Army Divisions

1This is the list of the Israelites—heads of families, commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and their officers, who served the king in all that concerned the army divisions that were on duty month by month throughout the year. Each division consisted of 24,000 men.

2In charge of the first division, for the first month, was Jashobeam son of Zabdiel. There were 24,000 men in his division. 3He was a descendant of Perez and chief of all the army officers for the first month.

4In charge of the division for the second month was Dodai the Ahohite; Mikloth was the leader of his division. There were 24,000 men in his division.

5The third army commander, for the third month, was Benaiah son of Jehoiada the priest. He was chief and there were 24,000 men in his division. 6This was the Benaiah who was a mighty warrior among the Thirty and was over the Thirty. His son Ammizabad was in charge of his division.

7The fourth, for the fourth month, was Asahel the brother of Joab; his son Zebadiah was his successor. There were 24,000 men in his division.

8The fifth, for the fifth month, was the commander Shamhuth the Izrahite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

9The sixth, for the sixth month, was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

10The seventh, for the seventh month, was Helez the Pelonite, an Ephraimite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

11The eighth, for the eighth month, was Sibbekai the Hushathite, a Zerahite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

12The ninth, for the ninth month, was Abiezer the Anathothite, a Benjamite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

13The tenth, for the tenth month, was Maharai the Netophathite, a Zerahite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

14The eleventh, for the eleventh month, was Benaiah the Pirathonite, an Ephraimite. There were 24,000 men in his division.

15The twelfth, for the twelfth month, was Heldai the Netophathite, from the family of Othniel. There were 24,000 men in his division.

Leaders of the Tribes

16The leaders of the tribes of Israel:

over the Reubenites: Eliezer son of Zikri;

over the Simeonites: Shephatiah son of Maakah;

17over Levi: Hashabiah son of Kemuel;

over Aaron: Zadok;

18over Judah: Elihu, a brother of David;

over Issachar: Omri son of Michael;

19over Zebulun: Ishmaiah son of Obadiah;

over Naphtali: Jerimoth son of Azriel;

20over the Ephraimites: Hoshea son of Azaziah;

over half the tribe of Manasseh: Joel son of Pedaiah;

21over the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead: Iddo son of Zechariah;

over Benjamin: Jaasiel son of Abner;

22over Dan: Azarel son of Jeroham.

These were the leaders of the tribes of Israel.

23David did not take the number of the men twenty years old or less, because the Lord had promised to make Israel as numerous as the stars in the sky. 24Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the men but did not finish. God’s wrath came on Israel on account of this numbering, and the number was not entered in the bookof the annals of King David.

The King’s Overseers

25Azmaveth son of Adiel was in charge of the royal storehouses.

Jonathan son of Uzziah was in charge of the storehouses in the outlying districts, in the towns, the villages and the watchtowers.

26Ezri son of Kelub was in charge of the workers who farmed the land.

27Shimei the Ramathite was in charge of the vineyards.

Zabdi the Shiphmite was in charge of the produce of the vineyards for the wine vats.

28Baal-Hanan the Gederite was in charge of the olive and sycamore-fig trees in the western foothills.

Joash was in charge of the supplies of olive oil.

29Shitrai the Sharonite was in charge of the herds grazing in Sharon.

Shaphat son of Adlai was in charge of the herds in the valleys.

30Obil the Ishmaelite was in charge of the camels.

Jehdeiah the Meronothite was in charge of the donkeys.

31Jaziz the Hagrite was in charge of the flocks.

All these were the officials in charge of King David’s property.

32Jonathan, David’s uncle, was a counselor, a man of insight and a scribe. Jehiel son of Hakmoni took care of the king’s sons.

33Ahithophel was the king’s counselor.

Hushai the Arkite was the king’s confidant. 34Ahithophel was succeeded by Jehoiada son of Benaiah and by Abiathar.

Joab was the commander of the royal army.

1The divisions of the gatekeepers:

From the Korahites: Meshelemiah son of Kore, one of the sons of Asaph.

