21 Soothly Satan rose against Israel, and stirred David for to number Israel. (And Satan rose up against Israel, and stirred David to count the Israelites.)

² And David said to Joab, and to the princes of the people, Go ye, and number all Israel from Beersheba till to Dan, and bring ye the number to me, that I know what it is. (And David said to Joab, and to the leaders of the people, Go ye, and count up all Israel from Beersheba unto Dan, and bring ye the number to me, so that I know what it is.)

³ And Joab answered, The Lord increase his people an hundredfold more than they be; (but) my lord the king, whether (they) all be not thy servants? Why seeketh my lord this thing, that shall be areckoned into sin to Israel? (that shall be reckoned as a sin by Israel?)

⁴ But the word of the king had more the mastery; and Joab went out, and compassed all Israel, and turned again into Jerusalem. (But the word of the king had more the mastery; and Joab went out, and went all around Israel, and then returned to Jerusalem.)

⁵ And he gave to David the number of them, which he had compassed; and all the number of Israel was found a thousand thousand, and an hundred thousand of men, drawing out sword; forsooth of Judah were three hundred thousand, and seventy thousand warriors. (And he gave David the number of them, which he had counted; and all the number of Israel was found to be a thousand thousand, and a hundred thousand men drawing out the sword; and in Judah there were four hundred and seventy thousand warriors.)

⁶ But Joab numbered not Levi and Benjamin, for against his will he did the commandment of the king. (But Joab did not count the Levites and the Benjaminites, for he did the king’s commandment against his own will.)

⁷ Forsooth that thing that was commanded displeased the Lord, therefore he smote Israel. (But what was commanded displeased the Lord, and so he struck Israel.)

⁸ And David said to God, I have sinned greatly, that I would do this thing; I beseech thee, Lord, do thou away the wickedness of thy servant, for I did follily. (And David said to God, I have greatly sinned, that I would do this thing; I beseech thee, Lord, do thou away the wickedness of thy servant, for I did foolishly.)

⁹ And the Lord spake to Gad, the prophet of David, and said to him,

¹⁰ Go thou, and speak to David, and say to him, The Lord saith these things, I give to thee the choosing of three things; choose thou one which thou wilt, that I do to thee.

¹¹ And when Gad was come to David, he said to David, The Lord saith these things, Choose thou that that thou wilt of these (Choose thou what thou wilt from these three punishments),

¹² either pestilence three years, either that three months thou flee thine enemies, and be not able to escape their sword, either that the sword of the Lord and death reign three days in the land, and that the angel of the Lord slay in all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore see thou, what I shall answer to him that sent me. (either three years of famine, or for three months thou shalt flee thy enemies, and not be able to escape their swords, or for three days the sword of the Lord, that is, pestilence, shall reign in the land, and the angel of the Lord shall kill in all of Israel’s coasts. And so now say thou, what shall I answer to him who sent me.)

¹³ And David said to Gad, Anguishes oppress me on each part, but it is better to me (but it is better for me), that I fall into the hands of the Lord, for his merciful doings be many, then into the hands of men.

¹⁴ Therefore the Lord sent pestilence into Israel, and seventy thousand of men felled down of Israel. (And so the Lord sent pestilence into Israel, and seventy thousand Israelites died.)

¹⁵ Also the Lord sent an angel into Jerusalem, that he should smite it; and when it was smitten, the Lord saw, and had mercy upon the greatness of (the) evil; and he commanded to the angel that smote, and said, It sufficeth, now thine hand cease. And the angel of the Lord stood beside the cornfloor of Ornan (the) Jebusite. (And the Lord sent an angel into Jerusalem, to strike it; and when it was struck, the Lord saw, and had mercy on the greatness of the evil; and he commanded to the angel who struck it, and said, It sufficeth, now stay thy hand. And the angel of the Lord stood still beside the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.)

¹⁶ And David raised up his eyes, and saw the angel of the Lord standing betwixt heaven and (the) earth, and a drawn sword in his hand, turned against Jerusalem. And both he and the greater men in birth were clothed with hair-shirts, and they fell down upon the earth (And both he and the men of great age, that is, the elders, were clothed with hair-shirts, and they fell down on the ground).

