211 Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel . 2 So David said to Joab and to the princes of the people , " Go , number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan , and bring me word that I may know their number ." 3 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 seek this thing ? Why should he be a cause of guilt to Israel ?" 4 Nevertheless, the king's word prevailed against Joab . Therefore, Joab departed and went throughout all Israel , and came to Jerusalem . 5 Joab gave the number of the census of all the people to David . And all Israel were 1,100,000 e e e men who drew the sword ; and Judah was 470,000 e e e men who drew the sword . 6 But he did not number Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king's command was abhorrent to Joab .
7 God was displeased e with this thing , so He struck Israel . 8 David said to God , "I have sinned greatly , in that I have done this thing . But now , please take away the iniquity of Your servant , for I have done very foolishly ." 9 The Lord spoke to Gad , David's seer , saying , 10 "Go and speak to David , saying , 'Thus says the Lord , "I offer you three things ; choose for yourself one of them, which I will do to you.""' 11 So Gad came to David and said to him, "Thus says the Lord , 'Take for yourself 12 either three years of famine , or three months to be swept away before e 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 angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel .' Now , therefore, consider what answer I shall return to Him who sent me." 13 David said to Gad , "I am in great distress ; please let me fall into the hand of the Lord , for His mercies are very great . But do not let me fall into the hand of man ." 14 So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel ; 70,000 e men of Israel fell . 15 And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it; but as he was about to destroy it, the Lord saw and was sorry over the calamity , and said to the destroying angel , "It is enough ; now relax your hand ." And the angel of the Lord was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite . 16 Then David lifted up his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven , with his drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem . Then David and the elders , covered with sackcloth , fell on their faces . 17 David said to God , "Is it not I who commanded to count the people ? Indeed, I am the one who has sinned and done very wickedly , but these sheep , what have they done ? O Lord my God , please let Your hand be against me and my father's household , but not against Your people that they should be plagued ."
18 Then the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David , that David should go up and build an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite . 19 So David went up at the word of Gad , which he spoke in the name of the Lord . 20 Now Ornan turned back and saw the angel , and his four sons who were with him hid themselves. And Ornan was threshing wheat . 21 As David came to Ornan , Ornan looked and saw David , and went out from the threshing floor and prostrated himself before David with his face to the ground . 22 Then David said to Ornan , "Give me the site of this threshing floor , that I may build on it an altar to the Lord ; for the full price you shall give it to me, that the plague may be restrained from the people ." 23 Ornan said to David , "Take it for yourself; and let my lord the king do what is good in his sight . See , I will give the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for wood and the wheat for the grain offering ; I will give it all ." 24 But King David said to Ornan , "No , but I will surely buy it for the full price ; for I will not take what is yours for the Lord , or offer a burnt offering which costs me nothing ." 25 So David gave Ornan 600 e shekels of gold by weight for the site . 26 Then David built an altar to the Lord there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings . And he called to the Lord and He answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering . 27 The Lord commanded the angel , and he put his sword back in its sheath .
28 At that time , when David saw that the Lord had answered him on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite , he offered sacrifice there . 29 For the tabernacle of the Lord , which Moses had made in the wilderness , and the altar of burnt offering were in the high place at Gibeon at that time . 30 But David could not go before it to inquire of God , for he was terrified by the sword of the angel of the Lord .
