Study Desk

Ministering Before the Ark^(a)(b)(c)

They brought the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched^(d) for it, and they presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God.

After David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed^(e) the people in the name of the Lord .

Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins^(f) to each Israelite man and woman.

He appointed some of the Levites to minister^(g) before the ark of the Lord , to extol,^[a] thank, and praise the Lord , the God of Israel:

Asaph was the chief, and next to him in rank were Zechariah, then Jaaziel,^[b] Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. They were to play the lyres and harps, Asaph was to sound the cymbals,

and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God.

That day David first appointed Asaph and his associates to give praise^(h) to the Lord in this manner:

Give praise⁽ⁱ⁾ to the Lord , proclaim his name; make known among the nations^(j) what he has done.

Sing to him, sing praise^(k) to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.

Glory in his holy name;^(l) let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.

Look to the Lord and his strength; seek^(m) his face always.

Remember⁽ⁿ⁾ the wonders^(o) he has done, his miracles,^(p) and the judgments he pronounced,

you his servants, the descendants of Israel, his chosen ones, the children of Jacob.

He is the Lord our God; his judgments^(q) are in all the earth.

He remembers^[c](r) his covenant forever, the promise he made, for a thousand generations,

the covenant^(s) he made with Abraham, the oath he swore to Isaac.

He confirmed it to Jacob^(t) as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:

"To you I will give the land of Canaan^(u) as the portion you will inherit."

When they were but few in number,^(v) few indeed, and strangers in it,

they^[d] wandered^(w) from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another.

He allowed no one to oppress them; for their sake he rebuked kings:^(x)

"Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets^(y) no harm."

Sing to the Lord , all the earth; proclaim his salvation day after day.

Declare his glory^(z) among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.

For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;^(aa) he is to be feared^(ab) above all gods.^(ac)

For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.^(ad)

Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy are in his dwelling place.

Ascribe to the Lord , all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.^(ae)

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;^(af) bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his^[e] holiness.^(ag)

Tremble^(ah) before him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.^(ai)

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;^(aj) let them say among the nations, "The Lord reigns!^(ak)"

Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;^(al) let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them!

Let the trees^(am) of the forest sing, let them sing for joy before the Lord , for he comes to judge^(an) the earth.

Give thanks^(ao) to the Lord , for he is good;^(ap) his love endures forever.^(aq)

Cry out, "Save us, God our Savior;^(ar) gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise."

Praise be to the Lord , the God of Israel,^(as) from everlasting to everlasting. Then all the people said "Amen" and "Praise the Lord ."

David left Asaph and his associates before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister there regularly, according to each day's requirements.^(at)

He also left Obed-Edom^(au) and his sixty-eight associates to minister with them. Obed-Edom son of Jeduthun, and also Hosah,^(av) were gatekeepers.

David left Zadok^(aw) the priest and his fellow priests before the tabernacle of the Lord at the high place in Gibeon^(ax)

to present burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of burnt offering regularly, morning and evening, in accordance with everything written in the Law^(ay) of the Lord , which he had given Israel.

With them were Heman^(az) and Jeduthun and the rest of those chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the Lord , "for his love endures forever."

Heman and Jeduthun were responsible for the sounding of the trumpets and cymbals and for the playing of the other instruments for sacred song.^(ba) The sons of Jeduthun^(bb) were stationed at the gate.

Then all the people left, each for their own home, and David returned home to bless his family.

God's Promise to David^(a)

After David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.^(b)"

Nathan replied to David, "Whatever you have in mind,^(c) do it, for God is with you."

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

"Go and tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord says: You^(d) are not the one to build me a house to dwell in.

I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt to this day. I have moved from one tent site to another, from one dwelling place to another.

Wherever I have moved with all the Israelites, did I ever say to any of their leaders^[a] whom I commanded to shepherd my people, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?^(e)"'

"Now then, tell my servant David, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I took you from the pasture, from tending the flock, and appointed you ruler^(f) over my people Israel.

I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name like the names of the greatest men on earth.

And I will provide a place for my people Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. Wicked people will not oppress them anymore, as they did at the beginning

and have done ever since the time I appointed leaders^(g) over my people Israel. I will also subdue all your enemies. "‘I declare to you that the Lord will build a house for you:

When your days are over and you go to be with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom.

