^{1 Ref} Now Satan, designing evil against Israel, put into David's mind the impulse to take the number of Israel.

^{2 Ref} And David said to Joab and the captains of the people, Now let all Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan, be numbered; and give me word so that I may be certain of their number.

^{3 Ref} And Joab said, May the Lord make his people a hundred times more in number than they are; but, my lord king, are they not all my lord's servants? why would my lord have this done? why will he become a cause of sin to Israel?

^{4 Ref} But the king's word was stronger than Joab's. So Joab went out and went through all Israel and came to Jerusalem.

^{5 Ref} And Joab gave David the number of all the people; all the men of Israel, able to take up arms, were one million, one hundred thousand men; and those of Judah were four hundred and seventy thousand men, able to take up arms.

^{6 Ref} But Levi and Benjamin were not numbered among them, for Joab was disgusted with the king's order.

^{7 Ref} And God was not pleased with this thing; so he sent punishment on Israel.

^{8 Ref} Then David said to God, Great has been my sin in doing this; but now, be pleased to take away the sin of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.

^{9 Ref} Then the word of the Lord came to Gad, David's seer, saying,

^{10 Ref} Go and say to David, The Lord says, Three things are offered to you: say which of them you will have, so that I may do it to you.

^{11 Ref} So Gad came to David and said to him, The Lord says, Take whichever you will:

^{12 Ref} Three years when there will not be enough food; or three months of war, when you will go in flight before your haters, being in great danger of the sword; or three days of the sword of the Lord, disease in the land, and the angel of the Lord taking destruction through all the land of Israel. Now give thought to the answer I am to take back to him who sent me.

^{13 Ref} And David said to Gad, This is a hard decision for me to make: let me come into the hands of the Lord, for great are his mercies: let me not come into the hands of men.

^{14 Ref} So the Lord sent disease on Israel, causing the death of seventy thousand men.

^{15 Ref} And God sent an angel to Jerusalem for its destruction: and when he was about to do so, the Lord saw, and had regret for the evil, and said to the angel of destruction, It is enough; do no more. Now the angel of the Lord was by the grain-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

^{16 Ref} And David, lifting up his eyes, saw the angel of the Lord there between earth and heaven, with an uncovered sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the responsible men, clothed in haircloth, went down on their faces.

^{17 Ref} And David said to God, Was it not I who gave the order for the people to be numbered? It is I who have done the sin and the great wrong; but these are only sheep; what have they done? let your hand, O Lord God, be lifted up against me and against my family, but not against your people to send disease on them.

^{18 Ref} Then the angel of the Lord gave orders to Gad to say to David that he was to go and put up an altar to the Lord on the grain-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

^{19 Ref} And David went up, as Gad had said in the name of the Lord.

^{20 Ref} And Ornan, turning back, saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him went to a secret place. Now Ornan was crushing his grain.

^{21 Ref} And when David came, Ornan, looking, saw him, and came out from the grain-floor and went down on his face to the earth before him.

^{22 Ref} Then David said to Ornan, Give me the place where this grain-floor is, so that I may put up an altar here to the Lord: let me have it for its full price; so that this disease may be stopped among the people.

^{23 Ref} And Ornan said to David, Take it, and let my lord the king do what seems right to him. See, I give you the oxen for burned offerings and the grain-cleaning instruments for fire-wood, and the grain for the meal offering; I give it all.

^{24 Ref} And King David said to Ornan, No; I will certainly give you the full price for it, because I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or give a burned offering without payment.

^{25 Ref} So David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the place.

^{26 Ref} And David put up an altar there to the Lord, offering burned offerings and peace-offerings with prayers to the Lord; and he gave him an answer from heaven, sending fire on the altar of burned offering.

^{27 Ref} Then the Lord gave orders to the angel, and he put back his sword into its cover.

²⁸ At that time, when David saw that the Lord had given him an answer on the grain-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he made an offering there.

^{29 Ref} For the House of the Lord, which Moses had made in the waste land, and the altar of burned offerings, were at that time in the high place at Gibeon.

^{30 Ref} But David was not able to go before it to get directions from the Lord, so great was his fear of the sword of the angel of the Lord.

^{1 Ref} And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

^{2 Ref} And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it.

^{3 Ref} And Joab answered, The LORD make his people an hundred times so many more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?

^{4 Ref} Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem.

^{5 Ref} And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword.

^{6 Ref} But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them: for the king's word was abominable to Joab.

^{7 Ref} And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel.

