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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2 Kings 24: DRC1752
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.
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 100 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 13:19,16 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 # 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 20 days. 9Joab gave the king the total of the registration of the troops. There were 800,000 fighting men from Israel and 500,000 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, a revelation from 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 # 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, think it over and decide 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 70,000 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 # = 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 # 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 bowed 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 # 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 23My king, 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 20 ounces # Lit 50 shekels of silver. 25He built an altar to the Lord there and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered prayer on behalf of the land, # 2Sm 21:14 and the plague on Israel ended.
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