Young's Literal Translation YLT
Holman Christian Standard Bible CSB
1 And there standeth up an adversary against Israel, and persuadeth David to number Israel,
1
Satan stood up against Israel and incited David to count [the people of] Israel.
2 And David saith unto Joab, and unto the heads of the people, `Go, number Israel from Beer-Sheba even unto Dan, and bring unto me, and I know their number.'
2
So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, "Go and count Israel from Beer-sheba to Dan and bring [a report] to me so I can know their number."
3 And Joab saith, `Jehovah doth add to His people as they are a hundred times; are they not, my lord, O king, all of them to my lord for servants? why doth my lord seek this? why is he for a cause of guilt to Israel?'
3
Joab replied, "May the Lord multiply the number of His people a hundred times over! My lord the king, aren't they all my lord's servants? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?"
4 And the word of the king [is] severe against Joab, and Joab goeth out, and goeth up and down in all Israel, and cometh in to Jerusalem.
4
Yet the king's order prevailed over Joab. So Joab left and traveled throughout Israel and then returned to Jerusalem.
5 And Joab giveth the account of the numbering of the people unto David, and all Israel is a thousand thousand and a hundred thousand, each drawing sword, and Judah [is] four hundred and seventy thousand, each drawing sword.
5
Joab gave David the total of the registration of the troops. In all Israel there were 1,100,000 swordsmen and in Judah itself 470,000 swordsmen.
6 And Levi and Benjamin he hath not numbered in their midst, for the word of the king was abominable with Joab.
6
But he did not include Levi and Benjamin in the count because the king's command was detestable to him.
7 And it is evil in the eyes of God concerning this thing, and He smiteth Israel,
7
This command was also evil in God's sight, so He afflicted Israel.
8 and David saith unto God, `I have sinned exceedingly, in that I have done this thing; and now, cause to pass away, I pray Thee, the iniquity of Thy servant, for I have acted very foolishly.'
8
David said to God, "I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. Now, because I've been very foolish, please take away Your servant's guilt."
9 And Jehovah speaketh unto Gad, seer of David, saying:
9
Then the Lord instructed Gad, David's seer,
10 `Go, and thou hast spoken unto David, saying, Thus said Jehovah, Three -- I am stretching out unto thee; choose for thee one of these, and I do [it] to thee.'
10
"Go and say to David, 'This is what the Lord says: I am offering you three [choices]. Choose one of them for yourself, and I will do it to you.' "
11 And Gad cometh in unto David, and saith to him, `Thus said Jehovah, Take for thee --
11
So Gad went to David and said to him, "This is what the Lord says: 'Take your [choice]-
12 either for three years -- famine, or three months to be consumed from the face of thine adversaries, even the sword of thine enemies to overtake, or three days the sword of Jehovah, even pestilence in the land, and a messenger of Jehovah destroying in all the border of Israel; and now, see; what word do I return to Him who is sending me?'
12
either three years of famine, three months of devastation by your foes with the sword of your enemy overtaking you, or three days of the sword of the Lord-a plague on the land, the angel of the Lord bringing destruction to the whole territory of Israel.' Now decide what answer I should take back to the One who sent me."
13 And David saith unto Gad, `I am greatly distressed, let me fall, I pray thee, into the hand of Jehovah, for very many [are] His mercies, and into the hand of man let me not fall.'
13
David answered Gad, "I have great anxiety. Please, let me fall into the Lord's hands because His mercies are very great, but don't let me fall into human hands."
14 And Jehovah giveth a pestilence in Israel, and there fall of Israel seventy thousand men,
14
So the Lord sent a plague on Israel, and 70,000 Israelite men died.
