1 Unless it was the Lord who was for us— let Israel say— 2 unless it was the Lord who was for us when people [1] rose against us, 3 they would have swallowed us alive when their anger burned against us. 4 Then the waters would have submerged us. The torrent would have swept our lives away. 5 Then the wild waters would have swept us away. 6 Blessed be the Lord, who has not let us be prey for their teeth. 7 We have escaped with our lives like a bird out of the fowlers’ snare. The snare has been broken, and we have escaped. 8 Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 125
Mount Zion Cannot Be Shaken
Heading
A song of the ascents.
Those Who Trust in the Lord Cannot Be Shaken
1 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion. It cannot be shaken. It will stand forever. 2 As Jerusalem is surrounded by mountains, so the Lord surrounds his people from now to eternity. 3 No, the scepter of wickedness will not rest on the land assigned to the righteous, so that the righteous do not reach out their hands toward evil. 4 Do good, O Lord, for the good and for those who are upright in their hearts. 5 But those who turn to their crooked ways— the Lord will send them away with the evildoers. Peace be on Israel.
Psalm 126
The Return of the Captives
Heading
A song of the ascents.
The Captives Return
1 When the Lord restored the captives to Zion, [2] we were like dreamers. 2 Then our mouths were filled with laughter, and our tongues with shouts of joy. Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” 3 The Lord has done great things for us. We are glad. 4 Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the dry gulches of the Negev. 5 Those who sow with weeping will reap with joyful shouts. 6 The one who walks along weeping, carrying a bag of seed to sow, will come back again with joyful shouts, carrying his sheaves.
Footnotes
Psalm 124:2 The Hebrew has a collective singular, mankind. The context refers to the nations hostile to Israel, especially Assyria and Babylon.
Psalm 126:1 Or when the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion
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1 I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” 2 Our feet are standing in your gates, O Jerusalem. 3 Jerusalem is a well-built city that is firmly joined together, [1] 4 a city to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, [2] as a testimony to Israel, to give praise to the name of the Lord. 5 That is where the thrones for judgment sit, the thrones of the house of David. 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those who love you prosper. 7 May there be peace within your fortifications, prosperity within your citadels.” 8 For the sake of my brothers and my friends, now I will say, “Peace be within you.” 9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek good for you.
Psalm 123
The Eyes of a Servant
Heading
A song of the ascents.
The Eyes of a Servant
1 To you I lift up my eyes, to you who are seated in heaven. 2 Indeed, as the eyes of slaves look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid look to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until he shows us his grace. 3 Show grace to us, O Lord. Show grace to us, for we have had our fill of contempt. 4 Our souls have had their fill of the scorn of the smug and of the contempt of the arrogant.
Footnotes
Psalm 122:3 The meaning is uncertain. Literally Jerusalem, the built one, like a city which is joined to her together
Psalm 122:4 The short version of the divine name, Yah, is used rather than the full form, Yahweh.
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1 In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. 2 Lord, save my life from lying lips. Save me from deceitful tongues. 3 What will he give to you? What more will he add to you, you deceitful tongue? 4 A warrior’s sharpened arrows with hot coals of the broom tree. 5 Woe to me that I am an alien in Meshek, that I dwell among the tents of Kedar! 6 For too long my soul [2] has dwelt with those who hate peace. 7 I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war.
Psalm 121
Help From the Lord
Heading
A song for the ascents.
Help From the Lord, Israel’s Watchman
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains. Where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. 3 He will not let your foot stumble. He who watches over you will not slumber. 4 Yes, he who watches over Israel will not slumber. He will not sleep. 5 The Lord watches over you. The Lord is your shade at your right hand. 6 The sun will not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 7 The Lord will watch to keep you from all harm. [3] He will watch over your life. [4] 8 The Lord will watch over your going and your coming from now to eternity.
Footnotes
Psalm 120:1 This group of psalms (Psalms 120–134) is usually called the Songs of Ascent in English, but the Hebrew title is songs of the ascents. The ascents may include both going up to Jerusalem and going up to God. These psalms celebrate pilgrimage to Jerusalem, especially the return from captivity in Babylon.
Psalm 120:6 In Hebrew my soul is a more intense, emotional way of saying I or me.
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153 See my affliction and deliver me, because I have not forgotten your law. 154 Argue my case and redeem me. Give me life according to your saying. 155 Salvation is far away from the wicked, because they do not pursue your statutes. 156 Your compassions are many, O Lord. Give me life according to your judgments. 157 Many are my persecutors and my foes, but I have not turned from your testimonies. 158 I look at the hypocrites and I loathe them, because they do not keep your saying. 159 See how I love your precepts. Lord, according to your mercy, give me life. 160 The sum of your word is truth. All your righteous judgment is eternal.
Sin/Shin: I Wait for Salvation
161 Officials persecute me without cause, but my heart trembles at your word. 162 I rejoice over your sayings, like one who finds much plunder. 163 I hate and detest falsehood, but I love your law. 164 Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous judgments. 165 Great peace belongs to those who love your law, and nothing is a stumbling block for them. 166 I wait for your salvation, O Lord, and I obey your commandments. 167 My soul keeps your testimonies. I love them greatly. 168 I keep your precepts and your testimonies, because all my ways are before you.
Tav: Seek Your Servant
169 May my loud cry come before you, Lord. Give me understanding through your word. 170 May my plea for mercy come before you. Deliver me according to your saying. 171 May my lips overflow with praise, because you teach me your statutes. 172 May my tongue sing of your saying, because all your commandments are righteousness. 173 May your hand be ready to help me, because I have chosen your precepts. 174 I long for your salvation, O Lord, and your law is my delight. 175 Let my soul live and praise you, and may your judgments help me. 176 I have strayed like a perishing sheep. Seek your servant, because I have not forgotten your commandments.
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129 Your testimonies are wonders. That is why my soul guards them. 130 The doorway to your words lets in light. It gives understanding to the inexperienced. 131 I open wide my mouth and I gasp, because I long for your commandments. 132 Turn to me and give me grace. This is your judgment for those who love your name. [1] 133 Keep my footsteps steady by your sayings, and do not let any evil rule over me. 134 Redeem me from oppressive people, and I will keep your precepts. 135 Make your face shine on your servant, and teach me your statutes. 136 Streams of water run down from my eyes, because they do not keep your laws.
Tsadhe: My Zeal for the Word
137 You are righteous, O Lord, and your judgments are right. 138 You have commanded your testimonies. They are righteous and very trustworthy. 139 My zeal wears me out, because my foes forget your words. 140 Your saying has been thoroughly refined, and your servant loves it. 141 I am insignificant and despised, but I do not forget your precepts. 142 Your righteousness is righteous forever, and your law is truth. 143 Distress and anguish have found me, but your commandments are my delights. 144 Your testimonies are right forever. Give me understanding, and I will live.
Qoph: I Will Obey
145 I call with all my heart. Answer me, O Lord. I will guard your statutes. 146 I call to you. Save me, and I will keep your testimonies. 147 I get up before dawn, and I cry for help. I wait confidently for your word. 148 My eyes look forward to the night watches when I can meditate on your sayings. 149 Hear my voice according to your mercy. Lord, give me life based on your judgments. 150 Those who pursue evil plans are near, but they are far from your law. 151 You are near, O Lord, and all your commandments are truth. 152 Long ago I knew from your testimonies that you established them to endure forever.
Footnotes
Psalm 119:132 Some translations take the Hebrew word mishpat, translated as judgment above, to mean this is your usual way to deal with those who love your name, but if this is done, there is no name for God’s Word in this verse.
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105 Your words are a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. 106 I have sworn and affirmed that I will keep your righteous judgments. 107 I have suffered much. Lord, give me life according to your words. 108 Lord, please accept the willing praise from my mouth, and teach me your judgments. 109 I take my life in my hands constantly, but I will not forget your law. 110 The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not wandered from your precepts. 111 I have inherited your testimonies forever. Yes, they are the joy of my heart. 112 I turn my heart to do your statutes, forever, right to the end.
Samekh: Get Away From Me, You Evildoers
113 I hate the doubleminded, but I love your law. 114 You are my hiding place and my shield. I wait confidently for your word. 115 Get away from me, you evildoers, so that I may guard the commandments of my God! 116 Sustain me according to your sayings, and I will live. Do not let me be ashamed of my hope. 117 Hold me up, and I will be saved. Then I will always have regard for your statutes. 118 You reject all who stray from your statutes, because their deceitfulness is built on a lie. [1] 119 You discard all the wicked of the earth like slag. Therefore, I love your testimonies. 120 My flesh trembles because I am afraid of you, because I fear your judgments.
Ayin: It Is Time to Act
121 I have carried out what is just and right. Do not leave me to my oppressors. 122 Guarantee good for your servant. Do not let the arrogant oppress me. 123 My eyes wear out, as I watch for your salvation and your righteousness. 124 Deal with your servant according to your mercy, and teach me your statutes. 125 I am your servant. Give me discernment, so that I may know your testimonies. 126 Lord, it is time to do something! They have broken your laws. 127 Because I love your commandments more than gold, more than pure gold, 128 because I value everything in all your precepts, I hate every wrong road.
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81 My soul is worn out, as I wait for your salvation. I wait confidently for your word. 82 My eyes are worn out, as I look for your sayings. I say, “When will you comfort me?” 83 Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke, I do not forget your statutes. 84 How many days does your servant have? When will you inflict judgment on my persecutors? 85 The arrogant dig pits for me. This is against your laws. 86 All your commandments are trustworthy. The arrogant persecute me wrongfully. Help me. 87 They almost put an end to me here on earth, but I have not forsaken your precepts. 88 Give me life according to your mercy, and I will obey the testimony from your mouth.
Lamed: Your Commands Have No Limits
89 To eternity, O Lord, your word is fixed firmly in the heavens. 90 For generation after generation, your faithfulness remains. You established the earth, and it stands. 91 As for your judgments, they stand to this day, because all things are your servants. 92 Unless your law had been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. 93 To eternity I will not forget your precepts, because by them you have given me life. 94 I am yours. Save me, because I have sought your precepts. 95 The wicked are lying in wait for me to kill me, but I will ponder your testimonies. 96 I see a limit to all perfection, but your commandment has no limits.
Mem: Sweeter Than Honey
97 How I love your laws! I meditate on them all day long. 98 Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, because it is always with me. 99 I have more wisdom than all my teachers, because your testimonies are my meditation. 100 I have more understanding than the elders, because I guard your precepts. 101 I have kept my feet off every evil path in order to keep your words. 102 I have not turned from your judgments, because you yourself have instructed me. 103 How sweet are your sayings to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! 104 From your precepts I gain understanding. Therefore, I hate every false road.
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49 Remember your word to your servant, because you have given me hope. 50 This is my comfort in my suffering: that your saying gives me life. 51 The arrogant mock me constantly, but I do not fall away from your law. 52 I remember your judgments from of old, Lord, and I comfort myself with them. 53 Indignation grips me because of the wicked, who forsake your laws. 54 Your statutes are songs for me in the house where I am staying. 55 I remember your name during the night, O Lord, and I will keep your laws. 56 This I have done: I guard your precepts.
