David’s Census Brings Pestilence

1 ^fThen ^gSatan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Go, number Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me a report, that I may know their number.” 3 But Joab said, “May the Lord add to his people a hundred times as many as they are! Are they not, my lord the king, all of them my lord’s servants? Why then should my lord require this? Why should it be a cause of guilt for Israel?” 4 But the king’s word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came back to Jerusalem. 5 And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to David. In all Israel there were ^h1,100,000 men who drew the sword, and in Judah ^h470,000 who drew the sword. 6 ⁱBut he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, for the king’s command was abhorrent to Joab.

7 But God was displeased with this thing, and he struck Israel. 8 And David said to God, “I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing. But now, please ^jtake away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.” 9 And the Lord spoke to Gad, David’s ^kseer, saying, 10 “Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the Lord, Three things I offer you; choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’” 11 So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Choose what you will: 12 either ^lthree years of famine, or three months of devastation by your foes while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of the Lord, pestilence on the land, with the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ Now decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.” 13 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is very great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

14 So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel, and 70,000 men of Israel fell. 15 And God sent the angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but as he was about to destroy it, the Lord saw, and he ^mrelented from the calamity. And he said to the angel who was working destruction, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 16 And David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, and in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, ⁿclothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces. 17 And David said to God, “Was it not I who gave command to number the people? It is I who have sinned and done great evil. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand, O Lord my God, be against me and against my father’s house. But do not let the plague be on your people.”

David Builds an Altar

18 Now ^othe angel of the Lord had commanded Gad to say to David that David should go up and raise an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 19 So David went up at Gad’s word, which he had spoken in the name of the Lord. 20 Now Ornan was threshing wheat. He turned and saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. 21 As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David and went out from the threshing floor and paid homage to David with his face to the ground. 22 And David said to Ornan, “Give me the site of the threshing floor that I may build on it an altar to the Lord—give it to me at its full price—that the plague may be averted from the people.” 23 Then Ornan said to David, “Take it, and let my lord the king do what seems good to him. See, I give the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for the wood and the wheat for a grain offering; I give it all.” 24 But King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” 25 So David paid Ornan ^p600 shekels¹ of gold by weight for the site. 26 And David built there an altar to the Lord and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings and called on the Lord, and the Lord^{2 q}answered him with fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering. 27 Then the Lord commanded the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.

28 At that time, when David saw that the Lord had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. 29 For the tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering ^rwere at that time in the high place at Gibeon, 30 but David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord.

1 Then David said, ^s“Here shall be the house of the Lord God and here the altar of burnt offering for Israel.”

David Prepares for Temple Building

2 David commanded to gather together the ^tresident aliens who were in the land of Israel, and he ^uset stonecutters to prepare dressed stones for building the house of God. 3 David also provided great quantities of iron for nails for the doors of the gates and for clamps, ^vas well as bronze in quantities beyond weighing, 4 and cedar timbers without number, ^wfor the Sidonians and Tyrians brought great quantities of cedar to David. 5 For David said, ^x“Solomon my son is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the Lord must be exceedingly magnificent, of fame and glory throughout all lands. I will therefore make preparation for it.” So David provided materials in great quantity before his death.

Solomon Charged to Build the Temple

6 Then he called for Solomon his son and charged him to build a house for the Lord, the God of Israel. 7 David said to Solomon, “My son, ^yI had it in my heart to build a house to the name of the Lord my God. 8 But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ^z‘You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name, because you have shed so much blood before me on the earth. 9 Behold, a son shall be born to you who shall be a man of rest. ^aI will give him rest from all his surrounding enemies. ^bFor his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. 10 ^cHe shall build a house for my name. ^dHe shall be my son, and I will be his father, and I will establish his royal throne in Israel forever.’

11 “Now, my son, ^ethe Lord be with you, so that you may succeed in building the house of the Lord your God, as he has spoken concerning you. 12 ^fOnly, may the Lord grant you discretion and understanding, that when he gives you charge over Israel you may keep the law of the Lord your God. 13 ^gThen you will prosper if you are careful to observe the statutes and the rules that the Lord commanded Moses for Israel. ^hBe strong and courageous. Fear not; do not be dismayed. 14 With great pains I have provided for the house of the Lord ⁱ100,000 talents³ of gold, a million talents of silver, and ^jbronze and iron beyond weighing, for there is so much of it; timber and stone, too, I have provided. To these you must add. 15 You have an abundance of workmen: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and all kinds of craftsmen without number, skilled in working 16 gold, silver, bronze, and iron. Arise and work! ^kThe Lord be with you!”

17 David also commanded ^lall the leaders of Israel to help Solomon his son, saying, 18 “Is not the Lord your God with you? And ^mhas he not given you peace⁴ on every side? For he has delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand, and the land is subdued before the Lord and his people. 19 Now ⁿset your mind and heart to seek the Lord your God. Arise and build the sanctuary of the Lord God, ^oso that the ark of the covenant of the Lord and the holy vessels of God may be brought into a house built ^pfor the name of the Lord.”

David Organizes the Levites

1 ^qWhen David was old and full of days, ^rhe made Solomon his son king over Israel.

