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David Numbers Israel and Judah

21 Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel. So David said to Joab and the leaders of the people, “Go and number Israel from Beersheba to Dan. Then let me know how many people there are.” Joab said, “May the Lord add to His people a hundred times as many as they are! But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why does my lord want this thing done? Why should he bring guilt upon Israel?” But the king’s word was stronger than Joab. So Joab left and went through all of Israel, and returned to Jerusalem. He gave the number of all the people to David. There were 1,100,000 men in all Israel who used the sword. And there were 470,000 men in Judah who used the sword. But Joab did not number Levi and Benjamin among them because he did not like what the king had told him to do. God was not pleased that Israel was numbered so He punished Israel. David said to God, “I have sinned very much by doing this thing. But now I beg You, take away the sin of Your servant for I have done a very foolish thing.”

The Lord said to Gad, David’s man of God, 10 “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says. “I give you three things to choose from. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.”’” 11 So Gad came to David and said, “This is what the Lord says. ‘Choose one of these. 12 Three years of no food in the land; three months to be destroyed by the sword of those who hate you; or three days of the sword of the Lord. This would be a disease sent upon the land. The angel of the Lord would destroy with disease through all the land of Israel.’ Now decide what answer I should give Him Who sent me.” 13 David said to Gad, “I am in much trouble. Let me fall into the hand of the Lord. For His loving-kindness is very great. But do not let me fall into the hand of man.” 14 So the Lord sent a disease upon Israel. And 70,000 men of Israel died. 15 God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as he was about to destroy it, the Lord saw the trouble and was sorry. He said to the destroying angel, “It is enough. Now take your hand away.” The angel of the Lord was standing by the grain-floor of Ornan the Jebusite. 16 Then David looked up and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven. The angel had his sword in his hand, held out over Jerusalem. Then David and the leaders fell on their faces. They were dressed in cloth made from hair. 17 David said to God, “Was it not I who said that the people must be numbered? I am the one who has sinned and done a very bad thing. But what have these sheep done? O Lord my God, I beg You, let Your hand be against me and my father’s house. But do not let the trouble be upon Your people.”

18 Then the angel of the Lord told Gad to say to David, “Go up and build an altar to the Lord on the grain-floor of Ornan the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up when he heard what Gad said in the name of the Lord. 20 Now Ornan was beating the grain. He turned and saw the angel. And his four sons hid themselves. 21 Ornan looked and saw David coming. So he went out from the grain-floor and put his face to the ground showing respect to David. 22 David said to him, “Give me this part of the grain-floor, that I may build an altar on it to the Lord. Give it to me for the full price. Then the disease will be turned away from the people.” 23 Ornan said to David, “Take it. Let my lord the king do what is good in his eyes. See, I will give the bulls for burnt gifts. I will give the objects made of wood used for beating grain for the fire-wood. And I will give the grain for the grain gift. I will give it all.” 24 But King David said to Ornan, “No, I will buy it for the full price. I will not take what is yours for the Lord. And I will not give a burnt gift for which I do not pay.” 25 So David gave Ornan 600 pieces of gold by weight for the place. 26 Then David built an altar there to the Lord. He gave burnt gifts and peace gifts, and he called to the Lord. The Lord answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt gifts. 27 Then the Lord told the angel to return his sword to its holder.

28 When David saw that the Lord had answered him on the grain-floor of Ornan the Jebusite, he gave his gifts there. 29 The meeting tent which Moses had made in the desert was in the high place at Gibeon then. The altar of burnt gifts was there also. 30 But David could not go in front of it to pray to God. For he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord.

David Gets Ready to Build the House of God

22 Then David said, “This is the house of the Lord God. And this is the altar of burnt gifts for Israel.”

David told his men to gather the strangers who were in the land of Israel. And he had servants cut stones to build the house of God. He gave large amounts of iron to be used for making nails for the doors of the gates, and for making the parts that hold it all together. He gave more brass than could be weighed. And he gave too many cedar trees to number. For the Sidonians and Tyrians brought many cut cedar trees to David. David said, “My son Solomon is young and does not yet have much learning. And the house that is to be built for the Lord must be very beautiful. It must be very great, and well-known in all lands. So I will get things ready for it to be built.” David made many things ready for it before his death.

