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2 Samuel 22.

22 For I have kept the ways of the LORD,

And have not wickedly departed from my God.

23 For all his judgements were before me:

And as for his statutes, I did not depart from them.

24 I was also perfect toward him,

And I kept myself from mine iniquity.

25 Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness;
According to my cleanness in his eyesight.

26 With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful,

With the perfect man thou wilt shew thyself perfect;

27 With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure;

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And with the perverse thou wilt shew thyself a froward,

28 And the afflicted people thou wilt save:

But thine eyes are upon the haughty, ' that thou mayest bring them down.

29 For thou art my lamp, O LORD:

And the LORD will lighten my darkness.

e

30 For by thee I run upon a troop:

By my God do I leap over a wall.

31 As for God, his way is perfect:

The word of the LORD is tried;

He is a shield unto all them that trust in him.

32 For who is God, save the LORD?

And who is a rock, save our God?

33 God is my strong fortress:

And he guideth the perfect in his way.

34 He maketh his feet like hinds' feet:
And setteth me upon my high places.

35 He teacheth my hands to war;

So that mine arms do bend a bow of brass.

36 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation:
And thy gentleness hath made me great.

37 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me,

And my feet have not slipped.

38 I have pursued mine enemies, and destroyed them;

Neither did I turn again till they were consumed.

39 And I have consumed them, and smitten them through, that they cannot arise: Yea, they are fallen under my feet.

40 For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle:

Thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me.

41 Thou hast also made mine enemies turn their backs unto me,

That I might cut off them that hate me.

42 They looked, but there was none to save;

Even unto the LORD, but he answered them not.

43 Then did I beat them small as the dust of the earth,

I did stamp them as the mire of the streets, and did spread them abroad.

44 Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people;

Thou hast kept me to be the head of the nations:

A people whom I have not known shall serve me.

a So Psalm 18: 26. The text has, "unsavoury." "setteth free."

c Or, through." e Another reading is, "my."

bOr, "whom thou wilt bring down." According to another reading, guideth my way in perfectness." condescension." gHeb. " ankles." h Heb. caused to bow." ¿ Or," wilt keep."

d Or,

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2 Samuel 22.

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45 The strangers shall submit themselves unto me:
As soon as they hear of me, they shall obey me.
46 The strangers shall fade away,

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And shall come trembling out of their close places.
47 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock;

And exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation:
48 Even the God that executeth vengeance for me,
And bringeth down peoples under me,

49 And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies :

Yea, thou liftest me up above them that rise up against me:
Thou deliverest me from the violent man.

50 Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the nations,
And will sing praises unto thy name.

51 Great deliverance giveth he to his king:
And sheweth lovingkindness to his anointed,
To David and to his seed, for evermore.

PART III.

THE PERIOD OF REST.

94. REMOVAL OF THE ARK FROM KIRJATH-JEARIM. •
(1) TO THE HOUSE OF OBED-EDOM.

2 Samuel 6:1-11.

! And David again gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. 2 And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him, from Baale Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, which is called by the Name, even the name of the LORD of hosts that sitteth upon the cherubim. 3 And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in the hill and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart. 4 And they

1 Chronicles 13:1-14.

I And David consulted with the captains of thousands and of hundreds, even with every leader. 2 And David said unto all the assembly of Israel, If it seem good unto you, and if it be of the LORD our God, let us send abroad every where unto our brethren that are left in all the 'land of Israel, with whom the priests and Levites are in their cities that have 'suburbs, that they may gather themselves unto us: 3 and let us bring again the ark of our God to us: for we sought not unto it in the days of Saul. 4 And all the assembly said that they would do so: for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people. 5 So David assembled all Israel together, from Shihor the brook of Egypt even unto the entering in of Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim. 6 And David went up, and all Israel, to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, the LORD that sitteth

a Or," yield feigned obedience." Heb. "lie." So Psalm 18: 45. The text has, "gird themselves." c Another reading is, "He is a tower of deliverance." d Heb. "salvations." e For this, according to Chronicles 13:5, "David assembled all Israel together, from Shihor of Egypt, even unto the entering in of Hamath." Hence the date must have been after the wars of conquest. Heb. whereupon is called the Name." gOr, "dwelleth_between." h Or," Gibeah." i Heb. "lands." k Or, "and with them to the priests and Levites which are," etc. Or," pasture lands."

1 Chronicles 13.

2 Samuel 6. brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which upon the cherubim, which is called by the was in the hill, with the ark of God: and Ahio Name. 7 And they carried the ark of God upon went before the ark. 5 And David and all the a new cart, and brought it out of the house of house of Israel played before the LORD with all Abinadab: and Uzza and Ahio drave the cart. manner of instruments made of a fir wood, and 8 And David and all Israel played before God with harps, and with psalteries, and with tim- with all their might even with songs, and with brels, and with castanets, and with cymbals. harps, and with psalteries, and with timbrels, 6 And when they came to the threshing-floor of and with cymbals, and with trumpets. 9 And Nacon, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of when they came unto the threshing-floor of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen stumbled. Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the 7 And the anger of the LORD was kindled ark; for the oxen stumbled. 10 And the anger against Uzzah; and God smote him there for of the LORD was kindled against Uzza, and he his error; and there he died by the ark of God. smote him, because he put forth his hand to the 8 And David was displeased, because the LORD ark: and there he died before God. II And had broken forth upon Uzzah and he called David was displeased, because the LORD had that place Perez-uzzah, unto this day. 9 And broken forth upon Uzza: and he called that David was afraid of the LORD that day; and he place Perez-uzza, unto this day. 12 And David said, How shall the ark of the LORD come unto was afraid of God that day, saying, How shall I me? 10 So David would not remove the ark of bring the ark of God home to me? 13 So David the LORD unto him into the city of David; but removed not the ark unto him into the city of David carried it aside into the house of Obed- David, but carried it aside into the house of edom the Gittite. II And the ark of the LORD Obed-edom the Gittite. 14 And the ark of God remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite remained with the family of Obed-edom in his three months: and the LORD blessed Obed-house three months: and the LORD blessed the edom, and all his house. house of Obed-edom, and all that he had.

