1 Beresosɛm 21
1 Ɔbonsam sɔre tiaa Israel, maa Dawid kan Israelfo.
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 Dawid hyɛɛ Yoab ne nʼasahene sɛ, “Monkan nnipa a wɔwɔ asase yi so nyinaa efi Beer-Seba a ɛwɔ anafo fam kosi Dan a ɛwɔ atifi fam, na momfa wɔn dodow mmrɛ me, na ɛmma minhu wɔn ano.”
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 Na Yoab kae se, “Awurade mmɔ ne nkurɔfo no dodow ho mpɛn ɔha ɔha! Na me wura, adɛn nti na wopɛ sɛ woyɛ saa? Wɔn nyinaa nyɛ wʼasomfo ana? Adɛn nti na ɛsɛ sɛ woyɛ ma Israel yɛ bɔne?”
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 Nanso ɔhene no kae se, nea ɛte biara ɛsɛ sɛ Yoab kan nnipa no. Enti Yoab kyinkyinii Israel nyinaa kan nnipa no. Na ɔsan baa Yerusalem
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 bɛkaa nnipa no dodow kyerɛɛ Dawid. Na wɔn dodow yɛ mmarima ɔpepem baako ne mpem ɔha a wɔaso ɔsakɔ wɔ Israel ne mpem ahannan aduɔson wɔ Yuda.
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 Nanso Yoab amfa Lewi ne Benyamin mmusuakuw anka nnipakan no ho, efisɛ na nea ɔhene ahyɛ no sɛ ɔnyɛ no yɛ no ahometew.
Joab did not count the men from the tribes of Levi and Benjamin, because he was disgusted with what the king had commanded.
7 Onyankopɔn ampɛ nnipakan no koraa, enti ɔtwee Israel aso wɔ ho.
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 Na Dawid ka kyerɛɛ Onyankopɔn se, “Mayɛ bɔne kɛse. Anka ɛnsɛ sɛ mekan nnipa no. Mesrɛ wo, fa me nkwaseade a mayɛ no kyɛ me.”
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 Na Awurade kasa kyerɛɛ Gad a ɔyɛ Dawid ɔdehufo no se,
Then Yahweh said to Gad, David’s prophet,
10 “Kɔ na kɔka kyerɛ Dawid se, ‘Sɛnea Awurade se ni: Merema wo nsɛm ahorow abiɛsa. Paw emu baako na menyɛ ntia wo.’”
“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 Enti Gad baa Dawid nkyɛn bɛkae se, “Sɛnea Awurade se ni: ‘Paw emu nea wopɛ:
So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘You can choose one of these [punishments]:
12 mfe abiɛsa a ɔkɔm kɛse bɛba anaa asram abiɛsa a wʼatamfo bekunkum mo anaa nnansa a ɔyaredɔm a ano yɛ den yiye a, Awurade bɔfo nam so de ɔsɛe bɛba Israel asase so.’ Afei dwene eyi ho, na ma minhu mmuae ko a memfa nkɔma Awurade.”
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 Dawid buaa Gad se, “Mewɔ ahohiahia mu. Ma mentɔ Awurade nsam, efisɛ nʼahummɔbɔ no so. Mma me nkɔtɔ nnipa nsam.”
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 Na Awurade maa ɔyaredɔm baa Israel so, maa nnipa mpem aduɔson wuwui.
So Yahweh sent a plague on [the people of] Israel, and 70,000 of them died because of it.
15 Afei, Onyankopɔn somaa ɔsoro ɔbɔfo sɛ ɔnkɔsɛe Yerusalem. Na bɔfo no reyɛ no, Awurade nyaa ahummɔbɔ ka kyerɛɛ owu ɔbɔfo no se, “Gyae! Ɛno ara dɔɔso!” Saa bere no na ɔbɔfo no gyina Yebusini Arauna awiporowbea hɔ.
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 Dawid pagyaw nʼani huu sɛ Awurade bɔfo no gyina ɔsoro ne asase ntam a, watwe nʼafoa de akyerɛ Yerusalem so. Enti Dawid ne Israel mpanyimfo furaa atweaatam de kyerɛɛ wɔn ahoyeraw, na wɔhwehwee fam de wɔn anim butubutuw hɔ.
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 Na Dawid ka kyerɛɛ Onyankopɔn se, “Me na mede nnipakan no ho asɛm bae! Me ne obi a mayɛ bɔne na mafom. Saa nkurɔfo yi de, ɛso bi nna wɔn so. Dɛn na wɔayɛ? Awurade me Nyankopɔn, ma wʼabufuw mmra me ne me fifo so, na nsɛe wo nkurɔfo.”
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 Na Awurade bɔfo no ka kyerɛɛ Gad se ɔnka nkyerɛ Dawid mma onsi afɔremuka mma Awurade wɔ Yebusini Arauna awiporowbea hɔ.
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 Na Dawid yɛɛ nea Awurade nam Gad so ka kyerɛɛ no no.
So [after Gad told] David, [he] obeyed the message that Yahweh [MTY] had given to Gad, [and he went up there].
20 Arauna a saa bere no na nʼani abere reporow nʼatoko so no dan ne ho huu ɔbɔfo no wɔ hɔ. Ne mmabarima baanan a na wɔka ne ho wɔ hɔ no guan kohintawee.
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 Bere a Arauna huu sɛ ɔhene Dawid reba awiporowbea hɔ no, ofi hɔ kɔkotow nʼanim.
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 Na Dawid ka kyerɛɛ Arauna se, “Tɔn awiporowbea yi ma me sɛnea ne bo te. Na mesi afɔremuka ama Awurade wɔ hɔ sɛnea obesiw ɔyaredɔm no ano.”
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 Arauna ka kyerɛɛ Dawid se, “Fa, me wura, na fa yɛ nea wopɛ. Anantwi a wode bɛbɔ afɔre ni. Wubetumi de awiporowbea nnua yi ayɛ nnyina de asɔ gya wɔ afɔremuka no so. Fa atoko no nso bɔ atoko afɔre. Mede ne nyinaa bɛma wo.”
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 Na ɔhene no buaa Arauna se, “Dabi! Mepɛ sɛ mitua nea ɛfata ma wo. Merentumi nnye wʼagyapade mfa mma Awurade. Meremmɔ ɔhyew afɔre a memmɔɔ ho ka.”
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 Enti Dawid tuaa sikakɔkɔɔ kilogram ason maa Arauna, de tɔɔ awiporowbea no.
So David paid Araunah 600 pieces of gold for the whole area.
26 Dawid sii afɔremuka wɔ hɔ maa Awurade, bɔɔ ɔhyew afɔre ne asomdwoe afɔre wɔ so. Na Dawid bɔɔ mpae no, Awurade tiee no, nam so de ogya fi soro bɛhyew afɔrebɔde a ɛwɔ afɔremuka no so no.
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 Afei, Awurade kasa kyerɛɛ ɔbɔfo no ma ɔsan de nʼafoa no hyɛɛ ne boha mu.
Then Yahweh spoke to the angel, and told him to put his sword back into its sheath. [So the angel did that].
28 Bere a Dawid huu sɛ Awurade atie ne mpaebɔ no, ɔbɔɔ afɔre pii wɔ Yebusini Arauna awiporowbea hɔ.
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 Saa bere no na Awurade Ahyiae Ntamadan ne afɔremuka a Mose sii wɔ sare so hɔ no sisi Gibeon sorɔnsorɔmmea hɔ.
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 Nanso Dawid antumi ankɔ hɔ ankobisa Onyankopɔn ase, efisɛ afoa a Awurade bɔfo no twee no bɔɔ no hu.
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.
