2 Samuel 24
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 24
David’s Census; the Plague. 1 The Lord’s anger against Israel flared again,(A) and he incited David against them: “Go, take a census of Israel and Judah.” 2 The king therefore said to Joab and the leaders of the army who were with him, “Tour all the tribes of Israel from Dan to Beer-sheba and register the people, that I may know their number.” 3 But Joab replied to the king: “May the Lord your God increase the number of people a hundredfold for my lord the king to see it with his own eyes. But why does it please my lord to do a thing of this kind?” 4 However, the king’s command prevailed over Joab and the leaders of the army, so they left the king’s presence in order to register the people of Israel. 5 Crossing the Jordan, they began near Aroer, south of the city in the wadi, and turned in the direction of Gad toward Jazer. 6 They continued on to Gilead and to the district below Mount Hermon. Then they proceeded to Dan; from there they turned toward Sidon, 7 going to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and Canaanites, and ending up in the Negeb of Judah, at Beer-sheba. 8 Thus they toured the whole land, reaching Jerusalem again after nine months and twenty days. 9 Joab then reported the census figures to the king: of men capable of wielding a sword, there were in Israel eight hundred thousand, and in Judah five hundred thousand.
10 Afterward, however, David regretted having numbered the people. David said to the Lord: “I have sinned grievously in what I have done.(B) Take away, Lord, your servant’s guilt, for I have acted very foolishly.”[a] 11 When David rose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying: 12 Go, tell David: Thus says the Lord: I am offering you three options; choose one of them, and I will give you that. 13 Gad then went to David to inform him. He asked: “Should three years of famine come upon your land; or three months of fleeing from your enemy while he pursues you; or is it to be three days of plague in your land? Now consider well: what answer am I to give to him who sent me?”(C) 14 David answered Gad: “I am greatly distressed. But let us fall into the hand of God, whose mercy is great, rather than into human hands.” 15 Thus David chose the plague. At the time of the wheat harvest it broke out among the people. The Lord sent plague over Israel from morning until the time appointed, and from Dan to Beer-sheba seventy thousand of the people died. 16 But when the angel stretched forth his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord changed his mind about the calamity, and said to the angel causing the destruction among the people: Enough now! Stay your hand.(D) The angel of the Lord was then standing at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.(E) 17 When David saw the angel who was striking the people, he said to the Lord: “It is I who have sinned; it is I, the shepherd, who have done wrong. But these sheep, what have they done? Strike me and my father’s family!”
David Offers Sacrifices. 18 On the same day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go and set up an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 According to Gad’s word, David went up as the Lord had commanded. 20 Now Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants coming toward him while he was threshing wheat. So he went out and bowed down before the king, his face to the ground. 21 Then Araunah asked, “Why does my lord the king come to his servant?” David replied, “To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people.” 22 (F)But Araunah said to David: “Let my lord the king take it and offer up what is good in his sight. See, here are the oxen for burnt offerings, and the threshing sledges and the yokes of oxen for wood. 23 All this does Araunah give to the king.” Araunah then said to the king, “May the Lord your God accept your offering.” 24 The king, however, replied to Araunah, “No, I will buy it from you at the proper price, for I cannot sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty silver shekels. 25 Then David built an altar to the Lord there, and sacrificed burnt offerings and communion offerings. The Lord granted relief to the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel.
Footnotes
- 24:10 The narrative supposes that since the people belonged to the Lord rather than to the king, only the Lord should know their exact number. Further, since such an exact numbering of the people would make it possible for the king to exercise centralized power, imposing taxation, conscription, and expropriation upon Israel, the story shares the view of monarchy found in 1 Sm 8:4–18. See also Nm 3:44–51, where census taking requires an apotropaic offering.
2 Samuel 24
English Standard Version
David's Census
24 (A)(B)Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, (C)“Go, number Israel and Judah.” 2 So the king said to Joab, the commander of the army,[a] who was with him, “Go through all the tribes of Israel, (D)from Dan to Beersheba, and number the people, that I may know the number of the people.” 3 But Joab said to the king, (E)“May the Lord your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see it, but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?” 4 But the king's word prevailed against Joab and the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to number the people of Israel. 5 They crossed the Jordan and began from (F)Aroer,[b] and from the city that is in the middle of the (G)valley, toward Gad and on to (H)Jazer. 6 Then they came to Gilead, and to Kadesh in the land of the Hittites;[c] and they came to Dan, and from Dan[d] they went around to (I)Sidon, 7 and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the (J)Hivites and (K)Canaanites; and they went out to the Negeb of Judah at Beersheba. 8 So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 And Joab gave the sum of the numbering of the people to the king: in Israel there were 800,000 valiant men (L)who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were 500,000.
