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2 Samuel 24

1 Again the anger of Jehovah burned against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, Go, number Israel and Judah.
2 So the king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, Now go throughout all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beer-sheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people.
3 And Joab said to the king, Now may Jehovah your God add to the people a hundred times more than there are, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king desire this thing?
4 Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab and against the commanders of the army. Therefore Joab and the commanders of the army went out from before the king to number the people of Israel.
5 And they crossed over the Jordan and camped in Aroer, on the right side of the town which is in the midst of the valley of Gad, and toward Jazer.
6 Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim Hodshi; they came to Dan Jaan and around to Sidon;
7 and they came to the stronghold of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went out to the south of Judah as far as Beer-sheba.
8 So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
9 And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to the king. And there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.
10 And David's heart was smitten after he had numbered the people. So David said to Jehovah, I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Jehovah, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.
11 And when David arose in the morning, the Word of Jehovah came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying,
12 Go and say to David, Thus says Jehovah: I am setting before you three things; choose one of them for yourself, and I will do it to you.
13 So Gad came to David and reported to him; and he said to him, Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days of plague in your land? Now consider and see what word I shall take back to Him who sent me.
14 And David said to Gad, I am in great distress. Let us fall now into the hand of Jehovah, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.
15 So Jehovah sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men of the people died.
16 And when the Angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, Jehovah was moved to compassion regarding the evil, and said to the Angel who was destroying the people, Enough! Now restrain your hand. And the Angel of Jehovah was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
17 Then David spoke to Jehovah when he saw the Angel who was striking the people, and said, Surely I have sinned, and I have committed iniquity; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father's house.
18 And Gad came that day to David and said to him, Go up, build an altar unto Jehovah on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
19 And David, according to the word of Gad, went up as Jehovah commanded.
20 And Araunah looked and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him. So Araunah went out and bowed before the king with his face to the ground.
21 And Araunah said, Why has my lord the king come to his servant? And David said, To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar unto Jehovah, that the plague may be restrained from the people.
22 And Araunah said to David, Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever is good in his eyes. Behold, the oxen for the burnt offering, and the threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood.
23 All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king. And Araunah said to the king, May Jehovah your God accept you.
24 And the king said to Araunah, No, but I will buy to acquire it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings unto Jehovah my God for free. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
25 And David built there an altar unto Jehovah, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And Jehovah was entreated for the land, and the plague was restrained from Israel.
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