THE SECOND BOOK OF
SAMUEL,
2 Samuel 24 ©
By a just judgment of God David is stirred up through pride to number the people, verses 1, 2. Joab and other discourage him from it, but in vain, 3. After that David feels and acknowledges his sin, 10. God, by the prophet Gad, propounds three judgments to him, to choose one, 11. At which being greatly distressed, he chooses the pestilence, which sweeps away a great number of the people, 14. God commands the destroying angel to cease, wherefore also David, seeing the angel, humbles himself in prayer, 16. Gad charges David in God’s name to rear an altar and offer sacrifice on the threshing floor of Araunah, 18. David buys from Araunah the threshing floor and the instruments for the offering and offers there; so the plague ceased, 19.
AND again thea anger of the LORD 1was kindled against Israel, and 2he moved David against 3them to 4say, Go, number Israel and Judah.
For the king said to Joab the captain of the host, which was with him, Go now through all the tribes of Israel, from 5Dan even to Beer-sheba, and 6number ye the people, 7that I may know the number of the people.
And Joab said unto the king, Now the LORD thy God add unto the people, how 8many soever they be, an hundredfold, and that the eyes of my lord the king may see it: but why doth my lord the king delight in this thing?
Notwithstanding the king's word prevailed against Joab, and against the captains of the host. And Joab and the captains of the host went out from the presence of the king, to number the people of Israel.
¶And they passed over Jordan, and pitched in Aroer, on the right side of the city that lieth 9in the midst of the river of Gad, and toward 10Jazer:
Then they came to 11Gilead, and to the land of 12Tahtim-hodshi; and they came to 13Dan-jaan, and about to 14Zidon,
And came to the strong hold of 15Tyre, and to all the cities of the Hivites, and of the Canaanites: and they went out to the south of Judah, even to Beer-sheba.
So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days.
And Joab gave up the sum 16of the number of the people unto the king: and there were in Israel 17eight hundred thousand valiant men that drew the 18sword; and the men of Judah were 19five hundred thousand men.
¶And 20David’s heart smote him after that he had numbered the people. And David said unto the LORD, I have sinned greatly in that I have done: and now, I beseech thee, O LORD, 21take away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.
For when David was up in the morning, the word of the LORD came unto the prophet 22Gad, David’s 23seer, saying,
Go and say unto David, Thus saith the LORD, I 24offer thee three things; choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.
So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, Shall 25seven years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three months before thine enemies, 26while they pursue thee? or that there be three days' pestilence in thy land? now advise, and see what answer I shall return to him that sent me.
And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the 27hand of the LORD; for his mercies are 28great: and let me not fall into the hand of 29man.
¶So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even 30to the time appointed: and there died of the people from 31Dan even to Beer-sheba seventy thousand men.
And when the 32angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to 33destroy it, the LORD 34repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stayb now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace of 35Araunah the 36Jebusite.
And David spake unto the LORD when he 37saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have 38sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these 39sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father’s 40house.
¶And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, Go 41up, rear an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of 42Araunah the Jebusite.
And David, according to the saying of Gad, went up as the LORD 43commanded.
And Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before the king on his face upon the ground.
And Araunah said, Wherefore is my lord the king come to 44his servant? And David said, To buy the threshingfloor of thee, to build an altar unto the LORD, that the plague 45may be stayed from the people.
And Araunah said unto David, Let my lord the king take and offer up what seemeth 46good unto him: behold, here be 47oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing instruments and other instruments of the oxen for 48wood.
All these things 49did Araunah, as a 50king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God 51accept thee.
And the king said unto Araunah, Nay; but I will 52surely buy it of thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me 53nothing. So David bought the threshingfloor and the oxen for 54fifty shekels of silver.
And David built there an altar unto the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD was intreated for the 55land, and the plague was stayed from Israel.