Ethan: Welcome to Immerse: the daily bible reading experience.
Day 200 and 9
these are the names of David's mightiest warriors.
The first was Jashobium the Hachmanite, who was the leader of the three, the three
mightiest warriors among David's men.
He once used his spear to kill 800 enemy warriors in a single battle.
Next in rank among the three was Eleazar, son of Dodai, a descendant of Ahoa.
Once, Eliezer and David stood together against the Philistines when the
entire Israelite army had fled.
He killed Philistines until his hand was too tired to lift his sword, and the
Lord gave him a great victory that day.
The rest of the army did not return until it was time to collect the plunder.
Next in rank was Shammah son of Agi from Herer.
One time the Philistines gathered at Lehi and attacked the Israelites
in a field full of lentils.
The Israelite army fled, but Shammah held his ground in the middle of the
field and beat back the Philistines.
So the Lord brought about a great victory.
Once, during the harvest, when David was at the cave of Adullam, the Philistine
army was camped in the valley of Rephaim.
The three, who were among the thirty, an elite group among David's fighting
men, went down to meet him there.
David was staying in the stronghold at the time.
And a Philistine detachment had occupied the town of Bethlehem.
David remarked longingly to his men, Oh, how I would love some of that good water
from the well by the gate in Bethlehem.
So the three broke through the Philistine lines, drew some water from
the well by the gate in Bethlehem, and brought it back to David.
But he refused to drink it.
Instead, he poured it out as an offering to the Lord.
The Lord forbid that I should drink this, he exclaimed.
This water is as precious as the blood of these men who risked
their lives to bring it to me.
So David did not drink it.
These are examples of the exploits of the three.
Abishai, son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, was the leader of the Thirty.
He once used his spear to kill three hundred enemy warriors in a single battle.
It was by such feats that he became as famous as the Three.
Abishai was the most famous of the Thirty and was their commander.
Though he was not one of the three, there was also Benea, son of Jehoiada,
a valiant warrior from Kabzeel.
He did many heroic deeds, which included killing two champions of Moab.
Another time, on a snowy day, he chased a lion down into a pit and killed it.
Once, armed only with a club, he killed an imposing Egyptian
warrior who was armed with a spear.
Benea wrenched the spear from the Egyptian's hand and killed him with it.
Deeds like these made Benea as famous as the Three Mightiest Warriors.
He was more honored than the other members of the Thirty, though he
was not one of the Three, and David made him captain of his bodyguard.
Other members of the Thirty included Azahel, Joab's brother.
Elhanan, son of Dodo, from Bethlehem.
Shammah, from Herod.
Elika, from Herod.
Helaz, from Pelan.
Ira, son of Ikesh, from Tekoa.
Abiyezer, from Ananoth.
Sibachai, from Heusha, Zalman from Ahoah, Meharai from Netopha, Helot, son of Baena
from Netopha, Ithai, son of Raibai, from Gibeah in the land of Benjamin, Benea
from Pirithon, Heurai from Nehali Gayash.
Abba Alban from Aruba Veth.
From Beri Eli from Shea Alban.
The sons of Jason, Jonathan, son of Shay from Haer Hyam, son of Sherah from
Haer Ali, son of a Hassah from Meka.
Son of AEL from Glo.
Ro from Carmel.
Ari from Aba.
Aal.
Son of Nathan from Zoba.
Be Nai from Gadd.
Zeik from Amman.
Nera from Biro.
The armor bearer of Joab.
Son of Zaia, IRA from Jaar, gay rib from Jaar, Uriah, the Hittite.
There were 37 in all.
Once again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel and he caused
David to harm them by taking a census Go and count the people of
Israel and Judah, the Lord told him.
So the king said to Joab and the commanders of the army, Take a census
of all the tribes of Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south,
so I may know how many people there are.
But Joab replied to the king, May the Lord your God let you live to see a hundred
times as many people as there are now.
But why, my lord the king, do you want to do this?
But the king insisted that they take the census, so Joab and the
commanders of the army went out to count the people of Israel.
First they crossed the Jordan and camped at Aror, south of the town in
the valley in the direction of Gad.
Then they went on to Jazer, then to Gilead in the land of Tathim hotshai.
And to Dan Jayan and around Toda.
Then they came to the fortress of Tre and all the towns of
the High VITs and Canaanites.
Finally, they went south to Judah as far as Beersheba having gone through the
entire land for nine months and 20 days.
They returned to Jerusalem.
Joab reported the number of people to the king.
There were 800, 000 capable warriors in Israel who could handle
a sword, and 500, 000 in Judah.
But after he had taken the census, David's conscience began to bother him.
And he said to the Lord, I have sinned greatly by taking this census.
Please forgive my guilt, Lord, for doing this foolish thing.
The next morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet
Gad, who was David's seer.
This was the message.
Go and say to David, This is what the Lord says.
I will give you three choices.
Choose one of these punishments, and I will inflict it on you.
So Gad came to David and asked him, Will you choose three years of
famine throughout your land, three months of fleeing from your enemies?
Or three days of severe plague throughout your land.
Think this over and decide what answer I should give the Lord who sent me.
I'm in a desperate situation, David replied to Gad, but let us fall into the
hands of the Lord, for His mercy is great.
Do not let me fall into human hands.
So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel that morning and it lasted for three days.
A total of 70, 000 people died throughout the nation, from Dan in
the north to Beersheba in the south.
But as the angel was preparing to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented and said to
the death angel, Stop, that is enough.
At that moment, the angel of the Lord was by the threshing
floor of Arana the Jebusite.
When David saw the angel, he said to the Lord, I am the one
who has sinned and done wrong.
But these people are as innocent as sheep.
What have they done?
Let your anger fall against me and my family.
That day Gad came to David and said to him, Go up and build an
altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Aaronah the Jebusite.
So David went up to do what the Lord had commanded him.
When Aronah saw the king and his men coming toward him, he
came and bowed before the king with his face to the ground.
Why have you come, my lord the king?
Aronah asked.
David replied, I have come to buy your threshing floor and to
build an altar to the Lord there, so that he will stop the plague.
Take it, my lord the king, and use it as you wish, Aronah said to David.
Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and you can use the
threshing boards and ox yokes for wood to build a fire on the altar.
I will give it all to you, your majesty, and may the Lord
your God accept your sacrifice.
But the king replied to Arana, No, I insist on buying it, for I will not
present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.
So David paid him fifty pieces of silver for the threshing floor and the oxen.
David built an altar there to the Lord and sacrificed burnt
offerings and peace offerings.
And the Lord answered his prayer for the land, and the
plague on Israel was stopped.
This concludes today's Immerse Reading Experience.
Thank you for joining us.