son of Saul, claimed the sovereignty over the other tribes, and governed them a while, till two of his own servants murdered him. David then, having put the murderers to death, was acknowledged king by the whole nation, being now thirty years of age. His first act was to conquer the city of Jerusalem, which, until now, had remained in the hands of one of the remaining tribes of Chanaan, and there he fixed his royal residence, and fortified the Mount Sion. And he gave the people rest from their enemies, defeating the Philistines, and entering into a league with Hiram the king of Tyre, from whom he obtained precious materials and workmen for the building of his royal house.

CHAP. VII. David proposes to build a Temple at Jerusalem. His prayer and thanksgiving.

DAVID's first care was to provide for the honour of God, who had so wonderfully favoured him, by bringing the ark of the covenant from the temporary place of security where it had been placed after being recovered from the heathen. He intended to have it taken to his own house at Jerusalem, but was deterred from so doing by one of those awful manifestations of the Divine anger against all irreverent dealing with sacred things by which Almighty God at times taught His people to fear His Majesty. The ark was carried upon a car, with instruments of music playing, and a vast procession of the people, when, at a certain place, the oxen which drew it kicked, and Oza, one of the men who drove the oxen, rashly put forth his hand and laid hold of the ark, to prevent it from falling. Doubtless, in his inward heart he was not moved by real reverence to the Lord to do this, but regarded the ark of God as he would have regarded a piece of common household furniture; for in an instant God struck him dead, and he died there before the ark.

David, however, feared that this punishment of Oza was a token of the Divine displeasure; and instead of

taking it to his own home, he had it carried at once to the house of Obededom the Gethite. But God so blessed the household of Obededom, that the king, after three months, resolved to carry the ark to his palace at Jerusalem; and with all solemnities it was taken and placed in a tabernacle erected for its reception. On the way David himself danced before the ark with excess of joy; and bread and meat were distributed to all the multitude of the people. One person alone is recorded to have been untouched with the pious fervour. Michol, David's own wife, the daughter of Saul, scorned her husband for his dancing before the ark, like one of the poorest of the people; and for a punishment upon her godless pride, she bore no children until the day of her death.

And now that the land was at rest from its enemies, and David's throne was established in peace, he said to Nathan the prophet: Dost thou see that I dwell in a house of cedar, and the ark of God is lodged within skins? And Nathan said to the king: Go, do all that is in thy heart: because the Lord is with thee. But it came to pass that night, that the word of the Lord came to Nathan, saying: Go, and say to My servant David: Thus saith the Lord: Shalt thou build Me a house to dwell in ? Whereas I have not dwelt in a house from the day that I brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt even to this day; but have walked in a tabernacle, and in a tent. In all the places that I have gone through with all the children of Israel, did I ever speak a word to any one of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to feed My people Israel, saying: Why have you not built Me a house of cedar? And now thus shalt thou speak to My servant David: Thus saith the Lord of hosts: I took thee out of the pastures from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel: and I have been with thee wheresoever thou hast walked, and have slain all thy enemies from before thy face: and I have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great ones that are on the earth. And I will appoint a place for My people Israel and I will plant them, and they

shall dwell therein, and shall be disturbed no more: neither shall the children of iniquity afflict them any more as they did before, from the day that I appointed judges over My people Israel; and I will give thee rest from all thy enemies. And the Lord foretelleth to thee, that the Lord will make thee a house. And when thy days shall be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will raise up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels: and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house to My name; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to Me a son: and if he commit any iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men. But My mercy I will not take away from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before My face. And thy house shall be faithful, and thy kingdom for ever before thy face: and thy throne shall be firm for ever. According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak to David. And David went in, and sat before the Lord, and said: Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that Thou hast brought me thus far? But yet this hath seemed little in Thy sight, O Lord God, unless Thou didst also speak of the house of Thy servant for a long time to come for this is the law of Adam, O Lord God. what can David say more unto Thee? for Thou knowest Thy servant, O Lord God: for Thy word's sake, and according to Thy own heart Thou hast done all these great things; so that Thou wouldst make it known to Thy servant. Therefore Thou art magnified, O Lord God, because there is none like to Thee; neither is there any God besides Thee, in all the things that we have heard with our ears. And what nation is there upon earth, as Thy people Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to Himself, and to make Him a name, and to do for them great and terrible things, upon the earth, before the face of Thy people, whom Thou redeemedst to Thyself out of Egypt, from the nations and their gods? For Thou hast confirmed to Thyself Thy people Israel to be

