1 Chronicles 21
1 And an adversary up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.
And Satan rose up against Israel: and moved David to number Israel.
2 And David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, "Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring me word, that I may know the sum of them."
And David said to Joab, and to the rulers of the people: Go, and number Israel from Bersabee even to Dan, and bring me the number of them that I may know it.
3 Joab said, "May Jehovah make his people a hundred times as many as they are. But, my lord the king, aren't they all my lord's servants? Why does my lord require this thing? Why will he be a cause of guilt to Israel?"
And Joab answered: The Lord make his people a hundred times more than they are: but, my lord the king, are they not all thy servants: why doth my lord seek this thing, which may be imputed as a sin to Israel?
4 Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Therefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem.
But the king’s word rather prevailed: and Joab departed, and went through all Israel: and returned to Jerusalem.
5 Joab gave up the sum of the numbering of the people to David. All those of Israel were one million one hundred thousand men who drew sword: and in Judah were four hundred seventy thousand men who drew sword.
And he gave David the number of them, whom he had surveyed: and all the number of Israel was found to be eleven hundred thousand men that drew the sword: and of Juda four hundred and seventy thousand fighting men.
6 But he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them; for the king's word was abominable to Joab.
But Levi and Benjamin he did not number: for Joab unwillingly executed the king’s orders.
7 God was displeased with this thing; therefore he struck Israel.
And God was displeased with this thing that was commanded: and he struck Israel.
8 David said to God, "I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing. But now, put away, I beg you, the iniquity of your servant; for I have done very foolishly."
And David said to God: I have sinned exceedingly in doing this: I beseech thee take away the iniquity of thy servant, for I have done foolishly.
9 Jehovah spoke to Gad, David's seer, saying,
And the Lord spoke to Gad the seer of David, saying:
10 "Go and speak to David, saying, 'Thus says Jehovah, "I offer you three things. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you."'"
Go, and speak to David, and tell him: Thus saith the Lord: I give thee the choice of three things: choose one which thou wilt, and I will do it to thee.
11 So Gad came to David, and said to him, "Thus says Jehovah, 'Take your choice:
And when Gad was come to David, he said to him: Thus saith the Lord: choose which thou wilt:
12 either three years of famine; or three months of fleeing from before your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you; or else three days the sword of Jehovah, even pestilence in the land, and the angel of Jehovah destroying throughout all the borders of Israel. Now therefore consider what answer I shall return to him who sent me.'"
Either three years’ famine: or three months to flee from thy enemies, and not to be able to escape their sword: or three days to have the sword of the Lord, and pestilence in the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying in all the coasts of Israel: now therefore see what I shall answer him who sent me.
13 David said to Gad, "I am in distress. Let me fall, I pray, into the hand of Jehovah; for his mercies are very great. Let me not fall into the hand of man."
And David said to Gad: I am on every side in a great strait: but it is better for me to fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercies are many, than into the hands of men.
14 So Jehovah sent a pestilence on Israel; and seventy thousand men of Israel fell.
So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel. And there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.
15 God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was about to destroy, Jehovah saw, and he relented of the disaster, and said to the destroying angel, "It is enough; now stay your hand." The angel of Jehovah was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
And he sent an angel to Jerusalem, to strike it: and as he was striking it, the Lord beheld, and took pity for the greatness of the evil: and said to the angel that destroyed: It is enough, now stop thy hand. And the angel of the Lord stood by the thrashing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
16 David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of Jehovah standing between earth and the sky, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces.
And David lifting up his eyes, saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand, turned against Jerusalem: and both he and the ancients clothed in haircloth, fell down flat on the ground.
17 David said to God, "Isn't it I who commanded the people to be numbered? It is even I who have sinned and done very wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand, Jehovah my God, be against me, and against my father's house; but not against your people, that they should be plagued."
And David said to God: Am not I he that commanded the people to be numbered? It is I that have sinned: it is I that have done the evil: but as for this flock, what hath it deserved? O Lord my God, let thy hand be turned, I beseech thee, upon me, and upon my father’s house: and let not thy people be destroyed.
18 Then the angel of Jehovah commanded Gad to tell David that David should go up, and raise an altar to Jehovah in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
And the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to tell David, to go up, and build an altar to the Lord God in the thrashingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19 David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spoke in the name of Jehovah.
And David went up, according to the word of Gad, which he spoke to him in the name of the Lord.
20 Ornan turned back, and saw the king, and his four sons who were with him hiding themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.
Now when Ornan looked up, and saw the angel, he and his four sons hid themselves: for at that time he was thrashing wheat in the floor.
21 As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshing floor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.
And as David was coming to Ornan, Ornan saw him, and went out of the thrashingfloor to meet him, and bowed down to him with his face to the ground.
22 Then David said to Ornan, "Give me the place of this threshing floor, that I may build thereon an altar to Jehovah. You shall sell it to me for the full price, that the plague may be stopped from afflicting the people."
And David said to him: Give me this place of thy thrashingfloor, that I may build therein an altar to the Lord: but thou shalt take of me as much money as it is worth, that the plague may cease from the people.
23 Ornan said to David, "Take it for yourself, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes. Look, I give the oxen for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meal offering. I give it all."
And Ornan said to David: Take it, and let my lord the king do all that pleaseth him: and moreover the oxen also I give for a holocaust, and the drays for wood, and the wheat for the sacrifice: I will give it all willingly.
24 King David said to Ornan, "No; but I will most certainly buy it for the full price. For I will not take that which is yours for Jehovah, nor offer a burnt offering without cost."
And king David said to him: It shall not be so, but I will give thee money as much as it is worth: for I must not take it from thee, and so offer to the Lord holocausts free cost.
25 So David gave to Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the place.
So David gave to Ornan for the place, six hundred sicles of gold of just weight.
26 David built an altar to Jehovah there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called on Jehovah; and he answered him from heaven by fire on the altar of burnt offering, and it consumed the burnt offering.
And he built there an altar to the Lord: and he offered holocausts, and peace offerings, and he called upon the Lord, and he heard him by sending Are from heaven upon the altar of the holocaust.
27 Jehovah commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into its sheath.
And the Lord commanded the angel: and he put up his sword again into the sheath.
28 At that time, when David saw that Jehovah had answered him in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.
And David seeing that the Lord had heard him in the thrashingfloor of Oman the Jebusite, forthwith offered victims there.
29 For the tabernacle of Jehovah, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering, were at that time in the high place at Gibeon.
But the tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses made in the desert, and the altar of holocausts, was at that time in the high place of Gabaon.
30 But David couldn't go before it to inquire of God; for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of Jehovah.
And David could not go to the altar there to pray to God: for he was seized with an exceeding great fear, seeing the sword of the angel of the Lord.