The Lord's Judgment of David's Sin
10 But (M)David's heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the Lord, (N)“I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done (O)very foolishly.” 11 And when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to (P)the prophet Gad, David's (Q)seer, saying, 12 “Go and say to David, ‘Thus says the Lord, Three things I offer[e] you. Choose one of them, that I may do it to you.’” 13 So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall (R)three[f] years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' pestilence in your land? Now consider, and decide what answer I shall return to him who sent me.” 14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us fall into the hand of the Lord, (S)for his mercy is great; but let me not fall into the hand of man.”
15 (T)So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from (U)Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men. 16 And when (V)the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem (W)to destroy it, (X)the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel (Y)who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And (Z)the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of (AA)Araunah the Jebusite. 17 Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father's house.”
David Builds an Altar
18 And Gad came that day to David and said to him, “Go up, raise an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of (AB)Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 So David went up at Gad's word, as the Lord commanded. 20 And when Araunah looked down, he saw the king and his servants coming on toward him. And Araunah went out and paid homage to the king with his face to the ground. 21 And Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the Lord, that the plague (AC)may be averted from the people.” 22 Then Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what seems good to him. Here are the oxen for the burnt offering and the (AD)threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23 All this, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God (AE)accept you.” 24 But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels[g] of silver. 25 And David built there an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. (AF)So the Lord responded to the plea for the land, and the plague was averted from Israel.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 24:2 Septuagint to Joab and the commanders of the army
- 2 Samuel 24:5 Septuagint; Hebrew encamped in Aroer
- 2 Samuel 24:6 Septuagint; Hebrew to the land of Tahtim-hodshi
- 2 Samuel 24:6 Septuagint; Hebrew they came to Dan-jaan and
- 2 Samuel 24:12 Or hold over
- 2 Samuel 24:13 Compare 1 Chronicles 21:12, Septuagint; Hebrew seven
- 2 Samuel 24:24 A shekel was about 2/5 ounce or 11 grams
2 Samuel 24
New King James Version
David’s Census of Israel and Judah(A)
24 Again (B)the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, (C)“Go, [a]number Israel and Judah.”
2 So the king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, “Now go throughout all the tribes of Israel, (D)from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people, that (E)I may know the number of the people.”
3 And Joab said to the king, “Now may the Lord your God (F)add to the people a hundred times more than there are, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king desire this thing?” 4 Nevertheless the king’s word [b]prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the army. Therefore Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king to count the people of Israel.
5 And they crossed over the Jordan and camped in (G)Aroer, on the right side of the town which is in the midst of the ravine of Gad, and toward (H)Jazer. 6 Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim Hodshi; they came to (I)Dan Jaan and around to (J)Sidon; 7 and they came to the stronghold of (K)Tyre and to all the cities of the (L)Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went out to South Judah as far as Beersheba. 8 So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9 Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to the king. (M)And there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.
The Judgment on David’s Sin(N)
10 And (O)David’s heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So (P)David said to the Lord, (Q)“I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have (R)done very foolishly.”
11 Now when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet (S)Gad, David’s (T)seer, saying, 12 “Go and tell David, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you.” ’ ” 13 So Gad came to David and told him; and he said to him, “Shall (U)seven[c] years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.”
14 And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord, (V)for His mercies are great; but (W)do not let me fall into the hand of man.”
15 So (X)the Lord sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died. 16 (Y)And when the [d]angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, (Z)the Lord relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “It is enough; now restrain your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of [e]Araunah the Jebusite.
17 Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Surely (AA)I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father’s house.”
The Altar on the Threshing Floor(AB)
18 And Gad came that day to David and said to him, (AC)“Go up, erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19 So David, according to the word of Gad, went up as the Lord commanded. 20 Now Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming toward him. So Araunah went out and bowed before the king with his face to the ground.
21 Then Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?”
(AD)And David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the Lord, that (AE)the plague may be withdrawn from the people.”
22 Now Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good to him. (AF)Look, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood. 23 All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king.”
And Araunah said to the king, “May the Lord your God (AG)accept you.”
24 Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with that which costs me nothing.” So (AH)David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25 And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. (AI)So the Lord heeded the prayers for the land, and (AJ)the plague was withdrawn from Israel.
Footnotes
- 2 Samuel 24:1 take a census of
- 2 Samuel 24:4 overruled
- 2 Samuel 24:13 So with MT, Syr., Tg., Vg.; LXX three (cf. 1 Chr. 21:12)
- 2 Samuel 24:16 Or Angel
- 2 Samuel 24:16 Ornan, 1 Chr. 21:15
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