Ḥet: I Will Not Forget
57 You are my portion, O Lord. I said I would keep your words. 58 I have sought your favor with all my heart. Be gracious to me according to your sayings. 59 I have considered my ways, [1] and I have turned my feet to your testimonies. 60 I will hurry. I will not delay. I will keep your commandments. 61 The ropes of the wicked bind me, but I do not forget your law. 62 At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous judgments. 63 I am a companion to all who fear you, that is, to all who keep your precepts. 64 Your mercy, Lord, fills the earth. Teach me your statutes.
Tet: It Is Good to Be Afflicted
65 You have done good for your servant, O Lord, according to your words. 66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments. 67 Before I was afflicted I strayed, but now I keep your saying. 68 You are good, and you do good. Teach me your statutes. 69 The arrogant have smeared me with lies. I guard your precepts with all my heart. 70 Their calloused hearts [2] feel nothing, but I delight in your law. 71 It was good for me that I was afflicted, so that I might learn your statutes. 72 Better for me is the law from your mouth than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.
Yod: Those Who Fear You
73 Your hands made me and established me. Give me understanding. Then I will learn your commandments. 74 May those who fear you see me and rejoice, because I wait confidently for your word. 75 I know, Lord, that your judgments are righteous. In faithfulness you have afflicted me. 76 Please let your mercy be my comfort, according to your saying to your servant. 77 Let your abundant compassion come to me that I may live, because your law is my delight. 78 Let the arrogant be put to shame, because they have wronged me with lies. As for me, I will meditate on your precepts. 79 Let those who fear you turn to me, and those who know your testimonies. 80 Let my heart be blameless regarding your statutes, so that I may not be put to shame.
Footnotes
Psalm 119:59 In these and other verses of the psalm it is sometimes uncertain whether the Hebrew verb forms refer to past actions, present attitudes, or future intentions.
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25 My soul [1] is stuck in the dust. Revive my life according to your words. 26 I told you about my ways and you answered me. Teach me your statutes. 27 Make me understand the meaning of your precepts. Then I will meditate on your wonders. 28 My soul melts with sorrow. By your words make me stand firm. 29 Turn me away from false ways, and be gracious to me through your law. 30 I have chosen the way of truth. I accept [2] your judgments. 31 I cling to your testimonies, O Lord. Do not let me be put to shame. 32 I run the way of your commandments, for you have strengthened my heart. [3]
He: That You May Be Feared
33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes. Then I will guard it to the end. 34 Give me understanding, and I will guard your law. I will keep it with all my heart. 35 Make me walk on the path of your commandments, for I take pleasure in it. 36 Direct my heart toward your testimonies and not toward material gain. 37 Keep my eyes from looking at worthless things. Give me life according to your ways. [4] 38 Confirm your sayings to your servant, so that you may be feared. 39 Take away my disgrace which I dread, for your judgments are good. 40 How I long for your precepts! Give me life in your righteousness.
Vav: Speak Before Kings
41 So let your mercies come to me, O Lord, and let your salvation come according to your sayings. 42 Then I will give an answer to those who insult me, because I trust in your words. 43 But do not tear away the word of truth from my mouth, because I wait confidently for your judgments. 44 Then I will continually keep your law forever and ever. 45 Then I will walk around freely, because I have sought your precepts. 46 Then I will speak of your testimonies before kings, and I will not be put to shame. 47 For I delight in your commandments, which I love. 48 I lift up my hands to your commandments, which I love, and I meditate on your statutes.
Footnotes
Psalm 119:25 In the Old Testament my soul is a more emotional way of saying I or me.
Psalm 119:30 Or I set before me
Psalm 119:32 Or you increased my understanding or you motivated me. Literally you made my heart wide.
Psalm 119:37 A few Hebrew manuscripts have your word. Without this alteration there is no name of the Word in this verse.
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1 How blessed are those who are blameless in their way, who walk in the law [2] of the Lord. 2 How blessed are those who keep [3] his testimonies. With all their heart they seek him. 3 Indeed, they do no wrong. They walk in his ways. 4 You have commanded that your precepts [4] be kept completely. 5 If only my ways were unwavering in keeping your statutes! [5] 6 Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands. 7 I will thank you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous judgments. [6] 8 I will keep your statutes. Do not abandon me completely.
Bet: Hidden in My Heart
9 How can a young man keep his path pure? By guarding it with your words. [7] 10 With all my heart I seek you. Do not let me stray from your commands. 11 I have hidden your sayings [8] in my heart, so that I may not sin against you. 12 Blessed are you, O Lord! Teach me your statutes. 13 With my lips I tell about all the judgments that come from your mouth. 14 I rejoice in the way that is taught by your testimonies as much as I delight in all riches. 15 I will meditate on your precepts, and I will consider your paths. 16 In your statutes I delight. I will not forget your words.
Gimel: Open My Eyes
17 Reward your servant. Then I will live, and I will keep your words. 18 Uncover my eyes, and I will behold wonders from your law. 19 I am an alien on earth. Do not hide your commandments from me. 20 My soul is overwhelmed by desire for your judgments at all times. 21 You rebuke the arrogant, who are cursed, those who stray from your commandments. 22 Remove scorn and contempt from me, for I guard your testimonies. 23 Though officials sit together and speak against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes. 24 Yes, your testimonies are my delights. They are my advisors.
Footnotes
Psalm 119:1 Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, is a lengthy meditation on the characteristics and blessings of God’s Word. God’s Word is praised 176 times (22 × 8). Eight different names for God’s Word appear repeatedly throughout the psalm (laws, testimonies, precepts, statutes, commands, judgments, words, sayings). Though many of these terms sound like legal terms, they are all names for God’s whole Word. Each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet is represented by an eight-line stanza. All eight lines of each stanza begin with the appropriate Hebrew letter. The letter names are listed in the stanza headings.
Psalm 119:1 Law in the Old Testament is often used in a wide sense as a name for God’s whole Word. It may refer to teaching of various kinds.
Psalm 119:2 Or guard
Psalm 119:4 Or regulations or rules
Psalm 119:5 Or instructions
Psalm 119:7 Or rulings or ordinances
Psalm 119:9 Or word. In this psalm there are many textual variants between singular and plural forms of word. The translation does not note them all.
Psalm 119:11 Or message. Many translate this as promise, but it is the common Hebrew root for say. Sometimes, of course, God’s sayings are promises.
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1 Praise the Lord, all you nations. Worship him, every race of people. [1] 2 For his mercy overwhelms us, and the faithfulness [2] of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord.
Psalm 118
The Stone the Builders Rejected
Introduction
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. 2 Let Israel say now: Yes, his mercy endures forever. 3 Let the house of Aaron say now: Yes, his mercy endures forever. 4 Let those who fear the Lord say now: Yes, his mercy endures forever.
Trust During Distress
5 Under pressure I cried to the Lord. [3] The Lord answered me. He set me in a wide-open space. 6 The Lord is with me. I will not be afraid. What can people do to me? 7 The Lord, who is with me, is my helper, so I will look in triumph on my enemies. 8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people. 9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in human benefactors. [4] 10 All the nations surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them off. [5] 11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me, but in the name of the Lord I cut them off. 12 They surrounded me like bees, but they were extinguished as quickly as a fire of thorns. In the name of the Lord I cut them off. 13 You pushed me hard to make me fall, but the Lord helped me.
The Messiah’s Joy in Victory
14 My strength and song is the Lord, and he has become salvation for me. 15 Loud shouts of victory are heard in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord has done a mighty deed! 16 The right hand of the Lord is lifted high! The right hand of the Lord has done a mighty deed!” 17 I will not die. No, I will live, and I will proclaim the works of the Lord. 18 The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not handed me over to death. 19 Open for me the gates of righteousness. I will enter them. I will give thanks to the Lord. 20 This is the gate to the Lord. The righteous enter it. 21 I will give you thanks, because you answered me, and you have become salvation for me.
The Joy in Victory of Messiah’s Followers
22 The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. [6] 23 This is from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. 25 O Lord, please save us now. [7] O Lord, grant us success. 26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. We bless you from the house of the Lord. 27 The Lord is God, and he makes light shine on us. Bind the festival with branches as far as the horns of the altar. [8] 28 You are my God, and I will give you thanks. You are my God, and I will exalt you.
Conclusion
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.
Footnotes
Psalm 117:1 The Hebrew word here is not one of the usual words for nation, people, or tribe, so it has been translated race to distinguish it from the more common words.
Psalm 117:2 Or truth
Psalm 118:5 Yah, the short form of the divine name, is used here, also in the next line, and in verses 14, 17, 18, 19.
Psalm 118:9 The Hebrew word refers to rich people who have the willingness and the means to help the needy.
Psalm 118:10 Or perhaps a rare homonym push them away
Psalm 118:22 Literally the head of the corner. Other possible translations are the capstone or the keystone.
Psalm 118:25 The Hebrew for please save us now is hosanna.
Psalm 118:27 To avoid imposing a guess on the text, the translation retains a literal translation of this very difficult line. It seems to mean: It’s the festival! Decorate the route with boughs and march in a procession toward the horns of the altar. Many suggest it means: Decorate the festival sacrificial animal with boughs and tie it to the horns of the altar, but Israelite worshippers did not approach the altar. Only priests did that, and by then the sacrifice had been cut into pieces.
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1 I love the Lord, because he hears my voice. He hears my cry for mercy. 2 Because he turned his ear to me, I will call to him all my days. 3 The ropes of death entangled me. The walls of the grave hemmed me in. [1] I found distress and sorrow. 4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Ah, Lord, please save my life!” 5 The Lord is gracious and righteous, and our God is compassionate. 6 The Lord protects the inexperienced. [2] In my weakness he saves me too.
Past Deliverance
7 Return, my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has accomplished his purpose for you. 8 Indeed, you have delivered my soul from death, my eye from weeping, my foot from stumbling, 9 so that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living. 10 I believed. Therefore, I have spoken: “I am greatly afflicted.” 11 In my haste I said: “All people are deceptive.”
Future Devotion
12 How can I repay the Lord for all his benefits to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation, and I will call on [3] the name of the Lord. 14 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord, now in the presence of all his people. 15 Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of his favored ones. 16 Ah, Lord, truly I am your servant. I am your servant, the son of your maidservant. You opened my chains. 17 To you I will sacrifice a thank offering, and I will call on the name of the Lord. 18 I will fulfill my vows to the Lord here in the presence of all his people, 19 in the courtyards of the house of the Lord, in the middle of Jerusalem. Praise the Lord.
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1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, because of your mercy, because of your truth.
