1 A gain the anger of the Lord burned against Israel. He moved David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.”

And again the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them saying, Go, number Israel and Judah.

2 S o the king said to Joab the captain of the army who was with him, “Go through all the families of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba. Number the people, so I may know how many there are.”

And the king said to Joab the captain of the host, who was with him, Go, I pray thee, through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, and count the people, that I may know the number of the people.

3 B ut Joab said to the king, “May the Lord your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are. And may it be while the eyes of my lord the king still see. But why does my lord the king find this thing pleasing?”

And Joab said to the king, May Jehovah thy God even add to the people, how many soever they be, a hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the king may see; but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?

4 B ut the king’s word was stronger than Joab and the captains of the army. So Joab and the army leaders went out from the king to number the people of Israel.

But the king's word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the army. And Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king to count the people of Israel.

5 T hey crossed the Jordan and stopped at Aroer, on the south side of the city in the center of the valley of Gad. And they went on to Jazer.

And they passed over the Jordan, and encamped in Aroer, on the right side of the city that is in the midst of the ravine of Gad, and toward Jaazer.

6 T hen they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtimhodshi. They came to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon.

And they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtim-hodshi; and came to Dan-jaan, and to the environs of Sidon;

7 T hey came to the strong place of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. And they went out to the south of Judah, to Beersheba.

and they came to the fortified city of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites and of the Canaanites; and went out to the south of Judah, to Beer-sheba.

8 W hen they had gone through the whole land, they came to Jerusalem. They had traveled nine months and twenty days.

And they went through all the land, and came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

9 A nd Joab gave the number of the people to the king. There were 800, 000 strong men in Israel who used the sword, and 500, 000 men of Judah. David’s Sin

And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to the king; and there were of Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

10 D avid’s heart troubled him after he had numbered the people. So he said to the Lord, “I have sinned. But now I beg you, O Lord. Take away the sin of Your servant, for I have acted like a fool.”

And David's heart smote him after he had numbered the people. And David said to Jehovah, I have sinned greatly in what I have done; and now, I beseech thee, Jehovah, put away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.

11 W hen David got up in the morning, the word of the Lord came to Gad, the one who spoke for God to David. The Lord said,

And when David arose in the morning, the word of Jehovah came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,

12 “ Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: “I give you three things to choose from. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.”’”

Go and say to David, Thus saith Jehovah: I impose on thee three; choose one of them that I may do it unto thee.

13 S o Gad came to David and told him, and said, “Will you have seven years without food in your land? Or will you run from those who hate you for three months, while they come after you? Or will there be disease in your land for three days? Now think about it. Decide what answer I should return to Him Who sent me.”

And Gad came to David, and told him, and said to him, Shall seven years of famine come to thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine adversaries while they pursue thee? or shall there be three days' pestilence in thy land? Now be aware and consider what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.

14 D avid said to Gad, “I am in much trouble. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His loving-kindness is great. But do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

And David said to Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall, I pray thee, into the hand of Jehovah; for his mercies are great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.

15 S o the Lord sent a disease upon Israel from the morning until the time given. And 70, 000 men died, from Dan to Beersheba.

And Jehovah sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the set time; and there died of the people from Dan even to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men.

16 T he angel put out his hand to destroy Jerusalem. But the Lord had pity on them because of their trouble. He said to the angel who destroyed the people, “It is enough! Do no more!” The angel of the Lord was by the grain-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

And the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it; but Jehovah repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed among the people, It is enough: withdraw now thine hand. And the angel of Jehovah was by the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

17 W hen David saw the angel who was killing the people, he said to the Lord, “See, it is I who have sinned. It is I who have done wrong. But these sheep, what have they done? I beg You, let Your hand be against me and my father’s family.”

And David spoke to Jehovah when he saw the angel that smote among the people, and said, Behold, it is I that have sinned, and it is I that have committed iniquity; but these sheep, what have they done? let thy hand, I pray thee, be on me, and on my father's house!

18 T hen Gad came to David and said, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the grain-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”

And Gad came that day to David, and said to him, Go up, rear an altar to Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

19 S o David went up at Gad’s word, just as the Lord had told him.

And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as Jehovah had commanded.

20 A raunah looked, and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him. And he went out and put his face to the ground in front of the king.

And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on towards him; and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.

21 A raunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David answered, “To buy the grain-floor from you, to build an altar to the Lord. Then the disease may be kept away from the people.”

And Araunah said, Why is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshing-floor of thee, to build an altar to Jehovah, that the plague may be stayed from the people.

22 A raunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever is good in his eyes, and make a gift of it. Look, there are the bulls for the burnt gift. The tools for cleaning the grain, and the cross-pieces the bulls wear to pull loads, can be used for the wood.

And Araunah said to David, Let my lord the king take and offer up that which is good in his sight: see, oxen for the burnt-offering, and the threshing-sledges and implements of the oxen for wood.

23 A raunah gives all this to the king.” And Araunah said, “May the Lord your God be pleased with your gift.”

All these things, O king, doth Araunah give to the king. And Araunah said to the king, Jehovah thy God accept thee.

24 B ut the king said to Araunah, “No, I will buy it from you for a price. I will not give burnt gifts to the Lord my God which I do not pay for.” So David bought the grain-floor and the bulls for fifty pieces of silver.

And the king said to Araunah, No; but I will in any case buy of thee at a price: neither will I offer up to Jehovah my God burnt-offerings without cost. And David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

25 A nd David built an altar there to the Lord. He gave burnt gifts and peace gifts. So the Lord listened to the prayers for the land, and stopped the disease in Israel.

And David built there an altar to Jehovah, and offered up burnt-offerings and peace-offerings. And Jehovah was propitious to the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.