Study Desk

"And now You have decided to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You; for You, LORD, have blessed, and it is blessed forever."

David took from him a thousand chariots and seven thousand horsemen and twenty thousand foot soldiers, and David hamstrung almost all the chariot horses, but left enough of them for a hundred chariots.

he sent Hadoram his son to King David to greet him and to bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and had defeated him; for Hadadezer had been at war with Tou. And Hadoram brought all kinds of articles of gold and silver and bronze.

So David reigned over all Israel; and he administered justice and righteousness for all his people.

When the sons of Ammon saw that they had made themselves repulsive to David, Hanun and the sons of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia, Aram-maacah, and Zobah.

So they hired for themselves thirty-two thousand chariots, and the king of Maacah and his people, who came and camped opposite Medeba. And the sons of Ammon gathered together from their cities and came to the battle.

He said, "If the Arameans are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the sons of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will help you.

"Be strong, and let's show ourselves courageous for the benefit of our people and the cities of our God; and may the LORD do what is good in His sight."

David said to God, "I have sinned greatly, by doing this thing. But now, please overlook Your servant's guilt, for I have behaved very foolishly."

"Go and speak to David, saying, 'This is what the LORD says: "I extend to you three choices; choose for yourself one of them, which I will do to you."'"

So Gad came to David and said to him, "This is what the LORD says: 'Take for yourself

David said to Gad, "I am in great distress; please let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are very great. But do not let me fall into human hands."

Then David said to Ornan, "Give me the site of this threshing floor, so that I may build on it an altar to the LORD; you shall give it to me for the full price, so that the plague may be brought to a halt from the people."

But Ornan said to David, "Take it for yourself, and may my lord the king do what is good in his sight. See, I am giving the oxen for burnt offerings, and the threshing sledges for wood and the wheat for the grain offering; I am giving it all."

Nevertheless, King David said to Ornan, "No, but I will certainly buy it for the full price; for I will not take what is yours for the LORD, nor offer a burnt offering which costs me nothing."

So David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the site.

For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were on the high place at Gibeon at that time.

But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was terrified by the sword of the angel of the LORD.

Then David said, "This is the house of the LORD God, and this is the altar of burnt offering for Israel."

And David prepared large quantities of iron to make the nails for the doors of the gates and for the clamps, and more bronze than could be weighed;