2 Samuel 6 - 7, 1 Chronicles 17, 2 Peter 1 - 2, Proverbs 28

The Ark Is Brought to Jerusalem

6^aThen David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. ²And David arose and went with all the people who were with him ¹from ²^,^aBaale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the ^bName, the very name of Yahweh of hosts who ^cis ³enthroned above the cherubim. ³And they ¹drove the ark of God on ^aa new cart that they might bring it from the house of Abinadab which was on the hill; and ²Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were leading the new cart. ⁴So ^athey brought it with the ark of God from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Ahio was walking ahead of the ark. ⁵Now David and all the house of Israel ^awere celebrating before Yahweh ^bwith all kinds of instruments made of ¹fir wood, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

⁶Then they came to the ^athreshing floor of Nacon. And ¹Uzzah ^breached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, because the oxen nearly upset it. ⁷And the anger of Yahweh burned against Uzzah, and ^aGod struck him down there for ¹his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God. ⁸And David became angry because ¹of Yahweh’s breaking out against Uzzah; and that place is called ²Perez-uzzah to this day. ⁹So ^aDavid was afraid of Yahweh that day; and he said, “How can the ark of Yahweh come to me?” ¹⁰And David was unwilling to move the ark of Yahweh into the city of David with him; but David took it aside to the house of ^aObed-edom the Gittite. ¹¹Thus the ark of Yahweh remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and Yahweh ^ablessed Obed-edom and all his household.

¹²Then it was told to King David, saying, “Yahweh has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, on account of the ark of God.” So ^aDavid went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into ^bthe city of David with gladness. ¹³And so it happened, that when those ^awho were carrying the ark of Yahweh had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ^box and a fatling. ¹⁴And ^aDavid was dancing before Yahweh with all his strength, and David was ^bgirded with a linen ephod. ¹⁵So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of Yahweh with shouting and the sound of the trumpet.

David Dances Before Yahweh

¹⁶Then it happened as the ark of Yahweh came into the city of David, that ^aMichal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before Yahweh; and she despised him in her heart.

¹⁷And they brought in the ark of Yahweh and placed it ^ain its place inside the tent which David had pitched for it; and ^bDavid offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh. ¹⁸Then David completed offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings. And ^ahe blessed the people in the name of Yahweh of hosts. ¹⁹And he apportioned to all the people, to all the multitude of Israel, both to men and women, a cake of bread and one of dates and one of raisins to each one. Then all the people went each to his house.

²⁰But David returned to bless his household, and Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel has glorified himself today! ^aHe uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servants’ maids as one of the ^bworthless ones shamelessly uncovers himself!” ²¹So David said to Michal, “^aIt was before Yahweh, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of Yahweh, over Israel; therefore I will celebrate before Yahweh. ²²“And I will be esteemed even more lightly than this and will be humble in my own eyes, but with the maids of whom you have spoken, with them I will be glorified.” ²³And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

The Ark of God Inhabits a Tent

7^aNow it happened when the king inhabited his house, and Yahweh had given him rest on every side from all his enemies, ²that the king said to ^aNathan the prophet, “See now, I inhabit ^ba house of cedar, but the ark of God ^cinhabits tent curtains.” ³So Nathan said to the king, “^aGo, do all that is in your heart, for Yahweh is with you.”

⁴Now it happened in the same night, that the word of Yahweh came to Nathan, saying, ⁵“Go and say to My servant David, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “^aAre you the one who would build Me a house to inhabit? ⁶“For ^aI have not inhabited a house since the day I brought up the sons of Israel from Egypt, even to this day; but I have been going about ^bin a tent, even in a ¹tabernacle. ⁷“^aWherever I have gone about with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel, ^bwhich I commanded to shepherd My people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’”’

David’s House Will Be Established Forever

⁸“So now, thus you shall say to My servant David, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “^aI Myself took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, ^bto be ruler over My people Israel. ⁹“^aAnd I have been with you wherever you have gone and ^bhave cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth. ¹⁰“And I will appoint a place for My people Israel and ^awill plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and not be disturbed again; ^band the ¹unrighteous will not afflict them any more as formerly, ¹¹even ^afrom the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and ^bI will give you rest from all your enemies. Yahweh also declares to you that ^cYahweh will make a house for you. ¹²“^aWhen your days are fulfilled and you ^blie down with your fathers, ^cI will raise up one of your seed after you, who will come forth from ¹your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³“^aHe shall build a house for My name, and ^bI will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ¹⁴“^aI will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; ^bwhen he commits iniquity, I will reprove him with the rod of men and the strikes from the sons of men, ¹⁵but My lovingkindness shall not be removed from him, ^aas I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ¹⁶“^aAnd your house and your kingdom shall ¹endure before ²Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”’” ¹⁷According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