¹⁷ And David said to the Lord, Whether I am not he that commanded that the people should be numbered? I it am that sinned, I it am that did evil; what hath this flock deserved? My Lord God, I beseech thee, (let) thine hand be turned against me, and against the house of my father; but thy people be not smitten. (And David said to the Lord, Was it not I who commanded that the people should be counted? It is I who sinned, it is I who did the evil; what hath this flock done to deserve this? My Lord God, I beseech thee, let thy hand be turned against me, and against the house of my father; but do not let thy people be struck down.)

¹⁸ And the angel of the Lord commanded [to] Gad, that he should say to David, that he should go up, and build an altar to the Lord God in the cornfloor of Ornan (the) Jebusite. (And the angel of the Lord commanded to Gad, that he should say to David, that he should go up, and build an altar to the Lord God at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.)

¹⁹ Therefore David went up by the word of Gad, which he spake to him by the word of the Lord. (And so David went up by the word of Gad, which he spoke to him in the name of the Lord.)

²⁰ And when Ornan had beheld, and saw the angel, and his four sons with him had seen (him also), they hid them[selves], for in that time Ornan threshed wheat in the cornfloor. (And when Ornan, and his four sons who were with him, beheld, and saw the angel, his sons ran and hid themselves; for at that time Ornan threshed wheat at the threshing floor.)

²¹ Therefore when David came to Ornan, Ornan beheld David, and went forth from the cornfloor against him, and worshipped him lowly upon the ground. (And so when David came to Ornan, Ornan saw David, and went out from the threshing floor to greet him, and he bowed low before him, with his face to the ground.)

²² And David said to him, Give the place of the cornfloor to me, that I build therein an altar to the Lord; so (long as) that thou take as much silver as it is worth, and that the vengeance cease from the people. (And David said to him, Give me the place of the threshing floor, so that I can build on it an altar to the Lord; yea, take thou as much silver as it is worth; so only that this vengeance cease from destroying the people.)

²³ And Ornan said to David, Take thou it, and my lord the king do he whatever thing pleaseth him; but also I give oxen into burnt sacrifice, and instruments of wood, whereby corns be threshed, into sticks to be burnt, and wheat into sacrifice; I give gladly all these things. (And Ornan said to David, Take thou it, and my lord the king do he whatever thing pleaseth him; and also I give oxen for the burnt sacrifices, and the wooden instruments, with which the corns be threshed, for sticks to be burned, and wheat for the offering; I willingly, or I gladly, give you all these things.)

²⁴ And king David said to him, It shall not be done so, but I shall give to thee silver (for) as much as it is worth; for I ought not to take away from thee, and offer so to the Lord burnt sacrifices freely given. (And King David said to him, It shall not be done so, but I shall give thee as much silver as it is worth; for I ought not to take what is thine to give to the Lord, nor to offer burnt sacrifices given for free.)

²⁵ Therefore David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold of full just weight. (And so David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold of full just weight for the place.)

²⁶ And David builded there an altar to the Lord, and offered thereon burnt sacrifices and peaceable sacrifices, and he inwardly called (on) God; and God heard him in fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt sacrifice. (And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered on it burnt sacrifices and peace offerings, and he inwardly called on God; and God answered him from heaven with fire on the altar of burnt sacrifice.)

²⁷ And the Lord commanded to the angel, and he turned his sword again into the sheath.

²⁸ Then anon David saw, that the Lord had heard him in the cornfloor of Ornan (the) Jebusite, and he offered there slain sacrifices. (And David saw at once, that the Lord had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, and he offered slain sacrifices there.)

²⁹ Forsooth the tabernacle of the Lord, that Moses had made in the desert, and the altar of burnt sacrifices, was in that tempest in the high place of Gibeon; (For the Tabernacle of the Lord, that Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt sacrifices, were at that time at the hill shrine in Gibeon;)

³⁰ and David might not go to the altar, to beseech God there, for he was afeared with full great dread (for he was afraid with a very great fear), seeing the sword of the angel of the Lord.