1 N ow Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.

And there standeth up an adversary against Israel, and persuadeth David to number Israel,

2 S o David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, “Go, number Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and bring the number of them to me that I may know it. ”

And David saith unto Joab, and unto the heads of the people, `Go, number Israel from Beer-Sheba even unto Dan, and bring unto me, and I know their number.'

3 A nd Joab answered, “May the Lord make His people a hundred times more than they are. But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt in Israel?”

And Joab saith, `Jehovah doth add to His people as they are a hundred times; are they not, my lord, O king, all of them to my lord for servants? why doth my lord seek this? why is he for a cause of guilt to Israel?'

4 N evertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Therefore Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem.

And the word of the king severe against Joab, and Joab goeth out, and goeth up and down in all Israel, and cometh in to Jerusalem.

5 T hen Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David. All Israel had one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and Judah had four hundred and seventy thousand men who drew the sword.

And Joab giveth the account of the numbering of the people unto David, and all Israel is a thousand thousand and a hundred thousand, each drawing sword, and Judah four hundred and seventy thousand, each drawing sword.

6 B ut he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king’s word was abominable to Joab.

And Levi and Benjamin he hath not numbered in their midst, for the word of the king was abominable with Joab.

7 A nd God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel.

And it is evil in the eyes of God concerning this thing, and He smiteth Israel,

8 S o David said to God, “I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing; but now, I pray, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”

and David saith unto God, `I have sinned exceedingly, in that I have done this thing; and now, cause to pass away, I pray Thee, the iniquity of Thy servant, for I have acted very foolishly.'

9 T hen the Lord spoke to Gad, David’s seer, saying,

And Jehovah speaketh unto Gad, seer of David, saying:

10 “ Go and tell David, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you.”’”

`Go, and thou hast spoken unto David, saying, Thus said Jehovah, Three -- I am stretching out unto thee; choose for thee one of these, and I do to thee.'

11 S o Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Choose for yourself,

And Gad cometh in unto David, and saith to him, `Thus said Jehovah, Take for thee --

12 e ither three years of famine, or three months to be defeated by your foes with the sword of your enemies overtaking you, or else for three days the sword of the Lord —the plague in the land, with the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ Now consider what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.”

either for three years -- famine, or three months to be consumed from the face of thine adversaries, even the sword of thine enemies to overtake, or three days the sword of Jehovah, even pestilence in the land, and a messenger of Jehovah destroying in all the border of Israel; and now, see; what word do I return to Him who is sending me?'

13 A nd David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Please let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

And David saith unto Gad, `I am greatly distressed, let me fall, I pray thee, into the hand of Jehovah, for very many His mercies, and into the hand of man let me not fall.'

14 S o the Lord sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell.

And Jehovah giveth a pestilence in Israel, and there fall of Israel seventy thousand men,

15 A nd God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was destroying, the Lord looked and relented of the disaster, and said to the angel who was destroying, “It is enough; now restrain your hand.” And the angel of the Lord stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

and God sendeth a messenger to Jerusalem to destroy it, and as he is destroying Jehovah hath seen, and is comforted concerning the evil, and saith to the messenger who destroying, `Enough, now, cease thy hand.' And the messenger of Jehovah is standing by the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite,

16 T hen David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, having in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. So David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces.

and David lifteth up his eyes, and seeth the messenger of Jehovah standing between the earth and the heavens, and his sword drawn in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem, and David falleth, and the elders, covered with sackcloth, on their faces.

17 A nd David said to God, “Was it not I who commanded the people to be numbered? I am the one who has sinned and done evil indeed; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, O Lord my God, be against me and my father’s house, but not against Your people that they should be plagued.”

And David saith unto God, `Did not I -- I say to number the people? Yea, I it who have sinned, and done great evil: and these, the flock, what did they? O Jehovah, my God, let, I pray Thee, Thy hand be on me, and on the house of my father, and not on Thy people -- to be plagued.'

18 T herefore, the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David that David should go and erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

And the messenger of Jehovah spake unto Gad, saying for David, `Surely David doth go up to raise an altar to Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.'

19 S o David went up at the word of Gad, which he had spoken in the name of the Lord.

And David goeth up by the word of Gad, that he spake in the name of Jehovah.

20 N ow Ornan turned and saw the angel; and his four sons who were with him hid themselves, but Ornan continued threshing wheat.

And Ornan turneth back, and seeth the messenger, and his four sons with him, hiding themselves, and Ornan is threshing wheat.

21 S o David came to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw David. And he went out from the threshing floor, and bowed before David with his face to the ground.

And David cometh in unto Ornan, and Ornan looketh attentively, and seeth David, and goeth out from the threshing-floor, and boweth himself to David -- face to the earth.

22 T hen David said to Ornan, “Grant me the place of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar on it to the Lord. You shall grant it to me at the full price, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people.”

And David saith unto Ornan, `Give to me the place of the threshing-floor, and I build in it an altar to Jehovah; for full silver give it to me, and the plague is restrained from the people.'

23 B ut Ornan said to David, “Take it to yourself, and let my lord the king do what is good in his eyes. Look, I also give you the oxen for burnt offerings, the threshing implements for wood, and the wheat for the grain offering; I give it all.”

And Ornan saith unto David, `Take to thee -- and my lord the king doth that which is good in his eyes: see, I have given the oxen for burnt-offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for a present; the whole I have given.'

24 T hen King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings with that which costs me nothing.”

And king David saith to Ornan, `Nay, for I surely buy for full silver; for I do not lift up that which is thine to Jehovah, so as to offer a burnt-offering without cost.'

25 S o David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the place.

And David giveth to Ornan for the place shekels of gold weight six hundred;

26 A nd David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called on the Lord; and He answered him from heaven by fire on the altar of burnt offering.

and David buildeth there an altar to Jehovah, and offereth burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, and calleth unto Jehovah, and He answereth him with fire from the heavens on the altar of the burnt-offering.

27 S o the Lord commanded the angel, and he returned his sword to its sheath.

And Jehovah saith to the messenger, and he turneth back his sword unto its sheath.

28 A t that time, when David saw that the Lord had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there.

At that time when David seeth that Jehovah hath answered him in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificeth there;

29 F or the tabernacle of the Lord and the altar of the burnt offering, which Moses had made in the wilderness, were at that time at the high place in Gibeon.

and the tabernacle of Jehovah that Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt-offering, at that time in a high place, in Gibeon;

30 B ut David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord.

and David is not able to go before it to seek God, for he hath been afraid because of the sword of the messenger of Jehovah.