2 Samuel 24

1 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.”

And the strong veniaunce of the Lord addide to be wrooth ayens Israel, and he stiride in hem Dauid, seiynge to Joab, Go thou, and noumbre thou Israel and Juda.

2 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].”

And the kyng seide to Joab, the prince of his oost, Go thou bi alle lynagis of Israel fro Dan `til to Bersabee, and noumbre thou the puple, that Y wite the noumbre therof.

3 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?”

And Joab seide to the kyng, Thi Lord God encresse to this puple, `hou greet it is now, and eft multiplie he an hundrid fold in the siyt of my lord the kyng; but what wole my lord the kyng to hym silf in sich a thing?

4 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.

Sotheli the word of the kyng ouer cam the wordis of Joab, and of the princes of the oost; and Joab yede out, and the princes of the knyytis, fro the face of the kyng, that thei schulden noumbre the puple of Israel.

5 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]

And whanne thei hadden passid Jordan, thei camen in to Aroer, to the riyt side of the citee which is in the valei of Gad;

6 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].

and thei passiden bi Jazer in to Galaad, and in to the lowere lond of Odsi, and camen in to the wodi places of Dan; and thei cumpassiden bisidis Sidon,

7 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.

and passiden nyy the wallis of Tire, and nyy al the lond of Euei, and of Chananei; and thei camen to the south of Juda, in Bersabee.

8 After nine months and 20 days, when they had finished going throughout the land [and counting the people], they returned to Jerusalem.

And whanne al the lond was cumpassid, thei camen aftir nyne monethis and twenti daies in to Jerusalem.

9 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].

Therfor Joab yaf the noumbre of discriuyng of the puple to the kyng. And of Israel weren foundun nyne hundryd thousynd of stronge men, that drewen out swerd; and of Juda fyue hundrid thousynde of fiyteris.

10 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.”

Forsothe the herte of Dauid smoot hym, `that is, his concience repreuyde hym, aftir that the puple was noumbrid; and Dauid seide to the Lord, Y synnede greetli in this dede; but, Lord, Y preye that thou turne awei the wickidnesse of thi seruaunt, for Y dide ful folili.

11 When David got up the next morning, Yahweh gave a message to the prophet Gad. He said to him,

Therfor Dauid roos eerli, and the word of the Lord was maad to Gad, the prophete and seere, and seide, Go thou,

12 “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.’”

and speke to Dauid, The Lord seith these thingis, The chesyng of thre thingis is youun to thee; chese thou oon, which thou wolt of these, that Y do to thee.

13 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.”

And whanne Gad hadde come to Dauid, he telde to Dauid, and seide, Ether hungur schal come to thee in thi lond seuene yeer; ethir thre monethis thou schalt fle thin aduersaries, and thei schulen pursue thee; ether certis thre daies pestilence schal be in thi lond; now therfor delyuere thou, `ether auyse thou, and se, what word Y schal answere to hym that sente me.

14 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].”

Forsothe Dauid seide to Gad, Y am constreyned on ech side greetli; but it is betere that Y falle in to the hondis of the Lord, for his emercies ben manye, than in the hondis of men.

15 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].

And the Lord sente pestilence in to Israel fro the morewtid `til to the tyme ordeyned; and seuenti thousynde of men weren deed of the puple fro Dan `til to Bersabee.

16 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.

And whanne the aungel of the Lord hadde holde forth his hond ouer Jerusalem, that he schulde distrie it, the Lord hadde mercy on the turmentyng; and seide to the aungel smytynge the puple, It sufficith now; withholde thin hond. Forsothe the aungel of the Lord was bisidis the corn floor of Areuna Jebusey.

17 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]!”

And Dauid seide to the Lord, whanne he hadde seyn the aungel sleynge the puple, Y am he that `haue synned, and Y dide wickidli; what han these do, that ben scheep? Y biseche, thin hond be turned ayens me, and ayens the hows of my fadir.

18 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.”

Forsothe Gad, the prophete, cam to Dauid in that dai, and seide to hym, Stie thou, and ordeyne an auter to the Lord in the corn floor of Areuna Jebusei.

19 So David did what Gad told him to do, which was what Yahweh had commanded, [and he went up there].

And Dauid stiede, vpe the word of Gad, which the Lord hadde comaundid to hym.

20 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.

And Areuna bihelde, and perseyuede, that the kyng and hise seruauntis passiden to hym;

21 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.”

and he yede out, and worschipide the kyng bi low cheer to the erthe; and seide, What `cause is, that my lord the kyng cometh to his seruaunt? To whom Dauid seide, That Y bie of thee the corn floor, and bilde an auter to the Lord, and the sleynge ceesse, which is cruel in the puple.

22 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.

And Areuna seide to Dauid, My lord the kyng take, and offre, as it plesith hym; thou hast oxis in to brent sacrifice, and a wayn and yockis of oxis in to vss of wode.

23 I, Araunah, am giving all this to you, the king.” Then he said, “I desire/hope that Yahweh our God will accept your offering.”

Areuna yaf alle thingis to the king. And Areuna seide to the king, Thi Lord God reseyue thi vow.

24 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.

To whom the king answeride, and seide, Not as thou wolt, but Y schal bie of thee for prijs, and Y schal not offre to `my Lord God brent sacrifices youun freli. Therfor Dauid bouyte the corn floor, and `he bouyte oxis for fifti siclis of siluer.

25 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.

And Dauid bildide there an auter to the Lord, and offride brent sacrifices and pesible sacrifices; and the Lord dide merci to the lond, and the veniaunce was refreyned fro Israel.