2 Samuel 24

1 And the strong veniaunce of the Lord addide to be wrooth ayens Israel, and he stiride in hem Dauid, seiynge to Joab, Go thou, and noumbre thou Israel and Juda.

And again was the anger of Yahweh kindled against Israel, —so that he suffered David to be moved against them, saying, Go, count Israel and Judah.

2 And the kyng seide to Joab, the prince of his oost, Go thou bi alle lynagis of Israel fro Dan `til to Bersabee, and noumbre thou the puple, that Y wite the noumbre therof.

The king, therefore, said unto Joab, captain of the force, who was with him—Go to and fro, I pray thee, throughout all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even unto Beer -sheba, and number ye the people, —so shall I know the sum of the people.

3 And Joab seide to the kyng, Thi Lord God encresse to this puple, `hou greet it is now, and eft multiplie he an hundrid fold in the siyt of my lord the kyng; but what wole my lord the kyng to hym silf in sich a thing?

Then said Joab unto the king—Yea, Yahweh thy God add unto the people, how many soever they be, a hundredfold, and [suffer] the eyes of my lord the king, to see it, —but, my lord the king, wherefore doth he find pleasure in this thing?

4 Sotheli the word of the kyng ouer cam the wordis of Joab, and of the princes of the oost; and Joab yede out, and the princes of the knyytis, fro the face of the kyng, that thei schulden noumbre the puple of Israel.

Notwithstanding, the word of the king prevailed against Joab, and over the captains of the force, —so Joab went forth, with the captains of the force, before the king, to number the people—Israel.

5 And whanne thei hadden passid Jordan, thei camen in to Aroer, to the riyt side of the citee which is in the valei of Gad;

And they passed over the Jordan, —and encamped in Aroer, on the right side of the city, that is in the midst of the ravine of Gad, even towards Jazer.

6 and thei passiden bi Jazer in to Galaad, and in to the lowere lond of Odsi, and camen in to the wodi places of Dan; and thei cumpassiden bisidis Sidon,

Thus came they to Gilead, and unto the land of Tahtim-hodshi, —and came to Dan-jaan, and round about Zidon;

7 and passiden nyy the wallis of Tire, and nyy al the lond of Euei, and of Chananei; and thei camen to the south of Juda, in Bersabee.

and entered the fortress of Tyre, and all the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites, —and they went out to the South of Judah, even to Beer-sheba.

8 And whanne al the lond was cumpassid, thei camen aftir nyne monethis and twenti daies in to Jerusalem.

So, when they had gone to and fro throughout all the land, they came, at the end of nine months and twenty days, unto Jerusalem.

9 Therfor Joab yaf the noumbre of discriuyng of the puple to the kyng. And of Israel weren foundun nyne hundryd thousynd of stronge men, that drewen out swerd; and of Juda fyue hundrid thousynde of fiyteris.

And Joab delivered up the sum of the number of the people, unto the king, —and there were found to be, in Israel, eight hundred thousand men of valour, drawing the sword, —and, the men of Judah, five hundred thousand men.

10 Forsothe the herte of Dauid smoot hym, `that is, his concience repreuyde hym, aftir that the puple was noumbrid; and Dauid seide to the Lord, Y synnede greetli in this dede; but, Lord, Y preye that thou turne awei the wickidnesse of thi seruaunt, for Y dide ful folili.

And the heart of David smote him, after he had reckoned up the people, —and David said unto Yahweh—I have sinned greatly, in what I have done, Now, therefore, O Yahweh, take away, I beseech thee, the iniquity of thy servant, for I have done very foolishly.

11 Therfor Dauid roos eerli, and the word of the Lord was maad to Gad, the prophete and seere, and seide, Go thou,

And, when David arose in the morning, the word of Yahweh, had come unto Gad the prophet, the seer of David, saying:

12 and speke to Dauid, The Lord seith these thingis, The chesyng of thre thingis is youun to thee; chese thou oon, which thou wolt of these, that Y do to thee.

Go and speak unto David—Thus, saith Yahweh, Three things, do I offer thee, —choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.

13 And whanne Gad hadde come to Dauid, he telde to Dauid, and seide, Ether hungur schal come to thee in thi lond seuene yeer; ethir thre monethis thou schalt fle thin aduersaries, and thei schulen pursue thee; ether certis thre daies pestilence schal be in thi lond; now therfor delyuere thou, `ether auyse thou, and se, what word Y schal answere to hym that sente me.

