Sāmǔĕrjìxià 24

1 Yēhéhuá yòu xiàng Yǐsèliè rén fānù , jiù jīdòng Dàwèi , shǐ tā fēnfu rén qù shǔ diǎn Yǐsèliè rén hé Yóudà rén .

2 Dàwèi jiù fēnfu gēnsuí tāde yuán shuaì Yuēyē shuō , nǐ qù zǒu biàn Yǐsèliè zhòng zhīpaì , cóng dàn zhídào Bièshìbā , shǔ diǎn bǎixìng , wǒ hǎo zhīdào tāmende shùmù .

3 Yuē yē duì wáng shuō , wúlùn bǎixìng duōshào , yuàn Yēhéhuá nǐde shén zaì jiā zēng bǎi beì , shǐ wǒ zhǔ wǒ wáng qīnyǎn dé jiàn . wǒ zhǔ wǒ wáng hébì xǐyuè xíng zhè shì ne .

4 Dàn wáng de mìnglìng shēng guō Yuēyē hé zhòng jūnzhǎng . Yuēyē hé zhòng jūnzhǎng jiù cóng wáng miànqián chū qù , shǔ diǎn Yǐsèliè de bǎixìng .

5 Tāmen guō le Yuēdànhé , zaì Jiādé gǔ zhōng , chéng de yòubiān yà luó Ěr ān yíng , yǔ Yǎxiè xiāngduì ,

6 Yòu dào le Jīliè hé tā tíng hé shì dì , yòu dào le dàn yǎ ān , rǎo dào Xīdùn ,

7 Lái dào Tuīluó de bǎo zhàng , bìng Xīwèirén hé Jiānán rén de gè chéng , yòu dào Yóudà nánfāng de Bièshìbā .

8 Tāmen zǒu biàn quán dì , guō le jiǔ gè yuè líng èr shí tiān , jiù huí dào Yēlùsǎlĕng .

9 Yuē yē jiāng bǎixìng de zǒng shǔ zòu gào yú wáng , Yǐsèliè ná dāo de yǒng shì yǒu bā shí wàn . Yóudà yǒu wǔ shí wàn .

10 Dàwèi shǔ diǎn bǎixìng yǐhòu , jiù xīn zhōng zì zé , dǎogào Yēhéhuá shuō , wǒ xíng zhè shì dà yǒu zuì le . Yēhéhuá a , qiú nǐ chúdiào púrén de zuìniè , yīn wǒ suǒ xíng de shén shì yúmeì .

11 Dàwèi zǎochen qǐlai , Yēhéhuá de huà líndào xiānzhī Jiādé , jiù shì Dàwèi de xiān jiàn , shuō ,

12 Nǐ qù gàosu Dàwèi , shuō Yēhéhuá rúcǐ shuō , wǒ yǒu sān yàng zāi , suí nǐ xuǎnzé yíyàng , wǒ hǎo jiàng yǔ nǐ .

13 Yúshì Jiādé lái jiàn Dàwèi , duì tā shuō , nǐ yuànyì guó zhōng yǒu qī nián de jīhuāng ne . shì zaì nǐ dírén miànqián taópǎo , beì zhuīgǎn sān gè yuè ne . shì zaì nǐ guó zhōng yǒu sān rì de wēnyì ne . xiànzaì nǐ yào chuǎimó sīxiǎng , wǒ hǎo huí fù nà chāi wǒ lái de .

14 Dàwèi duì Jiādé shuō , wǒ shén wèi nán . wǒ yuàn luō zaì Yēhéhuá de shǒu lǐ , yīnwei tā yǒu fēngshèng de liánmǐn . wǒ bù yuàn luō zaì rén de shǒu lǐ .

15 Yúshì , Yēhéhuá jiàng wēnyì yǔ Yǐsèliè rén , zì zǎochen dào suǒ déng de shíhou . cóng dàn zhídào Bièshìbā , mínjiān sǐ le qī wàn rén .

16 Tiānshǐ xiàng Yēlùsǎlĕng shēnshǒu yào miè chéng de shíhou , Yēhéhuá hòuhuǐ , jiù bú jiàng zhè zāi le , fēnfu miè mín de tiānshǐ shuō , gòu le , zhù shǒu ba . nàshí Yēhéhuá de shǐzhĕ zaì Yēbùsīrén yà laó ná de hécháng nàli .

17 Dàwèi kànjian miè mín de tiānshǐ , jiù dǎogào Yēhéhuá shuō , wǒ fàn le zuì , xíng le è . dàn zhè qún yáng zuò le shénme ne . yuàn nǐde shǒu gōngjī wǒ hé wǒde fù jiā .

18 Dāng rì , Jiādé lái jiàn Dàwèi , duì tā shuō , nǐ shàng qù , zaì Yēbùsīrén yà laó ná de hécháng shàng wéi Yēhéhuá zhú yī zuò tán .

19 Dàwèi jiù zhào zhe Jiādé fèng Yēhéhuá míng suǒ shuō de huà shàng qù le .

20 Yà laó ná guānkàn , jiàn wáng hé tā chénpú qián lái , jiù yíngjiē chū qù , liǎn fú yú dì , xiàng wáng xià baì ,

21 Shuō , wǒ zhǔ wǒ wáng wèihé lái dào púrén zhèlǐ ne . Dàwèi shuō , wǒ yào mǎi nǐ zhè hécháng , wèi Yēhéhuá zhú yī zuò tán , shǐ mínjiān de wēnyì zhǐ zhù .