2Meshelemiah had sons:

Zechariah the firstborn,

Jediael the second,

Zebadiah the third,

Jathniel the fourth,

3Elam the fifth,

Jehohanan the sixth

and Eliehoenai the seventh.

4Obed-Edom also had sons:

Shemaiah the firstborn,

Jehozabad the second,

Joah the third,

Sakar the fourth,

Nethanel the fifth,

5Ammiel the sixth,

Issachar the seventh

and Peullethai the eighth.

(For God had blessed Obed-Edom.)

6Obed-Edom’s son Shemaiah also had sons, who were leaders in their father’s family because they were very capable men. 7The sons of Shemaiah: Othni, Rephael, Obed and Elzabad; his relatives Elihu and Semakiah were also able men. 8All these were descendants of Obed-Edom; they and their sons and their relatives were capable men with the strength to do the work—descendants of Obed-Edom, 62 in all.

9Meshelemiah had sons and relatives, who were able men—18 in all.

10Hosah the Merarite had sons: Shimri the first (although he was not the firstborn, his father had appointed him the first), 11Hilkiah the second, Tabaliah the third and Zechariah the fourth. The sons and relatives of Hosah were 13 in all.

12These divisions of the gatekeepers, through their leaders, had duties for ministering in the temple of the Lord, just as their relatives had. 13Lots were cast for each gate, according to their families, young and old alike.

14The lot for the East Gate fell to Shelemiah. Then lots were cast for his son Zechariah, a wise counselor, and the lot for the North Gate fell to him. 15The lot for the South Gate fell to Obed-Edom, and the lot for the storehouse fell to his sons. 16The lots for the West Gate and the Shalleketh Gate on the upper road fell to Shuppim and Hosah.

Guard was alongside of guard: 17There were six Levites a day on the east, four a day on the north, four a day on the south and two at a time at the storehouse. 18As for the court to the west, there were four at the road and two at the court itself.

19These were the divisions of the gatekeepers who were descendants of Korah and Merari.

The Treasurers and Other Officials

20Their fellow Levites were in charge of the treasuries of the house of God and the treasuries for the dedicated things.

21The descendants of Ladan, who were Gershonites through Ladan and who were heads of families belonging to Ladan the Gershonite, were Jehieli, 22the sons of Jehieli, Zetham and his brother Joel. They were in charge of the treasuries of the temple of the Lord.

23From the Amramites, the Izharites, the Hebronites and the Uzzielites:

24Shubael, a descendant of Gershom son of Moses, was the official in charge of the treasuries. 25His relatives through Eliezer: Rehabiah his son, Jeshaiah his son, Joram his son, Zikri his son and Shelomith his son. 26Shelomith and his relatives were in charge of all the treasuries for the things dedicated by King David, by the heads of families who were the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and by the other army commanders. 27Some of the plunder taken in battle they dedicated for the repair of the temple of the Lord. 28And everything dedicated by Samuel the seer and by Saul son of Kish, Abner son of Ner and Joab son of Zeruiah, and all the other dedicated things were in the care of Shelomith and his relatives.

29From the Izharites: Kenaniah and his sons were assigned duties away from the temple, as officials and judges over Israel.

30From the Hebronites: Hashabiah and his relatives—seventeen hundred able men—were responsible in Israel west of the Jordan for all the work of the Lord and for the king’s service. 31As for the Hebronites, Jeriah was their chief according to the genealogical records of their families. In the fortieth year of David’s reign a search was made in the records, and capable men among the Hebronites were found at Jazer in Gilead. 32Jeriah had twenty-seven hundred relatives, who were able men and heads of families, and King David put them in charge of the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh for every matter pertaining to God and for the affairs of the king.

1I will exalt you, my God the King;

I will praise your name for ever and ever.

2Every day I will praise you

and extol your name for ever and ever.

3Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;

his greatness no one can fathom.

4One generation commends your works to another;

they tell of your mighty acts.

5They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—

and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

6They tell of the power of your awesome works—

and I will proclaim your great deeds.

