Psalms of Asaph · Chronicles: David's last charge

Psalms 81–83 WEB

^81:1Sing aloud to God, our strength! Make a joyful shout to the God of Jacob! ²Raise a song, and bring here the tambourine, the pleasant lyre with the harp. ³Blow the trumpet at the New Moon, at the full moon, on our feast day. ⁴For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob. ⁵He appointed it in Joseph for a covenant, when he went out over the land of Egypt, I heard a language that I didn’t know. ⁶“I removed his shoulder from the burden. His hands were freed from the basket. ⁷You called in trouble, and I delivered you. I answered you in the secret place of thunder. I tested you at the waters of Meribah.” Selah. ⁸“Hear, my people, and I will testify to you, Israel, if you would listen to me! ⁹There shall be no strange god in you, neither shall you worship any foreign god. ¹⁰I am the LORD, your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it. ¹¹But my people didn’t listen to my voice. Israel desired none of me. ¹²So I let them go after the stubbornness of their hearts, that they might walk in their own counsels. ¹³Oh that my people would listen to me, that Israel would walk in my ways! ¹⁴I would soon subdue their enemies, and turn my hand against their adversaries. ¹⁵The haters of the LORD would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever. ¹⁶But he would have also fed them with the finest of the wheat. I will satisfy you with honey out of the rock.”

^82:1God presides in the great assembly. He judges among the gods. ²“How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked?” Selah. ³“Defend the weak, the poor, and the fatherless. Maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. ⁴Rescue the weak and needy. Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.” ⁵They don’t know, neither do they understand. They walk back and forth in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are shaken. ⁶I said, “You are gods, all of you are sons of the Most High. ⁷Nevertheless you shall die like men, and fall like one of the rulers.” ⁸Arise, God, judge the earth, for you inherit all of the nations.

^83:1God, don’t keep silent. Don’t keep silent, and don’t be still, God. ²For, behold, your enemies are stirred up. Those who hate you have lifted up their heads. ³They conspire with cunning against your people. They plot against your cherished ones. ⁴“Come,” they say, “let’s destroy them as a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more.” ⁵For they have conspired together with one mind. They form an alliance against you. ⁶The tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites; Moab, and the Hagrites; ⁷Gebal, Ammon, and Amalek; Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; ⁸Assyria also is joined with them. They have helped the children of Lot. Selah. ⁹Do to them as you did to Midian, as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the river Kishon; ¹⁰who perished at Endor, who became as dung for the earth. ¹¹Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, yes, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna, ¹²who said, “Let’s take possession of God’s pasture lands.” ¹³My God, make them like tumbleweed, like chaff before the wind. ¹⁴As the fire that burns the forest, as the flame that sets the mountains on fire, ¹⁵so pursue them with your tempest, and terrify them with your storm. ¹⁶Fill their faces with confusion, that they may seek your name, LORD. ¹⁷Let them be disappointed and dismayed forever. Yes, let them be confounded and perish; ¹⁸that they may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth.

1 Chronicles 27–28 WEB

^27:1Now the children of Israel after their number, the heads of fathers’ households and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and their officers who served the king in any matter of the divisions which came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year—of every division were twenty-four thousand. ²Over the first division for the first month was Jashobeam the son of Zabdiel. In his division were twenty-four thousand. ³He was of the children of Perez, the chief of all the captains of the army for the first month. ⁴Over the division of the second month was Dodai the Ahohite and his division, and Mikloth the ruler; and in his division were twenty-four thousand. ⁵The third captain of the army for the third month was Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada the chief priest. In his division were twenty-four thousand. ⁶This is that Benaiah who was the mighty man of the thirty and over the thirty. Of his division was Ammizabad his son. ⁷The fourth captain for the fourth month was Asahel the brother of Joab, and Zebadiah his son after him. In his division were twenty-four thousand. ⁸The fifth captain for the fifth month was Shamhuth the Izrahite. In his division were twenty-four thousand. ⁹The sixth captain for the sixth month was Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite. In his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹⁰The seventh captain for the seventh month was Helez the Pelonite, of the children of Ephraim. In his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹¹The eighth captain for the eighth month was Sibbecai the Hushathite, of the Zerahites. In his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹²The ninth captain for the ninth month was Abiezer the Anathothite, of the Benjamites. In his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹³The tenth captain for the tenth month was Maharai the Netophathite, of the Zerahites. In his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹⁴The eleventh captain for the eleventh month was Benaiah the Pirathonite, of the children of Ephraim. In his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹⁵The twelfth captain for the twelfth month was Heldai the Netophathite, of Othniel. In his division were twenty-four thousand. ¹⁶Furthermore over the tribes of Israel: of the Reubenites, Eliezer the son of Zichri was the ruler; of the Simeonites, Shephatiah the son of Maacah; ¹⁷of Levi, Hashabiah the son of Kemuel; of Aaron, Zadok; ¹⁸of Judah, Elihu, one of the brothers of David; of Issachar, Omri the son of Michael; ¹⁹of Zebulun, Ishmaiah the son of Obadiah; of Naphtali, Jeremoth the son of Azriel; ²⁰of the children of Ephraim, Hoshea the son of Azaziah; of the half-tribe of Manasseh, Joel the son of Pedaiah; ²¹of the half-tribe of Manasseh in Gilead, Iddo the son of Zechariah; of Benjamin, Jaasiel the son of Abner; ²²of Dan, Azarel the son of Jeroham. These were the captains of the tribes of Israel. ²³But David didn’t take the number of them from twenty years old and under, because the LORD had said he would increase Israel like the stars of the sky. ²⁴Joab the son of Zeruiah began to take a census, but didn’t finish; and wrath came on Israel for this. The number wasn’t put into the account in the chronicles of King David. ²⁵Over the king’s treasures was Azmaveth the son of Adiel. Over the treasures in the fields, in the cities, in the villages, and in the towers was Jonathan the son of Uzziah; ²⁶Over those who did the work of the field for tillage of the ground was Ezri the son of Chelub. ²⁷Over the vineyards was Shimei the Ramathite. Over the increase of the vineyards for the wine cellars was Zabdi the Shiphmite. ²⁸Over the olive trees and the sycamore trees that were in the lowland was Baal Hanan the Gederite. Over the cellars of oil was Joash. ²⁹Over the herds that fed in Sharon was Shitrai the Sharonite. Over the herds that were in the valleys was Shaphat the son of Adlai. ³⁰Over the camels was Obil the Ishmaelite. Over the donkeys was Jehdeiah the Meronothite. Over the flocks was Jaziz the Hagrite. ³¹All these were the rulers of the property which was King David’s. ³²Also Jonathan, David’s uncle, was a counselor, a man of understanding, and a scribe. Jehiel the son of Hachmoni was with the king’s sons. ³³Ahithophel was the king’s counselor. Hushai the Archite was the king’s friend. ³⁴After Ahithophel was Jehoiada the son of Benaiah, and Abiathar. Joab was the captain of the king’s army.

