The Temple Built and Furnished^(A)

3 Solomon began to build Yahweh’s temple in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, where Yahweh appeared to his father David. There David had prepared the site on the threshing floor^[a] of Ornan the Jebusite. ² He began to build on the second day in the second month of the fourth year of his reign.

¹⁶ When David looked up, he saw the Messenger of Yahweh standing between heaven and earth. The Messenger had a sword in his hand and stretched it over Jerusalem. David and the leaders were dressed in sackcloth. They bowed down with their faces touching the ground. ¹⁷ David said to Elohim, “I’m the one who ordered the people to be counted. I am the one who sinned and did wrong. What have these sheep done? Yahweh my Elohim, let your punishment be against me and my father’s family, but don’t punish your people with a plague.”

¹⁸ Yahweh’s Messenger told Gad to tell David to go and set up an altar for Yahweh at Ornan the Jebusite’s threshing floor. ¹⁹ David went as Gad had told him in Yahweh’s name.

²⁰ Now, Ornan had turned around and seen the Messenger. Ornan’s four sons who were with him hid, but Ornan kept on threshing the wheat.

²¹ When David arrived, Ornan looked up and saw him. So he left the threshing floor and bowed down with his face touching the ground in front of David. ²² David said to Ornan, “Let me have the land this threshing floor is on. I’ll build an altar for Yahweh on it. Sell it to me for the full price. Then the plague on the people will stop.”

²³ Ornan said to David, “Take it, Your Majesty, and do whatever you think is right. I’ll give you oxen for the burnt offering, threshers^[a] for firewood, and wheat for the grain offering. I’ll give you everything.”

²⁴ “No,” King David told Ornan, “I insist on buying it for the full price. I won’t take what is yours for Yahweh and offer burnt sacrifices that cost me nothing.”

¹⁶ But when the Messenger stretched out his arm to destroy Jerusalem, Yahweh changed his mind about the disaster. “Enough!” he said to the Messenger who was destroying the people. “Put down your weapon.” The Messenger of Yahweh was at the threshing floor^[a] of Araunah the Jebusite.

¹⁷ When David saw the Messenger who had been killing the people, he said to Yahweh, “I’ve sinned. I’ve done wrong. What have these sheep done? Please let your punishment be against me and against my father’s family.”

¹⁸ That day Gad came to David and said to him, “Go, set up an altar for Yahweh at Araunah the Jebusite’s threshing floor.”

¹⁹ David went as Gad had told him and as Yahweh had commanded him. ²⁰ When Araunah looked down and saw the king and his men coming toward him, he went out and bowed down with his face touching the ground in front of the king. ²¹ “Why has Your Majesty come to me?” Araunah asked.

David answered, “To buy the threshing floor from you and to build an altar for Yahweh. Then the plague on the people will stop.”

²² Araunah said to David, “Take it, Your Majesty, and offer whatever you think is right. There are oxen for the burnt offering, and there are threshers and oxen yokes^[b] for firewood.” ²³ All this Araunah gave to the king and said, “May Yahweh your Elohim accept you.”

²⁴ “No!” the king said to Araunah. “I must buy it from you at a fair price. I won’t offer Yahweh my Elohim burnt sacrifices that cost me nothing.”

So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 1¼ pounds of silver. ²⁵ David built an altar for Yahweh there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. So Yahweh heard the prayers for the country, and the plague on Israel stopped.