The Covenant Box Is Brought to Jerusalem

¹Once more David called together the best soldiers in Israel, a total of thirty thousand men,

²and led them to Baalah in Judah, in order to bring from there God's Covenant Box, bearing the name of the Lord Almighty, whose throne is above the winged creatures.

³They took it from Abinadab's home on the hill and placed it on a new cart. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the cart,

⁴with Ahio walking in front.

⁵David and all the Israelites were dancing and singing with all their might to honor the Lord. They were playing harps, lyres, drums, rattles, and cymbals.

⁶As they came to the threshing place of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out and took hold of the Covenant Box.

⁷At once the Lord God became angry with Uzzah and killed him because of his irreverence. Uzzah died there beside the Covenant Box,

⁸and so that place has been called Perez Uzzah ever since. David was furious because the Lord had punished Uzzah in anger.

⁹Then David was afraid of the Lord and said, “How can I take the Covenant Box with me now?”

¹⁰So he decided not to take it with him to Jerusalem; instead, he turned off the road and took it to the house of Obed Edom, a native of the city of Gath.

¹¹It stayed there three months, and the Lord blessed Obed Edom and his family.

¹²King David heard that because of the Covenant Box the Lord had blessed Obed Edom's family and all that he had; so he got the Covenant Box from Obed's house to take it to Jerusalem with a great celebration.

¹³After the men carrying the Covenant Box had gone six steps, David had them stop while he offered the Lord a sacrifice of a bull and a fattened calf.

¹⁴David, wearing only a linen cloth around his waist, danced with all his might to honor the Lord.

¹⁵And so he and all the Israelites took the Covenant Box up to Jerusalem with shouts of joy and the sound of trumpets.

¹⁶As the Box was being brought into the city, Michal, Saul's daughter, looked out of the window and saw King David dancing and jumping around in the sacred dance, and she was disgusted with him.

¹⁷They brought the Box and put it in its place in the Tent that David had set up for it. Then he offered sacrifices and fellowship offerings to the Lord.

¹⁸When he had finished offering the sacrifices, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord Almighty

¹⁹and distributed food to them all. He gave each man and woman in Israel a loaf of bread, a piece of roasted meat, and some raisins. Then everyone went home.

²⁰Afterward, when David went home to greet his family, Michal came out to meet him. “The king of Israel made a big name for himself today!” she said. “He exposed himself like a fool in the sight of the servant women of his officials!”

²¹David answered, “I was dancing to honor the Lord, who chose me instead of your father and his family to make me the leader of his people Israel. And I will go on dancing to honor the Lord,

²²and will disgrace myself even more. You may think I am nothing, but those women will think highly of me!”

²³Michal, Saul's daughter, never had any children.

Nathan's Message to David

¹King David was settled in his palace, and the Lord kept him safe from all his enemies.

²Then the king said to the prophet Nathan, “Here I am living in a house built of cedar, but God's Covenant Box is kept in a tent!”

³Nathan answered, “Do whatever you have in mind, because the Lord is with you.”

⁴But that night the Lord said to Nathan,

⁵“Go and tell my servant David that I say to him, ‘You are not the one to build a temple for me to live in.

⁶From the time I rescued the people of Israel from Egypt until now, I have never lived in a temple; I have traveled around living in a tent.

⁷In all my traveling with the people of Israel I never asked any of the leaders that I appointed why they had not built me a temple made of cedar.’

⁸“So tell my servant David that I, the Lord Almighty, say to him, ‘I took you from looking after sheep in the fields and made you the ruler of my people Israel.

⁹I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have defeated all your enemies as you advanced. I will make you as famous as the greatest leaders in the world.

^10-11I have chosen a place for my people Israel and have settled them there, where they will live without being oppressed any more. Ever since they entered this land, they have been attacked by violent people, but this will not happen again. I promise to keep you safe from all your enemies and to give you descendants.

¹²When you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will make one of your sons king and will keep his kingdom strong.

¹³He will be the one to build a temple for me, and I will make sure that his dynasty continues forever.

¹⁴I will be his father, and he will be my son. When he does wrong, I will punish him as a father punishes his son.

¹⁵But I will not withdraw my support from him as I did from Saul, whom I removed so that you could be king.

¹⁶You will always have descendants, and I will make your kingdom last forever. Your dynasty will never end.’”

¹⁷Nathan told David everything that God had revealed to him.

David's Prayer of Thanksgiving

¹⁸Then King David went into the Tent of the Lord's presence, sat down and prayed, “Sovereign Lord, I am not worthy of what you have already done for me, nor is my family.

¹⁹Yet now you are doing even more, Sovereign Lord; you have made promises about my descendants in the years to come. And you let a man see this, Sovereign Lord!

²⁰What more can I say to you! You know me, your servant.

²¹It was your will and purpose to do this; you have done all these great things in order to instruct me.

²²How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is none like you; we have always known that you alone are God.

