1 GLT And an adversary stood against Israel, and he incited David to count Israel. BSB BSB: Then Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.
2 GLT And David said to Joab and to the chiefs of the people,“Go, count Israel from Beersheba and as far as Dan, and bring to me, that I may 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 GLT And Joab said,“May Yahweh add to his people like them 100 times. Are not, my lord the king, all of them servants to my lord? Why does my lord seek this? Why should it be guilt for 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 GLT But the word of the king was strong against Joab. So Joab went out and walked back and forth in all Israel. Then he 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 GLT And Joab gave the number of the numbering of the people to David. And all Israel was 1, 100, 000 men who drew the sword, and Judah, 470, 000 men who drew the 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 GLT But Levi and Benjamin he did not number in their midst, for the word of the king was abhorrent to Joab. BSB BSB: But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the count, because the king’s command was detestable to him.
7 GLT And it was evil in the eyes of God concerning this word, and he struck Israel. BSB BSB: This command was also evil in the sight of God; so He struck Israel.
8 GLT And David said to God,“I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing. And now please cause to pass the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted 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 GLT And Yahweh spoke to Gad, the seer of David, saying, BSB BSB: And the LORD instructed Gad, David’s seer,
10 GLT “Go and speak to David, saying,‘Thus says Yahweh, three I am stretching over you; choose for yourself one from them, and I will act towards 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.’”
11 GLT And Gad came to David, and he said to him,“Thus says Yahweh,‘Take for yourself: BSB BSB: So Gad went and said to David, “This is what the LORD says: ‘You must choose
12 GLT either three years famine, or three months being swept away from the faces of your foes and overtaken by the sword of your enemies, or three days of the sword of Yahweh, even pestilence in the land and the angel of Yahweh destroying in all the territory of Israel.’ And now, see; what word shall I bring back to the one who 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 GLT And David said to Gad,“There is great distress to me! Please let me fall into the hand of Yahweh, for many are his great mercies, but into the hand of man, do not let me fall.” 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.”
14 GLT And Yahweh gave a pestilence on Israel, and from Israel fell 70, 000 men. BSB BSB: So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead.
15 GLT And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy her. And when destroying, Yahweh saw, and he relented concerning the disaster. And he said to the angel who was destroying,“Enough! Now release your hand.” And the angel of Yahweh was standing at 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 GLT And David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of Yahweh standing between the earth and between the heavens and his sword drawn in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. And David fell, and the elders, covered in sackcloth, 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 GLT And David said to God,“Was it not I myself who said to count the people? And it is I who sinned, and I have surely done evil, but these sheep, what have they done? Yahweh my God, please let your hand be against me and against the house of my father, but not on your people a plague.” 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.”
18 GLT And the angel of Yahweh said to Gad to say to David that David should go up to raise an altar to Yahweh at 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 GLT So David went up at the word of Gad who spoke in the name of Yahweh. BSB BSB: So David went up at the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the LORD.
20 GLT And Ornan turned, and he saw the angel. And four of his sons with him were hiding themselves. And 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 GLT And David came to Ornan. And Ornan looked, and he saw David. And he went out from the threshing floor, and he bowed down to David, 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 GLT And David said to Ornan,“Give to me the place of the threshing floor, and I will build on it an altar to Yahweh. At the full price give it to me, so the plague may be restrained from against 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 GLT And Ornan said to David,“Take for yourself that my lord the king may do good in his eyes. See, I give the cattle for the burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for wood, and the wheat for the offering; all I give.” 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 GLT And King David said to Ornan,“No, for I will surely buy at the full price, for I will not lift up what is yours to Yahweh and offer a burnt offering without paying compensation.” 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 GLT And David gave to Ornan for the place 600 shekels of gold by weight. BSB BSB: So David paid Ornan six hundred shekels of gold for the site.
26 GLT And David built there an altar to Yahweh and he offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And he called to Yahweh, and he answered him with fire from the heavens on the altar of the 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 GLT And Yahweh spoke to the angel, and he returned his sword to its sheath. BSB BSB: Then the LORD spoke to the angel, who put his sword back into its sheath.
28 GLT At that time, when David saw that Yahweh had answered him at 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 GLT And the tabernacle of Yahweh which Moses made in the wilderness and the altar of the burnt offering at that time were at 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 GLT And David was not able to go to its face to seek God, for he was terrified from the faces of the sword of the angel of Yahweh. 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.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.