No Glory in Idols
2 Why should the nations say, “So where is their God now?” 3 In fact, our God is in the heavens. He does everything that pleases him. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. 5 They have a mouth, but they do not speak. They have eyes, but they do not see. 6 They have ears, but they do not hear. They have a nose, but they do not smell. 7 Their hands—they do not even feel. Their feet—they do not even walk around. They do not even make a sound with their throats. 8 Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them.
Trust in the Lord
9 Israel, trust in the Lord— he is their help and their shield. 10 House of Aaron, trust in the Lord— he is their help and their shield. 11 You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord— he is their help and their shield. 12 The Lord remembers us. He will bless. He will bless the house of Israel. He will bless the house of Aaron. 13 He will bless those who fear the Lord— the small with the great. 14 May the Lord add blessings to you, to you and to your children. 15 May you be blessed by the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Serve the Lord
16 The heavens are heavens for the Lord, but the earth he gave to the children of Adam. 17 It is not the dead who praise the Lord, [1] nor any of those who go down to silence, 18 but we are the ones who bless the Lord, [2] from now to eternity. Praise the Lord. [3]
Footnotes
Psalm 115:17 The short form of the divine name, Yah, is used rather than the full form, Yahweh.
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Praise, you servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord. 2 Let the name of the Lord be blessed, from now to eternity. 3 From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised.
The Basis for Praise
4 High above all the nations is the Lord. His glory towers above the heavens. 5 Who is like the Lord our God? He is seated on high. 6 He bends down to look at the heavens and at the earth. 7 He raises the poor from the dust. He lifts the needy from the garbage pile 8 to seat them with nobles, with the nobles of his people. 9 He is the one who settles the barren woman in her home as a joyful mother of children.
Praise the Lord.
Psalm 114
When Israel Came Out of Egypt
1 When Israel came out of Egypt and the house of Jacob from a people with a strange language, 2 Judah became his sanctuary, Israel became his kingdom. 3 The sea saw and fled. The Jordan turned back. 4 The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. 5 What happened, O sea, that you fled, O Jordan, that you turned back, 6 O mountains, that you skipped like rams, you hills, like lambs? 7 Tremble in the presence of the Lord, O earth. Tremble in the presence of the God of Jacob. 8 He turned the rock into a pool of water. He turned flint into springs of water.
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I will thank the Lord with all my heart in the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.
God’s Works
2 Great are the deeds of the Lord. They are studied by all who delight in them. 3 Glorious and majestic is his work, and his righteousness stands forever. 4 He has set up a memorial to his wonders. Gracious and compassionate is the Lord. 5 He gives food to those who fear him. He remembers his covenant forever. 6 He has declared the power of his deeds to his people, to give them the nations as their possession. 7 The works of his hands are truth and justice.
God’s Word
All his precepts are trustworthy, 8 steadfast forever and ever, done in truth and uprightness. 9 He sent redemption for his people. He commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name. 10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning [2] of wisdom. All who do his precepts have good understanding.
Closing Praise
His praise stands forever.
Psalm 112
The Man Who Fears the Lord
1 Praise the Lord. [3]
How blessed is a man who fears the Lord. In his commands he delights greatly. 2 His descendants will be mighty in the land. The circle of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness stands forever. 4 In darkness, light dawns for the upright. He is gracious and compassionate and righteous. 5 Good things will come to the man who is gracious and lends, who conducts his business with justice. 6 Surely he will never fall. The righteous will be remembered forever. 7 He will not fear bad news. His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. 8 His heart is secure. He will have no fear, until he looks in triumph on his foes. 9 He scatters seed—he gives to the poor. His righteousness stands forever. His horn [4] will be lifted high in glory.
The End of the Wicked
10 The wicked person will see and be frustrated. He will gnash his teeth and melt away. The desire of the wicked will perish.
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1 The decree of the Lord to my lord: [1] “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool under your feet.”
Description of King Messiah’s Rule
2 The Lord will stretch out your strong scepter from Zion. Rule in the midst of your enemies. 3 Your people will be willing on the day of your power. In majesty of holiness, from the womb of the dawn, the dew of your youth will be yours. [2]
The Second Decree of the Lord
4 The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever, in the manner of Melchizedek.”
Description of King Messiah’s Rule
5 The Lord is at your right hand. He will crush kings on the day of his wrath. 6 He will judge the nations. He will fill valleys with corpses. [3] He will crush heads over the wide world. [4] 7 He will drink from a stream beside the way; therefore, he will lift up his head.
Footnotes
Psalm 110:1 The second lord in verse 1 is not one of the divine names that are usually rendered Lord or Lord. It is the common noun for lord. It does refer to Christ but as a description, not a title.
Psalm 110:3 Verse 3 is cryptic. The translation is quite literal.
Psalm 110:6 The translation combines the Hebrew and Greek variants.
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Heading
For the choir director. By David. A psalm.
The Problem and the Prayer
1 O God whom I praise, do not be silent, 2 because they have opened wicked, deceitful mouths against me. They have spoken against me with lying tongues. 3 They surround me with hateful words. They attack me without cause. 4 In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. [1] 5 They repay me with evil for good, with hatred for my love.
The Curse
6 Appoint an evil one to testify against him, and let an accuser [2] stand at his right hand. 7 When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and let his prayer be sin. 8 Let his days be few. Let another take his office. 9 Let his children be fatherless and his wife a widow. 10 Let his children always wander and beg. Let them seek food far from their ruined homes. [3] 11 Let a creditor confiscate all he has. Let strangers plunder everything he worked for. 12 Let there be no one to extend mercy to him. Let there be no one to show favor to his fatherless children. 13 Let his descendants be cut off. In the next generation let their name be blotted out. 14 Let the guilt of his fathers be remembered before the Lord. Let the sin of his mother never be blotted out. 15 Let their sins remain before the Lord continually, and let the memory of these people be cut off from the earth.
16 Because he did not remember to show mercy, but he pursued the poor man and the needy and the brokenhearted to put them to death. 17 Since he loved cursing, so let it fall on him. He found no pleasure in blessing, so let it be far from him. 18 Since he wore cursing as his clothing, let it enter into his stomach like water and into his bones like oil. 19 Let it be like a garment wrapped around him, like a belt tied around him forever. 20 May the Lord do all this to my accusers and to those who speak evil against my life.
Prayer for Help
21 But you, Lord God, deal with me for the sake of your name. Because of the goodness of your mercy, deliver me. 22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded [4] within me. 23 Like a shadow after it lengthens, I go away. I am shaken off like a locust. 24 My knees give way from fasting, and my flesh has become lean, without fat. 25 But I—I am scorned by them. They see me. They shake their heads. 26 Help me, O Lord my God. Save me according to your mercy. 27 Let them know that this is your hand. You, O Lord, have done it. 28 They may curse, but you will bless. They rose up, but they will be put to shame. Then your servant will rejoice. 29 My accusers will be dressed with disgrace. Their shame will wrap around them like a robe.
Closing Praise
30 With my mouth I will keep on thanking the Lord. In the midst of many people I will praise him. 31 For the Lord stands at the right hand of the needy, to save his life from those who condemn him.
Footnotes
Psalm 109:4 Literally I am prayer
Psalm 109:6 The Hebrew noun is satan, which becomes the name of Satan.
Psalm 109:10 The Greek reads may they be driven from their ruined homes.
Psalm 109:22 The meaning of this verb is uncertain. It may mean flutter or beat wildly.
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My Heart Is Steadfast (Psalm 108:1-5 parallels Psalm 57:7-11)
(Psalm 108:6-13 parallels Psalm 60:5-12)
Heading
A song. A psalm by David.
David’s Confident Praise
1 My heart is steadfast, O God. I will sing and I will make music. Indeed, I will sing with all my being. [1] 2 Awake, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn. 3 I will give you thanks among the peoples, Lord, and I will make music to you among the nations, [2] 4 because your great mercy reaches above the heavens, and your faithfulness to the skies.
David’s Prayer
5 Be exalted above the heavens, O God. Let your glory be over all the earth. 6 So that the ones you love may be rescued, bring salvation by your right hand and answer me.
David’s Confidence in God’s Help
7 God has spoken in his holiness. [3] I will triumph. I will distribute Shechem, and I will measure off the Valley of Succoth. 8 Gilead is mine. Manasseh is mine. Ephraim is my helmet. Judah is my scepter. 9 Moab is my washbasin. On Edom I toss my sandal. I shout aloud over Philistia. [4] 10 Who will bring me into the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? 11 Is it not you, O God, who have rejected us? Is it not you, O God, who no longer go out with our armies? 12 Give us help against the foe, for human help is worthless. 13 In God we will do mighty deeds. He is the one who will trample our foes.
Footnotes
Psalm 108:1 Literally glory
Psalm 108:3 The main Hebrew text divides the word for nations into two words to create the derogatory term non-peoples. This gives the connotation heathen nations.
Psalm 108:7 Or holy place
Psalm 108:9 It is possible that the speaker of these verses is God rather than David. See Psalm 60.
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33 He turned rivers into a wilderness and flowing springs into thirsty ground. 34 He turned fruitful land into a salt waste, because of the wickedness of those who lived in it. 35 He turned the wilderness into pools of water and the desert into flowing springs. 36 Then he let the hungry live there, and they founded a city where they could live. 37 Then they sowed fields, and they planted vineyards, which produced abundant fruit. 38 Then he blessed them, so they increased greatly in number. He did not let their herds of cattle decrease.
39 But then their numbers decreased, and they were humbled by oppression, disaster, and sorrow. 40 He who pours contempt on nobles made them wander in confusion where there was no road. 41 But he lifted up the needy out of affliction and made their families like a flock. 42 The upright see and rejoice, but all wickedness shuts its mouth.
Application: Be Wise
43 Whoever is wise, let him keep these things. Let them take to heart the mercies of the Lord.
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1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. 2 Let the redeemed of the Lord say this, those he redeemed from the hand of the foe, 3 those he gathered from the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. [1]
First Crisis: The Wilderness
4 They wandered in the wilderness, in the wasteland. They did not find the way to a city where they could live. 5 They were hungry and also thirsty, so their lives were draining away.
Refrain
6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their distress. He delivered them from their troubles. 7 He led them by a straight way to come to a city where they could live.
8 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his mercy and his wonderful deeds for all people, [2] 9 because he satisfies the desire of the thirsty, and he fills the desire of the hungry with good things.
Second Crisis: Imprisonment
10 They were sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, prisoners, bound in misery and chains, 11 because they had rebelled against the words of God, and they despised the plan of the Most High. 12 So he broke their hearts with hard labor. They stumbled, and there was no helper.
Refrain
13 Then they cried out to the Lord in their distress. He saved them from their troubles. 14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and he tore off their chains.
15 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his mercy and his wonderful deeds for all people, 16 because he shatters bronze doors, and he cuts through iron bars.
Third Crisis: Rebellion
17 They became fools through their rebellious way, and they brought affliction on themselves by their guilt. 18 They lost their appetite for food, so they approached the gates of death.
