Chronological
24 And the wrath of the LORD was again kindled against Israel. And He moved David against them, in that He said: “Go! Count Israel and Judah.”
2 So the king said to Joab, the captain of the army who was with him, “Go speedily now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people, so that I may know the number of the people.”
3 And Joab said to the king, “May the LORD your God increase the people a hundredfold more than they are. And may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king desire this thing?”
4 Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the army. Therefore, Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king to count the people of Israel.
5 And they passed over Jordan and camped in Aroer, at the right side of the city that is in the midst of the Valley of Gad and toward Jazer.
6 Then they came to Gilead and to Tahtim Hodshi. So, they came to Dan Jaan, and so about to Sidon,
7 and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and of the Canaanites and went toward the southern part of Judah, to Beersheba.
8 So when they had gone around all the land, they returned to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
9 And Joab delivered the number and sum of the people to the king. And there were eight hundred thousand strong men who drew swords in Israel. And the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.
10 Then David’s heart struck him, after he had counted the people. And David said to the LORD, “I have sinned exceedingly in what I have done! Therefore now, LORD, I pray, take away the trespass of Your servant! For I have done very foolishly!”
11 And when David was up in the morning, the Word of the LORD came to the Prophet Gad, David’s Seer, saying:
12 “Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the LORD: “I offer you three things. Choose for yourself which of them I shall do to you.”’”
13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Would you rather that seven years famine come upon you in your land, or would you rather flee for three months before your enemies (they following you) or that there were three days pestilence in my land? Now be advised and consider what answer I shall give to Him Who sent me.”
14 And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall now into the hand of the LORD (for His mercies are great) and let me not fall into the hand of man.”
15 So the LORD sent a pestilence in Israel, from the morning to the time appointed. And of the people from Dan to Beersheba, there died seventy thousand men.
16 And when the Angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem, to destroy it, the LORD relented and said to the Angel that destroyed the people: “It is sufficient. Restrain your hand now.” And the Angel of the LORD was by the threshing place of Araunah the Jebusite.
17 And David spoke to the LORD (when he saw the Angel that struck the people) and said, “Behold, I have sinned. Yea, I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, I pray, let Your hand be against me and against my father’s House.”
18 So the same day, Gad came to David and said to him, “Go up. Raise an Altar to the LORD in the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”
19 And David (according to the saying of Gad) went up, as the LORD had Commanded.
20 And Araunah looked and saw the king and his servants coming toward him. And Araunah went out and bowed himself before the king, on his face, to the ground.
21 And Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” Then David answered, “To buy your threshing floor in order to build an Altar to the LORD, so that the plague may cease from the people.”
22 Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer what seems good to him in his eyes. Behold the oxen for the Burnt Offering, and chariots and the instruments of the oxen for wood.”
23 (All these things Araunah gave to the king, as a king.) And Araunah said to the king, “The LORD your God be favorable to you.”
24 Then the king said to Araunah, “Not so. But I will buy it from you at a price and will not offer Burnt Offering to the LORD my God of that which cost me nothing.” So, David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
25 And David built an Altar to the LORD there and offered Burnt Offerings and Peace Offerings. And the LORD was appeased toward the land. And the plague ceased from Israel.
21 And Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to count Israel.
2 Therefore, David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, “Go. Count Israel from Beersheba to Dan and bring it to me, so that I may know the number of them.”
3 And Joab answered, “May the LORD increase His people a hundred times as many as they are, O my lord the king! But, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord require this thing? Why should he be a cause of offense to Israel?”
4 Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab. And Joab departed and went through all Israel and returned to Jerusalem.
5 And Joab gave the number and sum of the people to David. And all Israel numbered one million one hundred thousand men who drew sword. And Judah numbered four hundred seventy thousand men who drew sword.
6 But he did not count the Levites and Benjamin among them; for the king’s word was abominable to Joab.
7 And God was displeased with this thing. Therefore, He struck Israel.
8 Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing. But now, I pray, remove the iniquity of Your servant. For I have acted very foolishly.”
9 And the LORD spoke to Gad, David’s Seer, saying,
10 “Go and tell David, saying, ‘Thus says the LORD: “I offer you three things. Choose one of them, so that I may do it for you.”’”
11 So Gad came to David, and said to him, “Thus says the LORD: ‘Take for yourself
12 ‘either three years of famine or three months to be destroyed before your adversaries with the sword of your enemies taking you, or else the sword of the LORD and pestilence for three days in the land, so that the Angel of the LORD may destroy throughout all the territories of Israel.’ Now, therefore, consider what word I shall bring back to Him who sent me.”
13 And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let me now fall into the hand of the LORD. For His mercies are exceedingly great. And let me not fall into the hand of man.”
14 So, the LORD sent a pestilence in Israel. And seventy thousand men of Israel fell.
15 And God sent the Angel into Jerusalem, to destroy it. And as he was destroying, the LORD beheld, and relented of the misery, and said to the Angel that destroyed, “It is enough now. Let your hand cease.” Then the Angel of the LORD stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
16 And David lifted up his eyes and saw the Angel of the LORD stand between the Earth and the sky, with his sword drawn in his hand and stretched out toward Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.