(2) TO JERUSALEM.

2 Samuel 6: 12-19a. 12a And it was told king David, saying, The LORD hath blessed the house of Obed-edom, and all that pertaineth unto him, because of the ark of God.

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1 Chronicles 15:1-16: 3.

I And David made him houses in the city of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God, and pitched for it a tent. 2 Then David said, None ought to carry the ark of God but the Levites for them hath the LORD chosen to carry the ark of God, and to minister unto him for ever. 3 And David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the LORD unto its place, which he had prepared for it. 4 And David gathered together the sons of Aaron, and the Levites 5 of the sons of Kohath; Uriel the chief, and his brethren an hundred and twenty: 6 of the sons of Merari; Asaiah the chief, and his brethren two hundred and twenty: 7 of the sons of Gershom; Joel the chief, and his brethren an hundred and thirty: 8 of the sons of Elizaphan; Shemaiah the chief, and his brethren two hundred: 9 of the sons of Hebron; Eliel the chief, and his brethren fourscore: of the sons of Uzziel; 10 Amminadab the chief, and his brethren an hundred and twelve. II And David

b Or, sistra." c Or," were restive." Or, "threw it down."
Heb. "whereupon is called the Name."

d'Or, "rashness."

e I. e.

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called for Zadok and Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites, for Uriel, Asaiah, and Joel, Shemaiah, and Eliel, and Amminadab, and said unto them, 12 Ye are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites: sanctify yourselves, both ye and your brethren, that ye may bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel, unto the place that I have prepared for it. 13 For because ye bare it nc at the first, the LORD our God made a breach upon us, for that we sought him not according to the ordinance. 14 So the priests and the Levites sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD, the God of Israel. 15 And the children of the Levites bare the ark of God upon their shoulders with the staves thereon, as Moses commanded according to the word of the LORD. 16 And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethren the singers, with instruments of music, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding aloud and lifting up the voice with joy. 17 So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; and of his brethren, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of the sons of Merari their brethren, Ethan the son of Kushaiah; 18 and with them their brethren of the second degree, Zechariah, Ben, and Jaaziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, Eliab, and Benaiah, and Maaseiah, and Mattithiah, and Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and Obededom, and Jeiel, the doorkeepers. 19 So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were appointed, with cymbals of brass to sound aloud; 20 and Zechariah, and Aziel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Unni, and Eliab, and Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with psalteries set to Alamoth; 21 and Mattithiah, and Eliphelehu, and Mikneiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, and Azaziah, with harps set to 'the Sheminith, to lead. 22 And Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was over the song he instructed about the song, because he was skilful. 23 And Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark. 24 And Shebaniah, and Joshaphat, and Nethanel, and Amasai, and Zechariah, and Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, did blow with the trumpets before the ark of God: and Obed-edom and Jehiah were doorkeepers for the ark. 25 So David, and the elders over Israel, and the captains over thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the LORD out of the house of Obed-edom with

cOr," the carrying of the ark." Heb. "the lifting up."

a See Psalm 46, title.

6 See Psalm 6, title.

2 Samuel 6.

126 And David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with joy. 13 And it was so, that when they that bare the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling. 14 And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. 15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet. 16 And it was so, as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out at the window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart. 17 And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in its place, in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. 18 And when David had made an end of offering the burnt offering and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD of hosts. 19a And he dealt among all the people, even among the whole multitude of Israel, both to men and women, to every one a cake of bread and a portion of flesh, and a cake of raisins.

1 Chronicles 15.

joy: 26 and it came to pass, when God helped the Levites that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that they sacrificed seven bullocks and seven rams. 27 And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites that bare the ark, and the singers, and Chenaniah the master of the song with the singers and David had upon him an ephod of linen. 28 Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the cornet, and with trumpets, and with cymbals, sounding aloud with psalteries and harps. 29 And it came to pass, as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out at the window, and saw king David dancing and playing; and she despised him in her heart. And they brought in the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tent that David had pitched for it: and they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. 2 And when David had made an end of offering the burnt offering and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD. 3 And he dealt to every one of Israel, both man and woman, to every one a loaf of bread, and a portion of flesh, and a cake of raisins.

(3) DAVID'S Hymn oF PRAISE, “

1 Chronicles 16:4-36.

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4 And he appointed certain of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, and to celebrate and to thank and praise the LORD, the God of Israel: 5 Asaph the chief, and second to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obed-edom, and Jeiel, with psalteries and with harps; and Asaph with cymbals, sounding aloud; 6 and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests with trumpets continually, before the ark of the covenant of God.

7 Then on that day did David first ordain to give thanks unto the LORD, by the hand of Asaph and his brethren.

8 O give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name;

Make known his doings among the peoples.

9 Sing unto him, sing praises unto him;

Talk ye of all his marvellous works.

10 Glory ye in his holy name:

Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. 11 Seek ye the LORD and his strength;

Seek his face evermore.

12 Remember his marvellous works that he hath done;
His wonders, and the judgements of his mouth;

a Or," of wine." 47.48. See Appendix §6.

Or," the carrying of the ark." Heb. "the lifting up."

cCf. Psalms 105: 1-15; 96: 1-13; 106: 1,

d In 1 Chronicles 15: 18, Jaaziel," e Or, make it the chief work." Or," Meditate."

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