Then he called for his son Solomon, and gave him the work of building a house for the Lord God of Israel. David said to Solomon, “My son, I had planned to build a house to the name of the Lord my God. But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘You have taken much blood, and have fought many wars. You are not to build a house to My name, because you have poured so much blood upon the earth before Me. See, a son will be born to you, who will be a man of peace. I will give him peace from all those who hate him on every side. His name will be Solomon. And I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. 10 He will build a house for My name. He will be My son, and I will be his father. I will make his throne in Israel last forever.’ 11 Now, my son, may the Lord be with you and help you to do well. May you build the house of the Lord your God just as He has said you would. 12 Only, may the Lord give you wisdom and understanding. When He has you rule over Israel, may you keep the Law of the Lord your God. 13 Then you will do well, if you are careful to obey the Laws which the Lord gave to Israel by Moses. Be strong and have strength of heart. Do not be afraid or troubled. 14 With much trouble I have made things ready for the house of the Lord. There is gold weighing as much as 100,000 men. There is silver weighing as much as 1,000,000 men. And there is too much brass and iron to weigh. I have made wood and stone ready, and you may add to them. 15 You have many servants and workmen who cut and build with stones and wood. There are men who are able to do every kind of work well. 16 Of the gold and silver and brass and iron, there is more than enough. So get ready and work, and may the Lord be with you.”

17 David told all the leaders of Israel to help his son Solomon. He said to them, 18 “Is not the Lord your God with you? Has He not given you peace on every side? For He has given the people of the land into my hand. The land is put under my rule before the Lord and His people. 19 Now set your heart and soul to look to the Lord your God. Get ready and build the holy place of the Lord God. Then you may bring the special box with the Law of the Lord. You may bring the holy objects of God. And put them into the house that is to be built for the name of the Lord.”

The Work of the Levites

23 When David was an old man, he made his son Solomon king of Israel. He gathered together all the leaders of Israel, the religious leaders, and the Levites. The Levites were numbered from thirty years old and older. Their number was 38,000. Of these, 24,000 were to watch over the work of the Lord’s house. There were 6,000 who were leaders and men who were to judge. There were 4,000 gate-keepers. And 4,000 were praising the Lord with the things for playing music that David had made. David divided them into groups by the sons of Levi, Gershon and Kohath and Merari.

The sons of Gershon were Ladan and Shimei. The sons of Ladan were Jehiel the first, then Zetham and Joel, three in all. The three sons of Shimei were Shelemoth, Haziel and Haran. These were the heads of the fathers’ houses of Ladan. 10 And the sons of Shimei were Jahath, Zina, Jeush and Beriah. These four were the sons of Shimei. 11 Jahath was the first, and Zizah the second. But Jeush and Beriah did not have many sons, so they were numbered together as one father’s house.

12 The four sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. 13 The sons of Amram were Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set apart for holy work, he and his sons forever. They were to burn special perfume before the Lord, and do His work. And they were to pray for good to come to the people in the Lord’s name forever. 14 But the names of the sons of Moses the man of God were among the family of Levi. 15 The sons of Moses were Gershom and Eliezer. 16 The son of Gershom was Shebuel the leader. 17 The son of Eliezer was Rehabiah the leader. Eliezer had no other sons. But Rehabiah had many sons. 18 The son of Izhar was Shelomith the leader. 19 The sons of Hebron were Jeriah the first, Amariah the second, Jehaziel the third, and Jekameam the fourth. 20 The sons of Uzziel were Micah the first, and Isshiah the second.

21 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. The sons of Mahli were Eleazar and Kish. 22 Eleazar died and had no sons, only daughters. Their brothers the sons of Kish married them. 23 The three sons of Mushi were Mahli and Eder and Jeremoth.

24 These were the sons of Levi by their fathers’ houses. They were the heads of the fathers’ houses of those whose names were numbered from twenty years old and older. They were to do the work of the Lord’s house. 25 For David said, “The Lord God of Israel has given peace to his people. And He lives in Jerusalem forever. 26 The Levites do not need to carry the meeting tent and all the parts for its work any longer.” 27 For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered, from twenty years old and older. 28 He said, “Their duties are to help Aaron’s sons with the work of the Lord’s house, in the open spaces and in the rooms. They are to make clean all the holy things, and do any work needed to be done in the house of God. 29 They are to take care of the holy bread, the fine flour for a grain gift, and the bread without yeast. They are to take care of what is baked, and what is well mixed, of all the right amounts. 30 They are to stand every morning and evening to thank and praise the Lord. 31 And they are to give all the burnt gifts to the Lord on the Days of Rest, the new moons, and the special days. They are to do this before the Lord all the time, by the number set by the Law. 32 In this way they are to take care of the meeting tent, the holy place, and help their brothers the sons of Aaron, for the work of the Lord’s house.