¹⁰David felt sorry that he had counted the fighting men. So he said to the Lord, “I committed a great sin when I counted Judah and Israel’s men. Lord, I beg you to take away my guilt. I’ve done a very foolish thing.”

¹¹Before David got up the next morning, a message from the Lord came to the prophet Gad. He was David’s seer. The message said, ¹²“Go and tell David, ‘The Lord says, “I could punish you in three different ways. Choose one of them for me to use against you.” ’ ”

¹³So Gad went to David. He said to him, “Take your choice. Do you want three years when there won’t be enough food in your land? Or do you want three months when you will run away from your enemies while they chase you? Or do you want three days when there will be a plague in your land? Think it over. Then take your pick. Tell me how to answer the One who sent me.”

¹⁴David said to Gad, “I’m suffering terribly. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord. His mercy is great. But don’t let me fall into the hands of men.”

¹⁵So the Lord sent a plague on Israel. It lasted from that morning until he decided to end it. From Dan all the way to Beersheba 70,000 people died.

¹⁶The angel reached his hand out to destroy Jerusalem. But the Lord was very sad because of the plague. So he spoke to the angel who was making the people suffer. He said, “That is enough! Do not kill any more people.” The angel of the Lord was at Araunah’s threshing floor. Araunah was from the city of Jebus.

¹⁷David saw the angel who was striking the people down. David said to the Lord, “I’m the one who has sinned. I’m the one who has done what is wrong. These people are like sheep. What have they done? Let your powerful hand punish me and my family.”

David Builds an Altar

¹⁸On that day Gad went to David. Gad said to him, “Go up to the threshing floor of Araunah, the Jebusite. Build an altar there to honor the Lord.”

¹⁹So David went up and did it. He did what the Lord had commanded through Gad.

²⁰Araunah looked and saw the king and his officials coming toward him. So he went out to welcome them. He bowed down to the king with his face toward the ground.

²¹Araunah said, “King David, you are my master. Why have you come to see me?”

“To buy your threshing floor,” David answered. “I want to build an altar there to honor the Lord. When I do, the plague on the people will be stopped.”

²²Araunah said to David, “Take anything that pleases you. Offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering. Here are threshing sleds. And here are wooden collars from the necks of the oxen. Use all of the wood to burn the offering. ²³King David, I’ll give all of it to you.” Araunah continued, “And may the Lord your God accept you.”

²⁴But the king replied to Araunah, “No. I want to pay you for it. I won’t sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that haven’t cost me anything.”

So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen. He paid 20 ounces of silver for them. ²⁵David built an altar there to honor the Lord. He sacrificed burnt offerings and friendship offerings.

Then the Lord answered prayer and blessed the land. The plague on Israel was stopped.

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