I Paralipomenon 21
1 Consurrexit autem Satan contra Israel: et incitavit David ut numeraret Israel.
Satan decided to cause the Israeli people to have trouble. So he incited David to find out how many men in Israel [were able to be in the army].
2 Dixitque David ad Ioab, et ad principes populi: Ite, et numerate Israel a Bersabee usque Dan: et afferte mihi numerum ut sciam.
So David commanded Joab and the other army commanders, “Count all the men in Israel [who are able to be in the army]. Start at Beersheba [town in the south] and go all the way to Dan [city in the north]. Then come back and report to me, in order that I may know how many men there are.”
3 Responditque Ioab: Augeat Dominus populum suum centuplum, quam sunt: nonne domine mi rex, omnes servi tui sunt? quare hoc quaerit dominus meus, quod in peccatum reputetur Israeli?
But Joab replied, “Your majesty, even if Yahweh allowed us to have 100 times as many soldiers as we have now, you would [RHQ] still rule all of them. So why do you want us to do this? You will surely [RHQ] cause [all the people of] Israel to be guilty of sinning.”
4 Sed sermo regis magis praevaluit: egressusque est Ioab, et circuivit universum Israel; et reversus est Ierusalem:
But David would not change his mind. So Joab [and his soldiers] went everywhere in Israel and in Judah, and counted the people. Then they returned to Jerusalem,
5 Deditque David numerum eorum, quos circuierat: et inventus est omnis numerus Israel, mille millia et centum millia virorum educentium gladium: de Iuda autem quadringenta septuaginta millia bellatorum.
and they reported to David that there were 1,100,000 men in Israel who could be in the army, and 470,000 in Judah.
6 Nam Levi, et Beniamin non numeravit: eo quod Ioab invitus exequeretur regis imperium.
Joab did not count the men from the tribes of Levi and Benjamin, because he was disgusted with what the king had commanded.
7 Displicuit autem Deo quod iussum erat; et percussit Israel.
David’s command to count the people caused God to become angry, so he [told David that he had decided to] punish [the people of] Israel.
8 Dixitque David ad Deum: Peccavi nimis ut hoc facerem: obsecro aufer iniquitatem servi tui, quia insipienter egi.
Then David prayed, saying, “Yahweh, what I did was very foolish. I have sinned greatly by what I have done. So now I plead with you, please forgive me.”
9 Et locutus est Dominus ad Gad Videntem Davidis, dicens:
Then Yahweh said to Gad, David’s prophet,
10 Vade, et loquere ad David, et dic ei: Haec dicit Dominus: Trium tibi optionem do; unum, quod volueris, elige, et faciam tibi.
“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.”
11 Cumque venisset Gad ad David, dixit ei: Haec dicit Dominus: Elige quod volueris:
So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘You can choose one of these [punishments]:
12 aut tribus annis famem: aut tribus mensibus te fugere hostes tuos, et gladium eorum non posse evadere: aut tribus diebus gladium Domini, et pestilentiam versari in terra, et angelum Domini interficere in universis finibus Israel: nunc igitur vide quid respondeam ei, qui misit me.
three years of famine [in Israel], or three months during which your armies will run away from their enemies [who will attack them with] swords, or three days during which I will send my angel to cause many people in the country to die because of a (plague/very serious illness).’ So, you must decide what I will say to answer [Yahweh, ] the one who sent me.”
13 Et dixit David ad Gad: Ex omni parte me angustiae premunt: sed melius mihi est, ut incidam in manus Domini, quia multae sunt miserationes eius, quam in manus hominum.
David replied to Gad, “I am very distressed. 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].”
14 Misit ergo Dominus pestilentiam in Israel: et ceciderunt de Israel septuaginta millia virorum.
So Yahweh sent a plague on [the people of] Israel, and 70,000 of them died because of it.
15 Misit quoque angelum in Ierusalem, ut percuteret eam: cumque percuteretur, vidit Dominus, et misertus est super magnitudine mali: et imperavit angelo, qui percutiebat: Sufficit, iam cesset manus tua. Porro angelus Domini stabat iuxta aream Ornan Iebusaei.
And God sent an angel to destroy the people in Jerusalem by the plague. But when the angel was standing at the ground where Araunah, from the Jebus people-group, threshed grain, Yahweh saw all the suffering that the people had endured, and he was grieved. So he said to the angel, “Stop what you are doing [IDM]! That is enough [IDM]!”
16 Levansque David oculos suos, vidit angelum Domini stantem inter caelum et terram, et evaginatum gladium in manu eius, et versum contra Ierusalem: et ceciderunt tam ipse, quam maiores natu vestiti ciliciis, proni in terram.
