David Counts the People
(2 Samuel 24.1-9)1 Satan decided to cause trouble for Israel by making David think it was a good idea to find out how many people there were in Israel and Judah. 2 David told Joab and the army commanders, “Count everyone in Israel, from the town of Beersheba in the south all the way north to Dan. Then I will know how many people can serve in my army.”
3 Joab answered, “Your Majesty, even if the Lord made your kingdom a hundred times larger, you would still rule everyone in it. Why do you need to know how many soldiers there are? Don't you think that would make the whole nation angry?”
4 But David would not change his mind. And so Joab went everywhere in Israel and Judah and counted the people. He returned to Jerusalem 5 and told David that the total number of men who could serve in the army was 1,100,000 in Israel and 470,000 in Judah. 6 Joab refused to include anyone from the tribes of Levi and Benjamin, because he still disagreed with David's orders.
God Punishes Israel
(2 Samuel 24.10-17)7 David's order to count the people made God angry, and he punished Israel. 8 David prayed, “I am your servant. But what I did was stupid and terribly wrong. Please forgive me.”
9 The Lord said to Gad, one of David's prophets, 10 “Tell David that I will punish him in one of three ways. But he will have to choose which one it will be.”
11 Gad went to David and told him:
You must choose how the Lord will punish you: 12 Will there be three years when the land won't grow enough food for its people? Or will your enemies constantly defeat you for three months? Or will the Lord send a horrible disease to strike your land for three days? Think about it and decide, because I have to give your answer to God who sent me.
13 David was miserable and said, “It's a terrible choice to make! But the Lord is kind, and I'd rather be punished by him than by anyone else.”
14 So the Lord sent a horrible disease on Israel, and 70,000 Israelites died. 15 Then he sent an angel to destroy the city of Jerusalem. But just as the angel was about to do that, the Lord felt sorry for all the suffering he had caused the people, and he told the angel, “Stop! They have suffered enough.” This happened at the threshing place that belonged to Araunah the Jebusite.
16 David saw the Lord's angel in the air, holding a sword over Jerusalem. He and the leaders of Israel, who were all wearing sackcloth, bowed with their faces to the ground, 17 and David prayed, “It's my fault! I sinned by ordering the people to be counted. They have done nothing wrong—they are innocent sheep. Lord God, please punish me and my family. Don't let the disease wipe out your people.”
David Buys Araunah's Threshing Place
(2 Samuel 24.18-25)18 The Lord's angel told the prophet Gad to tell David that he must go to Araunah's threshing place and build an altar in honor of the Lord. 19 David followed the Lord's instructions.
20 Araunah and his four sons were threshing wheat at the time, and when they saw the angel, the four sons ran to hide. 21 Just then, David arrived, and when Araunah saw him, he stopped his work and bowed down.
22 David said, “Would you sell me your threshing place, so I can build an altar on it to the Lord? Then this disease will stop killing the people. I'm willing to pay whatever you say it's worth.”
23 Araunah answered, “Take it, Your Majesty, and do whatever you want with it. I'll even give you the oxen for the sacrifice and the wheat for the grain sacrifice. And you can use the threshing-boards for the fire. It's all yours!”
24 But David replied, “No! I want to pay you what they're worth. I can't just take something from you and then offer the Lord a sacrifice that cost me nothing.”
25 So David paid Araunah 600 gold coins for his threshing place. 26 David built an altar and offered sacrifices to please the Lord and sacrifices to ask his blessing. David prayed, and the Lord answered him by sending fire down on the altar. 27 Then the Lord commanded the angel to put the sword away.
28 When David saw that the Lord had answered his prayer, he offered more sacrifices there at the threshing place, 29-30 because he was afraid of the angel's sword and did not want to go all the way to Gibeon. That's where the sacred tent that Moses had made in the desert was kept, as well as the altar where sacrifices were offered to the Lord.
