Study Desk

They held the bows with their left hand and the swords with their right, and their bows were filled with arrows, but David was unwilling to slay Saul, because he was the chief, the prince of the tribe of Benjamin.

And David went out to meet them and blessed them, and said to them, If you have come peaceably to me to help us, then may the LORD grant you a double portion of that which you have in your heart; but if you have come to betray me and to deliver me to my adversaries, seeing that I have not sinned against you and there is no wrong in my hands, the God of my fathers knows it, and he will rebuke whoever is wrong among us.

And some of the men of the tribe of Manasseh went over to David when he went to war with the Philistines against Saul to battle; but they would not go with Saul to war to help him, because they hated him, for they had gone and made a secret treaty with the princes of the Philistines, saying, Let us go first and fall on Saul our master;

Therefore David inquired again of God; and God said to him, You shall not go up after them; but turn away from them, and go attack them from the front.

When you were but few, even a few in numbers and strangers in it.

For all the gods of the Gentiles are images; but the LORD made the heavens.

And these righteous men gave thanks not with the instruments of singing, neither with the tambourines nor with the timbrels nor with the curved trumpets nor with the straight trumpets nor with the cymbals, but with a pleasant mouth and with pure and perfect prayer and with righteousness and with purity to the LORD God of hosts, the God of Israel.

NOW it came to pass when David dwelt in his house, David said to Nathan the prophet, Behold, I dwell in a house which is covered with the beams of cedars, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD is resting in the midst of the tent of hair of goats.

For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up Israel out of Egypt to this day; but I moved from tent to tent.

But I will make him a ruler in my house and in my kingdom for ever; and his throne shall be established for evermore.

And David took from him a thousand chariots and seven thousand horsemen, and David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but reserved of them a hundred chariots.

But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun their lord, Do you think that David really did honor your father when he was alive and that he has truly sent comforters to you? It is for the purpose of spying the city and knowing the entrances and the exits that David has sent his servants to us.

And he said to him, If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall come to my help; but if the children of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will come to help you.

AND it came to pass that in the next year, at the time when kings go out to battle, Joab mobilized the armed forces and came and encamped against the land of the children of Ammon and took some of the towns, and came and besieged Rabbath their capital city. But David remained at Jerusalem. And Joab captured Rabbath and destroyed it.

And he brought out the people who were in it, and bound them with chains, iron bands, locks and fetters. And thus David did bind all of them, and did likewise to all men who were found in the cities of the children of Ammon; but he did not kill any one of them; and he brought them and settled them in the villages of the land of Israel. Then David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.

But when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea Davids brother slew him.

But the Levites, the priests, and the tribe of Benjamin were not counted among them; for the kings word was abominable to Joab, and Joab was unwilling to number them.

And David said to the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing; but now, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.

And David said .to Gad, I am in a great distress; let me be delivered into the hands of the LORD; for his mercies are very great; but let me not be delivered into the hand of men.

And David said to the LORD, Is it not I who commanded the people to be numbered? Even I it is who have sinned, and the folly which I have committed is great; but as for these innocent sheep, what have they done? Let thy hand, O LORD my God, be against me and against my fathers house; but let the plague cease from the people.