1 Khokhuen 21
1 Satan loh Israel a thoh thil tih Israel tae hamla David a vueh.
Satan decided to cause the Israeli people to have trouble. So he incited David to find out how many men in Israel [were able to be in the army].
2 Te dongah David loh Joab taeng neh pilnam mangpa rhoek taengah, “Cet uh lamtah Israel he Beersheba lamloh Dan duela tae uh. Te phoeiah kai taengla ha puen uh lamtah a hlangmi te ka ming van eh,” a ti nah.
So David commanded Joab and the other army commanders, “Count all the men in Israel [who are able to be in the army]. Start at Beersheba [town in the south] and go all the way to Dan [city in the north]. Then come back and report to me, in order that I may know how many men there are.”
3 Tedae Joab loh, “BOEIPA loh a pilnam te a pueh yakhat la a thap bitko. Ka boei manghai aw, amih boeih te ka boei taengah sal la a om uh moenih a? Ka boeipa loh balae tih he he a hue. Balae tih Israel soah dumlai la a om eh?” a ti.
But Joab replied, “Your majesty, even if Yahweh allowed us to have 100 times as many soldiers as we have now, you would [RHQ] still rule all of them. So why do you want us to do this? You will surely [RHQ] cause [all the people of] Israel to be guilty of sinning.”
4 Tedae manghai kah ol loh Joab te a khum a la. Te dongah Joab te nong tih Israel tom te a pha phoeiah Jerusalem la pawk.
But David would not change his mind. So Joab [and his soldiers] went everywhere in Israel and in Judah, and counted the people. Then they returned to Jerusalem,
5 Te phoeiah Joab loh pilnam hlangboel hlangmi te David taengla a paek. Te vaengah Israel boeih te cunghang aka pom thai hlang thawng thawng khat neh thawng yakhat om. Judah kah cunghang aka pom hlang he thawng ya li neh thawng sawmrhih lo.
and they reported to David that there were 1,100,000 men in Israel who could be in the army, and 470,000 in Judah.
6 Tedae manghai ol loh Joab te a tuei dongah Levi neh Benjamin tah amih lakli ah nuen sak pawh.
Joab did not count the men from the tribes of Levi and Benjamin, because he was disgusted with what the king had commanded.
7 He ol he Pathen mik ah a lolh dongah Israel te a ngawn.
David’s command to count the people caused God to become angry, so he [told David that he had decided to] punish [the people of] Israel.
8 David loh Pathen taengah, “He kah hno ka saii he bahoeng ka tholh coeng. Na sal kathaesainah he khuen mai laeh, ka pavai tangkik dongah ni,” a ti nah.
Then David prayed, saying, “Yahweh, what I did was very foolish. I have sinned greatly by what I have done. So now I plead with you, please forgive me.”
9 Te vaengah BOEIPA loh David kah khohmu Gad te a voek tih,
Then Yahweh said to Gad, David’s prophet,
10 Cet lamtah David te thui pah. BOEIPA loh he ni a thui. Kai loh nang te pathum kan doe tih te khuikah pakhat te namah ham tuek lamtah nang taengah kan saii eh?,’ ti nah,” a ti nah.
“Go and tell this to David: I am allowing you to choose one of three things [to punish you]. I will do whichever one you choose.”
11 Te phoeiah Gad te David taengla pawk tih amah te, “BOEIPA loh a thui he namah ham doe laeh.
So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘You can choose one of these [punishments]:
12 Khokha kum thum nim, na rhal mikhmuh lamloh hla thum na khoengvoep uh tih na thunkha kah cunghang loh n'kae te nim? Hnin thum khuiah BOEIPA kah cunghang neh diklai ah duektahaw la BOEIPA puencawn loh Israel kah khorhi tom ah a phae te nim? Mebang khaw hmu lamtah kai taengla ol ham mael laeh,” a ti nah.
three years of famine [in Israel], or three months during which your armies will run away from their enemies [who will attack them with] swords, or three days during which I will send my angel to cause many people in the country to die because of a (plague/very serious illness).’ So, you must decide what I will say to answer [Yahweh, ] the one who sent me.”
13 David loh Gad taengah kai he puen ka cak tangkik coeng. A haidamnah he a len tangkik dongah BOEIPA kut ah ka tla mai eh. Tedae hlang kut ah tah ka tla boel eh?,” a ti nah.
David replied to Gad, “I am very distressed. But allow Yahweh to punish [MTY] me, because he is very merciful. Do not allow humans to punish me, [because they will not be merciful].”
14 Te dongah BOEIPA loh Israel soah duektahaw a paek tih Israel hlang thawng sawmrhih cungku.
So Yahweh sent a plague on [the people of] Israel, and 70,000 of them died because of it.
15 Te phoeiah Pathen loh Jerusalem phae hamla puencawn a tueih. Tedae a phae te BOEIPA loh a hmuh tanglang vaengah tah boethae khaw damti. Te dongah khopuei aka phae puencawn te, “Temah laeh saeh, na kut yuek laeh,” a ti nah. Te vaengah BOEIPA kah puencawn te Jebusi Ornan kah cangtilhmuen ah pai.
And God sent an angel to destroy the people in Jerusalem by the plague. But when the angel was standing at the ground where Araunah, from the Jebus people-group, threshed grain, Yahweh saw all the suffering that the people had endured, and he was grieved. So he said to the angel, “Stop what you are doing [IDM]! That is enough [IDM]!”
16 David loh a mik a huel vaengah diklai laklo neh vaan laklo ah aka pai BOEIPA puencawn te a hmuh. Te long te a kut dongah a cunghang a muk tih Jerusalem te a nuen. Te dongah David neh a ham rhoek tah a maelhmai ah tlamhni neh a khuk uh tih bakop uh.
