These Gadites were military leaders; the least led a hundred men, the greatest a thousand.<n id="1" />

He then handed out to each Israelite man and woman a loaf of bread, a date cake, and a raisin cake.

<p class="poetry">He gave it to Jacob as a decree,p> <p class="poetry">to Israel as a lasting promise,<n id="1" />p>

<p class="bodytext">Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a brave warrior from Kabzeel who performed great exploits. He struck down the two sons of Ariel of Moab;<n id="1" /> he also went down and killed a lion inside a cistern on a snowy day.

<t /><p class="bodytext">David constructed buildings in the City of David; he then prepared a place for the ark of God and pitched a tent for it.

But God said to me, &#8216;You must not build a temple to honor me,<n id="1" /> for you are a warrior and have spilled blood.&#8217;

<p class="poetry">Remember<n id="1" /> continually his covenantal decree,p> <p class="poetry">the promise he made<n id="2" /> to a thousand generations &#8211;p>

He even killed an Egyptian who was seven and a half feet<n id="1" /> tall. The Egyptian had a spear as big as the crossbeam of a weaver&#8217;s loom; Benaiah attacked<n id="2" /> him with a club. He grabbed the spear out of the Egyptian&#8217;s hand and killed him with his own spear.

<p class="bodytext">Cush was the father of Nimrod, who established himself as a mighty warrior on earth.<n id="1" />p>

but then they made a stand in the middle of that area. They defended it<n id="1" /> and defeated the Philistines; the <sc>Lordsc> gave them a great victory.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="bodytext">In a battle in Gath<n id="1" /> there was a large man who had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot &#8211; twenty-four in all! He too was a descendant of Rapha.

along with Zadok, a young warrior, and twenty-two leaders from his family.p>

He will build me a house, and I will make his dynasty permanent.<n id="1" />

So the <sc>Lordsc> sent a plague through Israel, and 70,000 Israelite men died.p>

<p class="poetry">When they were few in number,p> <p class="poetry">just a very few, and foreign residents within it,p>

<p class="bodytext">Jonathan, David&#8217;s uncle, was a wise adviser and scribe;<n id="1" />p> <p class="bodytext">Jehiel son of Hacmoni cared for<n id="2" /> the king&#8217;s sons.p>

<p class="bodytext">David, Zadok (a descendant of Eleazar), and Ahimelech (a descendant of Ithamar) divided them into groups to carry out their assigned responsibilities.<n id="1" />

David was wrapped in a linen robe, as were all the Levites carrying the ark, the musicians, and Kenaniah the supervisor of transport and the musicians;<n id="1" /> David also wore a linen ephod.<n id="2" />

Realize<n id="1" /> now that the <sc>Lordsc> has chosen you to build a temple as his sanctuary. Be strong and do it!&#8221;p>

He died at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, wealth, and honor.<n id="1" /> His son Solomon succeeded him.