¹ They brought in the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it: and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.

² When David had made an end of offering the burnt offering and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh.

³ He dealt to everyone of Israel, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a portion [of flesh], and a cake of raisins.

⁴ He appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of Yahweh, and to celebrate and to thank and praise Yahweh, the God of Israel:

⁵ Asaph the chief, and second to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, with stringed instruments and with harps; and Asaph with cymbals, sounding aloud;

⁶ and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets continually, before the ark of the covenant of God.

⁷ Then on that day David first ordained to give thanks to Yahweh, by the hand of Asaph and his brothers.

⁸ Oh give thanks to Yahweh. Call on his name. Make his doings known among the peoples.

⁹ Sing to him. Sing praises to him. Tell of all his marvelous works.

¹⁰ Glory in his holy name. Let the heart of those who seek Yahweh rejoice.

¹¹ Seek Yahweh and his strength. Seek his face forever more.

¹² Remember his marvelous works that he has done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth,

¹³ you seed of Israel his servant, you children of Jacob, his chosen ones.

¹⁴ He is Yahweh our God. His judgments are in all the earth.

¹⁵ Remember his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations,

¹⁶ [the covenant] which he made with Abraham, his oath to Isaac.

¹⁷ He confirmed the same to Jacob for a statute, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant,

¹⁸ saying, "I will give you the land of Canaan, The lot of your inheritance,"

¹⁹ when you were but a few men in number, yes, very few, and foreigners were in it.

²⁰ They went about from nation to nation, from one kingdom to another people.

²¹ He allowed no man to do them wrong. Yes, he reproved kings for their sakes,

²² "Don't touch my anointed ones! Do my prophets no harm!"

²³ Sing to Yahweh, all the earth! Display his salvation from day to day.

²⁴ Declare his glory among the nations, and his marvelous works among all the peoples.

²⁵ For great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised. He also is to be feared above all gods.

²⁶ For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but Yahweh made the heavens.

²⁷ Honor and majesty are before him. Strength and gladness are in his place.

²⁸ Ascribe to Yahweh, you relatives of the peoples, ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength!

²⁹ Ascribe to Yahweh the glory due to his name. Bring an offering, and come before him. Worship Yahweh in holy array.

³⁰ Tremble before him, all the earth. The world also is established that it can't be moved.

³¹ Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice! Let them say among the nations, "Yahweh reigns!"

³² Let the sea roar, and its fullness! Let the field exult, and all that is therein!

³³ Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy before Yahweh, for he comes to judge the earth.

³⁴ Oh give thanks to Yahweh, for he is good, for his loving kindness endures forever.

³⁵ Say, "Save us, God of our salvation! Gather us together and deliver us from the nations, to give thanks to your holy name, to triumph in your praise."

³⁶ Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, from everlasting even to everlasting. All the people said, "Amen," and praised Yahweh.

³⁷ So he left there, before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh, Asaph and his brothers, to minister before the ark continually, as every day's work required;

³⁸ and Obed-Edom with their brothers, sixty-eight; Obed-Edom also the son of Jeduthun and Hosah to be doorkeepers;

³⁹ and Zadok the priest, and his brothers the priests, before the tabernacle of Yahweh in the high place that was at Gibeon,

⁴⁰ to offer burnt offerings to Yahweh on the altar of burnt offering continually morning and evening, even according to all that is written in the law of Yahweh, which he commanded to Israel;

⁴¹ and with them Heman and Jeduthun, and the rest who were chosen, who were mentioned by name, to give thanks to Yahweh, because his loving kindness endures forever;

⁴² and with them Heman and Jeduthun [with] trumpets and cymbals for those that should sound aloud, and [with] instruments for the songs of God; and the sons of Jeduthun to be at the gate.

⁴³ All the people departed every man to his house: and David returned to bless his house.

¹ It happened, when David lived in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, "Behold, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of Yahweh is under curtains."

² Nathan said to David, "Do all that is in your heart; for God is with you."

³ It happened the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying,

⁴ "Go and tell David my servant, 'Thus says Yahweh, "You shall not build me a house to dwell in;

⁵ for I have not lived in a house since the day that I brought up Israel, to this day, but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tent to another.

⁶ In all places in which I have walked with all Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to be shepherd of my people, saying, 'Why have you not built me a house of cedar?'"'

⁷ "Now therefore, you shall tell my servant David, 'Thus says Yahweh of Armies, "I took you from the sheep pen, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel.

⁸ I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you. I will make you a name, like the name of the great ones who are in the earth.

