American Standard Version of 1901
Versliste
And Jehovah said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from being king over Israel? fill thy horn with oil, and go: I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite; for I have provided me a king among his sons.
And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And Jehovah said, Take a heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to Jehovah.
And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee.
And Samuel did that which Jehovah spake, and came to Beth-lehem. And the elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, Comest thou peaceably?
And he said, Peaceably; I am come to sacrifice unto Jehovah: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.
And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on {In 1 Chronicles 27:18, Elihu.}Eliab, and said, Surely Jehovah's anointed is before him.
But Jehovah said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for Jehovah seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but Jehovah looketh on the heart.
Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath Jehovah chosen this.
Then Jesse made {In 2 Samuel 13:3, Shimeah. In 1 Chronicles 2:13, Shimea.}Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath Jehovah chosen this.
And Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Jehovah hath not chosen these.
And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he is keeping the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him; for we will not sit {Hebrew: around.}down till he come hither.
And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal {Hebrew: fair of eyes.}of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look upon. And Jehovah said, Arise, anoint him; for this is he.
Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of Jehovah came mightily upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
Now the Spirit of Jehovah departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from Jehovah {Or, terrified}troubled him.
And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee.
Let our lord now command thy servants, that are before thee, to seek out a man who is a skilful player on the harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well.
And Saul said unto his servants, Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me.
Then answered one of the young men, and said, Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Beth-lehemite, that is skilful in playing, and a mighty man of valor, and a man of war, and {Or, skilful}prudent in {Or, business}speech, and a comely person; and Jehovah is with him.
Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me David thy son, who is with the sheep.
And Jesse took an ass laden with bread, and a {Or, skin}bottle of wine, and a kid, and sent them by David his son unto Saul.
And David came to Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he became his armorbearer.
And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found favor in my sight.
And it came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took the harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him.
Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle; and they were gathered together at Socoh, which belongeth to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim.
And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and encamped in the vale of {Or, the terebinth}Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.
And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.
And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span.
And he had a helmet of brass upon his head, and he was clad with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass.
And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a javelin of brass between his shoulders.
And the {Or, according to another reading, blade.}staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and his shield-bearer went before him.
And he stood and cried unto the {Hebrew: ranks (and so in verse 10, 21, 22, 26, &c.).}armies of Israel, and said unto them, Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.
If he be able to fight with me, and kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us.
And the Philistine said, I {Or, reproach}defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.
And when Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.
Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Beth-lehem-judah, whose name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man was an old man in the days of Saul, stricken in years among men.
And the three eldest sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the first-born, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah.
And David was the youngest; and the three eldest followed Saul.
Now David went to and fro from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Beth-lehem.
And the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.
And Jesse said unto David his son, Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to thy brethren;
and bring these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare, and take their pledge.
Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, {Or, are}were in the vale of Elah, fighting with the Philistines.
And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the {Or, barricade}place of the wagons, as the host which was going forth to the {Or, battle ground}fight shouted for the battle.
And Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army against army.
And David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the army, and came and saluted his brethren.
And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them.
And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid.
And the men of Israel said, Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to {Or, reproach}defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel.
And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should {Or, reproach}defy the armies of the living God?
And the people answered him after this manner, saying, So shall it be done to the man that killeth him.
And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why art thou come down? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thy heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle.
And David said, What have I now done? {Or, Was it not but a word?}Is there not a cause?
And he turned away from him toward another, and spake after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the former manner.
And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul; and he sent for him.
And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail {Or, within him}because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.
And David said unto Saul, Thy servant was keeping his father's sheep; {Or, and therecome a lion and a bear…and I went out &c.}and when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock,
I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth; and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.
Thy servant smote both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath {Or, reproached}defied the armies of the living God.
And David said, Jehovah that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and Jehovah shall be with thee.
And Saul clad David with his apparel, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head, and he clad him with a coat of mail.
And David girded his sword upon his apparel, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.
And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the {Or, torrent bed}brook, and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had, even in his wallet; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.
And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him.
And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and withal of a fair countenance.
And the Philistine said unto David, Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves? And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.
And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the birds of the heavens, and to the beasts of the field.
Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin: but I come to thee in the name of Jehovah of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast {Or, reproached}defied.
