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2 Samuel 24:10-25
New International Version
2 Samuel 24:10-25
New International Version
10 David was conscience-stricken(A) after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, “I have sinned(B) 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.(C)”
11 Before David got up the next morning, the word of the Lord had come to Gad(D) the prophet, David’s seer:(E) 12 “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.’”
13 So Gad went to David and said to him, “Shall there come on you three[a] years of famine(F) in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague(G) in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”
14 David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy(H) is great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”
15 So 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.(I) 16 When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented(J) concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the Lord(K) was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
17 When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, “I have sinned; I, the shepherd,[b] have done wrong. These are but sheep.(L) What have they done?(M) Let your hand fall on me and my family.”(N)
David Builds an Altar(O)
18 On 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(P) the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up, as the Lord had commanded through Gad. 20 When 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.
21 Araunah 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.”(Q)
22 Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxen(R) for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23 Your Majesty, Araunah[c] gives(S) all this to the king.” Araunah also said to him, “May the Lord your God accept you.”
24 But 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.”(T)
So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels[d](U) of silver for them. 25 David built an altar(V) to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayer(W) in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 24:13 Septuagint (see also 1 Chron. 21:12); Hebrew seven
- 2 Samuel 24:17 Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; Masoretic Text does not have the shepherd.
- 2 Samuel 24:23 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts King Araunah
- 2 Samuel 24:24 That is, about 1 1/4 pounds or about 575 grams
2 Samuel 24:10-25
English Standard Version
2 Samuel 24:10-25
English Standard Version
The Lord's Judgment of David's Sin
10 But (A)David's heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the Lord, (B)“I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done (C)very foolishly.” 11 And when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to (D)the prophet Gad, David's (E)seer, saying, 12 “Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the Lord, Three things I offer[a] you. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’” 13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall (F)three[b] years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.” 14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, (G)for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.”
15 (H)So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from (I)Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men. 16 And when (J)the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem (K)to destroy it, (L)the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel (M)who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And (N)the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of (O)Araunah the Jebusite. 17 Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father's house.”
David Builds an Altar
18 And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, raise an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of (P)Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up at Gad's word, as the Lord commanded. 20 And when Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. 21 And Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague (Q)may be averted from the people.” 22 Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the (R)threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23 All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God (S)accept you.” 24 But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels[c] of silver. 25 And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. (T)So the Lord responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Samuel 24:12 Or hold over
- 2 Samuel 24:13 Compare 1 Chronicles 21:12, Septuagint; Hebrew seven
- 2 Samuel 24:24 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
2 Samuel 24:10-25
New American Standard Bible
2 Samuel 24:10-25
New American Standard Bible
10 Now (A)David’s heart [a]troubled him after he had counted the people. So David said to the Lord, “(B)I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, Lord, please [b]overlook the guilt of Your servant, for (C)I have acted very foolishly.” 11 When David got up in the morning, the word of the Lord came to (D)Gad the prophet, David’s (E)seer, saying, 12 “Go and speak to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: “I am imposing upon you three choices; choose for yourself one of them, and I will do it to you.”’” 13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall (F)seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee for three months before your enemies while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ of plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I shall return to Him who sent me.” 14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the Lord, (G)for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”
Plague Sent
15 So (H)the Lord [c]sent a plague upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand men of the people (I)from Dan to Beersheba died. 16 (J)When the angel extended his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, (K)the Lord relented of the disaster and said to the angel who destroyed the people, “It is enough! Now drop your hand!” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking down the people, and said, “Behold, (L)it is I who have sinned, and it is I who have done wrong; but (M)these sheep, what have they done? Please let Your hand be against me and against my father’s house!”
David Builds an Altar
18 So Gad came to David that day and said to him, “(N)Go up, erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of [d]Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 Then David went up in accordance with the word of Gad, just as the Lord had commanded. 20 And Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him; so Araunah went out and bowed his face to the ground before the king. 21 Then Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” And David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the Lord, (O)so that the plague may be [e]withdrawn from the people.” 22 Araunah then said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what is good in his sight. Look, here are (P)the oxen for the burnt offering, the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23 Everything, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God be (Q)favorable to you.” 24 However, the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will certainly buy it from you for a price; for (R)I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God [f]that cost me nothing.” So (S)David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25 Then David built there an altar to the Lord, and he offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And (T)the Lord responded to prayer for the land, and the plague was [g]withdrawn from Israel.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Samuel 24:10 Lit struck
- 2 Samuel 24:10 Lit allow to pass
- 2 Samuel 24:15 Lit gave
- 2 Samuel 24:18 In 2 Chr 3:1, Ornan
- 2 Samuel 24:21 Or brought to a halt
- 2 Samuel 24:24 Lit gratuitously
- 2 Samuel 24:25 Or brought to a halt
2 Samuel 24:10-25
Common English Bible
2 Samuel 24:10-25
Common English Bible
10 But after this David felt terrible that he had counted the people. David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, Lord, please take away the guilt of your servant because I have done something very foolish.”
