HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 738
1 C H RO N I C L ES 1 3
prepared for battle and completely loyal to
David.
34 From the tribe of Naphtali, there were 1,000
officers and 37,000 warriors armed with
shields and spears.
35 From the tribe of Dan, there were 28,600
warriors, all prepared for battle.
36 From the tribe of Asher, there were 40,000
trained warriors, all prepared for battle.
37 From the east side of the Jordan River—
where the tribes of Reuben and Gad and
the half-tribe of Manasseh lived—there
were 120,000 troops armed with every
kind of weapon.
38 All these men came in battle array to Hebron with the single purpose of making David
the king over all Israel. In fact, everyone in
Israel agreed that David should be their king.
39 They feasted and drank with David for three
days, for preparations had been made by their
relatives for their arrival. 40 And people from as
far away as Issachar, Zebulun, and Naphtali
brought food on donkeys, camels, mules, and
oxen. Vast supplies of flour, fig cakes, clusters
of raisins, wine, olive oil, cattle, sheep, and
goats were brought to the celebration. There
was great joy throughout the land of Israel.
David Attempts to Move the Ark
David consulted with all his officials, including the generals and captains of his
army.* 2 Then he addressed the entire assembly
of Israel as follows: “If you approve and if it is
the will of the Lord our God, let us send messages to all the Israelites throughout the land,
including the priests and Levites in their towns
and pasturelands. Let us invite them to come and
join us. 3 It is time to bring back the Ark of our
God, for we neglected it during the reign of Saul.”
4 The whole assembly agreed to this, for the
people could see it was the right thing to do.
13
• Worship
1 CH R O NIC LE S 1 3 :3
Reflect on your own worship. Is the
purpose of your prayers to ask for
something or to be in God’s presence?
Do you read the Bible out of a genuine
love for God’s Word or out of a nagging
sense of guilt? What does worship mean
to you? Our worship falls into neglect,
as it did in King Saul’s case, when it
ceases to be real worship. Worship is
our response to God’s majesty, love,
and power. What has your true
response to God been lately?
page 368
5 So
David summoned all Israel, from the Shihor Brook of Egypt in the south all the way to
the town of Lebo-hamath in the north, to join
in bringing the Ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.
6 Then David and all Israel went to Baalah of Judah (also called Kiriath-jearim) to bring back
the Ark of God, which bears the name* of the
Lord who is enthroned between the cherubim.
7 They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and
brought it from Abinadab’s house. Uzzah and
Ahio were guiding the cart. 8 David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their
might, singing songs and playing all kinds of
musical instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.
9 But when they arrived at the threshing
floor of Nacon,* the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah
reached out his hand to steady the Ark. 10 Then
the Lord’s anger was aroused against Uzzah,
and he struck him dead because he had laid
his hand on the Ark. So Uzzah died there in the
presence of God.
11 David was angry because the Lord’s anger
had burst out against Uzzah. He named that
place Perez-uzzah (which means “to burst out
against Uzzah”), as it is still called today.
12 David was now afraid of God, and he asked,
“How can I ever bring the Ark of God back into
my care?” 13 So David did not move the Ark
into the City of David. Instead, he took it to the
house of Obed-edom of Gath. 14 The Ark of God
remained there in Obed-edom’s house for three
months, and the Lord blessed the household of
Obed-edom and everything he owned.
David’s Palace and Family
Then King Hiram of Tyre sent messengers to David, along with cedar timber,
and stonemasons and carpenters to build him
a palace. 2 And David realized that the Lord
had confirmed him as king over Israel and had
greatly blessed his kingdom for the sake of his
people Israel.
3 Then David married more wives in Jerusalem, and they had more sons and daughters.
4 These are the names of David’s sons who were
born in Jerusalem: Shammua, Shobab, Nathan,
Solomon, 5 Ibhar, Elishua, Elpelet, 6 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 7 Elishama, Eliada,* and Eliphelet.
14
David Conquers the Philistines
8 When the Philistines heard that David had
been anointed king over all Israel, they mobilized all their forces to capture him. But David was told they were coming, so he marched
out to meet them. 9 The Philistines arrived and
made a raid in the valley of Rephaim. 10 So David
13:1 Hebrew the commanders of thousands and of hundreds.
13:6 Or the Ark of God, where the Name is proclaimed—the
name. 13:9 As in parallel text at 2 Sam 6:6; Hebrew reads
Kidon. 14:7 Hebrew Beeliada, a variant spelling of Eliada;
compare 3:8 and parallel text at 2 Sam 5:16.