David looked up and saw the angel whom Yahweh had sent, standing between the sky and the ground. The angel had a sword in his hand that was pointed toward Jerusalem. Then David and the elders [of the city], who were wearing clothes made of rough sackcloth, prostrated themselves on the ground.
17 Dixitque David ad Deum: Nonne ego sum, qui iussi ut numeraretur populus? Ego, qui peccavi: ego, qui malum feci: iste grex quid commeruit? Domine Deus meus vertatur obsecro manus tua in me, et in domum patris mei: populus autem tuus non percutiatur.
David said to God, “I am [RHQ] the one who ordered the men who could be in the army to be counted. I am the one who has sinned and done what is very wrong, but these people are [as innocent as] [MET] sheep. They have certainly not [RHQ] done anything [that is wrong]. So Yahweh my God, punish [IDM] me and my family, but do not allow this plague to continue to [cause] your people [to become sick and die].”
18 Angelus autem Domini praecepit Gad ut diceret Davidi ut ascenderet, extrueretque altare Domino Deo in area Ornan Iebusaei.
Then the angel who was sent by Yahweh told Gad to go up to the place where Araunah threshed grain and tell David to build an altar to [worship] Yahweh there.
19 Ascendit ergo David iuxta sermonem Gad, quem locutus ei fuerat ex nomine Domini.
So [after Gad told] David, [he] obeyed the message that Yahweh [MTY] had given to Gad, [and he went up there].
20 Porro Ornan cum suspexisset et vidisset angelum, quattuorque filii eius cum eo, absconderunt se: nam eo tempore terebat in area triticum.
While Araunah was threshing some wheat, he turned and saw the angel. His four sons who were with him [also saw the angel, and they] hid themselves.
21 Igitur cum veniret David ad Ornan, conspexit eum Ornan, et processit ei obviam de area, et adoravit eum pronus in terram.
Then David approached. When Araunah saw him, he left the place where he was threshing grain and prostrated himself, with his face touching the ground.
22 Dixitque ei David: Da mihi locum areae tuae, ut aedificem in ea altare Domino: ita ut quantum valet argenti accipias, et cesset plaga a populo.
David said to him, “Please sell me your threshing place in order that I can build an altar here to [worship] Yahweh. Then he will stop this plague. I will pay the full price.”
23 Dixit autem Ornan ad David: Tolle, et faciat dominus meus rex quodcumque ei placet: sed et boves do in holocaustum, et tribulas in ligna, et triticum in sacrificium: Omnia libens praebebo.
Araunah replied, “Take it! Your majesty, do whatever you want to. I will give you the oxen [that thresh the grain] for an offering to be completely burned [on the altar]. And I will give you the threshing boards to use as wood [on the altar], and I will give you grain for a grain offering. I will give all those things to you.”
24 Dixitque ei rex David: Nequaquam ita fiet, sed argentum dabo quantum valet: neque enim tibi auferre debeo, et sic offerre Domino holocausta gratuita.
But the king said to Araunah, “No, [I will not take these things as a gift]. I will pay you the full price for it. I will not take things that belong to you, things that have cost me nothing and offer them as sacrifices to Yahweh to be completely burned on the altar.”
25 Dedit ergo David Ornan pro loco siclos auri iustissimi ponderis sexcentos.
So David paid Araunah 600 pieces of gold for the whole area.
26 Et aedificavit ibi altare Domino: obtulitque holocausta, et pacifica, et invocavit Dominum, et exaudivit eum in igne de caelo super altare holocausti.
David built an altar to [worship] Yahweh there, and he offered sacrifices to be completely burned [on the altar] and sacrifices to restore fellowship [with Yahweh]. David prayed to Yahweh, and Yahweh answered by sending a fire from heaven [to burn up the offerings] on the altar.
27 Praecepitque Dominus Angelo: et convertit gladium suum in vaginam.
Then Yahweh spoke to the angel, and told him to put his sword back into its sheath. [So the angel did that].
28 Protinus ergo David, videns quod exaudisset eum Dominus in area Ornan Iebusaei, immolavit ibi victimas.
And when David saw that Yahweh had answered him there at the place where Araunah threshed grain [and had ended the plague], he offered sacrifices there.
29 Tabernaculum autem Domini, quod fecerat Moyses in deserto, et altare holocaustorum, ea tempestate erat in excelso Gabaon.
Yahweh’s Sacred Tent, which Moses had commanded to be set up in the desert, and the altar for burning sacrifices completely, were at that time on a hill at Gibeon [city].
30 Et non praevaluit David ire ad altare ut ibi obsecraret Deum: nimio enim fuerat in timore perterritus, videns gladium Angeli Domini.
But David did not want to go there to request God to tell him what he wanted [him to do], because he was afraid that the angel sent from Yahweh [might strike him with] his sword.
