Davide Awerenga Ankhondo
1Nthawi inanso Yehova anawakwiyira Aisraeli ndipo anawutsa mtima wa Davide kuti awavutitse ndipo anati, “Pita kawerenge Aisraeli ndi Ayuda.”
2Choncho mfumu inati kwa Yowabu pamodzi ndi atsogoleri a ankhondo amene anali nawo. “Pitani pakati pa mafuko onse a Israeli kuyambira ku Dani mpaka ku Beeriseba kuti mukawerenge anthu omenya nkhondo ndi cholinga choti ndidziwe chiwerengero chawo.”
3Koma Yowabu anayankha mfumu kuti, “Yehova Mulungu wanu achulukitse ankhondo anu kukhala miyandamiyanda, ndipo alole inu mbuye wanga mfumu mudzazione zimenezi. Koma nʼchifukwa chiyani inu mbuye wanga mfumu mukufuna kuchita zimenezi?”
4Komabe mawu a mfumu anapambana mawu a Yowabu ndi atsogoleri a ankhondo. Choncho anachoka pamaso pa mfumu kupita kukawerenga anthu omenya nkhondo mu Israeli.
5Atawoloka Yorodani, iwo anamanga misasa yawo pafupi ndi Aroeri kummwera kwa mzinda wa ku chigwa ndipo kenaka iwo anapita ku dziko la Gadi mpaka ku Yazeri. 6Iwo anapita ku Giliyadi ndi ku chigwa cha Tahitimu Hodisi ndipo anapitirira mpaka ku Dani Yaani ndi madera ozungulira Sidoni. 7Kenaka iwo anapita molunjika linga la ku Turo ndi ku mizinda yonse ya Ahivi ndi Akanaani. Pomaliza anapita ku Beeriseba ku Negevi wa ku Yuda.
8Atayendayenda mʼdziko lonse anabwerera ku Yerusalemu patapita miyezi isanu ndi inayi ndi masiku makumi awiri.
9Yowabu anapereka chiwerengero cha anthu ankhondo kwa mfumu: Mu Israeli munali anthu 800,000 amphamvu amene amadziwa kugwiritsa ntchito lupanga ndipo mu Yuda munali anthu 500,000.
10Davide anatsutsika mu mtima mwake atatha kuwerenga anthuwo ndipo anapemphera kwa Yehova kuti, “Ine ndachimwa kwambiri pa zimene ndachita. Tsono Yehova, ndikupempha kuti mukhululuke kulakwa kwa mtumiki wanu. Ine ndachita zopusa kwambiri.”
11Davide asanadzuke mmawa mwake mawu a Yehova anafika kwa mneneri Gadi, mlosi wa Davide kuti, 12“Pita ukamuwuze Davide kuti, ‘Yehova akuti, Ine ndikukupatsa zinthu zitatu izi. Usankhepo chimodzi pa zimenezi choti ndikuchitire.’ ”
13Choncho Gadi anapita kwa Davide ndipo anati kwa iye, “Kodi mungakonde kuti mʼdziko mwanu mukhale njala kwa zaka zitatu? Kapena kuti mukhale mukuthawa adani anu kwa miyezi itatu? Kapena kuti mʼdziko muno mukhale mliri kwa masiku atatu? Tsopano, ganizirani bwino ndipo musankhe chomwe mudzamuyankhe amene wandituma.”
14Davide anati kwa Gadi, “Ine ndavutika kwambiri mu mtima mwanga. Ife atilange ndi Yehova pakuti chifundo chake ndi chachikulu, koma ndisalangidwe ndi anthu.”
15Choncho Yehova anabweretsa mliri pa Aisraeli, kuyambira mmawa mpaka pa nthawi imene anafuna mwini wake, ndipo unapha anthu 70,000 kuyambira ku Dani mpaka ku Beeriseba. 16Pamene mngelo anatambasula dzanja lake kuti awononge Yerusalemu, Yehova anamva chisoni chifukwa cha zowawazo ndipo anati kwa mngelo amene ankawononga anthu uja, “Basi kwakwanira! Leka kuwononga.” Nthawi imeneyo mngelo wa Yehova anali atayima pamalo opunthira tirigu a Arauna Myebusi.
17Davide ataona mngelo amene ankakantha anthu uja, anati kwa Yehova, “Ine ndi amene ndachimwa. Ine mʼbusa ndiye ndachita zoyipa. Anthuwa ali ngati nkhosa zosalakwa. Kodi iwowa achita chiyani? Langani ineyo pamodzi ndi banja langa.”