David Magnifies Yahweh’s Name

¹⁸Then David the king went in and sat before Yahweh, and he said, “^aWho am I, O Lord Yahweh, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far? ¹⁹“And yet this was a small thing in Your eyes, O Lord Yahweh, ^afor You have spoken also of the house of Your slave concerning the distant future. And ^bthis is the law of man, O Lord Yahweh. ²⁰“And again what more can David say to You? And ^aYou know Your slave, O Lord Yahweh! ²¹“^aFor the sake of Your word, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness to let Your slave know. ²²“For this reason ^aYou are great, O Lord Yahweh; for ^bthere is none like You, and there is no God besides You, ^caccording to all that we have heard with our ears. ²³“And ^awhat one nation on the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people and to make a name for Himself, and ^bto do a great thing for You and awesome things for Your land, before ^cYour people whom ^dYou have redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, from nations and their gods? ²⁴“Yet ^aYou have established for Yourself Your people Israel as Your own people forever, and ^bYou, O Yahweh, have become their God. ²⁵“So now, O Yahweh God, the word that You have spoken concerning Your slave and concerning his house, establish it forever, and do as You have spoken, ²⁶^athat Your name may be magnified forever, by saying, ‘Yahweh of hosts is God over Israel’; and the house of Your ¹servant David shall be established before You. ²⁷“For You, O Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel, have revealed in the hearing of Your slave, saying, ‘^aI will build you a house’; therefore Your slave has found courage in his heart to pray this prayer to You. ²⁸“So now, O Lord Yahweh, You are God, and ^aYour words are truth, and You have ¹promised this good thing to Your slave. ²⁹“So now, be pleased and bless the house of Your slave, that it may be forever before You. For You, O Lord Yahweh, have spoken; and ^awith Your blessing may the house of Your slave be blessed forever.”

The Ark of God Inhabits a Tent

17^aNow it happened when David inhabited his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, “Behold, I inhabit a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of Yahweh is under tent curtains.” ²So Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”

³Now it happened in the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, ⁴“Go and say to David My servant, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “^aYou shall not build Me a house to inhabit; ⁵for I have not inhabited a house since the day that I brought up Israel to this day, ^abut I have been from tent to tent and from one ¹dwelling place to another. ⁶“Wherever I have gone about with all Israel, did I speak a word ^awith even one of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’”’

David’s House Will Be Established Forever

⁷“So now, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “I Myself took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel. ⁸“And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make you a name like the name of the great men who are on the earth. ⁹“And I will appoint a place for My people Israel and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and not be disturbed again; and the ¹unrighteous will not waste them anymore as formerly, ¹⁰even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies. And I tell you that Yahweh will build a house for you. ¹¹“And it will be that when your days are fulfilled to go to be with your fathers, I will raise up one of your seed after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. ¹²“He shall build for Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. ¹³“^aI will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; and I will not remove My lovingkindness from him, ^bas I removed it from him who was before you. ¹⁴“But I will cause him to stand in My house and in My kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.”’” ¹⁵According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

David Magnifies Yahweh’s Name

¹⁶Then David the king went in and sat before Yahweh and said, “^aWho am I, O Yahweh God, and what is my house that You have brought me this far? ¹⁷“And this was a small thing in Your eyes, O God; but You have spoken of the house of Your slave concerning the distant future, and have regarded me according to the standard of a man of high degree, O Yahweh God. ¹⁸“Again what more can David say to You concerning the glory bestowed on Your slave? You know Your slave. ¹⁹“O Yahweh, ^afor the sake of Your slave, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness, to make known all these great things. ²⁰“O Yahweh, there is none like You, and there is no God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. ²¹“And what one nation in the earth is like Your people Israel, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, to make You a name by great and awesome things, in driving out nations from before Your people, whom You redeemed out of Egypt? ²²“^aYet You gave Your people Israel to be Your own people forever, and You, O Yahweh, have become their God.

