^27:23David did not count the males twenty years old and under, for the Lord had promised to make Israel as numerous as the stars in the sky. ^27:24Joab son of Zeruiah started to count the men but did not finish. God was angry with Israel⁵ because of this, so the number was not recorded in the scroll⁶ called The Annals of King David.

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Footnotes

5 Heb “anger was on Israel.”
6 The Hebrew text has “in the number,” but מִסְפַּר (mispar) is probably dittographic—note that the same word appears immediately before this. The form should be emended to בְּסֵפֶר (bésefar, “in the scroll”).

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

David did not count those below twenty years of age, for the Lord had promised to make Israel as many as the stars of heaven. Joab the son of Zeruiah began to count, but did not finish. Yet wrath came upon Israel for this, and the number was not entered in the chronicles of King David.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

David did not take the number of the men twenty years old or less, because the Lord had promised to make Israel as numerous as the stars in the sky. Joab son of Zeruiah began to count the men but did not finish. God’s wrath came on Israel on account of this numbering, and the number was not entered in the book of the annals of King David.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

David didn’t count the men aged twenty or under, for the Lord had said he would make Israel as numerous as the stars of the sky. Joab son of Zeruiah began to count them, but he didn’t complete it. There was wrath against Israel because of this census, and the number was not entered in the Historical Record of King David.

NLTNew Living Translation

When David took his census, he did not count those who were younger than twenty years of age, because the Lord had promised to make the Israelites as numerous as the stars in heaven. Joab son of Zeruiah began the census but never finished it because the anger of God fell on Israel. The total number was never recorded in King David’s official records.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And David did not take a census of those twenty years old or under because Yahweh promised to make Israel more numerous than the stars of heaven. Joab the son of Zeruiah began to count, but he did not finish. But wrath came upon Israel concerning this, and the number was not included in the chronicles of King David.

KJV 1900King James Version

But David took not the number of them from twenty years old and under: because the Lord had said he would increase Israel like to the stars of the heavens. Joab the son of Zeruiah began to number, but he finished not, because there fell wrath for it against Israel; neither was the number put in the account of the chronicles of king David.

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