1 Chronicles 21

Then the accuser stood up, against Israel,—and moved David, to number Israel.

And David said unto Joab and unto the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel, from Beer-sheba even unto Dan,—and bring [the report] unto me, that I may know the number of them.

Then said Joab, May God add unto his people, as many as they are, a hundred times, but are they not, my lord O king, all of them my lord’s, as servants? wherefore should my lord seek this? wherefore should it become guilt to Israel?

But, the word of the king, prevailed against Joab,—and Joab departed, and went to and fro throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem.

And Joab delivered the sum of the number of the people, unto David,—and all Israel was found to be a thousand thousand and a hundred thousand men, who drew sword, and Judah, four hundred and seventy thousand men, who drew sword.

But, Levi and Benjamin, counted he not among them,—for detestable was the word of the king unto Joab.

And it was displeasing in the eyes of God, concerning this thing,—therefore smote he Israel.

And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing,—but, now, I beseech thee, take away the iniquity of thy servant, for I have shown myself very foolish.

Then spake God unto Gad, the seer of David saying:

Go—and thou shalt speak unto David, saying, Thus, saith God, Three things, do I offer thee,—choose thee one from among them, that I may do it unto thee.

So Gad came unto David,—and said to him, Thus, saith God,

Choose thee:—Whether, for three years, [there be] famine, Or, for three months, that thou flee before thine adversaries, while the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee, Or, for three days, the sword of God, and pestilence be in the land, with, the messenger of God, laying waste throughout all the boundary of Israel,—Now, therefore, see, what, answer, I shall return unto him that sent me.

And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait,—Oh let me fall, I pray thee, into the hand of God, for abounding are his compassions, exceedingly, but, into the hand of man, let me not fall.

So God laid pestilence, upon Israel,—and there fell, of Israel, seventy thousand men.

And God sent a messenger to Jerusalem, to lay it waste, but, as he was laying it waste, God looked, and relented concerning the calamity, and said unto the messenger who was laying waste, Enough! now, stay thy hand. And, the messenger of God, was standing by the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

And, when David lifted up his eyes, and saw the messenger of God, standing, between the earth and the heavens, and his sword drawn, in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem, then fell David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, upon their faces.

And David said unto God, Was it not, I, who gave word to number the people? Yea, I, it was who sinned and did the great wrong, what then had, these sheep, done? O God, my God, let thy hand, I beseech thee, be against me, and against the house of my father, but not against, thy people, that they should be plagued!

And, the messenger of God, commanded Gad, to say unto David,—that David should go up, to rear an altar unto God, in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

So David went up, according to the word of Gad, which he spake in the name of God.

And Ornan turned, and saw the messenger, but, his four sons with him, were hiding themselves,—now, Ornan, had been threshing wheat.

Then came David unto Ornan,—and Ornan looked, and saw David, and went forth out of the threshing-floor, and bowed himself unto David, with his face to the ground.

And David said unto Ornan, Grant me the place of the threshing-floor, that I may build thereon an altar, unto God,—for silver in full, shalt thou grant it me, that the plague may be stayed from off the people.

And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do what is good in his own eyes,—see! I have given the oxen for ascending-sacrifices, and, the threshing implements for wood, and the wheat for a meal-offering,—the whole, have I given.

Then said King David to Ornan, Nay! but I will, surely buy, it for silver in full,—for I will not take that which is thine for God, nor offer an ascending-sacrifice that hath cost me nothing.

So David gave to Ornan, for the place,—shekels of gold, by weight, six hundred.

And David built there an altar unto God, and caused to go up ascending-sacrifices, and peace-offerings,—and called unto God, and he responded to him, by fire, out of the heavens, upon the altar of ascending-sacrifice.

And God gave word to tile messenger, and he put back his sword into its sheath.

At that time, when David saw that God had answered him in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.

But, the habitation of God, which Moses made in the desert, and the altar of ascending-sacrifice, were, at that time, in the high place at Gibeon;

and David could not go before it, to seek God,—for he had been terrified, because of the sword of the messenger of God.