II Samuel 24
24
David’s Census of Israel and Judah
1Again #2 Sam. 11:3, 6the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, #2 Sam. 21:1, 2“Go, number Israel and Judah.”
2So the king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, “Now go throughout all the tribes of Israel, #Num. 26:2; 1 Chr. 27:23, 24from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people, that #Judg. 20:1; 2 Sam. 3:10I may know the number of the people.”
3And Joab said to the king, “Now may the Lord your God #(Jer. 17:5)add to the people a hundred times more than there are, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king desire this thing?” 4Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the army. Therefore Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king to count the people of Israel.
5And they crossed over the Jordan and camped in #Deut. 1:11Aroer, on the right side of the town which is in the midst of the ravine of Gad, and toward #Deut. 2:36; Josh. 13:9, 16Jazer. 6Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim Hodshi; they came to #Num. 32:1, 3Dan Jaan and around to #Josh. 19:47; Judg. 18:29Sidon; 7and they came to the stronghold of #Josh. 19:28; Judg. 18:28Tyre and to all the cities of the #Josh. 19:29Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went out to South Judah as far as Beersheba. 8So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to the king. #Josh. 11:3; Judg. 3:3And there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.
The Judgment on David’s Sin
10And #1 Chr. 21:5David’s heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So #1 Sam. 24:5David said to the Lord, #2 Sam. 23:1“I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have #2 Sam. 12:13done very foolishly.”
11Now when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet #1 Sam. 13:13; (2 Chr. 16:9)Gad, David’s #1 Sam. 22:5seer, saying, 12“Go and tell David, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you.” ’ ” 13So Gad came to David and told him; and he said to him, “Shall #1 Sam. 9:9; 1 Chr. 29:29seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.”
14And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord, #Ezek. 14:21for His mercies are great; but #(Ps. 51:1; 103:8, 13, 14; 119:156; 130:4, 7)do not let me fall into the hand of man.”
15So #(Is. 47:6; Zech. 1:15)the Lord sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died. 16#1 Chr. 21:14And when the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, #Ex. 12:23; 2 Kin. 19:35; Acts 12:23the Lord relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “It is enough; now restrain your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
17Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Surely #Gen. 6:6; 1 Sam. 15:11I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father’s house.”
The Altar on the Threshing Floor
18And Gad came that day to David and said to him, #2 Sam. 7:8; 1 Chr. 21:17; Ps. 74:1“Go up, erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19So David, according to the word of Gad, went up as the Lord commanded. 20Now Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming toward him. So Araunah went out and bowed before the king with his face to the ground.
21Then Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”
#1 Chr. 21:18And David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the Lord, that #Gen. 23:8–16the plague may be withdrawn from the people.”
22Now Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good to him. #Num. 16:48, 50Look, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood. 23All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king.”
And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God #1 Sam. 6:14; 1 Kin. 19:21accept you.”
24Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” So #(Ezek. 20:40, 41)David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. #1 Chr. 21:24, 25So the Lord heeded the prayers for the land, and #2 Sam. 21:14the plague was withdrawn from Israel.
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II Samuel 24: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
2 Kings 24
24
1And the anger of the Lord was again kindled against Israel, and stirred up David among them, saying: Go, number Israel and Juda.
2And the king said to Joab the general of his army: Go through all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Bersabee, and number ye the people that I may know the number of them.
3And Joab said to the king: The Lord thy God increase thy people, and make them as many more as they are now, and again multiply them a hundredfold in the sight of my lord the king. But what meaneth my lord the king by this kind of thing?
4But the king's words prevailed over the words of Joab, and of the captains of the army. And Joab, and the captains of the soldiers went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel.
5And when they had passed the Jordan, they came to Aroer to the right side of the city, which is in the vale of Gad.
6And by Jazer they passed into Galaad, and to the lower land of Hodsi: and they came into the woodlands of Dan. And going about by Sidon,
7They passed near the walls of Tyre, and all the land of the Hevite, and the Chanaanite: and they came to the south of Juda into Bersabee.
8And having gone through the whole land, after nine months and twenty days, they came to Jerusalem.
9And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people to the king, and there were found of Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword: and of Juda five hundred thousand fighting men.
10But David's heart struck him, after the people were numbered. And David said to the Lord: I have sinned very much in what I have done; but I pray thee, O Lord, to take away the iniquity of thy servant, because I have done exceeding foolishly.
11And David arose in the morning, and the word of the Lord came to Gad the prophet and the seer of David, saying:
12Go, and say to David: Thus saith the Lord: I give thee thy choice of three things. Choose one of them which thou wilt, that I may do it to thee.
13And when Gad was come to David, he told him, saying: Either seven years of famine shall come to thee in thy land: or thou shalt flee three months before thy adversaries, and they shall pursue thee: or for three days there shall be a pestilence in thy land. Now therefore deliberate, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.
14And David said to Gad: I am in a great strait: but it is better that I should fall into the hands of the Lord (for his mercies are many) than into the hands of men.
15And the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel, from the morning unto the time appointed. And there died of the people from Dan to Bersabee seventy thousand men.
16And when the angel of the Lord had stretched out his hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord had pity on the affliction, and said to the angel that slew the people: It is enough. Now hold thy hand. And the angel of the Lord was by the thrashing-floor of Areuna the Jebusite.
17And David said to the Lord, when he saw the angel striking the people: It is I. I am he that have sinned. I have done wickedly. These that are the sheep, what have they done? Let thy hand, I beseech thee, be turned against me, and against my father's house.
18And Gad came to David that day, and said: Go up, and build an altar to the Lord in the thrashing-floor of Areuna the Jebusite.
19And David went up according to the word of Gad which the Lord had commanded him.
20And Areuna looked, and saw the king and his servants coming towards him.
21And going out he worshipped the king, bowing with his face to the earth, and said: Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said to him: To buy the thrashing-floor of thee, and build an altar to the Lord, that the plague, which rageth among the people, may cease.
22And Areuna said to David: Let my lord the king take, and offer, as it seemeth good to him. Thou hast here oxen for a holocaust, and the wain, and the yokes of the oxen for wood.
23All these things Areuna as a king gave to the king. And Areuna said to the king: The Lord thy God receive thy vow.
24And the king answered him, and said: Nay, but I will buy it of thee at a price, and I will not offer to the Lord my God holocausts free cost. So David bought the floor, and the oxen, for fifty sicles of silver.
25And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered holocausts and peace-offerings. And the Lord became merciful to the land: and the plague was stayed from Israel.
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.