Parallel Bible results for "1 chronicles 21"

1 Chronicles 21

Common English Bible CEB

1 A heavenly Adversary arose against Israel and incited David to count Israel.

2 So David told Joab and the leaders of the people, "Go throughout all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beer-sheba, and take a census of the people so I know how many people there are."

3 But Joab replied, "May the LORD increase his people a hundred times! Sir, aren't you the king, and aren't they all your servants? Why do you want to do this? Why bring guilt on Israel?"

4 But the king overruled Joab, who left and traveled throughout all Israel. When he returned to Jerusalem,

5 he reported to David the total number: there were 1,100,000 men available for military service in all Israel, while Judah alone had 470,000.

6 He didn't include Levi and Benjamin among them, because Joab disagreed with the king's order.

7 God was offended by this census and punished Israel.

8 Then David said to God, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done! Now please take away the guilt of your servant because I have done something very foolish."

9 The LORD told Gad, David's seer:

10 Go and tell David, This is what the LORD says: I'm offering you three punishments. Choose one of them, and that is what I will do to you.

11 When Gad came to David, he said to him, "This is what the LORD says: Take your choice:

12 three years of famine, three months of fleeing from your enemies while your enemies' sword overtakes you, or three days of the LORD's sword, that is, plague in the land and the LORD's messenger bringing disaster in every part of Israel. Decide now what answer I should take back to the one who sent me."

13 "I'm in deep trouble," David said to Gad. "I'd rather fall into the hands of the LORD, who is very merciful; don't let me fall into human hands."

14 So the LORD sent a plague throughout Israel, and seventy thousand Israelites fell dead.

15 Then God sent a messenger to Jerusalem to destroy it. But just as the messenger was about to destroy it, the LORD looked and changed his mind about the destruction. He said to the messenger who was destroying it, "That's enough! Withdraw your hand!" At that time the LORD's messenger was standing near the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

16 When David looked up, he saw the LORD's messenger stationed between the earth and the sky with a drawn sword in his hand stretched out against Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, dressed in mourning clothes, fell on their faces;

17 and David said to God, "Wasn't it I who ordered the numbering of the people? I'm the sinner, the one responsible for this evil. But these sheep—what have they done? LORD, my God, turn your hand against me and my household, but spare your people from the plague."

18 The LORD's messenger ordered Gad to tell David that he should go up to the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite in order to set up an altar for the LORD.

19 So David went up, following the instructions Gad had delivered in the LORD's name.

20 Ornan turned around and saw the king. His four sons who were with him hid themselves, but Ornan continued threshing wheat.

21 When David approached Ornan, Ornan looked up, recognized David, left the threshing floor, and bowed to David with his face to the ground.

22 David said to Ornan, "Give me the site of the threshing floor, charging me full price, so that I may build an altar to the LORD, and the plague among the people may come to an end."

23 Ornan replied to David, "Take it for yourself, and may my master the king do what he thinks is best. I'll even provide the oxen for the entirely burned offerings, the threshing boards for wood, and the wheat for the grain offering—I'll provide everything!"

24 But King David said to Ornan, "No, I will buy them from you at a fair price. I won't offer to the LORD what belongs to you nor offer an entirely burned offering that costs me nothing."

25 Then David gave Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the site.

26 David built an altar there for the LORD and offered entirely burned offerings and well-being sacrifices. He called on the LORD, who answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of the entirely burned offering, consuming the entirely burned offering.

27 Then the LORD commanded the messenger to return his sword to its sheath.

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

29 The LORD's dwelling that Moses had made in the desert and the altar for entirely burned offerings were then at the shrine in Gibeon,

30 but David couldn't go there to seek God because he feared the sword of the LORD's messenger.

The Message Bible MSG

1 Now Satan entered the scene and seduced David into taking a census of Israel.

2 David gave orders to Joab and the army officers under him, "Canvass all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and get a count of the population. I want to know the number."

3 Joab resisted: "May God multiply his people by hundreds! Don't they all belong to my master the king? But why on earth would you do a thing like this - why risk getting Israel into trouble with God?"

4 But David wouldn't take no for an answer, so Joab went off and did it - canvassed the country and then came back to Jerusalem

5 and reported the results of the census: There were 1,100,000 fighting men; of that total, Judah accounted for 470,000.

6 Joab, disgusted by the command - it, in fact, turned his stomach! - protested by leaving Levi and Benjamin out of the census-taking.

7 And God, offended by the whole thing, punished Israel.

8 Then David prayed, "I have sinned badly in what I have just done, substituting statistics for trust; forgive my sin - I've been really stupid."

9 God answered by speaking to Gad, David's pastor:

10 "Go and give David this message: 'God's word: You have your choice of three punishments; choose one and I'll do the rest.'"

11 Gad delivered the message to David:

12 "Do you want three years of famine, three months of running from your enemies while they chase you down, or three days of the sword of God - an epidemic unleashed on the country by an angel of God? Think it over and make up your mind. What shall I tell the One who sent me?"

13 David told Gad, "They're all terrible! But I'd rather be punished by God whose mercy is great, than fall into human hands."

14 So God unleashed an epidemic in Israel - 70,000 Israelites died.

15 God then sent the angel to Jerusalem but when he saw the destruction about to begin, he compassionately changed his mind and ordered the death angel, "Enough's enough! Pull back!"

16 David looked up and saw the angel hovering between earth and sky, sword drawn and about to strike Jerusalem. David and the elders bowed in prayer and covered themselves with rough burlap.

17 David prayed, "Please! I'm the one who sinned; I'm the one at fault. But these sheep, what did they do wrong? Punish me, not them, me and my family; don't take it out on them."

18 The angel of God ordered Gad to tell David to go and build an altar to God on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

19 David did what Gad told him in obedience to God's command.

20 Meanwhile Araunah had quit threshing the wheat and was watching the angel; his four sons took cover and hid.

21 David came up to Araunah. When Araunah saw David, he left the threshing floor and bowed deeply before David, honoring the king.

22 David said to Araunah, "Give me the site of the threshing floor so I can build an altar to God. Charge me the market price; we're going to put an end to this disaster."

23 "O master, my king," said Araunah, "just take it; do whatever you want with it! Look, here's an ox for the burnt offering and threshing paddles for the fuel and wheat for the meal offering - it's all yours!"

24 David replied to Araunah, "No. I'm buying it from you, and at the full market price. I'm not going to offer God sacrifices that are no sacrifice."

25 So David bought the place from Araunah for 600 shekels of gold.

26 He built an altar to God there and sacrificed Whole-Burnt-Offerings and Peace-Offerings. He called out to God and God answered by striking the altar of Whole-Burnt-Offering with lightning.

27 Then God told the angel to put his sword back into its scabbard.

28 And that's the story of what happened when David saw that God answered him on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite at the time he offered the sacrifice.

29 At this time the Tabernacle that Moses had constructed in the desert, and with it the Altar of Burnt Offering, were set up at the worship center at Gibeon.

30 But David, terrified by the angel's sword, wouldn't go there to pray to God anymore.