Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from 1 Chronicles
18 -20 and 2 Samuel 24 as well as Psalm 60. 1
Chronicles 18 After this it came to pass that
David attacked the Philistines, subdued them,
and took Gad and its towns from the hand of the
Philistines. Then he defeated Moab, and the Moabites
became David's servants and brought tribute.
and David defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah. as
far as Hamad, as he went to establish his power
by the river Euphrates. David took from him 1
,000 chariots, 7 ,000 horsemen, and 20 ,000 foot
soldiers. Also David hamstrung all the chariot
horses, except that he spared enough of them
for 100 chariots. When Assyrians of Damascus
came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed
22 ,000 of the Assyrians. Then David put garrisons
in Syria of Damascus, and Assyrians became David's
servants and brought tribute. So the Lord preserved
David wherever he went, and David took the shields
of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer
and brought them to Jerusalem. Also from Tebat
and from Kun, cities of Hadadezer, David brought
a large amount of bronze, with which Solomon
made the bronze sea, the pillars, and the articles
of bronze. Now when two king of Hamad heard that
David had defeated all the army of Hadadezer
king of Zobah, he sent Haduram his son to king
David to greet him and bless him, because he
had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him,
for Hadadezer had been at war with two, and Haduram
brought with him all kinds of articles of gold,
silver, and bronze. King David also dedicated
these to the Lord, along with the silver and
gold that he had brought from all these nations,
from Edom, from Moab, from the people of Amun,
from the Philistines, and from Amalek. Moreover,
Abishai the son of Zeruiah killed 18 ,000 Edomites
in the Valley of Salt. He also put garrisons
in Edom, and all the Edomites became David's
servants, and the Lord preserved David wherever
he went. So David reigned over all Israel and
administered judgment and justice to all his
people. Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the
army. Jehoshaphat, the son of Ahilud, was recorder,
Zadok, the son of Ahitub, and Abimelech, the
son of Abiathar, were the priests. Shavshah was
the scribe, Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, was
over the Caritites and Nepalitites, and David's
sons were chief ministers at the king's side.
Chapter 19 It happened after this that Nahash
the king of the people of Ammon died, and his
son reigned in his place. Then David said, I
will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash,
because his father showed kindness to me. So
David sent messengers to comfort him concerning
his father. And David's servants came to Hanun
in the land of the people of Ammon to comfort
him. And the princes of the people of Ammon said
to Hanun, Do you think that David really honors
your father, because he has sent comforters to
you? Did his servants not come to you to search
and to overthrow and to spy out the land? Therefore
Hanun took David's servants, shaved them, and
cut off their garments in the middle, at their
buttocks, and sent them away. Then some went
and told David about the men, and he sent to
meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed.
And the king said, Wait at Jericho until your
beards have grown, and then return. When the
people of Ammon saw that they had made themselves
repulsive to David, Hanun and the people of Ammon
sent a thousand talents of silver to hire for
themselves chariots and horsemen from Mesopotamia,
from Syria, Mecca, and from Zobah. So they hired
for themselves 32 ,000 chariots, with the king
of Mecca and his people, who came and encamped
before Medeba. Also the people of Ammon gathered
together from their cities and came to battle.
Now when David heard of it, he sent Joab and
all the army of the mighty men. Then the people
of Amun came out and put themselves in battle
array before the gate of the city. And the kings
who had come were by themselves in the field.
When Joab saw that the battle line was against
him before and behind, he chose some of Israel's
best and put them in battle array against the
Syrians, and the rest of the people he put under
the command of Abishai his brother. And they
set themselves in battle array against the people
of Amun. Then he said, If the Syrians are too
strong for me, then you shall help me. But if
the people of Amun are too strong for you, then
I will help you. Be of good courage, and let
us be strong for our people and for the cities
of our God. And may the Lord do what is good
in His sight. So Joab and the people who were
with him drew near for the battle against the
Syrians, and they fled before him. When the people
of Amun saw that the Syrians were fleeing, they
also fled before Abishai his brother and entered
the city. So Joab went to Jerusalem. Now when
the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by
Israel, they sent messengers and brought the
Syrians who were beyond the river, and Shophag
the commander of Hadadezer's army went before
them. When it was told David, he gathered all
Israel, crossed over the Jordan, and came upon
them, and set up in battle array against them.
So when David had set up in battle array against
the Syrians, they fought with him. Then the Syrians
fled before Israel, and David killed 7 ,000 charioteers
and 40 ,000 foot soldiers of the Syrians, and
killed Shophag, the commander of the army. And
when the servants of Hadadezer saw that they
were defeated by Israel, they made peace with
David and became his servants. So the Syrians
were not willing to help the people of Ammon
anymore. It happened in the spring of the year,
at the time kings go out to battle, that Joab
led out the armed forces and ravaged the country
of the people of Ammon, and came and besieged
Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem, and Joab
defeated Rabbah and overthrew it. Then David
took their king's crown from his head and found
it to weigh a talent of gold. And there were
precious stones in it, and it was set on David's
head. Also he brought out the spoil of the city
in great abundance, and he brought out the people
who were in it, and put them to work with saws,
with iron picks, and with axes. So David did
to all the cities of the people of Ammon. Then
David and all the people returned to Jerusalem.
