Chronological

24 ¶ And again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.

² For the king said to Joab, the captain of the host, who was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel from Dan unto Beersheba and number the people that I may know the number of the people.

³ And Joab replied unto the king, Now the LORD thy God add unto the people one hundredfold to however many there are and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it, but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?

⁴ Notwithstanding, the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the host. And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel.

⁵ And passing the Jordan, they pitched in Aroer, on the right side of the city that lies in the midst of the river of Gad, and toward Jazer.

⁶ After that they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtimhodshi, and they came to Danjaan and about to Zidon.

⁷ Then they came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and of the Canaanites, and they went out towards the Negev from Judah, even to Beersheba.

⁸ So when they had gone through all the land, they returned to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

⁹ And Joab gave up the sum of the number of the people unto the king, and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

¹⁰ ¶ And David’s heart smote him after he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in having done this; but now, I beseech thee, O LORD, take away the iniquity of thy slave, for I have done very foolishly.

¹¹ And in the morning when David had risen, the word of the LORD came unto the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying,

¹² Go and say unto David, Thus hath the LORD said, I offer thee three things: choose one of them, which I will do unto thee.

¹³ So Gad came to David and told him and said unto him, Shall seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? Or wilt thou flee three months before thy enemies while they pursue thee? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in thy land? Now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.

¹⁴ Then David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait; 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 upon Israel from the morning until the time appointed, and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men.

¹⁶ And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD himself repented of that evil and said to the angel that was destroying the people, It is enough; stay now thy hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingfloor of Araunah, the Jebusite.

¹⁷ And David spoke unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people and said, I have sinned, I committed the iniquity, but these sheep, what have they done? Let thy hand, I pray thee, be against me and against my father’s house.

¹⁸ ¶ And Gad came that day to David and said unto him, Go up, erect an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Araunah, the Jebusite.

¹⁹ And David went up, according to the word of Gad, as the LORD had commanded him.

²⁰ And Araunah looked and saw the king and his slaves coming on toward him, and Araunah went out and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground.

²¹ And Araunah said, Why is my lord the king come to his slave? And David answered, To buy this threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague may be stayed from the people.

²² And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good unto him; behold, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for wood;

²³ all these things does king Araunah give unto the king. Then Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee.

²⁴ And the king said unto Araunah, No, but I will surely buy it of thee at a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which costs me nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

²⁵ And David built there an altar unto the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.

21 ¶ And Satan stood up against Israel and provoked David to number Israel.

² And David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it.

³ And Joab answered, The LORD make his people a hundred times as many more as they are; but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s slaves? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why will he be a cause of guiltiness unto Israel?

⁴ Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Therefore, Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem.

⁵ And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And they found in all Israel eleven times one hundred thousand men that drew sword, and of Judah four hundred seventy thousand men that drew sword.

⁶ Among these the Levites and the sons of Benjamin were not counted, for the king’s word was abominable to Joab.

⁷ ¶ And God was also displeased with this word; therefore, he smote Israel.

⁸ And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing; but now, I beseech thee, take away the iniquity of thy slave, for I have done very foolishly.

⁹ And the LORD spoke unto Gad, David’s seer, saying,

¹⁰ Go and tell David, saying, Thus hath the LORD said, I offer thee three things: choose one of them that I will do unto thee.

¹¹ So Gad came to David and said unto him, Thus hath the LORD said, Choose thee,

¹² either three years’ famine or three months to be destroyed before thy foes while the sword of thine enemies overtakes thee or else three days of the sword of the LORD, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the borders of Israel. Now therefore advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.

¹³ Then David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait; let me fall now into the hand of the LORD, for very great are his mercies, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.

¹⁴ So the LORD sent pestilence upon Israel; and seventy thousand men of Israel fell.

¹⁵ And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it; and as he was destroying, the LORD beheld, and he repented of that evil and said to the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thy hand. And the angel of the LORD stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan, the Jebusite.

¹⁶ And David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD stand between the heaven and the earth, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders of Israel, who were clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.

