David told Joab and the leaders of the army, ¹  “Go, count the number of warriors ²  from Beer Sheba to Dan. Then bring back a report to me so I may know how many we have.” ³ 

David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by doing this! Now, please remove the guilt of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”

David looked up and saw the Lord’s messenger standing between the earth and sky with his sword drawn and in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem. David and the leaders, covered with sackcloth, threw themselves down with their faces to the ground. ¹ 

Now seek the Lord your God wholeheartedly and with your entire being! ¹  Get up and build the sanctuary of the Lord God! Then you can bring ²  the ark of the Lord’s covenant and the holy items dedicated to God’s service ³  into the temple that is built to honor the Lord.” ⁴ 

The sons to whom Keturah, Abraham’s concubine, ¹  gave birth: Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, Shuah. The sons of Jokshan: Sheba and Dedan.

When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad succeeded him. He struck down the Midianites in the plains of Moab; the name of his city was Avith.

Caleb son of Hezron fathered sons by his wife Azubah (also known as Jerioth). ¹  Her sons were Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon.

Later ¹  Hezron had sexual relations with ²  the daughter of Makir, the father of Gilead. (He had married ³  her when he was sixty years old.) She bore him Segub.

After Hezron’s death, Caleb had sexual relations with Ephrath, his father Hezron’s widow, and she bore to him Ashhur the father of Tekoa. ¹ 

She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah and Sheva the father of Machbenah and Gibea. Caleb’s daughter was Achsah.

Johanan was the father of Azariah, who served as a priest in the temple Solomon built in Jerusalem. ¹ 

his son Zabad, his son Shuthelah (Ezer and Elead were killed by the men of Gath, who were natives of the land, when they went down to steal their cattle.

He had sexual relations with his wife; she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Ephraim ¹  named him Beriah because tragedy had come to his family. ² 

The residents of Jebus said to David, “You cannot invade this place!” But David captured the fortress of Zion (that is, the City of David).

Abishai the brother of Joab was head of the three ¹  elite warriors. He killed three hundred men with his spear ²  and gained fame along with the three elite warriors. ³ 

They transported the ark on a new cart from the house of Abinadab; Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the cart,

David was afraid of God that day and said, “How will I ever be able to bring the ark of God up here?”

So David did not move the ark to the City of David; ¹  he left it in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite.

He told them: “You are the leaders of the Levites’ families. You and your relatives must consecrate yourselves and bring the ark of the Lord God of Israel up to the place I have prepared for it.

The descendants of Levi carried the ark of God on their shoulders with poles, just as Moses had ordered according to the divine command.