21:1 And the devil stood up against Israel,
and moved David to number Israel.
21:2 And king David said to Joab and to the captains of the forces, Go,
number Israel from Bersabee even to Dan, and bring me [the account], and I
shall know their number.
21:3 And Joab said, May the Lord add to his people, a hundred-fold as many
as they [are], and [let] the eyes of my lord the king see [it]: all [are]
the servants of my lord. Why does my lord seek this thing? [do it not], lest
it become a sin to Israel.
21:4 Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab; and Joab went out
and passed through all Israel, and came to Jerusalem.
21:5 And Joab gave the number of the mustering of the people to David: and
all Israel was a million and a hundred thousand men that drew sword: and the
sons of Juda [were] four hundred and seventy thousand men that drew sword.
21:6 But he numbered not Levi and Benjamin among them; for the word of the
king was painful to Joab.
21:7 And [there was] evil in the sight of the Lord respecting this thing;
and he smote Israel.
21:8 And David said to God, I have sinned exceedingly, in that I have done
this thing: and now, I pray thee, remove the sin of thy servant; for I have
been exceedingly foolish.
21:9 And the Lord spoke to Gad the seer, saying,
21:10 Go and speak to David, saying, Thus saith the Lord, I bring three
things upon thee: choose one of them for thyself, and I will do it to thee.
21:11 And Gad came to David, and said to him, thus saith the Lord, Choose
for thyself,
21:12 either three years of famine, or that thou shouldest flee three months
from the face of thine enemies, and the sword of thine enemies [shall be
employed] to destroy thee, or that the sword of the Lord and pestilence
[should be] three days in the land, and the angel of the Lord [shall be]
destroying in all the inheritance of Israel. And now consider what I shall
answer to him that sent the message.
21:13 And David said to Gad, They are very hard for me, even [all] the
three: let me fall now into the hands of the Lord, for his mercies [are]
very abundant, and let me not fall by any means into the hands of man.
21:14 So the Lord brought pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel
seventy thousand men.
21:15 And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was
destroying, the Lord saw, and repented for the evil, and said to the angel
that was destroying, Let it suffice thee; withhold thine hand. And the angel
of the Lord stood by the threshing-floor of Orna the Jebusite.
21:16 And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the Lord, standing
between the earth and the heaven, and his sword drawn in his hand, stretched
out over Jerusalem: and David and the elders clothed in sackcloth, fell upon
their faces.
21:17 And David said to God, [Was it] not I [that] gave orders to number the
people? and I am the guilty one; I have greatly sinned: but these sheep,
what have they done? O Lord God, let thy hand be upon me, and upon my
father's house, and not on thy people for destruction, O Lord!
21:18 And the angel of the Lord told Gad to tell David, that he should go up
to erect and altar to the Lord, in the threshing-floor of Orna the Jebusite.
21:19 And David went up according to the word of Gad, which he spoke in the
name of the Lord.
21:20 And Orna turned and saw the king; and he hid himself and his four sons
with him. Now Orna was threshing wheat.
21:21 And David came to Orna; and Orna came forth from the threshing-floor,
and did obeisance to David wit his face to the ground.
21:22 And David said to Orna, Give me thy place of the threshing-floor, and
I will build upon it an altar to the Lord: give it me for its worth in
money, and the plague shall cease from [among] the people.
21:23 And Orna said to David, Take it to thyself, and let my lord the king
do what is right in his eyes: see, I have given the calves for a
whole-burnt-offering, and the plough for wood, and the corn for a
meat-offering; I have given all.
21:24 And king David said to Orna, Nay; for I will surely buy it for its
worth in money: for I will not take thy property for the Lord, to offer a
whole-burnt-offering to the Lord without cost [to myself].
21:25 And David gave to Orna for his place six hundred shekels of gold [by]
weight.
21:26 And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered up
whole-burnt-offerings and peace-offerings: and he cried to the Lord, and he
answered him by fire out of heaven on the altar of whole-burnt-offerings,
and [it] consumed the whole-burnt-offering.
21:27 And the Lord spoke to the angel; and he put up the sword into its
sheath.
21:28 At that time when David saw that the Lord answered him in the
threshing-floor of Orna the Jebusite, he also sacrificed there.
21:29 And the tabernacle of the Lord which Moses made in the wilderness, and
the altar of whole-burnt-offerings, [were] at that time in the high place at
Gabaon.
21:30 And David could not go before it to enquire of God; for he hasted not
because of the sword of the angel of the Lord. |
21:1 And Satan stood up against Israel, and
provoked David to number Israel.
21:2 And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people, Go, number
Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that
I may know it.
21:3 And Joab answered, The LORD make his people an hundred times so many
more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants?
why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass
to Israel?
21:4 Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab
departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem.
21:5 And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all
they of Israel were a thousand thousand and an hundred thousand men that
drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that
drew sword.
21:6 But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them: for the king's word
was abominable to Joab.
21:7 And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel.
21:8 And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, because I have done
this thing: but now, I beseech thee, do away the iniquity of thy servant;
for I have done very foolishly.
21:9 And the LORD spake unto Gad, David's seer, saying,
21:10 Go and tell David, saying, Thus saith the LORD, I offer thee three
things: choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.
21:11 So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Choose
thee
21:12 Either three years' famine; or three months to be destroyed before thy
foes, while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three
days the sword of the LORD, even the pestilence, in the land, and the angel
of the LORD destroying throughout all the coasts of Israel. Now therefore
advise thyself what word I shall bring again to him that sent me.
21:13 And 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 let me not fall
into the hand of man.
21:14 So the LORD sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel
seventy thousand men.
21:15 And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was
destroying, the LORD beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to
the angel that destroyed, It is enough, stay now thine hand. And the angel
of the LORD stood by the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite.
21:16 And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of the LORD stand
between the earth and the heaven, 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.
21:17 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 thine hand, I pray thee, O LORD my
God, be on me, and on my father's house; but not on thy people, that they
should be plagued.
21:18 Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David
should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of
Ornan the Jebusite.
21:19 And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of
the LORD.
21:20 And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him
hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.
21:21 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.
21:22 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 me for
the full price: that the plague may be stayed from the people.
21:23 And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king
do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen also for burnt
offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the
meat offering; I give it all.
21:24 And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the
full price: for I will not take that which is thine for the LORD, nor offer
burnt offerings without cost.
21:25 So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by
weight.
21:26 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 heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt offering.
21:27 And the LORD commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into
the sheath thereof.
21:28 At that time when David saw that the LORD had answered him in the
threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.
21:29 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.
21:30 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. |