37 So David left Asaph and his associates there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to minister there regularly according to the daily requirements, 38along with Obed-edom and his sixty-eight relatives. Obed-edom son of Jeduthun, and also Hosah, were to be gatekeepers.

39 And David left Zadok the priest and his fellow priests before the tabernacle of the Lord at the high place in Gibeon 40to regularly present burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of burnt offerings, morning and evening, according to all that was written in the Law of the Lord, which He had commanded Israel to keep. 41With them were Heman, Jeduthun, and the rest of those chosen and designated by name to give thanks to the Lord, for “His loving devotion endures forever.”

42 Heman and Jeduthun had with them trumpets and cymbals for the music and instruments for the songs of God. And the sons of Jeduthun were stationed at the gate.

43 Then all the people departed for their homes, and David returned home to bless his household.

1 After David had settled into his palace, he said to Nathan the prophet, “Here I am, living in a house of cedar, while the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under a tent.”

2 And Nathan replied to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”

3 But that night the word of God came to Nathan, saying, 4“Go and tell My servant David that this is what the Lord says: You are not the one to build Me a house in which to dwell. 5For I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought Israel up out of Egypt until this day, but I have moved from tent to tent and dwelling to dwelling. 6In all My journeys with all the Israelites, have I ever asked any of the leaders I appointed to shepherd My people, ‘Why haven’t you built Me a house of cedar?’

7 Now then, you are to tell My servant David that this is what the Lord of Hosts says: I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to be the ruler over My people Israel. 8I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make for you a name like that of the greatest in the land.

9 And I will provide a place for My people Israel and will plant them so that they may dwell in a place of their own and be disturbed no more. No longer will the sons of wickedness oppress them as they did at the beginning 10and have done since the day I appointed judges over My people Israel. And I will subdue all your enemies.

Moreover, I declare to you that the Lord will build a house for you. 11And when your days are fulfilled and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. 12He will build a house for Me, and I will establish his throne forever. 13I will be his Father, and he will be My son. And I will never remove My loving devotion from him as I removed it from your predecessor. 14But I will set him over My house and My kingdom forever, and his throne will be established forever.”

15 So Nathan relayed to David all the words of this entire revelation.

16 Then King David went in, sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O LORD God, and what is my house, that You have brought me this far? 17And as if this was a small thing in Your eyes, O God, You have spoken about the future of the house of Your servant and have regarded me as a man of great distinction, O LORD God. 18What more can David say to You for honoring Your servant? For You know Your servant, 19O LORD. For the sake of Your servant and according to Your own heart, You have accomplished this great thing and made known all these great promises.

20 O LORD, there is none like You, and there is no God but You, according to everything we have heard with our own ears. 21And who is like Your people Israel — the one nation on earth whom God went out to redeem as a people for Himself? You made a name for Yourself through great and awesome wonders by driving out nations from before Your people, whom You redeemed from Egypt. 22For You have made Your people Israel Your very own forever, and You, O LORD, have become their God.

23 And now, O LORD, let the word You have spoken concerning Your servant and his house be established forever. Do as You have promised, 24so that Your name will be established and magnified forever when it is said, ‘The Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, is God over Israel.’ And may the house of Your servant David be established before You. 25For You, my God, have revealed to Your servant that You will build a house for him. Therefore Your servant has found the courage to pray before You.

26 And now, O LORD, You are God! And You have promised this goodness to Your servant. 27So now You have been pleased to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever before You. For You, O LORD, have blessed it, and it will be blessed forever.”

1 Some time later, David defeated the Philistines, subdued them, and took Gath and its villages from the hand of the Philistines.

2 David also defeated the Moabites, and they became subject to David and brought him tribute.

3 As far as Hamath, David also defeated King Hadadezer of Zobah, who had marched out to establish his dominion along the Euphrates River. 4David captured from him a thousand chariots, seven thousand charioteers, and twenty thousand foot soldiers, and he hamstrung all the horses except a hundred he kept for the chariots.

5 When the Arameans of Damascus came to help King Hadadezer of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand of their men. 6Then he placed garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became subject to David and brought him tribute. So the Lord made David victorious wherever he went.

7 And David took the gold shields that belonged to the officers of Hadadezer and brought them to Jerusalem. 8And from Tibhath and Cun, cities of Hadadezer, David took a large amount of bronze, with which Solomon made the bronze Sea, the pillars, and various bronze articles.

9 When King Tou of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer king of Zobah, 10he sent his son Hadoram to greet King David and bless him for fighting and defeating Hadadezer, who had been at war with Tou. Hadoram brought all kinds of articles of gold and silver and bronze, 11and King David dedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold he had carried off from all these nations — from Edom and Moab, and from the Ammonites, Philistines, and Amalekites.

12 Moreover, Abishai son of Zeruiah struck down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Valley of Salt. 13He placed garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites were subject to David. So the Lord made David victorious wherever he went.

14 Thus David reigned over all Israel and administered justice and righteousness for all his people:

1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2And we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3So when you, O man, pass judgment on others, yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?

5 But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6God “will repay each one according to his deeds.” 7To those who by perseverance in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life. 8But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow wickedness, there will be wrath and anger.

9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil, first for the Jew, then for the Greek; 10but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does good, first for the Jew, then for the Greek. 11For God does not show favoritism.

12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but it is the doers of the law who will be declared righteous.

14 Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15So they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts either accusing or defending them 16on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Christ Jesus, as proclaimed by my gospel.

17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; 18if you know His will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those in darkness, 20an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth — 21you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22You who forbid adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”