David Counts His Fighting Men
1The Lord was very angry with Israel. He stirred up David against them. He said, “Go! Count the men of Israel and Judah.”
2So the king spoke to Joab and the army commanders with him. He said, “Go all through the territories of the tribes of Israel. Go from the town of Dan all the way to Beersheba. Count the fighting men. Then I’ll know how many there are.”
3Joab replied to the king. He said, “King David, you are my master. May the Lord your God multiply the troops 100 times. And may you live to see it. But why would you want me to count the fighting men?”
4The king’s word had more authority than the word of Joab and the army commanders. That was true in spite of what Joab had said. So they left the king and went out to count the fighting men of Israel.
5They went across the Jordan River. They camped south of the town in the middle of the Arnon River valley near Aroer. Then they went through Gad and continued on to Jazer. 6They went to Gilead and the area of Tahtim Hodshi. They continued to Dan Jaan and on around toward Sidon. 7Then they went toward the fort of Tyre. They went to all the towns of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went on to Beersheba. It was in the Negev Desert of Judah.
8They finished going through the entire land. Then they came back to Jerusalem. They had been gone for nine months and 20 days.
9Joab reported to the king how many fighting men he had counted. In Israel there were 800,000 men who were able to handle a sword. In Judah there were 500,000.
10David felt sorry that he had counted the fighting men. So he said to the Lord, “I committed a great sin when I counted Judah and Israel’s men. Lord, I beg you to take away my guilt. I’ve done a very foolish thing.”
11Before David got up the next morning, a message from the Lord came to Gad the prophet. He was David’s seer. The message said, 12“Go and tell David, ‘The Lord says, “I could punish you in three different ways. Choose one of them for me to use against you.” ’ ”
13So Gad went to David. He said to him, “Take your choice. Do you want three years when there won’t be enough food in your land? Or do you want three months when you will run away from your enemies while they chase you? Or do you want three days when there will be a plague in your land? Think it over. Then take your pick. Tell me how to answer the one who sent me.”
14David said to Gad, “I’m suffering terribly. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord. His mercy is great. But don’t let me fall into human hands.”
15So the Lord sent a plague on Israel. It lasted from that morning until he decided to end it. From Dan all the way to Beersheba 70,000 people died. 16The angel reached his hand out to destroy Jerusalem. But the Lord stopped sending the plague. So he spoke to the angel who was making the people suffer. He said, “That is enough! Do not kill any more people.” The angel of the Lord was at Araunah’s threshing floor. Araunah was from the city of Jebus.
17David saw the angel who was striking down the people. David said to the Lord, “I’m the one who has sinned. I’m the one who has done what is wrong. I’m like a shepherd for these people. These people are like sheep. What have they done? Let your judgment be on me and my family.”
David Builds an Altar
18On that day Gad went to David. Gad said to him, “Go up to the threshing floor of Araunah, the Jebusite. Build an altar there to honor the Lord.” 19So David went up and did it. He did what the Lord had commanded through Gad. 20Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him. So he went out to welcome them. He bowed down to the king with his face toward the ground.
21Araunah said, “King David, you are my master. Why have you come to see me?”
“To buy your threshing floor,” David answered. “I want to build an altar there to honor the Lord. When I do, the plague on the people will be stopped.”
22Araunah said to David, “Take anything you wish. Offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering. Here are threshing sleds. And here are wooden collars from the necks of the oxen. Use all the wood to burn the offering. 23Your Majesty, I’ll give all of it to you.” Araunah continued, “And may the Lord your God accept you.”
24But the king replied to Araunah, “No. I want to pay you for it. I won’t sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that haven’t cost me anything.”
So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen. He paid 20 ounces of silver for them. 25David built an altar there to honor the Lord. He sacrificed burnt offerings and friendship offerings. Then the Lord answered David’s prayer and blessed the land. The plague on Israel was stopped.
Dawid Kan Nnipa
1Bio, Awurade abufuo baa Israel so enti, ɔhyɛɛ Dawid sɛ ɔmfa nnipakan so nha wɔn a wɔwɔ Israel ne Yuda nyinaa. Awurade see Dawid sɛ, “Kɔ na kɔkan Israelfoɔ ne Yudafoɔ nyinaa.”
2Enti, ɔhene no ka kyerɛɛ ne sahene Yoab sɛ, “Kan nnipa a wɔwɔ asase yi so nyinaa, ɛfiri Dan a ɛwɔ atifi fam, de bɛsi Beer-Seba a ɛwɔ anafoɔ fam, na ama mahunu nnipa dodoɔ a wɔwɔ ha.”
3Na Yoab buaa ɔhene no sɛ, “Awurade mma wo ntena ase kɔsi sɛ nnipa a wɔwɔ wʼahennie yi mu ase bɛtrɛ mmɔho ɔha. Na adɛn enti na wopɛ sɛ woyɛ yei?”
4Na ɔhene no hyɛɛ no ketee sɛ, wɔnkan nnipa enti, Yoab ne nʼadwumayɛfoɔ kɔkanee nnipa a wɔwɔ Israel.
5Deɛ ɛdi ɛkan no, wɔtwaa Yordan kɔtenaa Aroer, kuro a ɛwɔ bɔnhwa no anafoɔ a ɛkyerɛ Gad no. Afei, wɔkɔɔ Yaser, 6toaa so kɔduruu Gilead a ɛwɔ Tatim-hodsi, toaa so kɔɔ Dan Yaan ne Sidon fa mu. 7Afei, wɔbaa Tiro aban mu ne Hewifoɔ ne Kanaanfoɔ24.7 Hewifoɔ ne Kanaanfoɔ nyinaa tenaa Kanaan ansa na Israelfoɔ rebɛdi ɔman no so. nkuropɔn nyinaa mu. Wɔkɔɔ Yuda anafoɔ, kɔduruu Beer-Seba de wieeɛ.