7They celebrate your abundant goodness

and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

8The Lord is gracious and compassionate,

slow to anger and rich in love.

9The Lord is good to all;

he has compassion on all he has made.

10All your works praise you, Lord;

your faithful people extol you.

11They tell of the glory of your kingdom

and speak of your might,

12so that all people may know of your mighty acts

and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.

13Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

and your dominion endures through all generations.

The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises

and faithful in all he does.

14The Lord upholds all who fall

and lifts up all who are bowed down.

15The eyes of all look to you,

and you give them their food at the proper time.

16You open your hand

and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

17The Lord is righteous in all his ways

and faithful in all he does.

18The Lord is near to all who call on him,

to all who call on him in truth.

19He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;

he hears their cry and saves them.

20The Lord watches over all who love him,

but all the wicked he will destroy.

21My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord.

Let every creature praise his holy name

for ever and ever.

1Praise be to the Lord my Rock,

who trains my hands for war,

my fingers for battle.

2He is my loving God and my fortress,

my stronghold and my deliverer,

my shield, in whom I take refuge,

who subdues peoples under me.

3 Lord, what are human beings that you care for them,

mere mortals that you think of them?

4They are like a breath;

their days are like a fleeting shadow.

5Part your heavens, Lord, and come down;

touch the mountains, so that they smoke.

6Send forth lightning and scatter the enemy;

shoot your arrows and rout them.

7Reach down your hand from on high;

deliver me and rescue me

from the mighty waters,

from the hands of foreigners

8whose mouths are full of lies,

whose right hands are deceitful.

9I will sing a new song to you, my God;

on the ten-stringed lyre I will make music to you,

10to the One who gives victory to kings,

who delivers his servant David.

From the deadly sword 11deliver me;

rescue me from the hands of foreigners

whose mouths are full of lies,

whose right hands are deceitful.

12Then our sons in their youth

will be like well-nurtured plants,

and our daughters will be like pillars

carved to adorn a palace.

13Our barns will be filled

with every kind of provision.

Our sheep will increase by thousands,

by tens of thousands in our fields;

14our oxen will draw heavy loads.

There will be no breaching of walls,

no going into captivity,

no cry of distress in our streets.

15Blessed is the people of whom this is true;

blessed is the people whose God is the Lord.

1 Lord, hear my prayer,

listen to my cry for mercy;

in your faithfulness and righteousness

come to my relief.

2Do not bring your servant into judgment,

for no one living is righteous before you.

3The enemy pursues me,

he crushes me to the ground;

he makes me dwell in the darkness

like those long dead.

4So my spirit grows faint within me;

my heart within me is dismayed.

5I remember the days of long ago;

I meditate on all your works

and consider what your hands have done.

6I spread out my hands to you;

I thirst for you like a parched land.

7Answer me quickly, Lord;

my spirit fails.

Do not hide your face from me

or I will be like those who go down to the pit.

8Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,

for I have put my trust in you.

Show me the way I should go,

for to you I entrust my life.

9Rescue me from my enemies, Lord,

for I hide myself in you.

10Teach me to do your will,

for you are my God;

may your good Spirit

lead me on level ground.

11For your name’s sake, Lord, preserve my life;

in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.

12In your unfailing love, silence my enemies;

destroy all my foes,

for I am your servant.

Psalm 131

1My heart is not proud, Lord,

my eyes are not haughty;

I do not concern myself with great matters

or things too wonderful for me.

2But I have calmed and quieted myself,

I am like a weaned child with its mother;

like a weaned child I am content.

3Israel, put your hope in the Lord

both now and forevermore.

Psalm 138

1I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart;

before the “gods” I will sing your praise.

2I will bow down toward your holy temple

and will praise your name

for your unfailing love and your faithfulness,

for you have so exalted your solemn decree

that it surpasses your fame.

3When I called, you answered me;

you greatly emboldened me.

4May all the kings of the earth praise you, Lord,

when they hear what you have decreed.

5May they sing of the ways of the Lord,

for the glory of the Lord is great.