This day will Jehovah deliver thee into my hand; and I will smite thee, and take thy head from off thee; and I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day unto the birds of the heavens, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,
and that all this assembly may know that Jehovah saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is Jehovah's, and he will give you into our hand.
And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine.
And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead; and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth.
So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
Then David ran, and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw that their {Or, mighty man}champion was dead, they fled.
And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou comest to {The Syriac and some editions of the Septuagint Version have, Gath.}Gai, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to {Or, the two gates}Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron.
And the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines, and they plundered their camp.
And David took the head of the Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his tent.
And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, Abner, whose son is this youth? And Abner said, As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell.
And the king said, Inquire thou whose son the stripling is.
And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand.
And Saul said to him, Whose son art thou, thou young man? And David answered, I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Beth-lehemite.
David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave of Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him.
And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was {Hebrew: bitter of soul.}discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.
And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab: and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for me.
And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the stronghold.
And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the stronghold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hereth.
And Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with him: now Saul was sitting in Gibeah, under the tamarisk-tree {Or, on the height}in Ramah, with his spear in his hand, and all his servants were standing about him.
And Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, will he make you all captains of thousands and captains of hundreds,
that all of you have conspired against me, and {Or, there was none that disclosed it to me when my son made &c.}there is none that discloseth to me when my son maketh a league with the son of Jesse, and there is none of you that is sorry for me, or discloseth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?
Then answered Doeg the Edomite, who {Or, was set over}stood by the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.
And he inquired of Jehovah for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.
Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests that were in Nob: and they came all of them to the king.
And Saul said, Hear now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am, my lord.
And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast inquired of God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?
Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who among all thy servants is so faithful as David, who is the king's son-in-law, and is taken into thy council, and is honorable in thy house?
Have I to-day begun to inquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the king impute anything unto his servant, nor to all the house of my father; for thy servant knoweth nothing of all this, less or more.
And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy father's house.
And the king said unto the {Hebrew: runners.}guard that stood about him, Turn, and slay the priests of Jehovah; because their hand also is with David, and because they knew that he fled, and did not disclose it to me. But the servants of the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of Jehovah.
And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests, and he slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod.
And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen and asses and sheep, with the edge of the sword.
And one of the sons of Ahimelech, the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped, and fled after David.
And Abiathar told David that Saul had slain Jehovah's priests.
And David said unto Abiathar, I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house.
Abide thou with me, fear not; for he that seeketh my life seeketh thy life: for with me thou shalt be in safeguard.
And Samuel died; and all Israel gathered themselves together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran.
And there was a man in Maon, whose {Or, business was}possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel.
Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail; and the woman was of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings; and he was of the house of Caleb.
And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal was shearing his sheep.
And David sent ten young men, and David said unto the young men, Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name:
and {Or, thus shall ye say, All hail! and peace be unto thee &c.}thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity, Peace be unto thee, and peace be to thy house, and peace be unto all that thou hast.
And now I have heard that thou hast shearers: thy shepherds have now been with us, and we {Hebrew: put them not to shame.}did them no hurt, neither was there aught missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel.
Ask thy young men, and they will tell thee: wherefore let the young men find favor in thine eyes; for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thy hand, unto thy servants, and to thy son David.
And when David's young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David, and {Or, remained quiet}ceased.
And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there are many servants now-a-days that break away every man from his master.
Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my {Hebrew: slaughter.}flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men of whom I know not whence they are?
So David's young men turned on their way, and went back, and came and told him according to all these words.
And David said unto his men, Gird ye on every man his sword. And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the baggage.
But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to {Hebrew: bless.}salute our master; and he railed at them.
But the men were very good unto us, and we were not {Hebrew: put to shame.}hurt, neither missed we anything, as long as we went with them, when we were in the fields:
they were a wall unto us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep.
Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his house: for he is such a worthless fellow, that one cannot speak to him.
Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two {Or, skins}bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched grain, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses.
And she said unto her young men, Go on before me; behold, I come after you. But she told not her husband Nabal.
And it was so, as she rode on her ass, and came down by the covert of the mountain, that, behold, David and his men came down toward her; and she met them.
Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath returned me evil for good.
God do so {The Syriac and some editions of Septuagint version have, unto David.}unto the enemies of David, and more also, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light so much as one man-child.
And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and alighted from her ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground.
And she fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, upon me be the iniquity; and let thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine ears, and hear thou the words of thy handmaid.
Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this worthless fellow, even Nabal; for as his name is, so is he; {That is, Fool.}Nabal is his name, and folly is with him: but I thy handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send.
Now therefore, my lord, as Jehovah liveth, and as thy soul liveth, seeing Jehovah hath withholden thee {Hebrew: from coming into blood.}from bloodguiltiness, and from {Hebrew: thine own hand saving thee.}avenging thyself with thine own hand, now therefore let thine enemies, and them that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal.
And now this {Hebrew; blessing.}present which thy servant hath brought unto my lord, let it be given unto the young men that follow my lord.
Forgive, I pray thee, the trespass of thy handmaid: for Jehovah will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord fighteth the battles of Jehovah; and evil shall not be found in thee all thy days.
And though men be risen up to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul, yet the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of {Or, the living}life with Jehovah thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as from the hollow of a sling.
And it shall come to pass, when Jehovah shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee prince over Israel,
that this shall be no {Hebrew: cause of staggering.}grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, {Or, so that thou shouldest shed &c.}either that thou hast shed blood without cause, or that my lord hath avenged himself. And when Jehovah shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thy handmaid.
And David said to Abigail, Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Israel, who sent thee this day to meet me:
and blessed be thy discretion, and blessed be thou, that hast kept me this day from bloodguiltiness, and from avenging myself with mine own hand.
For in very deed, as Jehovah, the God of Israel, liveth, who hath withholden me from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light so much as one man-child.
So David received of her hand that which she had brought him: and he said unto her, Go up in peace to thy house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person.
And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.
And it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, that his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone.
And it came to pass about ten days after, that Jehovah smote Nabal, so that he died.
And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be Jehovah, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept back his servant from evil: and the evil-doing of Nabal hath Jehovah returned upon his own head. And David sent and spake concerning Abigail, to take her to him to wife.
And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spake unto her, saying, David hath sent us unto thee, to take thee to him to wife.
And she arose, and bowed herself with her face to the earth, and said, Behold, thy handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.
And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that followed her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.
David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they became both of them his wives.
Now Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to {In 2 Samuel 3:15, Paltiel.}Palti the son of Laish, who was of Gallim.
And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me any more in all the borders of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand.
And David arose, and passed over, he and the six hundred men that were with him, unto Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's wife.
And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him.
And David said unto Achish, If now I have found favor in thine eyes, let them give me a place in one of the cities in the {Hebrew: field.}country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee?
Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day.
And the number of the days that David dwelt in the {Hebrew: field.}country of the Philistines was a full year and four months.
And David and his men went up, and made a raid upon the Geshurites, and the {Another reading is, Gizrites.}Girzites, and the Amalekites; for those nations were the inhabitants of the land, who were of old, as thou goest to Shur, even unto the land of Egypt.
And David smote the land, and saved neither man nor woman alive, and took away the sheep, and the oxen, and the asses, and the camels, and the apparel; and he returned, and came to Achish.
And Achish said, {So Septuagint version and Vulgate}Against whom have ye made a raid to-day? And David said, Against the South of Judah, and against the South of the Jerahmeelites, and against the South of the Kenites.
And David saved neither man nor woman alive, to bring them to Gath, saying, Lest they should tell of us, saying, So did David, and so hath been his manner all the while he hath dwelt in the {Hebrew: field}country of the Philistines.
And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.
Now the Philistines gathered together all their hosts to Aphek: and the Israelites encamped by the fountain which is in Jezreel.
And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds, and by thousands; and David and his men passed on in the rearward with Achish.
Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? And Achish said unto the princes of the Philistines, Is not this David, the servant of Saul the king of Israel, who hath been with me these days, or rather these years, and I have found no fault in him since he fell away unto me unto this day?
But the princes of the Philistines were wroth with him; and the princes of the Philistines said unto him, Make the man return, that he may go back to his place where thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become an adversary to us: for wherewith should this fellow reconcile himself unto his lord? should it not be with the heads of these men?
Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying,Saul hath slain his thousands,And David his ten thousands?
Then Achish called David, and said unto him, As Jehovah liveth, thou hast been upright, and thy going out and thy coming in with me in the host is good in my sight; for I have not found evil in thee since the day of thy coming unto me unto this day: nevertheless the lords favor thee not.
