1 Chronicles 14-16
New American Standard Bible
David’s Family Enlarged
14 (A)Now Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David with cedar trees, masons, and carpenters, to build a house for him. 2 And David realized that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, and that his kingdom was highly exalted, for the sake of His people Israel.
3 Then David took more wives in Jerusalem, and David fathered more sons and daughters. 4 (B)These are the names of the children [a]born to him in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 5 Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, 6 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 7 Elishama, Beeliada, and Eliphelet.
Philistines Defeated
8 When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up in search of David; and David heard about it and went out against them. 9 Now the Philistines had come and (C)carried out a raid in the Valley of Rephaim. 10 David inquired of God, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? And will You hand them over to me?” Then the Lord said to him, “Go up, for I will hand them over to you.” 11 So they came up to Baal-perazim, and David [b]defeated them there; and David said, “God has broken through my enemies by my hand, like the breakthrough of waters.” Therefore they named that place [c]Baal-perazim. 12 They abandoned their gods there; so David gave the order and they were burned with fire.
13 The Philistines carried out (D)yet another raid in the valley. 14 David inquired again of God, and God said to him, “You shall not go up after them; circle around [d]behind them and come at them in front of the baka-shrubs. 15 When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the baka-shrubs, then you shall go out to battle, for God will have gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.” 16 David did just as God had commanded him, and they defeated the army of the Philistines from [e]Gibeon even as far as Gezer. 17 Then the fame of David spread in all the lands; and (E)the Lord brought the fear of him on all the nations.
Plans to Move the Ark to Jerusalem
15 Now David built houses for himself in the city of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God and (F)pitched a tent for it. 2 Then David said, “(G)No one is to carry the ark of God except the Levites; for the Lord chose them to carry the ark of the Lord and to serve Him forever.” 3 And (H)David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem to bring up the ark of the Lord (I)to its place which he had prepared for it. 4 David gathered together the sons of Aaron and (J)the Levites: 5 of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, and 120 of his relatives; 6 of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, and 220 of his relatives; 7 of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, and 130 of his relatives; 8 of the sons of Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, and two hundred of his relatives; 9 of the sons of Hebron, Eliel the chief, and eighty of his relatives; 10 of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, and 112 of his relatives.
11 Then David called for the priests (K)Zadok and (L)Abiathar, and for the Levites, for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab; 12 and he said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ households of the Levites; (M)consecrate yourselves, you and your relatives, so that you may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel (N)to the place that I have prepared for it. 13 (O)Because you did not carry it at the first, the Lord our God made an outburst against us, since we did not seek Him according to the ordinance.” 14 (P)So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel. 15 The sons of (Q)the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders with the poles on them, just as Moses had commanded in accordance with the word of the Lord.
16 Then David spoke to the chiefs of the Levites (R)to appoint their relatives as the singers, with musical instruments, harps, lyres, and cymbals, playing to raise sounds of joy. 17 So (S)the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel, and from his relatives, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and from the sons of Merari their relatives, Ethan the son of Kushaiah, 18 and with them their relatives of the second rank, Zechariah, [f]Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers. 19 So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were appointed to sound aloud cymbals of bronze; 20 and Zechariah, Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with harps tuned to [g](T)alamoth; 21 and Mattithiah, Eliphelehu, Mikneiah, Obed-edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah, to lead with [h]lyres tuned to (U)the sheminith. 22 Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was in charge of the singing; he gave instruction in singing because he was skillful. 23 Berechiah and Elkanah were gatekeepers for the ark. 24 Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, (V)blew the trumpets before the ark of God. Obed-edom and Jehiah also were gatekeepers for the ark.
25 (W)So it was David, with the elders of Israel and the captains of thousands, who went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from (X)the house of Obed-edom with joy. 26 Because God was helping the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, they sacrificed (Y)seven bulls and seven rams. 27 Now David was clothed with a robe of fine linen with all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the leader of the singing with the singers. (Z)David also wore an ephod of linen. 28 So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the horn, with trumpets, with loud-sounding cymbals, with harps, and lyres.
29 When the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the city of David, (AA)Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David dancing and celebrating; and she despised him in her heart.
A Tent for the Ark
16 And they brought in the ark of God and (AB)placed it inside the tent which David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. 2 When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. 3 Then he distributed to everyone of Israel, both men and women, to everyone a loaf of bread, a portion of meat, and a raisin cake.