^{8 Ref} And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech thee, do away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.

^{9 Ref} And the LORD spake unto Gad, David's seer, saying,

^{10 Ref} Go and tell David, saying, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three things: choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.

^{11 Ref} So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Choose thee

^{12 Ref} Either three years' famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the LORD, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.

^{13 Ref} And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall now into the hand of the LORD; for very great are his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man.

^{14 Ref} So the LORD sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.

^{15 Ref} And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the LORD beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

^{16 Ref} And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the LORD stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.

^{17 Ref} And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O LORD my God, be on me, and on my father's house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.

^{18 Ref} Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

^{19 Ref} And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of the LORD.

^{20 Ref} And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.

^{21 Ref} And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshingfloor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.

^{22 Ref} Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of this threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the LORD: thou shalt grant it me for the full price: that the plague may be stayed from the people.

^{23 Ref} And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen also for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meat offering; I give it all.

^{24 Ref} And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.

^{25 Ref} So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.

^{26 Ref} And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the LORD; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.

^{27 Ref} And the LORD commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof.

²⁸ At that time when David saw that the LORD had answered him in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.

^{29 Ref} For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt offering, were at that season in the high place at Gibeon.

^{30 Ref} But David could not go before it to enquire of God: for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the LORD.

^{1 Ref} Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.

^{2 Ref} David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring me word, that I may know the sum of them.

^{3 Ref} Joab said, Yahweh make his people a hundred times as many as they are: but, my lord the king, aren't they all my lord's servants? why does my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of guilt to Israel?

^{4 Ref} Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Therefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem.

^{5 Ref} Joab gave up the sum of the numbering of the people to David. All those of Israel were one million one hundred thousand men who drew sword: and in Judah were four hundred seventy thousand men who drew sword.

^{6 Ref} But he didn't count Levi and Benjamin among them; for the king's word was abominable to Joab.

^{7 Ref} God was displeased with this thing; therefore he struck Israel.

^{8 Ref} David said to God, I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing: but now, put away, I beg you, the iniquity of your servant; for I have done very foolishly.

^{9 Ref} Yahweh spoke to Gad, David's seer, saying,

^{10 Ref} Go and speak to David, saying, Thus says Yahweh, I offer you three things: choose you one of them, that I may do it to you.

^{11 Ref} So Gad came to David, and said to him, Thus says Yahweh, Take which you will:

^{12 Ref} either three years of famine; or three months to be consumed before your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you; or else three days the sword of Yahweh, even pestilence in the land, and the angel of Yahweh destroying throughout all the borders of Israel. Now therefore consider what answer I shall return to him who sent me.

^{13 Ref} David said to Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall, I pray, into the hand of Yahweh; for very great are his mercies: and let me not fall into the hand of man.

^{14 Ref} So Yahweh sent a pestilence on Israel; and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.

^{15 Ref} God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was about to destroy, Yahweh saw, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the destroying angel, It is enough; now stay your hand. The angel of Yahweh was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

^{16 Ref} David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of Yahweh standing between earth and the sky, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces.

^{17 Ref} David said to God, Isn't it I who commanded the people to be numbered? It is even I who have sinned and done very wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand, O Yahweh my God, be against me, and against my father's house; but not against your people, that they should be plagued.

^{18 Ref} Then the angel of Yahweh commanded Gad to tell David, that David should go up, and raise an altar to Yahweh in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

^{19 Ref} David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spoke in the name of Yahweh.

^{20 Ref} Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.

^{21 Ref} As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshing floor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.

^{22 Ref} Then David said to Ornan, Give me the place of this threshing floor, that I may build thereon an altar to Yahweh: for the full price shall you give it me, that the plague may be stayed from the people.

^{23 Ref} Ornan said to David, Take it to you, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: behold, I give [you] the oxen for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meal-offering; I give it all.

^{24 Ref} King David said to Ornan, No; but I will most assuredly buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is your for Yahweh, nor offer a burnt-offering without cost.

^{25 Ref} So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.

^{26 Ref} David built there an altar to Yahweh, and offered burnt offerings and peace-offerings, and called on Yahweh; and he answered him from the sky by fire on the altar of burnt offering.

^{27 Ref} Yahweh commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath of it.

²⁸ At that time, when David saw that Yahweh had answered him in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.

^{29 Ref} For the tent of Yahweh, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering, were at that time in the high place at Gibeon.

^{30 Ref} But David couldn't go before it to inquire of God; for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of Yahweh.