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.

Yahweh was angry with the Israeli people again, so he incited David to cause trouble for them. He said to David, “Send [some men] to count the people 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, “Go [with your officers] through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan [city in the far north] to Beersheba [town in the far south], and count the people, in order that I may know how many people [there are who are able to be soldiers in the army].”

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, “Your Majesty, I wish/desire that Yahweh our God will cause there to be 100 times as many people [in Israel] as there are now, and I wish/desire that you would see that happen [before you die]. But why do you want us to do this?”

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.

But the king commanded Joab and his officers to do it. So they left the king and went out to count the people 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 [River] and set up their tents south of Aroer [town], in the middle of the valley, in the territory [that was given to the tribe] of Gad. From there they went [north] to Jazer [city]

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 [north] to [the] Gilead [region] and to Kadesh [city], in the land where the Heth people-group lived. Then they went to Dan [city in the far north of Israel], and then further west, to Sidon [city near the Mediterranean Sea].

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'.

Then they went [south] to Tyre, a city with high walls around it, and to all the cities where the Hiv and Canaan people-groups live. Then they went [east] to Beersheba, in the southern part of Judah.

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

After nine months and 20 days, when they had finished going throughout the land [and counting the people], 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.

They reported to the king the number of people that they had counted. There were 800,000 men in Israel and 500,000 men in Judah who were able to become soldiers in the army [MTY].

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.

But after David’s men had counted the people, David regretted [IDM] that he had told them to do that. [One night] he said to Yahweh, “I have committed a very big sin. Please forgive me, because what I have done is very foolish.”

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 the next morning, Yahweh gave a message to the prophet Gad. He said to him,

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 this to David: ‘I am allowing you to choose one of three things [to punish you]. I will do whichever one you choose.’”

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 to David and told him [what Yahweh had said]. He said to David, “You can choose whether there will be three years of famine in your land, or three months of your [army] running away from your enemies, or three days when there will be a (plague/very severe illness) in your land. You think about it and choose [which one you want, and tell me], and I will return to Yahweh and tell him what your answer is.”

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 said to Gad, “All those are very terrible things for me to choose between! 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].”

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 Yahweh sent a plague on the Israeli people. It started that morning and did not stop until the time that he had chosen/set. All over the land, from Dan to Beersheba, there were 70,000 Israelis who died [because of the plague].

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.

When [Yahweh’s] angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy [the people by this plague], Yahweh changed his mind about punishing [any more] people. He said to the angel who was killing them [with the plague], “Stop what you are doing [IDM]! That is enough!” [When he said that, ] the angel was standing at the ground where Araunah, from the Jebus people-group, threshed grain.

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 who was causing the people to become sick and die, he said to Yahweh, “Truly, I am the one who has committed the sin. I have done a very wicked thing, but these people are [as innocent as] sheep [MET]. They have certainly not [RHQ] done anything [that is wrong]. So you should punish [IDM] me and my family, [not these people]!”

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.

That day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up to the place where Araunah threshes grain, and build an altar to [worship] Yahweh there.”

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

So David did what Gad told him to do, which was what Yahweh had commanded, [and he went up there].

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 down and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he prostrated himself on the ground in front of the king, with his face touching the ground.

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.

Araunah said, “Your Majesty, why have you come to me?” David replied, “[I have come] to buy this ground where you thresh grain, in order to build an altar to Yahweh [and offer sacrifices on it], in order that he will stop the plague.”

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 replied to David, “Your Majesty, offer to Yahweh whatever you wish/want. Here, take my oxen to use for the offering that will be completely burned on the altar. And here, take their yokes and the boards [that I use] for the threshing, [and use them] for the wood that you will burn.

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.

I, Araunah, am giving all this to you, the king.” Then he said, “I desire/hope that Yahweh our God will accept your offering.”

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.

But the king said to Araunah, “No, [I will not take these things as a gift.] I will pay you for it. I will not take sacrifices that have cost me nothing, and offer them to Yahweh to be completely burned on the altar.” So he paid 50 pieces of silver to Araunah for the oxen and the ground.

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.

Then David built an altar to Yahweh, and he offered [the oxen] to be completely burned on the altar, and he also offered sacrifices to maintain fellowship with Yahweh. Then, Yahweh answered David’s prayers, and he caused the plague in Israel to end.