4 He appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the Lord, to celebrate and to thank and praise the Lord God of Israel: 5 Asaph the chief, and second to him Zechariah, then [i]Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel, with musical instruments, harps, and lyres; also Asaph played loud-sounding cymbals, 6 and the priests Benaiah and Jahaziel blew trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.
7 Then on that day David (AC)first assigned [j]Asaph and his relatives to give thanks to the Lord.
Psalm of Thanksgiving
8 (AD)Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name;
(AE)Make His deeds known among the peoples.
9 Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;
[k]Speak of all His [l]wonders.
10 Boast in His holy name;
Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be joyful.
11 (AF)Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face continually.
12 (AG)Remember His wonderful deeds which He has done,
(AH)His marvels and the judgments from His mouth,
13 You [m]descendants of Israel His servant,
Sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!
14 He is the Lord our God;
(AI)His judgments are in all the earth.
15 Remember His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded to a thousand generations,
16 (AJ)The covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac.
17 (AK)He also confirmed it to Jacob as a statute,
To Israel as an everlasting covenant,
18 Saying, “(AL)To you I will give the land of Canaan,
As the portion of your inheritance.”
19 (AM)When they were only a few in number,
Very few, and strangers in it,
20 And they wandered from nation to nation,
And from one kingdom to another people,
21 He allowed no one to oppress them,
And (AN)He rebuked kings for their sakes, saying,
22 “Do not touch My anointed ones,
And (AO)do not harm My prophets.”
23 (AP)Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
Proclaim good news of His salvation from day to day.
24 Tell of His glory among the nations,
His wonderful deeds among all the peoples.
25 For (AQ)great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised;
He also is (AR)to be feared above all gods.
26 For all the gods of the peoples are [n](AS)idols,
(AT)But the Lord made the heavens.
27 Splendor and majesty are before Him,
Strength and joy are in His place.
28 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
29 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an [o]offering, and come before Him;
(AU)Worship the Lord in [p]holy attire.
30 Tremble before Him, all the earth;
Indeed, the world is firmly established, it will not be moved.
31 [q](AV)Let the heavens be joyful, and the earth rejoice;
And let them say among the nations, “(AW)The Lord reigns.”
32 (AX)Let the sea [r]roar, and [s]everything it contains;
Let the field rejoice, and everything that is in it.
33 Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy in the presence of the Lord;
For He is coming to judge the earth.
34 (AY)Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;
For His faithfulness is everlasting.
35 (AZ)Then say, “Save us, God of our salvation,
And gather us and save us from the nations,
To give thanks to Your holy name,
And [t]glory in Your praise.”
36 (BA)Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
From everlasting to everlasting!
Then all the people (BB)said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord.
Worship before the Ark
37 So he left Asaph and his relatives there (BC)before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to minister before the ark continually, (BD)as every day’s work required, 38 and (BE)Obed-edom with [u]his sixty-eight relatives; Obed-edom, the son of Jeduthun, and (BF)Hosah as gatekeepers. 39 He left (BG)Zadok the priest and his relatives the priests (BH)before the [v]tabernacle of the Lord in the high place which was at Gibeon, 40 to offer burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of burnt offering continually morning and evening, (BI)even according to everything that is written in the Law of the Lord, which He commanded Israel. 41 With them were (BJ)Heman and Jeduthun, and (BK)the rest who were chosen, who were designated by name, to (BL)give thanks to the Lord, because His [w]kindness is everlasting. 42 And with them were Heman and Jeduthun with trumpets and cymbals for those who were to play them, and with instruments for (BM)the songs of God, and the sons of Jeduthun for the gate.
43 (BN)Then all the people departed, each to his house; and David returned to bless his household.
