David’s Military Census (Exodus 30:11–16; 1 Chronicles 21:1–6)
1 ULT And the nose of Yahweh added to burn against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying,“Go, count Israel and Judah.” BSB BSB: Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He stirred up David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.”
2 ULT And the king said to Joab, the commander of the army that{ was} with him,“Go about, please, among all of the tribes of Israel, from Dan and to Beersheba, and muster the people, that I may know the number of the people.” BSB BSB: So the king said to Joab the commander of his army, who was with him, “Go now throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and register the troops, so that I may know their number.”
3 ULT And Joab said to the king,“Now may Yahweh your God add to the people like them and like them a hundred times, and may the eyes of my lord the king be seeing. But my lord the king, why does he delight in this matter?” BSB BSB: But Joab replied to the king, “May the LORD your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?”
4 ULT But the word of the king prevailed against Joab and over the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out to the face of the king to muster the people, Israel. BSB BSB: Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army departed from the presence of the king to register the troops of Israel.
5 ULT And they crossed the Jordan, and they camped at Aroer, south of the city that{ is} in the midst of the wadi, Gad and to Jazer. BSB BSB: They crossed the Jordan and camped near Aroer, south of the town in the middle of the valley, and proceeded toward Gad and Jazer.
6 ULT And they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim Hodshi. And they came to Dan Jaan, and around to Sidon. BSB BSB: Then they went to Gilead and the land of Tahtim-hodshi, and on to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon.
7 ULT And they came{ to} the fortress of Tyre and{ to} all of the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. And they went out to the Negev of Judah,{ to} Beersheba. BSB BSB: They went toward the fortress of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to the Negev of Judah, to Beersheba.
8 ULT So they went about in all of the land. And they came, at the end of nine months and twenty days,{ to} Jerusalem. BSB BSB: At the end of nine months and twenty days, having gone through the whole land, they returned to Jerusalem.
9 ULT And Joab gave the number of the mustering of the people to the king. And Israel was 800, 000 men of valor drawing the sword, and the men of Judah{ were} 500, 000 men. BSB BSB: And Joab reported to the king the total number of the troops. In Israel there were 800,000 men of valor who drew the sword, and in Judah there were 500,000.
Judgment for David’s Sin (1 Chronicles 21:7–13)
10 ULT But the heart of David struck him after this, he had counted the people. And David said to Yahweh,“I have sinned greatly{ by} what I have done. But now, Yahweh, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.” BSB BSB: After David had numbered the troops, his conscience was stricken and he said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, O LORD, I beg You to take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”
11 ULT And David arose in the morning, and the word of Yahweh was to Gad, the prophet, a seer of David, saying, BSB BSB: When David got up in the morning, the word of the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer:
12 ULT “Go, and you shall say to David,‘Thus says Yahweh,“Three I am lifting over you. Choose for yourself one from them, and I will do{ it} to you.”’” 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.’”
13 ULT And Gad came to David, and he declared to him. Then he said to him,“Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land, or three months of your fleeing to the face of your enemies and he is pursuing you, or three days of plague being in your land? Now, know and see what word I shall return{ to} the one having sent me.” BSB BSB: So Gad went and said to David, “Do you choose to endure three years of famine in your land, three months of fleeing the pursuit of your enemies, or three days of plague upon your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should reply to Him who sent me.”
14 ULT And David said to Gad,“Great distress{ is} to me. Please, let us fall into the hand of Yahweh, for his mercies{ are} many, but into the hand of man, do not let me fall.” BSB BSB: David answered Gad, “I am deeply distressed. Please, let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”
A Plague on Israel (1 Chronicles 21:14–17)
15 ULT And Yahweh caused a plague in Israel from the morning and until the time of appointment. And from the people, from Dan and to Beersheba, 70, 000 men died. BSB BSB: So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel from that morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.
16 ULT And the angel stretched out his hand{ against} Jerusalem to destroy it, but Yahweh relented concerning the harm. And he said to the angel, the destroyer among the many people,“Now lower your hand.” And the angel of Yahweh was near the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. BSB BSB: But when the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand now!” At that time the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
17 ULT And David spoke to Yahweh when he saw the angel, the striker among the people, and he said,“Behold, I, I have sinned, and I, I have committed iniquity. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, let your hand be against me and against the house of my father.” BSB BSB: When David saw the angel striking down the people, he said to the LORD, “Surely I, the shepherd, have sinned and acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, let Your hand fall upon me and my father’s house.”
David Builds an Altar (1 Chronicles 21:18–30)
18 ULT And Gad came to David on that day, and he said to him,“Go up, set up an altar for Yahweh on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” BSB BSB: And that day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
19 ULT So David went up according to the word of Gad, just as Yahweh had commanded. BSB BSB: So David went up at the word of Gad, just as the LORD had commanded.
20 ULT And Araunah looked down, and he saw the king and his servants coming over to him. And Araunah went out, and he prostrated himself to the king, his nose to the ground. BSB BSB: When Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, he went out and bowed facedown before the king.
21 ULT And Araunah said,“Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” And David said,“To buy from you the threshing floor to build an altar for Yahweh, that the plague may be restrained from against the people.” BSB BSB: “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” Araunah said. “To buy your threshing floor,” David replied, “that I may build an altar to the LORD, so that the plague upon the people may be halted.”
22 ULT And Araunah said to David,“May my lord the king take and offer up the good in his eyes. See, the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing instruments and the equipment of the oxen for wood. BSB BSB: Araunah said to David, “May my lord the king take whatever seems good to him and offer it up. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.
23 ULT Everything, Araunah gives, O king, to the king.” And Araunah said to the king,“May Yahweh your God be pleased with you.” BSB BSB: O king, Araunah gives all these to the king.” He also said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.”
24 ULT And the king said to Araunah,“No, but buying, I will buy{ it} from you for a price. For I will not offer to Yahweh my God burnt offerings for nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for silver, 50 shekels. BSB BSB: “No,” replied the king, “I insist on paying a price, for I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
25 ULT And David built an altar there for Yahweh, and he offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And Yahweh was entreated for the land, and the plague was restrained from against Israel. BSB BSB: And there he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then the LORD answered the prayers on behalf of the land, and the plague upon Israel was halted.
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