He is the one who will build^(h) a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever.⁽ⁱ⁾

I will be his father,^(j) and he will be my son.^(k) I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor.

I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne^(l) will be established forever.^(m)'"

Nathan reported to David all the words of this entire revelation.

Then King David went in and sat before the Lord , and he said: "Who am I, Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?

And as if this were not enough in your sight, my God, you have spoken about the future of the house of your servant. You, Lord God, have looked on me as though I were the most exalted of men.

"What more can David say to you for honoring your servant? For you know your servant,

Lord . For the sake^(o) of your servant and according to your will, you have done this great thing and made known all these great promises.^(p)

"There is no one like you, Lord , and there is no God but you,^(q) as we have heard with our own ears.

And who is like your people Israel—the one nation on earth whose God went out to redeem^(r) a people for himself, and to make a name for yourself, and to perform great and awesome wonders by driving out nations from before your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt?

You made your people Israel your very own forever,^(s) and you, Lord , have become their God.

"And now, Lord , let the promise^(t) you have made concerning your servant and his house be established forever. Do as you promised,

so that it will be established and that your name will be great forever. Then people will say, ‘The Lord Almighty, the God over Israel, is Israel's God!' And the house of your servant David will be established before you.

"You, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. So your servant has found courage to pray to you.

You, Lord , are God! You have promised these good things to your servant.

Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever in your sight;^(u) for you, Lord , have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever."

David's Victories^(a)

In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Gath and its surrounding villages from the control of the Philistines.

David also defeated the Moabites,^(b) and they became subject to him and brought him tribute.

Moreover, David defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah,^(c) in the vicinity of Hamath, when he went to set up his monument at^[a] the Euphrates River.^(d)

David captured a thousand of his chariots, seven thousand charioteers and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung^(e) all but a hundred of the chariot horses.

When the Arameans of Damascus^(f) came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of them.

He put garrisons in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to him and brought him tribute. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.

David took the gold shields carried by the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem.

From Tebah^[b] and Kun, towns that belonged to Hadadezer, David took a great quantity of bronze, which Solomon used to make the bronze Sea,^(g) the pillars and various bronze articles.

When Tou king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer king of Zobah,

he sent his son Hadoram to King David to greet him and congratulate him on his victory in battle over Hadadezer, who had been at war with Tou. Hadoram brought all kinds of articles of gold, of silver and of bronze.

King David dedicated these articles to the Lord , as he had done with the silver and gold he had taken from all these nations: Edom^(h) and Moab, the Ammonites and the Philistines, and Amalek.⁽ⁱ⁾

Abishai son of Zeruiah struck down eighteen thousand Edomites^(j) in the Valley of Salt.

He put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became subject to David. The Lord gave David victory wherever he went.

David reigned^(l) over all Israel,^(m) doing what was just and right for all his people.

Joab⁽ⁿ⁾ son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was recorder;

Zadok^(o) son of Ahitub and Ahimelek^[c](p) son of Abiathar were priests; Shavsha was secretary;

Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and Pelethites;^(q) and David's sons were chief officials at the king's side.

David Defeats the Ammonites^(a)

In the course of time, Nahash king of the Ammonites^(b) died, and his son succeeded him as king.

David thought, "I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me." So David sent a delegation to express his sympathy to Hanun concerning his father. When David's envoys came to Hanun in the land of the Ammonites to express sympathy to him,

the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun, "Do you think David is honoring your father by sending envoys to you to express sympathy? Haven't his envoys come to you only to explore and spy out^(c) the country and overthrow it?"

So Hanun seized David's envoys, shaved them, cut off their garments at the buttocks, and sent them away.

When someone came and told David about the men, he sent messengers to meet them, for they were greatly humiliated. The king said, "Stay at Jericho till your beards have grown, and then come back."

When the Ammonites realized that they had become obnoxious^(d) to David, Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents^[a] of silver to hire chariots and charioteers from Aram Naharaim,^[b] Aram Maakah and Zobah.^(e)

They hired thirty-two thousand chariots and charioteers, as well as the king of Maakah with his troops, who came and camped near Medeba,^(f) while the Ammonites were mustered from their towns and moved out for battle.

On hearing this, David sent Joab out with the entire army of fighting men.

The Ammonites came out and drew up in battle formation at the entrance to their city, while the kings who had come were by themselves in the open country.