Historical
Census and Plague
21 Then satan stood up against Israel and incited David to count Israel. 2 So David told Joab and the leaders of the people, “Go, count Israel from Beersheba to Dan. Then bring me a report so I may know their number.”
3 But Joab said, “May Adonai multiply His people 100 times over! But my master the king, are they not all my master’s servants? Why does my master require this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt to Israel?” 4 Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and finally came back to Jerusalem.
5 Joab gave the number of the census of the people to David: in all Israel there were 1,100,000 sword-wielding men; Judah had 470,000 sword-wielding men. 6 But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, for the king’s word was detestable to Joab. 7 But God was displeased with this thing and He struck Israel.
8 Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by doing this. But now, I entreat you, take away the guilt of Your servant for I have behaved very foolishly.”
9 Then Adonai spoke to Gad, David’s seer, saying: 10 “Go and speak to David, saying, ‘Thus says Adonai, “I offer you three things; choose one of them and I will bring it upon you.”’”
11 So Gad went to David and said to him, “Thus says Adonai: ‘Select for yourself 12 either three years of famine, or three months being swept away from before your adversaries and the sword of your enemies overtaking you or three days of the sword of Adonai, pestilence in the land and the angel of Adonai ravaging throughout all the territories of Israel. Now, consider what I should reply to the one who sent me.’”
13 David said to Gad, “I am in a great anguish! Let me fall into the hand of Adonai for His compassion is very great. But do not let me fall into the hand of man.”
14 So Adonai sent a plague upon Israel, and 70,000 men of Israel fell. 15 And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but while he was doing so, Adonai saw and was grieved over the calamity. He said to the destroying angel, “Enough! Now withdraw your hand!”
The angel of Adonai was then standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 16 David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of Adonai standing between the earth and the heaven with a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces. 17 David said to God, “Was it not I who commanded to count the people? I alone am the one who sinned and behaved wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let Your hand, Adonai my God, be against me and against my father’s house, but do not let the plague be on Your people.”
18 So the angel of Adonai told Gad to instruct David that David should go up and build an altar to Adonai on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 19 So David went up by the word of Gad, which he spoke in the Name of Adonai. 20 While Ornan was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the angel. His four sons who were with him hid themselves. 21 When David came to Ornan, Ornan looked up and saw David. He went out from the threshing floor and bowed to David with his face to the ground.
22 Then David said to Ornan: “Give me the site of this threshing floor that I may build an altar to Adonai. Sell it to me for full price, so the plague on the people may be stopped.”
23 Then Ornan said to David, “Take it! Let my lord the king do whatever seems good in his eyes. Look, I will give the oxen for burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for wood, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give all this.”
24 King David said to Ornan, “No, I insist on buying it for the full price. For I will not take for Adonai what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that cost me nothing.”
25 So David gave Ornan 600 shekels of gold by weight for the place. 26 David built there an altar to Adonai and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. He called on Adonai and He answered him with fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering. 27 Then Adonai commanded the angel, and he put his sword back in its sheath.
28 At that time, when David saw that Adonai had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. 29 For the Tabernacle of Adonai, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time in the high place at Gibeon. 30 But David could not go before it to seek God for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of Adonai.
22 Then David said, “This is the place where the House of Adonai Elohim will be, along with the altar for burnt sacrifices for Israel.”
Preparing for the Temple
2 David gave orders to assemble the foreigners in the land of Israel, and assigned them to be masons to quarry stones to build the House of God. 3 David supplied an abundance of iron for nails for the doors of the gates and for the joints, so much bronze that it could not be weighed, 4 and cedar logs without number, for the Zidonians and the Tyrians brought an abundance of cedar logs to David.
5 David said, “Solomon my son is young and inexperienced and the House that is to be built for Adonai must be exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all the nations. Therefore I will make preparation for it.” So David made extensive preparations before his death.
6 Then He called for Solomon his son, and charged him to build a House for Adonai, the God of Israel. 7 David said to Solomon, “My son, I had it in my heart to build a House for the name of Adonai my God. 8 But the word of Adonai came to me, saying, ‘You have shed much blood and fought many battles. You will not build a House for My Name because you have shed much blood before Me on the earth. 9 Behold, a son will be born to you who will be a man at rest. I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon and I will confer shalom and quietness on Israel in his days. 10 He will build a House for My name; he will be My son and I will be His Father.[a] I will establish his royal throne over Israel forever.’
