ancestral households. Their valiant warriors totaled 17,200 equipped and ready for battle.

Machir chose wives for his sons Huppim and for Shuppim. He had a sister named Maacah. His second son was named Zelophehad, and Zelophehad fathered only daughters.

Their possessions and settlements included Bethel and its towns, Naaran to the east, Gezer and its towns to the west, Shechem and its towns as far as Ayyah and its towns

All of these were men of Asher, leaders of ancestral households, choice valiant mighty warriors, and chiefs among princes. Their enrolled genealogies for battle conscription totaled 26,000 men.

The guardians were stationed on four sides east, west, north, and south.

because the four senior gatekeepers (who were descendants of Levi) had been placed in charge of the chambers and the treasury of the Temple of God.

Some were responsible for the service utensils, and they were required to take an inventory of them when they were brought in and out.

Others were responsible for the furniture and for all of the holy utensils, including the flour, wine, oil, incense, and spices.

Some of their Kohathite relatives were responsible to prepare the rows of bread for each Sabbath.

every valiant soldier got up, removed the bodies of Saul and his sons, took them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh. Then they fasted for seven days.

So Saul died for his transgressions; that is, he acted unfaithfully to the LORD by transgressing the message from the LORD (which he did not keep), by consulting a medium for advice,

This record of the warriors who were for David included Hachmoni's son Jashobeam, leader of the platoons, who killed 300 with his spear in a single encounter.

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

Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, leader of the Thirty, and he said, "David, we belong to you; we're with you, son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to the one who helps you! For your deliverer is your God."

They spent three days eating and drinking with David, since their relatives had supplied provisions for them.

Their neighbors came from as far away as the territories of Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali, bringing provisions loaded on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen. They brought abundant provisions of meal, fig bars, raisins, wine, oil, oxen, and sheep, because there was joy in Israel.

As a result, David would not take the ark into the City of David for it to be in his care. Instead, he took it to the home of Obed-edom the Gittite.

So the Ark of God remained in the care of Obed-edom's household for three months, and God blessed Obed-edom's household, along with everyone associated with it.

After this, King Hiram of Tyre sent a delegation to David, accompanied by cedar logs, stone masons, and wood workers, to construct a palace for him.

When the Philistines learned that David had been anointed king over all of Israel, all of the Philistines invaded to look for David. David heard about it and went out to fight them.

David built palaces for himself in the City of David, and he prepared a place for the Ark of God and erected a tent for it.

David assembled all of Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the LORD to its proper place that he had prepared for it.

and addressed them: "As leaders of your Levitical families, set yourselves apart, both you and your relatives, so you can be qualified to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel to the place I've prepared for it.

Because you didn't carry it from the very first, the LORD our God attacked us, since we didn't care for it appropriately."

Chenaniah, music leader for the descendants of Levi, served as music director, because he was expert at it.

Berechiah and Elkanah served as gatekeepers for the ark.

Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer the priests were appointed to sound the trumpets before the Ark of God, and Obed-edom and Jehiah were trustees for the ark.

On that very day, David composed this psalm of thanksgiving to the LORD just for Asaph and his companions:

For all of the gods of the other nations are mere idols, but the LORD fashioned the heavens!

Then let the trees in the forest sing out in praise, for the LORD is coming to judge the world.

After this, everyone left for their own homes and David went home to bless his own household.

"""You won't be building a house for me to inhabit, will you? After all, I haven't lived in a house from the day I brought out Israel until today. Instead, I've lived from tent to tent and from one place to another.

I will establish a homeland for my people Israel, planting them in a secure location where they will never be disturbed anymore. Wicked people will not oppress them as happened in the past,

"""I'm also announcing to you that the LORD also will himself build a house for you. It will come about that when your life is complete and you go to join your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, who is related to one of your sons, and I will fortify his kingdom.

"Who am I, LORD God, and what is my household, since you have brought me to this? Furthermore, this is a small thing to you, God, and yet you have spoken concerning your servant's household for a great while to come, and you have seen in me the fulfillment of man's purpose, LORD God.

LORD, for the sake of your servant, and consistent with your heart, you have done all of these great things and are now making these great things known.

What other one nation on the earth is like your people Israel, God, which you have redeemed from slavery to become your own people, making a great name for yourself when you redeemed your people from Egypt. You did awesome miraculous deeds, driving out nations that stood in their way.

May your name be made great and honored forever: The LORD of the Heavenly Armies, the God of Israel, is God for Israel, and may the family of David your servant stand before you forever.

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.

David confiscated 1,000 chariots, 7,000 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers from him, and hamstrung all of the chariot horses except for a reserve force of 100 chariots.

David also confiscated a vast quantity of bronze from Tibhath and Cun, cities under Hadadezer's control. Later on, Solomon crafted the bronze sea, the pillars, and the bronze vessels for the Temple.

He told Abishai, "If the Arameans prove too strong for me, then you are to help me. If the Ammonites prove too strong for you, then I will help you.

