Study Desk

For You, O my God, have revealed to Your servant that You will build him a house. Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray before You.

Now You have been pleased to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You have blessed it, O LORD, and it shall be blessed forever."

David took from him one thousand chariots, seven thousand 2 Samuel 8:4)">[fn] horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. And David also hamstrung all the chariot horses, except that he spared enough of them for one hundred chariots.

he sent Hadoram 2 Samuel 8:10">[fn] his son to King David, to greet him and bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him (for Hadadezer had been at war with Tou); and Hadoram brought with him all kinds of articles of gold, silver, and bronze.

When the people of Ammon saw that they had made themselves repulsive to David, Hanun and the people of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia, [fn] from Syrian Maachah, and from Zobah. 2 Samuel 10:6">[fn]

So they hired for themselves thirty-two thousand chariots, with the king of Maacah and his people, who came and encamped before Medeba. Also the people of Ammon gathered together from their cities, and came to battle.

Then he said, "If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will help you.

Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the LORD do what is good in His sight."

So Joab and the people who were with him drew near for the battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him.

But he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king's word was abominable to Joab.

So David said to God, "I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing; but now, I pray, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly."

"Go and tell David, saying, "Thus says the LORD: "I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you.""'

So Gad came to David and said to him, "Thus says the LORD: "Choose for yourself,

either three 2 Samuel 24:13)">[fn] years of famine, or three months to be defeated by your foes with the sword of your enemies overtaking you, or else for three days the sword of the Lord--the plague in the land, with the angel [fn] of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.' Now consider what answer I should take back to Him who sent me."

And David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Please let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man."

But Ornan said to David, "Take it to yourself, and let my lord the king do what is good in his eyes. Look, I also give you the oxen for burnt offerings, the threshing implements for wood, and the wheat for the grain offering; I give it all."

Then King David said to Ornan, "No, but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing."

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

For the tabernacle of the LORD and the altar of the burnt offering, which Moses had made in the wilderness, were at that time at the high place in Gibeon.

But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD.