2 Samuel 24

Davids Census of Israel and Judah

1 Again the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah. Again the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.2 So the king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, Now go throughout all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people, that I may know the number of the people.3 And Joab said to the king, Now may the Lord your God add to the people a hundred times more than there are, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king desire this thing?4 Nevertheless the kings word prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the army. Therefore Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king to count the people of Israel.5 And they crossed over the Jordan and camped in Aroer, on the right side of the town which is in the midst of the ravine of Gad, and toward Jazer.6 Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim Hodshi; they came to Dan Jaan and around to Sidon;7 and they came to the stronghold of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went out to South Judah as far as 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 Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to the king. And there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

The Judgment on Davids Sin

10 And Davids heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the Lord, I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.11 Now when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, Davids seer, saying,12 Go and tell David, Thus says the Lord: I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you.13 So Gad came to David and told him; and he said to him, Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.14 And David said to Gad, I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.15 So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died.16 And when the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, It is enough; now restrain your hand. And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.17 Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, Surely I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my fathers house.

The Altar on the Threshing Floor

18 And Gad came that day to David and said to him, Go up, erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.19 So David, according to the word of Gad, went up as the Lord commanded.20 Now Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming toward him. So Araunah went out and bowed before the king with his face to the ground.21 Then Araunah said, Why has my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people.22 Now Araunah said to David, Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good to him. Look, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood.23 All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king. And Araunah said to the king, May the Lord your God accept you.24 Then the king said to Araunah, No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.25 And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel.

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.