1 Chronicles 21
1 Then Satan stands up against Israel, and persuades David to number Israel,
Then the accuser stood up, against Israel, —and moved David, to number Israel.
2 and David says to Joab and to the heads of the people, “Go, number Israel from Beer-Sheba even to Dan, and bring [the account] to me, and I know their number.”
And David said unto Joab and unto the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel, from Beer-sheba even unto Dan, —and bring [the report] unto me, that I may know the number of them.
3 And Joab says, “YHWH adds to His people as they are one hundred times; are they not, my lord, O king, all of them for servants to my lord? Why does my lord seek this? Why is he for a cause of guilt to Israel?”
Then said Joab, May Yahweh add unto his people, as many as they are, a hundred times, but are they not, my lord O king, all of them my lord’s, as servants? wherefore should my lord seek this? wherefore should it become guilt to Israel?
4 And the word of the king [is] severe against Joab, and Joab goes out, and goes up and down in all Israel, and comes to Jerusalem.
But, the word of the king, prevailed against Joab, —and Joab departed, and went to and fro throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem.
5 And Joab gives the account of the numbering of the people to David, and all Israel is one million and one hundred thousand, each drawing sword, and Judah [is] four hundred and seventy thousand, each drawing sword.
And Joab delivered the sum of the number of the people, unto David, —and all Israel was found to be a thousand thousand and a hundred thousand men, who drew sword, and Judah, four hundred and seventy thousand men, who drew sword.
6 And he has not numbered Levi and Benjamin in their midst, for the word of the king was abominable with Joab.
But, Levi and Benjamin, counted he not among them, —for detestable was the word of the king unto Joab.
7 And it is evil in the eyes of God concerning this thing, and He strikes Israel,
And it was displeasing in the eyes of God, concerning this thing, —therefore smote he Israel.
8 and David says to God, “I have sinned exceedingly in that I have done this thing; and now, please cause the iniquity of Your servant to pass away, for I have acted very foolishly.”
And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing, —but, now, I beseech thee, take away the iniquity of thy servant, for I have shown myself very foolish.
9 And YHWH speaks to Gad, seer of David, saying,
Then spake Yahweh unto Gad, the seer of David saying:
10 “Go, and you have spoken to David, saying, Thus said YHWH: I am extending three [choices] to you; choose one of these for yourself, and I do [it] to you.”
Go—and thou shalt speak unto David, saying, Thus, saith Yahweh, Three things, do I offer thee, —choose thee one from among them, that I may do it unto thee.
11 And Gad comes to David and says to him, “Thus said YHWH: Take for yourself—
So Gad came unto David, —and said to him, Thus, saith Yahweh,
12 either famine for three years, or three months to be consumed from the face of your adversaries (even [for] the sword of your enemies to overtake), or three days of the sword of YHWH (even pestilence in the land, and a messenger of YHWH destroying in all the border of Israel); and now, see; what word do I return to Him who is sending me?”
Choose thee: —Whether, for three years, [there be] famine, Or, for three months, that thou flee before thine adversaries, while the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee, Or, for three days, the sword of Yahweh, and pestilence be in the land, with, the messenger of Yahweh, laying waste throughout all the boundary of Israel, —Now, therefore, see, what, answer, I shall return unto him that sent me.
13 And David says to Gad, “I am greatly distressed, please let me fall into the hand of YHWH, for His mercies [are] very many, and do not let me fall into the hand of man.”
And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait, —Oh let me fall, I pray thee, into the hand of Yahweh, for abounding are his compassions, exceedingly, but, into the hand of man, let me not fall.
14 And YHWH gives a pestilence in Israel, and there falls from Israel seventy thousand men,
So Yahweh laid pestilence, upon Israel, —and there fell, of Israel, seventy thousand men.
15 and God sends a messenger to Jerusalem to destroy it, and as he is destroying, YHWH has seen, and is comforted concerning the calamity, and says to the messenger who [is] destroying, “Enough now, cease your hand.” And the messenger of YHWH is standing by the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite,
And God sent a messenger to Jerusalem, to lay it waste, but, as he was laying it waste, Yahweh looked, and relented concerning the calamity, and said unto the messenger who was laying waste, Enough! now, stay thy hand. And, the messenger of Yahweh, was standing by the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
16 and David lifts up his eyes, and sees the messenger of YHWH standing between the earth and the heavens, and his sword [is] drawn in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem, and David falls, and the elderly, covered with sackcloth, on their faces.
