Bible-Reading.comI Chronicles 10
1Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before them, and many fell slain on Mount Gilboa.
2The Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.
3When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers overtook him and wounded him.
4Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and run it through me, or these uncircumcised men will come and torture me!” But his armor-bearer was terrified and refused to do it. So Saul took his own sword and fell on it.
5When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he too fell on his own sword and died.
6So Saul died together with his three sons and all his house.
7When all the Israelites in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their cities and ran away. So the Philistines came and occupied their cities.
8The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa.
9They stripped Saul, cut off his head, took his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among their people.
10They put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung his head in the temple of Dagon.
11When the people of Jabesh-gilead heard about everything the Philistines had done to Saul,
12all their men of valor set out and retrieved the bodies of Saul and his sons and brought them to Jabesh. And they buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh and fasted seven days.
13So Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance,
14and he failed to inquire of the LORD. So the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.
I Chronicles 11
1Then all Israel came together to David at Hebron and said, “Here we are, your own flesh and blood.
2Even in times past, while Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them back. And the LORD your God said, ‘You will shepherd My people Israel, and you will be ruler over them.’”
3So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, where David made a covenant with them before the LORD. And they anointed him king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD through Samuel.
4Then David and all the Israelites marched to Jerusalem (that is, Jebus), where the Jebusites inhabited the land.
5The people of Jebus said to David, “You will never get in here.” Nevertheless, David captured the fortress of Zion (that is, the City of David).
6Now David had said, “Whoever is the first to strike down a Jebusite will become chief commander.” And Joab son of Zeruiah went up first, and he became the chief.
7So David took up residence in the fortress; that is why it was called the City of David.
8He built up the city around it, from the supporting terraces to the surrounding wall, while Joab restored the rest of the city.
9And David became greater and greater, for the LORD of Hosts was with him.
10Now these were the chiefs of David’s mighty men, who, together with all Israel, bolstered and strengthened his kingdom, according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel.
11This is the list of David’s mighty men: Jashobeam son of Hachmoni was chief of the officers; he wielded his spear against three hundred men, whom he killed at one time.
12Next in command was Eleazar son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men.
13He was with David at Pas-dammim when the Philistines gathered there for battle. At the place with a field full of barley, the troops fled from the Philistines.
14But Eleazar and David stationed themselves in the middle of the field and defended it. They struck down the Philistines, and the LORD brought about a great victory.
15Three of the thirty chief men went down to David, to the rock at the cave of Adullam, while a company of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim.
16At that time David was in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was at Bethlehem.
17David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!”
18So the Three broke through the Philistine camp, drew water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem, and brought it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out to the LORD,
19saying, “Far be it from me, my God, to do this! How can I drink the blood of these men who risked their lives?” Because they had brought it at the risk of their lives, David refused to drink it. Such were the exploits of the three mighty men.
20Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, was chief of the Three, and he lifted his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name along with the Three.
21He was doubly honored above the Three, and he became their commander, even though he was not included among the Three.
22And Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a man of valor from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. He struck down two champions of Moab, and on a snowy day he went down into a pit and killed a lion.
23He also killed an Egyptian, a huge man five cubits tall. Although the Egyptian had a spear like a weaver’s beam in his hand, Benaiah went against him with a club, snatched the spear from his hand, and killed the Egyptian with his own spear.
24These were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who won a name alongside the three mighty men.
25He was most honored among the Thirty, but he did not become one of the Three. And David appointed him over his guard.
26Now these were the mighty men: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan son of Dodo of Bethlehem,
27Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite,
28Ira son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite,
29Sibbecai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite,
30Maharai the Netophathite, Heled son of Baanah the Netophathite,
31Ithai son of Ribai from Gibeah of the Benjamites, Benaiah the Pirathonite,
32Hurai from the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite,
33Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite,
34the sons of Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan son of Shagee the Hararite,
35Ahiam son of Sachar the Hararite, Eliphal son of Ur,
36Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite,
37Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai son of Ezbai,
38Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar son of Hagri,
39Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, the armor-bearer of Joab son of Zeruiah,
40Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite,
41Uriah the Hittite, Zabad son of Ahlai,
42Adina son of Shiza the Reubenite, chief of the Reubenites, and the thirty with him,
43Hanan son of Maacah, Joshaphat the Mithnite,
44Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite,
45Jediael son of Shimri and his brother Joha the Tizite,
46Eliel the Mahavite, Jeribai and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite,
47Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.
I Chronicles 12
1Now these were the men who came to David at Ziklag, while he was still banished from the presence of Saul son of Kish (they were among the mighty men who helped him in battle;
2they were archers using both the right and left hands to sling stones and shoot arrows; and they were Saul’s kinsmen from Benjamin):
3Ahiezer their chief and Joash, who were the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; Beracah; Jehu the Anathothite;
4Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the Thirty and a leader over the Thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite;
5Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite;
6Elkanah, Isshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, who were Korahites;
7and Joelah and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham from Gedor.
8Some Gadites defected to David at his stronghold in the desert. They were mighty men of valor, trained for battle, experts with the shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions and who were as swift as gazelles on the mountains:
9Ezer the chief, Obadiah the second in command, Eliab the third,
10Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth,
11Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh,
12Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth,
13Jeremiah the tenth, and Machbanai the eleventh.
