^{1 Ref} Again the wrath of the Lord was burning against Israel, and moving David against them, he said, Go, take the number of Israel and Judah.

^{2 Ref} And the king said to Joab and the captains of the army, who were with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan as far as Beer-sheba, and have all the people numbered, so that I may be certain of the number of the people.

^{3 Ref} And Joab said to the king, Whatever the number of the people, may the Lord make it a hundred times as much, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it: but why does my lord the king take pleasure in doing this thing?

^{4 Ref} But the king's order was stronger than Joab and the captains of the army. And Joab and the captains of the army went out from the king, to take the number of the children of Israel.

^{5 Ref} And they went over Jordan, and starting from Aroer, from the town which is in the middle of the valley, they went in the direction of the Gadites, and on to Jazer;

^{6 Ref} Then they came to Gilead, and to the land of the Hittites under Hermon; and they came to Dan, and from Dan they came round to Zidon,

^{7 Ref} And to the walled town of Tyre, and to all the towns of the Hivites and the Canaanites: and they went out to the South of Judah at Beer-sheba.

⁸ So after going through all the land in every direction, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

^{9 Ref} And Joab gave the king the number of all the people: there were in Israel eight hundred thousand fighting men able to take up arms; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand.

^{10 Ref} And after the people had been numbered, David's heart was troubled. And David said to the Lord, Great has been my sin in doing this; but now, O Lord, be pleased to take away the sin of your servant, for I have done very foolishly

^{11 Ref} And David got up in the morning; now the word of the Lord had come to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,

^{12 Ref} Go and say to David, The Lord says, Three things are offered to you: say which of them you will have, and I will do it to you.

^{13 Ref} So Gad came to David, and gave him word of this and said to him, Are there to be three years when there is not enough food in your land? or will you go in flight from your haters for three months, while they go after you? or will you have three days of violent disease in your land? take thought and say what answer I am to give to him who sent me.

^{14 Ref} And David said to Gad, This is a hard decision for me to make: let us come into the hands of the Lord, for great are his mercies: let me not come into the hands of men.

^{15 Ref} So David made selection of the disease; and the time was the days of the grain-cutting, when the disease came among the people, causing the death of seventy thousand men from Dan as far as Beer-sheba.

^{16 Ref} And when the hand of the angel was stretched out in the direction of Jerusalem, for its destruction, the Lord had regret for the evil, and said to the angel who was sending destruction on the people, It is enough; do no more. And the angel of the Lord was by the grain-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

^{17 Ref} And when David saw the angel who was causing the destruction of the people, he said to the Lord, Truly, the sin is mine; I have done wrong: but these are only sheep; what have they done? let your hand be against me and against my family.

^{18 Ref} And that day Gad came to David and said to him, Go up, and put up an altar to the Lord on the grain-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

^{19 Ref} So David went up, as Gad had said and as the Lord had given orders.

^{20 Ref} And Araunah, looking out, saw the king and his servants coming to him: and Araunah went out, and went down on his face to the earth before the king.

^{21 Ref} And Araunah said, Why has my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To give you a price for your grain-floor, so that I may put up an altar to the Lord, and the disease may be stopped among the people.

^{22 Ref} And Araunah said to David, Let my lord the king take whatever seems right to him, and make an offering of it: see, here are the oxen for the burned offering, and the grain-cleaning instruments and the ox-yokes for wood:

^{23 Ref} All this does the servant of my lord the king give to the king. And Araunah said, May the Lord your God be pleased with your offering!

^{24 Ref} And the king said to Araunah, No, but I will give you a price for it; I will not give to the Lord my God burned offerings for which I have given nothing. So David got the grain-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

^{25 Ref} And there David put up an altar to the Lord, making burned offerings and peace-offerings. So the Lord gave ear to his prayer for the land, and the disease came to an end in Israel.

^{1 Ref} And the anger of Jehovah addeth to burn against Israel, and `an adversary' moveth David about them, saying, `Go, number Israel and Judah.'

^{2 Ref} And the king saith unto Joab, head of the host that `is' with him, `Go to and fro, I pray thee, through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even unto Beer-Sheba, and inspect ye the people -- and I have known the number of the people.'

^{3 Ref} And Joab saith unto the king, `Yea, Jehovah thy God doth add unto the people, as they are, a hundred times, and the eyes of my lord the king are seeing; and my lord the king, why is he desirous of this thing?'

^{4 Ref} And the word of the king is severe towards Joab, and against the heads of the force, and Joab goeth out, and the heads of the force, `from' before the king to inspect the people, even Israel;

^{5 Ref} and they pass over the Jordan, and encamp in Aroer, on the right of the city that `is' in the midst of the brook of Gad, and unto Jazer,

^{6 Ref} and they come in to Gilead, and unto the land of Tahtim-Hodshi, and they come in to Dan-Jaan, and round about unto Zidon,

^{7 Ref} and they come in to the fortress of Tyre, and all the cities of the Hivite, and of the Canaanite, and go out unto the south of Judah, to Beer-Sheba.