²³“So now, O Yahweh, let the word that You have spoken concerning Your slave and concerning his house ¹endure forever, and do as You have spoken, ²⁴that Your name ¹endure and be magnified forever, by saying, ‘Yahweh of hosts is the God of Israel, even a God to Israel; and the house of David Your ²servant is established before You.’ ²⁵“For You, O my God, have revealed in the hearing of Your slave that You will build for him a house; therefore Your slave has found courage to pray before You. ²⁶“So now, O Yahweh, You are God, and You have ¹promised this good thing to Your slave. ²⁷“So now, You have been pleased to bless the house of Your slave, that it may be forever before You. For You, O Yahweh, have blessed, and it is blessed forever.”

Precious and Magnificent Promises

1¹Simeon Peter, a ^aslave and ^bapostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received ^cthe same ²kind of faith as ours, ³by ^dthe righteousness of ^eour God and Savior, Jesus Christ: ²^aGrace and peace be multiplied to you in ^bthe full knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; ³seeing that His ^adivine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the ^bfull knowledge of Him who ^ccalled us ¹by His own glory and ²excellence. ⁴¹For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent ^apromises, so that by them you may become ^bpartakers of the divine nature, having ^cescaped the ^dcorruption that is in ^ethe world by lust. ⁵Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith ^asupply ^bmoral ¹excellence, and in your moral excellence, ^cknowledge, ⁶and in your knowledge, ^aself-control, and in your self-control, ^bperseverance, and in your perseverance, ^cgodliness, ⁷and in your godliness, ¹^,^abrotherly kindness, and in your ²brotherly kindness, ³love. ⁸For if these things are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor ^aunfruitful in the ^bfull knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹For in whom these things are not present, that one is ^ablind, being nearsighted, having ¹forgotten the ^bpurification from his former sins. ¹⁰Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your ^acalling and ^bchoosing sure; for in doing these things, you will never ^cstumble; ¹¹for in this way the entrance into ^athe eternal kingdom of our ^bLord and Savior Jesus Christ will be ^cabundantly ^dsupplied to you.

¹²Therefore, ^aI will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been strengthened in ^bthe truth which is present with you. ¹³I consider it ^aright, as long as I am in ^bthis earthly dwelling, to ^cstir you up by way of reminder, ¹⁴knowing that ^athe laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, ^bas also our Lord Jesus Christ has indicated to me. ¹⁵And I will also be diligent that at any time after my ¹^,^adeparture you will be able to call these things to mind.

Eyewitnesses of Jesus

¹⁶For we did not make known to you the ^apower and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, following cleverly devised ^bmyths, but being ^ceyewitnesses of His majesty. ¹⁷For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an ¹^,^autterance as this was ²made to Him by the ^bMajestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”— ¹⁸and we ourselves heard this ¹utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the ^aholy mountain.

¹⁹¹And we have as more ^asure ^bthe prophetic word, to which you do well to pay attention as to ^ca lamp shining in a dark place, until the ^dday dawns and the ^emorning star arises ^fin your hearts. ²⁰^aKnow this first of all, that ^bno prophecy of Scripture comes by one’s own interpretation. ²¹For ^ano prophecy was ever made by the will of man, but men being ^bmoved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

The Rise of False Prophets

2But ^afalse prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be ^bfalse teachers ^camong you, who will ^dsecretly introduce ^edestructive heresies, even ^fdenying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. ²And many will follow their ^asensuality, and because of them ^bthe way of the truth will be ^cmaligned. ³And in their ^agreed they will ^bexploit you with ^cfalse words, ^dtheir judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

