But God said to me, ‘You must not build a temple to honor me, for you are a warrior and have spilled blood.’

Ascribe to the Lord the splendor he deserves! Bring an offering and enter his presence! Worship the Lord in holy attire!

so it may become a reality and you may gain lasting fame, as people say, ‘The Lord who commands armies is the God of Israel.’ David’s dynasty will be established before you,

But the Lord said to me: ‘You have spilled a great deal of blood and fought many battles. You must not build a temple to honor me, for you have spilled a great deal of blood on the ground before me.

He will build a temple to honor me; he will become my son, and I will become his father. I will grant to his dynasty permanent rule over Israel.’

The descendants of Moses the man of God were considered Levites.

Abishai the brother of Joab was head of the three elite warriors. He killed three hundred men with his spear and gained fame along with the three elite warriors.

So they marched against Baal Perazim and David defeated them there. David said, “Using me as his instrument, God has burst out against my enemies like water bursts out.” So that place is called Baal Perazim.

Now seek the Lord your God wholeheartedly and with your entire being! Get up and build the sanctuary of the Lord God! Then you can bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant and the holy items dedicated to God’s service into the temple that is built to honor the Lord.”

These were the descendants of Levi according to their families, that is, the leaders of families as counted and individually listed who carried out assigned tasks in the Lord’s temple and were twenty years old and up.

Abigail bore Amasa, whose father was Jether the Ishmaelite.

David divided them into groups corresponding to the sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruiah’s three sons were Abshai, Joab, and Asahel.

Caleb son of Hezron fathered sons by his wife Azubah (also known as Jerioth). Her sons were Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon.

The son of Appaim: Ishi. The son of Ishi: Sheshan. The son of Sheshan: Ahlai.

Serving beside him was his fellow Levite Asaph, son of Berechiah, son of Shimea,

From Ephraim there were 20,800 warriors, who had brought fame to their families.

When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who bore him Hur.

The sons of Jonathan: Peleth and Zaza. These were the descendants of Jerahmeel.

Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.