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11 Then David arose in the morning, and the word of Yahweh came to (A)the prophet Gad, David’s (B)seer, saying, 12 “Go and speak to David, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “I am offering you three things; choose for yourself one of them, and I will do that to you.”’” 13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall (C)seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your adversaries while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now, know and see what word I should 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 Yahweh, (D)for His compassions are abundant. But do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

15 So (E)Yahweh [a]sent a pestilence against Israel from the morning until the appointed time, and 70,000 men of the people (F)from Dan to Beersheba died. 16 (G)Then the angel sent forth his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, and (H)Yahweh [b]relented of the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, “It is enough! Now relax your hand!” And the angel of Yahweh was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 Then David spoke to Yahweh when he saw the angel who was striking down the people, and said, “Behold, (I)it is I who have sinned, and it is I who have done unrighteousness; but (J)these sheep, what have they done? Please let Your hand be against me and my father’s house.”

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 24:15 Lit gave
  2. 2 Samuel 24:16 Or regretted, cf. 15:11, 29, 35

11 When David got up the next morning, the Lord’s message had already come to the prophet Gad, David’s seer: 12 “Go, tell David, ‘This is what the Lord has said: I am offering you three forms of judgment. Pick one of them and I will carry it out against you.’”

13 Gad went to David and told him, “Shall seven[a] years of famine come upon your land? Or shall you flee for three months from your enemies with them in hot pursuit? Or shall there be three days of plague in your land? Now decide[b] what I should tell the one who sent me.” 14 David said to Gad, “I am very upset! I prefer that we be attacked by the Lord, for his mercy is great; I do not want to be attacked by human hands!”[c]

15 So the Lord sent a plague through Israel from the morning until the completion of the appointed time, and 70,000 people died from Dan to Beer Sheba. 16 When the angel[d] extended his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented from his judgment.[e] He told the angel who was killing the people, “That’s enough! Stop now!”[f] (Now the angel of the Lord was near the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.)

17 When he saw the angel who was destroying the people, David said to the Lord, “Look, it is I who have sinned and done this evil thing! As for these sheep—what have they done? Attack me and my family.”[g]

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 24:13 tc The LXX has here “three” rather than “seven,” and is followed by NAB, NIV, NCV, NRSV, TEV, NLT. See 1 Chr 21:12.
  2. 2 Samuel 24:13 tn Heb “now know and see.”
  3. 2 Samuel 24:14 tn Heb “There is great distress to me. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for great is his mercy, but into the hand of man let me not fall.”
  4. 2 Samuel 24:16 tn Heb “messenger.”
  5. 2 Samuel 24:16 tn Heb “concerning the calamity.”
  6. 2 Samuel 24:16 tn Heb “Now, drop your hand.”
  7. 2 Samuel 24:17 tn Heb “let your hand be against me and against the house of my father.”