2 Samuel 6 - 7 - Legacy Standard Bible

2 Samuel 6 - 7

The Ark Is Brought to Jerusalem

Then David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah, to bring up from there the ark of God which is called by the Name, the very name of Yahweh of hosts who is enthroned above the cherubim. 3 And they drove the ark of God on a new cart that they might bring it from the house of Abinadab which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, were leading the new cart. 4 So they 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. 5 Now David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before Yahweh with all kinds of instruments made of fir wood, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals. 6 Then they came to the threshing floor of Nacon. And Uzzah reached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, because the oxen nearly upset it. 7 And the anger of Yahweh burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God. 8 And David became angry because of Yahweh’s breaking out against Uzzah; and that place is called Perez-uzzah to this day. 9 So David was afraid of Yahweh that day; and he said, “How can the ark of Yahweh come to me?” 10 And 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 Obed-edom the Gittite. 11 Thus the ark of Yahweh remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite three months, and Yahweh blessed Obed-edom and all his household. 12 Then 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 David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness. 13 And so it happened, that when those who were carrying the ark of Yahweh had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. 14 And David was dancing before Yahweh with all his strength, and David was girded with a linen ephod. 15 So 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

16 Then it happened as the ark of Yahweh came into the city of David, that Michal 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. 17 And they brought in the ark of Yahweh and placed it in its place inside the tent which David had pitched for it; and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before Yahweh. 18 Then David completed offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings. And he blessed the people in the name of Yahweh of hosts. 19 And 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. 20 But 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! He uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servants’ maids as one of the worthless ones shamelessly uncovers himself!” 21 So David said to Michal, “It 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.” 23 And Michal the daughter of Saul had no child to the day of her death.

The Ark of God Inhabits a Tent

Now it happened when the king inhabited his house, and Yahweh had given him rest on every side from all his enemies, 2 that the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I inhabit a house of cedar, but the ark of God inhabits tent curtains.” 3 So Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for Yahweh is with you.” 4 Now 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, “Are you the one who would build Me a house to inhabit? 6 For I 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 in a tent, even in a tabernacle. 7 Wherever I have gone about with all the sons of Israel, did I speak a word with one of the tribes of Israel, which 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, “I Myself took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel. 9 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 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 will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place and not be disturbed again; and the unrighteous will not afflict them any more as formerly, 11 even from the day that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies. Yahweh also declares to you that Yahweh will make a house for you. 12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up one of your seed after you, who will come forth from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will reprove him with the rod of men and the strikes from the sons of men, 15 but My lovingkindness shall not be removed from him, as I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”’” 17 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

David Magnifies Yahweh’s Name

18 Then David the king went in and sat before Yahweh, and he said, “Who 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, for You have spoken also of the house of Your slave concerning the distant future. And this is the law of man, O Lord Yahweh. 20 And again what more can David say to You? And You know Your slave, O Lord Yahweh! 21 For 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 You are great, O Lord Yahweh; for there is none like You, and there is no God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. 23 And what 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 to do a great thing for You and awesome things for Your land, before Your people whom You have redeemed for Yourself from Egypt, from nations and their gods? 24 Yet You have established for Yourself Your people Israel as Your own people forever, and You, 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 that Your name may be magnified forever, by saying, ‘Yahweh of hosts is God over Israel’; and the house of Your servant 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, ‘I 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 Your words are truth, and You have promised 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 with Your blessing may the house of Your slave be blessed forever.”

1 Chronicles 17

The Ark of God Inhabits a Tent

Now 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.” 2 So Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.” 3 Now 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, “You shall not build Me a house to inhabit; 5 for I have not inhabited a house since the day that I brought up Israel to this day, but I have been from tent to tent and from one dwelling place to another. 6 Wherever I have gone about with all Israel, did I speak a word with 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 unrighteous will not waste them anymore as formerly, 10 even 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 I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; and I will not remove My lovingkindness from him, as 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.”’” 15 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

David Magnifies Yahweh’s Name

16 Then David the king went in and sat before Yahweh and said, “Who 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, for 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 Yet 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 endure forever, and do as You have spoken, 24 that Your name endure 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 servant 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 promised 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.”

