David Counts the Fighting Men^(A)

21 Satan^(B) rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census^(C) of Israel.

David Enrolls the Fighting Men^(A)

24 Again^(B) the anger of the Lord burned against Israel,^(C) and he incited David against them, saying, “Go and take a census of^(D) Israel and Judah.”

² So the king said to Joab^(E) and the army commanders^[a] with him, “Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba^(F) and enroll^(G) the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are.”

³ But Joab replied, “May the Lord multiply his troops a hundred times over.^(A) My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”

⁴ The king’s word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enroll the fighting men of Israel.

⁵ After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer,^(A) south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer.^{(B) 6} They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon.^{(C) 7} Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre^(D) and all the towns of the Hivites^(E) and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba^(F) in the Negev^(G) of Judah.

⁸ After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

⁵ Joab reported the number of the fighting men to David: In all Israel^(A) there were one million one hundred thousand men who could handle a sword, including four hundred and seventy thousand in Judah.

⁶ But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, because the king’s command was repulsive to him. ⁷ This command was also evil in the sight of God; so he punished Israel.

¹⁰ David was conscience-stricken^(A) after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, “I have sinned^(B) greatly in what I have done. Now, Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.^(C)”

¹¹ Before David got up the next morning, the word of the Lord had come to Gad^(D) the prophet, David’s seer:^{(E) 12} “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’”

¹¹ So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Take your choice: ¹² three years of famine,^(A) three months of being swept away^[a] before your enemies, with their swords overtaking you, or three days of the sword^(B) of the Lord^(C)—days of plague in the land, with the angel of the Lord ravaging every part of Israel.’ Now then, decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”

¹³ David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy^(D) is very great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”

¹⁵ So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died.^(A)

¹⁵ And God sent an angel^(A) to destroy Jerusalem.^(B) But as the angel was doing so, the Lord saw it and relented^(C) concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was destroying^(D) the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the Lord was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah^[a] the Jebusite.

¹⁶ David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown.^(E)

¹⁷ David said to God, “Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I, the shepherd,^[b] have sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep.^(F) What have they done? Lord my God, let your hand fall on me and my family,^(G) but do not let this plague remain on your people.”

David Builds an Altar

¹⁸ Then the angel of the Lord ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor^(H) of Araunah the Jebusite. ¹⁹ So David went up in obedience to the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the Lord.

²⁰ While Araunah was threshing wheat,^(I) he turned and saw the angel; his four sons who were with him hid themselves. ²¹ Then David approached, and when Araunah looked and saw him, he left the threshing floor and bowed down before David with his face to the ground.