David Takes a Census
(1 Chronicles 21.1-27)1 On another occasion the Lord was angry with Israel, and he made David bring trouble on them. The Lord said to him, “Go and count the people of Israel and Judah.” 2 So David gave orders to Joab, the commander of his army: “Go with your officers through all the tribes of Israel from one end of the country to the other, and count the people. I want to know how many there are.”
3 But Joab answered the king, “Your Majesty, may the Lord your God make the people of Israel a hundred times more numerous than they are now, and may you live to see him do it. But why does Your Majesty want to do this?” 4 But the king made Joab and his officers obey his order; they left his presence and went out to count the people of Israel.
5 They crossed the Jordan and camped south of Aroer, the city in the middle of the valley, in the territory of Gad. From there they went north to Jazer, 6 and on to Gilead and to Kadesh, in Hittite territory. Then they went to Dan, and from Dan they went west to Sidon. 7 Then they went south to the fortified city of Tyre, on to all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites, and finally to Beersheba, in the southern part of Judah. 8 So after nine months and twenty days they returned to Jerusalem, having traveled through the whole country. 9 They reported to the king the total number of men capable of military service: 800,000 in Israel and 500,000 in Judah.
10 But after David had taken the census, his conscience began to hurt, and he said to the Lord, “I have committed a terrible sin in doing this! Please forgive me. I have acted foolishly.”
11-12 The Lord said to Gad, David's prophet, “Go and tell David that I am giving him three choices. I will do whichever he chooses.” The next morning, after David had gotten up, 13 Gad went to him, told him what the Lord had said, and asked, “Which is it to be? Three years of famine in your land or three months of running away from your enemies or three days of an epidemic in your land? Now think it over, and tell me what answer to take back to the Lord.”
14 David answered, “I am in a desperate situation! But I don't want to be punished by people. Let the Lord himself be the one to punish us, for he is merciful.” 15 So the Lord sent an epidemic on Israel, which lasted from that morning until the time that he had chosen. From one end of the country to the other seventy thousand Israelites died. 16 When the Lord's angel was about to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord changed his mind about punishing the people and said to the angel who was killing them, “Stop! That's enough!” The angel was by the threshing place of Araunah, a Jebusite.
17 David saw the angel who was killing the people, and said to the Lord, “I am the guilty one. I am the one who did wrong. What have these poor people done? You should punish me and my family.”
18 That same day Gad went to David and said to him, “Go up to Araunah's threshing place and build an altar to the Lord.” 19 David obeyed the Lord's command and went as Gad had told him to. 20 Araunah looked down and saw the king and his officials coming up to him. He threw himself on the ground in front of David 21 and asked, “Your Majesty, why are you here?”
David answered, “To buy your threshing place and build an altar for the Lord, in order to stop the epidemic.”
22 “Take it, Your Majesty,” Araunah said, “and offer to the Lord whatever you wish. Here are these oxen to burn as an offering on the altar; here are their yokes and the threshing boards to use as fuel.” 23 Araunah gave it all to the king and said to him, “May the Lord your God accept your offering.”
24 But the king answered, “No, I will pay you for it. I will not offer to the Lord my God sacrifices that have cost me nothing.” And he bought the threshing place and the oxen for fifty pieces of silver. 25 Then he built an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and fellowship offerings. The Lord answered his prayer, and the epidemic in Israel was stopped.
Dāvids skaita Israēlu un Jūdu
(1L 21:1–6)1 Atkal pret Israēlu iedegās Kunga dusmas un musināja Dāvidu, kūdot: “Ej, saskaiti Israēlu un Jūdu!” 2 Tad ķēniņš teica sava karaspēka virspavēlniekam Joābam: “Ej, izstaigā visas Israēla ciltis no Dāna līdz Bēršebai un saskaiti ļaudis, lai es zinātu ļaužu skaitu!”
