1 Chronicles 16

• 1. So they brought the Ark of God into the special tent David had prepared for it, and they sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings before God.
• 2. When he had finished, David blessed the people in the name of the LORD.
• 3. Then he gave a gift of food to every man and woman in Israel: a loaf of bread, a cake of dates, and a cake of raisins.
• 4. David appointed the following Levites to lead the people in worship before the Ark of the LORD by asking for his blessings and giving thanks and praise to the LORD, the God of Israel.
• 5. Asaph, the leader of this group, sounded the cymbals. His assistants were Zechariah (the second), then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel. They played the harps and lyres.
• 6. The priests, Benaiah and Jahaziel, played the trumpets regularly before the Ark of God's covenant.
• 7. That day David gave to Asaph and his fellow Levites this song of thanksgiving to the LORD:
• 8. Give thanks to the LORD and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done.
• 9. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his miracles.
• 10. Exult in his holy name; O worshipers of the LORD, rejoice!
• 11. Search for the LORD and for his strength, and keep on searching.
• 12. Think of the wonderful works he has done, the miracles, and the judgments he handed down,
• 13. O children of Israel, God's servant, O descendants of Jacob, God's chosen one.
• 14. He is the LORD our God. His rule is seen throughout the land.
• 15. He always stands by his covenant--the commitment he made to a thousand generations.
• 16. This is the covenant he made with Abraham and the oath he swore to Isaac.
• 17. He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to the people of Israel as a never-ending treaty:
• 18. "I will give you the land of Canaan as your special possession."
• 19. He said this when they were few in number, a tiny group of strangers in Canaan.
• 20. They wandered back and forth between nations, from one kingdom to another.
• 21. Yet he did not let anyone oppress them. He warned kings on their behalf:
• 22. "Do not touch these people I have chosen, and do not hurt my prophets."
• 23. Let the whole earth sing to the LORD! Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.
• 24. Publish his glorious deeds among the nations. Tell everyone about the amazing things he does.
• 25. Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be revered above all gods.
• 26. The gods of other nations are merely idols, but the LORD made the heavens!
• 27. Honor and majesty surround him; strength and beauty are in his dwelling.
• 28. O nations of the world, recognize the LORD, recognize that the LORD is glorious and strong.
• 29. Give to the LORD the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come to worship him. Worship the LORD in all his holy splendor.
• 30. Let all the earth tremble before him. The world is firmly established and cannot be shaken.
• 31. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice! Tell all the nations that the LORD is king.
• 32. Let the sea and everything in it shout his praise! Let the fields and their crops burst forth with joy!
• 33. Let the trees of the forest rustle with praise before the LORD! For he is coming to judge the earth.
• 34. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
• 35. Cry out, "Save us, O God of our salvation! Gather and rescue us from among the nations, so we can thank your holy name and rejoice and praise you."
• 36. Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting! And all the people shouted "Amen!" and praised the LORD.
• 37. David arranged for Asaph and his fellow Levites to minister regularly before the Ark of the LORD's covenant, doing whatever needed to be done each day.
• 38. This group included Obed-edom (son of Jeduthun), Hosah, and sixty-eight other Levites as gatekeepers.
• 39. Meanwhile, David stationed Zadok the priest and his fellow priests at the Tabernacle of the LORD on the hill of Gibeon, where they continued to minister before the LORD.
• 40. They sacrificed the regular burnt offerings to the LORD each morning and evening on the altar set aside for that purpose, obeying everything written in the law of the LORD, which he had given to Israel.
• 41. David also appointed Heman, Jeduthun, and the others chosen by name to give thanks to the LORD, "for his faithful love endures forever."
• 42. They used their trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments to accompany the songs of praise to God. And the sons of Jeduthun were appointed as gatekeepers.
• 43. Then all the people returned to their homes, and David returned home to bless his family.

