2 Samuel 24
1 Now again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he moved David against them, saying, "Go, number Israel and Judah."
And the Lord caused his anger to burn forth again in Israel, and [Satan] stirred up David against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Juda.
2 So the king said to Joab and the captains of the army, who were with him, "Now go back and forth through all Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba and number the people, that I may know the sum of the people."
And the king said to Joab commander of the host, who was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel and Juda, from Dan even to Bersabee, and number the people, and I will know the number of the people.
3 But Joab said to the king, "Now may the LORD your God add to the people, however many they may be, one hundred times; and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king delight in this thing?"
And Joab said to the king, Now may the Lord add to the people a hundred-fold as many as they are, and [may] the eyes of my lord the king see it: but why does my lord the king desire this thing?
4 However, the king's word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the army. Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king, to number the children of Israel.
Nevertheless the word of the king prevailed against Joab an the captains of the host: And Joab and the captains of the host went out before the king to number the people of Israel.
5 They crossed over the Jordan and began from Aroer, and from the city that is in the middle of the valley of Gad; then on to Jazer.
And they went over Jordan, and encamped in Aroer, on the right of the city which is in the midst of the valley of Gad and Eliezer.
6 Then they came to Gilead, and to the region of the Hethites, to Kedesh; and they came to Dan. Then they skirted Sidon,
And they came to Galaad, and into the land of Thabason, which is Adasai, and they came to Danidan and Udan, and compassed Sidon.
7 and came to the stronghold of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites; and they went out to the south of Judah, at Beersheba.
And they came to Mapsar of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Evite and the Chananite: and they came by the South of Juda to Bersabee.
8 So when they had gone back and forth through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
And they compassed the whole land; and they arrived at Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
9 Joab gave up the sum of the numbering of the people to the king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.
And Joab gave in the number of the census of the people to the king: and Israel consisted of eight hundred thousand men of might that drew sword; and the men of Juda, five hundred thousand fighting men.
10 David's heart struck him after that he had numbered the people. David said to the LORD, "I have sinned greatly in that which I have done. But now, LORD, put away, I beg you, the iniquity of your servant; for I have done very foolishly."
And the heart of David smote him after he had numbered the people; and David said to the Lord, I have sinned grievously, O Lord, [in] what I have now done: remove, I pray thee, the iniquity of thy servant, for I have been exceedingly foolish.
11 When David rose up in the morning, the word of the LORD came to Gad, David's seer, saying,
And David rose early in the morning, and the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, the seer, saying, Go, and speak to David, saying,
12 "Go and speak to David, 'Thus says the LORD, "I offer you three things. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you."'
Thus saith the Lord, I bring [one of] three things upon thee: now choose thee one of them, and I will do [it] to thee.
13 So Gad came to David, and told him, and said to him, "Shall three years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' pestilence in your land? Now answer, and consider what answer I shall return to him who sent me."
And Gad went in to David, and told him, and said to him, Choose [one of these things] to befall thee, whether there shall come upon thee [for] three years famine in thy land; or that thou shouldest flee three months before thine enemies, and they should pursue thee; or that there should be [for] three days mortality in thy land. Now then decide, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.
14 David said to Gad, "All of them are difficult for me. Only let me fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies are great. Let me not fall into the hand of man."
And David said to Gad, On every side I am much straitened: let me fall now into the hands of the Lord, for his compassions [are] very many; and let me not fall into the hands of man.
15 So the LORD sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning even to the appointed time; and the destruction began among the people. And there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men.
So David chose for himself the mortality: and [they were] the days of wheat-harvest; and the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from morning till noon, and the plague began among the people; and there died of the people from Dan even to Bersabee seventy thousand men.
16 When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented of the disaster, and said to the angel who destroyed the people, "It is enough. Now stay your hand." The angel of the LORD was standing near the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. And David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD 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 down on their faces.
And the angel of the Lord stretched out his hand against Jerusalem to destroy it, and the Lord repented of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, [It is] enough now, withhold thine hand. And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing-floor of Orna the Jebusite.
17 Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who struck the people, and said, "Look, I have sinned, and I, the shepherd, have done great evil. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me, and against my father's house."
And David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel smiting the people, and he said, Behold, it is I that have done wrong, but these sheep what have they done? Let thy hand, I pray thee, be upon me, and upon my father's house.
18 And Gad went to David that day and said, "Go up, build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite."
And Gad came to David in that day, and said to him, Go up, and set up to the Lord and altar in the threshing-floor of Orna the Jebusite.
19 So David went up and did what Gad had said, as the LORD commanded.
And David went up according to the word of Gad, as the Lord commanded him.
20 And Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him, so Araunah went out and bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.
And Orna looked out, and saw the king and his servants coming on before him: and Orna went forth, and did obeisance to the king with his face to the earth.
21 And Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" And David said, "To buy this threshing floor from you to build an altar to the LORD, so that the plague may be held back from the people."
And Orna said, Why has my lord the king come to his servant? and David said, To buy of thee the threshing-floor, in order to build an altar to the Lord that the plague may be restrained from off the people.
22 But Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Look, the oxen for the burnt offering, and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood.
And Orna said to David, Let my lord the king take and offer to the Lord that which is good in his eyes: behold, [here are] oxen for a whole-burnt-offering, and the wheels and furniture of the oxen for wood.
23 All these Araunah gives to the king." And Araunah said to the king, "May the LORD your God accept you."
Orna gave all to the king: and Orna said to the king, The Lord thy God bless thee.
24 But the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
And the king said to Orna, Nay, but I will surely buy it of thee at a fair price, and I will not offer to the Lord my God a whole-burnt-offering for nothing. So David purchased the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
25 Then David built an altar to the LORD there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel.
And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered up whole-burnt-offerings and peace-offerings: and Solomon made an addition to the altar afterwards, for it was little at first. And the Lord hearkened to the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.
