These also are the chief of the mighty men whom David had, who strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom, and with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel.

And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had; Jashobeam, a Hachmonite, the chief of the captains: he lifted up his spear against three hundred slain by him at one time.

And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men.

And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits tall; and in the Egyptian's hand was a spear like a weaver's beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear.

Behold, he was honorable among the thirty, but attained not to the first three: and David set him over his guard.

Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a chief of the Reubenites, and thirty with him,

And there deserted some of Manasseh to David, when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battle: but they helped them not: for the lords of the Philistines after counsel sent him away, saying, He will desert to his master Saul to the peril of our heads.

As he went to Ziklag, there deserted to him of Manasseh, Adnah, and Jozabad, and Jediael, and Michael, and Jozabad, and Elihu, and Zellethai, captains of the thousands that were from Manasseh.

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

And these are the numbers of the men that were ready armed for war, and came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the LORD.

And Jehoiada was the leader of the Aaronites, and with him were three thousand and seven hundred;

And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah, and he struck him, because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died before God.

Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and timber of cedars, with masons and carpenters, to build him a house.

And David perceived that the LORD had confirmed him king over Israel, for his kingdom was lifted up on high, because of his people Israel.

And David inquired of God, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? and will you deliver them into my hand? And the LORD said unto him, Go up; for I will deliver them into your hand.

Therefore David inquired again of God; and God said unto him, Go not up after them; turn away from them, and come upon them opposite the balsam trees.

David therefore did as God commanded him: and they struck the army of the Philistines from Gibeon even to Gezer.

And the fame of David went out into all lands; and the LORD brought the fear of him upon all nations.

Then David said, None ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites: for them has the LORD chosen to carry the ark of God, and to minister unto him forever.

For because you did it not at the first, the LORD our God broke forth upon us, for we sought him not about the proper order.

And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites that bore the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the leader of the music with the singers: David also had upon him an ephod of linen.

And it came to pass, as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looking out at a window saw king David dancing and playing: and she despised him in her heart.

Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obed-edom: and Jeiel with lyres and with harps; but Asaph made music with cymbals;

Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk you of all his wondrous works.

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved.

I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before you:

But I will settle him in my house and in my kingdom forever: and his throne shall be established forevermore.

For you, O my God, have told your servant that you will build him a house: therefore your servant has found in his heart to pray before you.

And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: David also hamstrung all the chariot horses, but reserved of them a hundred chariots.

He sent Hadoram his son to king David, to inquire of his welfare, and to congratulate him, because he had fought against Hadadezer, and defeated him; (for Hadadezer had war with Tou;) and with him all manner of vessels of gold and silver and bronze.

And David said, I will show kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me. And David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. So the servants of David came into the land of the children of Ammon to Hanun, to comfort him.

Now when Joab saw that the battle was set against him in front and behind, he chose out of all the choice of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians.

So Joab and the people that were with him drew near before the Syrians unto the battle; and they fled before him.

And it was told David; and he gathered all Israel, and passed over the Jordan, and came upon them, and set the battle in array against them. So when David had put the battle in array against the Syrians, they fought with him.

But when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David's brother slew him.

So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus says the LORD, Choose you

Either three years' famine; or three months to be destroyed before your foes, while that the sword of your enemies overtakes you; or else three days the sword of the LORD, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the territory of Israel. Now therefore decide what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.

And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.

And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the LORD; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.

At that time when David saw that the LORD had answered him in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.

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

Behold, a son shall be born to you, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days.

The sons of Amram; Aaron and Moses: and Aaron was separated, that he should sanctify the most holy things, he and his sons forever, to burn incense before the LORD, to minister unto him, and to give the blessing in his name forever.

This was the schedule of them in their service to come into the house of the LORD, according to their procedure established under Aaron their father, as the LORD God of Israel had commanded him.

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

Also Hosah, of the children of Merari, had sons; Shimri the chief, (for though he was not the firstborn, yet his father made him the chief;)

The fourth captain for the fourth month was Asahel the brother of Joab, and Zebadiah his son after him: and in his division were twenty and four thousand.

And he said unto me, Solomon your son, he shall build my house and my courts: for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father.

And you, Solomon my son, know you the God of your father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts: if you seek him, he will be found of you; but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.

And did eat and drink before the LORD on that day with great gladness. And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him unto the LORD to be the prince, and Zadok to be priest.

Then Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him.

And the LORD magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed upon him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.

With all his reign and his might, and the events that happened to him, and to Israel, and to all the kingdoms of the countries.

And Solomon the son of David was strengthened in his kingdom, and the LORD his God was with him, and magnified him exceedingly.

So Solomon, and all the congregation with him, went to the high place that was at Gibeon; for there was the tabernacle of meeting of God, which Moses the servant of the LORD had made in the wilderness.

In that night did God appear unto Solomon, and said unto him, Ask what I shall give you.

