David Goes to Bring the Ark

6¹ And David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. ² And David arose and went with all the people that were with him from Baale-Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God which is called by the name, the name of Jehovah of hosts who sitteth between the cherubim. ³ And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was upon the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart. ⁴ And they brought it with the ark of God out of the house of Abinadab which was upon the hill; and Ahio went before the ark. ⁵ And David and all the house of Israel played before Jehovah on all manner of [instruments made of] cypress wood, with harps, and with lutes, and with tambours, and with sistra, and with cymbals.

⁶ And when they came to Nachon's threshing-floor, Uzzah reached after the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen had stumbled. ⁷ And the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God. ⁸ And David was indignant, because Jehovah had made a breach upon Uzzah; and he called that place Perez-Uzzah to this day. ⁹ And David was afraid of Jehovah that day, and said, How shall the ark of Jehovah come to me? ¹⁰ So David would not bring the ark of Jehovah home unto himself into the city of David; but David carried it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. ¹¹ And the ark of Jehovah remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months; and Jehovah blessed Obed-Edom and all his household.

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem

¹² And it was told king David, saying, Jehovah has blessed the house of Obed-Edom, and all that is his, because of the ark of God. And David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom into the city of David with joy. ¹³ And it was so, that when they that bore the ark of Jehovah had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatted beast. ¹⁴ And David danced before Jehovah with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. ¹⁵ And David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of Jehovah with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet. ¹⁶ And as the ark of Jehovah came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before Jehovah; and she despised him in her heart. ¹⁷ And they brought in the ark of Jehovah, and set it in its place, in the midst of the tent that David had spread for it. And David offered up burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before Jehovah. ¹⁸ And when David had ended offering up the burnt-offerings and the peace-offerings, he blessed the people in the name of Jehovah of hosts. ¹⁹ And he dealt to all the people, to the whole multitude of Israel, both men and women, to every one a cake of bread, and a measure [of wine], and a raisin-cake. And all the people departed every one to his house.

²⁰ And David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How honourable did the king of Israel make himself to-day, who uncovered himself to-day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the lewd fellows shamelessly uncovers himself! ²¹ And David said to Michal, It was before Jehovah, who chose me rather than thy father, and than all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of Jehovah, over Israel; and I played before Jehovah. ²² And I will make myself yet more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight; and of the handmaids that thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour. ²³ And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

God's Covenant with David

7¹ And it came to pass when the king dwelt in his house, and Jehovah had given him rest round about from all his enemies, ² that the king said to Nathan the prophet, See now, I dwell in a house of cedars, and the ark of God dwells under curtains. ³ And Nathan said to the king, Go, do all that is in thy heart; for Jehovah is with thee.

⁴ And it came to pass that night that the word of Jehovah came to Nathan, saying, ⁵ Go and say to my servant, to David, Thus saith Jehovah: Wilt thou build me a house for me to dwell in? ⁶ For I have not dwelt in a house since the day that I brought up the children of Israel out of Egypt, even to this day, but I went about in a tent and in a tabernacle. ⁷ In all my going about with all the children of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed my people Israel, saying, Why build ye me not a house of cedars? ⁸ And now, thus shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: I took thee from the pasture-grounds, from following the sheep, to be prince over my people, over Israel; ⁹ and I have been with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies from before thee, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are on the earth. ¹⁰ And I will appoint a place for my people, for Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and be disturbed no more; neither shall the sons of wickedness afflict them any more, as formerly, ¹¹ and since the time that I commanded judges to be over my people Israel. And I have given thee rest from all thine enemies; and Jehovah telleth thee that Jehovah will make thee a house. ¹² When thy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ It is he who shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. ¹⁴ I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the stripes of the sons of men; ¹⁵ but my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before thee. ¹⁶ And thy house and thy kingdom shall be made firm for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. ¹⁷ According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak to David.