Refrain
19 Then they cried out to the Lord in their distress. He saved them from their troubles. 20 He sent his word and healed them. He rescued them from the pits that trapped them. 21 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his mercy and his wonderful deeds for all people, 22 so let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell about his works with a joyful shout.
Fourth Crisis: On the Sea
23 They went down to the sea in ships. They conducted trade on many waters. 24 They saw the deeds of the Lord and his wonders on the deep. 25 For he spoke and stirred up a violent storm, which produced large waves. 26 They were raised up to the sky. They sank down into the depths. In their danger their courage melted. 27 They reeled and staggered like a drunk. All their skill disappeared.
Refrain
28 Then they cried out to the Lord in their distress. He brought them out of their troubles. 29 He calmed the storm. Its waves were hushed. 30 They were glad when it grew quiet, and he guided them to the port they desired. 31 Let them give thanks to the Lord for his mercy and his wonderful deeds for all people. 32 Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the session of the elders.
Footnotes
Psalm 107:3 The translation follows the Targum. The main Hebrew reading is from the sea.
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My son Solomon, the one God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The work is great because this citadel is not for a man. It is for the Lord God. 2 According to all my strength, I have provided these things for the house of my God: gold for the gold items, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron, wood for the wooden, onyx stones and settings, antimony, [1] stones of many different colors, every kind of precious stone, and alabaster [2] in abundance.
3 Because of my devotion to the house of my God, from my personal treasure of gold and silver I am also giving for the house of my God in addition to all that I have already provided for this holy house: 4 three thousand talents [3] of gold from Ophir and seven thousand talents of refined silver for overlaying the walls of the structures.
5 I have given gold for gold items and silver for silver items for all the work by the craftsmen. Who else is willing to dedicate himself to the Lord today?
6 The officials of fathers’ houses, the officials of the tribes of Israel, and the officers of the thousands and of the hundreds made their offerings to the officials who were in charge of the king’s work. 7 They gave for the service of the house of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics [4] of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze, and one hundred thousand talents of iron. 8 Anyone who possessed stones gave them to the treasury of the House of the Lord, which was under the control of Jehiel the Gershonite. 9 The people rejoiced over their willing giving, since with an undivided heart they had offered freely to the Lord. King David also was very joyful.
10 David blessed the Lord in the presence of the entire assembly. He said:
Blessed are you, Lord, the God of Israel, our father, from eternity to eternity. 11 To you, O Lord, belong greatness, power, glory, victory, and majesty, because everything in the heavens and on the earth belongs to you. You, Lord, are exalted as head above everything. The kingdom belongs to you. 12 Riches and honor come from you. You are ruling over everything. In your hand are power and strength. It is in your power to make anyone great and strong. 13 Now, our God, we are thanking you and praising your glorious name.
14 Who am I? Who are my people that we are able to offer willingly like this? For everything comes from you. What we have given to you came from your hand. 15 We are aliens and temporary residents before you, as were all our fathers. Our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope of staying.
16 Lord, our God, all this abundance, which we have provided for building a house for you, for your holy name, is from your hand. This abundance belongs to you.
17 I know, my God, that you test the heart, and you take pleasure in uprightness. In the uprightness of my heart I have freely offered all these things. Now with joy I see your people, who are present here to bring the offering freely to you.
18 Lord, the God of our fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, preserve forever this purpose and way of thinking in the heart of your people. Direct their heart to you.
19 To my son Solomon, give an undivided heart to keep your commandments, your testimonies, and your statutes, to do everything needed to build the citadel for which I have made preparations.
20 David said to the whole assembly, “Now bless the Lord your God.” So all the assembly blessed the Lord, the God of their fathers. They bowed and stretched out flat on the ground before the Lord and the king. 21 They offered sacrifices to the Lord. On the next day they offered burnt offerings to the Lord (one thousand bulls, one thousand rams, one thousand lambs), their drink offerings, and sacrifices in abundance for all Israel. 22 They ate and drank before the Lord on that day with great joy. They made Solomon, the son of David, king a second time. They anointed him as the ruler for the Lord and Zadok as the priest.
23 Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king in the place of David his father. He prospered, and all Israel obeyed him. 24 All the officials, the strong warriors, and also all the sons of King David pledged loyalty to Solomon the king. 25 The Lord made Solomon extremely great in the presence of all Israel. He gave him kingly majesty, such as had not been bestowed upon any king before him in Israel.
26 David son of Jesse had been king over all Israel. 27 He was king over Israel for forty years, in Hebron for seven years and in Jerusalem for thirty-three years. 28 He died at a good age, full of days, riches, and honor. Then Solomon his son reigned as king in his place.
29 The acts of King David from first to last are written in the records of Samuel the seer, the records [5] of Nathan the prophet, and the records of Gad the seer, 30 including everything about his kingship, his mighty deeds, and the events that happened during his time, to him, to Israel, and to the kingdoms of the other lands.
Footnotes
1 Chronicles 29:2 The identification of this substance is uncertain. Turquoise is another possibility.
1 Chronicles 29:2 Or marble
1 Chronicles 29:4 The weight of a talent is uncertain. It may be about 75 pounds. This gift would be about 225,000 pounds.
1 Chronicles 29:7 A daric is a unit of weight that appears in post-exilic books. It is apparently a Persian term, equal to the Greek drachma, perhaps a third of an ounce. It is also the name for the standard gold coin of the Persian Empire.
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1 David gathered all the officials of Israel in Jerusalem: namely, the officials over the tribes, the officers over the military divisions that served the king (the officers over the units of a thousand and the units of a hundred), the officials who were in charge of all the property and cattle that belonged to the king and his sons, together with the palace officials, the powerful men, all the strong, capable men.
2 Then King David stood up and said:
Listen to me, my brothers and my people. In my heart I wanted to build a house as a resting place for the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord and as a footstool for our God. So I made preparations to build. 3 But God said to me, “You will not build a house for my name because you are a man of war, and you have shed blood.” 4 Yet the Lord, the God of Israel, chose me from the whole house of my father to become king over Israel forever, because he chose Judah as leader, and in the house of Judah he chose the house of my father, and among the sons of my father he took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel. 5 From all my sons (the Lord has given me many sons) he has chosen my son Solomon to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel. 6 He said to me, “Solomon, your son, is the one who will build my house and my courtyards, because I have chosen him for myself as a son. I will be his father. 7 I will establish his kingdom forever, if he is committed to keeping my commandments and my ordinances, as is happening today.”
8 Now in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the Lord, and in the hearing of our God, keep and seek out all the commandments of the Lord your God so that you may possess the good land and live in it as an inheritance for your children after you, forever.
9 You, Solomon, my son, know the God of your father, and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind because the Lord searches all hearts. He understands every thought people plan. If you seek him, he will let you find him. If you forsake him, he will cast you off forever. 10 Consider this carefully! Because the Lord has chosen you to build a house for the holy place, be strong and do it.
11 David gave his son Solomon the plan for the porch, its buildings, its storage rooms, its upper rooms, its inner chambers, and the chamber for the atonement seat. 12 He also gave him the plans for everything he had in mind for the courtyard of the House of the Lord, for all the chambers around it, for the storage rooms, and for the storage rooms for the dedicated gifts. 13 He gave the plans for the divisions of the priests and Levites, for all the work of service of the House of the Lord, and the designs for all the vessels and utensils for the service of the House of the Lord.
14 He prescribed the weight of the gold for all the vessels for every kind of service and the weight of the silver for all the vessels for every kind of service. 15 This included the weight of the gold for each gold lampstand and its lamps, the weight of the silver for the silver lampstands and their lamps according to the prescribed use of each lampstand, 16 the weight of gold for each table for the bread that is arranged, the silver for the silver tables, 17 the weight for the meat hooks, [1] the sprinkling bowls, the pure gold pitchers, the weight for each gold bowl, the weight of silver for each small silver bowl, [2]18 the weight of refined gold for the altar of incense, and the plan for the chariot for the gold cherubim who are spreading their wings and covering the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord.
19 David said, “All this is in writing. Because the hand of the Lord was on me, he made clear all the specifications involved in the plan.”
20 Then David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and be courageous and do this. Do not fear and do not be overwhelmed, because the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you. He will not forsake you while all the work for the service for the House of the Lord is being finished. 21 Look, the divisions of the priests and the Levites have been designated for all the service in the house of God. With you in all this work is every willing man, skilled for every form of service, the officials, and all the people who are ready for all your directions.”
Footnotes
1 Chronicles 28:17 Or forks
1 Chronicles 28:17 The precise identification of some of the items is uncertain.
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1 In addition, David and the officers of the army set apart for service certain of the sons of Asaph, Heman, and Jeduthun, who were to prophesy with lyres, harps, and cymbals. This is the list of the men set apart for this work of service.
2 From the sons of Asaph:
Zakkur, Joseph, Nethaniah, and Asarelah. The sons of Asaph were under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied at the order of the king.
3 From Jeduthun, the sons of Jeduthun were:
Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei, Hashabiah, and Mattithiah, six, under the direction of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied by giving thanks and praising the Lord with the lyre.
4 From Heman, the sons of Heman were:
Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shebuel, Jerimoth, Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti, Romamti Ezer, Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir, and Mahazioth. 5 All these were the sons of Heman, the king’s seer, to fulfill the promise of God to exalt him. [1] God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.
6 All these were under the direction of their father to make music in the Lord’s house, with cymbals, harps, and lyres, for the service of God’s house. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the direction of the king. 7 The number of them, with their brothers who were instructed in singing to the Lord, all of whom were skillful, was two hundred eighty-eight. 8 They cast lots for their offices, all alike, the least as well as the greatest, the teacher as well as the student.
9 So the first lot came out for Asaph’s son Joseph. ⎣He and his brothers and sons totaled twelve.⎦ [2] The second lot fell to Gedaliah, his brothers and sons, twelve, 10 the third to Zakkur, his sons and his brothers, twelve, 11 the fourth to Izri, his sons and his brothers, twelve, 12 the fifth to Nethaniah, his sons and his brothers, twelve, 13 the sixth to Bukkiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve, 14 the seventh to Jesarelah, [3] his sons and his brothers, twelve, 15 the eighth to Jeshaiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve, 16 the ninth to Mattaniah, his sons and his brothers, twelve, 17 the tenth to Shimei, his sons and his brothers, twelve, 18 the eleventh to Azarel, his sons and his brothers, twelve, 19 the twelfth to Hashabiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve, 20 for the thirteenth lot Shubael, his sons and his brothers, twelve, 21 for the fourteenth Mattithiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve, 22 for the fifteenth Jeremoth, his sons and his brothers, twelve, 23 for the sixteenth Hananiah, his sons and his brothers, twelve, 24 for the seventeenth Joshbekashah, his sons and his brothers, twelve, 25 for the eighteenth Hanani, his sons and his brothers, twelve, 26 for the nineteenth Mallothi, his sons and his brothers, twelve, 27 for the twentieth Eliathah, his sons and his brothers, twelve, 28 for the twenty-first Hothir, his sons and his brothers, twelve, 29 for the twenty-second Giddalti, his sons and his brothers, twelve, 30 for the twenty-third Mahazioth, his sons and his brothers, twelve, 31 for the twenty-fourth Romamti Ezer, his sons and his brothers, twelve.
