Bible Reading Plan

Chapter 23

David's Last Words

¹ These are the last words of David:

Exploits of David's Warriors

⁸ These are the names of David's warriors:^(g)

Josheb-basshebeth the Tahchemonite was chief of the officers.^[b] He wielded his spear^[c] against 800 men that he killed at one time.

⁹ After him, Eleazar son of Dodo son of an Ahohite was among the three warriors with David when they defied the Philistines. The men of Israel retreated in the place they had gathered for battle, ¹⁰ but Eleazar stood his ground and attacked the Philistines until his hand was tired and stuck to his sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. Then the troops came back to him, but only to plunder the dead.

¹¹ After him was Shammah son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines had assembled in formation where there was a field full of lentils. The troops fled from the Philistines, ¹² but Shammah took his stand in the middle of the field, defended it, and struck down the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.

¹³ Three of the 30 leading warriors went down at harvest time and came to David at the cave of Adullam,^(h) while a company of Philistines was camping in the Valley of Rephaim. ¹⁴ At that time David was in the stronghold,⁽ⁱ⁾ and a Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. ¹⁵ David was extremely thirsty^[d] and said, "If only someone would bring me water to drink from the well at the city gate of Bethlehem!" ¹⁶ So three of the warriors broke through the Philistine camp and drew water from the well at the gate of Bethlehem. They brought it back to David, but he refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out to the Lord . ¹⁷ David said, " Lord , I would never do such a thing! Is this not the blood of men who risked their lives?" So he refused to drink it. Such were the exploits of the three warriors.

¹⁸ Abishai, Joab's brother and son of Zeruiah,^(j) was leader of the Three.^[e] He raised his spear against 300 men and killed them, gaining a reputation among the Three. ¹⁹ Was he not more honored than the Three? He became their commander even though he did not become one of the Three.^(k)

²⁰ Benaiah son of Jehoiada^(l) was the son of a brave man from Kabzeel, a man of many exploits. Benaiah killed two sons^[f] of Ariel^[g] of Moab, and he went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion. ²¹ He also killed an Egyptian, a huge man. Even though the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, Benaiah went down to him with a club, snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and then killed him with his own spear. ²² These were the exploits of Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who had a reputation among the three warriors. ²³ He was the most honored of the Thirty, but he did not become one of the Three. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.

²⁴ Among the Thirty were:

There were 37 in all.

Chapter 24

David's Military Census

¹ The Lord 's anger burned against Israel again, and He stirred up David against them to say: "Go, count the people of Israel and Judah."^(a)

² So the king said to Joab, the commander of his army, "Go through all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba and register the troops so I can know their number."^(b)

³ Joab replied to the king, "May the Lord your God multiply the troops 100 times more than they are^(c)—while my lord the king looks on! But why does my lord the king want to do this?"

⁴ Yet the king's order prevailed over Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army left the king's presence to register the troops of Israel.

⁵ They crossed the Jordan and camped in Aroer,^(d) south of the town in the middle of the valley, and then proceeded toward Gad and Jazer. ⁶ They went to Gilead and to the land of the Hittites^[a] and continued on to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon. ⁷ They went to the fortress of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites. Afterward, they went to the Negev of Judah at Beer-sheba.

⁸ When they had gone through the whole land, they returned to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and 20 days. ⁹ Joab gave the king the total of the registration of the troops. There were 800,000 fighting men from Israel and 500,000 men from Judah.^(e)

¹⁰ David's conscience troubled him^(f) after he had taken a census of the troops. He said to the Lord , "I have sinned greatly in what I've done. Now, Lord , because I've been very foolish,^(g) please take away Your servant's guilt."

David's Punishment

¹¹ When David got up in the morning, a revelation from the Lord had come to the prophet Gad,^(h) David's seer:^{(i) 12} "Go and say to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am offering you three choices. Choose one of them, and I will do it to you.'"

¹³ So Gad went to David, told him the choices, and asked him, "Do you want three^[b] years of famine to come on your land, to flee from your foes three months while they pursue you, or to have a plague in your land three days? Now, think it over and decide what answer I should take back to the One who sent me."

¹⁴ David answered Gad, "I have great anxiety. Please, let us fall into the Lord 's hands because His mercies are great,^(j) but don't let me fall into human hands."

¹⁵ So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the appointed time, and from Dan to Beer-sheba 70,000 men died. ¹⁶ Then the angel extended his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it,^(k) but the Lord relented concerning the destruction^(l) and said to the angel who was destroying^(m) the people, "Enough, withdraw your hand now!" The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Araunah^[c] the Jebusite.⁽ⁿ⁾

¹⁷ When David saw the angel striking the people, he said to the Lord , "Look, I am the one who has sinned; I am the one^[d] who has done wrong. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, let Your hand be against me and my father's family."