¹Satan attempted to attack Israel by provoking David to count the Israelites. ²David said to Joab and the leaders of the people, “Go, count Israel from Beersheba to Dan. Bring me ⸤the results⸥ so that I may know how many ⸤people⸥ there are.”

³Joab responded, “May the Lord multiply his people a hundred times over. But, Your Majesty, aren’t they all your servants? Why are you trying to do this? Why do you wish to make Israel guilty of ⸤this⸥ sin?”

⁴However, the king overruled Joab. So Joab left, went throughout Israel, and returned to Jerusalem. ⁵Joab reported the census figures to David: In Israel there were 1,100,000 men who could serve in the army, and in Judah there were 470,000 who could serve in the army. ⁶Joab didn’t include Levi and Benjamin in the number because he was disgusted with the king’s order.

⁷God considered the census to be sinful, so he struck Israel ⸤with a plague⸥.

⁸David said to God, “I have committed a terrible sin by doing this thing. Forgive me because I have acted very foolishly.”

⁹The Lord spoke to Gad, David’s seer.^a¹⁰“Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I’m offering you three choices. Choose the one you want me to do to you.’ ”

¹¹When Gad came to David, he said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Take your pick: ¹²either three years of famine, or three months during which your enemies will chase you away when their swords catch up to you, or three days of the Lord’s sword—a plague in the land with the Messenger of the Lord destroying the whole country of Israel.’ Decide what answer I should give the one who sent me.”

¹³“I’m in a desperate situation,” David told Gad. “Please let me fall into the Lord’s hands because he is extremely merciful. But don’t let me fall into human hands.”

¹⁴So the Lord sent a plague on Israel, and 70,000 Israelites died.

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Footnotes

a 21:9 A seer is a prophet.