1 Chronicles 21
Legacy Standard Bible
David Sins by Numbering Israel
21 (A)Then Satan stood up against Israel and incited David to number Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, “(B)Go, count Israel from Beersheba even to Dan, and bring me word that I may know their total count.” 3 But Joab said, “(C)May Yahweh add to His people a hundred times as many as they are! But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord seek this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt to Israel?” 4 Nevertheless, the king’s word stood strong against Joab. So, Joab went out and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem. 5 And Joab gave the total count of the [a]census of the people to David. And (D)all Israel were 1,100,000 men who drew the sword; and Judah was 470,000 men who drew the sword. 6 (E)But he did not [b]number Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king’s [c]command was abominable to Joab.
7 And this thing was displeasing in the sight of God, so He struck Israel. 8 Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing. (F)But now, please take away the iniquity of Your slave, for I have acted very foolishly.”
9 And Yahweh spoke to (G)Gad, David’s (H)seer, saying, 10 “Go and speak to David, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “I [d]am offering you three things; choose for yourself one of them, and I will do that to you.”’” 11 So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Take for yourself 12 (I)either three years of famine, or three months to be swept away before your adversaries, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of Yahweh, even pestilence in the land, and the angel of Yahweh destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ So now, see what word I should return to Him who sent me.” 13 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let me now fall into the hand of Yahweh, (J)for His compassions are exceedingly abundant. But do not let me fall into the hand of man.”
14 (K)So Yahweh [e]sent a pestilence against Israel; and 70,000 men of Israel fell. 15 And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but as he was about to destroy it, Yahweh saw and [f](L)relented concerning the calamity, and said to the destroying angel, “It is enough! Now relax your hand.” And the angel of Yahweh was standing by the threshing floor of [g]Ornan the Jebusite. 16 Then David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of Yahweh standing between earth and heaven, with his drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, (M)covered with sackcloth, fell on their faces. 17 And David said to God, “Is it not I who [h]commanded to number the people? Indeed, I am the one who has sinned and done a great evil; (N)but these sheep, what have they done? O Yahweh my God, please let Your hand be against me and my father’s household, but not against Your people that they should be plagued.”
David Erects an Altar
18 (O)Then the angel of Yahweh said to Gad to say to David, that David should go up and erect an altar to Yahweh on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 19 So David went up at the word of Gad, which he spoke in the name of Yahweh. 20 Now Ornan turned back and saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. And Ornan was threshing wheat. 21 Then David came to Ornan, and Ornan looked and saw David, and went out from the threshing floor and bowed his [i]face to the ground [j]before David. 22 Then David said to Ornan, “Give me the [k]site of this threshing floor, that I may build on it an altar to Yahweh; for the full price you shall give it to me, that the plague may be checked from being upon the people.” 23 And Ornan said to David, “Take it for yourself; and let my lord the king do what is good in his sight. See, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for the wood and the wheat for the grain offering; I will give everything.” 24 However, King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will surely buy it for the full price; for I will not lift up what is yours to Yahweh, or offer a burnt offering [l]which costs me nothing.” 25 So (P)David gave Ornan [m]600 shekels of gold by weight for the [n]site. 26 Then David built there an altar to Yahweh and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And he called to Yahweh and (Q)He answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering. 27 Then Yahweh spoke to the angel, and he returned his sword to its sheath.
28 At that time, when David saw that Yahweh had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. 29 (R)Now the tabernacle of Yahweh, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were in the high place at Gibeon at that time. 30 But David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was terrified by the sword of the angel of Yahweh.
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 21:5 Lit muster
- 1 Chronicles 21:6 Lit muster
- 1 Chronicles 21:6 Lit word
- 1 Chronicles 21:10 Lit stretch out to
- 1 Chronicles 21:14 Lit gave
- 1 Chronicles 21:15 Or regretted, cf. 1 Sam 15:11, 29, 3
- 1 Chronicles 21:15 In 2 Sam 24:16, Araunah
- 1 Chronicles 21:17 Lit said
- 1 Chronicles 21:21 Lit nose
- 1 Chronicles 21:21 Lit to
- 1 Chronicles 21:22 Lit place
- 1 Chronicles 21:24 Lit gratuitously
- 1 Chronicles 21:25 Approx. 15 lb. or 6.6 kg, a shekel was approx. 0.4 oz. or 11 gm
- 1 Chronicles 21:25 Lit place
1 Chronicles 21
1599 Geneva Bible
21 1 David causeth the people to be numbered, 14 and there dieth seventy thousand men of the pestilence.
1 And [a]Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.
2 Therefore David said to Joab, and to the rulers of the people, Go, and number Israel from [b]Beersheba even to Dan, and bring it to me, that I may know the number of them.
3 And Joab answered, The Lord increased his people an hundred times so many as they be, O my lord the king: are they not all my lord’s servants? wherefore doeth my lord require this thing? why should he be a cause of [c]trespass to Israel?
4 Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab. And Joab departed and went through all Israel, and returned to Jerusalem.
