2 Samuel 24
Christian Standard Bible
David’s Military Census
24 The Lord’s anger burned against Israel again, and he stirred up David against them to say, “Go, count the people of Israel and Judah.”(A)
2 So the king said to Joab, the commander of his army, “Go through all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba and register the troops so I can know their number.”(B)
3 Joab replied to the king, “May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times more than they are(C)—while my lord the king looks on! But why does my lord the king want to do this?”
4 Yet the king’s order prevailed over Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army left the king’s presence to register the troops of Israel.
5 They crossed the Jordan and camped in Aroer,(D) south of the town in the middle of the valley, and then proceeded toward Gad and Jazer. 6 They went to Gilead and to the land of the Hittites[a] and continued on to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon. 7 They went to the fortress of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites. Afterward, they went to the Negev of Judah at Beer-sheba.
8 When they had gone through the whole land, they returned to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 Joab gave the king the total of the registration of the troops. There were eight hundred thousand valiant armed men[b] from Israel and five hundred thousand men from Judah.(E)
10 David’s conscience troubled him(F) after he had taken a census of the troops. He said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I’ve done. Now, Lord, because I’ve been very foolish,(G) please take away your servant’s guilt.”
David’s Punishment
11 When David got up in the morning, the word of the Lord had come to the prophet Gad,(H) David’s seer:(I) 12 “Go and say to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am offering you three choices. Choose one of them, and I will do it to you.’”
13 So Gad went to David, told him the choices, and asked him, “Do you want three[c] years of famine to come on your land, to flee from your foes three months while they pursue you, or to have a plague in your land three days? Now, consider carefully[d] what answer I should take back to the one who sent me.”
14 David answered Gad, “I have great anxiety. Please, let us fall into the Lord’s hands because his mercies are great,(J) but don’t let me fall into human hands.”
15 So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the appointed time, and from Dan to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men died. 16 Then the angel extended his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it,(K) but the Lord relented concerning the destruction(L) and said to the angel who was destroying(M) the people, “Enough, withdraw your hand now!” The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Araunah[e] the Jebusite.(N)
17 When David saw the angel striking the people, he said to the Lord, “Look, I am the one who has sinned; I am the one[f] who has done wrong. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, let your hand be against me and my father’s family.”
David’s Altar
18 Gad came to David that day and said to him, “Go up and set up an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 David went up in obedience to Gad’s command, just as the Lord had commanded. 20 Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, so he went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground.
21 Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”
David replied, “To buy the threshing floor from you in order to build an altar to the Lord, so the plague on the people may be halted.”(O)
22 Araunah said to David, “My lord the king may take whatever he wants[g] and offer it. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.(P) 23 Your Majesty, Araunah gives everything here to the king.” Then he said to the king, “May the Lord your God accept you.”
24 The king answered Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it from you for a price, for I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for twenty ounces[h] of silver. 25 He built an altar to the Lord there and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord was receptive to prayer for the land,(Q) and the plague on Israel ended.
2 Samuel 24
International Standard Version
David Takes a Census of Israel(A)
24 Later, God’s anger blazed forth against Israel, so he incited David to move against them by telling him, “Go take a census of Israel and Judah.”
2 So the king ordered Joab, commander of the special forces, who was with him, “Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba and take a census of the people so I can be made aware of the total number.”
3 But Joab replied, “May the Lord your God increase the population of the people a hundredfold while your majesty the king is still alive to see it happen! But why does your majesty the king want to do this?”
4 But the king’s order overruled Joab and the commanders of the special forces, so Joab and the commanders of the special forces left David’s presence to take a census of the people of Israel. 5 They crossed the Jordan River,[a] encamped at Aroer south of the town that is located in the river valley, proceeding through Gad and then on toward Jazer. 6 They went on to Gilead and the territory of Tahtim-hodshi, then on toward Dan. From Dan they went around to Sidon 7 and arrived at the fortified city of Tyre and all of the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites.
Eventually they proceeded to Beer-sheba in the Judean Negev.[b] 8 After they had traveled throughout the entire land, they returned to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and 20 days. 9 Joab reported the total number of men to the king. In Israel there were 800,000 men trained for war.[c] In Judah there were 500,000.
Discipline for David’s Sin(B)
10 Later, David’s conscience bothered[d] him after he had numbered the army,[e] so David told the Lord, “I have sinned greatly by what I did. But now I am asking you, please remove the guilt of your servant, since I have acted very foolishly.”
11 Before David arose the next morning, this message from the Lord came to Gad, David’s seer: 12 “Go tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: “I’m holding three choices out for you: pick one of them for yourself, and I will do it to you.”’”
13 So Gad went to David and asked him, “Shall seven years of famine come to your land, or three months of reversals[f] while you flee from your enemies as they pursue you, or three days of pestilence in your land? Decide right now what I am to answer to the one who sent me.”
14 So David replied to Gad, “This is a very difficult choice for me to make! Let me now please fall into the hand of the Lord, since his mercy is very great, but may I never fall into human hands!”
15 That very morning, the Lord sent a pestilence to Israel until the conclusion of the time designated, and 70,000 men[g] died from Dan to Beer-sheba. 16 As the angel was stretching out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord was grieved because of the calamity, so he told the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Stay your hand!” So the angel of the Lord remained near the threshing floor that belonged to Araunah[h] the Jebusite.[i]
17 When David saw the angel who had been attacking the people, he told the Lord, “Look, I’m the one who has sinned! I did the evil. These are only sheep! What did they do? Please, let your hand fall on me and on my household!”
David Buys Araunah’s Threshing Floor(C)
18 That very day, Gad approached David and told him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor that belongs to Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up, just as Gad had ordered, consistent with the Lord’s command.
20 When Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his staff approaching him. Araunah went out, bowed down before the king with his face on the ground, 21 and asked[j] him, “Why has your majesty the king come to his servant?”
David replied, “To purchase your threshing floor and to build an altar to the Lord, so the pestilence can be averted from the people.”
22 Araunah responded to David, “May your majesty the king take it and offer whatever pleases him. Here are oxen for a burnt offering, along with the threshing sledges and yokes from the oxen for wood! 23 Your majesty, Araunah gives all of this[k] to the king.” Araunah also told the king, “May the Lord your God be pleased with you!”
24 “No!” the king replied to Araunah. “I will buy them from you at full[l] price. I won’t offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 50 silver shekels,[m] 25 built[n] an altar to the Lord there, and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord answered David’s prayers for the land[o] and the pestilence on Israel was averted.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 24:5 The Heb. lacks River
- 2 Samuel 24:7 I.e. southern regions of the Sinai peninsula; cf. Josh 10:40
- 2 Samuel 24:9 Lit. men in wielding a sword
- 2 Samuel 24:10 Lit. David’s heart struck
- 2 Samuel 24:10 Lit. people
- 2 Samuel 24:13 Or destruction
- 2 Samuel 24:15 Or soldiers
- 2 Samuel 24:16 Araunah was also known as Ornan; cf. 1Chr 21:15
- 2 Samuel 24:16 I.e. a descendant of Canaan’s third son (cf. Gen 10:15-16), Jebusites were native to Jebus, the ancient name of the city of Jerusalem
- 2 Samuel 24:21 Lit. and Araunah said
- 2 Samuel 24:23 The Heb. lacks of this
- 2 Samuel 24:24 The Heb. lacks full
- 2 Samuel 24:24 I.e. about one and one quarter pounds at 0.4 shekels per ounce
- 2 Samuel 24:25 Lit. David built
- 2 Samuel 24:25 Cf. 2Sam 21:14
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