And they abandoned their gods there. And David commanded, and they were burnt with fire.

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

And the fame of David went out through all the lands. And Yahweh put the fear of him upon all the nations.

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 David gathered all Israel to Jerusalem to bring up the ark of Yahweh to its place that he had established for it.

And David gathered the sons of Aaron and the Levites.

Then David summoned Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab.

Then David ordered the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brothers [as] singers with instruments of song, musical instruments, stringed instruments, and cymbals, {raising their voices for joy}.

And it happened [that] David and the elders of Israel and the commanders of thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh from the house of Obed-Edom with joy.

Now David was clothed with a robe of fine linen; so also all the Levites who were carrying the ark, the singers, and Kenaniah the chief of the singing. And David wore a linen ephod.

And when the ark of the covenant of Yahweh came into the city of David, then Michal the daughter of Saul looked down from the window and saw the king, David, leaping and dancing. And she despised him in her heart.

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.

And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh.

Then on that day David first appointed to give thanks to Yahweh by the hand of Asaph and his brothers.

Then all the people went each to his house, and David turned to bless his household.

And as David lived in his house, David said to Nathan the prophet, "Look, I live in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of Yahweh [is] under tent curtains."

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

"Go and say to David my servant, 'Thus says Yahweh, "You [are] not to build a house for me to live [in],

So now, thus you shall say to my servant David, 'Thus says Yahweh of hosts, "I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be leader over my people Israel,

According to all these words and according to all this revelation, thus did Nathan speak to David.

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?

{What more} can David [do] to you for honoring your servant? Now you know your servant.

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.'

And it happened [that] after David struck the Philistines and subdued them, he captured Gath and its villages out of the hand of the Philistines.

And he struck Moab, and the Moabites became servants to David, bearing tribute.

And David struck Hadadezer, king of Zobah-Hamath, as he set up his monument at the Euphrates River.

And David captured from him one thousand chariots, seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. And David hamstrung all the chariot horses but left one hundred of them [to] remain [for] chariots.

And when the Arameans of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah-Hamath, David struck down twenty-two thousand men of Aram.

Then David set up [garrisons] in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became servants to David, bearing tribute. And Yahweh delivered David wherever he went.

And David took small round shields of gold that were upon the servants of Hadadezer and brought them [to] Jerusalem.

And from Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadadezer, David captured very much bronze. Solomon made the bronze sea with it along with the columns and objects of bronze.

And when Tou the king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Hadadezer the king of Zobah,

he sent Hadoram his son to King David to ask him for peace and to bless him because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Tou {had been at war} with Hadadezer. And [he brought with him] all the objects of gold, silver, and bronze.

King David dedicated these also to Yahweh, along with the silver and gold that he had taken from all the nations, from Edom, Moab, the sons of Ammon, the Philistines, and Amalek.

And he put garrisons in Edom, and all Edom became servants to David. And Yahweh delivered David wherever he went.

So David reigned over all Israel, and {he administered justice} and righteousness to all his people.

And Benaiah son of Jehoiada [was] over the Kerethites and the Pelethites. And the sons of David [were] chief officials under the hand of the king.

And David said, "I will deal kindly with Hanun the son of Nahash because his father showed kindness to me." So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And the servants of David came to the land of the {Ammonites}, to Hanun, to comfort him.

But the princes of the {Ammonites} said to Hanun, "{Do you think} because David sent comforters to you [that] David honors your father? Is it not for the purpose of exploring [so as] to overthrow and spy out the land that his servants have come to you?"

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.

And they went and told David concerning the men, and he inquired of them, for the men were very disgraced. And the king said, "Dwell in Jericho until your beards grow out; then return."

And when the {Ammonites} saw that they made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the {Ammonites} sent one thousand talents of silver to hire for themselves horses and chariots from Aram-Naharaim, Aram-Maacah, and Zobah.

And when David heard, he sent Joab and the entire army of mighty warriors.

And when it was told to David, he gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan. And he came to them and was arrayed against them. Then David was arrayed to meet Aram in battle, and they fought with him.

And Aram fled before Israel. And David killed from Aram [the men of] seven thousand chariots and forty thousand foot soldiers, and he put to death Shophach the commander of the army.

And when the servants of Hadadezer saw that they were defeated before Israel, they made peace with David and became servants to him. So Aram was no longer willing to help the {Ammonites}.

And it happened [that] {in the spring time of year}, the time [when] kings go out [to battle], Joab led the troops of the army and destroyed the land of the {Ammonites}. And he came and besieged Rabbah, but David remained in Jerusalem. And Joab struck Rabbah and destroyed it.

