| English Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number 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, “Go, number Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me a report, that I may know their number.” | 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 said, “May the LORD add to his people a hundred times as many as they are! Are they not, my lord the king, all of them my lord’s servants? Why then should my lord require this? Why should it be a cause of guilt for Israel?” | 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’s word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came back to Jerusalem. | 4But the king's edict stood, despite Joab's objections. So Joab left and traveled throughout Israel before returning to Jerusalem. |
| 5And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to David. In all Israel there were 1,100,000 men who drew the sword, and in Judah 470,000 who drew the sword. | 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 he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, for the king’s command was abhorrent to Joab. | 6Now Joab did not number Levi and Benjamin, for the king's edict disgusted him. |
| 7But God was displeased with this thing, and he struck Israel. | 7God was also offended by it, so he attacked Israel. |
| 8And David said to God, “I have sinned greatly in that I have done this thing. But now, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.” | 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." |
| 9And the LORD spoke to Gad, David’s seer, saying, | 9The LORD told Gad, David's prophet, |
| 10“Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the LORD, Three things I offer you; choose one of them, that I may do it to 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 to him, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Choose what you will: | 11Gad went to David and told him, "This is what the LORD says: 'Pick one of these: |
| 12either three years of famine, or three months of devastation by your foes while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or else three days of the sword of the LORD, pestilence on the land, with the angel of the LORD destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ Now decide what answer I shall return to him 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." |
| 13Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for his mercy is very great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.” | 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 pestilence on Israel, and 70,000 men of Israel fell. | 14So the LORD sent a plague through Israel, and 70,000 Israelite men died. |
| 15And God sent the angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but as he was about to destroy it, the LORD saw, and he relented from the calamity. And he said to the angel who was working destruction, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan 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. |
| 16And David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD 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 upon their faces. | 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, “Was it not I who gave command to number the people? It is I who have sinned and done great evil. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand, O LORD my God, be against me and against my father’s house. But do not let the plague be on your people.” | 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!" |
| 18Now the angel of the LORD had commanded Gad to say to David that David should go up and raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan 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 at Gad’s word, which he had spoken in the name of the LORD. | 19So David went up as Gad instructed him to do in the name of the LORD. |
| 20Now Ornan was threshing wheat. He turned and saw the angel, and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. | 20While Ornan was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the messenger, and he and his four sons hid themselves. |
| 21As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David and went out from the threshing floor and paid homage to 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. |
| 22And David said to Ornan, “Give me the site of the threshing floor that I may build on it an altar to the LORD—give it to me at its full price—that the plague may be averted from the people.” | 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." |
| 23Then Ornan said to David, “Take it, and let my lord the king do what seems good to him. See, I give the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for the wood and the wheat for a grain offering; I give it all.” | 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 said to Ornan, “No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that 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 paid Ornan 600 shekels of gold by weight for the site. | 25So David bought the place from Ornan for 600 pieces of gold. |
| 26And David built there an altar to the LORD and presented burnt offerings and peace offerings and called on the LORD, and the LORD answered him with fire from heaven upon the altar of burnt offering. | 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 commanded the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath. | 27The LORD ordered the messenger to put his sword back into its sheath. |
| 28At that time, when David saw that the LORD had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. | 28At that time, when David saw that the LORD responded to him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he sacrificed there. |
| 29For the tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time in the high place at 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 could not go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid of the 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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