Davide Amanga Guwa la Nsembe
18Tsiku limenelo Gadi anapita kwa Davide ndi kukanena kuti, “Pitani kamangeni guwa lansembe la Yehova pamalo opunthira tirigu a Arauna Myebusi.” 19Ndipo Davide anapita monga momwe Yehova anamulamulira kudzera mwa Gadi. 20Arauna atayangʼana ndi kuona mfumu ndi anthu ake akubwera kumene kunali iye, iyeyo anatuluka ndi kuwerama pamaso pa mfumu mpaka nkhope yake kugunda pansi.
21Arauna anati, “Nʼchifukwa chiyani mbuye wanga mfumu mwabwera kwa mtumiki wanu?”
Davide anayankha kuti, “Kudzagula malo ako opunthira tirigu kuti ndimangire Yehova guwa lansembe kuti mliri uli pa anthuwa usiye.”
22Arauna anati kwa Davide, “Mbuye wanga mfumu mutenge chilichonse chimene chikukondweretseni ndi kuchipereka nsembe. Nazi ngʼombe zazimuna za nsembe yopsereza, nazi zopunthira tirigu ndi magoli angʼombe kuti zikhale nkhuni. 23Inu mfumu, Arauna akupereka zonsezi kwa inu mfumu.” Arauna anatinso kwa iye, “Yehova Mulungu wanu akuvomerezeni.”
24Koma mfumu inayankha Arauna kuti, “Ayi, Ine ndikunenetsa kuti ndikulipira. Sindidzapereka kwa Yehova Mulungu wanga nsembe yopsereza imene sindinavutikire.”
Kotero Davide anagula malo wopunthira tiriguwo ndi ngʼombe ndipo anapereka kwa Araunayo masekeli asiliva makumi asanu. 25Davide anamanga guwa lansembe la Yehova pamenepo ndipo anaperekapo nsembe zopsereza ndi nsembe zachiyanjano. Ndipo Yehova anayankha pempherolo mʼmalo mwa dziko lonse, ndipo mliri unatha pa Aisraeli.
David enrols the fighting men
1Again the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, ‘Go and take a census of Israel and Judah.’
2So the king said to Joab and the army commanders24:2 Septuagint (see also verse 4 and 1 Chron. 21:2); Hebrew Joab the army commander with him, ‘Go throughout the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beersheba and enrol the fighting men, so that I may know how many there are.’
3But Joab replied to the king, ‘May the Lord your God multiply the troops a hundred times over, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king want to do such a thing?’
4The king’s word, however, overruled Joab and the army commanders; so they left the presence of the king to enrol the fighting men of Israel.
5After crossing the Jordan, they camped near Aroer, south of the town in the gorge, and then went through Gad and on to Jazer. 6They went to Gilead and the region of Tahtim Hodshi, and on to Dan Jaan and around towards Sidon. 7Then they went towards the fortress of Tyre and all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba in the Negev of Judah.
8After they had gone through the entire land, they came back to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
9Joab reported the number of the fighting men to the king: in Israel there were eight hundred thousand able-bodied men who could handle a sword, and in Judah five hundred thousand.
10David was conscience-stricken after he had counted the fighting men, and he said to the Lord, ‘I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, Lord, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.’
11Before David got up the next morning, the word of the Lord had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer: 12‘Go and tell David, “This is what the Lord says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.” ’
13So Gad went to David and said to him, ‘Shall there come on you three24:13 Septuagint (see also 1 Chron. 21:12); Hebrew seven years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me.’
14David said to Gad, ‘I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands.’
15So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. 16When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, ‘Enough! Withdraw your hand.’ The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
17When David saw the angel who was striking down the people, he said to the Lord, ‘I have sinned; I, the shepherd,24:17 Dead Sea Scrolls and Septuagint; Masoretic Text does not have the shepherd. have done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Let your hand fall on me and my family.’
David builds an altar
18On that day Gad went to David and said to him, ‘Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.’ 19So David went up, as the Lord had commanded through Gad. 20When Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming towards him, he went out and bowed down before the king with his face to the ground.
21Araunah said, ‘Why has my lord the king come to his servant?’
‘To buy your threshing-floor,’ David answered, ‘so that I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped.’
22Araunah said to David, ‘Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing-sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23Your Majesty, Araunah24:23 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts King Araunah gives all this to the king.’ Araunah also said to him, ‘May the Lord your God accept you.’
24But the king replied to Araunah, ‘No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.’
So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels24:24 That is, about 575 grams of silver for them. 25David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayer on behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.
