The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

Seek ye the Lord, and his power: seek ye his face evermore.

Remember his wonderful works, which he hath done: his signs, and the judgments of his mouth.

O ye seed of Israel his servants, ye children of Jacob his chosen.

He is the Lord our God: his judgments are in all the earth.

Remember for ever his covenant: the word, which he commanded to a thousand generations.

The covenant which he made with Abraham: and his oath to Isaac.

And he appointed the same to Jacob for a precept: and to Israel for an everlasting covenant:

Saying: To thee will I give the land of Chanaan: the lot of your inheritance.

When they were but a small number: very few and sojourners in it.

And they passed from nation to nation: and from a kingdom to another people.

He suffered no man to do them wrong: and reproved kings for their sake.

Touch not my anointed: and do no evil to my prophets.

Sing ye to the Lord, all the earth: shew forth from day to day his salvation.

Declare his glory among the Gentiles: his wonders among all people.

For the Lord is great and exceedingly to be praised: and he is to be feared above all gods.

For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens.

Praise and magnificence are before him: strength and joy in his place.

Bring ye to the Lord, O ye families of the nations: bring ye to the Lord glory and empire.

Give to the Lord glory to his name, bring up sacrifice, and come ye in his sight: and adore the Lord in holy becomingness.

Let all the earth be moved at his presence: for he hath founded the world immoveable.

Let the heavens rejoice, and the earth be glad: and let them say among the nations: The Lord hath reigned.

Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof: let the fields rejoice, and all things that are in them.

Then shall the trees of the wood give praise before the Lord: because he is come to judge the earth.

Give ye glory to the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

And say ye: Save us, O God our savior: and gather us together, and deliver us from the nations, that we may give glory to thy holy name, and may rejoice in singing thy praises.

Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel from eternity to eternity: and let all the people say Amen, and a hymn to God.

So he left there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, Asaph and his brethren to minister in the presence of the ark continually day by day, and in their courses.

And Obededom, with his brethren sixty-eight: and Obededom the son of Idithun, and Hosa he appointed to be porters.

And Sadoc the priest, and his brethren priests, before the tabernacle of the Lord in the high place, which was in Gabaon.

That they should offer holocausts to the Lord upon the altar of holocausts continually, morning and evening, according to all that is written in the law of the Lord, which he commanded Israel.

And after him Heman, and Idithun, and the rest that were chosen, every one by his name to give praise to the Lord: because his mercy endureth for ever.

And Heman and Idithun sounded the trumpet, and played on the cymbals, and all kinds of musical instruments to sing praises to God: and the sons of Idithun he made porters.

And all the people returned to their houses: and David to bless also his own house.

Now when David was dwelling in his house, he said to Nathan the prophet: Behold I dwell in a house of cedar: and the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under skins.

And Nathan said to David: Do all that is in thy heart: for God is with thee.

Now that night the word of God came to Nathan, saying:

Go, and speak to David my servant: Thus saith the Lord: Thou shalt not build me a house to dwell in.

For I have not remained in a house from the time that I brought up Israel, to this day: but I have been always changing places in a tabernacle, and in a tent,

Abiding with all Israel. Did I ever speak to any one, of all the judges of Israel whom I charged to feed my people, saying: Why have you not built me a house of cedar?

Now therefore thus shalt thou say to my servant David: Thus saith the Lord of hosts: I took thee from the pastures, from following the flock, that thou shouldst be ruler of my people Israel.

And I have been with thee whithersoever thou hast gone: and have slain all thy enemies before thee, and have made thee a name like that of one of the great ones that are renowned in the earth.

And I have given a place my people Israel: they shall be planted, and shall dwell therein, and shall be moved no more, neither shall the children of iniquity waste them, as at the beginning,

Since the days that I gave judges to my people Israel, and have humbled all thy enemies. And I declare to thee, that the Lord will build thee a house.

And when thou shalt have ended thy days to go to thy fathers, I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall be of thy sons: and I will establish his kingdom.

He shall build me a house, and I will establish his throne for ever.

I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son: and I will not take my mercy away from him, as I took it from him that was before thee.

But I will settle him in my house, and in my kingdom for ever: and his throne shall be most firm for ever.

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

And king David came and sat before the Lord, and said: Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that thou shouldst give such things to me?

But even this hath seemed little in thy sight, and therefore thou hast also spoken concerning the house of thy servant for the time to come: and hast made me remarkable above all men, O Lord God.

What can David add more, seeing thou hast thus glorified thy servant, and known him?

O Lord, for thy servant's sake, according to thy own heart, thou hast shewn all this magnificence, and wouldst have all the great things to be known.

O Lord there is none like thee: and here is no other God beside thee, of all whom we have heard of with our ears.

For what other nation is there upon earth like thy people Israel, whom God went to deliver, and make a people for himself, and by his greatness and terrors cast out nations before their face whom he had delivered out of Egypt?

And thou hast made thy people Israel to be thy own people for ever, and thou, O Lord, art become their God.

Now therefore, O Lord, let the word which thou hast spoken to thy servant, and concerning his house, be established for ever, and do as thou hast said.

And let thy name remain and be magnified for ever: and let it be said: The Lord of hosts is God of Israel, and the house of David his servant remaineth before him.

For thou, O Lord my God, hast revealed to the ear of thy servant, that thou wilt build him a house: and therefore thy servant hath found confidence to pray before thee.

And now O Lord, thou art God: and thou hast promised to thy servant such great benefits.

And thou hast begun to bless the house of thy servant, that it may be always before thee: for seeing thou blessest it, O Lord, it shall be blessed for ever.

And it came to pass after this, that David defeated the Philistines, and humbled them, and took away Geth, and her daughters out of the hands of the Philistines,

And he defeated Moab, and the Moabites were made David's servants, and brought him gifts.

At that time David defeated also Adarezer king of Soba of the land of Hemath, when he went to extend his dominions as far as the river Euphrates.

And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen, and he houghed all the chariot horses, only a hundred chariots, which he reserved for himself.

And the Syrians of Damascus came also to help Adarezer king of Soba: and David slew of them likewise two and twenty thousand men.

And he put a garrison in Damascus, that Syria also should serve him, and bring gifts. And the Lord assisted him in all things to which he went.

And David took the golden quivers which the servants of Adarezer had, and he brought them to Jerusalem.

Likewise out of Thebath and Chun, cities of Adarezer, he brought very much brass, of which Solomon made the brazen sea, and the pillars, and the vessels of brass.

Now when Thou king of Hemath heard that David had defeated all the army of Adarezer king of Soba,

He sent Adoram his son to king David to desire peace of him, and to congratulate him that he had defeated and overthrown Adarezer: for Thou was an enemy to Adarezer.

And all the vessels of gold, and silver and brass king David consecrated to the Lord, with the silver and gold which he had taken from all the nations, as well from Edom, and from Moab, and from the sons of Ammon, as from the Philistines, and from Amalec.

And Abisai the son of Sarvia slew of the Edomites in the vale of the saltpits, eighteen thousand:

And he put a garrison in Edom, that Edom should serve David: and the Lord preserved David in all things to which he went.

So David reigned over all Israel, and executed judgment and justice among all his people.

And Joab the son of Sarvia was over the army, and Josaphat the son of Ahilud recorder.

And Sadoc the son of Achitob, and Achimelech the son of Abiathar, were the priests: and Susa, scribe.

And Banaias the son of Joiada was over the bands of the Cerethi, and the Phelethi: and the sons of David were chief about the king.

Now it came to pass that Naas the king of the children of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his stead.

And David said: I will shew kindness to Hanon the son of Naas: for his father did a favour to me. And David sent messengers to comfort him upon the death of his father. But when they were come into the land of the children of Ammon, to comfort Hanon,

The princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanon: Thou thinkest perhaps that David to do honour to thy father hath sent comforters to thee: and thou dost not take notice, that his servants are come to thee to consider, and search, and spy out thy land.

Wherefore Hanon shaved the heads and beards of the servants of David, and cut away their garments from the buttocks to the feet, and sent them away.

And when they were gone, they sent word to David, who sent to meet them (for they had suffered a great affront) and ordered them to stay at Jericho till their beards grew and then to return.

And when the children of Ammon saw that they had done an injury to David, Hanon and the rest of the people sent a thousand talents of silver, to hire them chariots and horsemen out of Mesopotamia and out of Syria Maacha, and out of Soba.

And they hired two and thirty thousand chariots, and the king of Maacha, with his people. And they came and camped over against Medaba. And the children of Ammon gathered themselves together out of their cities, and came to battle.

And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the army of valiant men:

And the children of Ammon came out and put their army in array before the gate of the city: and the kings, that were come to their aid, stood apart in the field.

Wherefore Joab understanding that the battle was set against him before and behind, chose out the bravest men of all Israel, and marched against the Syrians,

And the rest of the people he delivered into the hand of Abisai his brother, and they went against the children of Ammon.

And he said: If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, I will help thee.

Be of good courage and let us behave ourselves manfully for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the Lord will do that which is good in his sight.

So Joab and the people that were with him, went against the Syrians to the battle: and he put them to flight.

And the children of Ammon seeing that the Syrians were fled, they likewise fled from Abisai his brother, and went into the city: and Joab also returned to Jerusalem.

But the Syrians seeing that they had fallen before Israel, sent messengers, and brought to them the Syrians that were beyond the river: and Sophach, general of the army of Adarezer, was their leader.

And it was told David, and he gathered together all Israel, and passed the Jordan, and came upon them, and put his army in array against them, and they fought with him.

But the Syrian fled before Israel: and David slew of the Syrians seven thousand chariots, and forty thousand footmen, and Sophach the general of the army.

And when the servants of Adarezer saw themselves overcome by Israel, they went over to David, and served him: and Syria would not help the children of Ammon any more.

And it came to pass after the course of a year, at the time that kings go out to battle, Joab gathered together an army and the strength of the troops, and wasted the land of the children of Ammon: and went and besieged Rabba. But David stayed at Jerusalem, when Joab smote Rabba, and destroyed it.

And David took the crown of Melchom from his head, and found in it a talent weight of gold, and most precious stones, and he made himself a diadem of it: he took also the spoils of the city which were very great.

And the people that were therein he brought out: and made harrows, and sleds, and chariots of iron to go over them, so that they were cut and bruised to pieces: in this manner David dealt with all the cities of the children of Ammon: and he returned with all his people to Jerusalem.

After this there arose a war at Gazer against the Philistines: in which Sabachai the Husathite slew Saphai of the race of Raphaim, and humbled them.