1 Un cēlās sātans pret Israēlu un pavedināja Dāvidu saskaitīt Israēlu. 2 Un Dāvids sacīja Joābam un tautas pārstāvjiem: "Ejiet un skaitiet Israēlu, no Bēršebas līdz Danai, un atnesiet man ziņas par viņu skaitu, ka es to zinātu." 3 Tad Joābs sacīja: "Lai Tas Kungs pie šiem ļaudīm, cik viņu tagad ir, pieliek simtkārtīgi! Mans kungs un ķēniņ, vai tad tie visi tomēr nav mana kunga kalpi? Kāpēc manam kungam tas būtu vajadzīgs? Kādēļ viņš uzliek tādu vainu Israēlam?" 4 Bet ķēniņa pavēle Joābam bija neatsaucama, un Joābs devās ceļā. Viņš pārstaigāja visu Israēlu un nāca atpakaļ uz Jeruzālemi. 5 Un Joābs nodeva Dāvidam saskaitīto ļaužu skaitu, un viss Israēls bija tūkstoš reiz tūkstoš un simts tūkstošu vīru, kas spēja zobenu vēzt, un Jūdā bija četri simti septiņdesmit tūkstoši vīru, kas spēja zobenu vēzt. 6 Bet Levija un Benjamīna ciltis viņš neiekļāva skaitīšanā, jo ķēniņa pavēle Joābam šķita negantība. 7 Dieva acīs šī lieta bija ļauna, un Viņš sita Israēlu. 8 Tad Dāvids lūdza Dievu: "Es esmu ļoti grēkojis, ka esmu šo lietu darījis, bet tagad es Tevi ļoti lūdzu, nepiemini Sava kalpa noziegumu! Es tiešām esmu ļoti aplam rīkojies." 9 Bet Tas Kungs pavēlēja Gadam, Dāvida redzētājam, sacīdams: 10 "Noej un saki Dāvidam, teikdams: tā saka Tas Kungs: trīs lietas Es tev lieku priekšā, izvēlies vienu no tām, un Es tev to darīšu!" 11 Un Gads gāja pie Dāvida un viņam sacīja: "Tā saka Tas Kungs: izvēlies sev 12 vai nu trīs gadus bada laika, vai trīs mēnešus bēgt no saviem pretiniekiem pēc tam, kad ienaidnieku zobens būs panācis jūs, vai lai trīs dienas Tā Kunga zobens - mēris visā zemē un Tā Kunga eņģelis, kas nāvi nes visos Israēla novados. Un lūko, kādu atbildi lai es nesu Tam, kas mani sūtījis!" 13 Tad Dāvids sacīja Gadam: "Man ir lielas bailes! Bet es gribu labāk krist Tā Kunga rokā, jo Viņa žēlastība ir ļoti liela, bet es negribu krist cilvēku rokās!" 14 Tad Tas Kungs lika mērim nākt pār Israēlu, un no Israēla nomira septiņdesmit tūkstoši cilvēku. 15 Un Dievs sūtīja eņģeli uz Jeruzālemi, lai to izpostītu; bet, tikko viņš taisījās to izpostīt, Tas Kungs to uzlūkoja, un Viņam kļuva žēl ļaunuma, un Viņš sacīja posta eņģelim, ko bija sūtījis: "Tagad pietiek, atvelc savu roku!" Un Tā Kunga eņģelis bija nostājies tieši pie jebusieša Ornana klona. 16 Kad Dāvids pacēla savas acis, viņš ieraudzīja Tā Kunga eņģeli stāvam starp zemi un debesīm, un tam bija atvēzts zobens rokā, izstiepts pār Jeruzālemi; tad Dāvids līdz ar vecajiem, maisos ietinušies, metās zemē uz sava vaiga, 17 un Dāvids lūdza Dievu: "Vai ne es pavēlēju ļaudis skaitīt? Es, es esmu tas, kas grēkojis un darījis lielu ļaunumu! Bet šīs avis, ko tās ir darījušas? Ak, Kungs, mans Dievs! Lai Tava roka ir pret mani un pret mana tēva namu, bet ne lai Tavu tautu mocītu!" 18 Un Tā Kunga eņģelis pavēlēja Gadam pateikt Dāvidam, lai Dāvids dodas augšup kalnā un lai uzceļ altāri Tam Kungam uz jebusieša Ornana klona. 19 Un, paklausīdams Gada vārdiem, ko tas bija runājis Tā Kunga Vārdā, Dāvids devās kalnā. 20 Kad Ornans apgriezās, tad ieraudzīja eņģeli, un viņa četri dēli, kas kūla kopā ar viņu, paslēpās; bet Ornans kūla kviešus. 21 Kad Dāvids nāca pie Ornana, un Ornans paskatījās un ieraudzīja Dāvidu, tad viņš iznāca laukā no klona un nometās Dāvida priekšā uz sava vaiga pie zemes. 22 Un Dāvids sacīja Ornanam: "Lūdzams, dod man klona vietu, lai es tur uzceļu altāri Tam Kungam, bet piešķir man to par pilnu samaksu, lai tā mocība tiek novērsta no tautas." 23 Tad Ornans atbildēja Dāvidam: "Ņem to sev un dari, mans kungs un ķēniņ, kā vien tev patīk! Redzi, tur tos vēršus es dodu dedzināmiem upuriem un šos kuļamos rīkus malkai, bet kviešus ēdamam upurim; to visu es dodu!" 24 Bet ķēniņš Dāvids sacīja Ornanam: "Nē, bet es to visu gribu pirkt no tevis par pilnu samaksu, jo es negribu ņemt Tam Kungam, kas ir tavs, nedz arī upurēt tādu dedzināmo upuri, kas iegūts par velti!" 25 Tā Dāvids deva Ornanam par šo vietu zeltu, svarā seši simti seķeļu. 26 Un Dāvids tur uzcēla Tam Kungam altāri un upurēja dedzināmos upurus un kaujamos pateicības upurus; un, kad viņš To Kungu piesauca, tad Viņš tam atbildēja ar uguni no debesīm pār dedzināmo upuru altāri. 27 Un Tas Kungs pavēlēja eņģelim, un viņš iebāza savu zobenu makstī. 28 Tanī laikā, kad Dāvids redzēja, ka Tas Kungs bija viņam atbildējis uz jebusieša Ornana klona, viņš tur upurēja arī kaujamos upurus. 29 Bet Tā Kunga mājoklis, ko Mozus bija izveidojis tuksnesī, un arī dedzināmo upuru altāris tanī laikā atradās kalnu augstienē pie Gibeonas. 30 Bet Dāvids nevarēja tā priekšā noiet, lai godinātu Dievu, jo viņš bija iztrūcinājies no Tā Kunga eņģeļa zobena.