David looked up and saw the angel whom Yahweh had sent, standing between the sky and the ground. The angel had a sword in his hand that was pointed toward Jerusalem. Then David and the elders [of the city], who were wearing clothes made of rough sackcloth, prostrated themselves on the ground.
17 David loh Pathen taengah, “Pilnam tae ham aka thui te kai moenih a? Anih te kai ka tholh sak dongah ka thae tah ka thae coeng. Tedae he boiva rhoek loh balae a saii uh? Ka Pathen BOEIPA aw, na kut te kamah so neh a pa kah imkhui soah tla mai saeh. Tedae na pilnam te lucik neh ben boel mai,” a ti nah.
David said to God, “I am [RHQ] the one who ordered the men who could be in the army to be counted. I am the one who has sinned and done what is very wrong, but these people are [as innocent as] [MET] sheep. They have certainly not [RHQ] done anything [that is wrong]. So Yahweh my God, punish [IDM] me and my family, but do not allow this plague to continue to [cause] your people [to become sick and die].”
18 Te daengah BOEIPA kah puencawn loh Gad te, “David te thui pah, David te BOEIPA kah hmueihtuk suem hamla Jebusi Ornan kah cangtilhmuen ah cet saeh,” a ti nah.
Then the angel who was sent by Yahweh told Gad to go up to the place where Araunah threshed grain and tell David to build an altar to [worship] Yahweh there.
19 Te dongah David khaw BOEIPA ming neh a thui Gad ol bangla cet.
So [after Gad told] David, [he] obeyed the message that Yahweh [MTY] had given to Gad, [and he went up there].
20 Ornan a mael vaengah puencawn te a hmuh. Te vaengah a taengkah a capa pali tah thuh uh dae Ornan tah cang a til.
While Araunah was threshing some wheat, he turned and saw the angel. His four sons who were with him [also saw the angel, and they] hid themselves.
21 David te Ornan taengla pawk tih Ornan loh a paelki vaengah David te a hmuh. Te dongah cangtilhmuen lamloh thoeih tih David taengah a maelhmai te diklai la buluk.
Then David approached. When Araunah saw him, he left the place where he was threshing grain and prostrated himself, with his face touching the ground.
22 David loh Ornan te, “Cangtil hmuen he kai taengah m'pae mai lamtah a soah BOEIPA kah hmueihtuk ka suem mai eh. Te te tangka nen khaw kai he boeih m'pae mai. Te daengah ni lucik he pilnam dong lamloh a cing eh?,” a ti nah.
David said to him, “Please sell me your threshing place in order that I can build an altar here to [worship] Yahweh. Then he will stop this plague. I will pay the full price.”
23 Ornan loh David taengah, “Namah ham lo lamtah ka boei manghai a mikhmuh ah a then la saii saeh. So lah he, Hmueihhlutnah ham vaito neh thing hamla tloep kam paek bitni. Cang he khaw khocang la boeih kam paek bitni,” a ti nah.
Araunah replied, “Take it! Your majesty, do whatever you want to. I will give you the oxen [that thresh the grain] for an offering to be completely burned [on the altar]. And I will give you the threshing boards to use as wood [on the altar], and I will give you grain for a grain offering. I will give all those things to you.”
24 Tedae manghai David loh Ornan te, “Moenih, tangka la boeih a lai la kan lai eh. Nang taengkah te BOEIPA ham akhaw, hmueihhlutnah nawn ham akhaw a yoe la ka lo mahpawh,” a ti nah.
But the king said to Araunah, “No, [I will not take these things as a gift]. I will pay you the full price for it. I will not take things that belong to you, things that have cost me nothing and offer them as sacrifices to Yahweh to be completely burned on the altar.”
25 Te dongah David loh Ornan te a hmuen phu la sui shekel a khiing ya rhuk a paek.
So David paid Araunah 600 pieces of gold for the whole area.
26 Te phoeiah David loh BOEIPA ham hmueihtuk pahoi a suem tih hmueihhlutnah neh rhoepnah te a nawn. BOEIPA a khue vaengah anih te hmueihtuk sokah hmueihhlutnah dongah vaan lamkah hmai neh a voek.
David built an altar to [worship] Yahweh there, and he offered sacrifices to be completely burned [on the altar] and sacrifices to restore fellowship [with Yahweh]. David prayed to Yahweh, and Yahweh answered by sending a fire from heaven [to burn up the offerings] on the altar.
27 Te daengah BOEIPA loh puencawn te a voek tih a cunghang te tuengim khuila a sang.
Then Yahweh spoke to the angel, and told him to put his sword back into its sheath. [So the angel did that].
28 Te vaeng tue kah Jebusi Ornan cangtilhmuen ah BOEIPA loh anih a doo te David loh a hmuh van neh pahoi a nawn.
And when David saw that Yahweh had answered him there at the place where Araunah threshed grain [and had ended the plague], he offered sacrifices there.
29 Moses loh khosoek kah a saii BOEIPA kah dungtlungim neh te vaeng tue kah hmueihhlutnah hmueihtuk tah Gibeon hmuensang ah om pueng.
Yahweh’s Sacred Tent, which Moses had commanded to be set up in the desert, and the altar for burning sacrifices completely, were at that time on a hill at Gibeon [city].
30 Tedae BOEIPA puencawn kah cunghang ha loh a let sak coeng dongah David loh a mikhmuh la a caeh ham khaw, Pathen a toem ham coeng thai pawh.
But David did not want to go there to request God to tell him what he wanted [him to do], because he was afraid that the angel sent from Yahweh [might strike him with] his sword.