^28:1David assembled all the princes of Israel, the princes of the tribes, the captains of the companies who served the king by division, the captains of thousands, the captains of hundreds, and the rulers over all the substance and possessions of the king and of his sons, with the officers and the mighty men, even all the mighty men of valor, to Jerusalem. ²Then David the king stood up on his feet and said, “Hear me, my brothers and my people! As for me, it was in my heart to build a house of rest for the ark of the LORD’s covenant, and for the footstool of our God; and I had prepared for the building. ³But God said to me, ‘You shall not build a house for my name, because you are a man of war and have shed blood.’ ⁴However the LORD, the God of Israel, chose me out of all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever. For he has chosen Judah to be prince; and in the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel. ⁵Of all my sons (for the LORD has given me many sons), he has chosen Solomon my son to sit on the throne of the LORD’s kingdom over Israel. ⁶He said to me, ‘Solomon, your son, shall build my house and my courts; for I have chosen him to be my son, and I will be his father. ⁷I will establish his kingdom forever if he continues to do my commandments and my ordinances, as it is today.’ ⁸Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel, the LORD’s assembly, and in the audience of our God, observe and seek out all the commandments of the LORD your God, that you may possess this good land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children after you forever. ⁹You, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind; for the LORD searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever. ¹⁰Take heed now, for the LORD has chosen you to build a house for the sanctuary. Be strong, and do it.” ¹¹Then David gave to Solomon his son the plans for the porch of the temple, for its houses, for its treasuries, for its upper rooms, for its inner rooms, for the place of the mercy seat; ¹²and the plans of all that he had by the Spirit, for the courts of the LORD’s house, for all the surrounding rooms, for the treasuries of God’s house, and for the treasuries of the dedicated things; ¹³also for the divisions of the priests and the Levites, for all the work of the service of the LORD’s house, and for all the vessels of service in the LORD’s house— ¹⁴of gold by weight for the gold for all vessels of every kind of service, for all the vessels of silver by weight, for all vessels of every kind of service; ¹⁵by weight also for the lamp stands of gold, and for its lamps, of gold, by weight for every lamp stand and for its lamps; and for the lamp stands of silver, by weight for every lamp stand and for its lamps, according to the use of every lamp stand; ¹⁶and the gold by weight for the tables of show bread, for every table; and silver for the tables of silver; ¹⁷and the forks, the basins, and the cups, of pure gold; and for the golden bowls by weight for every bowl; and for the silver bowls by weight for every bowl; ¹⁸and for the altar of incense, refined gold by weight; and gold for the plans for the chariot, and the cherubim that spread out and cover the ark of the LORD’s covenant. ¹⁹“All this”, David said, “I have been made to understand in writing from the LORD’s hand, even all the works of this pattern.” ²⁰David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous, and do it. Don’t be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD God, even my God, is with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you, until all the work for the service of the LORD’s house is finished. ²¹Behold, there are the divisions of the priests and the Levites for all the service of God’s house. Every willing man who has skill for any kind of service shall be with you in all kinds of work. Also the captains and all the people will be entirely at your command.”