1 A nd there standeth up an adversary against Israel, and persuadeth David to number Israel,

Satan stood up against Israel and stirred up David to number Israel.

2 A nd 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.'

David said to Joab and the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me the total, that I may know it.

3 A nd 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?'

And Joab answered, May the Lord multiply His people a hundred times! But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why then does my lord require this? Why will he bring guilt upon Israel?

4 A nd 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.

But the king’s word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem.

5 A nd 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.

Joab gave the total number of the people to David. And all of Israel were 1, 100, 000 who drew the sword, and of Judah 470, 000 who drew the sword.

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

But Levi and Benjamin he did not include among them, for the king’s order was detestable to Joab.

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

And God was displeased with this, and He smote Israel.

8 a nd 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.'

And David said to God, I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. But now, I beseech You, take away the hateful wickedness of Your servant; for I have done very foolishly.

9 A nd Jehovah speaketh unto Gad, seer of David, saying:

And the Lord said to Gad, David’s seer,

10 ` 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.'

Go and tell David, Thus says the Lord: I offer you three things; choose one of them, that I may do it to you.

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

So Gad came to David and said to him, Thus says the Lord: Take which one you will:

12 e ither 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?'

Either three years of famine, or three months of devastation before your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of the Lord and pestilence in the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the borders of Israel. Now therefore, consider what answer I shall return to Him Who sent me.

13 A nd 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.'

And David said to Gad, I am in great and distressing perplexity; let me fall, I pray you, into the hands of the Lord, for very great and many are His mercies; but let me not fall into the hands of man.

14 A nd Jehovah giveth a pestilence in Israel, and there fall of Israel seventy thousand men,

So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel, and there fell of Israel 70, 000 men.

15 a nd 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,

God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, and as he was destroying, the Lord beheld, and He regretted and relented of the evil and said to the destroying angel, It is enough; now stay your hand. And the angel of the Lord stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

16 a nd 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.

David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and the heavens, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.

17 A nd 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.'

And David said to God, Is it not I who commanded the people to be numbered? It is I who has sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray You, O Lord my God, be on me and on my father’s house, but not on Your people, that they should be plagued.

18 A nd 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.'

Then the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David that David should go up and set up an altar to the Lord in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

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

So David went up at Gad’s word, which he spoke in the name of the Lord.

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

Now Ornan was threshing wheat, and he turned back and saw the angel; and his four sons hid themselves.

21 A nd 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.

And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw him, and went out from the threshing floor and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.

22 A nd 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.'

Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the site of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar on it to the Lord. You shall charge me the full price for it, that the plague may be averted from the people.

23 A nd 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.'

Ornan said to David, Take it; and let my lord the king do what is good in his eyes. I give you the oxen also for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for wood and the wheat for the meal offering. I give it all.

24 A nd 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.'

And King David said to Ornan, No, but I will pay the full price. I will not take what is yours for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings which cost me nothing.

25 A nd David giveth to Ornan for the place shekels of gold weight six hundred;

So David gave to Ornan for the site 600 shekels of gold by weight.

26 a nd 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.

And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings and called upon the Lord; and He answered him by fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering.

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

Then the Lord commanded the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.

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

When David saw that the Lord had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there.

29 a nd 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;

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

30 a nd 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.

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