2 Samuel 24
1 Again the anger of Yahweh was ignited against Israel, and he moved David against them saying, “Go, count Israel and Judah.”
And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and He moved David against them, saying: 'Go, number Israel and Judah.'
2 The king said to Joab the commander of the army, who was with him, “Go throughout all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and count all the people, so that I may know the total number of men fit for battle.”
And the king said to Joab the captain of the host that was with him: 'Go now to and fro through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the sum of the people.'
3 Joab said to the king, “May Yahweh your God multiply the number of people a hundred times, and may the eyes of my master the king see it take place. But why does my master the king want this?”
And Joab said unto the king: 'Now the LORD thy God add unto the people, how many soever they may be, a hundredfold, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it; but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing?'
4 Nevertheless, the king's word was final against Joab and against the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders went out from the king's presence to count the people of Israel.
Notwithstanding the king's word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the host. And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel.
5 They crossed over the Jordan and encamped near Aroer, south of the city in the valley. Then they traveled on through Gad to Jazer.
And they passed over the Jordan, and pitched in Aroer, on the right side of the city that is in the middle of the valley of Gad, and unto Jazer;
6 They came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim Hodshi, then on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon.
then they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtim-hodshi; and they came to Dan-jaan, and round about to Zidon,
7 They reached the stronghold of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went out to the Negev in Judah at Beersheba.
and came to the stronghold of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites; and they went out to the south of Judah, at Beer-sheba.
8 When they had gone throughout all the land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
So when they had gone to and fro through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
9 Then Joab reported the total of the count of the fighting men to the king. There were in Israel 800,000 brave men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000 men.
And Joab gave up the sum of the numbering of the people unto the king; and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.
10 Then David's heart afflicted him after he had counted the men. So he said to Yahweh, “I have greatly sinned by doing this. Now, Yahweh, take away your servant's guilt, for I have acted very foolishly.”
And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD: 'I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, O LORD, put away, I beseech Thee, the iniquity of Thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.'
11 When David rose up in the morning, the word of Yahweh came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,
And when David rose up in the morning, the word of the LORD came unto the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying:
12 “Go say to David: 'This is what Yahweh says: “I am giving you three choices. Choose one of them.”'”
'Go and speak unto David: Thus saith the LORD: I lay upon thee three things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.'
13 So Gad went to David and said to him, “Will three years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months from your enemies while they pursue you? Or will there be three days of plague in your land? Now decide what answer I should return to him who sent me.”
So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him: 'Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thy foes while they pursue thee? or shall there be three days' pestilence in thy land? now advise thee, and consider what answer I shall return to Him that sent Me.'
14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in deep trouble. Let us fall into Yahweh's hands rather than into the hand of man, for his merciful actions are very great.”
And David said unto Gad: 'I am in a great strait; let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for His mercies are great; and let me not fall into the hand of man.'
15 So Yahweh sent a plague on Israel from the morning to a fixed time, and seventy thousand people died from Dan to Beersheba.
So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed; and there died of the people from Dan even to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men.
16 When the angel reached out with his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, Yahweh changed his mind because of the harm it would cause, and he said to the angel who was destroying people, “Enough! Now draw back your hand.” At that time the angel of Yahweh was standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented Him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people: 'It is enough; now stay thy hand.' And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
17 Then David spoke to Yahweh when he saw the angel who had attacked the people, and said, “I have sinned, and I have acted perversely. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand punish me and my father's family!”
And David spoke unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said: 'Lo, I have sinned, and I have done iniquitously; but these sheep, what have they done? let Thy hand, I pray Thee, be against me, and against my father's house.'
18 Then Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar for Yahweh at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him: 'Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.'
19 So David went up as Gad instructed him to do, as Yahweh had commanded.
And David went up according to the saying of Gad, as the LORD commanded.
20 Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants approaching. So Araunah went out and bowed to the king with his face to the ground.
And Araunah looked forth, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him; and Araunah went out, and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.
21 Then Araunah said, “Why has my master the king come to me, his servant?” David replied, “To buy your threshing floor, so I can build an altar for Yahweh, so that the plague may be removed from the people.”
And Araunah said: 'Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant?' And David said: 'To buy the threshing-floor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.'
22 Araunah said to David, “Take it as your own, my master the king. Do with it what is good in your sight. Look, here are oxen for the burnt offering and threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.
And Araunah said unto David: 'Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him; behold the oxen for the burnt-offering, and the threshing-instruments and the furniture of the oxen for the wood.'
23 All this, my king, I, Araunah, will give to you.” Then he said to the king, “May Yahweh your God accept you.”
All this did Araunah the king give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king: 'The LORD thy God accept thee.'
24 The king said to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it at a price. I will not offer as a burnt offering to Yahweh anything that costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
And the king said unto Araunah: 'Nay; but I will verily buy it of thee at a price; neither will I offer burnt-offerings unto the LORD my God which cost me nothing.' So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
25 David built an altar for Yahweh there and offered on it burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. So Yahweh answered the prayer on behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was confined.
And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. So the LORD was entreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.