And Solomon sent to Huram the king of Tyre, saying, As you did deal with David my father, and did send him cedars to build him a house to dwell in, even so deal with me.

Behold, I build a house to the name of the LORD my God, to dedicate it to him, and to burn before him sweet incense, and for the continual showbread, and for the burnt offerings morning and evening, on the sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the solemn feasts of the LORD our God. This is an ordinance forever to Israel.

But who is able to build him a house, seeing the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain him? who am I then, that I should build him a house, except only to burn sacrifices before him?

The son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre, skilful to work in gold, and in silver, in bronze, in iron, in stone, and in wood, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson; also to engrave any manner of engraving, and to execute every design which shall be given to him, with your skillful men, and with the skillful men of my lord David your father.

Now therefore the wheat, and the barley, the oil, and the wine, which my lord has spoken of, let him send unto his servants:

Also king Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel that were assembled unto him before the ark, sacrificed sheep and oxen, which could not be counted nor numbered for multitude.

You who have kept with your servant David my father that which you have promised him; and spoke with your mouth, and have fulfilled it with your hand, as it is this day.

Now therefore, O LORD God of Israel, keep with your servant David my father that which you have promised him, saying, There shall not fail you a man in my sight to sit upon the throne of Israel; if only your children take heed to their way to walk in my law, as you have walked before me.

Then hear from heaven, and act, and judge your servants, by requiting the wicked, by bringing his conduct upon his own head; and by justifying the righteous, by giving to him according to his righteousness.

Also at the same time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from the entrance of Hamath unto the river of Egypt.

And the LORD appeared to Solomon by night, and said unto him, I have heard your prayer, and have chosen this place for myself for a house of sacrifice.

And Huram sent him ships by the hands of his servants, and servants that had knowledge of the sea; and they went with the servants of Solomon to Ophir, and took from there four hundred and fifty talents of gold, and brought them to king Solomon.

And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to test Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bore spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she had come to Solomon, she spoke with him of all that was in her heart.

And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for to Shechem had all Israel come to make him king.

And they sent and called him. So Jeroboam and all Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,

And they spoke unto him, saying, If you are kind to this people, and please them, and speak good words to them, they will be your servants forever.

But he forsook the counsel which the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men that were brought up with him, that stood before him.

And the young men that were brought up with him spoke unto him, saying, Thus shall you answer the people that spoke unto you, saying, Your father made our yoke heavy, but you make it somewhat lighter for us; thus shall you say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's waist.

Then king Rehoboam sent Hadoram who was over the forced labor; and the children of Israel stoned him with stones, so that he died. But king Rehoboam made haste to get himself up into his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.

And the priests and the Levites that were in all Israel resorted to him out of all their territories.

And Rehoboam took him Mahalath the daughter of Jerimoth the son of David as his wife, and Abihail the daughter of Eliab the son of Jesse;

Who bore him children; Jeush, and Shemariah, and Zaham.

And after her he took Maachah the daughter of Absalom; who bore him Abijah, and Attai, and Ziza, and Shelomith.

And Rehoboam made Abijah the son of Maachah the chief, to be ruler among his brethren: for he thought to make him king.

And it came to pass, when Rehoboam had established the kingdom, and had strengthened himself, he forsook the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him.

With twelve hundred chariots, and threescore thousand horsemen: and the people were without number that came with him out of Egypt; the Libyans, the Sukkiim, and the Ethiopians.

And when he humbled himself, the wrath of the LORD turned from him, that he would not destroy him altogether: and also in Judah things went well.

And Abijah set the battle in array with an army of valiant men of war, even four hundred thousand chosen men: Jeroboam also set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men, being mighty men of valor.

Ought you not to know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David forever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?

And there are gathered unto him worthless men, the children of Belial, and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted, and could not withstand them.

But as for us, the LORD is our God, and we have not forsaken him; and the priests, who minister unto the LORD, are the sons of Aaron, and the Levites attend to their service:

And they burn unto the LORD every morning and every evening burnt sacrifices and sweet incense: the showbread also set they in order upon the pure table; and the lampstand of gold with its lamps, to burn every evening: for we keep the charge of the LORD our God; but you have forsaken him.

And Abijah pursued after Jeroboam, and took cities from him, Bethel with its villages, and Jeshanah with its villages, and Ephron with its villages.

Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and the LORD struck him, and he died.

So Abijah slept with his fathers, and they buried him in the city of David: and Asa his son reigned in his stead. In his days the land was quiet ten years.

Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the incense altars: and the kingdom was quiet under him.

And he built fortified cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given him rest.

Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the LORD our God, we have sought him, and he has given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.

Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.

And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, so that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the LORD, and before his army; and they carried away very much plunder.

And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, {} Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while you are with him; and if you seek him, he will be found of you; but if you forsake him, he will forsake you.

But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.

And in those times there was no peace to him that went out, nor to him that came in, but great turmoil was upon all the inhabitants of the countries.