¹⁷ And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? Even I it is that have sinned and done evil indeed; but as for these sheep, what have they done? Let thy hand, I pray thee, O LORD my God, be against me and against my father’s house, but not on thy people, that they should be plagued.

¹⁸ ¶ Then the angel of the LORD told Gad to tell David that David should go up and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.

¹⁹ And David went up according to the word of Gad, which he had spoken unto him in the name of the LORD.

²⁰ And Ornan turned back and saw the angel, and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.

²¹ And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David and went out of the threshingfloor and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.

²² Then David said to Ornan, Grant me the place of this threshingfloor, that I may build an altar therein unto the LORD; thou shalt grant it to me for the full price, that the plague may be stayed from the people.

²³ And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes; I even give thee the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing instruments for wood and the wheat for the present; I give it all.

²⁴ And King David said to Ornan, No, but I will truly buy it for the full price, for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings without cost.

²⁵ So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.

²⁶ And David built there an altar unto the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings and called upon the LORD, and he answered him from the heavens by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.

²⁷ And when the LORD spoke to the angel, he put up his sword again into its sheath.

²⁸ At that time when David saw that the LORD had answered him in the threshingfloor of Ornan, the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.

²⁹ For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt offering were at that season in the high place at Gibeon,

³⁰ but David could not go before it to enquire of God, for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the LORD.

22 ¶ Then David said, This shall be the house of the LORD God, and this shall be the altar of the burnt offering for Israel.

² And David commanded to gather together the strangers that were in the land of Israel, and he made them masons to hew wrought stones to build the house of God.

³ Likewise, David prepared iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joinings, and brass in abundance without weight,

⁴ also cedar trees in abundance, for the Zidonians and those of Tyre brought much cedar wood to David.

⁵ And David said, Solomon, my son, is yet young and tender, and the house that is to be built for the LORD must be magnificent par excellence, of fame and of glory throughout all lands; I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.

⁶ ¶ Then he called for Solomon, his son, and charged him to build a house for the LORD God of Israel.

⁷ And David said to Solomon, My son, as for me, it was in my heart to build a house unto the name of the LORD my God;

⁸ but the word of the LORD came to me, saying, Thou hast shed blood abundantly and hast made great wars; thou shalt not build a house unto my name because thou hast shed much blood upon the earth in my sight.

⁹ Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about, for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto 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 over Israel for ever.

¹¹ Now, my son, the LORD be with thee, and be thou prospered and build the house of the LORD thy God, as he has said of thee.

¹² Only the LORD give thee wisdom and understanding and give thee commandments for Israel, and that thou keep the law of the LORD thy God.

¹³ Then shalt thou be prospered if thou shalt keep thyself to do the statutes and rights which the LORD charged Moses with concerning Israel; be strong and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed.

¹⁴ Now, behold, in my trouble I have prepared for the house of the LORD one hundred thousand talents of gold and a thousand thousand talents of silver, and the brass and iron are without weight, for it is in abundance. Likewise, I have prepared timber and stone, unto which thou shalt add.

¹⁵ Moreover there are workmen with thee in abundance, hewers and workers of stone and timber and all manner of expert men for every manner of work.

¹⁶ Of the gold, the silver, and the brass and the iron, there is no number. Arise therefore, and go to work, and the LORD be with thee.

¹⁷ ¶ David, likewise, commanded all the princes of Israel to help Solomon, his son, saying,

¹⁸ Is not the LORD your God with you who has given 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 heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God; arise therefore 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 that is to be built unto the name of the LORD.

A Psalm and Song at the dedication of the house of David.

¹ ¶ I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.

² O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.

³ O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from Sheol; thou gavest me life from my descent into the grave.

⁴ Let his merciful ones sing unto the LORD, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.

⁵ For his anger endures but a moment; in his will is life; weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

⁶ ¶ And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.

⁷ LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong; thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.

⁸ I will cry unto thee, O GOD; and unto the Lord will I make supplication.

⁹ What profit is there in my blood when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? Shall it declare thy truth?

¹⁰ Hear, O LORD and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper.

¹¹ Thou hast turned my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness;

¹² to the end that I may sing glory unto thee and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.