Wherefore now return, and go in peace, that thou displease not the lords of the Philistines.
And David said unto Achish, But what have I done? and what hast thou found in thy servant so long as I have been before thee unto this day, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?
And Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art good in my sight, as an angel of God: notwithstanding the princes of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to the battle.
Wherefore now rise up early in the morning with the servants of thy lord that are come with thee; and as soon as ye are up early in the morning, and have light, depart.
So David rose up early, he and his men, to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
And David again gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand.
And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him, from Baale-judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, {Hebrew: whereupon is called the Name.}which is called by the Name, even the name of Jehovah of hosts that {Or, is enthroned}sitteth above the cherubim.
And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in {Or, Gibeah}the hill: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart.
And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was in {Or, Gibeah}the hill, with the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark.
And David and all the house of Israel played before Jehovah with all manner of instruments made of {Or, cypress-wood}fir-wood, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with {Or, sistra}castanets, and with cymbals.
And when they came to the threshing-floor of Nacon, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen {Or, were restive Or, threw it down}stumbled.
And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his {Or, rashness}error; and there he died by the ark of God.
And David was displeased, because Jehovah had broken forth upon Uzzah; and he called that place {That is, The breach of Uzzah.}Perez-uzzah, unto this day.
And David was afraid of Jehovah that day; and he said, How shall the ark of Jehovah come unto me?
So David would not remove the ark of Jehovah unto him into the city of David; but David carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.
And the ark of Jehovah remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months: and Jehovah blessed Obed-edom, and all his house.
And it was told king David, saying, Jehovah hath blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God. And David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with joy.
And it was so, that, when they that bare the ark of Jehovah had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling.
And David danced before Jehovah with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod.
So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of Jehovah with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet.
And it was so, as the ark of Jehovah came into the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out at the window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before Jehovah; and she despised him in her heart.
And they brought in the ark of Jehovah, and set it in its place, in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before Jehovah.
And when David had made an end of offering the burnt-offering and the peace-offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Jehovah of hosts.
And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, both to men and women, to every one a cake of bread, and a portion {Or, of wine}of flesh, and a cake of raisins. So all the people departed every one to his house.
Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to-day, who uncovered himself to-day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!
And David said unto Michal, It was before Jehovah, who chose me above thy father, and above all his house, to appoint me prince over the people of Jehovah, over Israel: therefore will I play before Jehovah.
And I will be yet more vile than this, and will be base in mine own sight: but of the handmaids of whom thou hast spoken, of them shall I be had in honor.
And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.
And David consulted with the captains of thousands and of hundreds, even with every leader.
And David said unto all the assembly of Israel, If it seem good unto you, and if it be of Jehovah our God, let us send abroad every where unto our brethren that are left in all the {Hebrew: lands.}land of Israel, {Or,and with them to the piests and Levites that are &c.}with whom the priests and Levites are in their cities that have {Or, pasture lands}suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us;
and let us bring again the ark of our God to us: for we sought not unto it in the days of Saul.
And all the assembly said that they would do so; for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.
So David assembled all Israel together, from the Shihor the brook of Egypt even unto the entrance of Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.
And David went up, and all Israel, to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God Jehovah that {Or, is enthroned}sitteth above the cherubim, {Or, where the Name is called on}that is called by the Name.
And they carried the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab: and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart.
And David and all Israel played before God with all their might, even with songs, and with harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, and with cymbals, and with trumpets.
And when they came unto the threshing-floor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen {Or, were restive Or, threw it down}stumbled.
And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put forth his hand to the ark; and there he died before God.
And David was displeased, because Jehovah had broken forth upon Uzza; and he called that place {That is, the breach of Uzza.}Perez-uzza, unto this day.
And David was afraid of God that day, saying, How shall I bring the ark of God home to me?
So David removed not the ark unto him into the city of David, but carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.
And the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house three months: and Jehovah blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that he had.
And it came to pass, when the king dwelt in his house, and Jehovah had given him rest from all his enemies round about,
that the king said unto Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of God dwelleth within curtains.
And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thy heart; for Jehovah is with thee.
And it came to pass the same night, that the word of Jehovah came unto Nathan, saying,
Go and tell my servant David, Thus saith Jehovah, Shalt thou build me a house for me to dwell in?
for I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but have walked in a tent and in a tabernacle.
