2 Samuel 24
1 Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He stirred up David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.”
耶和華又向以色列人發怒，就激動大衛，使他吩咐人去數點以色列人和猶大人。
2 So the king said to Joab the commander of his army, who was with him, “Go now throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and register the troops, so that I may know their number.”
大衛就吩咐跟隨他的元帥約押說：「你去走遍以色列眾支派，從但直到別是巴，數點百姓，我好知道他們的數目。」
3 But Joab replied to the king, “May the LORD your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?”
約押對王說：「無論百姓多少，願耶和華－你的上帝再加增百倍，使我主我王親眼得見。我主我王何必喜悅行這事呢？」
4 Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army departed from the presence of the king to count the troops of Israel.
但王的命令勝過約押和眾軍長。約押和眾軍長就從王面前出去，數點以色列的百姓。
5 They crossed the Jordan and camped near Aroer, south of the town in the middle of the valley, and proceeded toward Gad and Jazer.
他們過了約旦河，在迦得谷中、城的右邊亞羅珥安營，與雅謝相對，
6 Then they went to Gilead and the land of Tahtim-hodshi, and on to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon.
又到了基列和他停‧合示地，又到了但‧雅安，繞到西頓，
7 They went toward the fortress of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to the Negev of Judah, to Beersheba.
來到泰爾的保障，並希未人和迦南人的各城，又到猶大南方的別是巴。
8 At the end of nine months and twenty days, having gone through the whole land, they returned to Jerusalem.
他們走遍全地，過了九個月零二十天，就回到耶路撒冷。
9 And Joab reported to the king the total number of the troops. In Israel there were 800,000 men of valor who drew the sword, and in Judah there were 500,000.
約押將百姓的總數奏告於王：以色列拿刀的勇士有八十萬；猶大有五十萬。
10 After David had numbered the troops, his conscience was stricken and he said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg You to take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
大衛數點百姓以後，就心中自責，禱告耶和華說：「我行這事大有罪了。耶和華啊，求你除掉僕人的罪孽，因我所行的甚是愚昧。」
11 When David got up in the morning, a revelation from the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer:
大衛早晨起來，耶和華的話臨到先知迦得，就是大衛的先見，說：
12 “Go and tell David that this is what the LORD says: ‘I am offering you three options. Choose one of them, and I will carry it out against you.’”
「你去告訴大衛，說耶和華如此說：『我有三樣災，隨你選擇一樣，我好降與你。』」
13 So Gad went and said to David, “Do you choose to endure three years of famine in your land, three months of fleeing the pursuit of your enemies, or three days of plague upon your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should reply to Him who sent me.”
於是迦得來見大衛，對他說：「你願意國中有七年的饑荒呢？是在你敵人面前逃跑，被追趕三個月呢？是在你國中有三日的瘟疫呢？現在你要揣摩思想，我好回覆那差我來的。」
14 David answered Gad, “I am deeply distressed. Please, let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”
大衛對迦得說：「我甚為難！我願落在耶和華的手裏，因為他有豐盛的憐憫。我不願落在人的手裏。」
15 So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel from that morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.
於是，耶和華降瘟疫與以色列人，自早晨到所定的時候；從但直到別是巴，民間死了七萬人。
16 But when the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand now!” At that time the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
天使向耶路撒冷伸手要滅城的時候，耶和華後悔，就不降這災了，吩咐滅民的天使說：「夠了！住手吧！」那時耶和華的使者在耶布斯人亞勞拿的禾場那裏。
17 When David saw the angel striking down the people, he said to the LORD, “Surely I, the shepherd, have sinned and acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, let Your hand fall upon me and my father’s house.”
大衛看見滅民的天使，就禱告耶和華說：「我犯了罪，行了惡；但這群羊做了甚麼呢？願你的手攻擊我和我的父家。」
18 And that day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
當日，迦得來見大衛，對他說：「你上去，在耶布斯人亞勞拿的禾場上為耶和華築一座壇。」
19 So David went up at the word of Gad, just as the LORD had commanded.
大衛就照着迦得奉耶和華名所說的話上去了。
20 When Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, he went out and bowed facedown before the king.
亞勞拿觀看，見王和他臣僕前來，就迎接出去，臉伏於地，向王下拜，
21 “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” Araunah said. “To buy your threshing floor,” David replied, “that I may build an altar to the LORD, so that the plague upon the people may be halted.”
說：「我主我王為何來到僕人這裏呢？」大衛說：「我要買你這禾場，為耶和華築一座壇，使民間的瘟疫止住。」
22 Araunah said to David, “My lord the king may take whatever seems good and offer it up. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.
亞勞拿對大衛說：「我主我王，你喜悅用甚麼，就拿去獻祭。看哪，這裏有牛可以作燔祭，有打糧的器具和套牛的軛可以當柴燒。
23 O king, Araunah gives all these to the king.” He also said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.”
王啊，這一切，我亞勞拿都奉給你」；又對王說：「願耶和華－你的上帝悅納你。」
24 “No,” replied the king, “I insist on paying a price, for I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
王對亞勞拿說：「不然。我必要按着價值向你買；我不肯用白得之物作燔祭獻給耶和華－我的上帝。」大衛就用五十舍客勒銀子買了那禾場與牛。
25 And there he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then the LORD answered the prayers on behalf of the land, and the plague upon Israel was halted.
大衛在那裏為耶和華築了一座壇，獻燔祭和平安祭。如此，耶和華垂聽國民所求的，瘟疫在以色列人中就止住了。