11 When David got up the next morning, the Lord’s word came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer: 12 Go and tell David, This is what the Lord says: I’m offering you three punishments. Choose one of them, and that is what I will do to you.
13 So Gad went to David and said to him, “Will three[a] years of famine come on your land? Or will you run from your enemies for three months while they chase you? Or will there be three days of plague in your land? Decide now what answer I should take back to the one who sent me.”
14 “I’m in deep trouble,” David said to Gad. “Let’s fall into the Lord’s hands because his mercy is great, but don’t let me fall into human hands.”
15 So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that very morning until the allotted time. Seventy thousand people died, from Dan to Beer-sheba. 16 But when the divine messenger stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord regretted doing this disaster and said to the messenger who was destroying the people, “That’s enough! Withdraw your hand.” At that time the Lord’s messenger was by the threshing floor of Araunah from Jebus.
17 When David saw the messenger who was striking down the people, he said, “I’m the one who sinned! I’m the one who has done wrong. But these sheep—what have they done wrong? Turn your hand against me and my household.”
18 That same day Gad came to David and told him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah from Jebus.” 19 So David went up, following Gad’s instructions, just as the Lord had commanded.
20 Araunah looked up and saw the king and his servants approaching him. Araunah rushed out and bowed low before the king, his nose to the ground. 21 Araunah said, “Why has my master and king come to his servant?”
David said, “To buy this threshing floor from you to build an altar to the Lord, so the plague among the people may come to an end.”
22 Then Araunah said to David, “Take it for yourself, and may my master the king do what he thinks is best. Here are oxen for the entirely burned offering, and here are threshing boards and oxen yokes for wood. 23 All this, Your Majesty, Araunah gives to the king.” Then he added, “May the Lord your God respond favorably to you!”
24 “No,” the king said to Araunah. “I will buy them from you at a fair price. I won’t offer up to the Lord my God entirely burned offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25 David built an altar there for the Lord and offered entirely burned offerings and well-being sacrifices. The Lord responded to the prayers for the land, and the plague against Israel came to an end.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Samuel 24:13 LXX, 1 Chron 21:12; MT seven
2 Samuel 24:10-25
Contemporary English Version
2 Samuel 24:10-25
Contemporary English Version
The Lord Punishes David
(1 Chronicles 21.7-17)
10 After everyone had been counted, David realized he had done wrong. He told the Lord, “What I did was stupid and terribly wrong. Lord, please forgive me.”
11 Before David even got up the next morning, the Lord had told David's prophet Gad 12-13 to take a message to David. Gad went to David and told him:
You must choose one of three ways for the Lord to punish you: Will there be seven[a] years when the land won't grow enough food for your people? Or will your enemies chase you and make you run from them for three months? Or will there be three days of horrible disease in your land? Think about it and decide, because I have to give your answer to God, who sent me.
14 David was really frightened and said, “It's a terrible choice to make! But the Lord is kind, and I'd rather be punished by him than by anyone else.”
15-16 So that morning, the Lord sent an angel to spread a horrible disease everywhere in Israel, from Dan to Beersheba. And before it was over, 70,000 people had died.
When the angel was about to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord felt sorry for all the suffering he had caused and told the angel, “That's enough! Don't touch them.” This happened at the threshing place that belonged to Araunah the Jebusite.
17 David saw the angel killing everyone and told the Lord, “These people are like sheep with me as their shepherd.[b] I have sinned terribly, but they have done nothing wrong. Please, punish me and my family instead of them!”
David Buys Araunah's Threshing Place
(1 Chronicles 21.18—22.1)
18-19 That same day the prophet Gad came and told David, “Go to the threshing place that belongs to Araunah and build an altar there for the Lord.”
So David went.
20 Araunah looked and saw David and his soldiers coming up toward him. He went over to David, bowed down low, 21 and said, “Your Majesty! Why have you come to see me?”
David answered, “I've come to buy your threshing place. I have to build the Lord an altar here, so this disease will stop killing the people.”
22 Araunah said, “Take whatever you want and offer your sacrifice. Here are some oxen for the sacrifice. You can use the threshing-boards[c] and the wooden yokes for the fire. 23 Take them—they're yours! I hope the Lord your God will be pleased with you.”
24 But David answered, “No! I have to pay you what they're worth. I can't offer the Lord my God a sacrifice that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing place and the oxen for 50 pieces of silver. 25 Then he built an altar for the Lord. He offered sacrifices to please the Lord and to ask for his blessings.
The Lord answered the prayers of the people, and no one else died from the terrible disease.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 24.12,13 seven: Hebrew; some manuscripts of one ancient translation “three” (see 1 Chronicles 21.12).
- 24.17 as their shepherd: The Dead Sea Scrolls, and some manuscripts of two ancient translations (see 1 Chronicles 21.17); these words are not in the Standard Hebrew Text of this verse.
- 24.22 threshing-boards: Heavy boards with bits of rock or metal on the bottom. They were dragged across the grain to separate the husks from the kernels.
New International Version (NIV) 
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English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
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Common English Bible (CEB)
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 
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