In all places wherein I have walked with all the children of Israel, spake I a word with {In 1 Chronicles 17:6, any of the judges.}any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to be shepherd of my people Israel, saying, Why have ye not built me a house of cedar?
Now therefore thus shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, I took thee from the {Or, pasture}sheepcote, from following the sheep, that thou shouldest be {Or, leader}prince over my people, over Israel;
and I have been with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee; and I will make thee a great name, like unto the name of the great ones that are in the earth.
And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as at the first,
and as from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel; and I {Or, have caused}will cause thee to rest from all thine enemies. Moreover Jehovah telleth thee that Jehovah will make thee a house.
When thy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, that shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
I will be his father, and he shall be my son: if he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men;
but my lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee.
And thy house and thy kingdom shall be made sure for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.
According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.
Then David the king went in, and sat before Jehovah; and he said, Who am I, O Lord Jehovah, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me thus far?
And this was yet a small thing in thine eyes, O Lord Jehovah; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come; {Or, and is this the law of man, O Lord Jehovah?}and this too after the manner of men, O Lord Jehovah!
And what can David say more unto thee? for thou knowest thy servant, O Lord Jehovah.
For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou wrought all this greatness, to make thy servant know it.
Wherefore thou art great, O Jehovah God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God besides thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.
{Or, And who is like thy people, like Israel, a nation that is alone in the earth &c.}And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem unto himself for a people, and to make him a name, and to do great things for you, and terrible things for thy land, before thy people, whom thou redeemedst to thee out of Egypt, from the nations and their gods?
And thou didst establish to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever; and thou, Jehovah, becamest their God.
And now, O Jehovah God, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant, and concerning his house, confirm thou it for ever, and do as thou hast spoken.
And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, Jehovah of hosts is God over Israel; and the house of thy servant David shall be established before thee.
For thou, O Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee a house: therefore hath thy servant {Or, been bold}found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee.
And now, O Lord Jehovah, thou art God, and thy words are truth, and thou hast promised this good thing unto thy servant:
now therefore {Or, begin and bless}let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee; for thou, O Lord Jehovah, hast spoken it: and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.
And David the king said unto all the assembly, Solomon my son, whom alone God hath chosen, is yet young and tender, and the work is great; for the palace is not for man, but for Jehovah God.
Now I have prepared with all my might for the house of my God the gold for the things of gold, and the silver for the things of silver, and the brass for the things of brass, the iron for the things of iron, and wood for the things of wood; {Or, beryl}onyx stones, and stones to be set, stones for inlaid work, and of divers colors, and all manner of precious stones, and marble stones in abundance.
Moreover also, because I have set my affection on the house of my God, seeing that I have a treasure of mine own of gold and silver, I give it unto the house of my God, over and above all that I have prepared for the holy house,
even three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, wherewith to overlay the walls of the houses;
of gold for the things of gold, and of silver for the things of silver, and for all manner of work to be made by the hands of artificers. Who then offereth willingly {Hebrew: to fill his hand.}to consecrate himself this day unto Jehovah?
Then the princes of the fathers' houses, and the princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers over the king's work, offered willingly;
and they gave for the service of the house of God of gold five thousand talents and ten thousand darics, and of silver ten thousand talents, and of brass eighteen thousand talents, and of iron a hundred thousand talents.
And they with whom precious stones were found gave them to the treasure of the house of Jehovah, under the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite.
Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with a perfect heart they offered willingly to Jehovah: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy.
Wherefore David blessed Jehovah before all the assembly; and David said, Blessed be thou, O Jehovah, the God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.
Thine, O Jehovah, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Jehovah, and thou art exalted as head above all.
Both riches and honor come of thee, and thou rulest over all; and in thy hand is power and might; and in thy hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all.
Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.
But who am I, and what is my people, that we should {Hebrew: retain strength.}be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and {Hebrew: of thy hand.}of thine own have we given thee.
For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as all our fathers were: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is no {Hebrew: hope.}abiding.
O Jehovah our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee a house for thy holy name cometh of thy hand, and is all thine own.
I know also, my God, that thou triest the heart, and hast pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things: and now have I seen with joy thy people, that are present here, offer willingly unto thee.
O Jehovah, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, our fathers, keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and {Or, establish}prepare their heart unto thee;
and give unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these things, and to build the palace, for which I have made provision.
