2 Samuel 23 - 24, 1 Chronicles 21, Revelation 2, Ecclesiastes 6

David’s Last Words

23Now these are the last words of David. David the son of Jesse declares,^aThe man who was raised on high declares,^bThe anointed of the God of Jacob,And the sweet psalmist of Israel,

²“^aThe Spirit of Yahweh spoke by me,And His word was on my tongue.³“The God of Israel said,^aThe Rock of Israel spoke to me,‘^bHe who rules over men as a righteous one,^cWho rules in the fear of God,⁴^aIs as the light of the morning when the sun rises,A morning without clouds,From brightness of the sun after rain.’With the tender grass springing from the earth,⁵¹Truly is not my house so with God?For ^aHe has made an everlasting covenant with me,Ordered in all things, and secured;For all my salvation and all my desire,Will He not indeed make it grow?⁶“^aBut the vile men, every one of them will be thrust away like thorns,Because they cannot be taken in hand;⁷But the man who touches themMust be ¹armed with iron and the shaft of a spear,And ^athey will be completely burned with fire where they sit.”

David’s Mighty Men

⁸^aThese are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite, chief of the ¹captains, he was called Adino the Eznite, because of eight hundred slain by him at one time; ⁹and after him was Eleazar the son of ^aDodo the ^bson of Ahohi, one of the three mighty men with David when they ¹reproached the Philistines who were gathered together there to battle and the men of Israel had gone up to retreat. ¹⁰^aHe arose and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary and ¹clung to the sword, and ^bYahweh brought about a great salvation that day; and the people returned after him only to strip the slain.

¹¹Now after him was Shammah the son of Agee a ^aHararite. And the Philistines were gathered ¹into a troop where there was a portion of the field full of lentils; and the people fled from before the Philistines. ¹²But he took his stand in the midst of that portion and delivered it and struck down the Philistines. So ^aYahweh brought about a great salvation.

¹³Then three of the thirty chief men went down and came to David in the harvest time to the ^acave of Adullam, while the troop of the Philistines was camping in ^bthe valley of Rephaim. ¹⁴And David was then ^ain the fortress, while the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. ¹⁵^aThen David had a craving and said, “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” ¹⁶^aSo the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water from the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and carried it and brought it to David. Nevertheless, he was not willing to drink it, but ^bpoured it out to Yahweh; ¹⁷and he said, “Be it far from me, O Yahweh, that I should do this. ^aShall I drink the blood of the men who went ¹at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he was not willing to drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

¹⁸^aNow Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was ^bchief of the ¹thirty. And he swung his spear against three hundred ²who were slain by him; and he had a name as well as the three. ¹⁹Of the thirty he was most honored and became their commander; however, he did not attain to the three.

²⁰Then ^aBenaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of ^bKabzeel, mighty in deeds, struck down the ¹two sons of Ariel of Moab. He also went down and struck down a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. ²¹He had also struck down an Egyptian, ¹an impressive man. Now in the Egyptian’s hand was a spear, but he went down to him with a club and snatched the spear from the Egyptian’s hand and killed him with his own spear. ²²These things ^aBenaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and had a name as well as the three mighty men. ²³He was honored among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David appointed him over his guard.

²⁴^aAsahel the brother of Joab was among the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, ²⁵^aShammah the ^bHarodite, Elika the Harodite, ²⁶Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the ^aTekoite, ²⁷Abiezer the ^aAnathothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite, ²⁸Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai the ^aNetophathite, ²⁹^aHeleb the son of Baanah the Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai of ^bGibeah of the sons of Benjamin, ³⁰Benaiah a ^aPirathonite, Hiddai of the brooks of ^bGaash, ³¹Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth the ^aBarhumite, ³²Eliahba the ^aShaalbonite, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan, ³³^aShammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Ararite, ³⁴Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the son of ^athe Maacathite, ^bEliam the son of ^cAhithophel the Gilonite, ³⁵^aHezro the ^bCarmelite, Paarai the Arbite, ³⁶Igal the son of Nathan of ^aZobah, Bani the Gadite, ³⁷Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the ^aBeerothite, armor bearers of Joab the son of Zeruiah, ³⁸Ira the ^aIthrite, Gareb the Ithrite, ³⁹^aUriah the Hittite; thirty-seven in all.