5 And Joab gave the number and sum of the people unto David: and all Israel were [d]eleven hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was [e]four hundred and seventy thousand men that drew sword.
6 But the Levites and Benjamin counted he not among them: for the King’s word was abominable to Joab.
7 ¶ And God was displeased with this thing: therefore he smote Israel.
8 Then David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing: but now, I beseech thee, remove the iniquity of thy servant: for I have done very foolishly.
9 And the Lord spake unto Gad David’s [f]Seer, saying,
10 Go and tell David, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I offer thee three things: choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.
11 So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Take to thee,
12 Either three years famine, or three months to be destroyed before thine adversaries, and the sword of thine enemies [g]to take thee, or else the sword of the Lord and pestilence in the land three days, that the Angel of the Lord may destroy throughout all the coasts of Israel: now therefore advise thee, what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.
13 And David said unto Gad, I am in a wonderful strait, let me now fall into the hand of the Lord: for his mercies are exceedingly great, and let me not fall into the hand of man.
14 So the Lord sent a pestilence in Israel, and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.
15 ¶ And God sent the Angel into Jerusalem to destroy it. And [h]as he was destroying, the Lord beheld, and [i]repented of the evil, and said to the Angel that destroyed, It is now enough, let thine hand cease. Then the Angel of the Lord stood by the threshing floor of [j]Ornan the Jebusite.
16 And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the Angel of the Lord stand between the earth and the heaven, with his sword drawn in his hand and stretched out toward Jerusalem. Then David and the Elders of Israel which were clothed in sack, fell upon their faces.
17 And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded to number the people? It is even I that have sinned and have committed evil, but these sheep, what have they done? O Lord my God, I beseech thee, let thine hand be on me and on my father’s house, and not on [k]thy people for their destruction.
18 ¶ Then the Angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the Lord in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19 So David went up according to the saying of Gad, which he had spoken in the Name of the Lord.
20 And Ornan turned about and saw the Angel, and his four sons that were with him, [l]hid themselves, and Ornan threshed wheat.
21 And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshing floor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.
22 And David said to Ornan, Give me the place of thy threshing floor, that I may build an [m]altar therein unto the Lord: give it me for sufficient money, that the plague may be stayed from the people.
23 Then Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which seemeth him good: lo, I give thee bullocks for burnt offerings, and threshing instruments for wood, and wheat for meat offering, I give it all.
24 And King David said to Ornan, Not so: but I will buy it for sufficient [n]money: for I will not take that which is thine for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.
25 So David gave to Ornan for that place [o]six hundred shekels of gold by weight.
26 And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings, and peace offerings, and called upon the Lord, and he [p]answered him by fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering.
27 And when the Lord had spoken to the Angel, he put up his sword again into his sheath.
28 At that time when David saw that the Lord had heard him in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.
29 (But the Tabernacle of the Lord which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that season in the high place at Gibeon.
30 And David could not go before it to ask counsel at God: for he was afraid of the sword of the Angel of the Lord.)
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 21:1 He tempted David, in setting before his eyes his excellency and glory, his power and victories, read 2 Sam. 24:1.
- 1 Chronicles 21:2 That is, from South to North.
- 1 Chronicles 21:3 It was a thing indifferent and usual to number the people, but because he did it of an ambitious mind, as though his strength stood in his people, God punished him.
- 1 Chronicles 21:5 Joab partly for grief, and partly through negligence, gathered not the whole sum as it is here declared.
- 1 Chronicles 21:5 In Samuel is mention of thirty thousand more, which was either by joining to them some of the Benjamites which were mixed with Judah, or as the Hebrews write, here the chief and princes are left out.
- 1 Chronicles 21:9 Or, Prophet.
- 1 Chronicles 21:12 Or, smite thee.
- 1 Chronicles 21:15 Read 2 Sam. 24:16.
- 1 Chronicles 21:15 When God draweth back his plagues, he seemeth to repent, read Gen. 6:6.
- 1 Chronicles 21:15 Or, Araunah.
- 1 Chronicles 21:17 Thus he both showeth a true repentance and a fatherly care toward his people, which desireth God to spare them, and to punish him and his.
- 1 Chronicles 21:20 If man hide himself at the sight of an Angel which is a creature, how much as a sinner able to appear before the face of God?
- 1 Chronicles 21:22 Thus he did by the commandment of God, as verse 18, for else it had been abominable, except he had either God’s word, or revelation.
- 1 Chronicles 21:24 That is, as much as it is worth: for having enough of his own, and yet to have taken of another man’s goods to offer unto the Lord, it had been theft and not acceptable to God.
- 1 Chronicles 21:25 Read 2 Sam. 24:24.
- 1 Chronicles 21:26 God declared that he heard his request, in that he sent down fire from heaven, for else they might use no fire in sacrifice, but of that which was reserved still upon the altar, Lev. 6:13, and came down from heaven, Lev. 9:24, as appeared by the punishment of Nadab and Abihu, Lev. 10:1.
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