1 Chronicles 21
1 Sotheli Sathan roos ayens Israel, and stiride Dauid for to noumbre Israel.
An adversary arose against Israel and incited David to count Israel.
2 And Dauid seide to Joab, and to the princes of the puple, Go ye, and noumbre Israel fro Bersabe til to Dan, and brynge ye the noumbre to me, that Y wite.
David said to Joab and to the commanders of the army, “Go, count the people of Israel from Beersheba to Dan and report back to me, that I may know their number.”
3 And Joab answeride, The Lord encresse his puple an hundrid fold more than thei ben; my lord the kyng, whether alle ben not thi seruauntis? Whi sekith my lord this thing, that schal be arettid in to synne to Israel?
Joab said, “May Yahweh make his army a hundred times greater than it is. But my master the king, do they not all serve my master? Why does my master want this? Why bring guilt on Israel?”
4 But the word of the kyng hadde more the maistrie; and Joab yede out, and cumpasside al Israel, and turnede ayen in to Jerusalem.
But the king's word was enforced against Joab. So Joab left and went throughout all Israel. Then he came back to Jerusalem.
5 And he yaf to Dauid the noumbre of hem, which he hadde cumpassid; and al the noumbre of Israel was foundun a thousynde thousande, and an hundrid thousynde of men, drawynge out swerd; forsothe of Juda weren thre hundrid thousynde, and seuenti thousynde of werriouris.
Then Joab reported the total of the count of the fighting men to David. There were in Israel 1,100,000 men who drew the sword. Judah alone had 470,000 soldiers.
6 For Joab noumbride not Leuy and Beniamyn, for ayens his wille he dide the comaundement of the kyng.
But Levi and Benjamin were not counted among them, for the king's command had disgusted Joab.
7 Forsothe that that was comaundid displeside the Lord, and he smoot Israel.
God was offended by this action, so he attacked Israel.
8 And Dauid seide to God, Y synnede greetli that Y wolde do this; Y biseche, do thou awey the wickidnesse of thi seruaunt, for Y dide folili.
David said to God, “I have greatly sinned by doing this. Now take away your servant's guilt, for I have acted very foolishly.”
9 And the Lord spak to Gad, the profete of Dauid,
Yahweh told Gad, David's prophet,
10 and seide, Go thou, and speke to Dauid, and seie to him, The Lord seith these thingis, Y yeue to thee the chesyng of thre thingis; chese thou oon which thou wolt, that Y do to thee.
“Go say to David, 'This is what Yahweh says: I am giving you three choices. Choose one of them.'”
11 And whanne Gad was comen to Dauid, he seide to Dauid, The Lord seith these thingis, Chese thou that that thou wolt, ether pestilence thre yeer,
So Gad went to David and said to him, “Yahweh says this, 'Choose one of these:
12 ether that thre monethis thou fle thin enemyes and mow not ascape her swerd, ether that the swerd of the Lord and deeth regne thre daies in the lond, and that the aungel of the Lord slee in alle the coostis of Israel. Now therfor se thou, what Y schal answere to hym that sente me.
either three years of famine, three months being pursued by your enemies and being caught by their swords, or else three days of Yahweh's sword, that is, a plague in the land, with the angel of Yahweh destroying throughout all the land of Israel.' Now then, decide what answer I should take to the one who sent me.”
13 And Dauid seide to Gad, Angwischis oppresse me on ech part, but it is betere to me, that Y falle in to the hondis of the Lord, for his merciful doynges ben manye, than in to the hondis of men.
Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress! Let me fall into the hand of Yahweh rather than into the hand of man, for his merciful actions are very great.”
14 Therfor the Lord sente pestilence in to Israel, and seuenti thousynde of men felden doun of Israel.
So Yahweh sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand people died.
15 Also he sente an aungel in to Jerusalem, that he schulde smyte it; and whanne it was smytun, the Lord siy, and hadde merci on the greetnesse of yuel; and comaundide to the aungel that smoot, It suffisith, now thin hond ceesse. Forsothe the aungel of the Lord stood bisidis the cornfloor of Ornam Jebusey.
God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was about to destroy it, Yahweh watched and changed his mind about the harm. He said to the destroying angel, “Enough! Now draw back your hand.” At that time the angel of Yahweh was standing at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
16 And Dauid reiside hise iyen, and siy the aungel of the Lord stondynge bitwixe heuene and erthe, and a drawun swerd in his hond, and turnede ayens Jerusalem. And bothe he and the grettere men in birthe weren clothid with heiris, and felden doun lowe on the erthe.
