1 Chronicles 21
1 And there standeth up an adversary against Israel, and persuadeth David to number Israel,
And an adversary up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.
2 And David saith unto Joab, and unto the heads of the people, 'Go, number Israel from Beer-Sheba even unto Dan, and bring unto me, and I know their number.'
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."
3 And Joab saith, 'Jehovah doth add to His people as they are a hundred times; are they not, my lord, O king, all of them to my lord for servants? why doth my lord seek this? why is he for a cause of guilt to Israel?'
Joab said, "May YHWH 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?"
4 And the word of the king [is] severe against Joab, and Joab goeth out, and goeth up and down in all Israel, and cometh in to Jerusalem.
Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Therefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem.
5 And Joab giveth the account of the numbering of the people unto David, and all Israel is a thousand thousand and a hundred thousand, each drawing sword, and Judah [is] four hundred and seventy thousand, each drawing sword.
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.
6 And Levi and Benjamin he hath not numbered in their midst, for the word of the king was abominable with Joab.
But he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them; for the king's word was abominable to Joab.
7 And it is evil in the eyes of God concerning this thing, and He smiteth Israel,
God was displeased with this thing; therefore he struck Israel.
8 and David saith unto God, 'I have sinned exceedingly, in that I have done this thing; and now, cause to pass away, I pray Thee, the iniquity of Thy servant, for I have acted very foolishly.'
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."
9 And Jehovah speaketh unto Gad, seer of David, saying:
YHWH spoke to Gad, David's seer, saying,
10 'Go, and thou hast spoken unto David, saying, Thus said Jehovah, Three — I am stretching out unto thee; choose for thee one of these, and I do [it] to thee.'
"Go and speak to David, saying, 'Thus says YHWH, "I offer you three things. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you."'"
11 And Gad cometh in unto David, and saith to him, 'Thus said Jehovah, Take for thee —
So Gad came to David, and said to him, "Thus says YHWH, 'Take your choice:
12 either for three years — famine, or three months to be consumed from the face of thine adversaries, even the sword of thine enemies to overtake, or three days the sword of Jehovah, even pestilence in the land, and a messenger of Jehovah destroying in all the border of Israel; and now, see; what word do I return to Him who is sending me?'
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 YHWH, even pestilence in the land, and the angel of YHWH destroying throughout all the borders of Israel. Now therefore consider what answer I shall return to him who sent me.'"
13 And David saith unto Gad, 'I am greatly distressed, let me fall, I pray thee, into the hand of Jehovah, for very many [are] His mercies, and into the hand of man let me not fall.'
David said to Gad, "I am in distress. Let me fall, I pray, into the hand of YHWH; for his mercies are very great. Let me not fall into the hand of man."
14 And Jehovah giveth a pestilence in Israel, and there fall of Israel seventy thousand men,
So YHWH sent a pestilence on Israel; and seventy thousand men of Israel fell.
15 and God sendeth a messenger to Jerusalem to destroy it, and as he is destroying Jehovah hath seen, and is comforted concerning the evil, and saith to the messenger who [is] destroying, 'Enough, now, cease thy hand.' And the messenger of Jehovah is standing by the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite,
God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was about to destroy, YHWH saw, and he relented of the disaster, and said to the destroying angel, "It is enough; now stay your hand." The angel of YHWH was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
16 and David lifteth up his eyes, and seeth the messenger of Jehovah standing between the earth and the heavens, and his sword drawn in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem, and David falleth, and the elders, covered with sackcloth, on their faces.
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 on their faces.
17 And David saith unto God, 'Did not I — I say to number the people? Yea, I it [is] who have sinned, and done great evil: and these, the flock, what did they? O Jehovah, my God, let, I pray Thee, Thy hand be on me, and on the house of my father, and not on Thy people — to be plagued.'
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, YHWH my God, be against me, and against my father's house; but not against your people, that they should be plagued."
18 And the messenger of Jehovah spake unto Gad, saying for David, 'Surely David doth go up to raise an altar to Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.'
Then the angel of YHWH commanded Gad to tell David that David should go up, and raise an altar to YHWH in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19 And David goeth up by the word of Gad, that he spake in the name of Jehovah.
David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spoke in the name of YHWH.
20 And Ornan turneth back, and seeth the messenger, and his four sons [are] with him, hiding themselves, and Ornan is threshing wheat.
Ornan turned back, and saw the king, and his four sons who were with him hiding themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.
21 And David cometh in unto Ornan, and Ornan looketh attentively, and seeth David, and goeth out from the threshing-floor, and boweth himself to David — face to the earth.
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.
22 And David saith unto Ornan, 'Give to me the place of the threshing-floor, and I build in it an altar to Jehovah; for full silver give it to me, and the plague is restrained from the people.'
Then David said to Ornan, "Give me the place of this threshing floor, that I may build thereon an altar to YHWH. You shall sell it to me for the full price, that the plague may be stopped from afflicting the people."
23 And Ornan saith unto David, 'Take to thee — and my lord the king doth that which is good in his eyes: see, I have given the oxen for burnt-offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for a present; the whole I have given.'
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."
24 And king David saith to Ornan, 'Nay, for I surely buy for full silver; for I do not lift up that which is thine to Jehovah, so as to offer a burnt-offering without cost.'
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 YHWH, nor offer a burnt offering without cost."
25 And David giveth to Ornan for the place shekels of gold [in] weight six hundred;
So David gave to Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the place.
26 and David buildeth there an altar to Jehovah, and offereth burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, and calleth unto Jehovah, and He answereth him with fire from the heavens on the altar of the burnt-offering.
David built an altar to YHWH there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called on YHWH; and he answered him from heaven by fire on the altar of burnt offering, and it consumed the burnt offering.
27 And Jehovah saith to the messenger, and he turneth back his sword unto its sheath.
YHWH commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into its sheath.
28 At that time when David seeth that Jehovah hath answered him in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificeth there;
At that time, when David saw that YHWH had answered him in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.
29 and the tabernacle of Jehovah that Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt-offering, [are] at that time in a high place, in Gibeon;
For the tabernacle of YHWH, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering, were at that time in the high place at Gibeon.
30 and David is not able to go before it to seek God, for he hath been afraid because of the sword of the messenger of Jehovah.
But David couldn't go before it to inquire of God; for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of YHWH.