²³There is no other nation on earth like Israel, whom you rescued from slavery to make them your own people. The great and wonderful things you did for them have spread your fame throughout the world. You drove out other nations and their gods as your people advanced, the people whom you set free from Egypt to be your own.

²⁴You have made Israel your own people forever, and you, Lord, have become their God.

²⁵“And now, Lord God, fulfill for all time the promise you made about me and my descendants, and do what you said you would.

²⁶Your fame will be great, and people will forever say, ‘The Lord Almighty is God over Israel.’ And you will preserve my dynasty for all time.

²⁷Lord Almighty, God of Israel! I have the courage to pray this prayer to you, because you have revealed all this to me, your servant, and have told me that you will make my descendants kings.

²⁸“And now, Sovereign Lord, you are God; you always keep your promises, and you have made this wonderful promise to me.

²⁹I ask you to bless my descendants so that they will continue to enjoy your favor. You, Sovereign Lord, have promised this, and your blessing will rest on my descendants forever.”

The People Who Returned from Captivity

¹All the people of Israel were listed according to their families, and this information was recorded in The book of the Kings of Israel. The people of Judah had been deported to Babylon as punishment for their sins.

²The first to return to their property in the cities included Israelite citizens, priests, Levites, and Temple workers.

³People from the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh went to live in Jerusalem.

^4-6There were 690 families of the tribe of Judah who lived in Jerusalem. The descendants of Judah's son Perez had as their leader Uthai, the son of Ammihud and grandson of Omri. His other ancestors included Imri and Bani. The descendants of Judah's son Shelah had as their leader Asaiah, who was the head of his family. The descendants of Judah's son Zerah had Jeuel as their leader.

^7-8The following members of the tribe of Benjamin lived in Jerusalem: Sallu son of Meshullam, who was the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah Ibneiah son of Jeroham Elah, the son of Uzzi and grandson of Michri Meshullam son of Shephatiah, who was the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah

⁹There were 956 families of this tribe living there. All the men named above were heads of families.

The Priests Who Lived in Jerusalem

^10-12The following priests lived in Jerusalem: Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, and Jachin Azariah son of Hilkiah (the chief official in the Temple), whose ancestors included Meshullam, Zadok, Meraioth, and Ahitub Adaiah son of Jeroham, whose ancestors included Pashhur and Malchijah Maasai son of Adiel, whose ancestors included Jahzerah, Meshullam, Meshillemith, and Immer

¹³The priests who were heads of families totaled 1,760. They were experts in all the work carried on in the Temple.

The Levites Who Lived in Jerusalem

^14-16The following Levites lived in Jerusalem: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, whose ancestors included Azrikam and Hashabiah, of the clan of Merari Bakbakkar, Heresh, and Galal Mattaniah son of Mica, whose ancestors included Zichri and Asaph Obadiah son of Shemaiah, whose ancestors included Galal and Jeduthun Berechiah, the son of Asa and grandson of Elkanah, who lived in the territory that belonged to the town of Netophah

The Temple Guards Who Lived in Jerusalem

¹⁷The following Temple guards lived in Jerusalem: Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, and Ahiman. Shallum was their leader.

¹⁸Down to that time members of their clans had been stationed at the eastern entrance to the King's Gate. Formerly they had stood guard at the gates to the camps of the Levites.

¹⁹Shallum, the son of Kore and grandson of Ebiasaph, together with his fellow members of the clan of Korah, was responsible for guarding the entrance to the Tent of the Lord's presence, just as their ancestors had been when they were in charge of the Lord's camp.

²⁰Phinehas son of Eleazar—may the Lord be with him!—had supervised them at one time.

²¹Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was also a guard at the entrance to the Tent of the Lord's presence.

²²In all, 212 men were chosen as guards for the entrances and gates. They were registered according to the villages where they lived. It was King David and the prophet Samuel who had put their ancestors in these responsible positions.

²³They and their descendants continued to guard the gates to the Temple.

²⁴There was a gate facing in each direction, north, south, east, and west, and each had a chief guard.

²⁵These guards were assisted by their relatives, who lived in the villages and who had to take turns at guard duty for seven days at a time.

²⁶The four chief guards were Levites and had the final responsibility. They were also responsible for the rooms in the Temple and for the supplies kept there.

²⁷They lived near the Temple, because it was their duty to guard it and to open the gates every morning.

The Other Levites

²⁸Other Levites were responsible for the utensils used in worship. They checked them out and checked them back in every time they were used.

²⁹Others were in charge of the other sacred equipment, and of the flour, wine, olive oil, incense, and spices.

³⁰But the responsibility for mixing the spices belonged to the priests.

³¹A Levite named Mattithiah, oldest son of Shallum, of the clan of Korah, was responsible for preparing the baked offerings.

³²Members of the clan of Kohath were responsible for preparing the sacred bread for the Temple every Sabbath.

³³Some Levite families were responsible for the Temple music. The heads of these families lived in some of the Temple buildings and were free from other duties, because they were on call day and night.

