Samuel 2 24
1 Yehowa gado dziku ɖe Israel ŋu eye wòna be David tso ɖe wo ŋu gblɔ na wo be, “Miyi miaxlẽ ame siwo le Israel kple Yuda.”
Yahweh was angry with the Israeli people again, so he incited David to cause trouble for them. He said to David, “Send [some men] to count the people of Israel and Judah.”
2 Ale fia la dɔ Aʋafia Yoab kple aʋafia bubuwo eye wògblɔ na wo be, “Miyi ne miatsa le Israel ƒe toawo katã me tso Dan va se ɖe Beerseba eye miaŋlɔ ŋutsu siwo ate ŋu awɔ aʋa la ƒe ŋkɔ ne manya woƒe xexlẽme.”
So the king said to Joab, the commander of his army, “Go [with your officers] through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan [city in the far north] to Beersheba [town in the far south], and count the people, in order that I may know how many people [there are who are able to be soldiers in the army].”
3 Ke Yoab ɖo eŋu na fia la be, “Yehowa, wò Mawu la nadzi wò aʋakɔwo ɖe edzi zi alafa eye wòana be nye aƒetɔ, fia la ƒe ŋkuwo nakpɔ esia gake nu ka ŋuti nye aƒetɔ, fia la di be yeawɔ nu sia ɖo?”
But Joab replied to the king, “Your Majesty, I wish/desire that Yahweh our God will cause there to be 100 times as many people [in Israel] as there are now, and I wish/desire that you would see that happen [before you die]. But why do you want us to do this?”
4 Ke fia la ƒe nya ɖu Yoab kple aʋafia bubuawo tɔ dzi ale wodzo le fia la ŋkume be woaɖaŋlɔ ŋutsu siwo katã ate ŋu ayi aʋa le Israel la ƒe ŋkɔ.
But the king commanded Joab and his officers to do it. So they left the king and went out to count the people of Israel.
5 Esi wotso Yɔdan tɔsisi la vɔ la, woƒu asaɖa anyi ɖe Aroer gbɔ le du si le balime la ƒe dziehe gome eye wozɔ to Gad va ɖo Yazer.
They crossed the Jordan [River] and set up their tents south of Aroer [town], in the middle of the valley, in the territory [that was given to the tribe] of Gad. From there they went [north] to Jazer [city]
6 Tso afi ma woyi Gilead le Tatimhodsinyigba dzi heyi Dan Yaan eye woƒo xlã yi Sidon.
Then they went [north] to [the] Gilead [region] and to Kadesh [city], in the land where the Heth people-group lived. Then they went to Dan [city in the far north of Israel], and then further west, to Sidon [city near the Mediterranean Sea].
7 Tso afi ma woyi Tiro mɔ la me kple Hivitɔwo kple Kanaantɔwo ƒe duwo katã me. Mlɔeba la, woyi Beerseba le Yuda ƒe gbegbe.
Then they went [south] to Tyre, a city with high walls around it, and to all the cities where the Hiv and Canaan people-groups live. Then they went [east] to Beersheba, in the southern part of Judah.
8 Esi wotsa le anyigba blibo la dzi vɔ la, wotrɔ gbɔ va Yerusalem, esi wotsa le ɣleti asiekɛ kple ŋkeke blaeve kple vɔwo megbe.
After nine months and 20 days, when they had finished going throughout the land [and counting the people], they returned to Jerusalem.
9 Yoab gblɔ na fia la be ŋutsu siwo tsi na aʋayiyi la le ame akpe alafa enyi le Israel eye wole akpe alafa atɔ̃ le Yuda.
They reported to the king the number of people that they had counted. There were 800,000 men in Israel and 500,000 men in Judah who were able to become soldiers in the army [MTY].
10 David ƒe dzitsinya ɖe fu nɛ esi wòna woxlẽ ame siwo ate ŋu ayi aʋa la vɔ. Tete wògblɔ na Yehowa be, “Mewɔ nu vɔ̃ gã aɖe le nu si mewɔ la ta. Oo Yehowa, azɔ la meɖe kuku na wò, ɖe wò dɔla ƒe vodada ɖa elabena mewɔ bometsinu gã aɖe.”
But after David’s men had counted the people, David regretted [IDM] that he had told them to do that. [One night] he said to Yahweh, “I have committed a very big sin. Please forgive me, because what I have done is very foolish.”
11 Hafi David nafɔ le ŋdi la, Yehowa ƒe gbe va na Nyagblɔɖila Gad, David ƒe nukpɔla be,
When David got up the next morning, Yahweh gave a message to the prophet Gad. He said to him,
12 “Yi nàgblɔ na David be, ‘Ale Yehowa gblɔe nye esi: mele nu etɔ̃ ɖom ŋkuwò me. Tia wo dometɔ ɖeka esi mawɔ ɖe ŋutiwò.’”
“Go and tell this to David: ‘I am allowing you to choose one of three things [to punish you]. I will do whichever one you choose.’”
13 Gad yi David gbɔ eye wòbiae be, “Ɖe nàtia be dɔwuame nava anyigba dzi ƒe adre loo, alo nàsi le wò futɔwo nu ɣleti etɔ̃ loo, alo dɔvɔ̃ nava anyigba la dzi ŋkeke etɔ̃a? Bu nu siawo ŋu nyuie eye nàna manya ŋuɖoɖo si mana ame si dɔm la.”
So Gad went to David and told him [what Yahweh had said]. He said to David, “You can choose whether there will be three years of famine in your land, or three months of your [army] running away from your enemies, or three days when there will be a (plague/very severe illness) in your land. You think about it and choose [which one you want, and tell me], and I will return to Yahweh and tell him what your answer is.”
