| New Living Translation | NET Bible |
| 1Satan rose up against Israel and caused David to take a census of the people of Israel. | 1An adversary opposed Israel, inciting David to count how many warriors Israel had. |
| 2So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Take a census of all the people of Israel—from Beersheba in the south to Dan in the north—and bring me a report so I may know how many there are.” | 2David told Joab and the leaders of the army, "Go, count the number of warriors from Beer Sheba to Dan. Then bring back a report to me so I may know how many we have." |
| 3But Joab replied, “May the LORD increase the number of his people a hundred times over! But why, my lord the king, do you want to do this? Are they not all your servants? Why must you cause Israel to sin?” | 3Joab replied, "May the LORD make his army a hundred times larger! My master, O king, do not all of them serve my master? Why does my master want to do this? Why bring judgment on Israel?" |
| 4But the king insisted that they take the census, so Joab traveled throughout all Israel to count the people. Then he returned to Jerusalem | 4But the king's edict stood, despite Joab's objections. So Joab left and traveled throughout Israel before returning to Jerusalem. |
| 5and reported the number of people to David. There were 1,100,000 warriors in all Israel who could handle a sword, and 470,000 in Judah. | 5Joab reported to David the number of warriors. In all Israel there were 1,100,000 sword-wielding soldiers; Judah alone had 470,000 sword-wielding soldiers. |
| 6But Joab did not include the tribes of Levi and Benjamin in the census because he was so distressed at what the king had made him do. Judgment for David’s Sin | 6Now Joab did not number Levi and Benjamin, for the king's edict disgusted him. |
| 7God was very displeased with the census, and he punished Israel for it. | 7God was also offended by it, so he attacked Israel. |
| 8Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by taking this census. Please forgive my guilt for doing this foolish thing.” | 8David said to God, "I have sinned greatly by doing this! Now, please remove the guilt of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly." |
| 9Then the LORD spoke to Gad, David’s seer. This was the message: | 9The LORD told Gad, David's prophet, |
| 10“Go and say to David, ‘This is what the LORD says: I will give you three choices. Choose one of these punishments, and I will inflict it on you.’” | 10"Go, tell David, 'This is what the LORD says: "I am offering you three forms of judgment from which to choose. Pick one of them."'" |
| 11So Gad came to David and said, “These are the choices the LORD has given you. | 11Gad went to David and told him, "This is what the LORD says: 'Pick one of these: |
| 12You may choose three years of famine, three months of destruction by the sword of your enemies, or three days of severe plague as the angel of the LORD brings devastation throughout the land of Israel. Decide what answer I should give the LORD who sent me.” | 12three years of famine, or three months being chased by your enemies and struck down by their swords, or three days being struck down by the LORD, during which a plague will invade the land and the LORD's messenger will destroy throughout Israel's territory.' Now, decide what I should tell the one who sent me." |
| 13“I’m in a desperate situation!” David replied to Gad. “But let me fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is very great. Do not let me fall into human hands.” | 13David said to Gad, "I am very upset! I prefer to be attacked by the LORD, for his mercy is very great; I do not want to be attacked by men!" |
| 14So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel, and 70,000 people died as a result. | 14So the LORD sent a plague through Israel, and 70,000 Israelite men died. |
| 15And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But just as the angel was preparing to destroy it, the LORD relented and said to the death angel, “Stop! That is enough!” At that moment the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. | 15God sent an angel to ravage Jerusalem. As he was doing so, the LORD watched and relented from his judgment. He told the angel who was destroying, "That's enough! Stop now!" Now the LORD's angel was standing near the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. |
| 16David looked up and saw the angel of the LORD standing between heaven and earth with his sword drawn, reaching out over Jerusalem. So David and the leaders of Israel put on burlap to show their deep distress and fell face down on the ground. | 16David looked up and saw the LORD's messenger standing between the earth and sky with his sword drawn and in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem. David and the leaders, covered with sackcloth, threw themselves down with their faces to the ground. |
| 17And David said to God, “I am the one who called for the census! I am the one who has sinned and done wrong! But these people are as innocent as sheep—what have they done? O LORD my God, let your anger fall against me and my family, but do not destroy your people.” David Builds an Altar | 17David said to God, "Was I not the one who decided to number the army? I am the one who sinned and committed this awful deed! As for these sheep--what have they done? O LORD my God, attack me and my family, but remove the plague from your people!" |
| 18Then the angel of the LORD told Gad to instruct David to go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. | 18So the LORD's messenger told Gad to instruct David to go up and build an altar for the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. |
| 19So David went up to do what the LORD had commanded him through Gad. | 19So David went up as Gad instructed him to do in the name of the LORD. |
| 20Araunah, who was busy threshing wheat at the time, turned and saw the angel there. His four sons, who were with him, ran away and hid. | 20While Ornan was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the messenger, and he and his four sons hid themselves. |
| 21When Araunah saw David approaching, he left his threshing floor and bowed before David with his face to the ground. | 21When David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David; he came out from the threshing floor and bowed to David with his face to the ground. |
| 22David said to Araunah, “Let me buy this threshing floor from you at its full price. Then I will build an altar to the LORD there, so that he will stop the plague.” | 22David said to Ornan, "Sell me the threshing floor so I can build on it an altar for the LORD--I'll pay top price--so that the plague may be removed from the people." |
| 23“Take it, my lord the king, and use it as you wish,” Araunah said to David. “I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, and the threshing boards for wood to build a fire on the altar, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give it all to you.” | 23Ornan told David, "You can have it! My master, the king, may do what he wants. Look, I am giving you the oxen for burnt sacrifices, the threshing sledges for wood, and the wheat for an offering. I give it all to you." |
| 24But King David replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it for the full price. I will not take what is yours and give it to the LORD. I will not present burnt offerings that have cost me nothing!” | 24King David replied to Ornan, "No, I insist on buying it for top price. I will not offer to the LORD what belongs to you or offer a burnt sacrifice that cost me nothing. |
| 25So David gave Araunah 600 pieces of gold in payment for the threshing floor. | 25So David bought the place from Ornan for 600 pieces of gold. |
| 26David built an altar there to the LORD and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. And when David prayed, the LORD answered him by sending fire from heaven to burn up the offering on the altar. | 26David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt sacrifices and peace offerings. He called out to the LORD, and the LORD responded by sending fire from the sky and consuming the burnt sacrifice on the altar. |
| 27Then the LORD spoke to the angel, who put the sword back into its sheath. | 27The LORD ordered the messenger to put his sword back into its sheath. |
| 28When David saw that the LORD had answered his prayer, he offered sacrifices there at Araunah’s threshing floor. | 28At that time, when David saw that the LORD responded to him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. |
| 29At that time the Tabernacle of the LORD and the altar of burnt offering that Moses had made in the wilderness were located at the place of worship in Gibeon. | 29Now the LORD's tabernacle (which Moses had made in the wilderness) and the altar for burnt sacrifices were at that time at the worship center in Gibeon. |
| 30But David was not able to go there to inquire of God, because he was terrified by the drawn sword of the angel of the LORD. | 30But David could not go before it to seek God's will, for he was afraid of the sword of the LORD's messenger. |
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