6Though the Lord is exalted, he looks kindly on the lowly;

though lofty, he sees them from afar.

7Though I walk in the midst of trouble,

you preserve my life.

You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes;

with your right hand you save me.

8The Lordwill vindicate me;

your love, Lord, endures forever—

do not abandon the works of your hands.

Psalm 139

1You have searched me, Lord,

and you know me.

2You know when I sit and when I rise;

you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3You discern my going out and my lying down;

you are familiar with all my ways.

4Before a word is on my tongue

you, Lord, know it completely.

5You hem me in behind and before,

and you lay your hand upon me.

6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too lofty for me to attain.

7Where can I go from your Spirit?

Where can I flee from your presence?

8If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

9If I rise on the wings of the dawn,

if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast.

11If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me

and the light become night around me,”

12even the darkness will not be dark to you;

the night will shine like the day,

for darkness is as light to you.

13For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

15My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place,

when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

16Your eyes saw my unformed body;

all the days ordained for me were written in your book

before one of them came to be.

17How precious to me are your thoughts,God!

How vast is the sum of them!

18Were I to count them,

they would outnumber the grains of sand—

when I awake, I am still with you.

19If only you, God, would slay the wicked!

Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!

20They speak of you with evil intent;

your adversaries misuse your name.

21Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord,

and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?

22I have nothing but hatred for them;

I count them my enemies.

23Search me, God, and know my heart;

test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24See if there is any offensive way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting.

The Musicians

1David, together with the commanders of the army, set apart some of the sons of Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun for the ministry of prophesying, accompanied by harps, lyres and cymbals. Here is the list of the men who performed this service:

2From the sons of Asaph:

Zakkur, Joseph, Nethaniah and Asarelah. The sons of Asaph were under the supervision of Asaph, who prophesied under the king’s supervision.

3As for Jeduthun, from his sons:

Gedaliah, Zeri, Jeshaiah, Shimei,Hashabiah and Mattithiah, six in all, under the supervision of their father Jeduthun, who prophesied, using the harp in thanking and praising the Lord.

4As for Heman, from his sons:

Bukkiah, Mattaniah, Uzziel, Shubael and Jerimoth; Hananiah, Hanani, Eliathah, Giddalti and Romamti-Ezer; Joshbekashah, Mallothi, Hothir and Mahazioth. 5(All these were sons of Heman the king’s seer. They were given him through the promises of God to exalt him. God gave Heman fourteen sons and three daughters.)

6All these men were under the supervision of their father for the music of the temple of the Lord, with cymbals, lyres and harps, for the ministry at the house of God.

Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the supervision of the king. 7Along with their relatives—all of them trained and skilled in music for the Lord—they numbered 288. 8Young and old alike, teacher as well as student, cast lots for their duties.

9The first lot, which was for Asaph, fell to Joseph,his sons and relatives the second to Gedaliah,him and his relatives and sons10the third to Zakkur,his sons and relatives 11the fourth to Izri,his sons and relatives 12the fifth to Nethaniah,his sons and relatives 13the sixth to Bukkiah,his sons and relatives 14the seventh to Jesarelah,his sons and relatives 15the eighth to Jeshaiah,his sons and relatives 16the ninth to Mattaniah,his sons and relatives 17the tenth to Shimei,his sons and relative 18the eleventh to Azarel,his sons and relatives 19the twelfth to Hashabiah,his sons and relatives 20the thirteenth to Shubael,his sons and relatives 21the fourteenth to Mattithiah,his sons and relatives 22the fifteenth to Jerimoth,his sons and relatives 23the sixteenth to Hananiah,his sons and relatives 24the seventeenth to Joshbekashah,his sons and relatives 25the eighteenth to Hanani,his sons and relatives 26the nineteenth to Mallothi,his sons and relatives 27the twentieth to Eliathah,his sons and relatives 28the twenty-first to Hothir,his sons and relatives 29the twenty-second to Giddalti,his sons and relatives 30the twenty-third to Mahazioth,his sons and relatives 31the twenty-fourth to Romamti-Ezer,his sons and relatives.