8Wɔwurawuraa asase no nyinaa so, de abosome nkron ne nnafua aduonu wiee nnipakan no, sane kɔɔ Yerusalem.
9Yoab de ne nnipa dodoɔ a wɔnyaeɛ brɛɛ ɔhene no. Na mmarima a wɔaduru sraadie mfeɛ so wɔ Israel no dodoɔ yɛ mpem aha nwɔtwe, na mpem ahanum nso wɔ Yuda.
Dawid Bɔne So Atemmuo
10Dawid kan nnipa no nyinaa wieeɛ no, nʼatiboa buu no fɔ, enti ɔka kyerɛɛ Awurade sɛ, “Deɛ meyɛeɛ yi enti, mayɛ bɔne kɛseɛ. Enti, Awurade, mesrɛ wo, yi saa afɔbuo yi firi wo ɔsomfoɔ so. Mayɛ nkwaseadeɛ.”
11Adeɛ kyeeɛ no, Awurade asɛm baa odiyifoɔ Gad a ɔyɛ Dawid ɔdehunufoɔ nkyɛn sɛ: 12“Kɔka kyerɛ Dawid sɛ, Sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie: ‘Mede nsɛm mmiɛnsa reto wʼanim. Yi mu baako na mɛyɛ.’ ”
13Enti, Gad kɔɔ Dawid nkyɛn kɔbisaa no sɛ, “Ɔkɔm mmra wʼasase yi so mfeɛ mmiɛnsa anaa? Anaa, atamfoɔ a wɔgu wo so no wobɛdwane wɔn abosome mmiɛnsa? Anaa, ɔyaredɔm mmra wo ɔman yi mu nnansa? Enti afei, dwene ho yie, na ma menhunu mmuaeɛ a memfa nkɔma Awurade.”
14Dawid ka kyerɛɛ Gad sɛ, “Yɛwɔ ahohiahia mu. Momma yɛmfa yɛn ho nhyɛ Awurade nsa, ɛfiri sɛ, nʼadɔeɛ dɔɔso; nanso, mma me nkɔtɔ nnipa nsam.”
15Enti, Awurade too ɔyaredɔm guu Israel so anɔpa no ma ɛdii nnansa. Na nnipa ɔpeduɔson firii Dan kɔsi Beer-Seba wuwuiɛ. 16Ɛberɛ a ɔbɔfoɔ no reyɛ ahoboa akɔsɛe Yerusalem no, Awurade nuu ne ho wɔ asɛm no ho, na ɔka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Ɛyɛ! Gyae.” Saa ɛberɛ no na Awurade ɔbɔfoɔ no aduru Yebusini Arauna ayuporobea hɔ.
17Ɛberɛ a Dawid hunuu ɔbɔfoɔ no, ɔka kyerɛɛ Awurade sɛ, “Me na mayɛ bɔne. Yeinom deɛ wɔnnim ho hwee, ɛdeɛn na wɔayɛ? Ma wo ɔbɔfoɔ nsɛe me ne me fiefoɔ.”
Dawid Si Afɔrebukyia
18Ɛda no, Gad kɔɔ Dawid nkyɛn kɔka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Kɔ na kɔsi afɔrebukyia ma Awurade wɔ Yebusini Arauna ayuporobea hɔ.”
19Na Dawid kɔyɛɛ deɛ Awurade hyɛɛ no sɛ ɔnyɛ no. 20Ɛberɛ a Arauna hunuu sɛ ɔhene ne ne mmarima reba no, ɔpueeɛ, bɛkotoo ɔhene, de nʼanim butuu fam.
21Arauna bisaa sɛ, “Adɛn enti na woaba, me wura?”
Dawid buaa sɛ, “Merebɛtɔ ayuporobea hɔ, na masi afɔrebukyia wɔ hɔ ama Awurade, sɛdeɛ Awurade bɛma ɔyaredɔm no agyae.”
22Arauna ka kyerɛɛ Dawid sɛ, “Me wura fa na fayɛ deɛ wopɛ. Nantwie a wɔde bɛbɔ ɔhyeɛ afɔdeɛ nie. Wobɛtumi de ayuporeeɛ nnua ne nantwie mpamho nnua no ayɛ anyina wɔ afɔrebukyia no so. 23Mede ne nyinaa bɛma wo, na mesrɛ sɛ, Awurade, wo Onyankopɔn nnye afɔdeɛ yi.”
24Na ɔhene no buaa Arauna sɛ, “Dabi, mepɛ sɛ mɛtɔ, na merentumi mmɔ ɔhyeɛ afɔdeɛ mma Awurade, me Onyankopɔn, a mammɔ ho ka biara.”
Enti, Dawid tuaa dwetɛ bɛyɛ gram ahanum aduɔson enum (575) de tɔɔ ayuporobea ne nantwie no. 25Dawid sii afɔrebukyia wɔ hɔ maa Awurade, na ɔbɔɔ ɔhyeɛ afɔdeɛ ne asomdwoeɛ afɔdeɛ hɔ. Na Awurade tiee ne mpaeɛbɔ maa ɔyaredɔm no gyaee.