And

an everlasting people: and Thou, O Lord God, art become their God. And now, O Lord God, raise up for ever the word that Thou hast spoken concerning Thy servant, and concerning his house; and do as Thou hast spoken, that Thy name may be magnified for ever, and it be said: The Lord of hosts is God over Israel. may And the house of Thy servant David shall be established before the Lord, because Thou, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to the ear of Thy servant, saying: I will build Thee a house: therefore hath Thy servant found in his heart to pray this prayer to Thee. And now, O Lord God, Thou art God, and Thy words shall be true; for Thou hast spoken to Thy servant these good things. And now begin, and bless the house of Thy servant, that it may endure for ever before Thee: because Thou, O Lord God, hath spoken it; and with Thy blessing let the house of Thy servant be blessed for ever.

CHAP. VIII. David's Adultery and Repentance.

FOR a while prosperity crowned all David's works; he defeated the Philistines, the Moabites, and all the enemies of his nation; and his government of the people was distinguished for its justice and happy results. He remembered also his unfortunate predecessor on the throne, and made inquiries if any of Saul's kindred remained alive, that for Jonathan's sake he might shew them kindness. One was found, Miphiboseth, a son of Jonathan, who was lame in both his feet; and to him David gave all Saul's private possessions, taking him at the same time to live in his own palace, and to eat at his table, as if he were one of the king's sons.

A war soon after broke out with the Ammonites, in consequence of a grievous insult offered to David's ambassadors, whom he sent to congratulate the young king of the country on his accession to the throne. Success soon crowned the arms of Israel, while David himself fell into a fearful sin, which brought down the judgments of God upon his head. In the East it is a

frequent custom to make the roofs of the houses flat, for walking upon; and David one day, after the noonday sleep, which is commonly taken in hot countries, walking upon the roof of his palace, saw in a neighbouring house a woman of great beauty, Bethsabee by name, the wife of Urias, one of the officers of his army, who was at this time engaged at the siege of Rabba, a fortified city of the Ammonites. Overpowered by unholy passion, and forgetting alike his duty to God and to man, he sent for the woman to his house; and when he found that a child was about to be born to her, the fruit of his unlawful intercourse, he planned a still greater wickedness. He first sent for Urias; and Urias, knowing nothing of the injury the king had done him, received his attentions with all respect, but returned immediately to the camp before Rabba without seeing his wife. David then, entirely possessed by the devil, sent private orders to Joab, the general of his army, and a man of violent and unscrupulous character, to place Urias in such a position in the fight that he might be certainly slain. This Joab did; and when Urias was killed by the Ammonites, he sent word to tell the guilty monarch. And when the time was passed which custom required for a widow to mourn for her husband, Bethsabee married David, and became his lawful wife.

God then, in mercy to his sinful servant, sent the prophet Nathan to rebuke him for his iniquities. Nathan came to the king, and related to him a parable. There were two men, he said, in one city, the one rich, and the other poor. The rich man had exceeding many sheep and oxen. But the poor man had nothing at all but one little ewe-lamb, which he had bought and nourished up; and which had grown up in his house together with his children, eating of his bread, and drinking of his cup, and sleeping in his bosom: and it was unto him as a daughter. And when a certain stranger was come to the rich man, he spared to take of his own sheep and oxen, to make a feast for that stranger, who was come to him, but took the poor man's ewe, and dressed it for the man that was come