< 1 Chronicles 21 >
1 And Satan stoode vp against Israel, and prouoked Dauid to nomber Israel.
2 Therefore Dauid said to Ioab, and to the rulers of the people, Go, and nomber Israel from Beer-sheba euen to Dan, and bring it to me, that I may knowe the nomber of them.
3 And Ioab answered, The Lord increase his people an hundreth times so many as they be, O my lord the King: are they not all my lords seruats? wherefore doeth my lord require this thing? why should he be a cause of trespasse to Israel?
4 Neuerthelesse the Kings word preuailed against Ioab. And Ioab departed and went thorowe all Israel, and returned to Ierusalem.
5 And Ioab gaue the nomber and summe of the people vnto Dauid: and all Israel were eleuen hundreth thousande men that drewe sword: and Iudah was foure hundreth and seuentie thousande men that drewe sword.
6 But the Leuites and Beniamin counted he not among them: for the Kings worde was abominable to Ioab.
7 And God was displeased with this thing: therefore he smote Israel.
8 Then Dauid saide vnto God, I haue sinned greatly, because I haue done this thing: but now, I beseech thee, remooue the iniquitie of thy seruant: for I haue done very foolishly.
9 And the Lord spake vnto Gad Dauids Seer, saying,
10 Goe and tell Dauid, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I offer thee three thinges: choose thee one of them, that I may doe it vnto thee.
11 So Gad came to Dauid, and sayde vnto him, Thus saith the Lord, Take to thee
12 Either three yeeres famine, or three moneths to be destroyed before thine aduersaries, and the sworde of thine enemies to take thee, or els the sworde of the Lord and pestilence in the lande three dayes, that the Angel of the Lord may destroy throughout all the coastes of Israel: nowe therefore aduise thee, what word I shall bring againe to him that sent me.
13 And Dauid said vnto Gad, I am in a wonderfull strait. let me nowe fall into the hande of the Lord: for his mercies are exceeding great, and let me not fall into the hande of man.
14 So the Lord sent a pestilence in Israel, and there fell of Israel seuentie thousande men.
15 And God sent the Angel into Ierusalem to destroy it. And as he was destroying, the Lord behelde, and repented of the euill and sayde to the Angel that destroyed, It is nowe ynough, let thine hande cease. Then the Angel of the Lord stoode by the thresshing floore of Ornan the Iebusite.
16 And Dauid lift vp his eyes, and sawe the Angel of the Lord stande betweene the earth and the heauen with his sworde drawen in his hand, and stretched out towarde Ierusalem. Then Dauid and the Elders of Israel, which were clothed in sacke, fell vpon their faces.
17 And Dauid said vnto God, Is it not I that commanded to nomber the people? It is euen I that haue sinned and haue committed euil, but these sheepe what haue they done? O Lord my God, I beseech thee, let thine hande be on me and on my fathers house, and not on thy people for their destruction.
18 Then the Angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to Dauid, that Dauid should goe vp, and set vp an altar vnto the Lord in the thresshing floore of Ornan the Iebusite.
19 So Dauid went vp according to the saying of Gad, which he had spoken in the Name of the Lord.
20 And Ornan turned about, and sawe the Angel, and his foure sonnes, that were with him, hid them selues, and Ornan thresshed wheat.
21 And as Dauid came to Ornan, Ornan looked and sawe Dauid, and went out of the thresshing floore, and bowed himselfe to Dauid with his face to the grounde.
22 And Dauid saide to Ornan, Giue me the place of thy thresshing floore, that I may builde an altar therein vnto the Lord: giue it me for sufficient money, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
23 Then Ornan saide vnto Dauid, Take it to thee, and let my lord the King do that which seemeth him good: loe, I giue thee bullockes for burnt offrings, and thresshing instruments for wood, and wheat for meate offring, I giue it all.
24 And King Dauid saide to Ornan, Not so: but I will bye it for sufficient money: for I wil not take that which is thine for the Lord, nor offer burnt offrings without cost.
25 So Dauid gaue to Ornan for that place sixe hundreth shekels of golde by weight.
26 And Dauid built there an altar vnto the Lord, and offred burnt offrings, and peace offrings, and called vpon the Lord, and he answered him by fire from heauen vpon the altar of burnt offring.
27 And when the Lord had spoken to the Angel, he put vp his sworde againe into his sheath.
28 At that time when Dauid sawe that the Lord had heard him in the thresshing floore of Ornan the Iebusite, then he sacrificed there.
29 (But the Tabernacle of the Lord which Moses had made in the wildernesse, and the altar of burnt offring were at that season in the hie place at Gibeon.
30 And Dauid could not go before it to aske counsel at God: for he was afraide of the sworde of the Angel of the Lord.)
