1 Chronicles 21:16-20

New International Version

¹⁶ David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown.^(A)

¹⁷ David said to God, “Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I, the shepherd,^[a] have sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep.^(B) What have they done? Lord my God, let your hand fall on me and my family,^(C) but do not let this plague remain on your people.”

David Builds an Altar

¹⁸ Then the angel of the Lord ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor^(D) of Araunah the Jebusite. ¹⁹ So David went up in obedience to the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the Lord.

²⁰ While Araunah was threshing wheat,^(E) he turned and saw the angel; his four sons who were with him hid themselves.