David’s Census of Israel and Judah
1 Againthe anger of theLordwas aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say,“Go, number Israel and Judah.”
2 So the king said to Joab the commander of the army whowaswith him, “Now go throughout all the tribes of Israel,from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people, thatI may know the number of the people.”
3 And Joab said to the king, “Now may theLordyour Godadd to the people a hundred times more than there are, and may the eyes of my lord the king seeit.But why does my lord the king desire this thing?”
4 Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the army. Therefore Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king to count the people of Israel.
5 And they crossed over the Jordan and camped inAroer, on the right side of the town whichisin the midst of the ravine of Gad, and towardJazer.
6 Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim Hodshi; they came toDan Jaan and around toSidon;
7 and they came to the stronghold ofTyre and to all the cities of theHivites and the Canaanites. Then they went out to South JudahasfarasBeersheba.
8 So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
9 Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to the king.And there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.
The Judgment on David’s Sin
10 AndDavid’s heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. SoDavid said to theLord,“I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, OLord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I havedone very foolishly.”
11 Now when David arose in the morning, the word of theLordcame to the prophetGad, David’sseer, saying,
12 “Go and tell David, ‘Thus says theLord: “I offer you threethings;choose one of them for yourself, that I may doitto you.” ’ ”
13 So Gad came to David and told him; and he said to him, “Shallseven years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.”
14 And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of theLord,for His merciesaregreat; butdo not let me fall into the hand of man.”
15 SotheLordsent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died.
16 And when the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it,theLordrelented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “It is enough; now restrain your hand.” And the angel of theLordwas by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
17 Then David spoke to theLordwhen he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “SurelyI have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father’s house.”
The Altar on the Threshing Floor
18 And Gad came that day to David and said to him,“Go up, erect an altar to theLordon the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
19 So David, according to the word of Gad, went up as theLordcommanded.
20 Now Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming toward him. So Araunah went out and bowed before the king with his face to the ground.
21 Then Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”
# And David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to theLord, thatthe plague may be withdrawn from the people.”
22 Now Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up whateverseemsgood to him.Look,hereareoxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood.
23 All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king.”
# And Araunah said to the king, “May theLordyour Godaccept you.”
24 Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buyitfrom you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to theLordmy God with that which costs me nothing.” SoDavid bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
25 And David built there an altar to theLord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.So theLordheeded the prayers for the land, andthe plague was withdrawn from Israel.