2 Peter 1 - 2

Precious and Magnificent Promises

Simeon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received the same kind of faith as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the full knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the full knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. 5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these things are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the full knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For in whom these things are not present, that one is blind, being nearsighted, having forgotten the purification from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and choosing sure; for in doing these things, you will never stumble; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. 12 Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been strengthened in the truth which is present with you. 13 I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, 14 knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has indicated to me. 15 And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.

Eyewitnesses of Jesus

16 For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, following cleverly devised myths, but being eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”— 18 and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have as more sure the prophetic word, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. 20 Know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes by one’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever made by the will of man, but men being moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

The Rise of False Prophets

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned. 3 And in their greed they will exploit you with false words, their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. 4 For if God did not spare angels who sinned, but cast them into the pit and delivered them to chains of darkness, being kept for judgment; 5 and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 6 and if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter; 7 and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men 8 (for by what he saw and heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), 9 then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, 10 and especially those who go after the flesh in its corrupt lust and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they blaspheme glorious ones, 11 whereas angels who are greater in strength and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord. 12 But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, blaspheming where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, 13 suffering unrighteousness as the wages of their unrighteousness, considering it a pleasure to revel in the daytime—they are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they feast with you, 14 having eyes full of adultery and unceasing sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed—they are accursed children. 15 Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, 16 but he received a rebuke for his own lawlessness, for a mute donkey, speaking out with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet. 17 These are springs without water and mists driven by a storm, for whom the black darkness has been kept. 18 For speaking out arrogant words of vanity, they entice by sensual lusts of the flesh, those who barely escape from the ones who conducted themselves in error, 19 promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved. 20 For if they are overcome, having both escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and having again been entangled in them, then the last state has become worse for them than the first. 21 For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from the holy commandment handed on to them. 22 The message of the true proverb has happened to them, “A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”

Proverbs 28

The wicked flee when there is no one pursuing,

But the righteous are secure as a lion.

By the transgression of a land many are its princes,

But by a man who understands, who knows, so it endures.

A poor man who oppresses the lowly

Is a driving rain which leaves no food.

Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,

But those who keep the law strive with them.

Evil men do not understand justice,

But those who seek Yahweh understand all things.

Better is the poor who walks in his integrity

Than he who is crooked—double dealing—though he be rich.

He who observes the law is a son who understands,

But he who befriends gluttons humiliates his father.

He who increases his wealth by interest and usury

Gathers it for him who is gracious to the lowly.

He who turns away his ear from listening to the law,

Even his prayer is an abomination.

He who leads the upright astray in an evil way

Will himself fall into his own pit,

But the blameless will inherit good.

The rich man is wise in his own eyes,

But the lowly who understands searches him.

When the righteous exult, there is great honor,

But when the wicked rise, man has to be sought out.

He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper,

But he who confesses and forsakes them will receive compassion.

How blessed is the man who is always in dread,

But he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity.

Like a roaring lion and a rushing bear

Is a wicked ruler over a poor people.

A leader who lacks discernment abounds in oppressions,

But he who hates greedy gain will prolong his days.

A man oppressed with the bloodguilt of life

Will flee until death; let no one uphold him.

He who walks blamelessly will be saved,

But he who is crooked—double dealing—will fall all at once.

He who cultivates his ground will be satisfied with food,

But he who pursues empty things will be satisfied with poverty.

A faithful man will abound with blessings,

But he who makes haste to be rich will not go unpunished.

To show partiality is not good,

Even for a piece of bread a man will transgress.

A man with an evil eye hurries after wealth

And does not know that want will come upon him.

He who reproves a man will afterward find more favor

Than he who flatters with the tongue.

He who robs his father or his mother

And says, “It is not a transgression,”

Is the companion of a man who destroys.

An arrogant man stirs up strife,

But he who trusts in Yahweh will be enriched.

He who trusts in his own heart is a fool,

But he who walks wisely will escape.

He who gives to the poor will never want,

But he who shuts his eyes will have many curses.

When the wicked rise, men hide themselves;

But when they perish, the righteous increase.