The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

and he sendeth Hadoram his son unto king David, to ask of him of peace, and to bless him (because that he hath fought against Hadarezer, and smiteth him, for a man of wars with Tou had Hadarezer been,) and all kinds of vessels, of gold, and silver, and brass;

also them hath king David sanctified to Jehovah with the silver and the gold that he hath taken from all the nations, from Edom, and from Moab, and from the sons of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek.

And Abishai son of Zeruiah hath smitten Edom in the valley of salt — eighteen thousand,

and he putteth in Edom garrisons, and all the Edomites are servants to David; and Jehovah saveth David whithersoever he hath gone.

And David reigneth over all Israel, and he is doing judgment and righteousness to all his people,

and Joab son of Zeruiah [is] over the host, and Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud [is] remembrancer,

and Zadok son of Ahitub, and Abimelech son of Abiathar, [are] priests, and Shavsha [is] scribe,

and Benaiah son of Jehoiada [is] over the Cherethite and the Pelethite, and the elder sons of David [are] at the hand of the king.

And it cometh to pass after this, that Nahash king of the sons of Ammon dieth, and his son reigneth in his stead,

and David saith, 'I do kindness with Hanun son of Nahash, for his father did with me kindness;' and David sendeth messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And the servants of David come in unto the land of the sons of Ammon, unto Hanun, to comfort him,

and the heads of the sons of Ammon say to Hanun, 'Is David honouring thy father, in thine eyes, because he hath sent to thee comforters? in order to search, and to overthrow, and to spy out, the land, have not his servants come in unto thee?'

And Hanun taketh the servants of David, and shaveth them, and cutteth their long robes in the midst, unto the buttocks, and sendeth them away.

And [some] go, and declare to David concerning the men, and he sendeth to meet them — for the men have been greatly ashamed — and the king saith, 'Dwell in Jericho till that your beard is grown, then ye have returned.'

And the sons of Ammon see that they have made themselves abhorred by David, and Hanun and the sons of Ammon send a thousand talents of silver, to hire to them, from Aram-Naharaim, and from Aram-Maachah, and from Zobah, chariots and horsemen;

and they hire to them two and thirty thousand chariots, and the king of Maachah and his people, and they come in and encamp before Medeba, and the sons of Ammon have been gathered out of their cities, and come in to the battle.

And David heareth, and sendeth Joab, and all the host of the mighty men,

and the sons of Ammon come out and set battle in array at the opening of the city, and the kings who have come [are] by themselves in the field.

And Joab seeth that the front of the battle hath been unto him, before and behind, and he chooseth out of all the choice in Israel, and setteth in array to meet Aram,

and the remnant of the people he hath given into the hand of Abishai his brother, and they set in array to meet the sons of Ammon.

And he saith, 'If Aram be stronger than I, then thou hast been to me for salvation; and if the sons of Ammon be stronger than thou, then I have saved thee;

be strong, and we strengthen ourselves, for our people, and for the cities of our God, and Jehovah doth that which is good in His eyes.'

And Joab draweth nigh, and the people who [are] with him, before Aram to battle, and they flee from his face;

and the sons of Ammon have seen that Aram hath fled, and they flee — they also — from the face of Abishai his brother, and go in to the city. And Joab cometh in to Jerusalem.

And Aram seeth that they have been smitten before Israel, and send messengers, and bring out Aram that [is] beyond the River, and Shophach head of the host of Hadarezer [is] before them.

And it is declared to David, and he gathereth all Israel, and passeth over the Jordan, and cometh in unto them, and setteth in array against them; yea, David setteth in array the battle to meet Aram, and they fight with him;

and Aram fleeth from the face of Israel, and David slayeth of Aram seven thousand charioteers, and forty thousand footmen, and Shophach head of the host he hath put to death.

And the servants of Hadarezer see that they have been smitten before Israel, and they make peace with David and serve him, and Aram hath not been willing to help the sons of Ammon any more.

And it cometh to pass, at the time of the turn of the year — at the time of the going out of the messengers — that Joab leadeth out the force of the host, and destroyeth the land of the sons of Ammon, and cometh in and beseigeth Rabbah — David is abiding in Jerusalem — and Joab smiteth Rabbah, and breaketh it down.

And David taketh the crown of their king from off his head, and findeth it [in] weight a talent of gold, and in it a precious stone, and it is on the head of David: and spoil of the city he hath brought out very much,

and the people who [are] in it he hath brought out, and setteth to the saw, and to cutting instruments of iron, and to axes; and thus doth David to all cities of the sons of Ammon, and David turneth back, and all the people, to Jerusalem.

