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23 Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse, the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said:

“The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue.

The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spoke to me: ‘He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.

And he shall be as the light of the morning when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds, as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.’

“Although my house be not so with God, yet He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure; for this is all my salvation and all my desire, although He make it not to grow.

But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken with hands;

but the man that shall touch them must be armed with iron and the staff of a spear; and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the same place.”

These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: The Tachmonite who sat in the chief seat among the captains; the same was Adino the Eznite. He lifted up his spear against eight hundred, whom he slew at one time.

And after him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were there gathered together for battle, and the men of Israel had gone away.

10 He arose and smote the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand cleaved unto the sword; and the Lord wrought a great victory that day, and the people returned after him only to despoil.

11 And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop where there was a piece of ground full of lentils; and the people fled from the Philistines.

12 But he stood in the midst of the ground and defended it, and slew the Philistines; and the Lord wrought a great victory.

13 And three of the thirty chief men went down, and came to David in the harvest time unto the cave of Adullam; and the troop of the Philistines pitched camp in the Valley of Rephaim.

14 And David was then in a stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.

15 And David longed, and said, “Oh that one would give me a drink of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!”

16 And the three mighty men broke through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David; nevertheless he would not drink thereof, but poured it out unto the Lord.

17 And he said, “Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this. Is not this the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mighty men.

18 And Abishai the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief among three. And he lifted up his spear against three hundred and slew them, and had the name among three.

19 Was he not most honorable of three? Therefore he was their captain; however he attained not unto the first three.

20 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many acts, he slew two lionlike men of Moab. He went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow.

21 And he slew an Egyptian, a goodly man; and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but he went down to him with a staff and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and slew him with his own spear.

22 These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada and had the name among three mighty men.

23 He was more honorable than the thirty, but he attained not to the first three. And David set him over his guard.

24 Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem,

25 Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite,

26 Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite,

27 Abiezer the Anathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite,

28 Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite,

29 Heleb the son of Baanah, a Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai out of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin,

30 Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash,

31 Abialbon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the Barhumite,

32 Eliahba the Shaalbonite of the sons of Jashen, Jonathan,

33 Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite,

34 Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of the Maachathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite,

35 Hezrai the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite,

36 Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite,

37 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Beerothite, armorbearer to Joab the son of Zeruiah,

38 Ira an Ithrite, Gareb an Ithrite,

39 Uriah the Hittite: thirty and seven in all.

24 And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he [Satan] moved David against them to say, “Go, number Israel and Judah.”

For the king said to Joab the captain of the host who was with him, “Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people.”

And Joab said unto the king, “Now the Lord thy God add unto the people, how many so ever they be, a hundredfold, that the eyes of my lord the king may see it. But why doth my lord the king delight in this thing?”

Notwithstanding, the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the host. And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king to number the people of Israel.

And they passed over the Jordan and pitched camp in Aroer, on the right side of the city that lieth in the midst of the valley of Gad and toward Jazer.

Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtimhodshi; and they came to Danjaan and about to Sidon,

and came to the stronghold of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and of the Canaanites; and they went out to the south of Judah, even to Beersheba.

So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto the king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

10 And David’s heart smote him after he had numbered the people. And David said unto the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. And now, I beseech Thee, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Thy servant, for I have done very foolishly.”

11 For when David was up in the morning, the word of the Lord came unto the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying,

12 “Go, and say unto David, ‘Thus saith the Lord: I offer thee three things. Choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.’”

13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said unto him, “Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? Or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies while they pursue thee? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in thy land? Now advise, and see what answer I shall return to Him that sent me.”

14 And David said unto Gad, “I am in a great strait. Let us fall now into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great; and let me not fall into the hand of man.”

15 So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed; and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men.

16 And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord repented of the evil, and said to the angel who destroyed the people, “It is enough: stay now thine hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing place of Araunah the Jebusite.

17 And David spoke unto the Lord when he saw the angel who smote the people, and said, “Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Let Thine hand, I pray Thee, be against me and against my father’s house.”

18 And Gad came that day to David and said unto him, “Go up, rear an altar unto the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”

19 And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the Lord commanded.

20 And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him; and Araunah went out and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground.

21 And Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” And David said, “To buy the threshing floor from thee to build an altar unto the Lord, that the plague may be stayed from the people.”

22 And Araunah said unto David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him. Behold, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood.”

23 All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, “The Lord thy God accept thee.”

24 And the king said unto Araunah, “Nay; but I will surely buy it from thee at a price; neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

25 And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord was entreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.