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^(H) replied to the king, “May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times over,^(I) and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?”

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,^(J) south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer.^{(K) 6} They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon.^{(L) 7} Then they went toward the fortress of Tyre^(M) and all the towns of the Hivites^(N) and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba^(O) in the Negev^(P) 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.

⁹ Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: In Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand.^(Q)

¹⁰ David was conscience-stricken^(R) after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, “I have sinned^(S) 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.^(T)”

¹¹ Before David got up the next morning, the word of the Lord had come to Gad^(U) the prophet, David’s seer:^{(V) 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.’”

¹³ So Gad went to David and said to him, “Shall there come on you three^[b] years of famine^(W) in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague^(X) in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”

¹⁴ David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy^(Y) is 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.^{(Z) 16} When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented^(AA) concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the Lord^(AB) was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

¹⁷ When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, “I have sinned; I, the shepherd,^[c] have done wrong. These are but sheep.^(AC) What have they done?^(AD) Let your hand fall on me and my family.”^(AE)

David Builds an Altar^(AF)

¹⁸ On that day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah^(AG) the Jebusite.” ¹⁹ So David went up, as the Lord had commanded through Gad. ²⁰ When Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.

²¹ Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”

“To buy your threshing floor,” David answered, “so I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped.”^(AH)

²² Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxen^(AI) for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. ²³ Your Majesty, Araunah^[d] gives^(AJ) all this to the king.” Araunah also said to him, “May the Lord your God accept you.”

²⁴ But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”^(AK)

So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels^[e](AL) of silver for them. ²⁵ David built an altar^(AM) to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayer^(AN) in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.

Psalm 132^(A)

A song of ascents.

2 My dear children,^(A) I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate^(B) with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. ² He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins,^(C) and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.^(D)

Love and Hatred for Fellow Believers

³ We know^(E) that we have come to know him^(F) if we keep his commands.^{(G) 4} Whoever says, “I know him,”^(H) but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.^{(I) 5} But if anyone obeys his word,^(J) love for God^[a] is truly made complete in them.^(K) This is how we know^(L) we are in him: ⁶ Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.^(M)

⁷ Dear friends,^(N) I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning.^(O) This old command is the message you have heard. ⁸ Yet I am writing you a new command;^(P) its truth is seen in him and in you, because the darkness is passing^(Q) and the true light^(R) is already shining.^(S)

⁹ Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates a brother or sister^[b](T) is still in the darkness.^{(U) 10} Anyone who loves their brother and sister^[c] lives in the light,^(V) and there is nothing in them to make them stumble.^{(W) 11} But anyone who hates a brother or sister^(X) is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness.^(Y) They do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.^(Z)

Reasons for Writing

On Not Loving the World

¹⁵ Do not love the world or anything in the world.^(AL) If anyone loves the world, love for the Father^[d] is not in them.^{(AM) 16} For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh,^(AN) the lust of the eyes,^(AO) and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. ¹⁷ The world and its desires pass away,^(AP) but whoever does the will of God^(AQ) lives forever.

Warnings Against Denying the Son

¹⁸ Dear children, this is the last hour;^(AR) and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming,^(AS) even now many antichrists have come.^(AT) This is how we know it is the last hour. ¹⁹ They went out from us,^(AU) but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.^(AV)

²⁰ But you have an anointing^(AW) from the Holy One,^(AX) and all of you know the truth.^{[e](AY) 21} I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it^(AZ) and because no lie comes from the truth. ²² Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son.^{(BA) 23} No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.^(BB)

²⁴ As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning^(BC) remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.^{(BD) 25} And this is what he promised us—eternal life.^(BE)

²⁶ I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray.^{(BF) 27} As for you, the anointing^(BG) you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things^(BH) and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.^(BI)

God’s Children and Sin

²⁸ And now, dear children,^(BJ) continue in him, so that when he appears^(BK) we may be confident^(BL) and unashamed before him at his coming.^(BM)

²⁹ If you know that he is righteous,^(BN) you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.^(BO)