The First Book of Chronicles, starting at chapter 19
{19:1} It happened after this, that Nahash the king of the children
of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his place. {19:2} 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. {19:3} 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?" {19:4} 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. {19:5} 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."
{19:6} 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. {19:7} 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. {19:8} When David heard of it, he sent Joab, and all
the army of the mighty men. {19:9} 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. {19:10} Now when Joab saw that
the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose of all the
choice men of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians.
{19:11} The rest of the people he committed into the hand of Abishai
his brother; and they put themselves in array against the children of
Ammon. {19:12} He said, If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you
shall help me; but if the children of Ammon are too strong for you,
then I will help you. {19:13} Be of good courage, and let us be strong
for our people, and for the cities of our God: and Yahweh do that
which seems him good. {19:14} So Joab and the people who were with him
drew near before the Syrians to the battle; and they fled before him.
{19:15} When the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians had fled, they
likewise fled before Abishai his brother, and entered into the city.
Then Joab came to Jerusalem. {19:16} When the Syrians saw that they
were defeated by Israel, they sent messengers, and drew forth the
Syrians who were beyond the River, with Shophach the captain of the
army of Hadadezer at their head. {19:17} It was told David; and he
gathered all Israel together, and passed over the Jordan, and came on
them, and set the battle in array against them. So when David had put
the battle in array against the Syrians, they fought with him. {19:18}
The Syrians fled before Israel; and David killed of the Syrians [the
men of] seven thousand chariots, and forty thousand footmen, and
killed Shophach the captain of the army. {19:19} When the servants of
Hadadezer saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with
David, and served him: neither would the Syrians help the children of
Ammon any more.
{20:1} It happened, at the time of the return of the year, at the
time when kings go out [to battle], that Joab led forth the army, and
wasted the country of the children of Ammon, and came and besieged
Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. Joab struck Rabbah, and
overthrew it. {20:2} David took the crown of their king from off his
head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious
stones in it; and it was set on David's head: and he brought forth the
spoil of the city, exceeding much. {20:3} He brought forth the people
who were therein, and cut [them] with saws, and with iron picks, and
with axes. David did so to all the cities of the children of Ammon.
David and all the people returned to Jerusalem. {20:4} It happened
after this, that there arose war at Gezer with the Philistines: then
Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, of the sons of the giant; and
they were subdued. {20:5} There was again war with the Philistines;
and Elhanan the son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the
Gittite, the staff of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. {20:6}
There was again war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature,
whose fingers and toes were twenty-four, six [on each hand], and six
[on each foot]; and he also was born to the giant. {20:7} When he
defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David's brother killed him.
{20:8} These were born to the giant in Gath; and they fell by the hand
of David, and by the hand of his servants.
{21:1} Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number
Israel. {21:2} David said to Joab and to the princes of the people,
Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring me word, that
I may know the sum of them. {21:3} Joab said, Yahweh make his people a
hundred times as many as they are: but, my lord the king, aren't they
all my lord's servants? Why does my lord require this thing? Why will
he be a cause of guilt to Israel? {21:4} Nevertheless the king's word
prevailed against Joab. Therefore Joab departed, and went throughout
all Israel, and came to Jerusalem. {21:5} Joab gave up the sum of the
numbering of the people to David. All those of Israel were one million
one hundred thousand men who drew sword: and in Judah were four
hundred seventy thousand men who drew sword. {21:6} But he didn't
count Levi and Benjamin among them; for the king's word was abominable
to Joab. {21:7} God was displeased with this thing; therefore he
struck Israel. {21:8} David said to God, I have sinned greatly, in
that I have done this thing: but now, put away, I beg you, the
iniquity of your servant; for I have done very foolishly. {21:9}
Yahweh spoke to Gad, David's seer, saying, {21:10} Go and speak to
David, saying, Thus says Yahweh, I offer you three things: choose one
of them, that I may do it to you. {21:11} So Gad came to David, and
said to him, Thus says Yahweh, Take your choice: {21:12} either three
years of famine; or three months to be consumed before your foes,
while the sword of your enemies overtakes you; or else three days the
sword of Yahweh, even pestilence in the land, and the angel of Yahweh
destroying throughout all the borders of Israel. Now therefore
consider what answer I shall return to him who sent me. {21:13} David
said to Gad, I am in distress. Let me fall, I pray, into the hand of
Yahweh; for very great are his mercies: and let me not fall into the
hand of man. {21:14} So Yahweh sent a pestilence on Israel; and there
fell of Israel seventy thousand men. {21:15} God sent an angel to
Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was about to destroy, Yahweh saw,
and he relented of the disaster, and said to the destroying angel, It
is enough; now stay your hand. The angel of Yahweh was standing by the
threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. {21:16} David lifted up his
eyes, and saw the angel of Yahweh standing between earth and the sky,
having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then
David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces.
{21:17} David said to God, Isn't it I who commanded the people to be
numbered? It is even I who have sinned and done very wickedly; but
these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand, O Yahweh my
God, be against me, and against my father's house; but not against
your people, that they should be plagued. {21:18} Then the angel of
Yahweh commanded Gad to tell David, that David should go up, and raise
an altar to Yahweh in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
{21:19} David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spoke in the name
of Yahweh. {21:20} Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four
sons who were with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.
{21:21} As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went
out of the threshing floor, and bowed himself to David with his face
to the ground. {21:22} Then David said to Ornan, Give me the place of
this threshing floor, that I may build thereon an altar to Yahweh: for
the full price you shall give it to me, that the plague may be stopped
from afflicting the people. {21:23} Ornan said to David, Take it for
yourself, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes:
behold, I give [you] the oxen for burnt offerings, and the threshing
instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meal offering; I give it
all. {21:24} King David said to Ornan, No; but I will most certainly
buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is yours for
Yahweh, nor offer a burnt offering without cost. {21:25} So David gave
to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight. {21:26}
David built there an altar to Yahweh, and offered burnt offerings and
peace offerings, and called on Yahweh; and he answered him from the
sky by fire on the altar of burnt offering. {21:27} Yahweh commanded
the angel; and he put up his sword again into its sheath. {21:28} At
that time, when David saw that Yahweh had answered him in the
threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.
{21:29} For the tabernacle of Yahweh, which Moses made in the
wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering, were at that time in the
high place at Gibeon. {21:30} But David couldn't go before it to
inquire of God; for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of
Yahweh.
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