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David Builds an Altar(A)

18 Gad came to David that day and said to him, “Go up and erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up according to the word of Gad, as the Lord commanded. 20 When Araunah looked and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, he went out and bowed low to the king with his face on the ground.

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

David replied, “To purchase the threshing floor from you in order to build an altar to the Lord, so that the plague may be averted from the people.”

22 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 yokes of the oxen for wood. 23 Everything, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” Araunah also said to the king, “May the Lord your God be favorable toward you.”

24 However, the king said to Araunah, “No, for I will certainly purchase from you for a fair price. I will not offer up to the Lord burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

So David purchased the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels[a] of silver. 25 David built an altar to the Lord there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then the land pleaded with the Lord, and the plague was averted from Israel.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 24:24 About 1.25 pounds, or 575 grams.

18 And Gad came that day to David and said unto him, “Go up, rear an altar unto the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”

19 And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the Lord commanded.

20 And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him; and Araunah went out and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground.

21 And Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” And David said, “To buy the threshing floor from thee to build an altar unto the Lord, that the plague may be stayed from the people.”

22 And Araunah said unto David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth good unto him. Behold, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood.”

23 All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, “The Lord thy God accept thee.”

24 And the king said unto Araunah, “Nay; but I will surely buy it from thee at a price; neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God of that which doth cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

25 And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord was entreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.

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