1 Chronicles 21:1–14

¹And Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel. ²And David said to Joab and to the princes of the people, Go, number Israel from Beer-sheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it. ³And Joab said, Jehovah add to his people, how many soever they be, a hundredfold: are they not all, my lord O king, my lord’s servants? why does my lord require this thing? why should he become a trespass to Israel? ⁴But the king’s word prevailed against Joab; and Joab departed, and went through all Israel, and came again to Jerusalem. ⁵And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David. And all they of Israel were eleven hundred thousand men that drew sword; and of Judah, four hundred and seventy thousand men that drew sword. ⁶But Levi and Benjamin he did not count among them; for the king’s word was abominable to Joab.

⁷And God was displeased on account of this thing, and he smote Israel. ⁸And David said to God, I have sinned greatly, in that I have done this thing; and now, I beseech thee, put away the iniquity of thy servant; for I have done very foolishly. ⁹And Jehovah spoke to Gad, David’s seer, saying, ¹⁰Go and speak to David saying, Thus saith Jehovah: I offer thee three things; choose one of them, that I may do it unto thee. ¹¹And Gad came to David, and said to him, Thus saith Jehovah: ¹²Choose thee, either three years of famine, or three months to be destroyed before thine adversaries while that the sword of thine enemies overtaketh thee, or three days the sword of Jehovah and the pestilence in the land, and the angel of Jehovah destroying through all the borders of Israel. And now consider what word I shall bring again to him that sent me. ¹³And David said to Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall, I pray thee, into the hand of Jehovah, for his mercies are very great; but let me not fall into the hand of man. ¹⁴And Jehovah sent a pestilence upon Israel; and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men.