Dawid Kan Nnipa
1Ɔbonsam sɔre tiaa Israel, maa Dawid kan Israelfo. 2Dawid hyɛɛ Yoab ne nʼasahene sɛ, “Monkan nnipa a wɔwɔ asase yi so nyinaa efi Beer-Seba a ɛwɔ anafo fam kosi Dan a ɛwɔ atifi fam, na momfa wɔn dodow mmrɛ me, na ɛmma minhu wɔn ano.”
3Na Yoab kae se, “Awurade mmɔ ne nkurɔfo no dodow ho mpɛn ɔha ɔha! Na me wura, adɛn nti na wopɛ sɛ woyɛ saa? Wɔn nyinaa nyɛ wʼasomfo ana? Adɛn nti na ɛsɛ sɛ woyɛ ma Israel yɛ bɔne?”
4Nanso ɔhene no kae se, nea ɛte biara ɛsɛ sɛ Yoab kan nnipa no. Enti Yoab kyinkyinii Israel nyinaa kan nnipa no. Na ɔsan baa Yerusalem 5bɛkaa nnipa no dodow kyerɛɛ Dawid. Na wɔn dodow yɛ mmarima ɔpepem baako ne mpem ɔha a wɔaso ɔsakɔ wɔ Israel ne mpem ahannan aduɔson wɔ Yuda.
6Nanso Yoab amfa Lewi ne Benyamin mmusuakuw anka nnipakan no ho, efisɛ na nea ɔhene ahyɛ no sɛ ɔnyɛ no yɛ no ahometew.
Dawid Bɔne Ho Atemmu
7Onyankopɔn ampɛ nnipakan no koraa, enti ɔtwee Israel aso wɔ ho. 8Na Dawid ka kyerɛɛ Onyankopɔn se, “Mayɛ bɔne kɛse. Anka ɛnsɛ sɛ mekan nnipa no. Mesrɛ wo, fa me nkwaseade a mayɛ no kyɛ me.”
9Na Awurade kasa kyerɛɛ Gad a ɔyɛ Dawid ɔdehufo no se, 10“Kɔ na kɔka kyerɛ Dawid se, ‘Sɛnea Awurade se ni: Merema wo nsɛm ahorow abiɛsa. Paw emu baako na menyɛ ntia wo.’ ”
11Enti Gad baa Dawid nkyɛn bɛkae se, “Sɛnea Awurade se ni: ‘Paw emu nea wopɛ: 12mfe abiɛsa a ɔkɔm kɛse bɛba anaa asram abiɛsa a wʼatamfo bekunkum mo anaa nnansa a ɔyaredɔm a ano yɛ den yiye a, Awurade bɔfo nam so de ɔsɛe bɛba Israel asase so.’ Afei dwene eyi ho, na ma minhu mmuae ko a memfa nkɔma Awurade.”
13Dawid buaa Gad se, “Mewɔ ahohiahia mu. Ma mentɔ Awurade nsam, efisɛ nʼahummɔbɔ no so. Mma me nkɔtɔ nnipa nsam.”
14Na Awurade maa ɔyaredɔm baa Israel so, maa nnipa mpem aduɔson wuwui. 15Afei, Onyankopɔn somaa ɔsoro ɔbɔfo sɛ ɔnkɔsɛe Yerusalem. Na bɔfo no reyɛ no, Awurade nyaa ahummɔbɔ ka kyerɛɛ owu ɔbɔfo no se, “Gyae! Ɛno ara dɔɔso!” Saa bere no na ɔbɔfo no gyina Yebusini Arauna awiporowbea hɔ.
16Dawid pagyaw nʼani huu sɛ Awurade bɔfo no gyina ɔsoro ne asase ntam a, watwe nʼafoa de akyerɛ Yerusalem so. Enti Dawid ne Israel mpanyimfo furaa atweaatam de kyerɛɛ wɔn ahoyeraw, na wɔhwehwee fam de wɔn anim butubutuw hɔ.
17Na Dawid ka kyerɛɛ Onyankopɔn se, “Me na mede nnipakan no ho asɛm bae! Me ne obi a mayɛ bɔne na mafom. Saa nkurɔfo yi de, ɛso bi nna wɔn so. Dɛn na wɔayɛ? Awurade me Nyankopɔn, ma wʼabufuw mmra me ne me fifo so, na nsɛe wo nkurɔfo.”
Dawid Si Afɔremuka
18Na Awurade bɔfo no ka kyerɛɛ Gad se ɔnka nkyerɛ Dawid mma onsi afɔremuka mma Awurade wɔ Yebusini Arauna awiporowbea hɔ. 19Na Dawid yɛɛ nea Awurade nam Gad so ka kyerɛɛ no no. 20Arauna a saa bere no na nʼani abere reporow nʼatoko so no dan ne ho huu ɔbɔfo no wɔ hɔ. Ne mmabarima baanan a na wɔka ne ho wɔ hɔ no guan kohintawee. 21Bere a Arauna huu sɛ ɔhene Dawid reba awiporowbea hɔ no, ofi hɔ kɔkotow nʼanim.
22Na Dawid ka kyerɛɛ Arauna se, “Tɔn awiporowbea yi ma me sɛnea ne bo te. Na mesi afɔremuka ama Awurade wɔ hɔ sɛnea obesiw ɔyaredɔm no ano.”
23Arauna ka kyerɛɛ Dawid se, “Fa, me wura, na fa yɛ nea wopɛ. Anantwi a wode bɛbɔ afɔre ni. Wubetumi de awiporowbea nnua yi ayɛ nnyina de asɔ gya wɔ afɔremuka no so. Fa atoko no nso bɔ atoko afɔre. Mede ne nyinaa bɛma wo.”
