1 WYC And the strong veniaunce of the Lord addide to be wrooth ayens Israel, and he stiride in hem Dauid, seiynge to Joab, Go thou, and noumbre thou Israel and Juda. 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 WYC And the kyng seide to Joab, the prince of his oost, Go thou bi alle lynagis of Israel fro Dan `til to Bersabee, and noumbre thou the puple, that Y wite the noumbre therof. 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 WYC And Joab seide to the kyng, Thi Lord God encresse to this puple, `hou greet it is now, and eft multiplie he an hundrid fold in the siyt of my lord the kyng; but what wole my lord the kyng to hym silf in sich a thing? 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 WYC Sotheli the word of the kyng ouer cam the wordis of Joab, and of the princes of the oost; and Joab yede out, and the princes of the knyytis, fro the face of the kyng, that thei schulden noumbre the puple of 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 WYC And whanne thei hadden passid Jordan, thei camen in to Aroer, to the riyt side of the citee which is in the valei of Gad; 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 WYC and thei passiden bi Jazer in to Galaad, and in to the lowere lond of Odsi, and camen in to the wodi places of Dan; and thei cumpassiden bisidis Sidon, BSB BSB: Then they went to Gilead and the land of Tahtim-hodshi, and on to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon.
7 WYC and passiden nyy the wallis of Tire, and nyy al the lond of Euei, and of Chananei; and thei camen to the south of Juda, in Bersabee. 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 WYC And whanne al the lond was cumpassid, thei camen aftir nyne monethis and twenti daies in to Jerusalem. BSB BSB: At the end of nine months and twenty days, having gone through the whole land, they returned to Jerusalem.
9 WYC Therfor Joab yaf the noumbre of discriuyng of the puple to the kyng. And of Israel weren foundun nyne hundryd thousynd of stronge men, that drewen out swerd; and of Juda fyue hundrid thousynde of fiyteris. 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.
10 WYC Forsothe the herte of Dauid smoot hym, `that is, his concience repreuyde hym, aftir that the puple was noumbrid; and Dauid seide to the Lord, Y synnede greetli in this dede; but, Lord, Y preye that thou turne awei the wickidnesse of thi seruaunt, for Y dide ful folili. 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 WYC Therfor Dauid roos eerli, and the word of the Lord was maad to Gad, the prophete and seere, and seide, Go thou, BSB BSB: When David got up in the morning, the word of the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer:
12 WYC and speke to Dauid, The Lord seith these thingis, The chesyng of thre thingis is youun to thee; chese thou oon, which thou wolt of these, that Y do 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.’”
13 WYC And whanne Gad hadde come to Dauid, he telde to Dauid, and seide, Ether hungur schal come to thee in thi lond seuene yeer; ethir thre monethis thou schalt fle thin aduersaries, and thei schulen pursue thee; ether certis thre daies pestilence schal be in thi lond; now therfor delyuere thou, `ether auyse thou, and se, what word Y schal answere to hym that sente 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 WYC Forsothe Dauid seide to Gad, Y am constreyned on ech side greetli; but it is betere that Y falle in to the hondis of the Lord, for his emercies ben manye, than in the hondis of men. 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.”
15 WYC And the Lord sente pestilence in to Israel fro the morewtid `til to the tyme ordeyned; and seuenti thousynde of men weren deed of the puple fro Dan `til to Bersabee. 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 WYC And whanne the aungel of the Lord hadde holde forth his hond ouer Jerusalem, that he schulde distrie it, the Lord hadde mercy on the turmentyng; and seide to the aungel smytynge the puple, It sufficith now; withholde thin hond. Forsothe the aungel of the Lord was bisidis the corn floor of Areuna Jebusey. 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 WYC And Dauid seide to the Lord, whanne he hadde seyn the aungel sleynge the puple, Y am he that `haue synned, and Y dide wickidli; what han these do, that ben scheep? Y biseche, thin hond be turned ayens me, and ayens the hows of my fadir. 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.”
18 WYC Forsothe Gad, the prophete, cam to Dauid in that dai, and seide to hym, Stie thou, and ordeyne an auter to the Lord in the corn floor of Areuna Jebusei. 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 WYC And Dauid stiede, vpe the word of Gad, which the Lord hadde comaundid to hym. BSB BSB: So David went up at the word of Gad, just as the LORD had commanded.
20 WYC And Areuna bihelde, and perseyuede, that the kyng and hise seruauntis passiden to hym; 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 WYC and he yede out, and worschipide the kyng bi low cheer to the erthe; and seide, What `cause is, that my lord the kyng cometh to his seruaunt? To whom Dauid seide, That Y bie of thee the corn floor, and bilde an auter to the Lord, and the sleynge ceesse, which is cruel in the puple. 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 WYC And Areuna seide to Dauid, My lord the kyng take, and offre, as it plesith hym; thou hast oxis in to brent sacrifice, and a wayn and yockis of oxis in to vss of wode. 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 WYC Areuna yaf alle thingis to the king. And Areuna seide to the king, Thi Lord God reseyue thi vow. 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 WYC To whom the king answeride, and seide, Not as thou wolt, but Y schal bie of thee for prijs, and Y schal not offre to `my Lord God brent sacrifices youun freli. Therfor Dauid bouyte the corn floor, and `he bouyte oxis for fifti siclis of siluer. 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 WYC And Dauid bildide there an auter to the Lord, and offride brent sacrifices and pesible sacrifices; and the Lord dide merci to the lond, and the veniaunce was refreyned fro 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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