And David said to all the assembly, Now bless Jehovah your God. And all the assembly blessed Jehovah, the God of their fathers, and bowed down their heads, and worshipped Jehovah, and the king.
And they sacrificed sacrifices unto Jehovah, and offered burnt-offerings unto Jehovah, on the morrow after that day, even a thousand bullocks, a thousand rams, and a thousand lambs, with their drink-offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel,
and did eat and drink before Jehovah on that day with great gladness.And they made Solomon the son of David king the second time, and anointed him unto Jehovah to be {Or, leader}prince, and Zadok to be priest.
Then Solomon sat on the throne of Jehovah as king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him.
And all the princes, and the mighty men, and all the sons likewise of king David, {Hebrew: gave the hand under Solomon.}submitted themselves unto Solomon the king.
And Jehovah 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.
Now David the son of Jesse reigned over all Israel.
And the time that he reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years reigned he in Hebron, and thirty and three years reigned he in Jerusalem.
And he died in a good old age, full of days, riches, and honor: and Solomon his son reigned in his stead.
Now the acts of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the {Hebrew: words.}history of Samuel the seer, and in the {Hebrew: words.}history of Nathan the prophet, and in the {Hebrew: words.}history of Gad the seer,
with all his reign and his might, and the times that went over him, and over Israel, and over all the kingdoms of the countries.
And David spake unto Jehovah the words of this song in the day that Jehovah delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:
and he said,Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, even mine;
God, my rock, in him will I take refuge;My shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge;My saviour, thou savest me from violence.
I will call upon Jehovah, who is worthy to be praised:So shall I be saved from mine enemies.
For the waves of death compassed me;The floods of {Hebrew: Belial.}ungodliness made me afraid:
The cords of Sheol were round about me;The snares of death came upon me.
In my distress I called upon Jehovah;Yea, I called unto my God:And he heard my voice out of his temple,And my cry came into his ears.
Then the earth shook and trembled,The foundations of heaven quakedAnd were shaken, because he was wroth.
There went up a smoke {Or, in his wrath}out of his nostrils,And fire out of his mouth devoured:Coals were kindled by it.
He bowed the heavens also, and came down;And thick darkness was under his feet.
And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly;Yea, he was seen upon the wings of the wind.
And he made darkness pavilions round about him,Gathering of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
At the brightness before himCoals of fire were kindled.
Jehovah thundered from heaven,And the Most High uttered his voice.
And he sent out arrows, and scattered them;Lightning, and discomfited them.
Then the channels of the sea appeared,The foundations of the world were laid bare,By the rebuke of Jehovah,At the blast of the breath of his nostrils.
He sent from on high, he took me;He drew me out of {Or, great}many waters;
He delivered me from my strong enemy,From them that hated me; for they were too mighty for me.
They came upon me in the day of my calamity;But Jehovah was my stay.
He brought me forth also into a large place;He delivered me, because he delighted in me.
Jehovah rewarded me according to my righteousness;According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
For I have kept the ways of Jehovah,And have not wickedly departed from my God.
For all his ordinances were before me;And as for his statutes, I did not depart from them.
I was also perfect toward him;And I kept myself from mine iniquity.
Therefore hath Jehovah recompensed me according to my righteousness,According to my cleanness in his eyesight.
With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful;With the perfect man thou wilt show thyself perfect;
With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure;And with the perverse thou wilt show thyself {So Psalm 18:26. The Text has, unsavory.}froward.
And the afflicted people thou wilt save;But thine eyes are upon the haughty, {Or, whom thou wilt bring down}that thou mayest bring them down.
For thou art my lamp, O Jehovah;And Jehovah will lighten my darkness.
For by thee I run {Or, through}upon a troop;By my God do I leap over a wall.
As for God, his way is perfect:The word of Jehovah is tried;He is a shield unto all them that take refuge in him.
For who is God, save Jehovah?And who is a rock, save our God?
God is my strong fortress;And he {Or, setteth free According to another reading, guideth my way in perfectness.}guideth the perfect in his way.
He maketh {Another reading is, my.}his feet like hinds' feet,And setteth me upon my high places.
He teacheth my hands to war,So that mine arms do bend a bow of brass.
Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation;And thy {Or, condescension}gentleness hath made me great.
Thou hast enlarged my steps under me;And my {Hebrew: ankles.}feet have not slipped.
