The Bible - read online Recovery Version | Second Samuel, chapter 24

2 Sam. 24 :1 24:1 ^aAnd again the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel; and ¹he moved David against them, saying, Go, ^bnumber Israel and Judah.

2 Sam. 24 :2 24:2 And the king said to Joab the captain of the army, who was with him, Go now throughout all the tribes of Israel, from ^aDan to Beer-sheba, and count the people, that I may know the number of the people.

2 Sam. 24 :3 24:3 And Joab said to the king, Now may Jehovah your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king may see it. But why does my lord the king desire this thing?

2 Sam. 24 :4 24:4 Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the army. And Joab and the captains of the army went forth before the king to count the people of Israel.

2 Sam. 24 :5 24:5 And they crossed the Jordan and encamped at Aroer to the right of the city, which was in the midst of the river valley, toward Gad and unto Jazer.

2 Sam. 24 :6 24:6 Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim-hodshi, and they came to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon.

2 Sam. 24 :7 24:7 And they came to the stronghold of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and of the Canaanites, and they went on to the south of Judah at Beer-sheba.

2 Sam. 24 :8 24:8 And when they had gone about throughout all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.

2 Sam. 24 :9 24:9 And Joab gave the number of the count 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.

2 Sam. 24 :10 24:10 And David’s ^aheart smote him after he had numbered the people. And David said to Jehovah, I have ^bsinned greatly in what I have done; but now, O Jehovah, put away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.

2 Sam. 24 :11 24:11 And when David rose up in the morning, the word of Jehovah came to ^aGad the prophet, David’s seer, saying,

2 Sam. 24 :12 24:12 Go and speak to David, Thus says Jehovah, I am offering you three things; choose one of them, that I may do it to you.

2 Sam. 24 :13 24:13 So Gad went to David and told him these things. And he said to him, Shall seven years of ^afamine come upon you in your land? Or shall you flee before your adversaries for three months while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days of pestilence in your land? Consider now and see what word I should return to Him who sent me.

2 Sam. 24 :14 24:14 And David said to Gad, I am in a great strait; let us fall into the hand of Jehovah, for His ^acompassions are great; and do not let me fall into the hand of man.

2 Sam. 24 :15 24:15 So Jehovah sent a ^apestilence in Israel from the morning until the appointed time; and seventy thousand people died among the people from Dan to Beer-sheba.

2 Sam. 24 :16 24:16 And when the angel stretched forth his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, Jehovah ^arepented of the harm. And He said to the angel who destroyed the people, It is enough; now hold back your hand. And the angel of Jehovah was by the ^bthreshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

2 Sam. 24 :17 24:17 And David spoke to Jehovah when he saw the ^aangel striking the people and said, It is I who have sinned, and it is I who have acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against the house of my father.

2 Sam. 24 :18 24:18 And Gad came to David on that day; and he said to him, Go up and raise up an altar to Jehovah on the ^1athreshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

2 Sam. 24 :19 24:19 And David went up according to Gad’s word, as Jehovah had commanded.

2 Sam. 24 :20 24:20 And Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants coming over toward him. And Araunah went forth and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.

2 Sam. 24 :21 24:21 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 to Jehovah, that the plague may be ^astayed among the people.

2 Sam. 24 :22 24:22 And Araunah said to David, May my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good in his sight. Look, the oxen for the burnt offering and the threshing ^ainstruments and the yokes for the oxen for the wood —

2 Sam. 24 :23 24:23 All this, O king, does Araunah give to the king. Then Araunah said to the king, May Jehovah your God ^aaccept you.

2 Sam. 24 :24 24:24 But the king said to Araunah, No; but I will surely buy it from you for a price, and I will not offer to Jehovah my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.

2 Sam. 24 :25 24:25 And there David ^abuilt an altar to Jehovah, and he offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And Jehovah responded to the entreaty for the land, and the plague was stayed in Israel.