2 Samuel 24

1 The Lord was angry with Israel, and he provoked David against them, saying, “go and take a census of Israel and Judah.”

And the Lord caused his anger to burn forth again in Israel, and [Satan] stirred up David against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Juda.

2 So David told Joab, the army commander, “Go and count the Israelites from Dan to Beersheba, so I can have a total number.”

And the king said to Joab commander of the host, who was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel and Juda, from Dan even to Bersabee, and number the people, and I will know the number of the people.

3 But Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord multiply his people a hundred times over, Your Majesty, and may you live to see it! But why does Your Majesty want to do this?”

And Joab said to the king, Now may the Lord add to the people a hundred-fold as many as they are, and [may] the eyes of my lord the king see it: but why does my lord the king desire this thing?

4 But the king was adamant so Joab and the army commanders left the king and went to census the people of Israel.

Nevertheless the word of the king prevailed against Joab an the captains of the host: And Joab and the captains of the host went out before the king to number the people of Israel.

5 They crossed the Jordan and camped on the south side of the town of Aroer, in the middle of the valley, and then continued towards Gad and Jazer.

And they went over Jordan, and encamped in Aroer, on the right of the city which is in the midst of the valley of Gad and Eliezer.

6 Then they went on to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtim-hodshi; and then continued towards Dan, and from Dan around to Sidon.

And they came to Galaad, and into the land of Thabason, which is Adasai, and they came to Danidan and Udan, and compassed Sidon.

7 After this they went to the fortress of Tyre, and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. They ended up in the Negev of Judah at Beersheba.

And they came to Mapsar of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Evite and the Chananite: and they came by the South of Juda to Bersabee.

8 After traveling throughout the whole country for nine months and twenty days, they returned to Jerusalem.

And they compassed the whole land; and they arrived at Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

9 Joab reported to the king the number of people that had been counted. In Israel there were 800,000 fighting men who could use the sword, and in Judah there were 500,000.

And Joab gave in the number of the census of the people to the king: and Israel consisted of eight hundred thousand men of might that drew sword; and the men of Juda, five hundred thousand fighting men.

10 Afterwards, David felt really bad for ordering the census. He said to God, “I have committed a terrible sin by doing this. Please take away the guilt of your servant, for I have been very stupid.”

And the heart of David struck him after he had numbered the people; and David said to the Lord, I have sinned grievously, O Lord, [in] what I have now done: remove, I pray you, the iniquity of your servant, for I have been exceedingly foolish.

11 When David got up in the morning, the Lord had sent a message to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,

And David rose early in the morning, and the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, the seer, saying, Go, and speak to David, saying,

12 “Go and tell David that this is what the Lord says: ‘I'm giving you three options. Choose one of them, and that's what I'll do to you.’”

Thus says the Lord, I bring [one of] three things upon you: now choose you one of them, and I will do [it] to you.

13 So Gad went and told David, “You can choose three years of famine in your land; or three months of running from your enemies while they chase you; or three days of plague in your land. So think about it and decide how I should reply to the One who sent me.”

And Gad went in to David, and told him, and said to him, Choose [one of these things] to befall you, whether there shall come upon you [for] three years famine in your land; or that you should flee three months before your enemies, and they should pursue you; or that there should be [for] three days mortality in your land. Now then decide, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.

14 David replied to Gad, “This is an awful situation for me! Please, let the Lord decide my punishment, for he is merciful. Don't let me be punished by people.”

And David said to Gad, On every side I am much straitened: let me fall now into the hands of the Lord, for his compassions [are] very many; and let me not fall into the hands of man.

15 So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the time designated, and seventy thousand people died from Dan to Beersheba.

So David chose for himself the mortality: and [they were] the days of wheat harvest; and the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from morning till noon, and the plague began amongst the people; and there died of the people from Dan even to Bersabee seventy thousand men.

16 But just as the angel was getting ready to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented from causing such a disaster and told the destroying angel, “That's enough. You can stop now.” Right then the angel of the Lord was standing beside the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

And the angel of the Lord stretched out his hand against Jerusalem to destroy it, and the Lord repented of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, [It is] enough now, withhold your hand. And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Orna the Jebusite.

17 When David saw the angel striking down the people, he said to the Lord, “I'm the one who has sinned; I'm the one who has done wrong. These people are just sheep. What have they done? Punish me and my family instead.”

And David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel striking the people, and he said, Behold, it is I that have done wrong, but these sheep what have they done? Let your hand, I pray you, be upon me, and upon my father's house.

18 On that day Gad went to David and told him, “Go and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”

And Gad came to David in that day, and said to him, Go up, and set up to the Lord and altar in the threshing floor of Orna the Jebusite.

19 So David went and did what the Lord had ordered, as Gad had told him.

And David went up according to the word of Gad, as the Lord commanded him.

20 When Araunah looked up, he saw the king and his officials approaching. So he went out and bowed before the king with his face to the ground.

And Orna looked out, and saw the king and his servants coming on before him: and Orna went forth, and did obeisance to the king with his face to the earth.

21 “Why has Your Majesty come to see me, your servant?” Araunah asked. “To buy your threshing floor so I can build an altar to the Lord in order that the plague on the people may be stopped.” David replied.

And Orna said, Why has my lord the king come to his servant? and David said, To buy of you the threshing floor, in order to build an altar to the Lord that the plague may be restrained from off the people.

22 “Take it, and Your Majesty can use it to make offerings as you think best,” Araunah told David. “Here are the oxen for burnt offerings, and here are the threshing boards and the yokes for the oxen for firewood.

And Orna said to David, Let my lord the king take and offer to the Lord that which is good in his eyes: behold, [here are] oxen for a whole burnt offering, and the wheels and furniture of the oxen for wood.

23 Your Majesty, I, Araunah, give it all to the king.” Araunah concluded by saying, “May the Lord your God respond positively to you.”

Orna gave all to the king: and Orna said to the king, The Lord your God bless you.

24 “No, I insist on paying you for it,” the king replied. “I won't present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that didn't cost me anything.” David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

And the king said to Orna, Nay, but I will surely buy it of you at a fair price, and I will not offer to the Lord my God a whole burnt offering for nothing. So David purchased the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

25 David built an altar to the Lord there, and presented burnt offerings and friendship offerings. The Lord answered his prayer for the country, and the plague on Israel was stopped.

And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered up whole burnt offerings and peace-offerings: and Solomon made an addition to the altar afterwards, for it was little at first. And the Lord listened to the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.