2 Samuel 24

1 Now again the anger of YHWH burned against Israel, and he moved David against them, saying, "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 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."

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 But Joab said to the king, "Now may YHWH 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?"

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 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 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 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.

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 Gilead, and to the region of the Hethites, to Kedesh; and they came to Dan. Then they skirted Sidon,

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

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 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.

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

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 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 David's heart struck him after that he had numbered the people. David said to YHWH, "I have sinned greatly in that which I have done. But now, YHWH, put away, I beg you, the iniquity of your servant; for I have done 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 When David rose up in the morning, the word of YHWH came to Gad, 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 to David, 'Thus says YHWH, "I offer you three things. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you."'

“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 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."

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 David said to Gad, "All of them are difficult for me. Only let me fall now into the hand of YHWH; for his mercies are great. 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 So YHWH 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 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 When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, YHWH relented of the disaster, and said to the angel who destroyed the people, "It is enough. Now stay your hand." The angel of YHWH was standing near the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. And David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of YHWH 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.

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 Then David spoke to YHWH 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."

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 went to David that day and said, "Go up, build an altar to YHWH on the threshing floor of Araunah 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 So David went up and did what Gad had said, as YHWH commanded.

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

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.

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 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 YHWH, so that the plague may be held back 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 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.

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 Araunah gives to the king." And Araunah said to the king, "May YHWH your God accept you."

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

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 YHWH my God which cost me nothing." 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 Then David built an altar to YHWH there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So YHWH responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was withdrawn 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.