| King James Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel. | 1Satan stood up against Israel and incited David to count the people of Israel. |
| 2And 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. | 2So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, "Go and count Israel from Beer-sheba to Dan and bring a report to me so I can know their number." |
| 3And 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? | 3Joab replied, "May the LORD multiply the number of His people a hundred times over! My lord the king, aren't they all my lord's servants? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?" |
| 4Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem. | 4Yet the king's order prevailed over Joab. So Joab left and traveled throughout Israel and then returned to Jerusalem. |
| 5And 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. | 5Joab gave the total troop registration to David. In all Israel there were 1,100,000 swordsmen and in Judah itself 470,000 swordsmen. |
| 6But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them: for the king's word was abominable to Joab. | 6But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the count because the king's command was detestable to him. |
| 7And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel. | 7This command was also evil in God's sight, so He afflicted Israel. |
| 8And 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. | 8David said to God, "I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. Now, please take away Your servant's guilt, for I've been very foolish." |
| 9And the LORD spake unto Gad, David's seer, saying, | 9Then the LORD instructed Gad, David's seer," |
| 10Go 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. | 10Go and say to David, 'This is what the LORD says: I am offering you three choices. Choose one of them for yourself, and I will do it to you.'" |
| 11So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Choose thee | 11So Gad went to David and said to him, "This is what the LORD says: 'Take your choice: |
| 12Either 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. | 12three years of famine, or three months of devastation by your foes with the sword of your enemy overtaking you, or three days of the sword of the LORD--a plague on the land, the angel of the LORD bringing destruction to the whole territory of Israel.' Now decide what answer I should take back to the One who sent me." |
| 13And 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. | 13David answered Gad, "I'm in anguish. Please, let me fall into the LORD's hands because His mercies are very great, but don't let me fall into human hands." |
| 14So the LORD sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men. | 14So the LORD sent a plague on Israel, and 70,000 Israelite men died. |
| 15And 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. | 15Then God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but when the angel was about to destroy the city, the LORD looked, relented concerning the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, "Enough, withdraw your hand now!" The angel of the LORD was then standing at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. |
| 16And 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. | 16When David looked up and saw the angel of the LORD standing between earth and heaven, with his drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem, David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell down with their faces to the ground. |
| 17And 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. | 17David said to God, "Wasn't I the one who gave the order to count the people? I am the one who has sinned and acted very wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? My LORD God, please let Your hand be against me and against my father's family, but don't let the plague be against Your people." |
| 18Then 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. | 18So the angel of the LORD ordered Gad to tell David to go and set up an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. |
| 19And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of the LORD. | 19David went up at Gad's command spoken in the name of the LORD. |
| 20And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat. | 20Ornan was threshing wheat when he turned and saw the angel. His four sons, who were with him, hid themselves. |
| 21And 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. | 21David came to Ornan, and when Ornan looked and saw David, he left the threshing floor and bowed to David with his face to the ground. |
| 22Then 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. | 22Then David said to Ornan, "Give me this threshing-floor plot so that I may build an altar to the LORD on it. Give it to me for the full price, so the plague on the people may be stopped." |
| 23And 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. | 23Ornan said to David, "Take it! My lord the king may do whatever he wants. See, I give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering--I give it all." |
| 24And 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. | 24King David answered Ornan, "No, I insist on paying the full price, for I will not take for the LORD what belongs to you or offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing." |
| 25So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight. | 25So David gave Ornan 15 pounds of gold for the plot. |
| 26And 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. | 26He built an altar to the LORD there and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on the LORD, and He answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering. |
| 27And the LORD commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof. | 27Then the LORD spoke to the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath. |
| 28At that time when David saw that the LORD had answered him in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there. | 28At that time, David offered sacrifices there when he saw that the LORD answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite. |
| 29For 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. | 29The tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses made in the desert, and the altar of burnt offering were at the high place in Gibeon, |
| 30But David could not go before it to inquire of God: for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the LORD. | 30but David could not go before it to inquire of God, because he was terrified of the sword of the LORD's angel. |
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