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

Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved 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.'

So David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, “ Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan, and bring me word that I may know their number.”

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?'

Joab said, “ May the Lord add to His people a hundred times as many as they are! But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord seek this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt to 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.

Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Therefore, 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 number of the census of all the people to David. And all Israel were 1, 100, 000 men who drew the sword; and Judah was 470, 000 men 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 he did not number Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king’s command was abhorrent to Joab.

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

God was displeased with this thing, so He struck 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.'

David said to God, “I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing. But now, please take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”

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

The Lord spoke to Gad, David’s seer, saying,

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 speak to David, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord, “I offer you three things; choose for yourself one of them, which I will do 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 for yourself

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 to be swept away before your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of the Lord, even pestilence in the land, and the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory 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.'

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.”

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

So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel; 70, 000 men of Israel fell.

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,

And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but as he was about to destroy it, the Lord saw and was sorry over the calamity, and said to the destroying angel, “It is enough; now relax your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was standing 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.

Then David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, with his drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, covered with sackcloth, fell on 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.'

David said to God, “Is it not I who commanded to count the people? Indeed, I am the one who has sinned and done very wickedly, but these sheep, what have they done? O Lord my God, please let Your hand be against me and my father’s household, but not against Your people that they should be plagued.” David’s Altar

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 build an altar to the Lord on 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 the word of Gad, 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 turned back and saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. And Ornan was threshing wheat.

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.

As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out from the threshing floor and prostrated himself before 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, “Give me the site of this threshing floor, that I may build on it an altar to the Lord; for the full price you shall give it to me, that the plague may be restrained 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 for yourself; and let my lord the king do what is good in his sight. See, I will give the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for wood and the wheat for the grain offering; I will 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.'

But 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, or offer a burnt offering which costs me nothing.”

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

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

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.

Then David built an altar to the Lord there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And he called to the Lord and He answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.

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

The Lord commanded the angel, and he put his sword back in 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;

At that time, when David saw that the Lord had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he offered sacrifice 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 had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were in the high place at Gibeon at that time.

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 terrified by the sword of the angel of the Lord.