The First Book of the Chronicles

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 21 -

(Exodus 30:11–16; 2 Samuel 24:1–9)

Then Satan

(a)

rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.

So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan and bring me a report, so that I may know their number.”

But Joab replied, “May the LORD multiply His troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all servants of my lord? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?”

Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab. So Joab departed and traveled throughout Israel, and then he returned to Jerusalem.

And Joab reported to David the total number of the troops. In all Israel there were 1,100,000 men who drew the sword, including 470,000 in Judah.

But Joab did not include Levi and Benjamin in the count, because the king’s command was detestable to him.

Judgment for David’s Sin

(2 Samuel 24:10–14)

This command was also evil in the sight of God; so He struck Israel.

Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly because I have done this thing. Now I beg You to take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.”

And the LORD instructed Gad, David’s seer,

“Go and tell David that this is what the LORD says: ‘I am offering you three options. Choose one of them, and I will carry it out against you.’”

So Gad went and said to David, “This is what the LORD says: ‘You must choose

between three years of famine, three months of being swept away

(b)

before your enemies and overtaken by their swords, or three days of the sword of the LORD—days of plague upon the land, with the angel of the LORD ravaging every part of Israel.’ Now then, decide how I should reply to Him who sent me.”

David answered Gad, “I am deeply distressed. Please, let me fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hands of men.”

A Plague on Israel

(2 Samuel 24:15–17)

So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell dead.

Then God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem, but as the angel was doing so, the LORD saw it and relented from the calamity, and He said to the angel who was destroying the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand now!” At that time the angel of the LORD was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan (c) the Jebusite.

When David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the LORD standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem, David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown.

And David said to God, “Was it not I who gave the order to count the people? I

(d)

am the one who has sinned and acted wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? O LORD my God, please let Your hand fall upon me and my father’s house, but do not let this plague remain upon Your people.”

David Builds an Altar

(2 Samuel 24:18–25)

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

So David went up at the word that Gad had spoken in the name of the LORD.

Now Ornan was threshing wheat when he turned and saw the angel; and his four sons who were with him hid themselves.

David came to Ornan, and when Ornan looked out and saw David, he left the threshing floor and bowed facedown before David.

Then David said to Ornan, “Grant me the site of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar to the LORD. Sell it to me for the full price, so that the plague upon the people may be halted.”

Ornan said to David, “My lord the king may take whatever seems good. Look, I will give the oxen for the burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for the wood, and the wheat for the grain offering—I will give it all.”

“No,” replied King David, “I insist on paying the full price, for I will not take for the LORD what belongs to you, nor will I offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

So David paid Ornan six hundred shekels of gold

(e)

for the site.

And there he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. He called upon the LORD, who answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.

Then the LORD spoke to the angel, who put his sword back into its sheath.

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

For the tabernacle of the LORD that Moses had made in the wilderness and the altar of burnt offering were presently at the high place in Gibeon,

but David could not go before it to inquire of God, because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD.

Footnotes

(a)21:1 That is, the Accuser or the Adversary

(b)21:12 Hebrew; LXX and Vulgate of fleeing; see 2 Samuel 24:13.

(d)21:17 Or I, the shepherd, see 2 Samuel 24:17 DSS and LXX.

(e)21:25 600 shekels is approximately 15.1 pounds or 6.8 kilograms of gold.

(Exodus 30:11–16; 2 Samuel 24:1–9)

Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to take a census of Israel.

David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, “Go, count Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring me word, that I may know how many there are.”

Joab said, “May the LORD make his people a hundred times as many as they are. But, my lord the king, aren’t they all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord require this thing? Why will he be a cause of guilt to Israel?”

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

Joab gave the sum of the census of the people to David. All those of Israel were one million one hundred thousand men who drew a sword; and in Judah were four hundred seventy thousand men who drew a sword.

But he didn’t count Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king’s word was abominable to Joab.

Judgment for David’s Sin

(2 Samuel 24:10–14)

God was displeased with this thing; therefore he struck Israel.

David said to God, “I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing. But now put away, I beg you, the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.”

The LORD spoke to Gad, David’s seer, saying,

“Go and speak to David, saying, ‘The LORD says, “I offer you three things. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.”’”

So Gad came to David and said to him, “The LORD says, ‘Take your choice:

either three years of famine; or three months to be consumed before your foes, while the sword of your enemies overtakes you; or else three days of the sword of the LORD, even pestilence in the land, and the LORD’s angel destroying throughout all the borders of Israel. Now therefore consider what answer I shall return to him who sent me.’”

David said to Gad, “I am in distress. Let me fall, I pray, into the LORD’s hand, for his mercies are very great. Don’t let me fall into man’s hand.”

A Plague on Israel

(2 Samuel 24:15–17)

So the LORD sent a pestilence on Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell.

God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was about to destroy, the LORD saw, and he relented of the disaster, and said to the destroying angel, “It is enough. Now withdraw your hand.” the LORD’s angel was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

David lifted up his eyes, and saw the LORD’s angel standing between earth and the sky, having a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces.

David said to God, “Isn’t it I who commanded the people to be counted? It is even I who have sinned and done very wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand, O LORD my God, be against me and against my father’s house; but not against your people, that they should be plagued.”

David Builds an Altar

(2 Samuel 24:18–25)

Then the LORD’s angel commanded Gad to tell David that David should go up and raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

David went up at the saying of Gad, which he spoke in the LORD’s name.

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

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.

Then David said to Ornan, “Sell me the place of this threshing floor, that I may build an altar to the LORD on it. You shall sell it to me for the full price, that the plague may be stopped from afflicting the people.”

Ornan said to David, “Take it for yourself, and let my lord the king do that which is good in his eyes. Behold, I give the oxen for burnt offerings, and the threshing instruments for wood, and the wheat for the meal offering. I give it all.”

King David said to Ornan, “No, but I will most certainly buy it for the full price. For I will not take that which is yours for the LORD, nor offer a burnt offering that costs me nothing.”

So David gave to Ornan six hundred shekels

(a)

of gold by weight for the place.

David built an altar to the LORD there, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, and called on the LORD; and he answered him from the sky by fire on the altar of burnt offering.

Then The LORD commanded the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.

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

For the LORD’s tabernacle, which Moses made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering, were at that time in the high place at Gibeon.

But David couldn’t go before it to inquire of God, for he was afraid because of the sword of the LORD’s angel.

Footnotes

(a)21:25 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.32 Troy ounces, so 600 shekels was about 6 kilograms or about 192 Troy ounces.