2 Samuel 23–24

23RD CHAPTER

David’s Last Words

¹These are the last words of David: 

“Here is the declaration by David, son of Jesse— 

the declaration by the man whom God raised up,^a

whom the God of Jacob anointed, 

the singer of Israel’s psalms: 

²“The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me. 

His words were on my tongue. 

³The God of Israel spoke to them. 

The rock of Israel told me, 

‘The one who rules humans with justice rules with the fear of God. 

⁴He is like the morning light as the sun rises, 

like a morning without clouds, 

like the brightness after a rainstorm. 

The rain makes the grass grow from the earth.’ 

⁵“Truly, God considers my house to be that way, 

because he has made a lasting promise^bto me, 

with every detail arranged and assured. 

⸤He promised⸥ everything that helps me, 

everything that pleases me. 

Truly, he makes these things happen. 

⁶“Worthless people are like thorns. 

All of them are thrown away, because they cannot be picked by hand. 

⁷A person who touches them uses iron ⸤tools⸥ 

or the shaft of a spear. 

Fire^cwill burn them up completely wherever they are.” 

David’s Three Fighting Men—1 Chronicles 11:10–19

⁸These are the names of David’s fighting men: Josheb Basshebeth from Tahkemon’s family was leader of the three. He used a spear^dto kill 800 men on one occasion. 

⁹Next in rank to him was Eleazar, another one of the three fighting men. He was the son of Dodo and grandson of Aho. Eleazar was with David at Pas Dammim^ewhen the Philistines gathered there for battle. When the soldiers from Israel retreated, ¹⁰he attacked and killed Philistines until his hand got tired and stuck to his sword. So the Lord won an impressive victory that day. The army returned to Eleazar, but they only returned to strip the dead. 

¹¹Next in rank to him was Shammah, the son of Agee from Harar. The Philistines had gathered at Lehi, where there was a field of ripe lentils. When the troops fled from the Philistines, ¹²he stood in the middle of the field and defended it by killing Philistines. So the Lord won an impressive victory. 

¹³At harvest time three of the thirty leading men came to David at the cave of Adullam when a troop from the Philistine army was camping in the valley of Rephaim. ¹⁴While David was in the fortified camp, Philistine troops were at Bethlehem. ¹⁵When David became thirsty, he said, “I wish I could have a drink of water from the well at the city gate of Bethlehem.” ¹⁶So the three fighting men burst into the Philistine camp and drew water from the well. They brought it to David, but he refused to drink it. He poured it out ⸤as an offering⸥ to the Lord and said, ¹⁷“It’s unthinkable that I would do this, Lord. This is the blood of men who risked their lives!” So he refused to drink it. 

These are the things which the three fighting men did. 

David’s Thirty Fighting Men—1 Chronicles 11:20–47

¹⁸Joab’s brother Abishai, Zeruiah’s son, was the leader of the thirty. He used his spear to kill 300 men. He was as famous as the three ¹⁹and was honored more than they were. So he became their captain, but he didn’t become a member of the three. 

²⁰Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, was from Kabzeel and was a brave man who did many things. He killed two distinguished soldiers from Moab. He also went into a pit and killed a lion on the day it snowed. ²¹And he killed a handsome Egyptian. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand. Benaiah went to him with a club, grabbed the spear from him, and killed him with it. ²²These are the things that Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, did. He was as famous as the three fighting men. ²³He was honored more than the thirty, but he was not a member of the three. David put him in charge of his bodyguards. 

