Study Desk

Neither is there another nation upon the earth such as thy people Israel, whereas God led him in the way, to redeem a people for himself, to make for himself a great and glorious name, to cast out nations from before thy people, whom thou redeemedst out of Egypt.

And thou hast appointed thy people Israel as a people to thyself for ever; and thou, Lord, didst become a God to them.

And now, Lord, let the word which thou spokest to thy servant, and concerning his house, be confirmed for ever, and do thou as thou hast spoken.

And let thy name be established and magnified for ever, men saying, Lord, Lord, Almighty God of Israel: and let the house of thy servant David be established before thee.

For thou, O Lord my God, hast revealed to the ear of thy servant that thou wilt build him a house; therefore thy servant has found a willingness to pray before thee.

And now thou hast begun to bless the house of thy servant, so that it should continue for ever before thee: for thou, Lord, hast blessed it, and do thou bless it for ever.

And he sent Aduram his son to king David to ask how he was, and to congratulate him because he had fought against Adraazar, and smitten him; for Thoa was the enemy of Adraazar.

And there came men to report to David concerning the men: and he sent to meet them, for they were greatly disgraced: and the king said, Dwell in Jericho until your beards have grown, and return.

And the children of Ammon saw that the people of David were ashamed, and Anan and the children of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen out of Syria of Mesopotamia, and out of Syria Maacha, and from Sobal.

And they hired for themselves two and thirty thousand chariots, and the king of Maacha and his people; and they came and encamped before Medaba: and the children of Ammon assembled out of their cities, and came to fight.

And the children of Ammon came forth, and set themselves in array for battle by the gate of the city: and the kings that were come forth encamped by themselves in the plain.

Be of good courage, and let us be strong, for our people, and for the cities of our God: and the Lord shall do what is good in his eyes.

But he numbered not Levi and Benjamin among them; for the word of the king was painful to Joab.

And David said to God, I have sinned exceedingly, in that I have done this thing: and now, I pray thee, remove the sin of thy servant; for I have been exceedingly foolish.

Go and speak to David, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I bring three things upon thee: choose one of them for thyself, and I will do it to thee.

And Gad came to David, and said to him, Thus saith the Lord, Choose for thyself,

And David said to Gad, They are very hard for me, even all the three: let me fall now into the hands of the Lord, for his mercies are very abundant, and let me not fall by any means into the hands of man.

And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the Lord saw, and repented for the evil, and said to the angel that was destroying, Let it suffice thee; withhold thine hand. And the angel of the Lord stood by the threshing-floor of Orna the Jebusite.

And David said to God, Was it not I that gave orders to number the people? and I am the guilty one; I have greatly sinned: but these sheep, what have they done? O Lord God, let thy hand be upon me, and upon my father�s house, and not on thy people for destruction, O Lord!

And David said to Orna, Give me thy place of the threshing-floor, and I will build upon it an altar to the Lord: give it me for its worth in money, and the plague shall cease from among the people.