I Paralipomenon 21
1 consurrexit autem Satan contra Israhel et incitavit David ut numeraret Israhel
Satan interfered to cause trouble for Israel. He provoked David to do a census of Israel.
2 dixitque David ad Ioab et ad principes populi ite et numerate Israhel a Bersabee usque Dan et adferte mihi numerum ut sciam
So David told Joab and the army commanders, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so I can have a total number.”
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 Israheli
But Joab replied, “May the Lord multiply his people a hundred times over. Your Majesty, aren't they all your subjects? Why do you want to do this? Why should you make Israel guilty?”
4 sed sermo regis magis praevaluit egressusque est Ioab et circuivit universum Israhel et reversus est Hierusalem
But the king was adamant so Joab left and went all over Israel. Eventually he returned to Jerusalem,
5 deditque David numerum eorum quos circumierat et inventus est omnis Israhel numerus mille milia et centum milia virorum educentium gladium de Iuda autem trecenta septuaginta milia bellatorum
and he gave David the number of people censused. In Israel there were 1,100,000 fighting men who could handle a sword, and 470,000 in Judah.
6 nam Levi et Beniamin non numeravit eo quod invitus exsequeretur regis imperium
However, Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the census total, because he disagreed with what the king had ordered.
7 displicuit autem Deo quod iussum erat et percussit Israhel
The Lord considered the census a bad thing to do and he punished Israel for it.
8 dixitque David ad Deum peccavi nimis ut hoc facerem obsecro aufer iniquitatem servi tui quia insipienter egi
Then David said to God, “I have committed a terrible sin by doing this. Please take away the guilt of your servant, for I have been very stupid.”
9 et locutus est Dominus ad Gad videntem David dicens
The Lord told Gad, David's seer,
10 vade et loquere ad David et dic haec dicit Dominus trium tibi optionem do unum quod volueris elige et faciam tibi
“Go and tell David that this is what the Lord says: ‘I'm giving you three options. Choose one of them, and that's what I'll do to you.’”
11 cumque venisset Gad ad David dixit ei haec dicit Dominus elige quod volueris
So Gad went and told David, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Make your choice:
12 aut tribus annis pestilentiam aut tribus mensibus fugere te hostes tuos et gladium eorum non posse evadere aut tribus diebus gladium Domini et mortem versari in terra et angelum Domini interficere in universis finibus Israhel nunc igitur vide quid respondeam ei qui misit me
either three years of famine; or three months of devastation, running from the swords of your enemies; or three days of the Lord's sword—in other words three days of plague in the land, with an angel of the Lord causing destruction throughout the whole of Israel.’ Now you have to decide how I should reply to 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, “This is an awful situation for me! Please, let the Lord decide my punishment, for he is so merciful. Don't let me be punished by people.”
14 misit ergo Dominus pestilentiam in Israhel et ceciderunt de Israhel septuaginta milia virorum
So the Lord a plague on Israel, and 70,000 Israelites died.
15 misit quoque angelum in Hierusalem ut percuteret eam cumque percuteretur vidit Dominus et misertus est super magnitudinem mali et imperavit angelo qui percutiebat sufficit iam cesset manus tua porro angelus Domini stabat iuxta aream Ornan Iebusei
God also sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But just as the angel was about to destroy it, the Lord saw it, and he relented from causing such a disaster. He told the destroying angel, “That's enough. You can stop now.” Right then the angel of the Lord was standing beside the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
16 levansque David oculos suos vidit angelum Domini stantem inter terram et caelum et evaginatum gladium in manu eius et versum contra Hierusalem et ceciderunt tam ipse quam maiores natu vestiti ciliciis et proni in terram
When David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, holding his drawn sword extended over Jerusalem, David and the elders, wearing sackcloth, fell on their faces.
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, “Wasn't it me who ordered the census of the people? I'm the one who has sinned and acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Lord my God, please punish me and my family, but don't punish your people with this plague.”
18 angelus autem Domini praecepit Gad ut diceret David et ascenderet extrueretque altare Domino Deo in area Ornan Iebusei
Then the angel of the Lord told Gad to tell David to go and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19 ascendit ergo David iuxta sermonem Gad quem locutus fuerat ex nomine Domini
So David went and did what Gad had told him in the name of the Lord.
20 porro Ornan cum suspexisset et vidisset angelum quattuorque filii eius cum eo absconderunt se nam eo tempore terebat in area triticum
Ornan was busy threshing wheat. He turned around and saw the angel; and his four sons who were with him went and hid.
21 igitur cum venisset David ad Ornan conspexit eum Ornan et processit ei obviam de area et adoravit illum pronus in terram
When David arrived, Ornan looked out and saw David. He left the threshing floor and bowed down before David with his face to the ground.
22 dixitque ei David da mihi locum areae tuae ut aedificem in ea altare Domini ita ut quantum valet argenti accipias et cesset plaga a populo
David said to Ornan, “Please let me have the threshing floor. I'll buy it at its full price. Then I can build an altar to the Lord here so that the plague on the people may be stopped.”
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 praebeo
“Take it, and Your Majesty can do whatever you want with it,” Ornan told David. “You can have the oxen for burnt offerings, the threshing boards for firewood, and the wheat for a grain offering. I'll give it all 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
“No, I insist, I will pay the full price,” replied King David “I won't take for the Lord what is yours or present burnt offerings that didn't cost me anything.”
25 dedit ergo David Ornan pro loco siclos auri iustissimi ponderis sescentos
So David paid Ornan six hundred shekels of gold for the place.
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 the Lord there and presented burnt offerings and friendship offerings. He called on the Lord in prayer, and the Lord answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.
27 praecepitque Dominus angelo et convertit gladium suum in vaginam
Then the Lord told the angel to put his sword back into its sheath.
28 protinus ergo David videns quod exaudisset eum Dominus in area Ornan Iebusei immolavit ibi victimas
When David saw that the Lord had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he offered sacrifices there.
29 tabernaculum autem Domini quod fecerat Moses in deserto et altare holocaustorum ea tempestate erat in excelso Gabaon
At that time the tent of the Lord that Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering, were at the high place in Gibeon.
30 et non praevaluit David ire ad altare ut ibi obsecraret Deum nimio enim fuerat timore perterritus videns gladium angeli Domini
But David did not want to go there to ask God's will, because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord.
