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

19 David went up according to the saying of Gad, as Yahweh commanded. 20 Araunah looked out, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. Then Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground. 21 Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”

David said, “To buy your threshing floor, to build an altar to Yahweh, that the plague may be stopped from afflicting the people.”

22 Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Behold, the cattle for the burnt offering, and the threshing instruments and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23 All this, O king, does Araunah give to the king.” Araunah said to the king, “May Yahweh your God accept you.”

24 The king said to Araunah, “No; but I will most certainly buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to Yahweh my God which cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels[a] of silver. 25 David built an altar to Yahweh there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So Yahweh was entreated for the land, and the plague was removed from Israel.

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Footnotes

  1. 24:24 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces, so 50 shekels is about 0.5 kilograms or 1.1 pounds.

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