David's Census
2 Kingdoms 24, verse 1. And the anger of the Lord was aroused against Israel, and He incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” 2 Kingdoms 24, verse 2. So the king said to Joab the commander of the army, who was with him, “Go throughout all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and inspect the people so that I may know the number of the people.” 2 Kingdoms 24, verse 3. And Joab said to the king, “May the Lord your God add to the people the same number again and a hundred times more, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king desire this thing?” 2 Kingdoms 24, verse 4. Nevertheless, the king's word prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the army. Therefore Joab and the captains of the army went out before the king to inspect the people of Israel. 2 Kingdoms 24, verse 5. And they crossed the Jordan and encamped at Aroer, on the right side of the city, in the midst of the ravine of Gad and Eliezer. 2 Kingdoms 24, verse 6. Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Thabason, which is Hodshai; they came to Dan Jaan and Houdan and around to Sidon; 2 Kingdoms 24, verse 7. and they came to Mapsar of Tyre and all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went to South Judah as far as Beersheba. 2 Kingdoms 24, verse 8. So when they had gone through the whole land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 2 Kingdoms 24, verse 9. Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the inspection of the people to the king. And there were eight hundred thousand valiant men in Israel who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men of war.
A Judgment Restrained
2 Kingdoms 24, verse 10. And David's heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the Lord, “I sinned greatly in what I did. But now, I pray, O Lord, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” 2 Kingdoms 24, verse 11. Now when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, 2 Kingdoms 24, verse 12. “Go and tell David, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, and I will do it to you.”’” 2 Kingdoms 24, verse 13. So Gad came to David and told him; and he said to him, “Choose for yourself what is to come to pass. Shall three years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee for three months before your enemies while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days of death in your land? Now consider, and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me the word.” 2 Kingdoms 24, verse 14. And David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Therefore, I shall fall into the hands of the Lord, for the multitude of His compassion is great. Do not let me fall into the hand of man.” And David chose for himself the death he spoke. 2 Kingdoms 24, verse 15. So in the days of the wheat harvest, the Lord sent death upon Israel from the morning until noon. And destruction came upon the people. From Dan to Beersheba, seventy thousand men of the people died. 2 Kingdoms 24, verse 16. And when the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, 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 Orna the Jebusite. 2 Kingdoms 24, verse 17. Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and he said, “I am the shepherd 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.”
An Altar to the Lord
2 Kingdoms 24, verse 18. And Gad came to David that day and said to him, “Go up and erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing-floor of Orna the Jebusite.” 2 Kingdoms 24, verse 19. So David went up according to the word of Gad, as the Lord commanded. 2 Kingdoms 24, verse 20. Now Orna looked and saw the king and his servants coming toward him. So Orna went out and bowed before the king with his face to the ground. 2 Kingdoms 24, verse 21. Then Orna said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” And David said, “To buy the threshing-floor from you to build an altar to the Lord, so the plague may be withdrawn from the people.” 2 Kingdoms 24, verse 22. Now Orna said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good to him to the Lord. Look, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood.” 2 Kingdoms 24, verse 23. Orna gave all these things to the king. And Orna said to the king, “May the Lord your God bless you.” 2 Kingdoms 24, verse 24. Then the king said to Orna, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God with something that costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 2 Kingdoms 24, verse 25. And David built an altar there to the Lord and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. And Solomon later made a larger offering upon the altar, for a small one was made first. So the Lord heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel.