I Paralipomenon 21
1 Consurrexit autem Satan contra Israel: et concitavit David ut numeraret Israel.
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 Israel a Bersabee usque Dan: et afferte 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 quærit dominus meus, quod in peccatum reputetur Israeli?
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 prævaluit: egressusque est Ioab, et circuivit universum Israel; et reversus est Ierusalem:
But the king was adamant so Joab left and went all over Israel. Eventually he returned to Jerusalem,
5 Deditque David numerum eorum, quos circuierat: et inventus est omnis numerus Israel, mille millia et centum millia virorum educentium gladium: de Iuda autem quadringenta septuaginta millia 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 Ioab invitus exequeretur 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 Israel.
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 Davidis, dicens:
The Lord told Gad, David's seer,
10 Vade, et loquere ad David, et dic ei: Hæc 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: Hæc dicit Dominus: Elige quod volueris:
So Gad went and told David, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Make your choice:
12 aut tribus annis famem: aut tribus mensibus te fugere hostes tuos, et gladium eorum non posse evadere: aut tribus diebus gladium Domini, et pestilentiam versari in terra, et angelum Domini interficere in universis finibus Israel: 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 angustiæ premunt: sed melius mihi est, ut incidam in manus Domini, quia multæ 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 Israel: et ceciderunt de Israel septuaginta millia virorum.
So the Lord a plague on Israel, and 70,000 Israelites died.
15 Misit quoque angelum in Ierusalem, ut percuteret eam: cumque percuteretur, vidit Dominus, et misertus est super magnitudine mali: et imperavit angelo, qui percutiebat: Sufficit, iam cesset manus tua. Porro angelus Domini stabat iuxta aream Ornan Iebusæi.
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 cælum et terram, et evaginatum gladium in manu eius, et versum contra Ierusalem: et ceciderunt tam ipse, quam maiores natu vestiti ciliciis, 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 præcepit Gad ut diceret Davidi ut ascenderet, extrueretque altare Domino Deo in area Ornan Iebusæi.
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 ei 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 veniret David ad Ornan, conspexit eum Ornan, et processit ei obviam de area, et adoravit eum 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 areæ tuæ, ut ædificem in ea altare Domino: 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 præbebo.
“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 sexcentos.
So David paid Ornan six hundred shekels of gold for the place.
26 Et ædificavit ibi altare Domino: obtulitque holocausta, et pacifica, et invocavit Dominum, et exaudivit eum in igne de cælo 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 Præcepitque 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 Iebusæi, 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 Moyses 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 prævaluit David ire ad altare ut ibi obsecraret Deum: nimio enim fuerat in 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.
