David said, ¹  “Of these, 24,000 are to direct the work of the Lord’s temple; 6,000 are to be officials and judges;

For the music director, according to the gittith style; ²  a psalm of David. O Lord, our Lord, ³  how magnificent ⁴  is your reputation ⁵  throughout the earth! You reveal your majesty in the heavens above! ⁶ 

For the music director; by David. In the Lord I have taken shelter. ²  How can you say to me, ³  “Flee to a mountain like a bird! ⁴ 

For the music director; by David. Fools say to themselves, ²  “There is no God.” ³  They sin and commit evil deeds; ⁴  none of them does what is right. ⁵ 

By David. Vindicate me, O Lord, for I have integrity, ²  and I trust in the Lord without wavering.

By David. The Lord delivers and vindicates me! ²  I fear no one! ³  The Lord protects my life! I am afraid of no one! ⁴ 

A psalm – a song used at the dedication of the temple; ²  by David. I will praise you, O Lord, for you lifted me up, ³  and did not allow my enemies to gloat ⁴  over me.

By David. O Lord, fight ²  those who fight with me! Attack those who attack me!

A psalm of David, written to get God’s attention. ²  O Lord, do not continue to rebuke me in your anger! Do not continue to punish me in your raging fury! ³ 

For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David. For God alone I patiently wait; ²  he is the one who delivers me. ³ 

By David. Praise the Lord, O my soul! With all that is within me, praise ²  his holy name!

By David. I will give you thanks with all my heart; before the heavenly assembly ²  I will sing praises to you.

By David. The Lord, my protector, ²  deserves praise ³  – the one who trains my hands for battle, ⁴  and my fingers for war,

The priest replied, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the valley of Elah, is wrapped in a garment behind the ephod. If you wish, take it for yourself. Other than that, there’s nothing here.” David said, “There’s nothing like it! Give it to me!”

Ask your own servants; they can tell you! May my servants find favor in your sight, for we have come ¹  at the time of a holiday. Please provide us – your servants ²  and your son David – with whatever you can spare.” ³ 

Saul replied, “I have sinned. Come back, my son David. I won’t harm you, for you treated my life with value ¹  this day. I have behaved foolishly and have made a very terrible mistake!” ² 

Uriah replied to David, “The ark and Israel and Judah reside in temporary shelters, and my lord Joab and my lord’s soldiers are camping in the open field. Should I go to my house to eat and drink and have marital relations ¹  with my wife? As surely as you are alive, ²  I will not do this thing!”

David then sent out the army – a third under the leadership of Joab, a third under the leadership of Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, and a third under the leadership of Ittai the Gittite. The king said to the troops, “I too will indeed march out with you.”

Then David went to his palace ¹  in Jerusalem. The king took the ten concubines he had left to care for the palace and placed them under confinement. ²  Though he provided for their needs, he did not have sexual relations with them. ³  They remained in confinement until the day they died, living out the rest of their lives as widows.

The king then told Abiathar the priest, “Go back to your property ¹  in Anathoth. You deserve to die, ²  but today I will not kill you because you did carry the ark of the sovereign Lord before my father David and you suffered with my father through all his difficult times.” ³