And it cometh to pass, after this, that there remaineth war in Gezer with the Philistines, then hath Sibbechai the Hushathite smitten Sippai, of the children of the giant, and they are humbled.

And there is again war with the Philistines, and Elhanan son of Jair smiteth Lahmi, brother of Goliath the Gittite, the wood of whose spear [is] like a beam of weavers.

And there is again war in Gath, and there is a man of measure, and his fingers and his toes [are] six and six, twenty and four, and also, he hath been born to the giant.

And he reproacheth Israel, and smite him doth Jonathan son of Shimea, brother of David.

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

And there standeth up an adversary against Israel, and persuadeth David to number Israel,

And David saith unto Joab, and unto the heads of the people, 'Go, number Israel from Beer-Sheba even unto Dan, and bring unto me, and I know their number.'

And Joab saith, 'Jehovah doth add to His people as they are a hundred times; are they not, my lord, O king, all of them to my lord for servants? why doth my lord seek this? why is he for a cause of guilt to Israel?'

And the word of the king [is] severe against Joab, and Joab goeth out, and goeth up and down in all Israel, and cometh in to Jerusalem.

And Joab giveth the account of the numbering of the people unto David, and all Israel is a thousand thousand and a hundred thousand, each drawing sword, and Judah [is] four hundred and seventy thousand, each drawing sword.

And Levi and Benjamin he hath not numbered in their midst, for the word of the king was abominable with Joab.

And it is evil in the eyes of God concerning this thing, and He smiteth Israel,

and David saith unto God, 'I have sinned exceedingly, in that I have done this thing; and now, cause to pass away, I pray Thee, the iniquity of Thy servant, for I have acted very foolishly.'

And Jehovah speaketh unto Gad, seer of David, saying:

'Go, and thou hast spoken unto David, saying, Thus said Jehovah, Three — I am stretching out unto thee; choose for thee one of these, and I do [it] to thee.'

And Gad cometh in unto David, and saith to him, 'Thus said Jehovah, Take for thee —

either for three years — famine, or three months to be consumed from the face of thine adversaries, even the sword of thine enemies to overtake, or three days the sword of Jehovah, even pestilence in the land, and a messenger of Jehovah destroying in all the border of Israel; and now, see; what word do I return to Him who is sending me?'

And David saith unto Gad, 'I am greatly distressed, let me fall, I pray thee, into the hand of Jehovah, for very many [are] His mercies, and into the hand of man let me not fall.'

And Jehovah giveth a pestilence in Israel, and there fall of Israel seventy thousand men,

and God sendeth a messenger to Jerusalem to destroy it, and as he is destroying Jehovah hath seen, and is comforted concerning the evil, and saith to the messenger who [is] destroying, 'Enough, now, cease thy hand.' And the messenger of Jehovah is standing by the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite,

and David lifteth up his eyes, and seeth the messenger of Jehovah standing between the earth and the heavens, and his sword drawn in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem, and David falleth, and the elders, covered with sackcloth, on their faces.

And David saith unto God, 'Did not I — I say to number the people? Yea, I it [is] who have sinned, and done great evil: and these, the flock, what did they? O Jehovah, my God, let, I pray Thee, Thy hand be on me, and on the house of my father, and not on Thy people — to be plagued.'

And the messenger of Jehovah spake unto Gad, saying for David, 'Surely David doth go up to raise an altar to Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.'

And David goeth up by the word of Gad, that he spake in the name of Jehovah.

And Ornan turneth back, and seeth the messenger, and his four sons [are] with him, hiding themselves, and Ornan is threshing wheat.

And David cometh in unto Ornan, and Ornan looketh attentively, and seeth David, and goeth out from the threshing-floor, and boweth himself to David — face to the earth.

And David saith unto Ornan, 'Give to me the place of the threshing-floor, and I build in it an altar to Jehovah; for full silver give it to me, and the plague is restrained from the people.'

And Ornan saith unto David, 'Take to thee — and my lord the king doth that which is good in his eyes: see, I have given the oxen for burnt-offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for a present; the whole I have given.'

And king David saith to Ornan, 'Nay, for I surely buy for full silver; for I do not lift up that which is thine to Jehovah, so as to offer a burnt-offering without cost.'

And David giveth to Ornan for the place shekels of gold [in] weight six hundred;

and David buildeth there an altar to Jehovah, and offereth burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, and calleth unto Jehovah, and He answereth him with fire from the heavens on the altar of the burnt-offering.

