The Census and the Threshing Floor

¹Once again the LORD's anger burned against Israel. He stirred up David against them, saying, "Go and count the people of Israel and Judah." ²So the king told Joab, the commander of his army who was with him, "Travel through every tribe of Israel, from Dan all the way down to Beersheba, and count the people. I want to know how many there are." ³Joab replied, "May the LORD your God multiply the people a hundred times over, and may you live to see it happen! But why does my lord the king want to do this?" ⁴But the king's order overruled Joab and the army commanders. So Joab and the commanders left the king's presence to go count the people of Israel. ⁵They crossed the Jordan and camped in Aroer, on the right side of the city that lies in the middle of the river of Gad, toward Jazer. ⁶From there they went to Gilead and on to the land of Tahtim Hodshi. Then they traveled to Dan Jaan and around toward Sidon. ⁷They reached the fortress of Tyre and passed through all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Finally, they headed south through Judah all the way to Beersheba. ⁸After traveling through the entire land, they returned to Jerusalem 9 months and 20 days later. ⁹Joab reported the final count to the king: Israel had 800,000 fighting men who could handle a sword, and Judah had 500,000. ¹⁰David's heart struck him after he had counted the people. David said to the LORD, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done. Now, please, LORD, take away the iniquity of your servant, because I have acted very foolishly." ¹¹When David got up in the morning, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, ¹²"Go tell David that the LORD says this: 'I'm giving you 3 choices. Pick one, and I will carry it out against you.'" ¹³So Gad went to David and laid out the options: "Should 7 years of famine strike your land? Or would you rather run from your enemies for 3 months while they chase you down? Or should a plague sweep through your land for 3 days? Think it over and tell me what answer to bring back to the one who sent me." ¹⁴David told Gad, "This is an impossible choice. But let us fall into the LORD's hands, because his mercy is great. Don't let me fall into human hands." ¹⁵So the LORD sent a plague across Israel from that morning until the appointed time, and 70,000 people died throughout the land, from Dan to Beersheba. ¹⁶When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD changed His mind about the disaster and said to the angel who was striking down the people, "It is enough; hold back your hand." The angel of the LORD was at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. ¹⁷When David saw the angel striking down the people, he cried out to the LORD, "I'm the one who sinned! I'm the one who did wrong! But these people — they're like innocent sheep. What did they do? Please, let your hand fall on me and my family instead." ¹⁸That same day Gad came to David and said, "Go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite." ¹⁹So David went up and did what Gad said, just as the LORD had commanded. ²⁰When Araunah looked out and saw the king and his servants approaching, he went out and bowed facedown on the ground before the king. ²¹Araunah asked, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" David answered, "To buy your threshing floor to build an altar to the LORD, so the plague may be stopped from the people." ²²Araunah said to David, "Take whatever you need, my lord the king, and offer your sacrifice. Here — take the oxen for the burnt offering, and use the threshing sledges and ox yokes for firewood." ²³Araunah, as a king, gave all these things to the king. And Araunah said to the king, "The LORD your God accept you." ²⁴But the king told Araunah, "No, I insist on buying it from you at a price. I won't offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 50 shekels of silver. ²⁵David built an altar to the LORD there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was entreated for the land, and the plague was stopped from Israel.