²³ Then David said, You are not to do this, my brothers, after what the Lord has given us, who has kept us safe and given up the band which came against us into our hands.

⁷ And he said, My brothers, do not this evil.

² And he said, My brothers and fathers, give hearing. The God of glory came to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he was living in Haran,

¹⁶ For this reason he makes an offering to his net, burning perfume to his fishing-net; because by them he gets much food and his meat is fat.

⁷ The Lord will keep you safe from all evil; he will take care of your soul.

⁸ The Lord will keep watch over your going out and your coming in, from this time and for ever.

² Uprooting the nations with your hand, and planting our fathers in their place; cutting down the nations, but increasing the growth of your people.

³ For they did not make the land theirs by their swords, and it was not their arms which kept them safe; but your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your face, because you had pleasure in them.

⁴ You are my King and my God; ordering salvation for Jacob.

⁵ Through you will we overcome our haters; by your name will they be crushed under our feet who are violent against us.

⁶ I will not put faith in my bow, my sword will not be my salvation.

⁷ But it is you who have been our saviour from those who were against us, and have put to shame those who had hate for us.

¹² Wealth and honour come from you, and you are ruler over all, and in your hand is power and strength; it is in your power to make great, and to give strength to all.

¹³ So now, our God, we give you praise, honouring the glory of your name.

¹⁴ But who am I and what is my people, that we have power to give so freely in this way? for all things come from you, and what we have given you is yours.

⁸ Then David, questioning the Lord, said, Am I to go after this band? will I be able to overtake them? And in answer he said, Go after them, for you will certainly overtake them, and get back everything.

⁷ The Lord gives wealth and takes a man's goods from him: crushing men down and again lifting them up;

²³ So the man, the master of the house, went out to them, and said, No, my brothers, do not this evil thing; this man has come into my house, and you are not to do him this wrong.

¹⁸ But keep in mind the Lord your God: for it is he who gives you the power to get wealth, so that he may give effect to the agreement which he made by his oath with your fathers, as at this day.

¹⁰ And you will have food enough and be full, praising the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

⁴⁹ And said to him, Your servants have taken note of the number of all the fighting-men under our orders, and every one is present;

⁵⁰ And we have here an offering for the Lord from what every man took in the war, ornaments of gold, leg-chains and arm-rings, finger-rings, ear-rings, and neck-ornaments, to make our souls free from sin before the Lord.

⁵¹ So Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold from them, even all the worked ornaments.

⁵² And the gold which the captains of thousands and captains of hundreds gave, as an offering to be lifted up before the Lord, came to sixteen thousand, seven hundred and fifty shekels.

⁵³ (For every man of the army had taken goods for himself in the war.)

⁵⁴ Then Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold given by the captains of thousands and captains of hundreds, and took it into the Tent of meeting, to be a sign in memory of the children of Israel before the Lord.

¹ My brothers and fathers, give ear to the story of my life which I now put before you.