2 Samuel 24:18-25

Good News Translation

¹⁸ That same day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up to Araunah's threshing place and build an altar to the Lord.” ¹⁹ David obeyed the Lord's command and went as Gad had told him to. ²⁰ Araunah looked down and saw the king and his officials coming up to him. He threw himself on the ground in front of David ²¹ and asked, “Your Majesty, why are you here?”

David answered, “To buy your threshing place and build an altar for the Lord, in order to stop the epidemic.”

²² “Take it, Your Majesty,” Araunah said, “and offer to the Lord whatever you wish. Here are these oxen to burn as an offering on the altar; here are their yokes and the threshing boards to use as fuel.” ²³ Araunah gave it all to the king^[a] and said to him, “May the Lord your God accept your offering.”

²⁴ But the king answered, “No, I will pay you for it. I will not offer to the Lord my God sacrifices that have cost me nothing.” And he bought the threshing place and the oxen for fifty pieces of silver. ²⁵ Then he built an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. The Lord answered his prayer, and the epidemic in Israel was stopped.