David looked up and saw the angel of Yahweh standing between earth and heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand raised over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, lay facedown on the ground.
17 And Dauid seide to the Lord, Whether Y am not that comaundide that the puple schulde be noumbrid? Y it am that synnede, Y it am that dide yuel; what disseruid this floc? My Lord God, Y biseche, thin hond be turned `in to me, and `in to the hows of my fadir; but thi puple be not smytun.
David said to God, “Is it not I that commanded that the army be numbered? I did this wicked thing. But these sheep, what have they done? Yahweh my God! Let your hand strike me and my family, but do not let the plague remain on your people.”
18 Forsothe an aungel of the Lord comaundide Gad, that he schulde seie to Dauid, `that he schulde stie, and bilde an auter to the Lord God in the cornfloor of Ornam Jebusei.
So the angel of Yahweh commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up and build an altar for Yahweh at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19 Therfor Dauid stiede bi the word of Gad, which he spak to hym bi the word of the Lord.
So David went up as Gad instructed him to do in the name of Yahweh.
20 Forsothe whanne Ornam hadde `biholde, and hadde seyn the aungel, and hise foure sones `with hym `hadde seyn, thei hidden hem, for in that tyme he threischide whete in the cornfloor.
While Ornan was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the angel. He and his four sons with him hid themselves.
21 Therfor whanne Dauid cam to Ornam, Ornam bihelde Dauid, and yede forth fro the cornfloor ayens hym, and worschipide hym, lowli on the ground.
When David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David. He left the threshing floor and bowed to David with his face to the ground.
22 And Dauid seide to hym, Yyue the place of thi cornfloor to me, that Y bilde ther ynne an auter to the Lord; so that thou take as myche siluer as it is worth, and that the veniaunce ceesse fro the puple.
Then David said to Ornan, “Sell me this threshing floor, so I can build an altar for Yahweh. I will pay the full price, so that the plague may be removed from the people.”
23 Forsothe Ornam seide to Dauid, Take thou, and my lord the kyng do what euer thing plesith hym; but also Y yyue oxis in to brent sacrifice, and instrumentis of tree, wherbi cornes ben throischun, in to trees, and wheete in to sacrifice; Y yyue alle thingis wilfully.
Ornan said to David, “Take it as your own, my master the king. Do with it what is good in your sight. Look, I will give you oxen for burnt offerings, threshing sledges for wood, and wheat for the grain offering; I will give it all to you.”
24 And `Dauid the kyng seide to hym, It schal not be don so, but Y schal yyue siluer as myche as it is worth; for Y owe not take awei fro thee, and offre so to the Lord brent sacrifices freli youun.
King David said to Ornan, “No, I insist on buying it for the full price. I will not take what is yours and offer it as a burnt offering to Yahweh if it costs me nothing.”
25 Therfor Dauid yaf to Ornam for the place sixe hundrid siclis of gold of most iust weiyte.
So David paid six hundred shekels of gold for the place.
26 And he bildide there an auter to the Lord, and he offride brent sacrifice and pesible sacrifices, and he inwardli clepide God; and God herde hym in fier fro heuene on the auter of brent sacrifice.
David built an altar for Yahweh there and offered on it burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on Yahweh, who answered him with fire from heaven on the altar for burnt offerings.
27 And the Lord comaundide to the aungel, and he turnede his swerd in to the schethe.
Then Yahweh gave an order to the angel, and the angel put his sword back into its sheath.
28 Therfor anoon Dauid siy, that the Lord hadde herd hym in the corn floor of Ornam Jebusey, and he offride there slayn sacrifices.
When David saw that Yahweh had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he performed the sacrifice there at that same time.
29 Forsothe the tabernacle of the Lord, that Moyses hadde maad in the deseert, and the auter of brent sacrifices, was in that tempest in the hiy place of Gabaon;
Now at that time, Yahweh's tabernacle, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar for burnt offerings, were at the high place at Gibeon.
30 and Dauid myyte not go to the auter, to biseche God there, for he was aferd bi ful greet drede, seynge the swerd of the `aungel of the Lord.
However, David could not go there to ask for God's direction, because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of Yahweh.
