1 Chronicles 17–19

17TH CHAPTER

David’s Wish to Build a House for God—2 Samuel 7:1–29

¹When David was living in his house, he said to the prophet Nathan, “I’m living in a house made of cedar, while the ark of the Lord’s promise is inside a tent.” 

²Nathan told David, “Do everything you have in mind, because God is with you.” 

³But that same night God spoke his word to Nathan: ⁴“Say to David, my servant, ‘This is what the Lord says: You must not build this house for me to live in. ⁵I haven’t lived in a house from the day I brought Israel out ⸤of Egypt⸥ to this day, but I’ve gone from tent site to tent site, moving the tent ⸤of meeting⸥ from one location ⸤to another⸥. ⁶In all the places I’ve moved with all Israel, did I ever ask any of the judges of Israel whom I ordered to be shepherds of my people why they didn’t build me a house of cedar?’ 

⁷“Now this is what you will say to my servant David: ‘This is what the Lord of Armies says: I took you from the pasture where you followed sheep so that you could be the leader of my people Israel. ⁸I was with you wherever you went, and I destroyed all your enemies in front of you. I will make your name like the names of the greatest people on earth. ⁹I will make a place for my people Israel and plant them there. They will live in their own place and not be troubled anymore. The wicked will no longer frighten them as they used to do ¹⁰ever since I appointed judges to rule my people Israel. I will crush all your enemies. I even tell you that I, the Lord, will build a house for you. 

¹¹“ ‘When the time comes for you to go and be with your ancestors, I will send one of your descendants. He will be one of your sons. I will establish his kingdom. ¹²He will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. ¹³I will be his Father, and he will be my Son. And I will never stop showing him my love as I did to your predecessor. ¹⁴I will place him in my royal house forever, and his throne will be established forever.’ ” 

¹⁵Nathan told David all these words and everything he had seen. 

¹⁶Then King David went into the tent and sat in front of the Lord. “Who am I, Lord God,” he asked, “and why is my house so important that you have brought me this far? ¹⁷And this you consider to be a small act, God. You’ve spoken about the distant future of my house. Lord God, you’ve shown me the generation of the great man. 

¹⁸“What more can I do for you in light of the honor ⸤you have given⸥ to me and since you know me so well! ¹⁹Lord, you’ve done this great thing for my sake and your own desire. You made this great thing known to me. 

²⁰“Lord, there is no one like you, and there is no other god except you, as we have heard with our own ears. ²¹Who is like your people Israel? It is the one nation on earth that God came to free in order to make its people his own, to make your name known, and to do great and wonderful things for them. You forced the nations and their gods out of the way of your people, whom you freed from Egypt. ²²You made the people of Israel to be your people forever. And you, Lord, became their God. 

²³“Now, Lord, faithfully keep the promise you made to me and my house forever. Do as you promised. ²⁴Your name will endure and be respected forever when ⸤people⸥ say, ‘The Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, is Israel’s God.’ And the house of David, your servant, will be established in your presence. ²⁵You, my God, have revealed especially to me that you will build me a house. That is why I have found ⸤the courage⸥ to pray to you. 

²⁶“Almighty Lord, you are God. You promised me this good thing. ²⁷Now, you were pleased to bless my house so that it may continue in your presence forever. Indeed, you, Lord, have blessed it. It will be blessed forever.” 

18TH CHAPTER

David’s Successes—2 Samuel 8:1–18

¹After this, David defeated and crushed the Philistines. He took Gath and its surrounding villages from them. 

²He also defeated Moab, and the Moabites became David’s subjects and paid taxes ⸤to him⸥. 

³When David went to establish his control ⸤over the territory⸥ along the Euphrates River, he defeated King Hadadezer at Hamath. ⁴David took 1,000 chariots, 7,000 horsemen, and 20,000 foot soldiers from him. David also disabled all but 100 of their horses so that they couldn’t pull chariots. 

⁵When the Arameans from Damascus came to help King Hadadezer of Zobah, David killed 22,000 of them. ⁶David put troops in the Aramean kingdom of Damascus, and the Arameans became his subjects and paid taxes ⸤to him⸥. Everywhere David went, the Lord gave him victories. 

⁷David took the gold shields that Hadadezer’s servants carried, and he brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸David also took a large quantity of bronze from Tibhath and Cun, Hadadezer’s cities. (⸤Later⸥ Solomon used it to make the pool, pillars, and utensils ⸤for the temple⸥.) 

⁹When King Tou of Hamath heard that David had defeated the whole army of Zobah’s King Hadadezer, ¹⁰he sent his son Hadoram to greet King David and congratulate him for fighting and defeating Hadadezer. (There had often been war between Hadadezer and Tou.) ¹¹King David dedicated all the articles of gold, silver, and bronze to the Lord, along with the silver and gold he had taken from other nations—from Edom, Moab, Ammon, the Philistines, and Amalek. 

¹²Zeruiah’s son Abishai killed 18,000 Edomites in the Dead Sea region. ¹³He put troops in Edom, and all its people became David’s subjects. Everywhere David went, the Lord gave him victories. 

¹⁴So David ruled all Israel. He did what was fair and right for all his people. ¹⁵Zeruiah’s son Joab was in charge of the army. Ahilud’s son Jehoshaphat was the royal historian. ¹⁶Ahitub’s son Zadok and Abiathar’s son Abimelech^awere priests. Shavsha was the royal scribe. ¹⁷Jehoiada’s son Benaiah was commander of the Cherethites and the Pelethites. And David’s sons were his main officials. 

19TH CHAPTER

David Defeats Ammon and Aram—2 Samuel 10:1–19

¹Later King Nahash of Ammon died, and his son became king in his place. ²David thought, “I will show kindness to Hanun because his father Nahash showed me kindness.” So David sent messengers to comfort Hanun after his father’s ⸤death⸥. But when David’s servants entered Ammonite territory to comfort Hanun, ³the Ammonite princes asked Hanun, “Do you think David is honoring your father because he sent men to comfort you? Haven’t his servants come to explore, destroy, and spy on the country?” ⁴So Hanun took David’s men, shaved them, cut off their clothes from the waist down, and sent them away. 

⁵After people told David ⸤what had happened⸥ to the men, he sent ⸤someone⸥ to meet them because they were deeply humiliated. The king said to them, “Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown back, and then return ⸤to Jerusalem⸥.” 

⁶The Ammonites realized that they had made themselves offensive to David. So Hanun and the Ammonites sent 75,000 pounds of silver to hire chariots and horses from the Arameans in Upper Mesopotamia, Maacah, and Zobah. ⁷They hired 32,000 chariots and the king of Maacah with his army. They camped near Medeba. The Ammonites gathered for the battle from their cities. 

⁸After David heard about this, he sent Joab and all the elite troops. ⁹The Ammonites formed a battle line at the entrance of the city, while the Arameans from Zobah and Rehob and the kings who had come remained by themselves in the open country. 

¹⁰When Joab saw he was under attack in front and behind, he took the select troops of Israel and organized them for combat against the Arameans. ¹¹He put his brother Abishai in charge of the rest of the troops. They organized for combat against the Ammonites. 

¹²Joab said, “If the Arameans are too strong for my ⸤troops⸥, be ready to help me. And if the Ammonites are too strong for your ⸤troops⸥, I’ll help you. ¹³Be strong! Let’s prove ourselves strong for our people and for the cities of our God, and the Lord will do what he considers right.” 

¹⁴Then Joab and his troops advanced to fight the Arameans, and the Arameans fled. ¹⁵When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they, too, fled from Joab’s brother Abishai and went into the city. So Joab returned to Jerusalem. 

¹⁶Realizing that Israel had defeated them, the kings sent ⸤messengers⸥ to get ⸤other⸥ Arameans from beyond the Euphrates River. Shophach, the commander of Hadadezer’s army, led them. 

¹⁷When David was told ⸤about this⸥, he assembled Israel’s army, crossed the Jordan, and confronted them. David formed a battle line against the Arameans, and they fought him. ¹⁸The Arameans fled from Israel, and David killed 7,000 chariot drivers and 40,000 foot soldiers. David also killed Shophach. ¹⁹When all the kings who were subject to Hadadezer saw that Israel had defeated them, they made peace with David and became his subjects. And the Arameans were no longer willing to help the Ammonites.