Parallel Bible results for "2 samuel 24"

2 Samuel 24

The Message Bible MSG

1 Once again God's anger blazed out against Israel. He tested David by telling him, "Go and take a census of Israel and Judah."

2 So 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 But Joab resisted the king: "May your God multiply people by the hundreds right before the eyes of my master the king, but why on earth would you do a thing like this?"

4 Nevertheless, the king insisted, and so Joab and the army officers left the king to take a census of Israel.

5 They crossed the Jordan and began with Aroer and the town in the canyon of the Gadites near Jazer,

6 proceeded through Gilead, passed Hermon, then on to Dan, but detoured Sidon.

7 They covered Fort Tyre and all the Hivite and Canaanite cities, and finally reached the Negev of Judah at Beersheba.

8 They canvassed the whole country and after nine months and twenty days arrived back in Jerusalem.

9 Joab gave the results of the census to the king: 800,000 able-bodied fighting men in Israel; in Judah 500,000.

10 But when it was all done, David was overwhelmed with guilt because he had counted the people, replacing trust with statistics. And David prayed to God, "I have sinned badly in what I have just done. But now God forgive my guilt - I've been really stupid."

11 When David got up the next morning, the word of God had already come to Gad the prophet, David's spiritual advisor,

12 "Go and give David this message: 'God has spoken thus: There are three things I can do to you; choose one out of the three and I'll see that it's done.'"

13 Gad came to deliver the message: "Do you want three years of famine in the land, or three months of running from your enemies while they chase you down, or three days of an epidemic on the country? Think it over and make up your mind. What shall I tell the one who sent me?"

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

15 So God let loose an epidemic from morning until suppertime. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand people died.

16 But when the angel reached out over Jerusalem to destroy it, God felt the pain of the terror and told the angel who was spreading death among the people, "Enough's enough! Pull back!" The angel of God had just reached the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 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 When David saw the angel about to destroy the people, he prayed, "Please! I'm the one who sinned; I, the shepherd, did the wrong. But these sheep, what did they do wrong? Punish me and my family, not them."

18 That same day Gad came to David and said, "Go and build an altar on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite."

19 David did what Gad told him, what God commanded.

20 Araunah looked up and saw David and his men coming his way; he met them, bowing deeply, honoring the king

21 and saying, "Why has my master the king come to see me?" "To buy your threshing floor," said David, "so I can build an altar to God here and put an end to this disaster."

22 "Oh," said Araunah, "let my master the king take and sacrifice whatever he wants. Look, here's an ox for the burnt offering and threshing paddles and ox-yokes for fuel

23 - Araunah gives it all to the king! And may God, your God, act in your favor."

24 But the king said to Araunah, "No. I've got to buy it from you for a good price; I'm not going to offer God, my God, sacrifices that are no sacrifice."

25 He built an altar to God there and sacrificed burnt offerings and peace offerings. God was moved by the prayers and that was the end of the disaster.

New Century Version NCV

1 The Lord was angry with Israel again, and he caused David to turn against the Israelites. He said, "Go, count the people of Israel and Judah."

2 So King David said to Joab, the commander of the army, "Go through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people. Then I will know how many there are."

3 But Joab said to the king, "May the Lord your God give you a hundred times more people, and may my master the king live to see this happen. Why do you want to do this?"

4 But the king commanded Joab and the commanders of the army, so they left the king to count the Israelites.

5 After crossing the Jordan River, they camped near Aroer on the south side of the city in the ravine. They went through Gad and on to Jazer.

6 Then they went to Gilead and the land of Tahtim Hodshi and to Dan Jaan and around to Sidon.

7 They went to the strong, walled city of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites. Finally, they went to southern Judah, to Beersheba.

8 After nine months and twenty days, they had gone through all the land. Then they came back to Jerusalem.

9 Joab gave the list of the people to the king. There were eight hundred thousand men in Israel who could use the sword and five hundred thousand men in Judah.

10 David felt ashamed after he had counted the people. He said to the Lord, "I have sinned greatly by what I have done. Lord, I beg you to forgive me, your servant, because I have been very foolish."

11 When David got up in the morning, the Lord spoke his word to Gad, who was a prophet and David's seer.

12 The Lord told Gad, "Go and tell David, 'This is what the Lord says: I offer you three choices. Choose one of them and I will do it to you.'"

13 So Gad went to David and said to him, "Should three years of hunger come to you and your land? Or should your enemies chase you for three months? Or should there be three days of disease in your land? Think about it. Then decide which of these things I should tell the Lord who sent me."

14 David said to Gad, "I am in great trouble. Let the Lord punish us, because the Lord is very merciful. Don't let my punishment come from human beings!"

15 So the Lord sent a terrible disease on Israel. It began in the morning and continued until the chosen time to stop. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand people died.

16 When the angel raised his arm toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord felt very sorry about the terrible things that had happened. He said to the angel who was destroying the people, "That is enough! Put down your arm!" The angel of the Lord was then by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

17 When David saw the angel that killed the people, he said to the Lord, "I am the one who sinned and did wrong. These people only followed me like sheep. They did nothing wrong. Please punish me and my family."

18 That day Gad came to David and said, "Go and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite."

19 So David did what Gad told him to do, just as the Lord commanded.

20 Araunah looked and saw the king and his servants coming to him. So he went out and bowed facedown on the ground before the king.

21 He said, "Why has my master the king come to me?" David answered, "To buy the threshing floor from you so I can build an altar to the Lord. Then the terrible disease will stop."

22 Araunah said to David, "My master and king, you may take anything you want for a sacrifice. Here are some oxen for the whole burnt offering and the threshing boards and the yokes for the wood.

23 My king, I give everything to you." Araunah also said to the king, "May the Lord your God be pleased with you."

24 But the king answered Araunah, "No, I will pay you for the land. I won't offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for one and one-fourth pounds of silver.

25 He built an altar to the Lord there and offered whole burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. Then the Lord answered his prayer for the country, and the disease in Israel stopped.