11 “Now, my son, may Adonai be with you, and may you succeed in building the House of Adonai your God as He spoke concerning you. 12 Only may Adonai give you insight and understanding when He gives you charge over Israel so that you may observe the Torah of Adonai your God. 13 Then you will prosper, if you carefully observe the statutes and the ordinances that Adonai commanded Moses concerning Israel. Chazak! And be courageous! Do not be afraid or dismayed.
14 “Now behold, with great pain I have provided for the House of Adonai 100,000 talents of gold, a million talents of silver, and bronze and iron beyond weighing for there is so much of it. I have also prepared wood and stone, and you must add to them. 15 Moreover, you have an abundance of workmen: stonecutters, masons, carpenters and every kind of craftsmen skilled in every kind of material— 16 in gold, silver, bronze and iron—beyond number. Arise and work! May Adonai be with you.”
17 David also commanded all the leaders of Israel to help Solomon his son, 18 “Is not Adonai your God with you? Has He not given you rest on every side? For He has delivered the inhabitants of the land into my hand and the land is subdued before Adonai and before His people. 19 Now set your hearts and souls to seek after Adonai your God. Rise up and build the Sanctuary of Adonai Elohim so that you can bring the Ark of the Covenant of Adonai and the holy vessels of God into the House built for the Name of Adonai.”
Census of Levites
23 When David was old and full of days, he made his son Solomon king over Israel.
2 He also gathered together all the leaders of Israel along with the kohanim and the Levites. 3 The Levites 30 years old or more were counted; their head count was 38,000 men. 4 Of these, there were 24,000 to oversee the work of the House of Adonai, 6,000 officers and judges, 5 4,000 gatekeepers, and 4,000 for praising Adonai “with the instruments which I made for giving praise.”
6 David organized them into divisions:
The sons of Levi:
Gershon, Kohath and Merari.
7 Of the Gershonites:
Ladan and Shimei.
8 The sons of Ladan:
Jehiel the leader, Zetham and Joel—three.
9 The sons of Shimei:
Shelomith, Haziel and Haran—three.
These were the heads of the clans of Ladan.
10 The sons of Shimei:
Jahath, Zina, Jeush and Beriah.
These were the sons of Shimei—four.
11 Jahath was the first and Zizah the second, but Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they were enrolled together as a single clan.
12 The sons of Kohath:
Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel—four.
13 The sons of Amram:
Aaron and Moses.
Aaron, along with his descendants, was set apart to be consecrated as most holy forever, to burn incense before Adonai, to minister to Him, and to bless in His name forever. 14 But as for Moses the man of God, his sons are named among the tribe of Levi.
15 The sons of Moses:
Gershom and Eliezer.
16 The sons of Gershom:
Shebuel, the leader.
17 The sons of Eliezer:
Rehabiah the chief. Eliezer had no other sons, but the sons of Rehabiah were very numerous.
18 The sons of Izhar:
Shelomith the leader.
19 The sons of Hebron:
Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jahaziel the third and Jekameam the fourth.
20 The sons of Uzziel:
Micah the first and Isshiah the second.
21 The sons of Merari:
Mahli and Mushi.
The sons of Mahli:
Eleazar and Kish. 22 Eleazar died having no sons but only daughters; the sons of Kish, their kinsmen, took them as wives.
23 The sons of Mushi:
Mahli, Eder, and Yeremot—three.
24 These were the sons of Levi by clans, with the heads of clans as they were enrolled and with a list of their names by heads who carried out the task of avodah in the House of Adonai from 20 years old and upward. 25 For David said: “Adonai, the God of Israel, has given His people rest and He dwells in Jerusalem forever. 26 Therefore, the Levites need not carry the Tabernacle and all the vessels for avodah.” 27 For according to David’s final instructions, the Levites 20 years old and upward were counted.
28 For their duty was to help the descendants of Aaron in the avodah of Adonai’s House concerning the courtyards and rooms, the purification of all holy things and the performance of the avodah of God’s House, 29 the rows of bread, the fine flour for the grain offering, the matzot, the cake baked on the griddle or mixed and every measure of capacity and length, 30 and to stand every morning to thank and praise Adonai. They also did this in the evening 31 and whenever burnt offerings were offered to Adonai on Shabbatot, New Moons and the moadim. They were to serve regularly before Adonai, according to the proper number in the manner prescribed for them. 32 They were to keep watch over the Tent of Meeting, the Holy Place and the sons of Aaron their kinsmen for avodah in the House of Adonai.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.