¹² “Go and speak to David, ‘Thus the Lord says, “I am offering you three things; choose for yourself one of them, which I will do to you.”’” ¹³ So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall ^(A)seven 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 see what answer I shall return to Him who sent me.” ¹⁴ Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the Lord ^(B)for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

Pestilence Sent

¹⁵ So ^(C)the Lord ^[a]sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand men of the people ^(D)from Dan to Beersheba died.

Census Brings Pestilence

21 ^(A)Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel. ² So David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, “^(B)Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan, and bring me word that I may know their number.” ³ Joab said, “^(C)May the Lord 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 prevailed against Joab. Therefore, Joab departed and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem. ⁵ Joab gave the number of the ^[a]census of all 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 abhorrent to Joab.

^7 [d]God was displeased with this thing, so He struck Israel.