22 Yà laó ná duì Dàwèi shuō , wǒ zhǔ wǒ wáng , nǐ xǐyuè yòng shénme , jiù ná qù xiànjì . kàn nǎ , zhèlǐ yǒu niú kĕyǐ zuò Fánjì , yǒu dá liáng de qìjù hé tào niú de è kĕyǐ dāng chái shāo .

23 Wáng a , zhè yīqiè , wǒ yà laó ná dōu fèng gĕi nǐ . yòu duì wáng shuō , yuàn Yēhéhuá nǐde shén yuènà nǐ .

24 Wáng duì yà laó ná shuō , bù rán . wǒ bìyào àn zhe jiàzhí xiàng nǐ mǎi . wǒ bù kĕn yòng bái dé zhī wù zuò Fánjì xiàn gĕi Yēhéhuá wǒde shén . Dàwèi jiù yòng wǔ shí Shĕkèlè yínzi mǎi le nà hécháng yǔ niú .

25 Dàwèi zaì nàli wèi Yēhéhuá zhú le yī zuò tán , xiàn Fánjì hépíng ān jì . rúcǐ , Yēhéhuá chuí tīng guó mín suǒ qiú de , wēnyì zaì Yǐsèliè rén zhōng jiù zhǐ zhù le .

Sāmǔĕrjìxià 24 Commentary

Chapter 24

David numbers the people. (1-9) He chooses the pestilence. (10-15) The staying the pestilence. (16,17) David's sacrifice, The plague removed. (18-25)

Verses 1-9 For the people's sin David was left to act wrong, and in his chastisement they received punishment. This example throws light upon God's government of the world, and furnishes a useful lesson. The pride of David's heart, was his sin in numbering of the people. He thought thereby to appear the more formidable, trusting in an arm of flesh more than he should have done, and though he had written so much of trusting in God only. God judges not of sin as we do. What appears to us harmless, or, at least, but a small offence, may be a great sin in the eye of God, who discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart. Even ungodly men can discern evil tempers and wrong conduct in believers, of which they themselves often remain unconscious. But God seldom allows those whom he loves the pleasures they sinfully covet.

Verses 10-15 It is well, when a man has sinned, if he has a heart within to smite him for it. If we confess our sins, we may pray in faith that God would forgive them, and take away, by pardoning mercy, that sin which we cast away by sincere repentance. What we make the matter of our pride, it is just in God to take from us, or make bitter to us, and make it our punishment. This must be such a punishment as the people have a large share in, for though it was David's sin that opened the sluice, the sins of the people all contributed to the flood. In this difficulty, David chose a judgment which came immediately from God, whose mercies he knew to be very great, rather than from men, who would have triumphed in the miseries of Israel, and have been thereby hardened in their idolatry. He chose the pestilence; he and his family would be as much exposed to it as the poorest Israelite; and he would continue for a shorter time under the Divine rebuke, however severe it was. The rapid destruction by the pestilence shows how easily God can bring down the proudest sinners, and how much we owe daily to the Divine patience.

Verses 16-17 Perhaps there was more wickedness, especially more pride, and that was the sin now chastised, in Jerusalem than elsewhere, therefore the hand of the destroyer is stretched out upon that city; but the Lord repented him of the evil, changed not his mind, but his way. In the very place where Abraham was stayed from slaying his son, this angel, by a like countermand, was stayed from destroying Jerusalem. It is for the sake of the great Sacrifice, that our forfeited lives are preserved from the destroying angel. And in David is the spirit of a true shepherd of the people, offering himself as a sacrifice to God, for the salvation of his subjects.

Verses 18-25 God's encouraging us to offer to him spiritual sacrifices, is an evidence of his reconciling us to himself. David purchased the ground to build the altar. God hates robbery for burnt-offering. Those know not what religion is, who chiefly care to make it cheap and easy to themselves, and who are best pleased with that which costs them least pains or money. For what have we our substance, but to honour God with it; and how can it be better bestowed? See the building of the altar, and the offering proper sacrifices upon it. Burnt-offerings to the glory of God's justice; peace-offerings to the glory of his mercy. Christ is our Altar, our Sacrifice; in him alone we may expect to escape his wrath, and to find favour with God. Death is destroying all around, in so many forms, and so suddenly, that it is madness not to expect and prepare for the close of life.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO SECOND SAMUEL 24

In this chapter an account is given of David's numbering of the people, 2Sa 24:1-9; of the sense he had of his sin, and of his acknowledgment of it; and of the Lord's displeasure at it, who sent the prophet Gad to him, to propose three things to him, one of which he was to choose as a punishment for it, 2Sa 24:10-13; when he chose the pestilence, which carried off a great number of the people, 2Sa 24:14-17; and David was directed to build an altar to the Lord in the threshingfloor of Araunah the Jebusite, with whom he agreed for it, and built one on it, and offered upon it, and so the plague was stayed, 2Sa 24:18-25.