24Na ɔhene no buaa Arauna se, “Dabi! Mepɛ sɛ mitua nea ɛfata ma wo. Merentumi nnye wʼagyapade mfa mma Awurade. Meremmɔ ɔhyew afɔre a memmɔɔ ho ka.”
25Enti Dawid tuaa sikakɔkɔɔ kilogram ason maa Arauna, de tɔɔ awiporowbea no. 26Dawid sii afɔremuka wɔ hɔ maa Awurade, bɔɔ ɔhyew afɔre ne asomdwoe afɔre wɔ so. Na Dawid bɔɔ mpae no, Awurade tiee no, nam so de ogya fi soro bɛhyew afɔrebɔde a ɛwɔ afɔremuka no so no.
27Afei, Awurade kasa kyerɛɛ ɔbɔfo no ma ɔsan de nʼafoa no hyɛɛ ne boha mu. 28Bere a Dawid huu sɛ Awurade atie ne mpaebɔ no, ɔbɔɔ afɔre pii wɔ Yebusini Arauna awiporowbea hɔ. 29Saa bere no na Awurade Ahyiae Ntamadan ne afɔremuka a Mose sii wɔ sare so hɔ no sisi Gibeon sorɔnsorɔmmea hɔ. 30Nanso Dawid antumi ankɔ hɔ ankobisa Onyankopɔn ase, efisɛ afoa a Awurade bɔfo no twee no bɔɔ no hu.
David Counts His Fighting Men
1Satan rose up against Israel. He stirred up David to count the men of Israel. 2So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go! Count the men of Israel from Beersheba all the way to Dan. Report back to me. Then I’ll know how many there are.”
3Joab replied, “May the Lord multiply his troops 100 times. King David, you are my master. Aren’t all the men under your control? Why would you want me to count them? Do you want to make Israel guilty?”
4In spite of what Joab said, the king’s order had more authority than Joab’s reply did. So Joab left and went all through Israel. Then he came back to Jerusalem. 5Joab reported to David how many fighting men he had counted. In the whole land of Israel there were 1,100,000 men who could use their swords well. That included 470,000 men in Judah.
6But Joab didn’t include the tribes of Levi and Benjamin in the total number. The king’s command was sickening to Joab. 7It was also evil in the sight of God. So he punished Israel.
8Then David said to God, “I committed a great sin when I counted Israel’s men. I beg you to take away my guilt. I’ve done a very foolish thing.”
9The Lord spoke to Gad, David’s prophet. The Lord said, 10“Go and tell David, ‘The Lord says, “I could punish you in three different ways. Choose one of them for me to punish you with.” ’ ”
11So Gad went to David. Gad said to him, “The Lord says, ‘Take your choice. 12You can have three years when there will not be enough food in the land. You can have three months when your enemies will sweep you away. They will catch up with you. They will destroy you with their swords. Or you can have three days when the sword of the Lord will punish you. That means there would be three days of plague in the land. My angel would strike down people in every part of Israel.’ So take your pick. Tell me how to answer the one who sent me.”
13David said to Gad, “I’m suffering terribly. Let me fall into the hands of the Lord. His mercy is very great. But don’t let me fall into human hands.”
14So the Lord sent a plague on Israel. And 70,000 Israelites died. 15God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was doing it, the Lord saw it. The Lord decided to end the plague he had sent. So he spoke to the angel who was destroying the people. He said, “That is enough! Do not kill any more people!” The angel of the Lord was standing at Araunah’s threshing floor. Araunah was from the city of Jebus.
16David looked up. He saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth. The angel was holding out a sword over Jerusalem. David and the elders fell with their faces to the ground. They were wearing the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad.
17David said to God, “I ordered the fighting men to be counted. I’m the one who has sinned. I am the shepherd of these people. I’m the one who has done what is wrong. These people are like sheep. What have they done? Lord my God, punish me and my family. But don’t let this plague continue to strike your people.”
David Builds an Altar
18Then the angel of the Lord ordered Gad to tell David to go up to the threshing floor of Araunah, the Jebusite. He wanted David to build an altar there to honor the Lord. 19So David went up and did it. He obeyed the message that Gad had spoken in the Lord’s name.
20Araunah was threshing wheat. He turned and saw the angel. Araunah’s four children were with him. They hid themselves. 21David approached the threshing floor. Araunah looked up and saw him. So Araunah left the threshing floor. He bowed down to David with his face toward the ground.
22David said to him, “Let me have the property your threshing floor is on. I want to build an altar there to honor the Lord. When I do, the plague on the people will be stopped. Sell the threshing floor to me for the full price.”
23Araunah said to David, “Take it! King David, you are my master. Do what you please. I’ll even provide the oxen for the burnt offerings. Use boards from the threshing sleds for the wood. Use the wheat for the grain offering. I’ll give it all to you.”
24But King David replied to Araunah, “No! I want to pay the full price. I won’t take what belongs to you and give it to the Lord. I won’t sacrifice a burnt offering that hasn’t cost me anything.”
25So David paid Araunah 15 pounds of gold for the property. 26David built an altar there to honor the Lord. He sacrificed burnt offerings and friendship offerings. He called out to the Lord. The Lord answered him by sending fire from heaven on the altar for burnt offerings.
27Then the Lord spoke to the angel. And the angel put his sword away. 28When the angel did that, David was still at the threshing floor of Araunah, the Jebusite. David saw that the Lord had answered him. So he offered sacrifices there. 29At that time, the Lord’s holy tent was at the high place in Gibeon. The altar for burnt offerings was there too. Moses had made the holy tent in the desert. 30David couldn’t go to the tent to pray to God. That’s because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord.
