David Enrolls 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 enroll 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 enroll 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 toward Sidon. 7Then they went toward 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 toward 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 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 1 1/4 pounds or 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 in behalf of the land, and the plague on Israel was stopped.
大卫统计人口
1耶和华又向以色列人发怒，祂促使大卫来对付他们，让大卫统计以色列和犹大的人口。 2大卫对统领军队的约押说：“你去走遍以色列各支派，从但到别示巴，统计以色列和犹大的人口，让我知道国民的数目。” 3约押说：“我主我王，愿你的上帝耶和华使国民的人数比现在增加百倍，让你亲眼看到。但我主我王为什么要做这事呢？” 4但大卫不听约押和其他将领的规劝。他们只好去统计以色列的人数。 5他们过了约旦河，在谷中亚罗珥城南面安营，又经过迦得前往雅谢。 6然后，他们到基列、他停·合示地区、但·雅安，绕到西顿， 7再去泰尔的堡垒及希未人和迦南人的城邑。最后，他们到了犹大南部的别示巴。 8他们花了九个月零二十天的时间，走遍全国，最后回到耶路撒冷。 9约押把统计的人数奏告王：“以色列有八十万英勇的刀兵，犹大有五十万。”
10大卫统计了人口以后，内心不安，就对耶和华说：“我做这事犯了大罪。耶和华啊，求你赦免仆人的罪，我做了极其愚昧的事。” 11大卫第二天早上起来，耶和华对大卫的先见迦得先知说： 12“你去告诉大卫，耶和华说，‘我有三样灾祸，你可以选择让我降哪一样给你。’” 13迦得就来见大卫，对他说：“你愿意国内有七年饥荒呢？还是被敌人追杀三个月呢？还是国内发生三天瘟疫呢？请你考虑好后告诉我，我好回复那差我来的。” 14大卫说：“我实在为难！不过我宁愿落在耶和华的手中，也不愿落在人的手中，因为耶和华有极大的怜悯。”
15于是，耶和华在以色列降下瘟疫，从那天早晨一直持续到所定的时间，从但到别示巴共有七万人死亡。 16当天使准备伸手毁灭耶路撒冷的时候，耶和华心生怜悯，就对灭命天使说：“够了，住手吧！”当时，耶和华的天使正站在耶布斯人亚劳拿的麦场上。 17大卫看见灭命天使，就对耶和华说：“是我犯了罪，做了恶事，这些百姓有什么过错呢？愿你的手惩罚我和我的家族。”
18就在那天，迦得来见大卫，对他说：“你要去耶布斯人亚劳拿的麦场，在那里为耶和华建一座坛。” 19大卫就照耶和华借迦得所说的话去了麦场。 20亚劳拿看见王及他的臣仆来了，就上前俯伏在地，向王下拜， 21说：“我主我王到仆人这里有什么事？”大卫说：“我要买你的麦场，好在这里为耶和华筑一座坛，使民中的瘟疫止息。” 22亚劳拿说：“我主我王喜欢什么，就拿去献祭吧。这里有牛可以作燔祭，还有打麦的器具和牛轭可以作柴。 23王啊，仆人亚劳拿愿意把这一切都献给你，愿你的上帝耶和华悦纳你。” 24王却说：“不可，我一定要出钱买，我不要用白白得来之物作为燔祭献给我的上帝耶和华。”大卫就用十两银子买了亚劳拿的麦场和牛。 25大卫在那里为耶和华建了一座坛，献上燔祭和平安祭，耶和华垂听了他的祷告，瘟疫就在以色列止住了。