And, when David lifted up his eyes, and saw the messenger of Yahweh, standing, between the earth and the heavens, and his sword drawn, in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem, then fell David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, upon their faces.
17 And David says to God, “Did I not command to number the people? Indeed, it [is] I who have sinned, and done great evil: and these, the flock, what did they do? O YHWH, my God, please let Your hand be on me, and on the house of my father, and not on Your people—to be plagued.”
And David said unto God, Was it not, I, who gave word to number the people? Yea, I, it was who sinned and did the great wrong, what then had, these sheep, done? O Yahweh, my God, let thy hand, I beseech thee, be against me, and against the house of my father, but not against, thy people, that they should be plagued!
18 And the messenger of YHWH commanded to Gad to say to David, “Surely David goes up to raise an altar to YHWH in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.”
And, the messenger of Yahweh, commanded Gad, to say unto David, —that David should go up, to rear an altar unto Yahweh, in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19 And David goes up by the word of Gad, that he spoke in the Name of YHWH.
So David went up, according to the word of Gad, which he spake in the name of Yahweh.
20 And Ornan turns back and sees the messenger, and his four sons [are] with him hiding themselves, and Ornan is threshing wheat.
And Ornan turned, and saw the messenger, but, his four sons with him, were hiding themselves, —now, Ornan, had been threshing wheat.
21 And David comes to Ornan, and Ornan looks attentively and sees David, and goes out from the threshing-floor, and bows himself to David—face to the earth.
Then came David unto Ornan, —and Ornan looked, and saw David, and went forth out of the threshing-floor, and bowed himself unto David, with his face to the ground.
22 And David says to Ornan, “Give the place of the threshing-floor to me, and I build an altar to YHWH in it; give it to me for full price, and the plague is restrained from the people.”
And David said unto Ornan, Grant me the place of the threshing-floor, that I may build thereon an altar, unto Yahweh, —for silver in full, shalt thou grant it me, that the plague may be stayed from off the people.
23 And Ornan says to David, “Take [it] to yourself, and my lord the king does that which is good in his eyes; see, I have given the oxen for burnt-offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for a present; I have given the whole.”
And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do what is good in his own eyes, —see! I have given the oxen for ascending-sacrifices, and, the threshing implements for wood, and the wheat for a meal-offering, —the whole, have I given.
24 And King David says to Ornan, “No, for I surely buy [it] for full price; for I do not lift up that which is yours to YHWH, so as to offer a burnt-offering without cost.”
Then said King David to Ornan, Nay! but I will, surely buy, it for silver in full, —for I will not take that which is thine for Yahweh, nor offer an ascending-sacrifice that hath cost me nothing.
25 And David gives to Ornan six hundred shekels of gold [in] weight for the place;
So David gave to Ornan, for the place, —shekels of gold, by weight, six hundred.
26 and David builds an altar to YHWH there, and offers burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, and calls to YHWH, and He answers him from the heavens with fire on the altar of the burnt-offering.
And David built there an altar unto Yahweh, and caused to go up ascending-sacrifices, and peace-offerings, —and called unto Yahweh, and he responded to him, by fire, out of the heavens, upon the altar of ascending-sacrifice.
27 And YHWH speaks to the messenger, and he turns back his sword to its sheath.
And Yahweh gave word to tile messenger, and he put back his sword into its sheath.
28 At that time, when David sees that YHWH has answered him in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrifices there;
At that time, when David saw that Yahweh had answered him in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.
29 and the Dwelling Place of YHWH that Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt-offering, [are] at that time at a high place in Gibeon;
But, the habitation of Yahweh, which Moses made in the desert, and the altar of ascending-sacrifice, were, at that time, in the high place at Gibeon;
30 and David is not able to go before it to seek God, for he has been afraid because of the sword of the messenger of YHWH.
and David could not go before it, to seek God, —for he had been terrified, because of the sword of the messenger of Yahweh.
