2 Samuel 24
Names of God Bible
David’s Sin—He Takes a Census(A)
24 Yahweh became angry with Israel again, so he provoked David to turn against Israel. He said, “Go, count Israel and Judah.”
2 King David said to Joab, the commander of the army who was with him, “Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and count the people. That way I will know how many there are.”
3 Joab responded to the king, “May Yahweh your Elohim multiply the people a hundred times over, and may Your Majesty live to see it. But why does Your Majesty wish to do this?”
4 However, the king overruled Joab and the commanders of the army. So they left the king in order to count the people of Israel. 5 They crossed the Jordan River and camped at Aroer, south of the city in the middle of the valley. Then they went to Gad and to Jazer. 6 They went to Gilead and to Tahtim Hodshi and then to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon. 7 They went to the fortified city of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah. 8 When they had covered the whole country, they came to Jerusalem after 9 months and 20 days. 9 Joab reported the census figures to the king: In Israel there were 800,000 able-bodied men who could serve in the army, and in Judah there were 500,000.
10 After David counted the people, his conscience troubled him. David said to Yahweh, “I have committed a terrible sin by what I have done. Yahweh, please forgive me because I have acted very foolishly.”
11 When David got up in the morning, Yahweh spoke his word to the prophet Gad, David’s seer.[a] 12 “Go and tell David, ‘This is what Yahweh says: I’m offering you three choices. Choose the one you want me to do to you.’”
13 When Gad came to David, he told David this and asked, “Should seven years of famine come to you and your land, or three months during which you flee from your enemies as they pursue you, or should there be a three-day plague in your land? Think it over, and decide what answer I should give the one who sent me.”
14 “I’m in a desperate situation,” David told Gad. “Please let us fall into Yahweh’s hands because he is very merciful. But don’t let me fall into human hands.”
15 So Yahweh sent a plague among the Israelites from that morning until the time he had chosen. Of the people from Dan to Beersheba, 70,000 died. 16 But when the Messenger stretched out his arm to destroy Jerusalem, Yahweh changed his mind about the disaster. “Enough!” he said to the Messenger who was destroying the people. “Put down your weapon.” The Messenger of Yahweh was at the threshing floor[b] of Araunah the Jebusite.
17 When David saw the Messenger who had been killing the people, he said to Yahweh, “I’ve sinned. I’ve done wrong. What have these sheep done? Please let your punishment be against me and against my father’s family.”
18 That day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go, set up an altar for Yahweh at Araunah the Jebusite’s threshing floor.”
19 David went as Gad had told him and as Yahweh had commanded him. 20 When Araunah looked down and saw the king and his men coming toward him, he went out and bowed down with his face touching the ground in front of the king. 21 “Why has Your Majesty come to me?” Araunah asked.
David answered, “To buy the threshing floor from you and to build an altar for Yahweh. Then the plague on the people will stop.”
22 Araunah said to David, “Take it, Your Majesty, and offer whatever you think is right. There are oxen for the burnt offering, and there are threshers and oxen yokes[c] for firewood.” 23 All this Araunah gave to the king and said, “May Yahweh your Elohim accept you.”
24 “No!” the king said to Araunah. “I must buy it from you at a fair price. I won’t offer Yahweh my Elohim burnt sacrifices that cost me nothing.”
So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 1¼ pounds of silver. 25 David built an altar for Yahweh there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. So Yahweh heard the prayers for the country, and the plague on Israel stopped.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 24:11 A seer is a prophet.
- 2 Samuel 24:16 A threshing floor is an outdoor area where grain is separated from its husks.
- 2 Samuel 24:22 A thresher is a device used to separate grain from its husks. A yoke is a wooden bar placed over the necks of work animals so that they can pull plows or carts.
2 Samuel 24
English Standard Version
David's Census
24 (A)(B)Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, (C)“Go, number Israel and Judah.” 2 So the king said to Joab, the commander of the army,[a] who was with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, (D)from Dan to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people.” 3 But Joab said to the king, (E)“May the Lord your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see it, but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?” 4 But the king's word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to number the people of Israel. 5 They crossed the Jordan and began from (F)Aroer,[b] and from the city that is in the middle of the (G)valley, toward Gad and on to (H)Jazer. 6 Then they came to Gilead, and to Kadesh in the land of the Hittites;[c] and they came to Dan, and from Dan[d] they went around to (I)Sidon, 7 and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the (J)Hivites and (K)Canaanites; and they went out to the Negeb of Judah at Beersheba. 8 So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to the king: in Israel there were 800,000 valiant men (L)who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000.
The Lord's Judgment of David's Sin
10 But (M)David's heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the Lord, (N)“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 (O)very foolishly.” 11 And when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to (P)the prophet Gad, David's (Q)seer, saying, 12 “Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the Lord, Three things I offer[e] 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 (R)three[f] 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, (S)for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.”
15 (T)So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from (U)Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men. 16 And when (V)the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem (W)to destroy it, (X)the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel (Y)who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And (Z)the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of (AA)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 (AB)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 (AC)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 (AD)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 (AE)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[g] of silver. 25 And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. (AF)So the Lord responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 24:2 Septuagint to Joab and the commanders of the army
- 2 Samuel 24:5 Septuagint; Hebrew encamped in Aroer
- 2 Samuel 24:6 Septuagint; Hebrew to the land of Tahtim-hodshi
- 2 Samuel 24:6 Septuagint; Hebrew they came to Dan-jaan and
- 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
The Names of God Bible (without notes) © 2011 by Baker Publishing Group.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
