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David Counts the Israelites

21 Satan was against Israel, and he caused David to count the people of Israel. So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count all the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan.[a] Then tell me so I will know how many there are.”

But Joab said, “May the Lord give the nation a hundred times more people. My master the king, all the Israelites are your servants. Why do you want to do this, my master? You will make Israel guilty of sin.”

But the king commanded Joab, so Joab left and went through all Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem. Joab gave the list of the people to David. There were one million one hundred thousand men in all of Israel who could use the sword, and there were four hundred seventy thousand men in Judah who could use the sword. But Joab did not count the tribes of Levi and Benjamin, because he didn’t like King David’s order.

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Footnotes

  1. 21:2 Beersheba to Dan Beersheba was the city farthest south in Israel. Dan was the city farthest north. So this means all the people of Israel.

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