2 Samuel 24:10-12
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
10 Afterward, however, David regretted having numbered the people. David said to the Lord: “I have sinned grievously in what I have done.(A) Take away, Lord, your servant’s guilt, for I have acted very foolishly.”[a] 11 When David rose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying: 12 Go, tell David: Thus says the Lord: I am offering you three options; choose one of them, and I will give you that.
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- 24:10 The narrative supposes that since the people belonged to the Lord rather than to the king, only the Lord should know their exact number. Further, since such an exact numbering of the people would make it possible for the king to exercise centralized power, imposing taxation, conscription, and expropriation upon Israel, the story shares the view of monarchy found in 1 Sm 8:4–18. See also Nm 3:44–51, where census taking requires an apotropaic offering.
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