2Samuel 24

David Takes a Census

24On another occasion the LORD was angry with Israel, and he made David bring trouble on them. The LORD said to him, "Go and count the people of Israel and Judah."H3254H639H3068H2734H3478H5496H1732H559H3212H4487H3478H30632So David gave orders to Joab, the commander of his army: "Go with your officers through all the tribes of Israel from one end of the country to the other, and count the people. I want to know how many there are."H4428H559H3097H8269H2428H7751H7626H3478H1835H884H6485H5971H3045H4557H59713But Joab answered the king, "Your Majesty, may the LORD your God make the people of Israel a hundred times more numerous than they are now, and may you live to see him do it. But why does Your Majesty want to do this?"H3097H559H4428H3068H430H3254H5971H1992H3967H6471H5869H113H4428H7200H113H4428H2654H16974But the king made Joab and his officers obey his order; they left his presence and went out to count the people of Israel.H4428H1697H2388H3097H8269H2428H3097H8269H2428H3318H6440H4428H6485H5971H34785They crossed the Jordan and camped south of Aroer, the city in the middle of the valley, in the territory of Gad. From there they went north to Jazer,H5674H3383H2583H6177H3225H5892H8432H5158H1410H32706and on to Gilead and to Kadesh, in Hittite territory. Then they went to Dan, and from Dan they went west to Sidon.H935H1568H776H8483H935H1842H5439H67217Then they went south to the fortified city of Tyre, on to all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites, and finally to Beersheba, in the southern part of Judah.H935H4013H6865H5892H2340H3669H3318H5045H3063H8848So after nine months and twenty days they returned to Jerusalem, having traveled through the whole country.H7751H776H935H3389H7097H8672H2320H6242H31179They reported to the king the total number of men capable of military service: 800,000 in Israel and 500,000 in Judah.H3097H5414H4557H4662H5971H4428H3478H8083H3967H505H2428H376H381H8025H2719H376H3063H2568H3967H505H37610But after David had taken the census, his conscience began to hurt, and he said to the LORD, "I have committed a terrible sin in doing this! Please forgive me. I have acted foolishly."H1732H3820H5221H310H5608H5971H1732H559H3068H2398H3966H6213H3068H5674H5771H5650H3966H552811The LORD said to Gad, David's prophet, "Go and tell David that I am giving him three choices. I will do whichever he chooses."H1732H6965H1242H1697H3068H5030H1410H1732H2374H55912The next morning, after David had gotten up,H1980H559H1732H1696H3068H5190H7969H977H259H621313Gad went to him, told him what the LORD had said, and asked, "Which is it to be? Three years of famine in your land or three months of running away from your enemies or three days of an epidemic in your land? Now think it over, and tell me what answer to take back to the LORD."H1410H935H1732H5046H559H7651H8141H7458H935H776H5127H7969H2320H6440H6862H7291H7969H3117H1698H776H3045H7200H1697H7725H797114David answered, "I am in a desperate situation! But I don't want to be punished by people. Let the LORD himself be the one to punish us, for he is merciful."H1732H559H1410H3966H6887H5307H3027H3068H7356H7227H5307H3027H12015So the LORD sent an epidemic on Israel, which lasted from that morning until the time that he had chosen. From one end of the country to the other seventy thousand Israelites died.H3068H5414H1698H3478H1242H6256H4150H4191H5971H1835H884H7657H505H37616When the LORD's angel was about to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD changed his mind about punishing the people and said to the angel who was killing them, "Stop! That's enough!" The angel was by the threshing place of Araunah, a Jebusite.H4397H7971H3027H3389H7843H3068H5162H7451H559H4397H7843H5971H7227H7503H3027H4397H3068H1637H728H298317David saw the angel who was killing the people, and said to the LORD, "I am the guilty one. I am the one who did wrong. What have these poor people done? You should punish me and my family."H1732H559H3068H7200H4397H5221H5971H559H2398H5753H6629H6213H3027H1H100418That same day Gad went to David and said to him, "Go up to Araunah's threshing place and build an altar to the LORD."H1410H935H3117H1732H559H5927H6965H4196H3068H1637H728H298319David obeyed the LORD's command and went as Gad had told him to.H1732H1697H1410H5927H3068H668020Araunah looked down and saw the king and his officials coming up to him. He threw himself on the ground in front of DavidH728H8259H7200H4428H5650H5674H728H3318H7812H4428H639H77621and asked, "Your Majesty, why are you here?" David answered, "To buy your threshing place and build an altar for the LORD, in order to stop the epidemic."H728H559H113H4428H935H5650H1732H559H7069H1637H1129H4196H3068H4046H6113H597122"Take it, Your Majesty," Araunah said, "and offer to the LORD whatever you wish. Here are these oxen to burn as an offering on the altar; here are their yokes and the threshing boards to use as fuel."H728H559H1732H113H4428H3947H5927H2896H5869H7200H1241H5930H4173H3627H1241H608623Araunah gave it all to the king and said to him, "May the LORD your God accept your offering."H728H4428H5414H4428H728H559H4428H3068H430H752124But the king answered, "No, I will pay you for it. I will not offer to the LORD my God sacrifices that have cost me nothing." And he bought the threshing place and the oxen for fifty pieces of silver.H4428H559H728H7069H7069H4242H5927H5930H3068H430H2600H1732H7069H1637H1241H2572H8255H370125Then he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. The LORD answered his prayer, and the epidemic in Israel was stopped.H1732H1129H4196H3068H5927H5930H8002H3068H6279H776H4046H6113H3478