David’s Military Census

24 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel again, and he stirred up David against them to say, “Go, count the people of Israel and Judah.”^(A)

² So the king said to Joab, the commander of his army, “Go through all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba and register the troops so I can know their number.”^(B)

³ Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times more than they are^(C)—while my lord the king looks on! But why does my lord the king want to do this?”

⁴ Yet the king’s order prevailed over Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army left the king’s presence to register the troops of Israel.

⁵ They crossed the Jordan and camped in Aroer,^(D) south of the town in the middle of the valley, and then proceeded toward Gad and Jazer. ⁶ They went to Gilead and to the land of the Hittites^[a] and continued on to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon. ⁷ They went to the fortress of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites. Afterward, they went to the Negev of Judah at Beer-sheba.

⁸ When they had gone through the whole land, they returned to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. ⁹ Joab gave the king the total of the registration of the troops. There were eight hundred thousand valiant armed men^[b] from Israel and five hundred thousand men from Judah.^(E)

¹⁰ David’s conscience troubled him^(F) after he had taken a census of the troops. He said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I’ve done. Now, Lord, because I’ve been very foolish,^(G) please take away your servant’s guilt.”

David’s Punishment

¹¹ When David got up in the morning, the word of the Lord had come to the prophet Gad,^(H) David’s seer:^{(I) 12} “Go and say to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am offering you three choices. Choose one of them, and I will do it to you.’”

¹³ So Gad went to David, told him the choices, and asked him, “Do you want three^[c] years of famine to come on your land, to flee from your foes three months while they pursue you, or to have a plague in your land three days? Now, consider carefully^[d] what answer I should take back to the one who sent me.”

¹⁴ David answered Gad, “I have great anxiety. Please, let us fall into the Lord’s hands because his mercies are great,^(J) but don’t let me fall into human hands.”

¹⁵ So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the appointed time, and from Dan to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men died.

David’s Military Census

21 Satan^[a](A) rose up against Israel and incited David^(B) to count the people of Israel. ² So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count Israel from Beer-sheba to Dan and bring a report to me so I can know their number.”^(C)

³ Joab replied, “May the Lord multiply the number of his people a hundred times over!^(D) My lord the king, aren’t they all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”

⁴ Yet the king’s order prevailed over Joab. So Joab left and traveled throughout Israel and then returned to Jerusalem. ⁵ Joab gave the total troop registration to David. In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand armed men^[b] and in Judah itself four hundred seventy thousand armed men. ⁶ But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the count because the king’s command was detestable to him. ⁷ This command was also evil in God’s sight, so he afflicted Israel.