2 Samuel 24
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
David’s Census of Israel and Judah
24 Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, count the people of Israel and Judah.”(A) 2 So the king said to Joab and the commanders of the army[a] who were with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beer-sheba, and take a census of the people, so that I may know how many there are.”(B) 3 But Joab said to the king, “May the Lord your God increase the number of the people a hundredfold while the eyes of my lord the king can still see it! But why does my lord the king want to do this?” 4 But the king’s word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to take a census of the people of Israel. 5 They crossed the Jordan and began from[b] Aroer and from the city that is in the middle of the valley, toward Gad and on to Jazer.(C) 6 Then they came to Gilead and to Kadesh in the land of the Hittites,[c] and they came to Dan, and from Dan[d] they went around to Sidon(D) 7 and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites, and they went out to the Negeb of Judah at Beer-sheba.(E) 8 So when they had gone through all the land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 Joab reported to the king the number of those who had been recorded: in Israel there were eight hundred thousand soldiers able to draw the sword, and those of Judah were five hundred thousand.(F)
Judgment on David’s Sin
10 But afterward, David was stricken to the heart because he had numbered the people. David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, I pray you, take away the guilt of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”(G) 11 When David rose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying,(H) 12 “Go and say to David: Thus says the Lord: Three things I offer[e] you; choose one of them, and I will do it to you.”(I) 13 So Gad came to David and told him; he asked him, “Shall seven years of famine come to you on 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 decide what answer I shall return to the one who sent me.” 14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress; let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercy is great, but let me not fall into human hands.”(J)
15 So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from that morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand of the people died, from Dan to Beer-sheba.(K) 16 But when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented concerning the evil and said to the angel who was bringing destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” The angel of the Lord was standing[f] by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven and in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces.[g](L) 17 When David saw the angel who was destroying the people, he said to the Lord, “I alone have sinned, and I, the shepherd, have done evil,[h] but these sheep, what have they done? Let your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father’s house.”(M)
David’s Altar on the Threshing Floor
18 That day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up and erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”(N) 19 Following Gad’s instructions, David went up, as the Lord had commanded. 20 When Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming toward him, and Araunah went out and prostrated himself before the king with his face to the ground. 21 Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you in order to build an altar to the Lord, so that the plague may be averted from the people.”(O) 22 Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him; here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood.(P) 23 All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God respond favorably to you.”(Q)
24 But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy them from you for a price; I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.(R) 25 David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and offerings of well-being. So the Lord answered his supplication for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.(S)
Footnotes
- 24.2 Cn Compare 1 Chr 21.2 Gk: Heb to Joab the commander of the army
- 24.5 Gk mss: Heb encamped in Aroer south of
- 24.6 Gk: Heb to the land of Tahtim-hodshi
- 24.6 Cn Compare Gk: Heb they came to Dan-jaan and
- 24.12 Or hold over
- 24.16 Q ms: MT lacks standing
- 24.16 Q ms Compare 1 Chr 21.16: MT lacks David looked . . . faces
- 24.17 Q ms Gk: MT reads I alone have done wickedly
2 Samuel 24
Holman 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 100 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 20 days. 9 Joab gave the king the total of the registration of the troops. There were 800,000 fighting men from Israel and 500,000 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, a revelation from 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[b] 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, think it over and decide 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 70,000 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[c] 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[d] 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 bowed 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[e] and offer it. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.(P) 23 My king, 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 20 ounces[f] of silver. 25 He built an altar to the Lord there and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered prayer on behalf of the land,(Q) and the plague on Israel ended.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 24:6 LXX; MT reads of Tahtim-hodshi; Hb obscure
- 2 Samuel 24:13 LXX; MT reads seven; 1Ch 21:12
- 2 Samuel 24:16 = Ornan in 1Ch 21:15-28; 2Ch 3:1
- 2 Samuel 24:17 LXX reads shepherd
- 2 Samuel 24:22 Lit take what is good in his eyes
- 2 Samuel 24:24 Lit 50 shekels
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