¹⁸ And king David went in and sat before Jehovah, and said, Who am I, Lord Jehovah, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? ¹⁹ And yet this hath been a small thing in thy sight, Lord Jehovah; but thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this the manner of man, Lord Jehovah? ²⁰ And what can David say more to thee? for thou, Lord Jehovah, knowest thy servant. ²¹ For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all this greatness, to make thy servant know [it]. ²² Wherefore thou art great, Jehovah Elohim; for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. ²³ And who is like thy people, like Israel, the one nation in the earth that God went to redeem to be a people to himself, and to make himself a name, and to do for them great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thyself from Egypt, from the nations and their gods? ²⁴ And thou hast established to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever; and thou, Jehovah, art become their God. ²⁵ And now, Jehovah Elohim, the word that thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house, fulfil it for ever, and do as thou hast said. ²⁶ And let thy name be magnified for ever, saying, Jehovah of hosts is God over Israel; and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee. ²⁷ For thou, Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, hast revealed to thy servant, saying, I will build thee a house; therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer unto thee. ²⁸ And now, Lord Jehovah, thou art that God, and thy words are true, and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant; ²⁹ and now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may be before thee for ever; for thou, Lord Jehovah, hast spoken it; and with thy blessing shall the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.

David Extends His Kingdom

8¹ And after this it came to pass that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them; and David took the power of the capital out of the hand of the Philistines. ² And he smote the Moabites, and measured them with a line, making them lie down on the ground; and he measured two lines to put to death, and one full line to keep alive. And the Moabites became David's servants, [and] brought gifts. ³ And David smote Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his dominion by the river Euphrates. ⁴ And David took from him one thousand seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen; and David houghed all the chariot [horses], but reserved of them [for] a hundred chariots. ⁵ And the Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, and David smote of the Syrians twenty-two thousand men. ⁶ And David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became servants to David, [and] brought gifts. And Jehovah preserved David whithersoever he went. ⁷ And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ And from Betah, and from Berothai, cities of Hadadezer, king David took exceeding much bronze.

⁹ And Toi king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the forces of Hadadezer; ¹⁰ and Toi sent Joram his son to king David, to inquire of his welfare, and to congratulate him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and smitten him; for Hadadezer was continually at war with Toi. And he brought with him vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of bronze. ¹¹ Them also king David dedicated to Jehovah, with the silver and the gold that he had dedicated of all the nations that he had subdued: ¹² of the Syrians, and of the Moabites, and of the children of Ammon, and of the Philistines, and of the Amalekites, and of the spoil of Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah. ¹³ And David made him a name when he returned, after he had smitten the Syrians in the valley of salt, eighteen thousand [men]. ¹⁴ And he put garrisons in Edom: throughout Edom did he put garrisons; and all they of Edom became servants to David. And Jehovah preserved David whithersoever he went.

David's Officers

¹⁵ And David reigned over all Israel; and David executed judgment and justice to all his people. ¹⁶ And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the host; and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was chronicler; ¹⁷ and Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, were the priests; and Seraiah was scribe; ¹⁸ and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David's sons were chief rulers.

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

15¹ And all the tax-gatherers and the sinners were coming near to him to hear him; ² and the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, This [man] receives sinners and eats with them. ³ And he spoke to them this parable, saying, ⁴ What man of you having a hundred sheep, and having lost one of them, does not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness and go after that which is lost, until he find it? ⁵ and having found it, he lays it upon his own shoulders, rejoicing; ⁶ and being come to the house, calls together the friends and the neighbours, saying to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my lost sheep. ⁷ I say unto you, that thus there shall be joy in heaven for one repenting sinner, [more] than for ninety and nine righteous who have no need of repentance.

The Parable of the Lost Coin

⁸ Or, what woman having ten drachmas, if she lose one drachma, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek carefully till she find it? ⁹ and having found it she calls together the friends and neighbours, saying, Rejoice with me, for I have found the drachma which I had lost. ¹⁰ Thus, I say unto you, there is joy before the angels of God for one repenting sinner.