2 Samuel 24
24
2 Samuel 24
1¶ And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.
2For the king said to Joab, the captain of the host, who was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel from Dan unto Beersheba and number the people that I may know the number of the people.
3And Joab replied unto the king, Now the Lord thy God add unto the people one hundredfold to however many there are and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it, but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?
4Notwithstanding, the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the host. And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel.
5And passing the Jordan, they pitched in Aroer, on the right side of the city that lies in the midst of the river of Gad, and toward Jazer.
6After that they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtimhodshi, and they came to Danjaan and about to Zidon.
7Then they came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and of the Canaanites, and they went out towards the Negev from Judah, even to Beersheba.
8So when they had gone through all the land, they returned to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
9And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king, and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.
10¶ And David’s heart smote him after he had numbered the people. And David said unto the Lord, I have sinned greatly in having done this; but now, I beseech thee, O Lord, take away the iniquity of thy slave, for I have done very foolishly.
11And in the morning when David had risen, the word of the Lord came unto the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying,
12Go and say unto David, Thus hath the Lord said, I offer thee three things: choose one of them, which I will do unto thee.
13So Gad came to David and told him and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? Or wilt thou flee three months before thy enemies while they pursue thee? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in thy land? Now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.
14Then David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait; let us fall now into the hand of the Lord, for his mercies are great, and let me not fall into the hand of man.
15So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning until the time appointed, and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men.
16And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord himself repented of that evil and said to the angel that was destroying the people, It is enough; stay now thy hand. And the angel of the Lord was by the threshingfloor of Araunah, the Jebusite.
17And David spoke unto the Lord when he saw the angel that smote the people and said, I have sinned, I committed the iniquity, but these sheep, what have they done? Let thy hand, I pray thee, be against me and against my father’s house.
18¶ And Gad came that day to David and said unto him, Go up, erect an altar unto the Lord in the threshingfloor of Araunah, the Jebusite.
19And David went up, according to the word of Gad, as the Lord had commanded him.
20And Araunah looked and saw the king and his slaves coming on toward him, and Araunah went out and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground.
21And Araunah said, Why is my lord the king come to his slave? And David answered, To buy this threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the Lord, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
22And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good unto him; behold, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood;
23all these things does king Araunah give unto the king. Then Araunah said unto the king, The Lord thy God accept thee.
24And the king said unto Araunah, No, but I will surely buy it of thee at a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which costs me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
25And David built there an altar unto the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.
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2 Samuel 24: JUB
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The Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB) by Ransom Press International
2 Samuel 24
24
David Takes a Census
(1 Chr 21.1–27)
1The LORD was angry with Israel once more, and he made David bring trouble on them. The LORD said to him, “Go and count the people of Israel and Judah.” 2So David gave orders to Joab, the commander of his army: “Go with your officers through all the tribes of Israel from one end of the country to the other, and count the people. I want to know how many there are.”
3But Joab answered the king, “Your Majesty, may the LORD your God make the people of Israel a hundred times more numerous than they are now, and may you live to see him do it. But why does Your Majesty want to do this?” 4But the king made Joab and his officers obey his order; they left his presence and went out to count the people of Israel.
5They crossed the Jordan and camped south of Aroer, the city in the middle of the valley, in the territory of Gad.#24.5 Probable text Aroer… Gad; Hebrew unclear. From there they went north to Jazer, 6and on to Gilead and to Kadesh, in Hittite territory.#24.6 One ancient translation Kadesh, in Hittite territory; Hebrew to the land of Tahtim, Hodshi. Then they went to Dan, and from Dan they went#24.6 Probable text and from Dan they went; Hebrew unclear. west to Sidon. 7Then they went south to the fortified city of Tyre, on to all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites, and finally to Beersheba, in the southern part of Judah. 8So after nine months and twenty days they returned to Jerusalem, having travelled through the whole country. 9They reported to the king the total number of men capable of military service: 800,000 in Israel and 500,000 in Judah.
10But after David had taken the census, his conscience began to trouble him, and he said to the LORD, “I have committed a terrible sin in doing this! Please forgive me. I have acted foolishly.”
11-12The LORD said to Gad, David's prophet, “Go and tell David that I am giving him three choices. I will do whichever he chooses.” The next morning, after David got up, 13Gad went to him, told him what the LORD had said, and asked, “Which is it to be? Three#24.13 Some ancient translations (and see 1 Chr 21.12) Three; Hebrew Seven. years of famine in your land or three months of running away from your enemies or three days of an epidemic in your land? Now think it over, and tell me what answer to take back to the LORD.”
14David answered, “I am in a desperate situation! But I don't want to be punished by human beings. Let the LORD himself be the one to punish us, for he is merciful.” 15So the LORD sent an epidemic on Israel, which lasted from that morning until the time that he had chosen. From one end of the country to the other 70,000 Israelites died. 16When the LORD's angel was about to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD changed his mind about punishing the people and said to the angel who was killing them, “Stop! That's enough!” The angel was by the threshing place of Araunah, a Jebusite.
17David saw the angel who was killing the people, and said to the LORD, “I am the guilty one. I am the one who did wrong. What have these poor people done? You should punish me and my family.”
18That same day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up to Araunah's threshing place and build an altar to the LORD.” 19David obeyed the LORD's command and went as Gad had told him. 20Araunah looked down and saw the king and his officials coming up to him. He threw himself on the ground in front of David 21and asked, “Your Majesty, why are you here?”
David answered, “To buy your threshing place and build an altar for the LORD, in order to stop the epidemic.”
22“Take it, Your Majesty,” Araunah said, “and offer to the LORD whatever you wish. Here are these oxen to burn as an offering on the altar; here are their yokes and the threshing boards to use as fuel.” 23Araunah gave it all to the king#24.23 Probable text to the king; Hebrew to the king the king. and said to him, “May the LORD your God accept your offering.”
24But the king answered, “No, I will pay you for it. I will not offer to the LORD my God sacrifices that have cost me nothing.” And he bought the threshing place and the oxen for fifty pieces of silver. 25Then he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. The LORD answered his prayer, and the epidemic in Israel was stopped.
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.