1 Chronicles

And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.

1Satan rose up against Israel. He pushed David to count the fighting men of Israel.

2And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it.

2David said to Joab and the army leaders, "Go and count the people of Israel. Count them from Beersheba in the south to Dan in the north. Then bring me the number, so I know it."

3And Joab answered, The LORD make his people an hundred times so many more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?

3Joab answered, "May the LORD give you a hundred times more men. My king, they all serve you already. Why do you want this? Why bring guilt on Israel?"

4Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem.

4But the king would not change his mind. So Joab went all through Israel. Then he came back to Jerusalem.

5And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword.

5Joab gave David the total. In all Israel there were 1,100,000 men who could fight with a sword. In Judah there were 470,000 more.

6But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them: for the king’s word was abominable to Joab.

6Joab did not count the tribes of Levi and Benjamin. He hated the king's order.

7And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel.

7God was not pleased with what David had done. So God punished Israel.

8And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech thee, do away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.

8David said to God, "I have sinned badly by doing this. Please forgive me, your servant. I acted very foolishly."

9And the LORD spake unto Gad, David’s seer, saying,

9The LORD spoke to Gad. Gad was David's seer, a man who told people what God said.

10Go and tell David, saying, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three things: choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.

10"Go and tell David that the LORD says this: I am giving you three choices. Pick one, and I will do it to you."

11So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Choose thee

11So Gad went to David and said, "The LORD says, you must choose one of these."

12Either three years’ famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of the LORD, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.

12"Three years when no food will grow. Or three months of running from your enemies, while their swords catch you. Or three days of the LORD's own sword. That means a deadly sickness in the land. The angel of the LORD will destroy every part of Israel. Now tell me what answer I should bring back to God."

13And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall now into the hand of the LORD; for very great are his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man.

13David said to Gad, "I am in deep trouble. Let me fall into the LORD's hands. He is very kind. Do not let me fall into human hands."

14So the LORD sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.

14So the LORD sent a deadly sickness on Israel. Seventy thousand men of Israel died.

15And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was destroying, the LORD beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

15God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But while the angel was doing it, the LORD saw and stopped the harm. He said to the angel, "That is enough. Put your hand down now." The angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

NoteA threshing floor is a flat, hard spot of ground. Farmers beat the grain there to knock the seeds loose from the stalks.

16And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the LORD 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.

16David looked up and saw the angel of the LORD. The angel stood between the ground and the sky. He held a sword pointed out over Jerusalem. David and the leaders of Israel wore rough sackcloth. They bowed down with their faces to the ground.

NoteSackcloth was rough, scratchy cloth. People wore it to show they were very sad or very sorry.

17And David said unto God, 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 LORD my God, be on me, and on my father’s house; but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.

17David said to God, "I am the one who ordered the counting. I sinned and did wrong. But these people are like sheep. What did they do? Please, LORD my God, punish me and my family. Do not hurt your people with this sickness."

18Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

18Then the angel of the LORD told Gad to give David a message. David must go and build an altar to the LORD. An altar is a stone table for gifts to God. He must build it on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

19And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of the LORD.

19So David went up, just as Gad had said in the LORD's name.

20And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.

20Ornan was threshing wheat at the time. He turned and saw the angel. His four sons were with him, and they hid.

21And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshingfloor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.

21David came to Ornan. Ornan looked and saw the king coming. He left the threshing floor and bowed with his face to the ground.

22Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of this threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the LORD: thou shalt grant it me for the full price: that the plague may be stayed from the people.

22David said to Ornan, "Sell me this threshing floor. I want to build an altar to the LORD here. I will pay you the full price. Then the sickness will stop."

23And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen also for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meat offering; I give it all.

23Ornan said, "Take it, my king. Do what seems good to you. I will give you my oxen for the burnt offerings. Take my threshing tools for firewood. Take the wheat for the grain offering. I give it all to you."

NoteThe KJV says "meat offering," but no meat is meant. In 1611 "meat" meant food of any kind. This offering was made of grain.

24And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.

24King David said, "No. I will pay the full price for it. I will not take what is yours and give it to the LORD. I will not give offerings that cost me nothing."

25So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.

25So David paid Ornan six hundred shekels of gold for the place.

NoteA shekel was a weight, not a coin. Six hundred shekels of gold was a very large payment.

26And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called upon the LORD; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.

26David built an altar there to the LORD. He gave burnt offerings and peace offerings. He called out to the LORD. The LORD answered by sending fire from heaven onto the altar.

27And the LORD commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof.

27Then the LORD spoke to the angel. The angel put his sword back into its cover.

28At that time when David saw that the LORD had answered him in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.

28David saw that the LORD had answered him at Ornan's threshing floor. So he gave his offerings there.

29For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt offering, were at that season in the high place at Gibeon.

29The special tent that Moses made in the desert was somewhere else. It stood at the worship place in Gibeon, along with the altar for burnt offerings.

30But David could not go before it to enquire of God: for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the LORD.

30But David could not go there to ask God what to do. He was afraid of the angel's sword.