24 *aAnd bagain the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and ||he moved David against them to say, cGo, number Israel and Judah. 2 For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him, ||Go now through all the tribes of Israel, dfrom Dan even to Beer-sheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people. 3 And Joab said unto the king, Now ethe Lord thy God add unto the people, how many soever they be, an hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it: but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing? 4 Notwithstanding the king’s word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the host. And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel. 5 And they passed over Jordan, and pitched in fAroer, on the right side of the city that lieth in the midst of the ||river of Gad, and toward gJazer: 6 Then they came to Gilead, and to the ||land of Tahtim-hodshi; and they came to hDan-jaan, and about to iZidon, 7 And came to the jstrong hold of Tyre, and to all the cities of kthe Hivites, and of kthe Canaanites: and they went out to the south of Judah, even to Beer-sheba. 8 So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king: land there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men mthat drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

10 And nDavid’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the Lord, oI have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O Lord, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have pdone very foolishly. 11 For when David was up in the morning, the word of the Lord came unto the prophet qGad, David’s rseer, saying, 12 Go and say unto David, Thus saith the Lord, I offer thee three things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. 13 So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall sseven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days’ pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me. 14 And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the Lord; for his mercies are ||great: and let me not fall into the hand of man. 15 So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people tfrom Dan even to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men.

16 And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, uthe Lord repented him of the evil, and said to wthe angel that xdestroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the Lord was by the threshingplace of †Araunah the Jebusite. 17 And David spake unto the Lord when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I yhave done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house. 18 And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the Lord in the threshingfloor of †Araunah the Jebusite. 19 And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the Lord commanded. 20 And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground. 21 And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, zTo buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the Lord, that athe plague may be stayed from the people. 22 And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what bseemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and cthreshing instruments and other dinstruments of the oxen for wood. 23 All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The Lord thy God eaccept thee. 24 And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for ffifty shekels of silver. 25 And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and goffered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So hthe Lord was intreated for the land, and ithe plague was stayed from Israel.

8 And aafter this it came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them: and David took ||Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines. 2 And bhe smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive. And so the Moabites cbecame David’s servants, and dbrought gifts. 3 David smote also ||Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of eZobah, as he went fto recover his border at the river Euphrates. 4 And David took ||from him a thousand ||chariots, and seven hundred horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: and David ghoughed all the chariot horses, but reserved of them for an hundred chariots. 5 hAnd when the Syrians of Damascus came to succour Hadadezer king of Zobah, David slew of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men. 6 Then David put igarrisons in Syria of jDamascus: and the Syrians became servants to David, and brought gifts. kAnd the Lord preserved David whithersoever he went. 7 And David took lthe 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 brass. 9 When ||Toi king mof Hamath heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadadezer, 10 Then Toi sent ||Joram his son unto king David, to †salute him, and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer, and smitten him: for Hadadezer †had wars with Toi. And Joram †brought with him vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, and vessels of brass: 11 Which also king David ndid dedicate unto the Lord, with the silver and gold that he had dedicated of all nations which he subdued; 12 Of Syria, and of Moab, and oof the children of Ammon, and pof the Philistines, and qof Amalek, and of the spoil of Hadadezer, son of Rehob, king of Zobah. 13 And David gat him a name when he returned from †smiting of the Syrians in rthe valley of salt, s||being eighteen thousand men. 14 And he put igarrisons in Edom; throughout all Edom put he igarrisons, and tall they of Edom became David’s servants. uAnd the Lord preserved David whithersoever he went.

15 And David reigned over all Israel; and David wexecuted judgment and justice unto all his people. 16 xAnd yJoab the son of Zeruiah was over the host; and zJehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was ||recorder; 17 And aZadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, were the priests; and Seraiah was the ||scribe; 18 And bBenaiah the son of Jehoiada was cover both the dCherethites and the ePelethites; and David’s sons were ||chief rulers.

9 And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may ashew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake? 2 And there was of the house of Saul a servant whose name was bZiba. And when they had called him unto David, the king said unto him, Art thou Ziba? And he said, Thy servant is he. 3 And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew cthe kindness of God unto him? And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is dlame on his feet. 4 And the king said unto him, Where is he? And Ziba said unto the king, Behold, he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in eLo-debar. 5 Then king David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from eLo-debar. 6 Now when ||Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant! 7 And David said unto him, Fear not: ffor I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually. 8 And he bowed himself, and said, What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look upon such ga dead dog as I am? 9 Then the king called to Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said unto him, I have given unto thy master’s son all that pertained to Saul and to all his house. 10 Thou therefore, and thy sons, and thy servants, shall till the land for him, and thou shalt bring in the fruits, that thy master’s son may have food to eat: but Mephibosheth thy master’s son hshall eat bread alway at my table. Now Ziba had ififteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then said Ziba unto the king, According to all that my lord the king hath commanded his servant, so shall thy servant do. As for Mephibosheth, ksaid the king, he shall eat at my table, as one of the king’s sons. 12 And Mephibosheth had a young son, lwhose name was Micha. And all that dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants unto Mephibosheth. 13 So Mephibosheth dwelt in Jerusalem: for he did eat continually at the king’s table; and was lame on both his feet.

10 aAnd it came to pass after this, that the king of the bchildren of Ammon died, and Hanun his son reigned in his stead. 2 Then said David, cI will shew kindness unto Hanun the son of Nahash, as his father shewed kindness unto me. And …