1 Chronicles Chapter 21
David’s Ill-Advised Census
1 Satan stood up against Israel and tempted David to take a census. 2 David told Joab and the commanders of the troops,
“Go count Israel from Dan to Beersheba and bring me the results so I can know how many there are.”
3 Joab said, “May Yahveh add to his people 100 times as many as they are! But my lord the king, aren’t they all serving you? Why do you want to know this? Why bring guilt on Israel?”
4 But the king’s word prevailed. So Joab went all over Israel and came back to Jerusalem. 5 He gave David the census number: 1,100,000 swordsmen in Israel and 470,000 in Judah. 6 He didn’t count Levi and Benjamin because he abhorred the king’s command. 7 God was displeased with this thing, so he struck Israel. 1 Ch 21:1-7
8 David said to God, “I’ve committed an awful sin. Please take it away. I’ve done something really foolish.”
9 Yahveh told Gad, David’s seer, 10 “Tell David,
‘Yahveh says 11 to take 12 either three years of famine, three months of being swept away by your enemies’ sword, or three days of the sword of Yahveh when his angel destroys throughout Israel.’ What should I report to the One that sent me?” 1 Ch 21:8-12
13 David told Gad, “I’m in great distress. I’ll cast myself on Yahveh’s mercy because it’s so great. Don’t let me fall into human hands.” 14 Yahveh sent a plague on Israel; 70,000 people died. 15 He sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem; but as he was about to do it, he looked and was sad over the catastrophe. He told the destroying angel, “That’s enough; relax your hand.” The angel was standing by the threshing floor of Ornan/Araunah the Jebusite. 16 David looked up and saw him standing between earth and sky with his sword held out over Jerusalem. David and the elders, covered with burlap, fell on their faces. 17 He told God, “I’m the one that sinned. What have these sheep done? Yahveh my God, please plague me and my father’s house, not your people.” 1 Ch 21:13-17
David Builds an Altar
18 Then the angel of Yahveh had Gad tell David to build an altar on Ornan’s/Araunah’s threshing floor. 19 David went up. 20 Ornan/Araunah turned and saw the angel, and his four sons hid. He was threshing wheat. 21 As David came to him, he left the threshing floor and prostrated himself. 22 David told him, “Sell me this threshing floor so I can build an altar on it. Give it to me at full price so God will restrain the plague.”
23 Ornan/Araunah said,
“Take it and do what seems good. I’ll give the oxen for burnt offerings, the threshing sledges for wood, the wheat for the grain offering—all of it.”
24 But King David said, “I won’t take what’s yours for Yahveh or offer a burnt offering that doesn’t cost me anything.” 25 He paid him 15 lbs 600 shekels of gold for the site. 26 He built an altar there and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. He called to Yahveh, and he answered him with fire from the sky on the altar. 27 Yahveh told the angel to sheath his sword.
28 When David saw that Yahveh had answered him, he offered sacrifice there, 29 because the Tabernacle and altar that Moses made were in the countryside at Gibeon. 30 But David couldn’t go to it to ask God because the angel’s sword terrified him. 1 David said, “This is the house of Yahveh God and the altar of burnt offering for Israel.” 1 Ch 21:18-22:1