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The Census and Plague

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Satan stood up against Israel, and incited David to count the people of Israel. ²So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Go, number Israel, from Beer-sheba to Dan, and bring me a report, so that I may know their number.” ³But Joab said, “May the L ord increase the number of his people a hundredfold! Are they not, my lord the king, all of them my lord’s servants? Why then should my lord require this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?” ⁴But the king’s word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and went throughout all Israel, and came back to Jerusalem. ⁵Joab gave the total count of the people to David. In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and in Judah four hundred seventy thousand who drew the sword. ⁶But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, for the king’s command was abhorrent to Joab.

⁷ But God was displeased with this thing, and he struck Israel. ⁸David said to God, “I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing. But now, I pray you, take away the guilt of your servant; for I have done very foolishly.” ⁹The L ord spoke to Gad, David’s seer, saying, ¹⁰“Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the L ord: Three things I offer you; choose one of them, so that I may do it to you.’ ” ¹¹So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the L ord, ‘Take your choice: ¹²either three years of famine; or three months of devastation by your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you; or three days of the sword of the L ord, pestilence on the land, and the angel of the L ord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ Now decide what answer I shall return to the one who sent me.” ¹³Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress; let me fall into the hand of the L ord, for his mercy is very great; but let me not fall into human hands.”

¹⁴ So the L ord sent a pestilence on Israel; and seventy thousand persons fell in Israel. ¹⁵And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but when he was about to destroy it, the L ord took note and relented concerning the calamity; he said to the destroying angel, “Enough! Stay your hand.” The angel of the L ord was then standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ¹⁶David looked up and saw the angel of the L ord standing between earth and heaven, and in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces. ¹⁷And David said to God, “Was it not I who gave the command to count the people? It is I who have sinned and done very wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Let your hand, I pray, O L ord my God, be against me and against my father’s house; but do not let your people be plagued!”

David’s Altar and Sacrifice

¹⁸ Then the angel of the L ord commanded Gad to tell David that he should go up and erect an altar to the L ord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. ¹⁹So David went up following Gad’s instructions, which he had spoken in the name of the L ord. ²⁰Ornan turned and saw the angel; and while his four sons who were with him hid themselves, Ornan continued to thresh wheat. ²¹As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David; he went out from the threshing floor, and did obeisance to David with his face to the ground. ²²David said to Ornan, “Give me the site of the threshing floor that I may build on it an altar to the L ord—give it to me at its full price—so that the plague may be averted from the people.” ²³Then Ornan said to David, “Take it; and let my lord the king do what seems good to him; see, I present the oxen for burnt offerings, and the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for a grain offering. I give it all.” ²⁴But King David said to Ornan, “No; I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the L ord what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” ²⁵So David paid Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the site. ²⁶David built there an altar to the L ord and presented burnt offerings and offerings of well-being. He called upon the L ord, and he answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering. ²⁷Then the L ord commanded the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.

The Place Chosen for the Temple

²⁸ At that time, when David saw that the L ord had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he made his sacrifices there. ²⁹For the tabernacle of the L ord, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time in the high place at Gibeon; ³⁰but David could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the L ord.