David’s Altar

18 Gad came to David that day and said to him, “Go up and set up an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 David went up in obedience to Gad’s command, just as the Lord had commanded. 20 Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants coming toward him, so he went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground.

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

David replied, “To buy the threshing floor from you in order to build an altar to the Lord, so the plague on the people may be halted.”(A)

22 Araunah said to David, “My lord the king may take whatever he wants[a] and offer it. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood.(B) 23 Your Majesty, Araunah gives everything here to the king.” Then he said to the king, “May the Lord your God accept you.”

24 The king answered Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it from you for a price, for I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for twenty ounces[b] of silver. 25 He built an altar to the Lord there and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord was receptive to prayer for the land,(C) and the plague on Israel ended.

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Footnotes

  1. 24:22 Lit take what is good in his eyes
  2. 24:24 Lit 50 shekels

David Buys Araunah’s Threshing Floor(A)

18 That very day, Gad approached David and told him, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor that belongs to Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up, just as Gad had ordered, consistent with the Lord’s command.

20 When Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his staff approaching him. Araunah went out, bowed down before the king with his face on the ground, 21 and asked[a] him, “Why has your majesty the king come to his servant?”

David replied, “To purchase your threshing floor and to build an altar to the Lord, so the pestilence can be averted from the people.”

22 Araunah responded to David, “May your majesty the king take it and offer whatever pleases him. Here are oxen for a burnt offering, along with the threshing sledges and yokes from the oxen for wood! 23 Your majesty, Araunah gives all of this[b] to the king.” Araunah also told the king, “May the Lord your God be pleased with you!”

24 “No!” the king replied to Araunah. “I will buy them from you at full[c] price. I won’t offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 50 silver shekels,[d] 25 built[e] an altar to the Lord there, and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord answered David’s prayers for the land[f] and the pestilence on Israel was averted.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Samuel 24:21 Lit. and Araunah said
  2. 2 Samuel 24:23 The Heb. lacks of this
  3. 2 Samuel 24:24 The Heb. lacks full
  4. 2 Samuel 24:24 I.e. about one and one quarter pounds at 0.4 shekels per ounce
  5. 2 Samuel 24:25 Lit. David built
  6. 2 Samuel 24:25 Cf. 2Sam 21:14