So Gad came in unto David, and told him, —and said to him: Shall there come unto thee seven years of famine in thy land? Or, for three months, wilt thou flee before thine enemies while, they, pursue thee? Or shall there be, for three days, pestilence in thy land? Now, consider and see, what, answer, I shall return to him that sent me.

14 Forsothe Dauid seide to Gad, Y am constreyned on ech side greetli; but it is betere that Y falle in to the hondis of the Lord, for his emercies ben manye, than in the hondis of men.

And David said unto Gad—I am in a great strait, —let us fall, I pray thee, into the hand of Yahweh, for, manifold, are, his compassions, but, into the hand of man, let me not fall.

15 And the Lord sente pestilence in to Israel fro the morewtid `til to the tyme ordeyned; and seuenti thousynde of men weren deed of the puple fro Dan `til to Bersabee.

So Yahweh sent forth a pestilence throughout Israel, from the morning even unto the time appointed, —and there died of the people, from Dan even unto Beer-sheba, seventy thousand men.

16 And whanne the aungel of the Lord hadde holde forth his hond ouer Jerusalem, that he schulde distrie it, the Lord hadde mercy on the turmentyng; and seide to the aungel smytynge the puple, It sufficith now; withholde thin hond. Forsothe the aungel of the Lord was bisidis the corn floor of Areuna Jebusey.

But, when the messenger stretched out his hand towards Jerusalem, to destroy it, then relented Yahweh as to the evil, and he said to the messenger who was destroying the people—Enough! now, stay thy hand. And, the messenger of Yahweh, was by the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

17 And Dauid seide to the Lord, whanne he hadde seyn the aungel sleynge the puple, Y am he that `haue synned, and Y dide wickidli; what han these do, that ben scheep? Y biseche, thin hond be turned ayens me, and ayens the hows of my fadir.

Then said David unto Yahweh, when he saw the messenger who was smiting the people, yea he said—Lo! I, have sinned, and, I, have done perversely, but what have, these sheep, done? Let thy hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against the house of my father!

18 Forsothe Gad, the prophete, cam to Dauid in that dai, and seide to hym, Stie thou, and ordeyne an auter to the Lord in the corn floor of Areuna Jebusei.

And Gad came unto David, on that day, —and said unto him—Go up, rear thou unto Yahweh an altar, in the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

19 And Dauid stiede, vpe the word of Gad, which the Lord hadde comaundid to hym.

So David went up, according to the word of Gad, as Yahweh had commanded.

20 And Areuna bihelde, and perseyuede, that the kyng and hise seruauntis passiden to hym;

And Araunah looked out, and saw the king, and his servants, passing over unto him—so Araunah went forth, and did homage unto the king, with his face to the ground.

21 and he yede out, and worschipide the kyng bi low cheer to the erthe; and seide, What `cause is, that my lord the kyng cometh to his seruaunt? To whom Dauid seide, That Y bie of thee the corn floor, and bilde an auter to the Lord, and the sleynge ceesse, which is cruel in the puple.

Then said Araunah, Wherefore, hath my lord the king come unto his servant? And David said—To buy of thee the threshing-floor, to build an altar unto Yahweh, that the plague may be stayed from off the people.

22 And Areuna seide to Dauid, My lord the kyng take, and offre, as it plesith hym; thou hast oxis in to brent sacrifice, and a wayn and yockis of oxis in to vss of wode.

Then said Araunah unto David, Let my lord the king accept it and cause to ascend what is good in his own eyes, —see! the oxen for the ascending-sacrifice, and the threshing-sledges and ox-yokes for wood.

23 Areuna yaf alle thingis to the king. And Areuna seide to the king, Thi Lord God reseyue thi vow.

The whole, did Araunah give, as a king to a king. And Araunah said unto the king, Yahweh thy God, accept thee!

24 To whom the king answeride, and seide, Not as thou wolt, but Y schal bie of thee for prijs, and Y schal not offre to `my Lord God brent sacrifices youun freli. Therfor Dauid bouyte the corn floor, and `he bouyte oxis for fifti siclis of siluer.

But the king said unto Araunah—Nay! but I will, buy, it of thee, for a price, and will not cause to ascend unto Yahweh my God, offerings that have cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing-floor, and the oxen, for fifty shekels of silver;

25 And Dauid bildide there an auter to the Lord, and offride brent sacrifices and pesible sacrifices; and the Lord dide merci to the lond, and the veniaunce was refreyned fro Israel.

and David built there an altar unto Yahweh, and caused to go up ascending-sacrifices and peace-offerings, —then was Yahweh entreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.