2 Samuel 24

And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.

1The LORD, which is God's own name, was angry with Israel again. He stirred David up to say, "Go and count the people of Israel and Judah."

2For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, and number ye the people, that I may know the number of the people.

2So King David said to Joab, the leader of his army, "Go through all the tribes of Israel. Start at Dan in the north and go to Beersheba in the south. Count the people, so I know how many there are."

3And Joab said unto the king, Now the LORD thy God add unto the people, how many soever they be, an hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it: but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing?

3Joab said to the king, "May the LORD your God make your people a hundred times more. And may you live to see it. But why do you want to do this?"

4Notwithstanding the king’s word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the host. And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel.

4Still, the king would not change his mind. So Joab and the army leaders left the king and went to count the people of Israel.

5And 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:

5They crossed the Jordan River. They camped near Aroer, south of the town in the middle of the valley. Then they went toward Gad and Jazer.

6Then they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtimhodshi; and they came to Danjaan, and about to Zidon,

6Next they went to Gilead and to the land called Tahtim-hodshi. Then they came to Dan-jaan and around to the city of Sidon.

7And 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.

7They went to the strong walled city of Tyre. They went to all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. At last they went to the dry southland of Judah, to Beersheba.

8So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

8They went through the whole land. Then they came back to Jerusalem. The trip took nine months and twenty days.

9And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king: and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword; and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

9Joab gave the king the total. In Israel there were 800,000 strong men who could fight with a sword. In Judah there were 500,000 men.

10And David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.

10After the counting, David felt sick inside about it. He said to the LORD, "I have done a very bad thing. Please forgive me. I acted very foolishly."

11For when David was up in the morning, the word of the LORD came unto the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying,

11David got up the next morning. Before that, a message from the LORD had come to Gad. Gad was a prophet, someone who told people what God said.

12Go and say unto David, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.

12God said, "Go and tell David this. The LORD says, 'I am giving you three choices. Pick one, and I will do it to you.'"

13So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, while they pursue thee? or that there be three days’ pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.

13So Gad went and told David. He said, "Do you choose seven years with no food growing in your land? Or three months running away from your enemies as they chase you? Or three days of deadly sickness in your land? Think it over. Then tell me what to say to the One who sent me."

14And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man.

14David said to Gad, "This is very hard for me. Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, because he is very kind. Do not let me fall into the hands of people."

15So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men.

15So the LORD sent a deadly sickness on Israel. It lasted from that morning until the set time. From Dan to Beersheba, seventy thousand people died.

16And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD 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 the LORD was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite.

16The angel reached out his hand to destroy Jerusalem. But the LORD changed his mind about the harm. He said to the angel, "That is enough. Stop now." The angel was standing by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. A threshing floor is a flat place where grain is beaten out.

Note"The LORD repented him of the evil" does not mean God did something bad and felt sorry. In 1611, "repent" could mean to change your mind, and "evil" meant harm or trouble. God stopped the harm from going further.

17And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s house.

17David saw the angel striking the people. He said to the LORD, "Look, I am the one who sinned. I am the one who did wrong. But these people are like sheep. What did they do? Please punish me and my family instead."

18And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite.

18That same day Gad came to David. He said, "Go up and build an altar to the LORD on Araunah's threshing floor." An altar is a stone table for giving gifts to God.

19And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded.

19So David went up, just as Gad told him and just as the LORD had said.

20And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground.

20Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants coming. He went out and bowed low, with his face to the ground.

21And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.

21Araunah asked, "Why has my lord the king come to me?" David said, "To buy your threshing floor. I want to build an altar to the LORD, so the sickness will stop."

22And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him: behold, here be oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood.

22Araunah said to David, "Take whatever you want and give it to God. Here are oxen for a burnt gift. Here are the heavy boards and wooden yokes to burn as firewood."

Note"Threshing instruments" were heavy wooden sledges dragged over grain to break it open. The "instruments of the oxen" were the wooden yokes the oxen wore. Araunah offered them as firewood.

23All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee.

23Araunah gave all of it to the king. He said to the king, "May the LORD your God be pleased with you."

24And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

24The king said, "No. I will pay you a fair price. I will not give the LORD my God gifts that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty pieces of silver.

NoteA shekel was a weight of silver, not a coin with a stamped price. Fifty shekels was a real payment, not a small one.

25And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.

25There David built an altar to the LORD. He gave burnt gifts and friendship gifts to God. The LORD listened to the prayer for the land. The sickness in Israel stopped.

Note"The LORD was intreated for the land" means God listened and answered when he was asked to help the land.