²⁴One of the thirty was Joab’s brother Asahel. ⸤The thirty leading men were⸥ 

Elhanan (son of Dodo) from Bethlehem, 

²⁵Shammah from Harod, 

Elika from Harod, 

²⁶Helez the Paltite, 

Ira (son of Ikkesh) from Tekoa, 

²⁷Abiezer from Anathoth, 

Mebunnai (son of Hushai), 

²⁸Zalmon (descendant of Ahohi), 

Maharai from Netophah, 

²⁹Heleb (son of Baanah) from Netophah, 

Ittai (son of Ribai) from Gibeah in Benjamin, 

³⁰Benaiah from Pirathon, 

Hiddai from the Gaash ravines, 

³¹Abi Albon from Beth Arabah, 

Azmaveth from Bahurim, 

³²Elihba from Shaalbon, 

Bene Jashen, 

³³Jonathan (⸤son of⸥ Shammah the Hararite), 

Ahiam (son of Sharar the Hararite), 

³⁴Eliphelet (son of Ahasbai and grandson of a man from Maacah), 

Eliam (son of Ahithophel) from Gilo, 

³⁵Hezrai from Carmel, 

Paarai from Arabah, 

³⁶Igal (son of Nathan) from Zobah, 

Bani from the tribe of Gad, 

³⁷Zelek from Ammon, 

Naharai from Beeroth, armorbearer for Zeruiah’s son Joab, 

³⁸Ira (descendant of Ithra), 

Gareb (descendant of Ithra), 

³⁹Uriah the Hittite— 

37 in all. 

24TH CHAPTER

David’s Sin—He Takes a Census—1 Chronicles 21:1–30

¹The Lord became angry with Israel again, so he provoked David to turn against Israel. He said, “Go, count Israel and Judah.” 

²King David said to Joab, the commander of the army who was with him, “Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and count the people. That way I will know how many there are.” 

³Joab responded to the king, “May the Lord your God multiply the people a hundred times over, and may Your Majesty ⸤live⸥ to see it. But why does Your Majesty wish to do this?” 

⁴However, the king overruled Joab and the commanders of the army. So they left the king ⸤in order⸥ to count the people of Israel. ⁵They crossed the Jordan River and camped at Aroer, south of the city in the middle of the valley. Then they went to Gad and to Jazer. ⁶They went to Gilead and to Tahtim Hodshi and then to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon. ⁷They went to the fortified city of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah. ⁸When they had covered the whole country, they came to Jerusalem after 9 months and 20 days. ⁹Joab reported the census figures to the king: In Israel there were 800,000 able-bodied men who could serve in the army, and in Judah there were 500,000. 

¹⁰After David counted the people, his conscience troubled him. David said to the Lord, “I have committed a terrible sin by what I have done. Lord, please forgive me because I have acted very foolishly.” 

¹¹When David got up in the morning, the Lord spoke his word to the prophet Gad, David’s seer.^a12“Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I’m offering you three choices. Choose the one you want me to do to you.’ ” 

¹³When Gad came to David, he told David this and asked, “Should seven years of famine come to you and your land, or three months during which you flee from your enemies as they pursue you, or should there be a three-day plague in your land? Think it over, and decide what answer I should give the one who sent me.” 

¹⁴“I’m in a desperate situation,” David told Gad. “Please let us fall into the Lord’s hands because he is very merciful. But don’t let me fall into human hands.” 

¹⁵So the Lord sent a plague among the Israelites from that morning until the time he had chosen. Of the people from Dan to Beersheba, 70,000 died. ¹⁶But when the Messenger stretched out his arm to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord changed his mind about the disaster. “Enough!” he said to the Messenger who was destroying the people. “Put down your weapon.” The Messenger of the Lord was at the threshing floor^bof Araunah the Jebusite. 

¹⁷When David saw the Messenger who had been killing the people, he said to the Lord, “I’ve sinned. I’ve done wrong. What have these sheep done? Please let your punishment be against me and against my father’s family.” 

¹⁸That day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go, set up an altar for the Lord at Araunah the Jebusite’s threshing floor.” 

¹⁹David went as Gad had told him and as the Lord had commanded him. ²⁰When Araunah looked down and saw the king and his men coming toward him, he went out and bowed down with his face touching the ground in front of the king. ²¹“Why has Your Majesty come to me?” Araunah asked. 

David answered, “To buy the threshing floor from you and to build an altar for the Lord. Then the plague on the people will stop.” 

²²Araunah said to David, “Take it, Your Majesty, and offer whatever you think is right. There are oxen for the burnt offering, and there are threshers and oxen yokes^cfor firewood.” ²³All this Araunah gave to the king and said, “May the Lord your God accept you.” 

²⁴“No!” the king said to Araunah. “I must buy it from you at a ⸤fair⸥ price. I won’t offer the Lord my God burnt sacrifices that cost me nothing.” 

So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 1¼ pounds of silver. ²⁵David built an altar for the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. So the Lord heard the prayers for the country, and the plague on Israel stopped.