And Jehovah saith to the messenger, and he turneth back his sword unto its sheath.

At that time when David seeth that Jehovah hath answered him in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificeth there;

and the tabernacle of Jehovah that Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt-offering, [are] at that time in a high place, in Gibeon;

and David is not able to go before it to seek God, for he hath been afraid because of the sword of the messenger of Jehovah.

And David saith, 'This is the house of Jehovah God, and this the altar for burnt-offering for Israel.'

And David saith to gather the sojourners who [are] in the land of Israel, and appointeth hewers to hew hewn-stones to build a house of God.

And iron in abundance for nails for leaves of the gates, and for couplings, hath David prepared, and brass in abundance — there is no weighing.

And cedar-trees even without number, for the Zidonians and the Tyrians brought in cedar-trees in abundance to David.

And David saith, 'Solomon my son [is] a youth and tender, and the house to be built to Jehovah [is] to be made exceedingly great, for name and for beauty to all the lands; let me prepare, I pray Thee, for it;' and David prepareth in abundance before his death.

And he calleth for Solomon his son, and chargeth him to build a house to Jehovah, God of Israel,

and David saith to Solomon his son, 'As for me, it hath been with my heart to build a house to the name of Jehovah my God,

and the word of Jehovah [is] against me, saying, Blood in abundance thou hast shed, and great wars thou hast made: thou dost not build a house to My name, for much blood thou hast shed to the earth before Me.

'Lo, a son is born to thee; he is a man of rest, and I have given rest to him from all his enemies round about, for Solomon is his name, and peace and quietness I give unto Israel in his days;

he doth build a house to My name, and he is to Me for a son, and I [am] to him for a father, and I have established the throne of his kingdom over Israel unto the age.

'Now, my son, Jehovah is with thee, and thou hast prospered, and hast built the house of Jehovah thy God, as He spake concerning thee.

Only, Jehovah give to thee wisdom and understanding, and charge thee concerning Israel, even to keep the law of Jehovah thy God;

then thou dost prosper, if thou dost observe to do the statutes and the judgments that Jehovah charged Moses with concerning Israel; be strong and courageous; do not fear, nor be cast down.

'And lo, in mine affliction, I have prepared for the house of Jehovah of gold talents a hundred thousand, and of silver a thousand thousand talents; and of brass and of iron there is no weighing, for in abundance it hath been, and wood and stones I have prepared, and to them thou dost add.

'And with thee in abundance [are] workmen, hewers and artificers of stone and of wood, and every skilful man for every work.

To the gold, to the silver, and to the brass, and to the iron, there is no number; arise and do, and Jehovah is with thee.'

And David giveth charge to all heads of Israel to give help to Solomon his son,

'Is not Jehovah your God with you? yea, He hath given rest to you round about, for He hath given into my hand the inhabitants of the land, and subdued hath been the land before His people.

'Now, give your heart and your soul to seek to Jehovah your God, and rise and build the sanctuary of Jehovah God, to bring in the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, and the holy vessels of God, to the house that is built to the name of Jehovah.'

And David is old, and satisfied with days, and causeth his son Solomon to reign over Israel,

and gathereth all the heads of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites;

and the Levites are numbered from a son of thirty years and upward, and their number, by their polls, is of mighty men thirty and eight thousand.

Of these to preside over the work of the house of Jehovah [are] twenty and four thousand, and officers and judges six thousand,

and four thousand gatekeepers, and four thousand giving praise to Jehovah, 'with instruments that I made for praising,' [saith David.]

And David distributeth them into courses: Of the sons of Levi: of Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

Of the Gershonite: Laadan and Shimei.

Sons of Laadan: the head [is] Jehiel, and Zetham, and Joel, three.

Sons of Shimei [are] Shelomith, and Haziel, and Haran, three; these [are] heads of the fathers of Laadan.

And sons of Shimei [are] Jahath, Zina, and Jeush, and Beriah; these [are] sons of Shimei, four.

And Jahath is the head, and Zizah the second, and Jeush and Beriah have not multiplied sons, and they become the house of a father by one numbering.

Sons of Kohath [are] Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four.

Sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses; and Aaron is separated for his sanctifying the holy of holies, he and his sons — unto the age, to make perfume before Jehovah, to serve Him, and to bless in His name — unto the age.

As to Moses, the man of God, his sons are called after the tribe of Levi.

Sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer.

Sons of Gershom: Shebuel the head.