David’s Military Census
(Exodus 30:11–16; 2 Samuel 24:1–9)

1And an adversary will stand up against Israel, and he will stimulate David to number Israel. 2And David will say to Joab and to the chiefs of the people, Go number Israel from the well of the oath even to judgment, and bring to me and I shall know their number. 3And Joab will say, Jehovah will add to his people as they are, a hundred times: are they not, my lord the king, all of them for servants to my lord? for what will my lord seek this? wherefore will he be for trespass to Israel? 4And the word of the king was strong upon Joab. And Joab will go forth, and he will go about in all Israel, and he will come to Jerusalem. 5And Joab will give the number of reviewing the people to David. And all Israel will be a thousand thousand and a hundred thousand men drawing sword: and Judah four hundred and seventy thousand men drawing sword. 6And Levi and Benjamin he reviewed not in the midst of them: for the king's word was abhorred with Joab.

Judgment for David’s Sin
(2 Samuel 24:10–14)

7And it will be evil in the eyes of God concerning this word, and he will strike Israel. 8And David will say to God, I sinned greatly that I did this word: and now cause to pass away now the iniquity of thy servant, for I acted very foolishly.

9And Jehovah will speak to Gad the seer of David, saying, 10Go and speak to David, saying, Thus said Jehovah, Three, I stretch forth upon thee; choose to thee one from these and I will do to thee. 11And Gad will come to David and say to him, Thus said Jehovah, Take to thee, 12If three years of famine, and if three months of being destroyed from before thine adversaries, and the sword of thine enemies to overtake; and if three days the sword of Jehovah, and the word in the land, and the messenger of Jehovah destroying in all the bound of Israel. And now see what word I shall turn back to him sending me. 13And David will say to Gad, Straits to me exceedingly: I will fall now into the hand of Jehovah, for his compassions are very many: and I will not fall into the hand of man.

A Plague on Israel
(2 Samuel 24:15–17)

14And Jehovah will give death upon Israel: and there will fall from Israel seventy thousand men. 15And God will send a messenger to Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he destroyed, Jehovah saw, and he will grieve for the evil, and he will say to the messenger destroying, Enough; slacken thy hand. And the messenger of Jehovah stood by the threshing-floor of Oman the Jebusite. 16And David will lift up his eyes and see the messenger of Jehovah standing between the earth and between the heavens, and his sword drawn in his hand stretched forth over Jerusalem. And David will fall, and the old men being covered with sackcloth, upon their face. 17And David will say to God, Is it not I who said to number in the people? and I am he who sinned, and doing evil I did evil; and these sheep, what did they? O Jehovah my God, thy hand now shall be upon me and upon my father's house; and not to smite upon thy people.

David Builds an Altar
(2 Samuel 24:18–25)

18And the messenger of Jehovah said to Gad to say to David that David shall go up to set up an altar to Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Oman the Jebusite. 19And David will go up at the word of Gad which he spake in the name of Jehovah. 20And Ornan will turn back and see the messenger; and his four sons with him hiding themselves. And Ornan treading out the wheat. 21And David will go even to Ornan, and Ornan will look and see David, and he will go forth from the threshing-floor, and he will worship to David, the face to the earth. 22And David will say to Ornan, Thou shalt give to me the place of the threshing-floor, and I will build in it an altar to Jehovah: for the full silver thou shalt give it to me, and the smiting shall be restrained from the people. 23And Ornan will say to David, Take to thee, and my lord the king shall, do the good in his eyes: see, I gave the oxen for burnt-offerings, and the threshing-sledges for woods, and the wheat for a gift; I gave all. 24And king David will say to Ornan, Nay; for buying, I will buy for the full silver: for I will not lift up what is to thee to Jehovah, and bring up burnt-offerings gratuitously. 25And David will give to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold from weight. 26And David will build there an alter to Jehovah, and he will bring up burnt-offerings and peace, and will call to Jehovah; and he will answer him in fire from the heavens upon the altar of burnt-offering. 27And Jehovah will say to the messenger, and he will turn back his sword to its sheath.

28In that time in David's seeing that Jehovah answered him in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, and he will sacrifice there. 29And the dwelling of Jehovah which Moses made in the desert, and the altar of burnt-offering in that time in the height in Gibeon. 30And David could not go before it to seek God, for he was afraid from the face of the sword of the messenger of Jehovah,