David Sins in Taking a Census

24^aAnd ^bagain the anger of Yahweh burned against Israel, and it incited David against them to say, “^cGo, number Israel and Judah.” ²So the king said to Joab the commander of the military force who was with him, “Go about now through all the tribes of Israel, ^afrom Dan to Beersheba, and ¹take a census of the people, that I may know the total count of the people.” ³But Joab said to the king, “^aNow may Yahweh your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see; but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?” ⁴Nevertheless, the king’s word stood strong against Joab and against the commanders of the military force. So Joab and the commanders of the military force went out from the presence of the king to ¹take a census of the people of Israel. ⁵And they crossed the Jordan and camped in ^aAroer, on the right side of the city that is in the middle of the valley of Gad and toward ^bJazer. ⁶Then they came to Gilead and to ¹the land of Tahtim-hodshi, and they came to Dan-jaan and around to ^aSidon, ⁷and came to the ^afortified city of Tyre and to all the cities of the ^bHivites and of the Canaanites, and they went out to the south of Judah, to ^cBeersheba. ⁸So they had gone about through the whole land, and they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. ⁹And Joab gave ^athe total count of the ¹census of the people to the king; and there were in Israel ^b800,000 valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000 men.

¹⁰Then ^aDavid’s heart struck him after he had counted the people. So David said to Yahweh, “^bI have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Yahweh, please ¹take away the iniquity of Your slave, for ^cI have acted very foolishly.” ¹¹Then David arose in the morning, and the word of Yahweh came to ^athe prophet Gad, David’s ^bseer, saying, ¹²“Go and speak to David, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “I am offering you three things; choose for yourself one of them, and I will do that to you.”’” ¹³So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall ^aseven years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your adversaries while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now, know and see what word I should return to Him who sent me.” ¹⁴Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of Yahweh, ^afor His compassions are abundant. But do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

¹⁵So ^aYahweh ¹sent a pestilence against Israel from the morning until the appointed time, and 70,000 men of the people ^bfrom Dan to Beersheba died. ¹⁶^aThen the angel sent forth his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, and ^bYahweh ¹relented of the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, “It is enough! Now relax your hand!” And the angel of Yahweh was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. ¹⁷Then David spoke to Yahweh when he saw the angel who was striking down the people, and said, “Behold, ^ait is I who have sinned, and it is I who have done unrighteousness; but ^bthese sheep, what have they done? Please let Your hand be against me and my father’s house.”

David Erects an Altar

¹⁸So Gad came to David that day and said to him, “^aGo up, erect an altar to Yahweh on the threshing floor of ¹Araunah the Jebusite.” ¹⁹So David went up according to the word of Gad, just as Yahweh had commanded. ²⁰And Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him; and Araunah went out and bowed his face to the ground before the king. ²¹Then Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” And David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to Yahweh, ^athat the plague may be checked from being upon the people.” ²²And Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what is good in his sight. Look, ^athe oxen for the burnt offering, the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. ²³“Everything, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May Yahweh your God ^aaccept you.” ²⁴However, the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for ^aI will not offer burnt offerings to Yahweh my God ¹which cost me nothing.” So ^bDavid bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty ²shekels of silver. ²⁵Then David built there an altar to Yahweh and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. ^aThus Yahweh was moved by the entreaty for the land, and the plague was checked from being upon Israel.

David Sins by Numbering Israel

21^aThen Satan stood up against Israel and incited David to number Israel. ²So David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, “^aGo, count Israel from Beersheba even to Dan, and bring me word that I may know their total count.” ³But Joab said, “^aMay Yahweh add to His people a hundred times as many as they are! But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord seek this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt to Israel?” ⁴Nevertheless, the king’s word stood strong against Joab. So, Joab went out and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem. ⁵And Joab gave the total count of the ¹census of the people to David. And ^aall Israel were 1,100,000 men who drew the sword; and Judah was 470,000 men who drew the sword. ⁶^aBut he did not ¹number Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king’s ²command was abominable to Joab.

