David’s Military Census (Exodus 30:11–16; 2 Samuel 24:1–9)
1 DBY And Satan 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 DBY And David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, Go, number Israel from Beer-sheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it. 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 DBY And Joab said, Jehovah add to his people, how many soever they be, a hundredfold: are they not all, my lord O king, my lord's servants? why does my lord require this thing? why should he become a trespass 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 DBY But the king's word prevailed against Joab; and Joab departed, and went through all Israel, and came again 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 DBY And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David. And all they of Israel were eleven hundred thousand men that drew sword; and of Judah, 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 DBY But Levi and Benjamin he did not count among them; for the king's word was abominable 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 DBY And God was displeased on account of this thing, and he smote Israel. BSB BSB: This command was also evil in the sight of God; so He struck Israel.
8 DBY And David said to God, I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing; and now, I beseech thee, put away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly. 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 DBY And Jehovah spoke to Gad, David's seer, saying, BSB BSB: And the LORD instructed Gad, David’s seer,
10 DBY Go and speak to David saying, Thus saith Jehovah: I offer thee three things ; choose one of them, that I may do it unto 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 DBY And Gad came to David, and said to him, Thus saith Jehovah: BSB BSB: So Gad went and said to David, “This is what the LORD says: ‘You must choose
12 DBY Choose thee, either three years of famine, or three months to be destroyed before thine adversaries while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee, or three days the sword of Jehovah and the pestilence in the land, and the angel of Jehovah destroying through all the borders of Israel. And now consider what word I shall bring again to him that sent me. 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 DBY And David said to Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall, I pray thee, into the hand of Jehovah, for his mercies are very great; but let me not fall into the hand 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 DBY And Jehovah sent a 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 DBY And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; and as he was destroying, Jehovah beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough; withdraw now thine hand. And the angel of Jehovah stood by the threshing-floor of Ornan 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 DBY And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of Jehovah stand between the earth and the heavens, and his sword drawn in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem. And David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on 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 DBY And David said to God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? It is I that have sinned and done evil; but these sheep, what have they done? Let thy hand, I pray thee, Jehovah my God, be on me and on my father's house; but not on thy people, that they should be smitten. 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 DBY And the angel of Jehovah commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up and rear an altar to Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Ornan 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 DBY And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he had spoken in the name of Jehovah. BSB BSB: So David went up at the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the LORD.
20 DBY And Ornan turned back and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan 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 DBY And David came to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshing-floor, and bowed himself 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 DBY And David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of the threshing-floor, that I may build an altar in it to Jehovah: grant it to me for the full money, that the plague may be stayed from 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 DBY And Ornan said to David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his sight: see, I give the oxen for the burnt-offering, and the threshing-sledges for wood, and the wheat for the oblation; I give it 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 DBY And king David said to Ornan, No; but I will in any case buy them for the full money; for I will not take that which is thine for Jehovah, to offer up a burnt-offering without cost. 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 DBY And David gave to Ornan for the place in shekels of gold the weight of six hundred shekels . BSB BSB: So David paid Ornan six hundred shekels of gold for the site.
26 DBY And David built there an altar to Jehovah, and offered up burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, and called upon Jehovah; and he answered him from the heavens by fire upon the altar of 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 DBY And Jehovah spoke to the angel; and he put up his sword again into its sheath. BSB BSB: Then the LORD spoke to the angel, who put his sword back into its sheath.
28 DBY At that time when David saw that Jehovah had answered him in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he 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 DBY And the tabernacle of Jehovah, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt-offering, were at that time in the high place at Gibeon. 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 DBY But David could not go before it to inquire of God; for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of Jehovah. 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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