⁴For ^aif God did not spare angels who sinned, but cast them into the ¹pit and ^bdelivered them to chains of darkness, being kept for judgment; ⁵and did not spare ^athe ancient world, but preserved ^bNoah, a ¹preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a ^cflood upon the world of the ungodly; ⁶and if He ^acondemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an ^bexample to those who would ^clive ungodly lives thereafter; ⁷and if He ^arescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the ^bsensual conduct of ^cunprincipled men ⁸(for by what he saw and heard that ^arighteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), ⁹^athen the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from ¹trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the ^bday of judgment, ¹⁰and especially those who ^ago after the flesh in its corrupt lust and ^bdespise authority. Daring, ^cself-willed, they do not tremble when they ^dblaspheme ¹glorious ones, ¹¹^awhereas angels who are greater in strength and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord. ¹²But ^athese, like unreasoning animals, ^bborn as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, blaspheming where they have no knowledge, will in ¹the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, ¹³suffering unrighteousness as ^athe wages of their unrighteousness, considering it a pleasure to ^brevel in the ^cdaytime—they are stains and blemishes, ^dreveling in their ¹deceptions, as they ^efeast with you, ¹⁴having eyes full of adultery and unceasing sin, ^aenticing ^bunstable souls, having a heart trained in ^cgreed—they are ^daccursed children. ¹⁵Forsaking ^athe right way, they have gone astray, having followed ^bthe way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved ^cthe wages of unrighteousness, ¹⁶but he received a rebuke for his own lawlessness, ^afor a mute donkey, speaking out with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.

¹⁷These are ^asprings without water and mists driven by a storm, ^bfor whom the ¹black darkness has been kept. ¹⁸For speaking out ^aarrogant words of ^bvanity, they ^centice by ^dsensual lusts of the flesh, those who barely ^eescape from the ones who conducted themselves in error, ¹⁹promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for ^aby what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. ²⁰For if they are overcome, having both ^aescaped the defilements of the world by ^bthe knowledge of the ^cLord and Savior Jesus Christ and having again been ^dentangled in them, then ^ethe last state has become worse for them than the first. ²¹^aFor it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from ^bthe holy commandment ^chanded on to them. ²²The ¹message of the true proverb has happened to them, “^aA dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”

28The wicked ^aflee when there is no one pursuing,But the righteous are ¹secure as a lion.²By the transgression of a land ^amany are its princes,But ^bby a man who understands, who knows, so it endures.³A ^apoor man who oppresses the lowlyIs a driving rain ¹which leaves no food.⁴Those who forsake the law ^apraise the wicked,But those who keep the law ^bstrive with them.⁵Evil men ^ado not understand justice,But those who seek Yahweh ^bunderstand all things.⁶^aBetter is the poor who walks in his integrityThan he who is crooked—¹double dealing—though he be rich.⁷He who observes the law is a son who understands,But he who befriends ^agluttons humiliates his father.⁸He who increases his wealth by ^ainterest and usuryGathers it ^bfor him who is gracious to the lowly.⁹He who turns away his ear from listening to the law,Even his ^aprayer is an abomination.¹⁰He who leads the upright astray in an evil wayWill ^ahimself fall into his own pit,But the ^bblameless will inherit good.¹¹The rich man is ^awise in his own eyes,But the lowly who understands ¹searches him.¹²When the ^arighteous exult, there is great honor,But ^bwhen the wicked rise, man has to be sought out.¹³He who ^aconceals his transgressions will not prosper,But he who ^bconfesses and forsakes them will receive compassion.¹⁴How blessed is the man who ^ais always in dread,But he who ^bhardens his heart will fall into calamity.¹⁵Like a ^aroaring lion and a rushing bearIs a ^bwicked ruler over a poor people.¹⁶A ^aleader who lacks discernment abounds in oppressions,But he who hates greedy gain will prolong his days.¹⁷A man ^aoppressed with ^bthe bloodguilt of lifeWill flee until ¹death; let no one uphold him.¹⁸He who walks blamelessly will be saved,But he who is ^acrooked—¹double dealing—will fall all at once.¹⁹^aHe who cultivates his ground will be ^bsatisfied with food,But he who pursues empty things will be satisfied with poverty.²⁰A ^afaithful man will abound with blessings,But he who ^bmakes haste to be rich will not go unpunished.²¹To ¹^,^ashow partiality is not good,^bEven for a piece of bread a man will transgress.²²A man with an ^aevil eye ^bhurries after wealthAnd does not know that want will come upon him.²³He who ^areproves a man will afterward find more favorThan he who ^bflatters with the tongue.²⁴He who ^arobs his father or his motherAnd says, “It is not a transgression,”Is the ^bcompanion of a man who destroys.²⁵An ¹arrogant man ^astirs up strife,But he who ^btrusts in Yahweh ^cwill ²be enriched.²⁶He who ^atrusts in his own heart is a fool,But he who walks wisely will escape.²⁷He who ^agives to the poor will never want,But he who ¹shuts his eyes will have many curses.²⁸When the wicked rise, men hide themselves;But when they perish, the righteous increase.