David’s Military Census (Exodus 30:11–16; 2 Samuel 24:1–9)
1 Brenton And the devil stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel. BSB BSB: Then Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.
2 Brenton And king David said to Joab and to the captains of the forces, Go, number Israel from Bersabee even to Dan, and bring me the account , and I shall know their number. BSB BSB: So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan and bring me a report, so that I may know their number.”
3 Brenton And Joab said, May the Lord add to his people, a hundred-fold as many as they are , and let the eyes of my lord the king see it : all are the servants of my lord. Why does my lord seek this thing? do it not , lest it become a sin to Israel. BSB BSB: But Joab replied, “May the LORD multiply His troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all servants of my lord? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”
4 Brenton Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab; and Joab went out and passed through all Israel, and came to Jerusalem. BSB BSB: Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and traveled throughout Israel, and then he returned to Jerusalem.
5 Brenton And Joab gave the number of the mustering of the people to David: and all Israel was a million and a hundred thousand men that drew sword: and the sons of Juda were four hundred and seventy thousand men that drew sword. BSB BSB: And Joab reported to David the total number of the troops. In all Israel there were 1,100,000 men who drew the sword, including 470,000 in Judah.
6 Brenton But he numbered not Levi and Benjamin among them; for the word of the king was painful to Joab. BSB BSB: But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the count, because the king’s command was detestable to him.
Judgment for David’s Sin (2 Samuel 24:10–14)
7 Brenton And there was evil in the sight of the Lord respecting this thing; and he smote Israel. BSB BSB: This command was also evil in the sight of God; so He struck Israel.
8 Brenton And David said to God, I have sinned exceedingly, in that I have done this thing: and now, I pray thee, remove the sin of thy servant; for I have been exceedingly foolish. BSB BSB: Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. Now I beg You to take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
9 Brenton And the Lord spoke to Gad the seer, saying, BSB BSB: And the LORD instructed Gad, David’s seer,
10 Brenton Go and speak to David, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I bring three things upon thee: choose one of them for thyself, and I will do it to thee. BSB BSB: “Go and tell David that this is what the LORD says: ‘I am offering you three options. Choose one of them, and I will carry it out against you.’”
11 Brenton And Gad came to David, and said to him, Thus saith the Lord, Choose for thyself, BSB BSB: So Gad went and said to David, “This is what the LORD says: ‘You must choose
12 Brenton either three years of famine, or that thou shouldest flee three months from the face of thine enemies, and the sword of thine enemies shall be employed to destroy thee, or that the sword of the Lord and pestilence should be three days in the land, and the angel of the Lord shall be destroying in all the inheritance of Israel. And now consider what I shall answer to him that sent the message. BSB BSB: between three years of famine, three months of being swept away before your enemies and overtaken by their swords, or three days of the sword of the LORD—days of plague upon the land, with the angel of the LORD ravaging every part of Israel.’ Now then, decide how I should reply to Him who sent me.”
13 Brenton And David said to Gad, They are very hard for me, even all the three: let me fall now into the hands of the Lord, for his mercies are very abundant, and let me not fall by any means into the hands of man. BSB BSB: David answered Gad, “I am deeply distressed. Please, let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”
A Plague on Israel (2 Samuel 24:15–17)
14 Brenton So the Lord brought pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men. BSB BSB: So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead.
15 Brenton And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the Lord saw, and repented for the evil, and said to the angel that was destroying, Let it suffice thee; withhold thine hand. And the angel of the Lord stood by the threshing-floor of Orna the Jebusite. BSB BSB: Then God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem, but as the angel was doing so, the LORD saw it and relented from the calamity, and He said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand now!” At that time the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
16 Brenton And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the Lord, standing between the earth and the heaven, and his sword drawn in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem: and David and the elders clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces. BSB BSB: When David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem, David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown.
17 Brenton And David said to God, Was it not I that gave orders to number the people? and I am the guilty one; I have greatly sinned: but these sheep, what have they done? O Lord God, let thy hand be upon me, and upon my father's house, and not on thy people for destruction, O Lord! BSB BSB: And David said to God, “Was it not I who gave the order to count the people? I am the one who has sinned and acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? O LORD my God, please let Your hand fall upon me and my father’s house, but do not let this plague remain upon Your people.”
David Builds an Altar (2 Samuel 24:18–25)
18 Brenton And the angel of the Lord told Gad to tell David, that he should go up to erect an altar to the Lord, in the threshing-floor of Orna the Jebusite. BSB BSB: Then the angel of the LORD ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19 Brenton And David went up according to the word of Gad, which he spoke in the name of the Lord. BSB BSB: So David went up at the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the LORD.
20 Brenton And Orna turned and saw the king; and he hid himself and his four sons with him. Now Orna was threshing wheat. BSB BSB: Now Ornan was threshing wheat when he turned and saw the angel; and his four sons who were with him hid themselves.
21 Brenton And David came to Orna; and Orna came forth from the threshing-floor, and did obeisance to David with his face to the ground. BSB BSB: David came to Ornan, and when Ornan looked out and saw David, he left the threshing floor and bowed facedown before David.
22 Brenton And David said to Orna, Give me thy place of the threshing-floor, and I will build upon it an altar to the Lord: give it me for its worth in money, and the plague shall cease from among the people. BSB BSB: Then David said to Ornan, “Grant me the site of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar to the LORD. Sell it to me for the full price, so that the plague upon the people may be halted.”
23 Brenton And Orna said to David, Take it to thyself, and let my lord the king do what is right in his eyes: see, I have given the calves for a whole-burnt-offering, and the plough for wood, and the corn for a meat-offering; I have given all. BSB BSB: Ornan said to David, “Take it! May my lord the king do whatever seems good to him. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering—I will give it all.”
24 Brenton And king David said to Orna, Nay; for I will surely buy it for its worth in money: for I will not take thy property for the Lord, to offer a whole-burnt-offering to the Lord without cost to myself . BSB BSB: “No,” replied King David, “I insist on paying the full price, for I will not take for the LORD what belongs to you, nor will I offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”
25 Brenton And David gave to Orna for his place six hundred shekels of gold by weight. BSB BSB: So David paid Ornan six hundred shekels of gold for the site.
26 Brenton And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered up whole-burnt-offerings and peace-offerings: and he cried to the Lord, and he answered him by fire out of heaven on the altar of whole-burnt-offerings, and it consumed the whole-burnt-offering. BSB BSB: And there he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. He called upon the LORD, who answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.
27 Brenton And the Lord spoke to the angel; and he put up the sword into its sheath. BSB BSB: Then the LORD spoke to the angel, who put his sword back into its sheath.
28 Brenton At that time when David saw that the Lord answered him in the threshing-floor of Orna the Jebusite, he also sacrificed there. BSB BSB: At that time, when David saw that the LORD had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he offered sacrifices there.
29 Brenton And the tabernacle of the Lord which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of whole-burnt-offerings, were at that time in the high place at Gabaon. BSB BSB: For the tabernacle of the LORD that Moses had made in the wilderness and the altar of burnt offering were presently at the high place in Gibeon,
30 Brenton And David could not go before it to enquire of God; for he hasted not because of the sword of the angel of the Lord. BSB BSB: but David could not go before it to inquire of God, because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD.
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