Divisions of the Gatekeepers
1 Chronicles 26
1 For the gatekeepers, the following were the divisions.
From the Korahites
From the Korahites: Meshelemiah son of Kore, from the sons of Asaph.
2 Meshelemiah had sons: Zechariah the firstborn, Jediael the second, Zebadiah the third, Jathniel the fourth, 3 Elam the fifth, Jehohanan the sixth, and Eliehoenai the seventh. 4 Obed Edom had sons because God blessed him: Shemaiah the firstborn, Jehozabad the second, Joah the third, Sakar the fourth, Nethanel the fifth, 5 Ammiel the sixth, Issachar the seventh, and Pe’ullethai the eighth. 6 Sons were also born to his son Shemaiah, who ruled over the house of their father, for they were strong, capable men. 7 The sons of Shemaiah were Othni, Rephael, Obed, and Elzabad, whose brothers were capable men, Elihu and Semakiah. 8 All these were male descendants of Obed Edom. They and their sons and their brothers were strong, capable men for the service. There were sixty-two of them from Obed Edom. 9 Meshelemiah had sons and brothers, capable men, eighteen in all.
From the Merarites
10 Hosah from the descendants of Merari also had sons. They were Shimri the head (for though he was not the firstborn, yet his father made him head), 11 Hilkiah the second, Tebaliah the third, and Zechariah the fourth. All the sons and brothers of Hosah totaled thirteen.
Gatekeepers
12 The following were the divisions of the gatekeepers, according to their influential leaders, who had offices [4] like their brothers, to minister in the Lord’s house. 13 They cast lots for every gate according to their fathers’ houses, the small as well as the great.
14 The lot for the east side fell to Shelemiah. Then they cast lots for his son Zechariah, a wise counselor, and his lot came out for the north side. 15 For Obed Edom the lot was for the south side, and for his sons the lot was for the storehouse. 16 For Shuppim and Hosah the lot was for the west side, by the gate of Shalleketh, by the ramp that goes up. They were stationed with one watchman next to another. 17 On the east side there were six Levites each day, on the north side four each day, and on the south side four each day, and at the storehouse two at a time. 18 For the covered courtyard [5] on the west side, four were stationed at the ramp, and two at the courtyard.
19 These were the divisions of the gatekeepers from the descendants of the Korahites and from the descendants of Merari.
The Treasurers
20 From the Levites, Ahijah was [6] in charge of the treasuries [7] of God’s house and the treasuries for the consecrated things.
21 The sons of Ladan (who were descendants of Gershon through Ladan and who were the heads of the fathers’ households descended from Ladan the Gershonite) included Jehieli, 22 the sons of Jehieli, Zetham and his brother Joel. They were in charge of the treasuries of the Lord’s house.
23 From the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites, and the Uzzielites: 24 Shebuel, the son of Gershom, the son of Moses, was supervisor over the treasuries.
25 His relatives were Eliezer, his son Rehabiah, and his son Jeshaiah, and his son Joram, and his son Zikri, and his son Shelomoth. 26 This Shelomoth and his brothers were over all the treasuries for the consecrated things, which David the king, together with the heads of the fathers’ households, the officers over thousands and hundreds, and the officers of the army, had dedicated. 27 They dedicated some of the plunder won in battles, to repair the Lord’s house. 28 Everything that Samuel the seer, Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner, and Joab son of Zeruiah had dedicated, regardless of who had dedicated it, was under the control of Shelomoth and of his brothers.
The Government Officials
29 From the Izharites, Kenaniah and his sons were assigned to the civil administration of Israel as officers and judges. 30 From the Hebronites, Hashabiah and his brothers, seventeen hundred capable men were in charge of the administration of Israel west of the Jordan, for all the work of the Lord and for the service of the king.
31 For the Hebronites, Jeriah was the head of the Hebronites on the basis of their genealogical records according to their fathers’ households. The genealogical records were verified in the fortieth year of the reign of David, and capable men were found among them at Jazer of Gilead. 32 Among Jeriah’s brothers, who were capable men, there were twenty-seven hundred heads of fathers’ households, whom King David made overseers over the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half tribe of the Manassites, for every matter pertaining to God, and for every matter pertaining to the king.
The Generals of the Army
1 Chronicles 27
1 The following is the list of the leaders of the people of Israel, those who were the heads of fathers’ houses and the commanders [8] of military units of a thousand and of a hundred, and the officers who served the king in any matter. They served in divisions that came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year. In every division there were twenty-four thousand men.
2 Over the first division for the first month was Jashobeam son of Zabdiel. In his division there were twenty-four thousand men. 3 He was from the sons of Perez. He was the head of all the commanders of the army for the first month.
4 Over the division for the second month was Dodai the Ahohite. Mikloth was the leader of his division. In his division there were twenty-four thousand men.
5 The third commander of the army for the third month was Benaiah son of Jehoiada the head priest. In his division there were twenty-four thousand men. 6 This is the same Benaiah who was the powerful warrior among the Thirty and the leader of the Thirty. Ammizabad his son was commander of his division.
7 The fourth commander for the fourth month was Asahel, the brother of Joab. Zebadiah his son succeeded him, and in his division there were twenty-four thousand men.
8 The fifth commander for the fifth month was Shamhuth the Izrahite, and in his division there were twenty-four thousand men.
9 The sixth commander for the sixth month was Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoan, and in his division there were twenty-four thousand men.
10 The seventh commander for the seventh month was Helez the Pelonite, from the descendants of Ephraim, and in his division there were twenty-four thousand men.
11 The eighth commander for the eighth month was Sibbecai the Hushathite, from the descendants of Zerah. In his division there were twenty-four thousand men.
12 The ninth commander for the ninth month was Abiezer the Anathothite, from the descendants of Benjamin. In his division there were twenty-four thousand men.
13 The tenth commander for the tenth month was Mahrai the Netophathite, from the descendants of Zerah. In his division there were twenty-four thousand men.
14 The eleventh commander for the eleventh month was Benaiah the Pirathonite, from the descendants of Ephraim. In his division there were twenty-four thousand men.
15 The twelfth commander for the twelfth month was Heldai the Netophathite, from Othniel. In his division there were twenty-four thousand men.
The Leaders of the Tribes
16 The following were over the tribes of Israel:
Of the Reubenites, Eliezer son of Zikri was the leader, Of the Simeonites, Shephatiah son of Ma’akah, 17 Of Levi, Hashabiah son of Kemuel, Of the descendants of Aaron, Zadok, 18 Of Judah, Elihu, one of the brothers of David, Of Issachar, Omri son of Michael, 19 Of Zebulun, Ishmaiah son of Obadiah, Of Naphtali, Jeremoth son of Azriel, 20 Of the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Azaziah, Of the half tribe of Manasseh, Joel son of Pedaiah, 21 Of the half tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo son of Zechariah, Of Benjamin, Ja’asiel son of Abner, 22 Of Dan, Azarel son of Jeroham.
These were the officers of the tribes of Israel. [9]
23 David did not count those twenty years old and under, because the Lord had said he would increase Israel like the stars of the sky. 24 Joab son of Zeruiah began to take a census but did not finish, and wrath came on Israel because of this. The number was not put into the account in the annals of King David.
Other Officials
25 Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the king’s storehouses. Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storehouses in the fields, in the cities, in the villages, and in the towers. 26 Ezri son of Kelub was in charge of those who worked in the fields, farming the land. 27 Shimei the Ramathite was in charge of the vineyards. Zabdi the Shiphmite was in charge of the produce of the vineyards for the wine cellars. 28 Baal Hanan the Gederite was in charge of the olive trees and the sycamore fig trees that were in the Shephelah. [10] Joash was in charge of the storehouses for oil. 29 Shitrai the Sharonite was in charge of the herds that grazed in Sharon. Shaphat the son of Adlai was in charge of the herds that were in the lowlands. 30 Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the camels. Jehdeiah the Meronothite was in charge of the donkeys. 31 Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the flocks.
All these were in charge of the property which belonged to King David.
32 Also Jonathan, David’s uncle, was an advisor, a man of understanding, and a scribe. Jehiel son of Hakmoni took care of [11] the king’s sons. 33 Ahithophel was the king’s counselor, and Hushai the Arkite was the confidant. [12]34 Ahithophel was succeeded by Jehoiada son of Benaiah and by Abiathar. Joab was the commander of the king’s army.
Footnotes
1 Chronicles 25:5 Literally to raise his horn
1 Chronicles 25:9 The words in half-brackets, he and his brothers and sons totaled twelve, are missing from the Hebrew text of this verse, but they are necessary for the total of 288 to come out right.
1 Chronicles 25:14 Also called Asarelah
1 Chronicles 26:12 Or duties
1 Chronicles 26:18 Or colonnade. The meaning of the Hebrew term parbar is uncertain.
1 Chronicles 26:20 Or their fellow Levites were. The Hebrew reads the name Ahijah. The Greek reads their brothers. These two words look very similar in Hebrew script.
1 Chronicles 26:20 Or storehouses or treasures
1 Chronicles 27:1 The Hebrew term sar may refer to high-ranking officers in either the army or the civil government. In these lists the translation varies by context.
1 Chronicles 27:22 There are thirteen tribal leaders listed without Gad or Asher.
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1 When David was old and had lived a long life, he made his son Solomon king over Israel. 2 He gathered together all the officials and officers of Israel, along with the priests and the Levites. 3 The Levites who were thirty years old and over were counted, and their total number, man by man, [1] was thirty-eight thousand. 4 David said, “Of these, twenty-four thousand are to oversee the work of the Lord’s house, six thousand are to be officers and judges, 5 four thousand are to be gatekeepers, and four thousand are to praise the Lord with the musical instruments that I made for giving praise.”
David’s Divisions of the Levites
6 David assigned them to divisions based on their descent from the sons of Levi, namely, Gershon, [2] Kohath, and Merari.
Divisions of the Gershonites
7 The Gershonites were descended from Ladan and Shimei. 8 The sons of Ladan were Jehiel, who was the head, then Zetham [3] and Joel, three in all. 9 The sons of Shimei [4] were Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran, three in all. These were the heads of the fathers’ households of Ladan. 10 The sons of Shimei were Jahath, Ziza, [5] Jeush, and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei. 11 Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons. That is why they were counted as only one father’s house. [6]
Divisions of the Kohathites
12 The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four in all.
Descendants of Amram
13 The sons of Amram were Aaron and Moses.
Aaron was set apart to consecrate the most holy things. He and his sons received a permanent assignment to burn incense before the Lord, to minister to him, and to bless his name forever.
