2 Samuel 24

David’s Sin—He Takes a Census—1 Chronicles 21:1–30

1 The Lord became angry with Israel again, so he provoked David to turn against Israel. He said, “Go, count Israel and Judah.”2 King David said to Joab, the commander of the army who was with him, “Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and count the people. That way I will know how many there are.”3 Joab responded to the king, “May the Lord your God multiply the people a hundred times over, and may Your Majesty live to see it. But why does Your Majesty wish to do this?”4 However, the king overruled Joab and the commanders of the army. So they left the king in order to count the people of Israel.5 They crossed the Jordan River and camped at Aroer, south of the city in the middle of the valley. Then they went to Gad and to Jazer.6 They went to Gilead and to Tahtim Hodshi and then to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon.7 They went to the fortified city of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah.8 When they had covered the whole country, they came to Jerusalem after 9 months and 20 days.

9 Joab reported the census figures to the king: In Israel there were 800,000 able-bodied men who could serve in the army, and in Judah there were 500,000.
10 After David counted the people, his conscience troubled him. David said to the Lord, “I have committed a terrible sin by what I have done. Lord, please forgive me because I have acted very foolishly.”11 When David got up in the morning, the Lord spoke his word to the prophet Gad, David’s seer.t

12 “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I’m offering you three choices. Choose one of them for me to do to you.’ ”
13 When Gad came to David, he told David this and asked, “Should seven years of famine come to you and your land, or three months during which you flee from your enemies as they pursue you, or should there be a three-day plague in your land? Think it over, and decide what answer I should give the one who sent me.”14 “I’m in a desperate situation,” David told Gad. “Please let us fall into the Lord’s hands because he is very merciful. But don’t let me fall into human hands.”15 So the Lord sent a plague among the Israelites from that morning until the time he had chosen. Of the people from Dan to Beersheba, 70,000 died.

16 But when the Messenger stretched out his arm to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord changed his mind about the disaster. “Enough!” he said to the Messenger who was destroying the people. “Put down your weapon.” The Messenger of the Lord was at the threshing floort of Araunah the Jebusite.
17 When David saw the Messenger who had been killing the people, he said to the Lord, “I’ve sinned. I’ve done wrong. What have these sheep done? Please let your punishment be against me and against my father’s family.”18 That day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go, set up an altar for the Lord at Araunah the Jebusite’s threshing floor.”19 David went as Gad had told him and as the Lord had commanded him.20 When Araunah looked down and saw the king and his men coming toward him, he went out and bowed down with his face touching the ground in front of the king.

21 “Why has Your Majesty come to me?” Araunah asked.
David answered, “To buy the threshing floor from you and to build an altar for the Lord. Then the plague on the people will stop.”22 Araunah said to David, “Take it, Your Majesty, and offer whatever you think is right. There are oxen for the burnt offering, and there are threshers and oxen yokest for firewood.”

23 All this Araunah gave to the king and said, “May the Lord your God accept you.”
24 “No!” the king said to Araunah. “I must buy it from you at a fair price. I won’t offer the Lord my God burnt sacrifices that cost me nothing.”So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 1¼ pounds of silver.

25 David built an altar for the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. So the Lord heard the prayers for the country, and the plague on Israel stopped.

2 Samuel 24

David Displeases the Lord by Taking a Census

1 The Lord’s anger again raged against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go count Israel and Judah.”s

2 The king told Joab, the general in command of his army, “Go through all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beer Sheba and muster the army, so I may know the size of the army.”

3 Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord your God make the army a hundred times larger right before the eyes of my lord the king! But why does my master the king want to do this?”

4 But the king’s edict stood, despite the objections oft Joab and the leaders of the army. So Joab and the leaders of the army left the king’s presence in order to muster the Israelite army.
5 They crossed the Jordan and camped at Aroer, on the south side of the city, att the wadi of Gad, near Jazer.6 Then they went on to Gilead and to the region of Tahtim Hodshi, coming to Dan Jaan and on around to Sidon.s7 Then they went to the fortress of Tyres and all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went on to the Negev of Judah, to Beer Sheba.

8 They went through all the land and after nine months and twenty days came back to Jerusalem.s

9 Joab reported the number of warriorst to the king. In Israel there were 800,000 sword-wielding warriors, and in Judah there were 500,000 soldiers.

10 David felt guiltyt after he had numbered the army. David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly by doing this! Now, O Lord, please remove the guilt of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
11 When David got up the next morning, the Lord had already spokent to Gad the prophet, David’s seer:

12 “Go, tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am offering you three forms of judgment. Pick one of them and I will carry it out against you.’”
13 Gad went to David and told him, “Shall sevens years of famine come upon your land? Or shall you flee for three months from your enemy with him in hot pursuit? Or shall there be three days of plague in your land? Now decidet what I should tell the one who sent me.”

14 David said to Gad, “I am very upset! I prefer that we be attacked by the Lord, for his mercy is great; I do not want to be attacked by men!”t
15 So the Lord sent a plague through Israel from the morning until the completion of the appointed time. Seventy thousand men died from Dan to Beer Sheba.

16 When the angelt extended his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented from his judgment.t He told the angel who was killing the people, “That’s enough! Stop now!”t (Now the Lord’s angel was near the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.)

17 When he saw the angel who was destroying the people, David said to the Lord, “Look, it is I who have sinned and done this evil thing! As for these sheep – what have they done? Attack me and my family.”t

David Acquires a Threshing Floor and Constructs an Altar There

18 So Gad went to David that day and told him, “Go up and build an altar for the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”

19 So David went up as Gad instructed him to do, according to the Lord’s instructions.
20 When Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants approaching him, het went out and bowed to the king with his facet to the ground.21 Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David replied, “To buy from you the threshing floor so I can build an altar for the Lord, so that the plague may be removed from the people.”22 Araunah told David, “My lord the king may take whatever he wishest and offer it. Look! Here are oxen for burnt offerings, and threshing sledgess and harnessest for wood.23 I, the servant of my lords the king, give it all to the king!” Araunah also told the king, “May the Lord your God show you favor!”

24 But the king said to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it from you! I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt sacrifices that cost me nothing.”
So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty pieces of silver.t

25 Then David built an altar for the Lord there and offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings. And the Lord accepted prayers for the land, and the plague was removed from Israel.