2 Samuel 24
24
1 Again the LORD’s anger burned against Israel, and he moved David against them, saying, “Go, count Israel and Judah.” 2The king said to Joab the captain of the army, who was with him, “Now go back and forth through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, and count the people, that I may know the sum of the people.”
3 Joab said to the king, “Now may the LORD your God add to the people, however many they may be, one hundred times; and may the eyes of my lord the king 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 army. Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king to count the people of Israel. 5They passed over the Jordan and encamped in Aroer, on the right side of the city that is in the middle of the valley of Gad, and to Jazer; 6then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim Hodshi; and they came to Dan Jaan and around to Sidon, 7and came to the stronghold of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites and of the Canaanites; and they went out to the south of Judah, at Beersheba. 8So when they had gone back and forth through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9Joab gave up the sum of the counting of the people to the king; and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.
10 David’s heart struck him after he had counted the people. David said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in that which I have done. But now, the LORD, put away, I beg you, the iniquity of your servant; for I have done very foolishly.”
11 When David rose up in the morning, the LORD’s word came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, 12“Go and speak to David, ‘The LORD says, “I offer you three things. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.”’”
13 So Gad came to David, and told him, saying, “Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now answer, and consider what answer I shall return to him who sent me.”
14 David said to Gad, “I am in distress. Let us fall now into the LORD’s hand, for his mercies are great. Let me not fall into man’s hand.”
15 So the LORD sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning even to the appointed time; and seventy thousand men died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba. 16When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented of the disaster, and said to the angel who destroyed the people, “It is enough. Now withdraw your hand.” The LORD’s angel was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
17 David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who struck the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done perversely; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me, and against my father’s house.”
18 Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
19 David went up according to the saying of Gad, as the LORD commanded. 20Araunah looked out, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. Then Araunah went out and bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground. 21Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”
David said, “To buy your threshing floor, to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be stopped from afflicting the people.”
22Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Behold, the cattle for the burnt offering, and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23All this, O king, does Araunah give to the king.” Araunah said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.”
24 The king said to Araunah, “No, but I will most certainly buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels#24:24 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces, so 50 shekels is about 0.5 kilograms or 1.1 pounds. of silver. 25David built an altar to the LORD there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was entreated for the land, and the plague was removed from Israel.
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2 Samuel 24
24
David’s Military Census
1The Lord’s anger burned against Israel again, and he stirred up David against them to say, “Go, count the people of Israel and Judah.”#1Ch 21:1–28
2So the king said to Joab, the commander of his army, “Go through all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba and register the troops so I can know their number.”#Nm 1:2–3; 1Sm 13:15
3Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times more than they are#Dt 1:11 — while my lord the king looks on! But why does my lord the king want to do this?”
4Yet the king’s order prevailed over Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army left the king’s presence to register the troops of Israel.
5They crossed the Jordan and camped in Aroer,#Dt 2:36; Jos 13:9,16 south of the town in the middle of the valley, and then proceeded toward Gad and Jazer. 6They went to Gilead and to the land of the Hittites#24:6 LXX; MT reads of Tahtim-hodshi; Hb obscure and continued on to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon. 7They went to the fortress of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites. Afterward, they went to the Negev of Judah at Beer-sheba.
8When they had gone through the whole land, they returned to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9Joab gave the king the total of the registration of the troops. There were eight hundred thousand valiant armed men#24:9 Lit men of valor drawing the sword from Israel and five hundred thousand men from Judah.#Nm 1:45–46
10David’s conscience troubled him#1Sm 24:5 after he had taken a census of the troops. He said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I’ve done. Now, Lord, because I’ve been very foolish,#Nm 12:9–12; 1Sm 13:13 please take away your servant’s guilt.”
David’s Punishment
11When David got up in the morning, the word of the Lord had come to the prophet Gad,#1Sm 22:5 David’s seer:#1Sm 9:9 12“Go and say to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am offering you three choices. Choose one of them, and I will do it to you.’”
13So Gad went to David, told him the choices, and asked him, “Do you want three#24:13 LXX; MT reads seven; 1Ch 21:12 years of famine to come on your land, to flee from your foes three months while they pursue you, or to have a plague in your land three days? Now, consider carefully#24:13 Lit Now, know and see what answer I should take back to the one who sent me.”
14David answered Gad, “I have great anxiety. Please, let us fall into the Lord’s hands because his mercies are great,#Ps 103:8–18; 119:156 but don’t let me fall into human hands.”
15So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the appointed time, and from Dan to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men died. 16Then the angel extended his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it,#2Kg 19:35 but the Lord relented concerning the destruction#Ex 32:14; Am 7:3–6 and said to the angel who was destroying#1Co 10:10 the people, “Enough, withdraw your hand now!” The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Araunah#24:16 = Ornan in 1Ch 21:15–28; 2Ch 3:1 the Jebusite.#2Ch 3:1
17When David saw the angel striking the people, he said to the Lord, “Look, I am the one who has sinned; I am the one#24:17 LXX reads shepherd who has done wrong. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, let your hand be against me and my father’s family.”
David’s Altar
18Gad came to David that day and said to him, “Go up and set up an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19David went up in obedience to Gad’s command, just as the Lord had commanded. 20Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, so he went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground.
21Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”
David replied, “To buy the threshing floor from you in order to build an altar to the Lord, so the plague on the people may be halted.”#Nm 16:44–50
22Araunah said to David, “My lord the king may take whatever he wants#24:22 Lit take what is good in his eyes and offer it. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.#1Sm 6:14; 1Kg 19:21 23Your Majesty, Araunah gives everything here to the king.” Then he said to the king, “May the Lord your God accept you.”
24The king answered Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it from you for a price, for I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for twenty ounces#24:24 Lit 50 shekels of silver. 25He built an altar to the Lord there and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord was receptive to prayer for the land,#2Sm 21:14 and the plague on Israel ended.
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