14 The sons of Moses, the man of God, however, were classified along with the rest of the tribe of Levi. 15 The sons of Moses were Gershom and Eliezer.
16 The son of Gershom was Shebuel the head. 17 The son of Eliezer was Rehabiah the head. Eliezer had no other sons, but Rehabiah had very many sons.
Descendants of Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel
18 The son of Izhar was Shelomith the head. 19 The sons of Hebron were Jeriah the head, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. 20 The sons of Uzziel were Micah the head, and Ishiah the second.
Divisions of the Merarites
21 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli were Eleazar and Kish. 22 Eleazar died, and he had no sons but only daughters, so their cousins the sons of Kish took them as wives. 23 The sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth, three in all.
24 These were the descendants of Levi who were registered by their fathers’ houses. They were listed under the heads of their fathers’ houses. All those twenty years old and older were counted man by man and registered by name to perform the work for the service of the Lord’s house. 25 For David had said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever, 26 so the Levites will no longer need to carry the Dwelling and all the vessels and utensils for its service.”
27 So according to the last directions given by David, the descendants of Levi twenty years old and older were counted. 28 Their work was to assist the descendants of Aaron in the service of the Lord’s house, in the courtyards, in the storage rooms, and in the purification of all the holy things, that is, in all the work of the service of God’s house. 29 Their responsibilities included the bread that was to be set out and the fine flour for the grain offerings (whether for unleavened wafers, or for offerings baked in a pan, or those soaked in oil). They also did all of the measuring and mixing.
30 They also were to stand and thank and praise the Lord every morning, and likewise in the evening, 31 and to offer all burnt offerings to the Lord on the sabbaths, on the new moons, and on the prescribed festivals. They were to serve continually before the Lord, in the number specified by the regulations, 32 so that they would diligently carry out their duties for the Tent of Meeting, their duties for the Holy Place, and their duties with their brothers, the descendants of Aaron, for the service of the Lord’s house.
The Divisions of the Priests
1 Chronicles 24
1 The following were the divisions for the sons of Aaron.
The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 2 But because Nadab and Abihu died before their father and had no children, Eleazar and Ithamar served as priests.
3 David, together with Zadok, the representative of the male descendants of Eleazar, and Ahimelek, the representative of the male descendants of Ithamar, divided the priests into divisions to be assigned different forms of service.
4 Because the descendants of Eleazar had more men who were leaders of large groups than the descendants of Ithamar did, this is how the priests were divided: From the descendants of Eleazar there were sixteen heads of fathers’ houses, and from the descendants of Ithamar there were eight heads of their fathers’ houses.
5 They were assigned to their duties impartially by drawing lots. There were officials for the sanctuary and officials to serve in the presence of God from the sons of Eleazar and from the sons of Ithamar. 6 Shemaiah son of Nethanel, the scribe, who was a Levite, recorded the lots in the presence of the king and the government officials, namely, Zadok the priest, Ahimelek son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and of the Levites. One father’s house was chosen from the descendants of Eleazar, then another, and then one was chosen from the descendants of Ithamar. [7]
7 The first lot came out for Jehoiarib, the second for Jedaiah, 8 the third for Harim, the fourth for Seorim, 9 the fifth for Malkijah, the sixth for Mijamin, 10 the seventh for Hakkoz, the eighth for Abijah, 11 the ninth for Jeshua, the tenth for Shekaniah, 12 the eleventh for Eliashib, the twelfth for Jakim, 13 the thirteenth for Huppah, the fourteenth for Jeshebeab, 14 the fifteenth for Bilgah, the sixteenth for Immer, 15 the seventeenth for Hezir, the eighteenth for Happizzez, 16 the nineteenth for Pethahiah, the twentieth for Jehezkel, 17 the twenty-first for Jakin, the twenty-second for Gamul, 18 the twenty-third for Delaiah, and the twenty-fourth for Ma’aziah.
19 These were their assigned groups for their service, to come into the Lord’s house according to the regulations given to them by their forefather Aaron, as the Lord, the God of Israel, had commanded him.
The Divisions of Levites
20 From the rest of the descendants of Levi, the following were the heads and founders of divisions.
Leaders of the Kohathites
Shubael was from the sons of Amram, and Jehdeiah was from the sons of Shubael. 21 Ishiah was the head from Rehabiah and the sons of Rehabiah. 22 Shelomoth was from the Izharites, and Jahath was from the sons of Shelomoth. 23 The sons of Hebron [8] were Jeriah, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. 24 Micah was from the sons of Uzziel, and Shamir was from the sons of Micah. 25 Ishiah was the brother of Micah, and Zechariah was from the sons of Ishiah.
Leaders of the Merarites
26 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The son of Ja’aziah was Beno. [9] 27 The sons of Merari from Ja’aziah were Beno, [10] Shoham, Zakkur, and Ibri. 28 From Mahli: Eleazar, who had no sons. 29 From Kish: the son of Kish was Jerahme’el. 30 The sons of Mushi were Mahli, Eder, and Jerimoth.
These were the descendants of the Levites according to their fathers’ houses. [11]31 These all cast lots just as their brothers the sons of Aaron had done in the presence of King David and of Zadok, Ahimelek, and the heads of the fathers’ houses of the priests and of the Levites. The fathers’ houses of the oldest son cast lots just as those of his youngest brother did.
Footnotes
1 Chronicles 23:3 Literally by skulls
1 Chronicles 23:6 Also called Gershom other places in Chronicles
1 Chronicles 23:8 Or the sons of Ladan, who was the head, were Jehiel, then Zetham
1 Chronicles 23:9 This Shimei must be a different Shimei than the man mentioned in the next verse.
1 Chronicles 23:10 Zina is the reading of most Hebrew manuscripts. A few Hebrew manuscripts and ancient versions read Ziza, a spelling closer to the parallel name in the next verse. Variant spellings and forms of personal names are common in Chronicles.
1 Chronicles 23:11 Father’s houses and fathers’ houses were among the social subdivisions of Israel.
1 Chronicles 24:6 The Hebrew is difficult, but twice as many lots had to be chosen for Eleazar as for Ithamar.
1 Chronicles 24:23 The word Hebron is not present in most Hebrew manuscripts but is supplied from 1 Chronicles 23:19.
1 Chronicles 24:26 Literally this line reads the sons of Ja’aziah his son (Hebrew for his son is beno, which can also be a name). Most translations take Beno as a proper name. The positions of Ja’aziah and Beno in this genealogy are uncertain. If this line is omitted, the genealogy still makes sense.
1 Chronicles 24:27 Or from Ja’aziah his son were
1 Chronicles 24:30 In 23:6, David assigned three divisions of Levites, based on their descent from Levi’s sons Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. However, 24:20-31 accounts only for the leaders of Kohath and Merari.
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2 David said to gather together the aliens who were residents in the land of Israel. He lined up stonecutters to prepare trimmed stones for building the house for God. 3 He provided a large amount of iron for making nails for the doors of the gates, and he provided so much bronze for the fittings [1] that it was not weighed. 4 He provided cedar logs beyond number because the Sidonians and Tyrians brought a large supply of cedar logs to David.
5 David said, “My son Solomon is young and inexperienced. The house to be built for the Lord will make his name very great and give him glory in all the lands. Therefore, I will make preparations for it.” So David completed many of the preparations before his death. 6 He summoned his son Solomon and commanded him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel.
7 David said to Solomon:
My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the name of the Lord my God. 8 But this word of the Lord was laid upon me: “You have shed much blood. You have waged great wars. You will not build a house for my name because of the great amount of blood you have shed on the earth in my presence. 9 You see, a son has been born to you. He will be a man of peace. To him I will give peace from all the enemies around him. Solomon will be his name. I will bestow peace and quiet upon Israel in his days. 10 He will build a house for my name. He will be my son. I will be his father. I will establish the throne of his kingdom in Israel forever.”
11 Now, my son, the Lord will be with you. You will succeed. You will build the house for the Lord your God, as he has said about you. 12 The Lord will give you discretion and understanding. He will give you orders about Israel and about how to keep the Law of the Lord your God. 13 You will prosper if you will continue to carry out the statutes and the judgments that the Lord commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and be courageous. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed.
14 Look! With great effort I have provided one hundred thousand talents [2] of gold for the House of the Lord, a million talents of silver, and too much bronze and iron to be weighed. I have provided lumber and stones. You may add to what I have provided. 15 There are plenty of laborers available to you, namely, stonecutters, masons, and wood workers, and those capable in all kinds of crafts, 16 also workers with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, too many to count. Get up and do it. The Lord will be with you.
17 David commanded all the officials and officers of Israel to help his son Solomon. He said:
18 Is not the Lord your God with you? He has given you peace on all sides by giving the inhabitants of the land into my hand. The land has been subdued before the Lord and before his people. 19 Now devote your hearts and your minds to seek the Lord your God. Get up and build the holy place for the Lord God, in order to bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God into the house built for the name of the Lord.
Footnotes
1 Chronicles 22:3 Or connectors
1 Chronicles 22:14 A talent is about seventy-five pounds.
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1 Satan stood up against Israel and incited David to count Israel. 2 David said to Joab and to the officers of the army, “Go, count Israel from Beersheba to Dan. Let me know how many they are.”
3 Joab said, “The Lord will multiply his people a hundred times. Are not all of them your servants, my lord the king? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should there be guilt upon Israel?”
4 But the word of the king overruled Joab.
Joab went throughout all Israel and came back to Jerusalem. 5 He reported the total number of the people to David: In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who could draw the sword, including four hundred seventy thousand from Judah who could draw the sword. 6 He did not include Levi and Benjamin in the census because the king’s directive was offensive to Joab. 7 This action was also evil in the eyes of God, so he struck Israel.
8 David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by doing this. Please forgive the guilt of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
9 The Lord said to Gad, David’s seer, 10 “Go tell David this is what the Lord has said. I am offering you three choices. Choose one of them for yourself, and I will impose it on you.”
11 So Gad came to David and said to him, “This is what the Lord says. Choose one of these for yourself: 12 either three years of famine, or three months of devastation in which you are overwhelmed by the sword of your enemies, or three days of the sword of the Lord bringing plague on the land, with the angel of the Lord causing destruction throughout all the territory of Israel. Now decide what answer I should take back to the one who sent me with this directive.”
13 David said to Gad, “This puts me in a difficult position. Please let me fall into the hand of the Lord, because his compassion is very great. But do not let me fall into the hands of man.”
14 The Lord caused a plague [1] in Israel. Seventy thousand men from Israel fell. 15 God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. The Lord saw the destruction, and he relented from this devastation. He said to the destroying angel, “Enough. Hold back your hand.”
The angel of the Lord was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan [2] the Jebusite.
16 David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between the earth and the heavens, with his sword drawn in his hand and stretched out over Jerusalem. David and the elders, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces. 17 David said to God, “Look, I am the one who said to count the people. I am the one who has sinned and acted very wickedly. But these sheep! What have they done, O Lord my God? Please let your hand be on me and on the house of my father. But not a plague on your people!”
