Chronological

David Numbers Israel and Judah

24 Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel. He moved David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” ² So the king said to Joab the captain of the army who was with him, “Go through all the families of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba. Number the people, so I may know how many there are.” ³ But Joab said to the king, “May the Lord your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are. And may it be while the eyes of my lord the king still see. But why does my lord the king find this thing pleasing?” ⁴ But the king’s word was stronger than Joab and the captains of the army. So Joab and the army leaders went out from the king to number the people of Israel. ⁵ They crossed the Jordan and stopped at Aroer, on the south side of the city in the center of the valley of Gad. And they went on to Jazer. ⁶ Then they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tahtimhodshi. They came to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon. ⁷ They came to the strong place of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. And they went out to the south of Judah, to Beersheba. ⁸ When they had gone through the whole land, they came to Jerusalem. They had traveled nine months and twenty days. ⁹ And Joab gave the number of the people to the king. There were 800,000 strong men in Israel who used the sword, and 500,000 men of Judah.

David’s Sin

¹⁰ David’s heart troubled him after he had numbered the people. So he said to the Lord, “I have sinned. But now I beg you, O Lord. Take away the sin of Your servant, for I have acted like a fool.” ¹¹ When David got up in the morning, the word of the Lord came to Gad, the one who spoke for God to David. The Lord said, ¹² “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: “I give you three things to choose from. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.”’” ¹³ So Gad came to David and told him, and said, “Will you have seven years without food in your land? Or will you run from those who hate you for three months, while they come after you? Or will there be disease in your land for three days? Now think about it. Decide what answer I should return to Him Who sent me.” ¹⁴ David said to Gad, “I am in much trouble. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for His loving-kindness is great. But do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

¹⁵ So the Lord sent a disease upon Israel from the morning until the time given. And 70,000 men died, from Dan to Beersheba. ¹⁶ The angel put out his hand to destroy Jerusalem. But the Lord had pity on them because of their trouble. He said to the angel who destroyed the people, “It is enough! Do no more!” The angel of the Lord was by the grain-floor of Araunah the Jebusite. ¹⁷ When David saw the angel who was killing the people, he said to the Lord, “See, it is I who have sinned. It is I who have done wrong. But these sheep, what have they done? I beg You, let Your hand be against me and my father’s family.”

¹⁸ Then Gad came to David and said, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the grain-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” ¹⁹ So David went up at Gad’s word, just as the Lord had told him. ²⁰ Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him. And he went out and put his face to the ground in front of the king. ²¹ Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David answered, “To buy the grain-floor from you, to build an altar to the Lord. Then the disease may be kept away from the people.” ²² Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever is good in his eyes, and make a gift of it. Look, there are the bulls for the burnt gift. The tools for cleaning the grain, and the cross-pieces the bulls wear to pull loads, can be used for the wood. ²³ Araunah gives all this to the king.” And Araunah said, “May the Lord your God be pleased with your gift.” ²⁴ But the king said to Araunah, “No, I will buy it from you for a price. I will not give burnt gifts to the Lord my God which I do not pay for.” So David bought the grain-floor and the bulls for fifty pieces of silver. ²⁵ And David built an altar there to the Lord. He gave burnt gifts and peace gifts. So the Lord listened to the prayers for the land, and stopped the disease in Israel.

David Numbers Israel and Judah

21 Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel. ² So David said to Joab and the leaders of the people, “Go and number Israel from Beersheba to Dan. Then let me know how many people there are.” ³ Joab said, “May the Lord add to His people a hundred times as many as they are! But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord want this thing done? Why should he bring guilt upon Israel?” ⁴ But the king’s word was stronger than Joab. So Joab left and went through all of Israel, and returned to Jerusalem. ⁵ He gave the number of all the people to David. There were 1,100,000 men in all Israel who used the sword. And there were 470,000 men in Judah who used the sword. ⁶ But Joab did not number Levi and Benjamin among them because he did not like what the king had told him to do. ⁷ God was not pleased that Israel was numbered so He punished Israel. ⁸ David said to God, “I have sinned very much by doing this thing. But now I beg You, take away the sin of Your servant for I have done a very foolish thing.”

⁹ The Lord said to Gad, David’s man of God, ¹⁰ “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says. “I give you three things to choose from. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.”’” ¹¹ So Gad came to David and said, “This is what the Lord says. ‘Choose one of these. ¹² Three years of no food in the land; three months to be destroyed by the sword of those who hate you; or three days of the sword of the Lord. This would be a disease sent upon the land. The angel of the Lord would destroy with disease through all the land of Israel.’ Now decide what answer I should give Him Who sent me.” ¹³ David said to Gad, “I am in much trouble. Let me fall into the hand of the Lord. For His loving-kindness is very great. But do not let me fall into the hand of man.” ¹⁴ So the Lord sent a disease upon Israel. And 70,000 men of Israel died. ¹⁵ God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as he was about to destroy it, the Lord saw the trouble and was sorry. He said to the destroying angel, “It is enough. Now take your hand away.” The angel of the Lord was standing by the grain-floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ¹⁶ Then David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven. The angel had his sword in his hand, held out over Jerusalem. Then David and the leaders fell on their faces. They were dressed in cloth made from hair. ¹⁷ David said to God, “Was it not I who said that the people must be numbered? I am the one who has sinned and done a very bad thing. But what have these sheep done? O Lord my God, I beg You, let Your hand be against me and my father’s house. But do not let the trouble be upon Your people.”