15 and God sendeth a messenger to Jerusalem to destroy it, and as he is destroying Jehovah hath seen, and is comforted concerning the evil, and saith to the messenger who [is] destroying, `Enough, now, cease thy hand.' And the messenger of Jehovah is standing by the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite,
15
Then God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but when the angel was about to destroy the city, the Lord looked, relented concerning the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying [the people], "Enough, withdraw your hand now!" The angel of the Lord was then standing at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
16 and David lifteth up his eyes, and seeth the messenger of Jehovah standing between the earth and the heavens, and his sword drawn in his hand, stretched out over Jerusalem, and David falleth, and the elders, covered with sackcloth, on their faces.
16
When David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, with his drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem, David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell down with their faces [to the ground].
17 And David saith unto God, `Did not I -- I say to number the people? Yea, I it [is] who have sinned, and done great evil: and these, the flock, what did they? O Jehovah, my God, let, I pray Thee, Thy hand be on me, and on the house of my father, and not on Thy people -- to be plagued.'
17
David said to God, "Wasn't I the one who gave the order to count the people? I am the one who has sinned and acted very wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? My Lord God, please let Your hand be against me and against my father's family, but don't let the plague be against Your people."
18 And the messenger of Jehovah spake unto Gad, saying for David, `Surely David doth go up to raise an altar to Jehovah in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.'
18
So the angel of the Lord ordered Gad to tell David to go and set up an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.
19 And David goeth up by the word of Gad, that he spake in the name of Jehovah.
19
David went up at Gad's command spoken in the name of the Lord.
20 And Ornan turneth back, and seeth the messenger, and his four sons [are] with him, hiding themselves, and Ornan is threshing wheat.
20
Ornan was threshing wheat when he turned and saw the angel. His four sons, who were with him, hid themselves.
21 And David cometh in unto Ornan, and Ornan looketh attentively, and seeth David, and goeth out from the threshing-floor, and boweth himself to David -- face to the earth.
21
David came to Ornan, and when Ornan looked and saw David, he left the threshing floor and bowed to David with his face to the ground.
22 And David saith unto Ornan, `Give to me the place of the threshing-floor, and I build in it an altar to Jehovah; for full silver give it to me, and the plague is restrained from the people.'
22
Then David said to Ornan, "Give me this threshing-floor plot so that I may build an altar to the Lord on it. Give it to me for the full price, so the plague on the people may be halted."
23 And Ornan saith unto David, `Take to thee -- and my lord the king doth that which is good in his eyes: see, I have given the oxen for burnt-offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for a present; the whole I have given.'
23
Ornan said to David, "Take it! My lord the king may do whatever he wants. See, I give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering-I give it all."
24 And king David saith to Ornan, `Nay, for I surely buy for full silver; for I do not lift up that which is thine to Jehovah, so as to offer a burnt-offering without cost.'
24
King David answered Ornan, "No, I insist on paying the full price, for I will not take for the Lord what belongs to you or offer burnt offerings that cost [me] nothing."
25 And David giveth to Ornan for the place shekels of gold [in] weight six hundred;
25
So David gave Ornan 15 pounds of gold for the plot.
26 and David buildeth there an altar to Jehovah, and offereth burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, and calleth unto Jehovah, and He answereth him with fire from the heavens on the altar of the burnt-offering.
26
He built an altar to the Lord there and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. He called on the Lord, and He answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.
27 And Jehovah saith to the messenger, and he turneth back his sword unto its sheath.
27
Then the Lord spoke to the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.
28 At that time when David seeth that Jehovah hath answered him in the threshing-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, then he sacrificeth there;
28
At that time, when David saw that the Lord answered him at the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he offered sacrifices there.
29 and the tabernacle of Jehovah that Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of the burnt-offering, [are] at that time in a high place, in Gibeon;
29
At that time the tabernacle of the Lord, which Moses made in the desert, and the altar of burnt offering were at the high place in Gibeon,
30 and David is not able to go before it to seek God, for he hath been afraid because of the sword of the messenger of Jehovah.
30
but David could not go before it to inquire of God, because he was terrified of the sword of the Lord's angel.
Young's Literal Translation is in the public domain.
Holman Christian Standard Bible ® Copyright © 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.