And David took the crown of their king from his head and found it to weigh a talent of gold. And in it [was] a precious stone. Then it was [placed] upon the head of David. And he brought out the booty of the city, a large amount.

And the people who [were] in it he brought out, and {he set them to work with saws and iron implements and axes}. Thus David did to all the cities of the {Ammonites}. Then David returned, and all the nation [went] with him.

And he taunted Israel, but Jehonathan son of Shimea, brother of David, struck him down.

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

Then Satan stood against Israel and urged David to count Israel.

So David said to Joab and to the commanders of the nation, "Go, count Israel from Beersheba to Dan and bring a report to me that I might know their number."

And Joab gave the number of the enrollment of the people to David. And it happened [that] all Israel [was] one million one hundred thousand men drawing a sword, and in Judah [were] four hundred and seventy thousand men drawing a sword.

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,

"Go, you must speak to David, saying, 'Thus says Yahweh: "Three [choices] I offer to you. Choose one of them for yourself that I will do to you." '"

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 David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of Yahweh standing between earth and heaven, with his sword drawn in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.

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.

Then David came to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw David. And he went out from the threshing floor, and they bowed down to David, faces to the ground.

Then David said to Ornan, "Please give me the place, the threshing floor, that I might build an altar on it to Yahweh; at full price please give it to me, that the plague against the people might be stopped."

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 King David said to Ornan, "No, for I will certainly buy [it] at full value; indeed, I will not take what is yours for Yahweh and offer burnt offerings for nothing."

So David gave to Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the place.

Then David built an altar there to Yahweh, and he offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and he called to Yahweh. And he answered him with fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering.

At that time, when David saw that Yahweh answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there.

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.

And David provided much iron for nails for the doors of the gates and for the seams, and abundant copper [that] could not be weighed,

and cedar timbers without number, for the Sidonians and Tyrians brought abundant cedars to David.

Then David said, "Solomon my son [is] a boy and inexperienced, and the house built for Yahweh [must be] exceedingly great in fame and splendor throughout every land. I will make preparations for him." So David provided abundant [materials] before he died.

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

And David commanded all the commanders of Israel to help Solomon his son, [saying],

Now David [was] old and full of days. And he made Solomon his son king over Israel.

Of these, [David said,] "Twenty-four thousand [are] to direct the work of the house of Yahweh, along with six thousand judges and officials

And David organized them [in] divisions according to the sons of Levi: to Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

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

For by the last words of David, they [are] the number of the sons of Levi, from twenty years old and above.

And David, with Zadok of the sons of Eleazar and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, divided them according to their appointments for their service.

And lots were also cast [for] these, just as their brothers, the sons of Aaron, before David the king, Zadok, Ahimelech, and the heads of the {families} for the priests and for the Levites the fathers, {on the principle of the chief and younger brother alike}.

And David and the commanders of the army set apart for the service the sons of Asaph, [of] Heman, and [of] Jeduthun, who prophesied with stringed instruments, with harps, and with cymbals. And their inventory of the men of the work [and] for their duty was:

That Shelomoth and his brothers [were] over all the treasuries of the sanctified objects that King David and the heads of the {families} to the commanders of thousands and hundreds and the commanders of the army had dedicated.

For the Hebronites: Jeriah the chief of the Hebronites for the genealogy for the {families}. (In the fortieth year of the reign of David they were examined, and there was found among them mighty warriors of strength at Jazer in Gilead.)

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.

For Judah: Elihu, from the brothers of David. For Issachar: Omri the son of Michael.

And David did not {take a census of those twenty years old or under} because Yahweh promised to make Israel more numerous than the stars of heaven.

Joab the son of Zeruiah began to count, but he did not finish. But wrath came upon Israel concerning this, and the number was not included in {the chronicles} of King David.

All of these [were] officials of the property of King David.

And Jehonathan the uncle of David [was] an adviser, a man of insight, and he was a scribe. And Jehiel the son of Hachmoni [was] with the sons of the king.

Then David assembled all the commanders of Israel, the commanders of the tribes and the commanders of working groups who served the king, and the commanders of thousands, the commanders of hundreds, and the commanders over all the property of the king and his sons, with the court officials and mighty warriors, and all the mighty warriors of ability, at Jerusalem.

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.

Then David gave to Solomon his son the plan of the vestibule and of its houses, its treasuries, its upper rooms, its inner chambers, and of the house of the lid of the ark,

Then David said to Solomon his son, "Be strong and courageous, and do [this]! Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for Yahweh God, my God, [is] with you. He will not fail you and will not forsake you until all the work of the service of the house of Yahweh is finished.