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 14:4 Lit were to
- 1 Chronicles 14:11 Lit struck
- 1 Chronicles 14:11 I.e., the master of breakthroughs
- 1 Chronicles 14:14 Lit from upon
- 1 Chronicles 14:16 In 2 Sam 5:25, Geba
- 1 Chronicles 15:18 Omitted in LXX and many mss
- 1 Chronicles 15:20 Or perhaps the pitch of young girls
- 1 Chronicles 15:21 Or octave
- 1 Chronicles 16:5 In 1 Chr 15:18, Jaaziel
- 1 Chronicles 16:7 Lit by the hand of Asaph
- 1 Chronicles 16:9 Or Meditate on
- 1 Chronicles 16:9 I.e., wonderful acts
- 1 Chronicles 16:13 Lit seed of
- 1 Chronicles 16:26 Or non-existent things
- 1 Chronicles 16:29 Or a grain offering
- 1 Chronicles 16:29 Or the splendor of holiness
- 1 Chronicles 16:31 Hopeful command or wish, not a request; and so through v 32
- 1 Chronicles 16:32 Or thunder
- 1 Chronicles 16:32 Lit its fullness
- 1 Chronicles 16:35 Lit boast
- 1 Chronicles 16:38 Lit their brothers, sixty-eight
- 1 Chronicles 16:39 Lit dwelling place
- 1 Chronicles 16:41 Or faithfulness
1 Chronicles 14-16
New King James Version
David Established at Jerusalem(A)
14 Now (B)Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, with masons and carpenters, to build him a house. 2 So David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, for his kingdom was (C)highly exalted for the sake of His people Israel.
3 Then David took more wives in Jerusalem, and David begot more sons and daughters. 4 And (D)these are the names of his children whom he had in Jerusalem: [a]Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, 5 Ibhar, [b]Elishua, [c]Elpelet, 6 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 7 Elishama, [d]Beeliada, and Eliphelet.
The Philistines Defeated(E)
8 Now when the Philistines heard that (F)David had been anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it and went out against them. 9 Then the Philistines went and made a raid (G)on the Valley of [e]Rephaim. 10 And David (H)inquired of God, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?”
The Lord said to him, “Go up, for I will deliver them into your hand.”
11 So they went up to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there. Then David said, “God has broken through my enemies by my hand like a breakthrough of water.” Therefore they called the name of that place [f]Baal Perazim. 12 And when they left their gods there, David gave a commandment, and they were burned with fire.
13 (I)Then the Philistines once again made a raid on the valley. 14 Therefore David inquired again of God, and God said to him, “You shall not go up after them; circle around them, (J)and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. 15 And it shall be, when you hear a sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall go out to battle, for God has gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” 16 So David did as God commanded him, and they drove back the army of the Philistines from [g]Gibeon as far as Gezer. 17 Then (K)the fame of David went out into all lands, and the Lord (L)brought the fear of him upon all nations.
The Ark Brought to Jerusalem(M)
15 David built houses for himself in the City of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God, (N)and pitched a tent for it. 2 Then David said, “No one may carry the (O)ark of God but the Levites, for (P)the Lord has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to minister before Him forever.” 3 And David (Q)gathered all Israel together at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the Lord to its place, which he had prepared for it. 4 Then David assembled the children of Aaron and the Levites: 5 of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, and one hundred and twenty of his [h]brethren; 6 of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, and two hundred and twenty of his brethren; 7 of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, and one hundred and thirty of his brethren; 8 of the sons of (R)Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, and two hundred of his brethren; 9 of the sons of (S)Hebron, Eliel the chief, and eighty of his brethren; 10 of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, and one hundred and twelve of his brethren.
11 And David called for (T)Zadok and (U)Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites: for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. 12 He said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites; [i]sanctify yourselves, you and your brethren, that you may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it. 13 For (V)because you did not do it the first time, (W)the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not consult Him [j]about the proper order.”
14 So the priests and the Levites [k]sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel. 15 And the children of the Levites bore the ark of God on their shoulders, by its poles, as (X)Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord.
16 Then David spoke to the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers accompanied by instruments of music, stringed instruments, harps, and cymbals, by raising the voice with resounding joy. 17 So the Levites appointed (Y)Heman the son of Joel; and of his brethren, (Z)Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of their brethren, the sons of Merari, (AA)Ethan the son of Kushaiah; 18 and with them their brethren of the second rank: Zechariah, [l]Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers; 19 the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were to sound the cymbals of bronze; 20 Zechariah, [m]Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with strings according to (AB)Alamoth; 21 Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah, to direct with harps on the (AC)Sheminith; 22 Chenaniah, leader of the Levites, was instructor in charge of the music, because he was skillful; 23 Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark; 24 Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, (AD)were to blow the trumpets before the ark of God; and (AE)Obed-Edom and Jehiah, doorkeepers for the ark.
25 So (AF)David, the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom with joy. 26 And so it was, when God helped the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, that they offered seven bulls and seven rams. 27 David was clothed with a robe of fine (AG)linen, as were all the Levites who bore the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah the music master with the singers. David also wore a linen ephod. 28 (AH)Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn, with trumpets and with cymbals, making music with stringed instruments and harps.
