David Counts the People
(1 Chronicles 21.1-6)1 The Lord was angry with Israel again, and he made David think it would be a good idea to count the people in Israel and Judah. 2 So David told Joab and the army officers, “Go to every tribe in Israel, from the town of Dan in the north all the way south to Beersheba, and count everyone who can serve in the army. I want to know how many there are.”
3 Joab answered, “I hope the Lord your God will give you 100 times more soldiers than you already have. I hope you will live to see that day! But why do you want to do a thing like this?”
4 But when David refused to change his mind, Joab and the army officers went out and started counting the people. 5 They crossed the Jordan River and began with Aroer and the town in the middle of the river valley. From there they went toward Gad and on as far as Jazer. 6 They went to Gilead and to Kadesh in Syria. Then they went to Dan, Ijon, and on toward Sidon. 7 They came to the fortress of Tyre, then went through every town of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Finally, they went to Beersheba in the Southern Desert of Judah. 8 After they had gone through the whole land, they went back to Jerusalem. It had taken them 9 months and 20 days.
9 Joab came and told David, “In Israel there are 800,000 who can serve in the army, and in Judah there are 500,000.”
The Lord Punishes David
(1 Chronicles 21.7-17)10 After everyone had been counted, David realized he had done wrong. He told the Lord, “What I did was stupid and terribly wrong. Lord, please forgive me.”
11 Before David even got up the next morning, the Lord had told David's prophet Gad 12-13 to take a message to David. Gad went to David and told him:
You must choose one of three ways for the Lord to punish you: Will there be seven years when the land won't grow enough food for your people? Or will your enemies chase you and make you run from them for three months? Or will there be three days of horrible disease in your land? Think about it and decide, because I have to give your answer to God, who sent me.
14 David was really frightened and said, “It's a terrible choice to make! But the Lord is kind, and I'd rather be punished by him than by anyone else.”
15-16 So that morning, the Lord sent an angel to spread a horrible disease everywhere in Israel, from Dan to Beersheba. And before it was over, 70,000 people had died.
When the angel was about to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord felt sorry for all the suffering he had caused and told the angel, “That's enough! Don't touch them.” This happened at the threshing place that belonged to Araunah the Jebusite.
17 David saw the angel killing everyone and told the Lord, “These people are like sheep with me as their shepherd. I have sinned terribly, but they have done nothing wrong. Please, punish me and my family instead of them!”
David Buys Araunah's Threshing Place
(1 Chronicles 21.18—22.1)18-19 That same day the prophet Gad came and told David, “Go to the threshing place that belongs to Araunah and build an altar there for the Lord.”
So David went.
20 Araunah looked and saw David and his soldiers coming up toward him. He went over to David, bowed down low, 21 and said, “Your Majesty! Why have you come to see me?”
David answered, “I've come to buy your threshing place. I have to build the Lord an altar here, so this disease will stop killing the people.”
22 Araunah said, “Take whatever you want and offer your sacrifice. Here are some oxen for the sacrifice. You can use the threshing-boards and the wooden yokes for the fire. 23 Take them—they're yours! I hope the Lord your God will be pleased with you.”
24 But David answered, “No! I have to pay you what they're worth. I can't offer the Lord my God a sacrifice that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing place and the oxen for 50 pieces of silver. 25 Then he built an altar for the Lord. He offered sacrifices to please the Lord and to ask for his blessings.
The Lord answered the prayers of the people, and no one else died from the terrible disease.
1 And the wrath of the Lord was againe kindled against Israel, and he moued Dauid against them, in that he saide, Goe, number Israel and Iudah. 2 For the King said to Ioab the captaine of the hoste, which was with him, Goe speedily now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan euen to Beer-sheba, and nomber ye the people, that I may knowe the nomber of the people. 3 And Ioab saide vnto the King, The Lord thy God increase the people an hundreth folde more then they be, and that the eyes of my lorde the King may see it: but why doeth my lord the King desire this thing? 4 Notwithstanding the Kings worde preuailed against Ioab and against the captaines of the hoste: therefore Ioab and the captaines of the hoste went out from the presence of the King to nomber the people of Israel. 5 And they passed ouer Iorden, and pitched in Aroer at the right side of the citie that is in the middes of the valley of Gad and toward Iazer. 6 Then they came to Gilead, and to Tahtim-hodshi, so they came to Dan Iaan, and so about to Zidon, 7 And came to the fortresse of Tyrus and to all the cities of the Hiuites and of the Canaanites, and went towarde the South of Iudah, euen to Beer-sheba. 8 So when they had gone about all the lande, they returned to Ierusalem at the ende of nine moneths and twentie dayes. 9 And Ioab deliuered the nomber and summe of the people vnto the King: and there were in Israel eight hundreth thousande strong men that drewe swordes, and the men of Iudah were fiue hundreth thousand men. 10 Then Dauids heart smote him, after that he had numbred the people: and Dauid said vnto the Lord, I haue sinned exceedingly in that I haue done: therefore nowe, Lord, I beseech thee, take away the trespasse of thy seruant: for I haue done very foolishly. 11 And when Dauid was vp in the morning, the worde of the Lord came vnto the Prophet Gad Dauids Seer, saying, 12 Go, and say vnto Dauid, Thus saith ye Lord, I offer thee three thinges, chuse thee which of them I shall doe vnto thee. 13 So Gad came to Dauid, and shewed him, and said vnto him, Wilt thou that seuen yeeres famine come vpon thee in thy lande, or wilt thou flee three moneths before thine enemies, they following thee, or that there bee three dayes pestilence in thy land? nowe aduise thee, and see, what answere I shall giue to him that sent me. 14 And Dauid said vnto Gad, I am in a wonderfull strait: let vs fall nowe into the hand of the Lord, (for his mercies are great) and let mee not fall into the hand of man. 15 So the Lord sent a pestilece in Israel, from the morning euen to the time appointed: and there dyed of the people from Dan euen to Beer-sheba seuentie thousand men. 16 And when the Angel stretched out his hande vpon Ierusalem to destroy it, the Lord repented of the euil, and said to the Angel that destroyed the people, It is sufficient, holde nowe thine hand. And the Angel of the Lord was by the threshing place of Araunah the Iebusite. 17 And Dauid spake vnto the Lord (when he sawe the Angel that smote the people) and saide, Behold, I haue sinned, yea, I haue done wickedly: but these sheepe, what haue they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against mee and against my fathers house. 18 So Gad came the same day to Dauid, and said vnto him, Go vp, reare an altar vnto the Lord in the threshing floore of Araunah the Iebusite. 19 And Dauid (according to the saying of Gad) went vp, as the Lord had commanded. 20 And Araunah looked, and sawe the King and his seruants comming towarde him, and Araunah went out, and bowed himselfe before the King on his face to the ground, 21 And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the King come to his seruant? Then Dauid answered, To bye the threshing floore of thee for to builde an altar vnto the Lord, that the plague may cease from the people. 22 Then Araunah saide vnto Dauid, Let my lord the King take and offer what seemeth him good in his eyes: beholde the oxen for the burnt offring, and charets, and the instruments of the oxen for wood. 23 (All these things did Araunah as a King giue vnto the King: and Araunah saide vnto the King, The Lord thy God be fauourable vnto thee) 24 Then the King saide vnto Araunah, Not so, but I will bye it of thee at a price, and will not offer burnt offring vnto ye Lord my God of that which doeth cost me nothing. So Dauid bought the threshing floore, and the oxen for fiftie shekels of siluer. 25 And Dauid built there an altar vnto the Lord, and offred burnt offrings and peace offrings, and the Lord was appeased toward ye lande, and the plague ceased from Israel.