⁸ And they go to and fro through all the land, and come in at the end of nine months and twenty days to Jerusalem,

^{9 Ref} and Joab giveth the account of the inspection of the people unto the king, and Israel is eight hundred thousand men of valour, drawing sword, and the men of Judah five hundred thousand men.

^{10 Ref} And the heart of David smiteth him, after that he hath numbered the people, and David saith unto Jehovah, `I have sinned greatly in that which I have done, and now, O Jehovah, cause to pass away, I pray Thee, the iniquity of Thy servant, for I have acted very foolishly.'

^{11 Ref} And David riseth in the morning, and the word of Jehovah hath been unto Gad the prophet, seer of David, saying,

^{12 Ref} `Go, and thou hast spoken unto David, Thus said Jehovah: Three -- I am lifting up for thee, choose thee one of them, and I do `it' to thee.'

^{13 Ref} And Gad cometh in unto David, and declareth to him, and saith to him, `Do seven years of famine come in to thee in thy land? or three months art thou fleeing before thine adversary -- and he pursuing thee? or are three days' pestilence in thy land? now, know and see what word I take back to Him sending me.'

^{14 Ref} And David saith unto Gad, `I have great distress, let us fall, I pray thee, into the hand of Jehovah, for many `are' His mercies, and into the hand of man let me not fall.'

^{15 Ref} And Jehovah giveth a pestilence on Israel from the morning even unto the time appointed, and there die of the people, from Dan even unto Beer-Sheba, seventy thousand men,

^{16 Ref} and the messenger putteth forth his hand to Jerusalem to destroy it, and Jehovah repenteth concerning the evil, and saith to the messenger who is destroying among the people, `Enough, now, cease thy hand;' and the messenger of Jehovah was near the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

^{17 Ref} And David speaketh unto Jehovah, when he seeth the messenger who is smiting among the people, and saith, `Lo, I have sinned, yea, I have done perversely; and these -- the flock -- what have they done? Let, I pray Thee, Thy hand be on me, and on the house of my father.'

^{18 Ref} And Gad cometh in unto David on that day, and saith to him, `Go up, raise to Jehovah an altar in the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite;'

^{19 Ref} and David goeth up, according to the word of Gad, as Jehovah commanded.

^{20 Ref} And Araunah looketh, and seeth the king and his servants passing over unto him, and Araunah goeth out and boweth himself to the king -- his face to the earth.

^{21 Ref} And Araunah saith, `Wherefore hath my lord the king come unto his servant?' and David saith, `To buy from thee the threshing-floor, to build an altar to Jehovah, and the plague is restrained from the people.'

^{22 Ref} And Araunah saith unto David, `Let my lord the king take and cause to ascend that which is good in his eyes; see, the oxen for a burnt-offering, and the threshing instruments, and the instruments of the oxen, for wood;'

^{23 Ref} the whole hath Araunah given, `as' a king to a king; and Araunah saith unto the king, `Jehovah thy God doth accept thee.'

^{24 Ref} And the king saith unto Araunah, `Nay, for I do surely buy from thee for a price, and I do not cause to ascend to Jehovah my God burnt-offerings for nought;' and David buyeth the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver,

^{25 Ref} and David buildeth there an altar to Jehovah, and causeth to ascend burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, and Jehovah is entreated for the land, and the plague is restrained from Israel.

^{1 Ref} And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.

^{2 Ref} For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people.

^{3 Ref} And Joab said unto the king, Now the LORD thy God add unto the people, how many soever they be, an hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it: but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing?

^{4 Ref} 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 Ref} And they passed over Jordan, and pitched in Aroer, on the right side of the city that lieth in the midst of the river of Gad, and toward Jazer:

^{6 Ref} Then they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtimhodshi; and they came to Danjaan, and about to Zidon,

^{7 Ref} And came to the strong hold of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites: and they went out to the south of Judah, even to Beersheba.

⁸ So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

^{9 Ref} And Joab gave up the sum of the number 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 Ref} And David's heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.

^{11 Ref} For when David was up in the morning, the word of the LORD came unto the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,

^{12 Ref} Go and say unto David, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.

^{13 Ref} 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 thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days' pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.

^{14 Ref} 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 Ref} 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 Beersheba seventy thousand men.

^{16 Ref} And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite.

^{17 Ref} And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house.

^{18 Ref} And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.

^{19 Ref} And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded.

^{20 Ref} And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground.

^{21 Ref} And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.

^{22 Ref} And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood.

^{23 Ref} All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee.

^{24 Ref} And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

^{25 Ref} And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.