^S1/C1And Satan stood up against Israel, and again the anger of YHVH was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah. ^S2/C2For David the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him, and to the rulers of the people, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, and number ye the people, and bring the number of them to me, that I may know the number of the people. ^S3/C3And Joab answered [and] said unto the king, Now YHVH thy God add unto the people, how many soever they be, an hundredfold, [and] make his people an hundred times so many more as they be: and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? but why then doth my lord the king delight [and] require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel? ^S4/C4aNotwithstanding the king’s word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the host. Wherefore Joab departed and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king and went throughout all Israel, to number the people of Israel. ^S4Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem. ^S5And they passed over Jordan, and pitched in Aroer, on the right side of the city that lieth in the midst of the river of Gad, and toward Jazer: ^S6Then they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtimhodshi; and they came to Danjaan, and about to Zidon, ^S7And came to the strong hold of Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites: and they went out to the south of Judah, even to Beersheba. ^S8/C4bSo when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. ^S9/C5And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto David the king: and all they [that] were in Israel eight hundred thousand [or] a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand [or] four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword. ^C6But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them: for the king’s word was abominable to Joab. ^C7And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel. ^S10/C8And David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto YHVH God, I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing: and now, I beseech thee, O YHVH, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly. ^S11/C9For when David was up in the morning, the word of YHVH came unto the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, ^S12/C10Go and say unto David, saying, Thus saith YHVH, I offer thee three things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee. ^S13a/C11So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Thus saith YHVH, Choose thee ^S13b/C12Shall three [or] seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee? or else that there be three days the sword of YHVH, even the pestilence in thy land, and the angel of YHVH destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel? Now therefore advise thyself, and see what word [or] answer I shall return [and] bring again to him that sent me. ^S14/C13And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of YHVH; for his mercies are very great: and let me not fall into the hand of man. ^S15/C14So YHVH sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there fell [and] died of the people of Israel from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men. ^S16/C15And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and when the angel stretched out his hand as he was destroying, YHVH beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of YHVH stood by the threshingplace of Araunah [or] Ornan the Jebusite. ^C16And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of YHVH stand between the earth and the heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces. ^S17/C17And David spake [and] said unto YHVH God, when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, O YHVH my God, be against me, and against my father’s house. ^C18Then the angel of YHVH commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto YHVH in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite. ^S18And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto YHVH in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite. ^S19/C19And David, according to the saying of Gad which he spake in the name of YHVH, went up as YHVH commanded. ^C20And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat. ^S20/C21And as David came to Ornan, Ornan [or] Araunah looked, and saw David the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out of the threshingfloor, and bowed himself before David the king on his face upon the ground. ^S21/C22And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said to Ornan, To buy the threshingfloor of thee. Grant me the place of this threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto YHVH, thou shalt grant it me for the full price: that the plague may be stayed from the people. ^S22/C23And Araunah [or] Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes and offer up what seemeth good unto him: lo [and] behold, I give thee the oxen also for burnt sacrifice [or] offerings, and the threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood, and the wheat for the meat offering; I give it all. ^S23All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, YHVH thy God accept thee. ^S24a/C24And David the king said unto Araunah [or] Ornan, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee for the full price: neither will I take that which is thine for YHVH, nor offer burnt offerings unto YHVH my God of that which doth cost me nothing. ^S24b/C25So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen [and] gave to Ornan for the place fifty shekels of silver [or] six hundred shekels of gold by weight. ^S25/C26And David built there an altar unto YHVH, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon YHVH; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering. So YHVH was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel. ^C27And YHVH commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof. ^C28At that time when David saw that YHVH had answered him in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there. ^C29For the tabernacle of YHVH, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt offering, were at that season in the high place at Gibeon. ^C30But David could not go before it to enquire of God: for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of YHVH.