1 Chronicles 21

1And Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.

1Satan stood up against Israel and incited David to count the people of Israel.

2And David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, Go, number Israel from Beer-sheba even to Dan; and bring me word, that I may know the sum of them.

2David said to Joab and the leaders of the people, 'Go and count all the people from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me the report so that I may know how many there are.'

3And Joab said, Jehovah make his people a hundred times as many as they are: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? why doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of guilt unto Israel?

3Joab replied, 'May the LORD make his people a hundred times more numerous than they are now. But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt upon Israel?'

4Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem.

4However, the king’s word overruled Joab. So Joab left, traveled through all of Israel, and then returned to Jerusalem.

5And Joab gave up the sum of the numbering of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and a hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah was four hundred threescore and ten thousand men that drew sword.

5Joab gave the total number of the people to David. In all Israel, there were 1,100,000 men who could handle a sword, and in Judah there were 470,000 men who could handle a sword.

6But Levi and Benjamin counted he not among them; for the king’s word was abominable to Joab.

6But Joab did not include the tribes of Levi and Benjamin in the count, because he was disgusted by the king's order.

7And God was displeased with this thing; therefore he smote Israel.

7God was very displeased with David's actions, so he brought a punishment on Israel.

8And David said unto God, I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing: but now, put away, I beseech thee, the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly.

8Then David said to God, 'I have sinned greatly by doing this. Now, I beg you, take away the guilt of your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.'

9And Jehovah spake unto Gad, David’s seer, saying,

9The LORD said to Gad, who was David’s seer:

10Go and speak unto David, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, I offer thee three things: choose thee one of them, that I may do it unto thee.

10'Go and tell David: This is what the LORD says: I am offering you three choices. Pick one of them for me to do to you.'

11So Gad came to David, and said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Take which thou wilt:

11So Gad went to David and said to him, 'This is what the LORD says: Choose what you want:

12either three years of famine; or three months to be consumed before thy foes, while the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee; or else three days the sword of Jehovah, even pestilence in the land, and the angel of Jehovah destroying throughout all the borders of Israel. Now therefore consider what answer I shall return to him that sent me.

12either three years of famine; or three months of being swept away by your enemies while their swords overtake you; or three days of the LORD’s own sword—a plague in the land—with the angel of the LORD bringing destruction throughout all the territory of Israel. Now decide what answer I should take back to the one who sent me.'

13And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall, I pray, into the hand of Jehovah; for very great are his mercies: and let me not fall into the hand of man.

13David said to Gad, 'I am in a very difficult situation. Let me fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is extremely great; do not let me fall into human hands.'

14So Jehovah sent a pestilence upon Israel; and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.

14So the LORD sent a plague on Israel, and 70,000 men of Israel died.

15And God sent an angel unto Jerusalem to destroy it: and as he was about to destroy, Jehovah beheld, and he repented him of the evil, and said to the destroying angel, It is enough; now stay thy hand. And the angel of Jehovah was standing by the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

15God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was doing so, the LORD saw it and felt deep pity because of the disaster. He said to the destroying angel, 'It is enough! Withdraw your hand.' The angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

16And David lifted up his eyes, and saw the angel of Jehovah standing between earth and heaven, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell upon their faces.

16David looked up and saw the angel of the LORD standing between earth and heaven with a drawn sword in his hand, pointing it over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, dressed in sackcloth, bowed down with their faces to the ground.

17And David said unto God, Is it not I that commanded the people to be numbered? even I it is that have sinned and done very wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? let thy hand, I pray thee, O Jehovah my God, be against me, and against my father’s house; but not against thy people, that they should be plagued.

17David said to God, 'Wasn't it I who ordered the people to be counted? I am the one who sinned and did wrong. But these people are just sheep; what have they done? LORD my God, let your hand be against me and my family, but do not let this plague continue against your people.'

18Then the angel of Jehovah commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and rear an altar unto Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

18Then the angel of the LORD told Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

19And David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spake in the name of Jehovah.

19So David went up, following the instructions Gad had given in the name of the LORD.

20And Ornan turned back, and saw the angel; and his four sons that were with him hid themselves. Now Ornan was threshing wheat.

20Ornan turned around and saw the angel; his four sons who were with him hid themselves. At the time, Ornan was threshing wheat.

21And as David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David, and went out of the threshing-floor, and bowed himself to David with his face to the ground.

21When David approached, Ornan looked up and saw him. He left the threshing floor and bowed down before David with his face to the ground.

22Then David said to Ornan, Give me the place of this threshing-floor, that I may build thereon an altar unto Jehovah: for the full price shalt thou give it me, that the plague may be stayed from the people.

22David said to Ornan, 'Sell me the site of your threshing floor so I can build an altar to the LORD here. Sell it to me for the full price, so that the plague against the people may be stopped.'

23And Ornan said unto David, Take it to thee, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes: lo, I give thee the oxen for burnt-offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meal-offering; I give it all.

23Ornan said to David, 'Take it! Let my lord the king do whatever he thinks is best. Look, I will provide the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing tools for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering. I give it all.'

24And king David said to Ornan, Nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is thine for Jehovah, nor offer a burnt-offering without cost.

24But King David replied to Ornan, 'No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take what is yours for the LORD, or offer a burnt offering that costs me nothing.'

25So David gave to Ornan for the place six hundred shekels of gold by weight.

25So David paid Ornan 600 shekels of gold by weight for the site.

26And David built there an altar unto Jehovah, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, and called upon Jehovah; and he answered him from heaven by fire upon the altar of burnt-offering.

26David built an altar to the LORD there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. He prayed to the LORD, and the LORD answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.

27And Jehovah commanded the angel; and he put up his sword again into the sheath thereof.

27Then the LORD commanded the angel to put his sword back into its sheath.

28At that time, when David saw that Jehovah had answered him in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificed there.

28When David saw that the LORD had answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he offered sacrifices there.

29For the tabernacle of Jehovah, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt-offering, were at that time in the high place at Gibeon.

29The tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time at the high place in Gibeon.

30But David could not go before it to inquire of God; for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of Jehovah.

30But David could not go there to consult God because he was terrified of the sword of the angel of the LORD.