⁹ I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the first,

¹⁰ and from the day that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel; and I will subdue all your enemies. Moreover I tell you that Yahweh will build you a house.

¹¹ It shall happen, when your days are fulfilled that you must go to be with your fathers, that I will set up your seed after you, who shall be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom.

¹² He shall build me a house, and I will establish his throne forever.

¹³ I will be his father, and he shall be my son. I will not take my loving kindness away from him, as I took it from him that was before you;

¹⁴ but I will settle him in my house and in my kingdom forever. His throne shall be established forever."'"

¹⁵ According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

¹⁶ Then David the king went in, and sat before Yahweh; and he said, "Who am I, Yahweh God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?

¹⁷ This was a small thing in your eyes, God; but you have spoken of your servant's house for a great while to come, and have respected me according to the estate of a man of high degree, Yahweh God.

¹⁸ What can David say yet more to you concerning the honor which is done to your servant? For you know your servant.

¹⁹ Yahweh, for your servant's sake, and according to your own heart, you have worked all this greatness, to make known all these great things.

²⁰ Yahweh, there is none like you, neither is there any God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

²¹ What one nation in the earth is like your people Israel, whom God went to redeem to himself for a people, to make you a name by great and awesome things, in driving out nations from before your people, whom you redeem out of Egypt?

²² For your people Israel you made your own people forever; and you, Yahweh, became their God.

²³ Now, Yahweh, let the word that you have spoken concerning your servant, and concerning his house, be established forever, and do as you have spoken.

²⁴ Let your name be established and magnified forever, saying, 'Yahweh of Armies is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel. The house of David your servant is established before you.'

²⁵ For you, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build him a house. Therefore your servant has found courage to pray before you.

²⁶ Now, Yahweh, you are God, and have promised this good thing to your servant.

²⁷ Now it has pleased you to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue forever before you; for you, Yahweh, have blessed, and it is blessed forever."

¹ After this it happened, that David struck the Philistines, and subdued them, and took Gath and its towns out of the hand of the Philistines.

² He struck Moab; and the Moabites became servants to David, and brought tribute.

³ David struck Hadadezer king of Zobah to Hamath, as he went to establish his dominion by the river Euphrates.

⁴ David took from him one thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen; and David hamstrung all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for one hundred chariots.

⁵ When the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David struck of the Syrians twenty-two thousand men.

⁶ Then David put [garrisons] in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became servants to David, and brought tribute. Yahweh gave victory to David wherever he went.

⁷ David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem.

⁸ From Tibhath and from Cun, cities of Hadadezer, David took very much brass, with which Solomon made the bronze sea, and the pillars, and the vessels of brass.

⁹ When Tou king of Hamath heard that David had struck all the army of Hadadezer king of Zobah,

¹⁰ he sent Hadoram his son to king David, to Greet him, and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and struck him; (for Hadadezer had wars with Tou;) and [he had with him] all kinds of vessels of gold and silver and brass.

¹¹ These also did king David dedicate to Yahweh, with the silver and the gold that he carried away from all the nations; from Edom, and from Moab, and from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek.

¹² Moreover Abishai the son of Zeruiah struck of the Edomites in the Valley of Salt eighteen thousand.

¹³ He put garrisons in Edom; and all the Edomites became servants to David. Yahweh gave victory to David wherever he went.

¹⁴ David reigned over all Israel; and he executed justice and righteousness to all his people.

¹⁵ Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder;

¹⁶ and Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Abimelech the son of Abiathar, were priests; and Shavsha was scribe;

¹⁷ and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and the sons of David were chief about the king.

¹ It happened after this, that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his place.

² David said, "I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me." So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. David's servants came into the land of the children of Ammon to Hanun, to comfort him.

³ But the princes of the children of Ammon said to Hanun, "Do you think that David honors your father, in that he has sent comforters to you? Haven't his servants come to you to search, to overthrow, and to spy out the land?"

⁴ So Hanun took David's servants, and shaved them, and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away.

⁵ Then there went certain persons, and told David how the men were served. He sent to meet them; for the men were greatly ashamed. The king said, "Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return."

⁶ When the children of Ammon saw that they had made themselves odious to David, Hanun and the children of Ammon sent one thousand talents of silver to hire them chariots and horsemen out of Mesopotamia, and out of Arammaacah, and out of Zobah.

⁷ So they hired for themselves thirty-two thousand chariots, and the king of Maacah and his people, who came and encamped before Medeba. The children of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities, and came to battle.

⁸ When David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all the army of the mighty men.

⁹ The children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array at the gate of the city: and the kings who had come were by themselves in the field.