²⁴ Joab the son of Zeruiah began a census, but he did not finish, for ^(A)wrath came upon Israel because of this census; nor was the number recorded in the account of the chronicles of King David.

The Census of Israel and Judah^(A)

21 Now ^(B)Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to ^[a]number Israel. ² So David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, “Go, number Israel from Beersheba to Dan, ^(C)and bring the number of them to me that I may know it.”

³ And Joab answered, “May the Lord make His people a hundred times more than they are. But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt in Israel?”

⁴ Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Therefore Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem. ⁵ Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David. All Israel had one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and Judah had four hundred and seventy thousand men who drew the sword. ^6 (D)But he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king’s ^[b]word was abominable to Joab.

⁷ And ^[c]God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel. ⁸ So David said to God, ^(E)“I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing; ^(F)but now, I pray, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”

⁹ Then the Lord spoke to Gad, David’s ^(G)seer, saying, ¹⁰ “Go and tell David, ^(H)saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you.” ’ ”

¹¹ So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Choose for yourself, ^12 (I)either ^[d]three years of famine, or three months to be defeated by your foes with the sword of your enemies overtaking you, or else for three days the sword of the Lord—the plague in the land, with the ^[e]angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ Now consider what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.”

¹³ And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Please let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for His ^(J)mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

¹⁴ So the Lord sent a ^(K)plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell. ¹⁵ And God sent ^[f]an ^(L)angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As ^[g]he was destroying, the Lord looked and ^(M)relented of the disaster, and said to the angel who was destroying, “It is enough; now restrain ^[h]your hand.” And the angel of the Lord stood by the ^(N)threshing floor of ^[i]Ornan the Jebusite.

¹⁶ Then David lifted his eyes and ^(O)saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, having in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. So David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces. ¹⁷ And David said to God, “Was it not I who commanded the people to be numbered? I am the one who has sinned and done evil indeed; but these ^(P)sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, O Lord my God, be against me and my father’s house, but not against Your people that they should be plagued.”

David’s Census of Israel and Judah^(A)

24 Again ^(B)the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, ^(C)“Go, ^[a]number Israel and Judah.”

² So the king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, “Now go throughout all the tribes of Israel, ^(D)from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people, that ^(E)I may know the number of the people.”

³ And Joab said to the king, “Now may the Lord your God ^(F)add to the people a hundred times more than there are, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king desire this thing?” ⁴ Nevertheless the king’s word ^[b]prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the army. Therefore Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king to count the people of Israel.

⁵ And they crossed over the Jordan and camped in ^(G)Aroer, on the right side of the town which is in the midst of the ravine of Gad, and toward ^(H)Jazer. ⁶ Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim Hodshi; they came to ^(I)Dan Jaan and around to ^(J)Sidon; ⁷ and they came to the stronghold of ^(K)Tyre and to all the cities of the ^(L)Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went out to South Judah as far as 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 Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to the king. ^(M)And there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

The Judgment on David’s Sin^(N)

¹⁰ And ^(O)David’s heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So ^(P)David said to the Lord, ^(Q)“I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have ^(R)done very foolishly.”

¹¹ Now when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet ^(S)Gad, David’s ^(T)seer, saying, ¹² “Go and tell David, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you.” ’ ” ¹³ So Gad came to David and told him; and he said to him, “Shall ^(U)seven^[c] years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.”

¹⁴ And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord, ^(V)for His mercies are great; but ^(W)do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

¹⁵ So ^(X)the Lord sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died.