1 Chronicles 17

• 1. Now when David was settled in his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, "Here I am living in this beautiful cedar palace, but the Ark of the LORD's covenant is out in a tent!"
• 2. Nathan replied, "Go ahead with what you have in mind, for God is with you."
• 3. But that same night God said to Nathan,
• 4. "Go and tell my servant David, `This is what the LORD says: You are not the one to build me a temple to live in.
• 5. I have never lived in a temple, from the day I brought the Israelites out of Egypt until now. My home has always been a tent, moving from one place to another.
• 6. And I never once complained to Israel's leaders, the shepherds of my people. I have never asked them, "Why haven't you built me a beautiful cedar temple?"'
• 7. "Now go and say to my servant David, `This is what the LORD Almighty says: I chose you to lead my people Israel when you were just a shepherd boy, tending your sheep out in the pasture.
• 8. I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies. Now I will make your name famous throughout the earth!
• 9. And I have provided a permanent homeland for my people Israel, a secure place where they will never be disturbed. It will be their own land where wicked nations won't oppress them as they did in the past,
• 10. from the time I appointed judges to rule my people. And I will subdue all your enemies. "`And now I declare that the LORD will build a house for you--a dynasty of kings!
• 11. For when you die, I will raise up one of your sons, and I will make his kingdom strong.
• 12. He is the one who will build a house--a temple--for me. And I will establish his throne forever.
• 13. I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will not take my unfailing love from him as I took it from Saul, who ruled before you.
• 14. I will establish him over my dynasty and my kingdom for all time, and his throne will be secure forever.'"
• 15. So Nathan went back to David and told him everything the LORD had said.
• 16. Then King David went in and sat before the LORD and prayed, "Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?
• 17. And now, O God, in addition to everything else, you speak of giving me a lasting dynasty! You speak as though I were someone very great, O LORD God!
• 18. What more can I say about the way you have honored me? You know what I am really like.
• 19. For my sake, O LORD, and according to your will, you have done all these great things and have made them known.
• 20. "O LORD, there is no one like you--there is no other God. We have never even heard of another god like you!
• 21. What other nation on earth is like Israel? What other nation, O God, have you redeemed from slavery to be your own people? You made a great name for yourself when you rescued your people from Egypt. You performed awesome miracles and drove out the nations that stood in their way.
• 22. You chose Israel to be your people forever, and you, O LORD, have become their God.
• 23. "And now, O LORD, do as you have promised concerning me and my family. May it be a promise that will last forever.
• 24. And may your name be established and honored forever so that all the world will say, `The LORD Almighty is God over Israel!' And may the dynasty of your servant David be established in your presence.
• 25. "O my God, I have been bold enough to pray this prayer because you have revealed that you will build a house for me--an eternal dynasty!
• 26. For you are God, O LORD. And you have promised these good things to me, your servant.
• 27. And now, it has pleased you to bless me and my family so that our dynasty will continue forever before you. For when you grant a blessing, O LORD, it is an eternal blessing!"

1 Chronicles 18

• 1. After this, David subdued and humbled the Philistines by conquering Gath and its surrounding towns.
• 2. David also conquered the land of Moab, and the Moabites became David's subjects and brought him tribute money.
• 3. Then David destroyed the forces of King Hadadezer of Zobah, as far as Hamath, when Hadadezer marched out to strengthen his control along the Euphrates River.
• 4. David captured one thousand chariots, seven thousand charioteers, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. Then he crippled all but one hundred of the chariot horses.
• 5. When Arameans from Damascus arrived to help Hadadezer, David killed twenty-two thousand of them.
• 6. Then he placed several army garrisons in Damascus, the Aramean capital, and the Arameans became David's subjects and brought him tribute money. So the LORD gave David victory wherever he went.
• 7. David brought the gold shields of Hadadezer's officers to Jerusalem,
• 8. along with a large amount of bronze from Hadadezer's cities of Tebah and Cun. Later Solomon melted the bronze and used it for the Temple. He molded it into the bronze Sea, the pillars, and the various bronze utensils used at the Temple.
• 9. When King Toi of Hamath heard that David had destroyed the army of King Hadadezer of Zobah,
• 10. he sent his son Joram to congratulate David on his success. Hadadezer and Toi had long been enemies, and there had been many wars between them. Joram presented David with many gifts of gold, silver, and bronze.
• 11. King David dedicated all these gifts to the LORD, along with the silver and gold he had taken from the other nations he had subdued--Edom, Moab, Ammon, Philistia, and Amalek.
• 12. Abishai son of Zeruiah destroyed eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt.
• 13. He placed army garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites became David's subjects. This was another example of how the LORD made David victorious wherever he went.
• 14. David reigned over all Israel and was fair to everyone.
• 15. Joab son of Zeruiah was commander of the army. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the royal historian.
• 16. Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were the priests. Seraiah was the court secretary.
• 17. Benaiah son of Jehoiada was captain of the king's bodyguard. David's sons served as the king's chief assistants.

New Living Translation: 123 of 324 days.