2 David⁵ assembled all the leaders of Israel and the priests and the Levites. 3 The Levites, ^sthirty years old and upward, were numbered, and ^tthe total was ^u38,000 men. 4 “Twenty-four thousand of these,” David said,^{6 v}“shall have charge of the work in the house of the Lord, 6,000 shall be ^wofficers and judges, 5 4,000 gatekeepers, and 4,000 shall offer praises to the Lord with the instruments ^xthat I have made for praise.” 6 ^yAnd David organized them in divisions ^zcorresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

7 ^aThe sons of Gershon⁷ were Ladan and Shimei. 8 The sons of Ladan: ^bJehiel the chief, and Zetham, and Joel, three. 9 The sons of Shimei: Shelomoth, Haziel, and Haran, three. These were the heads of the fathers’ houses of Ladan. 10 And the sons of Shimei: Jahath, Zina, and Jeush and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei. 11 Jahath was the chief, and Zizah the second; but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, therefore they became counted as a single father’s house.

12 ^cThe sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, four. 13 ^dThe sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. ^eAaron was set apart to dedicate the most holy things, that he and his sons forever should ^fmake offerings before the Lord and ^gminister to him and ^hpronounce blessings in his name forever. 14 But the sons of Moses the ⁱman of God were named among the ^jtribe of Levi. 15 The ^ksons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer. 16 The sons of Gershom: ^lShebuel the chief. 17 The sons of Eliezer: Rehabiah the chief. Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very many. 18 The sons of Izhar: Shelomith the chief. 19 The ^msons of Hebron: Jeriah the chief, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. 20 ⁿThe sons of Uzziel: Micah the chief and Isshiah the second.

21 ^oThe sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli: Eleazar and ^pKish. 22 Eleazar died ^qhaving no sons, but only daughters; their ^rkinsmen, the sons of Kish, married them. 23 ^sThe sons of Mushi: Mahli, Eder, and Jeremoth, three.

24 ^tThese were the sons of Levi by their fathers’ houses, the heads of fathers’ houses ^uas they were listed according to the number of the names of the individuals from ^vtwenty years old and upward who were to do the work for the service of the house of the Lord. 25 For David said, “The Lord, the God of Israel, ^whas given rest to his people, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever. 26 And so the Levites no longer need ^xto carry the tabernacle or any of the things for its service.” 27 For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered from ^vtwenty years old and upward. 28 For their duty was to assist the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the Lord, having the care of the courts and the chambers, the cleansing of all that is holy, and any work for the service of the house of God. 29 Their duty was also to assist with the ^yshowbread, the ^zflour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the ^abaked offering, the ^boffering mixed with oil, and all ^cmeasures of quantity or size. 30 And they were to stand every morning, thanking and praising the Lord, and likewise at evening, 31 and whenever burnt offerings were offered to the Lord ^don Sabbaths, ^enew moons, and feast days, ^faccording to the number required of them, regularly before the Lord. 32 Thus ^gthey were to keep charge of the tent of meeting and the sanctuary, and to attend the sons of Aaron, their brothers, for the ^hservice of the house of the Lord.

How Long, O Lord?

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.

Traditions and Commandments

1 ^eThen Pharisees and ^fscribes came to Jesus ^ffrom Jerusalem and said, 2 ^g“Why do your disciples break ^hthe tradition of the elders? ^jFor they do not wash their hands when they eat.” 3 He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God commanded, ^k‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ^l‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ 5 But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,”¹ 6 he need not honor his father.’ So for the sake of your tradition you have ^mmade void the word² of God. 7 ⁿYou hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:

What Defiles a Person

10 And he called the people to him and said to them, ^q“Hear and understand: 11 ^rit is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” 12 Then the disciples came and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees were ^soffended when they heard this saying?” 13 He answered, ^t“Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted ^uwill be rooted up. 14 Let them alone; ^vthey are blind guides.³ And ^wif the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” 15 But Peter said to him, ^x“Explain the parable to us.” 16 And he said, ^y“Are you also still without understanding? 17 Do you not see that ^zwhatever goes into the mouth passes into the stomach and is expelled?⁴ 18 But ^awhat comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. 19 For out of the heart come ^bevil thoughts, ^cmurder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, ^dslander. 20 ^eThese are what defile a person. But ^fto eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone.”

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

21 ^gAnd Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 And behold, ^ha Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, ⁱ“Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.” 23 But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, ^j“Send her away, for she is crying out after us.” 24 He answered, ^k“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 25 But she came and ^lknelt before him, saying, “Lord, help me.” 26 And he answered, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and ^mthrow it to the dogs.” 27 She said, “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat ⁿthe crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered her, “O woman, ^ogreat is your faith! ^pBe it done for you as you desire.” ^qAnd her daughter was ^phealed instantly.⁵

Jesus Heals Many

29 ^rJesus went on from there and walked ^sbeside the Sea of Galilee. And he ^twent up on the mountain and sat down there. 30 And great crowds came to him, bringing with them ^uthe lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, 31 ^vso that the crowd wondered, when they saw the mute speaking, ^wthe crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And ^xthey glorified ^ythe God of Israel.

Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand

32 ^zThen Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ^a“I have compassion on the crowd because they have been with me now three days and have nothing to eat. And I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” 33 And the disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?” 34 And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, ^b“Seven, and a few small fish.” 35 And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and ^chaving given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 37 And ^dthey all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 38 Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 And after sending away the crowds, he got into the boat and went to the region of ^eMagadan.