Bible Reading Plan – Day 97

₁King Hiram of Tyre sent a trade mission to David; he provided him with cedar logs and with stonemasons and carpenters to build a palace. ₂And so David realized that the LORD had established him as king of Israel and was making his kingdom prosperous for the sake of his people.

₃There in Jerusalem, David married more wives and had more sons and daughters. ₄The following children were 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 now been made king over the whole country of Israel, their army went out to capture him. So David marched out to meet them. ₉The Philistines arrived at the Valley of Rephaim and began plundering. ₁₀David asked God, “Shall I attack the Philistines? Will you give me the victory?”

The LORD answered, “Yes, attack! I will give you the victory!”

₁₁So David attacked them at Baal Perazim and defeated them. He said, “God has used me to break through the enemy army like a flood.” So that place is called Baal Perazim. ₁₂When the Philistines fled, they left their idols behind, and David gave orders for them to be burnt.

₁₃Soon the Philistines returned to the valley and started plundering it again. ₁₄Once more David consulted God, who answered, “Don't attack them from here, but go round and get ready to attack them from the other side, near the balsam trees. ₁₅When you hear the sound of marching in the treetops, then attack, because I will be marching ahead of you to defeat the Philistine army.” ₁₆David did what God had commanded, and so he drove the Philistines back from Gibeon all the way to Gezer. ₁₇David's fame spread everywhere, and the LORD made every nation afraid of him.

₁For his own use, David built houses in David's City. He also prepared a place for God's Covenant Box and put up a tent for it. ₂Then he said, “Only Levites should carry the Covenant Box, because they are the ones the LORD chose to carry it and to serve him for ever.” ₃So David summoned all the people of Israel to Jerusalem in order to bring the Covenant Box to the place he had prepared for it. ₄Next he sent for the descendants of Aaron and for the Levites. ₅From the Levite clan of Kohath came Uriel, in charge of 120 members of his clan; ₆from the clan of Merari came Asaiah, in charge of 220; ₇from the clan of Gershon, Joel, in charge of 130; ₈from the clan of Elizaphan, Shemaiah, in charge of 200; ₉from the clan of Hebron, Eliel, in charge of eighty; ₁₀and from the clan of Uzziel, Amminadab, in charge of 112.

₁₁David called in the priests Zadok and Abiathar and the six Levites, Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. ₁₂He said to the Levites, “You are the leaders of the Levite clans. Purify yourselves and your fellow-Levites, so that you can bring the Covenant Box of the LORD God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it. ₁₃Because you were not there to carry it the first time, the LORD our God punished us for not worshipping him as we should have done.”

₁₄Then the priests and the Levites purified themselves in order to move the Covenant Box of the LORD God of Israel. ₁₅The Levites carried it on poles on their shoulders, as the LORD had commanded through Moses.

₁₆David commanded the leaders of the Levites to assign various Levites to sing and to play joyful music on harps and cymbals. _17-21From the clans of singers they chose the following men to play the brass cymbals: Heman son of Joel, his relative Asaph son of Berechiah, and Ethan son of Kushaiah, of the clan of Merari. To assist them they chose the following Levites to play the high-pitched harps: Zechariah, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah.

To play the low-pitched harps they chose the following Levites: Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Azaziah, and the temple guards, Obed Edom and Jeiel.

₂₂Because of his skill in music Chenaniah was chosen to be in charge of the levitical musicians. _23-24Berechiah and Elkanah, along with Obed Edom and Jehiah, were chosen as guards for the Covenant Box. The priests Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer were chosen to blow trumpets in front of the Covenant Box.

₂₅So King David, the leaders of Israel, and the military commanders went to the house of Obed Edom to fetch the Covenant Box, and they had a great celebration. ₂₆They sacrificed seven bulls and seven sheep, to make sure that God would help the Levites who were carrying the Covenant Box. ₂₇David was wearing a robe made of the finest linen, and so were the musicians, Chenaniah their leader, and the Levites who carried the Box. David also wore a linen ephod. ₂₈So all the Israelites accompanied the Covenant Box up to Jerusalem with shouts of joy, the sound of trumpets, horns, and cymbals, and the music of harps.

₂₉As the Box was being brought into the city, Michal, Saul's daughter, looked out of the window and saw King David dancing and leaping for joy, and she was disgusted with him.

₁They took the Covenant Box to the tent which David had prepared for it and put it inside. Then they offered sacrifices and fellowship offerings to God. ₂After David had finished offering the sacrifices, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD ₃and distributed food to them all. He gave each man and woman in Israel a loaf of bread, a piece of roasted meat, and some raisins.

