1 Chronicles 21:1–14

David Counts the Israelites

21Satan was against Israel, and he caused David to count the people of Israel. ²So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go and count all the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. ⁿ Then tell me so I will know how many there are.”

³But Joab said, “May the Lord give the nation a hundred times more people. My master the king, all the Israelites are your servants. Why do you want to do this, my master? You will make Israel guilty of sin.”

⁴But the king commanded Joab, so Joab left and went through all Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem. ⁵Joab gave the list of the people to David. There were one million one hundred thousand men in all of Israel who could use the sword, and there were four hundred seventy thousand men in Judah who could use the sword. ⁶But Joab did not count the tribes of Levi and Benjamin, because he didn’t like King David’s order. ⁷David had done something God had said was wrong, so God punished Israel.

⁸Then David said to God, “I have sinned greatly by what I have done! Now, I beg you to forgive me, your servant, because I have been very foolish.”

⁹The Lord said to Gad, who was David’s seer, ¹⁰“Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: I offer you three choices. Choose one of them and I will do it.’ ”

¹¹So Gad went to David and said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Choose for yourself ¹²three years of hunger. Or choose three months of running from your enemies as they chase you with their swords. Or choose three days of punishment from the Lord, in which a terrible disease will spread through the country. The angel of the Lord will go through Israel destroying the people.’ Now, David, decide which of these things I should tell the Lord who sent me.”

¹³David said to Gad, “I am in great trouble. Let the Lord punish me, because the Lord is very merciful. Don’t let my punishment come from human beings.”

¹⁴So the Lord sent a terrible disease on Israel, and seventy thousand people died.