Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees, masons and carpenters, to build a house for him.

And David realized that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, and that his kingdom was highly exalted, for the sake of His people Israel.

Then David took more wives at Jerusalem, and David became the father of more sons and daughters.

Elishama, Beeliada and Eliphelet.

When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up in search of David; and David heard of it and went out against them.

Now the Philistines had come and made a raid in the valley of Rephaim.

David inquired of God, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? And will You give them into my hand?” Then the Lord said to him, “Go up, for I will give them into your hand.”

So they came up to Baal-perazim, and David defeated them there; and David said, “God has broken through my enemies by my hand, like the breakthrough of waters.” Therefore they named that place Baal-perazim.

They abandoned their gods there; so David gave the order and they were burned with fire.

David inquired again of God, and God said to him, “You shall not go up after them; circle around behind them and come at them in front of the balsam trees.

David did just as God had commanded him, and they struck down the army of the Philistines from Gibeon even as far as Gezer.

Then the fame of David went out into all the lands; and the Lord brought the fear of him on all the nations.

Now David built houses for himself in the city of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.

Then David said, “No one is to carry the ark of God but the Levites; for the Lord chose them to carry the ark of God and to minister to Him forever.”

And David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord to its place which he had prepared for it.

David gathered together the sons of Aaron and the Levites:

of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, and 120 of his relatives;

of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, and 220 of his relatives;

of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, and 130 of his relatives;

of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, and 200 of his relatives;

of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, and 80 of his relatives;

of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, and 112 of his relatives.

Then David called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites, for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel and Amminadab,

and said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ households of the Levites; consecrate yourselves both you and your relatives, that you may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place that I have prepared for it.

So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel.

So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel, and from his relatives, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and from the sons of Merari their relatives, Ethan the son of Kushaiah,

and with them their relatives of the second rank, Zechariah, Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom and Jeiel, the gatekeepers.

So the singers, Heman, Asaph and Ethan were appointed to sound aloud cymbals of bronze;

and Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah and Benaiah, with harps tuned to alamoth;

and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel and Azaziah, to lead with lyres tuned to the sheminith.

Berechiah and Elkanah were gatekeepers for the ark.

Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah and Eliezer, the priests, blew the trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah also were gatekeepers for the ark.

So it was David, with the elders of Israel and the captains over thousands, who went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-edom with joy.

Because God was helping the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.

Now David was clothed with a robe of fine linen with all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers and Chenaniah the leader of the singing with the singers. David also wore an ephod of linen.

Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting, and with sound of the horn, with trumpets, with loud-sounding cymbals, with harps and lyres.

It happened when the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and celebrating; and she despised him in her heart.

And they brought in the ark of God and placed it inside the tent which David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.

When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord.

He distributed to everyone of Israel, both man and woman, to everyone a loaf of bread and a portion of meat and a raisin cake.

He appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the Lord, even to celebrate and to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel:

Asaph the chief, and second to him Zechariah, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom and Jeiel, with musical instruments, harps, lyres; also Asaph played loud-sounding cymbals,

and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests blew trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.

Then on that day David first assigned Asaph and his relatives to give thanks to the Lord.

Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face continually.

Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done,
His marvels and the judgments from His mouth,

The covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac.

When they were only a few in number,
Very few, and strangers in it,

And they wandered about from nation to nation,
And from one kingdom to another people,

He permitted no man to oppress them,
And He reproved kings for their sakes, saying,

“Do not touch My anointed ones,
And do My prophets no harm.”

For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
He also is to be feared above all gods.

Splendor and majesty are before Him,
Strength and joy are in His place.

Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come before Him;
Worship the Lord in holy array.

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;
And let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”

Let the sea roar, and all it contains;
Let the field exult, and all that is in it.

Then say, “Save us, O God of our salvation,
And gather us and deliver us from the nations,
To give thanks to Your holy name,
And glory in Your praise.”

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
From everlasting even to everlasting.
Then all the people said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord.

So he left Asaph and his relatives there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister before the ark continually, as every day’s work required;

and Obed-edom with his 68 relatives; Obed-edom, also the son of Jeduthun, and Hosah as gatekeepers.

He left Zadok the priest and his relatives the priests before the tabernacle of the Lord in the high place which was at Gibeon,

to offer burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of burnt offering continually morning and evening, even according to all that is written in the law of the Lord, which He commanded Israel.

With them were Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest who were chosen, who were designated by name, to give thanks to the Lord, because His lovingkindness is everlasting.

And with them were Heman and Jeduthun with trumpets and cymbals for those who should sound aloud, and with instruments for the songs of God, and the sons of Jeduthun for the gate.

Then all the people departed each to his house, and David returned to bless his household.

And it came about, when David dwelt in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, “Behold, I am dwelling in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under curtains.”

“Go and tell David My servant, ‘Thus says the Lord, “You shall not build a house for Me to dwell in;

for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel to this day, but I have gone from tent to tent and from one dwelling place to another.

I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a name like the name of the great ones who are in the earth.

I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and not be moved again; and the wicked will not waste them anymore as formerly,

even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies.Moreover, I tell you that the Lord will build a house for you.

When your days are fulfilled that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up one of your descendants after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom.

He shall build for Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever.

I will be his father and he shall be My son; and I will not take My lovingkindness away from him, as I took it from him who was before you.

But I will settle him in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.”’”

According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

Then David the king went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house that You have brought me this far?

This was a small thing in Your eyes, O God; but You have spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the standard of a man of high degree, O Lord God.

O Lord, for Your servant’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have wrought all this greatness, to make known all these great things.

And what one nation in the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make You a name by great and terrible things, in driving out nations from before Your people, whom You redeemed out of Egypt?

For Your people Israel You made Your own people forever, and You, O Lord, became their God.

“Now, O Lord, let the word that You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house be established forever, and do as You have spoken.

Let Your name be established and magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel; and the house of David Your servant is established before You.’

Now, O Lord, You are God, and have promised this good thing to Your servant.

And now it has pleased You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You; for You, O Lord, have blessed, and it is blessed forever.”

Now after this it came about that David defeated the Philistines and subdued them and took Gath and its towns from the hand of the Philistines.

He defeated Moab, and the Moabites became servants to David, bringing tribute.

David also defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah as far as Hamath, as he went to establish his rule to the Euphrates River.

David took from him 1,000 chariots and 7,000 horsemen and 20,000 foot soldiers, and David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but reserved enough of them for 100 chariots.

Then David put garrisons among the Arameans of Damascus; and the Arameans became servants to David, bringing tribute. And the Lord helped David wherever he went.

David took the shields of gold which were carried by the servants of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.

Also from Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadadezer, David took a very large amount of bronze, with which Solomon made the bronze sea and the pillars and the bronze utensils.

he sent Hadoram his son to King David to greet him and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and had defeated him; for Hadadezer had been at war with Tou. And Hadoram brought all kinds of articles of gold and silver and bronze.

King David also dedicated these to the Lord with the silver and the gold which he had carried away from all the nations: from Edom, Moab, the sons of Ammon, the Philistines, and from Amalek.

Then he put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became servants to David. And the Lord helped David wherever he went.

So David reigned over all Israel; and he administered justice and righteousness for all his people.

Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder;

and Zadok the son of Ahitub and Abimelech the son of Abiathar were priests, and Shavsha was secretary;

and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and the sons of David were chiefs at the king’s side.