3 Joābs teica ķēniņam: “Lai Kungs, tavs Dievs, vairo ļaudis vēl un vēl simtkārt un lai mana kunga, ķēniņa, acis to skata! Tomēr, mans kungs, ķēniņ, kāpēc tev sagribējies tādu lietu?” 4 Taču ķēniņa pavēle Joābam un karaspēka virsniekiem bija stingra, un Joābs ar ķēniņa karaspēka virsniekiem devās skaitīt israēliešus. 5 Viņi pārgāja pāri Jardānai un uzslēja nometni Aroērā uz dienvidiem no pilsētas, kas Gāda ielejā, un devās uz Jaazēras pusi. 6 Viņi aizgāja uz Gileādu un Tahtīm-Hodšī novadu, tad devās uz Dān-Jaanu un apkārt Sidonai, 7 nonāca Tīras cietoksnī un visās hiviešu un kanaāniešu pilsētās un devās uz Jūdas dienvidiem, uz Bēršebu. 8 Viņi pārstaigāja visu zemi, un, kad bija pagājuši deviņi mēneši un divdesmit dienas, viņi pārnāca Jeruzālemē. 9 Joābs saskaitīto ļaužu skaitu paziņoja ķēniņam – Israēlā bija astoņi simti tūkstoši karotāju, zobena nesēju, bet Jūdā – pieci simti tūkstoši vīru.
Vēstījums par Dāvida grēku
(1L 21:7–17)10 Pēc tam, kad Dāvids bija saskaitījis ļaudis, viņa sirds iesmeldzās, un Dāvids teica Kungam: “Esmu ļoti grēkojis, tā darīdams! Kungs, piedod jel tagad sava kalpa vainu, jo esmu izdarījis lielu muļķību!”
11 Kad Dāvids no rīta cēlās, Kunga vārds bija nācis pār Dāvida redzētāju, pravieti Gādu: 12 “Ej un pasludini Dāvidam – tā saka Kungs: tavā priekšā es nolieku trīs lietas. Izvēlies vienu, un tā es tev darīšu!” 13 Gāds atnāca pie Dāvida, izstāstīja viņam un teica: “Vai nu tev un tavai zemei uznāks septiņi bada gadi, vai nu trīs mēnešus tev jābēg no ienaidniekiem, kas tevi vajās, vai trīs dienas tavā zemē būs mēris – apdomā un izlem, kādu atbildi man dot tam, kas mani sūtījis.”
14 Dāvids sacīja Gādam: “Man ļoti grūti! Labāk mums krist Kunga rokā – jo liela ir viņa žēlsirdība –, nekā man krist cilvēku rokās!” 15 Un Kungs sūtīja Israēlam mēri no tā rīta līdz noteiktajam laikam. No Dāna līdz Bēršebai tautā nomira septiņdesmit tūkstoši vīru. 16 Eņģelis izstiepa roku uz Jeruzālemi, lai to izpostītu, bet Kungam kļuva žēl darīt tādu ļaunumu. Viņš teica eņģelim, kas nīdēja tautu: “Gana! Apturi savu roku!” Kunga eņģelis bija pie jebūsieša Aravnas klona.
17 Redzot eņģeli, kas kāva cilvēkus, Dāvids teica Kungam: “Redzi, es esmu grēkojis, es esmu noziedzies, bet šīs avis – ko tās ir darījušas?! Lai tava roka ir pret mani un mana tēva namu!”
Altāris Dievam
(1L 21:18–27)18 Tajā dienā Gāds nāca pie Dāvida un teica: “Dodies un cel Kungam altāri uz jebūsieša Aravnas klona!” 19 Un Dāvids devās, kā Kungs bija pavēlējis ar Gāda vārdiem. 20 Kad Aravna paraudzījās lejup, viņš redzēja, ka ķēniņš ar saviem kalpiem nāca pie viņa. Aravna iznāca un noliecās ķēniņam ar seju līdz zemei. 21 Aravna teica: “Kāpēc mans kungs ķēniņš nāk pie sava kalpa?” Dāvids atbildēja: “Lai pirktu no tevis šo klonu un būvētu altāri Kungam – lai manā tautā mitētos šī sērga!” 22 Aravna teica Dāvidam: “Lai mans kungs, ķēniņš, ņem un upurē, kas viņam tīk! Redzi – vērši sadedzināmajam upurim, kuļamais rats un vēršu iejūgs malkai. 23 Ķēniņ, to visu Aravna atdod ķēniņam!”
Tad Aravna teica ķēniņam: “Kungs, tavs Dievs, tevi uzklausīs.” 24 Ķēniņš teica Aravnam: “Nē, es noteikti pirkšu no tevis par maksu. Es nepienesīšu Kungam, savam Dievam, sadedzināmo upuri, kas iegūts par velti.” Un Dāvids nopirka klonu un vēršus par piecdesmit sudraba šekeļiem. 25 Dāvids uzbūvēja tur altāri Kungam un pienesa sadedzināmos upurus un miera upurus. Kungs izpildīja lūgumu par zemi, un sērga Israēlā mitējās.
