2 Samuel 24

1 And again was the anger of the Lord kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.

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.”

2 And the king said to Joab the captain of the army, who was with him, Traverse, I pray thee, all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba', and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people.

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.”

3 Then said Joab unto the king, Now may the Lord thy God add unto the people, how many soever they be, a hundred-fold more, and may the eyes of my Lord the king see it; but why doth my Lord the king find delight in this thing?

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?”

4 Nevertheless the king's word remained firm against Joab, and against the captains of the army: and Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel.

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.

5 And they passed over the Jordan, and encamped in 'Aro'er, on the right side of the city that lieth in the midst of the valley of Gad, and toward Ya'zer:

They crossed the Jordan and camped near Aroer, south of the town in the middle of the valley, and proceeded toward Gad and Jazer.

6 Then they came to Gil'ad, and to the land of Tachtimchodshi; and they came to Dan-ya'an, and about to Zidon;

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

7 And they came to the strong-hold of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites; and they went out to the south of Judah, up to Beer-sheba'.

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.

8 And so they traversed all the land, and they came at the end of nine months and twenty days to Jerusalem.

At the end of nine months and twenty days, having gone through the whole land, they returned to Jerusalem.

9 And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

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.

10 And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the Lord, I have sinned greatly in what I have done; and now, I beseech thee, O Lord, cause the iniquity of thy servant to pass away; for I have acted very foolishly.

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.”

11 And when David was arisen in the morning, The word of the Lord came unto Gad the prophet, David's seer, saying,

When David got up in the morning, a revelation from the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer:

12 Go and speak unto David, Thus hath said the Lord, Three things do I offer thee: choose for thyself one of them, and I will do it unto thee.

“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.’”

13 So Gad came to David, and told it unto him; and he said unto him, Shall there come unto thee seven years of famine in thy land? or three months, that thou flee before thy enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be for three days a pestilence in thy land? now consider and see what word I shall bring back to him that hath sent me.

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.”

14 And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall then into the hand of the Lord, —for his mercies are great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.

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.”

15 And the Lord sent a pestilence in Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beer-sheba' seventy thousand men.

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.

16 And when the angel stretched out his hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord bethought himself of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed among the people, It is enough: now stay thy hand. And the angel of the Lord was by the threshingfloor of Aravnah the Jebusite.

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.

17 And David spoke unto the Lord when he saw the angel that smote among the people, and said, Lo, I have indeed sinned, and I have truly done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? let thy hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house.

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.”

18 And Gad came to David on that day, and said unto him, Go up, erect an altar unto the Lord on the threshing-floor of Aravnah the Jebusite.

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.”

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

So David went up at the word of Gad, just as the LORD had commanded.

20 And Aravnah looked up, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Aravnah went out, and bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.

When Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, he went out and bowed facedown before the king.

21 And Aravnah said, Wherefore is my Lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy from thee the threshingfloor, to build an altar unto the Lord, that the plague may be stayed from the people.

“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.”

22 And Aravnah said unto David, Let my Lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good in his eyes: behold, the oxen are here for burnt-offerings, and the threshing rollers and the harness of the oxen for wood.

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.

23 All these things did Aravnah, [for] the king, give unto the king. And Aravnah said unto the king, May the Lord thy God receive thee favorably.

O king, Araunah gives all these to the king.” He also said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.”

24 And the king said unto Aravnah, No; but I will surely buy it from thee at the value; for I will not offer burnt-offerings unto the Lord my God without paying therefor. So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

“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.

25 And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings: and the Lord was entreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.

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.