Be strong, be courageous on behalf of our people and for the cities of our God, and may the LORD do what he thinks is best."

When the Ammonites saw the Arameans retreating, they also retreated from Joab's brother Abishai back to the city and Joab left for Jerusalem.

After the Arameans realized that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent for the Arameans who lived beyond the Euphrates River. Shophach was leading them as commander of Hadadezer's army.

There was also a battle at Gath, where there was a very tall man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot for a total of 24 digits who was a descendant of the Rephaim.

David said, "This is where the LORD God's Temple will be, along with the altar of burnt offerings for Israel."

to report the total population count to David. Throughout all of Israel there were 1,100,000 men trained for war. In Judah there were 470,000 men trained for war.

"Go and tell David, "This is what the LORD says: "I'm holding three choices out for you: pick one of them for yourself, and I will do it to you."'"

Gad went to David and told him, "This is what the LORD says: "Make a choice for yourself:

So David replied to Gad, "This is a very bad choice for me to make! Let me now please fall into the hand of the LORD, because his mercy is very great, but may I never fall into human hands!"

David told God, "Wasn't I the one who ordered the census of the population? Wasn't it I who sinned and acted wickedly? Now as for these sheep, what have they done? LORD God, please let your hand be against me and my ancestral household, but don't let your people be ravaged by plague!"

Ornan turned around and saw the angel. While his four sons with him ran away to hide, Ornan continued to thresh wheat.

But Ornan replied to David, "Take it! Let your majesty the king do whatever seems like a good idea to him. Look here! I'm giving the oxen for burnt offerings, the threshing machinery for the wood, and the wheat for a grain offering. I'm giving all of it."

But King David told Ornan, "No. I will buy them for the full price because I will not offer to the LORD what is yours or offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing."

So David paid Ornan 600 shekels weight worth in gold for the site,

built an altar to the LORD there, and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings. He called out to the LORD, and he answered him from heaven with fire on the altar of burnt offerings.

David subsequently issued orders to conscript the resident aliens who lived in the land of Israel and appointed stonecutters to prepare stones for building a temple for God.

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,

David thought, "My son Solomon is young and inexperienced. The temple that will be built for the LORD is to be magnificent, well known, and internationally honored, so I will complete preparations for it." So before his death, David finished providing a great quantity of materials for it.

Later, David called for his son Solomon and directed him to build a temple to the LORD God of Israel.

"You have shed a lot of blood and fought great battles. You won't be building a house for my name, since you have shed so much blood on the earth in my sight. But look! A son born to you will live comfortably, because I will give him rest from all his enemies that surround him on every side, since his name will be "Solomon" - I will give peace and quiet for Israel during his lifetime.

Then you will be successful, if you keep on observing the statutes and ordinances that the LORD commanded Moses concerning Israel. Be strong, be courageous, and never give in to fear or dismay.

At great effort I have provided for the Temple of the LORD 100,000 gold talents, 1,000,000 silver talents, as well as bronze and iron beyond calculation, since there is so much of it. I've also provided timber and stone, but you'll need to obtain more.

So set your minds and hearts to seek the LORD your God, to get up, and to build the sanctuary of the LORD God, so the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD and the holy vessels of God may be stored in a temple built for the name of the LORD."

descendants of Levi 30 years old and above were counted for a total of 38,000.

The descendants of Shimei included Jahath, Zina, Jeush, and Beriah. These four were sons of Shimei.

The four descendants of Kohath included Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

Meanwhile, as for Moses the man of God, his sons were considered among the tribe of Levi.

For David had said "The LORD God of Israel has granted rest to his people, and he has taken Israel as his eternal residence.

"Instead, they are to assist by lending a hand to the descendants of Aaron regarding service to the Temple of the LORD relating to the courts, the chambers, purification of everything pertaining to holiness, and to anything else pertaining to service on behalf of the Temple of God, including assisting with the rows of showbread, selecting flour for the grain offerings, the unleavened bread, baked offerings, and oil-based offerings, no matter what the quantity or sizes.

With respect to the descendants of Aaron, classes of service were organized for Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar, the descendants of Aaron.

Nethanel's son Shemaiah, a Levitical scribe, made an official record of them for the king, the officers, Zadok the priest, Abiathar's son Ahimelech, and the heads of ancestral households of both the priests and the descendants of Levi. One ancestral house was chosen for Eleazar and one for Ithamar.

The first lottery was chosen in favor of Jehoiarib, the second for Jedaiah,

third for Harim, the fourth for Seorim,

the fifth for Malchijah, the sixth for Mijamin,

the seventh for Hakkoz, the eighth for Abijah,

the ninth for Jeshua, the tenth for Shecaniah,

the eleventh for Eliashib, the twelfth for Jakim,

the thirteenth for Huppah, the fourteenth for Jeshebeab,

the fifteenth for Bilgah, the sixteenth for Immer,

the seventeenth for Hezir, the eighteenth for Happizzez,

the nineteenth for Pethahiah, the twentieth for Jehezkel,