1Chronicles 21 - Prayer Tents



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1Chronicles 21
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1Chronicles 21

David Takes a Census

21Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel.H7854H5975H3478H5496H1732H4487H34782So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, "Take a census of all the people of Israel—from Beersheba in the south to Dan in the north—and bring me a report so I may know how many there are."H1732H559H3097H8269H5971H3212H5608H3478H884H1835H935H4557H30453But Joab replied, "May the LORD increase the number of his people a hundred times over! But why, my lord the king, do you want to do this? Are they not all your servants? Why must you cause Israel to sin?"H3097H559H3068H5971H3967H6471H3254H1992H113H4428H113H5650H113H1245H819H34784But the king insisted that they take the census, so Joab traveled throughout all Israel to count the people. Then he returned to JerusalemH4428H1697H2388H3097H3097H3318H1980H3478H935H33895and reported the number of people to David. There were 1,100,000 warriors in all Israel who could handle a sword, and 470,000 in Judah.H3097H5414H4557H4662H5971H1732H3478H505H505H3967H505H376H8025H2719H3063H702H3967H7657H505H376H8025H27196But Joab did not include the tribes of Levi and Benjamin in the census because he was so distressed at what the king had made him do.H3878H1144H6485H8432H4428H1697H8581H3097

Judgment for David’s Sin

7God was very displeased with the census, and he punished Israel for it.H430H3415H5869H1697H5221H34788Then David said to God, "I have sinned greatly by taking this census. Please forgive my guilt for doing this foolish thing."H1732H559H430H2398H3966H6213H1697H5674H5771H5650H3966H55289Then the LORD spoke to Gad, David's seer. This was the message.H3068H1696H1410H1732H2374H55910"Go and say to David, 'This is what the LORD says: I will give you three choices. Choose one of these punishments, and I will inflict it on you.'"H3212H1696H1732H559H559H3068H5186H7969H977H259H2007H621311So Gad came to David and said, "These are the choices the LORD has given you.H1410H935H1732H559H559H3068H690112You may choose three years of famine, three months of destruction by the sword of your enemies, or three days of severe plague as the angel of the LORD brings devastation throughout the land of Israel. Decide what answer I should give the LORD who sent me."H7969H8141H7458H7969H2320H5595H6440H6862H2719H341H5381H518H7969H3117H2719H3068H1698H776H4397H3068H7843H1366H3478H7200H1697H7725H797113"I'm in a desperate situation!" David replied to Gad. "But let me fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is very great. Do not let me fall into human hands."H1732H559H1410H3966H6887H5307H3027H3068H3966H7227H7356H5307H3027H12014So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel, and 70,000 people died as a result.H3068H5414H1698H3478H5307H3478H7657H505H37615And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But just as the angel was preparing to destroy it, the LORD relented and said to the death angel, "Stop! That is enough!" At that moment the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of Araunahc the Jebusite.H430H7971H4397H3389H7843H7843H3068H7200H5162H7451H559H4397H7843H7227H7503H3027H4397H3068H5975H1637H771H298316David looked up and saw the angel of the LORD standing between heaven and earth with his sword drawn, reaching out over Jerusalem. So David and the leaders of Israel put on burlap to show their deep distress and fell face down on the ground.H1732H5375H5869H7200H4397H3068H5975H776H8064H8025H2719H3027H5186H3389H1732H2205H3680H8242H5307H644017And David said to God, "I am the one who called for the census! I am the one who has sinned and done wrong! But these people are as innocent as sheep—what have they done? O LORD my God, let your anger fall against me and my family, but do not destroy your people."H1732H559H430H559H5971H4487H2398H7489H7489H6629H6213H3027H3068H430H1H1004H5971H4046

David Builds an Altar

18Then the angel of the LORD told Gad to instruct David to go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.H4397H3068H559H1410H559H1732H1732H5927H6965H4196H3068H1637H771H298319So David went up to do what the LORD had commanded him through Gad.H1732H5927H1697H1410H1696H8034H306820Araunah, who was busy threshing wheat at the time, turned and saw the angel there. His four sons, who were with him, ran away and hid.H771H7725H7200H4397H702H1121H2244H771H1758H240621When Araunah saw David approaching, he left his threshing floor and bowed before David with his face to the ground.H1732H935H771H771H5027H7200H1732H3318H1637H7812H1732H639H77622David said to Araunah, "Let me buy this threshing floor from you at its full price. Then I will build an altar to the LORD there, so that he will stop the plague."H1732H559H771H5414H4725H1637H1129H4196H3068H5414H4392H3701H4046H6113H597123"Take it, my lord the king, and use it as you wish," Araunah said to David. "I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, and the threshing boards for wood to build a fire on the altar, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give it all to you."H771H559H1732H3947H113H4428H6213H2896H5869H7200H5414H1241H5930H4173H6086H2406H4503H541424But King David replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on buying it for the full price. I will not take what is yours and give it to the LORD. I will not present burnt offerings that have cost me nothing!"H4428H1732H559H771H7069H7069H4392H3701H5375H3068H5927H5930H260025So David gave Araunah 600 pieces of goldc in payment for the threshing floor.H1732H5414H771H4725H8337H3967H8255H2091H494826David built an altar there to the LORD and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. And when David prayed, the LORD answered him by sending fire from heaven to burn up the offering on the altar.H1732H1129H4196H3068H5927H5930H8002H7121H3068H6030H8064H784H4196H593027Then the LORD spoke to the angel, who put the sword back into its sheath.H3068H559H4397H7725H2719H7725H508428When David saw that the LORD had answered his prayer, he offered sacrifices there at Araunah's threshing floor.H6256H1732H7200H3068H6030H1637H771H2983H207629At that time the Tabernacle of the LORD and the altar of burnt offering that Moses had made in the wilderness were located at the place of worship in Gibeon.H4908H3068H4872H6213H4057H4196H5930H6256H1116H139130But David was not able to go there to inquire of God, because he was terrified by the drawn sword of the angel of the LORD.H1732H3201H3212H6440H1875H430H1204H6440H2719H4397H3068


New Living Translation (NLT). Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. More details.
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