went down and smote the lion in the midst of the pit, in 21 time of snow. And he smote the Egyptian, a goodly man. And the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the 22 Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear. These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and had a name 23 among the thirty mighty men. He was more honored than the thirty; but he attained not to the three. And David 24 made him of his private audience. Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty, Elhanan the son of Dodo of 25 Beth-lehem, Shammah the Harodite, Elika the Harodite, Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer 28 the Anethothite, Mebunnai the Hushathite, Zalmon the 29 Ahohite, Maharai the Netophathite, Heleb the son of Baa

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nah, a Netophathite, Ittai the son of Ribai out of Gibeah of 30 the children of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, Hiddai 31 of the valleys of Gaash, Abi-albon the Arbathite, Azmaveth 32 the Barhumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, Hashem the Gizonite, 33 Jonathan the son of Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son 34 of Sharar the Hararite, Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai, the

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son of the Maachathite, Eliam the son of Ahithophel the 3 Gilonite, Hezrai the Carmelite, Paarai the Arbite, Igal the 37 son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite, Zelek the Ammonite, Nahari the Beerothite, armor-bearer to Joab the son of Zeruiah, Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, Uriah the Hittite; thirty and seven in all.

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1 AND again the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel; and he moved David against them to say: Go, num2 ber Israel and Judah. And the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him: Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan unto Beer-sheba; and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people. 3 And Joab said to the king: May Jehovah thy God add to the people, how many soever they may be, a hundred fold, and that the eyes of my lord, the king, may see it. But why

4 does my lord, the king, delight in this thing? But the king's

5

word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the host. And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel.

And they passed over the Jordan, and encamped in Aroer, on the right side of the city that lies in the midst of the valley • of Gad, and toward Jazer. And they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtim-hodshi; and they came to Dan-jaan, 7 and around to Zidon, and came to the Tyrian fortress, and to all the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites; and they 8 went out to the south of Judah, unto Beer-sheba. So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem 9 at the end of nine months and twenty days. And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to the king. And there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

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10 And David's heart smote him, after he had numbered the people. And David said to Jehovah : I have sinned greatly in that which I have done. And now, I beseech thee, Jehovah, put away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done 11 very foolishly. And when David rose in the morning, the word of Jehovah came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, 12 saying; go, and say to David: Thus says Jehovah: Three things I lay upon thee; choose for thee one of them, that I may do it to thee. And Gad came to David, and told him ; and he said to him: Shall there come to thee seven years of famine in thy land? Or that thou flee three months before thy enemies, while they pursue thee? Or that there be three days' pestilence in thy land? Now consider, and see what 14 word I shall return to him who sent me. And David said to Gad: I am in a great strait. Let us fall now into the hand of Jehovah; for great are his mercies; and let me not fall into the hand of man.

15

And Jehovah sent a pestilence morrow and to the time appointed.

upon Israel, from the And there died of the

people, from Dan unto Beer-sheba, seventy thousand men. 16 And the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to

destroy it. And Jehovah repented of the evil; and he said to the angel that destroyed the people: It is enough; now stay thy hand. And the angel of Jehovah was by the 17 threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite. And David spoke to Jehovah, when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said: Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these, the flock, what have they done? Let thy hand, I pray thee, be upon me, and upon my father's house. 18 And Gad came that day to David, and said to him: Go up, rear an altar to Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Araunah 19 the Jebusite. And David, according to the saying of Gad, 20 went up as Jehovah commanded. And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king, 21 with his face to the ground. And Araunah said: Wherefore comes my lord, the king, to his servant? And David said : To buy the threshing-floor of thee, to build an altar to Jeho22 vah, that the plague may be stayed from the people. And Araunah said to David: Let my lord, the king, take and offer up what seems good to him. Behold, the oxen for a burnt-offering, and threshing-sledges and harness of the oxen 23 for wood. All this does Araunah, O king, give to the king.

And Araunah said to the king: Jehovah thy God accept 24 thee. And the king said to Araunah: Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price; and I will not offer burntofferings to Jehovah my God of that which costs me nothing. And David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty 25 shekels of silver. And David built there an altar to Jehovah, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. And Jehovah was entreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.

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1

FIRST BOOK OF THE KINGS.

And they

And his

AND David the king was old, far gone in years. 2 covered him with clothes, but he had not warmth. servants said to him: Let them seek for my lord, the king, a young virgin; and let her stand before the king, and be his attendant; and let her lie in thy bosom, that my lord, the 3 king, may have warmth. And they sought for a fair damsel in all the territory of Israel; and they found Abishag the 4 Shunammite, and brought her to the king. And the damsel was very fair; and she became the king's attendant, and ministered to him. And the king knew her not.

5

And Adonijah the son of Haggith exalted himself, saying: I will be king. And he prepared for himself chariots and 6 horsemen, and fifty men to run before him. And his father had not displeased him in his life, in saying: Why hast thou done so? And he was also of very goodly form. And his 7 mother bore him after Absalom. And he conferred with Joab the son of Zeruiah, and with Abiathar the priest; and 8 they assisted, following Adonijah. But Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and Nathan the prophet, and Shimei and Rei, and the mighty men who were David's, were 9 not with Adonijah. And Adonijah slew sheep, and oxen, and fatted calves, by the stone of Zoheleth, which is by the Fuller's-fountain, and called all his brothers the king's sons, 10 and all the men of Judah the king's servants; but Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah, and the mighty men, and Solomon his brother, he called not.

Chap. 1. The history of the people in its varying fortunes, and of the sovereignty divinely instituted in the line of David, is here resumed; and is continued to the termination of that line, in its earthly representative, by the Assyrian and Babylonian conquests.

11 And Nathan spoke to Bath-sheba, the mother of Solomon, saying: Hast thou not heard that Adonijah the son of Hag12 gith reigns, and David our lord knows it not? And now come, let me, I pray thee, give thee counsel, that thou mayest 13 save thine own life, and the life of thy son Solomon. Go, and go in unto king David, and say to him: Didst not thou, my lord the king, swear to thy handmaid, saying: Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne? And why does Adonijah reign? Behold, while thou art yet talking there with the king, I will come in after thee, and confirm thy words.

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15 And Bath-sheba went in unto the king into the chamber. And the king was very old; and Abishag the Shunammite 16 ministered to the king. And Bath-sheba bent down, and

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bowed herself before the king. And the king said: What 17 wouldest thou? And she said to him: My lord, thou didst swear by Jehovah thy God to thy handmaid: Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne. And now, behold, Adonijah reigns; and now, my 19 lord, the king, thou knowest it not. And he has slain oxen, and fatted calves, and sheep in abundance, and has called all the sons of the king, and Abiathar the priest, and Joab the captain of the host; but Solomon thy servant has he not 20 called. And thou, my lord, the king, the eyes of all Israel

are upon thee, to tell them who shall sit on the throne of my 21 lord, the king, after him. And it will come to pass, when my lord, the king, lies down with his fathers, that I and my son Solomon shall be counted offenders.

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And, lo! while she yet talked with the king, Nathan the 23 prophet came in. And they told the king, saying: Behold, Nathan the prophet. And he came in before the king; and he bowed down to the king with his face to the ground. 24 And Nathan said: My lord, the king, thou hast said, Adonijah 25 shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne. For he has gone down this day, and has slain oxen, and fatted calves, and sheep in abundance, and has called all the king's sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest;