2 Samuel 24:11–17

David’s Punishment

¹¹When David got up in the morning, a revelation from the Lord had come to the prophet Gad, ^lDavid’s seer: ^m12“Go and say to David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I am offering you three choices. Choose one of them, and I will do it to you.’ ”

¹³So Gad went to David, told him the choices, and asked him, “Do you want three ⁿyears of famine to come on your land, to flee from your foes three months while they pursue you, or to have a plague in your land three days? Now, think it over and decide what answer I should take back to the One who sent me.”

¹⁴David answered Gad, “I have great anxiety. Please, let us fall into the Lord’s hands because His mercies are great, ^obut don’t let me fall into human hands.”

¹⁵So the Lord sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the appointed time, and from Dan to Beer-sheba 70,000 men died. ¹⁶Then the angel extended his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, ^pbut the Lord relented concerning the destruction ^qand said to the angel who was destroying ^rthe people, “Enough, withdraw your hand now!” The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Araunah ^sthe Jebusite. ^t

¹⁷When David saw the angel striking the people, he said to the Lord, “Look, I am the one who has sinned; I am the one ^uwho has done wrong. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, let Your hand be against me and my father’s family.”