29 And it happened, (AI)as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the City of David, that Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David whirling and playing music; and she despised him in her heart.
The Ark Placed in the Tabernacle(AJ)
16 So (AK)they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. 2 And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, (AL)he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. 3 Then he distributed to everyone of Israel, both man and woman, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins.
4 And he appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to (AM)commemorate, to thank, and to praise the Lord God of Israel: 5 Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, then (AN)Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, and Obed-Edom: Jeiel with stringed instruments and harps, but Asaph made music with cymbals; 6 Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests regularly blew the trumpets before the ark of the covenant of God.
David’s Song of Thanksgiving(AO)
7 On that day (AP)David (AQ)first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the Lord:
8 (AR)Oh, give thanks to the Lord!
Call upon His name;
Make known His deeds among the peoples!
9 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;
Talk of all His wondrous works!
10 Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!
11 Seek the Lord and His strength;
Seek His face evermore!
12 Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth,
13 O seed of Israel His servant,
You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!
14 He is the Lord our God;
His (AS)judgments are in all the earth.
15 Remember His covenant forever,
The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,
16 The (AT)covenant which He made with Abraham,
And His oath to Isaac,
17 And (AU)confirmed it to (AV)Jacob for a statute,
To Israel for an everlasting covenant,
18 Saying, “To you I will give the land of Canaan
As the allotment of your inheritance,”
19 When you were (AW)few in number,
Indeed very few, and strangers in it.
20 When they went from one nation to another,
And from one kingdom to another people,
21 He permitted no man to do them wrong;
Yes, He (AX)rebuked kings for their sakes,
22 Saying, (AY)“Do not touch My anointed ones,
And do My prophets no harm.”
23 (AZ)Sing to the Lord, all the earth;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
24 Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.
25 For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised;
He is also to be feared above all gods.
26 For all the gods (BA)of the peoples are [n]idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.
27 Honor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and gladness are in His place.
28 Give to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Give to the Lord glory and strength.
29 Give to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come before Him.
Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
30 Tremble before Him, all the earth.
The world also is firmly established,
It shall not be moved.
31 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
And let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns.”
32 Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;
Let the field rejoice, and all that is in it.
33 Then the (BB)trees of the woods shall rejoice before the Lord,
For He is (BC)coming to judge the earth.
34 (BD)Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
35 (BE)And say, “Save us, O God of our salvation;
Gather us together, and deliver us from the Gentiles,
To give thanks to Your holy name,
To triumph in Your praise.”
36 (BF)Blessed be the Lord God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
And all (BG)the people said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord.
Regular Worship Maintained
37 So he left (BH)Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister before the ark regularly, as every day’s work (BI)required; 38 and (BJ)Obed-Edom with his sixty-eight brethren, including Obed-Edom the son of Jeduthun, and Hosah, to be gatekeepers; 39 and Zadok the priest and his brethren the priests, (BK)before the tabernacle of the Lord (BL)at the [o]high place that was at Gibeon, 40 to offer burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of burnt offering regularly (BM)morning and evening, and to do according to all that is written in the Law of the Lord which He commanded Israel; 41 and with them Heman and Jeduthun and the rest who were chosen, who were designated by name, to give thanks to the Lord, (BN)because His mercy endures forever; 42 and with them Heman and Jeduthun, to sound aloud with trumpets and cymbals and the musical instruments of God. Now the sons of Jeduthun were gatekeepers.
43 (BO)Then all the people departed, every man to his house; and David returned to bless his house.
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 14:4 Shimea, 1 Chr. 3:5
- 1 Chronicles 14:5 Elishama, 1 Chr. 3:6
- 1 Chronicles 14:5 Eliphelet, 1 Chr. 3:6
- 1 Chronicles 14:7 Eliada, 2 Sam. 5:6; 1 Chr. 3:8
- 1 Chronicles 14:9 Lit. Giants
- 1 Chronicles 14:11 Lit. Master of Breakthroughs
- 1 Chronicles 14:16 Geba, 2 Sam. 5:25
- 1 Chronicles 15:5 kinsmen
- 1 Chronicles 15:12 consecrate
- 1 Chronicles 15:13 regarding the ordinance
- 1 Chronicles 15:14 consecrated
- 1 Chronicles 15:18 So with MT, Vg.; LXX omits Ben
- 1 Chronicles 15:20 Jaaziel, v. 18
- 1 Chronicles 16:26 worthless things
- 1 Chronicles 16:39 Place for pagan worship
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