⁷And this thing was displeasing in the sight of God, so He struck Israel. ⁸Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing. ^aBut now, please take away the iniquity of Your slave, for I have acted very foolishly.”

⁹And Yahweh spoke to ^aGad, David’s ^bseer, saying, ¹⁰“Go and speak to David, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “I ¹am offering you three things; choose for yourself one of them, and I will do that to you.”’” ¹¹So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Take for yourself ¹²^aeither three years of famine, or three months to be swept away before your adversaries, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of Yahweh, even pestilence in the land, and the angel of Yahweh destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ So now, see what word I should return to Him who sent me.” ¹³Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let me now fall into the hand of Yahweh, ^afor His compassions are exceedingly abundant. But do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

¹⁴^aSo Yahweh ¹sent a pestilence against Israel; and 70,000 men of Israel fell. ¹⁵And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but as he was about to destroy it, Yahweh saw and ¹^,^arelented concerning the calamity, and said to the destroying angel, “It is enough! Now relax your hand.” And the angel of Yahweh was standing by the threshing floor of ²Ornan the Jebusite. ¹⁶Then David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of Yahweh standing between earth and heaven, with his drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, ^acovered with sackcloth, fell on their faces. ¹⁷And David said to God, “Is it not I who ¹commanded to number the people? Indeed, I am the one who has sinned and done a great evil; ^abut these sheep, what have they done? O Yahweh my God, please let Your hand be against me and my father’s household, but not against Your people that they should be plagued.”

David Erects an Altar

¹⁸^aThen the angel of Yahweh said to Gad to say to David, that David should go up and erect an altar to Yahweh on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ¹⁹So David went up at the word of Gad, which he spoke in the name of Yahweh. ²⁰Now Ornan turned back and saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. And Ornan was threshing wheat. ²¹Then David came to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw David, and went out from the threshing floor and bowed his ¹face to the ground ²before David. ²²Then David said to Ornan, “Give me the ¹site of this threshing floor, that I may build on it an altar to Yahweh; for the full price you shall give it to me, that the plague may be checked from being upon the people.” ²³And Ornan said to David, “Take it for yourself; and let my lord the king do what is good in his sight. See, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for the wood and the wheat for the grain offering; I will give everything.” ²⁴However, King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price; for I will not lift up what is yours to Yahweh, or offer a burnt offering ¹which costs me nothing.” ²⁵So ^aDavid gave Ornan ¹600 shekels of gold by weight for the ²site. ²⁶Then David built there an altar to Yahweh and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And he called to Yahweh and ^aHe answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering. ²⁷Then Yahweh spoke to the angel, and he returned his sword to its sheath.

²⁸At that time, when David saw that Yahweh had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. ²⁹^aNow the tabernacle of Yahweh, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were in the high place at Gibeon at that time. ³⁰But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was terrified by the sword of the angel of Yahweh.

To the Church in Ephesus

2“To the angel of the church in ^aEphesus write: This is what the One who holds ^bthe seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks ¹^,^camong the seven golden lampstands, says:

²‘^aI know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot bear with those who are evil, and you ^bput to the test those who call themselves ^capostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; ³and you have perseverance and have ¹endured ^afor My name’s sake, you also have not grown weary. ⁴‘But I have this against you, that you have ^aleft your first love. ⁵‘Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and ^arepent and ^bdo the ¹deeds you did at first. But if not, I am coming to you and will remove your ^clampstand out of its place, unless you repent. ⁶‘Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the ^aNicolaitans, which I also hate. ⁷‘^aHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^bTo him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of ^cthe tree of life which is in the ^dParadise of God.’

