David counts the fighting men
1Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. 2So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, ‘Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Then report back to me so that I may know how many there are.’
3But Joab replied, ‘May the Lord multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?’
4The king’s word, however, overruled Joab; so Joab left and went throughout Israel and then came back to Jerusalem. 5Joab reported the number of the fighting men to David: in all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who could handle a sword, including four hundred and seventy thousand in Judah.
6But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the numbering, because the king’s command was repulsive to him. 7This command was also evil in the sight of God; so he punished Israel.
8Then David said to God, ‘I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant. I have done a very foolish thing.’
9The Lord said to Gad, David’s seer, 10‘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.” ’
11So Gad went to David and said to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Take your choice: 12three years of famine, three months of being swept away21:12 Hebrew; Septuagint and Vulgate (see also 2 Samuel 24:13) of fleeing before your enemies, with their swords overtaking you, or three days of the sword of the Lord – days of plague in the land, with the angel of the Lord ravaging every part of Israel.” Now then, decide how I should answer the one who sent me.’
13David said to Gad, ‘I am in deep distress. Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great; but do not let me fall into human hands.’
14So the Lord sent a plague on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead. 15And God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was doing so, the Lord saw it and relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was destroying the people, ‘Enough! Withdraw your hand.’ The angel of the Lord was then standing at the threshing-floor of Araunah21:15 Hebrew Ornan, a variant of Araunah; also in verses 18-28 the Jebusite.
16David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell face down.
17David said to God, ‘Was it not I who ordered the fighting men to be counted? I, the shepherd,21:17 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text (see 2 Samuel 24:17 and note); Masoretic Text does not have the shepherd. have sinned and done wrong. These are but sheep. What have they done? Lord my God, let your hand fall on me and my family, but do not let this plague remain on your people.’
David builds an altar
18Then the angel of the Lord ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 19So David went up in obedience to the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the Lord.
20While Araunah was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the angel; his four sons who were with him hid themselves. 21Then David approached, and when Araunah looked and saw him, he left the threshing-floor and bowed down before David with his face to the ground.
22David said to him, ‘Let me have the site of your threshing-floor so that I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped. Sell it to me at the full price.’
23Araunah said to David, ‘Take it! Let my lord the king do whatever pleases him. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing-sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering. I will give all this.’
24But King David replied to Araunah, ‘No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.’
25So David paid Araunah six hundred shekels21:25 That is, about 6.9 kilograms of gold for the site. 26David built an altar to the Lord there and sacrificed burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on the Lord, and the Lord answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.
27Then the Lord spoke to the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath. 28At that time, when David saw that the Lord had answered him on the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite, he offered sacrifices there. 29The tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time on the high place at Gibeon. 30But David could not go before it to enquire of God, because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord.
Davide Awerenga Ankhondo Ake
1Satana anafuna kuvutitsa Aisraeli choncho anawutsa mtima wa Davide kuti awerenge Aisraeli. 2Choncho Davide anati kwa Yowabu pamodzi ndi atsogoleri a ankhondo, “Pitani mukawerenge Aisraeli kuyambira ku Beeriseba mpaka ku Dani. Ndipo mudzandiwuze kuti ndidziwe chiwerengero chawo.”
3Yowabu anayankha kuti, “Yehova achulukitse ankhondo ake kukhala miyandamiyanda. Mbuye wanga mfumu, kodi anthu onsewa sali pansi panu? Nʼchifukwa chiyani mbuye wanga mukufuna kuchita zimenezi? Nʼchifukwa chiyani mukufuna kuchimwitsa Israeli?”
4Komabe mawu a mfumu anapambana mawu a Yowabu, kotero Yowabu anapita mu Israeli monse ndipo kenaka anabwera ku Yerusalemu. 5Yowabu anapereka chiwerengero cha anthu ankhondo kwa Davide: Mu Israeli monse munali anthu ankhondo 1,100,000 amene amadziwa kugwiritsa ntchito lupanga, kuphatikizapo anthu 470,000 a fuko la Yuda.
6Koma Yowabu sanaphatikizepo fuko la Levi ndi fuko la Benjamini pa chiwerengerochi, pakuti lamulo la mfumu linamuyipira. 7Lamulo limeneli silinakomerenso Mulungu. Kotero Iye analanga Israeli.
8Choncho Davide anati kwa Mulungu, “Ine ndachimwa kwambiri pa zimene ndachita. Tsono ndikupempha kuti mukhululuke kulakwa kwa mtumiki wanu. Ine ndachita zopusa kwambiri.”
