Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed into His name when they saw the signs which He did.

But Jesus Himself did not entrust Himself to them, for He knew all men,

And because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.

 ¹But there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the JEWS.

This one came to Him by night and said to Him, Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a  ¹teacher, for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.

Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless one is  ¹born anew, he cannot  ²see the  ³kingdom of God.

Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born, can he?

Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless one is born  ¹of  ²water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

That which is born  ¹of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born  ¹of the  ²Spirit is spirit.

Do not marvel that I said to you,  ¹You must be born anew.

The  ¹wind blows where it wills, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from and where it goes; so is everyone who is born  ²of the Spirit.

Nicodemus answered and said to Him, How can these things be?

Jesus answered and said to him, You are a teacher of Israel, and you do not know these things?

Truly, truly, I say to you, We speak that which we know and testify of that which we have seen, and yet you do not receive our testimony.

If I told you of the  ¹things on earth and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you of the  ¹things in heaven?

And no one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man,  ¹who is in heaven.

These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was the  ¹chief of the captains; the same is Adino the Eznite, who fought against eight hundred, who were slain at one time.

After him was Eleazar the son of Dodo, the son of an Ahohite, one among the three mighty men with David, when they defied the Philistines who were gathered  ¹there for battle, and the men of Israel went away.

He rose up and struck the Philistines until his hand was weary; and his hand clung to the sword, and Jehovah accomplished a great salvation that day; and the people returned after him, but only to strip the slain.

And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. Now the Philistines were gathered into a troop where there was a plot of land full of lentils, and the people fled before the Philistines.

But he stationed himself in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck the Philistines, and Jehovah accomplished a great salvation.

Now three of the thirty chief men went down and came to David at harvest time in the cave of Adullam; and the Philistine troop was encamped in the valley of Rephaim.

Now at that time David was in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was at that time in Bethlehem.

And David said longingly, If only someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!

And the three mighty men burst through the camp of the Philistines and drew water from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate. And they carried it and brought it to David, but he would not drink it; rather he poured it out to Jehovah.

And he said, Far be it from me, O Jehovah, that I should do this! Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives? Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.

And Abishai the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the three. And he brandished his spear against three hundred, who were slain; and he had a name among the three.

He was indeed the most honored among the  ¹thirty, and he became their leader; but he did not attain to the three.

And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, was great in mighty deeds. He struck the two sons of Ariel the Moabite; he also went down and struck a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day.

And he struck an Egyptian, an imposing man. And the Egyptian had a spear in his hand, but he went down to him with a staff and snatched the spear out of the hand of the Egyptian and slew him with his own spear.

These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and he had a name among the three mighty men.

He was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard.

Asahel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem;

Shammah the Harodite; Elika the Harodite;

Helez the Paltite; Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite;

Abiezer the Anathothite; Mebunnai the Hushathite;

Zalmon the Ahohite; Maharai the Netophathite;

Heleb the son of Baanah the Netophathite; Ittai the son of Ribai from Gibeah of the children of Benjamin;

Benaiah the Pirathonite; Hiddai from the brooks of Gaash;

Abi-albon the Arbathite; Azmaveth the Barhumite;

Eliahba the Shaalbonite; of the sons of Jashen, Jonathan;

Shammah the Hararite; Ahiam the son of Sharar the Ararite;

Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai; the son of the Maachathite; Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite;

Hezrai the Carmelite; Paarai the Arbite;

Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah; Bani the Gadite;

Zelek the Ammonite; Naharai the Beerothite, the armor  ¹bearer to Joab the son of Zeruiah;

Ira the Ithrite; Gareb the Ithrite;

Uriah the Hittite. They were thirty-seven in all.

And again the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel; and  ¹he moved David against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Judah.

And the king said to Joab the captain of the army, who was with him, Go now throughout all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beer-sheba, and count the people, that I may know the number of the people.

And Joab said to the king, Now may Jehovah your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king may see it. But why does my lord the king desire this thing?

Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the army. And Joab and the captains of the army went forth before the king to count the people of Israel.

And they crossed the Jordan and encamped at Aroer to the right of the city, which was in the midst of the river valley, toward Gad and unto Jazer.

Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim-hodshi, and they came to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon.

And they came to the stronghold of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and of the Canaanites, and they went on to the south of Judah at Beer-sheba.

And when they had gone about throughout all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

And Joab gave the number of the count of the people to the king. And there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

And David's heart smote him after he had numbered the people. And David said to Jehovah, I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, O Jehovah, put away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.

And when David rose up in the morning, the word of Jehovah came to Gad the prophet, David's seer, saying,

Go and speak to David, Thus says Jehovah, I am offering you three things; choose one of them for Me to do for you.

So Gad went to David and told him these things. And he said to him, Shall seven years of famine come upon you in your land? Or shall you flee before your adversaries for three months while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days of pestilence in your land? Consider now and see what word I should return to Him who sent me.

And David said to Gad, I am in a great strait; let us fall into the hand of Jehovah, for His compassions are great; and do not let me fall into the hand of man.

So Jehovah sent a pestilence in Israel from the morning until the appointed time; and seventy thousand people died among the people from Dan to Beer-sheba.

And when the angel stretched forth his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, Jehovah repented of the harm. And He said to the angel who destroyed the people, It is enough; now hold back your hand. And the angel of Jehovah was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

And David spoke to Jehovah when he saw the angel striking the people and said, It is I who have sinned, and it is I who have acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against the house of my father.

And Gad came to David on that day; and he said to him, Go up and raise up an altar to Jehovah on the  ¹threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

And David went up according to Gad's word, as Jehovah had commanded.

And Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants coming over toward him. And Araunah went forth and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.

And Araunah said, Why has my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshing floor from you to build an altar to Jehovah, that the plague may be stayed among the people.

And Araunah said to David, May my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good in his sight. Look, the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing instruments and the yokes for the oxen for the wood —

All this, O king, does Araunah give to the king. Then Araunah said to the king, May Jehovah your God accept you.

But the king said to Araunah, No; but I will surely buy it from you for a price, and I will not offer to Jehovah my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

And there David built an altar to Jehovah, and he offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And Jehovah responded to the entreaty for the land, and the plague was stayed in Israel.