To the Church in Smyrna

⁸“And to the angel of the church in ^aSmyrna write: ^bThis is what the first and the last, who ¹^,^cwas dead, and has come to life, says:

⁹‘I know your ^atribulation and your ^bpoverty (but you are ^crich), and the blasphemy by those who ^dsay they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of ^eSatan. ¹⁰‘Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be ^atested, and you will have tribulation ^bfor ten days. ¹Be ^cfaithful until death, and I will give you ^dthe crown of life. ¹¹‘^aHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^bHe who overcomes will never be hurt by the ^csecond death.’

To the Church in Pergamum

¹²“And to the angel of the church in ^aPergamum write: This is what the One who has ^bthe sharp two-edged sword says:

¹³‘I know where you dwell, where ^aSatan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny ^bMy faith even in the days of Antipas, My ^cwitness, My ^dfaithful one, who was killed among you, ^ewhere Satan dwells. ¹⁴‘But ^aI have a few things against you, that you have there some who hold the ^bteaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, ^cto eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sexual immorality. ¹⁵‘So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the ^aNicolaitans. ¹⁶‘Therefore ^arepent. But if not, ^bI am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with ^cthe sword of My mouth. ¹⁷‘^aHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^bTo him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden ^cmanna, and I will give him a white stone, and a ^dnew name written on the stone ^ewhich no one knows but he who receives it.’

To the Church in Thyatira

¹⁸“And to the angel of the church in ^aThyatira write: ^bThis is what the Son of God, the One ^cwho has ¹eyes like a flame of fire and His feet are like burnished bronze, says:

¹⁹‘^aI know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your last deeds are greater than ¹at first. ²⁰‘But ^aI have this against you, that you tolerate the woman ^bJezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and deceives My slaves so that they ^ccommit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. ²¹‘^aAnd I gave her time to repent, and she ^bdoes not wish to repent of her sexual immorality. ²²‘Behold, I will throw her ¹on a bed of sickness, and those who ^acommit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of ²her deeds. ²³‘And I will kill her children with ¹pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who ^asearches the ²minds and hearts; and ^bI will give to each one of you according to your deeds. ²⁴‘But I say to you, the rest who are in ^aThyatira, who do not have this teaching, who have not known the ^bdeep things of Satan, as they call them—I ^cplace no other burden on you. ²⁵‘Nevertheless ^awhat you have, hold fast ^buntil I come. ²⁶‘^aAnd he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds ^buntil the end, ^cto him I will give authority over the ¹nations; ²⁷and he shall ¹^,^arule them with a rod of iron, ^bas the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; ²⁸and I will give him ^athe morning star. ²⁹‘^aHe who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

The Vanity of Life

6There is an ^aevil which I have seen under the sun and it is prevalent ¹among men— ²a man to whom God ^agives riches and wealth and honor so that his soul ^blacks nothing of all that he desires; yet God does not empower him to eat from them, for a foreigner eats from them. This is ¹vanity and a sickening evil. ³If a man becomes the father of one hundred children and lives many years, however many the days of his years may be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things, and he does not even have a proper ^aburial, then I say, “Better ^bthe miscarriage than he, ⁴for that one comes in vanity and goes into darkness; and that one’s name is covered in darkness. ⁵“Indeed, that one never sees the sun and never knows anything; ¹that one has more rest than he. ⁶“Even if the other man lives one thousand years twice and does not see good things—^ado not all go to the same place?”

⁷^aAll a man’s labor is for his mouth, and yet the soul is not fulfilled. ⁸For ^awhat advantage does the wise man have over the fool? What advantage does the afflicted man have, knowing how to walk before the living? ⁹What the eyes ^asee is better than what the soul goes after. This too is ^bvanity and striving after wind.

¹⁰Whatever ^aexists has already been named, and it is known what man is; and he ^bcannot dispute with him who is stronger than he is. ¹¹For there are many words which increase vanity. What then is the advantage to a man? ¹²For who knows what is good for a man during his lifetime, during the few days of his vain life? He will make do with them like a ^ashadow. For who can tell a man ^bwhat will be after him under the sun?