14 David gblɔ na Gad be, “Meɖo xaxa gã aɖe me. Na míadze Yehowa ƒe asi me le eƒe nublanuikpɔkpɔ sɔ gbɔ la ta, ke mègana madze amegbetɔ ƒe asi me o.”
David said to Gad, “All those are very terrible things for me to choose between! But allow Yahweh to punish [MTY] me, because he is very merciful. Do not allow humans to punish me, [because they will not be merciful].”
15 Ale Yehowa na dɔvɔ̃ va Israelnyigba dzi ŋdi ma; enɔ anyi va se ɖe ɣeyiɣi si wòɖo nɛ eye ame akpe blaadre ku le dukɔ la me, tso Dan va se ɖe Beerseba.
So Yahweh sent a plague on the Israeli people. It started that morning and did not stop until the time that he had chosen/set. All over the land, from Dan to Beersheba, there were 70,000 Israelis who died [because of the plague].
16 Esi mawudɔla la do eƒe asi ɖa be yeatsrɔ̃ Yerusalem la, dzɔgbevɔ̃e la ve Yehowa eye wògblɔ na mawudɔla si le nu gblẽm le ameawo dome la be, “Enyo gbɔ! Ɖe wò asi ɖa.” Yehowa ƒe dɔla la ɖo Arauna, Yebusitɔ la ƒe lugbɔƒe le ɣe ma ɣi me.
When [Yahweh’s] angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy [the people by this plague], Yahweh changed his mind about punishing [any more] people. He said to the angel who was killing them [with the plague], “Stop what you are doing [IDM]! That is enough!” [When he said that, ] the angel was standing at the ground where Araunah, from the Jebus people-group, threshed grain.
17 David kpɔ mawudɔla la eye wògblɔ na Yehowa be, “Kpɔ ɖa, nyee nye ame si wɔ nu vɔ̃! Nu ka alẽ siawo ya wɔ? Na wò dɔmedzoe nabi ɖe nye kple nye ƒometɔwo ɖeɖe ko ŋuti.”
When David saw the angel who was causing the people to become sick and die, he said to Yahweh, “Truly, I am the one who has committed the sin. I have done a very wicked thing, but these people are [as innocent as] sheep [MET]. They have certainly not [RHQ] done anything [that is wrong]. So you should punish [IDM] me and my family, [not these people]!”
18 Nyagblɔɖila Gad va David gbɔ gbe ma gbe eye wògblɔ nɛ be, “Yi nàtu vɔsamlekpui aɖe na Yehowa le Arauna, Yebusitɔ la ƒe lugbɔƒe.”
That day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up to the place where Araunah threshes grain, and build an altar to [worship] Yahweh there.”
19 David yi be yeawɔ nu si Yehowa to Gad dzi gblɔ nɛ.
So David did what Gad told him to do, which was what Yahweh had commanded, [and he went up there].
20 Esi Arauna kpɔ fia la kple eŋumewo gbɔna egbɔ la, eyi hede ta agu tsyɔ mo anyi ɖe fia la ŋkume.
When Araunah looked down and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he prostrated himself on the ground in front of the king, with his face touching the ground.
21 Ebia wo be, “Nu ka wɔ ge mieva?” David ɖo eŋu be, “Míeva be míaƒle wò lugbɔƒea eye matu vɔsamlekpui aɖe na Yehowa ɖe afi sia ale be wòana dɔvɔ̃ la nu natso.”
Araunah said, “Your Majesty, why have you come to me?” David replied, “[I have come] to buy this ground where you thresh grain, in order to build an altar to Yahweh [and offer sacrifices on it], in order that he will stop the plague.”
22 Arauna gblɔ na David be, “Nye aƒetɔ fia, wɔ nu sia nu si hiã wò la ŋu dɔ faa. Nyitsuwoe nye esiawo na numevɔsa; àte ŋu awɔ lugbɔnuwo kple nyitsuwo ƒe kɔkutiwo ŋu dɔ hena dzododo ɖe vɔsamlekpui la dzi.
Araunah replied to David, “Your Majesty, offer to Yahweh whatever you wish/want. Here, take my oxen to use for the offering that will be completely burned on the altar. And here, take their yokes and the boards [that I use] for the threshing, [and use them] for the wood that you will burn.
23 Matsɔ wo katã na wò faa. Yehowa, wò Mawu la naxɔ wò vɔsa.”
I, Araunah, am giving all this to you, the king.” Then he said, “I desire/hope that Yahweh our God will accept your offering.”
24 Ke Fia David gblɔ na Arauna be, “Ao, nyemaxɔ nu siawo abe nunanawo ene o, elabena nyemedi be masa numevɔ la na Yehowa, nye Mawu la kple nu siwo ta nyemexe fe aɖeke ɖo o.” Ale David xe klosaloga blaatɔ̃ nɛ ɖe lugbɔƒe la kple nyitsuawo ta.
But the king said to Araunah, “No, [I will not take these things as a gift.] I will pay you for it. I will not take sacrifices that have cost me nothing, and offer them to Yahweh to be completely burned on the altar.” So he paid 50 pieces of silver to Araunah for the oxen and the ground.
25 David ɖi vɔsamlekpui ɖe afi ma na Yehowa eye wòsa numevɔ kple akpedavɔ. Yehowa se eƒe gbedodoɖa eye wòna dɔvɔ̃ la nu tso.
Then David built an altar to Yahweh, and he offered [the oxen] to be completely burned on the altar, and he also offered sacrifices to maintain fellowship with Yahweh. Then, Yahweh answered David’s prayers, and he caused the plague in Israel to end.