9Yehova anati kwa Gadi, mlosi wa Davide, 10“Pita ukamuwuze Davide kuti, ‘Yehova akuti, Ine ndikukupatsa zinthu zitatu izi. Usankhepo chimodzi pa zimenezi choti ndikuchitire.’ ”
11Choncho Gadi anapita kwa Davide ndipo anati kwa Iye, “Yehova akuti, ‘Musankhepo chimene mungakonde kuti chichitike: 12mʼdziko mukhale njala zaka zitatu, mukhale mukuthawa adani anu kwa miyezi itatu, akukukanthani ndi lupanga la Yehova, kapena mʼdziko mukhale mliri kwa masiku atatu, mngelo wa Yehova akuwononga Israeli yense.’ Ndipo tsono ganizirani bwino chomwe ndikamuyankhe amene wandituma.”
13Davide anati kwa Gadi, “Ine ndavutika kwambiri mu mtima mwanga. Ine andilange ndi Yehova, pakuti chifundo chake ndi chachikulu kwambiri; koma ndisalangidwe ndi anthu.”
14Choncho Yehova anabweretsa mliri pa Aisraeli, ndipo unapha Aisraeli 70,000. 15Ndipo Mulungu anatumiza mngelo kuti awononge Yerusalemu. Koma pamene mngeloyo amachita zimenezi, Yehova anaona ndipo anavutika mu mtima 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.
16Davide anakweza maso ake ndipo anaona mngelo wa Yehova atayima pakati pa dziko lapansi ndi kumwamba, mʼdzanja lake muli lupanga lotambalitsa kuloza ku Yerusalemu. Ndipo Davide ndi akuluakulu, atavala ziguduli, anadzigwetsa pansi chafufumimba.
17Davide anati kwa Mulungu, “Kodi si ine amene ndinalamula kuti ankhondo awerengedwe? Ine mʼbusa ndi amene ndachimwa, ndiye ndachita zoyipa. Anthuwa ali ngati nkhosa zosalakwa. Kodi iwowa achita chiyani? Inu Yehova Mulungu wanga, langani ineyo pamodzi ndi banja langa, koma musalole kuti mliriwu ukhale pa anthu anuwa.”
18Pamenepo mngelo wa Yehova analamula Gadi kuti awuze Davide kuti akamange guwa lansembe la Yehova pamalo opunthira tirigu a Arauna Myebusi. 19Ndipo Davide anapita pomvera mawu amene Gadi ananena mʼdzina la Yehova.
20Pamene Arauna ankapuntha tirigu, anatembenuka ndipo anaona mngelo ndipo ana ake anayi aamuna amene anali naye anabisala. 21Davide anayandikira, ndipo Arauna atayangʼana ndi kumuona, anachoka popunthira tirigupo ndipo anawerama nagunditsa nkhope yake pansi pamaso pa Davide.
22Davide anati kwa Arauna, “Undipatse malo ako opunthira tirigu kuti ndimangire Yehova guwa lansembe, kuti mliri uli pa anthuwa usiye. Undigulitse ine pa mtengo woyenera ndithu.”
23Arauna anati kwa Davide, “Tengani! Mbuye wanga mfumu achite chomukomera. Taonani ine ndidzapereka ngʼombe zazimuna za nsembe yopsereza, zopunthira tirigu zidzakhala nkhuni ndipo tiriguyu adzakhala chopereka chachakudya. Ndidzapereka zonsezi.”
24Koma mfumu Davide inayankha Arauna kuti, “Ayi, ine ndikuti ndipereka mtengo wathunthu. Sindingatenge chinthu chako ndi kuchipereka kwa Yehova, kapena kupereka nsembe imene sindinayigule.”
25Choncho Davide analipira Arauna masekeli agolide 600 chifukwa cha malowo. 26Davide anamangira Yehova guwa lansembe pamenepo ndipo anaperekapo nsembe zopsereza ndi nsembe zachiyanjano. Iye anapemphera kwa Yehova, ndipo Yehova anayankha potumiza moto pa guwa lansembe zopsereza kuchokera kumwamba.
27Tsono Yehova anayankhula kwa mngelo, ndipo analowetsa lupanga lake mʼchimake. 28Pa nthawi imeneyo, Davide ataona kuti Yehova wamuyankha pa malo opunthira tirigu a Arauna Myebusi, anapereka nsembe pamenepo. 29Tenti ya Yehova imene Mose anapanga mʼchipululu, ndi guwa lansembe zopsereza pa nthawi imeneyi zinali pa phiri ku Gibiyoni. 30Koma Davide sanathe kupita kumeneko kuti akapemphere pamaso pa Yehova, chifukwa amaopa lupanga la mngelo wa Yehova.