I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them;Neither did I turn again till they were consumed.
And I have consumed them, and smitten them through, so that they cannot arise:Yea, they are fallen under my feet.
For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle;Thou hast {Hebrew: caused to bow.}subdued under me those that rose up against me.
Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me,That I might cut off them that hate me.
They looked, but there was none to save;Even unto Jehovah, but he answered them not.
Then did I beat them small as the dust of the earth,I did crush them as the mire of the streets, and did spread them abroad.
Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people;Thou {Or, wilt keep}hast kept me to be the head of the nations:A people whom I have not known shall serve me.
The foreigners shall {Or, yield feigned obedience Hebrew: lie.}submit themselves unto me:As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me.
The foreigners shall fade away,And shall {So Psalm 18:45. The Text has, gird themselves.}come trembling out of their close places.
Jehovah liveth; And blessed be my rock;And exalted be God, the rock of my salvation,
Even the God that executeth vengeance for me,And that bringeth down peoples under me,
And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies:Yea, thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me;Thou deliverest me from the violent man.
Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Jehovah, among the nations,And will sing praises unto thy name.
{Another reading is, He is a tower of deliverance.}Great {Hebrew: salvations.}deliverance giveth he to his king,And showeth lovingkindness to his anointed,To David and to his seed, for evermore.
Now these are the last words of David.David the son of Jesse saith,And the man who was raised on high saith,The anointed of the God of Jacob,And {Hebrew: pleasant in the psalms of Israel.}the sweet psalmist of Israel:
The Spirit of Jehovah spake {Or, in}by me,And his word was upon my tongue.
The God of Israel said,The Rock of Israel spake to me: {Or, There shall be one…and it shall be as &c.}One that ruleth over men {Hebrew: a righteous one.}righteously,That ruleth in the fear of God,
He shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth,A morning without clouds,When the tender grass springeth out of the earth,Through clear shining after rain.
{Or, For is not my house so with God? for he…for all my salvation, and all my desire, will he not make it to grow?}Verily my house is not so with God;Yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant,Ordered in all things, and sure:For it is all my salvation, and all my desire,Although he maketh it not to grow.
But {Hebrew: Belial, that is, worthlessness.}the ungodly shall be all of them as thorns to be thrust away,Because they cannot be taken with the hand;
But the man that toucheth themMust be {Hebrew: filled.}armed with iron and the staff of a spear:And they shall be utterly burned with fire in their place.
These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: {In 1 Chronicles 11:11, Jashobeam. The Hebrew of this verse is obsure.}Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite, against eight hundred slain at one time.
And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodai the son of an Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines that were there gathered together to battle, and the men of Israel {Hebrew: went up.}were gone away.
He arose, and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clave unto the sword; and Jehovah wrought a great {Hebrew: salvation.}victory that day; and the people returned after him only to take spoil.
And after him was Shammah the son of Agee a Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together {Or, for foraging}into a troop, where was a plot of ground full of lentils; and the people fled from the Philistines.
But he stood in the midst of the plot, and defended it, and slew the Philistines; and Jehovah wrought a great victory.
And three of the thirty chief men went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam; and the troop of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim.
And David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Beth-lehem.
And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me water to drink of the well of Beth-lehem, which is by the gate!
And the three mighty men brake through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto Jehovah.
And he said, Be it far from me, O Jehovah, that I should do this: shall I drink the blood of the men that went {Hebrew: with their lives.}in jeopardy of their lives? therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men.
And Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred {Hebrew: slain.}and slew them, and had a name among the three.
Was he not most honorable of the three? therefore he was made their captain: howbeit he attained not unto the first three.
And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of {According to another reading, Ish-hai.}a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done mighty deeds, he slew the two sons of Ariel of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow.
And he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but 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.
These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had a name among the three mighty men.
He was more honorable than the thirty, but he attained not to the first three. And David set him over his {Or, council}guard.
Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Beth-lehem,
Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,
Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,
Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite,
Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,
Heleb the son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin,
Benaiah a Pirathonite, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash.
Abialbon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,
Eliahba the Shaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan,
Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Ararite,
Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maacathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,
{Or, Hezrai}Hezro the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,
Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite,
Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, {Another reading is, armorbearer.}armorbearers to Joab the son of Zeruiah,
Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
Uriah the Hittite: thirty and seven in all.