₄David appointed some of the Levites to lead the worship of the LORD, the God of Israel, in front of the Covenant Box, by singing and praising him. ₅Asaph was appointed leader, with Zechariah as his assistant. Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed Edom, and Jeiel were to play harps. Asaph was to sound the cymbals, ₆and two priests, Benaiah and Jahaziel, were to blow trumpets regularly in front of the Covenant Box. ₇It was then that David first gave Asaph and his fellow-Levites the responsibility for singing praises to the LORD.

Then all the people said, “Amen”, and praised the LORD.

₃₇King David put Asaph and his fellow-Levites in permanent charge of the worship that was held at the place where the Covenant Box was kept. They were to perform their duties there day by day. ₃₈Obed Edom son of Jeduthun and 68 men of his clan were to assist them. Hosah and Obed Edom were in charge of guarding the gates.

₃₉Zadok the priest and his fellow-priests, however, were in charge of the worship of the LORD at the place of worship in Gibeon. ₄₀Every morning and evening they were to burn sacrifices whole on the altar in accordance with what was written in the Law which the LORD gave to Israel. ₄₁There with them were Heman and Jeduthun and the others who were specifically chosen to sing praises to the LORD for his eternal love. ₄₂Heman and Jeduthun also had charge of the trumpets and cymbals and the other instruments which were played when the songs of praise were sung. The members of Jeduthun's clan were in charge of guarding the gates.

₄₃Then everyone went home, and David went home to spend some time with his family.

₁King David was now living in his palace. One day he sent for the prophet Nathan and said to him, “Here I am living in a house built of cedar, but the LORD's Covenant Box is kept in a tent!”

₂Nathan answered, “Do whatever you have in mind, because God is with you.”

₃But that night God said to Nathan, ₄“Go and tell my servant David that I say to him, ‘You are not the one to build a temple for me to live in. ₅From the time I rescued the people of Israel from Egypt until now, I have never lived in a temple; I have always lived in tents and moved from place to place. ₆In all my travelling with the people of Israel I never asked any of the leaders that I appointed why they had not built me a temple made of cedar.’

₇“So tell my servant David that I, the LORD Almighty, say to him, ‘I took you from looking after sheep in the fields and made you the ruler of my people Israel. ₈I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have defeated all your enemies as you advanced. I will make you as famous as the greatest leaders in the world. _9-10I have chosen a place for my people Israel and have settled them there, where they will live without being oppressed any more. Ever since they entered this land they have been attacked by violent people, but this will not happen again. I promise to defeat all your enemies and to give you descendants. ₁₁When you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will make one of your sons king and will keep his kingdom strong. ₁₂He will be the one to build a temple for me, and I will make sure that his dynasty continues for ever. ₁₃I will be his father and he will be my son. I will not withdraw my support from him as I did from Saul, whom I removed so that you could be king. ₁₄I will put him in charge of my people and my kingdom for ever. His dynasty will never end.’ ”

₁₅Nathan told David everything that God had revealed to him.

₁₆Then King David went into the Tent of the LORD's presence, sat down, and prayed, “I am not worthy of what you have already done for me, LORD God, nor is my family. ₁₇Yet now you are doing even more; you have made promises about my descendants in the years to come, and you, LORD God, are already treating me like a great man. ₁₈What more can I say to you! You know me well, and yet you honour me, your servant. ₁₉It was your will and purpose to do this for me and to show me my future greatness. ₂₀LORD, there is none like you; we have always known that you alone are God. ₂₁There is no other nation on earth like Israel, whom you rescued from slavery to make them your own people. The great and wonderful things you did for them spread your fame throughout the world. You rescued your people from Egypt and drove out other nations as your people advanced. ₂₂You have made Israel your own people for ever, and you, LORD, have become their God.

₂₃“And now, O LORD, fulfil for all time the promise you made about me and my descendants, and do what you said you would. ₂₄Your fame will be great, and people will for ever say, ‘The LORD Almighty is God over Israel.’ And you will preserve my dynasty for all time. ₂₅I have the courage to pray this prayer to you, my God, because you have revealed all this to me, your servant, and have told me that you will make my descendants kings. ₂₆You, LORD, are God, and you have made this wonderful promise to me. ₂₇I ask you to bless my descendants so that they will continue to enjoy your favour. You, LORD, have blessed them, and your blessing will rest on them for ever.”