14These Gadites were army commanders, the least of whom was a match for a hundred, and the greatest for a thousand.
15These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month when it was overflowing all its banks, and they put to flight all those in the valleys, both to the east and to the west.
16Other Benjamites and some men from Judah also came to David in his stronghold.
17And David went out to meet them, saying, “If you have come to me in peace to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if you have come to betray me to my enemies when my hands are free of violence, may the God of our fathers see it and judge you.”
18Then the Spirit came upon Amasai, the chief of the Thirty, and he said: “We are yours, O David! We are with you, O son of Jesse! Peace, peace to you, and peace to your helpers, for your God helps you.” So David received them and made them leaders of his troops.
19Some from Manasseh defected to David when he went with the Philistines to fight against Saul. (They did not help the Philistines because the Philistine rulers consulted and sent David away, saying, “It will cost us our heads if he defects to his master Saul.”)
20When David went to Ziklag, these men of Manasseh defected to him: Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, chiefs of thousands in Manasseh.
21They helped David against the raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor and commanders in the army.
22For at that time men came to David day after day to help him, until he had a great army, like the army of God.
23Now these are the numbers of men armed for battle who came to David at Hebron to turn Saul’s kingdom over to him, in accordance with the word of the LORD:
24From Judah: 6,800 armed troops bearing shields and spears.
25From Simeon: 7,100 mighty men of valor, ready for battle.
26From Levi: 4,600,
27including Jehoiada, leader of the house of Aaron, with 3,700 men,
28and Zadok, a mighty young man of valor, with 22 commanders from his own family.
29From Benjamin, the kinsmen of Saul: 3,000, most of whom had remained loyal to the house of Saul up to that time.
30From Ephraim: 20,800 mighty men of valor, famous among their own clans.
31From the half-tribe of Manasseh: 18,000 designated by name to come and make David king.
32From Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs with all their kinsmen at their command.
33From Zebulun: 50,000 fit for service, trained for battle with all kinds of weapons of war, who with one purpose were devoted to David.
34From Naphtali: 1,000 commanders, accompanied by 37,000 men with shield and spear.
35From Dan: 28,600 prepared for battle.
36From Asher: 40,000 fit for service, prepared for battle.
37And from east of the Jordan, from Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh there: 120,000 armed with every kind of weapon of war.
38All these men of war, arrayed for battle, came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. And all the rest of the Israelites were of one mind to make David king.
39They spent three days there eating and drinking with David, for their relatives had provided for them.
40And their neighbors from as far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali came bringing food on donkeys, camels, mules, and oxen—abundant supplies of flour, fig cakes and raisin cakes, wine and oil, oxen and sheep. Indeed, there was joy in Israel.
I Chronicles 13
1Then David conferred with all his leaders, the commanders of hundreds and of thousands.
2And he said to the whole assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if this is of the LORD our God, let us send word far and wide to the rest of our brothers in all the land of Israel, and also to the priests and Levites in their cities and pasturelands, so that they may join us.
3Then let us bring back the ark of our God, for we did not inquire of Him in the days of Saul.”
4And because this proposal seemed right to all the people, the whole assembly agreed to it.
5So David assembled all Israel, from the River Shihor in Egypt to Lebo-hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.
6David and all Israel went up to Baalah of Judah (that is, Kiriath-jearim) to bring up from there the ark of God the LORD, who is enthroned between the cherubim—the ark that is called by the Name.
7So they carried the ark of God from the house of Abinadab on a new cart, with Uzzah and Ahio guiding the cart.
8David and all the Israelites were celebrating before God with all their might, with songs and on harps and lyres, with tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.
9When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark, because the oxen had stumbled.
10And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and He struck him down because he had put his hand on the ark. So he died there before God.
11Then David became angry because the LORD had burst forth against Uzzah; so he named that place Perez-uzzah, as it is called to this day.
12That day David feared God and asked, “How can I ever bring the ark of God to me?”
13So he did not move the ark with him to the City of David; instead, he took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.
14Thus the ark of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house for three months, and the LORD blessed his household and everything he owned.
I Chronicles 14
1Now Hiram king of Tyre sent envoys to David, along with cedar logs, stonemasons, and carpenters, to build a palace for him.
2And David realized that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and had highly exalted his kingdom for the sake of His people Israel.
3And David took more wives in Jerusalem and became the father of more sons and daughters.
4These are the names of the children born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon,
5Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet,
6Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia,
7Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.
8When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, they all went in search of him; but David learned of this and went out to face them.
9Now the Philistines had come and raided the Valley of Rephaim.
10So David inquired of God, “Should I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?” “Go,” replied the LORD, “for I will deliver them into your hand.”
11So David and his men went up to Baal-perazim, where he defeated the Philistines and said, “Like a bursting flood, God has burst out against my enemies by my hand.” So they called that place Baal-perazim.
12There the Philistines abandoned their gods, and David ordered that they be burned in the fire.
13Once again the Philistines raided the valley.
14So David again inquired of God, who answered him, “Do not march up after them, but circle around them and attack them in front of the balsam trees.
15As soon as you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, move out to battle, because this will mean that God has marched out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.”
16So David did as God had commanded him, and they struck down the army of the Philistines all the way from Gibeon to Gezer.
17And David’s fame went out into every land, and the LORD caused all nations to fear him.