17 And David said to God, “Is it not I who commanded to count the people? Is it not also I who has sinned and has committed evil” But these sheep, what have they done? O LORD my God, I pray, let Your Hand be on me and on my father’s House, and not on Your people, to their destruction.”
18 Then the Angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David that David should go up and set up an Altar to the LORD in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19 So David went up according to the saying of Gad which he had spoken in the Name of the LORD.
20 And Ornan turned around and saw the Angel. And his four sons who were with him hid themselves. And Ornan threshed wheat.
21 And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David and went out of the threshing floor and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.
22 And David said to Ornan, “Give me the space of your threshing floor, so that I may build an Altar in it to the LORD. Give it to me for sufficient money, so that the plague may be removed from the people.”
23 Then Ornan said to David, “Take it for yourself. And let my lord the king do that which seems good to him. Lo, I give you oxen for Burnt Offerings and threshing instruments for wood and wheat for Meat Offering. I give it all.”
24 And King David said to Ornan, “Not so. But I will buy it for sufficient money. For I will not take that which is yours for the LORD, nor offer Burnt Offerings without cost.”
25 So David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for that place.
26 And David built an Altar to the LORD there and offered Burnt Offerings, and Peace Offerings and called upon the LORD. And He answered him by fire from Heaven, upon the Altar of Burnt Offering.
27 And after the LORD had spoken to the Angel, he put away his sword, back into its sheath.
28 At that time, when David saw that the LORD had heard him in the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.
29 But the Tabernacle of the LORD which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the Altar of Burnt Offering, were in the high place at Gibeon at that time.
30 And David could not go before it to ask counsel at God. For he was afraid of the sword of the Angel of the LORD.
22 And David said, “This is the House of the LORD God. And this is the Altar for the Burnt Offering of Israel.”
2 And David commanded to gather together the strangers who were in the land of Israel. And he set masons to cut and polish stones to build the House of God.
3 David also prepared a large amount of iron for the nails of the doors and of the gates, and for the joinings, and abundance of bronze surpassing weight,
4 and cedar trees without number. For the Sidonians and they of Tyre brought a large amount of cedar wood to David.
5 And David said, “Solomon, my son, is young and tender. And we must build a House for the LORD, magnificent, excellent and of great fame and dignity throughout all countries. I will now prepare for it.” So, David prepared very much before his death.
6 Then he called Solomon, his son, and charged him to build a House for the LORD God of Israel.
7 And David said to Solomon, “My son, I had intended to build a House to the Name of the LORD my God,
8 “but the Word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood, and have made great battles. You shall not build a House to My Name. For you have shed much blood upon the Earth in My sight.
9 ‘Behold, a son is born to you who shall be a man of rest. For I will give him rest from all his enemies all around. Therefore, his name is Solomon. And I will send peace and quietness upon Israel in his days.
10 ‘He shall build a House for My Name. And he shall be My son. And I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom upon Israel forever.’
11 “Now, therefore, my son, the LORD shall be with you. And you shall prosper. And you shall build a House to the LORD your God, as He has spoken of you.
12 “May the LORD alone give you wisdom and understanding, and give you charge over Israel, to keep the Law of the LORD your God.
13 “Then you shall prosper, if you take heed to observe the Statutes and the Judgments which the LORD Commanded Moses for Israel. Be strong and of good courage! Neither fear nor be afraid!
14 “For behold, according to my poverty have I prepared a hundred thousand talents of gold for the House of the LORD, and a million talents of silver, and bronze and iron of surpassing weight. For there was abundance. I have also prepared timber and stone; and you may provide more to it.
15 “Moreover, you have enough workmen with you, stonecutters and workmen of timber and all men expert in every work.
16 Of gold, silver, bronze and iron there is no limit. Up and get to work! And the LORD will be with you!”
17 David also commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon, his son, saying,
18 “Is not the LORD your God with you, giving you rest on every side? For He has given the inhabitants of the land into my hand. And the land is subdued before the LORD and before His people.
19 “Now, set your hearts and your souls to seek the LORD your God! And arise and build the Sanctuary of the LORD God, to bring the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD and the Holy Vessels of God into the House built for the Name of the LORD!”
30 I will magnify You, O LORD. You have exalted me and have not made my foes to rejoice over me.
2 O LORD, my God, I cried to You; and You have restored me.
3 O LORD, You have brought up my soul out of the grave. You have revived me from those who go down into the pit.
4 Sing praises to the LORD, His Saints, and give thanks before the remembrance of His Holiness.
5 For His anger endures but a while. In His favor is life. Weeping may abide at evening, but joy comes in the morning.
6 And in my prosperity, I said, “I shall never be moved.”
7 For You, LORD, from Your goodness, had made my mountain to stand strong. You hid Your face, and I was troubled.
8 Then I cried to You, O LORD, and prayed to my LORD.
9 What profit is there in my blood when I go down to the pit! Shall the dust give thanks to You? Or shall it declare Your Truth?
10 Hear, O LORD; and have mercy upon me. LORD, be my Helper.
11 You have turned my mourning into joy. You have loosened my sackcloth and girded me with gladness.
12 Therefore, my tongue shall praise You, and not cease. O LORD, my God, I will give thanks to You forever. To him who excels: A Psalm of David.
© 2019, 2024 by Five Talents Audio. All rights reserved.