Now it happened afterward that war broke out
at Gezer with the Philistines, at which time
Sebekai the Hushetite killed Sepeh, who was one
of the sons of the giant, and they were subdued.
Again there was war with the Philistines, and
Ilhanan the son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother
of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear
was like a weaver's beam. Yet again there was
war at Gad, where there was a man of great stature,
with twenty -four fingers and toes, six on each
hand and six on each foot, and he also was born
to the giant. So when he defied Israel, Jonathan
the son of Shimea, David's brother, killed him.
These were born to the giant in Gad, and they
fell by the hand of David and by the hand of
his servants. Psalm 60, inscription, to the chief
musician, said to Lily of the testimony, a miktam
of David, for teaching, when he fought against
Mesopotamia and Syria of Zobah, and Joab returned
and killed 12 ,000 Edomites in the Valley of
Salt. O God, you have cast us off, you have broken
us down, you have been displeased, O restore
us again, you have made the earth tremble, you
have broken it, heal its breaches, for it is
shaking. You have shown your people hard things.
You have made us drink the wine of confusion.
You have given a banner to those who fear you,
that it may be displayed because of the truth.
Salah. That your beloved may be delivered, save
with your right hand and hear me. God has spoken
in his holiness. I will rejoice. I will divide
Shechem and measure out the valley of Sukkot.
Gilead is mine. Manasseh is mine. Ephraim also
is the helmet for my head. Judah is my lawgiver.
Moab is my washpot. Over Edom I will cast my
shoe. Philistia shout in triumph because of me.
Who will bring me to the strong city? Who will
lead me to Edom? Is it not you, O God, who cast
us off? And you, O God, who did not go out with
our armies? Give us help from trouble, for the
help of man is useless. Through God we will do
valiantly, for it is he who shall tread down
our enemies. Again the anger of the Lord was
aroused against Israel. And he moved David against
them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah. So
the king said to Joab the commander of the army
who was with him, Now go throughout all the tribes
of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and count the
people, that I may know the number of the people.
And Joab said to the king, Now may the Lord your
God add to the people a hundred times more than
there are, and may the eyes of the Lord my king
see it. But why does my lord the king desire
this thing? Nevertheless, the king's word prevailed
against Joab and against the captains of the
army. Therefore, Joab and the captains of the
army went out from the presence of the king to
count the people of Israel. And they crossed
over the Jordan and camped in Arwar, on the right
side of the town, which is in the midst of the
ravine of Gad and toward Jazer. Then they came
to Gilead and to the land of Tehateem -Huchi.
They came to Danjan and around to Sidon. And
they came to the stronghold of Tyre and to all
the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites.
Then they went out to south Judah as far as 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 to 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. And David's heart condemned
him after he had numbered the people. So David
said to the Lord, I have sinned greatly in what
I have done, but now I pray, O Lord, take away
the iniquity of your servant, for I have done
very foolishly. Now when David arose in the morning,
the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad,
David's seer, saying, Go and tell David, Thus
says the Lord, I offer you three things, choose
one of them for yourself, that I may do it to
you. So Gad came to David and told him, and he
said to him, Shall seven years of famine come
to you in your land? Or shall you flee three
months before your enemies while they pursue
you? Or shall there be three days' plague in
your land? Now consider and see what answer I
should take back to him who sent me. And David
said to Gad, I am in great distress. Please let
us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercies
are great. But do not let me fall into the hand
of man. So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel
from the morning till the appointed time. From
Dan to Beersheba, 70 ,000 men of the people died.
And when the angel stretched out his hand over
Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from
the destruction and said to the angel who was
destroying the people, It is enough, now restrain
your hand. And the angel of the Lord was by the
threshing floor of Arona the Jebusite. Then David
spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was
striking the people and said, Surely I have sinned
and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what
have they done? Let your hand, I pray, be against
me and against my father's house. And Gad came
that day to David and said to him, Go up, erect
an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of
Arona the Jebusite. So David, according to the
word of Gad, went up as the Lord commanded. Now
Arona looked and saw the king and his servants
coming toward him. So Arona went out and bowed
before the king with his face to the ground.
Then Arona said, Why has my lord the king come
to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshing
floor from you, to build an altar to the Lord,
that the plague may be withdrawn from the people.
Now Arona said to David, Let my lord the king
take and offer up whatever seems good to him.
Look, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and
threshing implements, and the yokes of the oxen
for wood. All these, O king, Arona has given
to the king. And Arona said to the king, May
the Lord your God accept you. Then the king said
to Arona, No, but I will surely buy it from you
for a price, nor will I offer burnt offerings
to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.
So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen
for fifty shekels of silver. And David built
there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt
offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord heeded
the prayers for the land, and the plague was
withdrawn from Israel. I hope you enjoyed today's
reading as much as I did, and I look forward
to seeing you again tomorrow to continue on our
journey. God bless you and have a great day.