18 The angel of the Lord told Gad to tell David to go and set up an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 19 David went up according to the directive from Gad, which he had spoken in the name of the Lord.
20 While Ornan was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the angel. Ornan and his four sons hid themselves.
David Builds an Altar
21 As David approached Ornan, Ornan looked up and saw David. He went out from the threshing floor and bowed to David with his face to the ground. 22 David said to Ornan, “Give me the site of the threshing floor. I will build an altar to the Lord on it. You will give it to me for full price, and the plague will be averted from the people.”
23 Ornan said to David, “Take it for yourself. My lord the king may do what is good in his eyes. Look here. I have given the oxen for burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering. I have given everything.”
24 David said to Ornan, “No. I am determined to buy it for the full price, because I will not take what belongs to you for the Lord and for burnt offerings without paying for it.”
25 So David weighed out six hundred shekels [3] of gold to Ornan for the site.
26 Then David built an altar to the Lord there, and he offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called to the Lord, and the Lord answered him with fire from heaven upon the altar for burnt offerings. 27 The Lord spoke to the angel. The angel put his sword back into its sheath.
28 At that time, when David saw the Lord had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there.
29 The Dwelling for the Lord, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering at that time were at the high place at Gibeon. 30 David was not able to go before it to seek answers from God because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord.
Plans for the Temple
1 Chronicles 22
1 Then David said, “This is the place for the House of the Lord God and for the altar for burnt offerings for Israel.”
Footnotes
1 Chronicles 21:14 Or deadly disease
1 Chronicles 21:15 He is called Araunah throughout 2 Samuel 24.
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1 After this David defeated the Philistines. He subdued them and took Gath and its villages from the control of the Philistines.
2 He defeated Moab, so the Moabites became subjects of David and paid tribute.
3 David also defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah, as he was on his way to Hamath to establish control [1] at the river Euphrates. 4 David took from him one thousand chariots, seven thousand charioteers, [2] and twenty thousand foot soldiers. He hamstrung all the chariot horses but left enough for one hundred chariots. 5 Arameans from Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, but David killed twenty-two thousand men in Aram. 6 David placed garrisons in Damascus in Aram. So the Arameans became subject to David and paid tribute.
The Lord gave victory to David everywhere.
7 David took the gold shields which belonged to the officials of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 From Tibhath and Kun, [3] cities of Hadadezer, David took huge amounts of bronze. With it Solomon later made the sea, the pillars, and the bronze vessels.
9 Tou [4] king of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer king of Zobah. 10 He sent his son Hadoram [5] to King David to ask for peace with him and to bless him, because he had fought against and defeated Hadadezer, who had been at war with Tou. He sent all kinds of articles of gold, silver, and bronze.
11 King David dedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold which he had carried off from all the nations, from Edom, Moab, Ammon, the Philistines, and Amalek.
12 Abishai son of Zeruiah killed eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. 13 He placed garrisons in Edom. All Edom was subject to David.
The Lord gave victory to David everywhere he went.
14 David was king over all Israel, and he treated his people with justice and fairness.
David’s Officials
15 Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the record keeper. [6] 16 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelek son of Abiathar were the priests. Shavsha [7] was the secretary. 17 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Kerethites and the Pelethites. The sons of David were chief advisors at the side of the king.
David and the Ammonites
1 Chronicles 19
1 After this, Nahash king of the Ammonites died, and his son became king in his place.
2 David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash, just as his father showed kindness to me.” David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father.
But when David’s officials came to the land of the Ammonites to console Hanun, 3 the officers of the Ammonites said to Hanun, “Do you really think David is honoring your father because he has sent messengers to express sympathy to you? Haven’t his officials come to you as scouts to spy on the land and to overthrow it?”
4 So Hanun seized David’s officials, shaved them, and cut off their clothing up to the middle of their buttocks and sent them away.
5 After they were sent on their way, David received a report about these men. David sent messengers to meet them, for the men were deeply humiliated. The king said, “Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return.”
6 The Ammonites saw that they had made themselves a disgusting stench to David. Hanun and the Ammonites sent a thousand talents [8] of silver to hire chariots and charioteers for themselves from Aram of the Two Rivers, from Aram Ma’akah, and from Zobah. 7 They hired thirty-two thousand chariots, the king of Ma’akah, and his troops. They came and set up camp in front of Medeba. The Ammonites were called together from their cities, and they came for battle.
8 When David heard about this, he deployed Joab and the entire army of powerful warriors. 9 The Ammonites came out and lined up in battle formation in front of the entrance to the city. The kings who had come from Aram were lined up by themselves in the open country.
10 Joab saw that the battle lines were drawn up against him both in front of him and behind him, so he chose some of the best troops of Israel and deployed them to confront the Arameans. 11 The rest of the army he put under the command of his brother Abishai. They were deployed to confront the Ammonites.
12 He said, “If Aram is too strong for me, you will come to my rescue, and if the Ammonites are too strong for you, I will rescue you. 13 Be strong and act courageously for our people and for the cities of our God. The Lord will do what is good in his eyes.”
14 Joab and the people who were with him confronted the Arameans in the battle, and the Arameans fled from him.
15 When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they also fled from Joab’s brother Abishai and entered the city. Joab returned to Jerusalem.
16 When the Arameans saw that they had been defeated, they sent messengers and summoned the Arameans who were from beyond the Euphrates. Shophak [9] the commander of the army of Hadadezer was leading them.
17 This was reported to David, so he gathered all Israel and crossed the Jordan. He came upon them and deployed for battle against them. David deployed for battle to engage Aram, and they fought against each other.
18 The Arameans fled from Israel. David killed seven thousand Aramean charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers. [10] He also killed Shophak the commander of the army.
19 The kings subject to [11] Hadadezer saw that they were defeated by Israel. They made peace with David and became subject to him. Then Aram was not willing to rescue the Ammonites anymore.
1 Chronicles 20
1 When springtime arrived, the time when kings go out to war, Joab led out the army, ravaged the land of the Ammonites, and besieged Rabbah. David remained in Jerusalem. Joab attacked Rabbah and pulled it down.
2 David took the gold crown of their king [12] from his head. It weighed seventy-five pounds [13] and had a precious stone in it. It was placed on [14] David’s head. He brought out large amounts of plunder from the city. 3 He brought out the people who were in the city. He put them to work with saws, iron picks, and axes. [15] David did the same to all the cities of the Ammonites. Then David and all the troops returned to Jerusalem.
War With the Philistines
4 After this, war arose at Gezer [16] with the Philistines. Then Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, [17] one of the descendants of Rapha the giant, [18] and the Philistines were subdued.
5 There was another battle with the Philistines. Elhanan, the son of Jair, killed Lahmi, the brother of Goliath the Gittite. The shaft of his spear was like a weaver’s beam.
6 There was another battle, this time at Gath. There was a very tall man who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot, twenty-four digits in all. He also was descended from Rapha the giant. [19]7 He taunted Israel, but Jonathan, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother, killed him. 8 These were descended from the giant in Gath. They fell by the hand of David and the men who served him.
Footnotes
1 Chronicles 18:3 Literally his hand. The Hebrew word for hand can also mean monument, so some translate to restore his monument.
1 Chronicles 18:4 The figures are not identical to those in 2 Samuel 8:4, which reads one thousand seven hundred charioteers.
1 Chronicles 18:8 The parallel account in 2 Samuel 8:8 has different names for Tibhath and Kun, namely, Betah and Berothai.
1 Chronicles 18:9 He is called Toi in 2 Samuel 8. The Hebrew equivalents of i and u look alike.
1 Chronicles 18:10 He is called Joram in 2 Samuel 8:10.
1 Chronicles 18:15 This official also served as a spokesman and chief of protocol. Like the secretary, he was a cabinet-level official.
1 Chronicles 18:16 The parallel in 2 Samuel 8:17 reads Seraiah.
1 Chronicles 19:6 More than thirty-seven tons
1 Chronicles 19:16 The parallel in 2 Samuel reads Shobak.
1 Chronicles 19:18 The numbers and the identification of the troops here are not identical with those in the Hebrew text of 2 Samuel 10:18, which reads seven hundred Aramean chariots/charioteers and forty thousand charioteers/horsemen.
1 Chronicles 19:19 The Hebrew term is servants, which may refer to his officials, to the nations subject to him, or to his vassal kings.
1 Chronicles 20:2 Or their god, Milcom
1 Chronicles 20:2 Or a talent (estimates for a talent vary from 68 to 130 pounds)
1 Chronicles 20:2 Or over. The weight of the crown seems too heavy for a person to wear, at least for any length of time.
1 Chronicles 20:3 The reading of the main Hebrew text is he sawed with a saw, with iron picks and with saws. This could mean that he cut up the city or the people. This verse is translated in harmony with the parallel text in 2 Samuel 12:31.
1 Chronicles 20:4 In 2 Samuel 21:18 this battle is located at Gob.
1 Chronicles 20:4 Also called Saph in 2 Samuel 21:18
1 Chronicles 20:4 Literally the Rephaim. Rapha was the ancestor of a group of very tall men who lived among the Philistines. They are called the Rephaim, and the valley where some of these battles were fought was named after them.
1 Chronicles 20:6 Literally the Rapha, which serves as the name of the patriarch of this clan of giants, also in verse 8
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1 After David was living in his own house, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Look! I am living in a house of cedar, but the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord sits under tent curtains.”
2 Nathan said to David, “Do everything that is in your heart, because God is with you.”
3 But that night the word of God came to Nathan. 4 “Go and tell David my servant these things.”
This is what the Lord says. You will not be the one to build a house for me to live in, 5 for I have not lived in a house from the day when I caused Israel to go up from Egypt until this day, but I have been in a moving tent as my dwelling place. [1]6 In all my traveling about with all the Israelites, did I ever speak a word with one of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people, or ask, “Why have you not built a house of cedar for me?”
7 Now you are also to say the following to my servant David:
This is what the Lord of Armies says. I took you from the pastures, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people Israel. 8 I have been with you wherever you went. I have cut off all your enemies before you. I will make a reputation for you like the reputation of the great ones in the earth. 9 I will establish a place for my people Israel, and I will plant them there. They will dwell there, and they will not be disturbed anymore. I will not allow wicked men to devastate them again as I did in the beginning, 10 and as it happened during the times when I commanded judges over my people Israel, but I will subdue all your enemies.
I declare to you that the Lord will build a house for you. 11 When your days are completed, you will go to be with your fathers. I will raise up your seed [2] after you from among your sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12 He will build a house for me. I will establish his throne forever. 13 I will be his father, and he will be my son. My mercy I will not take away from him as I took it from the one who was before you. 14 I will cause him to stand in my house and in my kingdom forever. His throne will be established forever.
