1 Chronicles 21

1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.2 And David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, Go, number Israel from Beer-sheba even to Dan; and bring me word, that I may know the sum of them.3 And Joab said, Jehovah make his people a hundred times as many as they are: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? why doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of guilt unto Israel?4 Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem.5 And Joab gave up the sum of the numbering of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and a hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword.6 But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them; for the king’s word was abominable to Joab.7 And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel.8 And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing: but now, put away, I beseech thee, the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.

9 And Jehovah spake unto Gad, David’s seer, saying,10 Go and speak unto David, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, I offer thee three things: choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.11 So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Take which thou wilt:12 either three years of famine; or three months to be consumed before thy foes, while the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of Jehovah, even pestilence in the land, and the angel of Jehovah destroying throughout all the borders of Israel. Now therefore consider what answer I shall return to him that sent me.13 And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall, I pray, into the hand of Jehovah; for very great are his mercies: and let me not fall into the hand of man.14 So Jehovah sent a pestilence upon Israel; and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.15 And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was about to destroy, Jehovah beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the destroying angel, It is enough; now stay thy hand. And the angel of Jehovah was standing by the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.16 And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of Jehovah standing between earth and heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.17 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 very wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? let thy hand, I pray thee, O Jehovah my God, be against me, and against my father’s house; but not against thy people, that they should be plagued.

18 Then the angel of Jehovah commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and rear an altar unto Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.19 And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of Jehovah.20 And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons that were with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.21 And 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 Then David said to Ornan, Give me the place of this threshing-floor, that I may build thereon an altar unto Jehovah: for the full price shalt thou give it me, that the plague may be stayed from the people.23 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 for burnt-offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meal-offering; I give it all.24 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 Jehovah, nor offer a burnt-offering without cost.25 So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.26 And David built there an altar unto Jehovah, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, and called upon Jehovah; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt-offering.27 And Jehovah commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof.

28 At that time, when David saw that Jehovah had answered him in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.29 For the tabernacle of Jehovah, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt-offering, were at that time in the high place at Gibeon.30 But David could not go before it to inquire of God; for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of Jehovah.

1 Chronicles 21

The Lord Sends a Plague against Israel

1 An adversaryt opposedt Israel, inciting David to count how many warriors Israel had.ts2 David told Joab and the leaders of the army,t “Go, count the number of warriorst from Beer Sheba to Dan. Then bring back a report to me so I may know how many we have.”t

3 Joab replied, “May the Lord make his armyt a hundred times larger! My master, O king, do not all of them serve my master? Why does my master want to do this? Why bring judgment on Israel?”t
4 But the king’s edict stood, despite Joab’s objections.t So Joab left and traveled throughout Israel before returning to Jerusalem.s5 Joab reported to David the number of warriors.t In all Israel there were 1,100,000t sword-wielding soldiers; Judah alone had 470,000 sword-wielding soldiers.s6 Now Joabt did not number Levi and Benjamin, for the king’s edict disgusted him.

7 God was also offended by it,t so he attacked Israel.
8 David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by doing this! Now, please remove the guilt of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”9 The Lord told Gad, David’s prophet,t10 “Go, tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: “I am offering you three forms of judgment from which to choose. Pick one of them.”’”t11 Gad went to David and told him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Pick one of these:12 threes years of famine, or three months being chased by your enemies and struck down by their swords,s or three days being struck down by the Lord, during which a plague will invade the land and the Lord’s messenger will destroy throughout Israel’s territory.’t Now, decide what I should tell the one who sent me.”13 David said to Gad, “I am very upset! I prefer to be attacked by the Lord, for his mercy is very great; I do not want to be attacked by men!”t

14 So the Lord sent a plague through Israel, and 70,000 Israelite men died.

15 God sent an angelt to ravaget Jerusalem. As he was doing so,t the Lord watchedt and relented fromt his judgment.t He told the angel who was destroying, “That’s enough!t Stop now!”t
Now the Lord’s angel was standing near the threshing floor of Ornant the Jebusite.16 David looked up and saw the Lord’s messenger standing between the earth and sky with his sword drawn and in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem. David and the leaders, covered with sackcloth, threw themselves down with their faces to the ground.t

17 David said to God, “Was I not the one who decided to number the army? I am the one who sinned and committed this awful deed!t As for these sheep – what have they done? O Lord my God, attack me and my family,t but remove the plague from your people!”t
18 So the Lord’s messenger told Gad to instruct David to go up and buildt an altar for the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.19 So David went up as Gad instructed him to do in the name of the Lord.t20 While Ornan was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the messenger, and he and his four sons hid themselves.21 When David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David; he came out from the threshing floor and bowed to David with his facet to the ground.22 David said to Ornan, “Sell me the threshing floort so I can buildt on it an altar for the Lord – I’ll pay top pricet – so that the plague may be removedt from the people.”23 Ornan told David, “You can have it!t My master, the king, may do what he wants.t Look, I am giving you the oxen for burnt sacrifices, the threshing sledges for wood, and the wheat for an offering. I give it all to you.”24 King David replied to Ornan, “No, I insist on buying it for top price.t I will not offer to the Lord what belongs to you or offer a burnt sacrifices that cost me nothing.t25 So David bought the place from Ornan for 600 pieces of gold.st26 David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings.t He called out to the Lord, and the Lordt responded by sending fire from the sky and consuming the burnt sacrifice on the altar.

27 The Lord ordered the messengert to put his sword back into its sheath.
28 At that time, when David saw that the Lord responded to him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there.29 Now the Lord’s tabernacle (which Moses had made in the wilderness) and the altar for burnt sacrifices were at that time at the worship centert in Gibeon.30 But David could not go before it to seek God’s will, for he was afraid of the sword of the Lord’s messenger.