¹⁸ Then the angel of the Lord told Gad to say to David, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the grain-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.” ¹⁹ So David went up when he heard what Gad said in the name of the Lord. ²⁰ Now Ornan was beating the grain. He turned and saw the angel. And his four sons hid themselves. ²¹ Ornan looked and saw David coming. So he went out from the grain-floor and put his face to the ground showing respect to David. ²² David said to him, “Give me this part of the grain-floor, that I may build an altar on it to the Lord. Give it to me for the full price. Then the disease will be turned away from the people.” ²³ Ornan said to David, “Take it. Let my lord the king do what is good in his eyes. See, I will give the bulls for burnt gifts. I will give the objects made of wood used for beating grain for the fire-wood. And I will give the grain for the grain gift. I will give it all.” ²⁴ But King David said to Ornan, “No, I will buy it for the full price. I will not take what is yours for the Lord. And I will not give a burnt gift for which I do not pay.” ²⁵ So David gave Ornan 600 pieces of gold by weight for the place. ²⁶ Then David built an altar there to the Lord. He gave burnt gifts and peace gifts, and he called to the Lord. The Lord answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt gifts. ²⁷ Then the Lord told the angel to return his sword to its holder.

²⁸ When David saw that the Lord had answered him on the grain-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he gave his gifts there. ²⁹ The meeting tent which Moses had made in the desert was in the high place at Gibeon then. The altar of burnt gifts was there also. ³⁰ But David could not go in front of it to pray to God. For he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord.

David Gets Ready to Build the House of God

22 Then David said, “This is the house of the Lord God. And this is the altar of burnt gifts for Israel.”

² David told his men to gather the strangers who were in the land of Israel. And he had servants cut stones to build the house of God. ³ He gave large amounts of iron to be used for making nails for the doors of the gates, and for making the parts that hold it all together. He gave more brass than could be weighed. ⁴ And he gave too many cedar trees to number. For the Sidonians and Tyrians brought many cut cedar trees to David. ⁵ David said, “My son Solomon is young and does not yet have much learning. And the house that is to be built for the Lord must be very beautiful. It must be very great, and well-known in all lands. So I will get things ready for it to be built.” David made many things ready for it before his death.

⁶ Then he called for his son Solomon, and gave him the work of building a house for the Lord God of Israel. ⁷ David said to Solomon, “My son, I had planned 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 taken much blood, and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house to My name, because you have poured so much blood upon the earth before Me. ⁹ See, a son will be born to you, who will be a man of peace. I will give him peace from all those who hate him on every side. His name will be Solomon. And I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. ¹⁰ He will build a house for My name. He will be My son, and I will be his father. I will make his throne in Israel last forever.’ ¹¹ Now, my son, may the Lord be with you and help you to do well. May you build the house of the Lord your God just as He has said you would. ¹² Only, may the Lord give you wisdom and understanding. When He has you rule over Israel, may you keep the Law of the Lord your God. ¹³ Then you will do well, if you are careful to obey the Laws which the Lord gave to Israel by Moses. Be strong and have strength of heart. Do not be afraid or troubled. ¹⁴ With much trouble I have made things ready for the house of the Lord. There is gold weighing as much as 100,000 men. There is silver weighing as much as 1,000,000 men. And there is too much brass and iron to weigh. I have made wood and stone ready, and you may add to them. ¹⁵ You have many servants and workmen who cut and build with stones and wood. There are men who are able to do every kind of work well. ¹⁶ Of the gold and silver and brass and iron, there is more than enough. So get ready and work, and may the Lord be with you.”

¹⁷ David told all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon. He said to them, ¹⁸ “Is not the Lord your God with you? Has He not given you peace on every side? For He has given the people of the land into my hand. The land is put under my rule before the Lord and His people. ¹⁹ Now set your heart and soul to look to the Lord your God. Get ready and build the holy place of the Lord God. Then you may bring the special box with the Law of the Lord. You may bring the holy objects of God. And put them into the house that is to be built for the name of the Lord.”

Prayer of Thanks

30 I will lift You up, O Lord, for You have lifted me up. You have not let those who hate me stand over me in joy. ² O Lord my God, I cried to You for help and You healed me. ³ O Lord, You have brought me up from the grave. You have kept me alive, so that I will not go down into the deep. ⁴ Sing praise to the Lord, all you who belong to Him. Give thanks to His holy name. ⁵ For His anger lasts only a short time. But His favor is for life. Crying may last for a night, but joy comes with the new day.

⁶ As for me, when all was going well, I said, “I will never be moved.” ⁷ O Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong. But when You hid Your face, I was troubled. ⁸ I cried to You, O Lord. I begged the Lord for loving-kindness. ⁹ What good will come from my blood, if I go down to the grave? Will the dust thank You? Will it tell how You are faithful?

¹⁰ Hear, O Lord. And show me loving-kindness. O Lord, be my Helper. ¹¹ You have turned my crying into dancing.You have taken off my clothes made from hair, and dressed me with joy. ¹² So my soul may sing praise to You, and not be quiet. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.