2Samuel 24

24Again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go and take a census of Israel and Judah."H3254H639H3068H2734H3478H5496H1732H559H3212H4487H3478H30632So the king said to Joab and the army commanders with him, "Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and enroll the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are."H4428H559H3097H8269H2428H7751H7626H3478H1835H884H6485H5971H3045H4557H59713But Joab replied to the king, "May the LORD your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?"H3097H559H4428H3068H430H3254H5971H1992H3967H6471H5869H113H4428H7200H113H4428H2654H16974The king's word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel.H4428H1697H2388H3097H8269H2428H3097H8269H2428H3318H6440H4428H6485H5971H34785After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer, south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer.H5674H3383H2583H6177H3225H5892H8432H5158H1410H32706They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon.H935H1568H776H8483H935H1842H5439H67217Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah.H935H4013H6865H5892H2340H3669H3318H5045H3063H8848After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.H7751H776H935H3389H7097H8672H2320H6242H31179Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand.H3097H5414H4557H4662H5971H4428H3478H8083H3967H505H2428H376H381H8025H2719H376H3063H2568H3967H505H37610David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the LORD, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, LORD, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing."H1732H3820H5221H310H5608H5971H1732H559H3068H2398H3966H6213H3068H5674H5771H5650H3966H552811Before David got up the next morning, the word of the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David's seer:H1732H6965H1242H1697H3068H5030H1410H1732H2374H55912"Go and tell David, 'This is what the LORD says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.' "H1980H559H1732H1696H3068H5190H7969H977H259H621313So Gad went to David and said to him, "Shall there come on you three years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me."H1410H935H1732H5046H559H7651H8141H7458H935H776H5127H7969H2320H6440H6862H7291H7969H3117H1698H776H3045H7200H1697H7725H797114David said to Gad, "I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands."H1732H559H1410H3966H6887H5307H3027H3068H7356H7227H5307H3027H12015So the LORD sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.H3068H5414H1698H3478H1242H6256H4150H4191H5971H1835H884H7657H505H37616When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, "Enough! Withdraw your hand." The angel of the LORD was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.H4397H7971H3027H3389H7843H3068H5162H7451H559H4397H7843H5971H7227H7503H3027H4397H3068H1637H728H298317When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the LORD, "I have sinned; I, the shepherd, have done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall on me and my family."H1732H559H3068H7200H4397H5221H5971H559H2398H5753H6629H6213H3027H1H100418On that day Gad went to David and said to him, "Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite."H1410H935H3117H1732H559H5927H6965H4196H3068H1637H728H298319So David went up, as the LORD had commanded through Gad.H1732H1697H1410H5927H3068H668020When Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.H728H8259H7200H4428H5650H5674H728H3318H7812H4428H639H77621Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" "To buy your threshing floor," David answered, "so I can build an altar to the LORD, that the plague on the people may be stopped."H728H559H113H4428H935H5650H1732H559H7069H1637H1129H4196H3068H4046H6113H597122Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.H728H559H1732H113H4428H3947H5927H2896H5869H7200H1241H5930H4173H3627H1241H608623Your Majesty, Araunah gives all this to the king." Araunah also said to him, "May the LORD your God accept you."H728H4428H5414H4428H728H559H4428H3068H430H752124But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them.H4428H559H728H7069H7069H4242H5927H5930H3068H430H2600H1732H7069H1637H1241H2572H8255H370125David built an altar to the LORD there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the LORD answered his prayer in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.H1732H1129H4196H3068H5927H5930H8002H3068H6279H776H4046H6113H3478