15 Nathan told David all the words that had been revealed in this vision.
David’s Response to the Covenant
16 Then King David went and sat before the Lord and said:
Who am I, Lord God, and what is my house that you have brought me to this point? 17 Yet this was a small thing in your eyes, God! You have spoken about the house of your servant for a long time into the future. You have revealed to me the course for the man who will arise, Lord God. [3]
18 What more can David add to you for honoring your servant? You know your servant.
19 Lord, for the sake of your servant and according to the plan of your heart, you have carried out this great thing by making known all these great promises. 20 Lord, there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, as is apparent from everything which our ears have heard.
21 Who is like your people Israel? It is the one nation on earth for whom God went out to redeem a people to himself, to make for yourself a great name, by doing great and awe-inspiring things in order to drive out nations in front of your people, whom you redeemed from Egypt. 22 You adopted Israel as your people forever. You, O Lord, became their God.
23 Now, Lord, the word which you have spoken about your servant and about his house will stand firm forever. Do as you have spoken. 24 It will stand firm. Your name will be great forever. It will be said: The Lord of Armies is the God of Israel. [4] The house of David your servant will be established before you.
25 For you, my God, have whispered into the ear [5] of your servant that you would build a house for him. That is why your servant has dared to pray before you. 26 Now, Lord, you are God and have said these good things concerning your servant. 27 Now you have been pleased to bless the house of your servant to be forever before you. For what you, Lord, have blessed is blessed forever.
Footnotes
1 Chronicles 17:5 Or been moving from tent to tent and dwelling place. The verse may allude to the many different sites where the Dwelling had been set up in the wilderness, but it may also allude to the fact that the original home of the Dwelling at Shiloh had been destroyed by the Philistines and since that time the ark had been in temporary quarters. The parallel in 2 Samuel 7:6 supports the first option.
1 Chronicles 17:11 Or your offspring or your descendent. The literal term seed is retained to point out the continuity of the messianic promises from Eve, through Abraham, David, and the kings of Judah, until they reach their fulfillment in Christ, the Seed of the Woman. To agree with the singular number of the word seed, the pronouns are singular (he not they) throughout. Unlike the parallel in 2 Samuel, Chronicles does not mention the unfaithful descendants of Solomon but only Christ, the true fulfillment.
1 Chronicles 17:17 The text is cryptic. Literally it reads and you see me like the turn of the man which is upward Lord God. (The word translated turn is the Hebrew word tor. The parallel word in 2 Samuel 7:19 is torah, which means law, so it is possible that there is a copying error here.) Most translations interpret this as a general reference to the honor given to David or as a statement that God has revealed the future to David. Martin Luther understood it as a direct reference to Christ: You have looked upon me in the form of a man who is in the highest, the Lord God.
1 Chronicles 17:24 God of Israel is written twice in the Hebrew text.
1 Chronicles 17:25 Literally you have uncovered the ear, which can mean you have revealed into the ear
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7 On that day David first gave the directive to give thanks to the Lord through the ministry of Asaph and his associates:
8 Give thanks to the Lord. Call on his name. Make known his deeds among the peoples. 9 Sing to him. Make music to him. Tell about all his wonderful acts. [2] 10 Praise his holy name. The hearts of those who seek the Lord will rejoice. 11 Seek the Lord and his strength. Seek his presence continually. 12 Remember his wonderful acts, his signs, and the judgments from his mouth, 13 you descendants [3] of Israel, his servant, you sons of Jacob, his chosen ones. 14 He is the Lord our God. His judgments are in all the earth. 15 Remember his covenant forever, a word he commanded for a thousand generations, 16 his covenant which he made with Abraham, which was his sworn promise to Isaac. 17 He confirmed it to Jacob as a statute for Israel, an everlasting covenant. 18 He said, “To you I will give the land of Canaan as a portion for your inheritance, 19 even though your numbers are small, and you are insignificant, and you are living in it as aliens.” 20 They were wandering from nation to nation and from one kingdom to another people. 21 Yet he did not permit anyone to oppress them. He rebuked kings on their account: 22 “You must not touch my anointed ones. Against my prophets you must do no harm.” 23 Sing to the Lord, all the earth. Proclaim the good news of his salvation from day to day. 24 Declare his glory among the nations, his wonderful acts among all the peoples, 25 for great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. He is to be feared above all gods. 26 For all the gods of the peoples are not gods at all. [4] But the Lord made the heavens. 27 Honor and majesty are before him. Strength and joy are in his place. 28 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples. Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 29 Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name. Bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. 30 Tremble before him, all the earth. Surely the world stands firm. It shall never be overthrown. 31 The heavens will be glad. [5] The earth will rejoice. They will say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.” 32 The sea and everything that fills it will roar. The fields and everything in them will celebrate. 33 The trees of the forest will sing for joy before the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth. 34 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever. 35 Say, “Save us, O God of our salvation. Gather us and save us from the nations, to give thanks to your holy name, to glorify you by praising you.” 36 Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.
Then all the people said “Amen” and praised the Lord.
37 David left Asaph and his relatives there before the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, to minister before the Ark continually, to do whatever was needed each day, 38 along with Obed Edom and sixty-eight relatives. Obed Edom son of Jeduthun and Hosah served as gatekeepers.
39 Zadok the priest and his fellow priests were assigned to the Tent of the Lord at the high place in Gibeon, 40 to present burnt offerings to the Lord upon the altar for burnt offerings regularly, morning and evening, according to everything written in the Law of the Lord, which he commanded Israel.
41 With them were Heman, Jeduthun, and the rest of those chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the Lord, because his mercy endures forever.
42 With them were Heman and Jeduthun to make music to God with trumpets, cymbals, and musical instruments. The descendants of Jeduthun were assigned to the gate.
43 Then all the people departed, each to his own house, and David returned to bless his house.
Footnotes
1 Chronicles 16:7 This psalm is very similar to parts of Psalms 105:1-15; 96:1-13; and 106:47-48 (in that order). The translation here is independent. The variants from the psalms are not footnoted.
1 Chronicles 16:9 Or marvelous deeds
1 Chronicles 16:13 Literally seed
1 Chronicles 16:26 The Hebrew word elilim means nothings or mini-gods. They are worthless nothings.
1 Chronicles 16:31 Or Let the heavens be glad. The following lines in verses 31-33 also may be either wishes or prayers.
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1 David constructed buildings for himself in the City of David. He established a place for the Ark of God and pitched a tent for it.
2 Then David said, “Nobody is to carry God’s ark except the Levites, because the Lord chose them to carry the Ark of the Lord and to serve him forever.” 3 David gathered all Israel in Jerusalem to bring up the Ark of the Lord to the place that he had prepared for it.
4 David gathered the descendants of Aaron and the Levites: 5 representing the sons of Kohath were Uriel the leader and 120 of his relatives, [1] 6 representing the sons of Merari were Asaiah the leader and 220 of his relatives, 7 representing the sons of Gershom were Joel the leader and 130 of his relatives, 8 representing the sons of Elizaphan were Shemaiah the leader and 200 of his relatives, 9 representing the sons of Hebron were Eliel the leader and 80 of his relatives, 10 representing the sons of Uzziel were Amminadab the leader and 112 of his relatives.
11 So David summoned the priests Zadok and Abiathar and the Levites Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. 12 He said to them, “You are the leading fathers of the descendants of Levi. Consecrate yourselves, you and your brothers. Bring up the Ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place prepared for it, 13 because the first time, when you were not there, the Lord our God burst out against us, because we did not inquire about and follow the proper procedures.”
14 The priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the Ark of the Lord, the God of Israel. 15 The descendants of Levi carried the Ark of God with poles on their shoulders, as Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord. 16 David told the leading officials of the Levites to appoint their brother Levites as singers with musical instruments, harps, lyres, and cymbals, to raise their voices for the people to hear with joy.
17 The Levites appointed Heman son of Joel, and from the Levites closely related to him they appointed Asaph son of Berekiah, and from their relatives who were the descendants of Merari they appointed Ethan son of Kushaiah. 18 Their brother Levites assigned to serve with them on the second level were Zechariah, [2] Ja’aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Ma’aseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and Obed Edom and Jeiel, the gatekeepers. [3] 19 Also appointed were the singers Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, to sound the bronze cymbals, 20 Zechariah, Aziel, [4] Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Ma’aseiah, and Benaiah, to play the harps according to alamoth, 21 and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah with lyres, to lead according to sheminith. [5] 22 Kenaniah was musical leader of the Levites, directing the music because he had the skill. 23 Berekiah and Elkanah were gatekeepers for the Ark. 24 The priests Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer were directed to blow trumpets before the Ark of God.
Obed Edom and Jehiah were also gatekeepers for the Ark.
25 David, the elders of Israel, and the leaders of the units of a thousand were going to bring up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed Edom. They were celebrating as they went, 26 because God was helping the Levites who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord. They sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams. 27 David was clothed with a fine linen robe, as were all of the Levites who were carrying the ark, the singers, and Kenaniah, the choir director for the singers. David was wearing a special linen vest. [6]
28 All Israel brought up the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord with shouts, with the sound of the ram’s horn, trumpets, and cymbals, and with music on harps and lyres. 29 When the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord came to the City of David, Michal, the daughter of Saul, looked out through the window. She saw King David dancing and celebrating, and she despised him in her heart.
1 Chronicles 16
1 They brought the Ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it. They offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings [7] before God. 2 When David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the fellowship offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. 3 He distributed to each and every Israelite man and woman a loaf of bread, a cake of dates, [8] and a cake of raisins.
4 He designated the following individuals from the Levites to serve before the Ark of the Lord by remembering, thanking, and praising the Lord, the God of Israel:
5 Asaph was the leader. Zechariah was directly under him. Jeiel, [9] Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed Edom, and Jeiel were to play music on harps and lyres. Asaph was sounding the cymbals. 6 Benaiah and Jahaziel, the priests with trumpets, were to be continually before the Ark of the Covenant of God.
Footnotes
1 Chronicles 15:5 Literally brothers
1 Chronicles 15:18 Many Hebrew manuscripts have the word ben (son of) between Zechariah and Ja’aziel. If this reading is followed, the text originally read Zechariah, son of Ja’aziel, or the text includes the name of another Levite and reads Zechariah, Ben, Ja’aziel. The reading followed in the translation, which treats ben as an accidental addition, is supported by some Hebrew manuscripts and the Greek text.
1 Chronicles 15:18 Because of the overlap of the groups and the irregular use of and in the Hebrew, it is uncertain how the groups in verses 18-21 are arranged and how they relate to each other.
1 Chronicles 15:20 Very likely a variant of Ja’aziel in verse 18
1 Chronicles 15:21 Alamoth in verse 20 and sheminith in verse 21 are musical terms of uncertain meaning. They seem to refer to a method of tuning the instruments.
1 Chronicles 15:27 Hebrew ephod. The ephod was usually a vest-like garment for priests.
1 Chronicles 16:1 Traditionally peace offerings
1 Chronicles 16:3 The meaning of the term is uncertain.
1 Chronicles 16:5 This seems to be the same person as Ja’aziel in 15:18.
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