³⁴The men named above were heads of Levite families, according to their ancestral lines. They were the leaders who lived in Jerusalem.

The Ancestors and Descendants of King Saul

³⁵Jeiel founded the city of Gibeon and settled there. His wife was named Maacah.

³⁶His oldest son was Abdon, and his other sons were Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab,

³⁷Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth,

³⁸the father of Shimeah. Their descendants lived in Jerusalem near other families of their clan.

³⁹Ner was the father of Kish, and Kish was the father of Saul. Saul had four sons: Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.

⁴⁰Jonathan was the father of Meribbaal, who was the father of Micah.

⁴¹Micah had four sons: Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz.

⁴²Ahaz was the father of Jarah, who was the father of three sons: Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri was the father of Moza,

⁴³Moza the father of Binea, Binea of Rephaiah, Rephaiah of Eleasah, and Eleasah of Azel.

⁴⁴Azel had six sons: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan.

A Hymn in Time of National Trouble

¹O Lord, I will always sing of your constant love; I will proclaim your faithfulness forever.

²I know that your love will last for all time, that your faithfulness is as permanent as the sky.

³You said, “I have made a covenant with the man I chose; I have promised my servant David,

⁴‘A descendant of yours will always be king; I will preserve your dynasty forever.’”

⁵The heavens sing of the wonderful things you do; the holy ones sing of your faithfulness, Lord.

⁶No one in heaven is like you, Lord; none of the heavenly beings is your equal.

⁷You are feared in the council of the holy ones; they all stand in awe of you.

⁸Lord God Almighty, none is as mighty as you; in all things you are faithful, O Lord.

⁹You rule over the powerful sea; you calm its angry waves.

¹⁰You crushed the monster Rahab and killed it; with your mighty strength you defeated your enemies.

¹¹Heaven is yours, the earth also; you made the world and everything in it.

¹²You created the north and the south; Mount Tabor and Mount Hermon sing to you for joy.

¹³How powerful you are! How great is your strength!

¹⁴Your kingdom is founded on righteousness and justice; love and faithfulness are shown in all you do.

¹⁵How happy are the people who worship you with songs, who live in the light of your kindness!

¹⁶Because of you they rejoice all day long, and they praise you for your goodness.

¹⁷You give us great victories; in your love you make us triumphant.

¹⁸You, O Lord, chose our protector; you, the Holy God of Israel, gave us our king.

God's Promise to David

¹⁹In a vision long ago you said to your faithful servants, “I have given help to a famous soldier; I have given the throne to one I chose from the people.

²⁰I have made my servant David king by anointing him with holy oil.

²¹My strength will always be with him, my power will make him strong.

²²His enemies will never succeed against him; the wicked will not defeat him.

²³I will crush his foes and kill everyone who hates him.

²⁴I will love him and be loyal to him; I will make him always victorious.

²⁵I will extend his kingdom from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates River.

²⁶He will say to me, ‘You are my father and my God; you are my protector and savior.’

²⁷I will make him my first-born son, the greatest of all kings.

²⁸I will always keep my promise to him, and my covenant with him will last forever.

²⁹His dynasty will be as permanent as the sky; a descendant of his will always be king.

³⁰“But if his descendants disobey my law and do not live according to my commands,

³¹if they disregard my instructions and do not keep my commandments,

³²then I will punish them for their sins; I will make them suffer for their wrongs.

³³But I will not stop loving David or fail to keep my promise to him.

³⁴I will not break my covenant with him or take back even one promise I made him.

³⁵“Once and for all I have promised by my holy name: I will never lie to David.

³⁶He will always have descendants, and I will watch over his kingdom as long as the sun shines.

³⁷It will be as permanent as the moon, that faithful witness in the sky.”

Lament over the Defeat of the King

³⁸But you are angry with your chosen king; you have deserted and rejected him.

³⁹You have broken your covenant with your servant and thrown his crown in the dirt.

⁴⁰You have torn down the walls of his city and left his forts in ruins.

⁴¹All who pass by steal his belongings; all his neighbors laugh at him.

⁴²You have given the victory to his enemies; you have made them all happy.

⁴³You have made his weapons useless and let him be defeated in battle.

⁴⁴You have taken away his royal scepter and knocked his throne to the ground.

⁴⁵You have made him old before his time and covered him with disgrace.

A Prayer for Deliverance

⁴⁶Lord, will you hide yourself forever? How long will your anger burn like fire?

⁴⁷Remember how short my life is; remember that you created all of us mortal!

⁴⁸Who can live and never die? How can we humans keep ourselves from the grave?

⁴⁹Lord, where are the former proofs of your love? Where are the promises you made to David?

⁵⁰Don't forget how I, your servant, am insulted, how I endure all the curses of the heathen.

⁵¹Your enemies insult your chosen king, O Lord! They insult him wherever he goes.

⁵²Praise the Lord forever! Amen! Amen!